Chapter 47: Fire and Storm
A rumble of thunder built outside, and Chrom fought to hold himself still. He wanted to throw the tables and chairs aside, and grab Lissa before Gangrel's forces had a chance to threaten his family again.
"Robin, we can act now, can't we?" He whispered.
"Of course, we should-" What her plan was, Robin didn't get a chance to say. A blast of lightning painted the inside of the tavern stark white. The thunderclap threatened to flatten the ceiling… But that wasn't what made Chrom go still. It was the outline picked out in the doorway.
The pirate was a cut above the others, wearing finer silks, and with an axe of superior materials hanging easy at his side.
"Orton…?" Chrom whispered, the name rushing into his head once he took in the man's face.
"One of Gangrel's men. I think this is about to get much more complicated." Robin whispered.
The thunder built, acting as a warning rumble outside… And Chrom felt a shudder move through his body from the charged air. The call of the storm drew his eyes and Chrom looked beyond Orton. Once he gazed past the pirate, Chrom found his eyes fixed to the night.
The storm clouds had clotted up the sky. Thunder rumbled overhead, and tried to shake more scales into Chrom's arms.
'What's happening to us? What… Is the storm doing to us?' It wasn't just him; that much was clear in how Robin shivered against him.
It was an echo of the spell Robin had weaved. That made his half formed scales itch, and his gills ache and try to split open wider. Beneath the rotted floors, the currents thrummed; almost like the sea wanted to pull everything back into its embrace.
But Orton didn't care much about it; either he was deaf to the storm call, or adept at ignoring it. His cold eyes swept the crowd, and added another shiver to Chrom's limbs when they rested on him. He held his breath… But it seemed the disguise held, and the few bangs poking out from beneath his cap were too sodden with water to show their true color. He wasn't anything remarkable, and Orton's gaze barely rested on Chrom before moving on.
"You lot might want to sober up." Orton spoke, looking over the gathered pirates with a look of tried patience. "Gangrel is enroute to Wreckage… Along with a storm. Unless you lot like the idea of listening to orders in a typhoon, you'd best be ready to greet him the moment he reaches the docks."
"O-oy, why are looking at Gregor like that." Gregor grumbled, stirring uncomfortably in his seat. Orton scowled at him, with enough heat in his glare that even Chrom flinched.
"You've been absent for a suspicious amount of time. I almost thought that you'd skipped town completely… Or decided to change the color of your sails and flags."
"Ahaha! You make for the funny jokes yes?" Gregor tried. "Gregor was simply hearing of interesting things, and decided it was time to pay a visit."
"It was partially my idea as well." Gaius spoke up.
"Surprised that you didn't simply bribe him with sugar." Orton answered. "Either way, you should both be front and center for welcoming Gangrel back." He didn't allow for any arguments, his own escort forcing the men up and outside.
Chrom tensed as Orton's eyes swept over the other pirates; his legs fought to stand up… But a growl of thunder made every muscle in his limbs ache, and forced him to stay in the shadows.
"Those of you who want to stay drunk can… But those who want a commandment, and some spoils of war had best hurry." With that Orton turned and left, Gaius and Gregor reluctantly trudging along with him.
Chrom saw Lissa and Maribelle share a look, before following the pirates out into the city.
"Drown them!" He hissed out, even while a part of him whispered an apology for that curse. He forced himself back upright, knowing he could at least pass for a drunk with how he stumbled. But that didn't change that his feet were leaden, and he'd have more luck walking on water than catching up to the two girls.
With how she bumped into tables and sent chairs crashing over, Robin wasn't having much more luck. But at least she was moving. They both were, however slowly, and managed to stumble their way out the door.
Sheets of rain greeted them, eager to sluice into their eyes. Chrom lengthened his stride, uncaring who he had to jab his elbows into; by the time they'd turned to curse, he'd slipped into the next space. At last he caught sight of Lissa's curls in the crowd of pirates, and he tried to call out to her-
But his words went dead in his throat, on the next bolt of lightning and what it illuminated.
A hellish scene waited for them, Gangrel's ship looking half like a wraith as it sailed out of the storm. Lightning flashed behind it, illuminating the meager, threadbare and shredded sails.
Robin hung onto Chrom, wincing at each of the lightning strikes. And yet, none of the bolts touched the ship, or even the docks… And Chrom wondered if there wasn't an extra note hanging in the air, beyond even the booms of the thunder and the hushed voices of the pirates.
'Someone has to be working magic…' And he remembered the rumors of Gangrel's sea witch. She stood at the prow of the ship now and looked over the assembled pirates. In another moment, Gangrel stepped up beside her and gave a wicked grin.
The great ship was pulled alongside the docks, and Gangrel effortlessly swung onto the planks from some of the rope rigging.
"WELL! It's good to see that not everyone is afraid of Valm, after all." He laughed out, staring over them… And Chrom froze at that mad light lingering at the edges of his eyes. The mad pirate king was now, if possible, even more unhinged than before-
But it wasn't his grin that Chrom lingered on. It was the sword he held, aloft and unsheathed… And spitting lightning. He'd seen that blade before, his thoughts insisted, and pushed memories into his aching head; images of seeing Emmeryn run through on the blade, and falling into the ocean.
Ahead of him he saw Lissa go rigid… And she must have realized the same thing. All around them came whispers from the assembled pirates, as Aversa came up to stand beside Gangrel.
"That's his former advisor alright,"
"She's more than that now,"
"They said she called down lightning against Ylisse,"
"I heard that she did even worse to Valm. Blew them to pieces, at the cost of our own ships-"
"Gentlemen, please!" Aversa spoke up. "You know I'd be happy to dispel any rumors you hear… In saying that in all likely hood, all of them are true. But consider for a moment; if I'm truly such a dread sea witch… You'd much rather have me on your side, would you not?"
"And now that we have all that settled, maybe you all want to hear what's going to happen." Gangrel continued, stilling any further mutters. He motioned with his fingers, and some of his guard broke off and weaved through the crowd.
A buzzing sensation settled along Chrom's arm. The thing he'd felt in Validar's palace stirred again, eager to be let out… Even if it had to sap all the strength out of his legs to do it. He wobbled, only for Robin to lean against him and lend some strength and balance. Her shoulders tensed against him, and she looked ready to fight at a moment's notice.
Roblin flinched at the sudden crackle of lightning overhead. The lightning gave another flicker, the storm threatening to break wide open.
Gangrel jerked his head to the side, giving a curt gesture to Aversa.
"Aversa is now my second in command, in recognition of her power and reach." Aversa's smile only grew, and she seemed to relish in the uneasy murmurs that news brought on. It was like the strife was all a game to her.
Each rumble of thunder matched his heartbeat now, making Chrom shiver. Robin fought to stay upright against the pressure of the storm front.
Gangrel prowled in front of Aversa, breaking the murmurs up with a single glare. All around them, the crowd stilled, sensing the soldiers moving through the ranks; all with a single purpose, searching for something. Chrom shivered in his borrowed clothing.
"Now… Her scrying has already shown me a few interesting things… Orton, bring the girl forward." At his words, Orton snapped forward and scythed through the crowd. Chrom tensed, certain the man was going to strike at Chrom… But instead, Orton grabbed Lissa by the arm and twisted it behind her back. She staggered forward with a pained noise.
The sight and sound yanked the last of Chrom's balance away. Panic crashed through his chest, bursting out from where it had been half buried and forgotten. But with the panic came something else.
Anger.
Chaos was unfolding around him. He was dimly aware of Gregor and Gaius struggling with their own guards, trying to step forward and get to Lissa.
"Look at what we've turned up!" Gangrel called out, lifting his blade up as he sneered. "Another one of the Ylisse wench's family! And this particular brat has been a thorn in my side for some time. Now maybe we could stand to make an example of her-"
Orton forced Lissa towards Gangrel and threw her to the floor. Chrom forgot the queasy feeling in his stomach. Or the way his knees all wobbled, as red flooded his vision and shot heat into his limbs.
"STOP RIGHT THERE!" Chrom found his voice and bolted forward. He shouldered through the pirates, slamming into one of Gangrel's guards when they tried to stop him. Several more bodies crowded around him, and Chrom found himself pushing and struggling against them. Robin staggered behind him, unable to match his desperate movements. But he couldn't dare stop for her, not when the lightning flashed and Gangrel's blade stayed poised over Lissa's neck.
Again, the lightning flickered. Flashed and matched his pulse point-
'I've done this before. Almost lost family before.' And just like before, Chrom felt a surge of power.
Something leapt to his hands in a golden blast of light. The guards staggered back, bleeding. Chrom didn't pause to contemplate the mess, bulling past them and slamming shoulder first into Gangrel. The man's shout was drowned out in the crash of thunder and violet lightning.
At the same moment, Gregor and Gaius both drove their elbows into the guts of their escorts, relieving them of their swords. The two men plunged into the throng of pirates, sowing even more confusion as they fought tooth and nail.
Leaving Chrom to focus on Gangrel.
"ORTON!" Gangrel shrieked out. "Get your men in here and kill them!"
Orton tried to move… Only for a pair of blue-tinged shadows to leap from the roofs.
For a second, Chrom was terrified the buildings were crashing down around them as well. The dark shapes fell from the roof, but their landing on the docks was oddly soft.
Chrom caught a gleam of something blue, and in another blink he picked out sodden hair, set against oddly familiar faces.
Something in him screamed that the two should have been even more familiar, or that he should've recognized them… But his memories were watery, and trying to place those two was like staring at mist.
One thing he DID know was just how capable they were at fighting. Their feet had barely hit the planks, when they were already rolling out of their crouches and tore into the pirates.
The girl slashed with a blade, driving Orton back and keeping him well away from Chrom. The girl of the duo turned aside Orton's axe strike, rushing into the swing, heedless of how it almost took her head off. Instead she sliced into Orton's arm, and he dropped the axe with a howl of pain.
The boy winced as he dropped a finishing blow, with a dagger strike that kept Orton from rising again. The same hesitation didn't show on the girl's face, and she whirled to strike a blow on another enemy. She was at risk of drowning in the combat, swept away in the moment.
The storm opened up over them, soaking everyone to the skin in seconds… And striking confusion in all the pirates.
Chrom struck next, and beat Gangrel back with a flurry of strikes, his fingers finally recognizing the feeling of a sword in his own hands. It held a sharp edge, with how it howled through the air; equal to the scream of the storm winds.
"Who the hell are you-?" Gangrel only took in his clothing at first, seeing the ragged pirate scarves instead of Chrom's features.
Chrom didn't dignify him with an answer, pressing the attack. But the pirate king knew his way with a blade, slashing out and turning the sword strike aside. Chrom tasted electricity when the blades met, and the hair stood up on his head. A snap of lightning spat between the blades, lending a little light to the chaos.
"C-CHROM!?" Lissa yelped out, recognizing the way he struck and dodged. Lightning illuminated their fight… And Gangrel finally picked out Chrom's features, in the middle of the clash.
With a surge of strength, Gangrel threw Chrom back. The lightning strike still buzzed in Chrom's ears, and at the edge of it was something else. He heard a voice, like needles against his hearing.
'Aversa.'
The golden blade in his hands stilled, and faded, Aversa's whispered song aching in Chrom's bones. Her voice left Chrom without a weapon, unarmed against Gangrel's wrath. And the pirate king fixed him with a look of absolute loathing and frustration.
"How many times to I have to kill the same thrice drowned prince?" Gangrel snarled.
His sneer changed at the corners of his mouth, and Chrom realized Gangrel was managing a grin, once he took in Chrom's state. Aversa continued humming that discordant melody, interrupting whatever magic had fueled Chrom.
"But… You've got no sword now, princeling." Gangrel taunted, striking with his own blade, forcing Chrom to stagger back, and almost drawing blood. Chrom staggered away, his skin burning from the bare miss of the blade and snap of electricity. "How are you going to fight me without that precious heirloom of yours?"
Chrom's answer was to yank a loose board up from the docks, and smashed that hard enough against Gangrel's sword that his hands stung. The same happened to Gangrel, and he flinched back as the blade spat sparks-
But driving Gangrel back had nearly sheared the plank in two. The other pirates sensed the weakness and tried to close on him. When Chrom blocked another weapon from another pirate, it broke completely. He threw the broken pieces into the next pirate, fetching himself against a torch… And in absence of a better weapon, Chrom grabbed that.
Gangrel still had a grip on the Levin sword, and with a mad laugh clashed with Chrom again, bringing the sword down in a vicious arc, knowing Chrom would be hard pressed to block… Even if lightning jumped from his blade and bit at his own men.
Chrom barely got the torch up in time, and the sword buried halfway through the wood.
Fire met lighting, and discarded ropes took light from the sparks and embers-
'Are we going to burn down the city at this rate?' Chrom wondered.
Gangrel didn't care if that was a possibility, wrenching the torch aside and throwing it into the kindling. Fires bloomed and fought against the storm, fueled by the screaming winds but sputtering against the rain. But however they pulsed, the elements still did the job of forcing the other pirates back.
"Chrom, catch!" Lissa's voice just reached him, before she snatched a hand out, grabbed something from Gaius, and a sword was flung through the air. He spun about and grabbed it, facing Gangrel anew-
But moving almost too slow. The lightning blade snaked out over Chrom's arm, and drew a burning cut. Chrom flinched, barely keeping hold of his weapon as blood ran over his arm-
Though he was fairly certain blood wasn't supposed to glow, the same way his was at the moment. It was like blue tinged quicksilver ran out of his arm… And it was taking the strength out of his legs.
"Well, doesn't that make for a pretty sight." Gangrel jeered. "I can't wait to see how the docks look, painted in a layer of your blood."
He slashed again, and Chrom fought to catch and parry the blade. It rang against the cross hilt of his sword, and forced Chrom back down to one knee. His arm screamed from the impact… But his eyes stayed on Lissa, and where she'd tried to struggle free.
She and Gaius had slipped past the pirates, but were trapped by the flames. The planks seemed to shudder underneath them all, more fire eating away at the foundations. Gaius managed to vault over them and stood with another blonde haired girl, trying to urge Lissa to follow.
"No more interference from you," Aversa snapped, sending a jagged lance of lightning at Lissa. Robin found her feet and threw herself forward, trying to stop the spell short-
It didn't go straight into her heart like Aversa obviously wanted, and Robin deflected the spell so it struck her and Lissa across the shoulder. The spell still drew blood, and Robin's gleamed in the fire light as well. She and Lissa staggered backwards, to the edge of the docks-
The floor beneath Chrom wobbled as he watched, threatening to give way. Lightning crashed nearby, almost drawn to Gangrel's blade… And that, and the hammer of thunder pushed the planks to their limits. Chunks of the docks shattered under all the weight and spells, crackling into the ocean.
"LISSA!" The blue haired boy screamed out. He lurched from where he and the girl had cut down Orton, uselessly reaching for Lissa and Robin as they fell; with how far away they were, separated by fire and storm, the two blue haired fighters didn't have a chance of reaching them.
Robin tried to act; tried to pull Lissa back, but there was little she could do when the docks were collapsing under her own feet. Her borrowed clothes fluttered in the breeze, a second before the spray soaked her, and drew her into the ocean.
"ROBIN!" The strange girl cried out as well. Chrom didn't have time to wonder over how they knew everyone's names. Instead he tried to break past Gangrel, to reach Robin and Lissa.
His reward for that attempt was a cut along his side, and electricity crackling over his skin. It dropped Chrom to his hands and knees, and stuck him to the floor. His blood glowed like lightning, where it spattered over the docks.
"Don't worry, I'll send you down and bleeding soon enough to join them." Gangrel taunted.
Chrom clung to the sword and rolled the side, before Gangrel could skewer him on the blade. The sword caught on the remaining planks, as Chrom fought down the pain and tried to stand. It was a mixed success.
Even worse than the cuts, and the sight of Lissa sinking below the waves were the memories leaking through his head. Memories of Emmeryn pushing him back, while Gangrel vented his rage on her.
'That's… That's how she died-' Almost died, he wanted to say, but his mind was mired in grief, and his arms bleeding out all of his focus.
'That's how I failed her. And lost her.'
-o-o-o-
Robin drifted in the depths. She stared at the strands of blood drifting up from her cuts and mingling with the flashing lightning. Robin winced from the touch of salt water, and the thrum and pulse of thunder.
Her body sank deeper, her pirate costume weighted down by salt water. Her arms and legs felt half bound from the sodden fabric. And her lungs burned from the lack of air. The gills on her ribs fluttered, trying to work, but it was like breathing through a cloth gag.
'So your human form isn't working.' Robin told herself, wincing as strains of Aversa's magic blared in her senses. And much as it bit at her ears and thrummed in her temples, Robin knew she could use that ambient energy… Just like she could use the gemstone at her side. 'Then it might be time to give it up again.'
With the scant amount of air left in her lungs, Robin let loose a strain of music and clutched at the gem.
Her clothing dissolved away into a cluster of bubbles. As her legs fused together with a prickle of violet scales, Robin found that she could breathe again. She gazed up to where Lissa still struggled, and where her human form was failing her. Robin lashed out with her regenerated tail, knowing she had to reach Lissa and get her back to the surface. She had to fight through the turbulent waters, just like Chrom was fighting above.
-o-o-o-
"No allies in easy reach. Barely any weapons left. So what can you do, Prince?" Gangrel taunted, slashing down with his blade.
"…Improvise." Chrom grumbled, and let the blade cut across his back. He gave up on standing, dropping himself down and dipping beneath the brunt of the strike. As he fell, Chrom slammed his own sword into Gangrel's leg. His borrowed blade pierced flesh and pinned the pirate king to the crumbling planks. Chrom rolled with the rest of the momentum, leaving the sword behind as Gangrel screamed and tried to pull the blade free. Chrom's own blood traced warm trails down his back, at odds with the chilled rain. His legs had given up working, so Chrom didn't stick with the docks.
Instead he rolled to the side, and off the edge of the pier.
Chrom plunged into the ocean, gritting his teeth against the pain of salt water seeping into his wounds. There was also something more than pain. Magic was carried on the water and flooded into him. The scales grew along his arms, fins erupting from his arms and behind his ears.
Chrom didn't flinch from the changes, because he'd found two other shapes drifting in the waters. Chrom picked out Lissa, and surged towards her.
'If it helps me reach her, then I'll change back.' He told himself, and his legs fused into a tail, pushing him into reach of Lissa. She jerked at the motion, staring up at Chrom.
A lightning flash brightened the water, letting Lissa clearly see him… And her eyes stretched wide when she saw his changes. Bubbles escaped from her mouth in a yelp as she forgot they were underwater.
"Lissa, it's okay!" He tried to still her, and his hands found their way onto her shoulders. He yanked her upwards, back to the surface as the storm twisted the sea into a roil.
"Robin!?" He called out as he tried to fight upwards. But pain slowed his motions. "Robin, where are-?"
"H-here. Here, and not drowning at the moment." Robin's voice reached him, followed by a stream of bubbles. He glanced down, to see her uncurling from the sea floor. She rushed upwards, her tail kicking out clouds of sand and shooting her up to Lissa. Robin grabbed onto Lissa's other shoulder, lending a burst of speed and pushing them up.
With each thrash from his tail, his wounds faded, the sting of the cuts falling away like the bubbles drifting from him. He rushed for the surface, feeling Lissa go more limp in his arms with each heartbeat.
"Hang on," he whispered to her, between tail strokes. With a rush and a splash, they found themselves in the air breathing world. Something Lissa took advantage of, coughing and sputtering as she tried to gulp down breaths. He squeezed her, both in relief she was alive, and to get more sea water out of her lungs.
"Ch-Chrom?" Lissa sputtered out. Her eyes were a little glazed due to the near drowning… But they managed to still stare at him. She lifted a shaky hand up from the waves, trying to touch his face and confirm he was really there.
"That… That is you, isn't it Chrom?" She seemed to almost be crying, though it was hard to tell with the storm and sea water marring her face.
"Y-yeah." He told her.
"Knew you weren't dead." Lissa whispered, struggling to kick out with her legs and try to keep herself afloat.
"Yeah, and I wasn't about to stand by and lose another part of my family." He found himself saying, trying to reassure Lissa. She still shivered under his grip, her breaths coming out shaky.
"She's going to catch a chill at this rate." Robin managed. "We need to get her out of the ocean-"
They all flinched as a claw of lightning split the sky, and a wind howled across the waves. It was like the magic from their transformation had given the storm some extra teeth… Making it all the more important that they got Lissa somewhere dry.
"Chrom, over there!" Robin pointed to a ship cresting the waves, skirting the border of Wreckage. Mages and fighters both lined the deck, ready for anything the pirate town could possibly throw at them… Though the pirate town itself was more busy with the fires spreading through the buildings, and the storm winds slicing into the parts that weren't on fire.
Gangrel was lost amidst the smoke and fire on the docks… Chrom hoped that the wounds he'd managed to cut into him were smarting, and would keep the pirates from pouncing on them.
The chaos helped to mask a solitary boat drifting clear of the docks, and Chrom picked out Gregor at the oars, Maribelle hunched in the middle of the ship, Gaius calling out directions towards the Shepherd-
And there were also the two blue haired figures, crouched at the back and braced for any attack. They kept their eyes to Wreckage, blind to anything coming from the sea.
They all flinched when Chrom and Robin swept up to the back of the boat, pushing Lissa ahead of them.
"H-help!" Lissa sputtered out, and by reflex the blue haired girl grabbed Lissa by the arms and hoisted her upright. Chrom pushed her the rest of the way into the boat, fighting against the currents in the process. He only breathed easily when Lissa was pulled onboard, knowing she wouldn't have to battle the waves… Even as the pain from his wounds dragged Chrom back below.
He wanted to cling to the boat, to ensure that Lissa was safe. But his nails were scrabbling away and couldn't find a grip on the boards of the ship. And any glance of Lissa, any chance of making sure she'd survive slipped through his fingers.
-o-o-o-
Chrom's grip fell away from her, and Lissa thudded into the bottom of the boat. The others crowded around her, eyes fixed on Lissa as she tumbled into the floor. She half worried there would be cries when they saw Chrom and Robin… But instead the others kept watching Lissa, like they were startled she was still alive.
"I'll be drowned." Gaius murmured, staring at Lissa. "Looks like you're a stronger swimmer than you give yourself credit for… That or you've got Grima's own luck."
Lissa gave a shivering nod, but turned her eyes back to the waves. Chrom and Robin had to still be there-
She only just glimpsed their faces for a moment.
They dipped back below the waves, yanked underwater by a snarl of current. Lissa could barely clamber upright, trying to reach after Chrom and Robin as they sunk away. Instead her eyes were almost blinded by the flashes of lightning. She blinked against the sudden glare on the surface of the ocean, before finally finding their little boat bumping alongside the Shepherd. Ropes were thrown down, and the passengers were hauled back aboard the main ship in a hurry.
Lissa was barely aware of any of it, shock and chill both clouded her senses.
"Your Grace, are you-?" Frederick filled her vision, once she'd been deposited on the ship bench and wrapped in blankets. Rain splashed on her face, and seemed determined to soak into the cloths.
"One side, please." Maribelle bulled past him, healing staff ready. It gave a warm glow, and chased worst the chill from Lissa's limbs. "Dear, you really need to stop having these near drowning experiences."
"Y-yeah. I th-think I need to learn how to swim like Chrom-"
"A noble idea, but we have more pressing concerns." Frederick glanced over the back of the ship, to where a handful of pirate vessels fanned out from Wreckage. The wind carried curses and threats on just what they would do, once they caught 'you spineless Ylissean curs' from what Lissa could make out.
"F-Frederick, we need to-" Frederick turned to her as she spoke, already alert and ready to carry out her orders.
"Sail?" The order faded in Lissa's throat. Chrom and Robin were still out there; they deserved to get back onto the ship-
'But they weren't… They didn't look human-' Her thoughts protested. Yet she didn't want to say it out loud. Didn't want any suspicious looks from the Shepherd crew, either doubting her sanity… Or the humanity of Chrom or Robin.
'Mer aren't exactly popular right now.' The curses were still fresh from the last sea attack; she'd shouted a few of them herself.
'It's enough that they're alive, and you can find them again.' Lissa told herself. She drew a deep breath, steeling herself before she gave the orders.
"S-set sail. Ride the squall for all we can."
"You think it won't blow us into disaster?" Frederick asked.
"I-I saw how it had formed." And if this was Chrom and Robin's storm, if they really WERE Mer, then she doubted they'd let the Shepherd come to harm. "I'm sure. I'm sure we can make it."
Frederick hesitated over the weight of her orders, but finally gave a nod.
"It will be as you order." And from the sound of it, Frederick was half pleased that she'd stepped up to give command. And even more pleased when the wind filled their sails and sent them jumping ahead… While the Plegian ships lurched, caught in the snap of the wind and slamming into each other.
They'd ride out the storm, Lissa knew. She just hoped Chrom and Robin would survive as well.
-o-o-o-
Waves, ships, and even the flotsam of Wreckage all crashed and blurred together; Chrom knew that there would be extra ruins drifting on the ocean, before the night was over… But he couldn't bring himself to fight any further.
The current threw them end over end, and Chrom desperately tried to keep hold of Robin. For her part she lashed out with her tail, doing her best to keep them from getting slammed into any rocks.
With how he bled and how the wounds along his arms and chest ached, Chrom couldn't bring himself to fight the current.
The change didn't heal him perfectly, even if the life wasn't bleeding out of him. His senses faded in and out, along with his focus, the waters blurring past him.
He didn't know how much time passed, until the current finally let them go and deposited them on the verge of a green underwater forest.
"Kelp forest…" Robin whispered, looking up at the strands of emerald. With the storm dying and the moon coming out, they took on a glossy color. "So… So we ended up finding a safe place, after all. But I hope you'll forgive me if I'm a bit… A bit exhausted."
"I think I understand the feeling." Chrom whispered, his arms shuddering from where he squeezed at Robin. She brushed against the lines still burning over his chest… But he couldn't bring himself to let her go, and be alone with his pain. And thankfully she didn't object much to resting in his arms either.
And for the moment, Chrom just wanted to breathe. And recover from the myriad hurts playing across him.