A Summoner's Journey
Chapter 1: World of Mystery
Over the next few days, Anna and Alfonse taught me the facilities that were around here. The Training Tower that was west of the Askran castle can be used to train the heroes I summoned and the Arena east of the castle is used to battle teams of powerful heroes for rewards and ranking.
"On the top right of Askr here…", Alfonse pointed to a wide plain on the map, "...that's the "Special Map" courtyard".
"Creative name", I muttered to myself, "Makes it sound like a video game".
"The Special Maps allow you to activate a "Hero Battle" and fight against a team of fighters", Anna explained, "If you win the Hero Battle, the leader of the team will join you. Pretty cool, right?".
"That's cool, but how do I know what heroes we're going to fight?", I asked.
"The answer lies in our mail delivery service. Follow me", Anna led me out of the war room and brought me to the lobby, where an owl perched on a yellow pole was sleeping.
"Hey Hedwig, you got any new mail for us?", Anna called.
"Hoot!", the brown and white owl woke up and opened the mail bag on it's shoulder with its clawed feet.
"Hoot!", Hedwig took out three letters and a package and gave them to Anna.
"Whoa, that's more than we ever get", Anna said, shocked. She opened the package first and found two orbs in it.
"Oh hey cool! Free orbs!", Anna hugged the orb in her hand.
"Are those things rare?", I asked. "Oh yes, very rare!", Anna said, holding the orb carefully, as to not drop it, "You can only get them through the delivery service or by completing quests issued by the fountain over there".
"What fountain?", I looked behind me and saw a stone fountain with a koi fish spewing water out from it's mouth.
"Heh, you're saying that that fountain talks?", I scoffed, then I jumped back when an voice emitted from the fountain.
"Your quests for today are to defeat 5 cavalry foes level 20 or higher…", the fountain echoed.
"Level 20? This isn't a video game, Mr Fountain", I said.
"Oh yes, it iissss", the fountain paused, "Sort of". "What do you mean?", I asked. "Concentrate on the hero and then you can sseee their level and stats…", the fountain said.
"Uhh, okay", I focused on Anna for a while.
"Umm Lucian?", the axe fighter blushed, "Why are you staring at my face like that?".
"Mr Fountain told me to concentrate on you to see your "level and stats"", I said, still staring straight at Anna's body. Suddenly, I saw something different. In front of Anna, there was a stat screen. It showed that Anna was the "Commander" and she had two gray stars above her title and name. She had an Iron Axe and something called Night Sky in a slot with a purple symbol next to it. I focused on the tab that said, "Skill List" and found out what skills Anna had. She had a Steel Axe, Silver Axe, Noatun, Astra, Vantage and Spur Resistance.
"Hey Anna, are you seeing this?", I asked as I went back to her stat tab and checked her stats out.
"Oo, what's this?", Anna looked over my shoulder, checking her own stats and title.
"Wait a minute…", I shut off the stat screen by hitting the - icon on the top corner and went to find Eliwood. Eliwood was in the cafe nearby the castle, drinking a cup of tea and talking to Caeda.
"Hey Eliwood! Could you come over for a second?", I called and the red haired lord came over.
"Can I check you out for a sec? If you don't mind", I said.
"Wait, what do you mean by "check me out"?", Eliwood asked, but the stat screen was already up. Eliwood's title was Knight of Lycia and had four silver stars above his name and title.
"Okay, you're good", I said, waving off Eliwood, "Tell Caeda to come over". As Eliwood went back into the cafe, I scanned Eliwood's skills. He had an Iron Sword, Steel Sword, Silver Sword, Durandal, Holy Vestments, Sacred Cowl, Axebreaker and Ward Cavalry. I didn't have time to check over the skills before Caeda came over.
"What do you need me for Lucian?", the pegasus knight asked.
"Sorry if this sounds rude or perverted, but I need to concentrate on you for a sec", I said and began staring at her.
"Lucian, please…", Caeda began, but I cut her off when the stat screen popped up next to me.
"Okay, you're good! Thanks Caeda!", I thanked the princess of Talys and she went back into the cafe, confused. I checked Caeda's stats. Her title was Talys's Heart and had the same amount of stars as Eliwood did. On her skill list, she had Iron Sword, Steel Sword, Armorslayer, Armorslayer+, Rally Speed, Darting Blow and Fortify Fliers.
"So I'm guessing that the more stars a hero has, the better they are…", I said to myself, then went back to the castle to pen it down. On the way to my quarters, I found Niles and Odin in the mess hall, with Odin aweing the residents of the castle with his "incredible tales of bravery and valor", while Niles shook his head in denial beside him. I examined them and found out that Odin was a bronze three star while Niles was a silver four star, the same as Eliwood and Caeda. "At least he's better than Anna…", I muttered as I walked over to my room. I requested a piece of paper along with a pen and ink set from one of the maids passing by and she gave me the supplies I needed. I sat down on my maple wood desk and began to write.
Anna: Commander - Gray Two Star. Axewomen
Eliwood: Knight of Lycia - Silver Four Star. Sword Cavalier
Niles: Cruel to be Kind - Silver Four Star. Archer
Odin: Potent Force - Bronze Three Star. Blue Mage
Caeda: Talys's Heart - Silver Four Star. Sword Flier
I paused, remembering that I summoned Maria three days ago. I needed to go find her. I went out of my quarters and found Maria hiding in a laundry basket, apparently playing hide and seek in with one of the maids.
"Maria, maybe you should hide somewhere else", I suggested, lifting the sheet she had over her head to expose her bright red hair, "These people might not spot you and put you in a poor man's closet!".
"Okay, I'll go hide somewhere else", the Cleric popped out of the basket, scaring a butler and made him slip and drop his laundry basket.
"But you have better not give me away!", and Maria ran out of the laundry room. I scrolled down Maria's stat screen beside me, noting that her title was Minerva's Sister and she was a four star cleric. On my way back to my quarters, I passed by Alfonse lecturing his sister on Askran history. I took a look at them for a second, then jotted down their titles and rarity on the memo pad I found on my desk. Later, I found Virion flirting with a group of Askran maids in the courtyard and wrote down his title and rarity as well.
Anna: Commander - Gray Two Star. Axewomen
Eliwood: Knight of Lycia - Silver Four Star. Sword Cavalier
Niles: Cruel to be Kind - Silver Four Star. Archer
Odin: Potent Force - Bronze Three Star. Blue Mage
Caeda: Talys's Heart - Silver Four Star. Sword Flier
Maria: Minerva's Sister - Silver Four Star. Staff Cleric
Alfonse: Prince of Askr - Gray Two Star. Swordsman
Sharena: Princess of Askr - Gray Two Star. Lancewomen
Virion: Elite Archer - Gray Two Star. Archer
"Kinda disappointing that Alfonse, Sharena, Anna and Virion are all two stars", I muttered to myself as I updated the "Hero List", as I called it, "That means that Odin, Eliwood and Niles could do better they them in a fight". Speaking of Anna, I forgot to ask her what was in the other letters. I went down to the lobby and found three letters on the floor next to Hedwig's pole. I took them and opened them up. The first one was a postcard, stating that the "Nabata Prophet Sophia can be fought in the Special Maps". The second had a postcard depicting four heroes. Two of them wore similar blue uniforms, but one was male and the other was female. Both were wielding powerful-looking swords.
"They must be siblings", I thought. One of them had stark white hair, but it didn't make him look old at all. He wore a long black coat with purple markings on the sleeves and was wearing brown gloves. In his hand was a yellow tome with a white cross on the cover. The last hero depicted on the postcard was a young girl, perhaps only 6 at most. She had long light green hair tied in a ponytail with a pink ribbon. She had a large golden circlet on her forehead and was dressed in a pink and yellow tunic. She had strange pointed ears and in her hands was a glowing blue stone.
"What a strange looking girl", I thought, pulling out the postcard in the last letter. This one depicted four more heroes. On the right, clearly the focus was a purple haired woman with a cat ear-like accessory on her head. But her knockers were absolutely huge!
"Holy Mother Mila!", I thought in my head and averted my eyes from such a toxic sight. Sure, her long purple hair and seductive smile may catch the attention of like, all the boys at my school, but I wasn't a fan of such large pieces of flesh attached to her chest. I focused on the three on the side, who all looked like they were edging away from the giant mass of twin watermelon. On the bottom was a short red haired man with blazing red hair and was wearing blue platemail armor along with a blue headband.
"Oh, that's Roy", I thought, "Yeah, the resemblance between him and Eliwood is almost identical. I guess he doesn't take after Ninian". On the top was a girl very familiar to me. She had long dark green hair like fresh grass tied in a ponytail. She was wearing green nomadic robes and had long slender legs along with a white sword scabbard on her hip.
"Lyn. Oh my god, she looks beautiful…", I thought, then looked at the last hero depicted on the banner. This one was a man with long gray hair tied in a ponytail by a red ribbon. He was wearing a blue and white tunic and had a very… prickly expression on his face. The expression that said,
"I'm going to find a flaw in you, no matter how perfect you are".
"So uhh, what's the point of these postcards?", I ask aloud.
"They allow you to summon these heroes more easily and at higher rarity", Anna said next to me.
I jumped several feet away, "Gods, Anna! You scared me there!".
"Sorry Lucian. Now as I was saying: those cards are imbued with magic so if you place them in a slot on the floor in the summoning ruins, you'll have an increased chance of summoning these heroes at a higher rarity. We like to call them, "focus heroes"", Anna explained.
"How do you know all this? Aren't I the only one who can wield the Breidablik?", I asked suspiciously.
"Let's just say that I read a lot", I could clearly tell that that was lie, judging by the sly smile on Anna's face, but decided to let the problem slide.
"Well, there are dates attached to these cards, so I assume there's a deadline to these events?", I pondered.
"Likely so. So I say we get some orbs quickly and pull some powerful heroes!", Anna advised.
"Alright, guess we'll do some quests issued by Mr Fountain to get some orbs…", I was about to go find my troops when Anna stopped me.
"Lucian, the quest fountain also rewards orbs for when we stop an attack on the Askr kingdom", Anna explained, "And I'd heard reports that Veronica and her Emblian army have seized the World of Mystery. We must head there and break the contract before it's too late!".
"Oh, you should've told me sooner!", I said, "Go find Eliwood, Niles and Odin and tell them to meet me in the lobby. Me, you and our three heroes are going to retake the World of Mystery!".
When we arrived in the World of Mystery, a man in a royal blue uniform was waiting for us.
"Marth! Thank Naga, I'm so glad to see you!", Caeda tackled the man in hug, but he pushed Caeda off.
"I am Marth, the prince of Altea", the man said politely, brushing the dust of his pants.
"Please don't tell me that he's been ensnared by Embla", Alfonse prayed.
"What's so good about Marth?", I asked, earning me a sharp glare from the prince.
"Marth is the legendary Hero King. He has won two full wars with no casualties and if he leads the attack against Askr, we're doomed!", Alfonse explained.
"Don't worry Alfy", Sharena said, grinning, "We got a legend on our side too. Lucian here!".
"So you're the Order of Heroes we've been hearing about", Marth said, looking the seven over,
"Princess Veronica told me quite a bit about you. I hope you know already about the contract that binds us. Heroes of a conquered country must obey their conqueror, but if you can prove yourself more powerful than us, then we'll be freed. That being said however…", Marth drew his Iron Sword, "We will not hesitate to fight our best. Fight strong and best of luck to all of you!", and the prince of Altea left to mobilize his troops.
"Wait, Marth!", Caeda called after him, but Anna held her back.
"In this alternate dimension, there is already a Caeda betrothed by Marth", Anna told the pegasus knight, "So he probably knows you're not the real one, since Veronica likely already filled him in on the info". Caeda sighed, her eyes filled with heartache and got back on her pegasus.
"So I guess we should march over and take the fight to them", I said.
"Lucian, you should know that you can only bring a total of four heroes per battle", Anna said to the summoner, "Therefore, you have to cut three of us out from the fights from here on out".
"That's a stupid rule", I scoffed, "What's stopping you from bringing three extra guys?".
"It's a video game rule. Get over it", Anna said, earning her a confused look from me, Alfonse and Sharena.
I sighed, "Fine then. If Anna says that it's a rule, then I'll abide by it, no matter how stupid it sounds. For the battles ahead, I'll bring Anna, Niles, Odin and Eliwood". Just as my four heroes came forward, Marth arrived with two people. One of them was a wrinkly old man wearing purple armor on a horse. His hair was white and donned a vibrant red cape. In his hand was an Iron Lance. The other looked exactly like Caeda, but was holding an Iron Sword instead of an Armorslayer.
"What the- Marth, who's that other women with you?!", Caeda cried, "And why does she look exactly like me?!".
"Wait, Marth?", the Caeda next to Marth asked her prince, "Why does that pegasus knight look exactly like me?".
"It's something Veronica described to me when she seized Altea castle", Marth said, "Royalty from Askr are able to close portals to another timeline or dimension while Embla can open them. But with the use of the Breidablik…", Marth pointed to the relic strapped to my waist, "... Askrians are able to pull heroes from another world to fight for them. And in the case with that, duplicates heroes are able to be summoned".
"It's certainly more confusing than anything we had to face", the old man said sagely, "But it's best not to think too hard and focus on the battles ahead".
"Okay then, let's fight then!", Caeda rose her Iron Sword, "Fight your hardest and good luck!". On cue, the old man charged on his horse. Alfonse and Sharena got behind me and Anna got in front, axe in hand. The horseman dove his lance downwards onto Anna, but she blocked and attacked back, smacking him away.
"Behold the unbelievable power of Odin Dark!", Odin shouted and his blue tome glowed white.
"ELTHUNDER!", he yelled and a twin bolt of lightning shot from the sky and crashed onto the old man.
"Jagen!", Marth shouted, but when the smoke cleared, Jagen was still standing, barely fazed from the attack.
"What the- Impossible!", Odin cried, "My attack did nothing!".
"Let me handle this, hot shot", Niles nocked his bow and brought Jagen down in one hit.
"Okay Odin, you get one more chance", I said and Odin beckoned forward, Elthunder in hand.
"That was just a trick!", Odin shouted, "My true power awakens! ELTHUNDER!". Odin blasted another thunderbolt, this time at Marth. The Hero King didn't have time to dodge and braced himself for the attack. The lightning bolt crashed onto Marth, but he walked out completely unscarred.
"Odin, you're not impressing me!", I threatened. "H-he must have higher resistance than we thought", Odin said nervously, "Let me attack the pegasus knight!". Odin cast his spell onto Caeda, who took the attack even better than Marth did.
"Odin, hit the bench", I said sternly and the Dark Mage of Nohr skulked off the battlefield.
"Niles, attack Caeda! Eliwood, attack Marth! Sharena, hurry up to assist Eliwood!", I commanded.
"Which Caeda?", Niles joked and my Caeda shot him a look of irritation.
"Just joking, relax", the outlaw gave a lazy smile, "I know how to work here". Meanwhile, Eliwood rode into action, swinging his Silver Sword downwards onto Marth. Marth parried the attack with his Iron Sword and Caeda flew up behind him. The princess of Talys lunged and stabbed Eliwood in the stomach, but the cavalier slammed his sword into her waist, then dashed back to get away. Niles snuck from behind and launched two arrows in quick succession from his Killer Bow, bringing Caeda down. He then aimed another at Marth and shot it, but this time, the arrow was glazed with ice.
"Chilling Wind!", he bellowed and the arrow crashed into Marth's chest, making the prince stagger backwards. Sharena rushed in for the finishing blow. Marth swung his sword downwards at Sharena, but the princess of Askr blocked the sword with her shield, then retaliated. Sharena stabbed her Iron Lance at Marth's chest and he dissolved into gold light, similar to what happened to Minerva and her allies. After the battle was over, Marth reappeared in flash of gold light.
"Well done. I've expected much of you", the Altean prince smiled, "But our battles are far from over. The next time we meet, we'll settle this once and for all", and Marth left the plains they were on.
"Good work everyone", I said as everyone gathered around, "Let's rest a while, then we'll continue on. I have to go talk to Odin".
Odin was sitting on the grass nearby a forest, fidgeting with his tome.
"Odin, explain yourself", I said as I walked up to him, "Why did like, all your attacks do nothing?".
"I swear milord, I don't know!", Odin held up his hands, "I was never like this! My strength is usually 10x more than it is right now!".
"Considering how much boasting you do, I'm not surprised by these results", I muttered, then looked at Odin's stat screen. I scanned down his stats until I saw his attack stat.
"10 attack Odin. 10 ATTACK", I pointed at the abysmal stat vigorously.
"Hey uh, maybe I'm like those Est archetypes", Odin stammered, "I know a villager in my world named Mozu. Started out weak, but became really really strong in the end!".
"First of all, how do you know about Est archetypes? And second of all, how are you guaranteed to become good in the end if you start this poorly?".
"Come on, all Ests are recorded in the history books!", Odin grinned, "You know, Est, Pelleas, Donnel, Zeiss, Nino and everyone else? Those are people that start out weak, but with enough training and determination, they become inhumanly strong!".
"More like babying and feeding them kills", I muttered, "But last time I remember, you're not one of those Est archetypes".
"Please, milord Lucian. Give me another chance to prove myself! I promise to train hard and do better", Odin pleaded.
"If your sorry excuse for an attack stat grows, then I might consider it", I said, checking his skill tab. I scrolled down and checked his skills. He had Blarblade, Blarblade+, New Moon, Moonbow, Defiant Attack and Red Tomebreaker.
"Hmm, you got some good skills for such a poor unit", I said.
"You wound me, milord", Odin sighed.
I stood up, "Fine, you'll get another chance. Prove to me that you're strong and I may forgive you. Now get up, we're moving to the next fight".
"Thank you, sire! You won't regret this!", and Odin ran off.
The next battles show satisfactory results for Odin. That means that he sucked. Eliwood is a bit frail, but he's fast on his horse and his Silver Sword gets him a lot of kills. Niles is a fine archer and was invaluable in the fight against the wind mage Merric and the light mage Linde. Caeda didn't hit as hard as the rest, but at least she was fast. The pegasus knight was darting around, slashing and stabbing at the enemy, weakening them for Alfonse and Anna to sneak behind and get the kill. Meanwhile, Odin failed to even dent our foes and didn't have to speed to dodge or double cast his Elthunder. Sometimes, he even got hit twice and dissolved into gold light. We had to go back to Askr castle to retrieve him. The only kills he got so far was against a muscular swordsman mercenary and a lance cavalier with green hair. Before we attacked Altea castle, I had to sit down with Odin again.
"Odin, you're seriously going to the bench if this continues", I growled as I checked his stats. Odin remained silent, looking at the ground in shame as I scrolled down his unimpressive stat table.
"You gained one speed, two defense and two points of HP in your two level ups you got", I said, "No attack gains. At all".
"M-maybe I need a better weapon", Odin pleaded desperately, "You saw that Blarblade tome, ""Adds total bonuses on unit to damage dealt". If I got some boosts in battle, then I'll totally wreck house with it!".
"It costs 200 skill points to buy", I was glad that I asked the fountain what SP was before heading out, "You have only 76 SP and it'll take some level ups to gain that much. And with that attack and speed, you're not going to kill much".
"Milord, I-", Odin began, but I cut him off.
"Clearly your stats don't use your skills to the greatest effect", I said sternly, "Head back to the castle. Maybe you can do better as a storywriter, given how much you told the maids today", and I left to join my comrades.
We found Marth in a small garden nearby Altea castle, with Caeda, Merric and a green haired archer next to him on a miniature island surrounded by a river. Four small bridges were built around the river to get around.
"You've done well to make it this far", Marth congratulated, "Clearly, you people are devoted to your cause for peace and that really speaks to my heart. You are kindred spirits and I wish to fight alongside you, but I and my allies must abide to the contract given to us until it's broken. Fight your best and I'll do the same!".
"Alright Caeda, fly over to that island and bring down that archer! Niles, go on the bridge and snipe Merric and Caeda. Eliwood, cross the bridge and try to draw them over to you! Sharena, follow behind Eliwood".
"You got it", Sharena said and took off down the bridge on their right.
"I'll protect you Sharena. Stay behind me!", Eliwood said valiantly and galloped across the bridge. Caeda flew to the corner Marth's island, careful of the green archer. Niles got onto the bridge and shot an arrow at Merric. The mage retaliated with a blast of Wind magic, but Niles wasn't fazed in the slightest. Marth's Caeda pulled back Merric and the green archer took his place, shooting an arrow from his Iron Bow at Niles.
"Gordin, watch out!", Marth shouted, but it was too late. My Caeda soared down and body slammed Gordin to the ground, making him vanish in yellow dust.
"You are not the real Caeda!", my Caeda shouted and lunged at Marth's Caeda, Armorslayer aimed at her chest. Marth's Caeda barely parried her sword with her own and countered. My Caeda blocked the shortsword coming at her and slammed her Armorslayer onto the other Caeda's leg, defeating her. When my Caeda came back with a bloody Armorslayer, she saw Eliwood and Sharena dueling with Marth. Marth leaped in the air and slammed his Iron Sword onto Eliwood, but the sword cavalier blocked with his Silver Sword and pushed the prince off. Sharena jumped from behind and skewered Marth through the waist. "You can't hide from me!", Niles barrel-rolled sideways through the air and sniped Marth with a ice cold arrow through the chest.
The Altean prince fell to his knees, "G-good job…", and he faded into gold dust.
After the battle was over, Marth reappeared in a flash of light, similar to our first encounter with him.
"You have proved our strength and I'm glad to say that it was enough to break our contract", Marth smiled warmly, "You have my thanks for freeing us from Veronica. I hope we can meet again sometime", and Marth walked off.
"So uhh, where can we get some of those contracts?", I asked Anna, "We defeated Marth in battle right? So does that make him our ally?".
"Let's just say that we pushed Marth into a neutral state", Anna said, "When he had the contract of Embla, he was forced onto Embla's side, but now that we broke it, Marth and his army is free to do as they wish. As Askrians, we cannot play by the same rules that Emblians do".
"How incredibly boring", a familiar voice hissed behind Anna.
"Princess Veronica!", Alfonse drew his sword, "What do you want now?".
Veronica sighed, as if she was bored, "After all the trouble I went through to ensnare Marth and the other pawns of our empire, you just had to go and free them. Whatever, I got more powerful forces behind me. If I want you dead, then they will oblige. And do I want that?".
"I'm pretty sure it's a no…", Sharena said with a worried look on her face.
"The answer is yes. I very much want you dead. Now you just wait here for me to summon them…", Veronica's luminous black and purple tome glowed with nefarious green light. Green portals began popping all around her, summoning Emblian soldiers and incredibly powerful heroes.
"We have to retreat! There's no way we can defeat Veronica now!", Anna shouted.
"Retreat! To the castle!", I yelled to my troops and they withdrew. Niles climbed onto Caeda's pegasus with her and soared off. Odin got onto Eliwood's horse and galloped away while me, Anna, Alfonse and Sharena ran on foot. Once we saw the portal in the distance, we ran straight towards it. As I was running to the portal, the Breidablik unclasped itself off my side somehow and dropped to the ground. Embla Cavaliers led by Xander were approaching fast and there was no way that I could pick up the holy relic without being skewered. Eliwood was using hit and run tactics to pick off the archers and mages and as galloped beside me, Odin dropped off the horse.
"Odin, what are you doing?!", both me and Eliwood shouted at the same time, but Odin ran towards the Breidablik on the ground.
"My darkness is darker than yours! ELTHUNDER!", Odin shouted and twin bolts of lightning shot out of his tome. The lightning didn't kill, but it sent a wave of paralysis through the Emblian Cavaliers.
"Lucian, catch this!", Odin picked up the Breidablik and threw it towards me. I caught it just as the cavaliers recovered from their shock.
"Odin, hurry!", I shouted, but faster than I could react, Xander rode forth and stabbed Odin through the arm with his Steel Sword.
"Odin, no!", I screamed as the cavaliers swarmed Odin, slashing and cutting. Eliwood grabbed my arm and pulled me through the portal. When we got through, I remembered what Anna told me about the royalty of Askr and the wielder of the Breidablik being able to close portals to other worlds. I shot the Breidablik at the portal to close it and ran away beside Eliwood. The last thoughts running through Odin's head before he died was: "I was glad to serve you, our great summoner Lucian…"
"Lucian, please don't worry. Odin will reappear at the castle", Eliwood said soothingly as to calm me down. I shivered, as the memory of Odin being in the center of the sea of blades, blood and gore raining from the sky still rang clear in my head.
"If I see him at the castle, I'm going to apologize to him", I said to Eliwood, but mostly to myself, "I didn't allow him to fight on the frontlines because he was too weak, but here we redeemed himself. He took it upon himself to jump in and save the Breidablik at the possible expense of his own life".
"Yes… for all his boasting, Odin is quite the noble man", Eliwood sheathed his Silver Sword, "Come on, get onto my horse Lucian. We can get to Askr castle faster that way".
"Alright", I got onto Eliwood's white horse and galloped off towards the approaching Askr castle. When we got to the lobby, Odin was waiting for us along with the others.
"Odin!", I ran towards him, "Thank Naga that you're alive!".
"Odin Dark never falls!", Odin said in his old dramatic way, "But I can admit now that my combat performance was pretty pitiful. I promise to train hard and prove myself good to you!".
"Good. Thank you Odin", I smiled.
The next few days were quiet. The spies didn't report any attacks on other worlds from Embla, so I took the time to grind a few orbs from the quests Mr Fountain issued. I also got a daily delivery of two orbs per day, along with a random item such as a Dueling Crest, a Stamina Potion and some Hero Feathers. Four days after the liberation of the World of Mystery, I went over to the summoning ruins at night. I took the Legendary Heroes postcard and Eliwood, Caeda and Maria offered to come with me to fend off enemies and also to watch me summon. Eliwood pushed the wheelbarrow holding 27 orbs while Maria rode on his horse, smiling and laughing.
"Wee! This is so much fun! Thank you, Lord Eliwood!", Maria squealed.
"Ha ha, anytime Maria", Eliwood laughed next to her, "Riding a horse is really fun, isn't it?".
"I love the cool breeze brushing past my face!", Maria exclaimed, "And the horse's fur is so soft and bushy. Reminds me of warm blanket freshly washed and dried in the sun".
"You can ride my pegasus if you want to", Caeda offered, "It's like being on a horse, but in the sky!".
"Yay!", Maria hugged Caeda's head, "When could we go?".
Caeda laughed, "Tomorrow morning, assuming Embla doesn't attack some other world".
"I really hope they given up", I said as I continued leading my three heroes down the torch-lit path towards the summoning ruins, "This is an incredible world, uniting the heroes of many worlds together. It's just so… nice to see all of us interact when we normally can't".
"It seems that me and you share the same beliefs", Eliwood smiled, "I want all of us to live in peace, to live life to the fullest and not have it cut short by bloody war".
"Though cliche, I must agree", I turned back and gave the lord as grin, "After seeing barbaric fighting and the threat of death for the first time, I can see why all the lords from Fire Emblem desire the same thing".
"Uhh, Lords don't come from the family crest of Bern…", Eliwood said nervously.
"Neither do they come from the Shield of Seals in Archanea…", Caeda said, a hint of concern in her voice, "What do you mean, Lucian?".
"Err, I meant to say… all the lords from other worlds and timelines desire the same goal for peace. I read it in a book once", I stammered, careful of my words next time.
"Yeah um, okay", Eliwood decided not to press the matter, "But it's good to know that so many else share the same dream that I do". The four continued walking until they found the summoning ruins. Torches lit by magical fire burned all around them, giving the ruins a mystical and otherworldly feel when mixed with the glowing lights of the orbs.
"Alright, time to summon. Eliwood, hand me five orbs", I said as I unhooked the Breidalbik and took the five orbs from Eliwood. I found a slot on floor near where I was standing and inserted the Legendary Heroes postcard into it, making the entire ruins shake with energy. I loaded the summoning gun and took aim at the blue orb. The Breidablik shook and the orb glowed with white energy. The light flared around the ruins like usual, but the light felt stronger and more powerful, if that makes any sense. When the light faded, I couldn't believe my eyes. Standing in front of me was a man, sporting an ebony black coat and astral-looking purple eyes lining the sleeves. Short and stark white hair covered his head and his eyes were golden yellow, like a feline. His hands were covered by brown gloves and in his right palm was a blue and gold tome with a golden raven on the cover. His entire body emitted a sparkling aura.
"Hello", the man's voice was silky and intelligent, "I'm Robin, the tactician of the Shepherds. Let me know if you need a battle plan".
"He's glowing. Is there something special about him?", Eliwood asked behind me. I examined Robin and opened his stats screen. When I saw how many stars he had, I nearly fainted from excitement. Five golden stars adorned his title as High Deliverer, meaning he was the most powerful form of Robin.
"Wonder if there's a platinum six star rarity…", I wondered as I lent out my hand to the tactician.
"Thank you Robin. My name is Lucian", I smiled, "I need a second strategist at my side during battle, so I'm glad you came".
"I'll be happy to help", Robin shook my hand, "But a small question: is my sister here?".
"Sister?", I asked, baffled. "Yeah, my twin sister Robin. She was named the same as me. She wears the same clothing as I do, but has two white pigtails in her hair", Robin said, scanning the ruins for anybody familiar.
"Sorry, your sister isn't here", I said, "But I'll do my best to reunite you two".
"Thank you very much. I promise to help you as much as I can", Robin said. I raised an eyebrow, "You're not surprised to be in this world?".
"Hey, I woke up in plenty of unknown worlds and universes before", Robin said that as if he done it everyday, "I've gotten pretty used to it, but my sister usually berates me about it when I come home in Ylisse".
"Uhh, do you have a nickname or something for your sister?", I asked, "Because if I manage to summon her like I did you, then I want something better than "Female Robin"".
Robin laughed, "I tease her by calling her Robinne or Robette at home, but others started to pick up on it and she accepted it. So yeah, feel free to call her Robinne to distinguish us".
"Wonderful. Thanks Robin. You can go join Eliwood, Caeda and Maria behind me. I still have 21 orbs to burn through", and I loaded the gun, this time aiming at a red orb.
"Cover your eyes. I got something big", I said as the searing light flared around the ruins. When the flash faded, a saw a girl with long pink hair tied up in a white headband lined by gold triangle patterns. Describing her outfit would be hard, considering she was honestly wearing nothing but her bra and underwear, like she was going to the beach.
"Umm…", I blushed and immediately looked away. Robin did the same and so did Eliwood.
"Err, I'm sorry…", the girl's voice was small and barely audible, "I-I'm Olivia, a travelling dancer. A-and I'm pretty sure my skills will be useful. Maybe?". I uncovered my eyes and shook the young dancer's hand, trying not to focus on what was below her neck.
"Good to have you here Olivia", I said, "So what can you do as a dancer?".
"M-my dances refresh allies!", Olivia said, "My dancing makes people feel fresh and limber again, according to people who saw me dance. A-also I'm pretty good with a blade". Olivia drew her Silver Sword, but immediately dropped it afterwards.
"Yes… "pretty good with a blade"", I replied dryly.
"S-sorry, I'm a little clumsy", Olivia stammered, picking up her sword and holding it gently as she put it back in her scabbard, "I-I hope that it won't be a problem for you…".
"No, no, it's fine", I said as I grabbed four more orbs from the wheelbarrow, "Join the others behind me and when we get back to the castle, could you umm…". I looked at Caeda, silently urging her to finish the sentence for me.
"Maybe when we go back to the castle, you should get a more modest outfit", Caeda said, "Not to criticize your style, but I think that outfit is going to invite all the nasty suitors and heroes to your room by the marrow".
"S-sorry", Olivia's face went bright red with embarrassment, "I'll change as soon as I go there".
"Alright, good to know. Let's continue summoning", I aimed at a green orb this time and summoned a little girl with short green hair.
"Another child?", I muttered to the sky, "Seriously?".
"I'm Nino, a member of the Black Fang!", the girl introduced herself, "Well… I used to be one. Nowadays, I'm just a regular ol' mage".
"Nice to meet you Nino. My name is Lucian", I bent down with my knees and ruffled Nino's hair.
"Hehe, nice to meet you too Lucian", Nino giggled, "So what can I do for you? You brought me here for a reason right?".
"Wait, what were you doing before I summoned you?", I asked the young mage.
"Well, I was going to bed with my boyfriend Jaffar in my home in Pharae and when I woke up, boom. I was here", Nino said, her blue eyes looking up at me with sadness, "Is Jaffar here with you?".
"Sorry Nino, but Jaffar isn't here right now", I said, "But I promise to do my best to summon him and reunite you two. I think you two are very cute together".
"Thanks Lucian", Nino smiled and went to join Eliwood and Robin behind me.
"Hi Lord Eliwood!", Nino waved excitingly, "Where's Lady Lyn and Lord Hector?".
"Lucian didn't summon them yet", Eliwood replied, "Last time I saw them, Hector headed back to Ostia with Lyn to get married. I went back to Pharae with Ninian to plan our wedding".
"What happened after?", Nino asked curiously, "Last time I saw you, you told me that you'll protect me and Jaffar from bounty hunters when we settled down in Pharae".
"The night after the battle with Nergal, I went to bed with Ninian and when I woke up, I was here, fully clothed, atop my horse and with a Silver Sword on my side", Eliwood said.
"That's weird", Nino gazed around the ruins with her sparkling blue eyes, "Hopefully, Lucian will be able to summon Ninian, Lyn, Hector and Jaffar!".
"Speaking of Lyn guys…", I said as I rested my eyes on the green haired swordswomen wearing long nomadic robes and tall brown boots. Her hands were covered by black fingerless gloves and in her right palm was the hilt of a long, curved and golden sword. She was glowing the same as Robin was.
"Wow, I'm pretty lucky today!", I grinned, "Maybe I should go and buy some lottery tickets when I get home".
"I'm Lyndis of the noble house of Caelin, but truly, I belong on the plains of Sacae", Lyn's voice was soft, but was still determined, "Just call me Lyn, alright?".
"Alright, nice to meet you Lyn", I shook the swordswomen's hand, "Thank you for joining us. Eliwood is here too".
"Oh, Eliwood?", Lyn looked behind me and saw the red haired lord waving at her.
"Eliwood! You're here too?", Lyn ran towards the cavalier, "But where's Ninian? Where's Hector and Florina?".
"I'm afraid Lucian didn't summon them yet", Eliwood said, "I promise to fill you and Nino in when we get back to the castle".
"Okay, thanks Eliwood", Lyn smiled, "Frankly, I'm confused on where I am and how I got here, so it's nice to have one of my close friends explain it to me".
"Last red orb guys", I said as I took 3 orbs from the container and took aim at the wall, "Pray that I get someone like Roy or Marth". I pressed the trigger and shot at the red orb on the wall. When the usual flare faded, I saw a tall muscular man with blue and black armor, along with a ragged white cape. On his left shoulder was a faint red mark, like some kind of brand.
"I'm Chrom, leader of the Shepherds and prince of the halidom of Ylisse", the man introduced himself, "For my friends… for peace… I'll fight".
"Hey Chrom!", Robin waved from the back.
"Oh, thank Naga that you're here too Robin!", Chrom said, "When I woke here, I was afraid that I wouldn't find any of my friends here".
"Caeda said that she'll explain it to us when we get back", Robin assured, "So don't panic too much. I'm here".
"Thanks", Chrom smiled, "But did you see Sumia or Lucina here?".
"Sadly no", Robin replied, "Lucian didn't summon them yet".
"Ah…", Chrom's expression faltered, "I hope they are alright".
"Both Sumia and Lucina can take care of themselves", Robin said, "Don't worry. Just be patient and wait for Lucian to summon them".
"Alright fine", Chrom sighed, "Lucian, please try to summon them quick. I worry for them and the kingdom of Ylisse".
"I'll do my best", I said, "There is no guarantee that I can, but I'll do what I can".
"Thank you Lucian", Chrom shook my hand and went to join Robin. "Alright guys, that's all the summoning I can do for today", I said as I faced my new heroes, "Chrom, you're pretty strong. Bring the wheelbarrow back to the castle".
"Yes sir", Chrom sheathed his Silver Sword and took the wheelbarrow. When we got back, one the heroes I summoned, Matthew reported that Embla was making their advance on the World of Conquest. I summoned Robin, Lyn, Nino and Niles to the lobby and told them to get some early rest. The next day, they'll be the raiding the World of Conquest.
To be continued...