Before we begin, I've one thing to say.
Whoever thought it a good idea to make an entire selection of a certain blended beverage half off for ten days should be thrown into a ravine filled with baby excretions.
Enjoy.
A small sigh escaped the lips of a young woman in the midst of a couple dozen others. The sky above them was a monotonous blanket of grey as the Shepherds continued their walk back towards Regna Ferox, matching the feeling that was placed in Reina.
In front of her, Lucina and Severa were happily chatting with their parents, Chrom and Cordelia, to make up for the years lost. They had revealed themselves to the Shepherds earlier in the morning, to which the Shepherds surprisingly took pretty well. Reina expected them to be skeptical at first, but she clearly underestimated the bonds between the Shepherds.
Seeing the family in front of them was a heartwarming experience, one that she felt not too long ago with Marc. Looking beside her, a slight smile formed on her lips as she watched her time-traveling son walk with his head in a strategy guide that she had given him.
Just watching Marc filled Reina with a sense of pride. Marc's brain was like sponge that would endlessly absorb knowledge like water without a limit of saturation. She held no doubt that, with time, Marc would easily surpass both her and Robin in tactics and strategy. The only hurdle that Marc had to get over was how he held her in such a high regard, almost to the point that Reina was afraid that Marc would wither under the shadow of her that he himself created.
As for her counterpart, he'd been stuck in doldrums ever since the negotiations ended with Plegia. Normally, whenever Robin would be in such a state, Reina would hint to Morgan and Chrom that he'd need some company, to which the two of them would gladly oblige, but to no avail this time around. Even Lucina, the one that spent the most time with Robin, wasn't able to bring him out of his stupor.
Reina sighed once more, but this time, with a bit of annoyance aimed at Robin. Seeing how the Reina was Robin's alternate counterpart, she was able to get a good read on his thoughts and emotions a good majority of the time. She'd recognize the way his eyebrows narrow a fraction of an inch when in deep thought, or how his mouth would thin ever so slightly when he was talking about a subject he was uncomfortable with, and even the small glint in his eyes when he'd come up with a new plan. After all, those were the exact same mannerisms that she had.
With all that in mind, it wasn't difficult to discern the fact that Robin was brooding over his meeting with Validar and the Plegian Hierophant back in the capital. The Hierophant referred to himself as Robin, but the idea was quickly discarded amongst the Shepherds as having two Robins would only make things a lot more confusing and because Robin vehemently emphasized that the Hierophant was not Robin.
The knowledge of a second Robin didn't sit well with Reina, but the thought Validar somehow being alive even though Reina was certain that both she and Robin killed him years ago was even more vexing. Reina watched the life leave his eyes as Robin released a Thoron cast inside Validar's body, a spell that fried the high priest's insides.
Maybe Validar had some sort of magic that would bring him back from the brink of death?
I don't think so. I've never heard of such a magic that tampers with death.
But you never know. There's been a lot of contrasts between this world and yours.
Have…have you been searching through my memories?
N-no…yes…
Damn it, Reflet…
Hey, it's not my fault that there's nothing to do here. Besides, it's not like I'm intruding on your privacy since I'm a part of you, right?
I suppose.
I must say, however, you've quite the interesting taste in novels.
Reina paled.
Reflet, if you've been going through the memories that I think you've been going through, I will -
I don't think even Cordelia or Sumia read this stuff. Quite erotic, indeed -
REFLET!
Eh heh heh, it's not like you can do anything to stop me. Just consider yourself lucky that I'm confined here and unable to converse with those outside, such as our two Pegasus Knights. Who knows how they'd view you based on your choice of genres.
Reina's face flushed. It's not like she enjoyed reading those types of books; it's just that they were quite the interesting read. Not that she'd tell anyone. It was merely one of her guilty pleasures.
Slapping her cheeks with her hands, Reina saw Lissa try to engage Robin in a small chat. Not even three seconds later, Lissa's face dropped as Robin no attempt in holding a conversation. A flicker of annoyance passed through Reina. He seemed to be fine the night prior to their march back to Ferox when he talked with Henry, but he donned the gloomy persona once more at dawn. Even if he was in a bad mood, there was no reason to coldly disregard Lissa when she was trying to cheer him up.
Reina was about to go and reprimand Robin for his actions when someone else moved first. A flash of bright pink and yellow passed by Reina as Maribelle briskly walked over to Robin. The noble gently tapped Robin on the shoulder, and the moment he turned around, Maribelle's hand moved in a blur. Reina couldn't help but wince as a sharp sound of a palm striking a cheek split the air and the entirety of the Shepherds drew a collective gasp.
Maribelle blinked as if she just realized that she just slapped one of the highest ranking member of the Shepherds, the Exalt's right hand, and one of the most, if not the most, powerful person on the continent. For a second, it looked like Maribelle was going to apologize when she raised her chin and straightened her back, true to her status and pride of a noble.
"Listen here, Lord Tactician." Maribelle crossed her arms while glaring at Robin. "I do not know, nor do I care, about what it is exactly that went on during the negotiations in Plegia, but this is in no way for one such as you to act! You are a tactician! Did you not say so yourself that a tactician must keep a level head at all times?"
Robin said nothing as he received Maribelle's tongue lashing with a blank look on his face.
"And though I may respect you as one of Ylisse's master tacticians, I will NOT forgive anyone that would dare harm my darling Lissa!"
The silence that fell upon the Shepherds was ironically deafening and the tension so thick that one could cut it with a knife. All eyes were on Maribelle and Robin as they waited for the latter's reaction. Every single one of the Shepherds were already envisioning Robin's wrath.
"…pfft…"
A ripple of confusion spread throughout the Shepherds.
The shoulders of the tactician started to tremble before he doubled over in laughter. Of all the reactions, this was the least expected.
"Thank you, Maribelle," Robin finally said as his laughter died down. "Such actions are unfitting my position and I deeply apologize for my recent attitude." Robin then performed a bow so graceful and elegant that both Maribelle and Virion were impressed. "Could you find it in your heart to forgive me?"
"W-well, I suppose if you learned from your mistake, I can let you off," Maribelle managed, still surprised at Robin's demeanor. His movements rivaled - no, not even the stuck up nobles of Ylisse could move in such a fluid manner.
"But don't ever let me see you mistreating or hurting Lissa, or there will be dire consequences," Maribelle added.
A lighthearted smile formed on Robin's face. "Of course, milady."
Maribelle strutted off as she pulled Lissa along. She didn't say it, but Maribelle had newfound respect for the tactician.
"Were he to tell me that he was of noble birth, I wouldn't have doubted him," Maribelle muttered to herself.
Oh, my dear Maribelle, Reina wryly laughed to herself, overhearing Maribelle and not missing the slight pink on her cheeks. If only you knew that Robin and I are technically the crown prince and princess of Plegia in both our worlds and this one.
The moment Maribelle was out of earshot, Gaius and Stahl both walked up and plopped their arms around Robin's shoulders.
"Damn, Bubbles, I didn't know you had it in ya!" Gaius grinned.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Robin replied.
"Robin, everyone knows that Maribelle has a very high standard for mannerisms and the like," Stahl said. "And you just impressed her in a single exchange. You even managed to extinguish her fiery tongue, something no one was able to do!"
Robin shrugged. "All I did was use some formalities when addressing her."
"HA!" Gaius barked. "Alright then, our humble tactician."
The viridian knight and sugar thief walked ahead while chuckling to themselves. The moment Gaius and Stahl were away, they were replaced by Cherche and Sumia, both of whom were also impressed with Robin's actions.
"Wow, Father is quite popular."
Reina looked beside her to see Robin's daughter, Morgan. The young girl had a curious look on her face as she was staring intently at her father.
"Ah, that's right, you don't know who your mother is," Reina recalled.
Morgan sadly shook her head. "I've been trying to search my memories, but I keep drawing blanks. I've also been talking with a lot of the other female Shepherds that seem to have taken a liking to Father, but that hasn't been helping."
"I have to agree. Your father is quite the charmer."
Reina and Morgan turned around to see Cordelia smiling at them. Frowning, Morgan turned to look back at Robin.
"I didn't know that Father was such a ladies man…"
Cordelia laughed. "It's not like Robin is trying to charm the women. It's just how he is. He just draws people to him unknowingly with his compassion and actions, especially the women."
Reina slyly raised an eyebrow at Cordelia. "Oh? Your words and tone make it seem like even you were also interested in him, Cor."
"Perhaps," Cordelia said with a small blush.
"No way!" Morgan gasped.
"Please, do not fret," Cordelia coaxed the young girl. "Once upon a time, yes, I did harbor an interest in Robin, but that time has long passed."
Morgan puffed out her cheeks and pouted.
"It's okay, Morgan."
Marc finally brought his head out from his book to speak for the first time.
"I don't remember my father, so I know how you feel," Marc comforted her.
The moment Marc said the word, "father", Reina's heart skipped a beat as she fidgeted with her hat. Her minute show of embarrassment didn't go unnoticed, however, as Cordelia donned a mischievous grin.
. . .
. . .
Two weeks passed since the negotiations took place in Regna Ferox. Two days for the trip back. Four days for the Plegian warships to arrive. Eight days getting all the supplies and cargo loaded onto the ships. And now, the armada of Plegian warships departed from the coast of Regna Ferox with the number of Ylisseans and Feroxi at 250,000. Only a quarter of the number of men Walhart the Conqueror had under his heel.
Reina stood at the bow of the ship, eyes set on the horizon. It took everything she had to not hurl her insides over the edge.
"Damn it…why now?" Reina groaned. "I never got seasick before, so why am I getting seasick now of all times?"
"It's not so bad. You should get used to it after a while."
Reina looked over her shoulder. Her eyes narrowed when she saw a certain flirtatious time traveler walk up to her with a confident looking smirk on his face.
"Inigo."
"What, not even a smile for me?" Inigo grinned.
"You would think that one would get the message after…what number are we up to? Twenty eight, I believe," Reina glowered.
"Ah ha ha…haa…it can't be that high," Inigo nervously laughed.
"Don't take a tactician's brain and her ability to keep count lightly, Inigo," Reina warned. "Why do you keep returning?"
Inigo grinned. "I only ask you time and time again because the effect that your beauty has on me is like seeing you for the first time all over again."
"How charming."
"Yes! I've finally succeeded!" Inigo nearly jumped in joy.
"That was sarcasm, Inigo."
"O-oh…" Inigo's face dropped for a moment before cheerfully smiling once more. "Well, I can always try next time!"
Reina let out an exasperated sigh.
Throw him off the boat.
No, Reflet, I can't do that.
Sure you can. You can easily pick him up by the scruff of his neck and toss him overboard. Just say that he tripped or lost his balance. No one will ever know.
Sorry, let me rephrase my line. I won't do that.
*sigh* Alright, fine…
"So, is there any reason as to why you're here aside from trying to flirt?" Reina asked Inigo.
"I couldn't help but notice that you're suffering from seasickness," Inigo said, dropping his smile. "I'm here to offer you help."
Reina narrowed her eyes. "What's the catch?"
"That's the best part! There is none!" Inigo grinned. "Though, I'd be more than happy to take you out to a - "
"Forget I asked."
"Ever the cold shoulder," Inigo dramatically sighed. Reaching into his pocket, he took out a couple pieces of candy before holding them out to Reina. "Here. Ginger candy from our sugar loving thief."
Reina raised an eyebrow at the pieces of candy now in her palm.
"Ginger?"
"Yup! Our sweets expert says that it'll help. And it works. I'm prone to seasickness myself, actually."
"I see. Thank you, Inigo," Reina smiled.
"Woo!" Inigo pumped his fist. "I actually managed to make you smile!"
Reina blinked. Before she could say anything else, Inigo turned on his heel and proudly left.
"You've a beautiful smile, by the way," Inigo said over his shoulder. "You should show it to him. I'm sure he won't be able to resist."
Heat rose to Reina's face as the face of a certain someone popped into her head. Had she really been so obvious that Inigo of all people was able to find out? She shook her head to clear her thoughts, immediately regretting the action as her queasiness returned ten-fold. Popping one of candies into her mouth, she once again looked towards the horizon, cursing Naga for making her suffer from sickness this time around.
. . .
Down in one of the ship's many quarters, a knock sounded on Robin's door.
"Come in," Robin called.
The door opened and Miriel and Ricken stepped inside Robin's room. Ricken was holding a small box in his hands.
"Greetings, Robin," Miriel greeted. "I've come to update you on the progress of the rings."
Closing the book he was currently reading, Robin sat up on his bed with interest.
"I'm listening."
Ricken walked over to Robin, handing him the small box.
"You will be pleased that the we've managed to devise a way to communicate over long distances," Miriel proudly stated. "All one must do is infuse a ring with their essence and the ring will bond with the owner. The owner must then depict a clear image of an owner of a different ring, hold the ring near his or her head, and speak."
Robin opened the small box, revealing six ornate rings within a velvet interior. Each ring was a different color, red, blue, green, gold, white, and purple, and every ring had a celtic design weaving around the entirety of the ring. Embedded in each ring were five tiny gems, roughly half the width of the ring, and depicting the color of each ring aside from its own.
"Unfortunately, we were only able to create six rings," Miriel added. "The gems and material required for it is exceedingly rare, and we were lucky to create even those in your hands."
"Sorry, Robin." Ricken lowered his head.
"Don't apologize," Robin smiled. "I feared that you'd only be able to create a couple of these rings, but the fact that you managed to create six is more than I could have asked for." Gently closing the box, Robin looked back up at the two mages. "You have my thanks."
"You should not only thank us, Robin," Miriel said as she adjusted her glasses. "We could not have done this without the aid of our dark mages, Tharja and Henry."
"Really?"
"Yeah, they helped out a lot!" Ricken grinned. "Tharja is the one that figured out a way to infuse your essence into the rings while Henry was the one that managed to cut down the amount of raw materials needed for each ring!"
"I see. I'll have to thank them as well," Robin hummed. "Oh, one question, how does one go about infusing their essence into a ring?"
"The answer is much simpler than you'd think," Miriel said. "A simple channeling of mana will suffice."
Robin nodded. "And for those who can't channel mana?"
"A mere ounce of blood onto the ring will serve as a replacement."
"…Tharja and Henry's idea?" Robin asked.
"Just Henry's."
Nodding once more, Robin opened the box to inspect the rings once more when another knock sounded from his door.
"Enter!" Robin called out.
The door opened for the second time and Lucina poked her head in.
"Robin - oh, I didn't realize you had company. Hello, Lady Miriel, Sir Ricken," Lucina greeted.
"Good afternoon, milady." "Hello, Princess Lucina!"
Lucina looked past the mages and at Robin. "Father has called for a meeting."
"Understood," Robin replied. Deciding that now would be a perfect opportunity to show the rings, Robin tucked the box under his arms, thanked the mages once more, and followed Lucina out of this room.
"If I may, what's in the box?" Lucina asked as they walked down the hall, eyeing the box curiously.
Robin grinned. "Secret. For now," he answered, earning him a frown from Lucina.
Arriving at one of the biggest rooms on the ship, Robin opened the door and gestured for Lucina to enter first.
"Took you long enough." Chrom threw Robin a smirk as they entered the room. "Any longer and I'd have considered you to be late."
"Chrom, please," Robin threw up a hand. "A tactician is never late, nor is he ever early. He arrives precisely when he means to."
"Gah ha ha!" Basilio's voice boomed throughout the room.
"I'd forgotten how quick-witted you are, tactician," Flavia snickered.
"So, any reason as to why the leaders of our army are all put together in this room? I appreciate the intimacy, but there are other ways to go about it," Robin quipped.
A wooden block flew across the room, pegging Robin on the head.
"As if we'd want to get close to you," Reina smirked.
"You realize that you insulting me is equivalent of insulting yourself," Robin retorted.
"Pfft, we all know I'm the prettier one," Reina said without missing a beat.
"Which isn't saying much," Cordelia said, a victorious grin on her face.
"..."
"..."
"BWA HA HA HA!"
Everyone in the room burst into laughter with the exception of Lucina and Frederick, the former not understanding what was so funny while the latter had a tiniest of smiles on his face. Once the laughter died down, Chrom leaned forward and a serious mood settled upon the room.
"A few minutes ago, one of our scouts spotted a Valmese fleet not too far from where we are, matching us ship for ship," Chrom said. "Normally, that wouldn't be such a bad thing, but their troops greatly outnumber us."
"While each of our vessels hold only half the maximum capacity allowed, each one of the Valmese ships are packed from stern to stern with soldiers," Frederick added.
"So, in layman's terms, they outnumber us two to one," Robin said, staring intently at a map laid out in front of them. "A straight-on fight and we'd be slaughtered…"
"We brought both you and Reina here in hopes that you could devise a plan that won't end up in a massacre." Flavia shifted the weight on her legs. "While Plegia spared no men to our cause, they were quite generous in the supplies, especially the oil. Perhaps your brains can come up with a plan?"
Robin and Reina locked eyes. In an instant, they both came up with the same plan.
"Perhaps our brains can," Reina grinned.
The temperature in the room dropped as a sinister looking smile formed on both of the tacticians' faces.
"Oh no, I recognize that look in your eyes," Basilio groaned. "You've come up with another absurd idea, haven't you?"
"The best ideas are also the craziest ones," Robin gleefully said.
"Something tells me that I'm not going to like what I hear…" Basilio grumbled.
"Hush, oaf," Flavia hissed, smacking the West-Khan on the arm. "Let the tacticians speak."
"Thank you, Flavia," Robin nodded at the khan. "So, here's the plan. We light our ships on fire."
Silence fell on the room as every head turned to Robin.
"…what." Chrom stared at Robin.
"The oaf was right," Flavia sighed. "This is absurd."
Pinching the bridge of his nose, Chrom shook his head. "Sad thing is, I'm not even mildly surprised at Robin's plan… It's like I was expecting it. But still, I have to ask. Why?"
"Bah! I know better than to question them," Basilio barked. "I just hope that the gods will spare us from whatever plan that they've come up with this time."
"Perfect, then Khan Basilio, Khan Flavia, if you would, please proceed to relocate all the soldiers that are on the front half of the fleet to the second half," Reina said, clapping her hands together. "There should be more than enough room to accommodate for the extra soldiers on the ships."
"Why in gods name - gah!" Basilio threw up his hands as he and Flavia left the room.
"As for us, a select few will board their lead ship and kill their admiral," Robin continued. "This is going to be extremely dangerous, so I would rather not take anyone that's important - "
"I'm going," Chrom cut in, shooting a look at Robin.
"Okay, not important, you're in," Robin replied without blinking.
"Wh- what the- Robin!" Chrom sputtered.
Robin smirked. "You brought that on yourself. How could I not take that opportunity?"
Chrom groaned, realizing that he played right into Robin's verbal trap.
"Anyways, a team of our best fighters, Chrom included, will board the lead ship, and kill the admiral," Reina explained. "Once the admiral is dead, the rest of the Shepherds will send forth our empty ships that are soaked in oil at the rest of the Valmese fleet. With either a simple spell or a precariously placed torch, fire."
A small glint flashed in Frederick's eyes when Reina finished explaining the plan, but it went by unnoticed by the rest of the room's occupants.
"Of course, the fighter group will have jump ship unless they wish to join the Valmese," Reina nonchalantly added. "Any questions? None? Good."
The remaining members in the room started to get up when Robin stopped them.
"Wait, one last thing," Robin suddenly said, placing the box of rings on the table and opening the lid. "I wish to give you all one of these."
"R-Robin…are these - ?" Lucina started.
"You could've taken us out to dinner first," Chrom smirked.
"We all know that you'd agree even without the dinner," Cordelia laughed.
"I assume that these are not mere rings to show your affection for us?" Frederick asked with a hint of playfulness.
Robin raised an eyebrow. "I never thought I'd see the day when Frederick joins in on our banter. But, to answer your question, yes. These rings are an idea from the Miriel of my world."
Robin proceeded to hand a ring to everyone in the room. Red for Chrom, Blue for Cordelia, Green for Frederick, White for Reina, Gold for Lucina, and Purple for himself. Lucina's heart jumped when Robin handed her hers, but no one needed to know that.
"These rings are communication rings, created through the joint efforts of Miriel, Ricken, Tharja, and Henry," Robin explained. "They'll allow us to communicate instantly over great distances, making it an invaluable tool in the coming war."
Everyone's eyes widened as they looked down at the rings in awe.
"Th-that's insane!" Reina marveled.
"All that's left is to either channel a bit of mana into it, or place a drop of blood on it, and then the ring will activate," Robin finished.
Putting the ring on his left pointer finger, Robin channeled mana into the ring. A violet colored light emanated from the ring momentarily before fading. On the rings of everyone else, one of the five gems on the ring turned purple, signifying that Robin's ring successfully activated.
Following Robin's example, Reina and Lucina channeled mana into their rings. A white and golden glow shone from their respective rings, followed by two gems on Robin, Chrom, Frederick, and Cordelia's rings turning gold and red.
With a knife, Chrom proceeded to poke one of his fingers deep enough to draw a bit of blood before handing the knife over to Cordelia. Frederick visibly stiffened at the sight of his lord's blood, but said nothing as he understood the reasons behind it. A few more knife pokes later and three drops of blood onto the rings and the five gems on everyone's rings was lit up in a different color.
"Perfect, we're all set!" Robin cheerfully said.
"Just one question: how do we actually communicate through these rings?" Reina asked.
Robin placed a hand on his chin as he thought back to Miriel's explanation.
"Miriel said that you'd have to get a clear image of the person you want to speak to in your mind, place the ring near your head, then speak," Robin recalled. "I'll test this out."
Placing his left hand on his temple, Robin thought of who he should talk to and what he should say. Not a moment later, Chrom let out a yelp as he jumped backwards.
"What the - Robin, I just heard your voice in my head!" Chrom gasped.
"Huh, I didn't say anything though…" Robin frowned.
Chrom shook his head. "I distinctly heard you ask, 'Who should I talk to, and what should I say?'"
Robin's eyes widened. "No way…that was indeed what I was thinking."
'Boo.'
"GAAH!" Robin jumped in the air as Reina started laughing.
"I'm going to have so much fun with this!" Reina flashed a wild grin.
Groaning, Robin continued.
"Oh, just one thing about these rings," Robin said, clearing his throat and throwing Reina a glare. "You can only communicate with those that have another ring, meaning, only the six of us in this room will be able to communicate with one another."
"Why only us?" Cordelia asked, puzzled.
Robin bit his lip. "Making even a single one of these rings is costly, and I don't mean in just gold. They require a substance called 'Materia'."
"Materia?" Reina gasped. "I thought those were just myths!"
"Well, you were myth-taken (mistaken)," Robin grinned, proud of his pun. "Anyways, as you probably guessed from Reina's outburst, Materia is exceedingly rare, and due to it's rarity, we have very limited knowledge of it. All I know, and this is from years of study back from my world, is that Materia is a crystallized form of energy. What kind of energy, no one knows."
"How did you come across the Materia needed for these rings?" Reina asked, looking at her ring almost reverently.
"I didn't," Robin simply answered. "The Miriel of my world did, and even then, it was just two small shards, each no bigger than my finger. It was a wonder and a blessing that we were able to get our hands on not only two, but six rings in total, thanks to Henry."
"I appreciate the thought, but why were we the ones to receive such an item?" Frederick asked.
"To be fair, it was only supposed to be between Chrom and I so that we could relay information back and forth in the middle of a battle," Robin bluntly said. "When Miriel told me that she managed to procure six rings, I immediately thought of who else I should give a ring to. Reina was an obvious choice. Frederick and Cordelia were also easy to pick out since you'll each be leading an army division.
Lucina pursed her lips. "And as for me?"
"We can't have our dear princess from the future and the Exalt's daughter feeling left out, can we?" Robin grinned. "Besides, I'm sure your doting parents would be worried sick for you in the midst of a battle."
For some odd reason, Lucina's heart fell at Robin's reasoning, but as usual, did not know why.
"But I'm sure that there's plenty of suitable candidates for - "
"Lucina," Robin cut her off, placing his hands on Lucina's shoulders. "I gave you this ring because I wanted to. These rings are powerful, and in the wrong hands, can lead to disastrous problems. I chose the people in this room specifically because each one you has my utmost trust. Understand?"
The princess nodded, her chest swelling with pride and joy.
"Great!" Robin smiled as he clapped his hands on Lucina's shoulders. "With the matter of rings out of the way, I believe we're done here. With luck, the Khans will have relocated all the soldiers. All that's left is to deal with the Valmese's admiral."
"You got everything, Morgan, Marc?" Reina suddenly said, looking in the direction of the door.
Only Robin and Reina didn't seem surprised as a clicking sound was heard from the door's latch. The door slowly creaked open as the two young tacticians sheepishly walked in.
"How'd you know we were there?" Marc asked.
"I'm your mother, Marc," Reina reminded him. "I think I'd know what you'd do in this situation, being an aspiring tactician and all."
"Cheer up!" Robin laughed, rustling Morgan's hair. "You can help us decide who to being on the lead group."
"You do that," Reina devilishly grinned. "I'll be having fun with these rings."
. . .
. . .
'Cordelia, the enemy archers are down,' Reina mentally said.
'Understood!' Cordelia replied.
A moment later, a wyvern, dragon, and two pegasi took to the skies as Reina beheaded a Valmese knight. Splitting her Rakuyo into two blades, Reina twirled in a circle with her blades outstretched, slicing open the chests of four Valmese who were surrounding her, but more kept coming from the two ships that were on both sides on the Shepherds' ship.
A few feet away from her, Marc was just as skilled with his version of Rakuyo as he swung both blades in a continuous motion, one after the other. Just like Reina would do so often, Marc coated his blades in magic, alternating between different elemental magics to suit his current situation. He would use Lightning to easily pierce the heavy armor of knights, Fire for explosive hits, and Wind to swing his blades in a blur to slice down the enemies that were more agile.
As she watched in pride, Cordelia's presence once again appeared in Reina's head.
'Reina, I've troubling news.'
'Go ahead, Cor.'
'The Valmese flagship is approaching with another. The first two ships they sent was meant to soften us up.'
Reina clicked her tongue.
'Alright. Have your group distract them for as long as you can, but do not take any unnecessary risks. Return to us when it gets too dangerous.'
'Roger that.'
As Cordelia's presence faded, Reina looked to the skies just in time to witness Nowi spit a fireball from her open maw. The fireball detonated in a massive explosion on the Valmese flagship. Reina was able to see a few Valmese soldiers being thrown off the ship before turning her attention back to the fight she was in the middle of. Surprisingly, they had yet to encounter the new weapon that the Valmese used against the Feroxi fleet during the initial invasion, but Reina was grateful for that. Encountering those weapons would be quite troublesome.
Cutting down another soldier, Reina's ears picked up a very loud voice.
"Take this! LUMINOUS SWORD!"
A green glow enveloped Owain's sword as he swung it down on a Valmese commander. Blocking the blow with his shield, he bashed his shield at Owain, who deftly dodged it.
"For you to have blocked one of my moves, you are truly one of uncommon lineage!" Owain exclaimed, dramatically twirling his sword around. "But, Fate is not with you today, for I, Owain Dark, am your opponent! And with this move, I shall - WOAH!"
Tired of Owain's banter, the knight lunged forward with his spear, nearly gutting Owain in the process.
"You vile cur! To disrupt me is to welcome death! Then so be it!"
Performing a marvelous backflip, Owain raised his sword high into the air.
"Heed my call, o Sword of Promised Victory!"
A golden light started to surround the blade.
"Ecks…" The blade started to shine brilliantly as Owain swung his sword down. Whatever word he said was lost as powerful wave of golden energy erupted from the edge of his blade. The wooden flooring of the ship was torn to splinters as the golden shockwave shot out into the open wastes, nearly cleaving the ship in two.
Grinning proudly, Owain stood up straight just as Severa smacked him on the head.
"What were you thinking?!" Severa yelled. "You could've sunk this ship with all of us still on board!"
Laughing to herself, Reina twirled her swords in her hands as she looked around. Vaike and Virion were having a small argument as to who got more kills in this skirmish, Gregor, Stahl, and Frederick worked together to bring down a small group of Valmese, and Libra brought his axe down on a poor soldier who took him as an easy target.
Behind Libra, Lissa and Maribelle were chanting in unison as a white light shone from their hands. All three healers had practiced Light magic thanks to the tomes Robin recovered. To little surprise, the healers easily grasped the essence of the magic as it was closely tied to healing magic. Reina watched as a pale-white blade in the shape of a half moon descended upon two Valmese, downing them instantly.
"Stay focused!"
Lon'qu was suddenly next to her as he sliced the head off a Valmese soldier who attempted to sneak up on Reina. In doing so, he left a blind spot open which another Valmese took advantage of before he found Reina's blade lodged in his chest.
"I should say the same to you," Reina grinned.
"…I had that…" Lon'qu muttered.
"I'm sure you did," Reina smirked.
. . .
Far below the Shepherds' ship, three individuals were not partaking in the fight up on deck. Robin took Gaius and Morgan off on a separate mission to take out the enemy commander in a single sweep. While he struggled to untie a dinghy, Reina's voice reverberated in Robin's head.
'Robin, you got all that?' Reina asked. "Incoming Valmese flagship."
'Loud and clear. Hold them off for…five minutes.'
"Hm? Did you say something, Bubbles?"
Robin looked over his shoulder.
"Just getting update from Reina," Robin answered. "I keep forgetting that you have sharp ears."
"And as I keep reminding you, it's something you need when you're in my line of work," Gaius said.
"I thought you were no longer a thief?" Morgan chirped from behind Gaius.
"Your father likes to send me out on some thieving missions every now and then."
"I tell you to do recon, not steal things," Robin corrected. "You bringing back enemy plans and reports is merely an extra that you choose to do."
"That's your fault for tempting me with sweets!" Gaius complained.
"I do no such thing. I only happen to have some sweets nearby or on my person when I come across you."
Gaius let out a defeated sigh, knowing full well that he had no chance in winning a word battle with Robin. Laughing, Robin looked at his daughter.
"Take note, Morgan," Robin chided. "Sometimes, all you need to persuade someone is a little incentive."
"Don't corrupt your daughter," Gaius groaned.
"Oh, I already knew that," Morgan said. "It was one of the first things that you indirectly taught me."
Robin raised an eyebrow. "Indirectly?"
"Mhmm!" Morgan nodded. "I constantly watched you bicker back and forth with Grand- AGH!"
"Morgan!" Robin immediately rushed over to Morgan's side.
"I-I'm alright," Morgan gasped.
Taking a few seconds to regulate her breathing, Morgan gave Robin a weak thumbs up. A sudden explosion above deck rocked the boat, throwing the three down below off balance. Steadying himself, Robin glanced up at the ceiling.
"Let's get this thing ready to go," Robin said, turning his attention back to the dinghy.
Struggling once more with the ropes, Robin couldn't help but wonder who it was that Morgan tried to refer to.
. . .
Up above, Chrom sneezed.
"Gah! What the - !"
A Valmese soldier was in middle of wiping away Chrom's saliva from his face when he was cut down by Chrom.
"Sorry about that," Chrom sniffed. "About the sneeze and killing you."
"Are you alright, Father?" Lucina asked, her voice thick with worry. "Did you catch a cold?"
"I'm fine, Lucina," Chrom laughed. "Just a sneeze."
Nodding, Lucina turned her attention to three knights were boarding the Shepherds' ship. The one in the front had a intricately detailed helmet, so Lucina took him to be a high ranking knight, and set him as her first target.
"Simmons, you're up!" the lead knight barked, pointing his sword at Lucina. "These filthy blues are all over the place! Get to work!"
"Yes, Sarge!"
Simmons, a lightly armored knight in with maroon colored markings on his armor leveled his spear at Lucina.
"But, if I may," Simmons turned his head to Sarge. "Your armor looks very polished today! The red linings is bold and striking, and without a doubt, it - "
Whatever Simmons had left to say went unsaid as Lucina took advantage of his lack of attention to kick him overboard, snapping his spear in half.
"Ha!" The third knight, also lightly dressed in armor but with orange markings, laughed and pointed at Simmons who was floating above the water. "Hey, Simmons! How's the water!"
"Private Grif!" Sarge pulled the orange armored knight forward. "Simmons's spear broke again! Weapon maintenance was YOUR responsibility!"
"Heh, well I guess - BWAHH!"
Grif let out a very strange sound of pain as Lucina also kicked him overboard, sending him down into the water next to Simmons.
"You idiots!" Sarge barked. "Let me show you how it's done!"
Not a second later, Lucina's leg lashed out a third time, followed by a third splash, and Sarge joined his men in the water.
"Great demonstration, Sarge," Grif sarcastically said.
"Shut it…"
Lucina shook her head. The Valmese were renowned as one of the greatest military forces on the planet, yet the three she just fought lacked any sort of discipline. Clearing her head, Lucina moved to join the fight once more alongside her father.
'Blue team is heading back, only the flagship is left.' Cordelia announced to everyone through the rings. 'Sorry, Rei, we couldn't do much.'
'You've done plenty, Cordelia, more than I could've asked for,' Reina replied. 'I'll make room for your team to land safely.'
'Much obliged.'
A powerful wind suddenly blew from Lucina's right. A green whirlwind formed in the center of the Valmese ship as dead bodies and debris were thrown into the water, creating a landing area for Blue Team.
'How far away is the flagship?' Chrom asked.
'Only a few minutes away,' Cordelia answered as she landed.
Cutting down the last of the Valmese on the ship, Chrom smiled. "Perfect timing. Shepherds! Take a small breather!"
The weary Shepherds lowered their arms, some of them panting. Vaike and Gregor took out their waterskins while Lissa, Libra, and Maribelle rushed around to tend to the Shepherds' wounds. As the Valmese ship drew closer, the Shepherds rallied around Chrom. Lucina heard her mother and Reina congratulate Nowi on blowing a hole in the Valmese's partner ship, sinking it.
The Valmese flagship slowed to a stop next to the Shepherds' battered ship. Fresh troops rushed to the deck, their red and grey armor shining in the sunlight. The Shepherds readied their weapons as one to prepare themselves for another fight.
For a minute, nothing happened. Confused looks were being thrown around on both the Shepherds' side and the Valmese.
"Ylisseans!"
A large figure in a full set of bulky plate armor pushed past the line of Valmese. Taking off his helmet, figure revealing a slightly aged face with a scar running down diagonally between his eyes.
"Pfft, he's got a receding hairline," Reina snickered, earning a small laugh of agreement from a few of the Shepherds, and a guffaw from Vaike and Gregor.
Oblivious to Reina's comment, the man took another step forward.
"I am Admiral Ignatius!" Ignatius voice was almost as loud as Basilio's. "Kneel before me and I will not kill all of you! You are in the way of Master Walhart's path of conquest!"
"I don't think so," Chrom calmly replied, pointing Falchion at Ignatius. "We bend our knees to no one."
"Arrogant pup!" Ignatius growled. "Very well. If that is your choice, then I welcome you to my home…and your grave!"
As the admiral vanished behind his line of soldiers, the Valmese lowered two large planks to board the Shepherds' ship.
"Frederick, Lucina, Chrom, to the front!" Reina called out. "Henry, Virion, take down as many as you can! Do not attempt to board their ship!"
"Mother!"
Reina quickly looked over at Marc to see a sapphire colored ball of energy in his hands.
"It's ready," Marc said.
"Well done!" Reina beamed. "With me, then."
Raising her arm out at the Valmese flagship, a mass of mana started to gather at Reina's fingertips. High above the center of the flagship, a blue magic circle appeared.
"Marc, now!"
"DIAMOND BERG!"
A massive block of ice crashed down onto the deck, crushing any Valmese that was unfortunate to be standing underneath it. The ones near the edge of the ship were tossed over from the sudden and violent rocking of the ship, and the ones that were walking across the boarding planks also lost their balance as they fell towards the water.
Marc collapsed onto one knee, breathing heavily from the strain of the magic he performed.
"You did good," Reina praised, gently rubbing Marc's back. "Take a short time to rest."
Marc shook his head. "If…if all went well, Mor-Morgan and Robin should…should be done any second now," he said between gulps of air.
As if on cue, a sudden explosion erupted from the center of the Valmese flagship, nearly engulfing the entire deck in flames. After a few moments, the smoke and fire cleared as two robed figures and a thief stepped into view.
"Seriously, Bubbles, you should've told me those things packed so much of a punch," Gaius complained.
"To be fair, I didn't know that either," Robin sighed, brushing off a bit of soot from his shoulder. "I know how powerful they'd be individually, but underestimated a bunch of them together."
"THAT WAS SO COOL!" Morgan cheerfully exclaimed.
Looking around, Robin finally noticed the Shepherds across him. Most of them were staring at him with perplexed looks.
. . .
. . .
~ Roughly five minutes earlier ~
"This is either madness or brilliance…"
Gaius was standing on the dinghy in the water between two giant warships, one being the Valmese Flagship and the other carrying all the Shepherds.
"It's remarkable how often those two traits coincide," Robin muttered. "Anyways, let's get going. The fighting is going to start soon."
"Righty-o."
Leaping off the small dinghy, Gaius plunged his dagger into the side of the flagship and started climbing. Reaching the lowest window, he disappeared. A few seconds passed before Gaius's head poked back out, giving Robin and Morgan a quick nod.
"Alright, Morgan, up you go." Robin gestured for Morgan to go up.
Nodding, Morgan created a gust of wind from her feet to propel her upwards. The wind caused the small dinghy to shake back and forth, nearly toppling Robin over as he made sure that Morgan made it safely into the enemy ship. Confirming that she was able to climb through the window, he shot a Arcthunder at the dinghy and jumped before the humble boat sank beneath the waves.
Grabbing onto the windowsill, Robin pulled himself in. Lightly landing on the wooden floors, he took a moment to let his eyes adjust to the dim lighting of the room. Soon, he was able to make out the small details of crates, stands, and the closed door that led out into the halls. Morgan was standing by the door while Gaius had his ear to the floor.
"No one's on this level or the levels below us." Gaius lifted his head off the ground. "Judging from the amount of footsteps and clanking metal, they're all up above, getting ready to fight."
"Lucky us," Robin said. "Let's make this quick."
The three quietly left the room. Shuffling down the halls of the ship, Gaius led them towards the level just below the deck of the ship. Reaching into his coat, Robin took out three circular shaped…things attached to a leather cord from his pockets.
"You never did explain to us what those are," Gaius whispered.
"Explosives," Robin replied, handing Morgan and Gaius one of the explosives each. "They're basically primed Elfires that are contained in this seal. Strip off the adhesive layer, light the fuse, and throw it onto any surface. A few seconds later, boom."
Gaius let out a low whistle. "How'd you come up with this?"
"I didn't. Miriel did. She started experimenting ever since the night that you joined when the assassins used an explosive to infiltrate the castle."
"Ah."
Holding his explosive by the leather cord, Robin peeled off the thin layer of adhesive surrounding it as Morgan and Gaius did the same.
"Gaius, once you light it, throw yours into that corner." Robin pointed at the nearest corner on his right. "Morgan, you throw yours onto that bundle of oil barrels over there." Robin pointed at a large pile of wooden barrels behind a support pillar. "Light them on three."
The three Shepherds each turned towards their respective areas. "One…two…THREE!"
Robin, lighting the fuse on his explosive, lobbed the small explosive onto a wall that he designated as his target. With a soft thud, the bomb stuck onto the wall as the adhesive did its work. He turned around just in time to see Gaius dust his hands off with his own explosive stuck perfectly in the top corner of the room.
The two of them then turned to Morgan, who reeled her arm back in preparation to throw her explosive. With a mighty yell, Morgan threw small ball in her hand with all her might…and hit the support pillar that was a foot in front of her.
A deafening silence fell upon the room.
"That…was the worst throw…ever…of all time…"
Robin couldn't even figure out what Gaius's tone was. Disappointment? Disbelief? Shock?
"Not my fault. Someone put a wall in my way," Morgan quipped.
"GET DOWN!"
Robin grabbed the two and roughly pulled them close to the floor where he erected a barrier around them. Not a second later, their entire world seemed to be set ablaze as the three explosives detonated simultaneously. The heat from the flames was nearly insufferable, even through Robin's barrier. The flooring was shattered into countless pieces and it was by Robin's control over wind magic that they didn't fall, but Robin's face was visibly strained from having to keep three people afloat while also keeping up a barrier against such an explosion.
Finally, when the havoc seemed like it would never end, the explosions and flames subsided. Small rays of sunlight managed to pierce through the immense cloud of dust from above and Robin brought them all up above deck.
"That - that was…" Robin coughed, failing to find the right words as he dispelled his magic.
"That was quite something," Gaius finished for him, shaking his hair free of dust. "Seriously though, Bubbles, you should've told us that those things packed so much of a punch."
"To be fair, I didn't know that either," Robin tiredly said, dusting his shoulder. "I know how powerful they'd be individually, but underestimated a bunch of them together."
A wide grin was plastered on Morgan's face.
"THAT WAS SO COOL!" Morgan squealed, earning a glare from both Robin and Gaius.
Robin was about to reprimand his daughter when he felt the large number of eyes fixated on him. Looking forward, he saw the Shepherds standing across the gap between the Valmese flagship that he was currently on and the ship he left from.
"Hey." Robin casually waved a hand at Chrom.
"Don't 'hey' me," Chrom said. "What was that?"
"Gonna have to be a little more specific than that," Robin smirked. "But before that, we should really get ready to jump. Our little explosion served as the signal for the our ships to move."
Sure enough, roughly two-fifth of the Ylissean ships raised their sails. Green wind could be seen blowing from behind the sails from the stationary ships, giving the bombing ships a much faster speed than normal.
"Chrom!"
Chrom looked over at Reina. She was standing by the edge of the ship with a large slide made of ice to safely leave.
"EVERYONE OFF!" Chrom ordered, pointing at Reina's ice slide.
Reina jumped first in order to continuously extend the ice far away from the Valmese fleet. Some of the Shepherds let out a playful yell as they slid down.
Blue team, consisting of Nowi, Cherche, Cordelia, and Sumia, each took a Shepherd along. Chrom was with Cordelia, Frederick with Sumia, Gregor on Nowi's dragonic back, and Stahl was sitting behind Cherche while Minerva carried a dangling Virion in her claws.
Soon, only Robin, Lucina, and Morgan remained. Morgan jumped onto the slide without hesitation with a wide grin on her face.
"WOOOOOooooooo!"
Morgan's cheerful voice quickly softened as she put distance between her and the ship.
"You first."
Robin raised an eyebrow at Lucina, who took a step back from the slide. Her shaking hands gripped the railing so tightly that Robin thought she would break the railing.
"Lucina…" Robin tenderly reached out to her. "Are…are you afraid of heights?"
"W-wha - of course not!" Lucina's cheeks turned red as she denied Robin's accusation. "I-it's just that - what if I miss and fall?"
Robin blinked. He was joking about her being afraid of heights, but her reaction just now confirmed it. The princess from a dire future that traveled back through time being afraid of heights? Robin couldn't help but burst into laughter.
"Wh-what?"
"Nothing, nothing," Robin replied as he wiped a tear from his eye.
Taking a deep breath, he gave Lucina a mischievous smile.
"Sorry about this."
"Sorry about what - HYAA!"
Robin picked Lucina up in a bridal carry and jumped off the ship as the princess let out a surprised scream.
Her screams of terror soon turned into mirthful laughter as the wind rushed by the two. Lucina momentarily forgot about everything as she experienced a slide for the first time, and her excitement was raised further when Robin cast a gust of wind behind him to give them a small boost.
Their speed was so great that they passed the 'bomb' ships in a blur. Normally, they'd have supposed to slow down by now as Reina created a large, circular platform made of ice. A thin carpet of magically created snow was laid out on top of the platform so that the Shepherds wouldn't slide everywhere, but it didn't slow the incoming two in the slightest as Robin and Lucina slid past the platform and onto the water.
"Lucina!"
Chrom ran over to the ice's edge. He was a second away from jumping into the water to find her when he heard a small popping sound from behind him, quickly followed by laughter.
"Sorry, Lucina," Robin chuckled. "I completely forgot we had to slow down at the end."
"It's quite alright," Lucina replied, her cheeks sore from laughing so much. "It was fun while it lasted."
"Oi, check it out!" Vaike suddenly said, pointing in the direction of the Valmese fleet.
The group of Shepherds all gathered just in time to see the first of the "bombing" ships collide with the Valmese fleet. Then they saw nothing but an inferno as the torches that were precariously placed over the oil soaked ships roared to life. The flames quickly spread amongst the ships, each one setting another ablaze. Soon, all the Shepherds were seeing was a stretch of fire on top of the ocean, like a great wall of flames.
"Unbelievable…" Frederick muttered.
"The - the sea itself is on fire!" Lissa exclaimed.
"It worked!" Vaike laughed. "It worked!"
The Shepherds gathered on the small ice island cheered. Not a second later, the entire army of Ylisseans and Feroxi behind them also threw up a cheer, their voices shaking the air itself.
"My word, I don't think anyone but our tacticians could hatch such a scheme!" Virion flashed a smile. "To convert two fifths of our vessels into flaming cannonballs?"
Lucina turned to look at Robin with a smile, but faltered instantly as she saw the look on Robin's face. It was one of sorrow, anguish, and self-loathing. The same, pained look was on Reina's face as well as she forced herself to look away from the fires. Lucina couldn't fathom as to why they'd feel as such. The two of them brought the Shepherds an overwhelming victory, so why? Why was it that their eyes held so much sadness?
Then she heard it.
The screams. The pain. The agony.
Everyone else must've heard it as well as they sobered up immediately. Even across the great distance between the Shepherds and the Valmese fleet, they were able to hear the cries from the Valmese army as they slowly burned to death. Even the water wouldn't be safe as the oil lit the very sea aflame and the heat would boil them alive. This was almost along the lines of torture, and the Shepherds knew it.
Fighting back the urge to hurl up her lunch, Lucina tore her gaze away from the burning wreckage. No one would be celebrating this victory tonight.
. . .
. . .
"Impressive."
Grima gazed upon a crystal orb in front of him. The image of the burning Valmese fleet was displayed on the orb as Grima placed the crystal on a desk in front of him.
"I have to admit, not even I would've thought of that," Grima chuckled. "Then again, I wouldn't have had to as I could've sunk the entire fleet with a single breath. No matter."
The image on the orb shifted, now showing Robin. The flames could be seen reflecting off his hazel colored eyes as he boarded one of the many Ylissean ships.
"Oh, now this is perfect!" Grima cackled. "Your heart is in turmoil, Robin. It's torn between your morals and your actions!"
Standing up, Grima threw out a dark energy from his hands. The energy quickly took form, creating a small gate of darkness.
"I think I'll pay you a visit now, Robin. It's time we had a small chat."
I'm going to cry if no one got that RvB reference. I blatantly referenced the series in multiple ways, from character names, to their lines, memorable quotes, and even to the title of this chapter. Seriously, it was such an opportune moment. Valmese is in red armor while the Shepherds are in blue (at least, their sprites are when you control them). Classic Red vs Blue.
Also threw in a Fate/Zero easter egg, in the name of an OST's title.
That and another OST's title from SAO.
And a quote from Galdalf the Grey, though slightly tweaked.
And a giant FF7 reference, though also slightly tweaked.
With the easter-eggs and stuff out of the way, let's talk about the chapter a little, specifically, the many forms of speech/dialogue. Since this will most likely confuse some of you if not properly addressed, I'll explain it quickly.
"This is how I'll be writing normal dialogue."
This is how I'll be writing the thoughts of a character, such as Robin.
This is how I'll be writing the voices of Alternis and Reflet.
"This is how I'll be writing dialogue through the mind, like when Validar spoke to Robin in the previous chapter. Keep in mind that it's a quotation mark (") and not an apostrophe ('). It was also used with Alternis when he took a physical-ish form alongside Validar."
'And this is how I'll be writing dialogue through the use of communication rings, like in this chapter. Note that it's not a quotation mark ("), but rather, an apostrophe (').'
And completely bold for my own A.N. and stuff. Very minor differences in the different speech patterns, ESPECIALLY the last two. There's going to be exceptions such as when a character quotes someone while talking, but that'd appear as such:
"This is Person A is speaking normally, 'and this is when Person A quotes Person B while speaking', and then Person A finishes speaking."
Yes, I know that normally it'd be a quotation mark (") that's used when quoting someone, but I'm purposefully keeping them as apostrophes (') because seeing two back to back can be a little jarring at times. Another thing would be italicizing the quotes, but I may forget to do so every now and then. But hey, that's what re-reading/re-editing is for, right?
Hopefully that all that made sense.
Now, with that large wall of text out of the way, onto the actual chapter itself.
Like with many other chapters, I've gone through a bunch of ideas on how this chapter should go. The first one was simply following the game, with one boat for the Shepherds and three Valmese, but I quickly found that I wasn't enjoying what I was writing and reading. So that got scrapped. A bunch of different ideas being tossed around, and here we are, with sticky bombs being used during an infiltration and an ice slide as their form of extraction.
The sticky bombs were based off the plasma grenades from Halo and the gooey bomb from Super Smash Bros. Then I made them into a way that they'd make sense in this world and this is what I got. A beanbag-like grenade with a cord attached to it.
Robin gets slapped by Maribelle. Hints at Robin being a woman-magnet (not really).
Communication rings, or just Comms. Those have been an idea since nearly the beginning of this story's life. It, like many other ideas, have gone through a number of revisions until I was satisfied with what I got here. There's a secondary effect/role to the rings aside from just comms, but that's for a later chapter.
Also, a lot more focus of Reina in this chapter. I feel as though I've been neglecting her even though she's one of the main MAIN characters.
Review/Comment Reply Area Thing:
- Matt Cyr: A RWBY Deadlord? That sounds like a lot of fun. Unfortunately, the last episode I watched of RWBY was the first episode of Volume 3. So, if I am to make a RWBY Deadlord, I'll have to catch up on it, unless you already have a character in mind. If so, I'll be happy to hear your idea for one. |
| As for Robin and his memories, that's a subject I never had a chance to touch up on (though it was briefly mentioned a couple chapter ago), so I guess now's a better time than ever. In Robin's original world, he lost his memories. Rather, they were stolen by Validar in a failed attempt to fully control him as Robin fled Plegia, which is the beginning of his story. Then he goes through the original story of Awakening until the start of THIS story. And the rest is history. He never regained his stolen memories, so all he has is the memories from the start of his first run-through til now.
- XenoEmblem4TW: You wouldn't be wrong. || Tbh, I think Robin acting as such would be the natural course of action in this scenario. He had dreams of someone in his very attire showing him a ruined world, Lucina comes to tell him of Grima's return, and Validar appears from the dead with a doppelganger? Who wouldn't?
- Artyom-Dreizehn: Yup!
- Antex: I know. I feel like I've put it aside for too long, though this technically is the part of the game when Lucina actually reveal herself, so…yeah…no harm done. || And Draco? Nah, not F!Corrin.
- Girantina Zero: Many thanks for the heartwarming words. I never thought that I would be an inspiration in any sort of way, so for you to have even thought of picking up the story (which is great, btw), I don't even know what to say. I'm at a loss for words. Thank you.
- SuperVegitoFAN: Dabura or Demigra? Hmm…interesting, but if I were to use a DBZ character as a Deadlord, I'd rather bring in Cell or Frieza. That being said, I'm not too sure as to how a character from DBZ would fit into Fire Emblem (though, to be fair, Robin and Reina are closer to a DBZ character than anything…)
- Unzealots: Where to begin…
I appreciate the concern (if it is concern. I'm taking it as concern). Bringing in characters from Warcraft/WoW is a major risk on my part and I'm well aware of how badly I can screw this up if I'm not careful. But, I've given a LOT of thought on this, and I'm pretty confident that I can pull this off. If not, well…you can laugh at me for proving me wrong, and I'll either have to deal with my story having taken a terrible turn in the future or just go through a very, VERY large rewrite. Or both.
If, by chance, you don't mind me spoiling a little bit and/or you still have what I'm assuming to be concerns, feel free to PM me. I don't think the end of an A.N. is the best place to talk of matters such as this out of concern for the other readers.
And that's pretty much it for now. I'll see you all in the next!