I know what's going to happen here. These are the Za'ha Woods. First Monster encounter in the game. Artur and Lute. Cameo by L'arachel, Dozla, and Rennac. But the place itself is giving me the creeps. A weird fog's hanging over the place.

Our group comes out of the thickest part of the forest, to a place where rivers cross and flow on.

"We're nearing Serafew." Seth says. "Once we cross, we'll be in Grado. Renvall shouldn't be too far afterward."

"Asuming that we can cross the border without running into trouble." I say. "I-"

Eirika points up. "Look!" She says. "Over there!" I know what's coming. I follow her finger to where it points at a gap in the fog.

Even with these things in the distance, I can already tell that the game sprites really don't do these things justice. Before I can get a good look, though, the fog closes back up.

"Were they... Human?" Eirika asks.

I shake my head. "If those were human, I'm a dragon."

Seth shakes his head. "I've never seen anything like them. What could they be?"

Suddenly, a robed figure started running up to us from the south. I'd never thought about it before, but now I feel like it's plainly obvious that Artur, who just sprinted past legions of the undead without breaking his stride, has balls of silver.

"Travelers, you must listen to me! The ancient forest of Za'ha is dangerous! Leave this place before these fiends surround you!"

"Are you a member of the clergy?" I ask. "You're wearing a monk's robes..."

He nods. "My name is Artur. The temple has given me the task of clearing the forest of these... things." He shakes his head. "There are so many of the fiends, though. I wonder if I can complete the task alone..." He looks back up at us. "So I ask you all to flee now, while you have the chance."

"Fiends?" Eirika asks. "You don't really think that these are the same monsters as the ones who helped the Demon King, do you? That can't be right. They're nothing but myths and fairy tales."

Artur nods. "I didn't believe it at first, either. But here they are. And surely they're not just here in Renais alone. But I wonder how far they've spread."

"But why are they here?" I ask. "How?"

Artur shakes his head. "I don't know, but that's not important now! You must flee the way you came!

I take one look behind us, and go white. "Not an option!" I say, pointing. More of the figures are closing in on our rear. "We're trapped!" I turn back to Artur. "It looks like you're going to have some help clearing these fiends out."

Speak of the devil and he shall appear. "Shit!" I say. "One of them's coming at us!"

Artur turns around, producing a tome from a pocket in his robes. "Evil being, the blessed light shall drive you from this land!" He holds out his hand, palm facing the oh man that thing's gross. He's fighting a Mogall, a floating eyeball that's at least as big as a man and comes equipped with dark magic. Miscellaneous viscera are hanging out the back of it, making it look like it was ripped from a giant's eye socket. The thing is bloodshot too, with red lines crisscrossing the sclera, cutting in and out of the blood-red iris.

Two pulses of light shoot out of Artur's outstretched hand and slam into the eye. The first pulse cuts along the thing's side, injuring it. The second, though, goes right through the pupil and out the other side. The eye falls to the ground, and dark-red blood, almost black, pools around it.

"Seth." I say. "You should fall back and protect the caravan, guide it to that village over there."

Seth looks at me incredulously, and looks like he's ready to object. I preempt him. "Eirika is a capable fighter who can take care of herself, Seth. But that caravan is holding all of our food and water, as well as our spare weapons and most of our money. If we lose it, we'll have to turn back to Frelia and waste valuable time getting restocked."

Seth nods. "I understand, but know this: If Eirika dies before I return, it will be on your head."

I nod. "Go! Those things are closing on it!"

He nods, and turns his horse around, riding to protect the caravan. I think for a moment, then yell "Take Colm with you!"

Seth doesn't respond. He just picks the thief up bodily and brings him along, setting him down beside him on his horse. My hope is that the thief will display enough talent to warrant being less discriminated against by the paladin.

I go up to Artur. "Do you know of anyone who might be able to help us?"

He nods. "The village to the south. I have a traveling companion there."

I nod, and point him to Vanessa, who's saddled up on her pegasus. "Have her take you there." Artur nods, and starts heading over to her. Meanwhile, I look at the remainder of the combat force available, and survey what I can of the battlefield. I'm no real tactician, but I know enough to get by in a pinch like this one. "Everyone, listen up! We need to form a defensive line! Stronger and faster soldiers up front! Neimi, you, Moulder, and Ross stay in the back to provide support!"

Everyone arranges as I asked, and OH SHIT DODGE!

The revenant's claws swipe through the air right where I was a moment before. Shit, how'd he get here so fast? I mean, I get that the things are the spawn of dark magic, but this thing is rotting muscles! I swing my sword at the thing's arm in an attempt to... Puns in my head. My sword cuts deep and oh shit that stinks worse than... more puns in my head. I really should OH GOD DODGE AGAIN! SHIT THAT HURTS!

I take two steps back. These things are way tougher than their pathetic stats should allow, even if this is hard mode. My left arm hurts, and if I don't get it healed, there'll probably be an infection. But first I have to survive the battle. I look back up and BRIGHT!

"Thanks, Artur." I mutter, heading back into the fight.

Alright, who can I help? Gilliam's just tanking everything, Eirika's not getting hit. Franz might want some OH SHIT SWORD! Block, return to neutral, face opponent. It's a bonewalker. The thing's wearing really ragged clothing, torn and shredded, or just rotted, I don't care. All I care about is the sword that it's holdi-SWINGING AT ME! Block again, counter attack hits it in the spine, between the rib cage and pelvis and this thing is a female. Small coccyx, large pelvic opening. That's creepy AND THAT'S A SWORD! Dodge, rip sword out, hit again, this time going for the head, swinging as hard as I can. The sword cleaves about half-way into the skull, where it stops. Now I'm holding the sword at a weird angle, and SHIT STILL IN DANGER! Hold on to the sword! Don't lose the sword!

I pull hard on the weapon, and somehow yank it free and dizzy. I start spinning, and hold my sword out. I jerk to a stop as my sword stops my rotation, hitting the bonewalker in about the same place on its spine, this time from the other side. The entire assemblage snaps in two and falls to the ground.

Absently, I realize that, if I'd come here as I was on Earth, I'd already be dead. I can fight, not survive in a war. Then my mind drifts to other self-inserts I've read. Didn't one of them operate on the premise of "you come here, fix everything bad about you, get a mirror image with power level XY, where X is your strength and Y is an arbitrary value assigned to the magnitude of how you changed?" Aw shit. If I have to deal with that... No. No, this isn't another Awakening self-insert. This is Sacred Stones. Unless that kind of shit applies everywhere and every time, I should be fine.

STOP! BATTLEFIELD! FOCUS! I look around frantically, wondering how I haven't been attacked yet. Then I realize that the battle's wound down. Moulder is tending to everyone's wounds. Shapeless forms meander on the opposite bank. Seth and Colm are back, with a myriad of cuts across Seth's horse's armor, and that's a lot of blood on his lance. Colm jumps off, and rejoins Neimi. I look to the south, where a large, dead tree catches my eye. Oh yeah, this map had a snag. I find Garcia, and explain what I want him to do.

"You want me to play lumberjack?" He asks.

I can't help but chuckle. "I suppose that's one way to say it."

He nods. "Alright. I'll see what I can do."

We arrive at the village with only minimal trouble. Lute's waiting at the gate, book in hand. "Lute!" Artur says. "Help has arrived!"

Lute remains silent.

"Did you hear me, Lute?" Artur asks. "I said th-"

"None of their flesh shows signs of putrefaction." Lute says in a matter-of-fact tone. "None of them are revenants, it seems."

Artur shakes his head. "I know that, Lute. These people are here to help. All I ask is that you stay-"

"No, I insist that I join you in combat." Lute says, tapping the book in her hand. I realize that she's not holding a fire tome, or even another spell book for that matter. "I've been reading up on these creatures. Quite simply, the are no match for me." She pulls a satchel out from under her mage robes, and pulls out a fire tome, replacing it with the other book she had. Then, walking with a purpose, she heads to the river bank. On the other side, there are a few revenants shuffling about. She holds the book in one hand, with the other held in front of her. A fireball forms in front of her hand, then shoots off with a flick of her wrist. Almost as soon as the fireball launches, there's another in her hand. She machine-guns like this for about a minute. After that minute, the few revenants on the other side have been reduced to piles of smoldering ash. There's one lone figure left in the fog.

"That's a big revenant." I say. That's basically what it looks like. At first glance, at least. As we approach, the fog around it clears, and I get a full picture of what an Entombed looks like. The thing stands at seven feet tall, at least, and it's not rotting nearly as badly as the revenants were. My eyes wander down its frighteningly muscular arms to the dear god that's a claw? Each hand looks like it's tipped with steak knives.

"We are not fighting that thing hand-to-hand." I declare. "And if revenants are any consideration, I don't think anyone would be able to pull hit and run safely, except maybe someone on a horse. Maybe." I look to Vanessa. "Don't get close to that thing. Stay as far up as you can hit it from. We don't know if these things can jump."

Vanessa nods grimly, then takes off. It takes her a solid few minutes of pelting the thing with javelins, but eventually the pincushion falls to the ground.

"That was the last one." I say.

Seth nods. "It would be a good idea to burn all of the bodies."

I nod. Honestly, I'm not sure it would help, but better safe than sorry.

Everyone splits up into different groups. I wind up with Franz, Ross, and Garcia.

"Can't believe we just fought these things." I say, dragging the rancid corpse of a Mogall by its viscera. It's surprisingly light for how big it is."

Garcia nods, and throws a revenant on top of it, forming the pile we'll be burning. "Figured these things weren't anything more than legends my dad told me to keep me in line."

Franz shudders as he piles another revenant next to the heap. "I was taught lore as part of becoming a knight. Being well-rounded and all of that. These things are supposedly the grunts."

I shake my head, kicking some bones towards the pile. "Grunts that can rip any normal man limb from limb. That's not right."

Ross pipes up as he and his dad throw another pair of Mogalls onto the pile. "Think that any of the other monsters are running around?"

"Probably." I answer. "Which means that we're in for a world of hurt."

A/N: So, though I originally set the line in chapter one as a joke, I've been interested in actually designing a character in the style of Fire Emblem for myself. So...

Andrew

A self-proclaimed handyman. Eccentric, but kind and knowledgeable.

Traveler

A warrior who can go anywhere to find a fight. Equip: Swords

(Can traverse Peak, Ocean)

Level: 2

HP – 20 (50%)

Strength – 6 (50%)

Skill – 7 (55%)

Speed – 8 (60%)

Luck – 5 (35%)

Defense – 3 (25%)

Resistance – 4 (25%)

Movement – 5

Constitution – 8

Affinity – Light

Current Inventory: Slim Sword, Vulnerary