"To A Future That Never Ends" This is just the beginning...
(Mad King Gangrel + a breif summary of the two years leading up to The Sea-Comers)
BGM: DARK CLOUD 2 - Calm Moment
When we last left off, the Tactician family were in the palace dining halls of Castle Neo Plegia enjoying breakfast together and listening to Robin's story. The group had just finished eating and decided to take a quick break from the story in order to clean the kitchen when they were suddenly interrupted by a guardsman who entered the room.
"Pardon the intrusion my Lord, but it would seem that a small company of Ylissians are at the entrance to the city. They are being lead by The Exalt Chrom and are requesting all of your immediate presence. Should we let them in?"
Robin smirked knowing exactly what his friend was up to, "It's alright. Send them up the main road to the front of the Palace, tell them we'll met them there in a bit."
"At once sire..." The guardsman bowed before speaking up again. "...If I may your grace... why are you and your family doing the dishes? We have servants for such menial tasks."
"True, but it's important that I raise the young ones right, I've got to teach them how to do everything they need... Even how to clean up when they're done cooking." Robin explained
"But daddy this is boring, can we get back to story time?" Junior (Young Inigo) complained.
"Small dad is right grandpa. Do we have to do this?" Soleil added.
"Sm-Small dad?" Inigo questioned quietly as his wife Lucina started to chuckle beside him.
"You kids can't rely on the castle staff when we are at the house so there is no need to have you get used to it. And as you for all of you older ones, this is nothing new, we all had to clean up after ourselves when we traveled together." The tactician remarked. "...But since we have visitors this is fine for now. Thanks for the help everyone."
The group of kids (from the future or otherwise) let out celebratory "Yeah!" as the family made their way out of the kitchen and up the stairs to the large balcony at the front of the palace. When the family arrived they saw the Exalt's carriage and some of the other Shepherds waiting patiently while a crowd began to gather.
BGM: CASTLE CRASHERS - Totally an Active Volcano
Robin walked out onto the platform with a proper and regal posture while Chrom exited the cart with the same presence and the two leaders looked at one another in a standoff-ish manner.
"Robin." The Exalt calmly stated.
"Chrom." The Plegian ruler replied with the same calmness
The two glared at each other until finally they both broke their serious expressions and began to laugh with/at each other.
"Wow neither of us are very good at this are we?" Chrom remarked while trying to contain his laughter.
"Yeah, I don't think either of us ever will." Robin chuckled back.
BGM: WHITE KNIGHT CHRONICLES - Parma Village (Parmo in the offical OST...)
"So hey, what's up?" He nonchalantly asked as the two regained their normal composure.
"Not much, did your eldest children happen to steal my eldest daughters and nephew again?" Chrom replied, "They aren't in Ylissie so Lissa and I figured they were probably here."
The White haired man nodded as the two blue haired girls in question walked onto the balcony along with everyone else. "Yeah, they snuck on to our cart along with the granddaughters when we left and hitched a ride all the way over here."
"I figured as much." The Blue haired Exalt confirmed with a sigh.
"You know if you wanted to ask, you could have just called over Crystal Net." Robin questioned.
"Well to be honest..." Chrom was interrupted as the young Cynthia poked her head out of the cart window and yelled up at the balcony.
"Hi Sissy! Hi Lucy! We came to see you!" she shouted, waving with glee at her older sisters.
Marcy (young Marc) heard his friend's voice and got on his tiptoes to wave back at her from the balcony, "Hi Cynthia!"
"Hi Marcy, I love you!" The energetic girl replied.
"I love you too!" He called back as everyone in the crowd gave a collective "Awwww."
Robin pat Marcy on the head and politely scooted him back so he and Chrom could talk again. While Marcy wandered back to the others, the future kids started talking amongst themselves.
"Wow you two never have been subtle with your relationship have you?" Morgan smiled, taking a friendly jab at her twin brother and sister in law.
"Nope." they answered in unison as they hugged.
"So when are we getting a new cousin from you two?" Ophelia playfully questioned.
"You can't just ask people that..." Owain spoke up in embarrassment, while Morgan smiled at the thought.
"That's right, that is something for them to decide." Olivia mentioned as she inserted herself into the conversation. "You can wait to have more cousins, besides unless you send them into the out-realms for a few years they'd just be little babies."
"But babies are so cute grandma!" Soleil began to get excited. "I wouldn't mind having one around."
"You know babies are a lot of work, even with a lot of people." Robin added as he turned around and began walking towards the others, leading them inside.
"So what did father want?" Lucina asked as the group started followed the tactician indoors.
"Oh, Chrom just wanted to see where you and your sister had run off to and if we could hang out." He replied.
"Wait? Did he not get the note you left Cynthia?" The sword wielding princess questioned her sister.
Cynthia gave an embarrassed smile and pulled a note out of her pouch, "Sorry sis, it looks like I forgot it was in my pocket..."
"That's fine." Robin interjected, "Now we have an excuse for a little get together, come on everyone let's go greet our guests."
With that the family went downstairs and invited their friends inside, just in time to continue the story...
...
BGM: ARMORED CORE V (5) - Acheron
After a night of recovery/preparation the combined forces of the Feroxi army and Chrom's Shepherds made their way back across the border wastes to confront Gangrel's forces. As they reached Plegia the two groups split up across the desert with the two Khans taking their troops to engage the main army while Chrom and the Shepherds moved forward in order to take on Gangrel's personal division. Still holding onto renewed hope from the previous night, the Shepherds advanced quickly across the sandy terrain until they finally reached the edge of the combat zone with The Mad King's forces. As Chrom and Robin discussed plans for the battle, Frederick reported over to them with news.
"Milord, I've a report from Khan Flavia." The knight stated. "The Plegian army is in disarray."
The blue haired prince was surprised by this. "How do you mean?"
"It seems many of their soldiers are opposed to further violence. There has been infighting, desertion..." Frederick paused, "Gangrel is trying to stamp out the mutiny by force, but with little success. Outside of a few faithful who serve him directly, his army has all but collapsed."
"This is incredible news. But why...?" Chrom tried to think of what would cause such a disturbance when he realized what it was. "...Emmeryn."
Frederick nodded. "Yes, milord. Emmeryn. The report says Gangrel's men chant her name as they abandon the field. Her words, and her sacrifice, have made her a folk hero of sorts."
A mournful smile formed on Chrom's face as he began to think aloud. "Emmeryn... Why did it take me so long to understand? She believed all people desire peace. She knew, deep down, the Plegians wanted it, too. It just took her to bring it to the surface."
Robin remained silent as he began to dwell on her last few words to him. "...You have a great power within you that I've seen for awhile now, and I know that you will learn how to use it for good..."
As the tactician thought to himself Chrom continued to speak, "I hope she can see this, wherever she is... Today, we put an end to Mad King Gangrel and bring peace back to the land. Robin let's rally everyone together for a last minute talk."
The prince's last minute idea managed to catch the thinking tactician's attention, "Oh, Right."
As Chrom rallied the Shepherds together, Robin took a deep breath and began to speak.
BGM: WHITE KNIGHT CHRONICLES 2 - Battlefield Flower (A.K.A. the main theme) (Instrumental Ver.)
"Look everyone I'm going to be honest here... even with Plegia's main army dwindling, this isn't going to be an easy fight for us. The odds are still in Gangrel's favor, his troops have the terrain advantage and superior numbers... But you know what?! That doesn't mean I'm not going to give up, and neither should you! As long as we fight as a team, no amount of troops or terrain can hold us back! Together we are stronger, more so then we ever were are apart!"
Chrom nodded his head with agreement as he spoke. "Robin is absolutely right, if we fight alongside each other there isn't anything we can't defeat! My fellow Shepherds, in this battle while I may be asking for you to serve with your lives... I expect everyone to come home, alive! I want you all to be here when we finally bring peace to these lands and end this senseless war..."
Some of the Shepherds began to answer back with a hearty military "Ooh-Rah!", raising their fists and weapons in the air as they did. Their conviction caused many of the others to do the same until almost everyone responded an "Ooh-Rah!", assuring their leader that they believed in him and that they had faith in their victory.
"Thank you my friends." Chrom saluted back at them before turning around and unsheathing the Falchion, "Now then everyone... to battle!"
...
The battle had finally begun as the three forces charged in and began to clash all across the desert, the Feroxi army battled the ever dwindling main Plegian army while the Shepherds fought against Gangrel's personal forces. The Mad King's forces indeed had greater numbers but Shepherds had teamwork and Robin's tactical abilities on their side. Using the his 'Search Eye' to 'see' everything on the battle field and the communication gems to coordinate, the Shepherds were able to outmaneuver the larger enemy force by working as teams. Over time the groups of Shepherds had progressed forward and spread across the combat zone, engaging their Plegian foes at various locations all over the field. From small battlements and forts, to sand dunes and rocky plateaus, to scorching skies above and barren wastes bellow, the two sides clashed in a ferocious battles and despite many of the Shepherds becoming injured or fatigued, they continued fighting on. It wasn't until Chrom was able to reach Gangrel when things began to change. The two charged at one another and began dueling at the end of the field while each of their respective troops continued fighting around them.
In their duel the two commanders locked their swords against one another, beginning a power struggle as each one tried to overpower the other with their blades. As they struggled against each other, Gangrel looked Chrom in the eyes and began to grin. "Good day, my little princeling! Still dreaming of your squashed sister?" He taunted.
"No more talk, Gangrel. Today, you die, and peace returns to Ylisse and Plegia." Chrom countered.
"Pah! Such hypocrisy!" The Mad King retorted, "You despise me, wretch! You want to cut me down! You don't know the first thing about peace! No man does!"
"I know more than you ever will." Chrom spoke with a calm focus. "And I'll show you!"
Gangrel began to laugh, "Hahaha!... you see you aren't so different from me... In fact, you ARE me! Hahaha! When life asks you a question, you answer with blood!"
"Maybe you're right..." Chrom answered, "I will never be my sister. I cannot forgive men like you—men who sow nothing but evil. All I have left arc words and her memory. Were I alone, I would be driven to madness. ...Or worse. But I'm not alone. My friends and brothers in arms stand behind me."
Gangrel rolled his eyes with disgust at the prince's words. "...Are you done? May I vomit now? Bwa-haha! What a flowery harangue! Men are beasts! Nothing more! We fight! We kill! We devour our prey! Beasts do not stand behind beasts, little prince... They use each other only so long as it suits their own selfish purpose!"
"Perhaps this explains why nearly all of your own soldiers refuse to stand behind you?" Chrom argued back. "You are a poison. A festering wound. And I will do what my sister could not."
"Such a clever tongue you have, little prince... It will look quite fetching hanging on my mantle, next to your sister's corpse!" The trickster sneered as he began to charge the electricity in his Levin sword, shocking Chrom through his own blade.
BGM: ARMORED CORE 5 - Trickster
"What is...this!?" The blue swordsman struggled as he tried pushing back.
"Oh what's the matter princeling? Haven't you ever been on the other end of a Levin Sword before?" The Mad King sarcastically questioned. "By your expression I can tell you're quite...SHOCKED! HAHAHA!"
"In that case..." Chrom realized, redirecting Falcon to the side and forcing Gangrel's sword to slide towards the ground. This gave Chrom a few seconds to move as he immediately dodged backwards, avoiding the Levin sword as Gangrel swung again, leaving a brief trail of electricity in the air while it passed by.
"Come now princeling! I've sharpened my sword just for you!" Gangrel taunted as Chrom kept dodging back, trying to keep his distance from the electrified blade.
"If you don't want to get close that's fine..." The Mad King stopped then pointing his sword at the evasive prince, "There is more than one way to KILL a sheep!" From the tip of the blade, bolts of lightning began firing out at Chrom forcing him to roll to the side to avoid the attack.
Gangrel kept firing magic bolts at Chrom, forcing him to keep dodging/running in circles around the trickster as he tried looking for an opening. The bolts of lightning were just too frequent to move in by himself so Chrom called for his partner Sumia who had been fighting nearby to swoop in from above and provide support. Just as she did however an arrow flew right past her pegasus's face, forcing it to rear back and stop. The Mad King looked over at the two shaking his head with disappointment while waving his finger at them.
"Tisk-Tisk-Tisk, and here I thought we had a deal princeling. This is a one on one fight, SO BUTT OUT YOU PESKY GNAT!" As the irritated tyrant yelled at the meddling flyer, more arrows began to fill the air around Sumia.
Looking for where the shots were coming from the pegasus rider spotted a nearby archer as he began opening fire once more, this forced the flier to retreat or she would risk suffering the same fate as the former Pegasus Knights. As Chrom tried to follow his partner back, he was struck by one of Gangrel's lightning bolts, turning around as the electricity painfully surged through his body.
"You didn't forget about OUR little fight did you!?" The Mad King shouted at Chrom, "I'd be insulted if you did, in fact now I want MY FACE to be the last thing you see! Oh, and just so you don't go trying to cry for your friends again..."
Gangrel yelled out for his own troops, "To my loyal and superior soldiers! I wish not to be disturbed while I deal with the little prince here, so keep his scrawny army of nobodies away from us! WHEN I"M DONE WITH HIM, WE'LL HAVE OUR VICTORY AND THE FIRE EMBLEM WILL FINALLY BE OURS!"
With that command a strange force seemed to inspire his men causing them to drive back the nearby Shepherds and ultimately distancing everyone from the two leaders.
"Now that that is settled... We can get back to the good part!" The Mad King cackled as he charged at the blue haired swordsman, his Levin sword pulsing with energy.
BGM: WHITE KNIGHT CHRONICLES - Tense Battle
Chrom stood firm and readied the Falchion in a defensive stance but as he waited for Gangrel's charge, he felt the magical powers of the sword begin to heal his body as if it was responding to his will. "So this is... I understand now!" He realized just as the Plegian King reached him.
With a quick parry, Chrom deflected the attack to the side and swung back around with Falchion giving Gangrel a slash across his back as he moved past. The Mad King shouted in pain and anger as he turned back to see Chrom with a small grin on his face.
"You little cheater! How did you not get shocked by my Levin Sword!?" A now rattled Gangrel demanded.
"It did..." He calmly replied, "I'm just now starting to put Falchion's power to use. I'll heal myself with its power just as fast as you can shock me. Your cheap tricks won't work anymore!"
Gangrel was visibly upset by the blue swordsman's answer, "WHAT! Why is damned old blade is always causing trouble?! When I'm through with you I'll see to it that your pesky little sword is destroyed in front of everyone for the whole world to see!"
"My sister wished for our people to know peace, Gangrel. But as long as you draw breath, it can never come. I'll use this blade in the name both our nations to stop you!" Chrom declared back, readying himself for another attack.
"I'LL KILL YOU!" The Mad King howled with fury as he charged back in and the two continued to fight in their fierce duel.
Elsewhere on the field, Robin had been busy switching between fighting enemy troops and acting as a field commander when he felt the strange pressure warn him about something. It was another one of those bizarre flashes of knowledge, but instead of warning him about an immediate danger it felt like it was about something that had yet to come. The tactician knew to trust these odd occurrences and decided to call for Chrom via the communication gems but when he tried to nothing would get through.
"This isn't good, Crystal Net is being jammed by something on Chrom's end. This is just like what happened with those three strange mages..." (Crystal Net is another name for the Communication gems that some of the Shepherds came up with, quote, "because it sounds better")
Robin turned to his partner to explain what they needed to do, " Something isn't right Olivia, I can't call Chrom over Crystal Net and I have reason to believe that something dangerous is coming. Do you think you can help me fight over towards him?"
The dancer gave a determined nod, "Y-yes. I think so."
"Alright then let's go." The tactician acknowledged and the two quickly began to navigate through the battle field towards the center.
BGM: GUNDAM UNICORN - PIANO UC-NO.1 (Yes that is the actual title for the song...)
As the two fought their way forward, Robin looked over at the ordinarily timid woman and realized that she was actually quite skilled with a blade. He hadn't paid attention to how she fought until now, the way she moved around the field and dodged with little effort was astonishing. Not only that but the way she attacked was with such fluidity and grace it's as if she were literally dancing with her sword.
After finishing off the last enemy in that area Olivia noticed that she was being watched and instantly began to redden, "...Ummm... is something wrong?..."
The tactician realized he was staring and apologized as they moved forward, "Oh, sorry about that I just wanted to make sure you had that...and I'm sorry about having to ask you to help me with this. You've already helped with so much, you acted as a look out for me while I was giving commands to others and you've fought beside me since the start of this battle. I just feel bad for dragging you back into combat as things are starting to go in our favor."
"I'm a member of this group too. " She shyly replied. "So I want to help as much as I can...and it's no problem really, we are partners after all..."
"Yeah, partners..." Robin answered back, thinking to himself while they continued on. While it was true that they were partners, it was entirely by coincidence that they wound up working together. She was the only one left after he had assigned everyone else into pairs for the battle so they just wound up as a team, the tactician and the dancer.
"It could be worse I suppose." The tactician spoke to himself in his mind "It could have been that strange woman Tharja that Chrom recruited. I think she was spying on me last night while I was reading more from that odd scroll..." Robin's train of thought was cut off as Olivia spoke up.
"Are you alright Robin? You're not tired are you?" She politely asked.
"Hmm? No, I'm fine just thinking is all." He assured her.
"Well, I understand that you're under a lot of pressure being both a soldier and a tactician..." Olivia nervously continued, "So if you are fatigued...them maybe I can dance for you. I don't claim my dance as anything special, but Khan Basilio says it renews the spirit!"
The two stopped running as the pink haired woman turned towards Robin and closed her eyes to concentrate. A moment later she opened them and with a previously unseen conviction on her face, began to dance. Olivia began to twirl and spin in place, delicately balancing on one foot while spreading her arms out as the ribbon attached to her arm bands fluttered softly in the wind. After a brief pause she hopped into the air, performing a graceful, cartwheel-like flip before landing perfectly on her feet. She then raised her hand up and held it out towards her partner, and smiling as a strange energy seemed to reinvigorate him. (Basically think of her dance animation from the game)
The tactician was amazed by her performance for as brief as it was, there was something very peculiar about it, something that left him without words other that a simple "...Whoah..."
Robin knew that it was no ordinary dance, the way she had moved with such skill and precision seemed to make her sparkle with a kind of pink light. It was as if some kind of spell had been used but instead of reading and reciting some kind of incantation she used her body to perform it.
Leaving his analytical thoughts for later, Robin spoke up. "...That was great Olivia, I've never seen anything like that...and you were right I do feel better. Thank you for that."
"Th-Thank you." The timid again dancer replied, "I-I-If you're feeling better we should get going."
Robin agreed with a simple "Yeah." and the two headed off again, eventually reaching the area where Chrom was dueling Gangrel.
BGM: DARK CLOUD 2 - Panzos Launch!
When the two arrived they discovered that nearby Shepherds were struggling against a line of Plegian troops and were unable to get past. Before the tactician could radio to the others what was going on, he felt the strange pulsing sensation again warn him about the imminent threat.
"This isn't good." Robin spoke aloud before looking over at his partner. "I still need to go help Chrom, Olivia stay here and support the others."
"Oh, alright... but how are you going to get past their line?" The dancer noted with concern. "It doesn't look like anyone has gotten past them, even the fliers."
"Don't worry, I have a plan." The tactician smiled back at her, pulling out a wind tome from his coat.
With book in hand, Robin ran up to the back of the line and called out for the nearby Shepherds. "Everyone! Keep these guys busy for a bit longer, I'm going to go help Chrom! ... also, someone give me a boost!"
"Let me." The usually unheard Kellam answered, " I might as well be of use while nobody fights me. There are too many people in the way for me to squeeze past but at least they haven't really noticed me stab at them..." The armored knight then stepped back from the line and raised his large shield above his head like a platform.
"Alright." The tactician confirmed.
With a running start, Robin leapt onto the shield and using it an elevated launch pad, fired the wind tome at the ground sending himself up and over the enemy line. Before the enemy troops could respond, Olivia began using her special dance to reinvigorate the other Shepherds allowing them to keep fighting and forcing the Plegians to shift their attention back to them.
"Nice work everyone." The tactician thought to himself with pride as he flew through the air. "Now to help Chrom."
Using another burst of wind magic to soften his landing Robin hit the ground a short distance away from where Chrom and Gangrel were fighting, making a small dust cloud in the process as he landed.
BGM: GUNDAM-X - A Great Power Approaches (Segments 1 and 3 specifically)
The two leaders took notice of the tactician's sudden arrival and while Chrom was delighted to see his comrade emerge from the smoke, the Mad King was further irritated by this development.
"GRRR... Clinging to each other won't save you maggots when the boot falls! You think that you'll make a difference in this fight!? I'm going t-..." While Gangrel was monologuing at Chrom's back up, the blue haired prince took the opportunity to go for the finishing blow.
"You didn't forget about OUR fight did you?" Chrom remarked as he darted in quickly and swung the Falchion upward at Gangrel, disarming the Plegian King and sending the weapon flying out of his hands.
Gangrel's eyes widened with shock as Chrom lunged to impale him with the Falchion while Robin felt that strange felling creep up again. He now realized that the threat was coming from Gangrel, or rather something he had with him, and it was about to go off.
Gangrel: "Gah!?"
Chrom: "This is it!"
Robin: "No wait Chrom!"
As Chrom pluged the blade of his sword into the Mad King's chest, an odd purple light began to glow from an unknown item in Gangrel's pouch. The light became brighter until in exploded in a burst of powerful magic energy sending Chrom flying backwards while Gangrel was enveloped in the blast.
While the strange magic from the explosion began to swirl in place creating a large pillar of smoke and pulsing light, Robin ran over to check on where his friend was thrown from the blast.
"Gods, what was that? Is Gangrel dead?" Chrom asked as the tactician helped him back to his feet.
"I'm not sure, I can't tell what just happened even with the search eye." He replied, trying to focus on what that strange light was.
"Hold on...there is something alive in there..." Robin sensed as he continued to scan with his magic. "It's...it's Gangrel! He's still alive?!"
"He's what?!" The blue prince questioned before being interrupted by the pillar of magic as it exploded again.
As the light and smoke cleared the silhouette of large golem like figure could be seen in its place, examining the surroundings before both it and the two Shepherds noticed each other.
Chrom: "There is no way..."
Robin: "So this is..."
?: "AHAHAHAHA! It looks like that gift from the high priest was good for something after all! Now we get to go for round two, princeling!"
Chrom: "So that is you, Gangrel!"
"Correct!" the large creature answered back as it loomed over the duo.
The Gangrel looking golem was about 20 feet tall with no lower torso/legs and its body was covered strange armor. It had the same head as Gangrel but with a much darker purple/grey skin tone, no eyes/eye holes, and a large hat-like crown on its head. Around its neck it wore a strange metal neck ruff adorned with long dangling blades all around it, each one being about the length of a full sized sword. Lastly on its arms it wore large armored gauntlets with large gem in each of the palms and large armored pauldrons on its shoulders.
(Just go look up Gangrel from Tokyo Mirage Sessions FE and picture that here)
The two Shepherds steeled themselves for the fight, reading their weapons but as they did the altered Gangrel began laugh at them. "Oh that's rich, you two actually think you can fight ME!? NOW!? Alright then princeling, but this time you're the only ones invited!"
The creature slammed its hands together only to slowly pull them apart with a ball of magical energy between them. It released its hands sending the ball into the air causing it to dissipate and spread out like a large invisible bubble confining the three within the area.
"Now then, let's get started!" Gangrel shouted at two, slamming his fists down forcing Chrom and Robin to dodge.
BGM: GUNDAM AGE - Fate ( AKA, Shukumei...it also translates to destiny... I think...)
The pair of Shepherds quickly got back up and began to look for weak points to strike on Gangrel's armor while they maneuvered around him. Despite his new golem like body however, The Mad King was still able to move fast enough and react to the duo as they tried to circle him. By rotating his entire body around where his lower torso should be, he could spin in place to make sure that he was always facing the two Shepherds and his increased strength let him move quick enough to deliver fast attacks, discouraging them from moving towards him. After several close dodges Robin and Chrom where finally were able to move in and attack, but when they did their weapons bounced off the armor, forcing them to retreat as Gangrel counter attacked.
Deciding to try again, the duo kept attacking using hit and run maneuvers in an attempt to land any kind of effective hit on the transformed ruler. The problem was that none of their attacks did any real damage on his body, including the seemingly more lightly armored areas. Realizing that even the Flachion was having trouble going through the armor, Robin tried falling back and attacking with his various tomes. The mage tactician opened fire with a series of different magical attacks but Gangrel retaliated with his own magic blasts from his palms and from the gem on forehead of his crown, canceling out Robin's. With no other options left and both Chrom and himself beginning to tire out, Robin fell back again and pulled out his small bronze sword in an attempt to recall the strange and powerful spell he used when they were trapped at the border.
As the tactician began to focus and channel his magical energy into the sword, Chrom's Falchion began to give off a faint orange glow of its own.
"What? The Falchion is reacting to something." Chrom noticed as he retreated from another unsuccessful attack.
The blue prince looked over at his nearby companion and saw him concentrating with a spell, his focus seeming to affect the sword.
"Now I get it, this is just like before." He spoke to himself, "The sword must be responding to his willpower too, not just mine. We can still fight! We can still win!"
"Come on Robin give it everything you've got! It's time to end this!" Chrom shouted at his friend, rallying the tactician from his focused state.
"Then let's go!..." He answered back with conviction, before raising his sword up in the air above himself and yelling. "...SHINING FINGER SWORD!"
BGM: GUNDAM AGE - The 100 Year War (100 nen no Monogatari)
While the tactician's sword transformed with the same green light it had before and he felt the mark on the back of his hand begin to burn red, the blade of Chrom's Falchion became a bright orange (Almost like the blade of the Exalted Falchion) and the two Shepherds charged back into battle. Gangrel scowled at duo's renewed vigor and blasted at them with beams as they drew closer but instead of dodging out of the way they deflected the blasts with their blades and continued forward. This was infuriating to the Mad King and he swung at them with a mighty blow from his large fist, hell-bent on crushing them for their continued defiance. As the attack came however, Robin dodged the fist by sliding underneath and slashing at the underside of the arm while Chrom continued forward, ramming the Falchion into Gangrel's knuckle. Each attack pierced through the armor and finally damaged Gangrel's armor, causing the golem like ruler to shout as the two weapons actually managed to wound him.
Gangrel drew his arm back as he glared at the two Shepherds with an intense hatred while the duo stared back at him. Not wanting to give the Plegian ruler a chance to recover the duo began a relentless assault and began to wear him down, using the last of their energy and strength the two quickly moved around Gangrel, slashing and stabbing at his large body with every chance they had. The Mad King attempted to retaliate but they pair of Shepherds was too quick for him to hit now, and even when he was able to land a successful hit Chrom and Robin just kept getting back up. They fought through their pain and continued laying into Gangrel with their swords, each one of their attacks peeling away more of his armor, revealing that there was nothing but dark smoke inside of his large 'body.'
As smoking wounds continued to bleed(?) all over The Mad King's body as he took more and more damage, the barrier surrounding them all dissipated as Gangrel toppled over and tried to prop himself up on one of his arms. Chrom looked over at Robin and with a nod the two rushed in for and to deliver the finishing blow, Gangrel tried to stop them by firing beams from his head but it was too late. Robin ran past Gangrel and gave a mighty horizontal slash with his beam sword as he moved by, splitting the Mad King in half below the ribs while Chrom leapt into the air and rammed the Falchion through the center of his chest.
The golem like ruler tilted backwards from the momentum of Chrom's attack as the freshly sliced torso separated from its waist and fell. Chrom kept his grip on the Flachion and rode with it towards the ground as Gangrel weakly spoke to him once more.
"This isn't over... princeling...I'M NOT DONE WITY YOU YET!" The Mad King angrily declared to Chrom before hitting the ground and shrouding them both in a cloud of black smoke that puffed out from Gangrel's wounds.
BGM: WHITE KNIGHT CHRONICLES - The Devil On A Black Horse
Recovering from the fall, Chrom stood up and removed the Falchion from Gangrel's body as he tried peering through the smoke to see what was going on. Just as the prince did however, there was a flash of purple light from within the smoke and he was struck by a magic beam that sent him flying backwards and knocking him unconscious as he slammed into the ground.
"Chrom!" Robin shouted with concern as he saw his friend shot out of the smoke cloud and crash into the sand where he lay motionless.
Looking back over at the smoke cloud, the tactician heard a strange whirling noise come from it as the smoke began to swirl and dissipate revealing Gangrel's floating head. His head had separated from his body just below the strange neck ruff as it spun around like helicopter blades keeping him afloat and clearing all of the smoke with a constant gust of wind. The floating head looked around for a moment and saw where Chrom's body had been launched to and began to hover his way over towards him, laughing maniacally as he went.
"AHAHAHA! Looks like it's finally over little sheep herder. It's too bad you're not concious to see my glorious victory." Gangrel taunted as he charged up another attack with the gem on his head.
"I don't think so." Robin spoke to himself outloud as he threw the bronze sword in his hand at the back of the Mad King's head, its beam energy dissipating as it flew through the air.
The sword hit blade first but produced nothing more than a metallic ping as it struck the large floating head, this did however manage to catch Gangrel's attention.
"What?!" The Plegian King questioned as he turned around to see Robin a short distance away, his throwing arm still extended as he breathed heavily.
Gangrel grinned at the weakening tactician, "Oh yes, I almost forgot about you. Tell me something whatever your name was, Do you really think you can still fight me?"
Robin moved his fists and took a defensive stance, which only caused Gangrel to laugh some more.
Gangrel: "AHAHAHA! You must be joking. I can tell that you've used up the last of your strength, just look at you, you're exhausted. All of those flashy moves you and that pathetic little sheep over there pulled earlier have sapped you of your energy, and you know it too."
Robin: "..."
Gangrel: "You bet it all on that last blow, BUT EVEN THAT WASN'T ENOUGH TO STOP ME! AHAHA!..."
Robin: "...Then I'll just have to do it again..."
Gangrel: "YOU LITTLE NOTHING, EVEN NOW YOU REFUSE TO GIVE UP!?"
Angered by the lone Shepherd's persistent defiance, Gangrel charged up another magic beam from the gem on his forehead and fired it at Robin. "ALRIGHT THEN TRY GETTING BACK UP AFTER THIS!"
As the beam shot out at Robin he stared at the oncoming attack and answered back to the Mad King.
"It' doesn't matter how much it takes, I'll do all I can to defeat you. Here I go...NOW!"
BGM: DARK CLOUD 2 - Fire Approaches The Lighthouse
Moments before the beam was about to hit him, Robin thrust his right hand in front of himself and used his "Shining Finger" to block the attack by sending out a beam of his own. The two blasts pushed against one another in a bright display of green and purple light as the two magic users struggled to overpower each other from a distance. The tactician strained himself to match Gangrel's unusually high level of magic by using the last of his energy and forcing his body to keep going.
By continuing to strain himself however, Robin took notice that his attack had begun to weaken.
"Shining Finger is losing power. His power is still much greater than mine...I just might lose!"
"Ahahah! It's only a matter of time now, boy!" Gangrel cackled with delight as he felt his opponent begin to struggle less and less.
The tactician was about to finally give in to his fatigue when he felt a familiar feeling overcome his body and reinvigorate him, allowing him to continue to resist Gangrel's attack. Recalling this rush of energy from earlier in the battle Robin glanced over his right shoulder and saw Olivia performing her special dance from behind him.
"Don't give up, I believe in you." She encouraged Robin as she finished and carefully made her way over to his side.
Robin was concerned for her safety and shouted back at her, "Olivia! You need to get out of here it's too dangerous for you to stay!"
Gangrel heard the new comer's voice from across the field and complained to himself, "More weaklings? Ugh... there is just no end to you sheep..."
Back on the other side of the field, the tactician was arguing with the dancer, insisting that she leave for her own safety but she kept refusing.
Robin: "Listen I want you to escape right now, that way at least one of us can make it out alive."
Olivia: "But!?..."
Robin: "Now hurry!"
Olivia: " Wh-Why just me!? We can escape together when we win this!"
Olivia placed her hand on Robin's right shoulder and earnestly looked him in the eyes. "I'm your partner, I'm fighting with you no matter what. Together we're stronger Robin." She stated with determination.
Hearing his own words from earlier and seeing the conviction in the dancer's eyes, Robin knew that she was right.
The tactician gave a small sigh before looking back at Olivia, quickly nodding in agreement to her as a smile formed on his face, "Let's do it then, I have an idea."
Glancing at the back of his hand, Robin could still feel the energy resonating from the symbol on the back of his palm. "Just put your left hand on the back of my right hand and repeat after me." He calmly instructed.
As Olivia brushed up against him and softly placed her hand on the back of his, Robin asked, "Are you ready?"
"Alright, here we go." Olivia confirmed before the two of them began to speak in unison.
BGM: G-GUNDAM- Overcoming a Burning Hatred (Shining Finger theme)
"This hand of mine glows with an awesome power! Its burning grip tells me to defeat you!.. Here I go, SHINING FINGER!"
With Robin's energy fully restored and now with Olivia adding her own strength, the power of their combined Shining Finger more than doubled allowing the pair to push back Gangrel's attack. The Mad King was caught off guard by this sudden increase in power and could do little more than grunt as he struggled to fight back against his opponents newfound strength.
"Take this!" The pair shouted as used all of their might and pressed their attack even further for the finishing blow, the large beam shooting from their palms eclipsing The Plegian King's attack as in moved forward. Their combined Shining Finger finally broke through and struck Gangrel's floating head with a burning green light. After being enveloped by the blast Gangrel exploded (again...) and the resulting shockwave knocked the two Shepherds down with Robin quickly pulling Olivia in his arms as they fell over.
Feeling his back hit the ground, Robin slowly opened his eyes and looked around before breathing a sigh of relief as he found his partner still in his arms, unconscious but safe. Robin figured that Olivia must have passed out due to the combination of exerting herself when she helped with Shining Finger and being hit by the shockwave from the explosion but he quickly shifted his train of thought to something else. Looking over at where Gangrel's floating head should be he realized that there was nothing at all, instead there was something small where his large armored body used to be. Through the fading smoke he could make out a normal sized human on the desert floor, the body limp and showing no signs of life whatsoever. At long last, the Mad Plegian King Gangrel was defeated.
Trying to get up the tactician realized that the dancer was still on top of him and that she too had wrapped her arms around him as they were knocked down by the blast, not wanting to wake her Robin gently moved her arms out from around himself before picking her up bridal style and caring her back towards the others. As they made their way over, Robin heard Olivia mumbling in her unconsciousness.
Olivia: "Rob...is that you?"
Robin: "Hmmm?"
Olivia: "It's feels like it's been forever..."
Robin: "... It's alright Olivia, you did well. It's all over now...thank you."
Olivia: "Hmmm..."
Olivia went back to sleep, leaning her head against Robin's shoulder. The tactician couldn't help but smile back at the dancer knowing that just like her everyone could rest easy again...
...
BGM: SD GUNDAM G-GENERATION GENEISIS - Remains (Ballad Version)
And so January marked the end of the war between Ylisse and Plegia with the conflict having raged on just past the start of the new year. With the birth of the new year, Prince Chrom along with his tactician and close friend Robin, worked tirelessly to restore Ylisse's splendor. This would prove to be no easy task for the war had taken a heavy toll on the halidom, not only that but it was also discovered that some of the noble houses had sided with Plegia during the war and had to be dealt with accordingly. It took time but with Feroxi muscle, Plegian gold, and the rest of the Shepherds to aid them, the pair of friends brought peace back to the people.
This peace would last for roughly two years as a new war loomed on the horizon, one that would eventually find its way onto the shores of these lands...
This two year long period of peace was not without its own events however, after all what happened to all of the Shepherds during that time?
...
Over the course of the first year the tactician Robin, and the dancer Olivia wound up falling in love and the two wed by the year's end. Not long after word the two would bear a child, a white haired little baby boy named Inigo. They were as happy as a family could possibly be and they enjoyed every moment together.
Chrom proposed to Sumia at the war's end and the two arranged for their marriage to take place in December in order to give the kingdom time to recover first. When it finally did come around the royal wedding was a momentous occasion attended by thousands from near and far, with almost everything going as planned. There was an unexpected incident that occurred before the two were wed but the Shepherds were able to take care of it and everything turned out fine. Just like the dancer and the tactician before them, the blue prince Chrom and the pegasus rider Sumia would have a child after they wed, a little blue haired girl named Lucina.
After a few months of dating and finally receiving approval from Chrom and Frederick, Stahl proposed to Lissa during the latter half of the year and the two had a joyous wedding filled with laughter and food.
Oddly enough after many months of his countless advancements on her, Sully was the one who proposed to Virion as she had actually began to appreciate him and the company he provided. This caught the rather formal archer off guard but he ultimately accepted his nontraditional relationship with the caviler and the two were wed led later on.
Despite the obvious differences in their preferred fields of study, Miriel and Libra wound up getting together and got married. They proved to be the most mature couple out of all of the newlyweds.
Even though Ricken was significantly lower in noble status than Maribelle, the young mage had eventually asked to court her and she accepted. Despite her family's protests on marrying a lower house Maribelle went through with the marriage anyway and the two were happy.
In the months following the war Gaius had found something he valued more than candy and he did everything his power to steal it. After a great deal of work, Gaius had fianlly won Cordelia's affection and managed to cure her of the constant sighing that ailed her. Even though he was an off again on again thief, the pegasus knight didn't seem to mind and the two married.
Gregor was good, simple man who found nice bunny woman to be with and protect even though she not want him at first. Over the time they learn much from each other and become happy as team, later they marry but no babies yet.
After a few more adventures around the continent the Shepherds added two new members to their group, a stingy yet business savvy merchant named Anna, and a local farm boy named Donnel who wanted to be a hero and see the world.
Donnel took a liking to the Shepherds and enjoyed his time with them, slowly training to be a fine young warrior. He also managed to become good friends with the resident dragonkin Nowi, and the two spent a great deal of time together with Donnel asking for her hand in marriage later on, to which she gladly accepted.
Kellam did his best to be noticed but he didn't really accomplish much in that category. He was however spotted by Anna as a loyal customer and now does most of his shopping with her. She sees a profit and he has someone to finally pay attention to him, it's an odd relationship.
Vaike trained with Lon'qu and despite 'teach' being rather irritating to the lone swordsman at first, the two became sparring buddies. With Lon'qu's help Vaike finally got to train against a swordsman who was on a high level allowing him to eventually one up his friendly rival Chrom.
Frederick didn't do much, mostly sticking to his duties and continuing to train the Shepherds as well as serve Chrom and his new lady. He was happy with his work and service to the haildom.
Tharja made a great deal about following Robin and keeping tabs on him but had to abandon her more unusual hobbies involving the tactician once he was married. Luckily the two were able to reach an understanding and remain as friends. Robin hopes she'll find someone who can make her happy someday...
...
BGM: G-GUNDAM - Trust You Forever Instrumental Version 1
Back in the present time the story telling tactician was going over some final details when he was interrupted by some of the members in his audience.
"Hold on Robin, you're just going to gloss over those two years?" The visiting Exalt spoke up, "There are a lot of details that you just skipped. A LOT MORE."
Sumia chimed in to the conversation as well, "I'm with Chrom on this one, calling it a little incident that ruined our wedding is a bit of an understatement... that lasted almost a week."
"If I went over everything that happened during those two years, that'd be an entirely separate story in itself..." Robin insisted before he was interrupted by a new pair of guests.
Breaking a hole in space/time (again, yay) a familiar giant pair of giant floating gloves floated in through a hole in reality and joined in on the conversation.
"Yes that is true but aren't you forgetting something else? Or rather someone else..." Master Hand mentioned.
Crazy Hand nodded in agreement (can hands nod?), "Well lucky for all of you they are 100% better now so they can stay back here with you!"
"Wait are you serious?!..Really?!" The tactician and the dancer blurted out with excitement.
The pair of hands gave a thumbs up before floating to the side as an adorable little girl with bright green hair and a huge smile on her face stepped out from the worm hole. "Hi dad, Hi mom, I'm back for good now." She happily spoke up.
"Big sister!" Little Inigo, Marc, and Morgan all shouted with glee before running over to hug her.
Robin felt his eyes begin to water with tears of joy, as he the rest of the family ran up to embracer her.
Robin: "Nino, we missed you so much..."
Nino: "I'm glad to see you all again too dad, you can't imagine how happy I am to be here!..."
Master Hand: "...So who is this mystery child? How is she tie into all of this? Well this is Fan-fiction baby, so you better hold onto your butts because we are going to find out next time!"
Crazy Hand: "So be sure to catch it right here on Fire Emblem Awakening of the Trail Blazer!"
Robin: "Who are you guys talking to? We're having a family moment here..."
Grima: "It probably has something to do with that fourth wall they're always on about."
Master Hand and Crazy Hand: "Oh snap we forgot you're still alive, anyway don't worry about it! See you all next time!"
...
THE END...of the first arc of the story.
BGM: GUNDAM AGE - The Hero Within You (Remix by GET IN THE RING)
(Yes this is the last time I'll use this song so just let it play out...)
Author's note: So how did you like my crazy twist ending, don't worry everything will all make sense, eventually, but for now just consider it a cliff hanger for the upcoming part of the story... Speaking of which the next three chapters are all going to be about the two years of peace and are probably going to take a long time to write so I'm going to apologize in advance. I would also like to apologize again for not being able to publish this chapter sooner, I got hit by a massive wave of writers block for a little over a month and could barely get anything done for the story and there was still school so yeah... I considered publishing what I had but I wanted to finish the chapter and have it still be to my liking so I decided to wait until I could get it done, I hope it was worth it. Also this little Fanfic project of mine turned 1 year old back in August...and I didn't publish anything to celebrate... but that's not important... What is important is you, thank you for reading this and an extra thank you if you have been keeping up with me for a whole year! I owe you all a lot for lending me your time and listening to my super weird story,
Until next time..."Ze Docter, is operating!"