A Summoner's Journey
Tempest Trial: Reunited at Last
Team for this chapter: Celica, Lucina, Robin and Priscilla (Alm, Sonya, Saber, Genny and another Celica as NPC units)
Thanks to Alm and Celica's status as the monarchs of Valentia, they were able to secure quick and easy transportation towards the desert kingdom formerly in Rigel. The squad of Zofian pegasus knights dropped us off in front of a desolate fortress before flying away in the sky. Alm and Celica didn't even have the time to say thank you.
"Well, here we are. I don't see a Tempest around here" I turned to Lucina, who was looking around the empty desert like she was searching for something "Can you sense where it is, Lucina?"
The princess pursed her lips and closed her eyes, concentrating. She slowly trudged north, as if following an invisible trail.
"There. The Tempest is deeper into the desert, close to the old fortress of the bandit king" Lucina replied "Let's hurry. I think I can see traces of the Tempest swallowing up the desert"
We moved ahead through the desert, but it was ridiculously hard to get anywhere in the sand. I cursed our pegasus knight escorts for flying away so quickly. We could of paid them more to ferry us to the Tempest. Priscilla was especially having trouble, as her horse's hooves sunk into the sand and made it near impossible to move. The troubadour decided to dismount and let the horse go on it's own.
"Ugghh… should've brought a jug of water with me. It's a blazing hell out here" I grumbled as I took off my robe and tied it around my waist like Robin did. I stared ahead and saw the shadow of a large fort "That's the fortress you mentioned, right?"
"Yes it is. I remember coming here a long time ago during my journey to the Mila Temple. This was the fortress of the bandit king, Grieth" Celica explained "Funny. I remember Saber and Jesse talking about creating a mercenary kingdom here after the war ended. Yet we've seen nobody around"
"Maybe the Tempest has swallowed them. Me and Lucian know what the Tempest can do" Robin nudged me, then suddenly shuddered, turning his head over to his left "What's that noise?"
"Noise?" I cocked my ear in Robin's direction and distantly heard shouts of men and swords clashing. The occasional blast of magic echoed through the desert as well, which explained the random bursts of wind "Could the Tempest be over there?"
"I think that's just a random skirmish. Lucina said she sensed the Tempest up ahead, right?" Alm noticed the princess concentrating again "Do you sense anything different this time?"
"Yes actually. The Tempest is… this way now. The sounds of battle you're hearing is probably the heroes of this world fighting back against the Tempest" Lucina explained "Let's hurry and aid them!"
We ran as fast as could through the sand, climbing over a hilltop to find a swirling vortex of light in the deep pits of a valley. I could make our four heroes battling ghostly blue soldiers spawning from the Tempest: Celica, Genny and two other unfamiliar heroes. Celica was backed up by an unfamiliar purple haired mage that was firing purple blasts of gale that ripped the spiritual soldiers to shreds. The mage conjured a line of dark magic in a row in front of her, forcing a group of enemies to clutch their heads in pain, letting Celica finish them off.
"I can't take much more of this!" Sonya growled, glowing with red and blue light before firing another spell "I've lost count of how many we've defeated, but they keep coming!"
"It's been so long. So long that I can't even remember HOW long" Celica glanced behind her to see Saber relentlessly protecting Genny "Everyone's exhausted, yet they continue to attack us. At this rate, I don't know what will happen. Oh, Alm…"
Suddenly, the pair jerked their heads to sound of another battle raging left of them. Lucina and Alm took the lead, slaying ghostly fighters like wheat. Our Celica and Robin used their magic to wipe out large legions of soldiers, causing the remaining enemies to flee back into the Tempest, who roared in annoyance like a beast.
"Celica!" Alm called before blocking an enemy's Steel Axe, kicking them in the stomach before chopping over their head "Are you okay?!"
"Alm? Alm! Is that really you?" Celica ran to grasp Alm in a hug as the Tempest soldiers began to retreat "I didn't think I would see you again! Wait… why is there a second me with you?"
"Long story. We got reinforcements from another world to help us defeat the Tempest" Alm explained and Celica looked at him, dumbfounded "Yeah, I'm confused too, but there's no time for that. We got the Tempest to destroy"
"Right" Celica turned to her three companions "I know all of you are tired from fighting, but can you at least pull together to fight in the Tempest? Genny and the healer our reinforcements have can keep you all topped off"
"Well… I hate sitting around and doing nothing. So I'm in" The mage nodded, then turned to us "I'm Sonya, by the way. Pleased to meet you"
"Pleasure to meet you too, Sonya. I hope you can pull your weight" I smiled, silently marvelling over Sonya's appearance. I always found Camilla trying to be a little too seductive in her physical appearance, but Sonya hit the right spots. Even her voice was enticing. I hoped to be able to summon her later, although I had to keep Catria in mind with all these attractive heroes.
"What kind of mercenary would I be if I let my employer walk alone into danger?" The swordsman stood up from the rock he was sitting on, rolling his shoulders. He raised his arm and Genny healed the last cut for him "I'm going in as well. I'm Saber, your usual mercenary"
"Nice to meet you Saber. Are you… intending to fight with that dagger? I think a longer sword would suit you better" I pointed to the gleaming dagger in Saber's hand, which looked like a miniature version of Fallen Celica's Beloved Zofia back in the last Tempest.
"Ah this? The redhead lass gave it to me as payment for my services. Quite the interesting blade" Saber held up the Golden Dagger to the desert sun "Despite being a short sword, it's stronger than my regular blade, so I just kept it"
"Well, if you can fight well with it, then it's fine by us" Robin shrugged "And you're Genny and another Celica. So shall we go? The Tempest isn't going to wait"
"Summoning all those soldiers must of taken a toll on it. That's why it's been stationary for so long" Lucina remarked "Now's a good time to jump in and strike. Follow me everyone!"
Lucina ran ahead and leaped into the Tempest, followed by the rest of us. We found ourselves at an empty sluice gate, with a giant river blocked off by a large stone dam. A long bridge led from the mainland towards the top of the gate, which was populated by four enemy heroes, a Cantor and a handful of Terrors.
"Ugh Mogalls… I hate those things" Saber grumbled "They got tough bodies, so their ramming attacks sting pretty hard. Worst of all, they can multiply endlessly"
"And those damn Cantors can just summon more" Sonya groaned, raising her hand to conjure a sphere of purple winds "You just have to take out the source. Dark Excalibur!"
The mage threw her hand forward, launching a blast of dark wind towards the Cantors, tearing apart several Mogalls along the way. The gale blew the Cantors off their feet, letting our front liners charge in to take advantage of the chaos.
"Lucina, Alm and Saber! Take the front lines and take down the Cantors before they can summon more Terrors! Robin, Celica, Celica 2 and Sonya, take care of the other enemy heroes from behind!" I commanded "Priscilla, remain behind the mages in case anyone gets injured"
"Wait, who's Celica 2?" My Celica asked as she willed a simple fireball into existence, firing it at the enemy Sheena "Me or the other Celica?"
"You're Celica 1. The Celica from this world is Celica 2!" I replied over the chaos of the battle "You know what? I'll call you Askr Celica and the other Valentian Celica. That'll make it easier"
"That's much better than Celica 1 and 2" Valentian Celica bent down and pressed her right hand on the bridge, summoning a field of fire under the enemy squad that erupted in spires of flame. The enemy Sheena and Klein burnt to ash on the spot, along with several Mogalls and Bonewalkers. Once the fire faded away, Saber sliced the head off of the weakened Cantor while Alm and Lucina mopped up the remaining heroes. Thankfully, the rest of the Terrors faded once the Cantor was slain. Once all the enemies were defeated, the sluice gate around us evaporated into astral light before being replaced by regular ground. We found ourselves at the edge of a port town, with several bridges connecting land separated by rivers.
"Looks to be none of those annoying Cantors or Terrors around. Just your run-of-the-mill bandits" Sonya remarked, gesturing to the bustling group of brigands who haven't noticed us yet "And of course, the obligatory ghost soldiers are here too"
On cue, four enemy heroes appeared out of thin air on separate islands, scaring the bandits. Before they could gang up on the heroes and attack, they stretched out their arm like they were commanding them. Like a hive mind, all the brigands simultaneously jerked towards us with their axes raised.
"I've never seen the Tempest's soldiers do that before" Lucina gripped her Falchion "But nevertheless, they're just spirits created by the Tempest. They aren't actual people"
"Then why go through the trouble of twisting the brigands if they were already under the Tempest's banner?" I wondered aloud as the brigands immediately began rushing us. Alm, Lucina and Saber went in to intercept them "Alm, Lucina and Saber! Separate and each hold one bridge to choke the enemy force. Valentian Celica, Robin and Sonya, accompany one hero each on the bridge. Askr Celica, Genny and Priscilla, remain here in case anyone needs healing"
The three swordsmen separated and each took a bridge that was north, east and northeast of us. Alm and Valentian Celica were paired together, with Alm cutting down swaths of brigands with ease while Valentian Celica bombarded the incoming waves with fiery explosions. Lucina and Robin paired up and headed towards the northeast bridge just as the enemy Peri led a cohort of bandits.
"Right where I want you!" Peri blazed with a dim purple light as she galloped over, stabbing Lucina thrice in quick succession with Glimmer, sending the swordswomen collapsing to the ground with mortal wounds. I quickly sent Priscilla to heal her while Robin held off Peri and the group of brigands. Peri's Killer Lance and Glimmer proved troublesome for Robin, but the tactician held on and saved his Ignis for the right moment.
"Time to tip the scales!" A brigand managed to cross the bridge and raised his axe to strike Robin, but the tactician kicked the man in the face before enveloping himself in radiant orange flames. The sheer rise in heat stunned the bandits and Peri, lining up the perfect shot for Ignis. Robin tossed his tome into the air, calling forth the magic to spew an endless legion of blazing ravens to swarm the bridge, blasting Peri to ashes and shooting nearly all the brigands into the river. Despite Triangle Adept and Robin's triangle disadvantage, the tactician still knew how to pull through.
"Robin and Lucina, assist Saber and Sonya! I don't think Saber can hold the bridge for much longer!" I called, turning my attention over to the eastern bridge, where Saber was holding back a storm of bandits with Sonya backing him up. The green mage fired waves of dark winds that either sliced brigands in half or blew them off the bridge. However, the frequent archers, enemy mages and bandits using throwing axes made her life difficult, as she was already draining life for Dark Excalibur. I sent Genny to help heal the duo while Priscilla assisted Alm and Valentian Celica.
"Time for a little discipline!" Sonya swung her hand upwards, conjuring a wave of black gale that vanquished a row of bandits with Moonbow. The mage followed up by clutching her hand into a fist, transforming the blade of wind into a ebony tornado, forcing the ranged attackers back. The attack came at a cost however, as a massive cut sliced Sonya's leg. An arrow came flying towards her and she was too weakened to move back in time.
"You don't know when to quit!" Saber suddenly covered Sonya, creating a formidable shield of purple light with his Golden Dagger, deflecting the arrow easily. The mercenary immediately rushed in to massacre the archers once Sonya's tornado died down. Genny healed the mage with Physic, letting her join in on the action as well. Robin and Lucina weren't even needed, so I sent them past the bridge they cleared to ambush the enemy heroes from behind. The boss leading Saber and Sonya's side was Draug, who quickly fell to Saber and Sonya's attacks despite his powerful defense. Like most mages like to boast: No matter how thick your armor is, magic will always pierce through.
"Lucian, Alm and Celica cleared the northern island of enemies. We should be transitioning stages now" Priscilla told me as the world around us transformed, changing into the same desert fortress we initially found before we entered the Tempest. Four enemy heroes: Karel, Ninian, Sanaki and Faye were inside the fortress as usual, along with a Cantor and a small handful of Terrors. I sent the appropriate heroes to handle the cohort of enemies and we made it out with barely a scratch.
"Hmm… something feels off about this Tempest" Lucina frowned as I picked up the rewards spawned after we began transitioning "It doesn't feel nearly as strong as the previous Tempests and the soldiers here are easier to kill"
"I bet summoning those soldiers to fight us outside took quite the toll on it" Saber suggested "That's why it's easier for us to slay it's guardians from within"
"That makes sense. I have a feeling the number of stages in this Tempest is lower as well. We might find the core at stage six or so" The princess speculated "We're on stage four now, so it shouldn't be far off"
We found ourselves in front of a giant mystical temple now, which Celica called the Temple of Mila. I spotted two Cantors wandering around the temple, along with a troop of gargoyles and Mogalls floating about. Through the pillars of the temple, I also saw a collection of four heroes seemingly leading the enemy party: Ike, Clair, Raven and Maria.
"It's going to be difficult to assault this place from our position" Robin whispered "Not only are we fighting a downhill battle, those gargoyles and Mogalls can quickly get the jump on us from behind. We need to sneak in and take them by surprise"
I paused to think for a moment "We want to send people wearing darker clothes or use less flashy weapons. I think Lucina and Saber are best suited for the job"
"Alright, you two. Use the pillars to hide from the enemy heroes and try to attack the Cantors first. We don't want the battle to drag on longer than it needs to" Robin told Lucina and Saber "Saber, you can keep your sword drawn, but sheath yours Lucina. The Falchion is too long and will attract unneeded attention. Finally, creep quietly so you won't alert them. We'll be ready to back you two up if things go badly"
"Actually… I have something that could distract the heroes" Genny said in a small voice "I can summon ghostly soldiers to help us. If you want, I could send them to distract the heroes while Saber and Lucina move"
"That's a good idea. Priscilla, be ready to heal Genny after she summons her soldiers. Once the soldiers catch the attention of the heroes, Saber and Lucina will use the chaos to bypass them and hit the Cantors" I explained "Alright, you two will move on my command"
Lucina and Saber moved to the side of a hill, ready to move while Genny planted her staff on the ground, murmuring an incantation. Three long cuts slashed her legs as light began billowing underneath the cleric. Genny raised her staff and suddenly, seven spiritual spearmen appeared out of thin air.
"Go…" Genny commanded softly, pointing her staff at the temple's left entrance. The soldiers rushed in as Priscilla healed Genny's wounds, immediately catching the attention of the four heroes. Ike and Raven led the charge down the hill and clashed with Genny's spirits. I called for Lucina and Saber to start moving while I commanded my mages to support Genny's illusions from behind. Our downhill battle quickly turned in our favor as the illusions held back the heroes nicely while our mages bombarded them from afar. Ike threw a shockwave towards Askr Celica, but she raised a light blue shield with Distant Defense to block it before disintegrating him with Ragnarok.
"Not about to stop here!" Valentian Celica summoned a shining ball of light in her palm, lobbing it into the crowd of heroes and approaching Terrors. The sphere exploded in Blazing Light, searing our foe's vision and letting the rest of us slaughter the heroes and Terrors. Lucina and Saber emerged from the temple wounded, but successful in their mission. After Raven went down, Genny's soldiers evaporated into mist and the area transformed again, this time bringing us directly into the Temple of Mila. A large square of defensive tiles appeared under our feet while a grand total of six enemy heroes were our foes. Luckily, no Cantors were present.
"Fae, Lon'qu, Olwen, Eldigan, Caeda and Minerva" I noticed they were all paired up in their respective movement types "Okay, nobody move off the defensive tiles and don't let the enemy take cover on them either. Robin will handle Olwen and Eldigan while Saber deals with Caeda and Minerva. Lucina will take Fae and Lon'qu. Mages, pair up with anyone to back them up. Go!"
My heroes moved into action just as the enemy heroes got going. Eldigan slashed his Mystletainn over Robin's shoulder while Olwen rained stark blue lightning, but the defensive tile rendered their attacks fruitless. The tactician prioritized Olwen first, as she could be dangerous to Lucina or Saber.
"Blarraven!" A stream of dark blue birds flew out of Robin's tome, blasting both Eldigan and Olwen backwards. Courtesy of Quick Riposte, Robin cast another shot of his magic, taking down both cavaliers. Meanwhile, Saber took on both fliers, but they quickly seized the defensive tiles and made it hard for him to quickly kill them.
"Sonya, back me up!" Saber called as he stabbed Caeda in the stomach before parrying Minerva's Hauteclere. A gust of dark wind sent Minerva and her wyvern skittering before a pair of gales sliced the wyvern rider into submission. Caeda flew past Saber in an attempt to strike down Sonya, but both Priscilla and Genny's staves held the flier back long enough for Saber to cut her head off.
"Hope will never die!" Lucina cut down Fae's dragon form in a single swipe before crumbling Lon'qu to the ground with a Luna strike to his shoulder. Before he could recover, Valentian Celica burnt his body to bones with a simple Fire spell.
"I can sense it now. The source of the Tempest is in the next stage" Lucina warned me "We should quickly heal everyone before the final battle begins"
"Right. Priscilla, is your Heavenly Light ready?" I asked and the troubadour nodded, healing up Robin before shining a radiant flare of light to heal the rest of our relatively minor wounds. The world around us shifted and changed into a cold basement-like area with a large symbol drawn on the ground in blood red colouring. The symbol seemed to bother Robin, as he growled and clutched the back of his gloved right hand. Looking closer, it looked remarkably similar to the Brand of the Fell Dragon I saw in the 'Chronicles of Awakening'.
"The Brand of the Fell Dragon… to think that the legacy of Grima spread even this far back in time" Lucina bit her lip in distaste while tightening her grip on the Falchion with anger "But now's not the time to ponder that. Looks like company has arrived"
In the center of the giant brand, a clone of Sonya seemed to be in the middle of a ritual. Dark smoke billowed off of her body and when she turned to face us, we saw glowing red eyes.
"Hmph. While I'm flattered the Tempest decides to use an image of me as their source, that dark smoke and red eyes really don't suit my look. Reminds me too much of bad times" Sonya conjured a sphere of purple wind "There can only be one of me. Say goodbye, imposter"
Sonya fired a blade of ominous wind and the enemy Sonya did the same, both Dark Excaliburs clashing in midair. I noticed brief tinges of red and blue light on our Sonya's Dark Excalibur however, which let hers break fake Sonya's magic. The wave rocketed towards fake Sonya, but she evaded it and muttered in an incomprehensible language, summoning four heroes to her aid: Roderick, Nino, Eirika and Hector. Roderick and Hector were in a pair while Nino and Eirika did the same. The combination of Eirika's Sieglinde and her Hone Speed significantly empowered Nino.
"Saber and Robin, go and attack Nino and Eirika. Saber, use your Aegis to block Nino's Gronnblade" I ordered "Valentian Celica, Alm and Lucina, take on Roderick and Hector. Sonya and Askr Celica, defeat fake Sonya. Come back to Priscilla or Genny for healing when needed!"
My heroes rushed into action as fake Sonya blasted another wave of Dark Excalibur, which Askr Celica blocked with Distant Defense. Sonya stomped her foot on the ground, conjuring a line of dark magic with Resistance Ploy to break fake Sonya's focus slightly. Askr Celica followed up with a quick Ragnarok, but fake Sonya was surprisingly agile, darting away from the flames and Sonya's magic like a dancer.
"Let's have some fun!" Sonya swept her hand upwards, conjuring a gust of wind to knock fake Sonya off balance, letting Askr Celica catch her with an exploding fireball. The princess attempted a follow up attack to finish fake Sonya off, but the mage cast Dark Excalibur at lightning speed thanks to Vantage. Celica raised her Distant Defense shield in response, but the moon of Moonbow burned in the air and shredded Celica's shield, tearing the mage until she dissolved into feathers in defeat. Before fake Sonya could regain her footing however, Sonya summoned a dark tornado that tore the enemy mage into particles. Upon her death, her summoned heroes died as well and the world evaporated around us. The Tempest faded to nothing and we reappeared in the desert valley, with Askr Celica waiting for us.
"The vortex… just disappeared" Valentian Celica remarked.
"I can't believe my eyes" Alm agreed "The ground had cracked open, but now... it's like time has run in reverse"
"The Tempest is gone" Lucina said officially "Both space and time have quieted. Well done, heroes from the World of Shadows. The danger has receded and your world is safe"
"Lucina, thank you so much for guiding us through these two Tempests. We owe you much for this" Alm glanced at his Falchion "Although I'm still mystified about how we both possess Falchions…"
"Perhaps Celica or Kliff could provide you with that information" Lucina smiled lightly "And thanks aren't necessary. Your world holds special meaning for me too. I visited here myself some time ago. Though I suppose it would be more accurate to say that it was far in the future…"
"The future, you say?" Valentian Celica looked over Lucina "I can see that. You seem to be… very otherworldly"
"Indeed. I'm afraid we can't stay to talk more unfortunately" Lucina glanced at me "Our mission is complete and we should return to Askr now"
"Right. I hope all of us can meet again someday" I unhooked the Breidablik and created a portal back to Askr "It's been a honor to meet you all. Farewell!"
"Thank you and stay safe!" Valentian Celica waved us goodbye as we jumped through the portal to return back to Askr. Per Priscilla's request, I immediately went to rest after dismissing my heroes. I hope the Tempest would stay down for a while. The gauntlet of battles was really starting to wear my energy thin. Before sleep claimed me however, someone knocked on my door and I opened it to see Robinne and Jeorge.
"Sorry to interrupt nap time, but I heard you returned from fighting the Tempest" Robinne told me "Did you happen to get any new seals for me to analyze?"
"Oh yeah. Sorry, I forgot to give the seals over to you" I went over to my desk and opened my orb bag, digging through the pile of orbs, feathers and crystals to find two seals, handing them to Robinne "Analyze them and update the resource guidebook with the new information"
"Before we forget, what should we do with the new heroes?" Jeorge asked and I looked at him, puzzled. I didn't summon any heroes before or after I attacked the two Tempests. What new heroes?
"What new heroes? If I remember correctly, the latest hero we've recruited was Clarisse" I replied and Robinne shook her head.
"After you went upstairs, two new heroes arrived at our doorstep. They introduced themselves as Tobin and Clive respectively" The tactician explained "Tobin's an infantry swordsman with an Armorslayer while Clive's a lance cavalier with a Silver Lance"
"Huh. I remember Tobin from the first Tempest in the World of Shadows, but I've never seen or heard of Clive before" I was far too tired to train them right now, but I had to give them something to do "Send them to Alfonse first for a quick breakdown of Askr before sending them alongside Anna and Olivia to the training tower. Might as well make use of them"
"Understood. Have a good sleep, Lucian" Robinne nodded "I know what it's like to feel overworked, so don't overexert yourself too much. You're not a hero like we are. You're just human"
"Yeah, I haven't felt this tired in my life. Not since gym class back at home" I muttered and the pair laughed. The two left me in peace to get some well needed rest, but something told me this pair of Tempests was the prelude for more to come.
Circle of Strategists: Robinne and Jeorge's B support
"Sorry for keeping you on hold, Tobin and Clive" Robinne apologized to the pair at the castle lobby "We needed the summoner's permission before we could decide what to do with you two"
"So… what do you want with us? Both of us woke up in the middle of nowhere and it doesn't seem like we can go home" Tobin replied "Might as well make the best of our situation here"
"This "Order of Heroes" seems like a good organization. I believe we can trust them" Clive said "So what do you want us to do?"
"Come with us to the castle library and find a man with short blue hair wearing beige armor. He's the prince of Askr, Alfonse" Jeorge explained "Typically, he teaches new heroes the ways of Askr and will help you find your place here. Afterwards, Commander Anna and our resident dancer, Olivia will guide you to the training tower to assess your combat skill"
"Alright. Take us there right away" Clive nodded and the four headed off towards the library, passing by the training yard, castle gardens and the newly formed banquet and dance hall on the right wing. Anna's office was always littered with plans on how to make more money along with blueprints for extra features to the castle. It seems like she was an architect at heart.
"We're here. Prince Alfonse should be by his desk in the corner of the library" Robinne pointed to the small classroom beside the mini kitchen "Go and tell him you're a new hero here and he'll walk you through the rest. Me and Jeorge need to do something for Lucian, our summoner"
"Sounds good. Thank you for guiding us" Tobin nodded and the two headed off. Robinne and Jeorge went to the resource hub on the top right corner of the library, across from the Combat Manual archives. Robinne laid down the two seals she received from me and reached into her coat to pull out the Askrian Artifacts guidebook. She flipped to the seal section, searching for the image that matched the seals.
"Let's see… the first seal is the Attack Ploy seal. I remember Katarina originally possessing this skill" Robinne said "It allows the user to manipulate their magic to send a horizontal or vertical trail to disrupt the foe's striking power or magical focus"
"And the second one? That one looks new" Jeorge asked as he took a pencil and updated the resource guidebook himself.
"That one looks to be… Hardy Bearing. It's an interesting skill to say the least" Robinne scanned the page in her book, silently reading the description "Okay, Hardy Bearing cancels skills that manipulate the order of attacks that are typically thrown out. Usually, the initiator attacks first and then the foe counterattacks, but skills like Vantage or Desperation change that order"
"So that means that anyone with Hardy Bearing equipped can revert the order of attacking back to normal" Jeorge deduced "By disabling their Vantage or Desperation skills"
"In a nutshell, yes" Robinne nodded "However, Hardy Bearing has a drawback in which the user can't use these skills. So if Lucian were to decide who to give Hardy Bearing to, it should be someone who doesn't use Vantage, Desperation eck cetera"
"Interesting. We'll definitely find a user for that, unlike Phantom Speed" Jeorge replied and Robinne laughed "Okay, I updated the resource log"
"Good. Then it looks like our work is done for today" Robinne shut her book and slid it back into one of her coat pockets "Well, we got the rest of the day to ourselves. I never thought that would happen for two days in a row"
"You don't get a lot of free time, do you? You always seem to be working, doing chores or doing errands for Lucian" Jeorge remarked "Were you this much of a workaholic back in your world?"
"I was. As Chrom's tactician, I felt like there was always something for me to do and I didn't feel right without my hands working" Robinne frowned "Although it's so jarring to think of my own world now. Robin mentions that I was the vessel for Grima in his world, but I remember him being the vessel and me being Chrom's tactician"
"That kind of confusion is a given in a world where so many timelines collide. I wouldn't think about it too much if I were you" The sniper advised "Besides, both you and your brother are here now, Fell Dragon-less. So there's nothing to really worry about"
"I suppose you're right. It's just something to ponder over if I'm bored" Robinne shrugged "Anyways, we COULD wait for Tobin and Clive to finish with Alfonse so we can access their combat skills ourselves, but Lucian left Anna and Olivia with that job"
"Where's your brother and Katarina? Maybe we can find them and drag them out to the market for a little while" Jeorge suggested "I think all of us have been cooped up in the castle for too long. We need some fresh air"
"Robin's fast asleep because of the Tempest, but I think I saw Katarina reading alone here in the library. Let's try to find her" Robinne nodded "I heard there's a summer festival going on down in Askr's castle town, so that's something to spend the rest of our day with"
"Sounds good. Let's go then" Jeorge nodded and the two easily grasped hands, squeezing it before leaving the resource hub to find Katarina.
"Our little circle of strategists is like a family now. I never thought that could happen with so many worlds coming together here" Robinne thought to herself "But it's a new experience that has given me new challenges, new friends and of course, Jeorge. I wouldn't mind staying here for good long time…"
Phew. Wrapped up most of that in a single day. Tempest Trials are starting to take their toll on me like Voting Gauntlets, so I might shorten it down to five battles or so to not exhaust myself or you. Coming up next is a windfall of content: the Bitter Enemies story maps, the Nohrian Summer paralogue and the Berkut GHB, so I've got a lot of work to do. If you want to be notified of when a new chapter comes out, favorite and follow. If you want to leave constructive criticism or praise, leave a review. Until next time, fellow summoners!