Hello dear readers, my apologies for the long hiatus. There will be one more chapter released following this one in preparation for a reset. I will be posting it on AO3 under Dtale ( /users/Dtale). Thank you and enjoy!

The secrets of her past revealed in the words of two Knights of Lycia. Now, to meet her grandfather, Lyn heads west, to Lycia, and to her destiny. A mountain range separates the Sacae Plains from Bern. There are many bandits lurking here, the cruelest of which are the Taliver. They wreak havoc on both Sacae and Bern, and their savagery knows no bounds. On her tenth day away from the plains, Lyn witnesses their atrocities herself.

On the path to Lycia across the mountains, Lyn spots a village. Upon walking closer, we see what is wrong with the place.

"This place… It's…" Lyn is at a loss for words as we look around. Doors lying unhinged, windows shattered.

Sain cannot hide his expression of disgust. "The entire area is in ruins. Why doesn't their marquess do anything to help?"

"Taliver Mountain is home to a gang of vicious, ruthless bandits. No marquess holds power here. My village was near here on the other side of the mountain. My people were... The Taliver bandits came at night. It took only one night. The survivors numbered less than ten, including me. They're soulless beasts. I will never forgive them. Never." Lyn's former stoic visage cracks as she hides her face behind her hand.

"Lyndis…" Sain starts to say before Kent hushes him.

"I am not running away. I will be back… Someday, I'll be stronger… I will break their swords beneath me like twigs beneath a stallion's hooves. I will avenge my people. I will do everything in my power." Lyn affirms, hand upon the Mani Katti.

"When the time comes, bring me with you." Sain offers.

"Sain." Lyn looks in surprise.

"Don't forget me, either." Kent joins.

"Kent…" Lyn says.

"Or me." I say confidently, while patting her on the head.

"Oh! You too, Dan? I… You're… Thank you." Lyn blushes out of embarrassment.

We continue down the path and hear a man yelling from the other side of a tall wall. I create a viewing orb and give it to Lyn before I go to scout out the area and to find out what is going on. Peeking from behind another wall, I see a gruff-looking man yell at a short, slim girl with pale purple hair standing in front of a pegasus.

"Wait right there, little lady! What are you going to do to apologize? Huh?" He gripes.

"Uh… I… That is, I…" She squeaks, nearly inaudible from my position.

Another man walks up behind the first saying, "Hey, she's quite a catch, eh, buddy? I bet the boss'd give us a pretty penny for her."

"Yeah. She roughed me up a bit, so I figure fair's fair. It's no more'n she deserves." The first man says.

"I… I…" She stutters, on the verge of tears.

"What are we gonna do with her flying mule?" The second man asks.

"Don't you dare touch her!" The girl screams.

"What? You just watch your mouth, girlie!" The second man threatens.

"Do what you will with me, just… let her go. Please, I beg of you!" She pleads.

"Ha ha ha! Silly twit! Pegasi can only be found in Ilia. They're rare beasts, worth more than you by far! We can sell it for a mountain of gold. Let it go? HA!" The first man laughs.

"No, you can't…" The girl shrinks.

"C'mon! Let's move!" The first man yells.

It's time for us to act. I open my tome and contact Lyn.

"There's a girl here being hassled by two men, most likely bandits. Get here as quickly as possible. I'll try to distract them until then." I say quickly. I see Lyn nod and head toward the knights before flipping to another page in my tome.

"ERALF!" I shout as a red orb forms in my hand. Tossing it upwards, it explodes in a brilliant hue of red and orange.

"What the f-" The first man yells.

The trio arrive, with Sain in the lead, and Kent in the rear with Lyn riding with him. Lyn dismounts before a flash of recognition hits her.

"That's… That's a pegasus. Could it be?" Lyn says as she runs forward.

"Florina?" Lyn calls out. "Is that you, Florina?"

"Ah! Lyn?" The girl whispers.

"Florina! What are you doing in a place such as this?" Lyn asks.

"Lyn!" Florina scurries away from the two men and runs to Lyn. Her pegasus breaks free from the men and follows her.

"Is it really you? I... I…" She says before bursting into tears.

"Come now, no crying." Lyn says pulling Florina into a hug. Kent passes her a handkerchief for Florina.

"I'm sorry." Florina mutters.

Kent, Sain and I form a defensive position around the girls.

"You are acquaintances?" Kent asks while keeping an eye on the two men.

"She's my friend. This is Florina, a pegasus knight in training from Ilia. She's a little uncomfortable around men. Tell me, Florina, what happened here?" Lyn asks.

"Well… um… When I heard that you had left… I decided to follow you. Then I saw this village… I flew down to ask if they had news of you. I didn't see these two, and… well…" Florina replies timidly.

"Did your pegasus land on them?" Lyn asks her.

"Well, I… A little…" Florina admits.

"Aha! You heard her!" The second man shouts. Florina flinches and grips Lyn.

"She admits her fault! She stepped on my friend, and now she's got to pay!" The man accuses.

"Did you apologize, Florina?" Lyn inquires.

"Yes. I told them I was sorry many times over. They just wouldn't listen…" Florina says as she begins to cry again.

"Don't cry. It's alright." Lyn reassures.

"Lyn…" Florina mumbles.

"Listen, she's obviously sorry. Can't we just let this pass? You don't appear to be injured or anything." Lyn requests of the men.

"No chance. The girl goes with us- by force if need be!" The first man threatens.

He whistles loudly before shouting, "Hey! C'mon out now, boys! The men are fair game, but don't put a scratch on the girls!" He then retreats to the back of his group of bandits.

"Dan! Prepare to fight back!" Lyn says.

"Kent, Sain, assume battle formation!" I shout to the knights as I ready my tome.

Florina takes a moment to speak with Lyn. "Lyn… I…" Florina says quietly.

"You're a pegasus knight, aren't you? You can fight, can't you?" Lyn demands.

"Yes!" Florina salutes and prepares her pegasus for battle.

Lyn turns back to me, saying, "Listen carefully, Dan. We're facing bandits again. They're underlings, but we can't take them too lightly. Let's clear them out of here. Are you ready?"

I nod and open my tome, casting "DLEIFELTTAB".

After showing the mapped area to Lyn, she says, "The layout around here might make it difficult to fight. The same holds true for our foe, too. If we use these walls just so, they may ensure our victory."

"Lyn… Who's that?" Florina asks, pointing at me.

"This is Dan. He's still an apprentice but he's my tactician." Lyn explains.

"Oh, I see… Uh… Dan? I'm pleased to meet you." Florina says, curtseying atop her pegasus.

"Nice to meet you as well, Florina. Here, take this. It will help me talk to you on the battlefield." I respond, casting "KNILLE" and handing the created orb to her. It dissipates in her hand before she flies into position.

I turn back to my floating tome and see enclosures with primarily red roofs. I remember that these are villages. It might be a good idea to warn them of the bandits. The might even give us something for the trouble.

"Lyn, let's go visit that village there." I call to her.

"Alright then, Dan. Let's go." Lyn replies.

We walk past the fence and Lyn shouts, "Is anyone there?"

"Leave us alone, you thugs!" A male voice shouts from the largest building. "Go away! We've no more gold for you!"

"No, wait! Please! We're not bandits! We want to help the village. Please listen!" Lyn shouts back.

"Remain inside, everyone. I'll go see what's happening." A young man in cyan garb emerges from the building. He sports tousled brown hair and a bow and quiver attached to a forest green pauldron.

"Not bandits, huh? So, who are you?" He asks.

"My name is Lyn and this is Dan, my tactician. My colleagues and I are just traveling through here. We saw some bandits about. We're going to deal with them, but… We need you to go and warn the villagers." Lyn says.

"Hey! Wait! The name's Wil. I'm a traveler of sorts, too. Listen, these villagers have been kind to me. Mind if I fight with you?" Wil asks.

"Not at all. We need all the help we can get! Welcome aboard, Wil!" I announce.

By visiting this village, we got a new companion. Wil is an archer. Obstacles won't affect his line of fire. I believe this was called indirect combat. Enemies without a weapon capable of indirect combat will not be able to counter. However, Wil cannot draw his bow quickly enough to counter an enemy in close quarters combat. If a stronger enemy is able to attack him upfront, he won't stand a chance. Archers like Wil are best suited to lend assistance from the rear. Looking at my tome, I spot a sword-wielding bandit on the other side of a wall.

I call out to Wil to get a shot in.

"Sure." He says. Before he leaves, I cast "KNILLE" again, establishing a link between us. He runs off to toward the wall and begins to climb it. At the top, he nocks and arrow and fires, striking the unaware bandit in the shoulder.

Next is Florina, a pegasus knight. Being on a pegasus, she can move undeterred by most types of terrain. She could easily fly over the wall Wil climbed in a heartbeat.

"Are you ready, Florina?" I say softly through my tome.

"I… I am ready to fight. I'll follow your orders…" She mumbles determinately.

"Go and finish off the bandit on the other side of that wall, please." I ask, pointing in the general direction.

"Okay." She says. She takes off, slim lance in hand, and flies off. Flipping a page in my tome, I see Florina from Wil's point of view. After circling in the air for a moment, she plunges downward, impaling the bandit.

I turn to Sain and give him the order to run down an archer in the alley we originally came from. He easily defeats the archer. I send Kent to help Sain fortify the newly captured alleyway. I hear Florina shriek a few moments later.

"Lyn! What should I do? There's an archer!" She screams.

"What? Where?" Lyn says, looking through my tome for any nearby archers. The only one is Wil.

"Oh, that's Wil." Lyn explains, in an effort to calm Florina.

"Hi! You're one of Lyn's friends?" Wil shouts from his position on the wall, waving his arms amicably.

"Um… … …" Florina freezes.

"What… What is it? Are you unwell?" Wil asks, trying to illicit a response.

"I'm sorry, Wil. Her name is Florina. She's timid around men, and you… you've got a bow." Lyn clarifies.

"Oh! I see! You must be a pegasus knight! I apologize for not realizing earlier and frightening you, but I do understand your fear of bows." Wil says.

"I… um… I'm sorry… Even looking at a bow… frightens me ever so much…" Florina says nervously.

"Of course, I understand. But you should really only fear the enemy's archers, not your own." Wil explains.

"Yes...of course… my apologies." Florina stutters. Now I remember that flying units, like Florina, are very fragile, especially in the face of bows. I should be cautious when on her application for enemy armies with archers. With that problem gone, I send Florina to a nearby village. She lands in the fenced enclosure, where a teenage girl greets her.

"You come to help the village?" The girl asks. Florina nods, exuding as much confidence as she can.

"That's good. With so many bandits, I wasn't sure what to do. It's not much, but please take this money. There is a protected armory to the south east of us. Equip yourself as you see fit, and help us, please." The girl walks into a home and brings out a sack of coins. She helps Florina attach it to her pegasus' saddle and waves goodbye as Florina takes off. I realize that other than the pocket change we have, our group has little money to our name. I take a moment to thank whatever god sent that girl to us.

Putting my head back into the battle, an archer nocks an arrow and fires at Sain from a patch of forest. Sain sees the arrow, grabs his blade and cleanly slices the arrow in two. Kent charges into the forest and defeats the archer. A bandit appears from the brush and attacks Kent. He dodges and parries, slashing the man's throat with his counter.

Florina reconvenes with us, landing beside Lyn. I send Wil to shoot an axe-wielding bandit. He draws his bow and fires, grazing the bandit's right arm. Unfazed, the bandit rushes at Sain, who easily disarms the man and swiftly knocks him unconscious with the flat side of his blade. Another bandit ambushes Sain and grazes his left arm. Sain recoils and canters away after landing a weak riposte. Wil aims his bow from the ledge and snipes the brigand square in the chest, killing him.

I see a sword-wielding bandit heading towards our group through my tome and command Florina to grab Sain's lance and intercept. I shout to Sain about the strategy and he throws his lance upwards, which Florina gracefully grabs out of the air. I call on Lyn to follow me in securing the kill on the bandit. Florina dives in and strikes the bandit with her lance, dodging his counter and evading to the open sky.

Lyn and I arrive as Florina leaves. Lyn unsheathes the Mani Katti and dashes through the bandit, beheading him. Another sword-wielding bandit appears from a ruin and lunges at Lyn. She dodges and meets his blade with hers, sparks flying between the two.

"Hello! My name is Leroi! You are the first to match me in ages. Entertain me until you die!" He keeps pushing her back with his continuous slashes, giving her no time to counter. All I can do is watch as Lyn fights a desperate battle with the bandit.

"Kent, when you're available, Lyn and I need your assistance here." I quickly speak into my tome as I move forward, attempting to plan a strategy to help Lyn. An idea pops into my head. It's risky and may very well kill me, but Lyn get out of this alive. Kent and Sain should be near. They'll help her through the rest of her journey. Resolute, I quickly cast a small protection spell on my left arm and set my plan into motion.

-Lyn-

Lyn was forced to retreat to a small alleyway, still dodging and blocking the bandit's mad assault. The entrance was the only way through. Her face was expressing a losing battle. As the last of her strength was sapped, her blade fell as she dropped to her knees. The final strike was imminent, Lyn could already tell. It would pass through her shoulder and across her chest, cleaving its way through easily.

As the bandit raised his sword over his head, she could see Dan running towards her from behind the bandit. "It's too late, Dan. I'm sorry it had to end this way." She thought, resigned to her fate. There was no point, the bandit could easily turn on Dan and finish him in a second. At the last second, she saw Dan form a portal and leap through, to what end, she was unsure. As the bandit's broadsword began to fall, Lyn saw her life flash before her eyes one last time. She saw her fallen parents, her fallen tribe, and lastly, Dan.

-Dan-

"HA!" I shout with pained vigor. "Lyn. Are you alright?" I say, calling out softly to her.

"Dan? What are yo- Oh no. Dan… I'm sorry, Dan. How could I ever repay you?" She says, shocked and brought to tears.

"Lyn. What do you mean? You saved me on the plains that fateful day. I might have died there if you had not found me and nursed me back to health. I would have no other pleasure then returning the favour." I explain.

"But… but your arm." Lyn cries, sobbing uncontrollably. The bandit's broadsword had driven itself into my left arm. It would've cleaved through the entire arm, and my body, had I not cast the protection spell. I groan as I tear out the massive blade. My protection spell spills from my arm in a blue liquid and forms an opaque blue wall between Lyn and I and the bandit. The bandit tries to destroy the wall to no avail. I bend down to pick up the Mani Katti and pass it to Lyn.

"I will be fine. Go and find Kent. I will make a path." I say before flipping to one of the last pages of my tome. The image shown is gruesome, a decrepit and weathered man with a disproportionately large arm punching forward, sending the shockwave of an earthquake in its direction. Though it's not the initial image that's scares me, it's the aftereffects of the spell that do. The following image is of the man's arm now resized to his proportions, broken and bruised beyond repair. This spell will work. Putting my right arm forward, I cast "DOHRULF!". A large circular ring appears at the tip of my hand and slowly envelops it up to my shoulder. As the ring passes an area, it is covered in lightning-like marking and turns the flesh into a bright red. As the transformation finishes, I can feel the raw power my right arm contains as the lightning marks pulse bright green and red. I walk toward the wall and yell "SMASH!", throwing my fist forward. My fist easily decimates the building, making a path for Lyn.

"Go now! Find Kent! I will be alright here!" I yell as I push Lyn forward. She looks back once and continues running. I retain the stern look I have until Lyn is out of sight and earshot.

"ARGH!" I scream as the blowback from the spell and the physical pain from earlier hits me. Both arms lie limp at my side. My tome falters and falls to the ground. At that moment, my protective spell earlier falters, allowing the bandit from earlier to break through.

"You denied my entertainment. Now you get to die!" He yells as he rushes at me, most likely to take my head. I barely dodge his first downward strike. I recover to see a fist flying towards me and take it in the gut. I support myself on a nearby wall while coughing up blood. The bandit goes for a sweeping slash which I duck to avoid. I give him a headbutt to the chin in retaliation. Both of us grunt in pain as we mutually retreat. He roars and charges at me one last time. I'm far too tired to dodge this strike. I feel like my guts are being ripped out as his' sword impales me through my torso. I spew an undisclosed amount of blood in an action disguised as a cough.

"Die." I grunt as I feel a shift in my bodily control as I grab the blade with my right hand. I hear a distant scream as I pass out.

I wake as if I had come straight out of a fog. I had been leaning against one of the alley walls. I raise my battered right hand to wipe my eye and give up when it doesn't help. I opt to blink to clear my vision. The entire alleyway around me had been stained red with blood. Whose blood it was was unknown to me. The bandit had disappeared, leaving his broadsword behind on the floor. My tactician's tome lay outside the bloody radius, unstained. I stay in my resting position until I hear horse hooves clatter against the earthen terrain. I do my best to prepare for battle in my sorry state until I see that the rider was actually Kent and Lyn.

"Dan! By the gods, what happened here?" Kent asks as he appraises me from a distance. Lyn dismounts and rushes up to aid me.

"Dan, are you alright?" She says as she helps me take off some of my blood-soaked vestments as Kent looks around to check the perimeter and for a suitable splint for my arms. There is a blood-soaked tear in the middle of my garments, though the flesh under it is unharmed. Lyn empties my bag and finds a vulnerary, which she applies to my cleaved left arm with a bandage. She tosses the bag by the wayside after salvaging any worthwhile items. My bloodied cloak and outer robe are left discarded as well. Kent comes back with two durable-looking pieces of wood and cuts them down to size. Lyn then helps Kent affix the splints to my arms and slip them into a homemade sling. Kent helps me load the bandit's blade onto his horse as well, for later use.

"Thanks. Let's finish routing the enemy before tending to my minor injuries." I say as I mount up with Kent. Lyn climbs up behind me and Kent starts to ride. Lyn holds me in a tight embrace from behind, mostly to keep me and my lack of functioning arms on top of the horse without falling off, though I sense a different feeling from her actions. I feel something wet on my back and turn to see Lyn with her face buried into my garments.

"Thank you, Dan. But please, never do that again. I don't want to lose another close friend." Lyn whispers.

After a short ride, we reconvene with the rest of the group. After a few reassurances of my health we begin to move for the boss of this band of brigands. I assume command once more from Kent's steed. I send Florina and Wil to scout out a ruined building. Wil climbs a worn battlement and readies a volley of arrows.

"I have a question for you!" Lyn shouts to the bandit leader.

"Begging for your life so soon, wench?" He taunts.

"Are you and your men of the Taliver bandits?" She asks.

"Taliver? Those greedy monsters? We're nothing like them! Those fiends will even kill women and children! We're from Ganelon, and we know a little something of honour. We don't harm women, for one thing. Heh heh heh. After all, why kill what you can sell?" He jokes.

"if you're not Taliver, then there's no reason for you to die here today. If you would like to tuck your tails and flee, do so now." Lyn commands.

"You… You… No more courtesies! Draw your swords! You're going to learn to watch your tongue!" The leader yells angrily to rally his men.

"Prepare the formation!" I shout as Lyn mounts Sain's steed, Wil begins to fire his volley and Florina flies down to assist.

"Together we ride! Forward!" I shout as we all charge head first, Kent, Florina, Wil and myself create a path for Sain and Lyn. Lyn draws the Mani Katti, leaps off Sain's horse and sweeps a group of bandits off their feet using her momentum and superior blade work. Sain's horse leaps forward and Sain drives his sword deep into the leader's chest.

"Where is that damn swordsman. Ugh… You'll live to regret this… My brothers… The Ganelon Bandits will not let this stand…" He coughs as he passes away. The remaining bandits scatter and flee.

"That's finally taken care of." Lyn sighs in relief.

"Lyn!" Florina calls as she lands.

"Florina… Why did you follow me? It's so dangerous." Lyn asks.

"Do you remember the knighting ceremony of the Pegasus Knights of Ilia?" Florina replies.

"Yes, you join a band of freelance soldiers to further your training. Is that what brought you here, Florina?" Lyn responds.

"Uh-huh." Florina affirms. "I wanted to talk to you before I set out. But when I went to Sacae, I heard that you had left with some strangers and…"

"You were worried for me? Thank you, but I'm more worried about you." Lyn replies.

"Me?" Florina gapes.

"Listen, most mercenaries are men, right? Bands of men? I can't imagine you being at all comfortable around them." Lyn explains.

"I know, I know. It's just… I've always dreamt of being a pegasus knight. I imagined I would just… work it out. Somehow. After today, I'm not so sure. Maybe I should just… give up…" Florina says as she tears up.

"Florina… Don't cry." Lyn says, comforting her.

"Yes! There's no reason to give up your dream!" Sain shouts as he rides closer.

"Hm?" Florina ponders as she turns to see Sain dismount from his steed.

"Lovely Florina! I have the most brilliant idea!" He says gaudily.

"Sain! Wait!" Kent says, only somewhat prepared to stop Sain.

"You should come with us!" Sain offers as Wil arrives from his former post. "With the addition of Wil here, we're a fine group of soldiers, and freelance to boot!" Sain explains.

"Wait, did you just include me?" Wil asks, confused.

"Of course! We were destined to meet here! It's fate! Come now, Lyndis' band of mercenaries is as good a training group as you will find anywhere!" Sain says charismatically.

"Sain… this is no joking matter!" Kent says sternly, pulling Sain back.

"Lyndis? Um, Lyn? Mercenaries?" Florina asks.

"I can give you the details later. This is all a bit rushed. However, Sain is right. Will you come with us, Florina?" Lyn offers.

"Travel with you, Lyn? Truly? I would be so… so happy!" Florina cries!