Chapter 3
Marth
Chrom sighed as the shepherds stopped walking down the road. It had been several hours since the little skirmish back in Southtown. They were now in the thick of the forest that spanned the land between Southtown and Ylisstol. And while he felt like he could travel for a few more hours, daylight was fleeting. He glanced over at Lissa. His poor sister looked exhausted. So much so that Chrom was tempted to have Frederick put her on his horse and just leave the captured bandit on the side of the road.
He still did not know why he agreed to take the fiend. The bandit was Plegian. His accent made that entirely clear. Perhaps he just was not thinking very clearly after the skirmish. Though Ben did seem very insistent on keeping the criminal alive. And he did not feel like fighting an ally at the time. Especially one as skilled as Ben appeared to be.
He did not miss the display the robed man put on. It had been some time since Chrom had seen anyone move that quick. One moment, he was several yards away from the bandit leader. The next, he was flipping over the enemy and knocking him out with a blow to the side of the head. Clearly the man had combat training of some sort. No amatuer would be able to pull off something like that.
Lissa gave a loud yawn. Chrom glanced over at his sister then nodded.
"Alright. We'll camp here."
Frederick nodded and went to tie the horse to a nearby tree. Meanwhile, Robin and Lissa both flopped down onto the ground.
"My feet." Robin groaned.
"You're telling me." Lissa said as she lay back in the grass, "How do you and Frederick do it, Chrom?"
Chrom chuckled, "You just get used to it after a while."
"Shall I bind the bandit to a tree as well, milord?" He heard Frederick ask.
"Go for it." Chrom replied before he too decided to take a seat. A quick break would not hurt.
Once Frederick finished tying the unconscious bandit to a tree trunk, the armored man joined them. Chrom blinked as the knight dropped several fallen branches in between the all.
"I gathered some firewood as well."
Chrom chuckled, "Always the multitasker aren't you?"
Chrom sat quietly as Frederick got to work on a fire. Lissa and Robin were both attempting to jog the amnesiac's memory. He had to laugh a little as Lissa considered hitting the man hard over the head.
"I'm pretty sure that's a good way to lose your memory, not spark it." Chrom noted.
"Like you've got any better ideas." Lissa replied.
"I agree with Chrom." Robin said. His face twisted as a loud growl filled the air. The smaller man's lips parted into an embarrassed grin, "I guess it's dinner time."
"Right!" Chrom clapped his hands and got to his feet. He winced a little. The muscles in his legs were already starting to go stiff.
Perhaps sitting down was not the best idea.
"I'll go hunt something. There's plenty of game in these woods." Chrom said, "Frederick, you wanna tag along?"
Frederick raised I hand, "It think it would be best if we guarded our prisoner."
Chrom frowned, "Do you mean the bandit, or Robin and Ben?"
Frederick grimaced, "One cannot be too careful." He finally replied.
Chrom shook his head then looked over at Robin.
"A no from me." Robin sighed, "I can't take another step today."
"And you already know what I'm going to say." Lissa said.
"Alright then," Chrom looked over at Ben, "What about you Ben, care to join me?"
The robed man glanced over at Chrom. He had been silent for almost the entire journey. And to Chrom's surprise, he was the only one still standing after the long trek. In fact, he did not look the least bit tired. Ben pursed his lips then nodded.
"Why not."
Chrom grinned, "At least one of you can keep up." Chrom twirled his sword, Falchion, in his hand, "C'mon Ben, lets go find some meat."
"Please don't bring back anything weird!" Lissa called as the two men disappeared into the trees.
"Anything wierd?" Robin asked.
"It's Chrom." Lissa leaned back onto her elbows, "He always finds something weird to eat."
Chrom grunted as he hopped over a fallen tree.
"So Ben," Chrom began as he marched through the forest, "Where are you from?"
The robed man was silent.
"Ok then." Chrom nodded, "Silent type huh? That's a first." He finished with a mutter.
"There's something nearby." Ben suddenly said.
Chrom furrowed his brow. He froze as he heard some twigs and leafs crunch beneath heavy footfalls. The shepherd sniffed the air and grinned.
"An animal." He licked his lips and hefted Falchion, "Dinner time."
He waved back to Ben. Instead of stomping forward like before, Chrom began to tiptoe through the forest. Careful to make as little noise as possible. Stealth was not his strongest suit. And he much preferred taking on any enemy head on than sneaking around. But when it came to food, he could be as stealthy as necessary.
He and Ben followed the sounds of the animal. Chrom could make out some snorts and snarls as they approached a small clearing in the forest. The blue haired man crouched down behind a large bush. Ben followed suit.
"Alright," Chrom grinned, "Let's see what our dinner's gonna be tonight."
Just as he was about to peer through the leaves to see what was in the clearing, a shadow fell over both him and Ben. Chrom blinked and looked up. Standing over both him and Ben, was a massive black bear. The creature uttered a deep roar as it reared up on its hind legs.
"Apparently we are dinner tonight." Ben quipped.
"Oh ha ha!" Chrom snapped back before jumped away from the Bear.
Right as he backed away, the bear's massive paws came thundering down. If those his him, Chrom was sure he would have been a goner. A bear was not something to mess around with. Those claws were long enough to sheer through his leather plates easily. And unless Ben had some armor hidden under those robes, then he would not fare much better.
"Plan?" Ben asked Chrom.
Chrom frowned. They had been moving through the woods for a while now. And they had yet to encounter any other game. Chrom felt his stomach rumble.
"Bear meat sounds good right about now." Chrom replied before brandishing Falchion and charging at the hulking creature.
Ben followed him. Chrom jumped up as the bear fell back onto all fours. The hairy creature roared again before swiping a massive paw at Chrom. Before the paw could slam into him, Ben's leg lashed out and caught the bear's leg. The bear howled and withdrew it's strike. Ben scampered back as the creature now took aim at him. But it was much more cautious in it's approach now. Ben had made the creature think twice about attacking him.
"I don't think blindly charging is the best approach." Ben commented.
"Yeah, I think you're right." Chrom reached to the sheath at his hip and produced a slim rapier. He tossed it over to Ben. The other man snatched the blade out of the air.
"Now you're armed."
Ben gave the weapon a curious look. He ran a finger over the steel then frowned.
"It's a good weapon." Chrom said, noticing Ben's scowl.
Ben shrugged and gripped the blade, "You distract the… what was it called again?"
Chrom raised an eyebrow, "You sure you're not an amnesiac too?"
Ben rolled his eyes, "Positive. Now distract it."
"Right!"
Chrom roared and charged at the bear. The hulking beast reared up onto hits hind legs again and roared back at Chrom. The blue haired man raised Falchion and blocked a savage swing from the bear. Just as he did this, he noticed Ben sprint around the bear. Somehow the man's movements were almost silent. The bear did not notice him.
Chrom beat his chest.
"C'mon big bear!" He hollered, "Come and get me." He hopped back as the Bear snarled and swung again.
A smirk crossed Chrom's lips. Ben was behind the bear now. With cat like quickness, Ben jumped onto the bear's back. The bear howled and spun around, trying to toss Ben off of it. But Ben held out tight. He straddled the bear's wide back and jammed the rapier into the back of the bear's skull. The creature uttered one more pained cry before slumping down onto the forest floor.
Chrom whooped, "That's how it's done."
He paused as Ben sighed and slid off of the bear. The man almost looked sad. Chrom's smile faded a little as he strode up to Ben.
"Don't tell me you're a vegetarian." Chrom joked.
He actually managed to coax a small laugh out of Ben, "No. Just… tired."
"Aren't we all." Chrom replied with a grin, "But no rest for us yet. Now comes the fun part." He sheathed Falchion onto his back grabbed one of the bear's legs, "Carrying it back to camp."
Ben sighed, "How about we drag it?"
"We look less cool that way." Chrom chuckled.
"I'd rather feel rested than look cool." Ben remarked before holding Chrom's rapier back out to him. Chrom pushed it away.
"Keep it. I can always get another."
Ben frowned, "It's not mine. And I… well... I don't really like using this weapon."
Chrom shrugged, "That's fine. But if you're going to be around me, Frederick, and Lissa, you better be armed. We tend to get ourselves into messy situations."
Ben shook his head, but in the end, he slipped the rapier in between his belt and robes. Ben grunted as he slung one of the bear's limbs over his shoulder. His eyes widened. By the Force this thing was heavy!
"Like that fun little skirmish in Southtown?" Ben asked as he and Chrom started dragging the bear back to camp.
"Exactly." Chrom replied with a laugh.
"I told you not to bring back anything weird!" Lissa cried.
Chrom and Ben had just emerged from the trees. Both Robin and Frederick were excited to see them. Neither would admit it to the other outright, but they both felt famished. But neither wanted to other to know just how tired and hungry they were. However, they did not expect to see Chrom and Ben dragging a black bear back to their camp.
"Relax, Lissa." Chrom smiled, "Meat is meat."
"Meat." Robin breathed, his mouth beginning to water.
"Oh don't tell me you eat weird stuff too!" Lissa cried.
It only took several minutes for Frederick and Chrom to butcher the beast. And a few more minutes for the meat to cook over the roaring fire. By the time the group had started to eat, the stars were twinkling over their heads and the sun had long since set beneath the horizon.
Chrom took a large bite of the bear meat and grinned.
"Ah yes!" He said between mouthfuls, "It has been too long since I had good bear meat!"
"You couldn't find something normal people eat?" Lissa asked as she picked at the slab of meat on her little wooden plate, "Like deer, or a hare? I'll take a pheasant or duck at this point."
"What's wrong with bear meat? It tastes just fine. Right Robin?"
Both Chrom and Lissa glanced over at the amnesiac. Robin was busy shoveling an entire mouthful of bear into his mouth. He paused, looked at both Chrom and Lissa, and nodded while a piece of bear dangled from his lips.
Chrom laughed, "You shouldn't be eating so fast."
Robin quickly swallowed, "Sorry." he gasped, "I just feel like I haven't eaten in days." he let out a silent burp, "Man that's good. Get past the texture and you can really taste the goodness."
"How do you get past the texture?" Lissa asked before holding her piece of bear up in the air, "It feels like I'm gnawing on a boot every time I take a bite. No, scratch that, a boot is more tender."
"You should just enjoy your dinner, milady." Frederick said, "Not many get to enjoy such a lovely meal as this."
"Enjoy my dinner?" Lissa eyed Frederick. She looked at his clean, empty plate, "Are you enjoying your dinner, Frederick? I haven't seen you touch the bear yet."
"I-I- I had a large lunch." Frederick stammered, "Quite a large lunch."
"Yeah, sure." Lissa deadpanned. She glanced across the campsite to where Ben was sitting. The mysterious stranger had elected to sit away from her, Chrom, and Robin. He resting beside the bound bandit. Quietly eating his bear meat while enjoying the company of Frederick's horse. In fact, he kept giving the horse curious glances before taking another bite of the bear meat.
"Speaking of weird." Lissa continued, her voice much more hushed now, "What do you guys think of Ben?"
"He's quiet." Robin noted.
"And he keeps giving my horse strange looks." Frederick frowned.
"Ooooh, afraid your horse is going to leave you for another man?" Lissa teased.
"I-I would certainly hope not!"
Chrom, Lissa, and Robin all fell into a fit of laughter. Chrom ran a hand through his hair.
"You're correct though Robin, he is very quiet." Chrom said.
"Maybe he's just the strong silent type." Robin shrugged before reaching for another piece of bear.
"I don't think so." Lissa replied, "He's nowhere near as big as Frederick."
"I am not a silent person." Frederick frowned.
"No, you're the frowny kind of person." Lissa giggled.
"He would not say where he was from when I asked." Chrom leaned back against the tree behind him, "Only time he spoke was when the bear jumped us."
Robin arched an eyebrow, "The bear jumped you?"
"Well it's not like I thought we were hunting a bear." Chrom snapped back, "I don't know though. He's a mystery. All we know about him is his name."
"Do I hear caution coming you, milord?" Frederick feigned shock.
"You wish." Chrom snorted. He let out a small yawn, "Well, should we try to wake up our prisoner before we all fall asleep?"
"You won't wake him." Ben called over to them.
Chrom, Robin, and Lissa froze.
"I hit him a little too hard." Ben said as he placed his empty plate back by the rest of Frederick's traveling supplies, "He probably won't wake until morning." he glanced back at Frederick's horse again. The beast snorted then stomped a foot, "I think I'll sleep a little ways away from… that."
Lissa and Chrom laughed.
"Frederick's horse takes after him." Chrom chuckled, "Don't worry. He won't hurt you."
Ben just gave him a nod, "If you'll excuse me. I think it's time I got some rest."
Lissa stretched her arms then yawned, "Yeah, me too. That bear," She shivered, "Is not sitting very well. I don't want to be awake when my stomach decides to throw a fit."
"It wasn't that bad." Chrom muttered then yawned, "But yeah, it's time to sleep." He flopped back down into the grass and placed his hands behind his head. Beside him, Robin was already curling up near the fire. The amnesiac's breathing already evening out.
The battle must have drained him more than he let on. Chrom thought.
"Wake you all in the morning."
"If you wake up before Frederick I will be impressed." Lissa replied sleepily.
Chrom tossed and turned in his sleep. He squeezed his eyes tight. The nightmare in his mind was so real. He saw armies marching through the plains of Ylisse. Soldiers storming the cracked desert landscapes of Plegia. Mountain peaks with fortresses that he did not recognize at all. But most of all, he saw black hordes of what he could only describe as monsters, laying waste to the land. Masked beasts that killed indiscriminately. Destroying all that they came across with fire and steel. He heard laughter then saw six red eyes glowing down at him.
Sweat caked his forehead as he jerked awake. His chest heaved up and down and his wide eyes scanned the area around him. He subconsciously reached for Falchion but stopped when he realized where he was.
"Just a dream." He muttered to himself.
He looked around the campsite. Frederick was sleeping on his back. The blue and white armor still on his body. Lissa was sprawled out in her bed roll. Her head rested on Chrom's rolled up bed roll. Robin was sleeping on his side. His large coat covered him like a blanket. Everything seemed perfectly normal.
But Chrom could not shake this feeling of imminent danger. The adrenaline in his body was still pumping. He narrowed his eyes. The birds had gone quiet. The wind, normally a comforting presence, had grown cold and almost still. Now just a breath instead of a breeze. The pale moon above him cast a haunting glow on the trees around the camp. Chrom found himself double taking at certain shadows around him.
"Something is-"
"Wrong. Yes."
Chrom drew Falchion and leveled it at the voice. He then lowered the blade and exhaled.
"Dammit Ben." He breathed, "Don't scare me like that."
The robed man was wide awake. His blue eyes were scanning the trees, just like Chrom was doing earlier. His impassive face was hardened. Chrom could see his hand brushing against his right hip. As if he was looking for a weapon that should have been there but was not there anymore.
"Big brother?" Lissa asked, her voice sleepy and low, "What's wrong?"
"Nothing, Lissa." He looked over at Ben, the man was already inching his way towards the treeline, "Me and Ben are just going to go check something out."
Lissa rubbed her eyes, "Well, you aren't going alone."
She crawled out of her bedroll. Chrom did not protest. If there was one thing he knew about his sister, it was that she could be just as stubborn as he was. Once she set her mind to something, no one save for their older sister, was able to convince her out of the task in her mind.
The pair followed Ben in silence. Chrom was more than happy to let the robed man take the lead as they entered the thicket. He was the most alert of the trio. Chrom was still trying to shake the last remnants of sleep from his fog filled mind as they walked through the woods. He could hear Lissa yawning every few moments to his right.
Eventually, the all reached a large clearing in the forest. Ben stopped walking.
"Quiet night." Lissa said.
Chrom narrowed his eyes, "Yeah. Too quiet."
The birds had gone silent. The wind had stopped blowing. And the trees ceased rustling in the air. Despite the lack of wind, the air seemed to grow colder around them. Chrom could feel more unease building in him.
"Ben?"
He and Lissa stumbled as the ground began to shake. It started as a small tremor. But soon it grew into an earthquake unlike any Chrom had ever felt before. Even Ben struggled to remain on his feet.
"Is this land known for earthquakes?" Ben asked.
Chrom grit his teeth, "Not this far south."
An ear splitting crack echoed through the night sky. Chrom's eyes widened as a massive piece of earth began to rise into the air.
"Lissa run." He told his stunned sister. The girl hesitated, "I mean it!" He barked.
"You're brother has the right idea." Ben said.
The robed man took Lissa's hand and yanked her back towards the campsite. Chrom followed them. He cast a glance back and saw lava spring forth like a geyser from the crack in the earth. Flaming rocks and ash began to rain down on the woods around them.
Within mintues, the forest was in flames. Fiery branches began to snap and crash to the ground around them. Chrom ducked away from a fallen branch and hissed. The fire had cut off the quickest way to camp.
"This way!" He called to both Ben and Lissa.
Chrom looked at Ben. The robed man looked nervous. His eyes were flicking back and forth between the fire and the lava. He saw Ben's hand brushing against his hip even more.
The ground shook again. This quake was even more violent than the first one. Chrom and Ben both fell to a knee while Lissa collapsed to the ground.
Chrom saw another wall of fire forming in front of them.
What the hell is going on?
Robin groaned. His head was pounding. Just like when he first woke up, he was reeling from a dream of some sort. It was different than the one he was having when Chrom and Lissa had found him. This time, he had seen himself at the head of armies. They were marching across many lands. One land was covered in snow. Another was a desert wasteland. The bones of a massive beast rested near the battlefield in that one. There was a battle near a volcano that seemed to be the most desperate of the ones he saw.
Then there was the strangest one of all. A battle near a sparkling city surrounded by green forests. The city walls were blasted with scorch marks that Robin had initially assumed was made by fire magic. But then he saw the soldiers in white armor. Covered head to toe. Their faces all the same grimace as they methodically combed through the city and eliminated the helpless soldiers with strange red blasts of energy.
The person leading them in that dream though, was the strangest thing. He looked like a man. Except his skin was a dark blue color. His eyes were crimson, pupil-less. A crisp white uniform covered his body. Robin could not but feel the man exuded intelligence unlike any he had ever seen. He saw a few more images of the destruction, then woke up.
As he blinked the sleep from his eyes, he glanced over to where Chrom was supposed to be. Except he was gone. As was Ben and Lissa. Robin shot upright and looked over to where the bandit was tied up. He sighed in relief. Their prisoner was still there.
But where had Chrom, Lissa, and Ben gone?
Robin got to his feet and nudged Frederick's shoulder.
"Hey, Frederick."
The knight squeezed his eyes tighter.
"Wake up." Robin gave him a light kick to his side, "Chrom and Lissa are gone."
The knight bolted to his feet.
"Where have milord and milady gone!?" he asked as he looked around the campsite, "And Ben is missing too." He scowled, "I knew we could not trust that stranger."
Robin frowned, "You do have a trust problem."
Both Robin and Frederick cried out as the earth trembled beneath them. Robin sniffed the air as he struggled to stay on his feet. Smoke billowed high into the air above them.
"Fire." Robin gasped.
"We must find Chrom and Lissa." Frederick said.
The knight rushed over to his horse and hopped into his saddle. He gripped his lance and trotted up to Robin.
"Hop on!" He ordered.
"Wait seriously!"
Robin yelped as Frederick grabbed the hood of his coat and yanked him up into his saddle. With a sharp snap of the reigns, the horse took off towards the orange glow of a forest fire in the distance.
Lissa's breaths left her lungs in hoarse, rapid huffs. The smoke was starting to get to her a little bit. Her eyes were wide as she spun around, searching for a way through the approaching flames. Ben and Chrom stood beside her, their backs turned as they looked for a way out as well.
This is really bad. Lissa thought, I don't want to die by being barbecued.
Her eyes widened as a rush of cold air swept her. She looked up into the sky. Her face paled. There in the sky was a strange crystalline shape. A giant blue eye blinked open in the night sky. Bright light streamed out of the eye as it gazed down over the fiery land.
"Chrom?" Lissa tugged on her brother's white cape.
Chrom whirled around. His mouth fell open.
"What in Naga's name is that?"
Ben's reaction was a little more subdued than his companions. He was still more focused on the fire around him. Lissa could see him looking anxiously between Chrom, herself, and the flames. Was he afraid of fire?
"There's something coming out of it." Ben said, his voice somehow calm despite the chaos around them.
Chrom and Lissa stared speechless a several forms humanoid forms formed in the eye before falling to a heap onto the fiery ground. Chrom grabbed Falchion off of his back. Whatever had fallen from teh eye had now gotten to it's feet.
Seven human like figures groaned and hissed as they rose from the ground. Black masks covered their faces. Red eyes, like glowing rubies, peered through the dark at Chrom and Lissa. Then behind those seven, and even larger figure with long black hair and a hideous mask stood. The biggest one hefted an axe then pointed at Chrom and Lissa.
"Kill… prince… princess..."
Chrom shoved Lissa behind him.
"Ben, get her out of here."
"I'm not going anywh-HEY!"
Ben had grabbed Lissa's wrist and started to lead her away when three more ash covered forms emerged from the darkness. All three wearing twisted masks and sporting glowing red eyes. Lissa felt herself starting to shake.
Ben pushed Lissa behind him as the creatures uttered snarls then charged. Behind him, the seven other nightmarish monster had also started charging at Chrom. Chrom twirled Falchion and held charged as well.
Ben reluctantly drew the rapier from his belt.
"Lissa, you need to get away from here." He said.
Lissa could feel her knees knocking together. What was going on? What were these monsters? Why did they want to kill her and Chrom?
"Lissa!" Ben barked, "You need to move!"
Lissa jumped, startled.
"R-right."
She ran away just as the three monsters reached Ben. She glanced back at the robed man. He was expertly weaving between the monsters. His rapier lashed out like a viper at the three monsters. With skill that stunned Lissa, Ben made quick work of the enemy. Or at least, she thought he did. She saw his blade slash through all three of them. But to her horror, the monster merely groaned then counter attacked.
Two of them pressed their advantage against Ben. The third meanwhile, turned away and stormed towards Lissa. Lissa scramlbed backwards and shrank against a large boulder as the red eyed monster stooped over her. It uttered what sounded like a triumphit hiss before raising it's sword over it's head.
Lissa raised her healing staff. Praying that the little wooden staff would block the devastating blow. As the sword plummeted down to her, she could hear Chrom cry out. He was spring towards her. Five of the original seven monsters chasing him.
Lissa squeezed her eyes shut. She heard the sinister black blade hiss through the air. Then she heard the loud clang of steel hitting steel. Lissa gulped and opened her eyes. A gasp rushed from her lungs.
Standing in front of her, sword muscling against the monster's blade, was a stranger wearing a blue tunic, red cape, leather armor, and a blue mask over his face. His teeth were clenched tight as he struggled against the monster's blade. He snarled then, with all his strength, shoved the monster's blade to the side.
With stunning grace, he spun and slashed through the monster. His blade cutting through it's hip. Right as he did this, Chrom's sword cut through the air and beheaded the monster. The monster's body shuddered then evaporated into a cloud of black dust.
"Lissa!" Chrom cried as the girl crumpled to her knees and took hard, shuddering breaths.
"I'm… fine."
"Be on your guard." The newcomer ordered, "We managed to anger the big one."
Chrom twirled Falchion and stood beside the masked man. He cast a glance over to Ben. The man had finally put down the other two monsters that had tried to attack Lissa. He was rushing over towards them. Two piles of black, ash like dust, behind him.
"Who's your friend?" He asked as he skidded to a stop beside the masked stranger.
"Not sure. But I think we should do introductions later." Chrom replied.
The biggest monster growled, hefted it's axe, and stomped towards the three warriors. Behind him, four more of the masked monster emerged from the glowing blue eye. The eye then blinked and disappeared.
"More of them." Chrom sighed, "Great."
"Don't engage them alone." The masked man said, "They're much stronger than they appear."
"You're telling me." Ben muttered, "I thought I would have to slash them to ribbons in order to finally defeat them."
This is why I don't like these weapons. Ben thought as he glanced down at his rapier, What I'd give to have my lightsaber right now.
"Nine against three." Chrom growled, "I'd say that is almost fair."
"For us?" Ben asked.
"No, for them." Chrom snarled and charged.
Ben and the masked stranger followed him. Just as they were about to engaged the first few monsters, Ben heard the sound of hoofbeats approaching.
Frederick burst from the treeline. The knight lowered his lance and urged his horse into full gallop. Riding with him was Robin. The amnesiac was frantically flipping through pages in an old book. His eyes lit up as he stopped on one page.
"THUNDER!" Robin bellowed.
Ben's eyes widened as a bolt of yellow lightning leaped from Robin's hand and crashed into one of the monsters. The masked enemy howled and turned to face the charging knight. Before it could raised it's blade in defense, Robin jumped from Frederick's horse and tackled the monster to the ground.
"Robin!" Chrom shouted before parrying a slash from one of the monsters.
Ben parried a blow from one of the enemy before lunging forward and burying the tip of his rapier into the creature's eye. The monster howled, reared back, and punched Ben in the ribs.
Ben felt the air rush from his lungs. That blow had an insane amount of strenght behind it. He grit his teeth and scowled.
First magic, now monsters. He thought as he engaged the monster, This world is just full of surprises.
He felt his back bump into the masked stranger. The pair fought back to back. Steel flashing through the air. Catching chops and attacks that would have hit the other.
"Switch!" Ben shouted.
They both twirled. Ben ducked as the masked man's sword cut a deadly arc through the air. Ben blinked. Did he see blue fire coming from the man's sword.
The blow hit true. One monster's head fell to the ground before fading to dust. Ben rolled, parried an axe from their other assailant, then slashed through its neck. The monster uttered a choked cry before falling to a pile of dust.
Across the fiery clearing. Robin was wrestling with one of the monsters. He drove a knee up into the monster's chest before shoving it away. Moving quickly, Robin flipped a page in his spellbook and extended a hand.
"FIRE!" He shouted.
A fireball erupted from his hand and slammed into the Monster. The creature screeched as it was engulfed in flames. Within seconds, it fell to its knees and dissipated into black dust.
Frederick had cut down two more and was turning his horse so that he could ride down a third. Chrom was dueling two of the monsters on his own. Falchion cut hideous arcs through the air. Moving so fast that the air hissed as the blade cut through it. Ben eyes widened. The big monster was bearing down on Chrom.
"Robin!" He shouted.
The amnesiac nodded, "Flank it! I'll cast a spell on it. See if I can stop it's charge."
Ben nodded and sprinted around Chrom. The masked stranger joined Chrom in his melee with two of the monsters. They both moved so similarly. Ben was amazed at how in synch the pair fought.
Ben circled around and dashed at the biggest monster. The monster howled as Robin cast another thunder bolt as it. It's charge came to a stop. The monster roared and pounded it's chest.
"I pissed it off!" Robin cried.
"It's about to get angrier." Ben said as he crashed into the monster's side.
It felt like he hit a solid stone wall. He bounced off of the monsters side and fell on his rump. Ben shook his head and gasped as he saw an axe slash down at him. He rolled to the side. The axe buried itself into the dirt.
The beast snarled and stomped towards Ben. The robed man scrambled to his feet but was then backhanded by the massive monster. The rapier flew from Ben's grasp as he stumbled away. The red eyes narrowed and the creature uttered what sounded like a chuckle.
No use. Ben thought, Time to out myself as a Jedi.
Ben readied the force around him. A sense of calm took over. He could feel the force pooling into his body. Ready for him to use. Just as he was about to send a push at the monster, a arrow howled through the air and slammed into the monster's shoulder.
"MORE ASH FACED FREAKS FOR ME TO DESTROY!" A woman roared as she charged on horseback towards the monster. A lance was in the crook of her arm, leveled dangerously as the monster.
Behind her, a man wearing a frilly shirt knocked an arrow into his bow.
"Lady Sully." The man called, "It would not do you good to sully yourself by facing these foul creatures. Allow I, Virion, the archest of archers, to dispatch them for you."
"Piss off already, Virion!" Sully shouted back as she lashed out with her lance.
The monster Ben had been fighting jumped to the side. Sully cursed as her lance missed. But that was all Ben needed. He jumped onto the monster's back and began trying to wrestled the beast to the ground. The monster flailed beneath him. It's axe coming dangerously close to chopping one of his limbs off more than once.
Ben's eyes widened as one of the monster's hands grabbed his ankle.
"Oh not good."
Another arrow zipped through the air. It buried itself into the monster's throat. The monster uttered a sickening gurgle before dropping to its knees. It's grip loosened on Ben's ankle. Ben heard hoof beats closing in behind him. He let go of the monster and fell onto his back. Right as he hit the earth, Sully's spear slammed into the creatures back.
The creature uttered one more snarl before falling onto it's face, limp. Then it too turned into black dust.
Ben lay still on his back for a moment. He could already feel the bruises forming on his body. He winced as he sat up.
"You were found by them for a reason." He muttered under his breath, "Follow them, Obi Wan. Do as your dead master says. What could possibly go wrong?"
"Hey, guy in the pajamas!" The mounted warrior named Sully called to Ben, "You ok?"
Ben winced as Virion walked up to him and helped him to his feet.
"I would be much worse if you two had not come along." Ben admitted.
"It's what we do." Sully smirked.
"And we are most skilled at it." Virion grinned.
Ben exhaled, "The others?"
Sully nodded over to where Chrom, Frederick, and Robin were finishing off the last monster.
"Looks like they got it taken care of."
"Shall we go and join our good comrades?" Virion asked as he brushed a lock of long, silver hair from his face.
"Can't you ever talk normally, ruffles?" Sully asked as the two men trudged towards Chrom and the others.
"I speak just as plainly as you do, my dear lady."
Ben rolled his shoulder. He definitely pulled something. Getting on top of the big one was a bad idea.
"Sully! Virion!" Chrom smiled as he saw them walking towards him, "Talk about good timing."
"Uh huh." Sully remarked, "Good thing I listened to my gut and decided to meet you on the road. So much for you three going on a quiet mission."
Chrom chuckled and sank to the ground, exhausted.
"It was quiet. But for some reason, as soon as I ran into these two," He pointed at both Ben and Robin, "Everything became a lot more lively."
Ben sighed and fell down beside Chrom, "I'm not sure the same can be said for me."
"Here." Lissa said, "You're hurt."
Ben flinched as Lissa held her staff over him. His eyes then widened in surprise as he felt a warm sensation wash over him. The staff glowed green. Ben felt the aches and bruises begin to fade away. He could still feel some dull throbbing from wear the creature had punched him, but it was no longer extremely painful. He looked wide eyed at Lissa as the glow in her staff faded away.
"Th-thank you." He said, nearly lost for words.
"Everyone else ok?" Frederick asked.
A course of ayes answered him.
"Now, milord, care to explain what just happened?" Frederick asked.
"I'm curious about that myself." Sully said.
Chrom eyed the knight and the woman. He glanced over at Robin. The weary amnesiac gave him a hopeless shrug.
"Don't look at me. I don't have a clue." Robin said as Lissa tended to a gash on his forearm.
"Maybe that masked man knows what's going on." Lissa suggested.
"Masked man?" Sully wondered.
Ben's head snapped up. That's right. The masked stranger that had saved Lissa's life and helped fend off whatever these monsters were. Where was he? Had he fallen in the battle? His eyes scanned the area then fell on the slim man walking away from scene.
"Hey!" Ben called, "You there."
The masked man froze. Chrom, Ben, Robin, and Lissa all jumped to their feet and rushed over to him. The man's lips fell into a frown, but he waited for them.
Chrom reached the man and held out his hand.
"I suppose I should thank you for saving my sister's life."
"Yes! Thank you so much!" Lissa echoed.
"It was nothing." The man replied.
"Not to me." Chrom said, "You saved my sister. I do not take that lightly. What is your name?"
"My name matters not. But if you need one, you can call me Marth." The man replied.
"Marth?" Lissa muttered.
"As in the hero-king of old?" Chrom continued.
Both Robin and Ben cast each other a confused glance.
"Please," Marth continued, "You must listen to me. Today is but a taste of the calamity that is to come. The world teeters on the edge of darkness." He turned on his heel and began to walk away, "You have been warned."
Chrom, Robin, Ben, and Lissa stood speechless as Marth disappeared into the forest.
"Great danger?" Chrom frowned.
"Calamity?" Lissa gulped.
Ben frowned, "Not much for conversation, is he?"
Robin, Chrom, and Lissa gaped at him.
"Says the strong silent type!" Lissa exclaimed.
"Captain Chrom!"
Sully and Frederick trotted up to Chrom. Virion trailed just behind them.
"We should make haste to Ylisstol, milord." Frederick suggested.
Chrom nodded, "Yes, we should. Hopefully whatever happened here did not spread to the capital."
"What about our camp?" Lissa asked.
"Leave it." Chrom ordered, "We have more important things to worry about."
"And the bandit?" Ben asked.
Chrom hesitated, "Frederick."
"I will be back in a moment." The knight said before charging into the forest.
Robin raised an eyebrow as Chrom began marching back in the direction of the road. Around them, the forest fire was beginning to die out. The fiery orange glow being replaced once again by pale moonlight.
"What is Frederick going to do with the prisoner?" Robin asked.
"We can't afford to take him with us. An unconscious man will just slow us down" Chrom reasoned. Chrom grit his teeth, "We're going to have to cut him loose for now. One bandit or getting back to Ylisstol to warn sis about what happened here. I don't like it. But it's what must be done."
"You aren't just going to kill him?" Ben asked abruptly.
Chrom gave Ben a surprised look, "Well… no. That's- I would like to. Especially after what he did in Southtown. But my sister would not approve of that. The last thing I need is for her to be mad at me." He sighed, "Enough talking, we have to get moving. Frederick will catch up."
"Follow me." Sully said as she guided her horse to the front.
Ben glanced back at the destruction around him. One thought kept bouncing around in his mind.
What has the force gotten me into this time?
And chapter! Whew! It has been SOOOO LOOONG since I hammered out two chapters two days in a row. Especially ones as big as these. This story is proving to be a very fun challenge. Having to juggle all of these different characters and give them compelling stories and moments is a great exercise. That being said, Robin, Chrom, Obi Wan, and someone else are going to be the major focus, just like it is the game. But I will do my absolute best to give time to the other characters. After all, Fire Emblem would not be nearly as fun or memorable without them.
I debated heavily about giving Obi Wan a sword or not. And I decided to give him one for now. Don't worry, he doesn't like it (A weapon like that is just so uncivilized). But he is without his lightsaber… for now. The retrieval of his own weapon will be a major part of his story arc. So don't worry, he will be getting it back. I promise!
As for how the fight with the Risen went, I am basing a lot of Obi Wan's abilities off of canon. Why? Because Jedi powers from legends would one shot almost everyone in the Fire Emblem universe. (For pete's sake Jedi and Sith can destroy planets in legends. And while awesome, it would not make this story very compelling in my opinion. There would not be as much tension.) And I do not find it strange that Obi Wan would struggle with the Risen. He has been bested by people without the force or other special powers before (Jango Fett? Cad Bane? General Grevious? Even Hondo Ohnaka). I think it's entirely possible that undead monsters would give him some trouble. And you will know another reason why in the next chapter! I'm giddy just thinking about.
Anyways, let me know what you all think! As always, I hope you all enjoyed! Have a nice day!