Yes, yes, I know, I got enough stories as it is...but the ideas just keep COMING! Anyways...can't say much right now, or I'll give the chapter away, but, needless to say, I took some...liberties...writing this...So, if you see something that might not work out in full-canon (such as how Robin survives destroying Grima)...well, just chalk it up to being "AU"...I know that's a crappy excuse, but just roll with me here...
Ok, now, the Avatar build...which is similar to the one used in Wasteland Awakening (in fact, the ONLY difference is the birthday): Female, build 02, face 01, hair 03, hair color 1; Birthday: 3/14; +Magic, -Defense
Now, again, I will be using the Male/Female Twins for Morgan...might be just safe to assume I am doing so unless I say otherwise...
Chapter 1: The Tactician vs The Fell Dragon vs The Titaness of Cunning
"Return to us, Robin! The bond between us is stronger than even the fell dragon's might!"
Robin had been imprisoned in her own head by the power of the Fell Dragon Grima. However, she'd been trying to fight back. Her attempts were proving futile, but just as she was ready to give in, her friends called out to her. Hearing them, it gave her renewed strength to fight back...and fight back she did...
"Chrom! I'm coming Chrom! Hold on!" Robin's renewed strength allowed her to throw off Grima, and return to her friends. Then, Naga's power restored the weakened party to full strength. The Shepherds readied themselves for this final battle...
...That's when something strange happened...
Suddenly, a cluster of 5 rings appeared, surrounded Robin...and made her disappear in a flash of light.
"Robin!" Chrom called out to her. However, she was gone, no where to be seen.
Initially, Chrom thought Grima guilty of this, until..."What?! Where is she?!" Hearing Grima's enraged voice put paid to any assumption he was responsible. "Wait...I sense her...she's in the sky...but how?! No matter...ground or sky, she WILL be mine!"
Robin found herself on a strange metal floor. As she looked around, however, she was met with several people, armored in unusual metallic armor and wielding electrified staves. She looked around in confusion as another person, a female, held a device that looked like a serpent, and fired an electrical blast at Robin, stunning her.
Suddenly, Robin saw some kind of...serpent...exit the woman's neck, which slithered towards her...and burrowed into her own neck. She yelped in pain, and then felt something trying to attack her mind.
Again, Robin found herself in the black "world" that she now guessed was her mindscape. Only this time, rather than facing Grima in her own future self's body, she was facing a human-sized version of the serpent that burrowed into her neck.
"Strange..." the Serpent said, "A normal mind would have succumb immediately...you are strong...you will DEFINITELY make a proper host..."
"Who are you?!" Robin asked.
"I am Metis, your new master, worm...now...bow..."
Robin's eyes narrowed at that. "No...I am NOT giving in! I just prevented Grima from controlling me, I will NOT just give up because you order me to..."
"You dare defy me?! You dare defy a GOD?!"
"I saw you briefly before you entered my neck: you're a little short to be a "God"..." Robin snarked back.
Metis angrily reared back, and prepared to strike...when a surge of dark magic appeared between Metis and Robin. "No! This is MY future host: only I can break and control her!" It was Grima, appearing in the same "future her" form he did before.
"Who do you think you are, to challenge a God?!" Metis replied.
"You believe yourself to be a God?! Pathetic! Face the true power of a God!" With that, Grima attacked. Surprisingly, Metis, while not shrugging the hit off, was able to fight back. It appeared neither were going to attack Robin anytime soon.
She watched in shock as the 2 self-proclaimed Gods battled it out, one trying to defeat the other. While Grima definitely had the power, Metis had the strength of will to continue fighting, easily lasting as long as Grima, despite the latter's magic and strength.
She continued to listen to them both as they fought, trying to find her own opening and stop them both.
"For a thousand years, I've waited: I will NOT be stopped now! I WILL destroy you!"
"My plans have been in motion for far longer than that, Dragon! For almost 15,000 years I've waited for my chance! This being will give me the power to become the most powerful System Lord to have ever existed! I WILL NOT STOP BECAUSE OF YOU!"
'15,000 years?!' Robin thought, 'That's...that's ANCIENT! If it's that old, why is Grima doing so well against it?' Robin watched the 2 battle, and decided that this "Metis" probably wasn't used to this kind of resistance, not counting the Dark Magic Grima was slinging at it. The battle wore on, with Robin watching, both seemingly ignoring her, and neither side gaining the upper-hand...and both sides were weakening...
The group looked confused as Grima just sat there, as though its concentration was on something. No taunting, no magic, no trying to shake them off, nothing. They were worried: worried about what Grima was doing, worried about where Robin was...Maybe they could try to find where Robin went while Grima was-
"No! This is MY future host: only I can break and control her!"
"What's going on?!" Lissa asked.
"From what Grima said, something must be trying to take control of Robin," Say'ri replied.
"You believe yourself to be a God?! Pathetic! Face the true power of a God!"
"Something up there thinks it's a God? Man, someone's got a big ego," Inigo commented.
Tiki waited, closing her eyes for a moment, before relaying from Naga, "There's some kind of flying ship up there...that's where Robin is...it's invisible, so we can't see it. There's some...creature...trying to directly control her by burrowing into her mind, but now it and Grima are fighting for control."
"For a thousand years, I've waited: I will NOT be stopped now! I WILL destroy you!"
"And Robin?" Chrom asked, "What is she doing?!"
Tiki waited, before relaying, "...She'd biding her time..."
For several minutes, Grima and this "Metis" dueled, and both began to wear down. Robin could see both of them weakening. Once she saw Metis "stagger", she realized it was time. She brought everything: every happy memory, every good feeling, every bond with every friend she'd made, to the forefront of her mind. She then concentrated...and attacked.
She first struck Metis, the serpent being caught totally unaware, unable to react to her brutal, unexpected attack. Metis's mind didn't survive: having invested everything into this duel with Grima, Robin's attack was all that was needed to crush every ounce of Metis's mind. Wasting no time, she used the connection Metis left behind to enter its body, using it to augment her own strength. While the mind and personality were destroyed, Metis's memories and knowledge all remained. Robin harvested it all, and, using it to boost her own ability to fight back, readied to strike at Grima next. No longer would the Fell Dragon be able to try to command her.
"She has struck," Tiki informed the others, "She attacks the alien invader in her mind first...her attack has crushed it..."
"Woah..." Chrom could only say.
Tiki elaborated, "It was her time with us: it gave her the strength to overcome the being, who was for all intents and purposes, equal in mental strength to Grima. she now uses it power alongside her own against Grima..."
"Then she may yet conquer the Fell Dragon as well," Walhart commented, before smirking, "It seems she may be the strongest of us all..."
Robin and Grima faced each other down, and struck, as the "resources" from Metis struck Grima first, the Fell Dragon defiantly screamed at her, "Do you think you will win?! DO YOU?! I am still in power here! I will NOT stop, until YOU! ARE!-"
"Shut! UP!" Robin replied, and she finally struck with her own mind.
"GAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" If it were just Robin's mind, Grima would have taken the hit and come back...However, with the resources obtained from Metis, Robin was now too strong for the Fell Dragon. Grima's influence was pushed from her mind, the mark of Grima on her hand beginning to fade, seeping out purple smoke as it did.
"Do you think you will win?! DO YOU?! I am still in power here! I will NOT stop, until YOU! ARE!-GAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" Grima roared and reared back, as though struck by a massive blow.
"She has done it: Grima's influence has left her mind," Tiki said, relieved.
"Yes! She did it!" Chrom said excitedly.
"What's she doing now, though, I don't see her returning," Gangrel snarked.
Tiki concentrated for a moment. "She's not leaving things to chance...She's pushing into Grima's mind: she seeks to finish the job!"
Everyone gasped at that: to try to push into Grima's mind...
"Good luck, Robin..." Chrom said, bringing his hand to his heart.
The dark void turned darker, as Robin forged further into Grima's mind, using her new-found strength to push through. As she pushed deeper, the darkness grew, yet she pushed on. She had to do this, she HAD to! Everyone was counting on her, this was her best chance to take Grima down once and for all! If she succeeded, it wouldn't matter if she or Chrom struck Grima down: a brain dead dragon was no threat to anyone, awake or asleep.
Soon, she found it: the core of Grima's consciousness. The Fell Dragon awaited, ready for the fight, not as the future Robin, but as its own Dragon Form, albeit only as tall as Robin herself. "So...you've come this far...and now, I will destroy you..."
"No, Grima...I have come TOO FAR to die now...I know I am risking myself by coming here...but...I cannot let you survive...if I kill you here, then even if Chrom seals you, you will be no longer a threat...You can threaten NO ONE if your mind is gone..."
"Yes, but what do you think happens to my power: kill me in my mind, and my power escapes...the explosion will kill you and everyone you care about." The Dragon seemed to grin. "Your sacrifice will be in vain."
That news struck Robin deeply. If he was telling the truth, killing him in here will kill everyone she cares about. If only there was a way-of course...Robin laughed.
"Cracking are you? Laughing at nothing...this will be simple..." Grima charged...but Robin's strength was stronger than ever. Grima recoiled at the defense Robin put up. "But...but HOW!"
"The memories of this..."Goa'uld"...this "Metis"...states that the craft that it brought me to is capable of flight, and can carry my friends..." Robin smirked. "You may blow up, but I can TELL it won't be immediate, I may have a half hour, maybe a little more..." Grima gave the dragon equivalent of a scowl, knowing what she stated was true. "I can pick them up. I can flee. I can escape your destruction." Robin began to charge power, as a mental Goetia tome spawned in her hand. Grima was shocked by this: Robin couldn't use Dark Magic...unless...
'She trained as a Dark Mage...CURSES!' he silently thought.
"And this means YOU! ARE! FINISHED!" Robin charged all her power into her tome, and fired. The blast struck the mental image of Grima, the Fell Dragon roaring in pain, fury, and despair, as its mind fell in upon itself, and destroyed itself.
"So...you've come this far...and now, I will destroy you..."
"Robin has reached the core of Grima's mind," Tiki reported.
"YES!" Morgana, one of Chrom's and Robin's 3 children shouted in excitement.
"Way to go, mom!" Morgan, Morgana's twin brother commented.
Grima's next comment, however, had everyone immediately fearful. "Yes, but what do you think happens to my power: kill me in my mind, and my power escapes...the explosion will kill you and everyone you care about. Your sacrifice will be in vain."
"What?!" Brady called out.
"Cracking are you? Laughing at nothing...this will be simple..."
"No..." Nowi gasped.
Before anyone else could express dismay, however..."But...but HOW!"
"Wait! What's going on-" Cynthia couldn't finish, before suddenly, Grima released a roar of pain, suddenly, from Grima's eyes and mouth started pouring dark magic.
Grima's "Future Robin" body stopped emitting black magic for a moment, and she fell over, unconscious for a brief moment. Then...she looked up, and saw the group. A weak smile crept up her face. "Th-thank...y-you..." she weakly said, before more dark magic consumed her, and she disappeared into nothing.
Lucina, Chrom's and Robin's eldest daughter, sighed with relief. "She...she did it..."
Tis'Nor watched the body of the native Metis invaded several minutes ago. She hadn't awoken at all in that time, so he sent the other Jaffa guards out of the room. This was because he didn't want them to know what he had planned. He hated the Goa'uld, he wanted them gone...he wanted his people free. And he knew the only way to free the Jaffa was if he freed himself. He needed a way to escape Metis first...and Metis was definitely incapacitated. As he debated how to dispose of the Goa'uld, however, the host awoke. His hand went for his Zat'nik'tel, but then he noticed the look in the woman's eyes: it wasn't the arrogant look of a Goa'uld...it was a confused, analytical expression.
She then turned to him, and asked, "Who..are you?" She then noticed his hand near his weapon, and, in a swift motion, drew a sword...a sword in the shape of a lightning bolt and crackling with electricity. Tis'Nor was curious about this: they'd detected no power source on her, yet her weapon generated lightning when in her hand. That was not as curious as the fact that, somehow, Metis was not in charge. He decided to test her: he'd seen Metis take on new hosts before, each stronger and smarter than the last. He knew how Metis acted when awakening in a new host. If she acted as Metis normally does, he'd have some explaining to do...If not...
"I am Tis'Nor, second in command of the Goa'uld Metis. And you are...?"
"My name is Robin, Tactician and Wife of Chrom, current Exalt of Ylisse. Where am I?"
Externally, Tis'Nor raised an eyebrow. Internally...he was ecstatic. 'She ACTUALLY defeated Metis? But, but how?' However, he made a gesture, deactivating any and all security devices in the room. Then, keeping his level tone, he asked "I must ask: what has become of my master, Metis?"
Robin narrowed her eyes, and answered in a cautious tone, "This "Metis" tried to hijack my mind...So...when another being that had been trying to take my mind fight it, and I counterattacked, Metis's mind was the first I destroyed...I now control its body, as well as my own, and I possess its memories."
Tis'Nor processed this: this shouldn't be possible...and yet, he could sense no deception in Robin's voice. Soon...he couldn't contain a smirk anymore. Robin looked confused, and a little nervous, about this. "You don't know...HOW long...I've been trying to find a means to leave Metis. My people have been oppressed by Metis's kind for years, and I have been desiring to find a means to liberate them...and now, I can..."
Robin seemed confused by Tis'Nor's joy, but played along. "So...what now?"
"That depends on you: I might be able to convince the crew of this Al'kesh, and the Ha'taks in orbit, to follow me, although one such as yourself might sway their loyalty better."
Robin's eyes narrowed. "What are you suggesting?"
"What is your opinion on the Goa'uld lording over the Jaffa? Surely, you should have seen it in Metis's memories," Tis'Nor explained.
Robin's eyes narrowed again. "I find it sick...I'd like nothing better than to take down these "Goa'uld"...especially those "System Lord" guys..."
Tis'Nor smiled. "Then, your plan is to fight them?"
"I am a Tactician: from what I've seen, they aren't the strategic type...And, I hate what they are doing: I just helped fight a threat that threatened to enslave or destroy my world's population, and this makes me feel sicker than I did about what I've seen before...So, yes: if there's a chance I can stop them...I would fight..."
"Then...if you do so, I will help you. But first, we must determine how we are going to instate you as leader of this group. We cannot immediately have "Robin" lead the Jaffa on these ships: if news of Metis's complete death spreads, it could cause revolt. Fortunately, the Jaffa on this ship will be easy to sway, regardless, so we don't need to plan out how we're going to take over the ships in orbit just yet. So...what is your first course of action?"
Robin thought...the remembered that she wasted 15 minutes of the countdown to Grima's explosion...and her friends are still down there..."My friends...That Dragon is going to explode in 15 minutes, and my friends...and husband and children...are down there...we have to help them..."
"I see...let us inform the crew of the Al'kesh of the change in command, dispose of any who try to kill you, and we will then work quickly to recover your friends and family. Our Transporter Rings will be able to bring them up quickly."
"Right..." she replied, uncertain about the 'dispose of any who try to kill you' part, and finished with, "Let's go!"
The Shepherds watched as Grima began to crack, dark magic spilling out of everywhere. "Grima will soon collapse, his power crashing in upon itself, then exploding," Tiki informed, "And we are not fast enough to escape the blast radius before it does..."
"I see..." Chrom said solemnly, "Then...at least the world is safe..."
"I...I can't believe it: all this work, and we don't even get to see how it affects anything!" Lissa cried, her brother Chrom coming and giving her a hug.
"It's going to be alright," Frederick said, trying to calm Lissa down.
However, suddenly, a sound filled the air. The group looked up...and saw something appear in mid-air: a large, egg-shaped flying ship, topped with a pyramid. "That's the craft that took Robin!" Tiki said, as the ship lowered towards the group. Soon, it sat over them...and a quintet of rings, the same ones that snatched Robin, appeared from under it, surrounding Sumia, Gregor, Tiki, Nowi, and Nah, all 5 disappearing in a flash of light, like Robin did before. Then, the rings reappeared again, surrounding Lon'qu, Libra, Miriel, Cherche (and Minerva), and Henry this time, and made them disappear, too.
The rings kept appearing, and soon, only Chrom, Lucina, Morgan, and Morgana remained. "What now?" Lucina asked.
"We hope that Robin's in control of that thing this time..." Chrom said, as the rings surrounded them, and they disappeared too.
Chrom looked around as the rings lowered: he was in some kind of bay, with the others, accompanied by a group of what appeared to be humans in...unusual...armor, wielding staves sparking with lightning, all pointed at them. Suddenly, a voice called, "Cha'hari!" and the soldiers lowered their staves. A dark-skinned man wearing the same armor, with a stave on his back and with a serpent-like device on his hip, approached. He bowed respectfully to Chrom, and said, "Kel Sha. You must be Chrom."
Chrom was confused, as he answered, "Yes...I am..."
"Good. I am Tis'Nor, leader of the Jaffa on this Al'kesh. Before you ask, your wife is alright: she has overpowered the Goa'uld that wanted to make her its host, no small feat in and of itself, and assimilated its knowledge, as well as some of that held by the being 'Grima' she vanquished. She has explained the situation. There is much to explain, and too little time to do so in. Come with me to the cockpit, she awaits you there."
Chrom, Lucina, and the twins followed this 'Tis'Nor', to the front of the craft. In the cockpit, 2 Jaffa sat in chairs, facing controls containing many device. Standing behind them was...
"Robin!" Chrom called out.
Robin turned around...and smiled widely seeing them. "You made it...I'm so relieved...hold on, we'll talk later. First, let's get out of here!" She then turned to the Jaffa at the controls. "Bradio!" Robin said, in a commanding tone. What shocked Chrom was that, when Robin spoke to the Jaffa, her voice had warped, deepened, and became distorted. She also appeared to be speaking their language, as the ship then began to move. Robin then turned to them again. Her expression was serious, and her eyes were glowing a pale yellow. However, the glow receded, revealing the brown eyes they've come to know, as she said, "Hold on, you guys..."
The ship then surged forward, first flying over Grima, and then away, as behind them Grima soon reached the point where his magic reached critical mass, his body could not hold his power anymore...and exploded. The Al'kesh kept ahead of the shockwave of dark magic, flying as fast as it could. Soon, Origin Peak was entirely consumed by the blast, and and the shockwave gained on the Al'kesh. The shockwave closed in...and slowed down, the Al'kesh reaching the edge of the blast radius. Soon, the explosion ended, the Al'kesh flying away, free from harm.
Chrom and the others let out a sigh of relief: Grima was dead, they've won!
Ok, that's it for chapter 1.
Firstly: yes, the SpotPass characters are here in the canon...I'll be frank: when Robin begins making her own Goa'uld Empire, she's gonna need some people good at conquest warfare to be able to defeat the Goa'uld, and who better to help with that, than ole Walhart the Conquerer? ;) Not to mention how...useful...some of the others, like Gangrel and Aversa could be, used wisely...
Next, yes, I remember how Robin's supposed to disappear when Grima dies, but I'm explaining the change from that away as due to A: the Goa'uld inside her, and B: the fact she pushed Grima's influence from her body. Hey, I SAID this was gonna be a little AU.
So...I hope this story ends up becoming good...