Alright everyone, finally got a new chapter for you. Sorry it took a full month to post, had a lot of life stuff keeping me busy lately. I hope the fact that it's breaking length records here makes up for the wait!


Chapter 13: The Bridge

I've been feeling a strange sense of contrast recently in comparison to my time in this world to date. It could be due to the way people seem to tiptoe around certain topics with me ever since my fuckup at the Longfort. It could be that word has spread about my even bigger fuckup with the Khan. But I think the actual answer is something far less personal. In the end it all comes down to time.

We've been on the road for only two days, but the pressure is already mounting. When you consider the time spent preparing for this journey, it's been nearly a week since Robin made his deal with Khan Flavia. One week out of eight. If we don't return to Gelida Dominus with the mission completed by the start of this world's version of December then it's all over. Compared to the past few months where time seemed almost to drag between battles, and the pace feels daunting.

It's a brutally strict deadline, and the Khan was not forthcoming with reasoning for it. I have an idea what it's likely about, but once again I have no way of putting forth my information without giving away too much about myself. The restriction is getting old rather quickly; I'll have to see about finding a workaround once I have more resources available.

The same restrictions also apply to my knowledge of the locations of the bandits, since I have at least an inkling of where to find them. A properly drawn map of Regna Ferox give me a clear view of its many rivers, and from there it's a simple matter to spot the villages that match with different Paralogue levels from the games.

In the end I simply made do by mentioning the bandits will likely use the rivers as a water supply, and hoped Robin will lead us to the right spot based on that. Being way better at this stuff than me, he'd already come to the same conclusion. And so he led us out into the cold unknown.

The pressure seems to have lit a fire in Robin, since he's acting with an intensity I haven't seen from him before. His thoughts seem sharper, his decisions more calculated. He is doing everything he can to rise against the weight of responsibility placed on him; to perform his role without cracking under the pressure. If I was the kind of guy to get inspired this would definitely do it.

I tend to prefer going with the flow rather than showing initiative though, especially when initiative can potentially out me as a clairvoyant. Clairvoyance in this case meaning that I've played a video game about the lives of my new friends. If push comes to shove and I have to reveal information about the future I've decided clairvoyance is going to be the story I use. No need to tell the others that I've literally played with their lives before.

Luckily for me I'm an exceptional liar. All I have to do is ignore that niggling bit of guilt that tears away at my gut. Not like I've never repressed negative emotions before. When you're as much of a basket case as I am that's just how you get through the day.

Until it all builds up too much and you slip into a fit of hysteria in front of a foreign dignitary.

Yeah, maybe I should come up with a better coping mechanism when I get back to Ylisse. My normal doesn't seem to be holding up to the advanced stress factors of working in a foreign fucking militia.

But that's a thought for later.

Right now, all I really need to think about is the job I've been given as part of the new marching orders. Robin has rearranged our entire army to better prepare us for marching into hostile territory. I'm part of the core guard, along with Kellam. The two of us have been given the job of watching over the ranged units and Lissa, so that they can better do their jobs without worrying about attack.

It is a job I take pretty seriously, since all of the squishies in our army are friends of mine, which I'm sure was the point. I may not have the combat expertise of most of the Shepherds, but I've proven that I will throw myself in front of arrows to protect people. So while Kellam forms an invisible wall of steel in front of the team, I am an ever present wall of flesh. …Which sounds fucking weird when I put it like that, but fuck it, it's accurate.

The whole team is ready for action at any time. Now all we need is to find the asshole bandits we're supposed to be hunting down.


"Existence is torment!"

"So you've told me. Several times." Lissa comments casually, kicking her feet as they dangle from the back of the wagon.

"Very… funny." I snarl at her through gritted teeth, before dropping the temperature spell. "Ahh, god damn it still hurts like a bitch."

"Maybe you're not casting it right." Lissa looks over, only slightly concerned, probably due to my constant bitching. "I mean, isn't it weird that you're still being hurt by the spell? I feel like after so many days you'd be used to this."

"Unlikely." Miriel comments from her wagon ahead of us. "While this is an untested field of study, I estimate it will take several weeks more at least until Ben's body is properly acclimated to magic. We are attempting to recreate centuries of magical adaptation within a short timeframe, after all."

"Sounds about right." I reply, looking down at my hands and casting the spell again. "Aahhhdapt or die, you mother fucker! This is gonna be worth it when I get back to Gelida Dominus shooting lighting from my hands. See how inclined that fucking Khan is to punch me then!"

"That probably wouldn't dissuade her for a minute." Lissa replies sheepishly.

"Yeaaaaaah." I groan in relief as I lift the spell again. "Probably not. If she heard me talk just now she'd do it again just to spite me. She… really doesn't like me."

"Pretty sure Flavia doesn't give a shit about you, actually." Robin says, walking up to our cart. "You're just another mouthy soldier in her eyes."

"Ouch." I chuckle as I fake a grimace. "Probably better for me though. So what brings you to our humble spot in line, Robin?"

"Nothing good, I'm afraid." Robin points ahead. "Smoke on the horizon. We have trouble."

We quicken our pace at the sign of the smoke, but by the time we reach the fire it has already burned down to embers. Woodham, the town we were planning to stop at for the evening, has been razed to the ground.

"Split into groups of two and look for survivors!" Chrom orders, rushing forward. "Frederick, Stahl, Sully, check around the outskirts and search for any clues as to what the hell happened here. Has anyone seen any sign of Sumia?" The look he gives us at this last question is nothing short of desperate, but unfortunately nobody has good news for him. "Damnit."

He marches off without another word, heading into the village alone. I look over to Robin and Lissa, and see that they have similar expressions of unease.

Lissa is of course the first to move, but Robin stops her with an outstretched arm. "We need you in the center of town Lissa, sorry. If we find any injured it's easily the best place for you."

Lissa pouts, but relents easily in the face of Robin's logic. "Yeah, I guess you're right. He needs somebody to look after him though!"

"Don't worry about it, Lissa. I'll go talk to Chrom instead." Robin nods confidently and turns in the direction Chrom headed, which means I have to step in as well.

"You can't go either Robin, with Frederick and Chrom gone you're in charge of us." I shake my head. "Vaike should go."

"Wait, seriously?" Vaike looks over at me in surprise. "You trying to mess with me?"

"You've known Chrom a hell of a lot longer than most." I look over at him and raise an eyebrow. "Go be his friend. That way Chrom has somebody looking out for him, and we won't have to deal with each other for a while. Everybody wins."

Vaike looks taken aback at my logic, but manages a chuckle. "You know what, I can get behind that idea! You can leave ol' Chrom to the Vaike!" He positively swaggers away from the rest of us, chest puffed out as he follows the prince. The others line up in front of Robin, awaiting instructions.

"Aww, that was nice of you!" Lissa grins over at me, and I give her a crooked smile.

"Eh, I just wanted to get rid of him." I chuckle as Lissa rolls her eyes at me, the two of us heading for the town center. "Yeah, I guess I felt like extending an olive branch."

"That's good! I can't stand this fight between the two of you." Lissa frowns.

"I've been trying to act like his comments don't bother me, but the truth is I'm pretty fucking sick of all this as well." I sigh. "And I know I've been making it worse with some of my comments. Lots of petty bullshit. It's like I've been reverting to my teenage years whenever I'm around him. And holy shit I don't want to go back to that time."

"What's wrong with being a teenager?" Lissa looks up at me indignantly.

"Lissa, teenage Ben was an intolerable shithole. If I were to go back in time and meet him I would probably kill him." I feel my face contorting in distaste at the memories of it all. So many fucking regrets from that time.

"…Okay then." Lissa says quietly, lowering her head.

"You alright there?" I look over, confused by her sudden change in mood.

"It's nothing." She sighs, picking up her pace and walking slightly in front of me. "Forget about it."

I open my mouth to argue with her on the matter, but then the two of us reach the town center and I find my mind focusing on other more important things. "Oh Christ."

"Dear Naga!" Lissa gasps in horror, as the two of us stare in shock at the bodies scattered in the snow.

The town's been nothing but husks of burned buildings up to this point, but it looks like the townspeople tried to make a stand here. It clearly didn't go well. Bodies are everywhere, most completely mangled. Lissa looks around desperately next to me, but the hopeless expression she gives me says it all: they're all clearly deceased. To so much as raise her staff would be a waste of effort.

"What the hell happened here?" I walk up to the nearest body uneasily. The man is wearing a rusty helmet, wielding a sword that he probably didn't even have a chance to use. He's nearly been cut in half at the belly, guts spilling out around him. His eyes stare emptily into the sky, face a mask of horror. "This is a massacre!"

Lissa gulps audibly, moving next to me to look at the body. "Ben, I think something's wrong here."

I look down incredulously, about to make a sarcastic comment at her stating the obvious, but the look on her face gives me pause. She looks horrified, yes, but her eyes are calculating.

"Alright, autopsy time. I'll stay out of your way." I nod, trusting her medical prowess and jogging over to the road we entered from. "We've got trouble over here!" I holler, waving to get everyone's attention.

A few cries answer me, and I return back to Lissa's side as she examines the wound on the man we were just standing over. She's donned a pair of white gloves in my absence, and is poking at the wound with a look of intense scrutiny.

"Shit, you've got a strong stomach to be doing that." I comment, both in disgust and admiration.

"That's the easy part of all this, honestly. You can only put people back together so many times before the sight doesn't affect you as much." Lissa comments, not looking up from the cadaver. "These people haven't been dead for too long, so the smell isn't really bad yet. The cold helps with that."

"Any signs of Rigor Mortis?" I look the body up and down. "I suppose that's what's causing the facial expression."

"It typically starts there, yeah." Lissa looks up at me for a moment. "You know a lot about this sort of thing?"

"Crime stories are pretty popular back home." I shrug. "I'm not medically trained, but I've picked up a thing or two from that."

Lissa hums in understanding, turning back to the body. "I had to learn this stuff when I was training to use a staff. You have to know a lot about how the human body works before they let you start putting them back together."

Lissa wasn't kidding in the prologue to this game. She isn't delicate at all; she's handling the carnage like a pro. Which makes sense since despite her age she very much is one. Seeing this, I leave the expert to her work, looking around to see what else I can discern from the carnage.

Thoughts have to be kept delicate when dealing with a scene like this, it should be said. The term clinical detachment comes to mind. As I examine the other bodies I make sure to focus on them only as part of the scenery. I'm lucky in that my years of time spent around butchered animals makes me relatively safe from the smell of corpses (at least while they're fresh), but that does nothing to ease the sight of this on a conceptual level. I don't allow myself to look at them as people, instead as a puzzle to be unlocked.

Severa reaches my side a minute into my examination, breathing heavily. "Is this the trouble you were yelling about?"

"Yup, field of corpses. Definitely a problem." I reply, staring at the body in front of me. It's a younger man, leaning against the side of a house. Like the others, his equipment looks poorly maintained, a chipped and dull sword held in his hands, sitting limply between his legs. From the looks of things he was cleaved across the torso and fell here. But something's off. "Severa, what am I missing?"

"He was hit from the front, yet his sword looks pristine. No real sign he fought back." Severa comments, looking around uneasily. "Also, look closer at his sword."

I blink in confusion at her choice of words. "You know what this was, huh?" I reply, taking a knee and checking the sword. To my confusion, the end of it seems to be layered lightly in frost, as though it was dipped in something wet recently. "The hell?"

I look around the area a moment longer, checking the footprints around the man and pause in shock. "There's an indentation here, from another body. A large one, too." I stare blankly at the shape in the snow. "And there's no sign he got up."

When you fall in snow there's always a deeper indentation. The body has a larger surface area, so it doesn't sink too deep. But when you get up, the weight will always be centered on your arms, and will leave a more pronounced print. There's a body print, but no arms. Which means the body either stood up without pushing off the ground, or it disappeared into thin air.

"Oh fuck. Risen?" I look over to Severa and wince. Her face regards the square with a look that is both horrified and familiar. As in, she's seen this far too many times already. "Okay, Risen."

"We have to go." Severa replies quietly. "We need to get out of here."

"Agreed." I look over to Robin and the others as they approach. "Who knows how many Risen are still around?"

"Not just that!" Severa replies impatiently, her usual tone creeping back into her voice. "Look around, Ben! What's missing here?"

I pause at her words, and look again at the people scattered about. It only takes me a moment to realize what she's talking about. "No women or children. It's all men here, a town militia."

"They died to buy time for the others to escape." Severa nods, expression desperate. "We have to find those people!"

"Crap! Robin!" I rush over to the others, still looking over the scene with horrified expressions. "We've got signs of Risen attacking and a whole bunch of missing civilians."

"That makes sense!" Lissa nods, peeling her soiled gloves from her hands as she rejoins us. "The bodies I've checked so far show signs of being struck with single blows. The strength it would take to do something like that is crazy! Inhuman!"

"And this all happened recently." Severa jumps in. "There's a good chance those people are still alive!"

"Of course! That explains Sumia's disappearance!" Robin gasps in understanding, which prompts the rest of us to reel in sudden realization as well. Leave it to Robin to make the right connections far faster than us common folk.

"Oh shit, she must have found them. She's probably trying to lead them to safety!" I hiss, looking around the town desperately. "Where the fuck is Chrom?"

"I'm here!" I turn to see Chrom rushing into the square, Vaike hot on his heels. "What was that about Sumia?"

"We have reason to believe the civilians fled this town after a Risen attack." Robin replies, gesturing to the other Shepherds as he explains. "I think Sumia must have found them."

"Damn it!" Chrom spits, looking around the clearing. "Which way did they head, can we tell?"

"North!" Severa replies, pointing across the square. "Look there, the snow's been stomped flat that way!"

Chrom doesn't hesitate, rushing across the square without another word. Vaike is after him a second later. Robin turns at the same time, moving to direct the rest of the group.

Severa looks between the two, unsure of which group to follow. I clap her on the shoulder. "You're steering one of those wagons, remember? Go with Robin. I'll keep an eye on those two."

"Be careful." She replies, squeezing my hand quickly before rushing after Robin. I don't hesitate either, rushing after Chrom and Vaike.

By the time I've reached the outskirts of town the two running figures are already far in the distance. Their head start has combined with their absurd endurance to give them an insurmountable lead. Thankfully I'm not nearly as out of shape as I used to be, and I'm able to set a comfortable pace that I know I'll be able to maintain for as long as I'll need to.

Several minutes pass before Frederick, Sully, and Stahl rush past me, their hooves thunderous despite the soft snow. They don't pay me so much as a glance, focused only on reaching those further ahead. Fine by me, lord knows I don't need any help at the moment.

It's only now that I begin to understand exactly what situation I'm in, the scenario beginning to ring familiar in my mind. A dense forest in a mountainous region, a pack of refugees from a decimated village, and Risen marching their way across Regna Ferox. It's Paralogue 3 from the fucking games. The one where the villagers all suicide rush into the Risen like a pack of complete fucking idiots. When I think about the hours spent replaying this level trying to keep those morons alive… Ugh, yeah this doesn't bode well for me.

I reach a bridge before too long, and see the clear fields of snow on the opposite side, confirming my theory. Chrom and Vaike are visible again, running in the distance, with our good horse riders now leading the charge. And there, far in the distance, is the town full of assholes that leave the refugees to die in the game. The refugees are huddled outside the gate, no more than a dark mass against the snow from this distance, but if I squint I can see the white of Sumia's Pegasus amongst them, barely visible.

No doubt she's receiving the good news from the assholes right this minute. 'Sorry, no vacancy, please die somewhere else.' I know the direction they're likely to try from there, a dangerous crossing through the woods, with Risen tearing them apart as they flee. I remember it well, due to how goddamned impossible it is to keep them all alive in this level.

Yeah, this is going to turn into an absolute bloodbath, isn't it? It's always taken me like a dozen tries to finish this level without letting the people die, and that was with an army considerably more organized and ready to go than this. The Shepherds are back to being spread out across the damned map; lord only knows how far back the others are, our tactician included. Without Robin to smooth things over this'll be a blood bath.

Unless I use my knowledge to even the odds a little…

I don't really stop to think about it, knowing I'd get too wrapped up in my own thoughts to get anything done if I did. I pull out my axe, hack some large cuts into several trees to mark where I'm going, and take off into the woods, keeping the river in sight to guide me.

The trees are thin enough near the banks that I can actually make decent progress, though the roots still trip me up a little. Focusing on my feet makes it a little easier, but the snow covers enough that it doesn't help much. At this pace I may be able to cut the survivors off before they run off like idiots.

I'm about halfway along when the Risen make their presence known.

It starts with a low howl, one that echoes on the wind and makes my blood run cold. The lungs on this thing could give me a run for my money, I can tell it's far away but the volume is still insane. And that first howl is quickly echoed by many more. I cringe as the air fills with Risen screams, and rush to the river bank to check what's happening.

Across the river it looks like the Shepherds are drawing closer together. At the very least I can see them all now. The carts are way back, having just crossed the river, but they're moving fast. Chrom and Vaike are nearly level with me across the river, only a little ways further along the bank, but I can see they're fighting with Risen that seem to be erupting from the forest. Frederick seems to have reached the villagers, his armor gleaming as he towers over them on his horse. The villagers must be scared, but he seems to be holding them in line. Huh. Maybe I didn't have to run over here.

A shrill screech cuts off my thoughts, coming from my left. I turn and see dark shapes moving over the trees towards the Shepherds in the back, and the carts come to an abrupt stop as everyone turns to face them. Right, forgot about the stupid fucking zombie Pegasi.

I can guess easily enough what the presence of flying evil monsters tends to do to crowds of scared people, so I take off running once more. By this point I'm close enough that I can hear the moment the survivors start to scream in panic, and redouble my efforts as they start acting crazy.

My feet slip and I scramble on all fours for a moment trying to recover as I rush more. The shrieking of the Risen picks up again as I regain my momentum and rush alongside the river. I chance a glance further in and am not thrilled by what I see. Dark shapes are moving further in the forest, trudging in the same direction I'm running. The undead ambush is already in effect. The only way I can stop it is if I stop those people from rushing in to their deaths.

Branches reach out to snag on my jacket, but the fabric is too tough to penetrate and they snap off instead of catching me. Bushes, already devoid of leaves, are trampled underfoot. The Risen yell, and I let my voice join the cacophony, a roar of defiance in the face of death.

The sounds of battle reach my ears as I proceed, weapons clanging and Sully screaming curse words. Civilians screaming in fear and Sumia's Pegasus whinnying.

I positively erupt from the forest to absolute chaos. The Risen from the forest are far behind me now, but there are others still waiting on the road. The lead of these is a massive armored knight, rusty armor shrieking with every move. The civilians are running around in every direction, women, children, and elderly scrambling over each other in a panic, unsure of where to go.

Above, Sumia gestures back towards our allies wildly, yelling something that nobody can hear over the din. She tosses a javelin desperately towards the advancing knight, but it merely shatters against its armor. Normally that would be enough to knock a foe off their feet, but the Risen uses its weight and unnatural strength to weather the blow easily. I rush towards it, but I can already tell it won't be enough.

The survivors are running in all directions, not even trying to stick together. A few run past me into the trees, despite my attempt to cut them off, but many more saw me running and assume (quite correctly) that there's something terrible following me. Some seem to follow Sumia's advice and head back across the bridge, but our cavaliers are still fighting there, and they don't want to risk getting near. The knight stands in the middle of the road, stalking with those screeching footsteps, cutting things off there.

A man rushes at the knight desperately, one of the few adult men that seem to have stuck with the group, but one swing of the knight's lance shatters the poor bastard's sword and tears his arm off. I try to move closer, but the panicking crowd is getting in the way, slowing my progress to a crawl. I'm forced to watch as the hopelessly outclassed villager is disemboweled, then flung screaming into the crowd.

I scream a curse and start throwing my weight around, elbowing women and elderly out of my way as I push through. The knight, meanwhile, shrugs off another javelin from Sumia and takes another screeching step. Then, without warning, he charges.

It's something similar to the burst of sudden speed the Risen have displayed before, an explosion of movement only possible by pushing the body beyond mortal limits. Watching the armored soldier burst into movement into the middle of the crowd is something like seeing a car drive through a mob. The people scatter, screaming in fright, but those unable to get out of the way in time are sent flying.

The result is devastating. A teenage girl is thrown headfirst into the bridge, head cracking the stones in an impact that's almost certainly fatal. A glancing blow against the knight's shoulder sends a group of women falling over each other, flailing and screaming helplessly. The knight's spear hits an old man in the head and tears it cleanly off. A boy is left screaming in the wake of the rush, his leg a bloody mess from where a steel-clad boot stepped on it.

It's absolute carnage, and for a moment I stop pushing and just stare, completely horrified by the spectacle of it. I hear as voices scream, but this time it's not wordless terror; there's names now, names I immediately strike from my mind before the tragedy of all this overwhelms me. I have to get at this thing before it kills more people.

The tide of people fleeing the knight hold me back from them again, and I start bellowing curses as I push through them. The knight turns impassively to the crowd around it, most still struggling to their feet after the sudden charge, and raises its spear again, but falls back as Sumia falls screaming from the sky.

I panic at the sight, thinking for a moment that she may have slipped from her mount by mistake, but the fear proves unfounded as she drives her lance into the knight's shoulder, slipping neatly into a gap in the armor there. Her feet plant firmly on the knight's chest, and she rides him into the ground with her momentum, screaming in rage.

"I won't let you hurt these people anymore!" She yells, tearing her lance free and leaping clear as the knight swings wildly. Another second and that blow would have crushed her rib cage, but the girl is skilled enough to dodge cleanly. The knight rises to its feet with surprising swiftness, and advances slowly at Sumia, making slow, sweeping swings that would leave the thing full of openings if not for the sheer power behind the motion.

"God damn it people, clear a path already!" I yell in frustration, pushing towards the knight angrily. To my surprise, the mob actually seems to take notice, separating enough that I can finally advance. Sumia's sudden appearance seems to have shocked everyone into paying attention.

The knight however, lacks such awareness, not even glancing my way as I reach the front of the crowd. Sumia is backing away slowly, eying the large swings of the knight's spear warily, knowing as well as I do that they are much more dangerous than they look. She needs an opening to get past it safely.

I figure I can provide that pretty easily. Throwing axes, it's your time to shine! I pull one of them from my hip and heave it at the knight's head, making the most of my practice the last few days. The good news is that I aim it pretty damn well, the axe heading right for the target. The bad news is that I fuck up the spin again, and my axe bounces off his helmet instead of sticking.

It's still enough to cause the knight to stop, turning to regard me. And that's all the chance Sumia needs. Her spear lashes out, driving through a gap on the waist and deep into the knight's gut. Which, on a zombie, works about as well as you'd expect.

"No Sumia, the head! You've got to destroy the head!" I howl in frustration, pulling my battle-axe out and rushing in. Sumia nods grimly, moving to pull her lance back out, but finds her weapon is too far in to retrieve without a lot of effort. She goes so far as to place a foot against the knight's hip and tug, to which the knight responds by punching her in the face. Thankfully her awkward position makes the blow ineffective enough that she's only sent flying instead of killed outright, her lance splintering as it's torn away.

I finally close the gap at this point, bringing my axe down on the knight's head with a roar. The knight twists at the last second, taking the blow on its shoulder instead. It sends the knight stumbling back, but fails to do any significant damage. "Ah fuck."

I throw myself onto my knees as the spear whistles through the air above me, and swing my axe into the monster's leg. It staggers, spear slipping from its hands at last. But then its hand lashes out and grabs me by the throat. Despite the knight barely being able to stand, it lifts me into the air, until my feet are dangling. I immediately start kicking at the big bastard, but my steel toed boots really don't compete with plate armor.

The pressure on my throat increases and I realize I'm about to be choked to death. The air is rapidly slipping away as I try not to panic. And that's when Sumia's Pegasus kicks the knight in the back of the head so hard its helmet collapses.

I land back on my feet, stumbling only a moment, and regard the Risen blankly as it rapidly fades into smoke. I glance up at the Pegasus, which snorts down at the dead knight, evidently satisfied, and I can't help but grin.

"Excellent fucking rescue." I address the Pegasus with a chuckle. "I've never felt safer in a near death experience."

The Pegasus looks up at me and snorts in amusement, as if to say 'of course it was excellent', then trots over to Sumia to check on her.

"I'm okay Arella, really!" Sumia giggles, hauling herself to her feet by using her crooked lance as a crutch.

"Are you sure?" I eye the side of Sumia's face warily, as a massive purple bruise blossoms before my eyes. "That looks really painful."

"I can't feel my face at all, actually." Sumia replies as she climbs back into the saddle. "Which I have to admit sounds bad when I put it like that, but it's still true! I'm sure Lissa can patch this up no problem, nothing's broken at least!"

"I suppose that's true." I reply, keeping an eye on her just in case. The rest of my attention is directed towards the assembled crowd, and yeah, I guess this is an issue that needs to be addressed soon as well.

"What's it looking like on Frederick's side?" I ask Sumia, who has a much better view atop her mount.

"Looks like they're almost done." Sumia replies.

"Finally, some good news." I look over to the crowd, who seem to be torn into two groups; those weeping over dead loved ones, and those watching us in shock and awe. "Alright everyone, listen up!" I yell at the top of my voice. "We're with the Shepherds, from Ylisse. Our allies aren't far away, so if you do as I say, you have a damn good chance of surviving this. I want everyone to move to the bridge now, and wait there until our cavalry has finished clearing the Risen. They will direct you from there."

"But there are monsters on that side of the river!" An old man shouts angrily. "How can you expect us to just run into them?"

"I expect you to wait on the bridge until those monsters are gone." I reply irritably. "Believe me when I say there's a lot more monsters over on this side."

"Liar! You just want us to distract them so you can get away!" The old man screeches.

"Somebody, I don't care who, either gag this fuckwit or knock him the hell out, I'm already through with his bullshit." There's a brief instant of shrieking and the sounds of a scuffle from within the crowd as several hands rush to carry out my demand. "Awesome. That was easier than I expected. Now then, my friend here…" I gesture to Sumia, who gives a friendly wave and smiles through the bruises on her face in a way that still manages to look charming. "Is going to keep looking after you from above. I'm going to stay here and hold the Risen until you're clear."

There's a moment or two of stillness, uneasy muttering sounding out throughout the group. Then as one everyone starts scrambling for the bridge, a few hands moving to carry wounded.

"That went way easier than I thought it would." I muse, watching the strangely obedient crowd with a frown. "Figured there'd be more people arguing with me like that old prick."

"Probably because you just volunteered to die for them!" Sumia hisses at me under her breath. "You can't hold this bridge alone, Ben!"

"Well who else is going to do it?" I look back at her and raise an eyebrow. "You can't fight in your condition, you're probably not even safe to fly. I only trust you to go up there because of her." I gesture to her Pegasus, which gives a satisfied snort. "The only people who can get over here right now are the knights, and we need them north of the river where they can make proper use of the open terrain."

"But… But…" Sumia looks desperately between me and the civilians.

"I'll be fine Sumia. At least for a little while. I'm not as helpless as these poor bastards were." I gesture to the fallen survivors around me. "Just… let the others know what's happening as soon as it's safe. I'm going to need the backup."

"…Alright." Sumia lets out a defeated sigh and moves to her Pegasus. "Just… promise me you'll be careful."

"Of course." I raise my axe in salute. I imagine it probably looks pretty confident, until a loud howl, similar to the first one from before, startles me and I nearly fumble my weapon. "Hmm." I muse, eyes wide. "Might want to hurry."

"Right." Sumia straps into her saddle and kicks her Pegasus once in the side. Its wings unfurl with a burst of wind, and the animal shoots straight into the air. An impressive vertical takeoff.

I watch for a moment as Sumia flies back over the bridge, and starts to direct the survivors. Then I turn back to the road, fix my grip on my axe, and back up slowly, until I'm standing on the wooden planks of the bridge.

The bridge is honestly only slightly better than the open field, with enough room for at least a dozen people to walk side by side. Shithead village is a lumber village, one of many that make use of the ample forests in Eastern Ferox. This means I have very little chance of holding the bridge solo. It would be a simple matter for an enemy to slip by while I'm engaged. The only reason I have a chance at all is the sheer stupidity that Risen seem to exhibit. They're likely to go after the first thing they see rather than employ advanced tactics.

Though the coordination of their ambush here suggests otherwise. Oh man, I'm really out of my depth here, aren't I?

Another howl echoes, loud enough that I swear I feel my bones rattle. Whatever's doing all that is getting closer. Probably that boss monster from this level. A soldier if I recall correctly, pretty rare class for a boss unit. I hear more howls echoing, and grimace as I finally realize the significance. These Risen are coordinated, those howls are the boss giving them commands!

"I'm super fucked, huh?" I comment to nobody in particular, watching in mounting horror as Risen start staggering out of the trees.

It takes several long seconds for the Risen to start noticing me, and then they rush. Of course, for undead monstrosities rushing is something of a matter of attitude rather than speed. The vast majority shuffle a bit faster, but they're hardly suited for rushing an opponent. Makes sense, their original job was to sit and wait for prey to come to them.

This doesn't apply to all of them though. Half a dozen of the Risen that emerge from the forest take one look at me and break into a fucking sprint, rushing down the road at me at a ludicrous speed. Alright, this calls for a change in plans.

The closest one takes a throwing axe straight between the eyes, an instant kill that has me grinning like a loon despite the circumstances. The risen falls forward, somersaults, and evaporates as it slides to a stop at my feet, depositing the axe right back to sender. I reach down and grab it, spinning in place as I rise to swing it into the next bugger's temple, another instant kill.

There's a brief lull as the other four Risen stop running and pause to consider me for a moment. I look down at the two dissolving corpses and grin. That was the most ludicrously badass thing I've ever done. I've come a long way from my first fight with the Risen.

"Come on then, you leather-skinned shit suckers!" I grin, swapping from my hand axe to my battle axe. "Don't keep the line waiting!"

The Risen are all too happy to oblige me, rushing in as one. Seeing their simultaneous strike, I decide to go with my tried and true method of meeting their rush head on. Putting my brute strength to work, I make a horizontal strike that decapitates one Risen and sticks in the chest of the next.

As I struggle to retrieve my axe one of the Risen moves to flank on my left, swinging a sword at my head. I block the blow with my arm, grinning as my new armored glove stops the blade in its tracks. The last Risen moves to my right and I kick the corpse of the first into it, buying me enough time to plant a foot against the second Risen and tear my axe from its chest. The move opens its chest wide, causing it to start dissolving as well.

This leaves me with one Risen on either side, in a perfect flanking position. Or it would be, if one wasn't wresting with a corpse. I have at least two seconds until it's free, and Frederick taught me better than to let those go to waste.

Most important thing to do when being surrounded: close the distance on one enemy. You'll get a good moment or two where you're only fighting a one vs one, and if you can capitalize on it properly you can drastically lessen your disadvantage.

So while the Risen on my right is shrugging off the corpse I threw at it, I drive the one on my left away. It's an emaciated corpse that would have been far smaller than me even if it wasn't dead and shrivelled, so I'm easily able to use my weight to drive it back. It's sword stays pushed against my arm, as if the Risen hasn't figured out yet why I'm still alive (a distinct possibility for the stupid fucker). I don't have the time to swap to my hand axe, so I bring my battle axe up with one hand, press it against the thing's neck, and apply as much pressure as possible. The Risen drops its sword and screeches as it tries to drag my sword away from its neck, and I use my now free arm to grab my knife from its sheathe and put it right between the eyes.

By the time I turn back around the other Risen is already rushing at me. Took me longer to finish that thing off than I'd have preferred. I only have a moment to ready my axe, but I should be able to stop this thing in time-

A hand axe flies through the air in front of me, striking the Risen hard enough to rip its torso in half, and completely derailing my thoughts in the process.

"Oh yeah! Teach saves the day!" Vaike roars in triumph, jogging into view and picking up his axe. "What's the matter, couldn't handle a couple of measly Risen?"

"Do I look worried to you?" I sigh, tugging my knife free and eyeing the blackened blood coating it in distaste. I give it a good shake and watch as the blood dissolves into smoke, nodding in satisfaction.

"Sumia said you wanted help over here…" Vaike looks over at me, scowling at my tone. "What, you want to act like you're fine just because I'm the one who showed up?"

"These guys weren't the problem." I shake my head, raising my axe to gesture down the road. "Those guys however, are likely to be a problem even for the both of us."

Vaike turns to look down the road and blanches, apparently having ignored the swarm of slow moving Risen trudging towards us. "Okay, you know something? That's totally fair."

"Glad you agree." I nod, looking over my shoulder to the fleeing civilians. They're moving, but not much faster than the Risen. "We need to keep drawing them over here for now. There's something out there controlling them, and if we leave them to their own devices they might spring another trap on us."

"What the hell kind of freak show does it take to control something like that?" Vaike looks over at me in shock.

"No idea, man. Haven't seen it. It's fucking loud though; you've probably heard it howling already."

"Is that what that is?" Vaike looks back to the Risen and gulps uneasily. "Okay, so what are we doing then?"

"Holding for as long as possible, then running for it." I shrug. "They're not particularly fast, so as long as we don't let them injure us we should be able to escape."

"That's the best you got? Running away?" Vaike looks over at me and snorts. "Thought you were supposed to be smart or something."

"Smart enough to know we aren't winning this fight without Miriel or Robin." I take up a battle stance as the Risen finally draw near. "We need magic to win against numbers like these."

"Ugh… Fine, damn it!" Vaike snarls, readying his axe. "Just stay out of the way and let The Vaike do his thing."

I roll my eyes as he stalks forward, bracing myself as the Risen finally reach the bridge. The creatures shamble towards me, weapons raised, and I start cutting them down as carefully as I can.

I'm starting to think that Risen are rather good at marking personal growth. My first fight against them back in the burning forest was a relatively simple affair, but one that I was completely outmatched in. Were it not for Robin's support I would likely have died. My next fight was the single Risen I killed back at the River crossing, which barely merits mentioning.

And now here I am, cutting Risen down one by one as they march relentlessly towards me. Not counting the speedy ones at the beginning I've killed at least half a dozen in almost as many minutes. Their slow approach and focus on heavy, powerful blows makes them surprisingly easy to kill. I've come a long way in a relatively short time.

Of course, fighting alongside Vaike makes it clear to me that I have a long way to go. As much as it pains me to admit it he fights with the strength of ten people, mowing the Risen down in droves. Every swing he takes crushes armor, shatters spears, and cleaves through undead flesh. He takes only a brief moment to line up each attack, and weathers blows easily against his armored shoulder, presenting a wall of tough leather and steel along his left side.

It's all too clear why Frederick intended for me to learn from him. His power and positioning are both fantastic, and he knows exactly where to hit to do the most damage. And while it sucks to notice, he's been gradually expanding the area he's covering, taking pressure off of me. Whether it's out of a proper sense of strategy or just his way of flexing on me is unclear, but it helps so I don't think too hard on it.

Of course even with the superior strength of a veteran Shepherd, there's only so long we can hold out. Minutes drag on and I feel my arms start to ache, and realize the distance between my dodges and the enemy blades is shrinking. It's not dangerous yet, but it could be soon.

"How much longer do we have to keep this up?" Vaike bellows in between blows.

I take a brief moment as the next Risen approaches to chance a glance back across the river. "The others are being attacked by Pegasus still, we have to wait! If we bring the horde with us while they're dealing with enemy fliers we'll never keep those people safe!"

"Damnit!" Vaike snarls, but seems to acknowledge the point easily enough. He kicks a Risen knight backwards, sending several rows of the creatures toppling like dominos. "Fine then! Bring all the Risen you want, Teach can take it!"

A deafening bellow answers him.

"Ah shit, did you really have to taunt these fuckers?" I groan in exasperation.

"They're just Risen, what the hell are they gonna do?" Vaike snorts dismissively.

The bellow echoes again. Then a cliff collapses further up the road.

"Oh good fucking job Vaike, first you tempt the Risen, then you tempt fate!" I snap, watching in horror as the fallen rocks are tossed aside like paper balls.

"Yeah, I uhh, forgot about the boss." Vaike gulps nervously.

"Mother fuck, look at that shit!" I watch as more rocks are tossed aside, along with pieces of decaying Risen. "We need to get out of here before that thing catches us."

"You said yourself that we can't leave yet!" Vaike snarls. "No way in hell are we taking the coward's way out and letting more people die!"

"Vaike if we fight whatever's doing that…" I gesture as a knight is sent flying, "We're going to die instead!"

"It's fine, we can do this!" Vaike gives me a cocky grin over his shoulder. "It's just a big Risen, we can take it… why are you looking at me like that."

Of course Vaike has the wrong idea; I'm not looking at him at all. I'm staring in absolute shock at the Risen that's finally emerged from the crowd behind him.

I was expecting a soldier, dangerous, but manageable. Maybe another knight, lord knows those things are dangerous enough. What I'm not expecting is a hulking colossus wielding a spear with a blade as long as my fucking arm, dressed up in the armor of a general. And this heavy looking mother fucker just tore a line through the Mass of Risen storming towards us in an instant.

It takes me far too long for my brain to catch up with my eyes, but the way they bulge out of my head must tip Vaike off, because he throws himself to the ground at the last second. The spear doesn't whistle so much as scream through the air above him.

"WHAT THE FUCK!?" I scream in horror as Vaike scrambles away, barely rolling out of the way of a cleaving strike.

"WHAT THE FUCK!" Vaike bellows in agreement, jumping to his feet beside me. "WHERE DID HE COME FROM?"

"HE CAME FROM THE BACK!" I gesture at the swathe of destruction left in the Risen army.

"HE CAME FROM THE BACK?" Vaike's jaw drops as he stares at the smoky mess of dying Risen.

"HE-" I stop and start coughing as my throat constricts painfully. "Fuck! Just got choked, can't be yelling like that. Yeah, he came from the back."

"Can we outrun this thing?" Vaike asks, looking uneasily behind us.

"No chance." I shake my head emphatically. "And even if we try, this thing's probably strong enough to break through the walls back there."

"Well shit." Vaike frowns, steeling himself. "Can't have that."

I couldn't give two shits about that village full of assholes, honestly. But I knew he'd have a problem with it. For all Vaike's faults, he's a generally good person.

That's probably the only thing keeping me from running right now because we don't stand a fucking chance against this thing. As much as I want to knock Vaike's teeth loose, I'm not leaving him to die. He doesn't deserve that.

We'll see how I feel ten seconds from now when that monstrosity has had time to kick our asses.

The Risen mob haven't stepped onto the bridge, likely at the command of this thing. It seems determined to kill us on its own, though it seems content to wait at the moment. I guess it wants to know what we plan on doing? This means it's calculating, but more careful than it likely needs to be.

"I don't think there's anything I can do to get through that armor, man." I mutter to Vaike under my breath. "You?"

"If I had my Warhammer with me then maybe, but it's back with the damn carts." Vaike shakes his head. "Unless it holds still long enough that I can go for a weak point we're fucked."

"Sounds about right." I groan. "Guess that's what we try then. Keep it still. Somehow."

"That's it? I thought you were a plan guy!" Vaike looks at me in disbelief.

"Robin would be hard pressed to plan for this thing with the full might of the Shepherds behind him. I'm not a tactician, I'm a schemer." I shrug, taking a throwing axe in each hand and walking forward. "This thing is beyond what minds alone can overcome."

"Damnit." Vaike spits to the side, raising his axe and stepping alongside me. "Never was much of a thinker anyways. Can't believe I have to die next to you of all people."

"You're hardly my first choice either." I snort, looking up at the Risen General and raising an axe. "Alright you oversized can of go fuck yourself, let's do this." The general regards me for a moment, then tilts its head inquisitively. "Yes, you. We're ready for you, so get it over with."

The Risen tilts its head back and lets out a coughing sound. Then another. Its shoulders shake with the sound, spear held slack. Vaike and I exchange a stupefied look as it continues.

"Is this thing… laughing at us?" Vaike asks me, visibly worried.

"Kinda seems like it." I reply, noting to myself that my voice is creeping higher in pitch. I feel my chest constricting in fear, and my eyes start to itch.

"Don't go crying on me now." Vaike replies, voice unsteady.

"Can't help it, don't want to die." I squeak out.

The Risen coughs harder at me, looking over. "YOU… READY? NO. THERE IS… NO… READY… NOT FOR… THIS." Its voice is gravelly and hoarse, yet deafening all the same.

"Oh fuck, not like this." I whimper. "We can't win, we have to run, Vaike!"

"Get the fuck out of here then, dammit!" Vaike exclaims in frustration, shoving me backwards. "I'm not letting your pansy ass hold me back!" He takes another step towards the monster. "COME ON THEN, I AIN'T SCARED OF YOU!"

His shaking knees betray him, but I don't comment on it. I stand back as Vaike yells in the face of certain death and curse my own lack of guts. For all that I said we should run I know that's not an option. The thing has already proven that it moves to fast to simply escape. On this straight bridge, there's nowhere to run. No way to avoid it. This thing could be on top of us in a second. So what do I do?

"Oh fuck." I blink as an idea comes to my mind. "Oh shit, there is a way out."

"I'll say there is." Vaike hisses. "I'm gonna kill this fucking thing, that's how we get out!"

He musters his remaining courage with a roar, rushing headlong at the Risen General. I holster my axes, and do the same. Easy to act like an idiot when it's the only way to live that you can think of.

Vaike is still several steps away when the Risen finally decides to bother swinging at him. The first blow barely misses, as Vaike twists beneath it, but the spear is coming back around for another swing almost immediately. Vaike takes the hit with his axe, and is tossed like a ragdoll, arcing high in the air and actually bouncing off the stone floor of the bridge, bellowing all the while.

By this time, I've stepped face to face with the Risen. Or to be more accurate, face to chest, given the difference in height. The Risen seems surprised to see me there. Which is understandable; a screaming Vaike is distracting to even the most hardened of soldiers, and the general likely didn't expect me to try anything.

Imagine its surprise when it suddenly notices me crouched beneath it. My right hand is empty, palm facing the armor, and my left holds my spellbook. The Risen bellows in sudden surprise, bringing its spear down at me, aiming to stop me from casting my spell.

Which was a rather pointless move since I wasn't casting a fucking thing to begin with. Instead I just throw myself backwards again without doing anything, letting the spear strike the stone where I was just positioned. A gut reaction on the part of the undead general, more instinct than thought.

This means the Risen doesn't hold back with the strength of the blow.

And that means the blow hits the stone of the bridge and tears it to pieces, immediately shattering the thing. The general won't be able to risk fighting without ending up in the river now, and the army of dead fucks won't be able to cross after the civilians. Exactly what I was hoping for.

The ground lurches, and I make to run, only to realize my left leg isn't moving properly. I look down in confusion and see that half the leg has been cut open at the thigh, straight to the bone. Guess I didn't dodge as well as I thought. Fuck. Time to hobble before the shock wears off!

I hop backwards unsteadily as the bridge shakes beneath me. The Risen general snarls in wordless fury as stone crumbles between us. It can't cross the river without this bridge, not unless it wants to go around, which will take a hell of a long time with the size of the thing.

That means the fight's over! All I need to do is run. Just… grab Vaike and run! I keep my eyes on the Risen as I move, still hopping backwards.

The General violently tears its spear from the floor, sending stone flying everywhere. This proves to be the final straw for my leg, and I fall flat on my ass escaping the shrapnel. I start crab walking away instead, trying as well as I can to keep my left leg elevated.

"BEN!" I hear a voice call my name and look back in shock. Severa is running towards the bridge, with Chrom and Lissa following shortly behind her. The cavalry is arriving at last. I glance back at the General and flinch as it strikes the stone again, further destroying the bridge beneath us, before stalking heavily back to its side.

A burning pain in my leg suddenly tears through the shock, and the spear wound knits itself back together. I look back and see Lissa raising her staff, healing me from afar. I guess she knows physic? That girl's picking up some seriously impressive tricks!

With my leg now fixed, I scramble back to my feet. I turn to Vaike, still lying in a daze. I'm going to have to move fast if I want to drag him across before- OHFUCKWHAT?

My newly recovered foot steps down and is met by open air. I look down and see that the bridge is fully collapsing from under me. That happened faster than I hoped it would, damn. I flail my arms, trying to recover, but there's really nothing to grab onto. Everything around me is falling straight into the river.

Severa and Chrom rush in just in time to drag Vaike to safety, but I'm well out of reach. The two look on in horror as I hit the water.

My body spasms in protest as the cold washes over me, but I can tell immediately that it's not fatal. The winter is not deep enough yet that this cold will kill me, not unless I'm in here for too long. The problem is the current. As soon as I hit the water I feel myself dragged along, and I'm forced to kick with all my might just to break the surface of the water again.

My head emerges from the water and I gasp frantically, looking around for a way to get to shore. The problem is that the nearest shore is still filled with Risen, so I have to fight across the majority of the river's width to reach safety. I am not a good enough swimmer to get anywhere with this, god damn. Lacking any other options though, I start kicking like a mother fucker all the same.

Chrom and Severa are running along the riverbank after me, though I seem to have gained distance already since hitting the water. I pump my arms to try to get to them, but my water soaked clothing weighs me down and makes lifting them brutally difficult. I'm not even halfway across the river yet.

This isn't going to work.

I'll drown before I reach shore at this rate.

The others seem to realize this as well, and they scream after me desperately, but I can't hear a word they say over the rushing water. Lissa raises her staff and seems to try to cast something, but the spell doesn't seem to do anything. I'm either out of range or moving too fast for her to do anything.

I stop trying to cross the river, focusing my energy instead on keeping my head above the water. In the distance I see Severa still running along the shore after me, but she can't keep up in this terrain. Every time she slows to move around a tree or over a rock I get a little further away from her.

And then I reach a bend in the river and she disappears from view. I don't see her, or any other Shepherd again after that.


This is not at all worrying! =D

So, here's a funny story for you all to help explain part of my crazy delay on this chapter. Spent a bunch of time for the past few months getting a new car, since my old one died of internal haemorrhaging during the bullshit cold snap we had to deal with a while ago. Finally found a nice van, dealt with the paperwork and all that, got it paid for, and then... it got hit in a parking lot a week later. Minor damage only, thank fuck, but it certainly took up a shitload of time getting all that sorted!

Yeah, when Ben mentioned having a curse that applied primarily to vehicles, that was only half a joke, I have friends and family who genuinely believe in curses now because of my rotten luck. The amount of money I'm forced to put into vehicles on a yearly basis is kinda disgusting. I'm on my fifth car in eight years, and yet my driving record is practically spotless. I am a magnet for car related disasters and none of them have legally been my fault!

Thankfully that's all getting wrapped up for now, so I'll hopefully be able to get the next chapter sorted much quicker.

Next time: Ben gets rescued by someone he totally doesn't expect. What do you think, vague enough for you?