Chapter 5: Oracle of Destiny
Robert yawned as he walked beside Lyn, watching his Charizard fly through the air using her wings. He had made sure to wake up bright and early so he can get some flight training in with Florina's help as a tutor before he made breakfast for the Legion.
Presently, at Lyn's behest, Lyndis's Legion was making its way towards Caelin, trying to make as much progress as they could. With confirmation that the life of Lyn's grandfather, Marquess Caelin, was now at stake thanks to the machinations of his brother, Lundgren, Lyn and her group were making rapid progress.
Florina was impressed by the fruits of Charizard's training so far. "Wow…! Charizard really seems to be enjoying herself!"
"She's a natural at it," Robert said proudly as he watched Charizard perform a loop. "So much so that she barely noticed my weight when I rode on her!"
"She also seems to be so much more agile than a lot of wyverns I've seen," remarked Lyn.
"Agile? How so?" queried Robert.
"I've seen Bernese wyvern knights train at the mountains before since Sacae borders Bern," explained Lyn. "Wyvern knights are fast in the air but seem to prefer flying in a straight line. They also seem to be a little slow when they have to change directions."
Florina nodded at Lyn's words. "I've heard about the wyvern knights, too, from my sisters."
"Sisters?" queried Robert.
"I have two older sisters," replied Florina. "Farina and Fiora. They're both pegasus knights and they're both much more experienced than I am."
"Ah, right," Robert thought to himself. "Farina and Fiora. Alas, in the game, they're only met after Lyn's whole story arc ended. That said, wouldn't hurt to find out if we can get their help now."
"Hmm… where are they at?" Robert asked Florina. "Their help could be really useful to us."
Florina thought for a moment before she answered, shaking her head. "I-I think they're busy with their own contracts so I don't think they'd be able to join us. I'm sorry."
"Don't worry about it," Robert said, smiling confidently. "It couldn't be helped. I'm sure we can meet them another time. And I'm sure that Farina and Fiora will be proud of you."
Florina couldn't help but to turn away, cheeks a rosy red. Lyn couldn't help but to smile, too – both at Robert's confidence and at Florina's progress on her interactions with men.
"A-anyways, as I was saying," said Florina, returning to the previous topic. "Charizard seems really quick in the air; she turns a lot more quickly and can perform those aerial maneuvers like that loop move. She's also smaller than the average wyvern so she's harder to hit."
"I see…" remarked Robert as he held his chin in thought.
"In a way, she could be like aircraft used by the elite few like the Arwing from Star Fox," he thought to himself. "Whereas other pegasus knights and wyvern knights would be using something easier to get."
"If you were to be a mercenary with Charizard," added Florina, giving Robert a small smile. "I'm sure you'll be able to make a lot of money. No shortage of contract offers!"
"I don't doubt it," laughed Robert. "Though I don't know if the mercenary life is good for me."
"You don't have to worry about it right now," chuckled Lyn, wrapping an arm around Robert's, pulling him closer to her. "I still have need of you, you know!"
This time, it was Robert's turn to blush, as he felt his arm be pressed up against Lyn's large bosom.
"Yeah, I know," he laughed, surprised by the sudden intimate contact with his green-haired friend. "We still gotta get rid of that old fart first."
"S-soft…!" Robert thought to himself, feeling his heart beat more quickly as he tried to relax himself.
"Hope you're not thinking of something… naughty, Robert," teased Palutena suggestively via telepathy.
"Trying not to," Robert mentally answered, trying to remain calm as he walked with Lyn now hugging his arm.
"Um, I hate to interrupt whatever this is, but can I talk to you, Robert?" spoke a man's voice.
Lyn let go of Robert's arm, blushing at being caught while Robert turned to face Matthew.
Robert nodded and adjusted his pace to match Matthew's, letting Lyn and Florina go ahead of him. "What's up?"
Matthew wondered to himself what would be used to help Marquess Ostia with his condition. "A spellbook? A potion? Some weird herbal remedy?"
"Last night, you mentioned that you'd be giving me something," answered the thief, speaking more quietly. "Do you have something ready?"
Robert nodded and reached into his inventory to pull out a brown cardboard box, which was held closed with shipping tape. He handed the box to Matthew.
"What a strange material," thought Matthew as he examined the box. "The box itself seems light… yet sturdy."
"Inside the box is medicine that can help the marquess with his illness," explained Robert. "I've enclosed written instructions on how to use the medicine. If the marquess wishes to fully recover from his illness, then he should follow the instructions exactly to the letter."
"There's no guarantee that they'd know the English language," thought Robert to himself. "So I've at least written down the directions in the Elibian script. Thank goodness for the ability to be literate in all the different languages."
He then looked at Matthew in the eye. "Be warned, that improper storage of the medicine can affect its quality. Thankfully, it's springtime right now so temperature shouldn't be a problem. That said, try to keep it dry and cool."
While the box and its contents weren't heavy at all, Matthew could feel it weighing down his hands, heavy from the responsibility he was now given.
He then nodded as he gingerly held the box. "All right. I'll make sure my colleagues can get this package to the marquess safely."
Over the next few days, Lyndis's Legion made good time. Before Lyn and her comrades knew it, they had finally left the march of Araphen and arrived at a different one. Presently, they were at an old village near some rivers and steep hills.
"Kent, where are we?" asked Lyn as she spied a small crowd of villagers not far into the distance.
Lyndis's Legion had arrived near a popular gathering spot for the villagers. While there were villagers busy selling their produce or catches, there were several standing in a circle, watching something.
"We're in Khathelet," Kent answered. "This is the last march we need to go through before we arrive at Caelin. We'll be heading south from here."
"At this rate, we'll be able to make it to Caelin in only ten more days, my lady!" said Sain with a grin. "Assuming, of course, we don't have any more delays."
"I see," said Lyn with a small smile, glad that they had made progress. "Then let's take a break and stock up on supplies while we can."
"Good idea," replied Robert as he readied the gold pouch.
He then went ahead to buy plenty of fresh produce and meat, much to the pleasure of the local sellers. He also made sure to visit the local armory to sell some of the old, worn out, or broken weapons of his comrades to replace with new ones. All of his newly obtained goods were stowed away into his bag and then into his inventory.
With his errands done, Robert approached the small crowd. He can see that they were busy cheering and clapping for something going on in front of them. He could also hear the whimsical high-pitched sound of a woodwind musical instrument being played.
"Could… could it be…?" Robert wondered to himself as he gently squeezed his way between people to reach the inner edge.
There, at the center of the circle, was a pair of youths with cyan hair and bright red eyes. One was a younger boy with a white shirt and green tunic over it, a pair of olive shorts, a pair of dull blue boots, and a mustard yellow scarf. The older of the pair was a young lady wearing a dress that reached all the way to the ground and was only slightly darker in color compared to her hair, a thin white stole that wrapped behind her back and held at her arms, and a white cape. The younger boy was playing a jaunty tune with a wooden, flute-like pipe while the older girl danced to the music, incorporating her stole in a few of her moves.
Robert was impressed and moved – he could see that the duo were in sync and were greatly enjoying performing for others. The crowd was very much pleased with their performance and was applauding or cheering for them. Some of the villagers were even throwing down money to the two's feet, as if to pay for the good entertainment.
"Nils and Ninian!" Robert thought, recognizing the performing duo. "It looks like we arrived at Khathelet early since they're here performing. As long as the Black Fang goons don't show up, I guess I can enjoy the show. It's a shame that I can't call my Pokémon out so they can enjoy the show, too."
He looked around the crowd and saw that nobody suspicious had showed up yet. He could see Sain among the crowd, watching the duo's performance with a lovestruck look; his eyes were locked onto the cyan-haired dancer.
"Looks like Sain has a… similar… idea as you," remarked Palutena to Robert telepathically with an amused chuckle. "Thankfully, it looks like Sain has enough sense to not disturb Ninian while she's performing."
"Yeah…" agreed Robert mentally as he got his smartphone out to take a photo of the performing duo. "So this is what they're like when they're not actively being pursued; they look quite happy, even though earning money while traveling typically wouldn't be easy. Still, can't help but feel worried for them."
He looked around some more – and spotted a young man who was watching the duo's performance. The man had long blonde hair and a soft face, giving him an androgynous appearance, and wore a set of blue monk's robes and a white traveling cape.
"Ah, right. So Lucius is here, too," Robert thought to himself before returning his attention to Nils and Ninian before his eyes scanned the crowd some more. "No Black Fang members so far… All seems well for now…"
The performance continued without incident and then it finally ended, with Nils bowing and Ninian curtseying to the applauding audience. After several minutes, the audience began to disperse.
Then, everything happened at once: a group of men suddenly appeared quickly: several of them came out from behind buildings or from within shadowed alleyways while a few others leaped down from rooftops and tree branches. A few of them were apparently already dressed as ordinary villagers and were making their way to Ninian and Nils. The men all pulled out weapons, several of them pointed at the villagers, making them cower.
"Shit! I didn't see them!" thought Robert, alarmed as he watched the villagers begin to panic from the arrival of armed strangers. One hand quickly went to his sheathed sword while the other went to one of his Poké Balls.
The musician was quick on his feet and darted away from the one of the men who moved to grab him. However, the dancer wasn't as lucky or quick as another of the men grabbed roughly her by the arm and began to easily pull her away.
"Nils!" cried out the frightened dancer.
"Ninian!" called out the bard in return before he frantically turned to the crowd. "Please! Somebody… Somebody, please help!"
To the boy's dismay, several of the villagers only began to walk away from him, ushering their loved ones with them, wanting nothing to do with the distressed boy.
Nils then quickly approached one of the villagers he recognized.
"Sir, please!" he pleaded. "Please help me get my sister back!"
"I want none of your trouble!" answered the man angrily. "Now, get lost!"
"But sir… why?" whimpered Nils. "You were so kind yesterday…"
"I thought you were just two kids, a couple of traveling performers… If those men are chasing you, you must be up to no good!" berated the man. "Now get lost! You're a plague on decent folk!"
The blonde monk watched the scene, his eyebrows furrowing as he frowned at the exchange. He got his own magic tome out, ready to step in.
"Bystander effect," thought Robert angrily as he looked around the village for his comrades, only to see more villagers leaving the scene. "Where is everybody else?"
"Robert," called out a man's voice.
Robert turned around to see Sain run up to him.
"What should we do?" asked Sain. "The girl got accosted and I don't see the others."
Just then, the bard rushed up to Robert and Sain.
"Are you two mercenaries?" the boy asked hesitantly.
Robert nodded with a smile. "You could say that – we're part of a mercenary team. Right now, the other members are scattered around the village. What do you need?"
"I need your help!"
Just then, Lyn, Florina, and Kent arrived.
"I saw the commotion and got Kent here as soon as I could," answered Lyn. "What's going on?"
Robert explained what had happened to the three.
Kent was the first to respond. "Milady Lyndis, you mustn't let your guard down. Not even for a child."
"I know," conceded Lyn before she turned her attention to the cyan-haired boy. "Forgive me, but we're in a hurry. Is there someone else you can ask?"
"There's no time!" protested Nils. "Ninian's been… It's my sister! Some men have taken her away! I don't know what I'll do without Ninian."
"Milady Lyndis! We must help him!" put in Sain.
Kent shook his head as he argued with his partner. "Nonsense! We haven't the time! If the marquess is as ill as we've heard, we must proceed!"
Robert then unclipped two Poké Balls from his belt before he threw them into the air. "Go, Cyclizar and Charizard!"
At once, the two reptilian Pokémon materialized, looking at their surroundings for a brief moment before turning their full attention to Robert. Robert then got out his smartphone and tapped on its screen a few times before he showed its screen to the two Pokémon. On the phone's screen was the photo of Ninian and Nils he took earlier. Nils looked on in amazement at the sudden appearance of the two creatures Robert apparently summoned. A few of the villagers nearby cried out in shock of the sudden sight of Charizard.
"This girl here has been kidnapped," briefed Robert, pointing to Ninian in the image. "Charizard, search from the skies for her. Cyclizar, I'll be riding with you."
"Wait, Robert," prompted Palutena telepathically. "Why don't you use your smartphone to find Ninian?"
"Finding Ninian?" replied Robert mentally. "How?"
"Use the maps application. You can use it to locate things, provided you're specific enough or have a clear idea of what you're searching. Just give your phone the command."
"Let's see…" Robert then opened up the application on his phone and spoke. "Phone, find Ninian."
A blue dot appeared on the smartphone's screen, highlighting Ninian's current location. Robert can see that the dot was moving.
"Damn, the Black Fang sure moves fast," thought Robert as he decided to rethink his strategy on rescuing Ninian now that he had her located.
He turned to Charizard. "Actually, Charizard, I need you to fly alongside us and protect us from any of those goons that try to stop us."
Charizard gave an affirmative grunt quickly took off into the air, ready to escort Robert and Cyclizar from above. Cyclizar, meanwhile, got down on all fours before Robert quickly strapped the motorcycle chassis on top of Cyclizar's back.
"Robert!" barked out Kent. "What are you doing?!"
"Rescuing Ninian," Robert answered as he boarded his Cyclizar. "I don't know what those men want with those two but whatever it is, it can't be good. I'm gonna make this quick."
He then patted Cyclizar's scaly head before he leaned back into his seat. "Okay, Cyclizar, let's get moving. Use Quick Attack that way!"
"Rawr!" Cyclizar tensed up, gathering energy into his hind legs before he launched off running extremely quickly – so quickly that a white trail of light was briefly left behind them along with clouds of dust.
"So… so fast!" gasped Kent, shocked at the display of speed demonstrated by Robert's Cyclizar.
"He's so much faster than even the fastest horses in any order of knights," remarked Sain, similarly amazed.
Lyn smiled. "That's Robert for you – he always seems to have some sort of strategy."
The man Nils spoke to earlier shook his head as he looked at the direction Robert and Cyclizar had taken off to.
"What a reckless idiot, trying to play the hero," the man muttered to himself.
Kent walked up to the man sternly. "What do you know about those kidnappers?"
"It's none of my business or yours, too, if you know what's good for you," answered the man, uncaringly. "But if you must know, those men seem to be from the Black Fang. Anybody that gang targets winds up, well... 'Nobody escapes the Fang!' That's what they say anyways. He and those two odd kids are as good as finished. Ah well, not like it matters to me anyways."
"Then let's not idle here," said Lyn, getting Kent's attention.
"Milady?" questioned the red-haired cavalier.
"I'm worried about my grandfather, of course," conceded Lyn. "But this! I cannot stand by and let a girl be taken from her home! And I have to make sure Robert is okay. Sure, he's got his Pokémon but…"
"I understand. I'll gather up the others."
"Thank you."
"Will… will my sister be okay?" asked Nils anxiously.
"She will," answered Lyn confidently. "Knowing my partner, Robert, he'll be able to get her back safe and sound."
She then eyed the fresh footprints left behind from Robert's Cyclizar. "Now, let's get moving in case Robert needs help."
Sain nodded before he remembered something. "There is an abandoned castle not far from here – there's a good chance that Ninian's kidnappers might be holed up in there. And it's south from here, too, so we're not going to lose too much time by going around those mountains."
Robert rode on top of his Cyclizar, who was running as fast as he could, knowing that somebody's life was on the line. Trees, buildings, hills, bridges, and people flashed by as Robert's attention was kept either in the direction Cyclizar was running at, or at the sky for Charizard.
Charizard kept busy, following Robert and Cyclizar as quickly as she could, stopping only to confirm Robert's and Cyclizar's location or to torch any Black Fang assassin who got in their way. Cyclizar, meanwhile, was having the time of his life, enjoying running so fast while having a rider on his back.
"Hmm… it looks like they were handing off Ninian to different people along the route," observed Robert as he glanced at his smartphone for Ninian's location. "It's like they're having a relay race, with Ninian as the baton."
"Okay, Cyclizar, go that way," ordered the trainer, gently stroking the top of the Mount Pokémon's head. "We should be nearing the castle."
In only a few minutes, Robert arrived at the castle just in time to see a heavily robed man drag Ninian towards the castle entrance. The Cyclizar rider could see that the dancer was unconscious.
"Charizard! Flamethrower!" called out Robert to the flying Flame Pokémon. "Circle him!"
"Rrr!" Charizard obeyed her trainer's orders, spewing out a powerful stream of flames onto the ground, encircling the robed man, preventing him from escaping into the abandoned castle.
"What the hell?!" gasped the mage as he looked around for a way out only to be dismayed when he noticed that he was stuck in a wide circle of flames.
Just then, Cyclizar leaped over the wall of flames and into the circle, Robert still on his back. Charizard dropped altitude, getting ready to join her trainer in battle.
"Let the girl go, now," ordered Robert menacingly at the robed mage, his hand already cloaked with flames, readying a fire spell. All Star had been called forth as well, spectral fists ready.
The mage sniffed at them arrogantly when he noticed who his pursuers were. "Who are you supposed to be? Playing the hero in some foolish knightly romance? You may think you're helping the children, but you're only rushing to your doom! That said…"
The mage greedily eyed Charizard and Cyclizar before giving them a crooked smile. "Those two would make lovely pets for me – or perhaps I should present them as a gift to the higher-ups. Then, perhaps I can be one of the Four Fangs…!"
Robert had heard enough and leaped off of the winded Cyclizar towards the mage. "All Star!"
The ogre-like Stand rushed forward and swung its arm, its arm blurring as if taking on the appearance of a shooting star. The Stand's meaty, invisible fist slammed into the mage's upper abdomen, knocking the wind out of him hard, forcing the mage to let go of Ninian. All Star quickly seized the opportunity to scoop up the dancer with its arms before it quickly moved back to its master, gently depositing Ninian into Robert's waiting arms.
As if a spell had been broken, the young lady stirred before she opened her eyes, revealing a pair of bright red irises. She looked at Robert, confused and scared.
"W-what? W-where am I? W-who are you?" asked Ninian softly and timidly.
"She must have been put to sleep with some kind of sleep spell," observed Palutena telepathically. "Or she might have fainted from stress."
"Don't worry about that right now, Ninian," Robert answered gently as he seated himself and Ninian onto the seat on top of Cyclizar, with Ninian seated behind him. "I'm going to take you back to your brother. Just hang on, okay?"
Ninian nodded shyly and wrapped her arms around Robert's waist.
"What… what the hell?!" demanded the mage, gasping as he clutched at his stomach in pain. "What did you just do?!"
"Wouldn't you like to know?" retorted Robert, his hands now grabbing the handlebars of the motorcycle chassis Cyclizar was wearing.
"Fine, keep your secrets!" spat out the mage as he opened his tome with one hand while preparing a magic spell with the other. "You can take them all the way to your-!"
"That's enough, Heintz," said an older female's calm voice. "Allow me to take over."
"Huh?" The mage stopped casting his spell to see who had just arrived only to be surprised. "T-the Blue Crow, Ursula?!"
Robert watched the ring of fire surrounding himself and the now named Heintz be swept away easily by some wind-based magic spell. Coming up to the mage's side was a woman riding a horse. The woman had short blue hair in a bob cut with some strands framing her face and wore a sleeveless indigo top with a dark purple sleeveless vest over it and a long purple dress under it, a long pair of gloves, and a pair of purple boots that went up to just below her knees. The top had a low neckline and the dress was split at the sides, giving Robert a good view of the woman's cleavage and long legs. In her hand was a magic tome with a green cover, which the woman casually swapped out for one with a yellow cover.
Nearby, a young girl watched from the shadows of the stronghold. The girl had medium green hair and wore a white, long-sleeved short dress with a blue top over it and a pair of blue boots. A large, indigo cloak draped over her shoulders and down behind her back. The girl was watching the encounter with intense curiosity gleaming in her bright green eyes.
"Whoa…" gasped the girl, taking in the sight of the boy who seemed to be about her age being able to hold his own against the opposing mage, as well as the boy's strange creatures.
"I was wondering what is taking the retrieval mission so long," said the blue-haired woman with a thin smile. "Instead, I see that a young boy is the cause of all this bedlam!"
Robert recognized the woman, grimacing inwardly.
"Crap," he thought to himself. "That's Ursula. I forgot that she was the one supervising the kidnapping since Lyn's group never actually fought her in Lyn's story."
"Hmm… looks like you've gotten yourself into a secret boss fight, Robert," remarked Palutena telepathically. "I wonder how you're going to handle this."
"'Retrieval mission'?" parroted Robert to Ursula incredulously as he prepared a spell in one hand. "It's nothing more than a kidnapping attempt."
"I won't be so sure since she is important to us," replied Ursula, shaking her head dismissively before beckoning to Robert with a curling and uncurling finger and a seductive smile. "Now, why don't you be a good boy and hand that girl back to us? And while you're at it, why don't you tell me where that girl's brother is, hm? I'll forgive you for interfering with our mission if you do so."
"Forget it," answered Robert sharply. "I don't know what you want with a teenaged girl and a young boy, but whatever it is, it can't be good."
"No way I'll allow that one-eyed creep to do whatever he wants with those two," thought Robert to himself. "Even if he is their father."
The blue-haired equestrian then noticed the magic spell being prepared in Robert's hand, making her pause with brief contemplation.
"Ooh… I see you're a talented mage," she said, her smile widening a bit. "And I can tell that there's more to you than meets the eye, especially if you're in the company of those mysterious creatures. Why don't you join us? The Black Fang always has room for talented young people like you, boy. I'll even make it worth your while."
As Ursula spoke, she leaned forward on her seat from her mount, making the visible cleavage more prominent before Robert's eyes.
Heintz couldn't help but to feel a little envious that the beautiful femme fatale was attempting to seduce the enemy, wishing he had Ursula's attention like that.
"Flattering," Robert answered flatly. "But I'm sorry to say that I'm not interested in your job offer."
With that, Robert threw down the magic spell into the ground between Ursula and himself. The spell turned out to be a wind-based one, causing the air to billow upwards and outwards, sending dust flying everywhere.
FWOOM!
"Oh!" Ursula gasped in surprise when she noticed that the front part of her dress was about to be blown upwards by the magically powered gale, forcing her to quickly put a hand down on it to prevent it from being lifted up and exposing her. With her other hand holding her magic tome, the lady was too occupied to cast a spell, an opening Robert quickly seized on.
"Charizard, Smokescreen!" the Pokémon trainer called out.
"Rgh!" Charizard opened her snout and exhaled. Instead of breathing out flames, Charizard let out a stream of dark, gray smoke. The smoke landed on the ground before spreading upwards and outwards. Before too long, the smoke clouds became too thick for anybody to see through. The dirty smoke also forced Ursula and Heintz to close their eyes and cover their mouths.
Ursula fumbled to get the green tome out again and quickly cast a wind spell to blow away the smokescreen, only to see that her opponent, along with the girl, the strange lizard, and the orange dragon-like creature had already disappeared into the distance.
"Cheeky pervert," remarked the valkyrie as she dusted some of the dusty residue left from the smoke off her clothes, remembering how the boy's wind spell nearly blew her dress up. "But a clever one."
"Lady Ursula, your orders?" asked Heintz.
"Simple. We follow them. Gather the men."
Off in the distance, Robert and Ninian rode on top of Cyclizar. Despite having escaped the Black Fang, Robert was growing concerned.
"Damn… Cyclizar is getting tired," he said as he looked down at this mount from his seat. He could see that Cyclizar was panting hard from all the running he had to do in a short period of time without resting. "We're slowing down."
In a few minutes, Cyclizar was barely jogging before coming to a stop after crossing a wooden bridge. Robert could see a lonely little cottage not far into the distance. The cottage was nondescript, with only having some trees for company. Robert looked back to see that Ursula and her men were now moving towards them in the distance in pursuit.
"Hmm…" Robert considered his options. "Cyclizar is tired but Swampert and Pikachu are still fresh. Charizard seems to be fine…"
"Charizard, come back down, please!" Robert called before he looked to Ninian as the Flame Pokémon landed on the ground. "Ninian, go board Charizard's back, please."
"Eh?" gasped the young dancer, surprised and scared. "W-why?"
"The Black Fang are about to be here soon," he answered as he took Ninian's hand and gently led her to Charizard. "I'm gonna get you back to Nils."
"W-what about you?"
"I'm gonna buy some time for you to escape. Hopefully, my friends will come by soon."
Ninian reluctantly boarded Charizard, looking to her savior with her ruby red eyes fraught with worry. "P-please, be careful, sir…"
"Robert," answered the black-haired man, giving her a confident smile. "And don't worry about me – I'm sure Nils is much more worried about you than you are about me."
Ninian softly blushed before Charizard flapped her wings and began to fly away, carrying Ninian on her back.
"Cyclizar, return," Robert called out, holding the mount's Poké Ball out as he recalled the reptilian Pokémon. "You did well. Take a good long rest."
He then clipped Cyclizar's Poké Ball back onto his belt and unclipped Swampert's and Pikachu's and called them out.
"Swamp?"
"Pika?"
"Okay, you two," said Robert. "We're gonna try to give Ninian some time to escape. Hopefully, Lyn and the others can catch up to me soon."
Swampert and Pikachu gave affirmative grunts before they faced the oncoming Black Fang members. They didn't have long before the Black Fang arrived, with Ursula leading them.
Robert spotted the young, green-haired girl carrying a magic tome among the Black Fang members accompanying Ursula.
"What?" thought Robert, surprised for a brief moment as he identified the younger girl. "What is Nino doing here?"
He could see that Nino's attention was locked onto Pikachu, her eyes wide with innocent wonder. However, he didn't have time to think on Nino's presence as the lady nicknamed the Blue Crow spoke to him.
"How disappointing," sighed Ursula, shaking her head as she readied fiery magic spell. "I was hoping for a cute and talented protégé like you, boy. But I supposed it's not meant to be."
"Guess not," replied Robert. "Life isn't perfect and you're with a less than perfect superior. I do hope that a beautiful femme fatale as intelligent as you are could see the red flags on your superior, especially when it comes to dealing with the innocent and helpless."
"Flirting with the enemy, aren't you?" chuckled Palutena dryly through her mental link with Robert.
"What do you mean?" Ursula raised an eyebrow, perplexed at Robert's words before it became furrowed with incredulous anger. "Do you dare to slight Lady Sonia? And how do you know of her?!"
"I spoke too much," answered Robert, his eyes flickering in the direction of Nino quickly before returning his attention to Ursula. "But I wonder if you remember or know what the original purpose of the Black Fang was before it became what it is now."
"…Hmph. Then let's see you handle this," snapped Ursula before swinging her arm forward. "Elfire!"
"Swampert, Hydro Pump!" Robert countered in response.
"Pert!" Swampert opened his mouth wide and fired a powerful stream of water. The Hydro Pump attack blasted right through the fire spell, slamming into Ursula and her horse with the force of a high pressure fire hose, sending them skidding back.
Ursula spat out some water as she grimaced over her dark-colored clothing being thoroughly soaked, clinging onto her skin hard. She could see that some of her men nearby were looking at her with red cheeks while most were scared and unsure of what to do.
"What are you looking at?!" she barked out angrily to her men. "Attack! Take the boy and those creatures alive!"
Upon hearing their supervisor's words, the Black Fang members charged at Robert, running across the bridge to reach him. However, Robert, along with Swampert and Pikachu, were waiting for them at the other side. Robert could also see that Nino hadn't moved to attack them and was instead watching him and his Pokémon with great interest.
"Pikachu, Thunderbolt!" Robert ordered as he launched a fire spell of his own at the assassins.
"Pi… ka… CHUUU!" cried out Pikachu as he launched a powerful bolt of electricity into the charging crowd.
BZZZZZZZZZT!
"AAARRRGHHH!" The affected assassins screamed in pain from the electrocution.
However, while the electrocuted assassins were defeated, several more took their place, all eager to beat Robert into submission.
"Swampert, Muddy Water!" called out Robert.
"Swam… pert!" The large Mud Fish Pokémon grunted as he planted all four of his limbs onto the ground before dirty brown water rose from the ground, raising Swampert into the air like a tower made of water. The tower of water then collapsed, sending a huge brown wave of water crashing all over the bridge.
"Ahhh!" the assassins were easily flushed away by the dirty water wave. The water wave left them coughing and filthy on their side of the bridge. Several of the assassins had their eyes shut as some of the mud had gotten onto their faces.
Robert didn't remain idle, either, as he issued powerful fire spells at individual assassins attempting to flank him and his two Pokémon. The few who managed to get close to him only ended up getting surprised by powerful, invisible sucker punches from out of nowhere, courtesy of Robert's All Star.
"Lady Ursula!" one of the assassins coughed as he spat out some waters. "What do we do?! The kid's too strong!"
"We can't get close enough to him!" added another.
Ursula was at a loss for words just as a low rumbling can be heard in the distance. Robert could hear the sound of a woodwind instrument being played.
"Robert!" a familiar voice called.
Robert turned around to see and grinned at what he saw: Lyn and her legion had finally arrived just in time, with Nils playing a cheery tune with his flute while Ninian was still riding on Charizard's back. He also saw several new faces in the arriving crowd; Robert could see the blonde androgynous man running with his magic tome ready, a tall, blue-haired man dressed in heavy, dark blue platemail with a large red cape flowing behind him, and a young red-haired man dressed in a dark blue tunic with a blue-and-red cape flowing behind him. The blue-haired man was armed with a heavy axe and wore an eager grin while the red-haired man was armored with a sword. At the side of the blue-haired man was a brunet dressed in orange-colored plate armor and wielding a long, metal lance.
"Lyn!" Robert called out in reply, relieved to see his comrades and possible new friends. "You guys all made it!"
"Holy crap – are Eliwood and Hector joining the fight, too?" he thought to himself excitedly.
"So that's Robert…" muttered the blue-haired man thoughtfully before he looked at the Black Fang assassins. "All right, who wants to go first against me?!"
Ursula gritted her teeth in frustration as she realized that the Black Fang could no longer complete its mission.
"Retreat!" she ordered sharply. "The battle is lost!"
"So… your name is Robert, then…" thought the mage cavalier to herself. "I'll make sure to remember your face… I don't think this will be the last time we'll be seeing each other."
At once, Ursula left the area with her horse. The remainder of her men followed after her quickly, scared of Robert's Pokémon and relieved that they won't have to fight them anymore. Robert could also see that Nino had left with them, too. The only Black Fang members left behind were those who either drowned from Swampert's Muddy Water attack or were electrocuted by Pikachu's Thunderbolt attack.
"Aw, they all left, Eliwood," groaned the blue-haired man, disappointed. "We didn't get to do anything."
"That's all right, Hector," chuckled the red-haired man. "We can still have our monthly duel like we always do."
Eliwood then turned to look at Robert's Pokémon. "Amazing… I've never seen such creatures before. First, that orange dragon and now a blue walking fish creature with limbs and a yellow mouse. What are they? I can see that they're strong since you managed to hold out against a large group of assassins."
"They're called Pokémon," answered Robert with a smile. "You can say that they're from far away and come in all shapes and sizes. And I am very proud of them."
"Hmm…" The man in the orange armor regarded Robert quietly, as if assessing him.
"So you're strong, right?" challenged Hector. "I almost want to have a good spar against you – see what you're made of!"
Matthew then elbowed Hector, pulled him aside, and quickly whispered something into his ear.
"So that's him?" muttered Hector in reply. "… I see…"
Eliwood turned to speak to Lyn. "It appears that you've amassed quite a group, miss. May I ask what this is all about?"
After a few quick introductions between Lyn, Eliwood, and Hector, Lyn explained the situation.
"I believe you," said Eliwood honestly. "At first glance, what I saw was a daughter of the plainsfolk. Now, I can see it, though. You have your grandfather's eyes."
"Do you know my grandfather?" queried Lyn, surprised.
Eliwood smiled. "The marquess, Lord Hausen, is my father's good friend. I also know that the proud people of Sacae tell no lies. It's true, isn't it?"
"Yes… Thank you," replied Lyn, glad as she recalled her encounter with Marquess Araphen. "I would not have expected any Lycian noble to be so courteous to a Sacaean nomad."
"To tell you the truth, Lyn," said Hector. "I'm here because of the succession issue on behalf of my brother. From what I've heard, it's a lot worse than what we've heard so you better believe that I, too, believe you."
"That said, you do seem to be in trouble," said Eliwood thoughtfully. "May we be of assistance?"
Hector nodded excitedly, wanting to help out as well, making the orange armored man shake his head in exasperation.
Lyn shook her head. "Thank you for your kind offer. This is my problem, though, and I'll deal with it."
"I see," conceded Eliwood. "I'll be in the area for a few days longer. If you need anything, please let me know. Lyndis, I'm on your side."
"Yeah! Same with me, too!" added Hector with a disappointed smile.
"No, Hector," reminded the man in the orange platemail. "You're here for that monthly spar with Eliwood, not to go gallivanting off to who knows where."
"Right, right. No need to tell me twice, Oswin," grunted Hector, annoyed.
Eliwood and Hector turned to leave together, with Oswin following them. Nobody aside from Matthew saw that Hector was now carrying the package Robert had given to Matthew earlier.
Nils and Ninian hugged each other tightly, very relieved to see each other safe and sound. Lyn took the opportunity to introduce herself to them.
"I'm Lyn," said the plainswoman. "I'm glad that we were able to help the two of you."
"Thank you so much, Lyn!" replied Nils before he turned to Robert. "And thank you for saving Ninian, mister…"
"Robert," answered the black-haired man. "And it's nothing."
"I-it's not 'nothing', milord," cut in Ninian, surprisingly firmly as her red eyes looked directly into her savior's black ones. "You saved both of us. And you did so without considering or knowing who we are."
"Whoa," said Robert, holding up placating hands. "I'm no lord. I'm just a traveler who's busy helping Lyn out."
"I see," Ninian chuckled with a timid smile before she faced Lyn. "My name is Ninian. My brother and I are traveling performers."
"Both of you?" replied Lyn, puzzled. "Your brother's a musician. How about you, Ninian?"
"I… I dance."
"Robert and I saw your performance earlier!" put in Sain. "You and Nils were a sight to behold, especially you, Miss Ninian!"
"That's enough, Sain," said Lyn firmly, noticing the nervous look on Ninian.
"Um, yeah. Of course." Sain left the group alone, having noticed Ninian's expression.
"So you're a dancer?" started Lyn. "Your clothes don't look like those of a dancer."
"Ninian dances to honor life," Nils explained. "It's special… Sacred."
Lyn was puzzled. "A sacred dance? What does that mean?"
"Some people have different dances or have different uses for dancing beyond entertainment," answered Robert. "For example, a tribe of people would dance to celebrate a good hunt or as part of a ceremony."
Ninian nodded to Robert's explanation before she visibly flinched in pain. "I… The dance I perform when we travel is just a normal dance. My other dance, though… When they caught me, I twisted my ankle. I cannot dance to aid you… I'm sorry."
Robert blinked when he heard of Ninian's injury. "Can you show me your ankle? I might be able to heal it. I can use healing magic."
Nils and Ninian were surprised and looked at one another, having a brief debate on whether to accept Robert's offer. It only took a couple of seconds before Nils nodded and then Ninian returned her attention to Robert and shyly lifted up the hem of her long dress a bit to expose the ankle in question – her left one.
"Pardon me," Robert said as he crouched down to get a closer look. He then held his hand out towards her ankle and began to cast healing magic, repairing the damage. After a few seconds, Robert ended the spell.
"Try moving your ankle, Ninian," Robert prompted. "Does it hurt still?"
Ninian cautiously moved her foot, testing her ankle's range of motion. She was surprised to not feel any pain and that she could move her foot easily.
"W-wow…!" gasped the dancer. "The pain… it's all gone!"
"So you're okay then? That's great!" cheered Nils before he turned to Robert. "Thank you so much, Mister Robert!"
"Please, just call me Robert," the bespectacled man protested, chuckling. "I'm not quite that old enough to be called 'mister'."
"Especially not from a manakete who's lived during the Scouring," Robert added in his head.
"Thank you, Robert," added Ninian. "Here, let me dance for you as a token of my appreciation."
"Oh! Don't push yourself, Ninian," Robert warned gently. "I did just heal you, after all."
Ninian smiled at Robert's concern before she began her sacred dance. There was comparatively less motion compared to the dance she performed at the village square, with the steps involved being slower and more deliberate, as if each move had its own sense of weight.
"Whoa…" thought Robert to himself as he watched Ninian perform the dance. "There's so much more to the dance than what can be seen from the G.B.A. screen…"
"Just like history, stories being told may not reflect what actually happened," added Palutena telepathically. "Just like how some parts of the story may be exaggerated, other parts of the story may have details omitted."
Ninian finished by twirling once, swinging an end of her stole with one hand to the other before ending it looking as if she were bowing.
"How is it?" she asked shyly.
"It's… it's wonderful!" Robert answered, having trouble finding the right words to describe it. "And I somehow feel more relaxed now."
Nils smiled. "She has that effect for a lot of people, me included."
The blonde man, who had been watching nearby, stepped up, looking impressed. "That's an amazing display of healing magic, young man. Tell me, are you a member of the clergy?"
"Ah, I'm not," answered Robert. "And my name's Robert. And you're…?"
"Ah, pardon my manners. My name is Lucius. I'm an acolyte from the Church of Saint Elimine. A pleasure to meet you. I saw what was happening to those two and had to help out. May I please lend you my services?"
"Of course."
Lyn finally spoke at last, speaking to the performing artists. "So, what do you two plan on doing now? There seems to be a lot of people after you."
"Yes, but I have an idea," answered Nils. "Would it be too much to ask that we travel with you?"
"I can't allow that!" Lyn protested. "It's far too dangerous. We're being hunted. We never know when we're going to be attacked."
"We wouldn't be a hindrance," Nils asserted. "We could even help you. Right, Ninian?"
Ninian nodded. "Yes. We might be able to repay our debt using our… special talents."
"Special talents?" Lyn repeated, curious. "Do you mean your performances?"
"Oh, not just that," answered Ninian, shaking her head. "When something poses a threat to us, we can sense its approach."
Lyn felt her eyes widen in surprise. "Truly? That's amazing!"
"We can feel it coming, but we can't do anything to stop it – the most we can do is to run or hide," added Nils. "You're warriors, though, so you don't have that worry."
Robert and Lyn looked at each other before they came to a consensus: both of them nodded.
"We've got room for two more in our merry band of misfits," laughed Robert. "Welcome to Lyndis's Legion, you two."
"Though just to be sure, do you both really want to travel with us?" asked Lyn.
"Of course!" answered Nils.
"You have our gratitude, milady," added Ninian.
Lyn smiled before she turned to Robert. "So, what's next? We're almost to my mother's homeland now."
"I've noticed that the Black Fang assassins retreated in a direction different from the old castle they were operating from," said Robert. "Perhaps we can head over to the castle to see if we can get supplies they've left behind now that they've abandoned it."
Lyn thought the suggestion over. "Good idea. It wouldn't hurt to have more supplies than needed."
It didn't take long for Lyndis's Legion to arrive at the abandoned castle.
"Keep a sharp eye," warned Robert as he lit up a torch using fire magic. "While the Black Fang had apparently retreated, we have no idea if there are any stragglers in here."
"Right," replied Lyn as she and the group entered the castle.
The castle was old and was filled with several rooms and narrow corridors. While there were footprints on the stone floor and rugs, the place was covered with dust and dirt. Fortunately, the assassins did leave behind supplies in the form of dried food rations, some canteens filled with water, and some extra weapons, including blades, bows and arrows, and magic tomes, all of which Robert gladly scooped up into his inventory, much to the amazement of Nils, Ninian, and Lucius. Matthew guided the group further in, checking to make sure that the rooms and corridors were not filled with traps. Thankfully, the rooms weren't booby-trapped at all.
After a while, there was only one more room to check.
"This should be the last one," said Matthew as he picked the door's lock and opened the door.
"Whoa…" the group gasped as they saw what was in the room: among some additional supplies, there was a large treasure chest sitting at the back of the room.
"Robert, Robert, Robert!" gasped Palutena breathlessly through telepathy. "I've been sensing a great power for a while now and it's coming from within that chest! Get Matthew to open it – quickly!"
"Matthew," prompted Robert.
"Way ahead of you," laughed Matthew as he quickly dashed over to the locked chest and began to pick the lock.
Robert opened the chest and peered inside. There was a large amount of gold coins inside of the chest – more than enough to make the wooden box very heavy to move around with. However, what caught his attention was the ornately decorated box sitting on top of the mound of currency.
"The power is coming from inside that box," pointed out Palutena telepathically.
Robert nodded and picked up the box and carried it to a nearby crate and opened it, only to sharply gasp in surprise. "No way…"
"Robert, what is it?" asked Lyn as she walked to her friend's side. "Is something the matter?"
Inside of the box were three beautiful, glassy spheres that glimmered like jewels. To Robert, they heavily resembled marble toys children played with on the sidewalk. The smallest sphere appeared to reflect the colors of the rainbow and has a black double-helix pattern going through its diameter. The two other spheres were equal in size. One sphere was of a sky blue color with an orange and dark blue cat's eye pattern going through its middle while the other was of an orange color with a red and yellow cat's eye pattern.
"Looks like some fancy gems," said Sain as he got a look at them. "Some places are willing to pay a lot of money for those, especially if they can resell it to some nobleman for a tidy profit."
Kent nodded. "There appears to be a Red Gem and a Blue Gem. I am unsure what to make of the last gem though."
"The smallest one is the strangest one," added Matthew. "With it reflecting so many colors like that, could it be the most expensive one of the three? The Black Fang likely had these jewels to fund their operations."
"The most expensive one?!" gasped Serra, staring at the spheres with a starry-eyed and greedy look. "Just how much gold would it go for?"
"You know what they are, don't you, Robert?" queried Palutena rhetorically via telepathy.
"These aren't just any gems," answered Robert gravely to the group as he examined the spheres further. "These… these are Mega Stones and a Key Stone!"
Nils, Ninian, and Lucius have joined the group! And Robert got the means to Mega Evolve his Swampert and Charizard! Who knows what will happened once they arrive to Caelin?
This chapter took me a while to write - not only was I busy with other matters but I also needed time to think about how to write this one! Thank you for your patience!