We managed to walk a few miles before it gets too dark, and then we stop and make camp. Freddy actually really does manage to take down a bear with that lance of his. Lissa pouts, but the meat is actually better than I expected it to be. After the meal, we all collapse around the fire. No one sets a watch or anything, but Drohn wakes up in the middle of the night with a bad feeling and sets off with Lissa to explore deeper into the woods. Don't they know you should never split the party?
Drohn leads the way into a clearing when suddenly a huge earthquake splits the land, creating a huge chasm that spews fire and lava into the air. The two run for their lives, eventually escaping the worst of the catastrophe. But that's, oddly enough, not the weirdest thing that happens to them that night.
A large, strange portal surrounded by mystical symbols appears in mid-air well above the ground. A few strange, zombie-like beings writhe their way through the portal then fall to the ground, only to get up and start after the humans. Drohn pulls out his sword, Falchion, and prepares to do battle, but the monster is tougher than expected. He manages to take out one of them, but another is about to take off Lissa's head when another figure makes its way through the portal.
This one is no monster, but a human, a young masked man. He rushes forward and stops the zombie's attack just in time, and Drohn rushes over to help him finish it off. Drohn asks the name of the newcomer, but is distracted when Freddy and I, tired of sleeping through the action, finally wake our butts up and head over.
<Athena> Hold on here, no one told me you guys have zombies in this land.
<Drohn> We don't! They came through this weird ass glowy portal thing in the air.
<Freddy> You guys okay?
<Lissa> Yeah, we are, no thanks to your sleepy ass. Some masked dude had to show up and save me. He was rather cute, though. *swoon* Hey... where'd he go, anyway?
<Drohn> Who cares, we have more monster things to kill!
Drohn hangs out in a local abandoned fort while I sneak around outside, using my magic to weaken guys for him to kill. We've taken down one and hurt another when two other fighters rush into the fray. One of them is a rather brash female knight on a horse that seems to know Chrom, and the other is... Cinesra? Really? He's got a bow slung over his shoulder and is wearing quite possibly the largest cravat I've ever seen. Despite the present threat, he seems to be flirting with the woman, Sully, though she won't have any of it. Drohn is grateful to have both of them join in the battle, and I resolve to find a way later to talk to Cinesra and see if he can tell me what's going on. The four of us join up and take out the rest of the zombies, while Lissa cleans us up and Freddy goes to inspect some interesting thing towards the north. Cinesra manages to take down the zombie leader at the end, and the forest is quiet once again. Except, you know, for that giant chasm full of lava, but we all ignore that.
<Freddy> Hey, look who I found!
<Lissa> Ooooh, masked guy! Thanks for saving me~~~ <3
<Drohn> Yes, thank you very much for your help. Mind telling me your name now?
<???> You may call me Marth.
<Lissa> No, no, that won't do. Marth already had 4 games to himself, if you count the remakes, and that doesn't even include his Smash Brothers appearances. Come on, dude, can't you think up some other Lord to imitate that we can call you by?
<???> Umm.... how about Ephraim?
<Drohn> No, he's no good, he wields a lance, not a sword.
<???> Maybe Roy?
<Freddy> Definitely not. He's got bright red hair! So does Eliwood, for that matter.
<Lissa> And you're way too skinny to pull off Ike, too.
<Freddy> How about Seliph? You've got a similar build and the same blue tunic thing.
<Seliph> Alright, fine, you may call me Seliph. But I'm not here to talk about me. I just wanted to warn you all because your world has some serious crap going down. Zombies falling from the sky is just the beginning.
<Freddy> I guess that means we should head back home and make sure everyone's cool there.
"Seliph" departs and the rest of us leave to make our way down the road to Ylisstol, the capital of Ylisse. While we walk, I try to chat up Cinesra a bit He doesn't seem to recognize me either, but he does compliment me on my tunic and offers me a rose, which I decline with a sigh. These people might look like people I know, but it seems the connection ends as resemblance.
Despite the humungous earthquake with the lava-spitting chasm, not to mention zombies jumping out of glowy portals, everything in Ylisstol seems to be just fine and normal. We manage to catch a glimpse the Brave Vesperia, Exalt and ruler of the land, as she comes out to greet her people. The name sounds familiar, but I'm too tired from the short night to think clearly. Freddy rambles on about how she is a symbol of peace for the people, yada yada, but I tune him out.
<Lissa> She's also the best big sister anyone could ask for!
<Athena> ... wait, what? If she's your sister, then you and Drohn are...
<Freddy> Princess and Prince of Ylisse, yes. You knew who Drohn was but you didn't know he was the heir to the throne?
<Athena> I just thought he was like, you know, militia captain or something. Sorry for being so rude, Prince Drohn!!
<Drohn> S'ok. I give zero f***s about titles and all that crap. Come with me, let's go meet Vesperia.
We enter the palace and I get my first glimpse of the Brave Exalt... and suddenly I realize why the name sounded familiar. It's Brave Vesperia! Albeit a much more feminine one, dressed in long, flowing robes and a halo-like crown. Just like Cinesra, she looks at me without a hint of recognition and turns her attention to Chrom.
<Vesperia> Thank you so much for taking care of those brigands, Drohn. ^_^
<Drohn> No problem, sis. Though, I've got bad news. the brigands weren't just assholes, they were Plegian assholes.
<WanderingWolf> Damnit, not those jerks again. I could have sworn my Pegasus Knights and I didn't see then when we did our last flyover patrol. Crap. Sorry about that.
I do another double-take at the sight of a feminine WanderingWolf dressed up in the slight armor of a Pegasus Knight, her hair coiled back in a long, braided bun.
<Drohn> Nah, you've gotta take care of Vesperia. Don't worry about it.
<Lissa> Besides, we met a new friend!
<Drohn> This is Athena. She woke up in a field with amnesia, but she's a cool fighter and smart as hell, so I hired her on as a tactician.
<Vesperia> Oh, that's so nice! Thank you, Athena. ^_^
<Freddy> For the record, I still think it's a trap.
<Vesperia> No one cares what you think, Frederick. ^_^
<WW> We heard about those weird monster things you fought, too. Apparently they're all over the place.
<Vesperia> Drohn, now that you're home, I'd like you to come have a meeting with me, and WW, and some other nameless, unimportant people, if you don't mind? ^_^
<Lissa> Yeah, you guys go do boring stuff. I want to show Athena my bedroom!
