Hello, dear readers. CrossVipeR316 here with the latest chapter of Gamer Emblem Awakening.

For starters, I have a confession to make: I think I overestimated the length of this fic. We may actually be past the hallway mark in this story at this point. I still stand by my statement that things will only get crazier, though.

Besides that, my life seems to be moving along. December has started, and the countdown to Christmas is pretty much in the back of my head until the date arrives. Weather's a bit inconsistent for an acknowledged winter month, though it's honestly nothing new in my experience.

I blame climate changes, be they caused by man or nature.

Ah, but I have kept you waiting long enough. enjoy the chapter.

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

You're about to say; I've won! Die! – Inigo


Chapter 25

Inigo's bizarre adventure!
Your next words will be: I smell a JoJo's reference!

I crouch into the beginning stance of the Snake. In front of me, Yarne goes into his own stance. Silence reigns between us, save for the occasional rustle of leaves in the wind.

A single leaf leaves its branch and slowly falls to the ground.

That's when we both spring into action and clash with our forearms against each other. As we push, I reach forward with my free arm to grab onto Yarne's. The half-taguel angles his forearm to keep the lock while crouching and sends a sweep kick at my ankles. I abandon my attempt for a throw and instead jump over my student before I spin and come down with an axe kick. Yarne rolls to the side and shoots up with his fist ready for a punch straight at my face. I manage a crossarm block, though my crouching makes the blocking angle awkward. I grunt as I get pushed back from the blow and roll with it instead of trying to stand my ground. While I try to roll into a better position, Yarne is hot on my tail and tries lunging assault after assault while I'm down.

All right, then. If he won't give me any time to get into a better position, I might as well force an opening instead. Just need to observe his movements closely, find a pattern-

*Whoosh!*

-and move in a direction he's not expecting to dodge his attack.

Yarne's eyes widen as he sees me dodge his attack by doing a handstand. From there I smirk and deliver an upside-down kick to his chest. Then I spin on my hands, flip myself upright again, and go for the offensive.

The tables have turned this time, what with Yarne needing a precious moment to regain his breath after that kick, but also trying to defend against my relentless barrage of jabs aimed with deadly precision. I add a few feints, hooks and low kicks to keep him on his toes. With the speed I'm attacking at, I'm constantly staying one step ahead of him.

I eventually manage to nail Yarne with a palm strike in his solar plexus. The strike knocks the air out of his lungs and sends him skidding back a few paces. Seeing him struggle to breathe, I rush in for the finisher. Sorry, Yarne. Looks like your training these next few weeks will be even harder to make up for this.

Yarne barely gets his breath back when he sees me close in. He throws a punch at me in desperation, only for me to deflect it and proceed with a punch that will no doubt knock him out cold.

Yarne's eyes briefly flash silver.

"Ora!" *BAM!*

Last time I checked, trees don't grow root side up. I find myself unable to move, almost as if I'm stuck in some hard material. Also, OW! What in the world just hit me?!

Wait… Something tells me those thoughts came out in the wrong order.

"Master! Are you okay?" Yarne asks alarmed as he runs to me…upside down?

Oh, wait. I'm the one upside down. At least the tree part makes sense now. Let's see what else I can dig up from what I just went through…

I hold up (Or is it down?) a finger. "Give me a moment."

I grunt as I pull myself out of whatever I'm stuck in. Just as I feel gravity take hold of me, I stop my fall with some Telekinesis and float right-side up. Now that I'm not busy being confused, I finally notice that my chest is hurting.

I idly rub the spot. "Yarne, what just happened?"

The half-taguel scratches his head confused. "Uh, I'm not sure myself. You were about to punch me in the face when my mind kind of went blank. All I can remember is that I just knew I could hit you faster, so I did."

I give my furry student a dry look. "You just knew? Something doesn't add up."

Yarne shrugs. "Your guess is as good as mine. If anything, I don't think my mind's ever felt as clear as in that moment. No thinking. Just action. It's like my body already knew what to do, so I just went with it."

I blink and rub my chin. Come to think about it, something did happen to Yarne right before he delivered that punch. His eyes flashed silver. And then the pain came.

A smile grows on my face. "Yarne… I think we might be getting closer to a breakthrough in your training."

That makes Yarne smile. "Great!" Then the smile is replaced with confusion. "So, uh… What's the breakthrough?"

"While I'm not certain, I believe I have a rough idea of what my future self tried to teach you. And if I'm correct, you managed to tap into an extraordinary potential, even if it was just for a moment. If you can master that potential, I could see you become the strongest fighter of your generation."

"Who, me?" Yarne asks surprised. "I mean, sure, I was always one of the heavy hitters, but some of our friends are monsters when they fight. Just take Nah for example. She once reduced a whole forest to cinders in less than ten minutes because she threw a fit."

I blink before I nod. "Okay, I guess I can imagine that. But that's not the point. Sure, you may not be the quickest of your generation. Or the smartest. Heck, you might not even have the most physical strength. But do you know what you may well have more than anyone, Yarne? Potential. The potential to transcend your own limitations and achieve feats thought impossible for us mortals."

Yarne sweatdrops. "That…sounds a bit over the top. Seriously?"

I give a knowing smile. "Like I said, it's only a hunch, but I dare say it's a good one. Of course, in order for you to tap into this potential of yours, you have to train even harder than before."

Yarne grins excited. "I've handled every kind of training you've thrown at me in the past, Master Jack. I'm ready for anything. Bring it on!"

I point my palm at my student. "Hold up. While I like your enthusiasm, this isn't your standard training exercise. What you're going to train isn't your speed, or your strength, or any of that."

Yarne's excited grin slowly deflates. "Huh? Then what are you going to train me in?"

"Instinct." I reply. "Reflexes honed through months, even years, of combat and practice. That's the key to bring out what you're truly capable of, Yarne. You might even say we're going to train you into getting in tune with your inner beast, in a manner of speaking."

Yarne crosses his arms. "Now I'm just confused."

I smile and walk away. "Then stop thinking about it and just go with the flow. That's your goal anyway."

Your relationship with Yarne has improved!


Say'ri places a pin on a map over the Valmese continent.

"We are currently stationed near Valm Harbor, which is situated here on Valm's eastern coast. The divine Mila Tree sits near the middle of the northern part of the Valmese continent."

This is further emphasized by another pin put west of the one marking the harbor.

Basilio rubs his chin. "And as you said a few days ago, that's where we'll find this Voice of Naga, correct?"

Say'ri nods. "Aye. If we travel the main roads, we should arrive at the base of the tree within three weeks."

Robin frowns as she watches the map. "I wouldn't travel that route if I were you."

Everyone gathered in the war tent pauses at her assessment.

"Forgive me for asking, but for what reason, Lady Robin?" the Dynast Swordmaster asks with a raised eyebrow.

"While I have no doubt the Resistance have a few pockets of influence along the road, Walhart is the one who holds the main portion of the control over the land, correct?" Robin asks.

Flavia nods slowly. "That's the reasonable conclusion to be made. He rules this continent, after all."

Robin nods along and reaches into her robes to pull out a notebook.

I blink in mild surprise. "Hey, that notebook looks familiar. Didn't you write in that back when we milked that guy Nelson for information right after we found Severa?"

Say'ri scowls at the mention of that name. "Nelson. That is a name I'll not forget soon. While he was in service of the empire, he wreaked havoc on anyone who opposed him without any regard for his own men. An absolute menace that the Resistance struggled to even hold back. But how did you know about him? Last I heard, he was thrown out of service after it was discovered he had ambitions to overthrow the Conqueror, foolish though his idea may have been."

I shrug. "Yeah, turns out he fled to our end of the Long Sea after Walhart kicked him out. He set up a base on a lone island and plotted his uprising by enlisting local bandits and robbing the nearby towns of everything they had in the hopes of building an army strong enough to match the empire's. We passed through on our journey, learned of his schemes, and one of my students put him down in single combat. After that, we took him prisoner, had him reveal everything he knew about the imperial army, and sent him off to be put on trial for his crimes."

Say'ri blinks bemused. "You- How did you achieve that? A traitor to the Conqueror he may be, but I never expected such a man to willingly help anyone he considers a threat to his own goals."

I allow a slightly sadistic smirk. "We had Henry put the fear of Naga into him. Don't know how he did it, but Nelson sang like a bird after that. Everything Robin has written down in that notebook is information that Nelson divulged after we finally got him to talk."

Chrom shudders as he thinks back on that day. "Don't remind me. Gods, the look of horror on Nelson's face when we got back was unlike anything I've ever seen. I don't know what Henry did, and frankly, I think I never want to know."

"Henry?" Say'ri asks confused. "Are you referring to that dark mage among your ranks? From what I saw, he has a cheerful, almost childish demeanor, which only belies his magical prowess."

I shake my head. "And I pray that's all you'll ever find out about him. Henry's…odd. Even by my standards. Great to have on your side, but…odd."

"Well, odd mages aside, it looks like we can finally make use of the information we got through his help." Robin interjects as she flips through her notes. "If I cross reference the information Nelson provided us with the layout of the continent, I can deduce which roads are the most heavily patrolled, along with much more."

Flavia drops her fist in her palm. "Of course. Our exploits against Walhart have spread across the continent. You said so yourself, Say'ri."

"Stopping the invading vanguard, sinking their main fleet, seizing one of their main harbors…" Chrom lists off.

"If you've heard about what we've achieved, it's practically guaranteed that Walhart knows as well." I continue. "And since this battle ended a few days ago, news of it may reach his capital soon. If he knows where we are, he will bring his entire army on us."

"Unless his patrols spot us first." Robin corrects. "And considering how important it is that we reach that tree and save the Voice, we can't afford to be spotted just yet. If we are, Walhart or one of his tacticians could read our intentions and move to intercept them."

Say'ri grimaces as the situation sinks in. "And, knowing him, the main roads will always be heavily patrolled and fortified, no matter the situation. It was foolish of me to assume we could reach the Mila Tree safely on the shortest path."

Flavia places a hand on her shoulder. "Better now than when it's too late. At least we can plan around that particular problem while we still have time."

Robin alternates between studying the map and her notes.

"Tell me, Say'ri. What possible paths are there to the Mila Tree?" she eventually asks.

Say'ri puts a hand to her chin as she hums in thought. Then she puts a finger on our current position and drags it across the map.

"The main portion of Valm is open fields. Cavalry can ride over most of the landscape almost unhindered. That is how Walhart managed to conquer the continent so swiftly and efficiently."

"In other words, we'll be at a disadvantage so long as we stick to open landscape." Robin deduces. "Are there any paths to the tree that don't involve open fields, or at least have little of them?"

Say'ri sharpens her gaze as she takes another look.

"There is one…" she mutters and traces a new path.

It starts from Valm Harbor, goes north and proceeds counterclockwise until Say'ri curves the path south to the pin marking the Mila Tree.

"The northern part of Valm mainly consists of mountain ranges and valleys." Say'ri elaborates. "Normal cavalry cannot fight effectively on the narrow pathways. While useful for defensive positions, Walhart could only conquer these parts after he had enlisted wyvern riders and pegasus knights into his ranks."

Robin nods. "Then that's where we'll go to the Mila Tree."

"That would be a risky maneuver as well." Say'ri points out. "Crossing these mountains is one thing. But taking them from the Conqueror might take too long. If we challenge the empire in the north, our progress would be too slow for us to even exit the mountains before Walhart mounts his forces and effectively traps us there."

My wife smirks. "Who said anything about seizing the territory? Our goal is reaching the Mila Tree. What lies in between us and that tree can wait. Instead, I propose we travel through the mountains and use the terrain as cover to slip past the empire's forces."

I pick up on my wife's plan. "Because if we can reach the Mila Tree undetected, the chances of meeting a massive army guarding it will be significantly smaller, thus making rescuing the Voice that much easier."

Robin snaps her notebook shut with a satisfied smile. "Exactly. With a bit of luck, the Conqueror won't even know what hit him."

Say'ri looks at Robin in clear disbelief. "Mercy… This- It might actually work. No one would even consider such a strategy, and yet you propose it like you had it planned all along."

I grin proudly. "That's my beloved Robin for you. She's the grandmaster-at-arms of Ylisse and the head tactician of our army for a reason."

Robin blushes as she puts the notebook back. "Oh please. Now you're just flattering me, Jack. Could you at least wait until we're alone before you start waxing poetic about my abilities?"

I smirk at Robin. "I would do that and much more when we're alone."

The blush intensifies. "Will you put a lid on it? Any more of that, and I won't be able to concentrate properly when I execute the plan."

"Still, a whole army marching across those mountains will be visible for anyone stationed there, no matter how poorly they do their duty." Flavia points out. "What's more, mountain paths are avoided by large armies for a reason, Robin."

Bassilio nods. "The narrow pathways means that crossing them will take a long time – too long for us to reach that tree in time. The valmese stationed in the mountains will spot our army sooner or later, and Walhart will find out faster than we can get away."

"Who said we'll be marching the whole army across the mountains?" Robin counters.

The khans are about to reply when they pause.

"What?" is their reply.

Robin gives the barbarian rulers a dry look. "Don't think I'd do something as foolish as march several hundred thousand soldiers along with the whole convoy through a massive mountain range just because I want to avoid the high roads. Even I can see the folly in such a plan before I have time to wake up in the morning."

"Well, if you've got that part figured out, what do you propose we do to move the army?"

"We split them up in smaller bands." Robin replies.

The tent falls silent.

Chromo scratches his head. "Er, Robin? I think it's high time you explained to us in detail what your plan actually is. Not everyone's a master tactician, you know."

Robin nods and turns the attention back to the map of Valm. She reaches out her hand to me. "Jack, the chess pieces."

I rummage around in my bag before I pull out a foldable chess board, with the pieces held inside with leather hoops.

"…Why do you carry around a chess board?" Flavia asks bewildered.

"It's mine and Robin's favorite pastime together. Gotta do something to keep Robin's tactical prowess sharp." I explain. "Though it's mostly Robin trouncing me in the strategy game."

"Oh, don't be like that, dear." Robin tries to comfort me as she picks out chess pieces. "You've improved a bit these past few games. I need more than ten moves before I put you in checkmate now."

"That's because you're stalling on purpose in a halfhearted attempt to make me feel better." I counter dryly. "Don't think I haven't noticed. There's been several occasions when you're about to pick up a chess piece with absolute certainty, only for you to freeze a moment later and switch to another one."

Robin blushes with a sheepish smile. "Oh, um… You saw that, huh?"

"I noticed after the first few games. Those are the most predictable plays you ever make whenever we sit down for a game."

Robin clears her throat. "*Ahem* Hobbies with my husband aside, these are the troop movements I have in mind."

All eight white pawns at placed on Valm Harbor. Next, the black pawns are placed in various locations across the continent, with the highest density of them around where we know the landscape is mainly open. Lastly, the black king is placed near the northwestern edge of the continent while the white queen is placed at the pin marking the Mila Tree.

"Our objective is to reach the tree where Naga's Voice is held." Robin begins her explanation. "Through the notes I have taken before we arrived here, I have a rough idea of where the main portion of the empire's army is deployed. That's marked by the black pawns, with the black king marking Walhart's capital." My wife indicates the different pieces as she elaborates her strategy. "Our army is sizable, too big to move effectively down one path. What I therefore propose is that we split the army in smaller factions that all move throughout the empire."

This is where Robin picks up the white pawns one by one and slides them to different places on the map. Some of the pawns land next to their black counterparts.

"Of course, since we're moving through enemy territory, confrontation with the imperial forces is all but inevitable. So while remaining undetected and moving as smoothly as possible takes priority, all factions must be ready for battle at all times." Robin uses the white pawns to knock down the black pawn they stand close to before she moves the white chess piece further along the map. One by one, they all converge at the queen's position. "If everything goes according to plan, our forces will reunite at the Mila Tree, thus allowing us to move all our forces to where the Voice of Naga is held and making freeing her that much easier."

Then my wife picks out a white knight piece and places it at Valm Harbor. "Meanwhile, the Shepherds will move around the northern part of the continent. Since our group is smaller, it makes us more flexible in moving through the dangerous terrain." The knight moves along the northern part of the Valmese continent until it too reaches the Mila Tree. "If we coordinate our troops well enough, the whole army should converge at the Mila Tree at the same time, give or take a few days."

Flavia eyes the map critically. "If I remember correctly, we used a similar marching strategy back during the Mad King's war when we headed out to save Emmeryn, right? All to make sure at least one force made it to the Plegian capital while minimizing the risk of Gangrel's forces getting in the way."

Basilio scowls. "If it's a strategy we've used before, I can get back in the swing of things easily enough. Still, I'm not completely sold on the idea. For one, weren't you the one who stressed the importance of not getting spotted by any imperials, Robin? What's the point of all this sneaking if our troops will run into Walhart's forces anyway?"

Robin sighs in slight frustration. "Honestly, this is the best I could come up with on the fly. We want to reach the Mila Tree undetected, yes, but doing so with an army of our size is all but impossible unless we split up. The only other option I can think of is leaving the bulk of our forces here at Valm Harbor, but having that many soldiers in one place for an extended period of time is bound to cause some troubling backlash on us further down the line. Just think of all the resources needed to keep an army that big fed."

That last statement gives us all pause. Back when we were at Port Ferox, Flavia could just have convoys transport all the food needed to her troops while we were preparing for the voyage. But now? Now we're on foreign soil, with no established supply lines to call our own.

"The fact that our whole army is gathered here in one place actually puts us in a tough spot." Robin stresses. "Until we gain reliable means of supplying our forces, we're in a race against time to gain any sort of foothold against the empire."

"We can obtain such means from the Resistance." Say'ri points out. Her eyes glimmer in understanding. "And to accomplish that, we must first convince them to join our cause openly. And what better way than with the aid of the Voice of Naga?"

Robin nods. "Exactly. It's not the best laid out plan, but it's one that both helps us discern friend from foe, and also the swiftest way for us to gain the allies we so desperately need if we ever want a shot at winning this war."

The war tent falls silent.

"D-mn…" Basilio mutters impressed. "And here I thought your plans couldn't get more daring. Still, I won't deny it's our best shot at beating Walhart. Count me in."

"That only works if I accept, oaf." Flavia points out. The reigning khan gives Robin a smile. "To clarify, I'm on board with this idea as well. Just had to show who's in charge of who in this army."

"You just said it to pull rank on me, you old bat." Basilio mutters annoyed.

"Care to say that to my sword, oaf?" Flavia growls dangerously.

"Sure! And I'll even let my axe do the talking."

I clear my throat. "While our dear barbarian rulers are busy almost murdering each other over a lovers' spat-"

"We are NOT lovers!" both khans yell in perfect sync with veins pulsing on the foreheads.

"-how about we start planning how to divide our army in the most effective teams possible for reaching the Mila Tree?" I continue my suggestion.

Robin nods. "That sounds reasonable, yes. Say'ri, I'm going to need as much input as I can get from you, seeing as you're the one most familiar with the terrain our troops will march through."

The Swordmaster nods. "Of course. You may ask anything you wish to know."

My wife and Say'ri all but huddle around the map while pointing at various places on the parchment. Guess the rest of us have to sit this brainstorming session out.

It's at this moment that Lissa and Frederick walk into the tent.

"Hey, guys." Lissa greets. "What did I miss?"

I rub my chin. "We've established how we're going to move our army around the continent. Right now, Robin's busy trying to find the best paths to travel along while asking our local ally for input. Bottom line; be ready to move soon. We're on a tight schedule."

Frederick nods. "Understood. Perhaps I should make preparations for marching as soon as this meeting ends."

I raise an eyebrow. "Speaking of which, what were you two doing?"

Lissa smiles. "I took the time to explore the town with Severa and Lucina. I mean, we had some free time, and I don't spend enough of it with my nieces. It's almost comical how different they are. Lucina's constantly on edge and serious, but she's got zero fashion sense. Severa, on the other hand, seems almost lazy in comparison, but her eye for clothes is amazing."

Frederick sighs. "And I coincidentally joined the princesses. The main reason was because Cynthia insisted to join in, and she would not stop trying to convince me to follow along until I relented."

"She basically roped you in by guilt tripping you." I surmise.

The Great Knight grimaces. "A bit crudely put, but you are essentially correct."

I nod before I stiffen in surprise. Dear Mila, Cynthia actually managed to break Frederick's iron will… Here I thought she was already scary with One for All at her disposal, and now she pulls this out of her hat.

"Frederick? Your daughter frightens me." I admit.

"I believe you had a hand in what made Cynthia turn out the way she did." the Great Knight retorts.

"I can't speak for my future self and you know it." I counter sourly. "Seriously, don't blame me for the way your children turn out. I've hardly known them for any longer than you have. The only reason they act so familiar with me is because, from their perspective, I've known them for years. Can't say the same for my own point of view."

"But you seem to get along with them all from the get-go anyway." Lissa points out. "Excuse us if we find it a bit weird."

I shrug. "What can I say? I've been told before that I'm a good teacher. The fact that they are so friendly towards me from the start certainly helps smooth things along."

Lissa blinks and scratches her head. "Time travel is confusing."

Frederick and I nod sagely in sync. "Aptly put, milady." Frederick replies.


Robin focuses her gaze at the map of Valm in front of her as her eyes dart this way and that over the drawn parchment. "So, these are the main paths that are the fastest to travel, are they?"

Say'ri shakes her head. "Not the fastest, no. But they are the ones with the least chance of getting spotted, provided the traveling parties are not too big. Each path offers its own distinct advantage for slipping under the empire's gaze. Some roads are too out of the way for patrols to search while still being perfectly traversable, some let you blend into the general populace with enough subtlety, and some are paths frequently traveled by the Resistance simply because the imperial forces do not know of them."

The various threads all going from Valm Harbor to the Mila Tree go through different paths across the landscape in an almost dizzying array unless you pay attention. Despite how the landscape is depicted on the continental map, Valm has a deceptively complex network of roads. Even with over a million soldiers at his disposal, Walhart would have a hard time keeping tabs of every single road at the same time while still having garrisons stationed at strategic locations.

This is the main basis for the entire traveling plan; exploit the gaps in Walhart's information network. After all, the most devastating blows are the ones you don't see coming. Every martial artist knows that.

Robin nods, eyes still sharp, and pulls out a thick binder labeled "Troop roster". She places the bundled stack of papers in a place away from prying eyes and starts to leaf through them together with Chrom, Say'ri and the khans.

The tent falls silent, save for the sound of paper being moved or the occasional whisper that escapes the brainstorming among the military leaders of our alliance.

Lissa stretches her arms above her head with a grunt. "Hng! If I knew we'd spend so much time doing nothing, I never would've come to the war tent at all."

I give the blonde princess a dry look. "Remind me why you came here then?"

"Well, someone has to pick up the slack on the Ylissean side in case Chrom's down for the count, if only temporarily." Lissa explains with a huff. "If I'm left out of the loop from the get-go, our army would be all over the place in case I have to step up. I'm not as charismatic as Chrom, or a talented tactician like Robin. I'm just good at healing wounds and hitting stuff really hard with my hammer. If I'm to lead an army, I need to pick up on all the strategy stuff I can get by being with all the people at the top of the hierarchy. You know, have them rub off on me and all that."

I blink in surprise. "Wait, you're being serious? Wouldn't Frederick take command in case Chrom needs an out, what him being Chrom's lieutenant? Heck, what about Lucina? Last time I checked, she's Chrom's heiress, and she already has experience leading troops in battle."

Lissa rolls her eyes. "Actual princess, remember? I may not act like it, but my birth station comes with some big responsibilities. Like leading our army in war times if none of my other siblings are able. Frederick and Lucina may be more used to it than me, but the responsibility would fall on my shoulders regardless."

Frederick nods sagely. "Indeed. It is clearly stated in Ylissean law that the ruler of the halidom is to lead its forces in case war has been declared. The main reason why milord and I have been able to lead the Shepherds instead of Her Grace is because the Shepherds were founded as a militia independent of Ylisse's standing army. Lady Lucina may be milord's eldest daughter, but that places her current station a level below Lady Lissa's."

I blink bemused. "Man, this royal hierarchy is more complicated than I thought. And you guys never considered prioritizing military leaders on, I don't know, battlefield experience and other practical aspects?"

Lissa shrugs. "As far as I can tell, this stuff is usually dictated by a bunch of old crones who like the old system too much to even consider changing it."

"For what it is worth…" Frederick interjects. "…most people fit for leading an army are of noble birth anyway, and even then, mainly of the royal bloodline. People of common birth are typically instructed in a civilian craft or discipline while the nobles are expected to handle domestic matters of a more complex and comprehensive scale, or military matters. Nobles are selected as military officers simply because their birth stations offer the most military training. I myself am an example of this."

What do you know… The old feudal system actually had a somewhat sensible theoretical structure. Too bad the guys in charge kept abusing their stations and screwed the peasantries over for their own personal gain. In other words; sounds good in theory, but terrible in execution. And people in the higher tiers of society wonder why the common folk tend to rebel with violent tendencies. Corruption is just… Ugh!


Timeskip: Three hours later

After some in depth analysis of the Valmese terrain, deliberating between Say'ri, Chrom and Robin, the two khans finally breaking up their bickering to add their two gold pieces, more deliberating, scrapping of at least a dozen ideas, a few pots of tea for relaxation and one more round of deliberating, Robin finally managed to finalize a roster of each team that will march through the terrain, and which path each team will take. Even after she's gone in full detail of every single aspect of the lineup, it still boggles me how she managed to arrange all of that in her head. Needless to say, the binder needed to store all the information for the marching orders is gonna be thick.

"I suppose this is as well we can organize the parties, given the current circumstances." Robin concludes from her spot with the other leaders. "All in favor?"

Say'ri nods without hesitation. "Aye."

Chrom smiles. "I know better than to question your judgement in matters like these, Robin. Count me in."

Flavia has a pleased smile of her own. "I couldn't come up with anything better, even if I tried. How do you even keep track of all this in your head?"

Basilio grins. "I'm just happy you put my group on the path most likely to engage enemy troops. This'll be fun."

Robin gives the bald khan a dry look. "Remember, Khan Basilio; direct confrontation is only to be used-"

"As a last resort." Basilio finishes while waving off my wife's concerns. "Yeah, yeah, I heard you the first time."

Robin sighs. "All right, then. Now to draft the marching orders. Gods, I'll be busy for the better part of a week at this rate."

I walk up to Robin and place a hand on her shoulder. "I'll help any way I can. Just tell me what you need me for."

Robin gives me a relieved smile. "Thank you. Though for now, it's best if you simply provide me with ink and paper so I can keep writing those orders without having to stop to get the materials myself."

I'm about to protest when I stop to think, shake my head, and sigh. "All right. I'll see you later in our tent."

The look Robin gives me shows that she knows I haven't dropped the matter at all. She knows me well.


Some time after supper, Robin and I are in our tent, with my wife seated at her desk while I've gotten a chair and table of my own to use. It's not long before a few of my clones enter the tent as well. The first one carries a thick stack of papers. The rest carries various supplies, mainly bottles containing ink.

Robin raises an eyebrow curiously. "I'm grateful for you supplying me with materials, Jack, but how will you help me beyond that?"

I give my wife a knowing smile and have the clone with the papers hand me a sheet. Next, one of the other clones places a bottle of ink on my table.

"You're about to find out, Robin. First, I need to know how you want the orders to be written. What unit is concerned, the path they're meant to travel, the works."

"I'm not sure whether to be curious or worried for what you're about to do." Robin mutters as she opens her notebook containing a summary of the war meeting earlier today.

As she reads out the orders for one of the Feroxi units, I nod and process the information.

"That's essentially it." Robin concludes after about a minute.

I nod. "All right. I should have all the knowledge I need."

Then I open the ink bottle and pour some of its contents on the paper.

Robin looks at me shocked. "Jack, what are you doing?!"

I grin madly and clap my hands together. "Revolutionizing the art of writing!"

I place a hand on the inked paper. Sparks erupt from the parchment. As they die down, the ink has shifted around. Instead of a giant blot, the black substance has shifted into portions that form letters, and the letters, in turn, form the exact words Robin read for the military orders.

I basically used alchemy to reinvent the typewriter.

I show my wife the paper with the Transmuted ink. "Well, what do you think?"

Robin stares at the paper bewildered. "How…?"

I grin. "Sometime when we met Nowi, I learned how to shift all kinds of substances pretty much however I want using alchemy, be it rock, the ground I'm standing on, or the ink on a sheet of paper. I can do almost anything with whatever I manipulate, so long as I only use the substance available."

It takes a few moments for my wife to digest my words. "Say… If the ink hasn't dried yet, can you still shift the words around until you get another message?"

"Sure. I could even do it if the ink has already dried, though that would be a bit trickier."

I Transmute the ink again. When the sparks die down, all the ink has shifted to form the words "To the best wife in the world".

Robin blushes. "Oh, now you're just flattering me."

"You say it like it's a bad thing." I retort and rearrange the ink to the original military order.

Robin huffs and looks through her notes again. "I never expected this to happen, but I'm happy it did. If you can help me write down all the orders I need, we'll be ready for marching far faster than anticipated."

I raise an eyebrow as I prepare another sheet. "You're taking this awfully well, considering all the other crazy stuff I pull off on an almost regular basis."

Robin gives me a dry look. "I've been married to you for nearly two years. As much as it pains me to admit it, I'm starting to get used to your brand of crazy."

"Hey, that's a good thing. As a tactician, you need to adapt to significant changes quickly. If you can handle my shenanigans faster than our enemies, that will give us an edge in battle."

Robin's look gets even dryer. "And I'm actually agreeing with you on this. What has the world come to?"

I shrug. "Better that than you going off the deep end because you can't handle the crazy. But enough about my questionable sanity. Those orders won't write themselves, will they?"

Robin shakes her head. "No, they won't. All right, the next unit in line is…"


The next morning

Wow. We actually did it. We manage to write every single marching order in a single night. Of course, Robin still needs to proofread them all, but she's so meticulous that she already got everything she wanted written down on paper last night. Hard part's pretty much over. They just need some sort of seal of approval, and everything's in place. A formality at this point, really.

As you might figure, my wife was ready to drop the moment the last order was written. Considering how late it was, I don't blame her. We both crashed into the bedroll right afterwards. Robin was out like a light before she even reached ground level, and I joined her soon afterwards.

Now I'm just enjoying the peace and quiet while my wife catches up on some much-needed sleep.

"Pardon me, sir Jack? Do you have a moment?" I hear Say'ri call outside the tent.

Robin begins to stir in my arms.

Oh no, she is not getting woken up just yet! All right, clone swap time!

*Poof*

"Say'ri? What can I do for you?" I ask as I exit the tent.

"If it is no bother to you, may I ask for a spar? I have heard many stories about your prowess with a blade, and I wish to see it for myself. What is more, I will need all the practice I can get if I am to fight alongside you in this war."

I smile. "No need to be so formal, Say'ri. But if you insist, sure. I accept your challenge."

Say'ri smiles back. "My thanks. I have high hopes for this match."

Is this how dynasts express their gratitude? I think this'll take some time to get used to.

Say'ri and I soon find an open spot for a spar. The Swordmaster quickly picks out a training sword and walks to her spot. I soon follow with a training staff in hand.

This makes Say'ri raise an eyebrow confused. "Correct me if I am wrong, but that is a training staff, is it not?"

I nod. "Yeah. I'll spar with you wielding this."

The disappointment is practically palpable on Say'ri's face. "Forgive me if I come off as rude, but I believe I specifically requested a match where we both wield swords."

"I think you wouldn't want that, Say'ri." I reply. "There are a few reasons for this. The most obvious one is that far from all imperials wield swords. Just focusing all your training in facing sword wielding opponents will leave you woefully unprepared against opponents wielding other weapons. Besides, lances usually give sword wielders such as yourself the most trouble, so this should serve as some valuable preparation until you face a lance wielder in real combat."

Say'ri purses her lips before she relents with a nod. "And the other reasons?" she asks further.

I scratch my cheek. "Well… There's also the matter of what happens when I use anything as sharp as a training sword. Long story short, yours would be cut in half at the first clash."

Say'ri blinks bemused. "These training weapons are dulled and crafted from wood. They cannot cut as easily as you claim."

"That's what I thought too – until I had a spar with my lieutenant almost two years ago. Even before then, we both trained fiercely in swordplay. But when we had our first spar in more than nine months, we cut each other's training swords in half moments after the spar started."

"Well, maybe the training swords were just faulty?" Say'ri reasons.

"Again, that's what I thought too." I reply dryly. "So we tried with a new pair of training swords – and got the exact same result. Heck, a few days before we arrived in Valm, we tried sparring with broomsticks, just to make sure we wouldn't use anything that could be considered sharp. Not even a minute later, the blasted things split as we lost ourselves in the moment."

Say'ri looks at me in disbelief.

"*Sigh* Look, I know it sounds crazy. Heck, it took me and Lon'qu quite some time before it sank into our minds as well. The fact remains though that sparring with swords is out of the question for me unless I can find a weapon that is specifically designed to not cut. Hence, I use this training staff instead. Polearms aren't used for slashing. They're used for thrusting and…maybe…swinging." I snap my gaze at the training weapon in my hand as if it contains the secrets of the universe.

"Is…something the matter?" Say'ri asks confused at my change in mood.

*Smack!*

"I'm such an idiot." I mumble against the palm planted on my face. "Why didn't I think of this before? Lon'qu himself requested that I spar with him using other weapons. Our spars would've been so much more productive if I just went with this from the start… Stupid, stupid, stupid…"

"Well, perhaps it is a good thing I suggested this spar?" Say'ri suggests. "It would seem we can both gain something useful out of this after all."

I sigh and get in a ready stance. "You're right. While I'm comfortable wielding just about any kind of polearm, the one I use works a bit differently from how conventional spears and lances work. If anything, this could let me use polearms in a…new…way…"

*Smack!*

"I'm such an idiot – again!" I yell exasperated against my palm. "How could I miss something so obvious? The answer's been staring me in the face for months, for crying out loud!"

Say'ri stares at me with a lost look. "Ah… Perhaps I should wait a bit until you have sorted out your thoughts?"

I wave my hand at the Swordmaster. "No, no, it's okay. I just had an idea that I intend to test out as soon as I get the time. But before that, I did agree to a spar with you." I twirl my practice staff a few times before I settle in a ready stance again. "Ready when you are. Come at me!"

Say'ri nods and sharpens her gaze. There's only a brief moment of silence before she dashes at me with her training sword reared back. Judging from the angle she holds it, she's skilled at hiding her intentions of where her swing will come from.

"Hah!" *Thwack!*

I block her opening strike with little difficulty. But instead of losing her balance, Say'ri goes with her momentum and spins in place to strike from the other side with surprising agility. I take a step back and block her next swing as well, but as I keep blocking, I also find myself retreating.

Looks like this is her general approach to single combat. Attack relentlessly to refuse her opponent any time to retaliate and simply keep up the pressure until she forces an opening. Certainly an effective tactic for a Swordmaster to employ. Makes full use of their speed and skill with the blade.

On the other hand, that only works so long as they can keep their opponent on the defensive.

As Say'ri keeps attacking, I observe her movements for any kind of pattern or tell in her offense. I soon manage to spot something. It's a small detail, but the way she tilts her weapon before the swing hints at where the blade will swing next.

Thank goodness Sora was such a competitive sparring partner back at the Destiny Islands. Sure helped me realize a few things that can be applied to sword fighting.

As Say'ri comes in for her next swing, I shift my hold on my training staff and swipe the butt end upwards as her training sword comes in from the side. The move sends Say'ri's swing wide and leaves her momentarily unbalanced. That's when I twist my training staff so it sticks up inside her guard. A swift pull with my leg stretched out, and Say'ri quickly finds herself on the ground with one end of my training staff poking her on the chest.

"I win." I declare factually.

Say'ri shakes her head. "Goodness, I did not expect a move like that."

I shrug and offer her my hand. "That's one of the many things you need to look out for when fighting someone armed with a lance or spear. While their options may seem limited at first, a polearm can be wielded in a large number of ways. The more experienced the wielder, the greater the variation of moves they can use. Add the longer reach that polearms usually have compared to swords, and you have yourself a tricky opponent unless you can catch them off-guard and slip in along their weapon."

Say'ri accepts my hand and is soon back on her feet. "This has been a most enlightening experience, sir Jack. Thank you for this spar."

I nod. "To be fair, you helped me find some inspiration for a few things as well, so we both benefitted greatly from it in the end." Then I frown in thought. "Say, was there any particular reason why you wanted this spar to be a swordfight? I mean, you're already experienced in wielding a sword, and I'd imagine you have plenty of experience facing other sword wielders as well."

Say'ri nods, though I also note a subtle flinch on her shoulders. "Perhaps so, but fighting another sword wielder would also help me see swordplay from another angle, one I may not have considered before."

My frown deepens. "That can't be the entire reason, can it?" I shake my head. "Look, Say'ri, if you feel I'm prying too much, tell me to stop. Just tell me; This all has to do with your brother, doesn't it?"

Say'ri goes momentarily stiff. "I- Whatever made you think that?"

I give the Swordmaster a dry look. "You know, if you want to hide your intentions, you need to do something about the way you freeze up whenever someone calls you out. Back on topic, though. Back when we first met you, you said that you would cut him down, same as any imperial. But there's more to it than that, isn't there? You're not just ready to cut Yen'fay down – you want to face him on the battlefield."

Say'ri gulps nervously before she sighs. "Are my intentions truly that obvious?"

"Your behavior kind of gave it away. Considering you two are family – or at least were considered that way – I can tell that this is personal."

Say'ri grits her teeth. "What my brother- No, what Yen'fay did was unforgivable! He surrendered after only one battle against the Conqueror. After that, Chon'sin was overrun by imperial troops, led by Walhart himself. Lands were swallowed up in the wave of soldiers. Any who resisted – be they man, woman or child – was put to the sword. And worst of all…" A tear slips out of Say'ri's eye. "…the place I once called home was burned to the ground, serving as the funeral pyre for my parents, who already lay dead inside. And what did Yen'fay do when all of this happened? Nothing. He merely stood by and let it happen. And when it was all over, he pledged loyalty to the Conqueror."

Say'ri's eyes open with fury burning in them, even as the tears keep flowing. "Had my brother stood his ground against the Conqueror, he would at least have kept his honor. But he even threw that aside like the coward he is! I wish for the freedom of my home, aye, but I will not rest until Yen'fay answers for his betrayal!"

Seeing Say'ri fired up like this, there's only one thing I can do for her.

*Ka-tonk*

Whack her over the head.

The Swordmaster holds her head in pain. "Gah! What in the world was that for?!"

"I won't belittle your reasons for fighting. If anything, they're a lot like my own for taking up arms in this war." I reply. I harden my gaze at Say'ri. "But before you go any further, ask yourself this, Say'ri; What good does a sword wielded with hatred do for anyone, let alone yourself?"

"Why does it matter how I wield my sword?!" Say'ri snaps at me. "So long as it cuts down my enemy, I ask for nothing more!"

I raise an eyebrow. "Really?" I take a few steps back, twirl my training staff, settle in a stance and make a come-hither motion. "Then by all means, show me how it feels to be on the receiving end of your wrath. Show me what you intend to do to Yen'fay."

Say'ri looks at me stunned before her whole face morphs into an angry snarl and she charges me with the clear intent to put me down for at least a whole week.

Except none of her swings connect at all. What few of them manage to get close are easily blocked or deflected.

"Curses!" the Swordmaster shouts as her swings grow increasingly desperate. "Stand still already!"

I duck under a diagonal swing and strike the side of her knee. This makes Say'ri briefly lose her balance, and that's the opening I need to strike the training sword out of her hand and shove a knife hand at her throat. Say'ri freezes and gasps at the sudden move. The area falls silent, save for her labored breaths from her intense exertion.

"Did you notice how badly you performed when you allowed your anger to cloud your mind?" I ask calmly. "This is what will happen to you if you allow that same anger to control you when you finally face your brother in battle. Your skill with a sword may be admirable, Say'ri, but none of that skill will help you unless your mind is clear enough for you to use it properly."

Say'ri falls backwards on her bottom, still breathing heavily and with sweat running down her brow.

"How…? What am I to do, then?" the Swordmaster asks me imploringly. "It is this very anger that has kept me determined to keep fighting, no matter how bleak the outcome may seem. If I were to throw it away now, what else would I have to push me forward?"

I shake my head. "I'm not telling you to toss it aside, Say'ri. You'd just end up deceiving yourself if you did. If anything, I believe your anger is justified. You have every reason to be angry for what's happened. The important part is what you do with that anger. The reason it helped you find the strength to push on is because you used it as a source of determination. But the moment you let it cloud your mind, you allowed your anger to control you instead of the other way around. When that happens, your battle is all but lost."

"But how? How am I to take hold of such anger?"

"It's a difficult task, to be sure. You need to sit down and think hard on a lot of things. Why you fight. Who you point your blade at. When you will put it away. What to ignore, lest it distracts you from your goal. The list could go on for a long time. My point is that you find a way to focus your anger at a clear goal, something that you know will move you forward. And once you have that focus, sharpen it, until it becomes as sharp as the sword you wield."

Say'ri looks at me dumbfounded before she finally lets her arms relax and she lies faceup on the ground.

"Focus my anger… Where do I even begin?" she asks seemingly herself and me at the same time.

I sit down beside her. "Give it the time it needs. Your battle against Yen'fay will have to wait until another day. Until then, you have time to prepare. Personally, I believe meditation is a good starting point. What better way to organize your thoughts than when you shut away outside distractions?"

Say'ri blinks a few times. "Wait, is that the reason why my instructors were so adamant about me learning the art of meditation when I was still a young girl?"

"Maybe. Of course, there could be a whole slew of spiritual aspects thrown in there as well, but there's no denying that meditation has helped me keeping my focus up in preparation for some of the most important battles in my life. It's easier to apply what you've learned during your training when your mind is free from distractions, after all."

I'd probably make an analogy of how concentrating sunlight through a magnifying glass can actually set stuff on fire if handled properly, but chances are that would just fly over Say'ri's head.

"I…have much to think about." Say'ri eventually concludes.

I nod. "You do that. As for me, I think I'd better help my team prepare for the journey to come."

"Sir Jack!"

I pause and turn back to Say'ri.

"Have you- Did anger ever cloud your mind to the point that you lost yourself?"

My mind goes back to two specific instances. The first was when Validar tried to turn Robin to the side of the Grimleal. The second was when I first realized that Rose is my daughter.

"I have been very close to that point." I admit. "And for the sake of those I love, I'm grateful that I never went beyond that. Who knows what could happen if you swing your sword in a blind rage when someone precious to you is standing too close?"

The horrified look on Say'ri's face shows that she's gotten the message.

I continue walking. "Until next time, Say'ri."

Your relationship with Say'ri has improved!


Now that there's some downtime and my wife's not busy burying herself in work or getting all the rest she can get, there's a topic that I can address with her that simply had to wait last night.

The fact that neither me nor Lon'qu are in the same group as our team.

"I have seen your team in action, Jack, and they honestly astound me. Even with their commander absent, they can still function as a coherent unit." my wife explains. "Besides, I believe you and Lon'qu will do a lot more good with the rest of the Shepherds than with your team. It's going to be a dangerous trek through the mountains, and your ability to both fly and pull all manner of crazy stunts out of your sleeves could save our lives."

I raise an eyebrow. "And Lon'qu?"

Robin purses her lips. "This is honestly just a hunch, but I believe it's for the best if Lon'qu and Cherche spend more time together."

My other eyebrow joins its brother as an amused smile grows on my lips. "Wow. Never took you for the matchmaker, Robin."

My wife blushes. "It's not like that! It's just… I have seen how Lon'qu's changed since he met Cherche. While you were on that trip around Regna Ferox, Lon'qu talked to her more than any other woman since he joined the Shepherds. Cherche, in turn, grew more comfortable with our band through her relationship with Lon'qu. Those two help each other in their own way. To separate them now would leave both of them in a tricky spot. Lon'qu would be far away from the woman he's been most comfortable with since the day we met him. And Cherche won't be able to be near the Shepherd she's the most familiar with, barring Virion." Robin gives me a knowing smile. "Honestly, they remind me of us, in a way. When I had just joined the Shepherds, I was still trying to make sense of everything happening around me, most of all who I was. You, on the other hand, had just arrived in a completely different world, far away from everything you had known until then, and had put your life on the line twice through it all. And in the midst of all that turmoil, we found each other. And we both grew stronger as a result."

I give my wife a dry look. "And look where it got us. Head over heels in love with each other, married, promoted to the point that we're both major military figures in the halidom, and now we're fighting quite possibly the most powerful empire in the world with the aid of our future children. And through it all, I can tell the stress is getting to you, Robin. Why, last night, I could've sworn I saw the first sign of wrinkles under your left eye."

Robin smiles at me sweetly as she raises a hand covered in sparks. "Care to repeat that last part, Jack? You wouldn't suggest that I'm getting old, would you?" she asks me with a voice dripping with the purest of honey.

A chill runs up my spine. That's not Robin's I'm-so-happy-to-see-you voice. That's her you-have-ten-seconds-to-redeem-yourself-before-I-smite-you-with-the-wrath-of-Naga voice.

"N-no, of course not!" I reply while flailing my hands in front of me. "It's just- Well, you know…"

The sparks glow brighter and start lashing out from her fingertips. "I know what?"

Gulp.

"Well, stress is murder on your health in all manner of ways." I explain while silently and desperately praying to any deity out there that my wife won't unleash arcane hell on my sorry behind. "One of them is that you tend to age faster, and not in a good way. You've been run ragged for Naga knows how long. That's the reason why I offered the assistance through my clones in the first place."

The sparks slowly die down as Robin lowers her hand. Her smile has yet to change even the slightest. "I'll let you off the hook for now, Jack. And I do appreciate everything you do for me. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a march to manage."

With that, my wife turns around and heads for her task while she flips some hair over her shoulder.

I release the breath I didn't even know I was holding. And people believe I'm a harbinger of death. They don't know the first thing about my wife.

The last time she spoke with that voice was back when we were engaged. Some minor noble tried to hit on Robin during one of the usual parties at the palace, while claiming that I was unacceptable company for my then-fiancé. I was about to challenge the dolled-up aristocrat when the air around Robin turned chilly as she kindly declined his offer. Despite the clear warning hanging in the air, the fool just wouldn't pick up on it.

One week later, the poor soul's entire career had been ended. Lands, estates, wealth, servants, titles, heck, even his silken undergarments. All of it had been stripped away, and by the time the guy himself noticed, it was already too late to stop the process. Anyone even remotely familiar with Robin could connect the dots and realize that she was the one behind the whole thing. However, no one could really accuse her, since she had also made herself an airtight alibi.

She didn't even have to leave her desk.

It's things like these that only makes her more alluring in my eyes. Perhaps Lon'qu's comments about my craziness hold more weight to them than even I'm aware of. Guess I simply have a thing for powerful women with personality. That would certainly explain why I fell in love with her in the first place.

"And that, little brother, is how you recognize that a man is whipped." Rose cheerfully points out to Morgan.

My son, in turn, nods while writing something down in a small notebook.

One of my eyebrows twitch. "Way to make fun of your old man, Rose."

"It's true, and you know it, Dad." my daughter counters. "We've already had this discussion before. It's no use denying it."

I sigh and pinch the bridge of my nose. "You know what, screw this. I'll go check up on my team. They'll need to prepare for the marching that's ahead of them."


"And that's the plan." I conclude for Hawke.

The tall Dark Knight stares at me impassively (seriously, this guy's poker face is god tier, minimum). "This will be the first marching we will do without you to command us." he states factually.

I sigh and scratch my head. "I know. I'm not exactly thrilled about having you guys march through enemy territory without me being there for you, but I guess this is where all the training for when you have to act on your own judgement will be put to the test. Considering the hierarchy in our team, that means you'll be making most of the big decisions." I allow a faint smile. "Hey, with your track record, I at least have faith that you'll perform well. Not to talk down on Lon'qu, but I think you're the most accomplished leader of our team. That, on top of your battle prowess, is why I made you the third seat."

"Going by your logic, I fail to see why mine and the Lieutenant's ranks are not swapped." Hawke points out.

"That's…mostly me acting more on instinct than pure logic." I admit. "I chose Lon'qu as my second-in-command not only because of his battle prowess, but also because of how much I trust him and because of how long I've known him – far longer than we've known each other. Make no mistake, Hawke. Lon'qu may not be as skilled as a military leader or tactician, but he can easily hold his own and work with others when the situation calls for it. That's what the whole point of this team was in the first place. I have faith in both of you, but in different ways."

Hawke stares at me with his unreadable expression.

"I see." he eventually says. "I seem to have finally found the answer to a question that I have asked myself for quite some time. For that, you have my thanks, Captain."

I raise an eyebrow. "That question being…?"

"My place in this team. From the day you recruited me, I never truly understood why you wanted me specifically in your team, let alone in a position lower than lieutenant. You already knew of my past record as a military commander in Regna Ferox, and yet that seemed to hold little weight in your decision to appoint ranks. I was even more confused when I once spoke with Lieutenant Lon'qu in private and he himself admitted that he originally did not want his current rank. Yet, hearing your reasoning for making him your second-in-command, I seem to finally understand you better, Captain Jack." For the first time I can ever remember, I see the faintest smile on Hawke's lips. "You truly are unlike any military commander I have ever met before. And I can say, with the utmost confidence, that I am honored to serve under you."

I blush and scratch my cheek. "Oh, stop. Now you're just embarrassing me. Besides, I've already told you, we're all a team. Military rank only really matters when strict organization is necessary among us. Outside of those situations, I treat everyone else in the team as equals rather than subordinates. And I expect everyone else to do the same. Seems like you're getting around to the notion as well, at long last."

"I have contemplated the idea ever since the day you formally introduced yourself and presented the idea to us all. While I admit that I was skeptic at first, I admit now that your leadership style has turned out effective in ways I never considered."

I nod. "Only works if everyone is at least moderately competent. Getting everyone to that part without anyone getting overshadowed was, by far, the hardest part. Boy, am I glad that worked out."

Hawke nods in agreement. "And thus, I too have faith that our team will be able to complete our objective, whether you or the Lieutenant are present or not, for I believe in our teammates, just as you do. I can assure you that I will lead us all to the designated meeting place safely."

I smile and pat the Dark Knight on the shoulder. "Thanks, Hawke. Now I can rest easy, knowing you've got things under control. Just for extra safety, though, I'll make sure to keep an eye on you while you march."

Hawke raises an eyebrow. "I thought you would leave this whole operation in my hands, and by extension, our team."

I wave off his concerns. "Relax. You probably won't even notice me if you don't know what signs to look for. Besides, this is an operation that includes more than just our team. I intend to do the same for every group traveling the Valmese continent all the way to the Mila Tree, and I have no plans on being spotted by any of those groups. It's a matter of precaution, considering the scale of the operation, and the stakes of this campaign."

Hawke stares at me blankly before he nods. "Very well. I shall keep your presence in mind. I shall prepare for our march immediately. Until we meet again, Captain Jack."

I nod back with a smile and a mock salute. "Godspeed to you, Hawke. See you at that giant tree."

Yep. Hawke and the other have this in the bag. They've trained hard for this, and they're ready. Every last one of them.


A few days into the march

Robin looks over my shoulder with a curious look. "What's that?"

"This…" I hold up a tablet made of Transmuted stone. "…is a sketch displaying how Harvest Moon is built."

Robin walks around and sits beside me. "That's nice and all, but why are you sitting with a sketch depicting your weapon in greater detail than any weapon I've ever seen?"

"Because Harvest Moon is far more elaborate than your run-of-the-mill sword." I explain. "You've already seen this multiple times, Robin. Even with all the weapons I can conjure with my mind, there was never a weapon that I could call my own – until I traveled the Outrealms and finally had Harvest Moon made. It's a weapon I'm proud of, to be sure, but since a while back, I've had this nagging feeling in the back of my head that this isn't everything I can do with it."

Robin gives me a look of disbelief. "Jack, from what I can see of this sketch, your main weapon is more complex than just about any contraption that can be found in a fort. How could you possibly want to do more with it?"

I give my wife an amused smirk. "When has that ever stopped me from trying to improve and move forward? I have seen worlds where the average civilian contraption is leagues more advanced than the most elaborate architecture in all of Ylisse. In terms of technology, Harvest Moon's structure is laughably primitive in comparison to some weapons I have seen in action."

When I first asked Ruby how she could afford all the parts to build Crescent Rose, the girl just curled up and cried while mumbling about saving up and sacrificing countless Cookie Fridays. The glare Yang shot me told me that I either backed off and offered her baby sister a plate of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies as a peace offering, or I would end up in an Atlesian hospital with a medical bill that would make Qrow's combined bar tab across all of Remnant look like a five-year-old's IOU.

And that was just Ruby's weapon. Nora let me take a peek at Magnhild's blueprints. I couldn't make heads or tails of the blasted thing, even if I tried. I swear, her airheaded persona is just an act. I'm on to you, Valkyrie, and Ren won't be able to save you next time we meet!

Robin rubs her temples. "Clearly, I have underestimated the experience you have gained through your travels. So, what's your plan this time?"

I focus back on the stone tablet. "My original plan for Harvest Moon was to make a weapon that could incorporate my skills with both a sword and a polearm at the same time so I could make use of both and switch between them on the fly. That's the whole reason behind the (relatively) elaborate structure in the first place. The sword part works fine, but I've had my doubts regarding the scythe part. Sure, it does the whole "Reaper" thing justice, but calling it a polearm in a traditional sense is stretching it at best."

Robin gives me a dry look. "And since when do you do things the traditional way?"

I shrug. "I married you before I got underneath your clothes, didn't I?"

Robin's whole face turns red. "You call that traditional?! Jack, had we gone all the way before our wedding, the scandals would be insufferable!"

"Shows what you know about what mankind is capable of." I reply coolly. "Would you believe me if I told you there are several countries in my own home world where it's completely acceptable for a man and a woman to be together like a married couple – bedroom activities included – without actually being married? And that's before we touch the subject of both parts of a relationship being of the same gender, and no one even bats an eyelash."

Robin gapes in disbelief. "Wha- How do they even-"

"For the sake of your mental stability, I'll just write it off as a vastly different culture and stop at that." I interrupt her. "You're a lot better off not knowing any details. Trust me."

Robin nods with her face so slack from the shock that I gently lift her chin with a finger. Seeing her shut her mouth in response to my gesture is equal parts amusing and cute.

Our tent falls silent for about a minute before my wife finally finds her voice again.

"So let me get this straight; You want to somehow change your weapon in a way that lets you use it as a more traditional polearm, in contrast to the way you can currently use it as a scythe?"

I nod. "That's the gist of this whole thing, yes."

"And how do you intend to do that?"

I tap the stone tablet a few times. "That's what I'm trying to figure out. I've memorized the individual parts that make up Harvest Moon and how they all fit together to make the shifting mechanism work, but it's currently built to only switch between two forms. If I want to add a third form, I have to change the structure inside in such a way that allows my weapon to shift into that form, while still being able to shift into the other two with the same ease as before, without the whole thing falling apart if put under even a moderate amount of stress. I essentially have to build in more stuff without adding anything physical to my weapon."

No wonder modern machine technology is so complicated. Cramming all the components into a limited amount of space is an absolute pain and a half in the neck. Again, the weapon technology of Remnant is just absurd.

Robin scrunches her face in thought. "Say…could you show me how you imagine what your weapon will look like if you succeed?"

"That should be easy enough."

Sparks dance along my arm before I grasp the orb forming in front of my palm. The light disperses to reveal the imagined third form.

Robin rubs her chin. "You know… This looks quite a bit like how your weapon typically looks like, only it's in- I don't know, in-between some things it can already do…"

My eyes widen in surprise at my wife's assessment.

"Wait… That might be it!"

I dismiss the prototype weapon in my hand and Transmute another stone tablet with a different design. I give it a critical eye before I shake my head.

"Close, but no dice. Hmm… But if I move that part over here…"

One more Transmutation on the same tablet.

I blink at what I see in front of me. Robin looks as confused as before.

"This…" I mutter. "This could work. This might be the answer I've been looking for."

Robin raises an eyebrow. "Which means…?"

She yelps as I pull her onto my lap and finds herself face-to-face with my hungry grin.

"That you, my love, have just made my day a lot better, and I intend to show my gratitude in excess."

"Jack, wait! Not while we're- Mmmph!"

Just because Robin can melt my mind with a kiss doesn't mean I'm incapable of returning the favor. She's just overall better at it.

I separate our lips for a brief moment. "Relax. I promise I won't go too far. Just enough to make you sway on your feet by the time I'm done."

Even while taking deep breaths, the exasperated smile on my wife's face is unmistakable. "You beast… You won't take "no" for an answer, will you?"

"You could always try."

"…Do your worst."

"It will be my pleasure – as do I hope it will be yours."


"Do we have to climb those mountains?" Lissa whimpers as she eyes the mountain range looming in the distance.

Frederick gives the blonde princess a reassuring smile. "There is no need for concern, milady. While we have indeed walked through a mountain range before, your physical condition is leagues better than last time."

Lissa rolls her eyes. "Yes, yes, I admit it, Frederick. Your fanatical fitness hour did some good after all."

The Great Knight nods pleased. "I certainly hope so. Far be it for me to neglect the physical health of the people I have sworn my fealty to."

Chrom gives his younger sister an amused smile. "You'll be fine, Lissa. It's just a healthy stroll, just like that time-"

"Don't you dare get me started on that, Chrom!" Lissa snaps in her brother's face. "Not everyone's a stamina monster like you or Fredrick! Unless you've noticed, I'm mortal!"

Lucina raises an eyebrow. "Mountain climbing can't be that bad, can it, Aunt Lissa?"

Lissa rounds on her elder niece. "Lucina, you don't understand! As soon as you father starts climbing a mountain, he just. Doesn't. Stop! He'll drag us all the way to the summit without paying the rest of us any heed, and he doesn't even notice because Frederick keeps pace with him all the time and assures him everything's fine!"

Chrom clears his throat. "Ah, I might have made that mistake at one point or another…"

Severa eyes the mountain range with a grimace as we keep marching. "I'm starting to have second thoughts about joining the mountain climbing group."

Lissa practically tackle hugs the redhead. "Severa, you understand my plight!"

As both princesses cry mock tears in each other's arms (and making sure Chrom takes note of it), Anna goes over the carts with a critical eye.

"Something bother Anna?" Gregor asks the red-haired merchant.

"Oh, just checking them to make sure they can handle the trip." Anna replies. "Mountain travel's rough, no matter what anyone says. Gotta make sure all this stuff makes it to the other side unharmed. I've got a good portion of my merchandise stashed in here."

"Ya stuffed yer trinkets in our convoy?!" Sully shouts exasperated. "What the h-ll made ya think that's a good idea?! The horses are gonna have a hard-enough time pullin' all this weight even if we went with the bare necessities!"

"Hey, I don't see you pour over the finance books of this army!" Anna fires back. "I have to keep track of the money we spend on this campaign. Do you have any idea how scary the higher-ups get if you screw up the numbers? I'm daring enough to rob a band of brigands blind on their home turf, but embellish my employers? No thank you! Besides, I still have my own private business to take care of on the side."

Sully gives Anna a deadpan look. "Remind me why we brought ya aboard in the first place?"

Anna winks. "Because one of your buddies wanted a quartermaster. Besides, who can say "no" to a face as pretty as mine?"

"I can." the Paladin answers dryly. Then she smirks. "And unlike you, I'm married."

The glare Anna gives Sully could melt steel. "Rub it in, will you? Well, not like I'm interested in marrying any time soon."

Sully smirks and raises an eyebrow. "Oho? Is that a tremble in your voice I hear? Guess not even our resident money lover can escape the itch every woman has."

"Money scratches my itch just fine, thank you very much." Anna huffs and walks to the next cart.

"Anna in very bad mood." Gregor comments nervously from the side. "Why Sully insist on the aggravating?"

The Paladin shrugs. "Ya saw it to, didn't ya? She can deny it all she wants, but deep down, she's got it bad." The tomboyish redhead scowls. "Somebody better step up to the plate soon, or she'll miss out on somethin' big." Then she glances at Gregor. "You up for it, big guy?"

Gregor jolts at her question. "Oy! What make thinking Gregor fits bill?!"

Sully shrugs. "Hang around Nowi long enough, and ya might pick up on some 'a her habits."

Speaking of inspections…

I bring up my status screen. I can't remember the last time my stats increased by any means other than by spending points. It may well have to do with the fact that my stats are already so high that they can't go any higher on their own with the current competition. On the other hand, Walhart could very well have something terrifying up his armored sleeve. With all that said, I think it's better to be safe than sorry and spend some of my hard-earned points to increase my stats. For starters, I should increase the base value of STR, VIT and DEX to 100. If I understand my powers correctly, that should give me a few more skills to work with.

A new skill has become available due to your high strength! You gained "Guard Breaker"!
A new skill has become available due to your high vitality! You gained "Second chance"!
A new skill has become available due to your high dexterity! You gained "Master's touch"!

Yep. I can work with this. Bring it on, imperials!


"*Huff, huff* Why do mountains…have to…be so steep?" Robin asks while gasping for air with every step she takes.

Olivia falls in step with my wife and pulls out a leather flask from her pack. "Here, have some water."

Robin accepts the flask with a grateful smile. "Thank you, Olivia. You're a life saver."

Olivia looks away with her hands behind her back and a shy smile on her face. "Oh, hardly. I just flail around and pretend to dance, mostly. Anyway, I've started looking for new ways to be useful."

Robin raises an eyebrow. "News ways? Olivia, your dancing is spectacular! It never fails to pick me up."

"Hear, hear." the rest of us chip in around the conversing pair.

A blush spreads along the Dancer's cheeks. "Ha! I dance like a ham someone rolled down the stairs. Just thinking of people watching me makes me cringe…"

"My dear, there should be limits even to your modesty." Virion interjects from the side. "Even after all the time you have spent dancing for us both on and off the battlefield, the only thing that could possibly match your dancing prowess is your inability to take the praise for what it is."

Olivia fidgets as she walks. "Oh, stop. I know you're trying your best to encourage me, Virion, but the thought of someone else evaluating my performance just terrifies me."

The Bow Knight sighs. "Ah, what I would not give for you to see one of your own performances for yourself. Maybe that would silence your self-doubts once and for all. As much as I love you – and I truly do – even I find it vexing how your low self-esteem keeps hindering you from accepting someone appreciating your strengths." The Bow Knight huffs. "Speaking of strengths, how in the world can you climb this steep mountain path with such ease, my love? I know my physical prowess on foot is not ideal, what with me relying on my dear Innes to carry me on the battlefield, and yet, even the most resilient foot soldier would find this path a challenge to travel."

That makes the rest of us do a double take on Olivia. Even after we've spent the better part of two hours walking the winding road up this mountain, the Dancer's hardly breaking a sweat. In contrast, Noire looks like she's a few steps shy of Tracing a cane and use it as a walking stick.

Might need to up her physical training in the near future.

Olivia's shy smile gives way for a more relaxed one. "Oh, this isn't so hard. When you've practiced dancing for as long as I have, you learn to be light on your feet. No need to push down on the ground so hard when you need to move your foot barely a moment later."

"And yet, you downplay your own abilities, darling." Maribelle interjects as she sidles up next to Olivia. "You might need a few more lessons in confidence next time we have an opportunity."

Olivia's face changes from relaxed to terrified. "Please don't. The last time I had to approach a stranger, I nearly flew into hysterics."

Maribelle rubs her temples. "Ah, yes. I clearly remember that…setback. However, momentous obstacle or not, we cannot have you shrink in on yourself all the time. I will help you out of your shell one way or another, and no one will convince me otherwise."

Virion eyes the Valkyrie skeptically. "While I appreciate what you are trying to do for my wife, I have my doubts regarding this…shock therapy…something you have been implementing these past few weeks. Whenever you try, my beloved Olivia spends the next hour crying in my arms."

"Perhaps you're just trying from the wrong end." I suggest to the conversing group. "Instead of throwing Olivia headfirst into situations she's uncomfortable with, why not start small and increase the intensity slightly for each new session instead?"

Maribelle sighs. "Considering our track record up until this point, I may have to relent. Very well, starting from today, I will try a…gentler approach." Then she scowls and points her parasol at me. "And how long do you intend to continue this inane means of marching, Jack? Moving along us the way you are is not only unbecoming of a soldier, captain or not, but it is becoming infuriating!"

What Maribelle is referring to is me hovering alongside the Shepherds.

While lying faceup. With my hands behind my head, and a carefree look on my face. It looks more like I'm napping than marching, further proven by the fact that my feet aren't touching the ground.

Combining Telekinesis with wind magic in general and Air shoes in particular has its uses. This case certainly beats walking up a mountain.

"Not my fault you're nowhere near good enough with wind magic to pull this off." I reply uncaring.

"One day, Jack…" Maribelle growls. "One day…"

I lazily turn my head to look the Valkyrie in the eyes. "And when that day comes, you'll have grown and matured enough to realize how petty all of this is. You're a lot wiser than this, Maribelle. It's the main reason why I believe you'll make a fine magistrate one day."

That finally makes Maribelle stop her moody fit.

"Hey, Say'ri. There's a mountain village nearby here, isn't there?" Chrom asks our (sort of) neighborhood native.

The Swordmaster nods. "Aye. It is one of the reasons why I wished we take this path in particular. These mountains are populated in quite a few places since ancient times, but this village in particular lies near a path that is easier to travel than most, all things considered. It should make for a good stop to rest our troops before we resume our march."

"Finally." Lissa groans. "If I don't get to rest my feet soon, someone will be made unhappy."

"Aw, don't be like that, Lissa." Henry tells her cheerfully. "Mountain climbing isn't that bad once you figure out a few tricks."

Lissa gives the Dark Mage a sour look. "Yeah. Like riding a bear."

So, Henry just randomly found a bear living in the woods near the foot of the mountain range and started up a conversation. A few grunts, growls and a pat on the head later, the bear let him climb up on its back. Henry's been riding the big forest animal ever since. No one's dared to ask him how he did it. The bear gets grumpy if anyone else gets too close.


Silence…

That's what meets us when we finally reach the mountain village. Signs of damage on the structures can be seen all over the place.

But, most haunting of all, there's not a single person in sight. The whole village is devoid of people.

Chrom looks around the empty streets bewildered. "What in the world happened here?"

"This must be the work of an enemy Stand." Rose mutters, only to shake her head moments later. "No, wait. Wrong series."

Chrom turns to the rest of us. "There might be some clues to what happened. Shepherds! Search the village!"

I make a few dozen Shadow clones and have them all turn into mice or small birds before they scatter. The others go their separate ways soon after.

"This is most concerning." Say'ri assesses as she inspects a doorframe covered with slash marks. "Something violent happened in this village not too long ago, judging from how fresh the damage is. But how could this happen? The villages in these mountains possess little to nothing of great value for any band of outlaws to steal. Yet, the amount of blood littering the streets is remarkably small."

Robin raises an eyebrow. "Why would the amount of blood matter?"

"Do you not find it strange?" Say'ri asks. "How can there be so many signs of recent violence in this place, but no blood? Had the culprits' aim simply been murder, there would have been bloodstains everywhere. Yet, the bloodstains we see are few and far in-between."

That's when the memory of one of my clones hit me. "Chrom, one of my copies found a survivor."

Chrom immediately turns to me with a determined scowl. "Lead the way, Jack. Robin, Say'ri, Gather the others."

A few minutes later, most of us are gathered outside a small toll shed. The shed is in about as poor of a state as the rest of the buildings here, but one thing sticks out like a tree on a savanna.

"NO! LEAVE ME ALONE! I BEG OF YOU!"

The clearly spooked village maiden inside, screaming and begging for her life.

Lucina glances at the rest of us. "Something tells me she will not greet us kindly anytime soon."

"I've got this." Nowi declares as she walks up to the door and opens it. "Hey, don't worry. We're just-" *Whack!* "Ow!" *Smack!* "Stop that!"

Nowi's progress meets an unexpected stop as the maiden within swings at her with a broom. The terrified look in her eyes is unmistakable.

"NO! STOP! DON'T COME ANY CLOSER!"

That, and her clearly hysterical voice.

"Ow! Ow! Ow! Hey, I told you to stop!" Nowi shouts indignant. As the beating continues, a tic mark appears on her forehead. "I said stop!"

The village maiden fall backwards on her butt as Nowi transforms into a dragon. As the transformed manakete stares the villager down, the young woman trembles in place.

"No… Oh gods, it's even worse than last time. Grandfather… Somebody… Please help…"

And that's when Nowi reverts back to a girl, though she's still pouting. "Finally decided to stop abusing a poor little girl, did you? That broom hurt."

The village maiden blinks in shock. "H-Huh? A girl? W-what's the meaning of this? Who are you people?"

"Please, we come in peace." Chrom tries to sooth her as he steps forward.

However, as the village maiden notices Falchion, she curls herself up in a ball. "No! Please! I'll do anything! Just spare me!"

That makes everyone pause. Whatever happened in this village, she definitely saw it, and she's too spooked to tell us. Specifically, she gets spooked by the sight of a weapon.

"I'll handle this." Lissa tells as us she kneels down and hugs the village maiden. "Shh… It's okay. We're here to help. You can rest easy."

Judging from how her trembling is lessening by the second, it's working. The village maiden looks up at Lissa with her eyes trembling and breathing ragged.

"You- You're not like the ones who were here before."

Lissa raises an eyebrow, but ultimately puts it aside and settles for calming down the distraught woman instead. It takes a few minutes, but she eventually calms down to the point that it looks like she won't go PTSD on us again.

"I know this might be painful for you…" Lissa speaks up gently. "…but we have no idea what's going on in this village. What could've turned it into this ghostly state?"

The village maiden's pupils shrink as her trembling resumes. Unlike last time, she clings to Lissa as some sort of emotional anchor.

"It- Everything happened so fast." the terrified woman elaborates with a trembling voice and tears threatening to spill from her eyes. "It was just a normal day in our peaceful village. No. This region hasn't been peaceful for months… We were just ignoring the warning signs. That is, until they came here."

Robin blinks bemused. ""They"?"

"Marauders. Brigands. No, they were something else. Cloaked in purple coats, they stormed into our village and attacked anyone and everyone, be they man, woman or child. They broke into homes, tore apart fences and stalls. They didn't care for the animals and just let them run away in the confusion instead. But just when we thought they would kill us all, they just tied everyone up instead and led them out of the village like prisoners. The few that resisted were killed in front of everyone else – brutally." Her eyes grow horrified. "Oh, gods… I can still hear the screams. It wasn't just a beating. They mutilated those poor people until nothing was whole on their bodies anymore, long after their cries had ceased. My grandfather hid me in this place while everyone was still running about. Even so, I could see everything happen clearly from within my hiding place. Not long after he hid me, he yelled at the attackers to come after him. Grandfather sacrificed his life to lead them away from me." The village maiden clings to Lissa as her tears fall freely. "Grandfather… Why…?"

Say'ri's hold on the Windcleaver tightens. "This offense will not go unpunished!"

Chrom looks at the Swordmaster in surprise. "Say'ri?"

"I know not who these perpetrators are, but I refuse to leave their crimes unanswered. So long as wicked men like them roam the lands, true peace can never be achieved, nor can freedom become a reality."

Chrom gives a faint smile before he nods resolute. "Heh. You took the words right out of my mouth. Seems we'll be spending more time in the mountains than we planned."

Robin gives a subtle sigh. "I thought you'd say that, Chrom. Well, can't say I disagree. But first, we need to find out where they came from. Unless we get a starting point, we could search half the mountain range before we make any progress."

"You would…fight those outlaws?" the village maiden asks us with a hint of hope.

Lissa gives her a reassuring smile. "Don't worry. We're strong."

The young villager swallows before she gets back on her feet. "Perhaps I may be of assistance, then. Before the attackers left, I managed to overhear one of them mentioning an old fort northwest of here. That might be their base."

"Ah, so that's what I spotted in the distance." Cherche muses.

Virion turns to the Wyvern Rider. "Oh? You have spotted the enemy's base already, my dear?"

Cherche nods. "That may be the case. While I searched the village from the sky on top of Minerva, I spotted a curious building standing on top of a different mountain roughly northwest of here. If I remember correctly, that old place once served as a stronghold of sorts in ancient times, dating at least a thousand years back."

The Bow Knight smirks. "And unless it has seen use during all those years, chances are it was abandoned down the annals of time. What better place for a band of brigands to make their base than an abandoned stronghold?"

Chrom nods along. "Sounds as good a place to start searching than anywhere else. Shepherds! We're bringing the fight to the attackers this time! Be ready for hostage situations!"

"Uh, Captain Chrom?" Ricken asks as we march from the village. "I don't think we've ever trained hostage situations, mostly because the bandits back home hardly ever settled for taking any. They'd just take whatever they wanted, burned the town to the ground, and ran back to their bases."

Chrom rubs his chin. "That's a good point… Diplomacy's not my strong suit, even after all the training Emm's tried to place me in to make negotiations go smoother."

Lucina scowls. "Something tells me these fiends have no intentions of negotiating anyway. We do not even know why they attacked this village in the first place."

"Guess we'll learn more when we find them, then."

"We have to climb more mountains?!" Severa yells exasperated as we travel another trail and look out over the landscape.

Cynthia looks at the redhead confused. "Well, yeah. That's how things go when you travel through a mountain range, Severa. It's one mountain after the next."

Severa puts her face in her hands. "Uuuuugh! I officially HATE mountain climbing!"

I pat my student on the back hard enough to push her forward. "Consider this endurance training, then. You'll grow some strong legs from all this walking."

Severa points at me accusingly. "I don't want to hear that from a jerk who can just fly all the way!"

I give her a dry look in return. "What, like right now?"

That makes Severa pause. Thing is, I let my feet touch the ground back when we first arrived in the mountain village, and I've been walking ever since.

"Jack-sensei, sometimes I just want to punch you."

I grin and walk ahead of Severa. "Then you'd better train until you can land that hit. Have fun, Severa."

Even as we travel the mountain roads, I hear Severa scream for my blood while Lucina does her best to stop her sister from mauling me barehanded. Just because I have little love for trolls doesn't mean I never indulge in their guilty pleasure myself from time to time. I'm hypocritical like that. And, to be fair, anger makes for one heck of a motivator when training. Easy adrenaline boost and all that. Perfect for Severa's physical conditioning. I do have to fulfill my duty as a teacher, after all. I simply do it in a way that I find amusing.


A few mountain trails later

"Are we there yet…?" Vaike asks with some desperation laced with exhaustion.

No one deigns to answer his question. Kjelle, for her part, facepalms and pretends she doesn't know the man. Sully settles for comforting her daughter, telling her how the blond axe wielder has been like that even before they married. As it turns out, Vaike's increased strength may have come with somewhat greater stamina, but all of that gets nullified in our current setting because he has to move all that extra muscle mass around while climbing mountains. Traveling with a body frame like his for extended periods of time can sap the stamina something fierce for just about anyone.

As for why Kjelle and Sully are handling themselves better; well, they're always training in one form or another. Anytime I train my students, I use Kjelle as the standard of what I expect of them (with the parameters adjusted accordingly for those who use magic to keep things fair). Reactions have been mixed. Lucina looked at the Knight apprehensively. Yarne and Nah were about to join her when they made eye contact. From that moment, they've been trying their hardest to make that standard seem subpar. Cynthia gave a megawatt grin and went One for All on the nearest training dummy. Five seconds later, the training dummy was better off as kindling for that evening's campfire.

"Good news, Vaike." Chrom calls back to the Berserker as he moves a branch out of the way. "It seems we have arrived."

Beyond the foliage, a massive, rectangular stone building occupies much of the open landscape in front of us. Aside from the massive front entrance, there seems to be a few pathways built upon it, indicating that the building has at least two stories. Oddly enough, there seem to be chains hanging from the ceiling, mostly visible through the openings provided by said open pathways above.

While this could certainly pass as a stronghold, there's one more thing that indicates that we've arrived at the right place.

"People garbed in purple robes meandering about." Laurent observes with his glasses flashing briefly. "That matches the description the village maiden provided us with earlier."

Chrom draws Falchion. "Guess there's no need to beat around the bush, then. Shepherds! Prepare for battle!"


Quest alert
Side quest: A man for flowers
While crossing the mountains along the northern part of Valm, you learn of a group of outlaws who raided and kidnapped the people living in a nearby mountain village. Aside from the odd behavior compared to how ruffians usually operate, the mere fact that a mass kidnapping with a side of murder happened a while ago is something you simply cannot ignore. And even if you did, Chrom never does. Find the mysterious kidnappers and put an end to their terrorizing the townsfolk.
Objective: Defeat all of the mysterious outlaws.
Rewards: 10 000 EXP, 10 000 gold


As we march out of the foliage, I notice something strange. The males among our group suddenly seem to have more muscles, as well as more definition to their muscle tone. The females seem to be notably taller. Everyone's features change to sharp, angular faces with permanent scowls etched on them. Wait, my face suddenly looks like that too.

Rose is the next to notice. She immediately points up in the sky as everything around her seemingly inverts in color.

Poke!

"What the heck, Author?! Stop changing the graphics just to make another one of those stupid references! We've got enough of those in this chapter as is!"

And just like that, everything returns to normal.

Everyone falls silent in the confusion.

Nowi blinks bemused. "Whoa. That felt weird. Almost like I had grown into a physical adult for a moment…"

I sigh and draw Harvest Moon. "This day just keeps getting more and more bizarre. I'd rather we just put an end to this and be done with it."

While everyone agrees, there one thing that gives us pause.

"Aaaah!"

The high-pitched scream of someone who is undoubtably a man, coming from within the structure.

A Mercenary with light-blue hair and surprisingly handsome features skids around a corner by the entrance and hightails it out of the building.


Inigo Lvl 35 Class: Mercenary


"Nobody said anything about the place being infested by monsters! No way I'm fighting in there!" the young man shouts.

Huh. So this is where that guy's been hanging around.

"Inigo?!" Lucina shouts shocked.

The young man in question is about to book it out of the area when he pauses and looks in our direction.

"Lucina? Guys? How'd you get here?"

Then he shakes his head and dons a mask of confidence, complete with a wink and sparkles around his face.

"No, pardon me. Of course you would be here. That's our beautiful and daring leader, all right."

Severa rolls her eyes. "Oh, joy. He's just as much of a shameless flirt as last time we saw him. And I had finally grown used to not hearing the guy hit on anything remotely female within a ten-league radius."

Lucina shakes her head. "Leave that for later, Severa. Inigo, what are you even doing here? More importantly, have you learned anything about what is happening in this place?"

Inigo's eyes widen in alarm. "Guh! I forgot! The people around here are all Grimleal! They're using this place to summon beasts and raise an army of them."

"Beasts? What kind of beasts?" Chrom asks.

Inigo points into the building. "That kind."

That's when we hear steps approaching. But they don't sound human. And a moment later, we find out why.

Bokoblins. Moblins. Lizalfos. All of them of varying kinds.

"What the- What're THOSE creatures doing here?!" I shout in shock.

Lucina turns to me. "You know of those, Master Jack?"

I nod and ready a wind spell. "Oh, I know of them all right. The only silver lining in this mess is that those aren't the worst creatures I've fought before – far from it. But last time I checked, they can't be summoned unless some kind of blood ritual is conducted."

"Well, well, well. To think there was someone from the outside who knew about our little…experiment." an arrogant voice drawls.

The Hyrulean monsters step aside to let an Assassin walk forward with confidence practically dripping from his every move. One of his distinct features is the lip piercing in the form of a ring.


Jamil Lvl 44 Class: Assassin


I scowl at the obvious leader of this pack. "I know more about those creatures than you ever have. And considering the number of people here that I can tell are on your side, I find it hard to believe that you had enough people to sacrifice to summon all of these, not if you only arrived recently."

Jamil sends me a condescending smile. "Hmph. And you claim to know more than me. Fool. Who said anything about sacrificing our own to summon these creatures?"

"That's the other thing." Inigo explains as he draws the Steel Sword on his back. "The Grimleal have been kidnapping people in the nearby villages and brought them here as sacrifices for their blood rituals. It was only thanks to a fair maiden who escaped their raids that I managed to find this place."

Now that we all take a closer look, we notice something hanging from several of the chains inside the building.

Humans. But none of them are alive. They're all corpses, bled dry and left to rot where they hang under the ceiling.

Lissa's face turns green. "Oh, gods… That's horrible."

A deranged grin splits Jamil's face as he spreads out his arms. "Ah, but their pain is but fleeting in comparison to how great their sacrifice is for Master Grima. Soon, this whole continent shall be under our rule, and then none will be able to oppose our master or our cause."

Lucina glares at the Grimleal with barely contained fury. "Even now, you fiends commit all manner of unspeakable acts in the name of that monster. How many lives have you sacrificed to summon all these beasts?!"

Jamil shrugs uncaring. "How many cups of tea have you had in your life, little girl?"

That's the straw that breaks the camel's back. Lucina draws Parallel Falchion and charges the cultists head-on with a furious war cry.

BGM: Brobot battle, Super Paper Mario music

A Berserker charges Lucina to meet her head-on. Strong for her size or no, that Berserker's packing some serious strength if the Imposing Axe he's wielding is any indication. And, judging from his grin, he thinks along the same line.

"Night, night!"

Crack!

The Imposing Axe sinks slightly into the rocky ground from the swing and even makes a dust cloud.

The Berserker makes a confused sound as he notices the lack of blood and entrails.

*Shing!* "Guah!"

The axe wielder collapses forward moments later with Lucina standing with her back to him, Eye of the exalt at full blaze and a glare to match.

Meanwhile, the beasts from Hyrule have finally decided to join the fray alongside their human masters. While their combat skill may be lower than that of a trained soldier, their sheer numbers and above average strength can make up for it.

A pair of Moblins charge Lucina with a Steel Axe each in hand.

*Clang!* "Just in time…"

Their combined swings don't even make Kjelle budge as she places herself between the monsters and Lucina. The Moblins blink in surprise before they rear back their axes for another swing.

"Distraction kills." *Brrzt!*

They only have enough time to raise their weapons before Laurent hits both of them with precise Elthunder spells. As the Moblins are busy twitching from the spell, Kjelle rears back her lance and slices both of them with a wide swing.

A group of Bokoblins ride on a horse each that they got form…somewhere. Judging by their coloring, they're most likely wild. As they ride around the battlefield, they try to harass us with arrows.

"You call that horseback combat? You guys don't even qualify as average!" Stahl shouts as he commands his horse into a frontal assault.

The Bokoblin fire a salvo of arrows at Stahl, only to realize their folly as the green Great Knight barrels right through the attack thanks to his heavy armor. Moments later, the Bokoblin are sent flying off their mounts from a swing of Stahl's Armorslayer.


*Fwoom!*

"This beast is more tiresome to fight than I thought." Panne growls as she dodges the flames spewed by a Fire Lizalfos. Any time when the taguel tries to keep her distance, the red reptile closes the gap within seconds and tries to shred her to pieces with its Tri-Boomerang. And if Panne retaliates at close range, the Fire Lizalfos literally opens fire and tries to turn her into bunny roast.

"You're telling-"

Freeze!

*Krk…krish!* "-me! I have a hard enough-"

Freeze!

*Krk…krish!* "-time moving in this fight!" Nowi yells while an Ice Lizalfos constantly interrupts her with a well-placed ball of ice that freezes her instantly, only for the manakete to break free moments later.

Freeze!

*Krk…krish!* "Will you cut that out?! I can't talk properly if you keep freezing me like that!"

Panne and Nowi soon find themselves back-to-back.

"This is getting us nowhere." Panne observes as their elemental adversaries approach from either side.

Nowi frowns before a glimmer sparkles in her eye. "Hey, Panne? You can handle cold well, right?"

Panne nods tentatively. "Better than those searing flames, yes."

Nowi grins before she grabs Panne's forearm. "In that case; switch!"

"What are you- Whoa!"

Nowi reverses their positions before she runs straight at the Fire Lizalfos. The red monster wastes no time in covering Nowi in flames.

*Flash!*

But instead of turning Nowi into a pile of ashes, the manakete runs straight into the flames, transforms, and barrels the Fire Lizalfos over through sheer weight and momentum.

"You want fire? Taste the flames of a real dragon!"

*Fwoom!*

Fire immunity or not, it seems not even the Fire Lizalfos can tank the flames of a manakete. That, or Lizalfos in general count as draconic creatures. Gotta love Wyrmsbane.

On the other side, Panne has transformed as well and weaves left and right while dashing towards the Ice Lizalfos. The pale-blue reptile hurls ice ball after ice ball at Panne, only for the taguel to dodge the freeze radius with her quick movements and completely ignoring the cold residual air thanks to her fur. Moments later, she tears into the Ice Lizalfos like a savage predator.


Sumia curves around an Arcfire spell from a Dark Knight and then has her pegasus climb hard to avoid the follow-up swing form a General's lance. As the brunette Dark Flier reaches a safe altitude, she opens her own Elthunder tome and starts blasting the General with arcane lightning form above. Her barrage reaches an abrupt end as an opposing Dark Flier tries to impale her on a Killer Lance. Sumia makes it out of the surprise attack unscathed, but finds some of her hair missing.

"Again?!" the Dark Flier yells exasperated. "Why does my hair always suffer whenever there's a close call?! That's it, you're going down!"

Sumia pulls out a Silver Lance of her own and twirls it a few turns before she commands her pegasus to charge. The Grimleal Dark Flier smirks and commands her mount into a dive. Sumia follows suit, only to find a pair of Griffon Riders joining in the aerial battle.

*Screech!*

Fortunately for Sumia, Cherche's taken to the skies as well. The Griffon Riders are forced to concentrate on Cherche instead, else Minerva would roast their mounts with her fiery breath.

Cherche readies her Killer Axe with a smile that promises pain. "Shall we?"

The Griffon Riders share a look before they nod and command their mounts to climb. Cherche frowns and has Minerva hover in place while waiting for their approach.

"Cherche, look out!" Sumia shouts in alarm.

Cherche follows where Sumia's voice came from and spots the Arcwind spell headed her way. The Wyvern Rider commands Minerva to make a steep dive, allowing her to dodge the wind spell.

"Not this time. I've learned my lesson." Cherche mutters with an annoyed glare. And that's when the Griffon Riders come flying down at her with their mounts diving at breakneck speeds.

"Coming through!" *Shink!*

One of the Griffon Riders gets thrown off his mount as Sumia times their descent well enough to flank the attack and impale one of the Griffons. With nothing holding him up anymore, the Griffon Rider crashes right onto the unforgiving ground.

That doesn't stop the other Griffon Rider from continuing his attack dive on Cherche, though.

"Such an easy target." *Thunk!*

A headshot from Virion, on the other hand, will. As the second flier falls to the ground lifeless, Cherce glances towards the ground to see the Bow Knight give himself a pleased smile. At least, he smiles until the Dark Knight reminds everyone he's still around and tries to incinerate Virion with another Arcfire spell. It's a good thing Innes reacts quickly and manages to move out of the literal line of fire. As the Dark Knight keeps casting fire spells, Virion counters with the occasional arrow while keeping an eye out for any more sneak attacks.

Ironically, the next sneak attack comes from Olivia, who managed to sneak around the Dark Knight and got the drop on the spellcasting rider by jumping on his mount. He barely has time to yelp in surprise before Olivia slits his throat with a clean cut from her dagger.

Cherche shakes her head in fond exasperation. "As much of a showoff as I remember. But at least he can back up his claims with his archery this time around while also having a capable partner by his side."

Then she glares behind Sumia. "All right, my turn, then."

The remaining Dark Flier looks at the nearby Shepherds nervously before she turns and flies away.

"Oh no, you don't!" Cherche shouts as she commands Minerva into pursuit. What the Dark Flier's mount may have in maneuverability, Minerva makes up for with sheer speed. As Cherche slowly gains ground, she pulls out a Hand Axe, takes aim, and hurls the weapon. Though not a clean hit, the flying axe manages to clip the Dark Flier's side and disrupts her concentration long enough for Cherche to catch up. Seeing no other way out, the Dark Flier grits her teeth and readies herself for single combat. Cherche closes in with her Killer Axe raised high. The Dark Flier responds with a thrust to keep distance, only for Cherche to lean her head at the last moment and swing down with her axe. In response, the Dark Flier pulls on the reins and has her pegasus rear up its front hooves. Cherche gets a face full of hooves before she manages to back off. She commands Minerva into a dive before the Dark Flier can capitalize on the surprise maneuver and impale her through the chest. The Dark Flier follows suit, only for Cherche to make a hard turn and swing from the side. The Dark Flier responds with a corkscrew and keeps diving until she makes a sharp climb and settles for wider swings at the Wyvern Rider. Minerva swings her tail at the pegasus to stop the attack, then rights herself to let Cherche bring down her axe. The Dark Flier manages to block Cherche's swing with visible effort, but still holds strong. But that's when she notices Cherche smirk – and Minerva's mouth open with the bottom of her maw glowing yellow.

"It has been a pleasure!"

*Fwoom!*

The Dark Flier screams in agony from the point-blank blast of Minerva's fire breath. The blinding heat leaves her completely open when Cherche comes down and finally lands a clean hit on her shoulder and through her heart. As the Dark Flier falls lifelessly into the valley below, Minerva rears back and lets out a triumphant victory cry with the sunset painting a majestic backdrop.

Cherche smiles at her longtime friend fondly. "As much as a showoff as Duke Virion. And I would have you no other way, Minerva."


A Trickster draws a slim Silver Sword and points it at Severa with a flourish.

"Hah! I advise you keep your distance, girl. You are no match for moi, Chariot, the Silver Fencer."

One of Severa's eyebrows twitches. "Great… I'm stuck with the weirdo. Just make it quick. I have enough crazy to handle on a daily basis already, and you're just salt on the open wound."

The Trickster closes the distance between them in a flash, unleashing a relentless barrage of swift stabs.

"Come on! Come on, come on, come on, come on, come on!"

"Don't you have anything better to say?!" Severa yells while frantically blocking the sharp blade.

The redhead spies an opening and ducks low before she channels fire through Laevateinn and unleashes a heavy swing. The Trickster backflips out of dodge and eyes Severa's burning sword curiously.

"Fire, huh? Neat trick." The Trickster retakes his stance smirking. "Too bad for you I can even cut fire with my sword. Before long, you will fall to your own power."

The mouthy cultist renews his assault. Much to Severa's shock, the attacks come even faster this time, to the point that she finds herself cut in several places, despite her best efforts in blocking the attacks. Severa clicks her tongue and casts an Elfire spell right on the ground. The explosion of fire magic catches her opponent off-guard and forces him to back off.

"What was that about cutting fire?" Severa asks from within a circle of flames.

The Trickster grins. "This!"

Another quick step-in later, and he swipes at Severa's flames. They don't just flicker in the direction of the swing. Some of them even stick to the slim blade, much like on Laevateinn.

"What the- Eek!"

Severa stumbles back in shock as her own flames get swung back at her. Adding to the speed of the assault, the red-haired princess finds herself completely on the defensive.

"This is why I told you to keep your distance, girl!" the Trickster taunts her.

He feints a high slash, only to change it to a kick in Severa's gut that forces her to stab her sword in the ground to stay on her feet. Right afterwards, the Trickster swings his sword down hard and launches the attached flames in a blazing hot arc at Severa.

*Fwoom!* "Ungh!"

"And thus, you fall to your own power." the Trickster declares haughtily.

Severa smirks from within the flames. "That's what you think."

The Trickster blinks. "Come again? Wait, why aren't the flames burning you?"

Severa's smirk turns into a grin. "You didn't think I learned how to conjure fire without gaining some manner of resistance to them, did you? Unlike your parlor tricks, my control over fire is the real deal. The best part? You're so busy walking with your nose in the air that you don't even notice what happens beneath you."

"Beneath-" That's when the Trickster notices the ground under his feet glow red. His eyes widen in shock. "What?! When did you- You channeled your flames into the ground when you stabbed your sword into the ground?!"

"Took you long enough. Have fun burning, loser!"

A small inferno erupts from the ground with the Trickster standing in the middle of it all. As the flames die down, they reveal that his clothes are practically charred black, his body is covered in third degree burns, and his sword is slightly melted. Oh, and he's dead.

Severa flips some hair behind her shoulder. "I was almost scared."


"Hop, hop, hop, hop, hop, hop!"

Rose stands on a light-blue translucent cube with a core of lightning magic humming in its center and rolls it forward. Every time a side impacts the ground, the cube sends out a surge of lightning magic that stuns anyone who gets close enough. The grimleal are smart enough to keep their distance. The Hyrulean beasts, not so much. As Rose keeps up her clunky movement over the ground, she leaves a sizable group of twitching Bokoblins and Moblins in her wake.

Rose turns in my direction. "Hey, Dad! Think we could make it work better?"

"I'm on it!" I shout and jump in her direction.

Rose jumps off her cube, and I land on it moments later with my hands pointed outwards and Telekinesis locked on any enemy in a fifteen meter radius.

"Universal pull (but not really)!"

My telekinetic hold pulls grimleal and Hyrulean beasts alike to the cube. I jump off the magical construct, just as Rose finishes charging a Thunder spell with a malicious grin on her face.

"Get rekt, scrubs!"

It's just like when a spark falls on a pile of gunpowder. When the lightning orb hits the bigger lightning cube, the energies held within are unleashed all at once and explode like a concentrated thunderbolt. Anyone who got caught in my telekinetic hold earlier gets fried in an instant.

I land beside Rose and high-five her. "We should do that more often."

"Easy-peasy."

After a while, Rose blinks. "Hey, Dad? Since I got that last blow in, does that mean I get all the EXP?"

Rose has leveled up!

Rose shrugs. "Oh. Well, I guess that answers that."

I glance to the side and notice Lucina locked in combat with a General. The heavily armored soldier manages to shrug off most of the blue-haired princess's attacks and has room to spare to retaliate, which puts Lucina in a tough spot, superior mobility notwithstanding.

"Better help her." I mutter and draw Harvest Moon.

The General deflects one of Lucina's stabs and unbalances her in the process. Before he can capitalize on the opening, I slip in-between and send his lance off-course with a rising slash before I grab Lucina and jump back to get some distance.

"You look like you could use some help." I tell Lucina as I get in a battle stance.

Lucina nods and settles in her own stance. "My thanks, Master. Ready?"

I grin. "Whenever you feel like it."

On an unseen signal, we both charge the General. The armored cultist swings his lance at me, only to swing air as I jump over the swing. I try to land an axe kick on his head, only to meet his shield instead. Meanwhile, Lucina flanks the General and aims a thrust at his side. The General pivots and flips his lance to thrust it backwards at Lucina. She manages to block, but gets sent back far enough for the General to focus on me instead. My armored foe swipes his shield sideways and transitions into a lance stab in the same move.

Good thing I know how to hover as I please. Dodging the stab is easy. The shield bash right afterwards, not so much.

*Wham!*

Huh. No damage, but he hit hard enough to send me back. This guy is obviously a cut above the rest of his comrades, considering how well he reacts to multiple attacks at once. But…there's a gap in pretty much any defense. Now to find his.

I dash in for another offensive. Predictably, the General blocks my first swing with his shield. At the same time, he deters Lucina from attacking from behind with a lance thrust backwards. I slip to his side and make a grab for his lance while it's still extended, but he shows remarkable reaction speed as he pulls his weapon back and tries to jam the edge of his shield into me. I bend backwards to dodge the blow, but find myself in an awkward position as his lance comes in for a powerful thrust. No choice, then.

I slap the ground for a Transmutation and move the ground I'm on away from the General and out of reach for his lance. Seeing as I'm further away, the General turns his attention back to Lucina and stops her attack cold in its tracks. Even though the General focuses on the princess, I can tell he still stays wary of me. I can work with that.

I dash in for another attempted attack, this time with Harvest Moon reared back for a thrust. But instead of running all the way into thrusting distance, I send out my attack much earlier than what would be expected, considering Harvest Moon's length.

That is, Harvest Moon's length in its current form.

As I thrust forward, Harvest Moon's hilt elongates at high speeds. So fast, that the General gets the shock of his life when the bone-white blade not only reaches him, but sinks into his less armored side and finally draws first blood in this fight. All the while, Harvest Moon's blade remains locked in its straight position.

This is the solution Robin gave me the inspiration for. It's so simple, I can't believe it took me this long to figure out the solution to my problem. If I want to fight with a more traditional polearm, I'll just make sure Harvest Moon can become like one. So instead of having the elongation of the hilt and the angle shift on the blade be part of the same mechanism, I simply separated them so they can work independently. The result? I can now shift Harvest Moon into a naginata form – with an abnormally big blade at the end.

The unexpected blow finally makes the General stagger enough to give me and Lucina the opening we need to tear apart his defenses. First Lucina uses the distraction to disarm him of his lance. By the time she's done, I have already closed the distance and kicked the shield off his arm. Time to wrap this up.


Union Strike: Wombo Combo

"Lucina!"

"Together!"

I grab one of the General's arms and pull him in for a snap kick right at his wound. The force behind the kick sends him stumbling towards Lucina, who unleashes a triple slash across his back before she pushes him back my way with a palm thrust.

I thrust at the General's head with the butt end of Harvest Moon, strike the back of his knees with the pole, and slash him across the chest with the blade. By this point, he's barely staying on his feet. That's when Lucina grabs hold of his other arm and slams Parallel Falchion's pommel into his face, kicks him away and pierces his armor with a well-timed Shield Breaker.

"Time to finish this." I declare.

I toss Harvest moon into the air and reinforce my arms before I pummel the General through his armor with enough force to dent it. Shoulder, solar plexus, abdomen, temple, forearm, gut, solar plexus again. Then I grab the General's arm and toss him over my shoulder with a battle cry – right in Lucina's direction.

The princess braces herself. "I say when it ends!"

Right as the flying General makes contact, all momentum stops due to a perfectly executed parry from Lucina. The temporarily airborne armored cultist is helpless as Lucina's sword arm blurs in a myriad of stabs that chip away on his armor. Lucina shouts out her own battle cry as she finishes her barrage with a rising slash that sends the General even higher up. Then Lucina jumps up after him, sends him crashing to the ground with an overhead swing and finishes him off with a stab that goes right through his armor and his chest. That's right where his heart would be.

Dude. She just performed a modified version of the Ken Combo.

I catch Harvest Moon as it comes back down. "Nice move."

Lucina pulls Parallel Falchion out of the General's body and smiles at me. "Whatever it takes."

BGM ends


Olivia ducks under a Berserker's axe swing and slashes at his legs. To her surprise, the Grimleal axe wielder stops his swing early and shoves the butt end at the Dancer. Olivia leans to the side and jumps away before the follow-up can reach her. As she lands, she hears the whinny of a familiar horse. A quick glance back reveals Virion riding in their direction with an arrow notched and ready.

As the Berserker gets ready to charge right over Olivia, she backflips over the swing and out of the way for Virion to line up his shot.

*Thunk!*

The Berserker grunts surprised from the shot. By the time he yanks out the arrow from his shoulder, Olivia has already landed on Innes's back and is hitching a ride on her husband's mount. Virion commands his trusty steed into a circular maneuver while firing more arrows at the Berserker. The axe wielder is ready this time and either blocks or outright dodges the projectiles, but Virion fires them in such a way that he more or less keeps the axe wielder rooted to one spot. As the Bow Knight closes in again, the Berserker readies his axe to chop Innes's legs off in one clean swing. That's when Olivia jumps off the horse and comes down with an overhead slash. Their weapons clash, with the Berserker standing strong even with all the momentum Olivia gained with the fall. That's when Olivia pulls out her dagger and jams it in his forearm.

"Gah! You wench!" the Berserker shouts in pain as he shoves away Olivia and pulls out the dagger.

And then the sound of pounding hooves reaches his ears. Virion has already switched out his bow for a Steel Sword and aims it right at the Grimleal.

"Shall I make you famous?" *Shink!*

The entire weight of a rider on a horse running at full speed strikes the Berserker on a surface area concentrated on the tip of a sword. Needless to say, the Steel Sword sinks into his chest effortlessly. The impact is hard enough to knock the Berserker off his feet and off Virion's sword. He's dead before he even hits the ground.

Virion flicks some blood off his sword and turns to his wife. "Well, that certainly went smoothly. Let us hope this battle ends the same way."

"Look out! Behind you!" Inigo shouts from a bit of distance away.

Virion reacts to the warning and instinctively tries to move his body in a way to hopefully dodge whatever is headed for him.

*Thunk!* "Ungh!"

While it prevented the arrow flying at him to hit anything vital, it still managed to hit him in the shoulder. The Bow Knight falls off his horse moments later.

"Virion!" Olivia shouts in alarm as she runs to her husband.

Jamil smirks from his spot near the entrance to his temporary hideout. "It's useless. That arrow, as well as all my other weapons, are laced with poison." The Assassin indicates the ring in his lip as his smirk turns into a victorious grin. "Unless he takes the antidote stored in my lip ring within the next hour, his death will be as certain as it will be painful."

Inigo's eyes widen in horror at the Assassin's declaration. The horrified expression soon morphs into rage as the young Mercenary clenches his fists until they shake and turn white. "No. He will not fall to an arrow again! I won't allow it!"

Inigo takes one step forward.

Jamil smirks amused. "Hoh~? You're approaching me? Even when knowing that but a scratch from my weapons will spell certain doom, you would willingly come closer?"

"I can't mete out the justice you deserve if I don't get close enough." Inigo growls as he brandishes his Steel Sword in one hand while his left is covered in a faint golden glow with sparks dancing over the limb. At the same time, his breathing becomes…deeper. More focused.

Jamil puts away his bow and replaces it with his own Silver Sword. "Ho hoh. Then, by all means, come as close as you want."


I jump over a Black Lizalfos's tail swipe and shift Harvest Moon into scythe form before I slice the bipedal lizard in half. Moments later, I lean to the side to dodge the tongue of another. I grab hold of the appendage (Gah! Slimy!) and yank on it to pull the surprised Lizalfos to me before I impale the beast on my scythe, shift my weapon back to a sword, pull out and decapitate it.

As I watch over the battlefield, I note that the number of beasts from Hyrule seems to be increasing.

"Chrom, this isn't working." I tell the prince bluntly. "These cultists seem to be able to summon those creatures faster than we can kill them."

Chrom grunts as he blocks a Moblin wielding a massive two-handed sword before he overpowers the beast and cuts it down. "Then what do you suggest we do?"

I look around in the hopes of finding some sort of clue. If those monsters are summoned from somewhere, there should be a place where their density is naturally at its highest – a place that they all spawn from.

Wait, of course. The giant building. What better place to summon these creatures than the massive building that serves as the Grimleal's temporary base of operations on this continent? If we can get inside, we can disrupt whatever they're doing to summon the Hyrulean beasts and free any captives who are still alive. Still, with more creatures coming out of the woodworks at a steady pace, breaking through would be challenging at best.

Well, as the old siege tactic says; if you can't find a suitable entrance, make one.

Decision made, I dash around the building with Gale step until I manage to round a corner and stare what should probably be the northern wall.

*Poof*

The clone at my side grins. "A hole in the wall? Should be easy enough."

I nod and grab hold of him. "Ready or not, we're about to renovate this place. Have fun."

With that, I wind up for a toss and add some extra wind magic on top of Reinforcement for good measure.

"Doriyah!"

My clone flies at pretty much terminal velocity. At this speed, a Rasengan should be able to punch a hole through the thick stone structure.

My clone claps his hands with an evil grin. "RODOH ROLLA DA!"

*Poof*

Crash!

A drop of sweat forms on the back of my head. Well, I expected him to use Rasengan on the wall. Seems like he settled for turning into a steam roller instead before impact. While impressive that my transformed clone is firmly stuck in the outer wall, there's no hole that can be used as an entrance.

"MUDAA!"

KA-BOOM!

Ah, so he settled for the explosive variant. The drop of sweat on my head doubles in size. While my clone's stunt did indeed have the desired effect in making a giant hole, and thus an entrance into the interior of the ancient stronghold, the fact that I chucked a clone in the first place to achieve this result just seems so outlandish to me. In short, a highly unconventional battering ram.

On the other hand, this might make for an interesting tactic. Making clones isn't as draining to me as it used to be, so chucking clones that transform into giant exploding steam rollers mid-flight might be a great way of handling large crowds of cannon fodder. If nothing else, the shout of one of Dio's signature moves could become a battle cry that will damage the enemy side's morale simply by uttering it.

Better yet, I could transform my clones into arrows, hand them to Noire, have her fire them from her bow to effectively triple their numbers, and then have them transform into giant exploding steamrollers. Though something tells me Robin would expressly forbid me from using such a tactic in battle due to the massive amounts of collateral damage caused, even if used outside of civilization. Contrary to what I might state in my crazier moments, my wife has made it abundantly clear on multiple occasions that, yes, there is such a thing as overkill.

I could argue that she's being a spoilsport, but that would just result in her banishing me to the equivalent of sleeping on the proverbial couch. Not worth it. Ever.

*Boom. Boom.*

My musings over inventing this world's first potential WMDs are cut short as I feel the ground shake in an odd way.

*Boom. Boom.*

It's not an earthquake. The shaking is far to spread out in frequency for that. In fact, I think the shaking is getting stronger.

*Boom! Boom!*

No, it definitely is.

And that's when I notice a massive shadow appear in the hole my clone just blasted into existence. A large, three-fingered hand grasps the edge before the body it belongs to crouches a bit and peeks out of the hole I just made. A single monstrous eye shifts this way and that to scan the battle happening outside.

My eyebrow twitches in disbelief. "You cannot be serious…"

Of all the things the Grimleal could bring here…they summoned a freaking Hynox?!

"Jack?" Chrom asks worriedly as he notices the giant one-eyed monster. "What is that?"

"Four words, Chrom." I reply tersely. "Aim for the eye!"

The Hynox steps out into the open and sets its eye on us. As it approaches, I notice its posture getting lower.

Wait, it's not crouching. It's building up speed for a dash!

"Take cover!" I shout as I grab Lucina and jump away from the cyclopean creature's path. The Hynox continues even after the miss and rams right into a boulder. The boulder gets sent on a brief flight in the air before it crashes back down.

Lucina blanches at the result of the tackle. "How in the world are we supposed to take something that monstrous down?"

I give my student a dry look. "Oh, come now, Lucina. If you can't defeat something like the big guy over there, you'll stand no chance against the Fell dragon. If anything, these creatures are fairly simpleminded and dimwitted.

Though, judging from the way the Hynox glares at me, it's safe to assume that it at least understands human speech and knows that I just insulted its intelligence.

The thought is further reinforced as it charges me and, instead of a tackle, jumps into the air and comes down butt first.

Oh, H-LL NO! I have no intention of being sat on by that hideous thing!

*BOOM!*

I slide back from my dodge while keeping a wary eye on the Hynox. Unlike its in-game counterpart, this big lug is a lot more active while on the offensive. The best way to put it down really is a clean hit in its eye and then a merciless pummeling while it's busy holding its precious ocular organ in pain. Which means we have to consult someone who's good with bows. Considering Virion's busy being somewhere else, that leaves two candidates; Gaius and Noire. The former would be more ideal in this case, since his ammo is conventional and not of the explosive variant (though that might help a bit in its own way).

"Hey, Gaius! You think you can land a shot in that thing's eye?!" I shout to the Assassin.

Gaius shifts the lollipop in his mouth. "Should be easy enough. Just need a moment to line up a good shot. Big guy's a bit too mobile with his head for my tastes."

I nod. "You heard him! Find a way to distract the beast so that it keeps its face in one place!"

Our cavalry takes the initiative and ride around the Hinox in circles. Their superior mobility keeps the giant confused and undecisive of who to target first. After a while, the giant creature gives up and raises both its hands in the air.

My eyes widen in alarm. "Get away! Those slaps are stronger than they look!"

The Hinox slaps its hands on the ground every which way, producing small shockwaves with each impact. One gets too close to Stahl and sends both him and his horse flying a bit, complete with a rough landing. The Hinox decides to pick off the Great Knight while he's down and raises a fist into the air.

That's when Frederick rides in and swings his Savage Lynel Crusher to intercept the fist.

*BOOM!*

The lieutenant of the Shepherds grunts as the impact blows both him and the Hinox back.

As the Hinox tries to regain its balance, Gaius rushes in, runs along its belly and jumps off the Hinox's face. He already has an arrow trained on the beast's eye by the time he reaches the apex of his jump.

"So long, sucker." *Thunk!*

The Hinox roars in agony as the impact of the shot sends it crashing to the ground. As the giant beast writhes in pain over the clean hit on its most sensitive area, two overlaying purple rune circles bordering on black swirl to life underneath it.

"I can handle this myself." Tharja growls at Henry.

"Aw, don't hog all the fun." Henry pouts. Said pout turns into an excited grin. "Hey, how about we both unleash whatever we had planned for the big guy? That sounds like fun, doesn't it?"

Tharja raises an eyebrow before she chuckles. "Oh, why not? Just make sure it's entertaining."

The glow from both rune circles gets stronger. From one, pitch-black hands rise up and grab hold of the Hinox before they pull it into the circle itself. Moments later, ethereal woodland critters of all shapes and sizes jump out from the second one and gnaw away at the thrashing Hinox, who just realized that it has more pressing matters than its aching eye.

Tharja raises an eyebrow as she glances at her fellow practitioner in dark magic.

Henry's smile remains unchanged. "You'd be surprised what you can learn about the food chain if you grow up in the forest long enough. Nature's cruel by, well, nature."

The Hinox manages to shake off most of the mana-based critters and rips apart the shadowy arms dragging it down before it frantically tries to escape whatever awaits beyond the rune circles. Its resistance is so strong that even Tharja's and Henry's magic combined is still not enough to put it down. It takes some struggling, but the Hinox manages to get back on its feet and takes a shaky step out of the overlaying rune circles.

Henry starts to sweat as his normally cheerful expression turns into a nervous grimace. "Ngh! Need a little help, guys!"

"I've got it!" Lissa shouts and heads straight for the struggling Hinox.

The beast takes note of the approaching War Cleric and prepares to smash her in one hit.

*Boom!*

"Ngh! Rrrgh!"

Except the blow gets intercepted when Nah places herself between in the path of the Hinox's fist and catches with her hands. The ground craters under her feet, and she clearly struggles under the pressure, but she managed to stop the attack nonetheless.

And that's when Lissa finally reaches the leg outside the rune circle, rears back Betty and swings hard.

Crunch!

If the sound wasn't telling enough, the way the Hinox's relatively thin leg bends from the impact of Lissa's massive Hammer shows how messed up its knee just got. The Hinox barely has time to roar in pain before it once again hits the ground with a massive thud.

Henry fiddles a bit with a tiny rune circle in front of his hands. "Gimme a sec… And done!"

The bigger rune circle that he conjured at the Hinox's previous location moves until it sits right where the Hinox lies right now.

Tharja looks at the cheerful Dark Mage in shock. "Did you just change the coordinates for a rune circle while it's active?! That's not even supposed to be possible!"

Henry shrugs as the ethereal critters resume tearing the Hinox to shreds. "Meh. Didn't know then, don't care now. I just do it."

Tharja cancels her own spell. "You just- There's a reason why moving an activated rune circle is considered impossible, you fool! It acts as a boundary to limit how far the mana powering a spell can flow. It makes rune circles complex and delicate by nature! Just disrupting the structure of one will have the whole spell collapse into itself before it unleashes a massive explosion that could affect the nearby area in who knows how many ways!"

Henry scratches his chin while still keeping his familiar smile. "Oh, they can do that too? I never knew. I just figured; Hey, if I set the rune circle in the wrong place by accident, it'd just be a pain to remove it and make a new one from scratch. So I just pry it off whatever I drew it on and move it to another place. Kind of like how you tack a note on a board, but then you move the note elsewhere by pulling out the tack first."

Tharja's eyebrow twitches. "That's not even how it works… That's it. When we're done here, we're having very long talk about rune crafting, and I won't take "no" for an answer."

Henry pouts. "Aw. And here I promised Lissa I'd show her how to mix some of my homemade herbal remedies."

Miriel's glasses flash in interest. "I was not aware you made remedies as part of your practice."

Henry shrugs. "Hey, had to figure out some way to cure whatever disease I caught while growing up. Unless you've noticed, forest critters aren't exactly the best at understanding the human body, so I had to experiment with whatever I could find before I learned what cures what. Lots of trial and error. Mostly error."

Lissa gapes at Henry's explanation. "Trial and- For all you know, you could've ingested something poisonous! How in the world are you still alive?!"

The Dark Mage smiles. "When you grow up with bears, you learn how to stomach most stuff. Except skunks. Skunks are nasty."

While our little group has this very interesting discussion regarding Henry's medical practice, his spell does its job in tearing the Hinox apart. The beast lets out one final cry of pain before it explodes in purple mist. Nothing is left by the time the mist clears.

I sigh in relief. That went as well as it could have, all things considered. Thankfully, it seems my friends are capable of taking on the stronger kinds of Hyrulean beasts that exist, should we run into them again.

Looks like we've taken care of most of the troublesome cultists and their beastly allies. All that's left should be their leader, and the rest should either surrender or scatter to the winds.

I rub my chin. "Come to think of it… Where did their leader go?"

"Up there!" Maribelle gasps and points in the direction of the stronghold.

Now that I pay attention, I can hear the faint sound of metal clashing against metal from somewhere around the entrance.

Wait, not the entrance. It's above.

I tilt my head further back and finally spot the source of the sounds. Inigo backflips into view before he takes another quick step backwards among some of the chains hanging near the arc that marks the entrance. Moments later, Jamil lunges in and swings his sword in a deadly flurry of slashes against the young Mercenary. It's only thanks to some quick thinking and even quicker reflexes that Inigo barely manages to keep the Assassin at bay. As things look though, it's only a matter of time before Jamil tears open a hole in Inigo's defense.

That hole shows itself as Jamil feints an overhead slash that immediately transitions into a snap kick into Inigo's chest. Jamil crouches low and lunges at Inigo like a panther. Inigo mounts a hasty block, only to have his sword knocked out of his hand.

While he stumbles backwards, he points at Jamil. "You're about to say; I've won! Die!"

Jamil springs into another deadly lunge at the now disarmed Mercenary. "I've won! Die!" the Assassin declares triumphantly. The realization that he just got predicted word for word makes him pause confused. "Huh?"

Inigo's frantic expression turns into a smirk as he thrusts his hand forward. "Gotcha! Hermit Purple!"

BGM: Stardust crusaders (short version), JoJo's bizarre adventure OST

Purple, thorned vines appear from Inigo's arm and rush out to the surprised Assassin. Within moments, Jamil finds himself ensnared in the ethereal plant, while a few of them also loop one of the nearby chains around his neck.

"Guh! What the- I can't move!" the Assassin exclaims in shock.

Inigo flips some hair out of his face. "Just as I planned. All I had to do was lure you to this spot and make you think you'd won. The moment you thought you had, you had already lost the battle." Inigo points at Jamil dramatically. "Your next words will be: No! That's impossible! There's no way you could've planned this from the start!"

Jamil snarls as he struggles against his bonds. "No! That's impossible! There's no way you could've planned this from the start! …Ah!"

Bam!

Inigo winks with a massive grin on his face.

"Time to end this." the young Mercenary declares as his arm gets shrouded in a golden sparkling glow. "This is your last dance."

Inigo jumps towards Jamil's position and brings down his glowing arm. "Hamon: Overdrive!"

Ka-bram!

The blow is strong enough to shatter the stone arch both fighters were fighting on. With no foothold left, Jamil screams as he plummets to the ground tied up. Inigo breaks his fall by pulling on the vines wrapped around his opponent. Because the chain was wrapped around Jamil's neck, the jolting motion snaps it in an instant while Inigo lands safely on the ground.

Inigo glances behind him as debris falls to the ground everywhere. "There's one reason why you lost today. One very simple reason." The young Mercenary calmly walks away. "You made a maiden cry on my watch."

The image of the hanged cultist becomes a silhouette in the setting sun.

Jamil:
Hung by the neck
Retired!

Inigo has leveled up!

BGM ends


"That's the last of them. The hold is reclaimed." Chrom notes relieved.

Frederick nods. "The villagers will sleep better for our good works, milord."

"I would hope so." Say'ri interjects frowning. "Though the people here may not truly be at peace over what happened here until we can give them closure regarding their families and loved ones. At the very least, we should see if any of the captives are still alive. And the least we could do for the ones who have perished is to give them a proper burial."

Chrom sighs. "I suppose it's only fair. Though going through the entire hold alone is going to take a while."

"Then we had better start now, milord." Frederick suggests. "The sooner we can put this behind us, the better."

As we gather everyone to search through the Grimleal stronghold, we notice one of their members run away.

"Hey, shouldn't we chase after him? I mean, he took part in all of this as well, right?" Ricken asks.

"No need for that." Henry assures him. "I figured at least one of those guys would try to bail, so I prepared some of the trees in the woods with my Henry special number 3."

Lissa raises an eyebrow. ""Henry special number 3"? What's that?"

Henry's smile turns gleeful. "Bites the dust!"

*Ka-BOOM!*

A massive explosion originating from the woods we came from rocks the mountain top. The smoke cloud among the trees shows where the center of the blast was.

"Powerful enough to make the past hour of your life flash before your eyes before you're blown to kingdom come." Henry explains proudly.

Uh, and it seems the forest is on fire.

Laurent sighs. "Wonderful. Now we have a forest fire to extinguish as well. Let us see if I can still cast some good enough ice spells."

"I'll help." Rose offers. "I've got quite a lot of ways to douse flames with water and ice. This'll be over in a snap."

Laurent adjusts his glasses. "Let us hope that is the…case…"

The reason for his slowed down speech is made apparent as the flames die down at an extraordinary rate seemingly on their own. Nah walks out of the woods a minute later and pats her stomach with a satisfied smile.

"Phew. Been a while since I had a meal that big."

The half-manakete blinks as everyone gives her blank looks. "What?"

Yarne shakes his head. "Figures you would treat a forest fire like a giant serving of food."

Nah scowls. "For your information, that's no ordinary meal for me. It's more like an all-you-can-eat buffet with all the kinds of trees on fire. Different materials give the flames different flavors, you know."

Laurent rubs his temples. "Only you, Nah… Only you…"

That's when some fleshy stuff rains down from the sky. A closer inspection shows that the remains come from a human, most likely from the cultist who ran into Henry's trap. The hands land in front of the Dark Mage, which piques his interest.

"Hm? A pair of hands?" Henry bends down to pick them up. "These look pretty neat for a pair of disembodied body parts. Maybe I should start a collection- Ow ow ow ow!"

Lissa tugs at Henry's ear with a stern glare. "Henry, you will do no such thing. Put the hands down and leave them there. Now."

The Dark Mage obeys with a disappointed frown. "Aw…"

Ricken looks at the blonde princess in mild surprise. "What are you, his mother?"

"More like his voice of reason." Lissa corrects while rolling her eyes.


Quest alert
Side quest: A man for flowers
In trying to stop the kidnapping of innocent villagers, you learned that the Grimleal have made attempts at setting up a base on Valm as well. Your actions today have put a halt to their operations, and all for the better. Considering said operations included summoning beasts from another world, it would be for the best if that were their only operation on the continent.
Objective: Defeat all of the mysterious outlaws.
Objective complete!
Rewards:
You gain 10 000 EXP! You gain 10 000 gold!


BGM: Primrose, the Dancer, Octopath Traveler music

"Virion, please stay strong." Olivia begs her husband.

The Bow Knight gives his wife a weak smile through all the sweating. "There should be no cause for concern, my dear Olivia. That man said that the antidote to the poison in my body is in the ring on his lip. So long as one of our comrades retrieve his body soon, getting the ring should be a simple task."

"Actually, that won't be necessary." Inigo corrects as he approaches the married couple. "I have the ring right here."

The Mercenary reaches into a pouch on his waist and pulls out a small ring, which he drops into Olivia's hands.

The Dancer's eyes widen in shock. "This is it! But…how did you get it? The man who wore the ring is all the way up there."

Inigo smiles. "What can I say? I have deft fingers and quite the sleight of hand. Right before I destroyed the stone arch, I snatched the ring by ripping it right off his lip. He was so busy fretting over his impending demise that he failed to even notice the pain."

Virion blinks at the Mercenary in disbelief before he smiles as well. "While a bit crude for my tastes, I will not deny that your method was effective." He grimaces as the sweat on his brow gets worse. "May we discuss this further after I take the antidote? I am starting to have difficulties breathing."

Olivia fiddles with the ring a bit before she finds that one part can be screwed open like a small vial. She hands the opened ring to Virion, who accepts it and tilts the opening over the mouth. A single drop of yellow liquid falls into the Bow Knight's mouth and is swallowed. The effects are instantaneous, as Virion's pale face regains its color and the sweating stops. The Bow Knight takes a deep breath and exhales with a satisfied hum. "Ah, much better. You have my most sincere thanks, young man. You have saved my life, and in doing so, spared my beloved Olivia the fate of becoming a widow today."

Inigo scratches the back of his head. "Oh, no need to thank me. I simply couldn't leave you to your fate in good conscience. Not when there's a matter I wish to discuss with you wife in particular. That would be far more difficult, should you pass away here."

Olivia blinks. "Me? Whatever do you want to talk about?"

Inigo's expression slowly turns uncomfortable. "…Er, yes. You see… What I mean to say is… *Sigh* Goodness, this is much harder than chatting up other girls I've met." The Mercenary shakes his head. "I suppose it would be quickest to just show you this…"

Inigo pulls out another ring from his pouch. Unlike the last one, this ring has Olivia's eyes widen in shock.

"M-my ring? But…I'm wearing it! How did you…?"

Inigo grins. "Indeed. How does Inigo have your ring when there is only one in all the world? Unless it IS your ring and I brought it back from the future!"

"Wait, you mean, like Lucina…?"

Inigo nods. "Exactly. I knew my mother was a dancer, you see. So I've been scouting the land looking for all the dancers I could find. Not the worst job in the world, mind. Heh heh heh… But now I've finally found you, Mother! And my dancing is all the better for it!"

Olivia freezes. "You searched all the dancers you could find?"

The smile on Inigo's face goes from ear to ear. "And what wonderful company they provided, matched only by their alluring beauty."

BGM interrupted

Olivia slumps forward and slowly turns towards Virion. The air around the Dancer is getting…menacing.

Menacing menacing menacing menacing menacing menacing menacing menacing menacing

"You…"

Virion gained "Detect bloodlust"!

The Bow Knight gulps in fear. "O-Olivia, dear?"

Faster than anyone can react, Olivia grabs her husband by the collar and shakes him like a ragdoll. "You turned our son into a skirt chasing womanizer! How could you?!"

"A-actually, you're the reason I developed the habit to talk so much to women, Mother." Inigo nervously points out.

Olivia drops Virion like a sack of potatoes due to her grip slacking. Then she faces her son with a horrified expression. "W-what? I did that to you?"

BGM continues

Inigo scratches the back of his head. "You see, I was terribly shy as a child. So shy, in fact, that I could hardly speak with anyone my age without turning into a bumbling mess. You decided to help me out with that issue and told me that the best way to lose the shyness would be to learn to talk to women. So I did. It was so awkward at first, but the ladies never minded. And as the years passed, I became more and more accustomed to it. Father actually had very little to do with it."

"Oh… Now I'm having second thoughts. If only there was a better way to help you with your shyness. Wait a minute. You said that your dancing had gotten better. Do you dance, Inigo?"

Inigo shuffles his feet while trying to look avert his gaze. "Er, sort of, yes. That is to say, I try my best. But some people don't appreciate male dancers. Not that I care! I'm content to just shake my hips for the ladies."

Olivia gives her son an excited smile. "Oh, don't listen to them! I think it's wonderful. I'd…love to watch you dance sometime."

Inigo manages to blanch and blush at the same time. "N-no! Impossible! I'd be far too embarrassed for that! Besides, I'd rather watch you dance."

Olivia mimics his expression perfectly. "What?! N-no! I couldn't possibly!"

"I'm shyer than you are, Mother!" Inigo argues.

"You are not!" the Dancer retorts.

Awkward silence reigns between mother and son.

Chrom rubs his temples. "Good grief. They're birds of a feather."

To be continued (BGM ends)


Inigo's character sheet

Inigo Lvl 36 Class: Mercenary
Olivia's son from the future. A young male dancer (a rarity in itself) who flirts with any woman he comes across as naturally as he breathes, even though the object of his affections rarely reciprocates, if ever. But behind this confident persona of a charmer hides a young man with a crippling shyness only matched by his own mother's. Under Jack's tutelage, he developed a skillset and certain personality traits similar to those of the Hamon wielding Stand user, Joseph Joestar. The uncrowned king of pulling a fast one.
Born on August 7
th.

Titles:
Dancing Duelist (+ 8 % Evasion)
Would-be Casanova (+ 10 % CHAR, -5 % INT)

HP: 5 350 / 5 350
MP: 2 400 / 2 400

STR: 34 (33 * 1.03)
VIT: 36.1 (35 * 1.03)
DEX: 59.7 (58 * 1.03)
INT: 22.8 (24*0.95)
WIS: 20
CHAR: 40 (36 * 1.1)
LUCK: 16

ITEMS:
Steel Sword (Equipped)
Concoction

Skills:

Sword mastery, Lvl 37 [88.0 %], Passive
The sword is quite possibly the most well-known weapon in history, often being depicted as the weapon of choice by hero and villain alike or even as a symbol of power. While swords generally deal less damage than other weapons, they make up for it by being easier to wield. Increases attack speed and attack power by 185 % when attacking with a sword or dagger of any kind

Hamon, Lvl 50 [18.0 %], Active, Cost: 75 MP per minute
Breathing technique is an important aspect in many forms of martial arts, but few put as much emphasis on this as Hamon, the art of the Ripple. Through intense training, the practitioner can channel the power of life itself to perform feats ranging from adding more power to their strikes to manipulating liquids in various ways. Most importantly, though, is that the power of the Ripple is the bane of every undead creature's existence. Getting hit with a strike infused with Hamon will damage their bodies as it they were hit with a concentrated blast of sunlight. So long as you can concentrate your breathing, the undead will always have a reason to fear you. And you get great lungs as well. Can't forget about that.
All attacks deal 25 % more damage. If the target is an undead, damage increases by an additional 250 %. Additional effects may apply depending on the situation.
Integrated skills: Overdrive

Overdrive, Lvl 32 [10 %], Active, Cost: 170 MP
An advanced technique born from extensive training in the art of the Ripple. The user concentrates their breathing to focus the main portion of their Ripple into a single blow. While potent in general, the strike has enough power to disintegrate an undead in a single blow if a clean hit is achieved. Even more interesting is the fact that the user can decide what is struck with this technique and what shall be unaffected. A stone can easily be shattered from above, but a frog sitting on said stone can just as easily jump away afterwards without any injuries. Such is the power of a Hamon master.
Base damage: Skill level of Hamon x 80. Element: none. Damage is unaffected by physical defense.

Hermit Purple, Lvl 68 [20.0 %], Active, Cost: 42 MP per minute
A creature originally born from a soul belonging to a man that had grown savvy of the world and learned the arts of power in ripples. This manifestation of that man's soul has been passed on to a new bearer, ready to respond to its master's will once more. It vines dig through the soil of the earth to show the way forward. Its thorns will restrain any target with the authority of one who has learned the ways of the world. Knowledge is power – a fact that the Hermit knows better than anyone else.
Summons vines made of the user's mana. The vines move according to the user's will.
Maximum range: 13 meters.
Bonus skill: Spirit map

Bro, do U pose?, Lvl MAX, Passive
It is said that approximately 90 % of human communication is through body language. A person who masters this aspect can add weight to their words that no amount of wording could achieve. Also, striking a cool pose is just awesome. On the other hand, striking the wrong kind of pose just makes you look silly. It's all a matter of context, really.
Has a 75 % chance of increasing the user's CHAR by 300 % when striking a pose. If this fails, user's CHAR decreases by 75 % instead. The change lasts for 1 minute.


Preview of the next chapter:

*Camera shows an old temple surrounded by ruffians*

Ruffians: We're gonna raid this temple, because we have nothing better to do!

Jack: Yeesh. You would think we'd run out of these stereotypical random outlaws by this point.

Maribelle: Grumble all you want later, Jack. I will not stand by and watch idly as innocent people are slaughtered for some meager profit!

Brady: Just let me on the frontlines so I can sock these punks in the face already! I'll make it quick!

Ricken: I don't know… You don't exactly look like the guy who can swing a sword.

Brady: Cut me some slack, Pa! I don't need a sword to send these brutes packin'!

Maribelle: Nor will I need more than my parasol to teach you some manners.

Brady: Wait… Ma, put away that parasol. Ma? Help!

Next time in Gamer Emblem Awakening:

Total defense sanctuary! (Not) all is fair in love and war!

Jack: Where's a card store when you need it? Just have them trigger Mirror Force, and we're done…


Omake: Deleted scenes Vol. 3 (Or: Even more JoJokes)

The Shepherds march along the narrow mountain paths on their way to the stronghold of the marauders. The group is silent, save for the sound of footsteps and carts being drawn.

At least, until Gaius rummages around in his robes. "Man, this climb is more tiring than I thought. I need a boost bad."

The Assassin pulls out a bonbon and has it unwrapped in the blink of an eye.

Miriel gives Gaius a curious look. "I take it you will let that piece of candy slowly dissolve in your mouth to give you motivation on the road?"

Gaius smirks. "Try again, Specs. I've got a much faster method to get to the sugar inside."

The candy loving Shepherd places the treat on his lips and begins to roll his tongue all over it in a rapid fashion.

"Lero lero lero lero. Lero lero lero lero. Lero lero lero lero."

The other Shepherds, save for Tharja, look at Gaius in disbelief.

"I can't believe he'd go as far as develop a new technique just to enjoy his candy faster." Stahl mutters.

"Actually, I was involved when he came up with this one." Tharja points out. A very satisfied smile (by her standards) grows on her face. "He's had plenty of time over the course of our marriage to train his tongue in some…interesting ways. Ironically, it's the only time I enjoy being the test subject."

Noire blinks confused. "He used his tongue on you, Mother? But why would he-" The Archer blanches as she connects the dots. "Oh gods… I did not need to hear that part of my parents' love life!"

Noire hides her face in her hands in shame. As a result, the girl is completely clueless about her heading off the edge of the mountain trail until it's too late.

"Aaaah!"

Tharja runs to the edge alarmed. "Noire! No!"

That makes the whole group pause.

"Relax, Tharja. We made sure to set up proper safety precautions before we started filming the mountain scenes." Gaius reminds his wife. "Though we'll probably have to cut this anyway. You broke character there."

"So I actually care for my daughter in real life. Bite me!" the Sorcerer hisses. "Gods, I hate my on-screen persona!"


"With the poison inside your body, you will die within an hour unless you can get the antidote stored in my lip ring!" Jamil declares smugly before he charges at Virion, Olivia and Inigo for a more direct approach. "Do you! Understand?!"

"Yes, yes, yes…" Inigo replies dryly and facepalms. "Oh my gods…"

Jamil pauses before he points at Inigo annoyed. "D-mn it, you weren't supposed to actually answer me! Now we have to redo the scene!"

"Please… I beg of you… I can't take much more laxative getting pumped into my body to simulate the poisoning…" Virion groans from the ground.

Olivia pats her husband comfortingly. "It's all for the show-bis dear. It will be over soon."


The Hinox builds up speed for a dash and jumps into the air to land on Jack with its posterior. Jack dodges out of the way, which leads to the Hinox landing hard on the ground again.

BRAAAAP!

Only for a loud farting noise to sound over the area.

The whole battlefield stops in shock.

And then Lissa doubles over laughing.

The Hinox blinks before it looks down to discover that it landed on a massive whoopee cushion. A closer look shows a label that reads "Property of Lissa".

Even Chrom is surprised by his younger sister's mischief. "Really, Lissa?"

"Worth it!" the blonde War Cleric gleefully shouts while running away from a very upset and embarrassed Hinox.


New skills:

Guard breaker, Lvl MAX, Passive
The simplest way to bypass any kind of defense is to overwhelm it with sheer brute force. Sure, it's not a strategy available for anyone, but you are among the few who possess the strength needed to essentially act like a human wrecking ball. No need for tactics against enemies with heavy protection. Just punch your way through that armor and watch the disbelief mix with their pain moments before you send them flying.
Physical attacks ignore up to 15 % of the target's defenses.

Second chance, Lvl MAX, Passive
No matter how hard you're hit, your tenacity practically forbids you from falling in battle. Though you may be pushed to the brink of death, you are still one step away, and that step makes all the difference. You only have one more shot at making it out alive. Take it! Just make sure you're not bleeding when this happens. Then you die anyway.
Always survive a fatal hit with 1 HP remaining. This will not work if HP is already at 1.

Master's touch, Lvl MAX, Passive
It takes skill to hit an enemy where it hurts, but it takes a true master to land such hits with pinpoint accuracy with even a modicum of reliability. A fighter of such great prowess knows exactly where to aim, and can strike at that very spot. No matter the power, no matter the defenses, nothing can measure up to the skill that backs a master's touch.
Increases critical hit rate by 15 %. This boost cannot be negated.


Jacks encyclopedic corner:

Assassin, Class
This is as close you can come if you want a ninja in this game. Assassins are employed in all manner of tasks that require stealth. Be it reconnaissance, sabotage, or straight up killing key targets by any means necessary, these soldiers of the dark stand ready to get the deed done. While not the physically strongest or most resilient opponents to fight against, Assassins make up for it with blinding speed and long-honed skill in all their abilities. An Assassin's greatest weapon is the element of surprise. Letting your guard down when facing down these stealthy killers is one of the biggest mistakes you can make. It could also be your last very easily.
Increases attack speed and accuracy by 15 % when attacking with a sword, dagger or bow. All attacks have a 5 % chance of instantly killing the target. Probability of being spotted by enemy units decreases by 20 %. Magic of all elements deals 10 % less damage. All damage taken increases by 10 %.

Hinox, Monster
An enormous one-eyed beast who spends most of its time sleeping. Don't let this lazy attitude fool you, though. Hinoxes possess strength in proportion to their body size, and they have no qualms using that strength to flatten you in any way they can think of. A common sight on a Hinox is a necklace around its neck. This homemade accessory often contains weapons that used to belong to unfortunate travelers or soldiers who drew the beast's ire and paid for it with their lives. Ironically, bows are a common part of these necklaces, which is perfect for anyone who wants to take a shot at its eye.


How many JoJo's references can you make in a single chapter? The answer is: Yes.

Hold on, let me rephrase that:

Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes!

YES!

Ugh… Putting this bad boy together took a lot more effort than I thought it would. Sure, making all those JoJokes was fun, but writing everything was just tedious. Good thing that's over now. Take a deep breath and relax…

As of this chapter, Jack's signature weapon has a third form now; a naginata. While simple in concept, this opens up for a few additional options that Jack can use in combat that were unavailable to him if he stuck to the scythe form, as has been explained in this chapter.

Hamon is one of the weirder powers I have seen in pop culture. It has a wide range of uses aside from basically being the bane of every undead creature. For this reason, I had a hard time turning the whole thing into a comprehensible Game skill. Seriously, the stuff Hamon wielders in Battle Tendency pull off is just ridiculous. In other words, a bizarre power befitting a bizarre series.

That will be all for now. Until next time.

VipeR out.