Disclaimer. I don't own Fire Emblem.
Well, I had this idea and decided to turn it into a story since I had some time in my hands. I hope you enjoy.
After some time of hard running, Lewis came upon the burning town. A couple of dead bodies littered the road. Lewis crinkled his nose with disgust at the smell. Immediately, Lewis hid into the nearby thicket and began rummaging through his box. He had 20 cartridges so he took around 20ish caps from a box and placed them in his ammunition pouch. He even decided to bring his scope which he wrapped in cloth before putting in his pouch in case Chrom needed longer-ranged support. Making sure that his bayonet was firmly attached, Lewis covered his box with a tree branch and began running into town. Thank whatever god was out there that he had his gun with him. He would never have the courage to do this without it.
It was relatively easy finding what path Chrom and Frerick took. He simply had to follow the trail of dead bodies. Perhaps his friend did have a point that he had some psychopathic tendencies. He wasn't very disturbed that he was surrounded by dead bodies. The smell of blood and smoke was annoying, but it was endurable. Eventually, he heard a deep booming voice demanding, "Lay down your weapons or the girl gets it!"
"You bastard!" Chrom's voice answered in anger.
This didn't sound good. Dashing through the streets in the direction of the voices, Lewis slowed down when he saw the church and the town's plaza. Hiding behind an overturned cart, he peered at what was happening. There was good news and bad news.
The good news was that Robin was here. He (or she) had a tome in his (or her) hands and was standing next to Chrom and Frederick staring down the group of 10 or so bandits with who he assumed to be the bandit leader at the front of the group. The bad news was that the bandit leader was holding Lissa hostage with an ax to her neck.
The bandit was busy demanding that the three lay down their arms and die like good little lambs. Frederick was promising nothing but death if anything happens to Lissa. Chrom was busy trying to convince the bandit to let go of his sister. Robin was quiet, looking around presumably trying to find a way out of this mess.
The tension was only rising in the air, and Lewis knew it was about to turn ugly real fast. He needed to change this stalemate as fast as possible. Quickly, adrenaline pumping through his chest, he entered one of the houses and ran to the second floor. He slowly opened the wooden covers just enough to allow him a good view of the bandit holding Lissa hostage. He removed the bayonet, clipped on his scope, and did some guesswork on the range. His instincts honed by three years of practice told him the range was about 70 or so meters, and his aim was the eye. He was going to go for the t-zone to give the bandit instant death.
Of course, doubt started to run through Lewis's mind. He was not trained to hit such a target. If he missed which there was a good chance of, Lissa may end up dying. However, from what he could tell from the conversation, Lissa was going to die if he did nothing. Then, after some consideration, he decided the risk was enough. Even if he did miss, the chance of hitting Lissa was low due to the size difference. Second, it was more likely that the bandit would drop Lissa from surprise than having the strength to push the ax and slit Lissa's throat. Third, as horrible as this sounded if Lissa ended up dying he could make a run for it. The bandits should give enough time for him to make his escape, and the shepherds would never know it was him since they knew nothing about his weapon. He would pretend to not know anything and simply hide in Southtown waiting for the whole thing to blow over. Convinced that the risk was enough, Lewis's eyes hardened, and he began to take aim.
Bracing himself on the window, Lewis slowly breathed in and out waiting for the bandit to stop moving. As soon as the bandit stopped to take a deep breath to scream something back, Lewis pulled the trigger.
The hammer smashed down onto the cap sending a hot flame down the nipple into the black powder. The powder immediately ignited pushing the lead bullet down the barrel. The force of the explosion caused the skirt of the minie ball to expand engaging the rifling of the barrel causing a spin. As the bullet exited the barrel, it continued spinning as it shot through the air towards the bandit.
Lewis was right about the aim. He was not trained for taking such accurate shots in highly stressful situations. As a result, his shot went low. However, Lewis had pure luck on his side. The .58 caliber soft metal bullet entered the throat deforming upon impact tearing apart the voice box and esophagus. However, the bullet continued, and upon contact with the spine, it shattered the bone and destroyed all surrounding tissue. The bullet exited out the other end of the neck spraying the bandit behind with the blood of his leader.
The bandit leader couldn't understand what happened. He felt something enter his throat, and all of a sudden, he lost strength in all of his limbs, and his vision suddenly began twirling. He died confused at why he was seeing everything upside down before everything went black.
Lewis winced at the ringing in his ear due to the shot. He didn't take his earplugs for obvious reasons, and firing in an enclosed room did not do any favors to his hearing. Lewis hoped Lissa would be able to heal any hearing damage if it came to it.
He breathed a sigh of relief as Lissa took advantage of the confusion and dashed out from the nearly decapitates bandit. The bandit's head was barely hanging on to its torso with a small strip of flesh. After confirming Lissa's safety, Lewis ducked back into the cover of the house. He heard the shouts of fighting resume, and Lewis began reloading as fast as he could once more.
When he peeked out once more, he saw how Robin was directing the shepherds to the direction he was in. Realizing what Robin was doing, he provided the cover Robin wanted. He fired once more bringing down another bandit with a shot to the torso. This time the bandits separated trying to take cover from Lewis.
"I am so getting hearing loss from this," Lewis grumbled in dark humor as the ringing in his ears got worse.
Robin immediately took advantage of this and began defeating the bandits separately. If any bandits were brave enough to come out of cover to help out their comrades, Lewis was there to teach them the folly of their actions. Soon it was over with the last of the bandits running away only to be run down by Frederick's horse or shot down with Robin's lightning.
Once Frederick returned, Lewis watched from the second floor as the four began coming towards the house he was sniping from. By now, the ringing in his ear was now manageable, and the first thing he was going to do was go to Lissa and get a check-up for his ears.
When he went down to greet the Shepherds, Chrom grinned in pleasant surprise at his sister's rescuer. He came jogging over and gave a surprised Lewis a big hug. "You have my eternal thanks for saving my sister."
"Yeah!" Lissa absently rubbed her neck. "You have mine as well. I was really worried there."
Lewis nodded as he accepted their gratitude. He turned to Lissa. "If you want to thank me, could you check my ears for any hearing loss? I didn't wear any hearing protection, and firing such a loud weapon in a room didn't help at all."
Nodding Lissa had Lewis sit down on a nearby ledge as she brought her stave to Lewis's ear. Frederick cleared his throat as he stepped forward and pointed at Lewis's rifle. "I assume that is the weapon?"
Trying to ignore the itching in his ear, Lewis answered Frederick's implied question. He was expecting it after all. "This is a Springfield Model 1861, a weapon from my world. It was my grandfather's before he gave it to me. I use it for hunting." A small half-lie since they probably won't understand the idea of keeping such a deadly weapon for the novelty of it.
Frederick continued to stare at me in suspicion so Lewis decided to speak up. "I swear to whatever god you believe in that I mean you no harm as long as you don't harm me. I mean if I wanted you dead, I wouldn't have helped you right?"
Frederick merely nodded before turning to the other stranger. Lewis couldn't help sighing a big sigh of relief that he wasn't a replacement. Judging from the conversation, it turns out that Robin was a girl, and she could use some sort of telepathy which increases the value of a tactician exponentially to national treasure levels, and Chrom was quite desperately trying to recruit said tactician into his private army.
"I'm sorry, Prince. But have you noticed that I am Plegian and the patterns in my cloak?" Lewis frowned. Something was very wrong here.
"My lord. I've had my suspicions, but now I am sure of it. That cloak is worn by those of the Grimleal."
Chrom put his hand on this chin and began scratching it as he inspected Robin. "Are you Grimleal?"
"My mother was. I am not."
Frederik stepped forward. "Where is your mother may I ask?"
"12 feet underground. Assassins came after her for running away to spare me the life of a Grimleal. They succeeded."
Chrom pushed back Frederick and glared at him. Chrom bowed his head in an apology. "Forgive my companion's insensitive question."
"It's alright Prince. I know how you Ylisseans hate Plegians. Do not worry. I am only passing through Ylisse to head to Ragna Ferox to give my services there. I'll be out of your hair..."
"Wait! I do not despise you for your origins. In fact, my resolve to recruit you is stronger than ever. You have fought to save Ylissean lives today and having a plegian join the Shepherds will only strengthen my sister's message for peace between our two countries." Lewis tuned out the rest of the conversation as he went deep into thought. Robin still had all her memories. What the hell. As Lewis considered the implications of this change, his stomach dropped.
The worst implication was that he was in the bad timeline. This was the most obvious and the worst possible result of such a change. The other was that Grima didn't go back in time with the children. This would be the far more preferable outcome. However, if he thought to the explanation of fairies, it was quite possible that they have sent him to the destruction timeline as punishment. Suddenly a small bonk on his head snapped him out of his thoughts, and he jerked back as he saw how close Lissa's face was to his.
After a small laugh at his reaction, Lissa told Lewis the results. "It's done. The damage wasn't as bad as you thought."
Having concluded his business with Robin, Chrom came over to Lewis. "Lewis. Today, you have saved Ylissean lives and even saved my sister's life. Allow me to properly introduce myself. My complete name is Prince Chrom Lowell of the Halidom Ylisse. I am also the Captain of the Shepherds, a small elite force dedicated to protecting Ylisse and its citizens from danger. I understand your circumstance as an Outrealmer; however, I wish to extend a similar offer that I gave Robin. The Shepherds are currently looking for more troops who can fight at longer ranges, and your bravery and your skill with your weapon has been invaluable in today's fight. I shudder to think what would have happened if you were not here. I offer a place in the Shepherds should you desire it."
"Hold on, my Lord."
"Just Chrom. Never was one for formality."
"Okay, Chrom. Just give me a moment to think." Lewis gulped as he was at a crossroads. No. There were no crossroads. He really had one option considering the very big possibility that he was in the bad timeline. He had to join the Shepherds if he was going to live. If anyone here was going to survive. Truth be told, deep down, he knew that he wasn't going to be going home any time soon. The fact that only Lissa read and knew about the Outrealm gate in some old texts only decreased the likelihood of him finding a gate much less a working one. It could be decades before he would be able to go home, and he didn't have decades. Not only that, judging by the signs throughout the town he couldn't read the writing in Ylisse. As a result, he was even more handicapped if he was to go lone wolf. The fairy ring? Hah. As if they would help him after dumping him here.
Lewis felt like crying at the impossibility of the task in front of him. Much of his knowledge of the game was pretty much useless or uncertain because of Lucina's potential absence. He had no idea about what will happen and whether he will survive. Frederick was right. The fairies were assholes. They weren't merciful. They sent him to hell. They sent him to a timeline doomed for failure. He was backed into a corner.
Resolve quickly settled into Lewis's face. No. Damn them. Screw fate. He was not going to go down like this. He was going to bit back like a cornered animal. If this was a good timeline, there was a good chance that he would set off on his own. Why interfere and risk his life if everything was going to be fine at the end? Now though? The more cowardly option was to join. He had a far higher chance of survival with the Shepherds. If everything went to shit, he might even be able to escape to the past with Lucina.
That was IF he was going to allow it to get that bad. No, the greatest chance of survival was him flipping the entire script. He could only do that if he had influence, and the Shepherds gave him the necessary influence. If things came to the worst, Lewis stared at Robin. Since there was no second Grima, killing Robin was a surefire way to victory.
However, that was where Lewis drew the line. He was no murderer, and he sure as hell had no right to judge someone for what they could do. He wasn't Lucina. For now, Robin stayed alive. If it came to killing Robin, he would prefer it to be untraceable to avoid social consequences. However, to kill Robin, he had to be close by. Once more, Lewis's resolve firmed. He had only one choice.
"First, I want to take a look at the book Lissa was talking about. If there is no information regarding ways for me to go back home, it would mean I am stuck here. If that is the case, I shall provide my services to Ylisse for as long as you need me." He still needed an out just in case he was overthinking things.
Chrom brightened at my words and grasped my hands. "Deal. We can finalize everything at Ylisstol. I need to report to my sister after all."
"Wait, Chrom. I would just like to add that I am not a trained soldier so I am still going to need a lot of training before I am truly ready for the field. There was a reason why I stayed in the house sniping until the fight was over."
"No problem. I figured as much. If anything that's even better because that means you risked your life to save lives even though you had no obligation to do so. In the Shepherds, heart and courage are the main requirements. Training will come naturally with time."
"Well then, I am looking forward to it." Lewis then helped the villagers of Southtown escape the church they were trapped in by the bandits. From the look of things, it seemed the bandits were about to set fire to the building with everyone trapped inside before Chrom saved everyone.
From his conversations with Chrom, Lewis found out that Robin was already fighting and was about to be overwhelmed until Chrom charged in like a bull. After that, Robin cast her telepathy skill allowing the four of them to make quick work of the bandits until Lissa was ambushed and taken hostage. That was when Lewis appeared and began raining thunder and death on the bandits. Sadly, he never got the chance to talk with Robin as she was dragged away by Lissa to help with treating the wounded.
By the time Chrom decided to head back to Ylisstol to report to Emmeryn, the sun was high in the air. After grabbing his box from the hiding spot, Lewis was waiting for Chrom to finish his conversation with the village elder. If things went by the script, he was going to turn down the offer much to Lissa's dismay.
In the meantime, Lewis was quickly doing the finishing touches on cleaning out his gun. Due to the new world he found himself in, it was imperative that he kept his gun in tip-top condition lest he causes irreversible damage. There were no spare parts he could obtain unless the blacksmiths in this era were more competent than he thought. The Springfield was the only thing giving Lewis any sense of security, and he would be damned if something happened to it. Now that he thought about it, he would need to have a long talk with Miriel to see if she could find a way to replicate his gun. It would open so many more options in saving this timeline. The sound of someone coming up behind him snapped him from his schemes.
"Yes, Robin. How may I help you?"
"I don't believe I have introduced myself to you yet?"
"Chrom told me about you."
"You know, it is quite rude not to look at the person you are talking to."
"Yes. So I have been told. Just let me finish this putting my gun together, and we can hold a proper conversation. This gun is the only thing I have left of my world, and I would never forgive myself if something were to happen to it."
"I see," Lewis could detect understanding in Robin's voice. "Do you mind if I watch? I have never seen such a weapon before."
"Go ahead." Lewis worked in silence as he began screwing in the firing mechanism into the designated areas. Once that was done, he gave it a good shake to make sure nothing was loose, gave one more look around to make sure he wasn't missing anything and put away his tools into the box. After slinging his rifle behind his back, he stood up to face Robin and was surprised.
Her cowl was down so he could see her entire face. She looked like the default Robin with white hair and the two ponytails reaching below her shoulders. In everyone else's case, there were some slight differences. For example, Frederick's face looked older and slightly more tan. Chrom's face was more masculine. Lissa's face had more narrow eyes. Robin's face was extremely similar to what Lewis was familiar with. The only difference would be the piercing red eyes that were observing Lewis, taking note of all his features like a tactician examing her soldiers.
"My name is Lewis Davout. How may I help?"
After a quick handshake, Robin began walking around Lewis looking him up and down. "I have been told that you are an outrealmer. I've read about one but never seen one before so I was curious."
Lewis slightly peeved at how Robin was looking at him fired back, "I am still human. It's just that I come from a different world. That's it. What do you mean you read about it?."
"I read about it in some ruins. It was about how this man who claims to have come from an outer realm arrived at this king's court and told wild stories about worlds with incredible technology, terrifying monsters, world-ending disasters. The man was offered a position as the court jester in the end."
"So, you believe I am lying about this?"
"I'll withhold judgment due to what I have seen so far. You are wearing clothes I have never seen before, and you wield an interesting weapon. At first, I thought it was some sort of magic item, but I do not sense any mana coming from it."
"Well, it wouldn't, considering my world had no magic. Well... after recent revelations, developed without magic seems closer to the truth. Never knew fairies were real until now."
"Fairies you say?" Lewis nodded and began explaining how he arrived in this world in the first place. He talked about the fairy ring, Frederick's story, and even showed a picture of it from his phone.
Seeing the phone, Robin's eyes shone with interest, and he let Robin borrow it as she started fiddling around with the camera. He took the phone back when she started to snoop around his gallery. "I'd like my privacy please."
"Sorry. If anything, you have convinced me of your origins with that. That machine is beyond this world's technological limits. To top it off, for it to even be mana-less..." Robin shook her head as she started mumbling to herself. She was shaken out of it when Chrom came over and asked if they were ready.
With a nod, the group began heading out into the woods. Quickly Lewis walked over to Robin and tapped her shoulder. "So, now that I've satisfied your curiosity, do you mind if you can satisfy mine?"
Robin's expression became slightly guarded as she tentatively nodded, "I will answer what I can."
"You're not amnesiac, right? You still remember who you are and all that?"
Robin stared incredulously at Lewis. "I still remember who I am. Did I give you the impression that I lost my memories?"
"No no. Just making sure of something. So, why are you joining the Shepherds? It doesn't sound like you have a fond experience of Ylisse."
Robin shrugged. "Employment. I don't really like the cold, and if I can avoid employment in Ragna Ferox, I'll take it. Second, Chrom convinced me to give Ylisse a chance. So, I'll meet his sister, and if I find out that she is really as committed to peace as Chrom claims, I'll be glad to join. Maybe even reduce tensions between Ylliseans and Plegians as well."
"So, you don't blame Chrom for his father?" This was something he had to find out.
Robin's eyes stared at Lewis for some time before slowly stating, "You seem awfully knowledgeable about this world for an outrealmer."
Expecting this question, Lewis gave the best answer he could think of. This question would only appear in the future, and it would be best if Lewis could nip it in the bud. "Think about the technology you just saw. My world has some technology that can record the happenings of other worlds and turn them into stories for entertainment. Now that I have learned the names of the surrounding countries, I believe I know which world I am in."
"Your country sounds very advanced. Are you sure you can't go back?"
"Looking is not the same as crossing the boundaries. We don't have the technology to go to different worlds nor communicate with them. Besides, I didn't know if this world was real until I ended up here. The machine isn't that accurate and very whimsical. Look don't question it. Even I don't know the complexities very well. I just read what it gives out because some of the stories could be entertaining. Whether I like it or not, I am trapped here."
Robin stared at Lewis with an amazing poker face. "Uh huh... Well, if you must know. I don't. I don't believe that people should be judged for their parent's crimes. My mother was quite clear about that."
Robin had a wistful voice when she mentioned her mother. "Are you alright? It must have been hard losing your mother. I may not be able to fully understand considering all my family is still alive, but when I think about how I will never see them again, it hurts."
"It's fine. I had time to grieve. I still have my mother's coat to remind me of her."
Lewis nodded. It was time for the million-dollar question. He had to know if Robin would stick with the Shepherds considering she no longer viewed Chrom as a savior like in the game. "Say Robin. You know about the current political situation in Plegia, right? With mad king Gangrel."
Robin sneered. "Yeah. He may have started fine, but ever since the Grimleal got their hands on him, he went off the deep end."
"You sound like you've met him before."
"I've seen a couple of his speeches. He is the biggest reason why I fled Plegia. Ever since he started his damn conscription laws, he sent soldiers into the outskirts to force people into his armies. No way was I going to be drafted to fight for him."
"Then I have another question. If war was to restart between Ylisse and Plegia, who would you support?" Robin stopped and looked at Lewis. It wasn't a simple look, but a deep scrutinizing look. Lewis tried to keep a neutral expression but failed. He instead gave an awkward grin.
"You are an enigma Lewis Davout. You are an outworlder who has more knowledge than he lets on." Inwardly, Lewis began panicking.
Shitshitshit. I screwed up. I really underestimated her intelligence. Okay. Damage control. I have lots of practice bullshitting thanks to college essays. I should be able to get myself out of this.
"Yes. I know a lot of things. In the world I come from, education is mandatory starting at the age of five. I also loved reading lots of books. Especially books about other worlds. I have also taken a couple of classes regarding politics so I am able to infer many things as well." As soon as those words came out of Lewis's mouth, he started inwardly cursing. He was never good at thinking under pressure like this.
Robin wasn't buying it. Lewis could tell. She placed a hand on Lewis's shoulder and gave a squeeze. "You are a mystery, and I don't like mysteries."
Robin's grin just turned feral. Lewis gulped. This was not good. Time to bluff his way out. If there was one thing he knew, it was creeping out those of the opposite gender. Lord knows how many times he had to do it to chase away all those gold diggers from his friend. "Oooh... Sexy talk. Two can play at that game. Perhaps when we could get a room to ourselves, you could unravel my mysteries one layer at a time." He even added the signature eyebrow roll in the end.
Lewis didn't know until now that Robin's grin could turn even more feral. He felt like a piece of meat under the gaze of a dragon who hasn't eaten in a week. Although there were some people with such fetishes, Lewis was not one. His stomach dropped as he realized that his words didn't work. Why the hell didn't it work? It worked with those gold diggers. They ran away with disgust in their eyes.
"I would like that," Robin purred. Holy mother of god. That was a purr. She grabbed his arm and pulled it between her breasts. Holy shit, Breasticles. Lewis's brains were beginning to fuzz out. Robin's chest wasn't anything to scoff at. "I'm sure you would also like to explore me too hmm?"
Lewis knew when to cut his losses. This was not going to end well for him if he pursued this. Every single instinct from his toes to his head yelled at him to go away. Well, minus the part between his legs. Little Lewis was screaming, "DO IT! JUST DO IT!"
However, if there was one thing Lewis took pride in, it was that he was a man run by logic, not passion. Thus, he quickly chose the more rational option of... running away. Wrenching his arms away from Robin, he scrambled away to join Frederick and Chrom at the front. He could hear giggling from behind, but Lewis ignored it as best he could.
Damn it. He was bested. He made a horrible error. He assumed that this Robin would be similar to the Robin of the game: a cheerful naive amnesiac. No, this Robin was far more calculating, and he just showed her a weakness that she could exploit to her benefit. He needed to think of a new way to deal with her quick. Until then, he would stay away from her.
"Hello, guys. How far until Ylisstol?"
"We'll have to make camp. We'll arrive around noon tomorrow," answered Chrom.
"Indeed. That clearing up there looks to be a good spot."
"Great. Anything I could help with?"
Chrom pondered, "You said you hunted right?"
"Well, squirrels and small animals. Nothing big like boars or deers. It was more pest control. I'm not good at tracking."
Chrom shrugged. "Good enough. Just help me catch something. Frederick, go set up the camp and prepare a fire," Frederick's eyes glinted at the mention of fire. "Feel free to designate jobs to our female companions."
"C'mon. Let's go."
"Like right now?"
"Yeah."
"Hold on let me load first." Lewis was not going to fight a bear with an unloaded gun. Chrom and Frederick watch with interest as he poured the powder into the barrel and began pounding the bullet until it sat on top of the powder. He finished with a cap on the nipple, but he didn't bring the hammer to full cock just yet.
"Huh. That seems time-consuming to load. Reminds me of a heavy crossbow."
"Yes, but it comes with the advantage of a much higher power, range, and penetration. You really don't want to know what a soft metal bullet does to you if it enters your body. It can also shoot twice the range of any crossbow or bow accurately, and penetrate plate armor with ease at close ranges. Not even Frederick's armor would stop it. Not that I would shoot you, Frederick." Lewis quickly added on the last part.
"I see."
"Oh, Frederick. Do you mind keeping my box safe? For your safety, don't rummage through it. There are explosives in there, and I don't want to be responsible for blowing off your fingers. I'll show you the contents later if you must know."
"Understood."
With those parting words, Chrom and Lewis delved into the forest. In order to avoid scaring prey, they crept along with the utmost silence. Chrom was surprisingly good at finding tracks. Lewis couldn't help, but be confused at the type though. It was deer tracks, not bear.
Lewis shrugged. Maybe things were different. Eventually, they came across a herd of deer about 100 meters away. Chrom turned to Lewis and mimed a shooting action with his hands. Lewis nodded and took aim at the male, but suddenly Chrom stood up and unsheathed his sword scaring the herd away.
"What was that for? You just scared..." Lewis's protest trailed off when a small distance to his left, a massive Kodiak bear was staring at them, licking its lips. The bear was way too close for Lewis's comfort. Despite their size, bears were surprisingly stealthy. Who would have thought?
"Lewis. Run! I'll hold it off." Nodding, Lewis took a couple of steps back and turned around. He had a gun: a large caliber one at that. He just needed a good shot, and Chrom was the perfect tank to grab the bear's attention.
He climbed the nearby tree to get a better vantage point. By this time, the bear had charged Chrom who dived to the left to avoid being mauled by the bear. The bear wasn't able to slow his momentum in time so it ran into a tree headfirst. Angry, the bear stood up on its hind legs and roared, but it also gave the perfect shot to Lewis. A large crack resounded in the air, and the bear toppled over dead.
Chrom raised his eyebrows at the dead bear and looked up. "You weren't kidding about the power. I don't think I've ever seen someone take down a bear this big with one shot."
"Yeah..." Staring at the dead bear, Lewis realized that he was responsible for multiple deaths today. He has killed the bandit leader, another grunt, and blew off the leg of another before Robin electrocuted the bandit. However, Lewis didn't regret a single thing. He didn't throw up, and he sure as hell didn't remember the faces of the men he just killed.
No, he wasn't a psychopath. He just did what was necessary. Kill or be killed. He was pulled from his thoughts when Chrom asked him to help gut the bear. He nodded and as he stepped towards the bear, he decided to ask Chrom about his concerns. He had far more experience with these subjects after all. "Hey, Chrom. Today was the first time I killed."
Chrom's head snapped up. He stared with empathy in his eyes before he looked down guiltily. "I see. The first kill is never easy."
"That's the problem. It was easy for me. It makes me concerned if it makes me less human." Chrom shook his head as he laid a hand on Lewis's shoulder.
"Lewis, look at me. The simple fact that you thought that makes you human. You are aware of the moral boundaries, and you are scared of crossing them. Don't worry. I know great people who also faced similar situations. I have a friend named Stahl who also asked me something similar. As long as you understand the weight of taking a life, you will never cross the line. I envy you in a way. You won't have nightmares about it then." Chrom chuckled with a pained expression.
"Thanks, Chrom. I'll keep it in mind."
"Glad to help. If you ever need to talk about this, my door is always open. It's never good to keep things like this to yourself."
The sun was setting by the time they were finished gutting the bear, and the expressions made by Frederick and Lissa by what they caught made both Chrom and Lewis laugh. Chrom and Robin were in charge of cooking because Frederick and Lissa refused to get close to the bear. During that time, he showed the contents of his chest to Frederick and later Lissa. His rifle lay unclean next to his box for he could not get enough hot water to clean it out. He would have to clean it as soon as possible the next day.
While Frederick was keeping watch, Lissa asked lots of questions regarding his home world. "So you guys fly in these massive metal carriages? Wow. That's hard to imagine."
"If I had the internet, I would love to show you, but no connection here."
"What's the internet?"
Lewis was saved a difficult question by Robin calling out, "Dinner's ready."
After getting the bear kebob from Chrom, Lewis sat down a small distance away from the fire to get a good look at the stars. They were simply stunning. In a place with no light pollution, the stars could show their true brilliance.
Suddenly, purple entered his field of vision as Robin took a seat next to him. Lewis tried to keep his face as neutral as possible. To be honest, Robin scared him. A lot. Due to her far more predatory personality, he had to tread more carefully than he planned.
However, Lewis couldn't show weakness. He knew that Robin would only take advantage of that. This was why he started off the conversation. "So, you like to watch the stars, too?"
"Yes. It is fun trying to find the constellations. Do you have them in your world?" Lewis frowned as he looked at the sky. He never did have a strong interest in astronomy so he didn't even know the constellations in his old world at all.
"Well, I just think it's amazing to see so many stars in the first place. Because of these inventions called light bulbs, we were able to produce light even at night time. Enough light to turn night into day according to some historians. There is even a city with the nickname 'the city that never sleeps'. As a result, the amount of light we produced obscured many of the stars unless one went far away from civilization."
Robin frowned as she tried to picture what Lewis just described. "Huh. Hard to picture. Anyway, about that question you asked me."
"Yes?" Lewis asked warily.
"I'm going to answer that after meeting Emmeryn. If she is as nice as people describe, I'll help Ylisse. If not, I'll leave both to rot. It'll suck being in Ragna Ferox, but I'd rather freeze to death than be forced to fight a war I don't support."
"I see."
"I also haven't forgotten your other request of me exploring your... body." Lewis choked on his bear meat as Robin smacked her lips. After spitting out the bear, he noticed Robin chuckling at him. "You are so fun to tease."
"Oh, lovely. I just attracted the attention of a hag." For his retort, he earned a smack in the head.
"Call me a hag again, and I electrocute you."
"Act like a hag, and I call you one, electricity be damned."
"That sounds like a challenge." Robin held up a hand crackling with electricity.
Lewis called upon his inner Kazuma. He was positive Robin would fall for his bait. "I will dropkick you if you do. I may not do it immediately, but as soon as you let your guard down, my foot will go for your head."
"Oh, you'll hit a girl like me?" Robin organized her arms in a way that emphasized her breasts.
Lewis only smiled as Robin fell for it hook, line, and sinker. He stood up, pointed at Robin, and declared, "I yearn for true gender equality. I have no patience for one who talks about female privilege when it suits them and then complains about not being a man when it's convenient. Just so you know, I'm not the type to go for cliches. Say, for instance, you were to inflict unjust violence for petty things, I would fight back with no hesitation. I'M A GUY WHO DOES WHAT HE HAS TO DO! YOU'D DO WELL TO REMEMBER THAT."
Perfect. That was the face he wanted to see. Pure and utter shock from Robin. This must be the so-called rubbery face that Lissa once talked about. With this, he would be able to fight back if Robin started to push into unwanted territory. He felt a twinge of embarrassment and guilt, but it had to be done. He couldn't let Robin free-reign of any future conversations. There were some things that had to stay secret until the right time if this world was to survive.
He knew women of Robin's type. They weren't going to rest until their curiosity was satisfied. Now that he entered Robin's crosshairs, he had to shake it up show her that he wasn't afraid of fighting back. Show her that he wasn't prey, but a fellow predator. That way instead of taking what she wanted, she would be far more willing to compromise and negotiate. That was something Lewis could deal with. After all, when people decided to compromise, nobody was leaving happy, and Lewis was perfectly happy with that since Lewis's struggle was with time. Letting his secrets come out at the best possible time.
Laughter caused Lewis and Robin to snap back into reality. Lissa was hooting with laughter and rolling on the ground. "Oh my goddess. Robin, your face. It was so perfect!"
Frederick and Chrom stared at each other before coming to a conclusion. "You'd get along with Sully."
After the eventful outburst, everybody started to turn in for the night. To Lewis's great horror, it was an uneventful one.