"So, let me make sure I understand this correctly. Not only you can't confirm that the Ylissean party carries the Fire Emblem…but you aren't even certain that the Prince is even among them?...Is that correct?" Aversa said as she glared down at one of her subordinates.
The man she's talking to quavered in fear. "Y-Yes, that…I-I mean that is to say-"
Aversa held up a hand, silencing the man. "I have no desire to hear your excuses. A good captain dies alongside his men," Aversa said in a disapproving tone. "However, if there is anything that may be useful to us, now is the time to speak."
The man shuddered under her demanding gaze. "M-Milady, I swear to you, w-we didn't know the Ylisseans would be here so soon. T-They came and attacked us out of nowhere and-"
"I thought I said no more excuses."
"R-Right, my apologies." The man gulped. "I-I believe that the Ylisseans will be upon us soon. There were more than what we originally anticipated, but I believe they will be at the capitol within the next few hours."
Aversa touched a finger to her chin and sighed. "Yet you aren't sure about any of that? It's just pure speculation, is that it? No matter. I have no use for you anymore, Captain." She drew out a small dagger and walked towards the man.
His eyes widened in fear and he stumbled back. "W-Wait! I-I'm sorry, I'll do better Milady, I promise! Just give me another chance! Please!"
Aversa grinned. "We've given you enough chances. Thank you for your service."
She thrust the dagger forward, stabbing the man directly in the chest. The man groaned and he fell to the ground with a loud thump. Aversa wiped the blood off on the dead man's clothes and sheathed her dagger.
"Was that really necessary?" A voice spoke from behind.
Aversa turned around and her smile faded. She shrugged. "He had it coming anyway. We can't have cowards such as himself in our ranks, sir."
Gangrel rolled his eyes. "Yes, well, do try and NOT kill all our men. We still need them for the lovely banquet we're hosting for the Ylisseans."
"Banquet, sir?"
Gangrel sighed. "Think of it more like a welcoming party, dear. No doubt the prince received my invitation. I'm sure he'll be here, and if he's smart, he'll bring the Fire Emblem along as well."
Aversa smiled. "Well then sir, what activities are in store for them?"
Gangrel chuckled. "Ah, well, I was thinking of a massacre. A bloody massacre so grand it'll be worthy of their legendary father. Oh, how fun it'll be…"
Aversa grinned. "I can hardly wait, sir."
Lucina sat at the edge of her cot while hastily putting on her boots, gathered her few belongings and quietly stood up. She quietly made her way to the exit when-
"Marth?"
Lucina froze midstep. "Yes?"
She turned around and was surprised to see Heather already on her feet.
Heather crossed her arms. "Hmph, Robin told me you'd try and sneak out at some point. He told me to keep an eye on ya."
Lucina scoffed. "And what makes you think I'm leaving?"
"Um, maybe the fact that you are stealthily creeping your way out of this tent while carrying all your stuff…otherwise, it's just a hunch."
Marth sighed and shook her head. "I was just going out to do some quick training before we depart." Heather still looked unconvinced. Lucina rolled her eyes and yawned. "I'm serious. Look, if you don't believe me, why don't you join me. It'll do you good to get at least a little bit of combat experience before the mission."
Heather nodded, "Yeah alright. Give me five minutes."
"Don't be too long," Marth said, and walked out.
"AHHHHH!"
"Holy mother of…Robin! Are you okay!?" Lissa called as she ran into Robin's tent.
He was bolt upright, and beads of sweat were dripping down his face. His eyes were wide and he was breathing abnormally fast.
Lissa quickly ran next to him. She gently put a hand on his back, trying to put him at some ease. "Hey, are you okay? What's wrong?" Lissa pressed.
Robin just shook his head. He clenched his fists. "L-Lissa…What was that? It felt so real…"
Lissa patted him gently. "I think you may have had a nightmare."
"A nightmare?"
She nodded. "Yeah. I get those from time to time. They can be pretty scary, and feel very real. But don't worry, it was just a dream!"
Robin slowly nodded. The dream he had was…strange.
The strangest part was that he could actually remember what it was about. There were two people. They were discussing something about Emmeryn's and something about the future being set back into place…
"Robin? Are you sure you're okay?"
He nodded. "Yeah, I'll be fine. Sorry to worry ya." He put on a smile. "Anyways, what brings you here? Did you need something?"
"Yes actually. We're gonna march soon, so hurry and get dressed. We're all waiting."
Robin's eyes widened and he lept out of his cot. "What?! Why didn't someone come and wake me up earlier?!" He scrambled around the empty tent to pack up his few belongings.
Lissa grinned as she watched him hustle around the tent. "We decided to let you sleep in…Hey! Don't give me that face! It was Chrom's idea! Besides, you definitely needed the extra rest!"
Robin grumbled. "I'll meet you outside."
"I didn't think that "quick" training would be so rigorous," Heather whined as she marched.
Marth sighed. "You did say you wanted to be a mage, did you not? That was just one of the many steps towards that path."
"I-well yes! I-I mean…I just didn't know it'd be so hard. But don't worry! I'll get used to it!...Right Robin?"
Robin was currently glaring down at the sand, deep in thought. Having heard his name, he perked up and glanced around.
Heather frowned. "You didn't hear a word I said, did ya?"
Robin smiled sheepishly. "Heh, sorry, guess I got lost in my own head again."
"Heather, why don't we let Robin keep to his thoughts for now. We can't have him getting distracted," Marth siad, and shot a pointed look towards Robin.
Marth grabbed Heather's arm and led her away from Robin. Robin watched as the two girls walked off.
He sighed. Even though Heather says she knew him since he was a kid, he still didn't quite understand her. Sometimes, she was as bubbly as Lissa could be, but the next minute she could be almost as scary as Sully.
But the even bigger mystery to him was Marth. He didn't know why she was helping them in the first place. Though Robin has few memories, he does know for a fact that no normal person would just risk their life for total strangers. Another thing that he thought was odd was the fact that Marth was so willing to let someone like Heather join her in the first place. Robin knew that Marth was a loner…so why would she let Heather, a girl with limited combat experience and strange personality, join her on her 'secret mission?' Again, that fell with one of the many questions Robin has for her.
Robin also wasn't very sure how Marth felt about him either. Sometimes, it seems she can tolerate him, but other times, such as this past moment, she acts as though he doesn't even exist.
He sighed again. "She was right about one thing, though. I can't get distracted. I'll press more questions after we save Emmeryn."
"Odd that we didn't run into any Plegians. You'd think we'd at least run into a few by now." Flavia said.
"If I had to guess, I'd say they are expecting us. I mean, they know we wouldn't not come after Emm, it was just a guess of as to when we would come," Chrom replied.
Flavia sighed. "Yeah, you're probably right. Still, much as I hate to admit it, that makes me a bit uneasy..."
"Is that the capital?" Robin asked as he walked up to the pair.
Chrom nodded. "It is indeed. Speaking of, is everything ready, Robin?"
"Yep, we're all ready to go. Just give the word and we'll have Emm back in no time!"
Chrom smiled. "Right then." He turned to Flavia. "You ready?"
Flavia grinned and placed a hand on the hilt of her sword. "You bet your arse I am!"
"Bahaha! As am I! Just give me the word, woman!" Basilio laughed.
Marth stalked up to Robin. She stopped in front of him and crossed her arms. She nodded towards Chrom and the Khans.
"Can I have a word with him alone?" She asked.
Chrom started to speak, but Robin held up a hand. "It's fine. Can you make sure Flavia has everything under control? I'll only be a few minutes," Robin added and snuck a glance back at Marth.
Chrom nodded, and he and the two Khans walked off leaving the pair behind.
Robin looked at Marth, and fought the urge to take a step back. She was practically fuming.
"What the hell, Robin?" She spat.
Robin gave her a dazed look. "What?"
"Don't "what" me. Are you an idiot?"
"Uh, I'm still not…following," Robin said, careful with how he chose his words.
Marth glared at him. "Your friend, Heather, just informed me that I'm going to be fighting with her on the midlines. Are you serious?"
"I don't understand w-"
"Heather is going to get someone killed, Robin. May that be me, or herself, or someone else for that matter. She has no battle experience at all whatsoever. Much less has she even killed somebody before," Marth said flatly.
Robin sighed. "Yeah, I know her experience is…limited, but she's strong, and we could totally use her strength!"
"You think she's going to be that strong out there on the field where people will be trying to kill her. She literally froze the last time we ran into trouble! What do you think she's gonna do when she's surrounded by people trying to kill her, huh?"
Robin grit his teeth. As obvious as that was, he didn't think like that. The first time he can remember killing someone, well, he had no problem doing so to protect people in need. And being surrounded by people where fighting is their whole life…well, the whole idea just went over his head.
'Agrh, why didn't I think of that. Of course she'll be different. She's not a Shepherd.'
He sighed. "Listen, Marth, I…I just need you to look after her. Right now, you are the best person for her to fight with, and I need your strength in this battle. I know I'm asking a lot, but… you know her the best out of all of us, so please, make sure she survives this."
Marth scowled. She glanced over at Heather, who was staring back at Marth and Robin. Marth looked back at Robin and sighed. "...Alright, fine. But after this, I'm done babysitting. Understand?"
Robin smiled. "Thank you so much. Seriously, I really appre-"
"Yeah, yeah. Thank me once this is over," She said, then walked to meet up with Heather.
Chrom walked back to Robin. "Ready?"
Robin nodded. "Yeah, it's finally time to kick some Plegian butts."
Lucina and Heather stood by the Feroxi army while they waited for the signal. The Feroxi army was going to take out most of the Plegians. The jobs of Lucina and Heather, as well as other small groups of Shepherds, were to take any straggler enemies that could potentially get in the way of the main rescue group.
Lucina watched intently at the direction of Chrom and the others. Meanwhile, Heather stood facing away from Lucina and scowled at the ground.
Lucina was quite aware of Heather's bad mood, but she was past the point of caring and decided to let it be.
Heather, on the other hand, felt differently.
"You don't think I can do it, do you?" Heather said in a low voice.
Lucina shrugged. "At this point, I don't even know."
Heather reeled around. "And what is that supposed to mean?!"
"You know exactly what that means," Lucina said as turned to face Heather.
Heather glared at her. "I'm not dumb ya know. I literally watched you go up to Robin after I told you what the plan was. And I feel pretty sure it had something to do with me."
Lucina rolled her eyes. "I wasn't trying to be secretive about that. It's nothing personal, but I work better alone. I don't have the time or energy to look after you."
"Hey! I'm not a child, and I don't need looking after! I can take care of myself, Marth!"
"Yeah? Then explain what happened yesterday. Your actions nearly got both of us killed."
Heather paused. "...Well, remember what happened with the Risen things? I'm strong! Admit it!"
Lucina scoffed. "It's no question about strength, but those were Risen. We aren't fighting Risen. We're fighting real people with real intentions!"
Heather clenched her fists, but otherwise remained quiet. Lucina continued.
"There's a reason why I work alone," She said darkly.
"Then why did you let me join you in the first place," Heather asked quietly.
Lucina thought about this. "I…I'm not so sure of that myself. And I pray that it wasn't a mistake."
There were shouts coming from the Feroxi army, and Lucian and Heather both readied their weapons.
Lucina shook her head. "It doesn't matter now. Looks like it's begun."
"Alright, everything is going smoothly," Robin whispered.
Chrom nodded. "Great. As soon as that sorry excuse for a king shows himself, we act."
Chrom and Robin, along with Virion, crouched behind a crumbling wall. From what the scouts reported, it is supposedly near where Emmeryn was to be executed.
The Plegians knew they were here by now, and Robin saw them begin to mobilize by the central area of the courtyard. There were a lot of them, but there were a lot of Ylisseans and Feroxi as well.
Still, something felt a bit off to Robin.
"*Ahem*...can you all hear me? Yes? Great! Then let's begin!" A voice boomed. "Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome Ferox, Ylisse, and Plegia, I'm so glad each of you could come out to enjoy today's festivities!"
Chrom grit his teeth. "Gangrel…"
Robin narrowed his eyes. Faintly, he could see a human figure atop one of the Plegian balconies. How they were able to hear him from so far away was a mystery to Robin, but it didn't stop the sick feeling from churning in his stomach.
Virion scoffed. "Tch, a coward he is. Not coming down to lead his own people is a disgrace to himself. Utterly disgusting."
Gangrel laughed. "Anyways, how about we skip to the good part, yeah? Prince Chrom, I know you are watching from somewhere down there. I think you're really gonna enjoy the first activity on today's agenda! Guard! Bring her out!"
Chrom took in a shaky breath. "There she is," he breathed.
Over in the distance, Emmeryn could be seen being forcefully pushed by a bulky Plegian up a tall, narrow ledge. She appeared to be quite calm despite the dire circumstances.
Gangrel laughed. "Yay! Now that we've got that prepared, why don't I explain the rules for this game! It's easy really, and if you play it right, everyone wins!" He paused. "But then again, it would be really fun to watch her plummet to her death…"
Robin grabbed Chrom's arm before he could jump out.
"Not yet, Chrom," he hissed. "Virion, get ready."
Gangrel laughed again. "Oh ho! I think I just had a brilliant idea! Why don't I just kill your exalt and all of you?! Now won't that just be fun? Plegia! Today, we will get justice for what was done to us from the previous exalt!"
Cheers rang from the Plegian army.
Gangrel grinned. "Well then, it seems my people have spoken. Now guard, if you will be so kind…"
"Virion now!" Robin yelled.
"On it!" He replied. In one swift motion, he raised his bow and shot an arrow directly at the Plegian behind Emmeryn. The man didn't even have time to place a hand on her before he himself fell off the ledge.
Robin expected Gangrel to be outraged, but he just chuckled. "Well now, at long last, I guess it's finally begun then. Plegia! Give them everything you've got! And leave no survivors! I want Ylisse to the ground by suppertime!"
"Alright this is it!" Robin yelled, and shot a bolt of lightning in the air, the signal. Not long after, the Feroxi and Plegian armies clashed, and the Shepherds moved to their assigned areas.
Chrom drew his sword. "Alright, Robin, let's go!"
Robin nodded. He turned to Virion. "Virion, Federick and Cordelia will meet you here. Will you be okay for a few minutes?"
Virion nodded. "Yes, of course. Please, the exalt is still in danger. Do not worry about me, I'll be fine."
Robin nodded. "Okay then. Chrom, let's go."
The pair then ran down to meet the rest of their squadron down at the frontlines.
The Ferox and Plegian armies clashed. Lucina and Heather were running away from the main fight and into the courtyard ruins. If there were any stragglers, they would try to get in the way of Robin and Chrom's group, and it was the job of Lucina and Heather to take care of them.
They stopped right behind a crumbling pillar. Lucina peered around it.
"I don't see anyone, but I'm pretty sure there are a few behind that wall over there," She whispered.
Heather nodded. "Alright, what do we do?"
"Listen, I need you to just stay focused. You heard Gangrel. These scumbags have no problem slicing us open. We need to take care of them, otherwise they will interfere with the plan. So, that means no freezing. Understand?"
Heather's eyes widened. "S-Slicing us…no, you're right. I'll be focused. I promise."
Lucina nodded. "Alright then. Just follow me, and do exactly as I say."
Heather nodded, and quietly followed Lucina out from behind the pillar. The two girls quietly stepped their way across the sand and rubble. Fainly, Lucina could hear some voices speaking from ahead of them. She looked at Heather, and Heather nodded.
They quietly pressed their backs up against the wall. There was a small crack in the wall, just big enough to see through it. Lucina peered through the crack, and could make out at least three Plegians.
"Alright, there's at least three of them. You go left, and I'll go right," Lucina whispered.
Heather readied her tome while Lucina steadied her sword. The pair inched their way to the opposite edges of the wall.
"Now!" Lucina shouted, and whipped out from behind the wall. She charged directly at the Plegian closest to her and cut him down before he realized he was even stabbed.
"Elthunder!" Heather shouted, and shot a bolt of lightning at one of the other Plegians. It hit him directly in the chest, and he cried out in pain as the electricity spread out all throughout his body.
Lucina and Heather stared down at the remaining two Plegians, and they glared back at thim.
The bigger of the two held a ginormous axe. He spat at the ground and glared at Lucina. "Ylissean scum. I teach ya a thing or two about manners!"
The other Plegian held an elfire tome. He glared at Heather. "Alright then, lass. You ready to feel the heat?"
Heather stifled a laugh. "That…that was a terrible burn," she paused, "Pun not intended!"
The man roared and shot a bolt of fire directly at her. She sidestepped the attack and shot a spell of her own.
Meanwhile, Lucina and the axeman were locked in a battle of their own. The man was way stronger than her, but Lucina was by far much quicker than him.
"Stop moving!" The man yelled as he swung his axe carelessly at her.
Lucina ducked as the man's axe swung at her neck. She rolled forward and swiped at his leg. She quickly jumped to her feet as the man hollered in pain. Out of anger, he threw his axe directly at Lucina.
"Woah!" Lucina hastily stepped to the side, but the axe managed to nick her arm, drawing blood.
However, now the man had no weapon. Lucina used this opportunity to charge at the man. Her sword sunk right into his gut, then she ripped her sword out. The man fell lifelessly to the ground.
The remaining Plegian cried out for his companion, and Heather used the extra second to shoot a bolt of lightning at his chest. The man's eyes widened as he watched the bolt come at him. He screamed in pain as it hit him in the chest, and fell to the ground violently writhing in pain.
Then he stopped.
Lucina wiped her blade clean and shook her head. "In all my years fighting, I have never had a man just throw a weapon at me."
No response.
Lucina turned around to face Heather. Her eyes widened and she stifled a gasp.
"Gods, Heather! Are you alright?" Lucina ran over to Heather.
Heather was on her knees and stared at the two men she killed. Her tome slipped out of her hand as tears welled up in her eyes. She bit her lip to stop it from quivering.
She sniffed. "M-Marth, I just k-killed those two men." She croaked.
Lucina wasn't sure what to do. She crouched in front of Heather so Heather was looking at her rather than the men on the ground.
Lucina wasn't sure what to say. "Heather you…yeah, you did kill those two men. But you know what? That's war."
'Wow, Lucina, so comforting.'
"Those people would've killed you, Heather, and I know for a fact that they wouldn't have even bat an eye in doing so."
Heather wiped her eyes. "I-I just don't understand how you can do this so easily. Even Robin doesn't seem to have a problem with just taking a life. I…I just don't understand that."
Lucina's expression softened. She sighed, and put a comforting hand on Heather's shoulder. "Heather, believe me, it's not easy. Truly, it isn't. But it's reality. If you want to survive, you're going to have to be willing to kill. You have to fight to survive. Fight for peace."
Heather nodded. "This is all just so dumb! Why can't we all just get along?"
Lucina pursed her lips. "Believe me, I would give up anything if it meant living in a world of peace…but people are selfish. That's a fact." Lucina stood up. "And that's why we must keep fighting. Every day that we keep fighting, we are one day closer to peace."
Heather stood up, too. She sniffed once more, but nodded. "Yeah…yeah you're right. I…I just need to get used to this. But I promise, I'll keep fighting. For the sake of peace."
Lucina smiled, and playfully punched Heather in the arm. "Yeah, there you go. It'll all work out…" she trailed off.
"What's wrong, Mar-"
"Get down!" Lucina yelled, and pushed Heather to the side.
Almost instantly, the sand around them exploded in the air. The girls were both thrown off their feet and onto the sandy floor.
Chrom and Robin sprinted through the sand.
"If everything's going smoothly, then Gaius and Nowi should be here any minute," Robin said between breaths.
"Is that them?" Chrom asked, and pointed up ahead.
They skidded to a halt. Robin squinted up ahead. Off in the distance, he could make out something flying towards them. As it got closer, Robin could identify this particular dragon as Nowi, primarily because she was carrying Gaius.
"Hey guys!" Gaius said as Nowi landed, dropping him on the ground.
Gaius landed nimbly on his feet and grinned. "Man, that was so cool! When can I do that again?!"
"Gaius, status update?" Robin asked, ignoring his statement.
"Oh right! Sorry! The general had called for reinforcements. Specifically, Wyvern riders."
Robin paled. "Crap."
There was a flash of bright light, and Nowi took the place of the dragon.
"Ooooo Wyverns? I wonder if they'll wanna play?" She said excitedly.
Robin shook his head. "Focus Nowi. Wyverns are bad. Very bad…" He shuddered, remembering the last encounter he had with one.
Nowi pouted. "Hmph, fine. You owe me a game of tag, then, Mr. Robin!"
Robin nodded. "Alright deal. Listen, remember how I said plans were gonna change mid battle…well I'm gonna have to tweak a couple things. Gaius, Nowi, I need both of you to bring Lon'qu and Frederick here, and I want you both to help fight against the Wyvern reinforcements. Chrom and I will continue to make our way towards Emmeryn through those ruins," He said, and pointed towards the courtyard area.
Gaius nodded, and turned eagerly to Nowi. "You know what that means," He said.
Nowi beamed. Light flashed, and Nowi took off while carrying Gaius.
Robin turned back to Chrom. "Okay, by now, I'm sure Marth and Heather were able to take care of any Plegians that stayed behind. We best be quick."
Chrom nodded. "Alright then. Lead the way, friend."
Heather coughed and looked around wildly. She couldn't see much through all the sand in the air.
"Marth? Marth?! Hey, are you okay?!" She called out.
Faintly, she could hear someone groan in pain.
"H-Heather?" The voice croaked.
Heather stood up, ignoring the ringing in her left ear. "Yeah, I'm here! Where are you? What's going on?"
She spun around in circles, but she couldn't see anything. Not Marth. Not the source of the explosion. She immediately reached for her tome, but came up empty.
"Crap that's right. I dropped it."
The sand wasn't clearing, and if anything, it was getting thicker. This wasn't just sand…
"Heather, listen. Y-You need to run, okay," Marth said.
Heather still didn't know where Marth was. Her voice seemed to be coming from every direction.
"Are you crazy?! I'm not-"
"Leave now! He'll kill you too!" Marth shouted.
Heather looked around wildly. "Who's 'he'?!"
Suddenly, Heather could make out a standing figure standing about ten feet in front of her.
The figure seemed to be laughing. "Hehe, she means me, dear."
Heather stepped back. She shivered, but not because she was cold.
She was terrified.
"W-Who are you?" She asked.
The figure chuckled. "I go by many names, but you may call me Kalabhiti. A pleasure, might I add."
Heather reached for her dagger, and held it in front of her in defense. She tried to hold it steady, but she couldn't control the fear welling up inside her.
Kalabhiti stopped about five feet in front of her, but she was actually able to see his face.
She stifled a scream. The man looked alien with his grey skin and near purple hair. He towered over her and stared at her with his crimson, glowing eyes. He narrowed his eyes as he looked down at her.
"Oh dear, what have you done, love?" He mused as he stared at Heather.
Heather looked at him confused. "I don't-"
"Leave her alone, Kalabhiti."
Kalabhiti beamed, and turned around. "So, you go by Marth, now, eh? Interesting choice, but hey, no judgment here."
Heather could faintly see Marth's outline through all the sand. Marth appeared to be limping towards the pair.
"Leave her out of this," Marth said fiercely.
Kalabhiti shook his head. "You shouldn't be here, dear. You've already screwed one thing up," He said, and jabbed a finger at Heather.
"I believe I have the right to make my own decisions," Marth replied.
Marth was now in view. Heather's eyes widened as she looked at her.
Marth was only standing because she was leaning on her sword. Though the wound wasn't visible, Marth's whole left side of her torso was covered in blood. She was grimacing in pain, but she stared darkly ahead at the horrific man.
Kalabhiti laughed. "Yes, I suppose you do. But, I also have the right to make my own." He raised his hand in the air. Then, out of nowhere, a giant sword appeared in his right hand. He grinned maliciously down at Marth.
Marth took in a deep breath. With her free hand, she grabbed her dagger from her thigh.
Kalabhiti laughed. "What are you gonna do with that toothpick, huh?"
Marth inhaled a sharp breath. "You know I'll never go down without a fight."
Kalabhiti chuckled. "Spoken just like your father. Heh, it's a real shame you're with the Yllisseans. We could use more gals like you."
He started to walk towards Marth, and raised his sword. "It's a real shame it has to be this way."
Marth held up her dagger at a futile attempt to block the blow.
"No!" Heather shouted, and she grabbed onto the man's right arm. She had expected him to lose some of his balance, but he just stood there, his arm not moving any lower. She just tangled from his arm.
Kalabhiti laughed. "Heh, nice try girly, but you'll have to do better than that."
He flung her off his arm into the crumbling wall. She groaned as she hit the wall and tumbled to the ground.
Kalabhiti sighed and turned back to Marth. "Sorry for that intrusion, love. Now, where were we? Ah yes, I was about to kill you."
Marth grit her teeth as she stared up at the man.
'Father, mother, I'm sorry I couldn't-'
"Hey, back off!"
Fire engulfed Kalabhiti. He howled in pain and jumped back, and looked around wildly.
"Show yourself!" Kalabhiti yelled in rage as he searched for his attacker.
Marth suddenly felt arms wrap around her. Next thing she knew, she was sitting in the sand and the sun beamed her in the eyes.
She gasped for clear air as she looked around. "W-What the-"
"Just stay there." An unfamiliar voice said.
Marth's eyes were wide with shock as she stared up at the man who had saved her once before.
It was the man with the mask.
"Y-You-"
"Don't talk. Save your energy," The man said.
Suddenly, there was another explosion, engulfing the trio in sand again.
"Oh no you don't!" The masked man yelled. He pulled out a tome. As soon as he opened the tome he was engulfed in a golden aura, and the sand immediately dissipated.
Marth's jaw dropped in awe. "H-How-"
"No talking!" The man ordered.
"Right…" She muttered, and shut her mouth.
Kalaibhiti was standing a few yards away from the masked man glaring daggers at him.
"I don't remember you," He hissed.
The masked man sighed. "Yeah, probably good you don't. However, I do know you."
Kalabhiti narrowed his eyes. "How is that…Doesn't matter, if you don't step aside I'll kill you right now."
The masked man closed his tome and reached for a different one. "No can do, not gonna happen."
Kalabhiti growled. "Fine, I'll kill you, too, then." And stalked his way towards the masked man.
Marth's heart began to pound faster and faster as Kalabhiti approached, but the masked man standing in front of her seemed oddly calm.
"This is your last chance to leave," The masked man spoke coolly.
Kalabhiti hefted his sword in his hand and sneered at the masked man. "Like hell. If you think you can just talk to me like-"
"Ptéryga!" The masked man yelled, and thrust an open palm forward.
Kalabhiti suddenly froze in place. His expression contorted into a grimace.
"W-What did you do?!" He growled.
Suddenly, black rifts in the air opened up around Kalabhiti. They got bigger and bigger until they were about his size.
Kalabhiti's eyes widened as he stared at the rifts. "H-How did you…Imposible! Stop this!"
The masked man closed his palm, and the rifts closed around Kalabhiti and disappeared, leaving no remnant of the rifts, or Kalabhiti.
He just vanished.
Marth's jaw dropped once again. She looked at the man in front of her.
"How did you do that?" She then groaned in pain.
The tome the man had been holding crumbled away into dust. Sweat dripped down his forehead, but other than that he seemed completely fine. He dusted his hands and looked down at Marth. "I thought I told you not to talk."
Marth ignored the statement, and the pain. "I've never seen magic like that. What was that? What did you do to him? Did you kill him?"
The masked man sighed. "I will answer one question." He paused. "I sent him elsewhere."
"Elsewhere?"
"A place that isn't here."
Marth paused. "Like, to a different world…or time?"
"Different time? No, he is still very much here in this world. Alive. He is just far from here." He shrugged. "Probably across the world by now."
Marth nodded. Suddenly, her vision started to double.
"Um…you don't happen to…have magic that can help with…this…do you?" She asked weakly.
The man reached into a small satchel. He pulled out a small bottle and unscrewed the top. He crouched down in front of her and handed the small bottle to Marth.
"Drink this. It won't heal you, but it'll make you feel better. You'll need to see a cleric for that." He said, and gestured towards her wound.
"Thanks," She said, and took the bottle out of his hands.
Sure enough, she did start to feel better.
The man stood up. "I'll escort you back to the Shepherds, but afterwards I need to be one my way. Please, don't tell anyone you saw me."
Marth's eyes widened. "Leave? But I have so many questions!"
"...Karma," The man said blankly.
"Huh?"
He sighed. "Nevermind. I'll carry her. Can you walk?"
Marth didn't even notice that Heather was lying next to her, unconscious, again.
'Just like lastime…'
"Yeah, I-I think so."
"Alright then, let's go."
There ya have it! Chapter 19 of Eternal Bonds! This was actually probably one of my favorite chapters to write so far, probably because this is like the starting point of where my story is going to take a turn. I like writing about my own characters that I've come up with, too, but I know a lot of people can get bored if there's too many OCs, so I won't get too crazy with them if that's not what y'all want. Anyways, thanks for reading!
Let me know if you have any questions :)
-LittlePuppers