Draco: Had to run through a bit of Eisen to get this one done. I got Pressure Point on Tiz halfway through Grapp Keep, so my progress through the mine basically amounted to Tiz killing everything through the neck as he rampaged through the mine.

Looking through D's Journal, I realized that I only have ten Eternian airships to work with. Let's see, Alternis' Dark Knight, Victor's Grand Healer, Braev's Dark Cleric, the Sky Knights' Eschalot, Khamer's Sandglass, DeRosa's Bloody Violet, Kamiizumi's Yagyu... oh, I'm good. I'm actually short one if I give DeRosso and Yulyana each one. Victoria's supposed to have her own.

Bravely Default and all related properties © Square Enix.

Eisen Region: Wishes of the Flame

For the second night in a row, Til opened his eyes, and did not wake up.

It was the cave again. He could see the cause of that glow from before, now; there was a menacing river of lava slowly seeping by. Remember what had happened when last he had seen this place, he turned around, looking over his surroundings.

There she was, immediately behind him again - a girl with red hair, in ritual garb the colour of fire.

"It's you again..."

The question caused the girl to raise her gaze, the hair falling away from her eyes - revealing them to be a bright voltic blue.

"You can hear me...? You can see me...?"

Til nodded. "You spoke to me last night," he observed. "I thought you could tell. You're the fire vestal, right?"

The girl lowered her gaze, her hair crossing her eyes again, and her voice was saddened once more."

"I was the vestal wed to the Crystal of Fire... but I have departed, now, from the land of the living... Now the crystal has been consumed in darkness... and I am powerless to aid it from the otherworld..."

"Don't talk like that!" Til insisted. "We're looking for a way into the Fire Temple. If you can help us find a way in, we can save the crystal! You'll still be helping it!"

The vestal raised her gaze to him.

Til thought a moment. "You mentioned the mine, last night. Is there something there? Something to do with the temple?"

"Yes... In the deepest tunnel, there is a passage through Mount Karka's underflow... It will lead you to the Temple of Fire... But those with the blades of darkness now hold sway in the caves of mythril... You must find a way to lead the water there..."

"The water?"

That was all he could say before the image faded; and Til opened his eyes again in the inn of Hartschild.

He shot upright, panicking. His breath was heavy all of a sudden. The room he and Olivia had booked was still dim; confused, he closed his eyes tight and set a hand on his head, trying to keep the images of the fire vestal in his mind.

The mine... the deepest tunnel of the mine. He shook his head. And... lead the water there... Does she mean Olivia?

"Til? You're awake."

The Norende boy raised his gaze; Olivia was just now stepping into the room. "Yeah," Til mused. "What time is it?"

"It's nearly daybreak," Olivia admitted. "I couldn't sleep, so I went for a walk in hopes of tiring myself out, but it's a bit late for that. Early for that. Whatever. What are you doing up?"

"I..." Til lowered his gaze. "Promise you're not gonna make fun of me?"

Olivia chuckled lightly. "I have no good reason to poke fun at anything you might say, at your age," she insisted.

"I'm serious."

The vestal's face fell. "I was afraid of that," she muttered. "What is it?"

Til turned to her. "I... I saw the vestal of fire, in my dream."

"You what?" Olivia stepped towards his bed. "What do you mean?"

"She... she was talking to me," Til explained. "She was... sad. She was in vestal garb, like yours, but it was this... bright orange. It kind of danced in the light. And her hair was red - not like DeRosa, it was more... normal, red hair. She said there was... something in the mythril mine. A passage to the Fire Temple. She told me to take the 'water' there. I think she meant you."

Olivia lowered her gaze. "After those soldiers in Grapp Keep, I don't suppose I have much reason to doubt any talk of spirits," she admitted. "But... Commander Goodman said the mythril mine was under Swordbearer occupation."

Til nodded. "Yeah, she said something like that. She said... 'those with the blades of darkness hold sway in the caves of mythril'. I think she means the Black Blades. We'll have to find a way to distract them."

"They're the best soldiers Eternia has," Olivia insisted. "I don't think they'll fall prey to distraction so easily."

The Norende boy hummed. "I have an idea..."

+x+x+x+

"This is your idea of an idea?"

Til only shrugged at Airy's unimpressed inquiry. "I just need a good look at the place," he insisted. "We can deal with real plans later."

Olivia shook her head. "I'm not so sure," she insisted. "Do you really think they're going to let that work?"

"If you've got a better idea," Til insisted, "speak up."

Airy opened her mouth.

"No?" Til interrupted. "Alright, let's do this."

At that, he turned on his heel and took off towards the mine, in a white suit and sunglasses that he had got from the gold of the Performer asterisk, Ise-no-Kami hooked on his belt and his turtle-shell shield on his back.

Just inside the mine, there was a small squadron of Black Blades that were discussing something. Til didn't even pause at them, instead running by them and giving (what he hoped sounded like) a battle cry as he made his way down the mine. The fire vestal's instructions were to find the deepest tunnel, and so he charged further and further in, shouting the whole way, hoping to draw the attention of any Black Blades soldiers gathered there.

Soon enough, he found what looked to be the deepest tunnel - there was what looked like a great stone door sitting there - no handle, no switch, no keyhole. Til managed to come to a stop in front of it, looking over it carefully. This must be what the fire vestal was talking about, he mused. She said this would lead to a passage through Mount Karka. But how do I...?

He didn't get a chance to think on it much before a pair of hands grabbed his shoulders and forced him to the ground, tearing a shout from between his lips. The Black Blades had caught up with him, and as he tried to struggle he found himself severely overpowered.

"What should we do with this kid?"

"Probably just some idiot from that Shieldbearer town."

"Let's take him back to Starkfort."

Bingo, Til thought, doing his best not to show it.

The plan was going without a hitch - find out where the deepest tunnel of the mine was, then get taken to the Swordbearer headquarters and try and find out if they knew anything about the tunnel. If they were aware, then Til and Olivia had to hurry; otherwise, they needn't rush. Given the massive stone door, Til had reason to doubt they knew anything, but he figured it would still be safer to check. Olivia would meet him at the base (hopefully with some Shieldbearer backup), and the two of them would head for the crystal at the first chance they got.

Now all he had to do was hope no one at Starkfort tried to kill him.

+x+x+x+

The base was a huge place on the north end of Eisenberg called Starkfort, decorated with huge swords. Til flat-out told the three Black Blades that were dragging him there, "This place looks awesome."

The soldiers paid him no heed and led him inside. Just through the front doors, Til found himself looking at the swordmaster himself - dress, sandals, Wa-sword, dragon's voice. "You again," he mused.

"Commander Kamiizumi!" one of the Black Blades told the swordmaster. "This boy ran into the mythril mine, shouting... something. We captured him and brought him here."

The swordmaster raised his gaze. "I presume you did not leave the mine unguarded," he warned.

"Of course not, sir!" another soldier assured him. "We've still got a good dozen soldiers in there."

"Alright," Kamiizumi assured them. "Leave him with me. You're dismissed."

"Sir!"

The soldiers took off, leaving Til standing there rolling his shoulders. "You can tell it's me in these glasses?" he asked, drawing them off his face - so much for that plan.

He flicked them closed and was about to put them in his pocket before the swordmaster raised his hand to stop him. "You'll risk damaging the frames if you store them like that," he warned. "Slide one arm into the collar of your jacket."

Curious, Til managed to hook the glasses into his collar. The suit had an undershirt that prevented the arm from rubbing against his skin, and though the presence of something hanging there was still unfamiliar, it worked well enough. "I guess that works," he mused, "but then if I trip then I'm gonna break them."

"It's the safer option," Kamiizumi insisted. "Now, why were you in the mythril mine?"

"I wanted to talk to you," Til mused. "It was just my luck I got captured instead of killed."

The swordmaster raised an eyebrow. "You wished to speak with me?"

Til nodded. "You got an airship, right?" he asked. "I saw it floating outside. I think that's yours, anyways. You seem like the kind of guy that would be important enough to have an airship."

No response, save a glare.

"I'll take that as a yes," Til insisted. "Do you know where to get one of those levistone things?"

Kamiizumi looked confused. "Levistone...?"

Til lowered his gaze awkwardly. "Okay, I don't know if that's what they're called," he admitted. "Those jewels that make the airships fly. We got ours smashed."

"A skystone," the swordmaster corrected.

"I was close enough," Til insisted. "Where can I get one?"

"That is the last information I am going to give freely to an enemy," Kamiizumi warned.

Til reached back. He had hooked Ise-no-Kami such that it was trapped between his back and his shield - not enough to hide it completely, but enough to make it less noticeable. "Even for a trade?"

The swordmaster shook his head. "You have nothing I want," he insisted, "and I am more than capable of overpowering you, so you cannot threaten me."

"Fine," Til mused, bringing his hand forward again - drawing Edea's sword could easily be mistaken for an attack. "Where do you keep prisoners? I'll come quietly."

Kamiizumi snapped his fingers, causing a few Black Blades soldiers to step forward. "A wise choice," he applauded the Norende boy.

+x+x+x+

"I still can't believe you let him just do that."

Airy's complaint as Olivia made her way towards Starkfort was met only with a shake of the head. The vestal had kept hidden while the Black Blades had taken Til from the mine, and she had trailed behind with enough pace that she knew where the Swordbearer headquarters were (more or less).

"I don't like to admit it," Olivia told the cryst-fairy, "if only because of what it means for his psyche, but he's more than capable of taking care of himself. What's more, if the Eternians want me captured, they'll keep him prisoner because they want him to tell them where I am. We have nothing to worry about."

The observation caused Airy to glance at Olivia. "About that," she mused. "You'll probably want something other than mage robes. I think everyone in Eternia knows you perfer magic by now."

Olivia glanced down at herself. "I suppose you're right," she admitted. Til had returned most of the asterisks to her so he would come across as less suspicious, which gave her a variety of twelve stones to choose from. "But, my hair," Olivia remembered. "I still need to hide my hair. It didn't even blend in in Florem."

"What about the Thief?" Airy offered. "You could hide it in the hood."

"That could work..." Olivia reached into her pockets and shifted around until she found the stone in question. A flash switched her into the Thief's vest; though it took some doing, she managed to get her hair through the collar and raise the hood over her head, drawing it low over her eyes to obscure her face. "There, I think that'll work."

Airy giggled at the sight of the vestal trying to look mysterious. "You look like a ninja," she observed. "Or a pirate. I'm not sure."

"This was your idea!" Olivia protested.

She arrived at Starkfort not long after. Noticing an elderly-looking man next to a large collection of weaponry, she stepped towards him. "Are you a supplier for the Swordbearers?" she asked.

The elder shook his head kindly. "No, miss," he insisted, "I'm a merchant. Anything you might need, I've got it - armaments, supplies, even magic scrolls. If you need the best weapons, go to a place at war, no?" He laughed loudly, prompting Olivia to chuckle lightly. "Take a look around, I'll sell anything here."

Olivia looked over it. In sharp contrast with the fox near the Sage's needleworks, whose mythril equipment had been scattered on the ground behind a bush, this man had his gear on flat-laid racks that kept it all neatly organized. Warily, she reached for a huge sword. "What's this?"

"A zweihander," the merchant explained. "It means 'two-handed sword' in old Eisen language."

"No kidding," groaned Olivia, who was having enough trouble getting it off the rack. Til's never going to be able to use that. "I'll pass, thanks." Glancing over the racks, she found some fine-quality daggers, and an interesting sight in the form of shields covered in spiked rivets. "Oh, these...!"

"Spiked Shields," the man told her. "Useful for striking if you get disarmed."

Til does more attacking with his shield than he does defending, anyways, she told herself. "I'll take one of these shields, and one of those knives."

"One Spiked Shield, and an Orichal Dagger, that'll come to... 8700."

Olivia paid the merchant, slipped the shield onto her own arm for now, and hooked the dagger on her belt before thanking the merchant. Now, to get inside...

+x+x+x+

"Hmm? What have we here...?"

Til raised his gaze. That high-pitched voice belonged to the creator of the toxic mist. Now he could see the salve-maker - a very large, very round man with stars painted around his eyes. There were strange, round shapes on his shoulders, and a belt covered in vials was around his waist - his girth meant there were a great many vials prepared.

Starkfort didn't have a prison; Til's 'cell' was a dead-end hallway on the second floor when you took a right from the entrance, with a Black Blade standing watch, the sword and shield sitting next to him. Upon the fat man's entrance, the soldier got to his feet. "Doctor Qada," he reprimanded. "What are you doing here? You're supposed to be tending to the wounded."

"The treatments will take a while," the salve-maker insisted. "I've already set the first dose; now it's simply a matter of waiting until it runs its course. Since I have time to kill, I thought I'd take a look at the prisoner. I'd heard he was wounded."

"Wounded?" The Black Blade turned to Til. "He doesn't look like-"

Til tried to warn him, but he wasn't fast enough; Qada's speed seemed to outright defy his girth, and with a single blow from nothing but his gloved fist, he managed to knock the soldier out in one punch. Til stumbled back, reaching into his pockets. "What are you...?"

Qada stepped forward. "You and that vestal are the one's who took the master sample for my toxic mist," he warned. "What did you do with it?"

"How do you know that?" Til demanded.

"Those automatons you destroyed had video sensors," Qada explained. "Even after you trashed them, they were intact enough for me to make you out. Where's the toxin?"

Til smirked. "Gone," he insisted. "We threw it in the lava, so it could never be used again - least of all by the likes of you. You're as bad as Profiteer."

Qada looked confused for a moment. "What...? Oh, Profiteur," he corrected.

"Profiteer," Til insisted. "He cares about nothing but money, even in a place like Ancheim. He sells water for twenty-five hundred pg a pump. I thought he was heartless. But then, I heard about you."

"Me?" Qada demanded.

"You killed your enemies and your teammates," Til snapped, his voice darkening. "Because you wanted to try out your poison. You know what Jackal told me? He said there's a special place in hell for people like you. People who use poison. Your heart is black, like a dying fireplace."

His hand closed tight on the asterisk in his pocket, and a flash of light enveloped him; when it was gone, he was in his Monk garb, and he quickly raised his hands to fight. "And what's more, you don't even try to hide it. You suck up to swordmaster Ise-no-Kami because he can cut you down, but you'd walk up to a guy you're testing on and tell him 'I'm going to make you sick at the thought of what I'm gonna do to you'."

Qada's eyes shifted from side to side, as though Til was right. "I-I... I..."

He didn't get a chance to finish; Til leapt to the wall, kicked off it, and leapt at Qada's head. The salve-maker tried to move, but Til landed on one shoulder, slamming his hand into the side of Qada's neck. The salve-maker didn't seem to feel it, grabbing at Til's arm and throwing him to the ground.

"You little brat!" he snapped.

He pulled a vial out of his belt, but Til leapt at him again, kicking him in the arm. The container started to fall, but he managed to catch it, rolling it along the floor and away from the fight before jumping away from a punch. Til quickly leapt towards him while he was wavering from his attack, swinging at the salve-maker's fat neck again, but again he didn't seem to feel it. He hit the ground rolling away from a kick, but Til only swung a leg at his pockets.

Something tumbled out of one of them - a familiar stone, marked with a six-pointed star.

"Oh?"

"Oh!"

Qada reached for the asterisk, but Til kicked it down the hall before punching Qada in the leg. The fat man reached for Til's throat, but the Norende boy managed to dodge the reach.

"Til!"

Olivia's call caused Til and Qada both to turn. The vestal was rushing down the hallway in Thief garb. Qada reached for his belt of vials again, but Til struck his arm before he could act; then he clambered up the fat man's back and slammed a blow to his head.

That got a reaction. The salve-maker was dazed for a moment; then he fell forward, and half of the vials on his belt vanished beneath his fat. Til rolled when the fat man hit the ground; getting to his feet, he turned to Olivia.

"Let's get out of here," Til insisted. "I don't want to think about what's gonna happen if those all mix."

He grabbed Edea's sword and the turtle-shell shield, Olivia grabbed the fallen asterisk, and the two of them raced out of Starkfort before any Black Blades could show up.

"You get anything?" Olivia asked once they were out of the building - though they didn't stop running. The sun was starting to set, but that was no assurance that there wasn't going to be someone on guard.

"I told the swordmaster I was in the mine so they would capture me and I could talk to him about airships," Til replied. "He didn't even flinch. I don't think they know anything, but we'd better get moving, just to be sure."

+x+x+x+

"Ugh... I forgot how much a Monk hurts..."

Qada recovered not long after the vestal had left Starkfort grounds. He had a few bruises on the fat of his neck, and a nasty goose egg where Til's last blow had hit him, but he was otherwise unharmed; each slot on his belt of vials was lined with metal that wouldn't bend if he happened to fall on one.

Rubbing his head, the salve-maker glanced on the route back down to the first floor. "That kid certainly knows his way around an asterisk," the salve-maker admitted. "What was he talking about, 'swordmaster Ise-no-Kami'? He can't even get one name right..." He shook his head. "No matter. It's time I left this wretched place!"

"So you flee again, do you?"

The salve-maker should have been wary of the draconic voice from behind him - but one might forgive him, in his dazed state, for not thinking much of it. "But of course!" he insisted. "I do what I must to survive, by any means necessary. As long as I survive, I am confident my fortunes will be reversed!" A light chuckle emerged from him; then his voice grew darker. "After all, who but I can create weapons with the power to kill hundreds of thousands in one fell blow?"

In his post-concussion rant, he failed to notice the faint cry of metal against metal.

"And once I am ready," Qada rambled, "I will obliterate you all! The Swordbearers, the Shieldbearers, the vestal, and even the Black Blades! And then, the world shall be-!"

A scream of a drawn blade.

He turned towards the source - and the last thing he saw was the steel edge of a katana before it cross his throat.

"...mine..."

He fell to the stone floor, and Nobutsuna Kamiizumi swept his blade across the salve-maker's garb, wiping the blood off, before returning it to its sheath.

"Not the world of the living," he warned.

With slow steps, he made his way out down the hallway; yet something Qada had said stuck out in his mind.

How does that child know of Ise-no-Kami?

Draco: No, I do not have enough respect for Qada to give him a chapter of his own or a decent fight scene.