Hello, dear readers. CorssVipeR316 here with the latest chapter of Gamer Emblem Awakening.

I believe I have had my first real taste of writer's block. And I can say one thing for certain: I now understand why this state is so dreaded among anyone who practices writing of any sort. This thing just hangs over your head like a vulture and threatens to drain you of all motivation to keep writing unless you find a way out of your slump. The fact that this could happen even to professional writers only makes me respect them more. Writer's block may be one of the biggest threats to not only their greatest passion, but their livelihood as well. And yet they persevere through it.

Metal.

One part of this writer's block is because I've been busy playing through Bravely Second. And let me tell you; the writing in this game is brilliant! I dare say it surpasses what its predecessor accomplished. The one exception would be the final boss. I personally have a thing against villains who are evil merely for the sake of being evil, and that's the impression I got from the game's final boss. I believe the writers could've done a better job with its character, but that might just be me, because I prefer villains who have a point in their world view, a grander agenda that addresses a crucial flaw in the society that the protagonists live in.

That's what I think makes Braev such a great antagonist in Bravely Default; he knew what would happen if all four crystals were pushed to the limit, and he would stop at absolutely nothing to prevent that from happening (though I still believe things would've been much easier if he just sat down with Edea and properly explained why he basically launched an invasion against every other continent on Luxendarc). And to make things better, his side quest in Bravely Second shows how vast his wisdom as a ruler is, and how he balances this with being a family man. Bravely Second did a fantastic job in fleshing out the asterisk holders of the previous game, but out of all of them, Braev easily takes the cake.

And that's part 2 of my brief review of what has become one of my favorite games.

Copyright disclaimer: I only own the plot of this fic. For a full copyright disclaimer, please read chapter 1.

Both you and Father are the greatest heroes I've ever known. – Cynthia


Chapter 23:

Notice me, Sensei!
Fake Shepherds vs real Shepherds!

Figuring that we're not welcome in that particular part of town, my family and I decide to try other parts of the town in hopes that we're welcome elsewhere. Oddly enough, I get the exact same reaction wherever I go in town.

"It's Jack the Ripper! Get inside and bar the door!"

Rose scratches her head. "I think it's kinda obvious at this point, but I don't think you're welcome around here, Dad…"

I sigh. "Yeah, I noticed. But, curse it, I can't figure out why. Do I really have such a bad reputation that it reaches overseas? And for that matter, they all get my epithet wrong."

Robin frowns. "Something's not right. We'd better find Chrom and the others."

Decision made, we turn around to look for our favorite prince.

We eventually find him near the town outskirts where we entered town, and he does not look happy.

"Chrom? What's with the scowl?" I ask as I approach him.

Chrom eases up on the scowl as he sees me and my family approach. "Jack. Robin. Something strange has happened in this town."

I give the prince a flat look. "I noticed. People run for the hills the moment they see me."

The scowl returns full force. "So it happened to you too, huh? This is only getting worse by the minute."

"Milord, I have learned some troubling news." Frederick reports as he approaches us. "It seems a band of nasty rogues have been harrying this town without pause for some time. Apparently, they are led by a man masquerading as…you."

Lucina looks at the Great Knights shocked. "Someone is impersonating Father?!"

Frederick scowls. "Not just him, milady. From what my investigation could uncover, several individuals in this band of rogues pose as members from our own ranks."

I match Frederick's scowl as I connect the dots. "Including me."

Frederick nods. "That would seem to be the case, Jack. Supposedly, the townspeople fear a bloodthirsty serial killer by the name of Jack the Ripper. I take it that man is using your name for his own gain?"

I growl as winds build up around me. "So I figured. Not only does this punk have the nerve to brand me a criminal, he didn't even get my epithet right. When I find him, I'll show him what happens when you anger Jack the Reaper."

"Count me in." Lucina growls as she draws Parallel Falchion. "I will find this cur who dares impersonate my father, and when I do, I will make him wish he was dead."

Cordelia looks at the eldest daughter concerned. "Um, Lucina? Don't you think that's a bit overboard?"

Severa sighs. "You might as well give up trying to calm her down, Mother. Lucina's always admired Daddy greatly." A fond, if exasperated, smile grows on her lips. "You won't find a greater fan of him in the whole realm than in my sister."

As our murderous auras resonate, Chrom rubs his temples. "All right, you two. Settle down before you give the townspeople any reason to believe you and those rogues are the same." The prince turns to Frederick. "Any idea where they may be, Frederick?"

Frederick pulls out his trusty Silver Lance. "It seems they headed north, milord."

Chrom nods. "Then so shall we."

I turn back towards the marketplace.

"Uh, Jack? North is that way." Robin tells me.

I glance back at my wife. "I know. I just need to make a few preparations. I won't be long."

Robin blinks bemused before she shrugs. "All right. I take it you'll catch up to us quickly."

I give her a terse nod. "Oh, I will. And…sorry if I'm acting a bit grumpy."

Robin shakes her head with a fond smile. "It's all right. I'd be upset too is someone posed as me and dragged my name through the mud. Though something tells me you'd raze half the town to the ground just to find the culprit if that were the case."

I tap my chin a few times before I nod. "Sounds about right."


As I reach the marketplace, I notice that someone followed me.

"Rose?"

"Thought I'd tag along to see what you're cooking up."

I shrug. "Nothing much. Just a little personal revenge."

Rose smirks. "I know you, Dad. You never mete out punishment by half measures. Whatever you're planning it's either gonna be grand, or so silly that the readers hardly see it coming."

I blink a few times before I shrug. "You're not wrong on the meting out punishment part. Whoever it is who's posing as me is about to get the humiliation of his life." I rub my chin as I scan the stalls. "Now, where can I find a good enough container…?"

Rose raises an eyebrow. "Container?"

"I need a container for my plan." I mutter frowning. "Just my luck that thing I'm looking for doesn't seem to be for sa-" My eyes widen as they land on the perfect object. A smile slowly grows on my lips as I approach the item on display. "Hello, new friend. You're exactly what I was looking for."

Rose eyes the object skeptically. "Really, Dad? This thing is so outta left field that not even I can figure out what you've got planned."

I grin at my daughter. "That's what will make my revenge all the more entertaining."

I reach into my bag and pull out a bag of coins. "Of course, I'm buying this like any respectable man would. Can't have a satisfying revenge through stolen goods unless the theft itself is part of the revenge. If anything, the merchant can keep the change." Payment done, I pick up my chosen item and head for the coast. "Now to fill the container. And I know exactly what to use."


Timeskip

About half an hour from the town, we find a few less-than-friendly-looking ruffians hanging out among some trees.

How do I know they're less than friendly?

"Well, lookie here, fellas. This lot's full of new faces." one of the ruffians remark as he spots us. He walks out onto the road with his axe drawn. "Hey, you there! Yer walkin' into the territory of Prince Chrom himself! Either leave what ya wanted to give him here, or we'll just take it after we're done with you."

That's how.

Frederick scowls and walks up to the ruffian with his Silver Lance out in the open. "Is that so? Then perhaps you would care to show me to this "Prince Chrom"?"

As the Great Knight gets closer, the ruffian looks up. And up. And up.

Turns out Frederick's pretty tall, and this particular ruffian must've missed his growth spurt. The height difference is almost comical.

The ruffian begins to sweat. "Uh… Well, I'd love to, but, see, our boss's, I mean, Prince Chrom's kinda busy right now, see? Can't burden the poor man with every little thing happenin' around here, now can I?"

Frederick takes one more menacing step towards the ruffian and bends down until he looms over the now gulping outlaw. A shadow falls over the Great Knight's face. "I insist."

"Uh, Johnson? I think this guy's trouble." one of the ruffian's buddies remarks nervously. Said fellow ruffian backs away until he bumps into something with his back. He turns around to find me, with my own face set on intimidation.

"Oh, we're not as bad as we seem, honest." I assure him in a tone that promises a bad time. "We just heard rumors about a band of rogues that have been terrorizing the local townsfolk here lately. We don't take kindly to rogues, see? And it was even stranger when the rumors told that Prince Chrom himself leads this merry band of outlaws. So we're just here for some answers." I crack my knuckles. "And you're the lucky chumps who will provide us with them, or else I'll get very upset. And when I get upset, I tend to get…violent."

The ruffians huddle together and whimper in fear. We've pretty much surrounded them all at this point. Now for some old-fashioned mob style interrogation.

Except said interrogation gets interrupted by the whinny of a horse.

No, wait. That's a pegasus.


Cynthia Lvl 30 Class: Pegasus Knight


Wait a minute… Oh, now I get why all this felt so familiar. Looks like we ended up on the island where some fraud is leading Cynthia around by the nose. Well, time to give the girl an eyeopener.

"There is no need to fret, good people!" the brown-haired Pegasus Knight shouts from atop her winged steed as she dives towards us. "Why? Because I am heEEERE!" *Krrrr!*

Cynthia didn't just fall off her pegasus and land facefirst. She had so much momentum that her face dug a short furrow in the ground. Everyone nearby (including the pegasus) grimace in sympathy at Cynthia's faceplant.

The Pegasus Knight places her hands on the ground and pushes herself up with a pained groan. "Oh, ow, ow, ow! Still need to practice that flying entrance."

Amazingly enough, the only sign that she just dug a furrow in the ground with her face are a few smudges of dirt on her cheeks. Other than that, girl gets up like nothing happened. Now, where have I seen a phenomenon like this before?

Observe.

Ah, I should've known. There's only one person in the whole world who could pass on that skill to this young flier.

Chrom approaches Cynthia concerned. "Um, are you okay?"

Cynthia blinks as she faces the prince. "Huh? Who, me? Oh, I'm fine. Just tripped a little, is all."

Everyone present sweat drops at her reply. Yeah, let's just leave it at that.

Chrom scratches his head. "Okay… So, who are you?"

Cynthia blinks a few more times before her eyes widen. "Ah! It's you!"

Chrom blinks back and point at himself. "Me?"

Cynthia backs off and pulls out a Steel Lance from…somewhere? "All who would pretend to Chrom's name will answer to me for their deceit! Lay down your arms and surrender, or face judgement at my spear!"

Chrom looks at the Pegasus Knight bemused. "Well, she seems eager. What do you think, Robin? If she's being honestly deceived, we may be able to show her the truth."

"Enough!" Cynthia shouts. "In the name of my lord Chrom, cast down your sword or draw it!"

"Please, young miss, you are being deceived!" Frederick exclaims as he steps up. "This man here is-"

"What are YOU doing on that side?!" Cynthia shouts as she spots Frederick. She shakes her head. "No, that'll have to wait until later. Look, I'll give you all one last chance to lay down your arms. We can end this peacefully. Come, on, Deku! We're heading back to the others!"

The pegasus (who I now notice has a green mane) flies down. Cynthia mounts the winged horse with ease and takes off.

I scowl in the direction of the retreating Pegasus Knight. "Chrom, I think we finally have a lead on your imposter. If we follow her, she might lead us right to the rogue impersonating you."

"Um, shouldn't we try to talk with that girl before we look for Captain Chrom's fake?" Sumia asks. "That girl had such honest eyes. I can't in good conscience leave her among a group of outlaws."

Chrom rubs his chin. "Think you can talk her out of it, Sumia?"

The Dark Flier blinks. "Me?"

The prince nods. "Something tells me she'd listen to you. She certainly didn't seem to be in any talkative mood with me."

Sumia nods. "I'll try, Captain. I just need an opportunity to approach her without risking any wounds."

"Leave that to me, Sumia." Frederick assures his wife. "I shall make sure you can talk to that girl undisturbed."

"Are you sure you can cover us both on your own, Frederick?"

A small smile graces Frederick's lips. "I do enjoy a challenge every now and then."

Chrom draws Falchion. "Seems like we have our answer, then. Shepherds! To arms!"

Seems like those ruffians we ran into earlier bolted while we were busy trying to figure Cynthia out. Ah, well. My guess is that they ran in the same direction that she flew in. As that's as good a lead as any we'll get, we walk in that direction as well, weapons at the ready, and determined to get to the bottom of this royal fraud.

As for me, I've got a special surprise ready in case I find the punk who dared impersonate me.


Quest alert
Side quest: Wings of justice
Some investigation on Frederick's part reveals that a rogue is impersonating Chrom and using that fake image in his quest to ravage the surrounding towns. Find that cur and bring him to justice! And keep your eyes out for a certain impressionable Pegasus Knight while you're at it.
Objective: Defeat all ruffians.
Rewards: 10 000 EXP, 10 000 gold
Bonus objective: Defeat the rogue who impersonates Chrom.
Bonus rewards: 5 000 EXP, 5 000 gold


As we clear the woods, we see quite the number of ruffians lined up among what looks like the ruins of an old town. Among their ranks is Cynthia.

Said Pegasus Knight scowls at us. "So, you decided to fight, did you? All right, then. I didn't want to do this, but you leave me no choice." Cynthia points her Steel Lance in our direction. "For Prince Chrom! Charge!"


POV: General

BGM: Spear of Justice, Undertale music

The ruffians storm the Shepherds with their weapons at the ready.

Kjelle steps up with her Dragoon Lance drawn. "Allow me."

As the first ruffians approach, Kjelle winds up and lets loose a massive swing.

"Hah!"

Even the wind pressure from that swing was impressive. The swing itself sends half a dozen ruffians flying back. That's when the Shepherds retaliate.

Stahl charges in through the opening provided by Kjelle. The green Great Knight goes for a straightforward approach and plows through any resistance the ruffians try to put up. His advance eventually gets halted as a trio of Generals form a shield wall and manage to put a stop to the momentum of Stahl's charge.

*Krang!*

It's a bit unfortunate on their part that Stahl knows how to wield an Armorslayer to great effect.

"Surround him! Quick!" a Berserker shouts in an attempt to cut off Stahl from the rest of the Shepherds' ranks.

"No, you don't!" Yarne shouts back as he tears a way through the enclosing ruffians barehanded. Right as the ruffians wise up and get ready to block the half-taguel out, Yarne jumps back. The ruffians only have time to look confused for a moment before an Arcwind spell hits them head-on, courtesy of Miriel.


On the other end of the battlefield, Chrom and Cordelia face off against a pair of Snipers.

"Cordelia, get behind me!" Chrom shouts as he raises the Fire Emblem. The Snipers aim for Cordelia, but find out that the Fire Emblem, surprisingly, makes for a terrific shield. A dozen arrows in, and there's not even a scratch on the sacred artifact. That's when Cordelia zips out from behind the cover of her husband with Gradivus reared back.

"Hah!" *Shink!* "Augh!"

The Falcon Knight's aim is true as Gradivus pierces one of the Snipers right through the chest. His partner looks in horror at his death. That's when he notices a shadow descend on him. Said shadow belongs to Chrom, who's coming down with Falchion raised high.

*Shing!*

The other Sniper collapses from the vicious downward swing. Right as Chrom gets back up, he rips Gradivus from the chest of its target and chucks it back to his wife. Cordelia catches the legendary spear out of the air, twirls it once, and gets right back into the fray against a Paladin.


Lissa has an intense stare down against an opposing War Cleric. The stare down gets interrupted as Henry pops up behind the enemy healer.

"Boo!"

Said War Cleric yelps in shock over the Dark Mage's sudden appearance. She pivots around and tries to behead Henry with her Steel Axe. It would've been easier if the storm of crows would stop harassing her. Right as she manages to scare away the birds, she finds Lissa in front of her with a triumphant smirk and Betty reared back.

"Gotcha!" *Wham!*

Lissa shoulders her Hammer and gives Henry a grinning thumbs-up. Henry responds by pointing behind Lissa.

*Ka-bram!* "Gaah!"

Lissa looks behind her and sees a Barbarian lying on the ground, twitching from the residual charge of a Thunder spell. Moments later, he's consumed in the flames of an Elfire spell.

"Teamwork's a lot more fun than I thought." Henry remarks happily.

"Well, you sure seem motivated." Lissa points out.

"Of course! I make the world a better place by killing stuff. Everybody wins!"

Lissa rolls her eyes. "We definitely need to work on your regard for lives."


*Clang!*

Vaike grins as he pushes back against a Knight in a power struggle. The Barbarian angles his axe a bit and makes the ruffian's lance slide down the axe blade. Vaike then makes a quick sidestep and traps the shaft of the lance in the hooked part of his weapon. The maneuver catches the Knight off-guard, allowing Vaike to kick the armored outlaw in the chest so fast that the Knights drops his trapped lance in the process. He tries to get up, but finds it difficult as Vaike pins him down with a foot. A swift chop along the neck, and the Knight goes silent.

"Hyah!" *Boom!*

Sully suplexes a Great Knight, horse and all.

Because she can.


"Stand! Still! Already!" a Hero yells as he swings at Olivia. Try as he might though, the Dancer literally dances around his sword swings. A vertical swing has Olivia sidestep and retaliate with her own sword. A stab has Olivia jump and land on the blade. The Hero barely has time to blink in shock before he gets Olivia's shoe in his face. After a particularly wide swing from the ruffian, Olivia steps in and stabs at his neck. The Hero parries her Steel Sword with a quick flick of his shield before he backhands her with it. The blow dazes Olivia, and the Hero capitalizes on it with a swing at her torso. Olivia manages to react fast enough to escape the sword unscathed.

*Shing!*

However, the same cannot be said for her outfit.

Olivia's face turns red as she desperately covers her chest with one hand and points the other at her adversary. "Eek! Pervert!"

The Hero freaks out and waves his hands in front of him. "No, no! It was an accident, I swear!"

"My outfit's ruined, and at the front at that! How is that an accident?!"

"Listen, lady! We're busy fighting! Mistakes happen, okay? By the way, I think that's a mighty fine body you're ro-" *Whack!*

The Hero goes down like a sack of bricks, courtesy of Maribelle's parasol.

"Olivia, darling. While I believe it makes for a great distraction against male enemies, running around with your chest out in the open is not proper for a self-respecting woman." the Valkyrie admonishes her friend.

"He started it…" Olivia mutters back embarrassed. "Would you happen to have a change of clothes at hand, Maribelle? I can't fight like this."

Maribelle sighs and pats the seat behind her on L'Arachel. "Climb on, Olivia. We'd better find you some new clothes away from prying eyes."

The Valkyrie glares out over the battlefield. The fact that the front of Olivia's outfit got ripped open was hardly missed by any ruffian nearby. Growling, Maribelle opens an Arcthunder tome and rains down lightning bolts on them with prejudice.

Olivia hugs her friend tightly from behind. "I wanted to become famous, but not like this…"

"Filthy swine, every last one of them." Maribelle mutters as she snaps her tome shut and steers L'Arachel away from the battlefield.


Virion nocks an arrow on his new Silver Bow and takes aim at a Warrior. The arrow flies, but the Warrior dodges with some space to spare.

"Ha! You missed!" the Warrior exclaims as he points at Virion.

The Bow Knight smirks. "And what made you think hitting you was my intention in the first place?"

The Warrior tilts his head quizzically. "Huh?" That's when he notices the green rune circle where he just landed. "Oh."

*FWOOSH!*

The ruffian gets sent high into the sky by the potent wind spell erupting from the rune circle. Behind him, Ricken and Miriel bump fists.

"See? I told you it would work." Ricken tells Miriel smiling.

"I admit, I found the attempt easier than expected." the Sage replies. "Our thanks for the distraction, Virion. It proved a crucial part of the plan."

Virion smirks. "Ah, but that was not the only reason why I shot that arrow, dear Miriel."

As the Sage raises an eyebrow, Virion points in the direction he shot the arrow. That's when Miriel and Ricken spot the arrow sticking out of the chest of a Barbarian who, judging by the direction, tried to sneak up on Ricken before their trap was sprung.

The Dark Knight does a double take. "Wait… You shot that arrow to protect me at the same time?"

Virion's smirk turns smug. "Why, of course. Did you expect anything else from the archest of archers?"

"How about another sneak attack?!" a Mercenary shouts as he jumps from a boulder and straight at Virion with his sword raised.

The sneak attack reaches an abrupt end as the ruffian changes directions in midair and crashes on the ground with shock written over his face. The moment is short-lived, as a stab wound appears and goes right through his heart.

Virion blinks before he rubs his temples. "I still cannot get a read on sir Kellam. How can he remain hidden out in the open and in broad daylight like that?"

"It's a gift." A voice whispers in the wind.


"Where is he?!" *Shing!*

A Berserker goes down after a clean swing across his torso, courtesy of a notably enraged Lucina.

"Where is that dastard?!" *Shing!*

This time, a Sorcerer falls victim to her blade.

"Lucina, calm down!" Severa shouts after her sister. "You won't find Daddy's fake if you keep running off from the rest of us and attack anyone who seems even remotely suspicious!"

"How else am I supposed to find the fool who dares impersonate our father?!" Lucina shouts back. "The moment sir Frederick shared what he had learned, that rogue made it personal!"

Severa rolls her eyes. "I swear, you're as bad around Daddy as Jack-sensei is around Lady Robin. Look, I'm as upset as you are that someone's pretending to be our father, but you don't see me fly off the handle. If Sensei knew I did that again, he'd scold me with a karate chop on the head – again."

Lucina releases a deep sigh. "No, you're right. Maybe we should look for the impostor together."

"Fine, if it will make you stop going on about the injustice of it all. These are outlaws Lucina. They don't play fair. And you'd better get us out of this situation first!"

Lucina blinks and looks around. The princesses find themselves surrounded by ruffians on all sides.

A particularly bold one eyes the royal sisters with glee. "Hey, those are some pretty lasses we have here, boys. Would be a shame if we'd hurt 'em."

An eyebrow twitches on Severa's face. She points Laevateinn at said Ruffian. "Then perish."

The ruffian goes up in flames, to the shock of his buddies.

"Eye me like a piece of meat, would he?" the redheaded princess mutters. "Hey, Lucina. Let's try that thing."

Lucina blinks a few times before she glances back at her sister. "You mean, the move Owain came up with one day because he was bored and wanted to figure out combination tactics?"

Severa nods. "Yeah, that one."

Lucina nods and steels herself. "All right. Ready?"

Severa smirks as flames dance over her sword. "Of course I am."

The sisters charge in the same direction. Lucina jumps into the air. At the same time, Severa sends a wave of flames at the ruffians ahead. The ruffians buckle down against the flames and weather the blow. Moments later, Lucina descends on them with an overhead swing. The blow itself already catches the ruffians off-guard, but Lucina's hasty retreat via L-cancel plain confuses them.

Until Severa tags in and brings down a flame clad Laevateinn on their unprepared faces.

*Boom!*

While the ruffians are still reeling from the redhead's attack, Lucina reenters the fray with a few quick Wavedashes and weaves in between the scattered ruffians while slashing at any opening she finds. Meanwhile, Severa circles the disoriented outlaws and boxes them in with her own slashes.

The ruffians are on their last legs when Severa crouches low. Moments later, Lucina slides to a stop besides her sister in a mirrored pose.

Severa releases a breath. "Ready…"

Lucina readies Parallel Falchion "Go!"

The sisters charge the group of ruffians one last time. A few paces before contact, Lucina zips ahead and pivots to take Severa's free hand in her own. From there, the sisters take turns in shifting their weight until they spin like a bladed boomerang. The flames coating Severa's sword trail behind the redheaded princess, turning their spinning motion into a vortex of fire and sharp edges. That's what hits the ruffians. Lucina and Severa slide to a stop as the ruffians land with various burn degrees and slash wounds all across their bodies.

Severa turns around and pumps her fist triumphantly. "Yes! Still works!"

Lucina gives her sister a proud smile. "For a moment, I thought the timing was off, but we are as synchronized as always. It feels good to fight alongside you again, Severa."

Severa blinks before she turns away from her sister and huffs with a blush. "W-well, of course you're well off when I fight beside you. I mean, I make any team up better."

Lucina raises an eyebrow at her sister's reply, but lets it slide.

"What in the- Who are you supposed to be?!" an unfamiliar voice exclaims.

The royal sisters turn to the new voice and gasp in shock. Standing in front of them is a young woman garbed just like Lucina.

Except this young woman bears several differences that are notable for anyone familiar with Chrom's eldest daughter. For one, the Lucina lookalike has purple short hair, as opposed to Lucina's long and blue. Second, the Lucina lookalike has a seemingly permanent scowl etched on her freckled face. Third, she carries no weapon resembling Falchion. Only a rapier.

"Now I understand." Lucina growls as she connects the dots in her head. "So you are the reason the townspeople were so afraid when they saw me."

Fake-Lucina scoffs. "What, you're another one of those floozies trying to leech off the fame of this supposed time traveling princess? Get in line, sister. There ain't enough place for two of us."

Severa snickers. "Wow… I'm not sure if this idiot is even trying. They fell for a fraud this bad? Guess you need to step up your game if the masses can't tell you from an obvious fake, Sis."

"Not the time, Severa!" Lucina yells exasperated and stomps towards the person impersonating as her. "As for you, I shall personally see to meting out your just desserts."

Fake-Lucina draws her rapier and gets in a loose stance. "Please. I've already cut down half a dozen of you wannabes by this point. What's one more loser to the body count? Though I admit your hair looks great at least."

Lucina gets in her own stance. "Bold words for a liar who is about to be exposed."

The two sword wielders charge each other. Sparks fly as their weapons clash over and over. Lucina notes that her opponent is constantly on the move. The loose stance allows for surprising flexibility in her strikes. In response, Lucina buckles down and gets ready to try to feel out her opponents attack patterns.

"What's the matter? Can't keep up?" Lucina's fake taunts as she weaves her rapier in a deadly dance against the princess.

Lucina angles Parallel Falchion diagonally to block a stab, sidesteps a downward swing and crosses her arms when her opponent sends a kick to her chest.

"Watch her movements closely…" the blue-haired princess reminds herself. "Remember what Master Jack taught you about finding habits. Find what kind of approach she prefers. And when you find the pattern…"

"Die!" the fake shouts triumphantly and stabs at Lucina's heart.

*Ching!*

Only for the stab to get deflected by a parry.

"…force an opening, and punish her mistake for all you're worth!"

Lucina wavedashes into the opening granted her for parrying her opponents attack. Before the fake princess can retake her stance, Lucina is already mid-swing. Right swing, diagonal, shoulder tackle, pommel to the face, grab, back throw, wavedash to the correct position and stab!

*Shink!*

Fake Lucina looks up at the real one in shock. Then she slowly looks to the left and sees Parallel Falchion stabbed into the ground, a hair's breadth from her face.

"You can only face justice if you're alive." Lucina points out. The princess crouches down and lifts up her impostor by the collar. "And you have a lot to answer for. Come on, Severa. Let's find somewhere to lock up this fraud until she can stand trial."

Severa shrugs and joins her sister. "Sure, whatever. But if we get in trouble for leaving the battle so soon, I'll blame you."

Lucina shakes her head. "If this is the best those rogues can muster, Father and the others should have no trouble subduing them."

As the fake princess gets dragged away, she slowly connects the dots. "Hold on… You mean to tell me you're the real Princess Lucina?!"

Severa smirks at the impostor. "About time you caught on, genius. Just so you know, my sister doesn't take kindly to liars."

BGM ends


POV: Jack

Seems like I have quite the sizable group of ruffians to take on. No matter. Their average level is pretty low. So low, in fact, that I wonder if I even need to draw Harvest Moon for this battle. If anything, these guys would better qualify as practice dummies for me to grind my Martial arts mastery.

"You sure you're gonna find your fake around here, Dad?" Rose asks as she hovers Kirby above her hand.

I crack my knuckles. "Gotta start somewhere, Rose. And since these guys are most probably on that punk's side, I might as well pry some answers out of them while venting some frustration in the process."

"So, what's the plan? It's not like your team's around to back you up."

I shake my head. "Nah, that'd be overkill. I can handle these bozos just fine. How about you?"

"Should be fine on my end. And if I ever get in a tough spot, I can just Magikazam my way out to safety."

I sweatdrop. "You're not gonna summon a random herd of sheep again, are you?"

My daughter shrugs. "Could happen. Or, you know, some ancient vampire could pop up out of thin air and flex on them, a British gentleman could unleash some sunlight kung fu, or a teenage delinquent could just go berserk because someone insulted his hairstyle. Random effects, remember?"

My sweatdrop grows bigger. "That's awfully specific for random effects."

"The point is, I'll be fine. You already know I can handle myself in a fight. It's not like you or Morgan have to act as my bodyguards."

"Speaking of which, where did Morgan go? I must've lost him sometime after all the fighting broke loose."

"I last saw him go with Mom. Said something about never leaving her unprotected."

I nod in approval. "Good move. That means we each have a person covered."

Rose gives me a flat look. "What did I just say about the bodyguard thing?"

"Ah. My bad."

"So, yer the guy who tried ta pummel our buddies into the ground, eh?" one of the ruffians asks me.

I look back at the outlaw. "And what if I am?"

The ruffian brandishes a Steel Sword. "Then we all have a beef with ya. No one messes with the Ripper's crew."

I narrow my eyes at his reply. "Ripper's crew", was it? Seems like I'm getting closer to the truth.

"Guess we're on the mark after all, Rose." I muse as I get into a fighting stance. "Our plan is simple; beat them up first, ask questions later."

The ruffian gets ready to fight as well. "Ya want a piece of us, punk? Come on, then."

"Hey, wait a sec." one of his fellow rogues interrupts. "Look at his clothes. Don't they look kinda familiar?"

"Yeah, that's what I thought." another one confirms. "Reminds me of the boss's clothes."

The second ruffian snickers. "What, this guy tryin' to look like Boss? As if. He looks like a twig next to our leader."

"Really?" I ask.

The next moment, I zip in front of the offending ruffian and send him flying by punch to the face.

"Can a twig do that, punk?"

The other ruffians back away, now clearly on guard.

"Hey. Did any of you see that guy move?"

"Don't look at me. One second he just stands there. The next, he socks Butz in the face before I can even blink."

"Uh… This guy might be trouble after all."

"As if! If we all gang up on him, he'll go down eventually!"

I smirk after I heard that last statement. I crouch down in a fighting stance again and make a come-hither motion. "Is that so? Care to put that to the test?"

"Hey! What's going on here?!" a new voice bellows from among the ruffians.

The outlaws respond accordingly and step aside to reveal-

"You cannot be serious…" I say with a deadpan face.

A bulky frame garbed in a purple robe that covers everything except the head, feet and hands. Black gloves on the hands, and leather boots on the feet. A smug face that belongs to someone in their forties, complete with a goatee and a surprising lack of hair on the scalp. And the most notable thing of all? A farmer's scythe painted white, fastened on his back.

"Boss! You're here?" one of the ruffians exclaim.

The bald man cracks his neck a few times. "Heard a bit of commotion further back. Next thing I know, Butz lands at my feet with a mark that looks like a fist in the middle of his face." That's when he notices me. "Huh. Didn't expect some lookalike to waltz around these parts.

"I finally found you, faker!" I growl as I walk towards him.

Fake-me grins back. "Faker? I think you're the fake around here. You're comparing yourself to me? Ha! You're not even good enough to be my fake!"

I pause in my approach and blink bemused. "Okay… That's a good response. I'll give you that."

Fake-me grins. "I know, right? This old geezer told me I should say that if anyone looking like me ever called me a fake. Said something about entertaining the "powers that be" or whatever. Never thought I'd ever have to do it, though."

"Wait a second… Bald old fart? Can't see his eyes? Won't stop ranting about the female form?"

The impersonator nods. "Sounds about right. You know 'im?"

I roll my eyes. "All too well."

Curse it all, Old man Hubba! Did you have to give this no name copycat scrub some kind of weird stuff to work with? If I find out you're the one who talked him into this whole impersonation thing, I'm coming for your wrinkly old butt, guard of the Outrealm gate notwithstanding.

Fake me shrugs and draws the weapon on his back. "Whatever. You're trying to copy the one and only Jack the Ripper, and the world ain't big enough for two of me. Guess I'll just rip you apart, just like the rest of my victims."

My right eyebrow twitches at the sight of this smug eyesore. This is the punk impersonating me?! I'm gonna beat the ever loving sh-t out of him!

"I'll make you eat those words." I growl as I draw Harvest Moon and shift it into scythe form.

The ruffians do a double take on my weapon.

"What the- Did you guys just see that?"

"His sword became a scythe! And it looks cooler than Boss's."

Fake-me growls. "So you've got a fancy prop for a weapon. Big deal! Wanna know how I became known as the ripper, little man? I jammed this sucker into the gut of whoever pissed me off, and then I ripped it out. That's what I'm gonna do to you."

I twirl Harvest Moon a few times and settle in a stance. "Please. That gardening tool is nothing compared my prized blade. If all you do is attack innocent townspeople and talk big, merely pointing my dear weapon at you feels like I'm insulting it."

A tic mark appears on his forehead. "Oh yeah? Let's hear you say that after I turn you into a corpse!"

"Is something the matter, Daddy?" a female voice asks from behind a few ruffians.

"Oh, screw you, Author! Screw! You!" Rose yells.

I look at my daughter with a raised eyebrow before I follow her line of sight. That's where I find…

…a young woman around Rose's age, in an outfit that, surprisingly enough, matches hers piece for piece. Though the clothes are the only real similarity between the two women. For one, the woman dressed like Rose looks completely different, from the hair color (pink) to the face (my daughter looks cuter, end of story). Second, this fake-Rose is…significantly curvier than my daughter.

"Just someone pretending to be me, hon." fake-me replies. "I'll put this fraud in his place, and then we can get straight back to where we were."

Fake-Rose practically drapes herself over my own fake. "I'd like that very much. We were just at the good part when all that noise came in. I'll just stay on the sidelines until you're done." She leans in to whisper in his ear. "We will have so much fun together."

A shiver runs down my spine. The fact that these two are supposed to impersonate me and Rose and the tone this female fraud speaks in when addressing my fake is wrong on more levels than I can count. Just… No!

"You're not watching from any sidelines, you harlot! Face me!" Rose growls as she readies Kirby and glares at her fake.

Fake-Rose gives my daughter a bored look before she straightens up and sashays towards her with an Elfire tome in hand.

"Oh? And how exactly do you intend to measure up to me? I'm more than just a pretty face, darling." she tells Rose haughtily. "I'm more than capable of knocking you flat on your face with my magic, while you have nothing more than that plush toy of yours. And let's not forget that I have these…" she runs her hands along her upper body to emphasize her point. "…while you have…nothing."

Rose face turns murderous. "That's it! I'll show you what happens when you mock a girl who got abandoned by the gods of puberty! You're going down, b-tch!"

BGM: I'll face myself, Persona 4 music

"Wrong BGM, Author!" Rose yells into the air. "Read the context!"

BGM interrupted

Everyone present look at my daughter strangely.

I sigh. "Yes, that's normal. No, I don't know who she's referring to." I shake my head and get back in my combat stance. "Not that you'll have any time to think about it. Get ready for a beatdown, you fraud!"

Fake-me brandishes his scythe (That freakin' eyesore!). "Hah! More like you should get ready to be gutted like a fish!"

BGM: Rival's battle theme, Pokémon Heart Gold & Soul Silver music

My fake charges me with a battle cry and his weapon reared back. A frontal assault? Really? As he reaches striking distance, he winds up the scythe for a terribly telegraphed upward swing. Seriously? All I need is a sidestep, and his swing goes wide.

"This is why mere serial killers are such bad fighters." I comment as I shove the butt end of Harvest Moon into his gut. Right afterwards, I unleash my own flurry of swings. To make things a bit more interesting, I aim more for leaving small gashes than slicing him to ribbons. Tears soon start to appear all over his cloak.

"I guess you use your big frame to just power through any counterattack normally directed at you by any slightly competent opponent." I continue as I assault him both verbally and physically. "And by the time they realize it doesn't stop you, you're in position to jam that scythe blade into their guts and rip it straight out. Hence, why you're known as "the Ripper". But guess what?"

I let up on my offensive to bait an attack. Like I thought, he's stupid enough to take it. I jump over his horizontal swing, use his scythe as a springboard and jump to land behind him.

"Your amateur tactics would never fly against someone of decent skill. You're just a bully who built his reputation on picking on people who don't fight back instead of fighting opponents who push you to improve. In other words, you're nothing but a big fish in a small pond."

"Would you shut up already?!" fake-me roars as he pivots for another violent horizontal slash. A quick twirl with Harvest Moon sends the swing wide and allows me to leave a crossed wound over his chest.

"And to top it all off, you have the gall to pretend you're someone way beyond your level, and drag their name through the mud in the process." I continue undeterred.

Before my fake can prepare another attack, I send him back with a kick to the gut (right on the fresh wound, naturally). Then I flip Harvest Moon into a reverse grip, so that I hold my scythe almost by the blade and point the butt end at my fake.

"So I'm going to show you just how far out of your league you are." I declare.

Fake-me shakes his head before he growls at me. "And how do you plan on that? By pointing the wrong end of a weapon at me? You're even stupider than you look."

I zip in front of him with Gale step and smack him over the face with Harvest Moon. "Lesson one: Underestimating your opponent is the quickest path to defeat." From there, I alternate between swatting his scythe aside or simply beat him over the head or at his wounds with Harvest Moon's shaft. "Just fighting defenseless townspeople has left whatever fighting skill you have rusty. You rely on brute force with hardly any tactics behind them, and so you've come to believe that's all you need to defeat anyone, simply because you've yet to meet anyone who can work their way around that strength."

Fake-me eventually manages to put his weapon against mine and shove me away to get some distance (I let him.).

"If you think I'm just gonna sit here and let you lecture me, you've got another thing coming!" he bellows. "You wanna see me get serious?! Your funeral, bub!"

This time, he leads with the butt end of his scythe, probably to force an opening before he swings the blade. A combo move, huh? Though it's pretty basic. I could do that merely a few weeks after I got Harvest Moon. The fact that I had at least 50 clones working on my form nonstop during those weeks has nothing to do with it. At least, that's what I tell myself.

I manage to sidestep both hits and stand right beside him when I smack him on the rear with Harvest Moon.

"With how slouched your back is, it's hard for you to put any of its strength into your swings." I lecture calmly. Then I poke him on the back of a knee, forcing him down. "What's more, you bend your knees too little, which means your center of gravity is too high. A flanking blow knocks you off-balance too easily. And yet, you tend to overextend your swings, even when the reward is too small in proportion to the risk. All this points towards you being an amateur at best at wielding a scythe in battle. Heck, your weapon's not even suited for a real fight."

"And what do you know?!" fake-me roars as he forces himself back on his feet.

Huh. Stubborn one, I'll give him that. But endurance means nothing if all it does is prolong the inevitable. By this point, his moves are so sluggish that I hardly have to try dodging. Sidestep, lean left, jump on the scythe, flick him on the nose, duck low, poke him on the knee, swerve sideways, a whack on the arm, a smack on the hand. Really, it's comical how much he's still trying to land a hit on me. In fact…

"Come on. Stop trying to hit me and hit me." I taunt him while I dodge his wild swings with minimum effort.

"Shut up already!" fake-me shouts as he charges straight at me.

*Poke*

"Augh! My eye!" fake-me screams as he drops the scythe and rolls on the ground in pain.

"It's almost sad how easy it is to beat you." I muse as I put away Harvest Moon and rummage in my bag to pull out the surprise I had ready for him. Fake-me eventually gets back up. He and every other ruffian watching us give me a look of disbelief at what I pulled out of my bag; a glass jar filled with dirt.

I grin. "Guess what's in it."

Fake-me's eyebrow twitches. "Are you actually going to fight me, or are you just going to mock me?!"

I shrug. "Considering how much you suck at fighting, it really makes no difference to me. Just so you know, this is what will bring you down."

"Like h-ll it will!" fake-me roars as he charges me again.

I sigh. Really? Is charging headfirst the only thing he can do? I'd better put an end to this farce before his embarrassment starts to affect me.

I toss the jar up into the air and get in a stance. Fake-me shouts a battle cry as he gets in range and swings his scythe at me.

*Clang!*

His eyes widen in shock as he finds the blade of his weapon caught between my elbow and knee. From there, I grab the shaft with my free hand and yank him towards me to elbow his face, stomp on his foot, poke him in the eyes (again) and finally grab his arm before I turn around and slam him into the ground. As my imposter lies groaning on the ground, I bend over him.

"You will remember this as the day you were publicly humiliated, beaten to a pulp and exposed for the fraud that you are." I point upwards with my thumb. "Also, jar."

I straighten up and take a step back. Moments later, the glass jar comes back down and crashes right into his face, finally knocking him out.

"For me, it was Tuesday."

The ruffians look at the aftermath of our battle (if it could even be called that) in awe.

"Holy cow… He beat boss without even breaking a sweat." one ruffian mutters in disbelief.

"Hey, don't you think there's something weird about this guy?" another one points out. "I mean, look at him. He's got a weapon that reminds me of Boss's, but that one looks like it actually works. It's almost like he fights like…" he blanches. "…the grim reaper…"

"I thought Boss's nickname sounded off…" a third muses. His eyes widen. "Hold on a sec! Does that mean…we've been following a fake this whole time, and that guy is the real Jack?!"

I turn around smirking and point my thumb at myself. "Yes! I am!"

Note to self; Make Muhammad Avdol proud.

Now that I've established who the real Jack is, I can finally take the time to observe how Rose is doing.

"Stand still and let me wreck you already!" my daughter yells as she throws spells of all kinds of elements at her fake while adding a ballistic Kirby to the mix every now and then.

It honestly astounds me how wide her spell repertoire is. Judging by the fact that she's got a tome open, I assume that's where she has the bulk of her spells recorded, as well as the rune circles inscribed on the pages to cast them more easily.

For fake-Rose's part, she alternates between dodging for dear life and trying to not look like a complete amateur. Seems like this fake placed more faith in her looks than actual combat prowess (for notable reasons).

That is, until Rose's fake pulls off a flick-flack and manages to gain enough distance to counter with her own array of spell. A trio of fireballs fly from her hands and collide with the icicles launched by Rose. As the dust settles, both girls appear to be somewhat winded from the exchange.

"This is ridiculous…" Rose's fake mutters in disbelief. "How can one person have that many spells recorded in a single tome?"

Rose finally allows herself to smirk. "I'm the type of person who keeps pulling all kinds of crazy stuff out of my hat for the sake of either pure awesomeness or wacky comedy. Mediocre NPC:s like yourself could never understand. And that's why you could never imitate me properly."

"Enough of your nonsense!" fake-Rose growls as a rune circle glows under her feet. "So what if you have a wide range of spells under your belt. None of that matters unless it's backed up by proper power! Take this! Arcfire!"

A red-hot stream of flames erupts from her hand and surges towards Rose. In response, my daughter snaps her fingers.

"Too easy. Flood wall!"

A wave of water forms in front of Rose and crashes into the incoming fire spell. A massive cloud of steam is formed as the spells cancel each other out.

Fake-Rose slumps forward in shock. "No way… My strongest spell…"

Rose scoffs. "Was that seriously the best you had to offer? Come on, at least tell me you have a tier 4 spell hidden somewhere in your skillset. To think that a wimp like you tried to copy me, of all people?" Rose lazily waves her hand in front of her as her tome glows bright red. "Let me show you what a real fire spell looks like. Crown fire!"

A rune circle forms under Rose's fake in a second. The next, a vortex of fire erupts from it and engulfs the imposter. Her screams of pain mix with the roar of flames until they die down. Fake-Rose is still very much alive, judging from the fact that she's still breathing, but the effects of the spell are clear to see from the singed clothes and burn marks all over her body.

"I toned it down a bit because I wanted to save up for the finisher." Rose comments. "And look, fan service. Enjoy, readers!"

That's when fake-Rose notices the state of her clothing (note: lack thereof), the stares she receives from the surrounding ruffians and tries her best to cover the exposed skin. "Eek! Stop staring at me!"

"That's what you get for prancing around with stuff you should be grateful for." Rose declares as she raises her tome into the air. Now that I take a closer look, the tome is that Tot-B-Gon tome I noticed back in port Ferox. "This is for flat girls everywhere!"

Rose channels a massive amount of mana through her tome. But instead of any rune circle appearing or anything of the sort, Rose's tome simply grows larger. And larger…

A drop of sweat forms on the back of my head as I tilt my head backwards to comprehend how big her tome gets. "Oi, oi… That's a bit much, Rose."

Rose's fake looks in horror at the gargantuan object casting a shadow over her. "H-hey… You're not going to hit me with that, are you? I-I can fix this! Honest! Just please let me go!"

By the time Rose's tome stops growing, it has reached a size comparable to a three-story house (How is she even lifting that thing?).

"Flat is justice!"

Rose slams down the tome on her imposter with all the fury of an enraged teenage girl.

*THOOM!*

The impact is so powerful that the ground briefly shakes.

When the dust settles, Rose's tome shrinks back to its original size. In the rectangular crater left in the aftermath, Rose's fake lies knocked out and flattened from having a massive flat object dropped on top of her.

Rose hops into the crater, picks up her tome and dusts it off. "Never mess with an OC who can break the fourth wall, b-tch."

BGM ends


POV: General

Sumia performs a loop in the air to avoid an arrow. As she finishes the loop, she hurls her lance at the Bow Knight who shot it before he can prepare a new arrow. The blow stuns the ruffian, allowing Sumia to close the distance, grab her lance again, and channel an Elthunder spell through the weapon and straight into the Bow Knight. The mounted archer screams in pain before he falls off his horse (who miraculously avoided getting electrocuted) as a smoking and twitching heap.

Some distance away, Frederick tears through the outlaws' ranks with his Savage Lynel Crusher in full swing. The Great Knight commands his horse to jump over a low Beast Killer swing from a General before he brings down his massive club and turns the armored outlaw into mush under heavily deformed armor. Frederick prepares for another attack run when he suddenly notices a flier approach him fast. He raises his shield to intercept the opening blow.

*Krang!*

His eyes widen in shock as he notices not only that his shield buckles under the force of the attack, but he's pushed back as well. A glance upwards reveals that his attacker is Cynthia, the young Pegasus Knight from before, which only shocks Frederick even further.

"How in the world does she put so much force behind a simple lance thrust?" the Great Knight asks himself as he struggles to weather the heavy blow. His horse eventually skids to a halt, but Cynthia has already retreated to a distance too far away for him to retaliate. That's when the Great Knight notices the green sparks dancing over the young Pegasus Knight's body. "What could be the source of those sparks? They were not there when we first met her. It may well have something to do with her tremendous strength…"

Cynthia, for her part, glares at Frederick. "Tell me, villain. Where did you get that weapon?"

Frederick blinks bemused before he lifts up his Savage Lynel Crusher. "This? It is a gift that an ally gave me a few years ago. Why do you ask?"

"Because I know exactly what that weapon is." Cynthia explains. "And the fact that you hold it gives me more questions that I'm comfortable with asking. For starters, what are you doing on the opposite side?"

"Opposite side?" Frederick asks confused. "Why, it is only natural that I am. That is where my liege is, after all."

Horror grows on Cynthia's face. "Oh no… Don't tell me that scoundrel deceived you… Look, there's something you need to know, now!"

"Pardon me, but I think you may be the one misinformed." Sumia interjects. "Can we speak a moment?"

"I'm the one misinformed?!" Cynthia snaps back. "Your words ring as hollow as-" That's when the young Pegasus Knight takes note of the ring hanging from a small chain around Sumia's neck. "Ring as hollow… Ring? Y-your RING!"

Sumia blinks confused. "What about my ring?"

One second, Cynthia sits completely still on her mount. The next, she glomps Sumia with a massive smile on her face. "MOTHER!"

"Oh gods, that's a strong grip." Sumia groans in Cynthia's embrace. Then the last word registers in her brain. "Wait, "Mother"?"

Cynthia looks up at the Dark Flier with tears brimming in her eyes. "It is you! Oh, Mother, you're alive! I never thought I'd see you again! I… I…" And like that, the floodgates burst open, and Cynthia buries her face against Sumia as she cries – a lot.

Unsure what to do, Sumia gingerly pats Cynthia on the head. "Um… Are you all right?"

Cynthia looks back up at her mother with tears still streaming down her face and a significant amount of snot from her nostrils. "How can I not be okay?! It's the first time I see my mother in years, and when I do, you're with the bad guys! How could you fall for the lies of some rogue pretending to be Prince Chrom? Worse yet, how could both you AND Father fall for the same lie?!"

"I believe that is where you are wrong." Frederick interjects. "If you would please look at the man fighting over there, his actions should speak for him."

Cynthia reluctantly wipes her face before she follows where Frederick is pointing. Among the men she's considered her allies for quite some time, a lone man tears through their ranks with astonishing ease. Cynthia squints her eyes as she tries to get a better look at that man.

Blue hair? Check.
Brand of the exalt on the shoulder? Check.
Fierce swordplay? Check.
Dashing, heroic figure? Check.
Cape fluttering for no apparent reason? There's hardly any wind around these parts, so, check.
Falchion?

A Berserker manages to close in on the blue-haired swordsman and brings down his axe with enough force to crater the ground under the swordsman's feet. Nevertheless, the blue-haired warrior manages to block the swing with his sword and pushes back. What's more, the sword shows neither scratch nor dent from the impact. Since Cynthia herself knows firsthand how strong that Berserker is (thanks to a round of arm wrestling, which she won), it's safe to assume that the sword can, for all intents and purposes, be considered indestructible.

Check.

BGM: You say run, My Hero Academia OST

Cynthia's eyes slowly widen to the size of dinner plates as realization dawns on her. "Eh…? EEEEEEEHH?!"

"I'm sorry to say this…" Sumia tells her remorsefully. "…but I'm afraid you've served under the very rogue you fought so hard to put down."

Cynthia shakes with barely contained rage. "That crooked scoundrel… I will END HIM!"

The green sparks reappear all over Cynthia's body as she jumps back on her pegasus and tosses away her Steel Lance. In its place, the Pegasus Knight reaches behind her back and pulls out a Savage Lynel Crusher. "Deku! Full speed!"

Sumia's and Frederick's eyes widen in shock.

"What in the world?! Where did you get-" *Whoosh!*

Sumia's question goes unanswered as Cynthia speeds off on top of her pegasus, massive metal club raised with more ease than a girl of her physique has any right to achieve, and leaving a trail of green sparks as she goes.


Ruger chuckles as he sends two more mercenaries towards the army coming for him. "Fools, the lot of them. A few honeyed promises of riches, and they dance in the palm of my hand. Now to make my grand-"

"Get back HEEEERE!"

The Trickster turns around to see who screamed behind him. The moment he sees the enraged Cynthia catch up to him at terrifying speeds wielding an equally terrifying giant metal club, he does the only reasonable choice;

Run like a yellow-bellied chicken, and throw as many meat shields as he can in the way!

"Stop her! I don't care how! Just do it!" Ruger shouts as he runs as fast as he can.

The mercenaries share a confused look before they brace themselves for the clash.

*Ka-BRAM!*

And find their ranks smashed as Cynthia swings down her Crusher with more strength and speed than her physique would suggest.

"I should've known there was something wrong when you kept demanding food and supplies from the townspeople without so much as a "thank you"!" the Pegasus Knight shouts as she swings her weapon at the interfering mercenaries and tries to open a path towards the imposter.

Cynthia finds her path blocked by an Arcwind spell cast as a wall by a nearby Dark Knight. Normally, a Pegasus Knight would make a hard turn to dodge a wind spell of this magnitude.

Cynthia jumps off her pegasus and swings down on the Arcwind spell so hard that it dissipates. From there, she continues on foot.

"There is no rogue who is beyond justice! I will put you down and make you answer for your crimes, even if it's the last thing I do!"

"Hold your horses, little girl!" a Paladin shouts as he rides to intercept her. "I don't know what's gotten into you, but I'm not about to let a lunatic like you assault Lord Chrom like that!"

"Would you just zip up and LET ME THROUGH ALREADY?!" Cynthia shouts as she sends the poor rider flying into the distance. Seeing a small opening among the mercenaries' ranks, Cynthia whistles Deku to her side and jumps on. From there, she uses the pegasus as a springboard and launches herself over the rest of the mercenaries and right over Ruger.

The Trickster receives the shock of his life as Cynthia lands in front of him with enough force to briefly send him airborne from the shockwave.

"Hey, villain. Have you ever heard these words before?" Cynthia rears back her Savage Lynel Crusher.

"Go beyond…" The sparks expand until they cover the massive weapon as well.

"…plus…" Ruger briefly contemplates his life choices. It doesn't look good.

"UULTRAAAAAA!"

A sound not unlike a thunderclap rings out over the battlefield as the Savage Lynel Crusher makes contact. The world goes still in that very moment. Then everything resumes with Ruger breaking the sound barrier the next moment and flies straight across the battlefield.


Jack knocks a Mercenary's sword aside and downs him with a kick to the head. Just as he's about to find another target, he notices something approach at extreme speeds.

"Whoa!" *Ka-bram!*

A ballistic…something crashes into what little remains of a house, reducing it to a mere heap of rubble. Jack goes to inspect the mysterious projectile, only to find it to be a human in extremely bad shape, but somehow still alive.

The Gamer frowns. "Wait a minute… Blue hair? Fancy clothing? And that mark of the exalt definitely looks fake. This must be the guy impersonating Chrom. But what's he doing here?"

Jack looks in the direction Ruger flew in from. "And what could've reduced him to such a state?"


Meanwhile back with the misled mercenaries, the sellswords regard Cynthia with a great deal of fear for what she just did.

"Did you see that swing?" one of them asks in a shaking voice. "That raw power was just ridiculous."

"So that's the power of one trained under Jack the Reaper…" another one muses.

Cynthia, for her part, cradles her right arm gingerly while wincing in pain. "Man, I've still got a long way to go. Father would've settled this mess in just ten moves." Despite the pain, the Pegasus Knight grins right through it. "I needed more than a hundred."

BGM ends


POV: Jack

It took a while, but the fighting has finally settled down. Turns out Chrom's fake stumbled upon a band of traveling mercenaries who happened to be around, and sent them our way with his impersonation act. While unexpected, we managed to hold the mercenaries back long enough for the heat of the battle to die down and everyone to notice that the whole reason why this battle started in the first place had been beaten within an inch of his life – which, by all rights, shouldn't even be possible, considering no human being should be able to survive an impact that sends them flying at supersonic speeds, not to mention another impact against stone that effectively breaks the flight in an instant. Miriel is still hovering over the fake, trying desperately to figure out how he's still alive after all that, before he's transported away to the local garrison in wait for his trial.

"That's the last of them." Chrom sighs tiredly as one final dozen ruffians are piled into a cart to be taken to the same place as their leader is bound for.

Frederick nods. "We can explain the truth to those mercenaries as we tend their wounds."

Yeah, while we did manage to end the fight without killing any of the mercenaries, we still managed to give several of them a massive beating. Morgan in particular proved himself to be astoundingly good at instilling the fear of Naga in one particular sellsword who had the terrible idea of calling Robin a fake. Said mercenary now suffers from a pathological fear of overprotective Mama's boys and flying boulders the size of wheelbarrows. Good thing Lissa's dabbed in a bit of therapy during our peacetime.

"Frankly, I'm shocked that scoundrel had the audacity to impersonate you, milord." Frederick muses."

Chrom frowns. "Not the worst of his crimes, I'm sure."

Frederick shakes his head. "It is unacceptable, milord. I have clearly failed in my duties as a knight." The Great Knight clenches his armored fist with determination burning in his eyes. "I shall draft a series of portraits and see that copies are distributed to all! Never again shall someone mistake the noble visage of my lord Chrom for-"

Chrom grimaces. "Frederick, please just let it go. We have more pressing matters to concern ourselves with."

Frederick does a subtle snort, which is his version of pouting. "And here I had everything ready to recreate your portrait from the latest recruitment campaign, right down to the scales and your stance – with updates on your physique, of course."

"Absolutely not!"


Lucina and Severa finish up their medical checks with Maribelle when the blue-haired princess senses someone approach her at high speeds.

"LUUUCIII!" *Glomp!*

"My ribs…" Lucina groans from within Cynthia's bear hug.

"Oh, Luci! I've missed you so much!" Cynthia tells the princess as tears of joy stream down her face. "I was terrified when I couldn't find anyone of our friends after I opened my eyes in this timeline, so I first thought I was the only one who made it through. But now we're back together again, and this time, justice will win!"

Severa rolls her eyes. "Oh, joy. Our little champion of justice is as enthusiastic as ever."

Cynthia pouts. "Aw, don't be like that, Sevvy. If you wanted a hug yourself, all you had to do was ask. I sure have a lot of catching up to do with the hugging."

Severa takes a nervous step back. "No, no. You keep your distance from me. I'd prefer my spine not to snap before I reach the age of twenty, thank you very much."

Cynthia grins and lets go of Lucina (much to the blue-haired princess's relief) to approach Severa (much to the red-haired princess's dismay). "Hey it's not that bad. I can hug a log without accidentally crushing it now. My hugs are filled with lots of affection, and nothing else."

"Really, I'm fine, Cynthia. You don't have to hug me or my sister every time you see us."

"You're getting a hug, end of story!" Cynthia declares with finality.

"Daddy! Help!"

As the two young women run off into the distance, I glance at Lucina. "You three seem awfully close."

Lucina nods with a fond smile. "Yes. When Father and Mother passed away, Sumia and Frederick took me and Severa into their home to fulfill their duties as our godparents. But even if they never had such responsibilities, they raised me and my sister as their own children anyway. As a result, Cynthia came to see us as her sisters, even though neither Severa nor I are related to her by blood. It is similar to how I consider Sumia to be somewhat of a second mother to me."

"Oh, I love you too, Lucina!" Sumia replies with tears streaming down her face as she hugs the princess tightly. "Blood bonds mean nothing in this case! You're as much of a daughter to me as any child I will give birth to in the future." Then the Dark Flier blinks. "Wait a minute… Cynthia did call me "Mother" before she stormed off on her pegasus. Does that mean…?"

"I believe it best if you asked her yourself, Lady Sumia." Lucina groans from within the embrace. Huh. So that's where Cynthia got the death hug from.

"Please!"

"No!"

"Pleeaase!"

"No means "no", Cynthia!"

The three of us turn in the direction where the conversation came from and notice an odd sight (which, in all honesty, is practically the norm among the Shepherds). Cynthia gives Severa puppy dog-eyes, while Severa glares back at the Pegasus Knight while using Frederick as a human shield for any sort of advances Cynthia might try on the princess.

"Cynthia, I believe Princess Severa has made her opinion on this matter clear. Hugging her is only acceptable if you have her consent. To violate that would technically be a grave offense, as she is royalty by birth." Frederick points out.

Cynthia slumps forward disappointed. "Aw. And I promised I'd be gentle too."

Lucina pinches the bridge of her nose and sighs. "Just…give it some time, Cynthia. We all need some time to adjust, after all we have no doubt been through after arriving in the past."

Cynthia pouts. "And here I thought we could have a giant group hug together. Oh well. Guess I'll wait until the whole gang's back together."

Severa suppresses a shiver. "Oh gods… Please don't place me between you and Nah. I can't handle both of you at once."

BGM: Ilia's theme, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess music

"Pardon my intrusion, but there's something I wish to ask you, Cynthia." Sumia interjects. "Earlier when we met on the battlefield, you called me "Mother". Does that mean what I think it does?"

Cynthia shuffles her feet. "Um… About that. Yes, you are my mother, Sumia, which makes Frederick my father."

Frederick nods. "Ah, I thought as much. I did find it odd that you wielded a weapon much like my own. A weapon that, to my knowledge, does not even exist in this world."

The Pegasus Knight nods. "Yeah. I technically got it from you, Father. By the way, I'm sorry for insinuating that you were a thief after I noticed you wielding your own giant club."

Frederick smiles. "If it is any comfort, I took no offense in it. Though what do you mean with you technically inheriting that weapon form me?"

The mood instantly turns somber among the three youths from the future.

"You were always a dedicated man, no matter what cause you had committed yourself to." Cynthia explains. "Be it you duty to Luci's and Sevvy's parents, or your life as a family man, you always gave it your all and would lay down your life to protect others. And one day, that's what happened." Cynthia shuts her eyes as tears spill from them. "One day, you set out to help defend a village that was under attack from the Fell dragon's forces."

The Pegasus Knight pulls out her Savage Lynel Crusher. "You never came back. This weapon was the only thing the knights in your squad could retrieve from the battlefield."

Sumia gasps in horror while barely holding back her own tears. "Oh gods…"

Frederick hums. "So I fell in the line of duty. I suppose such will be my lot in life, as I have chosen to be a knight in service of the royal family. And yet… I doubt that would be a satisfactory answer."

"To heck with duty! Cynthia lost her father, and our godmother became a widow that day!" Severa yells. When everyone looks at her, she blushes and shrinks back. "Sorry. Sore topic."

"But it's true." Cynthia confirms. "You were absolutely heartbroken when you heard the news, Mother. What's worse, you never got the time to mourn Father. Not long afterwards, you had to leave and defend the people too." Cynthia reaches behind her and pulls out a sharp piece of metal.

Sumia gives it a closer look. "Is that a spearhead?"

Cynthia nods. "It hasn't been made yet. You promised me we'd make it together after you came back."

Sumia frowns before her eyes widen in shock. "Wait a minute! If it wasn't made, then that means…"

Cynthia bites her lip. "You never came back… The village was safe, but only because you threw yourself at the enemy forces and put everything into defending the people. You never returned from that battle." Cynthia shakes as her tears return. "You broke your promise to me. How could you leave me, Mother? You were a legend! You were invincible!"

Sumia runs to her daughter and embraces her. "I'm sorry, Cynthia. I'm so sorry for leaving you like that. I guess I'm not much of a legend after all."

"…You are to me." the Pegasus Knight sniffles against her mother's chest. "Both you and Father are the greatest heroes I've ever known."

Sumia smiles gently at her daughter. "I may not be invincible, but at least I was blessed with a wonderful child. Had we decided what sort of haft to give the spear? We can pick up the materials in the next town."

Cynthia looks up at her mother hopeful. "W-we can?"

Sumia nods. "I promised, didn't I?

And the floodgates burst open for the third time for the young Pegasus Knight. "Oh… Mother… I love you!"

BGM ends


Quest alert
Side quest: Wings of justice
With incidents like these happening, you can hardly wait until identity verification gets invented in the world of Fire Emblem. At the very least, the band of ruffians who have terrorized the local towns have been defeated, Chrom's good name has been restored, and Frederick has a new informational campaign in the works, whether Chrom likes it or not.
Objective: Defeat all ruffians.
Objective cleared!
Rewards: You gained 10 000 EXP! You gained 10 000 gold!
Bonus objective: Defeat the rogue who impersonates Chrom.
Bonus objective cleared!
Bonus rewards:
You gained 5 000 EXP! You gained 5 000 gold!

To be continued


Cynthia's character sheet

Cynthia Lvl 31 Class: Pegasus Knight
Sumia's daughter from the future. A bright and cheerful young woman with a strong sense of justice, and she's not afraid to make it known to others. On the other hand, she has inherited her mother's tendency to trip over just about anything, which makes her speeches about justice, no matter how passionate, fall flat to most of the audience. Under Jack's tutelage, she developed a skillset and personality traits similar to those of the number one hero, All Might. The biggest attention hog.
Born on May 14
th.

Titles: Wings of Justice (+ 7 % CHAR)
Pega-pony princess (+ 10 % Movement speed, -5 % CHAR)

HP: 4 800 / 4 800
MP: 1 975 / 1 975

STR: 40
VIT: 34
DEX: 51
INT: 17
WIS: 27
CHAR: 30.6 (30 * 1.02)
LUCK: 10

ITEMS:
Steel Lance (Equipped)
Savage Lynel Crusher
Concoction

Skills:

Polearm mastery, Lvl 40 [63.0 %], Passive
The spear is believed to be the first weapon man ever wielded, mainly for the purpose of hunting. Long and slim, polearms are easy to use but difficult to master due to their length and rigidity. Those who master these weapons not only gain an advantage in range – they can also attack in more ways than many other weapons offer. It has the added benefit of looking awesome AF too.
Increases attack speed and attack power by 200 % when attacking with a polearm of any kind.

Blunt weapon mastery, Lvl 33 [18.0 %], Passive
Weapons don't need to be sharp and pointy to be dangerous. Wielding a blunt, weighty weapon can reduce even the toughest fighters to mush with a heavy enough blow. Increases attack speed and attack power by 165 % when attacking with a blunt weapon such as a hammer or any object with a dull impact surface.

Animal buddy, Lvl 35 [83.0 %], Passive
The introduction of cavalry was a milestone that changed warfare forever. The ability to ride on an animal grants the rider mobility beyond what most, if not all, foot soldiers could ever achieve. Of course, a rider is only as dangerous on the battlefield as their ability to ride their mount in battle allows them to. In other words, your combat prowess heavily depends on how well you can work with your mount on the battlefield.
Increases movement speed and attack power by 25 % and DEX by 11 % while riding a mount.

Stone face, Lvl MAX, Passive
You may look delicate, but you're no stranger to taking impacts to the face, be it from others or because you're just that clumsy. Having suffered so much facial trauma during your life has strengthened every facet of your countenance to the point that almost nothing can mar it, not even stone. In fact, you may even be able to break something with your face alone due to how hard it's gotten. And yet, your cheeks remain as soft as ever. No, it doesn't make sense. Negates all damage caused by attacks hitting the face unless it's a bladed weapon.

One for All, Lvl 25 [15 %], Active, Cost: 180 MP per minute
The signature ability of the world's greatest hero, All Might. The power in this ability has been stockpiled and passed down from generation to generation. At least, the source version is. This version merely increases your power and speed proportionally to how much you crank it up. The higher you go, the stronger you become. But be warned. Should you draw out more power than you can handle, your body will be damaged in the process. Every hero knows that saving someone always includes a measure of risk. How great are the ones you take?
Increases STR, movement speed and attack speed by 5 times a multiplier between 1 and 100. Should the multiplier exceed your skill level with this ability, you will take damage equal to 80 times the difference between the multiplier and your skill level each second this skill is active.

Smash!, Lvl 33 [84 %], Active, Cost: 128 MP
While intended as a last resort, there are times when the only solution to a dangerous situation is to simply rush in and hit danger in the face as hard as you can. Get in there, clench your butt cheeks, and shout your fighting spirit from the bottom of your heart! Expect large amounts of collateral damage if used in combination with One for All.
Base damage: 1 200 % of the user's STR. Element: None. Ignores 14 % of the target's defense.
Synchronization bonus: If used while One for All is active, attack power and attack speed increase by 30 %.

Plus Ultra!, Lvl max, Passive
A true hero never stops overcoming the misfortunes in life. These words are the foundation of self-improvement, one of the most important qualities in life. Only by daring to go beyond your comfort zone will you discover new horizons previously unknown to you. Only by going beyond your limits will you surpass them. That being said, do keep in mind that exceeding your capabilities puts a heavy strain on yourself, no matter where your limit may be. Doing so recklessly will only shorten your life, though it willprobably end in a blaze of glory. It's not just about surpassing yourself – it's also about knowing when to do it.
Allows the user to increase the multiplier of One for All beyond 100. Doing so doubles the HP loss so long as the multiplier exceeds the current skill level.


Preview of the next chapter:

Chrom: At long last. Valm.

*Soldiers chase Say'ri through the port town*

Valmese: We have you now! Surrender, and we will only make this slightly painful.

Say'ri: Confound it all, do they ever stop?!

Robin: Something tells me she's important. We'd better rescue her.

Jack: Leave that to me, honey!

Next time on Gamer Emblem Awakening:

Valm ho! The resistance balances on a sword's edge!

*Jack parkours across the rooftops*

Lon'qu: He's up to something crazy again. I can just feel it…


Omake 1: That time back in Ferox…

"Man, I never thought much of this, Luci, but you look good in that Marth disguise." Cynthia comments back at the ship heading for Valm.

Lucina nods smiling. "Thank you, Cynthia. More importantly, though, it turned out to be a very convincing disguise. No one realized that I am not even a man."

The Pegasus Knight grins. "See? I told you all those acting lessons would pay off."

"Wait, you're the ones who helped Lucina make her disguise?" Lissa asks.

Cynthia nods proudly. "Yup! I came up with the design. See, I'm a huge fan of the Hero-King, what with him being a legendary hero and all. So when Luci wanted to take the name of a hero to inspire the people, I knew exactly which one to draw inspiration from!"

"And it took all of us pooling our resources together to make that outfit." Severa grumbles. "Do you have any idea how much work it took to make Lucina's clothes, Auntie Lissa? It was a giant pain in the butt."

"But it all worked in the end, didn't it?" Lissa points out. "I mean, you had us all fooled, Lucina. Not to mention you're good enough with a sword to back up your performance in case someone would doubt you."

"I'll say." Jack interjects grinning. "Your disguise was so convincing that Lissa developed a small crush on you."

Blushes grow on Lucina's and Lissa's faces.

"Did you have to bring that up, Jack?!" Lissa yells angry.

Jack grins with zero remorse. "Hey, you were the one with the dreamy face while Khan Basilio told us about how Lucina kicked Lon'qu's butt."

"Ah… I-I'm flattered, Aunt Lissa." Lucina stutters awkwardly. "I never expected it to be so convincing, but-"

Lissa flails her arms. "I got over it, I swear!"

Chrom rubs his chin with an amused smile. "Heh. I had completely forgotten about that. Ah, what I wouldn't give to tell Emm all about this before we went our separate ways."

"Chrom!/Father!"

Severa elbows her sister with a smug smirk. "Oh, playing for the other team, are you, Sis? Not that I'm judging. I helped Cynthia with the design, after all."

Lucina hides her face in her hands. "Severa, please… I can't take much more of this."

Chrom laughs. "Ah, I think I needed that. No better way to liven up a journey than with some laughter among familiar company."

"Speak for yourself." Lissa huffs indignant. Then she glares at Jack. "This is all your fault, Jack! If you hadn't brought that up, I wouldn't be in this situation!"

"You only have yourself to blame, Lissa." Jack counters grinning.

Lissa's eye twitches before she pulls out Betty. "Stay right where you are, or I might put holes in the ship."

Jack sweatdrops and back away. "Uh… Now, Lissa. You know just as well as me how bad of an idea that is."

For every step Jack takes backwards, Lissa takes one forward.

"Then you'd better take it like a man. Hope you don't mind a few dozen bruises." A sweet smile adorns her face. "Don't worry. Maribelle and I make a good team when it comes to healing."

"Not happening!" Jack shouts and zips around the ship with Gale step.

"Get back here!" Lissa yells as she gives chase.


Omake 2: Why commenting on a girl's chest is a bad idea.

After Rose flattened her imposter, the ruffians huddle together to discuss among themselves.

"Hey… That guy with the scary sword-scythe thingy proved that he's the real Jack." one of the ruffians points out. "Wouldn't that mean that the mage girl following him around is the real deal as well?"

The ruffians peek out from their huddle to look at Rose, who's just replaced her tome in its holster.

"Can't argue with that." one of the ruffians agree. "I never even knew you could use magic like that."

One of his buddies snorts. "You don't know the first thing about magic at all."

"Shaddup! Like you're any smarter!"

"Still…" the first ruffian muses as he rubs his chin. "I can't help but think that there's something…lacking with this girl. You guys catch my drift?"

The other ruffians nod sagely.

"Oh yeah."

"Totally."

"The other one may have been fake, but, man. Those curves!"

Unbeknownst to the ruffians, Rose's ear twitches in their direction.

"I know, right?" one particular ruffian points out grinning. "Seriously, with curves like those, I'd probably stick with her any day of the week. The real one however seems a bit… Eh…"

His buddy nods. "Yeah, I know. Girl's as flat as a b-"

The ruffians freeze up as a wave of suffocating killing intent washes over them.

"So, I'm not good enough for you, huh?" Rose asks ominously while surrounded by a bloodred aura and her eyes glow the same color.

The ruffians back away slowly. "Uh… Did she hear that?"

Rose cracks her knuckles as she steps forward. Each crack sounds like reality itself is breaking. "Every single word."

"Now, Rose. They may be outlaws, but keep in mind that they're misguided outlaws." Jack tells his daughter.

"I don't care, Dad." Rose growls. "These punks dare talk about my figure? Do they even realize the feelings they're trampling on?"

Jack looks at his daughter with a sweatdrop before he sighs. "Fine, you can beat them within an inch of their lives. Just don't kill them, Rose."

Rose crosses her arms over her head and swings them down on both sides of her body. At the same time, the Dark Mage lifts a leg into the air, turns sideways and slams her foot back down on the ground.

"Messatsu!"

Rose gained "Raging Demon"!

"Rose! I said don't kill them!"


Jack's encyclopedic corner

Jar of dirt, Miscellaneous, Very common
A glass jar that has been filled with dirt. The story goes that a legendary (if nonchalant and slightly crazy) pirate captain once used an object like this to repel a terrifying adversary at sea – with mixed results. There really isn't much about this item that is special. It's just a jar filled with dirt that can be found anywhere. Though the weight alone might have some uses.
Can be used as a weapon. In such a case, this item counts as a blunt weapon with a base damage of 10. Breaks after one use.


You say Ru-

Ah, screw it! You already know how the meme goes!

To clarify, Rose didn't actually learn the Raging Demon. Omakes are meant to be little skits that aren't necessarily connected to the main plot. Just take it with a grain of salt.

Until next time.

VipeR out.