For the next few days, Lyn, Robin and the others headed west, towards the border of Lycia. During the day they traveled, and when they became tired, they'd set up camp. Gradually Kent and Sain began to participate in the training sessions alongside Lyn, which sometimes lasted from afternoon to nightfall. As a result, Wil, Dorcas and Florina ended up gaining more and more experience around the pot and campfire.

There was a noticeable drop in the quality of their dinners without Sain or Robin as the chef, but no one dared to admit it. After all, it was a good thing that Sain was committing himself to improvement, and the group had never tasted Robin's food anyways. And even if he wanted, Robin couldn't make a feast without the proper ingredients anyways.

Kent and Lyn did whatever they could, whenever they could in order to become stronger, and although Sain did grumble about it at first, he was also really thankful for Robin's assistance.

As a result of their training, Robin began to see some signs of improvement among the three of them. Even Sain, who participated the fewest number of times, seemed at least competent in a spar against Robin.

Currently, it was the 5th day since Dorcas had joined them, and Lyn was around a day or so away from Lycia's border...

Lyndis's Legion…

"Hey, I'm back!" Wil grinned as he returned from hunting with Dorcas. They were each holding a pheasant in both of their hands.

"Oh… welcome home." Florina turned to look at them.

"Let's defeather these birds." Dorcas suggested.

"Um… I'm not really sure how to cook those…" Florian frowned.

"It's fine, I'm the hunter, I ought to be able to help prepare them." Wil grinned. "And Dorcas can help me too. You just focus on the oats."

"All right… thanks."

"I'm glad we were able to catch so many this time." Dorcas let out a rare grin. "The others must be really hungry after that intense training session!"

"Yeah, for real." Wil looked over at them. "Do you see them? Is it just me, or has Robin been pressing harder and harder?"

"I uh… I actually thought that too." Florina nodded. "It might be just me, but I also think he's giving Kent an especially hard time. Even when I'm not looking, I hear the 'thwack' of the practice sword against his body over and over…"

"It's a pity there are only two practice swords…" Wil sighed. "Wouldn't it be interesting to see all three of them attack Robin at once? What do you think? Who would win?"

"I think that even though Robin is much stronger than any of them, he wouldn't be able to beat all three of them at once." Florina voiced her opinion. "Kent and Sain are trained knights, and Lyn is really strong too!"

"Interesting… I could see that." Wil cupped his chin in contemplation. "What about you, Dorcas?"

"My money is still on Robin. He isn't even using magic."

"That's also a good point... " Florina sighed.

"Oh shit, are you kidding me?" Wil blinked a few times. "He has the time to observe the other two even as he's messing Kent up!?"

"Kind of ridiculous." Dorcas agreed.

"Um… the pheasants…"

"Oh! Right!" Wil immediately got back to work preparing the birds he had shot.

By the time the pheasants were fully cooked, Robin and the others had also finished. Although they couldn't take a full bath, they still splashed some water over their faces, and cleaned themselves with a towel. Usually, Robin did not participate in this process, but today was a different story.

"Oh ho!" Sain grinned victoriously as he wiped the back of his neck with a rag. "I see I've managed to make the great Robin break into a sweat today!"

"That was only after Kent and I went first." Lyn rolled her eyes.

"I have to give credit where credit is due." Robin nodded. "A few days ago I had no trouble taking three practice fights in a row. Now, I have to put in a little effort. Eventually, I'll have trouble taking two in a row, and one day, each of you will become an equal match. Well, probably."

"It's just a shame we don't have our actual practice swords." Kent sighed. "But then again, how were we supposed to know they would come in handy?"

"Yeah… the ones we use are much heavier." Sain agreed. "They would've just become extra baggage. There was no way we'd know we'd run into someone like Robin."

"When we get back, we'll also need to get better at using the lance."

"That's what I'm talkin' about! A knight looks much more gallant when using a lance."

"Actually," Robin chuckled. "If you want, I should be able to help you out a little bit."

"Really?" Kent asked. "I thought your experience is only relevant for the sword."

"Well…" Robin scratched the back of his head. "I guess… I've watched my friends train before? Even if I hadn't had pork before, I've certainly seen pigs run."

"Uh… that's an interesting analogy…" Kent furrowed his brows.

"Mmm…. pork…"

"Sain! This is a serious topic!"

"Still talkin' about training? Hurry up, the food's getting cold! Dorcas and I caught some pheasants today!"

"Mmm… pheasants…"

After Dinner…

Lyn was currently lying in a field of grass, gazing at the night sky. "Tomorrow, we'll reach Lycia… I wonder how different things will be once I meet my grandfather… what does he look like, I wonder?"

"You should go to sleep, Lyn." Robin suggested, who was sitting a couple meters to the side of her. "My guess is, you're probably pretty tired. Your muscles also need time to recover."

"I don't feel so tired…"

"Well, it's probably a mix of nervousness and excitement. But trust me. Rest is just as important when it comes to becoming stronger. And who knows what tomorrow will bring?"

"Yeah… I'm going now…" Lyn got up and headed towards the tents. "Thank you, Robin…"

"I wonder how things are going back in Ylisse…" Robin muttered as he found himself alone in the darkness once again…

The Next Day…

"We're almost there!" Kent let out a rare excited statement. "We're almost at the border of Lycia."

"Once we cross over, we should be safe from the bandits right?" Lyn asked.

"Should be." Wil shrugged. "I doubt they'll be willing to chase us across the border, but who knows? They're clearly not very smart, given their profession."

"Once we cross, we may be safer from the bandits, but we'll still need to be wary of Lord Lundgren's plotting." Kent reminded them.

"Oh, don't be so grim." Sain scoffed. "Let's think on the bright side: tomorrow we'll be able to feast on some of Lycia's finest foods! And the mistress of the inn at the crossing is said to be a beauty… ah… food and love, not a better way to restore a man's soul…"

"If your behavior is as deplorable as ever, we'd best stay elsewhere." Kent suggested.

"Oh come now!" Sain protested. "That's not fair!"

"Kent, the inn will be fine." Lyn sighed.

"As you say, milady." Kent lowered his head at her.

"Lyndis! You are truly an angel from on high!" Sain praised, earning him an eye roll.

"Uh, guys?" Wil chuckled nervously. "Look over there. Is it just me, or are those specks in the distance moving towards us? They look like bandits to me. Do they look like bandits to you?"

Lyn squinted and used her hand to shield her eyes from the glare. "Oh no… those bandits are persistent, I'll give them that much."

"At least we get to test whether or not we've actually grown stronger." Sain shrugged as he drew his sword.

"Somehow, you are always overly optimistic." Kent sighed. "But for this one time, I do agree with you."

"Wait… those two running in this direction… they don't seem to be bandits." Robin noted.

A young cleric with pink hair and a mage with purple hair were currently fleeing from the bandits in the direction of Lyn's group. The mage turned around once in a while to fire a spell at their pursuers.

The cleric, who had been looking behind her back at their pursuers, grounded to a halt when Lyn and her party appeared before her. "Eek! More bandits Erk! They've surrounded us!"

"Take a closer look…" Erk sighed. "I'm pretty sure they aren't the same group of people."

"Hey… you're right! Then they must be the group those bandits mistook us for!"

"Er… excuse me?" Lyn asked. "Why are you fighting those bandits?"

"Well… it just… happened." Erk shrugged.

"That's not true!" The cleric protested. "Those ruffians thought that we were with you! You got us into this terrible situation, so now how are you going to get us out?"

"Serra, if you weren't being so meddlesome, this all could have been avoided in the first place." Erk gave her an exhausted expression, before turning back to Lyn. "My apologies. Please trouble yourselves with us no more."

"Well, since you have to fight them anyways, why not team up with us?" Robin suggested.

"And who might YOU be?" Serra asked rudely, with her hands on her hips.

"This is Robin." Lyn replied defensively. "He's our strategist. Not only is capable of devising plans to help us win each battle, but he is a strong fighter as well. Please show him a little respect."

"Hm… strategist…" Erk pondered for a moment. "Are you, by chance, from Ostia?"

"Er… no." Robin replied.

"Ostia! That's where WE'RE going, Erk!"

"Drat!" Erk muttered. "I thought I caught a lucky break."

"So… if you don't mind, I'll be the one calling the shots for this battle." Robin told them. "I already know Erk is a mage, and what would you be, miss… uh…"

"Serra." The pinkette told him as she held out her staff. "And I am a cleric!"

"You're a…." Robin was speechless for a second. "Right… you're a cleric…"

"For just this battle, I'll consider healing anyone that gets injured free of charge!" Serra proudly declared. "Aren't I generous? Praise my generosity!"

'Why is it she reminds me of Lissa… but only the bad parts of Lissa?' Robin thought in his head.

"Right, well the bandits are almost here." Lyn reminded them. "So, let's prepare to fight."

Robin activated his Hekseer, which produced an awe filled expression on Erk's face and a 'Woah!' from Serra.

"Well, there aren't many of them, actually." Robin shrugged. "I guess I really shouldn't be too surprised… it's amazing enough that they could get this many people to chase us across the mountains."

"I like what I'm hearing…" Wil nodded.

"Since this terrain is not the easiest to move through, and since those bandits are coming after us, we can set up in a defensive position." Robin explained. "Wil, Erk… there are some small hills to our right side. In order to approach us, the bandits need to either run around or across them. If the two of you wait at the summit, you'll be able to have an advantageous position against anyone that tries to move towards us."

"Say no more!" Wil grabbed his bow from his backside, and ran off towards that location. Erk, who was slightly slower to react, followed suit.

'So I guess Wil is that archer…' Erk mentally noted.

"Florina… if you could hover in the air above us, that would be good enough." Robin told the Ilian knight in training. "There aren't many of them to begin with, but they have archers. I don't want to put you at risk if it's not necessary. If I need you for something, you'll get notified."

"R-right!" Florina nodded gratefully as she mounted her pegasus.

"The rest of us…" Robin turned to the others, which included Kent, Sain, Lyn, Dorcas and Serra, "we'll meet them there…" Robin pointed at a nearby location that resembled a small valley between the hills. "The easiest place for them to approach us is at this place, which is where we'll meet them head on. Also, Erk and Wil will be able to give us ranged support."

After Robin was done with instructions, they all headed over as per his instructions.

Before long, the first group of bandits appeared before them, and Kent and Sain ran out to meet them. Prior to their first exchange, Wil had already shot an arrow through the skull of the first ruffian.

As the bandits became distracted by their threat to the side, Kent and Sain arrived and were able to slash down two more enemies. Dorcas and Lyn, who fought unmounted, were still closing the distance, but their expressions were filled with confidence and determination.

Lyn, who was just within arms reach of her first opponent drew her Mani Katti, gave the bandit a fatal slash to the abdomen. 'That felt good!'

She turned around when there was a cry of pain behind her. "Dorcas!?"

There was a thump in the distance as an archer fell with a hand axe embedded in his chest. However, there was also the shaft of an arrow sticking out of Dorcas's bicep.

"Damned archers!" Dorcas spat as he readied himself to pull the arrow out. "At least it wasn't my good arm."

"Serra, could you get that?" Robin asked.

"Leave it to me!" Serra replied as she ran over to Dorcas.

'At least she has less of an attitude in the middle of battle.' Grima pointed out. 'Could be worse.'

"Good shot, Dorcas!" Kent genuinely praised. "Go take care of your wound! Leave the rest to us!"

A bandit that tried to run towards Dorcas when he was down was shot by an arrow from Wil.

"Haha! This is too easy!" Wil was grinning as he pulled out another arrow.

"These hills are pretty good for us." Erk agreed. He wasn't firing as fast as Wil partially because it took longer to cast magic, and partially because his fire magic had a chance to hurt his allies as well if he didn't aim carefully. As a result, he mostly tried to attack enemies far away from his allies, and watched their surroundings to make sure they weren't approached from behind. 'Those guys all seem pretty amazing… from his strategy to her swordfaire… Wil's archery to that guy's accuracy with a hand axe… not to mention those knights…'

Nearby, Lyn dodged out of the way of an opponent's axe and swung the Mani Katti in the way Robin had suggested to her. As she finished her swing, Lyn's eyes went wide as she made a sudden realization. 'Not good!'

The bandit was also able to stumble out of the way of Lyn's strike, probably by luck. He quickly stabilized his footing and went in for a counter attack.

Fortunately for Lyn, it wasn't difficult to adjust her arms and her blade to defend against the Brigand's attack. Although she could instantly tell there was a massive strength difference between herself and the bandit, her timely block meant that at least she didn't get cleaved in half.

While Lyn was struggling to hold her own as she was forced into an unfavorable situation, Sain rode over and slashed through the back of the Brigand when he wasn't paying attention.

"Sir Sain to the rescue, milady!" Sain gave Lyn an exaggerated bow atop his horse.

"Sain, stop goofing around and get back to work!" Lyn scolded, though she did have a look of appreciation on her face.

"As you say, milady!" Sain said as he prepared to go back into the fray. "Sir Sain… away!"

Robin was in the back, looking at the flow of the battle. "Everything seems to be going well…" he murmured to himself. "Most of them are… oh no… Guess I'll stop standing around and lend a hand."

Serra was busy tending to Dorcas's injured arm when a loud scream made her look up.

"I am Bug, and this is why people learn to fear the Ganelon bandits!"

"Bug!? What kind of stupid name is that?" Serra asked before realizing that the man was running straight at her. "Aaak! Help me! That guy's trying to kill me!"

Dorcas pulled out his iron axe, and managed to block the strike with one hand. However, he was clearly in a disadvantageous position.

"Take THAT, ugly!" Serra shouted as she swung her staff, hitting Bug square in the face. Unfortunately, it was nowhere near a fatal blow."

"That's it, pinky! You die first!" Bug yelled, clearly agitated, as he tried to lunge at Serra.

"Eep! I didn't mean it!" The pinkette exclaimed as she tried to back away.

Dorcas, even with his injured arm, shoved his massive frame into Bug, knocking the bandit away.

"Run!" Dorcas told Serra. "My arm can wait, get to Robin, he'll keep you safe!"

As if on cue, flames rose up near Bug, scorching the man's chest. Looking backwards, Robin had an outstretched arm pointing in Bug's direction, with a red tome in his other hand.

As Bug tried to get up, a slim spear was driven into his chest as a diving Pegasus Knight found the opportunity to score a kill.

"Good job Florina! Just like that!" Robin praised as he gave the girl a thumbs up.

"Oh wow!" Serra exclaimed. "My hero!"

"See? There's no need for you to worry, Natalie. I'm in good hands." Dorcas said to himself as he gave out a relieved sigh.

"Now let me get back to mending that arm of yours." Serra told him as she returned to his side.

"Thank you." Dorcas replied.

Soon, all the bandits were exterminated, and everyone began to regroup.

"So what did you think?" Kent asked Sain as they rode over. "Did you feel a difference at all?"

"I'm not gonna lie, not really." Sain shrugged. "Well… if I had to say, I guess my movements felt a little smoother?"

"Yeah, I think that actually sums it up." Kent sighed. "I didn't feel a massive difference, I guess it's just… we're a little more familiar with sword strokes now?"

"Ylisstol wasn't built in a day." Robin told them. "We've only been working on it for around a week. I'd be surprised if you became masters of swordfaire in just that short amount of time. And besides, your opponents aren't very good indicators for you either. They've barely received any basic training at all."

"You're right." Kent nodded. "It'll take some more time before we notice a massive difference. But as long as we're diligent, we'll get there."

"Actually… something that we worked on really saved me from a tough spot out there." Lyn admitted. "I missed my chance to kill one of them… he somehow dodged out of the way of my sword. In the past I would never have had the time to readjust my blade to block his retaliating attack, but I was able to hold on this time."

"Well, that's really good news." Robin smiled. "I'm really proud of you."

"Th-thanks." Lyn flushed as she scratched the back of her head.

"Hey, great job you guys!" Wil exclaimed as he and Erk finally rejoined the rest of them. "That's another victory in the books, just like that!"

"That spell at the end… wasn't that Elfire!?" Erk exclaimed with a gleam in his eyes.

"Erk!?" Serra looked confused. "What happened to you?"

"Uh, yeah… that was." Robin replied. "Is there… something wrong?"

"No no!" Erk shook his head. "To think, you're able to cast Elfire! You must be an extremely experienced magician! You must be a true expert!"

"Uh… is it that impressive?" Lyn asked.

'Yeah… is it?' Robin also had a confused expression on his face.

"Yeah, there are probably less than a hundred people on the continent that can utilize that spell!" Erk exclaimed. "Lord Pent… I mean, my teacher is one of them, but although I have asked him to teach me in the past, he has always turned me down…"

'Wait… really!?' Grima and Robin thought at the same time.

"Are you sure? Less than a hundred people?" Robin asked.'Back in Ylisse, Elfire was still considered beginner to mid tier magic. Even Sumia, who, let's be honest, isn't exactly the most skilled mage, was able to learn it after just a few weeks!'

"Yeah!" Erk confirmed. "I'm really impressed that you know it!"

"Well, I don't want to seem too arrogant, but it really isn't all that difficult. If you want, I can teach it to you." Robin offered. "I saw how naturally you were able to cast Fire earlier. I'm sure it won't be that difficult for you."

"Really!?" Erk exclaimed, but his expression immediately fell. "Damn it! I guess I still am in the middle of a job… maybe I could try to convince Serra again that I would give her back her money…"

However, it was at this moment that Erk was saved by the unlikeliest of people.

"Oh Erky!" Serra exclaimed as she ran over to him. "I have good news! We've been invited to travel with this generous group of people!"

"Really!?" Erk seemed excited at the prospect of traveling alongside Robin. "What made you want to do that?"

"I was approached by that goofy knight while I was healing that buff man's arm. He told me their group's situation… that woman... Lyn… she's the granddaughter of marquess Caelin…" Serra whispered to Erk. "Apparently she's being hunted by both bandits and marquess Caelin's brother as well. It's never a bad thing to have such an important person in our debt, so I asked if we could be of aid. They invited us to help them, and so of course I agreed! Isn't it wonderful?"

"Under normal conditions, I'd be really pissed off right about now." Erk admitted. "And yet, I can't help but be glad for this opportunity. Perhaps there's something in it for me this time as well."

"Huh?" Serra frowned. "Who are you and what did you do to Erk?"

"So, I guess you two will be tagging along then." Robin chuckled. "Sain is sure an interesting guy… inviting everyone we run into at the snap of his fingers… well, a promise is a promise. I'm sure I can fit in some magic tutoring between all the other training sessions I'm juggling around."

And so, their group had two newcomers once again as Lyn continued to make his way towards her grandfather.

They stopped once they reached the border of Lycia. After checking everyone into the inn for the night, everyone decided to take the night off.

Erk, after an entire afternoon of anticipation, approached Robin after dinner. "I know you must be tired as well, but… I'm just too excited about the prospect of learning Elfire… do you have a few moments?"

"Sure… let's head over to a field just outside of town… I'll let Lyn know where we'll be going." Robin casually replied.

Once they reached the location, Robin produced a red tome and handed it to Erk. "Here, why don't you try it? Honestly, I wouldn't be that surprised if you could cast it after just a few tries."

"How could it be that easy?" Erk asked.

"Well, just try it." Robin suggested. "Really… I don't feel it's much different from Fire, if I'm being honest."

Erk looked like a salivating puppy that had just been given a juicy cut of steak as Robin handed him the tome. "All right… here goes…"

Erk concentrated, and after a few moments, a few wisps of fire appeared in front of him. However, the main spell did not complete, and quickly fizzled out in the night air.

"No use…" Erk sighed.

"Well, the fact that magic was still produced means you're basically there." Robin chuckled. "It's just as I thought. A few more repetitions and you'll get it. Your background in magic is pretty strong after all. I could tell from that fire spell."

"But I still can't use it…" Erk sighed. "Do you have any advice on how I should be going about this?"

"I get the feeling that you're making this all a little bit too complicated." Robin chuckled. "Stop thinking about it as a difficult spell only your teacher a hundred others can cast. Just pretend it's a regular Fire spell and cast it the same way you would normally. After all, the tome is modified to make casting easy. If you've familiarized yourself with Fire, Elfire isn't a massive leap in difficulty."

Robin took out another tome and completed a cast of Elfire in less than a second. Erk looked in shock at Robin's second tome, then the completed spell even after it had disappeared. "Amazing…"

"Now you try." Robin suggested.

"Ok…. pretend it's just a Fire spell…" Erk closed his eyes in concentration as he visualized a regular Fire. He began to feel the magic gathering at his fingertips, and he threw the spell in front of him.

His efforts were not in vain. A small ball of explosive fire magic materialized a few meters in front of him.

"I… I did it! I actually cast Elfire!"

"Yeah, see? I told you you'd get it quickly." Robin chuckled. "Although… you'll need a little more practice. That was barely stronger than Fire. Still, impressive that you got it on your second try. It was a spell you've never cast before today after all."

"Thanks." Erk seemed absolutely giddy. He offered the tome back to Robin. "Thank you very much."

"There's no need to give it back." Robin waved his hand and shook his head. "You keep it. After all, how are you going to practice if you don't have the tome?"

"What!?" Erk gasped. "I couldn't! That tome is basically new! If you wanted, you could easily sell it for thousands of gold! How could I just accept something like that!?"

"Thousands of gold?" Robin's eyebrows shot up. "Really? Elfire tomes are that valuable?"

"Yeah!" Erk exclaimed. "No offense, but have you been living under a rock? They usually have to auction those things off… honestly I'm surprised you even have two copies of the spell!"

"Really…" Robin seemed to delve deep in thought. 'While Elfire isn't completely worthless, it was in no way worth that much in Ylisse… or anywhere I know of for that matter… isn't it just a slightly better Fire? Why do these people over here treat it so highly?"

"If I could trouble you, Erk…" Robin began. "What about spells like Bolganone? Are they considered valuable? Have you heard of it?"

"Surely, you must be joking!" Erk laughed in disbelief. "Not even Master Pent could get his hands on something like that! I'm not even sure you could find a copy to buy even if you had a castle full of gold! In fact, the only time I've heard of that spell is in legends!"

'I get it now, they just don't have the technology.' Robin deadpanned in his head. 'Perhaps after this is all over, we could make some serious coin by selling tomes to this continent.'

'For the Elfire tomes, we can do a little bit of research and sell them at a price just under what they typically sell for here.' Grima suggested. 'And the tomes they don't have, we can literally charge whatever we want. Maybe we could even mark it up a hundred times!'

'This… you're a little too exploitative, aren't you?'

"Well, it seems you've taught me just as much as I've taught you today." Robin chuckled. "Don't worry. That tome is a gift from me to you, After all, I still have another copy."

"Really!?" Erk gasped before bowing. "Thank you… Thank you very much!"

"Well, let's just get back before Lyn starts worrying. We'll have another long day tomorrow…" Robin suggested.

"Right!" Erk instantly agreed, feeling on top of the world at the moment…

Castle Caelin…

"Milord!" A soldier reported. "Our scouts have returned. Apparently, the marquess's granddaughter has just about made it to the border. They're probably already within Lycia by now…"

"What!?" Lundgren snapped. "Damn it! I hoped she would somehow die to a bandit or something and I wouldn't have to lift a finger… too bad… I guess I was being a little too greedy."

"What are your orders?" The kneeling soldier asked.

"Get everything ready." Lundgren told him. "Within Lycia, we have much more agency to act freely. Stop the girl at all costs. AT ALL COSTS, you hear me? The troop that brings me her head will get two thousand gold per person! Go tell that to everyone!"

The soldier gulped at the prize money being offered by his lord. "Yes, milord. I will do so right away. The girl cannot be allowed to arrive in Caelin alive…"

"Perhaps I should think about my elder brother after all…" Lundgren muttered to himself. "Ah… this is starting to get complicated. No matter… both of them must die! Soon, Castle Caelin and the title of marquess will be mine!"

New Characters:

Serra (Cleric, 17): HP: 55% Str: 10% Mag: 60% Skl: 40% Spd: 60% Lck: 70% Def: 20% Res: 60%

Erk (Mage, 16): HP: 60% Str: 10% Mag: 70% Skl: 50% Spd: 50% Lck: 60% Def: 30% Res: 50%

Author's Notes:

I realize that the difference in variety of magic is due to a difference in generation, but seeing as Elfire was one of the strongest tomes players can purchase from regular shops compared to the D ranked tome that it is in Awakening, I had to include something about it in this story.

Now that I really think about it, I've only completed around half of the introductory chapters so far. However, we are inching along. Eventually we'll reach the real meat of the story.

That's all for now. As always, follow, favorite and review.