Hi again, everyone! Sorry about this extremely late update, but finals are finally over and I'm hoping to get back into a regular posting schedule. In this chapter we have Sully and Virion, complete with a bib and his hopeless philandering. Enjoy!

Chapter 8: Unwelcome Change

When Lissa opened her eyes, she gasped audibly. A young masked man had thrown himself between her and the monster, with his sword positioned defensively over the nape of his neck. The fighter was attempting to push the young man away with its axe, but the man held firm. He turned to see a slack-jawed Chrom staring at the scene, rather than acting to help them.

"HELP!" he yelled.

Snapping out of his stupor, Chrom charged towards the fighter, sword raised. At the same instant, the young man pushed back, spun, and they bisected the monster. It too dissolved into a cloud of purple smoke. As they both sheathed their swords, Chrom addressed this newcomer.

"That was quite an entrance. What's your name, stranger?"

The man turned to answer, but then fled at the sight of Robin and Frederick emerging from the gloom behind Chrom.

"Chrom, what the hell are these things?!" Robin cried frantically.

"I've no idea, but they certainly aren't friendly. We'd better kill them, just to be safe." Chrom replied, redrawing Falchion.

"Chrom, we should take cover in those towers. They'll limit avenues of approach and offer significant boosts to our combat." Robin remarked.

"Right then. Frederick, come with me, we'll secure this one here. Robin and Lissa, take that one over there" Chrom ordered, signaling to the two respective towers that the parties were to hold.

"Right!" Everyone chorused.

As Robin and Lissa made their way towards their tower, two more figures came crashing through the woods. The first to appear was a cavalier clad in crimson armor and short, spiky red hair. She had a blunt, no-nonsense demeanor about her and carried a bronze lance. Pursuing her desperately was a rather strange nobleman wearing an overlarge bib and carrying an iron bow. He appeared to be attempting to seduce the cavalier, who was obviously fed up with him.

"Sully! Over here!" Chrom called, attempting to draw her attention.

"Chrom! I'm coming!" Sully responded. "All right, you ash-faced freaks! Which one of you am I gonna stab first? I know just where, too, shoved right up your-"

"Hold on!" The strange man interrupted. "Leave the war to the warriors, good lady, and-"

"Move, Ruffles." Sully interjected. "I can fight as well as any man, let alone a man with a bib."
"Well now!" The man yelled indignantly. "I'll have you know, this is a CRAVAT!"

"And I really don't care! I've got to help my friends slaughter a bunch of monsters, so I really don't have time for your philandering!"

"Pray, at least tell me your name."
"I'm Sully. I'm also a Shepherd."

"'Sully,' Simply divine! I am Virion, known far and wide as-"

"SHUT UP ALREADY!" Sully yelled, proceeding to roundhouse kick Virion, sending him sprawling onto his back. Turning back to the battle, she remounted her horse and rode over to Chrom's tower. Robin proceeded to cleave a Mercenary in half and blast it away with a surge of lightning magic. As the Shepherds grouped, a large fighter sporting a hand axe blundered out of the forest and hurled its weapon at Chrom. Chrom deftly rolled to his left, narrowly avoiding the whirl of steel. As he looked up, he saw the gigantuan monster barreling towards him, presumably to tackle and beat him to a pulp. Scrambling frantically, he stood and poised Falchion to strike at the beast's neck, but it fell before it reached him, impaled by three different weapons. Frederick, Sully, and the masked man from before had all come to Chrom's rescue by killing his assailant.

Sighing, Frederick dismounted, gave the masked man an approving nod, and turned to Chrom. "That seems to be the last of them." He remarked. Gesturing to the masked man, he continued "This young man took care of the others.

Addressing this new arrival, Chrom added "Your efforts are much appreciated, friend. My sister owes you her life, and I am grateful for that. I never did get your name, may I have it now?"

"You may call me...Marth." he responded.

"I also never got a chance to thank you before" Lissa chirped. "So...Thank you. You were very brave."

Nodding in recognition, Marth turned back to Chrom. "This world is teetering on the brink of calamity. What you saw tonight was but a prelude. you have been warned." Turning on his heel, Marth walked swiftly into the forest and was swallowed by the gloom.

"Hold on! What's teetering where now?" Lissa exclaimed. "WAIIIIT!" But no answer came to Lissa's call.

"We should continue moving towards the capitol, milord." Frederick said, breaking the silence.