Youzhou; Former Rebel Stronghold:
"Talys is a small island" Kyle said pointing at the islang on a map "But I reckon it's heavily fortified"
"No kidding" Mathis added "Who knew a manakete tribe would side with the rebels"
"Should we call for the support of the other tribes, then?" An Archanean general suggested
"There won't be enough time" Roan responded "The nearest tribe we can contact is to the west of Altea… It will take them days to get here and that does not include the time it takes for our messengers to find them"
"We cannot simply wait for them?" Another general asked
"You think the rebels will allow us to wait?" Kyle responded
"I know Sir Robert" Roan added "He was my mentor during my time at the Royal Academy. If given a chance, he will take it and our inaction will only benefit him more than us"
"So we have no other option other than to strike now" Lilian concluded
"Yes"
"But what will we do about the rebel manaketes?" Another general asked "We would have suffered heavy losses by the time we reach Robert!"
"I may have a solution for that" Kyle responded
Caede's garden, Talys:
Robert stands in front of the statue of Caede.
His eyes closed, his mind deep in thought.
"Robert" Edelbert called walking towards the paladin
The paladin turns around. "What is it?"
"The Archaneans have the island surrounded. They are not attacking but…"
"I see"
"What should we do, brother?"
"Hold"
"Do you think we can withstand such an overwhelming force?"
"We can but the real question is: 'how long'?"
"What do we do then?"
"Prepare the ships at the Northeastern part of the island"
"What? You really do plan on doing that?"
"A real strategist plans to fail, Edelbert. Only a fool thinks they have everything all together"
"No. I won't accept-"
"I'll have none of that. We already discussed this!"
"… But why, brother?! Why?"
"I don't expect to survive this battle… But at the very least, my death will make a statement"
"A statement? What do you mean?"
Robert smiles as he turns to Caede's statue. "War is more than just blood and carnage. Not all battles are won by stepping on every foe that gets in your way…"
"Huh?"
"Killing your foe is one way to end a war but simple-minded thinking such as that leads to massacres or worse, indifference"
Edelbert stands there perplexed, unable to find the words to reply.
For a time, the garden was solemn.
"Edelbert" Robert said facing his brother "Promise me you will follow every step I told you"
"What?!"
"Promise me"
"Are you insane?! Why would I-"
"This is not up for debate! Either you promise me or I will have someone force you to do it!"
Edelbert clenches his fists. "… Fine. I will"
"Very good. Now move to your station. The Archaneans will attack soon"
The great knight closes his eyes and inhales. "… Yes, brother"
He then leaves the garden as Robert continues staring at Caede's statue.
"I hope you'll learn one day, Edelbert" Robert muttered
Youzhou:
"The armory should be around this corner…" Brine uttered to himself as he walks inside the room.
The tactician looks around and approaches the stored rifles, neatly placed in barrels at the side of the room.
"Fascinating…" he muttered examining the rifle "… Such design. I wonder if the Eastern Continent has stronger weapons compared to-"
His thoughts are cutoff as he notices a red glowing barrel in the corner.
Suspicious, he readies his magic books and slowly approaches the barrel.
His spells ready, Brine quickly opens the barrel.
To his surprise, the tactician found Carol inside, reading a book with a small fire spell used as a light.
"Carol?" Brine uttered, confused
Carol stares at the tactician with her deadpan eyes.
"What are you doing in there?" Brine asked
"… Bother…" she muttered
"What?"
"… I was hiding"
"Hiding? Why? From who?"
The dark mage's eyes move to the side.
"Don't tell me" Brine said, realizing the answer "Chris"
Carol nods.
"What is it this time?"
"Annoying… me"
"That's pretty vague"
"He pesters me… everyday"
"I see… But you seem to be enjoying, if not at least interested, in indulging him in his antics"
"What?"
"For starters, isn't that the book he lent you?"
Carol's eyes widen a bit as she stares at the book.
"And if you're going as far as to read his books then you're genuinely interested, right?"
"That's not possible. He is an oaf… An annoying oaf"
"Hehe… Nevertheless, don't be too hard on Chris. He may be an oaf but at least, he genuinely wants to be your friend"
Carol doesn't say anything.
"Hehe. Well I won't disturb your reading any longer. See you, Carol"
Carol still doesn't respond as she picks up the barrel's lid and goes back to her reading.
As Brine walks out of the armory, he couldn't help but say to himself; "Ah Chris… You got a lot of work to do…"
Near the cliffs:
"There we go… Good girl" Marian said, feeding and cleaning her Pegasus.
Despite her Pegasus' delight, the young knight sighs as someone calls her.
"Hey Marian!"
"Huh?" she uttered turning around "Maya?"
"You seem down" the young rifleman said "Something bothering you?"
"Huh?! Um… No… I-I'm not down"
Really? Cuz you look heartbroken"
"H-Heartbroken?!" she uttered blushing
"Ohoho" Maya said with a mischievous grin "Did the captain reject your confession?"
"Th-The Captain?!"
"Heh… I knew it"
"W-Wait! I-I didn't confess anything! H-He didn't reject me at all!"
"Oh… So the competition is still on?"
"What?!"
"Oh don't try to hide it! I know you have feelings for the captain!"
"N-No! I-It's not like that!"
"Haha! You're just like Aiken!"
"What?"
"He reacts the same way when I tease him"
Maya sighs, looking towards the ocean.
"You're really close, huh?" Marian said
"Aiken?" Maya responded "Yeah! Fun guy to be with! Even more fun when I rattle him like that!"
"Sounds like you're the one who's in love"
"Huh?!"
"Haha! Look at your face! So you like my little brother?"
"Wha… Hey! We were talking about you, not me!"
"Haha! Unlike my little brother, I can find ways to turn the tables in conversations!"
"Heh… I guess I underestimated you…"
"But seriously. Thanks for being there for my brother. Back then, he was too much of an academic to even have friends"
"Oh, he still is. The only reason we're friends was cuz I kept pestering him"
"Haha. That does sound like him. Take care of him, ok?"
"Don't worry. I will"
"Great! Now I have to fly somewhere. Nice talking with you!"
Marian quickly gets on her Pegasus.
"Alright see you-"
Maya stops mid-sentence as Marian starts to fly away.
"Hey!" she shouted "We're not done talking about you and the captain! Marian! Get back here!"
Talys; Western Front:
The Archanean navy positions themselves near the coast.
Once again, Mathis signals the ballisticians to open fire.
As the ships rain hellfire upon the rebels, smaller ships move closer to the beaches.
Inside are hundreds of Archanean soldiers ready for a fight.
The rebel manakete quickly rise from the burning battlefield, attacking the Archanean ships.
"Riflemen!" Mathis shouted as his men take aim "FIRE!"
At the same time, the first batch of Archanean soldiers reach the beaches and began engaging the surviving rebels.
Among the rebels was Edelbert, who rallied the survivors.
"Fall back!" he shouted as the rebels retreat
The Archaneans follow close behind, eventually reaching a narrow passage.
"NOW!" Edelbert shouted
Emerging from hidden positions around the battlefield, several rebel archers and mages attack the approaching Archaneans with everything they got, successfully halting their advance.
The rebels quickly regroup and strike back against the remaining Archaneans.
Meanwhile, on the southeastern front of the island.
Sokols and Sparrows lands on the beaches, facing smaller resistance compared to the west.
"Wow" Roan said "Your plan worked"
"Of course it worked" Kyle replied "But it's not over yet. There's still a considerable number of rebels here! I'll get most of their attention while you move to the gardens! Your mentor should be there!"
"Ok. Be careful!"
"You too"
Kyle then sends his men first, attacking the responding rebel troops while the Sokols covertly move to the gardens.
Caede's garden:
The Sokols make full use of the trees and foliage as they scout the gardens.
"General Kyle was right" Roan muttered "… Sir Robert is here…"
"Are they waiting for us?" Lissette wondered
"I don't think those are regular peasants" Brine added as a female assassin approaches Robert before leaving the area
Roan scans the area and sees a familiar face.
"That villager…" he muttered, recognizing Oscar
"Roan!" Robert shouted "There is no use hiding! Show yourself!"
The Sokols reveal themselves.
"Sir Robert!" Roan shouted "Why are you doing this?!"
"Words no longer have meaning here boy!" the paladin replied pointing his steel lance "We all have something at stake here!"
Roan closes his eyes and contemplates for a time. "… Very well…"
The other members ready their weapons as Roan opens his eyes. "Sokols!"
Maya and Carol attack first as both sides charge.
Lorelei uses her bow to take down a rebel mercenary and cavalier while an enemy lancer closes the distance.
Marian throws a javelin against a wyvern rider.
The enemy soldier dodges and quickly flies towards the Pegasus knight.
Meanwhile, Chris dodges a fire spell as he charges towards an enemy mage.
He quickly cuts him down as an enemy myrmidon attacks from the left.
Chris struggles to keep up and parry, eventually leading into a deadlock.
The two soldiers use all their might to gain the upper hand but with no indication of a winner.
Behind Chris was another wyvern rider diving towards the unaware war monk.
Nearing his target, the soldier readies his hand axe.
Seeing this, the enemy myrmidon jumps back.
Surprised, Chris looked behind him.
His eyes widen as the enemy soldier was about to strike. The war monk had no time to dodge or parry.
But before any damage could be done, Carol casts nosferatu on the wyvern rider, causing him to cash to Chris' left side.
She casts ruin on the enemy myrmidon behind the war monk.
"Thanks!" Chris said
Carol narrows her deadpan eyes. "Pay attention, oaf"
Chris sighs as he quickly picks up the fallen wyvern rider's hand axe and throws it at Carol's general direction.
The dark mage hardly flinches as the axe travels to the right side of her face, hitting an enemy cavalier behind her.
Chris smirks relishing in the moment while Carol, still emotionless, casts mire on a group of enemy knights.
Chris turns around, seeing the fallen soldiers behind him.
"Again" Carol said in a monotone voice "Pay attention, oaf"
The dark mage then engages the enemy mages attacking her as Chris sighs and returns to the battle.
Roan shouts a battle cry as he charges toward Robert.
But the lord is interrupted by Oscar.
"You again!" Roan said as he exchanges blows with the villager
Oscar doesn't respond.
Lissette attempts to help but is intercepted by Shara.
"You improve fast…" Roan remarked as Oscar unleashes several furious strikes "Tell me. Why do you fight?"
"You don't know what it's like!" Oscar responded, blocking an attack "Only the cities thrive these days! But the provinces. The small towns. We're left to fend for ourselves!"
"That's impossible! The kingdom has always thought about the people first! Each region is protected by a governor who-"
"Who care for nothing except themselves!"
"What?!"
"You don't understand! Because you never saw it yourself!"
Oscar furiously attacks Roan, who goes on the defensive.
"You don't know!" Oscar yelled "Bandits take the few scraps of food we have! We're forced to work long hours with little pay and the taxes! Those taxes are robberies!"
"I've heard enough!" Roan interrupted as he kicks Oscar's shin
The villager flinches, allowing Roan to pin him to the ground.
"I will see if these allegations are true" Roan said pointing his sword at the fallen villager.
Roan then slowly walks towards Robert.
"N-Not yet…!" Oscar said, struggling to get up
But the villager is quickly restrained by Carol's magic.
With none to stop him, Roan finally confront his mentor.
"Roan" Robert uttered
"Sir Robert…" Roan responded
"Don't waste your breath, boy. If you want this rebellion to end, you must defeat me!"
"Sir… Why?! Why do this? You taught me everything I know about fighting! About Archanea! Why did you turn your back on the Hero-King's legacy?!"
Robert sighs. "Didn't Oscar already tell you why?"
"What?"
"Like I said, boy! You're wasting your breath!"
Robert quickly swings his silver lance, catching Roan off-guard.
The Lord instinctively blocks the attack as Robert continues his onslaught.
Meanwhile, Oscar breaks free from his restrains as Carol is attacked by other rebel soldiers.
He charges towards roan but is intercepted by Lissette while Marian keeps Shara at bay.
The lancer sweeps across the villager's legs, causing him to lose his balance.
Oscar quickly rolls to the side and stands back up as he swings his sword.
The lancer parries the strike as Oscar attacks again.
Lissette spins her lance around as she skillfully parries each attack.
After some time, the lacer swings her lance as hard as she could.
Oscar attempts to parry but the impact forces him to let go of his sword, sending it flying.
Lissette quickly sweeps across his legs again.
Oscar falls to the ground as Lissette points her lance at him.
"Oscar!" Shara shouted coming to his aid.
"Not on my watch!" Marian responded throwing her javelin.
The weapon injures the Pegasus' wing, causing both Pegasus and rider to crash.
Roan utters a battle cry as he continues his assault.
In the midst of the battle, Robert notices Oscar and Shara's defeat.
He signals his horse to jump back, dodging a strike from the Lord.
The paladin puts his lance away and unsheathes his silver sword.
After pointing his weapon at Roan, Robert prepares to charge as Roan grips his sword tightly.
Robert utters a battle cry as he charges.
The Lord exhales as the paladin closes the distance between them.
Robert swings his sword.
Roan dodges and slashes the horse's legs, causing it to fall.
Robert falls to the ground.
"Edelbert…" he muttered "vivet, fortiter pugnare, pugna honeste, spem vivam servare…"
Roan prepares for another fight as Robert attacks once again.
Both mentor and student fought with all their might as they skillfully attack and parry one another.
Minutes later, Roan finally gains the upper hand and successfully disarms his mentor.
"It's over, Sir Robert" Roan said pointing his sword at his mentor's neck "Tell your men to surrender"
Robert stood there, eyes wide open.
"I suppose it is" he responded "The Yellow Turbans will surrender but this is not the last time. Mark my words, Roan"
"What?"
"And I hope when the time comes, you will see reason. But I will never know in this lifetime"
"What are you talking about?"
"Nothing. Just the ramblings of an old man"
With Robert's defeat, the other rebels soon fell to the might of the Archanean forces on all fronts.
Meanwhile, in the seas just past the naval blockade;
Several rebel ships managed to break through, prompting the Archaneans to give chase.
"Keep firing!" An Archanean general said stroking his beard as the ship's cannons open fire "Don't let those scum escape!"
"General!" an Archanean soldier shouted "Manakete!"
"Don't falter! These manakete are not immortal! They are a disgrace to the legacy of King Marth! End their pathetic existence!"
The Archaneans retaliate with everything they got; archers, Pegasus knights, wyvern riders, even myrmidons and mercenaries with Levin swords.
Though powerful, the rebel manaketes were overwhelmed. The ones that survived the onslaught were forced to retreat to the safety of the rebel ships.
"Press on, men! These rebels are no match against the kingdom's might!"
The Archanean ships unleash another volley, crippling two rebel ships.
In the lead rebel ship, a green manakete lands on the deck and transforms into her human form.
"Jura!" Edelbert said as rebel healers tend to the wounded
"I'm sorry…" the green-haired female manakete said "… there were too many of them"
"It's ok… You rest now"
As the healers tend to the wounded manakete, the Archanean ships draw closer as their Pegasus knights and wyvern riders swarm the surviving rebel ships.
"Edelbert!" a female assassin cried
"I know" the great knight replied "Get the wounded inside the ship! I want all able-bodied soldiers on the deck! Prepare for boarding parties!"
The rebels quickly regroup and prepare themselves for the battle as the Archanean ships sail close and deploy planks.
Archanean soldiers pour into the rebel ships as the battle gets underway.
Edelbert shouts a battle cry as he defeats several Archanean myrmidons with his steel axe.
"Edelbert!" the female assassin called as she defeats an enemy mercenary with her bow "We can't keep fighting like this"
"Then what do we do?" Edelbert asked as he blocks an attack from an enemy Pegasus knight.
"Got any flyers?"
Edelbert points upwards to the ongoing battle in the sky.
The female assassin sighs. "Of course… Try to take control of the enemy cannons. I'll deal with the lead ship!"
"Ok!" Edelbert responded as he rallies his men.
The female assassin signals a nearby dread fighter as the two made their way into the Archanean ships.
The dread fighter jumps onto a nearby Pegasus and holds the knight at knifepoint.
"Do what I say or you die" he coldly said as the assassin jumps on as well.
The two made their way to another Archanean ship. As soon as the assassin jumps off, the dread fighter slits the Pegasus knight's throat as he jumps down as well.
They quickly hijack the enemy ship and set a course to the Archanean lead ship.
They position the hijacked ship within firing range of the lead ship and proceeded to fire all the cannons, crippling their target.
At the same time, the rebels successfully hijack the Archanean ships that caught up with them, effectively routing the pursuing Archaneans.
Port Llyna, Pyrathi:
As the rebel ships near the port town, the female assassin approaches Edelbert.
"Are you sure this port is safe?" the great knight asked
"Yes" the assassin responded "Though the government still answers to the kingdom, out of respect for King Marth, they are a quasi-independent nation. We can at least spend a few months hiding here"
"Ok…" Edelbert replied as he turns to a rebel villager "But just to be safe, signal the other ships. Get all our supplies and men to the captured Archanean ships and sink ours. I'm not taking any chances"
"At once!" the villager responded as he complies
Just then, a hawk lands on the female assassin's left arm. It was carrying a letter.
The assassin reads the contents.
"Hey, Edelbert" she called "Your brother is alive. He should be on his way to the capital. Do you want to rescue him?"
Edelbert ponders for a moment.
"… No" the great knight answered
Surprised, the female assassin responds "What?"
"Don't get me wrong. I want to rescue him but… It's not what he would have wanted us to do"
"Are you sure? He will surely be executed by the time he reaches the capital"
"Yes… He made his choice. I can only hope that it is the right choice…"
"Hmm… Interesting… So what's your plan, Edelbert?"
The great knight squints "I'll rebuild the Yellow Turbans. I swear that those Archaneans will pay for this… Especially the Sokols"