第2章:SHEPHERDS
Chapter 2: Shepherds
Lissa dragged the two to an area stocked with medical supplies and spare weapons, among other things. James could see three people when they arrived, a woman in pink-ish armor with a skirt. There was also a blonde man without a shirt, and off to the side was a man in oversized armor.
"Here we are! The Shepherds' garrison. Go on, Make yourself at home." Lissa said as they arrived, catching the attention of the people in the room.
"Lissa, my treasure! Are you alright? I've been on pins and needles!" called a rich looking girl as she ran into the room to check on Lissa.
"Oh, hey, Maribelle!" Lissa greeted rather casually.
"'Oh hey' yourself! I've sprouted 14 grey hairs fretting over you!" Maribelle snapped back, leaving Yume to wonder if she actually counted.
"Aw, you worry too much. I can handle a battle or two!" Lissa assured "Although I could do without the bugs and the bear barbecue." She then complained.
"Hey, squirt!" The blonde man called out to Lissa. "Where's Chrom? I bet he had a rough time out there without ol' Teach and his trusty axe!" He boasted.
"Oh, so you're "Teach" now, Vaike, is that it? Hee hee! And here I thought people were just born lacking wits. It can be taught?" Lissa taunted jokingly.
"Ha! Never doubt the Vaike!" Vaike boasted before realizing what she said. "Wait, was that an insult?" This got a chuckle out of both James and Yume.
"Beg pardon, but when might we see the captain?" The woman in armor asked..
"Poor Sumia. She's simply been beside herself with concern... Her eyes were scanning the horizon all day during training. ...She might have earned fewer bruises fighting blindfolded." Maribelle commented.
"Aw, Sumia, that's so sweet of you to worry about Chrom." Lissa said with a smile.
Sumia's face went red "Worry? Well, I... He's our captain and our prince- of course I'd worry!" she stammered.
Vaike then realized something. "So, who're the strangers?" he asked bluntly.
"No one's stranger that you Vaike" Lissa joked. "But allow me to introduce James and Yume! they just joined the Shepherds. Chrom's made James our new tactician. You should see all the tricks they've got up their sleeves!"
"Oh yeah? Can they do this?" Vaike asked before letting loose probably the third or fourth loudest belch James had ever heard.
"That is disgusting!" Yume yelled at Vaike while James said nothing, completely straight-faced.
"Ugh, Vaike! That was abhorrent! Must you baseborn oafs pollute even the air with your buffoonery?" Maribelle yelled at Vaike before turning to Yume. "And you, Yume, I'm glad to see you have at least some class." she said before leaving.
Shortly after, Chrom came into the garrison.
"Ah! Captain! You've returned! I was- I mean, we were so-" Sumia stammered as she walked towards Chrom, not noticing some papers on the ground, which caused her to slip and fall; only for James to catch her before she hit the ground. Yume couldn't help but smirk at the sight.
"You should pay more attention to your surroundings." James said, briefly having to refrain for chuckling as he remembered how many times he was told that at the orphanage.
"Sumia! Are you alright?" Chrom asked with clear concern in his voice as James got her back on her feet. "Those boots of yours again?" Chrom guessed.
"No! I mean, yes! I mean…" Sumia stuttered before sighing in defeat.
Chrom looked to everyone assembled. "All right, listen, everyone: in the morning, we'll be marching to Regna Ferox." He announced.
"Regna Ferox? Where's that?" Yume asked.
"A unified kingdom to Ylisse's north inhabited by barbarians, or so it's said." Sumia explained.
"Warriors are what they are, and we'll need their strength to quell this new menace." Chrom clarified "Typically, the exalt would request such aid in person. But given recent events... Well, the people might worry should my sister suddenly leave the capital. So the task has been passed to us. Now, this mission is strictly voluntary. So if, for any-" Chrom continued
"I volunteer!" Lissa cut in.
"Me too! You'll be needin' ol' Teach along for such a delicate mission!" Vaike added.
"I'll go as well." The man in yellow added, only for no-one to notice him except for James, who walked to his side.
"Don't worry, I noticed you." James assured him.
"Thank you, my name is Kellem by the way." He replied.
Meanwhile, Sumia spoke up. "I... I, um…"
"Yes, Sumia?" Chrom questioned.
"It's just that... I'm not sure I'm quite ready for a proper mission just yet. I'd probably just get in the way." she said nervously.
"Well, you could stay behind the main group, and if a battle is met, just watch and learn?" Chrom offered. James nodded, it seemed reasonable enough. "Your choice of course. But, some lesson can only be learned on the battlefield." Chrom added.
"I agree.." James added.
"W-well, if you both think it wise." She said, accepting the offer.
"Just stay by me and you'll be fine." Chrom assured her.
"Oh, yes! I mean-" She started, clearly overwhelmed with joy until she caught herself. "Yes, sir, I'll do that!" she finished
Afterwards the Shepherds went off to prepare to leave the next day. Yume, not having much else to do, was making her way to the training grounds after putting on some leather that Frederick gave her. Once she reached her destination she picked up a practice sword, only to realize she didn't know the first thing about swordsmanship.
As she stood there, unsure of what to do, Chrom walked in and noticed her. "Oh Yume, what brings you here?" He asked rather casually.
"O-Oh, I wanted to come and train to improve with a sword." She started nervously. "However, I don't really know anything about using a sword." She admitted.
"Well, perhaps I could teach you a thing or two." Chrom offered as he grabbed a training sword.
"Really? Thank you Chrom." Yume thanked before they started to train.
Meanwhile in the castle library, Sumia was looking for the Shepherds' new tactician. She went to one of the servants. "Excuse me, have seen a tall man with brown hair, wearing a black and purple coat?" the servant nodded and pointed Sumia in the right direction.
When she found him, he was engrossed in books on military history and geography. "Um, excuse me," she started, but it seemed that the tactician wasn't paying any attention. She lightly tapped him on the shoulder.
He vaguely acknowledged her presence. She tapped his shoulder again, this time he looked up to actually notice her. "Oh, Sumia, what brings you here." he asked fairly causally.
"Oh, I just wanted to thank you for earlier." She said.
"Oh, well there's no need for that, I was just doing the right thing." he replied.
"Ok, I'll be my way than," she said as she made her way out.
Some time afterwards, James noticed the she had left what looked to be a romance novel behind.
The next morning, the Shepherds were marching on the northroad on their way to Regna Ferox. Before long, James noticed a man in green armor similar to Sully's running up from behind them.
"W-wait for me!" he called out.
"Stahl?" Chrom responded somewhat confused.
"Why am I the last to hear about this expedition to Ferox?" Stahl complained as he caught his breath.
"Huh? Vaike was supposed to…" Lissa wonder aloud before realising something. "Vaike! Did you forget to tell Stahl about our mission?" She berated him.
"The Vaike never forgets! ...I just don't always remember, is all…" he tried to defend, rather unsuccessfully.
"Ugh... I swear, you'd forget your own name if you weren't constantly saying it yourself! Speaking of which, are you SURE you remembered your axe this time?" Lissa continued to chide him.
"Hey! That was one time! ...Okay, twice, but training sessions don't count." Vaike countered, poorly. "Anyway, I got it right here. Teach is loaded and ready for action! Glad to have you along, Stahl, ol' buddy" he changed the topic.
"That makes one of us. I was in such a hurry, I had to miss breakfast! There were muffins, and cakes, and... Well, I can tell you all about it while we march…" Stahl lamented.
"So, your name's Stahl?" Yume asked.
"Oh, I'm sorry, Yume, James. This is Stahl, one of our finest." Chrom introduced.
"Hello, James, Yume. Miriel told me we had a couple new Shepherds. Er, Miriel's one of our mages. She should catch up soon." Stahl explained.
After walking for another half an hour, they were greeted by a foul sight. "Gods, have the Risen spread this far?" Chrom cursed as they were faced by the same monsters from the forest.
"So, we're calling them 'Risen'?" James questioned as he reached for his Gamer Driver.
"Indeed, we needed a name for this new threat, so the council gave them one." Frederick confirmed.
"Everyone, remember what we're up against!" Chrom called out to the Shepherds as they prepared for battle.
"Mya ha! They'll remember ME once I drive my axe into their…" Vaike started to boast before realizing something very important. "Wait... My axe. Where's my axe?! I had it a second ago!" Vaike exclaimed in confusion.
"Vaike, this is no time for jokes…" Chrom groaned.
"I'm serious! It's gone, but I JUST had it! It's got to be around here somewhere..." Vaike shot back in panic.
"Just keep to the back than," James instructed. "Seriously, who just loses their weapon?" he further remarked.
"Hey, I don't see any weapons on you!" Vaike shot back.
"Heh, just watch." The tactician commented as he readied his gashat with Yume following suit.
Mighty Action X!
The area was reformatted into a game area filled with brick blocks.
Taddle Quest!
The game area was now also filled with treasure chests.
"W-what the?" Vaike stammered as the game screens appeared.
Both Riders inserted their gashats into their Gamer Drivers.
"Henshin" declared the duo.
Gashatto! Let's Game! Metcha Game! Mutcha Game! What's your name?!
They tapped their icons to transform.
"I'm a Kamen Rider!"
Vaike and Stahl were left speechless for a moment before Ex-Aid spoke up.
"Brave, you take Virion and Stahl to handle the risen on the hill to the west. Chrom you go with Sully and Lissa to handle the forest to the east. Frederick and I will clear out those forts up north. We'll meet at the bridge afterwards.
As Chrom, Lissa, and Sully searched the forest, they soon relized that there were far fewer risen than there had appeared to be when approaching. As Chrom and Lissa wondered about that fact, Sully saw a group of risen surrounding what looked to be a group of merchants. "Captain, there some merchants being pinned down by the freaks," Sully informed the two as she charged.
Before she could even reach the risen, the were shot re-dead by a series if green bolts of light. When they turned to see the source of the blasts, they saw what Chrom and Lissa recognized as a Kamen Rider. They had a level 1 body, making it impossible to determine their gender. His helmet resembled a modern tactical helmet with the letters 'STG' on it. He had green 'hair' that covered one eye.
"Excuse me, but could we-" Chrom started but was totally ignored by the Rider.
The Rider jogged over to the merchants they had just saved. "Are you all okay?" the rider asked with a man's voice. The merchants all nodded 'yes'. "Good, now let's get you all out of here," he continued before turning around and seemed to notice Chrom and his companions for the first time.
He immediately raised his weapon, a gun, at the shepherds. "Peace, friend, we aren't responsible for these abominations." Chrom quickly assured.
"Well, who are you then?" the rider questioned without dropping his gun in the slightest.
"I am Prince Chrom of Ylisse," he declared confidently declared. "This is my sister, Lissa and Sully, a member of a peace-keeping force I lead."
The rider lowered his weapon slightly. "Okay, then, what are you doing out here? I don't think you would just wander up and down the northroad just waiting for bandits." he asked with a decidedly less hostile tone than before.
"We were on our way north to attempt to secure an alliance with Regna Ferox in dealing with both the risen and our increasingly aggressive neighbor to the west." Chrom explained. "Now if I may be so bold as to ask, your a Kamen Rider, are you not?"
"How do you know about the Kamen Riders?" he questioned as he lowered his gun.
"Oh, you see we have two of them with us, Ex-Aid and Brave, say what are you called?" Lissa quickly answered and than asked.
"Well, if you must know, I'm Snipe"
Meanwhile the other riders' fights were fairly uneventful, though Ex-Aid did get a lesson about salvaging enemy gear when Fredrick took a defeated risen's spear so that he could save his better one for stronger opponents.
Soon, both Ex-Aid and Brave's groups had regrouped, Yume was the first to ask the obvious question. "Where are Chrom and his group?"
"Yeah, I was just about to ask that myself" called out Vaike as he approached the group with a woman wearing robes and a pointed hat. The Riders presumed that this was Miriel that Stahl mentioned.
"Found your axe I see, eh 'teach'," Ex-Aid taunted.
"Actually, I found it, in fact, I'm considering gluing it to his hand." Miriel answered.
Ex-Aid bust out laughing. "Oh that is rich," he said while continuing to laugh hysterically. "Ohoho...ho, but anyway, we should focus on finding Chrom," he concluded, but before they could act on it, someone called.
"No need," everyone turn to see Chrom, Lissa, and Sully, all being followed someone who Ex-Aid and Brave recognized as Kamen Rider Snipe.
Ex-Aid quickly reviewed what he knew to confirm his thought before asking. "John?" he questioned the new Rider.
"Yep, so guess that would that you two are James and Yume?" he asked back.
"Bingo, all that leaves is Daiki." Brave answered.
"And based the pattern I'm seeing here, the would mean that he's Lazer." Ex-Aid added.
"Well, then, let's take out these freaks so we can find him." Brave said with renewed motivation.
"Alright, Shepherds, fan out and wipe take out the risen to the east and west, us Riders will take out the ones in the middle." Ex-Aid instructed. "Alright, it's time to Level up!" he proclaimed as all three Riders reached for the lever on their Gamer Drivers.
"Dai Henshin"
"Proceeding to Level 2"
"Mission phase 2"
Gachan! Level Up! Mighty Jump! Mighty Kick! Mighty, Mighty Action X!
Gachan! Level Up! Taddle! Meguru! Taddle! Meguru! Taddle Quest!
Gachan! Level Up! Ba-Ba-Bang! Bang-Ba-Bang! (Yow!) Bang Bang Shooting!
All three Riders changed into their level 2 forms, Snipe's body was black with green lines on the sides. He also had a cape the covered his right shoulder.
"Alright let's go!" Snipe called out as the Riders stormed the bridge, taking out the risen with ease. During this Ex-Aid noticed that Brave's fighting style had changed for the better. It was similar to Chrom's without the added flair.
Once they had crossed the bridge and the Shepherds were fighting to the east and west, the Riders were faced with a single large risen like back in the forest. The first to attack was Brave who deflected it's axe and allowed Snipe to get in several shots from the gashacon magnum.
As it staggered back, Ex-Aid grabbed and energy item.
Kōtetsu-ka!
"Item Get!" Ex-Aid proclaimed as his body was coated in what looked like iron. He charged in and delivered a single punch which shattered the risen's axe. "Alright, let's finish this."
All three riders removed their gashats, but before the inserted them, Snipe had a suggestion. "Yume, let's switch gashats." he tossed Brave his Bang Bang Shooting.
"Okay, let's" Brave tossed him her Taddle quest and they inserted them into their weapons.
Bang Bang Critical Finish!
Taddle Critical Finish
Mighty Critical Strike!
Brave fired two energy projectiles that came together to form an 'X', Snipe fired two shots, one was buring hot, the other freezing cold. And Ex-Aid followed behind with a punch that was further powered by the Iron Body energy item. "Mighty Iron Punch!" he yelled at the top his lungs as all three finishers landed, causing the risen to not just dissolve into smoke, but explode in a huge fireball.
Kaishin no Ippatsu!
"Game Clear!" Ex-Aid called out in celebration as his power wore off and they undid their transformations.
"Finally, and good riddance!" Chrom exclaimed at the sight of the risen being defeated. "But if they're appearing this far up the Northroad…" he added on somberly.
"Then no path is safe. We'll need to stay wary." Frederick finished his lord's thought.
"Yeah, we should hurry and get help as soon as possible." James stated firmly as they gathered all their things to progress and sending the merchants the John had been traveling with to Ylisstol with haste.
Afterwards, the Shepherds continued to march along the northroad. As they were marching, James noticed something further up the road. "Hey, what's that over there?" he asked no-one in particular.
Lissa seemed to recognize it "Hey, is that what I think it is?"
As they approached the creature, James finally realized what it was and waas amazed. He thought they only existed in legends.
Chrom was the first confirm to James the animal's identity. "It's a pegasus, all right. I think it's hurt. Let's just have a look here…" He was right, when James looked closer, he saw blood on it's side. As Chrom tried to approach the wounded animal, it reared up and nearly kicked him. "WHOA! Down, girl! Easy there!" Chrom tried to calm the white pegasus down, though it seemed he was only making worse.
"Captain, one moment!" there was a call from the back, Sumia had rushed to the front, and immediately trip. Fortunately, James caught her, though noticeably harsher than before as this time, he only grabbed her collar and pulled her back to her feet.
'Good grief' James thought to himself. 'How many times am I gonna have to do this?"
"Sumia! Are you all right?" Chrom asked with clear concern in his voice.
"Yes, I'm fine, thanks to James." Sumia assured him.
"Yes, well stay back, this beast is crazed!" Chrom warned, clearly concerned for her safety.
"It's okay, Captain. I can handle this…" Sumia assured him as she petted the pegasus. "Shhh... Easy now, girl. I won't hurt you." she assured the animal as it almost instantly calmed down.
"Wow, how'd she calm that thing down so easy?" John wondered aloud.
"That's amazing Sumia!" Lissa praised.
"I've never seen anything like it." Chrom added.
"Oh, it's...it's nothing. Really. I just have a way with animals, I guess," Sumia tried to downplay it but that didn't stop anyone from being impressed.
"I should say so." Chrom responded.
"You all go ahead. I'll dress her wounds and catch up as soon as we're able."
Before anyone could object or question her choice, John spoke up. "Sure thing, but just in case something happens, take this." he said as he produced what appeared to be a gashacon weapon with the appearance of a tablet.
"Huh, so you still have your bugvisor?" James asked.
"Yeah, why?" John responded confused.
"It's just that when I arrived here I was missing mine." he clarified.
"Weird, let's hope that it hasn't wound up in the wrong hands" John responded in a tone the said he wasn't really worried
"Either way, we'll go on ahead, John, you catch up with us once you give a rundown of how to use that thing." James declared as he and the rest of the Shepherds resumed their march.
Game Clear!
Next time:第3章Warriorの王国
Chapter 3: Warrior Realm
A/N: oh sweet Naga, I was worried I'd never get this finished, over the last year or so, when ever I was able to write, I was unmotivated and whenever I was motivated, I didn't have access to my computer, not to mention the numerous instances of writer's block. I'm sorry if it just sounds like I'm making excuses, believe me, no-one is more disappointed that it took this long than me. So, a few things about this chapter, firstly, those merchants John was with were supposed to be alot more important to this chapter but just couldn't make that work. Secondly, I've actually been looking forward to the scene with John and Yume switching gashats since before I actually started writing this, though, James's use of the Iron Body item is an idea I came just today as I'm writing this. And Thirdly, how was it, did you like it, how was my grammar, especially punctuation, I'm terrible at that. So, everyone out there in internet land, tell me how I did and this is Time-Space lord Eon saying See you next game.