Disclaimer: I don't own Fire Emblem Awakening, all rights to the owners.
Minor: Dark Flier, Immortal, Boxer (Pugilist), Exploitive, Swordmaster, Angry Cinnamon Roll, Tripping, Perpetual Cheer, Chef, Blacksmith, Pegasus Knight, Teacher, Librarian, Masochist, Literal-Minded, Authoritative, Middle Age, Wyvern Rider, Phobia, Thicc, Tsundere, Damsel in Distress, Gangrel's Child, Wyvern Rider, Child, Communist, Bomber, Bear Cavalry, Flying, ADHD, Super Strength, Patriotic, Martial Artist, Scottish, Sassy, One Liner, Seamstress, Shephard, Speedy, Cool, Shy, Bookworm, Mercenary, Sweet, Kung Fu, Buff, Lazy.
Standard: Elemental, Deaf, Foreign, Future sight, Nurse/Medic, Valmese Tactician, Medusa, Amazon, Genderfluid, Gift from Validar + evil to good, Mind Control, Banshee, Mimic, Emotionless, Crippling Overspecialization (Idiot Savant), Coward, ESP, POW, PTSD, Magician, Mute, Handicapped, Secret Helper, Crazy, Morpher, Dreamwalker, Motherly, Twins, Regenerating, Animal Whisperer, Naga/Tiki Assistant, Deadly Touch, Mind Reader, Doppelganger, Arachne, D&D magic, Umbramancer, Horror Monster, Dominatrix, Songstress, Kinky, Matchmaker, Androphobic, Fashion Designer, Illusionist, Attraction Aura, Ring Maker, Therapist, Teleporting, Crippled, Puppet, Broken, Hallucination, Depressed, Bodyguard, Slave, Love Curse, Detective.
Unlikely: Chrom's child, Minotaur, Paladin, Werewolf, Assassin, Future Soldier, Bounty Hunter, Weather control, Kleptomaniac, Druid, Steampunk, Shadow Familiar, Magic Augmentation, Lucky, Exile, Piper (Charmer), Gladiator, Witch Doctor, Centaur, Drunk, Demon, Punk, Harpy, Revenant, Luck Manipulation, Demon Summoner, Megalomaniac, Kitsune, King of Plegia, Mood Ring, Reverse Aging, Hammerspace, Prostitute, Demon Hunter, Cyborg, Maid/Servant/Butler, Deadlord, Rebellion, Einherjar, Trap, Yandere, Living Weapon, Size Shifter, Queen of Plegia, Gluttonous, Stretchy, Ninja, Alchemist, Protoss, Spirit Manipulation, Invisible, Plegian Honor Guard, Mecha, Kryptonian, Creator, Orc, Memory Stealing Respawn, Racer, Khan, Misfortune, Vampire Hunter, Geokinetic, Imaginary Actualization, Death, Resurrection, Force, Merchant, Background Music, Variable, Civilian, Natural Disaster, Mental Noise Projection, Hidden OP, Summoner, Cyclops, Teleporter, Cryokinetic, Genie, Judge, Intangibility, Fortune Teller, Future Vision, Serial Killer, Pervert, Magic Fixit, Drakengard Restoration, Ying-Yang, Childhood Friend, Cyberpunk, Chrom's Mother, Obsessed, Berserker, Phase Shift, Gravity Manipulation, Hallucinating, Bladesoul, Zombie, Double Entendre, Shared Body/Two Souls, Cannibal, Singer, Violent, Insane, Waterbender, Casanova, Cupid, Undertaker, Master Thief, Guard, Faceless, Shadow, Age Control, Cradle Snatcher, Emo, Singer, Nun, Courier, Haunted Knight Armor, Egyptian, Sentient Object, Shit Lord, Court Wizard, Naga's sibling, Mad Queen, Artist, Predator, Cheshire Cat, Radio Host, Chimera, Wendigo, Witch, Symbiote, Hivemind, Hammerspace, Anna, Mother Nature, Psychopath, Stripper, Painting, Grima Parts, Knightmare, Super, Swimsuit, Bunny Outfit, One Punch, Idol, Chief, Rampage, Housewife, Determination, Vessel of Naga.
Other: Self-insert, Second Generation replacement, Dimensional Walker, Cycle, Fates.
Wanted Robin, suggested by a guest. I suppose I didn't stick too closely to this idea. I took 'wanted' in the context of 'rogue' or 'outlaw' more than anything.
At first Sully thought it was an elaborate joke, or maybe the plot of a popular book. A masked man with a cape roaming the countryside and holding up carriages? Sully is well aware that highwaymen exist, she's taken down several before, but a cape and a mask? Bah. What folly…
And then she actually runs into the man and discovers he's very real, and very strange.
"Ho, knight of red, you would match weapons with the Raptor of the Road?" The man calls as he leaps off his horse. The carriage he was just robbing immediately takes off, and the man pays it no mind.
The self-proclaimed "Raptor of the Road" looks just as outlandish as he sounds. He's wearing a fancy purple cape that's tattered and frayed at the edges, and looks to have a few holes in it from some weapon having poked through it in the past. His vest, shirt, and pants are all similarly fancy and keep up a black and dark purple theme, and are all similarly worn but fancy. The most absurd part of his gettup has to be the mask and the hat though. The mask is purple and in the shape of a bird with two eye slits to let his blue eyes see out. The hat is a goddamn top hat. If it weren't for that Sully might be able to take him seriously, but the top hat just makes him look stupid.
The corseque in his hands is not so stupid though, nor is the rapier on his hip. The Raptor pats his horse on the side, and the beast snorts and shakes its head. Despite the shoddy condition of the Raptor's clothes, his horse looks well-cared for.
"Raptor of the Road? What, you think this is a theater? Do you think you're in a novel?" Sully sneers. "Ylisse has no place for delusional madmen who don't know reality from fiction."
"I know reality and fiction very well! Your thoughts of defeating me are fiction, and the coin I've won is real!" He pulls out a pouch, and shakes it. There's a loud clattering of coin, most likely from people he's robbed.
The cavalier snorts and levels her lance. "Fine then. We'll do this the hard way."
"It doesn't have to be so, you could flee." The Raptor offers cheekily.
"Not happening."
"Then tomorrow you'll tell the tale of how the Raptor of the Road bested you in combat!" The man cries. "Have at you!"
You'd think Sully being mounted and having actual armor would make this an easy fight… and you'd also be wrong. The Raptor keeps his corseque aimed at Sully's horse. Any charge she might attempt will surely end with her horse dead on the ground, even if she does succeed in taking down the Raptor.
"You bastard…" Sully growls as the man nimble jabs at her horse's legs again. "Fighting dirty!"
"Says the woman bringing a horse to a duel." The Raptor laughs as he dances around her attempts at stabbing him. "Some knight! You complain of my honor, but it would seem you have none of your own!"
The cavalier grits her teeth in anger. She's forced to backstep her horse to avoid him getting stabbed in the face. Horses fare poorly against spears. Maybe this fight really would go better on foot…
Another strike from the Raptor hits one of her horse's armor plates, and Sully comes to a decision. She breaks off from the fight, backing a few dozen meters away, and dismounts her steed.
"A fair fight, a fair fight!" The Raptor cheers. "Come, dance with me!"
"This guy's a fuckin' lunatic."
The Raptor is still much more nimble than she is, and the multiple prongs of his weapon make it dangerous because he continuously tries to catch her weapon between those prongs to wrench it from her hands.
The man also seems to be intentionally avoiding aiming at her face or heart. He jabs at her stomach and her limbs, and swipes his weapon horizontally to try and side-swipe her, but never goes for lethal attacks.
Sully is not so kind. This man is a thief who terrorizes travellers, she's fully trying to kill him. The problem is that while he's outlandish and ridiculous, the Raptor is also skilled. His spearwork is no joke, and he's much better at unmounted combat than Sully is.
"Knight in red, you know your defeat to be inevitable!" The Raptor boasts. "Give up now, before my corseque finds home! I am not so dishonorable as I look, surrender will be accepted and honored!"
"Fuck no! I'm not giving up to you!" Sully growls.
"So be it." The man smirks. He suddenly dashes forward and swipes his her weapon to the side with his own. Sully rapidly backpedals and tries to get her lance between them, but the Raptor is prepared. He drops his corseque entirely, grabs the shaft of her lance with one hand, and draws his rapier with the other.
In less than two seconds they went from even footing to Sully having her weapon incapacitated with a blade at her throat. "You dirty cheat."
"Cheat? Lady knight, I did no such thing!" The Raptor feings offence. "Cleverness is not a crime! Not in life and not in dueling! Hate me not because I outwitted thee."
Sully seethes in rage. With great reluctance she drops her weapon and holds her hands up in the air. The Raptor kicks her weapon away, keeping the point of his own just under her chin, and then steps closer and flicks up her helmet.
"Oho, quite the beauty." He chuckles. "Though, I suppose there's no reason for me to assume otherwise. Beauty and strength are not mutually exclusive, hmm?"
The cavalier snarls wordlessly.
"You were quite the challenge lady knight! By far the strongest to have challenged me." The Raptor hums. "But alas, the Raptor of the Road comes out on top once more! I have a fellow predator, yourself, within my claws…"
Sully has had it with this nut. "Oh, just shut up and get on-"
The cavalier is suddenly silenced by the man leaning forward and pecking her on the lips. It lasts only a moment, and he's pulled back before she can react.
"You- but- fuck you!" Sully shouts. Any composure she had is gone, she's mad. "Honor my ass! I'm going to fucking kill you the next time I see you!"
"Keep improving then Lady Knight, I look forward to our next battle!" The man grins roguishly. He suddenly kicks her in the stomach which knocks her to the ground, and dashes back to his horse while picking up his corseque along the way. He's up on his steed and riding away well before Sully has even grabbed her lance off the ground.
###
"You lost a fight to some random highwayman?!" Stahl shouts, aghast.
"Yeah, I did, rub it in more." Sully growls.
"Not just some random highwayman, the Raptor." Sumia says with an eager smile. "She got to duel a legend! She got kissed by a legend!"
"Ooh, sexual assault, how amazing." Sully snarls.
"Oh please, if it had been the other way around and you were a dude and he a girl, everyone would think it's sexy." Sumia says dismissively.
Sully rolls her eyes and sneers. "Whatever. I'm still going to kill him if I see him again."
"No, you won't." Chrom says firmly as he steps into the conversation. "Sully, you know the protocol for catching robbers. You kill them only if you need to, because the goal is to have them stand trial. You know full well he won't kill you, so you are to not try and kill him in return."
Sully had totally forgotten about that. "But, he kissed me."
Chrom gives her a flat look. "Are you a knight or not?"
Sully's hands ball into fists, but she sighs and releases the tension a moment later. "I'm a knight. Sorry Milord."
"As long as you remember."
###
Over the next two weeks Sully trains hard. Or, at least, harder than she usually would. She spars against as many of the lance-users in the Shepherds as she can.
Her pride is on the line. That man made a mockery of her. She will find him and beat him. Stahl (and a few others) offer to help find and/or catch him, but Sully turns them down. She wants to take this guy down on her own. She wants the satisfaction of wiping that smug grin off his face.
Chrom promptly tells everyone that they're going to Ferox, so Sully's planned quest to find and defeat the Raptor is abruptly put on hold. There is a bit of travel through Ylisse that has to happen to get to Ferox, and while that's happening Sully keeps a sharp ear out for rumors of fancy-dressed highwayman. She's desperately hoping to take on the Raptor before they leave.
No such luck though. She finds some mention of robbers, and indeed a few people have heard of the Raptor, but by all accounts he is not in the area.
Sully is frustrated to say the least. She can feel the man taunting her for running away every step she takes towards Ferox and away from the roads of Ylisse.
If you had asked her a month ago, she would never have thought an urban legend would consume so much of attention and focus. She would never have expected it to become an obsession of hers to track him down and beat him.
###
"An' what'll you 'ave lass?"
"I ain't no lass." Sully scoffs as she takes a seat. "But I'll have whatever's strongest."
"Aha." The bartender grins. "Alright then. I'm sensin' a story 'ere."
"You might say that." The cavalier sighs. "I'm lookin' for someone, and having no luck at it."
"Some bastard leave ya at the altar?"
"Do I look like a blushing bride?" The lady snaps. "And what, is that common?"
"Not 'ny more ya don't, and no, it ain't common, but I've had one or two o' them come through here." The bartender jokes. "What are ya then?"
Sully down a shot. "Knight."
"Well now, we don't get that around here often."
"Ain't many female knights." Sully grunts. She shoves her glass back at the man, and he fills it up again. "I'm looking for someone."
"Ain't we all…"
"Not romance ya fucker!" Sully snaps. "I'm trackin' down a criminal!"
"Ah…"
"A guy by the name of "the Raptor"." The knight growls. "You heard of him?"
The man barks out a laugh. "Oh yes, definitely. You're not the first to come in search of him."
"Who else?"
"Every other knight errant this side of Ylisstol." He smirks. "Sorry lass, I can only tell you what I told them. He was around 'ere before, but he's since moved on from what I can tell. Ain't heard a report of him holdin' people up 'ere for a month or three."
"Damn…" Sully growls. She slams down her glass again. "Whatever. Give me another round."
"Yes ma'am."
Sully doesn't know how many shots she takes before she calls it quits. Five? Seven? Ten? It doesn't matter. She's frustrated. She's been searching for two months since the Shepherds came back from Ferox to no avail.
She barely notices when someone sits down next to her. The thin, small man in a thick brown cloak quietly orders some beer and food.
"You look like you're having a rough day." The man says tentatively. Perhaps he noticed Sully's frustration. "Are you alright, miss?"
"No!" Sully snarls. She's quite drunk at this point. "I've failed! I've been searching for months, and haven't found him anywhere!"
"That's quite the problem." The man says sympathetically.
"He… he made a mockery of me! I'm gonna pay him back." Sully slurs. The alcohol is really starting to hit her now. "I have to pay him back! I'm a kniiiight. I can… can't let someone make a mockery of me! Especially not soooome fancy bandit man…"
"That's quite the predicament." He murmurs. "Highwaymen do have a certain skill for hiding though. If not, they would have been caught long ago."
"I know, an' it's annoying!" Sully growls. "The bastard… I'll find him one day…"
"Not today though." The man says. "If I may be so bold… it would seem you've had a little too much to drink."
"You don't get to tell me that." Sully growls. She points a shaky finger at him. "I'm my own woman! Yooou don't tell me what to do."
The man raises his hands innocently. "It was merely a suggestion by a concerned stranger. I wish you no ill will lady knight."
"You better not…"
The man doesn't talk to her for the rest of the night, and Sully proceeds to get even more smashed than she was before. It's only when she's lying face-down on the table that she considers maybe she's had too much to drink. She forces herself to her feet, and almost immediately falls over.
Sully only partially registers that someone caught her. She feebly tries to push them away, she hasn't lost her strength, but she's too uncoordinated to keep them away, and there's the small matters of her feeling very sick all of a sudden.
She's led outside, where she proceeds to be violently ill in a bush. Whoever it is holding her up pats her on the back sympathetically, and wipes her mouth with a cloth when it's done and offers her a drink of water to get rid of the taste.
"Let's get you a room…" The figure murmurs.
###
Sully wakes up with a splitting headache and no idea what happened last night. All her equipement is in the room, placed neatly in the corner. There's also a tall glass of water and a note on her side-table.
The cavalier takes the water first. It's lukewarm, probably having been sitting there for a while, but it helps her feel less like shit.
Then she reads the note, and her shitty feeling vanishes and is replaced by fury. The note reads:
"We meet again Lady Knight! Though under different circumstances it seems. I hear you are in pursuit of myself for a rematch! I am more than happy to oblige… but you must prove yourself ready to the challenge! Find me first Lady Knight, and I will gladly give you the fight you so desire!" - The Raptor of the Road
"Damnit!" Sully snarls, and throws the note to the floor.
###
"Really?!" Sumia gasps. "That's so cool!"
"Fuck no it's not! I got drunk, and my enemy one-upped me again!" Sully groans. "Naga damn it all."
"Maybe he's just too wild to be caught…" Sumia says wistfully.
"Yeah, no. You've just been reading too many trashy romance novels." Sully snorts. "I'm going to catch him."
"Ooh…"
"To imprison him, not romance him. Get your mind out of your books."
Sumia looks disappointed. "Aww…"
###
The whole 'war' thing puts a hold on Sully's quest to find the Raptor, as does the sudden outbreak of undead monsters named "Risen". The sheer importance of all the events going on around her make her almost forget the enigmatic highwayman.
She may have stopped caring about finding him entirely if not for rumors of his activity becoming more common as Risen and bandit attacks increase in frequency. Surprisingly, the rumors don't speak of him robbing random passers-by. Instead Sully hears mention of him as a hero who swoops in to save travellers and villages from attacks.
Sumia becomes more eager for tales of the Raptor than Sully herself. She's absolutely infatuated with the idea of the Raptor being some sort of redemption tale, a man with a tragic backstory or perhaps just a dashing Robin Hood type who found a new purpose as a guardian.
Sully thinks that's all bullshit, and that Sumia has an overactive imagination. Maybe the Raptor found a conscience or something, but he still has a lot of robberies to answer for… and Sully really wants to best him in battle now. She doesn't really care about bringing him in anymore. She just wants another duel.
###
The Shepherds were in trouble. A particularly nasty band of Risen had been plaguing southern Ylisse. It was so dangerous that the Shepherds had been pulled out of Plegia just to deal with it. Astonishingly, it seems like these Risen might be above even them.
These Risen are clearly advanced soldiers. They have a general as their leader, as is noticeable by how it doesn't directly move to engage the Shepherds and instead keeps a steady distance while observing them. The other Risen, mostly great knights and bow knights, form a formidable front and backline that the Shepherds are hard pressed to beat. It doesn't help that the terrain favors them. The open plains is the perfect battlefield for mounted units, but the Shepherds can't fall back because there's a village they're trying to protect.
It's a lose-lose situation. Either they die defending the village, or they retreat and let the villagers die.
That is, it would be a lose-lose situation if they hadn't gotten sudden help from an unexpected source. The figure charges over a hill behind the Risen on a mount and makes a beeline for the General. One bow knight stops shooting at the Shepherds to meet the figure, but they are not so easily stopped. They swing their polearm (some form of lance by the look of it) in a wide arc, making use of the extra range of their weapon over the bow knight's sword, and slashes the eyes of the bow knight's horse. Even as undead, they still need eyes to see, so the horse goes down in a chaotic mess of hooves and armor which leaves the rider helpless to a follow up thrust through the neck.
The defeat of the bow knight draws the entire backline to focus on the figure, relieving a huge amount of pressure off the Shepherds and allowing them to actually make some headway. The figure does a remarkably good job at dodging arrows. Some get caught in his cape, but none find their mark in him nor his horse.
Even with the cape, Sully doesn't realize it's the Raptor until she hears him speak. "Hah! Foul beings of the Nether, thou shalt never touch the Raptor of the Road! You are out of your depth, clumsy, unsophisticated! I've had tea that puts up more of a fight than you! And I don't drink tea!"
"Who is that lunatic?" Stahl calls out as he fights back a great knight with the help of Cordelia.
He wasn't expecting the figure himself to respond, but apparently he has good hearing. "Ho-ho! I am glad you asked, he-who-is-being-rescued! I am the Raptor of the Road! Hierarch of highwaymen, royal of rogues, and master combatant!"
"Shove off ya nutjob!" Sully barks. She roughly thrusts her lance into a chink in her opponent's armor. "We had this handled!"
"Lady Knight! We meet again!" The man laughs. He and his horse gracefully dodge a few more arrows. "Though it would seem this time I am the knight, seeing as I have come to your rescue!"
"That's not how being a knight works!"
"Fight now, talk later!" Chrom barks.
"You speak as if they are exclusive options!" The Raptor says, sounding offended. He takes an abrupt turn, and uses his corseque to slash the legs of one of the pursuing horses. "I am verily a wordsmith in battle! The wit, the drama I convey is unmatched! The world cannot be deprived of such a thing!"
"But oh, how I wish it could already…" Chrom mutters.
With the Raptor providing an excellent distraction, the Shepherds manage to clean up the great knights and then help surround and take down the bow knights. The general attempts to flee with all his troops being defeated, but he's far too slow. The mounted Shepherds along with the Raptor chase him down and kill him easily.
"Hark! The Raptor is victorious again!" The flamboyant man cries. He stands high on his horse, and executes a sweeping bow which temporarily pulls his hat from his head. "You are welcome for the rescue! No compensation necessary! I live off the goodwill of nature… and gold I took from bandits."
"Like hell you do! I bet you still have gold from all those carriages you robbed!" Sully barks as she pushes to the front of the group.
"Ah, Lady Knight… you speak of the old, distant, bygone days of my more unscrupulous activities." The Raptor says as he looks off into the distance.
"Distant? That was five fucking months ago!" The cavalier barks.
"For an amnesiac such as me, that's half my known life!" The man says dramatically. "Ages, millenia practically Lady Knight! Surely you do not begrudge actions that occured in my relative infancy!"
"Too bad! I still want another duel!" Sully growls.
"Hold on Sully, who is this?" Chrom interrupts.
"I am-!"
"Not asking you." The prince cuts him off. "Sully?"
"Highwayman. Overdramatic punk beat me in a duel when I stopped him from robbing a carriage." Sully growls.
"Former highwayman!" The Raptor gasps, sounding offended. "Have you not heard? I'm a reformed man now! A veritable hero! I've gone from punk to paladin!"
"Right." Sully says dryly. She looks at her commander. "I mean, I have heard stories of him saving villages and whatnot recently. But he was a highwayman at one point."
"I see…" Chrom says slowly. "Erm, Raptor, was it?"
"The Raptor of the Road!" The man grins. "Indeed!"
"Right. You wouldn't happen to know someone named Marth, would you?"
"Marth?" The Raptor contemplates for a moment. "No, no, I do not. I would love to though! A legend meets another legend! 'twould be a meeting for the ages!"
"Sure…" Chrom says slowly. As much as this man is way way too dramatic, he's also a competent fighter, and apparently has already been doing some hero work. Violent robbery isn't the best thing to have in one's past, but people do change. Especially when they can find stable work that means they don't have to resort to robbery. "Raptor, I have a proposition."
"Don't you dare." Sully growls, but the prince ignores him.
"What would you say about fighting with the Shepherds?" Chrom offers. "We can offer steady pay, as well as room and board and free upkeep for your weapons and attire." He pauses. "Well, maybe not your outlandish attire, but still good attire."
"My, yon prince makes an offer most tempting…" The Raptor muses. "Alas though, while you fight the war, bandits and undead roam your lands! I must decline. Heroes are needed back here as well, and I think my skills suited to the job. Besides, sand doesn't agree with my horse nor my clothes."
Chrom is actually surprised. He's never had someone turn down membership to the Shepherds. The Raptor makes some good points though. Chrom has to admit the man is very skilled. "Very well then, I will not force you to join. Will you consider instead working with Ylisse's Homeland Defenders? We are painfully short on guards and our defensive army is small. All the help we can get is needed… and we can still pay you."
"That is a deal I will happily accept!" The Raptor says with a grin. "Some spare coin would be nice. I could use a replacement cape."
###
The Raptor joins them that night at the village tavern. Even when he eats and drinks, the mask and hat never come off. His face is still obscured and had to place. You would think with most of his face uncovered you'd have an easy time knowing what someone looks like, but the area around the eyes is vital, and obscuring just that can make someone totally unrecognizable.
This is proven late at night when Sully gets up to use the outhouse. She finds a familiar, small man at the bar, writing in a journal while nursing some lukewarm porridge. Sully can't quite place him, but she knows that she knows him.
"Hey…" She says quietly, so as to not disturb everyone else. "I know you, don't I?"
"Ah, hello again Lady Knight." The man whispers with a timid smile. "We meet again. I do hope you're not quite as drunk this time."
Suddenly Sully knows who he is. She met him when she got totally wasted in that bar, and then woke up with a note from the Raptor in her room. "Yeah, uh, definitely not. Didn't think I'd see you again."
"Really?" He murmurs. "I was under the impression you were searching for me."
"What? No. I was searching for… the… Raptor…" Her voice trails off when she notices the corseque lying by his side, as well as the rapier on his hip. He doesn't have fancy clothes, he isn't speaking dramatically, he's totally unrecognizable as the Raptor… but it has to be him. "You're the Raptor?"
"Sometimes." He hums. "Most of the time though, I'm simply Robin. A wandering scholar."
"And your whole amnesia story?"
"Very real unfortunately. My journals have been no help in explaining that event, nor my past. It would seem my past self shared a love for accumulating knowledge though." He says with a smile.
Sully is at a loss for words. It never occurred to her that the Raptor might be a front. An act. She assumed whoever was behind the mask was either truly a nut, or some cocky bastard that just enjoys his own show. "Oh."
"You have found me now though, or more accurately we've had another chance encounter. I believe a duel is in order, yes?"
Sully has wanted this duel for so long. Over half a year by this point… but that was under the pretense that the Raptor was exactly who he seemed to be. Sully doesn't harbor ill will towards this calm, friendly man who showed concern for her long ago when she drank herself stupid (and, Sully realizes, must also be the one who helped her to her room). Sure, he's also the Raptor, but he just seems so sensible now. "I… uh…"
"Come now. It would be wrong to leave the story on an anti-climax, wouldn't it?" Robin says somewhat cheekily. "So a duel? At dawn? For the sake of testing how much you've improved?"
"Sure." Sully won't turn that down. It would be wrong to leave this unresolved after all.
###
"Ho, Lady Knight! We cross poles once more!" The Raptor cries. He brandishes his corseque with a flourish. "A duel, a duel! An encore of our first dance! Will it be a repeat, or will another finale manifest itself?"
"Oh there's gonna be another finale alright. It's gonna be your butt in the dirt, and me on top!"
"Ooh…"
"Sumia!" Sully barks, glaring at the girl. The brunette giggles and turns her face away. "Naga above, that girl has a dirty mind. She really needs to read something else."
"I'll be judging the duel. When I say stop, you stop." Chrom says firmly. "Otherwise, the duel is fought to surrender or disarmament of all weapons."
Sully remembers how Robin beat her the first time. He still has that rapier at his hip. This time Sully has picked up her own secondary weapon though. She's not as good with the iron sword as she is a lance, but she's no slouch. The two are fighting unmounted.
"If both sides are ready?" Chrom asks.
"Yep." Sully sneers.
"A fight! A fight!" The Raptor grins. "I am prepared!"
"Then… begin!"
Neither combatant immediately rushes in. They spend a minute circling each other. This is more advantageous for the Raptor than Sully though, as it gives him opportunities to try and tangle her lance in the prongs of his corseque. Sully realizes quickly she has to take the offensive, because the current dance is going to end with her losing her weapon at some point.
Gritting her teeth, Sully rushes forwards with her lance leveled. She hoped the Raptor would backpedal like she did in their first fight, but he holds his ground. He switches his grip on his weapon to that of a staff, and uses it to bat aside the head of her lance. He whips the top of his own around quickly, trying to swipe her across the face and end the fight, and Sully just manages to avoid it by ducking.
"Damn, it's a good thing Lissa's ready with her staff. If I'd stood still that woulda blinded me." Sully realizes. The Raptor is giving his all to this fight, and with a healer at the ready he can get away with a lot more than he did in their first fight. "Alright, if that's how you want to play it…"
She suddenly swings her fist forwards and rams it into the man's stomach. He coughs, but doesn't fall, and promptly kicks her in the shin in return.
The Raptor also whips his corseque around again and smacks her lance from her hand. Sully, realizing she's in for a swift loss if she doesn't return the favor, lunges forwards and grabs the shaft of his weapon with both her hands. They have a temporary struggle where each side tries to pull the weapon away from the other, and when he realizes it's not working in his favor the Raptor releases his grip with one hand and pulls his rapier.
Suly whips out her own sword and immediately presses the attack, forcing the Raptor to drop his corseque in favor of defending himself with the rapier.
The fight has successfully transitioned to a sword duel. The Raptor's skill in this area shows. Sully is constantly on the back foot and has to bat away the thrusts the Raptor aims at her stomach and chest.
"I need to take the offensive." Sully thinks. She grimaces. "This is risky, but I have no choice."
When the Raptor makes another thrust, Sully acts. She bends her body to dodge the attack, but reaches out with her free hand to grab the blade of her opponent. Her armored glove prevents any damage from the rapier's (already lacking) cutting edge. She makes a clumsy swing with her own blade to try and capitalize on the advantage, but the Raptor is not so easy to beat. He nimbly ducks he swing, and wrenches his blade out of her hand. The thin profile of the weapon makes it too difficult for her to hold onto.
"Ho-ho! The Lady Knight has some tricks of her own?" The Raptor says cheerfully. "Growth, improvement, a challenge! How magnificent! But also, how insufficient to beat someone as legendary as I!"
The man suddenly and violently whips his weapon around, forcing Sully to block with her own blade. Robin pushes in, bringing them so close together that neither of them have space to actually move their weapons.
Sully doesn't know what the plan is here, but she's determined not to let him win. Her free hand snaps out and grabs him by the throat. Her smile widens as she hears him cough. She's-
"STOP!"
Both fighters stop in place. Sully relaxes her grip a bit so the Raptor can breath.
"The Raptor wins."
"WHAT?!" Sully bellows.
"Look down." Chrom says calmly. "Slowly."
Sully does so. The mere act of tilting her head immediately lets her feel the problem. There's the cold feel of metal against her neck. While she used her free hand to try and choke him, the Raptor used his free hand to draw a hidden dagger. Choking is a fine tactic, but that dagger would have killed her well before she choked him out.
The Raptor wins. Again.
Sully groans as she fully releases her opponent. The Raptor laughs, which turns into a series of coughs. Liss rushes to heal the bruises on his throat. "Damnit, you never play fair!"
"One does not win by only playing fair! A fight is a fight! Besides, I avoided dirty moves." The Raptor says smugly. "I could have kicked you in the groin several times."
"You'd kick a girl there?"
"Yes."
"Huh. Well props for bein' equal opportunity I guess."
"Does this satisfy your desire for a duel?" The Raptor asks suddenly. "Do you have satisfaction? Our encore was truly stupendous! And it was on friendly terms this time as well…"
"I… yeah. I'm satisfied." Sully nods. She really is. She got to see how much she improved. She actually stood a chance this time, but got beat by the same trick just with a third weapon. "Don't think that means that this is the last time we'll be sparring though! When I come back from the war, I want another round!"
"Splendid! The dance continues!" The Raptor cries. "Practice your steps well Lady Knight; I am no static being! I will not stay motionless as you keep moving! Improvement plays no favourites save for practice, experience, and strategy!"
"Words to live by." Chrom says approvingly. He actually looks a bit surprised at hearing the Raptor say something so rational, even if it's phrased in a flowery over-dramatic fashion. "I wish we could stay longer to discuss matters, but the Shepherds must be off to the war once more. I will alert Ylissean Homeland Defence of an impending message from yourself. They will give further instructions once you've contacted them."
"And contact them I shall! A replacement cape, a fresh new hat, some shine for my mask... all in time of course. When you return home, the Raptor of the Road will be known all through Ylisse as a hero just as great as yourself!" The man brags.
"I'll hold you to that claim." Sully smirks. "When I come back, the first bar I visit better have news of you or I'm chewing you out for lying."
"The Raptor of the Road never disappoints! You won't even have to go to the bar! The guards, the travellers, everyone will have a tale of the Raptor on their lips!"
Sully snorts at the ridiculousness of the claim. "Whatever you say Raptor. Just don't forget our next fight! I expect a challenge, you better not fall behind!"
"Hah! Lady Knight, you stole the words from mine own mouth!"
Robin (or the Raptor of the Road) was fun this chapter. Sully was tough to write though.
Fantasy Paradise: What's JoJo? What's a stand?
bauers374: Yeah, I rarely reuse pairing aside from Chrom because Chrom is really easy to use (and I happen to like the pairing).
Hamilton huh? I've never seen/heard it unfortunately, though I have heard of it.
Zeyro: Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it. I actually did try to use Chrom at first, I didn't think I could make it work with someone else, but this time it was Chrom who made it hard to do Banshee, so choosing Donnel actually made things easier. Usually it's the other way around for me.
Darkness is complete: I love it. So much yes.
T: I accept suggestions, though (as I tell everyone) there is no guarantee I will execute your suggestion as you want me to nor that I will ever actually do it.
KagamiRose: There's actually already a vampire chapter. It's male Robin, but still vampire. See chapter 23.
NerdLord2nd: Intentionally re-inflicting amnesia? That's… interesting. Not sure that fits the detective vibe though. After all he'd totally forget why he got amnesia, so he wouldn't know it was self-inflicted.
Eh, whatever. Detective Robin is a good idea either way.