AN: So... I lied... Well, not really... never mind, yeah, I did. I guess I didn't learn my lesson when I said updates would come sooner. School and my laziness are my main problems. Not to mention me starting up my new series: Werewolf in Ylisse. Shameless promotion, I know. But hey, it seems to be doing fine considering it has only two chapters.
In all honesty I'm afraid my update will drown soon after it gets posted. With Fates out there are so many new stories being posted every time I check for new updates. So I just decided to just throw it out there and hope for the best.
By the way, the main reason I haven't posted a new chapter for WiY is 'cause I'm having difficulties writing dialogue for Maribelle. I don't want to make her seem too casual or too stuck-up, and can't seem to find a balance. If someone can PM me a few tips on writing her I'd be grateful.
Another thing you should know before reading this. There were long breaks in between writing this chapter, so if there are problems or things that don't add up feel free to PM me or let me know in the reviews. And know that I'll be rewriting/fixing a few other chapters (mainly chapter two, titled "chapter one") so I don't cringe as much as I do know when reading them over. Other than that, there's not much else to say. I'll see you next update
The Shepherds stared at the dead bodies of bandits lying in the alley. There was no doubt that this was where all the bandits previously attacking the village ended up. Staring into the alley, Chrom was suddenly glad Lissa wasn't called to join the rest of them, and then grimaced at the grisly sight.
"I guess that takes care of one part of the problem." Robin admitted, now looking away. "Now we just need to take out the ones on their way to the village." Shaking his head to focus himself, he began to think of a plan to deal with the reinforcements.
'They don't know that their allies are already dealt with,' he thought eyeing the bodies for a second before returning them to look at the ground. 'Which would make a simple ambush the easiest plan of action to take.'
"Alright everyone," he said, drawing everyone's' attention. The Shepherds all looked to their tactician, faces in different states in reaction to the conditions of the bandits. From the steel-like indifference of Frederick, to the pale shocked look of Sumia.
"I have a plan."
The Other Way - Chapter Fourteen
A cold wind ran through the quiet village as eight bandits carrying various weapons entered it. They thought nothing of the ominous silence as they strolled through with an air of confidence, eager to regroup with the rest of their brigand. Taking note of a few buildings previously set on fire almost completely reduced to ashes, some grinned in pleasure. Another successful haul, some of them thought.
They weren't sure what those Grimleal freaks wanted with so many hostages —actually they had a good idea what, they just didn't want to think about it— but as long as they got paid they weren't going to ask questions. And if a few were killed along the way because of their boss' habits…
They weren't going to argue with the guy. Roddick just didn't seem to be the type that was completely there to some of them.
It was just… the farm threats tend get old after the third time he monologues. Sometimes he was almost as bad as those Grimleal they dealt with. Almost.
One of the bandits, a mage, finally began to feel that something wasn't right. "Uh, guys? Don't you think this looks a little suspicious?" He asked nervously, fidgeting with the old fire tome he held.
"Don't be such a wimp," snorted another bandit, "there's nothing wrong with a little silence in a village that's currently being attacked by bandits."
Slowly the small group slowed to a stop, finally paying closer attention to the eerie silence.
The bandit previously talking continued, ignorant of the growing unease of his comrades. "Just because we haven't seen or heard any sign of our group since last night doesn't mean that they're probably dead, leaving us, a smaller group better off protecting our camp, completely at the mercy of whoever killed them."
Now the other bandits were openly sweating in fear. The words sounding too true to the current situation. A few of them were gripping their weapons tightly, their eyes darting around to try and find any signs of the main group.
Still, the bandit continued his scolding of the mage. "If that were the case, the chances of us walking right into a trap the moment we stepped into the village would have been a hundred percent. But that's ridiculous."
Then he stopped to actually think about it.
"Oh cra—"
"ATTACK!"
With the command Robin launched an elthunder bolt to the bandits, followed closely by Miriel's elfire and volley after volley of arrows from Virion. Next the mounted units of the Shepherds charged, riding through the empty streets to gain enough momentum to separate the panicking bandits before they could group together.
An archer tried to return fire, but his concentration was interrupted by way of a lance heading his way. Donnel's eyes never wavered as his arm thrust out, having spent a majority of his time while waiting for the bandits convincing himself that he could fight. Accompanying the villager, Chrom slashed at a nearby knight armor-wearing bandit, and grimaced when Falchion simply slid off the heavy armor with no effect.
That grimace quickly turned into a blink of surprise when the armored bandit was suddenly batted away.
"Havin' a tough time Chrom?" Grinning at the surprised prince, Vaike hefted his hammer onto his shoulder. With the report of there being heavily armored units, Robin had suggested that the blonde should use a hammer and focus on them.
He definitely did not lose his axe… maybe.
Suddenly there was a hiss as an arrow flew through the air. Before Vaike could even react when he heard it, a blur formed in front of him. The sound of metal slicing through the air was closely followed by an arrow falling harmlessly to the ground, cut clean in half.
"Pay attention!" Lon'qu lectured, never taking his eyes off the enemy, his Killing Edge already poised to strike again.
"Tch." Clicking his tongue in annoyance Vaike simply waved off the warning with his confidence, much to Lon'qu's very own annoyance. "They got a lucky shot."
Chrom rolled his eyes at his friend's confidence, smiling briefly before he focused on the battle once again. It seemed like the bandits were forgetting about safety in their panic, and were just blindly attacking anything that moved. He was thankful that within nearly a minute since the ambush began the number of bandits were already cut in half, with the rest injured in some way.
Not forgetting the person he was paired up with, Chrom turned to look in Donnel's direction as Vaike and Lon'qu went on ahead. For a moment he was worried that the young villager was going into shock, but he was proven wrong when Donnel tore his gaze from the dead archer, looking no less sure of himself than he had before.
Still, he had to make sure. "Are you okay Donnel?"
Letting a small smile flicker to his face, Donnel put an end Chrom's concern with a simple: "Yes Sir."
With a nod the prince turned to face the remaining bandits, giving Donnel a sidelong glance. "Let's finish this up then shall we?" Given the recent events, Chrom found himself wanting to offer Donnel a chance to join the Shepherds. The young villager had gained his respect with how he handled himself in a battle. And so what if he wasn't trained in the ways of battle? That's what they had Frederick for. Lon'qu could help too, he did train Darren didn't he?
Unknowing of Chrom's plans, Donnel simply nodded.
Robin sighed in relief as the battle began to wind down. Placing his tome back into his coats pocket, the tactician watched as the last bandit was taken out by a coordinated attack between Sumia and Chrom. Not too far from him Miriel and Virion put away their own weapons of battle.
The village was finally safe.
"As expected of the beautiful Sumia to end this battle with a magnificent strike." Virion exclaimed as the ranged members of the Shepherds approached the rest of the group.
Turning a light shade of red at the praise, Sumia answered modestly. "I-I didn't really do—"
Or at least tried to.
"Bugger off, Ruffles." Said Sully, frowning from atop her horse. Beside her Stahl rode on silently, his mind too preoccupied with thoughts of their next meal to speak up for his fellow male. He hadn't gotten to eat much this morning; from having to wake up early, pack up his tent, and immediately set off on their march. The most he'd eaten was a few slices of bread he managed to swipe before they left.
Taking the threat in stride, Virion turned to face the redhead as she dismounted. "Ah my dearest Sully. You need not worry yourself, for you are still the most beautifu— urk!" Unfortunately for the Archest of Archers it was hard to talk with a knee in his stomach, and he crumpled to the floor in the most dignified way he could manage.
"I don't care."
"T-though your w-words may say so, y-your actions say otherwi— eee!"
By then most of the Shepherds had turned away from the two. With the exception of Sumia, who was trying in vain to save Virion from his unfortunate end, and Donnel, who simply watched with wide and confused eyes.
A minute or so later the group came to the conclusion that they should search the area for the villagers who'd escaped the raid. With Sumia's help on her pegasus, they found out that several small groups were heading in the direction of a small barn on the outskirts of the village which had remained unharmed.
Arriving at the barn a short trek later Chrom, his sister, Frederick, Robin, and Donnel walked up to the entrance.
"Hello?" Chrom called out. He was met with silence. "We're not here to hurt you." He tried again. "The bandits in the village have been taken care of." Still there was silence.
"Ma?" Donnel called out hopefully. "It's me Donny, the Shepherds 'ere really did take out the bandits."
There was a shuffling from behind the barn doors, followed by hushed voices. A few seconds later the large wooden doors slowly opened, revealing an older-looking woman poking her head through the opening. Her eyes quickly landed on the familiar sight of her son. With a cry of relief the woman shoved the rest of the door open and enveloped Donnel in a relieved hug.
"Oh Donnel," she sobbed into the villager's shoulder, "I was so worried about you!"
"Aw, Ma. It's all fine now."
"A-and your father? Is he all right too?" All of a sudden she began to visibly worry about her husband.
"Pa's fine Ma." Donnel hurriedly assured, then gave a small grin. "He's just tired right now."
The mother gave a shuddering sigh of relief that both of her family members were now safe. "Thank Naga…"
"Your husband is a brave man." Chrom complemented, a warm smile on his face. He turned to where Stahl was bringing in the tired form of Donnel's father. "Donnel told me he chose to fight the bandits in order for everyone to escape."
Stahl lowered the father to the ground slowly, and with the aid of Donnel and his mother, the older villager was soon back on his own feet. Even with Lissa's healing Donnel could tell that his father was still drained from his earlier battle.
"Donnel?" The words were soft coming from the old villager, a testament to his exhaustion. "Are you alright?"
"Yeah Pa, everything's fine now."
"Good, good." Assured that his family was safe, the villager suddenly tipped forward, only saved from hitting the ground by a confused Donnel who caught him.
Panic initially swept through those gathered, until a loud snore quieted everyone. It appeared that his fatigue caught up with the old villager. Donnel laughed at his father, a goofy smile on his face. This caused the comatose villager to mutter something incoherent about how an angel protected him.
"I'm afraid that due to our schedule we can't help you rebuild your village." Chrom said to the gathered villagers once they all exited the barn. The Shepherds were due to head back to Ylisstol once they had the alliance with Ferox. And so they had to make sure to get there as quickly as possible.
One of the villagers waved away the apology. "Don't worry about it. Taking care of the bandits was more than enough for us." Other villagers murmured their agreements.
"I see. We'll be heading off then." With that, Chrom gave the Shepherds the order to be on their way to Ylisstol.
Only for Chrom to stop in his tracks a few steps later and turn around.
"Actually Donnel," he said, prompting the villager in question to turn his attention to the prince.
"You see, I've been meaning to ask you something…"
After spending some of his time in the frozen lands of Regna Ferox, Darren came to a sudden realization that he'd surprisingly never made before.
The deserts of Plegia were freakin' hot.
Before he knew it was supposed to be hot, that was common sense. But as he was running across the vast ocean of sand again, he could tell just how much of a difference there was from his last visit to now. Before he felt it was warm at best.
Now he was pretty sure he was cooking.
"Ahh, this is great."
Grima on the other hand, was clearly enjoying it. While he was sitting in the shade for a short break from running, the dragon flew lazy circles in the sunlight.
"I honestly can't understand how you can enjoy this." Darren said dryly.
"I don't understand how you can enjoy the cold." The dragon shot back. After nearly freezing himself in Regna Ferox on multiple occasions, he was finally able to get comfortable in the heat. "Besides, it probably has something to do with how I'm cold-blooded."
Darren snorted in annoyance and tugged at his hood. He could feel his clothes begin to stick to his back and it was a very uncomfortable feeling. For a few hours the two had been travelling the desert, with short breaks in between to regain their energy. With the lack of encounters from Risen or Plegian patrols, Darren should probably be grateful. But instead he found himself being bored.
"Where are we going again?"
"Grimleal churches."
"Right, how much longer 'till we get there?" If he continued staring at the desert for any longer, he was pretty sure he was going to go mad. Probably not evil-Grima style mad, but close. Maybe.
"At the rate we're going," Grima mused, expanding his senses to their location, "we'll arrive by nightfall." It was a useful thing that Grimleal areas emitted large amounts of the ancient energy the two used. Grima was able to pick up on them since they acted like homing beacons.
Darren stood up and stretched, might as well keep going. He set off at a jogging pace, grimacing at the sudden onslaught of heat that attacked him. "Are you sure that taking out Grimleal this early on is a smart idea?"
The fell dragon took off after his partner and landed on his head. Somehow the perch became one of his preferred spots to rest. "The less Grimleal there are, the less we'll have to deal with later on." He answered darkly. "And the less influence they have on towns and such the better." Suddenly a toothy grin spread across his face, and his voice switched to a more teasing tone. "Why, getting cold feet?"
The human snorted. "As if. I was just curious." Darren picked up the pace. Soon the two were once again speeding across the desert with ease. Bounding over sand hills and riding down the slopes to their destination.
The moon was just about to rise when the two finally made it to the Grimleal station. The outline of the church was barely visible in the darkness. Further beyond it lay a couple small villages only visible by distant torch light.
Squinting to see in front of him, Darren studied the building. It's silhouette looked fairly large. It either had two floors to it or just a fairly large ceiling. Which seemed to beg the question: how many enemies are there inside it?
"Can you sense anyone inside?" He asked.
Grima's red eyes glowed dimly in the darkness, narrowing slightly as he focused on the building. After a few seconds the dragon sighed disappointedly. "None that I can feel, the energy surrounding the place hides anything inside." The same thing that brought them there was acting as a double-edged sword.
Darren frowned momentarily, before he accepted that they were going in blind and sighed in acceptance. "So, are we going in stealth-mode or just charge in without a second thought?"
"Since when has charging in ever worked out?" A perplexed Grima asked.
"We've been doing that nearly every time we fought…"
The dragon snorted. "That was against Risen, there's a difference."
"I'm pretty sure that that's bull—"
A third voice startled Darren enough to abandon his rude retort, making him jump. From atop his head he also felt Grima stiffen in surprise.
"Uncle? Is that you?"
"Eh?" Both of them whirled to where they heard the voice. "Lucina?!" Darren loudly whispered after stopping himself from nearly yelling. Grima gaped at the future Exalt in silent shock.
Lucina approached the two from the direction of the village. Though it was difficult to see her completely, with what little moonlight there was, they could see that she had a small relieved smile on her face. One of things that clicked in Darren's mind was the fact that Lucina wasn't wearing her mask. She instead was wearing a cloak; most likely used for the purpose of travelling in the desert. "It's good to see you again uncle," she then nodded to the dragon on top of said uncle's head, "Grima."
"L-Lucina." Grima responded with shaky breath after somewhat getting over his shock.
"What're you doing here Lucina?! Shouldn't you be heading to Ylisse?!" Darren knew that the assassination attempt in Ylisstol wasn't too far from now. He had no idea what Lucina was doing here in Plegia of all places.
Lucina tilted her head slightly to the side. "I'm here to help you clear the Grimleal base." She answered as if it was the most obvious thing. "I arrived here earlier in the day and stayed in the village. I was honestly worried that you wouldn't arrive."
"B-but what about the assassination attempt on Chrom and Emmeryn?" Darren spluttered. "And how did you even know we were going to be here?!"
Grima cut in before the bluenette could speak up, lightly smacking Darren with a wing. "She's from the future you goof, she has her reasons." He turned to Lucina. "You do have a reason right?"
"Of course."
"See Darren? She knows what she's doi—"
"I'm here to help."
For the second time that night Darren and Grima froze.
"You're-here-to-what-now?" Darren eloquently asked.
Blue brows furrowed at the pair. "I don't see how this would be difficult for you to understand. Why else would I be here?"
"I-I just, wasn't expecting you here. And it's kinda dangerous." Darren admitted numbly, Grima nodded after to show he shared similar thoughts.
This was his first time attempting an attack on a Grimleal base, and anything could go wrong. Darren then looked to the ground with a frown marring his face. "I mean, I know you can handle yourself, you proved that already in Ferox. It's just, I want you to stay safe." He looked back to Lucina, and then joked, "Plus Chrom'll kill me if he somehow finds out you got hurt while in my care."
Lucina let out a sigh. "Honestly uncle," she chided softly, "It's fine that you worry about me, appreciated even. But as you already know I can take care of myself."
"Yeah yeah, I get it."
"This isn't the first time I have joined you on a mission like this after all."
"Yeah yeah, you—what?"
"Yes Uncle, you heard me correctly."
Darren visibly struggled with words as he stared incredulously at Lucina. Oddly enough Grima was chuckling—albeit nervously. Finally after taking a breath to get his bearings, and shooting a quick glare to Grima, he faced the princess again.
"So let me get this straight," he began, "I, the other me, took you—a younger you in fact—to Grimleal bases before?"
"Correct."
"Oh geez." Feeling suddenly light headed, Darren sat down with a hand rubbing his temple.
"Looks like you were quite the model guardian back then huh?" Grima teased.
"Quiet you. You didn't exactly seem to have been the 'voice of reason' back then either."
Lucina let out a small smile as she watched the two in front of her continued their bickering. It almost made it seem like she had never left her old home. 'They never did change.' She mused, comparing the two in front of her to the two from her memories.
Grima and his partner ended their verbal sparring match soon after, ultimately deciding it was a draw. "We should get started now," he said, flying over to the top of Darren's head, "the Grimleal aren't going to take out themselves."
"Give it a few years and they just might." Darren muttered, referencing the events of the future. "So, what's our plan of attack?"
Grima blanched. "Of course you wouldn't have an idea."
"Of course I have plans!" Darren replied indignantly. "There's plan A: Attack, where we can just go in guns blazing."
Lucina seemed obviously leery of the idea. "I'm not sure about that uncle. We are going in blind after all."
"Right. Well, I liked plan B better anyways…"
'Plan B' was essentially the approach one would expect to take in a situation like this. Where they would sneak around taking out anyone inside the building as quietly as possible. Being the safer of the two options, it was obvious which was picked.
'Plan A of course.'
"Stop that." Grima growled, retrieving a wing recently used to smack his partner upside the head.
"Alright alright, sheesh."
The group split up. Grima once again took off into the air and went on ahead. The fell-dragon was to work as both a scout, getting an estimation on the amount of Grimleal there were, and as an assassin, attacking any groups or individuals with higher threat levels.
Lucina was to enter the building (unseen of course, if she could help it) and quickly meet up with Grima and assist in any way she could. She was as confident in her stealth abilities as much as she was with her mastery of her sword. Something undoubtedly gained ever since she started going on Grimleal hunts.
Darren winced at the thought. Just what was future/past him thinking?! Taking a young Lucina on Grimleal hunts of all things! Well, maybe he had a good reason. He'd never know now.
Shaking his head to prevent himself from spacing out, Darren focused on what he was going to do. He was going to the front entrance of the Grimleal church. Not the safest or smartest of choices, yes, but it was the easiest place of entry. With any luck it wasn't heavily guarded or watched. It shouldn't be. Why would a church in the middle of a few small desert villages be that cautious?
Anyway, he was glad that Grima was going in first to survey the place. Darren himself stood silently by the large metal doors that was the entrance, fidgeting from a mixture of nerves and excitement while he waited for the 'okay' from Grima. This was apparently the first of many hunts he was going to partake in, so he blamed his restlessness on that.
There was a muffled sound behind the doors followed by a thump. Darren immediately tensed. A quick hiss of metal sliding on metal later and his wrist blades were fully extended and ready to strike.
The partner of Grima wasn't sure if he was relieved or disappointed when it was Lucina who quietly pushed open the door.
"Uncle."
'Entrance is secured.' Grima chimed in.
Darren gave a half lidded stare into space. 'A little late.' He groused. With a wordless yet thankful nod to Lucina he entered the church. The inside looked a lot like one would expect from a church back on Earth, with its large walkway leading up to an altar. Along the sides were the rows of benches where those attending would normally sit. Leaning against one of these benches was a slumped over body not too far from the doors. A dark mage, and an apparently low-classed one too, from the tattered Ruin tome (if his memory served him correctly) discarded near his body.
"This shouldn't be much of a problem." He reasoned.
Lucina blinked, as if suddenly remembering something. Then her eyes widened in fear. "You shouldn't have said that." She nearly hissed.
Frowning at the suddenly panicking Lucina, Darren grew confused. "Why not?"
"Things never work out as planned when you say tha—"
"We've got company." Whatever the princess was going to say was cut off by Grima as he flew in from a hallway entrance at the end of the corridor. "A group of seven are on their way here."
While Lucina sighed in a way that gave the impression of it being a repeated action, Darren felt his eyes twitching slightly. "That's… unlucky."
Unaware of what had just happened between the two, Grima continued. "It'll be fine. You two can go on ahead while I take care of them." The miniature dragon then nudged his head in the direction of a second hallway opposite to the one he'd come from.
"Are you sure you can?" Was Darren's dubious reply. Already he can hear Lucina's footsteps making their way to the hallway Grima indicated. She clearly trusted him, but Darren was only making sure.
The dragon waved off the concern. "Of course I can. Now get out of here before they come."
Without another word Darren turned and sped off in the same direction Lucina went.
When the figures of the two humans were no longer in his sight, Grima glanced to the other door where the approaching Grimleal could be heard getting closer, then to the space surrounding him. Eyeing the various torches placed on the walls, Grima hummed in thought.
A dark pulse then emanated from the dragon's body, and the room was plunged into darkness.
The group of seven stood hesitantly at the doorway into the main room of the church. Something wasn't right.
Earlier that night one of their own had left to do their routinely patrol.
He never returned.
Normally this wasn't a cause for concern. The lad probably just went to bed, it was late after all.
But then another thought they heard voices coming from the main hall. Unrecognizable ones at that.
With each minute that passed without the return of their member their worry grew.
They had all come to the decision to go to investigate as a group. Just in case there was someone there.
And now as they stared into the normally lit —even if it was dim— room of the church, which was now pitch black with the exception of scarce moonlight.
They couldn't help but feel that they were right.
"Quick," one of the Grimleal at the front whispered to the ones behind him, "grab the torches on the walls. I can barely see a thing in there."
A moment of awkward struggling to detach a few of the torches later and the group walked into the large room. The light from their torches casted long and eerie shadows. Some of them even swore they saw the shadows themselves moving.
"It doesn't look like there's anythin' here." Said one of the older Grimleal stationed at the church. All of them were squinting their eyes in an attempt to see beyond the minuscule light they had.
"There has to be." Said another as he looked down a row of seats. "Something blew out the lights here, and I'm sure it wasn't the wind."
"You're right."
Upon hearing the disembodied voice that surrounded the group they all stiffened. Within moments their eyes were darting everywhere across the hall to locate the source of the voice. Several Grimleal bumped into each other in their frantic search.
"Do you have a moment to spare to talk about your lord and saviour: Grima?" The voice asked pleasantly.
Perhaps it was the sudden feeling of dread that was growing within each of the Grimleal, making them paranoid.
But they all thought for a moment that the darkness surrounding them was getting closer.
"Show yourself!" One of the Grimleal shouted, trying and failing to keep the panic out of their voice.
A pulse of darkness surged through the air in response to the demand. Had any of the Grimleal been in a controlled state of mind they would have recognized the energy signature to be the same one associated with their dark tomes. In the blink of an eye the only light sources the group had vanished, leaving them with the dim moonlight that could barely allow them to see their own hands.
None of the Grimleal dared to make a sound. Several of them had managed to take out their tomes, even if only for their own reassurance.
They all whirled to where a gasp was heard.
They were met by a pair of glowing red eyes.
Then slowly two more pairs revealed themselves, above and below the original.
"Because he's not very pleased with you."
The voice ceased being disembodied, and instead was focused on the beast hidden in the darkness.
The Grimleal only had a brief second of respite before the screaming started.
Darren looked back to the direction he'd left Grima. With a small shove he pushed the robed body of a Grimleal to the floor and withdrew his wrist blades. Around him several bodies were scattered on the floor.
It appeared that others also somehow figured out that there were intruders in the church. And if there were any who didn't already know this fact, the terrified screaming coming from the main hall sure would have.
Across from him Lucina sheathed Falchion calmly. While it was surely a surprise when a bunch of Grimleal burst into the room they were in at the time, the two of the recovered quick enough to fight back. In the enclosed space they were all in the spells the Grimleal launched were as dangerous to themselves as it was to them. Luckily the short space between the two groups made it so the two of them could close the distance in mere seconds.
It was also appreciated that apparently none of the church's occupants were physical fighters. A few of them pulled out knives but they clearly didn't know how to use the weapons.
"I'll admit," Lucina started, surveying the dead bodies strewn about, "that wasn't nearly as bad as it usually is."
"You're saying it gets worse with age?" Darren deadpanned.
"Yes?"
"Perfect."
Darren sulkily trudged past the bodies to the door the Grimleal came from. With a jerk the door flew open. He didn't move.
"Uncle?"
He didn't respond.
"Uncle?" Lucina's calls becoming a little more worried. She ran over to where her uncle was standing still, a hand held the handle for Falchion in case it was needed. Looking over his shoulder she saw something she wasn't expecting.
A risen stared back at them. If anything it looked like it was surprised to see them. There was no armor on the undead, in fact it had no visible weapons whatsoever.
With a moan it lurched to its technical cousin, hands reached out and making a grasping motion while snapping its teeth.
Lucina had barely enough time to pull Darren out of the way when she finally broke out of her confused state.
"Watch out Uncle!"
A quick cleave later the risen toppled to the floor, then dissipate after a few seconds.
Darren watched all of this with rapidly growing confusion. "W-why was there a risen here?" The question was left out in the air since neither of them apparently had an answer. Shakily the male teen got to his feet from where he had been pushed to the ground. With cautious steps he walked to the door again and walked into the next room.
On an otherwise empty table lay a closed book and a paper with writing beside it. Curiosity forced his nerves back into line. He picked up the paper, but unsurprisingly he wasn't able to read the native language of this world. He frowned at the reminder of his illiteracy in this world, and planned to eventually fix that problem. In the meantime…
"Um, Lucina, could you—"
"On it Uncle." The paper was handed over to the only person in the group of three that could read what was on. As Lucina read the paper Darren reached for the closed book still on the table. It had a purple cover, signifying that it was of te dark magic tree. The symbol on the front didn't look like any he could remember. Turning the tome in his hand he could also tell that the material it was made of seemed relatively new, unlike the tomes the Grimleal were using.
"Ah." The blue haired princess was staring at the book as if she finally recognized what it was.
"What is it Lucina?"
"I wasn't able to recognize it at first, it being a few years since I last saw one. But I do believe that what you're holding is one of the first Risen-summoning tomes." Suddenly the book seemed a lot heavier in Darren's hand. "They were used often by the Grimleal, before the corrupted version of Grima was revived and wiped out most of Plegia." Lucina frowned in thought. "Though I wonder why one was sent to this particular church."
At a loss for words Darren summarized what he was told in a quick and simple:
"Oh."
Tearing into another dark mage who dared oppose him Grima could feel the more basic instincts of his draconic lineage taking control. He felt an odd desire to simply indulge himself in the chaos he made, but instead reigned them in and kept himself in check. It wouldn't do to let such things happen. Even if it wasn't on the same level, Grima didn't want to be like his crazed counterpart. And he did want to make allies in this world after all.
Darren was nice, and he cared for the young lad, but the dragon also knew that once they eventually meet up with the Shepherds he would start trying to make new friends. And so would he.
He fired an energy blast at another Grimleal, the ball of darkness colliding with and overpowering a Ruin spell. The user was killed, though in a less gruesome manner now that he was controlling himself more strictly.
The Grimleal had somehow managed to relight one of the torches shortly after Grima began his attack, revealing his form for them to bear. They had seemed shocked at first, but that wore off after they remembered that they were being attacked. Some of them were begging for forgiveness for whatever they had to displease their god, while others refused to accept him as the being they worshipped.
He ignored all of this now, and just focused on eliminating them. The dragon was making use of his ability to change size and the limited vision the Grimleal had. He would disappear back into the shadows, resume a smaller form, and attack from a different angle than from what he was using before. The Grimleal were unable to land a single hit on him like this.
Not that there would be any actual danger if he was hit by one, but he still wanted to project an image of complete superiority. And that nothing the Grimleal could do would harm him.
Within little time there were eleven bodies on the church floor. Most had been part of the original group, while the few that also joined were possibly the loners.
'I'm finished over here Darren, anything on your side?'
The response from his partner was rather nervous sounding.
'Erm, does finding a Risen summoning tome count?'
Grima blinked. Once, then a second time. 'Probably, yes. Those actually exist?'
'According to Lucina, and the book in front of me, yeah, they do.'
While having suspicions that there was a way to summon and control the reanimated warriors, Grima hadn't been exactly sure what method would have been used. The idea of a tome being capable of summoning Risen didn't sit well with him.
'Were we by ourselves I'd say we go and hunt down more Grimleal.' He said after a moment of thinking. 'The thought of a large amount of those tomes being used by the Grimleal honestly worries me. But since we have Lucina with us we should start heading back to Ylisse. Are you sure no one is left alive?'
'Absolutely. There were a few more that showed up, but they weren't a problem. We'll meet you outside.'
Their task of the first 'hunt' completed, the three soon met outside.
"So," began Darren as he stared at the dimly lit ground while frowning in thought. "How're we going to get to Ylisse? Grima and I can get there easily." His eyes briefly flitted over to Lucina then back to the ground. "It's probably been a long day for you Lucina, from having to walk here and wait for us, and I can only guess how tired you are. Walking there, even at a fast pace would take a—"
"It won't be a problem Darren. I can carry her on my back easily in a bigger form. That way she can get any rest she needs." Grima looked to the princess in question. "That is, if you accept."
Lucina gave a tired yet thankful smile. With a nod she answered: "Yes, I will, thank you Grima."
In a flash of darkness the dragon grew in size. Now large enough to accommodate for the weight of a human, Grima flew close to the ground.
"Best to set off right now."
In wordless agreement Lucina hopped on with the grace of memory, her arms wrapped around Grima's body. Within a few quick readjustments she was as comfortable as one could get while on tough scales.
Darren, who had dutifully looked away to avoid feelings he didn't want to feel toward someone who called him uncle, started their journey back with a run. Grima followed with gentle push of his wings. Very soon they were speeding across the dark desert. Cool winds greeted them instead of the heat of day.
Lucina found herself relaxing with the familiar experience of riding on Grima's back. With a small yawn she nestled her head in a groove between scales that she knew from memory. A few minutes of peaceful travelling later she was fast asleep.
They were so close. All of them had gathered the necessary amount of gemstones needed for Naga to send them back in time. It was just the simple matter of walking through the portal that would allow them to do so.
Then an army of Risen was deposited right in between them and the portal.
Even though it was so sudden and unexpected, her and the others reacted as quickly as possible. They set up a perimeter and fought, slowly moving through the ranks of the undead to get to their destination. But they were being overwhelmed. Their charge slowed to a stop and their perimeter shrunk under the pressure of the oncoming Risen.
A taunting laughter echoed through the air, sending shivers through the children of the Shepherds even in the midst of battle.
"And so here ends the human race."
Each individual that wasn't a Risen knew exactly who that voice belonged to.
The very reason why they had to go back in time, the very reason their parents were dead, and the very reason humanity was on its last legs. Grima. Or at least the twisted image of Grima. The monster descending from the clouds wasn't the one who helped raise them when their own parents died.
"Tiny ones, know that your struggle is futile."
None of them in any position to respond safely, they continued fighting.
The dragon laughed again at their efforts, enjoying their struggle with sadistic pleasure. "Know that it is time for all of you…"
Its jaw opened wide, exposing an endless tunnel filled with large sharp teeth. Even though they couldn't see it, the children knew what just about to happen. They fought and fought but there was just no end to the Risen.
"…to DIE!"
Two things happened at this time.
One: the world went dark for all of them. And two: an explosion sounded, followed by a blindingly bright light.
When their eyes adjusted they noticed how all the Risen stopped moving, and how a second dragon almost as large as the first was positioned in front of the latter.
"Pick on someone your own size." The newcomer growled, a second large blast of dark energy already forming in its mouth. Another explosion, followed by the roar of the enraged dragon who received it.
Suddenly the Risen closest to them began moving again. But this time they made no attempt to attack the second generation of Shepherds. Instead they parted and began fighting other Risen, steadily creating a pathway for them to go through. Looking closely their eyes would periodically flash blue.
"You all are going to have to get moving, Grima won't be able hold him off for long."
A few Risen parted, revealing one of the last people they would think of as a parent.
Darren smiled warmly at the assembled soon-to-be time travelers. "I'll make sure you get there safely. Now go! We don't have much time."
Not being ones to look a gift horse in the mouth, or disobey orders, they took off. Some through the air on their mounts or wings, while the rest ran on the ground. On their way Risen fought against Risen, and it was clear that the allied ones were losing ground. True to his word, Darren made sure nothing was in their way. Everywhere throughout the battlefield a shadow blew through enemy lines. A small explosion here, one over there, a whole group of Risen blocking their way were cut down in a flash.
Within little time they were all in front of the portal. Allied Risen surrounded them, providing as a last barrier.
Darren stood in front of them, not in slightest tired-looking despite how much he had moved, but he had a resigned look on his face. The smile he wore now was obviously fake.
"Hey, you guys should be heading off now. I won't be coming along."
This was met with various cries of disbelief and questions of "why not".
Darren shook his head and jerked his thumb in the direction of where the two dragons were locked in combat. "Someone's gotta take care of Grima." He joked. The fake smile fell off. "And this is something you guys have to do on your own. I believe you guys will succeed where I failed."
A loud crash was followed by the earth shaking.
"We're running out of time. Wished I could send you all off with an appropriate goodbye, guess this is all I can give.
Know that I care deeply about all of you, and Grima does too. Take care."
With solemn nods and two salutes from the more usually enthusiastic Shepherds, they all departed through the portal.
"Lucina, wait."
She stopped, and turned to face her uncle.
"Go to Regna Ferox, by the time you get there I should be Flavia's representing champion, but you already know my story. Help my younger self if you want. It'll benefit him as much as it will you."
She nodded.
"I will, Uncle."
Darren smiled, and reached over to pat her head. "Thank you Lucina. Goodbye."
She once again nodded and ran to the open portal.
"Goodbye, Darren."