Disclaimer: I do not own Kamen rider Zero-one or Fire emblem Awakening
Chapter 2: Invading in the woods
They don't know how long they've been walking, but when the sun goes down and Frederick shows no sign of stopping, Lissa starts to get annoyed.
"I told you-it's getting dark already!" She said as she tried to swatte the bug "...Ech! And now the bugs are out! Noisy, disgusting bugs that buzz around and crawl all over and bite you when-"
She suddenly stopped mid-way, opened her mouth wide and started choking "Agh! Won goph in mah mouph! Blech! Ptooey!"
She tried to spit out whatever bugs were in her mouth while Chrom just looked at her and chuckled "Aw, come on now, Lissa. Hardship builds character." He said as he signaled everyone to stop and settle down for the night "Want to help me gather firewood?"
"Tpht! Tpht! Yeeeeeuck! ...I think I swallowed it…" She complained "I'll pass on finding firewood, thanks. I think I've built QUITE enough character for one day!"
"If you all have decided, then I think it is time we think about food" Robin suggested "I don't know about you, but I'm starving."
"Yes, then milord will gather firewood-" Frederick then turned his head to Robin, "-while me and Robin will go on hunting."
Both Robin and Frederick went deeper into the forest. The atmosphere around them is silent, kind of awkward. Robin tried to start a conversation, but Frederick beat him to it.
"You know, Robin. It is my duty as milord knight to protect him from any unwanted situation. I must admit that I still do not fully trust you." He said "I mean, everything about you is a mystery. From the way you fight, how you use your strange magic, and how you conduct battle strategy, I can positively say that the number of people possessing so many talents is extremely rare."
"I understand what you said, sir Frederick. Bu-" Robin tried to explain himself, but Frederick cut him off.
"BUT, I saw what you did in the previous fight. You did not hesitate to rush in to help us. You could have just ran away when we left you, but you did not. You even put yourself in danger to save milady when I was too focused on the battle. I think that no enemy would willingly go that far if they have any ulterior motive" He stopped, turned back to face Robin, and raised his hand "So I'll trust you to have my back and together to protect milord."
Robin was taken aback at first, but as he looked at Frederick's hand, he smiled and shakes it "Of course, sir Frederick. I appreciate what you said."
*rustle**rustle*
Suddenly, they heard a sound from afar and immediately got into position. Even though the sun had settled down, the light from the moon was enough for them to figure out what was in front of them. There, they saw a brown bear roaming around the trees. Both of them got near and hid in the bushes, right behind the bear.
"Guess that will be our dinner." Frederick groan as he grip his weapon tight "Got any tactic for this Robin?"
At that moment, in Robin's vision, the Ark starts scanning the bear to spot any weak point.
"Yeah, I alredy got one" Robin said "I'll need you to get its attention while I'll go around the back and make a surprise attack."
"Sound like a plan" Frederick said as he stood tall and walked out of the bush.
When he got close enough to the bear, Robin reached for his ProgriseKey and activated its ability. He flicked his finger and a small spark occurred, then shot it at the bear. The bear felt the spark from the back of its head and immediately turned back to look at Frederick. It eyes went red and rushed toward him. When the bear got close, it roared, then stood on its two feet and tried to grab Frederick. He quickly raised his shield and block. Although the bear is strong, Frederick himself is also not someone to look down on. Try as it may, the bear can't seem to be able to lift him from the ground.
"NOW, ROBIN!" Frederick shouted.
Up high from a tree, Robin jump off with his Attache Calibur already in it blade mode. He performed a stab right at the bear's neck, but it might be off the spot as the bear roared and struggled to reach it back. Robin clutched his weapon as tightly as he could to keep him from falling. Away from the bear, Frederick grabbed his spear and performed two slashes to make an X on the bear's stomach, killing it. As the bear falls down, Robin pulls his sword out and breathes heavily.
"A fine combination, but it looks like you are lacking in strength. When we get back, I will personally train you myself." Frederick said with a smile.
Robin also smiled, but it was a nervous one. They both bring the bear back to the campsite in silence, but this time the heavy atmosphere has disappeared.
[HMM, STRENGTH IS IT?]
After they brought back the bear, Robin helped the group to set up the fire by using a small spark. He also volunteered to prepare the bear meat as Arks said it could pinpoint where to cut the meat to get rid of the smell and make the meat edible. When everything is ready, everyone sits around the bonfire and enjoys their meal.
"Mmm, I know it's been a long time since I had bear meat, but I must admit this is by far the best bear meat I have ever tasted. Delicious!" Chrom praised Robin then he look at his sister "...What's wrong, Lissa? Dig in."
Since the moment Robin served Lissa her meal, she hasn't touched it even a little "Pass! ...Gods, couldn't you spare us an animal normal people eat for once? I mean, come on! Who eats bear?! You're meddling with the food chain." It looks like Lissa is really disgusted by the idea of eating a bear, she look at Robin "I'm sorry Robin, but no matter how good you make it look, I'm not gonna touch it"
"Don't worry about it Lissa." Robin reassured her.
[YOU KNOW, SIR, IT'S BEEN ON MY MIND FOR A WHILE BUT WHY DON'T THEY TAKE ANY FOOD FROM THE PEOPLE BACK AT TOWN WITH THEM ?]
'They enjoy the wild? I don't know'
"Just eat it, Lissa. Meat is meat." Chrom said.
"Every experience makes us stronger, milady. Even those we don't enjoy." Frederick assured, but contrary to his word, his plate was the same as Lissa. For a moment, it looked as if she was ready to continue the tirade, but then she smiled slyly.
"Really? Then why don't I see YOU eating, Frederick?"
"Me? Oh, well... I'm not hungry. I...I had a large lunch! Yes, quite." Frederick stammered.
"Yeah right, Frederick!" Lissa said, unconvinced. Both Robin and Chrom laughed at their bickering.
That night, they decided to take turns keeping watch. Because the burden will be greater on the second and the third, the orders were like this: Lissa, Chrom, Frederick, Robin. At first, Frederick offered to keep watch the whole night, but was quickly dismissed.
When it was Chrom's turn to take watch, he suddenly looked around, as if sensing something.
"…Huh?" he muttered, hearing something nearby make him get on his feet. The sound also awaken Lissa, she yawned a bit as she stood up.
"What's wrong, Big Brother ?" she asked to get Chrom attention.
"Sorry, I didn't meant to wake you, but... Something is amiss..."
"Don't worry, it hasn't been long since I fell asleep. Can you define what "something" is?"
"I'm not sure... I think I'll have a look around." Chrom grabbed his Falchion and started walking toward the sound.
"Not alone, you won't! I'm coming too." Lissa hastily went with him.
"Heh. Thanks, Lissa."
The sibling keeps scouting through the dark, keeping an eye on everywhere to find the source of the sound Chrom heard.
"It sure is dark. ...And quiet." Lissa looks around, taking note that she can't even hear a single sound "Where did the birds go?"
"Something is wrong here…" Chrom added.
Suddenly, an earthquake erupts, making both of them lose their balance.
"Aaah! Chrom!" Lissa gasped.
"Gods, what— Agh! What is this madness?! Lissa, stay close!" Chrom shouted as they stayed close to a tree. He hugged Lissa tight to protect her as many trees around them started falling.
"Lissa, run." He said in a low voice.
"Huh?"
"I mean it! Go!"
With that, Lissa started running away. Chrom followed right behind her as the ground where they stood just a moment ago started to crack and lift up, a burst of lava firing up into the air. Whithin seconds, the landmass was engulfed by molten magma, with huge flaming meteors rainning down from the sky.
"Hey! This way!" Chrom had caught up and now was in the lead. He urged her to follow him on the left. The two of them soon jump off a small cliff to escape the fire.
After running for a while, they finally got out of the flames, Lissa grabbing her knee, catching her breath. But as Chrom looked back at the forest, Lissa raised her eyes to the sky and gasped.
"Chrom, what IS that?!" She said pointing at the sky. Looking up, Chrom could see what had shocked Lissa so much. Thousands of specks of light were suddenly coming from nowhere and gathering in the sky. Then in a brief flash of light, the sky turned black, and what appeared to be a giant eye suddenly opened in the sky. Chrom and Lissa stared at it in total shock as something started to crawl out from the eye. The creatures had the figures of humans as many of them slowly fell out of the giant eye and crashed to the ground with a huge thud a short distance away from them. Slowly, the siblings saw the creatures rise to their feet, moaning and groaning, not sounding like humans at all. The creatures' eyes grow red as they stare straight toward the sibling.
Chrom quickly balanced his breath as he saw them lumbering toward them, axes in their hands.
"Lissa you better stand back" Chrom whispered to her as he drew Falchion. Lissa, while scared, still follows her brother's suggestion. As if on cue, one of the creatures roared out, black vapor seeping out of its mouth. It then suddenly lauched toward Chom at full speed, leaping into the air swinging its axe down at him. Chrom quickly swung his blade, dodging the creature's weapon and slashing it across its stomach. However, the creature didn't fall. Twisting its head to face him, it swung at him again, Chrom barely blocking it in time. The two struggled against each other. Thinking fast, he deflected the creatures' weapon up and knocked it to the ground. As the creature tried to get up Chrom jumped up into the air and impared it in the back with his sword. The blow causing the creature to dissolve into a mass of purple and black vapor, concluded it dead.
Chrom started to sweat heavily, but he didn't have time to catch his breath as he heard a familiar scream.
"Lissa!" Turning in the screams' direction, his eyes wide open as he saw the second creature already too close to Lissa. Her back to a rock, holding her staff out in front as a poor attemp to defense herself. Panicking, Chrom rushed toward her.
The creature raise it axe high about to strike down but at that moment something else started to come out of the giant eye in the sky. This being leaped out, landing a short distance from Lissa and the monster. The figure rushed toward Lissa a lot faster than Chrom. Just seconds before the monster axe struck, the figure drew their sword and blocked the weapon from behind.
Lissa, shocked, looked at the figure in front of her. This person is wearing something that looks like a butterfly mask. He had blue hair, and was coated in a dark blue outfit with a red cape. Right now, he is struggling against the creature's strength.
"Help!" The masked man shouted to Chrom, as he had stopped to observe the situation.
"…Right." Snapping out of it, Chrom nodded and charged.
Hearing Chrom closing in, the creature got distracted as it raised its head to look at him. Seeing the opportunity, the masked man broke away and, in perfect sync with Chrom, sliced it into half. Both body parts dissolved before they could hit the ground.
Lissa, still a little bit shocked, clings to her staff as she starts to calm down. She looked at Chrom as he slowly turned his attention to the masked man, who had just sheathed his sword.
"Quite an entrance… what's your name?" He asked. The masked man looked at Chrom over his shoulder. However, before he could answer the question, Robin and Frederick suddenly raced into the clearing on Frederick's horse.
"Milord! Milady! Are you hurt?" Frederick asked as Robin quickly got off to check on them.
"Frederick! Robin!" Lissa gasped, relieved to see them.
Seeing that the two of them were safe and sound, Robin took a look at the burning forest and saw a group of creatures before.
"Are such horrific creatures commonplace in these lands?" Robin asked.
"They're not from Ylisse, I promise you that." Chrom explained.
"No one is injured, then? Thank the gods..." Frederick let out a sigh of relief, knowing that both Chrom and Lissa had no injuries.
"Thank the masked man who saved me! If it wasn't for him, I'd be... Hey, where did he go?" Lissa is looking around but can't seem to find her savior.
"We can worry about him later, AFTER we put these...things...to the blade. Eyes open, now. We know nothing about this enemy." Frederick said, indicating the approaching, they all get into position, with Lissa in the back and the other three on the frontline.
'Ark, scanning the area and the number of enemies' Robin gives order inside his head.
[ALREADY DONE, SIR. STARTING DISPLAY]
A map displayed in front of Robin. He saw that they were now standing at the top right of the map, surrounded by a lot of trees and facing a total of eight of these creatures. He also took notice of two small squares on the map.
"Hmm? Are those..." Robin looked up at the direction of the two squares on the map.
"Abandoned forts, yes." Frederick followed Robin's eyes and answered.
[IT LOOKS LIKE THESE FORTS WILL GIVE YOU BETTER DEFENSE AGAINST THESE CREATURES]
"Then we should take shelter in them whenever possible. No doubt they will offer distinct advantages in battle." Robin said as he pulled out the blade of his weapon and activated the ProgriseKey ability " Lissa, Stay close to Frederick, as he had the best defense out of all of us. Frederick, since you can get far on your horse, you will seize the farthest fort while me and Chrom will take on the close one."
The three of them nodded and execute the plan. Robin and Chrom arrive at the fort right before one of the creatures approaches them. With one quick combo, the two finish the creature as it dissolves into smoke and disappears. The same cannot be said for Frederick, as he was one step late to the fort, but thanks to his shield and strength, he successfully blocked the attack and performed a counter right at the creature's throat, which killed it immediately.
"Two down, six more to go." Robin adjust the situation.
" Thank Naga you're here with us, Robin. It looks like we can manage to survive this whole ordeal." Chrom said.
[TWO INDIVIDUALS IS APPROCHING. THEY SEEM TO HAVE NO HOSTILITY TOWARD US]
The sound of horses' hoofs can be heard as the individual gets closer and closer. When the figure came into view, Robin observed this newcomer. A female knight rode onto the field on horseback. Her hair was cropped short, and was the same shade of red as her armor. She looked to be around Chom and Robin age.
"Captain Chrom! Wait! I'm coming!" She cried as she rode toward the fort that Chrom and Robin were in. "...Agh, I knew I shouldn'ta left 'em." She look at the creature and point her lance toward them " All right, you ash-faced freaks! Which one of ya wants to try my lance on for size first? I know just the spot for it: shoved right up your-"
But before she could finish her sentence, the second individual made his arrived.
"Hold, milady!" This voice is from a man with long, light-blue hair hanging around him. He shouted, which almost made the female jump off her horse. She turned, her face screwing up in confusion. "Life may be long, but attraction is fleeting! Would you leave me in your sweet dust? Leave war to the warriors, dear bird! A beauty such as you need wage only love." The man proclaimed.
The female rider didn't seem to be amused at all. "The hell are you?!"
"Ha! Is the lady intrigued? Of course you are-it's only natural. I am myth and legend! I am he who strides large across history's greatest stage! The man who puts the "arch" in "archer"! My name, dear lady, is Vi-" The man made a long speech that probably made everyone sigh if they heard it.
"Sorry, Ruffles—no time for this. Onward!" but was quickly cut-off as the female rider turned her attention back to the battlefield and charged forward.
"Virion!" The man finished. "...Er, my name. It's Virion. W-wait! Where are you going?" Virion rushed, trying to catch up with the female. "Pray, at least tell me your name!"
The rider groaned. "I'm Sully. ...And I'm a Shepherd."
"Sully!" Virion pronounced joyfully. "How divine! A starkly beautiful name, as befits its owner, truly. Will you marry me, my dearest Sully?"
This made Chrom and Robin groan, as both of them were close by.
Chrom turned his head to Robin and said. "The woman over there is Sully, one of our Shepherd. Just like her appearance, she's a strong person and a reliable friend." He looked at Virion. "As for the guy, I don't know, maybe he just followed to flirt with her."
Robin nodded, he looked back as Sully, who had just finished her conversation with Virion, arrived with him on the horse's back. As he got off the horse, Robin noticed that in his hand was a bow and a dozen of arrows on his back.
"Goddesses and gentlemen, might I have your attention? I, as it happens, am an archer! ...The archest of archers, in fact. As such, I attack most effectively from a distance. So kindly keep me one step away from peril, if you would!" Virion announced.
"Archer is it? Perfect! It looks like we can finish things up faster than we expected." Robin said as gears started turning in his head. He pointed his finger at the tree located between the two forts and said to Virion. "Virion, I will give you a boost, so take the high ground."
"High ground?" Virion titled his head.
"Jump up on that tree. None of those creatures can reach you while you can support us." Robin explained.
"Not a bad plan, tactician. Let's do this. " Virion smiled as he understood Robin's plan.
Robin headed to the tree first.
[SPEAKING OF BOOST, I ALSO HAD SOMETHING TO GIVE YOU, SIR]
Robin saw the window and reached in his pocket to take out a new ProgriseKey. This one was a hale navy color with the ability: Hard and the name Invading Horseshoe Crab. He activates it without hesitation.
HARD!
From the ProgriseKey, a gray liquid gushed out and covered Robin's body before it became transparent. Robin doesn't know why, but he can feel a surge of strength flowing through his entire body.
[SMALL REMINDER, SIRS. YOU CAN ONLY USE ONE ABILITY AT A TIME. IF YOU WANT TO USE ANOTHER, YOU HAVE TO DEACTIVATE THE PREVIOUS ONE FIRST]
'Understood'
"You okay over there?" Virion asked as he saw something strange with Robin.
"Don't worry, this is my power. Ready whenever you are." Robin spread both his hands out as he spoke.
Virion heard that and ran toward Robin with all his might. Using Robin's hands as a springboard, Virion jumps up and grabs the tree branch with ease. Actually, he almost missed the branch since Robin put a bit too much strength into his push. As he landed perfectly, Virion took out an arrow and fired toward the creatures. The shot while not lethal, still enough to hinder their move so that the others can finish them off.
Sully watches everything that happens and talks to Chrom in awe as she just finished another creature with him. "Wow, captain, you really got yourself another talent guy while I'm not around. This guy seems to be capable of doing anything."
"Yeah, I'm really glad he's on our side."
Seeing that his strategy went smoothly, Robin ran back to Chrom. He took another look at the map and saw that at the corner of the bottom left, there was one of the creatures, much stronger than the rest of them.
"Okay, everything is almost done. Chrom, please stay here and kill anything that approaches you. Virion will support you, so that shouldn't be a problem." Then he turned and faced Sully. "Sully, please get me to the one that is the farthest away. I had a feeling that the leader. If we kill it, victory will be guaranteed."
"Roger that. Hop on." Without hesitation, Sully let Robin climb on the back of her horse and started to dash forward.
Although he was giving out orders with confidence, when the horse suddenly dashed, he almost fell off. To regain his balance, Robin accidentally wraps his arms around Sully's waist tightly. This made Sully jolt in surprise. She looked back at him over her shoulder and shouted. "The hell do you think you doing?!"
"I'm sorry, but it can't be help. I almost fall off just now." Robin desperately explains as he grips tighter.
[YOU REALLY GOT YOUR WAY AROUND WITH WOMAN, SIR]
'Ark! This is not the time for that' Robin shouted in his head.
Sully gritted her teeth as she focused back on her destination, thinking. 'His grip is quite strong.' She flustered.
On their way, they failed to notice that there was an arrow flying toward them. The arrow nicked right at Robin's shoulder. Sully stopped the horse behind a tree, looking at Robin in panic. "Are you alright, Robin?!"
Strangely, contrary to Sully's worry, Robin feel completely fine. All he felt was the impact from the arrow, but not the pain. He looked at his shoulder and was surprised. At the point that the arrow hit, instead of reaching his robe, it hit the liquid that had formed on Robin's body previously. The liquid slowly pushes the arrow away, then from the spot that had been hit, it starts to purge, forming back to its original state and becoming transparent again.
[THAT ONE OF THE ABILITY OF THE PROGRISEKEY. ASIDE FROM GIVING YOU A POWER-UP, IT ALSO FORMS A TRANSPARENT ARMOR ON YOU. AND WHEN DAMAGED, THE ARMOR WILL BE PURGED, SIMILAR TO PEELING, FORMING STRONGER AND THICKER ARMOR.]
'Wow, this ability is awesome!'
[I AM GLAD YOU THINK SO. BUT WE HAVE TO DEAL WITH THAT ARCHER OVER THERE FIRST]
Robin nodded and turned his head at Sully. "Don't worry, Sully. I'm perfectly fine."
"Are you sure? But I saw the arrow hit you." Sully asked, still worried.
"It is one of my many abilities I have. Just charged out of here and I will deal with the archer." Robin said and pull out the Attach Calibur and the Hornet's ProgriseKey.
Sully, after seeing that he had moved his arm around without any hindrance, calmed down and followed Robin's order. As the two of them dashed out of the tree, Robin activate the ProgriseKey.
THUNDER!
He slotted it into the weapon.
PROGRISE KEY CONFIRMED
READY TO UTILIZE
Then change the weapon from Blade mode to Attach mode.
CHARGE RISE!
He switched the weapon back to its Blade mode.
FULL CHARGE!
ライトニングカバンダイナミック
"Eat this!" Robin shouted as he pressed the button and swung the sword at the archer. The blade forms many yellow energy hornet stingers and launches toward the enemy.
ラ
イ
ト
ニ
ン
グ
ク
ク
カバンダイナミック
LIGHTNING KABAN DYNAMIC!
All of the stingers hit the target causing a small explosion, killing it.
"Now everyone doesn't have to worry about the archer." Robin said.
"I have never seen anything like that before. How did you do that?!" Sully asked in awe.
Robin scratches his cheek and laughs. "Things happen."
[HM, THIS IS SOMETHING WE SHOULD THING ABOUT IF WE WANT TO EXPLAIN YOUR POWER TO EVERYONE]
They continue on their way, passing all of the creatures, one of them almost reached the horse, but one of Virion's arrows perfectly landed on its hand, preventing it. As both of them arrived, Robin got off the horse and faced the creature while it started to growl.
"Alright, we here. So what the plan?" Sully asked.
"We do a double attack. Simple." Robin said, holding the Horseshoe Crab ProgriseKey.
"I like that." She smiled.
Robin presses the button on the ProgriseKey.
HARD!
Replace the one inside the weapon.
PROGRISE KEY CONFIRMED
READY TO UTILIZE
HORSESHOE CRAB'S ABILITY
Presses the trigger.
インベイディングカバンストラッシュ
The creature saw the movement and threw its hand axe at Robin. Robin performs two slashes, one at the weapon and one at his enemy. Both of the slashes jetted out a blue liquid that stopped the axe mid-air and trapped the creature. The tip of the blade is now wrapped in a gray liquid, strengthening its sharpness.
"Now!" Robin shouted as both of them dashed forward to perform a horizontal slash.
イ
ン
ベ
イ
デ
ィ
ン
グ
カ バ ン ス ト ラ ッ シ ュ
INVADING KABAN STRASH!
As they finish, the liquid now wraps the creature's entire body, causing it to explode.
Robin looks back to check on the others, but it appears that they have already dispatched the last of the enemy as Virion jumps down from the tree. With a sigh of relief, the six of them regroup.
"That was much easier than I expected. All thanks to your strategy." Chrom praised Robin.
"Yeah, Robin, you made it too easy. It's almost as if I'm not needed here anymore." Lissa jokingly said.
"Oh, um. I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that." Robin panics at what Lissa just said.
"Relax, Robin. She's just pulling your leg." Chrom smirked.
As everyone was laughing, the masked man from before made his appearance again.
"It seems all the creatures are vanquished. This young man took care of the others." Frederick said, indicating the man.
Lissa looked uncharacteristically nervous. "Um, I never got to thank you...for before. So...thank you. You were very brave."
"You saved my sister's life. My name is Chrom." Chrom asked. The masked man nodded. "Might I ask yours?"
"You may call me Marth." Everyone, aside from Robin, was shocked at the answer.
[HM, VERY INTERESTING]
'What's wrong'
[NOTHING, SIR. I'M JUST AS CLUELESS AS YOU]
"Marth? After the heroic king of old? You certainly fight like a hero." Chrom remarked. "Where did you learn your way with a sword?"
[OH, SO THAT IS WHY THEY HAD THAT SURPRISED EXPRESSION ON THEIR FACE]
'Yeah, it appears so.'
Marth shook his head. "I'm not here to talk about me. This world teeters at the brink of a horrible calamity. What you saw tonight was but a prelude. You have been warned." With those parting words, Marth turned his head toward Robin. He bowed then stepped away from them. By now, the strange eye up in the sky had disappeared and the fire had mostly subsided by now.
"Huh? What's teetering where now? Hey, wait!" Lissa called to Marth, but he was already out of their eyes.
Robin shrugged. "Not much for conversation, is he?"
" It appears his skills lie elsewhere. I wager we'll hear his name again..." Frederick answered. " With all that happened, dawn is almost up and I don't think we will have much rest that we need. Why don't we push on a little more? We can have a proper rest when we are in the capital."
Without protest, the weary group trudged back to the camp and retrieved their supplies before setting off. Slowly, the group of six made their way back onto the main road, leaving the forest behind.
I did it. I finally finished this chapter. I didn't expect I could make it this long. When I first posted the prologue, I thought that each chapter would be only around 1500 to 2000 words, but I can't seem to stop when I get myself into it.
That is for this chapter. I just want to rant a little bit since it's already 5AM where I live at the moment I'm posting this.
Next update: chapter 3-Bonding time with the Shepherds