(West of Ylisstol)
The sun was finally setting for the day, and the nocturnal creatures were starting to come out of hiding. However there was also something else out there, a female knight and her horse. The knight in question was a redheaded woman, sporting cavalier style armor that was colored red matching her hair. She sported a boyish appearance as she rode her white horse down the path, her face shaped into a displeased look.
"I knew I shouldn't have left them to give that report" she said to herself "They must have gotten caught up in something if there this late" she muttered. Continuing to talk to herself she didn't notice a man passing on the road in front of her. Taking a few more steps the man, who sported sliverish hair and a bow on his back slowly stopped. Turning his gaze back towards the female knight, watching her slowly trot away, he slowly started to follow her. The darkness of the night setting in as he did.
"See, I told you, it's dark already!" a voice shouted out, scaring a bird or two out of their trees. The voice belonged to Lissa, the young cleric of the group, who was complaining to Frederick, who in turned was waiting for her to finish her ranting patiently. "We could have stayed at the town, had a feast, and a warm bed. Now were out here with the bugs!" Lissa whined.
"Come on Lissa, it's not that bad" Ryan said to her, which in turn caused her to shoot him a glare.
"I hate bugs, there noisy, there disgusting, they crawl all over you and bite you when- "Agh!" Lissa said suddenly covering her mouth "Won goph n mah mouph!" she said into her hands before started to spit. To the three men with her, her reaction was a tad overkill, not that anyone was going to say anything. When she finished, muttering how she think she swallowed it Chrom spoke up.
"Aw come on Lissa, Ryan's right, besides hardship builds character-
"I think I've built up QUITE enough character for one day!" Lissa snapped at her brother raising her arms into the air at him. She then sighed, the exhaustion from Southtown reminding her of her exhaustion. Seeing this Chrom sighed himself and turned to Frederick.
"I think we should rest here for now, it's been a long day" Chrom said.
"As you wish milord" Frederick said as he got off his horse. Ryan couldn't believe his energy, or Chrom's, they had just tackled a group of brigands all by themselves, and only Lissa looked exhausted. Meanwhile he was aching all over a bit, his feet starting to kill him. However his thoughts died quickly as his stomach let off a loud gurgle, causing the group to look at him. Blushing, Ryan scratched the back of his head in embarrassment as Chrom and Lissa smiled at him in a teasing matter.
"Maybe we should think about food, I'm starving" Ryan said softly.
"Indeed, I believe a little hunting and gathering is in order" Frederick said "Now, who wants to clear a campsite?" he asked.
Lissa's hand shot up fast "I will, and Ryan can help!" she said standing next to the tactician "You two Spartans can go get food and firewood" she added. Frederick gave a concerned frown at her selection, mostly because that would leave her alone with Ryan, who he still didn't trust. However before he could voice his view Chrom stopped him, giving him a shake of his head, telling him it would be okay. Frederick seemed hesitate, but slowly he nodded back. Turning to follow Chrom he gave Ryan a sharp glance, his eyes clearly warning him not to try anything. With Ryan nodding fearfully to Frederick in response the knight smiled, content now that Ryan had been warned. From there Ryan and Lissa set out to work. Their work was short however, with Lissa pointing out a patch of dirt she had spotted a bit ago. Sitting down Ryan could tell she had learned to spot the easy work rather quickly. About half an hour later Chrom returned, carrying a few logs of firewood under his arms. A few minutes later they had a fire ready and burning, thanks to Ryan's thunder magic of course.
As the three engaged in small talk Frederick came back. To Ryan's shock and Lissa's disgust Frederick had dragged an adult bear back to them. Chrom however from what Ryan could see was joyed to see bear on the menu, apparently this wasn't his first time eating something… more unique. Lissa however looked ready to barf as Frederick prepared the bear meat for the rest of the group, cutting slabs off and hanging them near the fire. Ryan too was a bit repulsed at the idea of eating bear meat himself, however his stomach argued back to him rather loudly as it cooked. When they were handed there portions Ryan swallowed a bit, the scent of cooked meat entering his nostrils and making his mouth water, slowly he brought it to his mouth and chewed a bit off.
Chrom meanwhile was already eating it at a good pace, tearing off piece after piece as he dug in.
"Mmm… it's been so long since I last had bear meat, delicious" he said out loud. Glancing around the campfire his eyes slowly drifted to Lissa, who had not touch a single bit of her portion. "What's wrong?" Chrom asked her "Dig in".
"Pass" Lissa said with disgust moving her dinner away from her, he eyes glaring at Frederick "Gods couldn't you spear an animal normal people eat for once, I mean come on who eats bear?!"
"Come on Lissa meat is meat" Chrom said to his little sister, chewing off another piece.
"Since when does meat smell like old boots?!" she questioned "Wait I take it back, boots smell better, right Ryan?" she asked looking in his direction. Her expression quickly turned to a surprised one, finding Ryan, who she thought would feel the same was ripping chucks off his portion, with amazing vigor. Chrom laughed at that as Lissa's let out a sigh. "I suppose someone would enjoy anything when starving" Lissa muttered to herself.
"Every experience makes us stronger milady, even those we don't enjoy" Frederick lectured to the young cleric.
"Really?" Lissa questioned lowering her eyes a bit at his words, spying the meat in his hands, untouched "Then why don't I see you eating Frederick?" she asked. This caused the knight to swallow a bit at her question, before his face shifted to an uneasy smile.
"Me?" he questioned "Oh umm… I'm not hungry… I… I had a large lunch!" he said.
"Yeah right Frederick!" Lissa accused pointing a finger at him, not believing him in the slightest. Chrom and Ryan started to laugh a bit at his expense as the knight sighed in shame, having been caught red handed.
No one talked much after that as Chrom and Ryan finished up there portions, with the two reluctant members watching them in silence. A few minutes after Ryan looked towards Chrom and spoke up "Say Chrom, I couldn't help but notice your sword looks quite unique".
Chrom looked at him and smiled "Well you'd be right about that, this sword is one of kind, and its name is Falchion" Chrom said unsheathing it for him to look at.
It was truly a unique blade, the blade itself perfect, not a dull or wore out part to be seen. The hilt itself was a unique shape too, circular with a small gap in the middle, the handle red in color. On the center of its hilt Ryan could see words engraved on it as well, together they said "When all else is lost the future still remains". "Where on earth did Chrom get a sword like this?" Ryan pondered in his head.
Seeing his friends face Chrom spoke up "I received it in Ylisstol" he said "And right now I'm the only one who can use it" he added.
Ryan perked up hearing him say that "What do you mean?" he questioned.
Chrom smiled "I'll show you" he said getting up. Walking over to what was left of the wood he pulled out two small logs. Setting them down next to each other he took a fighting position in front of the log on his right. Then with a swing of his sword he sliced the log in two, a clean cut down the center.
"Wow… that's a sharp blade" Ryan said surprised how it tore through the log so easily like a hot knife through butter. Following that exhibition Chrom motioned Ryan up and handed him Falchion, surprised that he would relinquish his weapon to a stranger, or that Frederick wasn't voicing a complaint.
"Now you try" He said, taking a few steps back from him. Nodding slowly Ryan raised the sword finding it a tad heavy for him. With a shout he brought the sword down on the second log. To his shock the sword barely managed to crack the surface, like a blade that was dull and rusted.
"Huh… but you made such a clean cut a minute ago, maybe I'm not strong enough?" Ryan questioned causing Chrom to laugh hard for a second, along with a few giggles from Lissa. Seeing his confusion Frederick coughed a bit to get the siblings to quiet down a bit so Ryan could hear this.
"It's not strength that's the problem, it's that the sword has rejected you" Frederick explained "Falchion only lets people of exalted blood wield its full might. Even then the chances are slim. If one has the qualities to wield it the blade has the power to slice through things as strong as dragon scales. If not then the blade becomes as strong as a dull fruit knife".
"So that's what you meant by only you" Ryan said handing it back to Chrom, who sheathed it. "That also explains why Frederick didn't voice an objection to me taking your sword".
"You are correct" Frederick bluntly put it with a smile on his face getting more laughs out of Lissa and Chrom at Ryan's expense this time. Sighing Ryan sat back down along with Chrom when a question suddenly popped up in his head at Frederick's words.
"Hold on, you said exalted blood right, if so what does that make you Chrom?" Ryan asked starting to believe they were more than just mercenaries or vigilantes.
"Peace friend" Chrom said raising his hand "It will be easier to explain once we get back to Ylisstol, when we do all your questions will be answered, I promise" said.
"Yeah… besides" Lissa said yawning a bit "I'm getting tired".
"Agreed, we'd best get to sleep now, we have a lot of ground to make up tomorrow, so no sleeping in" Frederick said to everyone, causing Lissa to grunt a bit as she laid down. Ryan wasn't satisfied with their answers, but since he was getting tired too so he decided not to press it.
"I just hope Sully made it back with that report" Chrom said laying down too.
"Sully?" Ryan questioned.
"A fellow shepherd" Frederick replied "We sent her ahead to Ylisstol to give a report regarding the activity in the area" he said.
"I see… well I can't wait to meet her" Ryan said laying down as well. Soon Frederick did the same and the group of four slowly drifted off to sleep, the fire slowly dying out as time slipped by.
For the next few hours, the area remained peacefully quiet, the sounds of the night being the only thing the four could hear. However, slowly the sounds started to die out; the bugs stopped chirping, the birds stopped calling out every now and then. With the feeling of total silence being unnatural to Chrom's ears he slowly came too. The young man trained well to sense something was wrong with their surroundings. His expression turning serious he rose to his feet, shaking off his sleepiness quickly. He had only taken a few steps when Lissa groaned out a bit, her brother's footsteps in the dirt waking her up.
"What's wrong, big brother?" Lissa asked softly, yawning as she got on her feet.
"Sorry I didn't mean to wake you… but something's amiss" Chrom said looking around. With his vision adjusting to the dark he could see no one around them, so it wasn't bandits or night thieves. Yet everything had gone quiet, clearly something bad was afoot.
"Define 'something'?" Lissa asked him, shaking off her sleepiness as she walked up behind her brother.
"I'm not sure… I'll go take a look around" Chrom said taking a few steps forward before Lissa cut in front of him.
"Not alone you won't, I'm coming too!" she said her staff in hand. It was obvious to Chrom that she wasn't going to take no for an answer, and he didn't want to wake Frederick or Ryan unless they were truly in danger.
"Alright… but stay close" he replied to her, with her smiling back at him a bit. Slowly the two sneaked off from the campsite and into the trees. For a few minutes they walked further and further away, neither of them hearing any sounds as they walked.
"It sure is dark… and quiet… where did the birds go?" Lissa asked starting to get uneasy from the silent environment.
"Something's wrong here…"Chrom said turning back to face Lissa. They had gotten a fair distance from the camp already, and yet there was still no noises, whatever it was Chrom didn't want him or any of the group to be a part of it. "Let's head back to camp Lis- AGHHH!" He shouted loudly his sentence cut off as he struggled to keep his footing, the earth underneath them suddenly shaking violently. Lissa almost fell forward as the shaking started, Chrom barely managing to catch her as he held her close to him. Lissa meanwhile as holding her brother with a death grip, afraid she would lose him if they separated now. Both began to pray for it to end as the shaking only got stronger.
"W-what is this madness!?" Frederick said trying to keep his horse and himself upright. Seconds before the shaking happened Frederick and Ryan had been awakened by Frederick's horse. As they had tried to find out the source of its unrest the shaking had started, Ryan falling on his butt as it happened.
"Is it an earthquake!?" Ryan shouted as he tried to stand up.
"It can't be the Halidom never has earthquakes this strong!" Fredrick yelled back, looking back at him, Suddenly noticing that Chrom and Lissa were gone.
Back in the forest Chrom and Lissa felt the shaking starting to die down a bit, being replaced by a sudden sound of destruction. Chrom was the first to notice, seeing trees being moved aside as it came towards their location.
"Lissa run" Chrom said to her, causing the cleric to look at her brother, not getting an immediate response Chrom snapped at her "I mean it go!" he shouted pushing her as she took off, with him right behind her. Seconds after that the ground behind them started to rise up into the sky, revealing magma under it. Within seconds the landmass was engulfed by molten magma, with huge flaming meteors raining down from the sky.
Lissa who was in the lead was scared out of her wits right now. She didn't know where to go, the meteors falling all around her and Chrom. Very quickly the forest was being lite by multiple fires as the siblings ran for their lives.
"Hey this way!" Chrom shouted to his sister as they raced to the left now, Chrom having spotted an area of the forest not set on fire. Racing faster than before the pair quickly put as much ground as they could between them and the inferno that was forming off in the distance.
Back at camp the shaking had stopped and Ryan and Frederick could both see the meteor shower that had just occurred, thankful none of them had headed towards them.
"What the heck is happing?!" Ryan asked as Frederick quickly mounted his horse.
"I have no idea, but there's no time for talk, we must find milord and milady at once!" Frederick said in a panicked tone.
Hearing him say that Ryan looked around, realizing now that they were missing. Turning back to face the huge fire Ryan nodded, racing over and getting on Fredericks horse. With that the two galloped as fast as they could through the woods, both of them praying that the siblings hadn't gotten caught up in the flames.
Lissa was panting hard as she and Chrom caught their breath, having gotten away from the danger for now. Neither could believe what was going, or why for that matter, all they could say was that they barely escaped death, and were thankful to be alive. As Chrom looked towards the fire spreading on the ground Lissa looked up into the sky as she sat on her knees. Suddenly her eyes went wide.
"Chrom, what is that?!" Lissa said pointing to the sky. Looking up Chrom could see what had shocked Lissa so much. Thousands of specks of light were suddenly coming from nowhere and gathering in the sky. Then in a brief flash of light the sky from their point of view turned grey, and what appeared to be a giant eye suddenly opened in the sky. Chrom and Lissa stared at it in total awe, as well as fear for it was something beyond their understanding. Slowly however both began to notice something coming out of it, humans. Slowly they fell out of the giant eye in the sky, and fell to the ground with a huge thud, a short distance away from them. Slowly the siblings saw the humans rise to their feet, but as they did the humans started to moan and groan out to them, not sounding human at all. Then suddenly the creatures took notice to them, red eyes glowing in the darkness causing their blood to go cold. Chrom quickly regained his composure however as he saw them lumbering towards them, axe's in their hands.
"Lissa you better stand back" Chrom whispered to her as he drew Falchion, Lissa immediately following her brother's suggestion. As if on cue one of the creatures roared out, black vapor seeping out of its mouth. It then suddenly started to sprint towards Chrom, leaping into the air swinging its axe down on him. Thinking fast Chrom swung his blade dodging the creature's weapon and slashing it across its stomach. However the creature didn't fall, twisting its head to face him it swung at him again, Chrom barely blocking it in time. The two struggled against each other, Chrom unable to overpower it. Thinking fast he knocked the creature's weapon up and then shoved it to the ground. As the creature started to get up Chrom jumped up into the air, and impaled the beast in the back with his sword. The blow causing the creature to dissolve into a mass of purple and black vapor, leading Chrom to conclude it was finally dead.
He didn't have time to relax however as a scream suddenly entered his ears. Turning in the screams direction he turned wide eyed seeing his sister toe to toe with the second one. Her back to a rock, she was trapped, holding her staff out in front of her as a poor attempt to defend herself. Sweat coming down her face, Lissa could only watch in horror as the creature raised its axe. Seeing this Chrom rushed at them, panicking, seeing he wouldn't make it in time.
However at that moment something else started to come out of the giant eye in the sky. Unlike the creatures that came before it this being leaped out, landing a short distance to Lissa and the monster in front of her. Before Chrom could even understand what had happened the figure raced towards Lissa, a lot faster than Chrom at his best. Just seconds before the monster struck, the figure drew there sword and blocked the axe with it from behind.
Lissa in shock looked at the figure in front of her, though there wasn't much to see for one important reason. The person who saved her life had a butterfly like mask over there face, covering it. However she could tell the masked man had blue hair just like Chrom's as he held back the creatures axe with all his strength.
"Help!" The masked swordsman suddenly shouted to Chrom, who had been standing there staring at him. Snapping out of it Chrom nodded and charged, the minute the monster looked back at him the masked man broke away and in perfect synch with Chrom sliced it in two, both body parts dissolving before they could hit the ground.
Chrom checked on Lissa, thanking Naga as she was unharmed. With that outta his mind he turned his attention to the masked boy, who had just sheathed his weapon.
"Quite an entrance… what's your name?" he asked, the masked boy turning back to face him. However that question was quickly forgotten as Frederick and Ryan suddenly raced into the clearing.
"Milord, Milady, are you hurt?!" Frederick asked as Ryan quickly got off to check on Lissa who looked absolutely terrified.
"Were all right Frederick" Chrom said looking back at him.
"What were you guys thinking, leaving us behind like that?!" Ryan questioned as he looked at Chrom then turned back to Lissa, an angry look on his face. Seeing her shaking a bit however made Ryan drop the angry look as he turned to look at the sky, the eye still there.
"….So what is that?" he questioned.
"It's the portal…" the masked boy said to them, everyone looking at him as he redrew his blade "Get ready… more are coming".
Everyone turned back to the giant eye in the sky, their eyes turning wide as more and more of those creatures started to fall down to the earth from it.
"What in the hell is all that?!"
A short distance away from the battlefield a female red haired knight reached the area, and couldn't believe what she was seeing. A giant eye in the sky was one thing, but about twenty to thirty human like things falling out of it too, tonight was just getting weird. Regardless she didn't like the look of this at all one bit, especially when she saw a thunderbolt shoot out of the forest. Clearly there was a battle going on down there, and she wasn't going to abandon anyone who was facing those odds. Grabbing her lance she readied to charge down there and assist.
"Hold, Milady!" a voice suddenly shouted from behind her, almost making her jump off her horse. Turning around she saw that the voice had come from a silver haired man near the tree behind her. he was wearing what appeared to be noble attire combined with archer gear, a cravat around his neck, and a bow tied to his back. Seeing he had her attention he spoke up again, walking over to her "Life may be long, but attraction is fleeting, would you leave me in your sweet dust?!" he asked with a bow of courtesy at the end.
"The hell are you?!" The knight questioned. First of all she had no idea what the man was going on about, second what was he doing following her in the first place? Regardless she didn't have time to talk with him, not that he seemed to notice.
"Ha, is the ladies intrigued? Of course you are, it's only natural" the man spoke again. "I am myth and legend itself, I am he who strides across history's greatest stage! The man who puts the arch in archer, my name, dear lady, is-
"Sorry ruffles no time for this!" The red haired knight said, moving her horse around him. Before she could gallop away however the man suddenly got in front of her again.
"Virion! My name is Virion" he said quickly "Pray, at least give me your name?" he asked.
The red haired knight sighed with annoyance "I'm Sully, I'm a shepherd all right" she said hoping the man would now get out of her way since she answered him.
"Sully? How divine! A starkly beautiful name, as befits its owner. Truly." He said, suddenly taking one of her hands into his "Would you marry me, my dearest Sully?".
Sully just sat there, her jaw dropped for a minute, dumbfounded that this joker had just proposed, and they had only known each other for less than five minutes. Swiftly she pulled her hand away "You've got be joking?! And when I put my boot through your head, that's the punch line!" she snapped at him coldly, clearly not in the mood for his stupid antics. However all the man called Virion did was give her a gentle grin, not fazed by her reaction at all it seemed.
"I realize my manly figure and noble bearing can be overwhelming. Tis common!" he said his eyes shut as he talked "So please don't feel pressured to answer right a- OOF!" he suddenly coughed out as Sully kicked him straight in his pretty boy face, knocking him off his feet.
"How's this for an answer?!" she growled feeling a whole lot better now that she shut him up. "Listen ruffles, while you're playing wedding games, someone's possibly being killed over there, so quit wasting my time!" she snapped.
Virion groaned sitting up, rubbing his face where she kicked him "G-Goodness, those shapely legs certainly can kick…" he said as Sully started to move pass him "Wait milady! At least let me accompany you, at least!" Virion pleaded causing Sully to stop again.
"You even any good in a fight ruffles?" she questioned, her face telling him she was on her last nerve with him. There'd be no more chances after this.
"My lady, I have studied the art of archery since I was bit a wee boy! They called me noble Virion, the archest of archers! I have never missed a target-
"Fine! Anything to shut you up!" Sully shouted, not wanting to listen to all his boasting. Letting him get on her horse they started to head towards the battle, with Sully hoping she wasn't too late.
Meanwhile the battle with Chrom's group was intense, the shepherds were spread thin covering the huge expanse which was there battlefield. They were outnumbered, and the creatures were all attacking at once. Frederick and Chrom were taking the brunt of the enemy's attacks, sword and lance keeping the majority at bay. Ryan was in the middle, shouting orders, and combat formations, using his Thunder tome to pick off monsters when he saw chances. As for the masked kid, Ryan had placed him in charge of Lissa, since she didn't have a weapon to defend herself, and the boy was highly skilled. They were for the most part surrounded, and a single mistake could cost them their lives.
"Frederick, Chrom, fall back towards me or they're going to trap you!" Ryan shouted shooting lighting at the monsters as the two men heeded his instructions and retreated to his position.
However as they did an arrow suddenly shot out of the trees, nailing Ryan in the shoulder, the force knocking his tome out of his hands as he hit the ground in pain. Seeing this another one with an axe charged the fallen tactician, but he was easily thwarted by Chrom as he blocked his axe with his sword. Seeing his chance Frederick had his horse leap and plunge his lance into it, throwing the creature at its brethren as it dissolved.
"Damn, they have archers!?" Ryan grunted as he got to his feet as Lissa ran over to him, the masked kid taking out another one that had tried to attack her.
"Hold still I'll heal you!" Lissa said reaching for the arrow, but suddenly the masked kid threw himself on top of her, an arrow barely missing Lissa's head.
"Stay down milady!" he warned to Lissa as Ryan grabbed his tome and fired a blast of lighting, cursing under his breath as he missed the attacker by a few inches.
"Damnit… were not getting anywhere fast!" Chrom shouted as he kicked another one of the creature's back, Frederick making a swinging slash with his lance at them as well. Suddenly another arrow fired, nailing Frederick in the side, causing him to lose his balance and fall off his horse. Chrom in a panic turned to see if Frederick was okay, but seizing the chance another monster charged him. Ryan shouted out in warning but it was too late, Chrom had no time to block, the axe aiming straight for his head.
Seconds before impact however the monster was knocked out of the air, an arrow sticking in its head as it dissolved into nothing. Turning in the direction of the shot, everyone saw Sully, and the archer Virion jumping into the fray, the monsters turning to face their new adversary's.
"Captain Chrom!" Sully shouted to Chrom "Sorry I'm late".
"Sully!" Chrom said shocked but extremely happy she was here right now. Same for everyone else here, even though they had no idea who was riding on her horse with her.
"Urrgh" Ryan grunted gripping his shoulder as he faced them "Watch out, they have archers hiding in the trees!" he shouted.
"Oh, is that all?" Virion chuckled, quickly pulling an arrow from his quiver he let an arrow fly. The minute it passed the tree's the archer in question roared out before a thud was heard indicating a direct hit. Then with a swift motion he fired another arrow, nailing a second archer in the darkness.
"Such easy targets" Virion boasted, with Ryan grunting a bit at his cockiness.
"Guess it was a good thing I let you come along after all Ruffles" she said as the rest of the creatures started to charge them. Sully however wasn't going to sit still, making her horse leap, she jumped over the creatures, allowing Virion to pop another arrow into one as they did, Sully meanwhile slammed her lance down another creature's throat, dragging him along the ground as he dissolved off her weapon. Not to be outdone, Chrom reentered the battle too, taking out another one rather quickly. Joining him at his side was the masked kid who swiftly chopped off another one's head as it lunged for Chrom. With good combination and Sully and Virions attacks aiding them, they started to decrease their numbers rapidly. All the while Lissa was busy tending to Ryan and Frederick's injuries with her staff. By the time she had healed them both the pack of creatures had been exterminated, allowing everyone to breathe a sigh of relief as the ordeal was over.
"I'm glad you came back Sully" Chrom said as Sully got off her horse along with Virion. "We would have been in trouble if not for you, and your new friend here".
"I thank you for your most esteemed praise good sir" Virion said bowing to Chrom "You may refer to me as noble Virion, the archest of archers" he added at the end, Sully rolling her eyes in response.
"Let's get something straight here Captain, Ruffles here is not my friend, he just stalk me all the way here" Sully said, causing Virion to look at her with a hurt expression.
"My lady, you wound me, I simply wanted to express my love-
"Don't start that crap again ruffles" Sully glared, causing the noble archer to shut up quickly, fearing that he might get the boot again. "So… who are the new kids?" Sully asked pointing to Ryan who was sitting down, and the masked boy who was in a conversation with Lissa.
"The one with brown hair is Ryan, are newest shepherd, and tactician" Chrom said "As for the masked one, I don't know… at least not yet" Chrom added heading over to him, wanting his question from before answered.
"I just wanted to say… thanks for saving me twice today, you were really brave" Lissa said with a soft smile.
"It was no trouble milady" The masked boy said turning around to face Chrom, who in turn smiled as well.
"You saved my sisters life and for that I'm truly thankful, my name is Chrom… may I ask your's?".
"…. You may call me Marth" the young man said after a short pause.
"Marth? After the heroic king of old?" Chrom questioned "Well you certainly fight like a hero, where did you learn your way with a sword?".
"I'm not here to talk about me" Marth said turning away from the group "I'm here to bring you a warning… this world teeters at the brink of a horrible calamity, what you saw tonight was but a prelude… you have been warned". With those words Marth walked away, slipping away into the trees.
"Hey wait!" Lissa shouted to him "What's teetering where now?" she asked, but it was too late, Marth was already gone.
"Not much for conversation is he?" Ryan asked standing back up.
"It would appear his skills are need elsewhere" Frederick suggested "I wager we'll hear his name again… but for now I'm concerned about the capital, we should make haste".
"Agreed…" Chrom nodded to Frederick then turned to Virion "Tell me… Virion was it, do you have any plans?"
"No, is there a reason you ask me good sir?" he questioned.
"I think everyone can agree that your bow skills were crucial to winning todays battle, would you possibly consider joining the shepherds?" Chrom asked. This in turn caused Sully to stiffen up a bit and curse silently as Virion produced a smile.
"My good sir, I would be delighted, especially since it means I will get to spend time with you, my dearest Sully" he said with delight bowing to her a bit. Sully meanwhile was doing her best not to punch him in the nose.
Slowly the group of now six made their way back to the main road, avoiding the forest fire that was still going on. Having no choice but to let the fire die on its own the group continued along to the Ylissian capital of Ylisstol, Marth's words hanging over them as dawn slowly came.