"Ggghhh... Damn it! Not again!" Severa yelled, as a lance tip nicked her lower arm. She grabbed the shaft of the lance, kicking its wielder backward. She haphazardly spun the lance and stabbed the knight that originally held it in the face. And just like before, the body exploded into shards of light. But just as one fell, another came in to take its place. Severa scowled, it was a myrmidon this time. She brought her blade up to block the inevitable swing, and as its blade contacted hers, she pushed to send it stumbling backwards, following up with a swing of her own. A glancing blow from its blade sent her swing off at an angle.
"Where... are you... all... coming from?" Severa grunted, between swings.
Meanwhile, Robin had just pulled his sword from an archer, his Thoron tome having run out. Morgan was at his back, flinging thunderbolts everywhere.
"There's too many, Father! I don't know how much longer we can keep this up..." Morgan panted, in between bolts.
Robin didn't respond, he has too busy running things through in his mind.
This has all the makings of an ambush, but who would wait in ambush for us? There was no way for anyone to know would be here, considering we just left, and besides... these things aren't Risen, but they're not human... I've never seen creatures like...
Robin grunted as the flat of an axe caught him in his chest. He fell backwards, bumping into Morgan and sending the both to the ground.
"Father, no!" she said, even as she fell. Landing on her hands, she quickly turned onto her back, trying to fire another bolt at the enemies standing over them, but her hands stung from the landing and she missed, the bolt harmlessly crashing against the ground.
Robin grunted, swinging his sword protectively, trying the fend off the things surrounding him.
"Come on Morgan, get up!" he yelled. He grabbed Morgan, pulling her up, but in the process catching an axe in his shoulder.
"Father!"
Then she heard Severa shriek just a few feet away.
"Sis, no!"
They were surrounded. There was no time to think, no time to strategize. Morgan yelled, firing more bolts haphazardly. It was... all she had left...
"When truth calls for its heroes..."
Morgan paused as she heard that voice.
"And righteousness wills for evil to fade..."
Another voice, this time from above.
"Th..." Morgan started, "Th-... THE JUSTICE CABAL WILL BE THERE TO VANQUISH THE DARKNESS!"
"Well said, my stalwart ally! These heathens will know the name Owain Dark!" the first voice shouted, as Owain burst forth from the trees, landing on a barbarian with his sword. Quickly pulling it out, he swung quickly but with finesse, with experience, quickly beheading three of the enemies in a blur.
"Morgan! Looks like we came just in time!" Cynthia yelled, throwing down javelins with frightening accuracy, with an almost perfect throw-to-kill ratio.
"Owain! Cynthia! You... you sure did!" Morgan yelled gratefully. With renewed vigor, she fired more lightning from her hands.
Robin couldn't help but smirk, and despite the pain in his shoulder he fought with a strength he thought he'd lost. He'd always suspected that Owain and Cynthia somehow had an aura that boosted nearby allies' fighting power, but he made a mental note to possibly formalize it as a strategy.
Another yell of pain snapped him out of his thoughts.
"Severa?!" he yelled in her direction.
"What? Who dares to lay a finger on my beautiful life partner?!" Owain shouted theatrically, before jumping into aid her.
"O-Owain..." she said weakly. Her energy was spent, and she felt nearly ready to collapse.
"You've done well, Severa... leave the rest to me," Owain said, hugging her tightly in a rare display of soft kindness. Then he returned to his persona. "Cynthia! My love requires your aid! And now... you all shall witness the fury of the Avenging Avenger... OF JUSTICE!"
And with that, his blade dance began anew.
"Nnnh..." Robin grimaced as Cynthia's staff closed his wound. After the final... thing fell, Cynthia went about healing Severa's various wounds. Morgan hadn't been seriously injured, with her worst injury be a scraped elbow from when she fell.
"There you go, Robin! Good as new!" Cynthia said, smiling.
"Thanks... and thanks for... saving our hides," he replied. Outwardly, he was thankful, but inwardly he couldn't stop kicking himself. He should have been ready for an ambush, but he'd been too preoccupied with just spending with his daughters. They were put in danger because of him.
"Robin..." Cynthia started, sensing his anxiety, "you did fine. I'm just glad... that you're back. I... *sniff* I've missed you so much!"
Robin was caught off guard by Cynthia's sudden hug. He didn't know how to respond to this. Various memories surfaced, and he remembered comforting her... as her father, and as her lover. But he wasn't either of these things now. His memory was muddled beyond that. Instead, he looked around the newly made campfire. Morgan stared at him with a smirk, a book on her lap. Severa sat next to Owain, sleeping with her head on his shoulder. He saw Owain's hand squeezing hers.
"*sniff* Sorry, Robin," Cynthia finally said, releasing him, "I guess I got emotional, huh?" She chuckled.
Robin returned her smile. "Don't worry about it."
His thoughts turned to those things they had fought. They weren't Risen, but they fought incredibly similarly. They looked to feel no pain, and shirked any sort of planning in favor of rushing en masse.
"Cynthia... do you know what those things were?"
She nodded grimly.
"They popped up in the capital about a day ago... after Morgan and Severa had already left," she began to explain. She took a glance at Morgan, who was now listening intently.
"We... thought they were Risen... but it didn't take people long to realize that they were anything but that. Their eyes didn't glow, and they didn't die the same way either, as you've seen."
"They also..." Owain spoke up, "they didn't smell."
"Smell?" Morgan asked.
"Right," Owain replied, "they don't smell of death like the Risen do. All of these facts came together, and we came to the conclusion that these things are something new entirely."
"That's when L- uh... the Exalt sent us to get you... she- I mean..." Cynthia began.
"No, don't worry. I know that Lucina's acting as Exalt for the time being."
"H-Huh? Then you also know..."
"Yes. The Shepherds have disappeared. That's why we have to get to Ylisstol quickly."
Cynthia sighed in relief. "Oh, thank gods. I thought we'd have to explain everything to you."
"Have you... come up with a name for these... things?" Robin asked.
It was Owain who spoke up next.
"Simulacra."
They packed up early next morning, and without much delay they rode off again Ylisstol. Cynthia kept their pace a few yards ahead of them. Owain, having flown in with Cynthia, decided to switch spots with Morgan, who had been riding with Severa. And though Severa tried not to show it, Robin knew how happy she was with the switch. With Robin be the only one on foot, their pace was fairly slow, but he was still confident that they would reach the castle before sundown.
And from there, he and the children could figure out where, how, and why the Shepherds had disappeared to, and, Robin hoped beyond all else, find a way to bring them all back.
"Chrom... you know she still loves you." Robin snarled, his fists shaking. Chrom said nothing.
"What? No! Robin, I don't!" Cordelia yelled, but her voice didn't seem to reach them.
"She's going to keep loving you. Even if she says she doesn't. Even if she doesn't want to."
"Robin, stop! That's not true!" Cordelia yelled again.
Chrom stayed silent.
"I'm sorry, Chrom. I love her too much. And as long as you're still here, we can never truly be together."
"R-Robin..." Cordelia's eyes widened in a horrified realization.
"Goodbye, Chrom," Robin finished, before tackling Chrom to the ground. He was on top of Chrom, and he drove a fist into his friend's face.
"R-Robin... stop... stop! Please!" Cordelia screamed, her voice getting hoarse. It mattered not.
Robin sent another fist towards Chrom's face, and then another, and another, and another. Each blow was amplified in Cordelia's ears, and she covered them in an attempt to drown out the noise. It didn't help.
"Please stop... Robin, I love you..." she croaked, tears falling from her face.
"I love you! I love you! I love you... so... stop... please... I love you... I love you... I love you..." She repeated it like a mantra, even as the sound of the blows became wetter and wetter.
"...Love hurts."
She can't help it. She begins to cackle.
A/N: Hoo boy. We get some insight onto what it was that Robin and crew were fighting, as well as the introduction of Owain and Cynthia into the story. Owain is a Swordmaster, and Cynthia is a Falcon Knight. We also see the first child pairing. I like OwainxSevera because of how heartwarming it is. That S Support is adorable.
Also, oh god what have I done? I'm so sorry Cordelia ;_;
...Anyways. Thanks for reading up to this point. Please leave some reviews, and stay tuned for the next chapter.