Good, good another chapter. Plot time. Been feeling like my fight scenes are still rusty but let's hope they don't come out too badly in this chapter. Hope you enjoy.

The Prince's Future

Chapter 14: A Fated Encounter

Oracle couldn't take his eyes off the sky. The clouds had grown dark and heavy. But they wouldn't break here. No, he knew where they would inevitably fall.

"Oracle?" Marth's voice cut through the haze in his mind. "Are you alright?"

"I'm… fine." Even still he couldn't cast his eyes away from the sky. "Just reminiscing." He clutched his metal hand into a fist.

Had I been a little faster, a little more careful I would have been able to save him.

His spiraling thoughts were cut through by the prince making an excited noise. "Robin sent a letter, they should be home soon."

"Indeed." he returned his gaze back to the retreating storm. "Your Father will be returning soon." Please, do not ask about Shulk. He swallowed the lump in his throat, I can not lie to you.

Thankfully he did not.

The ride was rather surprisingly calm, but he couldn't fight the unease that was growing in the pit of his stomach. Then light burst behind his eyes, but just as the image of assassins flashed before him, the sound of shattering glass rang through his mind.

He hadn't realized he had doubled over until he came fully back to his senses. Two of the mystery travelers had been holding him. "What happened?" Chrom asked him. Shulk wasn't sure what to say.

What was that? He clutched the ruby cross around his neck. What just happened?

Then the girl at the front. A short girl with pointed ears cast her gaze outside. He watched her ears twitch and her nostrils flare. "Guys?" he could hear a low growl in her words. "We've got company."

The girl with the long coat and the excitable personality stood up, "what kind of company?" her brows furrowed as she reached for something tucked in her long coat.

At that second something crawled out of the ground in front of the horses, startling them and bringing the carriage to a complete stop. "Risen!"

More soldiers erupted from the forests and swarmed the carriage. It wasn't many of them but still, it aligned with the number of assassins specified in the informant's instructions.

The armored cavalry rushed to their defence, cutting down the rogues that got close. In spite of the wounds though, the supposed assassins crawled right back to their feet to attack again. That attack should have killed them but they kept getting up, seemingly unphased by any attack.

"Tempest!" the girl in the long coat called and the pointy eared girl leapt out of the window. There was a deafening sound and Shulk struggled to get to his feet to see what was happening outside.

"Guys he's here!" the other girl, Tempest called out as she lept back inside the carriage. A panicked look in her eyes.

At that the girl in the longcoat lept through the window separating the chauffeur from the rest of the crew and the sound of raigns snapping into action was the only warning they got before the wagon burst forward.

Rex cursed as he watched Tempest leap out of the wagon under attack in the distance. He watched as she used her blade to cut down a few risen in front of the wagon. It was then that their eyes met. He summoned his twin greatswords, moving faster to catch up.

Any worry he had jumped into the wrong portal was relieved the second he saw risen soldiers attacking some random carriage. He raced forward with great swords in hand and spun in a wide circle, sending a hoard of the undead fiends flying in his wake.

Wherever there's risen that only means one thing.

The wagon burst forward and started moving away from the attack. And the risen rushed after it. And at the far back of the hoard was a decaying figure in grimleal robes watching the undead forces attack.

Rex rushed to attack him, barreling through the hoard of risen to reach him. He held both of his swords low and brought them upwards in a diagonal slash. The cloaked figure almost flew out of the way, like a puppet being pulled back by its strings. His swords cleaved through the trunk of a nearby tree, toppling it over. Rex's eyes remained fixed on the fleeing figure.

"And where do you think you're going, Grima!"

Grima's, or rather his vessel's, fingers crackled with electricity. A bolt of lightning shot out towards Rex. He barely had enough time to bring his swords up to block the magical attack. The moment the assault ended, Rex retaliated by throwing one of his swords, the one imbued with fire, at Grima like a boomerang. The fiend ducked under the spinning blade, but that still gave Rex the opening he needed to get in close. He caught his thrown sword with one hand while slashing with the other. Grima raised a glowing hand, ready to assail him with another attack, but it was too late.

His blade stuck true and Grima hissed as the host vessel's outstretched arm was severed from his body. The moment it hit the floor it dissipated into dark miasma.

"So even here you prove to be a nuisance." Grima hissed as he rested his good hand to the stump. However there was something in those dead eyes that seemed pleased. "Remember, you only persist because this body has outlived its usefulness."

"Yeah, whatever you say." Rex did not hesitate. Grima didn't even seem to put up a fight as Rex plunged one of his great swords into his body. And as expected when he died the risen he was possessing returned to the earth as ash. The rest of the risen dissipated too.

Rex de-summoned his blades. "That was easy." he frowned. "A little too easy." he returned his gaze to the road and began rushing off after the kids.

Rex didn't know much about the process it took to defeat Grima, that was all Shulk's job. Hopefully if Grima was in this time then Shulk must be here somewhere. He'd have to speak to him when he gets the chance. There was something about Grima's defeat that didn't sit well with him.

Valkyrie turned her attention to the original carriage's driver who was clinging to the wagon for dear life. She rolled her eyes, what a baby. She returned her gaze back inside the carriage as she slowed the horses down a bit, they were starting to show signs of exhaustion.

She handed the original driver the reins and returned inside, again through the window. The blue haired guy only blinked owlishly at her. "Who are you kids and what just happened?"

Forge only sighed. "You probably wouldn't believe us if we told you."

"Long story short, we're used to dealing with those monsters." Valkyrie sat down. "We call them Risen"

"They are reanimated corpses." Forge continued. "They don't die from simple fatal wounds, the body has to be destroyed to be able to actually get rid of them."

"And who was the guy who showed up last?" the silver haired guy asked.

"He's the guy we're running from." Tempest sighed.

"That tells us nothing." the silver haired guy crossed his arms.

Forge relented and let out a deep sigh. "He's like our chaperone."

He couldn't speak, or properly move, but he was still conscious and that was good. He had managed to cling to this vessel but this worm's will was too strong, so he couldn't really do anything but cling to him like some sort of tick.

Grima could hear him continue to murmur to himself, about the trouble those kids would be in when he gets his hands on them. And Grima wondered how long it would take for him to obtain another soul.

AN/ if it feels short, I'm sorry, know I tried. I'm still rusty with my fight scene, but thankfully my beta managed to clean it up and add to it to make it more fun. Well see you next chapter. Hope you had fun.

~ (2/20/25)