The Shepherds were back to their usual selves. Chrom and Sumia were having an argument about something, Cynthia and Owain were planning the Justice Cabal's return, Morgan and Nowi were chasing Link's wolf form through the thin layer of snow, Frederick and Cherche were attempting to talk to Gerome; Lucina not far behind, Vaike and Lon'qu were in some form of competition, Tiki was looking faint, Oliv- wait, what?! Robin's gaze re-focussed on the Voice of Naga, who was slowly falling over in her seat. She did take the occasional nap, but this was different.
"Tiki, are you okay?" Robin had to steady her before she fell off the convoy.
"I have been growing weak. We must reach the Divine Dragon Grounds as quickly as possible."
"Don't worry. We're almost there."
"Lady Tiki; the shrine is in visual range," Say'ri's voice called from the head of the party. "We should be there in but a few minutes."
"See?" Robin gave a cheeky smile.
They left the convoy at the edge of the forest, hidden just out of sight. The weakened Tiki was guided towards the shrine in the centre of the plain before them. Robin couldn't help but look at it in amazement. Ruined stone columns surrounded a small patch of mossy stone, everything inscribed with runes. The flat patch on the ground had very familiar circular patterns, with a triangle in the middle. It was this that Tiki stepped into.
"It will take time for me to regain full power."
"Got it. Unfortunately, I think Grima does as well. Don't worry, Tiki; we'll keep you safe."
"Thank you, Robin." She gave him a smile, and began some sort of incantation. The runes beneath her feet started to glow a vibrant green, instantly removing the moss. The light began to envelope the manakete, making her practically invisible. Robin turned his eyes away from the spectacle to survey what he had to defend. There were three entrances to the shrine; one to the east, one to the west and one to the south. Between each point was an immense drop to the ground below; it could also have been the sea. It was difficult to tell. There were also dots on the edge of each entrance, signifying the Risen's arrival.
"Robin, what should we do?"
"The way I see it, our best bet is to surround Tiki; ranged units and healers in the back, everyone else up front. We should be able to stave off any attack until Tiki is finished." Chrom nodded and went to tell the others the plan, except one. Robin pulled Link aside. "Link, as possibly our best warrior, I want you to decide what you do. You can stay back and try that bow of yours, stay up front and use your shield, or, my personal favourite, you could stay back and protect Lissa."
"Hey! I don't need his help!"
"You promised to be more careful, didn't you?"
"Yeah…"
"Well, this is just one way of doing that. Besides, it's his choice. He may not even want to stay back." Robin looked to Link, who already had his shield out.
"Aw, man!"
"Looks like it's decided. Okay, everyone in position! Walhart's almost here!" Robin turned… and saw an army. The Risen were out in droves; they weren't just dotting the landscape, they had overtaken it. "We don't have enough forces to contend with that!"
"Are we doomed?"
"Pretty much. We can still try, though. Better to die for a good cause than to live in a disaster you caused." Chrom smiled at his friend, and turned back to the battle at hand. The Risen had arrived.
Robin's prediction was right. They couldn't handle it alone. Every time a Shepherd took down one enemy, four more took his place. Every swing of Robin's sword felt useless; the onslaught of men never stopped, and Robin was growing tired. In fact, every Shepherd was growing tired. Their arms were growing weak, and their blades were dulling.
"Tiki, we can't do this much longer! Are you almost done?!" Robin turned back to see Tiki, still enveloped in green light, now with some of that glow emanating from her skin. "I'm gonna take that as a 'no'."
"Robin, we need a new plan! The old one isn't working!"
"Sorry, Chrom, this was the only plan that could have worked! There are no other non-sacrificial plays! Tiki's still-" He was interrupted by a giant rabbit. It leaped over Robin's head and careened into the oncoming enemies, briefly pausing the assault. "Thanks, Panne!"
"What are you thanking me for?" Panne was currently being healed by Maribelle, well out of the battle.
"Then who's…" Robin turned back to focus on the other taugel suddenly retreating. It looked… scared. Terrified, even. Robin thought he found the source of such fear when he heard a thunderous battle cry. He faced the Risen ahead, ready for another round of fighting, when something shoved past him. It was a fully-armoured knight, lance in hand, stabbing at the undead soldiers. Then an arrow and a blast of fire went over his shoulder and head, causing him to finally turn around. It seemed that several people had joined their ranks. A calculating mage, a crazed archer, the terrified taugel, the determined knight, a suave mercenary, another mercenary, this one sneering, a terrifying priest and a small manakete. A ragtag group to be sure, but it did feel somewhat familiar. Robin instantly began to calculate if they would be enough to turn the tide. If stationed correctly, it might work.
"Father, mighty heroes of fortune have come to rend us free of this horrid nightmare!"
"So these are more future children?"
"Indeed!"
"Alright then. This will work. Owain, grab Morgan and tell the new people the plan. She'll be able to make any necessary adjustments."
"Our victory here shall fill the history books with every breath, every mov-"
"Owain, go!"
"R-right. I'm off!"
Even with the added help, it was still a struggle. The Risen were giving it their all, continually assaulting the slowly recovering Shepherds. Now that they had more units, they were able to switch out and regroup, making them able to last much longer. In one of these respites, Robin went to see how Tiki was. The green light had almost left the shrine, her body having absorbed most of it. Her eyes, and even her clothes, were now glowing green, making Robin appreciate just how powerful the Voice of Naga really was. Suddenly, Tiki curled into a ball, remaining in the air.
"Tiki?! What's happ-" A wave of energy exploded from the Voice, pushing Robin back. It expanded out, evaporating any Risen in its way, managing to stretch across the horizon. Everyone looked to the calm Tiki with awe, who had a pleasant smile on her face.
"The ritual is finished."
"No kidding." Robin smiled back. "Before we go, I believe introductions are in order." He looked at the group of children, all standing in minor shock at the people before them. The mage opened his mouth, and was interrupted by Morgan.
"Introductions will have to wait! Look!" Several warped pillars collided with the ground, calling to life a red barrier between them as they landed. Above, a seemingly random yet oddly straight shape appeared in the sky. The center had a swirling vortex, from which several creatures fell. They landed all around the Shepherds, further enclosing the group. "Dad? What are those?"
"No idea…" Their bodies were black with glowing red markings; their faces flat, black shapes with what appeared to be dreadlocks, and their entire being reeked of intense darkness. Their lanky arms began to move towards the group of warriors, quickly closing the gap. "I have a feeling who might. Care to do the honours?" He turned to Link, who was already gone. He slashed at the monsters, almost instantly knocking them down to the ground, defeated. With lightning speed, Link was standing before the Shepherds with only two of the creatures still standing. He charged towards them, sword and claws at odds. It slashed down, slicing across the face of one, while the other jumped back. Link moved his sword over to strike it down as well, but it was too late. The living one let out an ear-bursting screech, making every single person there cover their ears, especially the two taugels. When the assault on sound ended, to the Shepherds' complete horror, every single one of the beasts stood back up. Link had a look of frustration on his face rather than one of terror. He seemed to think he needed help, as he ran up to Robin and began to make strange signals. He pointed to all the monsters with separate fingers, put his hand in front of Robin, and hit them into a fist with his other. It took a second, but Robin figured it out. "We have to kill them all at once?" A nod confirmed his suspicions. "Okay, everyone, we have to kill them simultaneously! Aim for the creatures, then attack on my command!" The Shepherds took their stances, directing their attention to the creatures rather than the one that had been defeating them. "NOW!" Fireballs, arrows, swords, lances, axes and claws all extended from the group, devouring every monster within. When the torrent had ended, the bodies of the beasts were left on the ground, motionless. A rousing roar came from the Shepherds as the creatures dissolved into the familiar black rectangles and disappeared into the sky. The barrier, along with its columns, vanished.
"Well done, Robin." Chrom gave him a very rough slap on the shoulder.
"It wasn't me. My plan wouldn't have worked if these kids didn't show up."
"Kids?"
"Oh, right. Chrom, meet more of the future children. I believe they'll be coming with us."
"More?" They both looked over to see them making introductions, giving hugs and attempting to explain the situation. "I suppose our little families are getting bigger."
"That they are. I only hope I can keep it from getting smaller."
A/N: Sorry that it was so quick. I would have loved to do more child introductions individually, but there was only one pairing request early on. This was the only way I could think of to introduce them, so this is what you get, along with Shadow Beasts. The opening to this is actually similar to something I wanted to use in the last chapter, but like I said, it didn't flow as well and seemed to work here. This chapter also wasn't really my favourite because I couldn't quite get out what I was imagining, but I did get the essentials. That's enough from me. As always, if you have any questions, concerns, comments or suggestions, please PM or review. I love getting feedback!