Drawing nearer to the location of the sky's anomaly, Lunearc was able to hear the signs of a struggle. The clashing of metallic blades and the stomping of hooves were audible above all else, and Lunearc followed the sounds of battle. As he grew closer, the sounds of battle grew duller, perhaps due to a break in the fighting.

Spotting the three members of the Shepherds, he sighed a breath of relief to see them unharmed, yet he was apprehensive when he saw that they were visibly weary of their surroundings.

Attempting to make his presence known without spooking the Shepherds, Lunearc announced himself as he jogged over. "Hold your weapons, everyone. It's me, Lunearc." he stated seriously, his mindset fully focused on the situation at hand.

"Lunearc? You've come this time as well?" Chrom asked, leading Lunearc to confirm in the affirmative with a nod. "Thank you, we could definitely use the help."

"Let me guess, there are more of those undead creatures? I came across one of them on the way here. Absolutely dreadful thing, it was." Lunearc inquired, still deeply unsettled by the appearance of an enemy so unnatural.

"So, you've crossed paths with one as well? And yes, there are undoubtedly more of those despicable blights deeper into the forest." Chrom answered, before beginning to plan how to use Lunearc's skills to leverage the battle. "Lunearc, what's your plan to take them down?"

"One good plan and you're already turning to me for another?" Lunearc stated, bewildered that he had somehow become known as someone who understands tactics. "In all honesty, I feel that the best course of action is to retreat from this forest now that we have located everyone. No need to risk it all in such a dangerous environment against foes we know little about."

"No, we can't do that. If we retreat now, we'd be risking these foes escaping from the forest and laying waste to any unfortunate civilians who may come across them." Chrom argued to the antithetical, immediately giving a reason as to why it was a poor choice.

"I agree, as well. We can't leave the masked man behind to fend for themselves against these hordes!" Lissa voiced, speaking of a figure to which Lunearc had never seen nor heard of.

"Wait, there is someone else here?" Lunearc inquired, surprised to hear that there had been another insane enough to be attracted into the flaming forest.

"Yeah! The masked man protected me from one of the risen! If it wasn't for him, I'd be… in not-so-great shape." Lissa explained, wincing from the memory of the foe which had assailed her, "He ran off shortly after doing that, going deeper into the forest."

Lunearc now knew Lissa had experienced a similar situation to the one with the brigand in Southtown, and he instantly understood that there was little chance of his original suggestion being approved.

"I see. If retreating is a nonstarter, we'll need to advance very carefully using any defensive terrain we can find. Is there any such terrain nearby that can be used in that function?" Lunearc inquired, turning to Frederick, as he seemed to be well versed in quickly deciphering the layout of an area.

"On my ride here, I spotted a pair of small, abandoned forts. It would be best to take shelter in them when we have the chance." Frederick offered his findings to Lunearc, who then thanked the knight for the information.

"In that case, all who can use a weapon should defend from those two locations. Chrom and I will fight from one, and Frederick will take the other. Behind the group of defenders, Lissa will stand ready to heal if any of us are harmed. It is of paramount importance that none breach the makeshift defensive line, or manage to encircle us. Any objections?" Lunearc asked as after he had explained his plan in detail, it being the best chance of survival given the current odds.

Chrom and Lissa nodded in approval to this plan, satisfied that their rejection of Lunearc's initial plan had not deterred him from attempting to make another. Frederick seemed fine with the plan as well, though he had clearly been deferring to Chrom's wishes from the beginning.

Beckoning Chrom, Lunearc moved quickly towards one of the two nearby forts. To his dismay, directly next to the abandoned fort had been one of the undead creatures, shambling about as it wandered with its axe, looking for trouble. Lunearc had spotted it before it had him, so he'd decided that for once, he would be the first to strike. All he had to do was lead it to the nearest pool of lava and he'd be able to dispose of this foe as well.

Blasting towards his foe, diamond blade unholstered and ready for a scrap, Lunearc slashed his sword upon his undead foe and connected directly into its shoulder. There had been a wound caused by the attack, but his foe had reacted as though Lunearc's action had only been a reason for it to get riled up, not reeling in pain from the blow in the slightest.

That did nothing to it… Lava truly is the only way to discard of it!

Deep in thought from strategizing during the battle, Lunearc reacted far slower than he should have when the ungrateful dead enemy retaliated with its own onslaught of blows. Lunearc hurriedly raised his sword to defend himself from the series of charges, each one knocking him back slightly but leaving him relatively unharmed.

On the final stroke of the axe's onslaught, Lunearc managed to set his feet and stand his ground as he blocked with his sword. The axe and sword were still connected to each other as the two clashed at close range, vying for control.

At this point, Chrom had entered the foray to assist, going in for a strike against the undead foe while it was distracted in its duel with Lunearc. He aimed directly for the chest, grunting in exertion as he put all of his strength into a single maneuver.

The risen clumsily turned its head in an effort to assess the incoming entity, but before it could do a thing to resist it had already been run through by Chrom's highly ornate sword.

Gasping in agony, the foe finally reacted like an entity slashed by sharp metal should: pained. Standing unnaturally for just a moment, its body began to vaporize, purple smoke emanating from the areas that had once been solid.

"Another one down. Now we can defend from the fort." Chrom stated factually to Lunearc, who had been staring at Chrom disbelievingly for an unexplained reason.

"You mean to tell me I could have just stabbed the last one? That would have been able to kill it?" Lunearc stated, exasperated from the fact that it had been far simpler to kill the undead foe than he had initially believed.

"Yeah, a right stab to the vital spots seems to kill it well enough." Chrom answered, before looking at Lunearc, puzzled. "How did you take down the one you saw previously?"

"Lava." Lunearc curtly responded.

"Lava?" Chrom questioned, raising his eyebrows in disbelief.

"I shoved it in." Lunearc admitted, in a slightly embarrassed tone, "To the lava."

"...Whatever keeps you alive in a desperate situation is good enough, I suppose." Chrom responded, clearly attempting to hold in a laugh from Lunearc's admission.

With the nearby threat neutralized, Chrom took the abandoned fort as an area to defend from, while Lunearc remained outside of the structure keeping his eyes peeled for more of the intruding army of undead. Glancing to his side, he was pleased to see that Frederick had successfully commandeered the other targeted fort. Lissa was also still safe, thankfully. So far, the plan was working to perfection.

However, this short lived reverie was quickly broken by the coming reality. A new wave of foes emerged from deep inside the forest, at a number far larger than the measly two seen before. Scanning attentively, Lunearc counted six in total. Double the amount of able fighters in the group of Shepherds, including himself in that count.

"Is it too late to revisit the initial plan of retreating? Our odds don't look so great here. This is really not a sight for sore eyes!" Lunearc japed nervously, hoping that a little bit of manufactured comedy would draw his mind off of the terror caused by the sheer number of foes that had appeared.

"I can't say I like what we see, either. Which is exactly the reason why we don't have the luxury of making a retreat. The spread of these things must be stopped." Chrom replied, completely serious about seeing this mission through to the end, all the while tuning out the comical intonation of Lunearc's previous comment.

"Thought you would say that." Lunearc mused, before briskly returning to the task at hand.

Standing outside the fort, Lunearc prepared himself for the near impossible odds stacked against him and the Shepherds. Frederick may be strong enough to take on multiple foes without issue, but Frederick was only one man.

The rest of the group — especially Lunearc himself — were not nearly experienced enough to fight multiple enemies without being badly harmed in the process, all of which had already started to rush towards the defending party. As he watched the large number of foes approach, Lunearc could not help but freeze up in nervous anticipation, his greenness in battle causing him to tremble in fear.

At that precise moment, Lunearc could hear a sound of movement from behind the makeshift defensive formation, near to where the other foes had conglomerated. Another enemy? Now? How would they be able to both hold the formation and defend Lissa at once?

As the sound grew nearer, a sound of hooves could be heard galloping over the ambient noise, and suddenly one of the undead enemies was struck by an aerial object. The affected foe quickly dropped like a sack of potatoes, then evaporated into dust, caught completely off guard by its method of execution.

Turning to the direction of the flying debris' source, Lunearc could see a pair of figures, both of whom were very much living, breathing humans. The one who had been responsible for the risen's destruction was holding bow in hand, and he possessed a visage that could simply be categorized as… noble. His ruffly clothing certainly gave off that vibe, and his long, turquoise blue hair seemed to fit what a noble would prefer. He was currently imparting a refined smile upon the woman next to him, fancifully brandishing his bow as though he was showing off how skillfully he had disposed of the undead foe.

Speaking of the woman, she had a highly particular look to her as well. She was mounted on top a mighty steed, and sported a sharp crimson set of metal armor, perfectly matching the color of her short, spiky hair. Her weapon of choice seemed to be a lance.

Could she perhaps be a knight of some kind…?

The noble man seemed to be flirting with the knightly woman, whose annoyed expression clearly gave away her discontent at his comments. The red headed woman mouthed a comment to the noble archer before charging her horse nearer to the defensive encampment set by Lunearc and Chrom, and the archer followed the best he could by foot as he called out to the woman, sprinting behind.

Two of the undead risen had reached the defensive position of Lunearc and Chrom, with the other three having moved towards Frederick's current position. Nothing had changed on Lissa's front, as she was still safe and sound, thankfully.

Snapping back to reality, Lunearc's adrenaline somehow had managed to override his justified deep-seated fear of the mob of undead, and he went to combat one of the incoming foes. Chrom did his part to disrupt the other foe's path, and now both pairs were locked in battle, an even deadlock for each.

The mysterious pair of humans grew closer, with the lady knight quite easily outpacing the on-foot man. Riding to Chrom, she stuck her lance out to incise the foe he had been in a stalemate with, running it through as she rode past. Taking advantage of the chaos, Lunearc managed to knock his foe to the ground by brute force alone, at which point an arrow flew into it to finish its woeful existence.

"I have no idea who you people are, or why you chose to run into a flaming forest in the middle of the night, but I'm truly thankful you did." Lunearc stated, grateful for the sudden boon of allies.

"Right on, stranger." The lady knight briefly acknowledged Lunearc, before beginning to fret over Chrom in a manly manner, "Good to see you standing, Captain Chrom! Was worried those damned ash-faced freaks would've gotten to you before before I could."

"Wait. "Captain Chrom"? So you know these people, after all?" Lunearc turned to Chrom, inquiring about his relation to them.

"I can state with confidence that I know Sully here, at least." Chrom stated, gesturing to the crimson lady knight, "However, I cannot say I'm familiar with—"

"Ah, are you intrigued by my dashing actions? Of course you would be—it's only natural. I am the man who is the archest of archers, one spoken of in myth and legend across the land—no, the world! I am he who strides large—"

"Get to the point already!" Sully yelled, frustrated beyond belief by the man with far too many self-given epithets. Judging by the bulge on her forehead, she was about two seconds from ripping the frilly archer into two. She certainly possessed the muscles needed to do so.

"—Right, my dearest Sully. Virion. Virion is my name." Virion finally began to quiet, but just as Lunearc thought he was done speaking, Virion proved him wrong in the grandest possible way. "Fairest Sully, will you marry me? My heart's compass ever strains toward you."

"You want to do what now, Ruffles? Am I hearing you right? Is this a joke?" Sully retorted, baffled.

"You know what, let's talk about engagements and marriage later, yeah? We're in the middle of a battlefield." Lunearc interjected, having zoned out much of Virion's self-aggrandizing. "Frederick is still staving off risen at the other fort. We should send some of us over to assist in the matter, while one stays behind here."

"I'll go. I haven't yet had my fill of lancing those creatures." Sully cracked her knuckles, clearly itching for more battle.

"Wherever my lady goes, I shall follow! For my world is cold, and empty without her bright light guiding the way." Virion stated, very predictably latching himself to Sully's side, to her absolute disdain.

"If it'll shut you up, fine. Just keep it in your pants." Sully retorted, resisting the urge to punch her would-be ally.

"I'll tag along as well, if only to keep these two from tearing each other apart. Keep this fort secured while we're away." Chrom stated, shaking his head at the strange pair that were bound to give him headaches.

"Aye aye, "Captain" Chrom." Lunearc acknowledged, facetiously using the title Sully had called him.

….….….….….….

Once the squadron of three lead by Chrom went to assist Frederick in eliminating the remaining foes he had been so dutifully fending off by himself, Lunearc had gotten into a routine of scanning the immediate surroundings ahead of him, while bunkered up in the fort.

He was laser focused on this task, so much so that he managed to suppress his mind's urge to jump to any other topic. This was no mean feat, as he had quickly learned that he was the sort whose mind tended to wander, after all.

That was his current assignment, and nothing was going to pull him from it. Nothing could distract him this time—

"Heya!" a voice cried out behind him.

Jumping in complete astonishment, Lunearc could have sworn he had felt his heart skip a beat due to the completely unexpected arrival. Turning his head, he wanted to confirm that the person who had entered was the girl whose voice he had thought it to be.

"Lissa?! Why are you here? The plan was to have you stay behind the forts, and out of harm's way!" Lunearc exasperatedly asserted.

"Hmm hmm, well, I was getting lonely and bored out there all alone, you see! And everything looks safe over here now, so what's the fuss?" Lissa argued, seeing no problem with her action.

"There's no talking you out of disobeying the plan we had agreed to, is there?" Lunearc commented, pointing out with a frustrated tone how what she had done was antithetical to the tactics designed for the battle.

"Plans should be flexible, right? Consider this the newest wrinkle of it. Or are you going to send a young lady back out into the dark forest alone? Hmm?" Lissa stated, using the exact term Lunearc had first called her to guilt him into allowing her to stay.

"Do what you want. I suppose it won't mat—"

Breaking the conversation mid sentence, a grisly scream sounded nearby. Far too nearby for comfort. Turning his head on a dime, Lunearc attempted to view what had made that truly horrendous sound.

Another risen. One that looked bigger, badder, and meaner than all the others he had faced tonight. In terms of threat, it made the others look like no more than mere grunts. And it was making its way towards the fort he and Lissa were currently residing in.

"Lissa, do not leave this fort. I'm going to hold that foe off for as long as I can, okay?" Lunearc ordered, grimly stressing his syllables to make sure Lissa would understand.

Not waiting for a response, Lunearc exited the fort to combat this new, unexpected threat. The foe sported a hand axe, much like the brigand leader from the battle in Southtown. Unlike that battle, however, Lunearc was on his own.

Calling out at the undead chief, Lunearc wanted to make sure that its sole attention was on him—and not on the noncombatant healer currently hunkered inside the fort. He didn't bother taunting it with words, as it probably wouldn't be able to understand him anyway.

Upon his entrance into the fearsome risen's vicinity, it immediately took notice of Lunearc, and began roaring as it advanced towards him in a crazed sprint.

Diamond sword and the short axe crossed paths as the two opponents struck in tandem, but Lunearc could immediately recognize that his opponent's ability with an axe was greater than any he had fought so far.

Knocking Lunearc's radiant sword out of position, the undead foe leveled a strike at Lunearc's side, hitting him hard, and causing him to grit his teeth in pain.

Spurred on by survival instincts, Lunearc did his best to resist the series of strikes that the proficient axe using undead foe had lined up, but in the process gained many more cuts and gashes to go along with the first.

Had he not been equipped with the remains of his threadbare iron armor, those strikes would have likely killed him on the spot. Even with its limited protection, he was in an awful position, facing off against a foe that made him look like the novice he truly was.

The battle continued in the same agonizing process for a time, that for Lunearc, was entirely indeterminate. It must have only been a few seconds, or a minute at tops. But for Lunearc, it felt like hours had passed while his body obtained more physical proof that he was truly outclassed by his enemy. His substandard swordplay was on full display, and despite possessing a superior strength and weapon compared to his opponent, he was being manhandled.

Pushed back once more by the previous attacks, Lunearc could not even muster the strength to raise his sword against the continued onslaught. The undead abomination, seemingly in pleasure of the sight before it, dramatically raised its axe in preparation of a slaying strike, Lunearc powerless to defy.

Fortuitously, the other Shepherds had finished assisting Frederick, and returned to Lunearc's position as fast as they could. Frederick, mounted atop his horse, had been the first to arrive, knocking over the mightiest risen before it could dole out death. The others arrived moments later, surrounding the last of the forest's risen.

Satisfied that help had arrived, Lunearc lightly smiled, before his vision began to dim. The last thing he saw prior to losing consciousness was the ground rapidly closing in.

….….….….….….

"...ease wake up."

Huh…? What happened? What is… that voice…?

"...stay with me. Please!"

Stay… where? Where am I? And… why does my body feel as though it is burning…? But… it feels cold?

Opening his eyes slowly, Lunearc could see that he was flat on his back, with Lissa kneeling to his side, waving her staff around the wounds on his body in an attempt to heal him. Her actions and movements made it seem as though she was concerned, and shaky.

However, this behavior didn't last long. Once noticing that Lunearc had opened his eyes and regained his consciousness, she perked up immediately, a soft smile forming from the corners of her mouth.

"Lissa…? I thought… I told you to stay in the fort… where it is safe." Lunearc mouthed, still weak from his beating.

"And watch you die in front of me? No way!" Lissa dismissed, not even entertaining the alternative.

"But… the enemy. It's too dangerous." Lunearc muttered, attempting to stand up to continue fighting the fearsome risen.

"Shh, shhhh… Calm down! It's been taken care of. Let yourself rest." Lissa chided, stopping Lunearc from rising, applying force to keep him down.

"What… the enemy was taken down? We're safe?" Lunearc questioned, to which Lissa gave an exuberant nod, prompting Lunearc to send out another follow up query, "Oh… that's good. Is anyone else hurt?"

"None more than you. You lost a lot of blood there. But you'll be fine soon, cleric's promise!" Lissa reassured him, sporting a sprightly smile as she did.

"...Thank you." Lunearc replied, speaking quietly.

"Healing is the sole reason I'm here, you know. But I'll accept the thanks anyway!" Lissa exclaimed, making a movement that looked like she was theatrically patting herself on the back.

"No, no. Not just for that." Lunearc responded, not specifically speaking of the task of Lissa's healing.

"Then, for what?" Lissa tilted her head, unsure of what Lunearc was thinking.

"Disobeying my orders. Or in your words… adding… flexibility to the plan. That choice saved my life." Lunearc disclosed, knowing that had his plan been followed to the letter he'd not have survived.

"Hehehe… I knew you'd come around to my point of view eventually." Lissa laughed as she joked, before giving thanks of her own, "But I really should be the one thanking you! The only reason you had to fight so hard was because you were protecting me..."

"Perhaps you could show your gratitude by helping me stand up? The injuries are all gone, but I'm still feeling rather woozy…" Lunearc appealed, wishing for some support to become upright.

"Hmm… you do seem recovered enough. Alright then! Grab my hands, I'll pull you up!" Lissa instructed, extending her arms out above him.

Lunearc did as Lissa requested, connecting his hands with hers. Lissa then pulled back with surprising strength for a girl her size, giving Lunearc the momentum needed to get off his backside. Once Lunearc was standing, Lissa paused for a moment, but Lunearc was still too dazed to question why.

Back on his own two feet, Lunearc began to slowly flop over to Chrom and the others, who were currently speaking to… a masked figure?

"...Might I ask yours?" Chrom could be heard, asking a question directed towards the masked figure.

"You may call me Marth." the figure stated, their particular wording suggesting that they were giving a nickname of sorts, and not their given name.

"Marth? After the heroic king of old? You certainly fight like a hero. Where did you learn your way with a sword?" Chrom questioned, interested in Marth's story.

"I'm not here to talk about me. This world teeters at the brink of a horrible calamity. What you saw tonight was but a prelude. You have been warned." Marth vaguely stated, before promptly walking away without any further explanation.

What we saw tonight was just a prelude? I almost just died… during the prelude?! And what calamity could be WORSE than what we had seen today…?

Finally finished wobbling over to Chrom, Lunearc voiced his questions about this "Marth".

"Who's that guy? Another friend of yours from the Shepherds? Seems to have a great, positive, sunny outlook on the future." Lunearc inquired, still fog-brained from the loss of blood.

"He's the masked man I mentioned from before! The one that saved me from the risen." Lissa chimed in from behind, reminding Lunearc that the masked man had been a participant in the battle.

"What Lissa said. Though, it seems that our mysterious swordsman isn't much for talk." Chrom griped, before changing the topic. "Speaking of mysterious swordsmen, it is good to see you walking. Your legs gave out the moment we arrived to help. We were worried that you… wouldn't make it."

"Wouldn't make it? That's putting it kindly! You looked like you were making a final stand out there!" Sully argued, bluntly expressing her thoughts.

"The fair lady speaks the truth. If it were not for my virtuous escapades that induced the felling of the undead amalgamation, the fate that would have befallen you would be one of great tragedy." Virion eloquently stated, speaking highly of his own actions.

"Erm… right. I'll take your word for it, Virion." Lunearc first acknowledged the verbose archer, then described what he had actually seen. "But I'm pretty sure I saw Frederick shield me from the blow."

"Your memory serves you right. Though, I will say it was a team effort in defeating that final enemy." Frederick's voice echoed, shortly staring at Virion as he said the word 'team'. "Be that as it may, it is best we hasten our return to the capital, milord."

"You are right as always, Frederick. This new threat necessitates an even greater urgency than prior. Let's get going. To Ylisstol!" Chrom agreed with Frederick's suggestion, beginning to trot to his destination immediately as to not waste any more valuable time.

Doing his best to keep up, Lunearc began to dizzily waddle in the same general direction, the blood loss still affecting his body's balance.

….….….….….….

The rowdy group had been on the main roads for about an hour now, trekking in the early hours of the day, the warm morning sun glistening above.

Sully had rejoined the party, as she had indicated that the reason for her separation from the group was due to some nobles in the area getting into a hissy fit that needed intervention. According to her, they had calmed down real quick once she "knocked some sense into them".

The group had also made a new addition, as well. Virion had practically inserted himself as a Shepherd, having volunteered his skill-set without prompt. Chrom certainly seemed surprised by Virion's sudden request, but Virion's skills with a bow spoke for themselves.

Lunearc, for his part, was still moving along. He certainly wasn't feeling great, the aftereffects of losing so much blood still causing him to feel lightheaded. Lissa walked by his side, offering him water from time to time to make sure he wouldn't overheat from dehydration, or collapse.

Lunearc took a quick look to his right, and then suddenly halted his steps. He had spotted something. Something ominous. Sinister. Evil. It was so malevolent, that it made his stomach churn with disgust.

"Look at that dubious little creature, getting up to mischief." he admonished, staring deeply at a single point, that was a sizable distance away.

Cautiously intrigued by the current focal point of Lunearc's attention, Lissa followed his line of sight. For a moment, she attempted to process what had him so riled up, before it instantly clicked.

"That's a sheep. The dubious little creature you speak of… is a sheep?" She questioned, wanting to absolutely confirm he was speaking of the woolly four legged mammal.

"Aughhh, the beast is demonic in nature. Just look at it, with those beady little eyes on the side of its head! Pure… evil." Lunearc went off on a tangent, arguing something that was highly peculiar.

"Hahaha, I don't know about that! It just looks like a normal sheep to me! Kinda cute, actually." Lissa stated to the contrary, giggling lightly to herself at the absurdity of this situation.

"It might be adorable now, but just wait. It'll betray us all and turn into an abomination of the highest order. Just wait…" Lunearc predicted, woozily acting as if he knew what the future had in store, presenting himself as a modern day Cassandra.

The sheep in question just stood there, menacingly chomping on the green grass of the plains. Clearly practicing for crunching on human bone! Lunearc was simply doing the responsible thing, staring it down like it was the second coming of evil itself. It was lucky he felt so poorly, or he'd go combat it, here and now.

Lissa broke down in laughter, not being able to contain her giggling any longer. How could she not? This was hilarious!

At the height of her amusement, she let out a snort from her nose. At the sound, Lunearc lazily rolled his eyes over at her, curious at what the commotion was.

Lissa once again went red from embarrassment, darting her eyes about to find something that could distract from her folly. Settling on the water skin flask in her hands, her facial features gained a mischievous glint.

"Hmm… you know what? I think you need more water. Drink up!" Lissa impishly suggested, thrusting the flask in Lunearc's direction.

"What—" was all Lunearc could retort before a cup of water was forcefully washed down his throat, causing him to make glugging noises as he resisted vainly.

"Here, have some more water!" Lissa motioned, her liquid onslaught becoming ever more unrelenting.

A few feet ahead, Sully watched on, bewildered by the strange scene playing out behind.

"Captain Chrom… Where did you find this guy?" Sully inquired, baffled by the behavior displayed.

"We met him yesterday, though I cannot claim the credit for finding him. The one who found him: Lissa, tripped over him by pure accident." Chrom explained, giving a highly condensed version of how they had met the new acquaintance.

"… Does he always act like this?"

"No… this is new. Certainly spurred on by the loss of blood from the battle. He can act strangely at times, but I think that's more due to his lacking memories than anything. This… is completely different." Chrom explained, doing his best to dismiss Sully's fears.

"Lacking memories?" Sully questioned, tilting her head alongside her bemused brow.

"Yes, he has amnesia. When we found him on the ground, he couldn't remember a thing about himself."

"Oh, so you must have brought him along so he wouldn't be a threat to himself and others. Yeah, that aligns with how you typically operate." Sully rationalized, thinking she had now pinpointed the reasoning of Chrom.

"No, not quite. I actually want to bring him on as the Shepherd's main tactician." Chrom corrected, which only had the effect of causing Sully to implode from astoundment.

"I'm not in a position to question your decisions, but what?" Sully disbelievingly pointed at Lunearc, who was still being force fed water by Lissa, eyes bulging and arms wildly flapping as he struggled to swallow it all, "You want this guy to be our main tactician?"

"Yep. I'm dead set on it, to be honest." Chrom deadpanned, in stark juxtaposition to the humorous scene occurring behind.

"And Frederick? You didn't instantly oppose the choice?" Sully turned to the rational knight, Frederick, hoping to find someone who would act logically.

"In no uncertain terms, I at first thought the idea was ludicrous. We know nothing about this fellow's past, and with that comes the possibility that he may be a spy, or even a common brigand." Frederick bluntly commented, letting it be known his initial feeling on the subject, "...However, upon observing him closely, there is certainly more to our mysterious newcomer than meets the eye. I cannot say I agree with the decision to make him tactician so suddenly… but I understand why Milord thinks he has proved himself worthy to be given a further look, by virtue of his bravery alone."

"Precisely. In addition to his bravery—which you've seen first hand, his strategies during battle have been a boon to our cause, despite him being a clear novice. I see potential in him, and I'm willing to take a risk to reach that lofty height. His mind has already gotten us out of multiple difficult situations alive." Chrom explained, giving his rationale for the offered position. "Unfortunately, he has yet to accept. I just don't know what needs to be done to get through to him. And he certainly isn't of well enough mind currently to acquiesce, either. Though, I suppose that is presently rather obvious."

….….….….….….

After being forced to drink enough water to fill ten bathtubs, Lunearc had eventually been able to pry Lissa's water-skin flask away, ending the aquatic attack.

Exasperated and heaving for breath, he turned to Lissa and levied her a loaded statement: "I'm beginning to think you are trying to drown me. First the lake incident, now this."

"Nuh uh! You needed that water! You were acting strange. Stranger than usual!" Lissa waved her arms around rapidly, as if doing so would make her point have greater merit, "Besides, it's my duty to take care of the sick and wounded!"

Calming himself for a moment, Lunearc did indeed note that he no longer felt lightheaded, and that his rational mind had returned to him. Perhaps an apology was in order…

"You're right. You did a good job healing me up and nursing me back to full health. But please, no more force-fed water. I can drink on my own."

Looking away from the rowdy girl, Lunearc turned forward, catching the attention of Chrom, who instantly commented on Lunearc's appearance.

"Ah, Lunearc. You're looking less pale than before, and your wits seem to have returned. Maybe you've come to your senses about the offer extended to you, as well?"

"You.. mean the tactician role? I… I think I… Erm…" Lunearc quietly froze, unable to speak.

Still unsure of his own intent in this matter, Lunearc struggled to formulate his response in words. There were valid reasons for him to join, that much was true, but… he still couldn't help but hesitate. He recalled so little about the world, tactics, swordplay, and nothing about himself. How could he make such an impactful choice under those conditions?

Taking part in a small group of skirmishes was one thing—he had merely chosen to help out in the heat of the moment. However, staking employment as a tactician would be a long term commitment. The only cases where it'd be short term employment would be if his plans failed horribly—causing many others to die, or if he died in battle himself. And he'd already come so close to death multiple times, did he really wish to test his luck even more?

Still petrified from the two paths laid out ahead of him, he could do little but sputter as both his mind and his eyes wandered. While doing so, he spotted a highly notable structure coming into view. From afar, it looked like a massive settlement, but the most extraordinary feature was the opulent castle, steeping far above the rest of the surroundings.

Finding this to be a good way to change the topic discreetly, he decided to ask about the location.

"Is that… the city known as Ylisstol?" Lunearc questioned, both for curiosity's sake as well as a way to distract Chrom from the topic at hand.

"Beautiful, isn't she? She's a place that is even better up close." Chrom responded, contentedly taking in the details of his home city as well.

Great, he took the bait. I can keep putting off the tactician decision for now. Now to ask more questions about Ylisstol to keep his mind away from it!

As a rather humorous side note, Virion had briefly been distracted from flirting with Sully upon hearing Chrom mention "beauty". Sully looked relieved that the torrent of flowery words had stemmed, but upon Virion learning that Chrom was not speaking about the allure of a woman, but instead of an architectural masterpiece, he had turned his attention back to Sully. She looked understandably furious at how brief the respite had been from the philanderer.

After laughing to himself, Lunearc kept the conversation about Ylisstol going. "So, as the capital city, I'd assume it's the largest this nation has to offer?"

"That would be a correct assumption. It isn't the only city in Ylisse, however. Many of the duchies inside the country have their own prized cities, but none can compare to our home." Chrom stated, giving a glowing review of his hometown.

"Ah, very interesting. I suppose it does make logical sense that the capital city would be the largest, but I'm certain such a thing wouldn't always be the case. Say, for example, if a city has a major historical significance yet a poor geographic location." Lunearc pointed out, listing off a random tidbit of knowledge that he had somehow been able to retain.

"Ylisse certainly isn't lacking in either of those quantities. It's been the home of the royal family for over a thousand years, and by now I'm sure you've noticed the fertile fields surrounding it. It has history and satisfactory geography both." Chrom revealed, giving great reason as to why the capital of Ylisse was Ylisstol, and how that was a fact that would likely never change.

"Yeah, I've seen enough sheep to last a lifetime, that's for sure. Granted, one is too many, but that's neither here nor there." Lunearc acknowledged, mentally flashing back to all of the woolly mammals seen so far. Far too many.

"Right, I think we all realized your distaste for sheep after that multi-minute rant of yours." Chrom teased as he revealed that Lunearc had made that fact well known.

"...Haha, that wasn't something I said while I was dreaming, after all? I must have been more out of it than I thought." Lunearc stroked the hair on the back of his head, slightly embarrassed about how he had acted, "But enough about that. I believe you mentioned that duchies exist in this realm? Does that also imply the existence of dukes and or duchesses?"

"Correct. Though sometimes I wish they didn't, they can be quite difficult to deal with when they find something not to their liking… or if they want special treatment… or any other variety of banal gripe they come up with." Chrom muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose during the end of his statement.

He must not be a huge fan of the nobility. I wonder why. Still, best not to get involved in the affairs of local politics with an uninformed opinion, as that's something I feel could go poorly very quickly.

"I sure hope I don't come across anyone like that!" Lunearc brightly responded with a noncontroversial opinion, beginning to lightly laugh.

"Hey now, it's not like all the noble families in Ylisse are that bad! Some of them, like Maribelle and her father—the Duke of Themis, are actually really kind and friendly!" Lissa inserted herself into the conversation, energetically asserting that Chrom had been too negative in his evaluations.

"That's true, Lissa. That family has always been one of the best in Ylisse. But the others… ugh." Chrom quickly agreed, adding an addendum to his prior statement.

"It is truly a shame that the Duke of Themis' lands border Plegia, for he has to deal with the brunt of the hostile foreign incursions." Frederick stated, giving an unfortunate fact about the proximity of Themis to Plegia, "It is impossible to patrol the mountainous border for invaders effectively, so it is not uncommon for bands of brigands to venture further into Ylisse, as you've seen with Southtown."

"And for that very reason, the Shepherds exist." Chrom reiterated, sporting a faint grin on his face.

Just like that, the topic had once again been naturally brought back to the Shepherds. Chrom was certainly keener than Lunearc had given him credit for being. It was only a matter of time until the question would show its face once more, and there was little Lunearc could do to avert it.

"It sounds like a noble cause." Lunearc expressed as he nodded his head to confirm his understanding to the others, fully accepting that he was going to be forced to give an actual answer to Chrom, thus deciding he may as well get out in front of it. "One you should recruit qualified people for, and not a random you find on the ground. But like I said before… I'm still giving it consideration."

That response seemed to be enough for Chrom, who nodded after the response was delivered, and respected Lunearc's boundaries enough to not breach any further into the subject, for now. He did seem slightly disappointed, but not at all dissuaded in his quest.

As the conversation dimmed, all that could be heard as the group traveled ever closer to Ylisse's gates in the morning was Virion's never-ending flirting.

Poor Sully.

….….….….….….

(12/23/2022) This was a pretty fun chapter for me to write, hope you enjoyed it!

I decided to post this today, and not have to worry about doing this on a possibly very busy Christmas Eve/Christmas Day!

Speaking of, Merry Christmas! This chapter can't really be classified as a Christmas special, even if I like to pretend it is.

An update on the previous Author's Note: I went ice skating for the first time, and managed to do a lap around the rink without having to fall over or stop! So that's pretty good. And, no major injuries beyond overworking some muscles. That's a win in my book.

(Let's not talk about how many times I had fallen over prior to that... haha!)

Oh, and I beat Sacred Stones a couple weeks back. Everyone lived this time, and guess who got the final kill? None other than Franz, the one who had been lost so many years ago. I still think it was a terrible mechanic to have those required holy weapons need an S rank weapon stat to use, as it penalized promoting late into the game. Because damaging the final boss basically was impossible without those.

And if it wasn't obvious from the final scene, I am indeed a fan of Kirby. Cute things are often terrifyingly strong in that universe.

Kirby Fans when they see a new "friend" of Kirby's:

"It might be adorable now, but just wait. It'll betray us all and turn into an abomination of the highest order. Just wait til we find out it's the final boss when it decides to backstab us…" .

Anyways, stay tuned for the next chapter: To be a Hero!