nightelf37: In case you're wondering why Florina screamed last chapter, let's just say that Sain had something to do with it. He's such a perv. Also, as for the last names, "Cinatorna" and "Tolive" are anagrams for the words "carnation" and "violet", Serra and Erk's hair colors. Quite clever if I do say so myself. I happen to have a thing for names, you know.
I guess I should do a disclaimer here too. I own only the following; the made-up last names of the characters, my rendition of the Tactician (Mark and Kat), as well as anything that doesn't actually happen in the game.
At long last, Lyn arrives in the land of her mother's birth. Lycia is a federation of territories, each one ruled by a powerful marquess. Now, Lyn takes her leave of one of these territories, Araphen and sets out to meet her grandfather, the marquess of Caelin. However, the marquess's brother, Lundgren, hungers to rule Caelin. He is preparing a deadly welcome for Lyn, who stands to threaten his grasp for power.
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Chapter 6: Blood of Pride
"What city is this?" Lyn asked Sain as the Legion looked at the massive walls ahead of them.
Sain looked around, then realized that Lyn wasn't likely to know. "What? Oh, this is Araphen. After Ostia, it's the second-biggest city in Lycia."
"The second biggest, hm? It does seem pretty busy. By the way, where's Kent?"
Indeed, the red-clad Cavalier was nowhere to be seen. Mark and Kat knew where he was; he went ahead so that they wouldn't be mistaken for bandits or mercenaries; that assumption could be brought up from how ragtag the group was, not to mention their open display of weapons and how filthy they were (with the queer exception of Serra and her robes).
"He said he was going ahead to the castle, but…" Sain squinted a bit, then gave a smile. "Ah, here he comes now."
He emerged from the gates, a bit out of breath, then spoke to Lyn. "Milady Lyndis! Let us proceed to the castle. They've prepared supplies for us. The marquess has agreed to aid us on our journey to Caelin."
"That's good news," commented Kat.
"He's going to help us?" asked Lyn.
Kent replied, "Yes. Araphen and Caelin have enjoyed a sturdy friendship for many years. Once I informed the marquess of our plight, he agreed to lend us his strength."
"Looks like we've got a smooth road ahead!" Sain smirked at his partner.
Why do I get the feeling it won't be? Mark thought to himself.
Kent continued, "If we could pick up some soldiers, the road to Caelin would be that much safer. I'm truly for hardships you've suffered so far."
Lyn simply smiled back at Kent and giggled, "Don't be silly. You are so capable, Kent."
The other Cavalier feigned offense. "Kent?!"
"Hm?" Lyn turned around. "Oh, and so are you, Sain."
"Of course I am!"
"The castle awaits…"
Lyndis's Legion reached the gates, where some guards held their spears in their way.
"State your name and business!" one of them demanded.
Sain nudged his horse forward, "Is this how you greet the granddaughter of Marquess Caelin?"
The sergeant did not seem fazed, "Oh. This is the Lady Lyndis and her party? Move along then." The spears were lifted and the group rode through the gate.
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"How can people stand to actually live in a city?" Lyn asked as they looked around. "You'd think that the stench alone would drive them out. Not to mention the enclosure."
"Not everybody enjoys the nomadic life, Lyn," Kat explained. "Some people prefer security over freedom."
"By the way, Kent," Mark addressed the red Cavalier. "What does the Marquess of Araphen want in return? Altruism is extremely rare for people of his position."
"His one request is that he be allowed to meet 'Madelyn's daughter'," Kent answered. "From what I have heard, he was quite fond of your mother…"
Kent's voice trailed off as they heard screams and shouts coming from deeper into the city. They rode towards the sounds, and as they did, they saw smoke coming from the castle. The townspeople were barricading themselves in buildings. One of them screamed and ran outside his house, pointing at Castle Araphen.
"This is terrible! The castle is burning!"
Sain ran up to the man and asked him, "What did you say? What's happening?"
The man spoke in a state of panic, "Smoke! From the castle! Hey!" He then pointed at people by the castle. "What are those men doing?"
Coming down the street was a unit of spear-wielding infantry, wearing no identifying uniforms. At their head was a man with a thick broadsword. Spotting Lyn, he and two other Mercenaries (broadsword-wielders) approached the group.
"Who are you?" Lyn asked.
The man scowled nastily and approached her. "You! You're Lyndis, aren't you?"
"Ah!" The Sacaean took a step back. "What do you—"
"No questions! Prepare yourself!" he yelled as he ran towards Lyn.
"Hey!"
"Everybody, battle stations!" Mark ordered, and as everybody obeyed, he and Kat took out their weapons as well.
But before Lyn's attacker could reach her, an arrow entered his neck and he fell to the ground screaming. "Aaaargg! Aaaaah!"
"What?" she whispered, "An arrow?"
Kat and Mark knew the arrow wasn't from Wil, who was still behind the two as they engaged the other two Mercenaries. In a few seconds, the two tacticians managed to divert their foes away from them and into Sain and Dorcas, but the Mercenaries pulled away and retreated.
The Tacticians turned to look at Lyn's rescuer; it was a Sacaean atop a brown horse, green hair covered by a bandana of sorts, and a recently fired shortbow in hand.
"…" He remained silent as he stared at Lyn.
"Who are…" Lyn began.
"Milady Lyndis!" Kent asked as he galloped over, having brought up the rear when the Legion hurried to the fire. "Are you all right?"
Lyn stared at the nomad as she spoke to Kent. "I'm fine. He... This man saved me."
"May I ask your name?" Kent asked the Nomad. Meanwhile, Mark began to relay orders to the others as Kat stayed behind to listen in. She also took out her Alignment Compass to check out what the Nomad's alignment was.
(She used it on Dorcas, Serra, and Erk in the days before, and all of them fell under "Neutral Good".)
The rider only remained silent, then made to leave. "Wait!" Lyn shouted, making him pause. "Why did you help me?"
The rider spoke softly. "I thought a Sacaean plainswoman was being attacked. I was mistaken."
Lyn smiled. "No, you were right! I am from Sacae. I'm Lyn, the daughter of the Lorca chieftain."
The rider was surprised. "The Lorca? There were survivors?"
"Yes."
"You should leave at once. A blaze has started in the castle, and it's spreading. Don't be foolish and waste the life I just saved."
"You're from the castle? What's happening? How severe is the fire? Is the marquess safe?"
Sighing, the nomad continued. "The castle is under attack, and the marquess has been accosted. The man who attacked you was probably one of the marauders. As captain of the castle guard, it's my duty to rescue the marquess."
Lyn thought about this for a bit. "I see... All right then, we'll help you."
Kent asked, "Milady?"
The nomad seemed confused. "Why?"
Lyn answered, "These brigands are after me. If they're attacking the castle, it's because of me. So I must help if I can…"
The nomad gave Lyn a good look, then continued, "It sounds like you're involved somehow... Let's go."
"You'll accept our aid?"
Hearing Mark call for him, and seeing the nomad would not harm Lyn, Kent left.
The nomad spoke again. "I am Rath of the Kutolah. Our tribes may be different, but I will not abandon a woman of the Sacae."
Lyn smiled, "Thank you, Rath! A thousand blessings upon you!"
"And a thousand curses upon our enemy!"
"Come!" Lyn shouted.
The AC finally identified Rath's alignment: "Neutral Good". Kat smiled at this.
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Elsewhere…
A red-cloaked brown-haired man had been watching the whole thing, and decided to head for one of the houses. Upon entering, he was interrogated by the lady living there.
"You! What are you doing in my house?!"
"Peace! I mean no danger to you!" The man removed his cloak. "Your home offers a good view of the battle outside. Look, I'll pay you for the privilege. Please."
The woman looked upon him with scorn. "Like a vulture waiting for the spoils, eh? Terrible!" She thought a moment, then continued. "Pay up! I'll be hiding below, so don't bother me."
"I wouldn't dream of it," the man smirked as the lady left for the basement, and he looked out the window. "Now then, which side has the most to offer?"
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Back with Lyndis's Legion...
"Once the marquess is safe, my men can move in," Rath explained "Perhaps the secret passageway…"
"Secret passageway?" Lyn parroted.
"An underground tunnel leading to the throne room. There are triggers in the barracks that will open the tunnel."
"Head through the passage to the throne room... and rescue the marquess. Once that's done, can you drive the enemy from the castle?"
"Mmm... If we can release those triggers, my men and I can handle the rest. There are three triggers, though. All three need to be released, or the entrance won't open."
"But the doors to the barracks are locked."
"The enemy's within. If we don't get inside and finish them, we're stuck."
"So opening those doors is our first objective." Rath nodded.
"Wait, Rath!" Kat called.
The nomad turned to face the younger tactician. "You should head somewhere safe, child."
"I'm older than I look, thank you. I'm a tactician, too." She let off a sigh, though it was a bit forced. "Where exactly are these switches?"
Rath took a second before finally answering.
After hearing what she needed to hear, Kat turned to her brother, who was giving commands to the others. "You heard all that, Mark?"
"Yeah, I do! Everybody regroup!" Thirty seconds later, the entirety of Lyndis's Legion was gathered.
"What shall we do, Mark?" Lyn asked. "We don't have any keys with us. Perhaps some of the marauders are carrying keys…"
"Already on it." Mark then addressed everybody. "Here's the plan."
It took a minute for everybody to With speed and skill, the Legion and Rath departed for their assigned tasks.
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The sounds of battle rang out around the city as the forces of Marquess Araphen also battled the invaders. However, none of them would reach any of the Legion to provide assistance.
Kat's group (which consisted of herself, Erk, Lyn, and Florina) continued down the main street, Florina flying a few feet above them, the sounds of battle fading away. They could still hear distant battle, but—
"Florina, land, NOW!" Kat suddenly ordered.
The Pegasus Knight immediately dropped down from the sky, narrowly avoiding a red-feathered arrow, which was launched from somewhere at a pile of crates on a roof. As the pegasus's iron-shod hooves clattered on the cobblestones, they heard boots hammering on the street, running through an alley near the group. Erk stepped in their way, a Fire spell ready. He launched it the following noise were heard; a hiss of steel, and a noise that began as a scream and ended as a gurgle. As more enemies appeared, Lyn noticed somebody staring at them through the window.
Kat saw it too. "Lyn, check out that house!"
"Wouldn't it be better if you went instead?" argued the Sacaean. "I'm more suited to fighting than you."
"I saw a suspicious man there. If he's dangerous, you'll stand a better chance than I do. I don't know his weapons, and I'm no good against heavy ones."
"All right." Lyn went over to the house, opened the door, and was greeted by a strange young man at the stairs.
"Hey, you! Can I talk to you?" he asked.
"Who are you?" Lyn asked.
"I'm Matthew, a specialist in acquisitions of all kinds. Would you like to buy my services?"
She immediately knew exactly what he was. "I've no need for a thief."
Matthew smirked slyly, and folded his arms as he leaned against the wall. "Really? And how do you plan on opening the barrack doors?"
"What? How did you know about—"
"Bulls-eye!" Matthew grinned.
Lyn was still suspicious.
"Don't be mad. Hire me. For you, I'll even lower my normal rate."
"I do need those doors opened... I like you." Lyn thought out this for a bit, then turned to smile at Matthew. "OK. You're hired. Why did you choose to ally yourself with me?"
" Hm? I was watching the battle from up above. Your group looked like a lot more fun than the dead guy. Pretty simple, really."
"You're so odd." With that, Lyn and Matthew walked out of the house, although the latter left some money on a nearby table.
Matthew smiled, "It's time to get to work!"
Back outside, Kat and the others have finished with the enemy. As Lyn approached them with what seemed to be their newest ally, Erk looked quizzically at the thief. Kat raised an eyebrow.
"Kat, Erk, Florina; this is Matthew. He's offered to help us." Matthew nodded politely to them.
"So what exactly is he helping us with?" asked Kat. Unlike Mark, she still had a bit more to learn. She also used the AC on him to see how much he can be trusted.
"Put simply, I'm a thief and a scoundrel," Matthew answered. If he had any comments on Kat's age, he didn't say them. "Your side offers more chance for money than these miserable excuses for invaders." Erk shrugged indifferently at this. Florina was a little scared, but that was expected with her fear of men. Kat expressed a bit of discomfort, even as the Compass finally stopped under "Chaotic Good".
They group down main street, encountering no more opposition. Reaching the barracks, they found it locked, and the iron door (which was big enough for a mounted unit to pass though) discouraged any ideas of forced entry. With a nod from Kat, Matthew darted forward and pulled out a set of lockpicks from his cloak and as Lyn, Erk, and Florina stood on guard in case more enemies arrived.
In a few seconds, the door was unlocked and opened, and inside they could see the switch, which looked like a floor panel. Okay, that's strange. "Florina, activate that switch." Kat called. Florina followed her directive and upon landing, a huge rumbling noise was heard, and a nearby wall slid down into the earth. Seeing her panic, Kat calmed her , "Don't worry. That's the trigger in action."
"Hey! Unless my eyes deceive me, that's a chest!" Matthew suddenly said. Kat turned to where the wall was lowered and indeed saw a treasure chest.
"Say, Kat! Since we came all this way, what say we help ourselves?"
"Um, no!" Kat refused. "I don't want us to get in trouble with Araphen after the fight!"
"Huh? What do you mean, 'No'? Don't be such a bore. If you want to win, you've got to use every means at your disposal. That's an ironclad rule! Yeah, I know stealing's bad. I'm well aware of that. We're saving the marquess, right? Let's just call this an advance on our reward. OK?"
Hearing him say that, Kat reconsidered. "Hmm…all right."
"Hey! Changed your mind? Hurrah! Treasure time! Treasure time!" Immediately, he ran for the chest as the others went after him. As Kat ordered the others to handle the enemy inside, she saw Matthew finish opening the chest, pulling out a set of clothes that seemed to radiate with magic.
"Hey! This is an angelic robe," Matthew said. "This is good for those of us on the...less robust side. Like me, for example. Magic items like this that increase one's abilities vanish after being used. Give them to the people who need them most. But don't fret too much about it, or you'll never use them. Simply holding on to a useful item does no one any good."
"Got it, Matthew," said Kat. "That's going to Florina. If I see you don it—"
"All right, all right. I understand."
Lyn, Erk, and Florina soon returned, the Sacaean saying there's a treasure chest where they were. Matthew was quick on his feet and made his way there. While he was gone, a nearby wall descended into the ground, revealing an Archer and an armored Knight, which Kat's Scan spell identified as Bool. Behind him was a switch. Presumably, Mark's group found the second one, which lowered this wall.
The Archer already had an arrow drawn, and immediately fired. Everybody dodged it, then Erk followed with a Fire spell, reducing him to a charred corpse.
Kat winced in disgust. "Ugh, I need to get used to the smell of burnt bodies."
"Bah. Lyndis and her cadre," Bool swore. "When did you arrive? No matter. I shall deal with you." Yet he didn't move, probably to protect the switch. Fortunately for the Legion, he didn't have any javelins.
"Kat, I can finish him off easy," Erk whispered. "A few Fire spells should cook him in his armor and maybe melt it too."
"All right."
Erk quickly launched a fireball at Bool, who bent down, dodging the magical projectile as a result. As he struggled to get back on his feet, Matthew quickly dashed toward Bool before anybody else could make a move. Before the Knight could get into a position to attack, Matthew took out a knife from his cloak, and jabbed it into a weak point in Bool's armor; through the neck.
"Gah! Lord Lundgren…" Bool then feel lifeless to the floor as Matthew turned to Kat and the others.
"Is it really a surprise to see a thief like me kill?" he asked.
"No, but landing a killing blow on an armored Knight is, let alone rushing straight to one, even with an opportunity open," Kat answered.
"True." Matthew then stepped on the switch Bool had been guarding. "OK. This is the last one. This should do the trick." As he said that, the wall behind him rolled down, revealing the tunnel.
At around the same time, the rest of the Legion arrived, led my Mark, and they sans Rath looked at the tunnel with awe.
"Here it is, Mark!" Lyn told the older tactician. "The hidden passageway! Good work! We'll let Rath take over from here."
Mark turned to face his sister. "Nicely done, Kat."
"Thanks, Mark."
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The retaking of the castle from there went easily, linking up with the Araphen soldiers. Within an hour, the castle was fully cleared of enemies and Marquess Araphen was found in his chambers, locked inside.
It was later revealed that Matthew had taken an Armorslayer sword (which would be later given to Kent) from the chest Lyn and the others found. There was a bit of discomfort from the rest of the group upon learning that a Thief was now among their ranks, but Mark was more of an opportunist than Kat was and welcomed him into the Legion, seeing the advantages.
The following afternoon, the group having been given quarters in the castle, Lyn was called to meet with the Marquess. She, the tacticians, and the Lycian knights prepared to enter the throne room.
Rath was waiting for them inside the throne room, and he led them to the dais that held the throne of Araphen, which was extravagantly overly decorated.
On that throne was the Marquess of Araphen, who was relaxed, almost slouching in his throne. He was perhaps forty or fifty, slightly overweight, and had the look of one who drank far too much wine. "Ah, it's Rath! You've done well. What a performance!" he said. Kat was quick and discreet to use the Alignment Compass on him.
"Sir... If you have praise, it should be given to this group," the nomad replied.
"Hm?" The marquess eyed Lyn carefully. "Who are you?"
"My name is Lyndis. I'm pleased you're well."
The marquess frowned. "Oh... It's you. You're Marquess Caelin's—" He then gave an order. "Leave us, Rath. I would speak with this girl." Rath silently obeyed. "Now... Lady Lyndis. Do you know the identity of those responsible for this uproar?"
"I believe it to be the work of my granduncle, Lundgren."
The marquess nodded. "That's exactly right. Which means my castle has been damaged in your family's petty inheritance dispute."
The swordswoman looked down at the floor, ashamed that harm came to Araphen because of her. "My-My apologies…"
"When I heard that Lady Madelyn's daughter was in trouble, I thought to lend my assistance... I find I've changed my mind. I withdraw my offer."
"What?!" gasped the tacticians. The AC also stopped, finished in analyzing the Marquess. Its pointer had landed on the green sector, but was leaning close to the blue sector; it saw him as "Lawful Neutral", but he was more inclined to "Evil" than "Good".
In a similar uproar, Kent yelled, "Marquess Araphen! You gave me your word, my lord!"
The marquess eyed the red Cavalier. "...Your name is Kent, is it not? You failed to inform me of one most vital detail!"
"What... What do you mean?"
"This girl does resemble Lady Madelyn, but... I didn't expect to see her so tainted with the blood of Sacae."
"What?" Lyn gasped.
I should've known, Mark thought to himself, having been around the houses as he and his group fought in Araphen. According to the locals, the Marquess had an intense hatred for all Sacaeans, though why Rath managed to enter his service is beyond them.
"Don't you feel the marquess of Caelin would be troubled to meet this... nomadic mongrel?" the Marquess continued.
Sain lost his temper, and made an attempt to lunge at the marquess, but Kent held him back. "You!"
"You lout!" growled Mark.
Kent was quick to hold his partner back. "Sain! Hold! My apologies, my lord Marquess."
The marquess scoffed. "Hm... Your man is poorly disciplined."
"Marquess Araphen! Please... If you would grace us with your aid…"
"…I hear Marquess Caelin is ill and abed. I question whether he will survive to meet this girl. In which case, his brother, Lundgren, will claim his title. And I certainly wish to avoid trouble with the coming marquess."
"Understandable," said Mark, masking his surprise at the revelation of Lyn's granduncle likely about to die. "As much as I don't like it, the logic behind your decision is sound."
"You scheming…" began Sain.
"Sain!" Kent reprimanded.
Lyn spoke, "I understand. Kent, Sain, Kat, Mark, we take our leave at once."
Kent spoke, "Milady Lyndis! We…"
Lyn yelled at the marquess, taking a hold of Mark's hand. "I am proud of the Sacae blood that runs through my veins. I will not accept aid from one who disparages my heritage." With that, the five left the throne room. Kat had to hold back the urge to insult the Marquess with even a gesture involving a single finger. Mark had no such restraint though and allowed that gesture to be seen just as the doors were closed.
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Outside the castle…
Sain said to Lyn. "That was well done, milady! The marquess is a lout!" After the refusal of aid, the other members of Lyndis's Legion (plus Matthew, now that he's a member) were "gently" evicted from the castle as well and were now with Lyn and the others. "Don't worry about anything. We're all here for you! Isn't that so, Kent?"
"I beg your forgiveness," Kent apologized to Lyn.
"Why are you apologizing, Kent?"
"I've been so concerned with seeing you to Caelin. I failed to take your feelings into account."
Lyn laughed a bit. "Is that it? Trouble yourself no more. You have put my safety above all else. I have seen that. Hold your head up and be proud."
"Milady Lyndis…"
"And thus our tough journey remains tough," sighed Mark as he pulled out his map. "Let's hope we find more recruits along the way, or else we'll be hiring sellswords if we're to win against Lundgren."
"Yeah," Kat agreed. "We'll need to change our route plans. With Marquess Caelin sick, we have to hurry."
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Inside Marquess Araphen's throne room...
"Bah! Arrogant child!" he swore to himself. "If she had but shed a single tear, I would have granted her request. We Lycian nobles will never understand those prideful savages."
Rath, having eavesdropped the entire time, stepped from behind a column and stared at the marquess with angry eyes. "…Are those your true feelings towards the nomads of Sacae, milord?"
The marquess whirled around in surprise. "What? Oh, Rath! I didn't see you there. My comments do not reflect on you. You are my captain. I'm proud of your service."
"Of course. As long as we bend our knee to you, you care not where we're from. But when an equal comes from my lands? What conceit."
Appalled, the marquess spoke. "Rath! How can you speak to me like that? I have treated you well, have I not? I have paid you well, I have treated you better than your kind deserves."
"You will never understand. My service ends here." With that, the Nomad left the room, glaring at the guards to try and stop him. None of them made a move to do so.
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Back outside the castle…
Lyndis's Legion was now outside Araphen, reaching the outskirts of a forest. It was almost sunset. Lyn and Mark rode on Wanderer. Wil and Matthew rode with Sain, Dorcas with Kent, and Kat with Florina on Huey. An additional horse was purchased on Araphen, which Erk and Serra would be riding on.
"The marquess of Araphen… He said my grandfather was ill," said Lyn. "We must hurry to Caelin."
"That we should," Mark agreed. "Sad that Kat and I will have to make do with what we have. A couple of new soldiers would be nice."
Kent brought up his horse next to Wanderer. "As we approach Caelin, Lundgren's obstacles will be more difficult to overcome. However, I've vowed to see you through to the end, milady!"
Lyn smiled. "I'm counting on you, Kent."
Sain also spoke. "I'm with you, too!"
"Thank you, Sain."
Lyn then turned to Mark as the knights pulled away. "Mark…"
"Yeah, Lyn?"
"Thank you for always standing at my side. You and Kat. It's because of all of you that I... I will persevere! They will never break my spirit!"
Just then, Rath suddenly galloped over and stood in front of Lyn and Mark. This act made everyone stop in their tracks.
"Rath!" Lyn greeted. "What are you—"
"I overheard the marquess talking to himself. Lyn of the Lorca… Proud daughter of the Sacae… I would join you. I would add my strength to yours."
"Really?"
Rath pulled out a small satchel. "And this… I want you to take it."
Lyn took it and looked in. "This is... Gold?!" She gave it to Mark, and he saw 5000 pieces of it inside. It made him balk in shock. "It's too much. I can't accept it."
"I have no need for it. And if it will help you…"
"But…"
"I cannot take back something once offered."
"Rath... Thank you."
"Welcome to Lyndis's Legion, Rath," Mark said. "And since you're now one of us…" He turned to Sain. "Sain, come here." The green Cavalier trotted his horse over. "Rath, please allow Wil to ride with you. We're kinda short on mounts."
Rath turned to the Archer, then nodded, allowing Wil to ride pillion with him.
Kat witnessed this and gave a smile. "For the second time, we have two new members in our team." She then said to herself. "I hope our luck holds out, at least until we get skilled enough to not need it."
"Huh?" Florina asked.
"Nothing. Don't worry about it." I hope that one day, for once, a battle we'll lead will start with us with the advantage. Although I fear that won't ever be the case.
When night came, the group soon made camp, fire, tents, blankets, the whole 'experience', thankfully purchased before leaving Araphen. Florina also turned out to have commendable hunting skills, having taken down a boar big enough to feed them all for the night. Their stomachs full, everyone went to bed, with Matthew volunteering for first watch. Rath volunteered as well, if only to keep an eye on him; after all, he was a Thief.
No attacks came the entire night, and Matthew made no untoward or suspicious moves.
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O Rath of the Kutolah
A young hired sword from the Kutolah tribe. He was also Captain of the Palace Guard for Araphen, but he quit after the Marquess refused to aid Lyn.
O Matthew O'Brien
A cheery thief. His casual demeanor belies his skill. There's something about him that extra-peculiar, however. I (Kat) can feel it in my gut.
X Bool
An Knight sent by Lundgren to assassinate Lyn in Araphen.
(A liltte scribble was written as well in the journal: No article for Marquess Araphen; that bastard doesn't deserve an entry.)
nightelf37: While in the game Matthew is a terrible match-up against Bool, this is a story, and it'd seem stupid to have Kat wait for the ones who can deal with Bool when she has Erk, who can finish him easy in-game. Also, I thought it'd be nice to have an assassin-type kill for a change.
I feel I better use my catchphrase as well here. Would be a bit odd if I didn't. See ya on Third!
