Fourth Kingdom
Chapter 3: Siege
"Have I ever told you how much I hate the cold?" Robin asked through clenched teeth as the snow seemed to pile ever higher around him. They were halfway out of Atlas now, en route to Regna Ferox where the Shepherds planned to rest for the night and hopefully meet up with their two new companions. The setting sun blanketed the area with an eerie orange glow
"Only every five minutes," Chrom replied dryly.
"I was being rhetorical…" Robin grumbled.
"I'm surprised you even know what that word means," Frederick replied from atop his horse, frowning stoically as he always did, even as the wind kicked snow, dirt, and the occasional rock onto his face.
"I'm amnesiac, Frederick, not stupid," Robin said, grumbling again.
"I'd certainly hope not, considering how Milord's entrusted you as the tactician of this war." Frederick shot back without missing a beat.
Robin threw his hands up in the air dramatically before laughing a bit, "Ah…who knew you could be funny, Frederick?"
The dour knight didn't dignify that with a response, instead tilting his head upwards as the sound of wingbeats grew ever louder. "Milord, I believe Sumia has returned."
Chrom nodded and smiled as a pegasus landed near them, a woman dressed in the pinkish uniform of a pegasus knight saddled atop it. Sumia flashed the group a quick smile before turning to Chrom, "Skies are clear, Chrom, although the snowstorm is giving my poor baby a rough time" She gently reached down and stroked the pegasus's mane, brushing off flakes of snow as did so.
Chrom nodded, "Thank you, Sumia, I can presume we don't have anything to worry about."
Sumia nodded back, "Yup! I've seen a couple of patrols of Atlas soldiers, but nothing out of the ordinary, and they didn't question or attack me or anything. Word must not have gotten out yet, or at the very least they don't suspect our involvement in it"
Robin frowned a bit, thinking back to the scene that had happened barely an hour ago, "Speaking of that…have you seen those two?"
The knight shook her head, "No sign, they never did say when they would appear, only once we were outside Atlas."
Not for the first time, Robin was thankful that they had decided to send the gold convoy and Atlas troops guarding it back to Ylisse in a separate group, it would have made explaining this conversation rather difficult, as well as generally slowing down the pace even more.
Robin had become more of a night owl lately, and yet even he was beginning to feel the effects of two forced marches in a day, with barely any time to rest. While he was certain that Chrom, and the rest of the Shepherds for that matter, shared his fatigue, they still soldiered on. Perhaps it was a desire to be out of the blistering cold of Atlas, perhaps it was the simple fact that Ylisse, and by extension Emmeryn, was left nearly unguarded in the meantime.
Chrom stretched his arms, "Thanks Sumia, I'd love to let you rest a bit now, but we still need you up in the skies, if Atlas sends soldiers after us, we need to know as soon as possible."
Sumia saluted, still with a cheerful smile on her face, "Not an issue, milord, if there's any trouble, you'll know right away." With that she flew back into the skies, becoming a blur of pink and white as she ascended the heavens.
Chrom turned to the rest of the group, "All right everyone, let's get out of this frozen hellhole." There was a general mumble of agreement to that statement.
The rest of the trip passed in silence, except for the occasional fly-in report from Sumia or, more rarely, Stahl or Sully, the group traveled in quiet solitude. No banter or quips broke the silence.
It was only once Stahl delivered news of the approaching Longfort that any semblance of liveliness returned to the group. With the physical end of Atlas so close in sight a renewed surge of energy emboldened the Shepherds, and they redoubled their efforts to reach it.
By that time the sun had set, and the moon had begun to rise, a pale sphere in the sky, reflecting the general landscape of their surroundings. The mages of the Shepherds had long since thrown up balls of fire to light their surroundings, as the rest of them lit torches to guide their way.
As they approached the gargantuan gate that split the realms of Atlas and Ferox, Robin renewed his vigilance, keeping an eye out for the telltale flashes of red and white that would signify the arrival of their new allies.
It never came, even as they spoke to the soldiers guarding the border, even as the gate itself opened before them, no sign of the pair presented itself. He recalled the reaper-wannabe saying how they would appear outside of Atlas, perhaps paranoia was simply getting to him.
There were a million different things that could go wrong, any number of which could shatter the already incredible fragile relationship between Ylisse and Atlas. Robin sincerely hoped that the gold procured from this negotiation would be enough to see Ylisse through this war, as he highly doubted that Atlas would be open to giving them more, especially now that they had basically acted as an accomplice to the crown princess's escape attempt.
It was like something out of a fairytale, actually, his entire life so far could be seen as analogous to a fairy tale. An amnesiac magician waking up in the fields with naught but the clothes on his back (plus a sword and tome) who becomes endeared to the royal family of a nation that swiftly finds itself at war with its barbaric neighbor.
His life had only got more fanciful from there. Robin quickly found out that, on top of his command of magic and proficiency in swordplay, he had a grasp of strategy and tactics that even he couldn't explain. Inducted into the Shepherds, Robin had swiftly found himself the chief strategist of Ylisse's defenders.
As if rising from penniless amnesiac to tactician of a kingdom in a mere few weeks wasn't enough, he was now actively aiding foreign royalty in what amounted to running away from home.
A part of him wondered about those missing pieces in his head, what he assumed must be at least 18 or 19 years of missing memories. Most days he rarely thought about it, there was little to remember, little to tie him down and make him miss those memories.
Other days he wondered if perhaps he had a home somewhere, a family, a wife, and children. Were there people out there mourning him? Looking for him? Would he recognize them if there were?
Some days he was obsessed with recovering those memories, there was a gaping hole in his head, a conspicuous void in his mind. He had tried everything he could, reading about Ylisse, Plegia, Ferox, Valm, and all the other countries in the world to try and trigger something. He had tried slamming his head over and over onto a wall to try and make something resurface.
The only memory that particular attempt had yielded was one of him waking up in the infirmary with Lissa scolding him.
Distantly, Robin was aware that they had passed into Regna Ferox at some point, likely when he was deep in thought. Shaking himself out of his stupor, he yawned and stretched.
"Out of Atlas…finally, Castle Ferox shouldn't be too far away…then we can finally get some sleep." Robin yawned again as he finished the sentence.
"Quite." Frederick the Wary agreed, surveying the scene, "And still, no sign of the princess and her companion. I'm beginning to wonder if they will ever show"
Chrom shook his head, "We don't know what's going on with them, all we can do is keep going forward and hope that they find their way to us."
The sound of distant footsteps caught Robin's attention, wheeling his head back he smiled as he beheld two familiar forms.
"Well the wait's over, the runaway duo have arrived," Robin called over his shoulder, alerting the rest of the Shepherds, who all turned to greet the newcomers.
The sudden movement shifted the torches and magical fire, illuminating the pair in a glow of yellow light.
They were dressed differently than how Robin had seen them hours ago, regality and glory were traded for anonymity and concealment.
Weiss wore a plain white cloak that covered the majority of her being, the wind blowing it aside in some places and revealing a simple bluish dress underneath, a far cry from the royal garb she wore at Atlas. Glimpses of an icy-white sheath on her hip flashed in the darkness.
Ruby on the other hand was barely changed, still dressed in the blood-red cloak she wore at Atlas, but the more fanciful dress shoes had been exchanged for a pair of sturdy plain boots that broke the snow beneath her feet. The gleaming metal blade of her scythe reflected the pale moonlight, the weapon affixed to her back in what must have been a custom-made sheath.
The two of them wore hoods, either to conceal their identity or to protect against the raging winds or, as was most likely, both.
The pair made their way closer to the group in silence, stopping short just a few feet from them. There was an awkward silence as both parties did nothing but stare. It was funny really, Chrom was the leader of an army, next in line for the throne of Ylisse, and could be extremely charismatic when it counted, but the simple act of talking to people could often make him freeze up completely.
It was also incredibly humanizing. It reminded Robin that despite the image of the insurmountable leader that Chrom projected, he was just as human as the rest of them. Perhaps it was precisely this human element that attracted people to Chrom, or perhaps he was simply overthinking it.
Eventually, the snowy-haired princess made the first move, her voice cutting through the silence like a knife. "Thank you, for allowing us to accompany you, Prince Chrom." Her voice felt controlled, the tone and inflection carefully chosen and presented so as to not betray her thoughts and emotions. "And forgive us for taking so long to appear, we had….unexpected difficulties."
Chrom nodded, "It's not a big deal-'' Robin struggled to contain the mocking scoff that nearly escaped him, "I'm glad to offer any assistance I can, and your help in the coming battles is appreciated. Now I believe proper introductions are in order"
The white-hooded woman nodded and reached up to remove her hood, a gesture that was shared by the other girl near her.
"I am Weiss Schnee, crown princess of Atlas. I am a capable fencer and have extensive combat training, I will not be a burden, I swear it." The authoritarian tone combined with the impassive look on her face cut an imposing figure.
"And I am Ruby." The red-haired woman started, doing a small bow as she spoke, "Her Grace's loyal bodyguard and retainer." Unlike the princess, Ruby's voice was more vibrant, there was little control or containment to it. Her face was also more expressive, a cheerful smile etched on it, compared to the blank, almost bored, look on Weiss's.
Chrom nodded, "As you likely already know, I am Chrom, prince of Ylisse." He motioned towards Lissa, "This is my sister, Lissa, and…ah, I think proper introductions of everyone can wait until we're inside a warm building" He chuckled, "We're heading towards Castle Ferox for the night, then we make for Ylisstol."
Weiss nodded, "I believe that is a wise decision, Prince Chrom, we will follow you."
There was a murmur of agreement from everyone and the journey began again.
Lissa swore to herself that she would never again complain about the Feroxian cold. Huddled in one of the guest rooms in Castle Ferox she blissfully allowed the warmth of the crackling fire wash over her.
The moment the Shepherds arrived at Castle Ferox, they wasted no time finding beds to collapse into. Most barely took enough time to remove their armor before falling asleep, and some didn't even do that.
Lissa had honestly wanted to talk a bit more to Weiss and Ruby, the two Atlesian girls had been distant from the group for the short time they'd known them, but the two of them had disappeared once they arrived, and no one seemed to have the mental energy to search for them.
Well, Frederick would. Lissa knew the brown-haired knight well enough that she knew he would scour the castle top to bottom to find those two, or anyone, really, if Lissa asked. But that would require waking him up, and he seemed to rarely get enough sleep as it was anyway.
Speaking of sleep, she should probably be asleep right now, yet for some reason, it would not come. She had tried counting sheep, turning over the pillows at least twelve times, she even tried that trick Miriel had taught her, the one about holding your breath. It didn't make sense, after everything that had happened, she should be exhausted.
Yet sleep wouldn't find her, so here she was instead, reading one of her books, the text barely illuminated by the fire.
Ok, it wasn't her book, but Robin had dozens of books stored away, surely he wouldn't notice one missing?
Ok, this was one of the newer ones, and fairly expensive looking, if the gilded cover and fancy script were of any indication. But surely there was no harm in reading it, right? After all, wouldn't Robin be happy to know that someone had taken an interest in strategery? It was one of his chief hobbies, as strange as that sounds.
Ok, so she had stopped actually reading it half an hour ago, the flowery text confounded her and the book talked about things that made no sense to her. What was a 'pincer' anyway? What did pinching people have to do with tactics?
And, ok, maybe she had spent the last half hour doodling little pictures in the corners of the book, but she wasn't hurting anyone or anything. It wasn't like she was destroying a priceless text or anything. As long as she was careful, and kept the ink from spilling onto the book, she would be fine.
Grinning at her latest masterpiece, Lissa gently placed the open book on the desk in front of her before stretching out her arms and legs, a yawn accompanying it. Exhaustion seemed to be finally kicking in. She stretched out her arms again, and as she did so, a random muscle spasm twitched her arm, the sudden movement causing her to nearly tip backward in her chair.
Surging forward to counter the movement, Lissa grabbed onto the table in an effort to steady herself, the sudden movement rocking the table and knocking various objects on the table over, including the inkwell that was seated dangerously close to the open book.
Time seemed to slow down as the glass bottle clattered to its side, its pitch-black contents flowing out of it like a flood. In an instant, beautiful calligraphy was overrun by a sea of ink, diagrams, and maps were destroyed by the encroaching black ocean.
Lissa reacted a second too late, haphazardly grabbing the book and yanking it away from the spilled ink, but the damage was already done. The page it had been opened to was completely ruined, letters and images running off the pages and slowly dripping onto the floor. The ink had also started to sink into the other pages, eating through the paper and staining the rest of the expensive tome.
Lissa stared at the disaster she had just unintentionally created, a sound somewhere between a hiss and a groan escaped her as she realized exactly what happened.
"Oh, gods…Robin's not gonna like this…" There were many things she could do in this situation, she could try to replace the book without alerting anyone, it was the middle of the night, and nobody would be able to trace this back to her.
Except she was a terrible liar, plus the whole idea of lying about something like this didn't sit well with her.
A sigh escaped her mouth as she cradled the ruined book, "I guess there's really only one thing to do, huh?" Taking a deep breath, Lissa lit a candle and exited her room, not exactly anticipating the meeting that was to come.
The spartan halls of Castle Ferox were empty, the singular light coming from Lissa's candle barely illuminated the floor under her, much less the rest of the hall. The flickering flame cast the world in eerie pale darkness, shadows dancing just out of her field of view. Her footsteps echoed as her feet landed on the hard marble floor over and over again, the echoing sounds mirroring her own heartbeat.
A part of her wondered if perhaps she should have waited until morning to do this, instead of waking Robin up in the middle of the night, especially after an already exhausting day. She wasn't quite sure what had compelled her to do this now, instead of waiting.
Regardless she didn't exactly have the choice to back out, as she found herself staring at the door to his room. Taking a deep breath she slowly opened the door and peeked her head in.
"Heeeeey, Robin? I'm really sorry to wake you up, but…" She got no reply except quiet snores coming from the sleeping white-haired man. Quietly taking a few more steps inside, Lissa maneuvered the candle in front of her so as to illuminate the scene in front of her.
The first thing Lissa noticed was how peaceful Robin looked asleep. It was an open secret that he had been running himself ragged ever since the war started, staying up long into the night attempting to predict and plan around every possible move the Plegians could make. It had started to affect his mood as well, when Lissa had first found Robin he had been pleasant and humorous if a bit sarcastic. Lately, however, the biting sarcasm had all but taken over him, and he had become paranoid as well, almost rivaling Frederick in that regard.
Now Robin seemed relaxed for possibly the first time Lissa had seen in a while, his face devoid of the lines of stress that had become all too common on him lately. His hair was a mess, the tips, and bangs covering parts of his face.
With a start, Lissa realized she was staring. Fighting down a blush, she shook her head, reminding herself she was here to apologize for ruining his book. Thinking of how to wake him, an idea wormed its way into her head and a grin spread across her face.
She set the book down on a nearby desk, and, like a snake, her now free arm crept up to the sleeping tactician's face and her hand ever so gently clamped down on his nose like a vise.
The effect was instantaneous, some sort of groan escaped the sleeping man before he rocketed up, wide awake, hacking and gasping for breath.
"Risen! Wolves! Risen riding wolves!" Robin all but gasped out, taking deep breaths to steady himself. Bubbling laughter escaped Lissa as she doubled over laughing.
"Lissa? Gods it's the middle of the night!" He looked at her with a mixture of outrage and shock, which wasn't too surprising. "I was sleeping!"
Lissa couldn't help herself, "And dreaming about Risen, apparently." She fought down more laughter as she took in his annoyed expression.
Robin massaged the temple of his forehead, "Gods, who does things like that? Is that really how your parents raised you?" The words cut through her like ice, and the smile on her face vanished
Lissa knew he didn't mean anything by it, he didn't know, couldn't have known. She and Chrom had never told him about their parents, or rather lack of them. He didn't know that she had grown up never knowing the face of her father or mother.
"I…I don't know…I never knew my parents." Lissa mumbled, her happy mood evaporating.
Immediately Robin's angry face melted into one of horrified realization, "Oh gods, I didn't…I'm sorry."
"It's ok!" She said, perhaps a little too quickly, "I know you didn't mean anything by it, you didn't know, after all." She wrung her hands together behind her nervously, "And besides, there's something I need to apologize for anyway."
"Whatever it is, I'm sure I can forgive it as long as you can forgive my heartless comment," Robin said in the earnest voice that reminded her of when they had first found him, alone and confused, but cheerful.
She breathed a big sigh, whether out of relief or anxiety, she wasn't sure. "Well…I wasn't able to sleep…so remember that book you got? The new one about strategy and tactics and stuff? Well, I was bored and tried reading it, but that didn't work so I started doodling in it and I kinda-sorta spilled ink on it and kinda-sorta ruined it." She looked away from him as a nervous smile spread across her face. "I reallyreallyreallyreally didn't mean to!"
"I…WHAT?!" Robin exploded in shock, "That was a rare text, I just started to-" He visibly cut himself off and closed his eyes, taking deep breaths and regaining control of himself. "I mean, it's ok, accidents happen. I know you didn't mean to."
Lissa breathed again, this time an actual sigh of relief, "Oh thank Naga, I thought for sure you'd be mad and-" Robin cut her off with a hand
"Lissa, go back to sleep please, it's too late…early? It's too early for this." With that he laid back down and rolled over, turning his back to her.
Well, all things considered, this went a lot better than Lissa had expected. He might be a bit frosty about it, but considering the circumstances, she was just glad he wasn't screaming at her.
As Lissa exited, she threw a glance over at Robin, "Good night! And…Robin?" He said nothing but she could feel his attention shift, "You should try sleeping more, you seem much more relaxed when you do." Without waiting for a response she slipped out of his room and closed the door.
Lissa silently made her way back to her room, there was an odd skip in her step that she couldn't identify. Perhaps she was merely relieved that Robin wasn't mad at her, despite having only met him roughly a month ago, she considered him a close friend.
With a smile, she blew out the candle and climbed into her own bed. Hopefully, the sleep she would get tonight would be enough to carry her back to Ylisstol. It shouldn't be that big a deal. After all, what were the chances of them running into a group of Risen or bandits on the way back?
"Prince Chrom!" Raimi's boisterous voice called above the howling wind as the Shepherd's approached Ferox's end of the Longfort, "It's good to see you've returned unharmed!"
Chrom nodded, the rest at Castle Ferox having done much to rejuvenate him, "As am I. A word of warning, in a few days there's going to be a caravan of gold coming from Atlas en route to Ylisse, with a company of Atlesian troops guarding it."
"I'll be on alert for them, then." Raimi gave a curt nod, and her eyes fell upon the two newcomers, who had so far been surreptitiously observing the conversation, "And these two…?"
Robin interjected, "Are with us. Introducing Princess Weiss of Atlas" He gestured to the white-haired woman, who had earlier shed her white cloak, revealing the blueish white dress that she wore, along with the sheathed rapier at her side. "And her companion, Ruby" He gestured to the other girl, who had not discarded her rose red cloak.
Someone moved to speak, perhaps Raimi, perhaps one of the Atlesians, but before they could do so, Robin spoke first. "And yes, I can vouch for their identities, and I can assure you that she is not a bandit masquerading as royalty." His grin widened as the armored Feroxian breathed audible, containing her anger.
Weiss blinked, "I…I feel as if I am missing some context here…"
Chrom sighed, "It's…a long story." He reached over and grabbed Robin by the shoulder, drawing him away from Raimi before he could antagonize the Feroixian anymore.
"Come on, Robin, let's go before you cause any more of a scene than you already have." There was a series of chuckles from the group as Chrom more or less dragged the amnesiac tactician away from Raimi.
The white-haired tactician's voice rang out from across the field, "Hey princess, watch out for javelins, I hear they're really fashionable in Ferox this time of year!"
Raimi breathed out a seething sigh as she cradled her face in her armored palm, "One time….it was one time.."
Weiss massaged the temple of her forehead, "Ruby…what kind of group have you gotten us involved with?"
Ruby gave the entire scene a blank look, "Forgive me, Milady, for I have no idea…"
Having moved on from that scene, the cold snowfields of Regna Ferox soon gave way to the idyllic pastures of Ylisse. To many of the Shepherds, it was a breath of fresh air after having spent the last day in the frozen reaches of Regna Ferox and Atlas.
To Weiss Schnee of Atlas, it was stepping into wholly unfamiliar territory. The lack of permafrost or snow covering the ground was a new sensation, greenery covering the ground like a sea of grass. Despite herself, Weiss found herself stealing glances of the surrounding lands, icy blue eyes darting in a frenzy as she absorbed every bit of this new land.
A chuckle to her right caught her attention, and she gave a half-hearted glare to the red reaper to her side.
Ruby held an amused look on her face, "Is the grass really that interesting to you?"
Weiss huffed and tilted her head up, the epitome of haughtiness. A second later she let the mask drop, just a little.
"I've never been outside of Atlas…in fact, the only time I'd ever left the city, before now, of course, was when I visited that island of yours."
Ruby hummed out a little noise, before giving voice to a question in her mind.
"You know, in the five years that I've served you, you never did tell me why you and your father came to Patch. It's just a little island barely connected to Atlas." She grinned a little, "I mean, we're so disconnected from the rest of the kingdom that I didn't even know who the royal family was until that day."
A slight smile forced its way onto Weiss's lips as the memory of a younger Ruby talking cheerfully to a younger Weiss, completely ignorant of exactly who she was talking to, resurfaced.
"Thank you…but don't you know who I am?"
"Uh…no, not really."
"I…but why did you help me then?"
"Why wouldn't I?"
That had been Weiss's first meeting with the red-haired girl she'd grown to love so much, and that single conversation meant far more to her than most people would assume. Even Ruby, she believed, likely didn't understand how meaningful those few words, that simple admittance that she had helped Weiss just because she could, and for no other reason, were to her.
"I remember, how could I ever forget how strikingly clueless you used to be?" Her smile grew a fraction larger as she heard the scoff from her side. "And as for your question, I truly don't know. I've asked my father that same thing many times, and every time he's avoided the question, or just flat out ignored it."
Ruby frowned, "Why would he be interested in Patch? It's literally just a small island off the coast of Atlas, we're just a community of farmers and fishers."
Weiss shook her head, "I wish I knew…" Her eyes slid over onto Ruby and she flashed the girl a half-smile, "Ah, but could you imagine what may have happened had he not?"
Ruby returned the smile for a second, before her stormy eyes swiveled over elsewhere, a slight frown forming on her lips.
Weiss followed her gaze and saw that the traveling group had stopped. Chrom was conversing with one of his knights, Sully if she recalled correctly. There was tense energy in the air, and she couldn't help but notice the subtle shifting in formation. Weapons, while not being drawn, were gripped, and any sense of levity had evaporated, replaced by wary glances. Unknowingly, she felt her hand slip down and grip the handle of the rapier at her side.
A clear, commanding voice cut through the air, "Shepherds! To arms! Risen on the road!"
All at once, the Shepherds changed, weapons were drawn, and a collective symphony of metal on leather penetrated the air. Magical energy hummed as the mages of the group prepared their spells, somewhere the sound of an arrow being nocked was heard.
And then Weiss saw them.
A small army, no less than fifty, blocked their path. They were shambling mockeries of life, black rotting skin that twisted and moved in unnatural ways. The majority of them wore little to no armor, or clothing, at most a piece of decayed leather across the chest. A few wore rusted iron suits reminiscent of armored foot knights and still others wore filth-covered robes and carried surprisingly pristine tomes. The rest of them carried various weapons, axes, swords, lances, all seemingly damaged beyond repair yet looking just as deadly as ever.
Red burning eyes shot out from an almost patchwork face, more like a mask than anything. An intense feeling of wrongness exuded from them, and Weiss fought the urge to step back from fear. The rotting stench of death radiated off them, a horrid smell that betrayed further their unearthly origins.
"Gods…what…what are those things?!" Weiss heard her voice crack, her composure taking a severe hit as she beheld what could only be described as the walking dead. She had heard rumors of walking corpses dotting the landscape as of late, but she had dismissed them as just that: Rumors. Now she was forced to confront the fact that they were very real.
"Risen" The white-haired mage, Robin, replied, "We're not exactly sure where they came from, but they go down like any other soldier. Word of advice: Aim for the head." With that, he turned and began shouting orders, and the Shepherds dutifully obliged, moving as one cohesive unit towards the Risen.
Weiss caught a motion in her peripheral vision, and before she could react there was a scythe in front of her. Ruby stepped forward, eyes focused and her hands gripping the weapon.
"Milady, stay near me."
Weiss huffed and drew her rapier, a familiar surge of annoyance filling her, "I'm not some doll that needs to be protected" She pushed the scythe aside and drew her own weapon, an intricately designed rapier.
"...Just be careful, ok?"
A smirk found its way onto Weiss as she readied herself, "When am I not?"
Chrom grunted as he parried another hefty ax blow, inhuman strength nearly staggering him, before, with a roar, he drove Falchion deep into the head of the human-like creature, the sword plunging into one side of it and out the other, black goo and purple smoke escaping from the hole as the light faded from its eyes. A second later the Risen vaporized entirely, disintegrating into purple smoke.
He had no time to rest, however, as the sudden heat was the only warning he got before a ball of flame slammed into him. Having no weight to it, Chrom remained standing but the fire spell burned into him, eating at the half-leather armor he wore. He was lucky it had only hit his armor, even though the heat was unbearable, he would suffer no lasting injuries.
Charging at the Risen mage, Chrom ducked as another ball of pure heat flew past him, sizzling magic crackling like a living campfire. The mage had no time to hurl a third spell, as the gleaming metal of Falchion cut diagonally into it, cutting a deep gash into its body, from its shoulder to its legs.
His latest challenger vanishing into smoke, Chrom's instincts screamed to life and he pivoted, bringing his blade up just in time to deflect the sword that had struck at him. Wasting no time Chrom riposted, swinging Falchion in an effort to sever the Risen's head from its shoulder.
He was only met by the sound of metal on metal, as the surprisingly well-kept steel sword parried his blow. Their blades locked for a moment, the Risen snarling in some animalish manner. Then their weapons disengaged for a moment before locking again and again.
Five times Chrom attacked, and five times the Risen blocked him. Five times the Risen attacked, and five times Chrom blocked it.
An instant later, the Risen ducked low, its steel blade sweeping for Chrom's legs. Stumbling back, Chrom barely brought Falchion to bear in time to block the attack that came after that. The Risen gave him no time to breathe, always attacking, and yet never letting its guard down.
Strong, intelligent, and better armed, Chrom had found this band of Risen's leader.
A second later the Risen was forced to dodge to its side as a ball of lightning landed where it had once been. It brought its blade up to deflect Falchion, only to quickly disengage as it dodged another bolt of crackling electricity.
Robin stood near Chrom, electrifying energy in his palm and a smirk on his face, "Having trouble, Chrom?"
Chrom smiled, "Nothing I can't handle," He leveled Falchion at the Risen leader, "Right then, let's end this!"
Robin smiled viciously, the energy in his hand growing and pulsing with electrical power, "Couldn't agree more."
They fell into a familiar rhythm, Chrom taking the enemy head-on, exchanging blows with the walking corpse. Crackling bolts of lighting punctuated the fight, and the Risen found itself on the defensive, everytime it made to attack Chrom it was forced to defend itself from Robin's magic, and every time it attempted to disengage from Chrom and attack the mage, it found itself meeting only Falchion.
Eventually, an opportunity presented itself, the Risen swung too hard, dedicated too much to an attack. Chrom let the blow sink into Falchion and pushed up, throwing the Risen's arms into the air, exposing its chest. Robin took the opportunity, and a second later a ball of lightning the size of a hand slammed into the Risen, tearing through its body and sizzling its insides.
An instant later Chrom finished the job, swinging Falchion and severing its head. The humanoid vanished into dust, nothing left of it except its sword, which clattered to the ground uselessly.
Chrom picked up the weapon and inspected it, it was in surprisingly good condition considering the quality of weaponry found on Risen. A moment of deliberation later he tossed the weapon to Robin, who caught it and inspected it himself.
With no enemies in his immediate vicinity, Chrom took the time to observe the rest of the battle. What had once been a well-coordinated group had quickly degenerated into a brawl of one on one duels, or the occasional small group of Risen fighting a Shepherd or two.
Once he confirmed that nobody was in danger, Chrom scanned the area and found the two Atlesian women fighting. He wasn't surprised that they had stuck together, it only made sense. He was more concerned with their fighting ability, and figured now was as good as any to observe it.
Ruby was surprisingly capable with her scythe, truthfully Chrom had doubts that the girl could wield a farming implement as an effective weapon, but Ruby seemed determined to prove that wrong. Limbs flew around her as she effortlessly swung the weapon around in quick, brutal strokes.
Chrom was grateful that Risen vanished into dust upon defeat, he pitied whoever would have the job of cleaning up the limbs and organs this girl would undoubtedly leave in her wake. The weapon twirled around her and at times became nothing more than a blur as bisected and limbless Risen fell one by one around her.
Near her was Weiss, and while the rapier she held wasn't as threatening as the giant farming tool, she wielded it no less efficiently. None of the Risen even managed to touch her, the agile girl lept and rolled from every attack, retailing with a quick stab to the neck each time. Lethal, serpent-like strikes.
The battle was entirely one-sided, the horde of fifty had dwindled to just ten, and every second another was cut down.
That's when the howls started.
Bone-chilling, ear-piercing howls cut through the fight, stopping everyone, even the Risen. It was an unearthly sound, and it seemed to come from all around. Chills went up Chrom's spine as he beheld the noise, it precluded disaster.
A second later something broke through the woods to Chrom's left.
It was a wolf, but also wasn't, it was too large, the size of a man. Bones protruded from its chest and shoulders, and its maw dripped with wet blood. Its body was dark as night, except for its face, which wore the same patchwork mask-face as the Risen, with the same glowing red eyes. A second later it howled again, and the sound of rumbling footsteps behind it alerted Chrom to the presence of more of these…things.
Robin blinked, "This is….new" And as if his words had broken some kind of spell holding everything back, the chaos began anew. The last few Risen charged the Shepherds again and this new wolf monstrosity barreled down on Chrom.
It never reached him.
A flash of white slammed into it, and feathers filled the air around Chrom. A steel spear was lodged in the creature's throat, and a red-haired woman atop a pegasus looked down on it with disdain. The pegasus knight removed the weapon before, after a flourish twirl, reintroduced it to the creature's head, driving it through one of its glowing red eyes.
A second later the wolf-like creature vanished, fading into black smoke.
Three other nightmarish monsters lept from the woods, intending on avenging their fallen comrade, but they never reached their target. An arrow hit one between the eyes, a blast of fire incinerated another, and a javelin punctured the throat of the last.
Robin looked up at the newcomer, she was a pegasus knight, similar to Sumia, and of roughly similar body shape to the pink-haired woman, but that was where the similarities ended. For one thing, this woman was, to put it bluntly, beautiful.
That wasn't to say Sumia wasn't attractive, actually, Robin struggled to think of a woman in the Shepherds he wouldn't consider attractive, but Sumia was more…sweet, for lack of better words. This newcomer felt more overwhelming, a unmarred face, a slender figure, well-groomed scarlet hair, not to mention that her armor outlined her body far too well.
A sudden sharpness in his side broke him out of his thoughts, and he saw Chrom looking at him with a grin. "You were staring," he explained.
"No, I wasn't" Robin immediately replied, "Who is that, anyway?"
"Cordelia," Chrom replied, "She's one of Philia's knights…" A frown crossed his face, "But if she's here…"
"Milord!" Cordelia hopped off her pegasus and made her way to the two. Up close Robin noticed the various scratches and marks that dotted her armor, and how her eyes seemed to water with unshed tears.
"Cordelia, what's happened, why are you here?!" Chrom asked, a hint of panic in his voice.
Her whole body seemed to tremble, "I...It happened not too long ago, Gangrel led an army against us, I…we fought as hard as we could but he broke through our defenses. Even as I speak he lays siege to Ylisstol."
The news shook all who heard it to their core, ice seemed to pore in their veins, and suddenly the trip to Atlas seemed pointless.
It was Chrom who ventured to ask the question no one wanted to.
"What about Captain Philia…what about my sister?"
"Her Grace is safe for the moment…as-as far as I know the walls of Ylisstol hold." Cordelia seemed to shake again as a few tears escaped her eyes, "When it became obvious t-that the battle was lost…the captain ordered me to retreat, I-I don't know what happened to her. Oh, gods I can still hear the screaming of my sisters-in-arms, why did I leave?! Why didn't I stay?!" She finally seemed to break, resting her head in her arms as tears poured out.
Chrom said nothing, and Robin knew him enough to know that he was wrestling with his own thoughts.
Robin sighed, he could only see one option.
"Chrom, we need to retreat to Regna Ferox."
The blue-haired prince whirled on him, a mixture of emotions, anger, and shock chief among them, on his face. "Are you serious?! My sister is in danger and you want us to run away?!"
Robin fought the urge to massage his face, he should have known that Chrom would respond like this.
"Chrom, think for a second. At best we have a handful of people here, that's it. The Ylissean army is defeated, what's left is trapped behind the walls of Ylisstol, and the pegasus knights have fallen. We cannot win against Gangrel like this." He stressed those last words to the prince.
"Our best option is to retreat. If we attack now, we risk losing the entire Ylissean royal family in one swoop. We cannot risk that."
"Then what do you suppose we do? Sit and twiddle our thumbs while Gangrel ravages the land?! What will we do if Ylisstol falls?!"
"What will we do if we lose our entire army?! If we retreat, we can regroup with the Feroxian army, that's the only way we'll stand a chance." Robin's voice took on a pleading tone, "Please Chrom, listen to reason."
"Fine…" Chrom conceded, "We'll return to Ferox…"
Well, we are now officially where I wanted to be 2 chapters ago! I'm not exactly sure what to feel about that, a few years ago I would struggle to get chapters to 4k words, and now I seem to have to rein myself in from going overboard.
I also want to say that I'm nixing the idea of trying to upload these on any sort of schedule. It's sadly just something I can't commit to. I really am sorry, but I hope you enjoy this anyway.
As always, I hope you enjoyed reading this and I appreciate any sort of feedback.
