Part Three

"You came back!" Priscilla cried out with relief as Daunte came running back down the stairs. "Did you find a way out for us?"

"Yes," Daunte told her. He looked down the short hallway for a place to hide for when the guard came back. "It'll require us to jump off the battlements, if that's okay with you."

Priscilla scoffed, but then laughed. "I don't care if I shatter both of my ankles if it means I don't have to be burned alive!"

"Hopefully the guard will come back any moment," Daunte said, moving to take cover in the shadows. "Then I can—"

He was abruptly interrupted by multiple voices at the top of the stairs. He heard their guard but it wasn't the only voice.

"—the only option we have."

That's the Sheikh!

Daunte hurried to Priscilla's cell and tried to futilely tug on the door. But once again the door didn't budge. A sudden thought came to him. "Stand back," he told Priscilla, who immediately jumped back.

Daunte raised his right hand and pressed it to the lock. Rune of Restoration. I know your powers are to restore and heal, but I know the Resurrection Rune has an offensive spell. Which means you have a defensive spell. Please destroy this lock so I can Priscilla out of here!

A moment passed, and then another. Nothing happened. Daunte glared at his hand. I know you're sentient, but can't you just do this for me?! Do you know what will happen to her if I don't get her out?!

The True Rune didn't respond to him, nor did it respond to his heightening emotions. Daunte snarled, and slammed an open palm against the door. The Rune still didn't respond. "Damn you!" he shouted at his right hand, startling Priscilla.

"Berate."

Daunte jerked back and rubbed at both of his ears. That familiar whisper tickled his ears and absorbed into his mind. It was a whisper so soft that he couldn't tell if it was a male or female voice.

This happened before, didn't it? When we were escaping from the Dark Chasm?

"Oh."

Daunte jumped at this proclamation and turned around. His jaw hung open at the four individuals standing at the opening of the prison. He recognized their guard, and he recognized Lanny and Mihr. He didn't recognize the man standing front and center. He wasn't wearing a hood.

"This is interesting," the man said, and Daunte's stomach twisted. He recognized the voice, however—this was Keiran. "How did you get out of your cell, Daunte?"

Daunte clicked his jaw shut briefly, but mere seconds later it hung open again. He thought he was going to be sick. I screwed this up. I can't believe how much I screwed this up! Now Priscilla is going to die, and I…he ducked his head.

"Well, this saves us some time," Keiran said. He gestured to the guard, who stepped forward. Daunte flinched away from him, until he noticed the guard was holding some familiar objects. He recognized his satchel…and his tekko.

W-Wait, they're letting me go?!

"I have very little time to explain, so I'll cut to the chase," Keiran said. "You need to find the Liberation Army, Daunte, and you need to mobilize them."

Daunte's head snapped back up as he shrugged on his satchel. "W…What?"

"I've been given new orders," Keiran told him. "Tomorrow night I'm to march my soldiers towards the city of Uaminifu. It will take us three days to reach the city, and we are to remain out of uniform."

"O-Out of uniform?" Daunte echoed. "What for?"

"Because I have been ordered to massacre the entire city."

"W-WHAT?!" Daunte shouted. Priscilla also shouted in shock, and pressed a hand to her throat in horror.

"As I've defied the Theocracy in the past, I've been backed into a corner. Either I lead this…charge, or I will be relieved of my command and they'll institute a boot-licking worm unworthy of the Sheikh title, in my place who will still lead my soldiers on this horrendous mission." Keiran opened his hands. "So as it stands, I'm in command of this mission."

"W-Why would you agree to such a thing?!" Priscilla demanded. "I thought you were better than that! This would make you no different and no better than Sheikh Faakhir!"

"I already told you why I'm leading this mission," Keiran responded calmly. "Because this mission is going to commence no matter who is in charge. And if anyone is going to lead my soldiers, it's going to be me."

Daunte swallowed thickly and clutched the strap of his satchel. "W…Why is the Theocracy moving to destroy Uaminifu? I-Isn't Uaminifu the religious epicenter of Nagarea? They have the second-highest number of clerics behind Mlkwt Alsmwat, but they're also have the most devoted Nagarist believers. What exactly are you people gaining by killing them all?"

Keiran shrugged stiffly. "It's because of those reasons that they've been chosen for slaughter. We've been ordered to dress in civilian clothes and not our Army uniforms because the Cabinet of High Clerics believes it'll be easier to blame this massacre on the Liberation Army. If the most loyal believers are all killed by the Liberation Army, it will further turn the people of Nagarea against the Liberation Army."

"T-That's ridiculous!" Daunte shouted. "You guys won that campaign against the Liberation Army! As you've told me we suffered heavy losses! If we're still on the lam, why is the Theocracy making such a despicable move against its own people?!"

"Your guess is as good as mine, but this is where you come in Daunte."

"…How so?"

"Simple: you need to get back to the Liberation Army and warn them about the massacre. Lanny here will be your escort to ensure you reach your headquarters without interference." Lanny stepped forward, and Daunte noticed for the first time that he had a sword strapped to his hip. "Then whatever forces the Liberation Army has must mobilize and head us off at Uaminifu. We will clash with you in a nonlethal manner, and after a period of time elapses I will concede defeat and order my soldiers to withdraw."

Daunte gaped at him for a long moment. He…He wants us to stop him? Did the Theocracy really order him to slaughter the entire city of Uaminifu? W-What if this is a trap to expose the whereabouts of the new headquarters?!

He finally voiced his concerns. "W…Why are you going to such lengths? How do I know this isn't a trap?"

"I'm going to such lengths because I don't want to commit mass murder on unarmed civilians who have done nothing wrong," Keiran said. "But as I said, if I didn't agree to do this mission then you would be dealing with a new Sheikh who has no problem committing such atrocities. So you need to get back to the Liberation Army and have them stop us. Understood?"

Daunte nodded jerkily, but his stomach was still in knots. He had no idea where the Liberation Army may have fled, even though Keiran obviously didn't believe him in that regard. How am I supposed to help stop this if I don't know where the Liberation Army is?! "I—"

"I think this poor boy will need help."

Daunte looked at Priscilla. The others slowly turned to look at her in her cell as well. "If you'll recall, Daunte has already said he doesn't know where the Liberation Army is," Priscilla reminded them. "But as it so happens…I know where they are."

Daunte let out a short breath and a measure of relief flooded through him. We're saved!

But Keiran didn't look so convinced. "My Lady, how exactly do you know the current whereabouts of the Liberation Army?"

"How do you think I know?" Priscilla asked back. Her tone had turned suggested and she batted her eyelashes playfully at him.

Lanny made a face at her, but Keiran didn't stir. "If you know where the Army is, tell me right now."

"Ah, ah," Priscilla said, shaking her finger at him. "I would be a fool to tell you now! I'll show these two boys where the headquarters instead."

"I can compel you to tell me."

"Oh, but that's not your style, Sheikh Keiran Umed. If it was, then I'm fairly certain Daunte here would've already been laid out after being "interrogated" by you."

She was making a valid point, and Daunte could see that Keiran knew it. After a moment he gestured to the guard. "Release her."

Priscilla squealed as the guard unlocked the door to her cell. "I'm not entirely sure if you're telling the truth," Keiran continued. "But I'm compelled to trust you with this. You're very lucky that the manner of execution selected for you will be easy to cover up."

"Nobody is going to be executed in my place, will they?" Priscilla asked fearfully.

"Of course not. But we will still stage your execution after…this to give the illusion that we've carried out your sentence. But you had better prove yourself useful to Lanny, my Lady."

"Oh, I will. You can count on me."

Keiran turned his attention back to Daunte. "It is imperative that you convince Bearyl Lutis to send the bulk of the Army to Uaminifu. There has to be enough soldiers for us to engage with in order to convince the High Clerics that my soldiers were overwhelmed. Otherwise they will not believe me and they will simply send my soldiers back out with another Sheikh to follow through with this."

"D-Don't worry," Daunte said, raising his hands slightly. "I'll tell Lord Bearyl how important this is, and I-I'm sure he'll listen to me."

Keiran's expression told Daunte that he wasn't as optimistic. "We have horses ready, so ride out now."

"Wait a moment," Priscilla spoke up. "I'm going to need a weapon too. I used to serve in the Islands Nation Federation Navy, so I'm pretty savvy with a sword."

Keiran looked at her. "What type of sword do you generally use?" his tone suggested he didn't necessary believe her.

Priscilla smiled and planted her hands on her hips. "Do you have a jian in your armory? I'm most comfortable with that sword."

A flicker of surprise crossed Keiran's face, and Daunte was also surprised. Priscilla had a rather dainty appearance, so it was surprising to hear her be familiar with swords. "…I will see if we can accommodate you."

They did find a jian in the armory, and Priscilla did a few test swings with the sword that were very impressive. Ultimately she swooped down and took the tiger stance with the sword before effortlessly sliding back up into a standing position. "Thank you, gentlemen. It's been forever since I've held a jian. It makes me homesick."

"Please hurry and find the Liberation Army," Keiran told them. "You're the only one who can stop this madness."

Daunte nodded, and moments later they departed the Garrison and were riding out onto the open road. They rode due west until the Garrison faded onto the horizon, and then Lanny abruptly raised his hands. They brought their horses to a stop and formed a circle.

"All right," Lanny said curtly, turning his horse towards Priscilla. "Where is the Liberation Army?"

Priscilla shrugged. "I have no idea."

"W-What?!" Lanny shrieked in outrage. Daunte wasn't nearly so surprise, but he definitely felt a twinge of disappointment in the core of his being. So we're basically riding blind now?

"My dear boy, I've been sentenced to death," Priscilla address Lanny as though he were a child. "I was willing to say or do anything to get out of it." she laughed lightly. "I didn't expect it to work, but I can't complain about the outcome."

Lanny swore violently, and unsheathed a nimcha sword. He pointed the tip at Priscilla's beautiful face. "We're going back to the Garrison now!"

"Are we now?" Priscilla said. She swatted his blade away and pulled out her jian. "I don't want to hurt you, Lanny, but I'm not going to be burned alive. I'm not going back."

"Guys!" Daunte shouted, seeing a stampede of boars charging towards them. The horses began bucking in panic.

"This isn't over!" Lanny snapped, but he jumped off his horse to engage the boars.

"You won't win this," Priscilla said, also jumping off her horse to join the fight.

It was a short fight, but Daunte was amazed by both Lanny and Priscilla's combat skills. Priscilla moved very quickly and even gracefully at times while she was swinging her jian. Lanny likewise assumed the in no kamae stance and had a more tranquil demeanor. Daunte was both impressed and envious of their skills.

I need to do better.

But after the boars were taking care of, Lanny rounded upon Priscilla once more. "You will disarm now."

"Please don't make me hurt you," Priscilla said in a rather pleading tone. "I'm very fond of you."

"Guys," Daunte said, inserting himself between the two of them. "We don't have time for this. Remember that we have to avert a city-wide massacre before it's too late!"

"And how are we supposed to do that when neither of you knows where the Liberation Army is?!" Lanny barked at him.

"Then we'll simply go back to where the headquarters used to be," Daunte told him. "There must be some clues there."

"If there were, then our soldiers would've found them! We practically knocked all the walls down searching for any leads, and didn't find one!"

Daunte gaped at him for a long moment of silence before speaking again. "You…You guys destroyed the headquarters?"

Lanny shrugged unapologetically. "The castle was falling apart anyways."

Daunte quickly shook his head, trying to ignore the unease he was feeling. They must have gotten away. Lanny said that they couldn't find any leads, right? So I know that Arin, Roen, Felicity, and everybody else got away!

"W-We'll still start there," Daunte said finally. "With any luck they didn't go far."

Lanny snorted. "If they were smart they would've disbanded entirely, but given who your leader is I wouldn't be surprised if they were still hiding in the same general area."

Daunte ignored his spite and climbed back onto his horse. "Lead the way, then."

"Huh?" Lanny looked at him with confusion.

"Zander told you guys where our headquarters was, right? So you should know the way."

Lanny flushed and stammered for a moment. "Y-You lead the way! It's your headquarters!"

"…You don't know where the Liberation Army headquarters is?"

"Oh, did you skip that debriefing Lanny?" Priscilla asked him from her horse. She 'tsked' at him. "What will the Sheikh say if he knew you weren't paying attention to your orders?"

"I'm a squire!" Lanny snapped at her. "So I naturally wouldn't be told where it is! I just follow my commanding officer!"

"If you're not supposed to know, then how come the Sheikh didn't debrief you about the location of the headquarters? I very much doubt this would be something that would slip his mind, Lanny. Perhaps then you are supposed to know where it is, hmm?"

Lanny's face turned even darker red and swung back onto his horse. "Lead the way," he told Daunte authoritatively. "We're wasting time here chit-chatting."

Daunte nodded and turned his horse around when Priscilla suddenly called out his name. He turned to face her. "For what it's worth, you've played a big part in how I was able to get free. When we find the Liberation Army, you can consider me a new recruit."

"R-Really?" Daunte asked her.

Priscilla saluted him playfully. "I wouldn't very well side with the government who sentenced me to death, would I?"

"I'm not exactly surprised," Lanny huffed, shaking his head. "Heretics and traitors always fit well together!"

"Sweetheart, I had an affair with a married man," Priscilla said flippantly. "I may not be a good person, but I don't see how this personal flaw suddenly makes me an enemy of the country."

"You just pledged your loyalty to the rebel army!" Lanny shouted. "That makes you an enemy of Nagarea!"

"Uh, let's remember that we're short on time and need to keep moving," Daunte interjected. He looked at Priscilla. "I'd be glad to bring you on as a recruit, Priscilla."

Priscilla positively smiled at him. "Thank you."

Lanny rubbed a hand over his face in frustration. "You're both very lucky we have bigger things to worry about, or you'd both be under re-arrest for treason."

They rode west all night until dawn. Daunte himself didn't exactly know the location of the headquarters—he just knew that they had gone steadily east towards the Garrison before they were ambushed. So the headquarters had be steadily west…right?

The sun peaked over the horizon when Daunte found himself in a familiar location. But not the location he was looking for.

"Where is this?" Priscilla asked, craning her neck as she looked at their surroundings. "This looks like a mountain range. Is the Liberation Army here?"

"This is the High Peak Mountains," Lanny said. He glared at Daunte. "You've taken us too far north! Is this is a joke to you?! If we don't find the Liberation Army in time, then who's going to stop us?!"

"Your Sheikh could always stop the massacre," Priscilla said softly.

"Don't you think he's tried to stop it?! If he didn't agree to do it, then they would've found somebody else to do it, or were you not listening when he explained that to you guys?!"

"You know, the more I look at things the more I think Liberation Army is looking better and better," Priscilla said thoughtfully.

"Of course you would say that," Lanny said sardonically.

"Well thus far the Theocracy has ordered the wholescale slaughter of two towns, imprisons children in a mine for manual labor, and orders executions for just about anything," Priscilla pointed out to him. "Does that look like the sort of government you would want to follow, boy?"

"The Nagarist Order follows our Scriptures when designing the laws," Lanny told her. "Everything we do is in the name of Nagar and for the sake of the country!"

"Oh? Does Nagar endorse child abuse and the mass murder of His own believers?"

"You don't know anything!"

"I know enough that a government that frightens people into submission and murders people who've done nothing wrong just to frame the opposing Army for the act, is not a government worth following or fighting for."

Lanny sputtered, and he grinded his teeth. Daunte saw him reach for his sword again and grabbed his arm. "Whoa, whoa! Enough of this, both of you! Yes, we've gone in the wrong direction but now I know exactly where we are! And I know how to get back to the headquarters from here!"

"You do?" Priscilla asked him. Lanny let out a harsh breath and pulled his arm free, but he didn't go for his sword again.

"Yes," Daunte said, though his tone dipped as dread filled his body. "But it's going to take us up to two days to reach there."

"Two days?!" Lanny hollered. He grabbed Daunte by his collar and wrung his neck. "You stupid bastard! How on earth did you lead us so off-course from riding all night that it's going to take us two days to reach the headquarters?! And we don't even where the Army is! Do you realize what you've done?!"

"Hey, don't be so hard on him," Priscilla scolded him.

"And you!" Lanny let Daunte go and rounded upon Priscilla. "Lying about where the Army is! We've lost so much time because of you! Do you know what this means?! Eight-five thousand people are going to die because of you both!"

"Lanny, just calm down!" Daunte snapped finally, though the sickening feeling in his gut returned. "We all need to calm down and think clearly and rationally! I know we all want the same thing, and that is to avert this planned massacre against Uaminifu! But since we have little to no information, we don't have time to be arguing! We have to keep moving!"

"And how exactly do you propose we get to your headquarters in time to prevent this massacre?!" Lanny snapped. He suddenly looked stricken and grabbed at his own bangs behind his hood. "Oh Nagar…I'm going to be forced to kill innocent people!" he started hyperventilating.

Daunte honestly felt sorry for him. Even though they were enemies he knew Lanny had a strong sense of honor and didn't relish taking part in this heinous attack. He swallowed thickly and tried to remain calm. "It's going to be okay," he said calmly. "We just have to—"

"Ah-CHOO!"

All three of them shouted in surprise as a sudden flash of light burst from Daunte's right. Daunte turned his horse around and gaped in shock. Not even a second ago they were alone at the base of the High Peak Mountains. But now…

"Oh…" a black-haired teenaged girl dressed in white and clutching a long staff was holding a hand to her head and swaying back and forth where she stood. "That's strange…I feel like I've been asleep for ten years at least."

"Um," Daunte began.

The girl shrieked and turned around to face them. Her wide blue eyes went even wider when she saw them and she raced towards them. "You there! What country is this?"

"What…country?" Lanny echoed dubiously.

"That girl…she just appeared out of nowhere, didn't she?" Priscilla hissed at Daunte.

Daunte looked at Lanny and Priscilla and saw the confusion and mild fear in their faces before turning back to face the unknown girl. "T-This is the Nagarea Theocracy."

The girl made a face. "Ah…could you be a little more specific?"

"Specific?" Lanny asked. "He just answered your question."

"W-What I mean is—which Nagarea are you referring to?"

Which Nagarea? Daunte thought. That doesn't make any sense!

"You're on the Southern Continent, dear," Priscilla told the girl from her horse.

"Ah!" the girl spoke up. "So the first one!"

Everything she was saying made no sense to Daunte, so he leaned over his horse. "The first what? There's only one Nagarea."

"R-Really? What year is this?"

"IS 378."

"O-Oh! So I jumped ahead again! But I—" she groaned. "Now I remembered! I missed the party again! Why does this keep happening to me?!"

"…Are you okay?" Daunte asked uncertainly.

The girl suddenly perked up and positively smiled at him. "Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Viki, and I'm currently lost. If you wouldn't mind looking out for me, I will lend you my power!"

"Your power? What power do you have?"

"Here." Viki pushed back her sleeve and showed them the back of her right hand. Daunte saw a yellow Rune symbol there that looked like a shining light. "This is the Blinking Rune. With this I can teleport you to anywhere you've already visited."

"T-Teleport?!" Lanny cried out. He jumped off his horse and grabbed Viki by her shoulders, even though she was slightly taller than him. "M-M-My Lady, is your spell instantaneous?!"

"Oh absolutely," Viki said. "There's a chance of failure, but more often than not I can send you immediately to the place you desire to go!" she laughed girlishly. "Oh course, you don't have anything to worry about! I don't fail that often!"

"T-Then, would you mind teleporting us to the Liberation Army headquarters?" Daunte asked her.

"If that's a place where you've previously been to, I can most certainly take you there!" Viki said reassuringly, nodding enthusiastically.

"You're being awfully helpful to us, and you don't even know our names," Priscilla said. "Do you have some sort of ulterior motive?"

"Oh no, not at all!" Viki shook her head. "I-I just wound up here accidentally, and I know nothing of this country's ways and culture! I would be in big trouble if I were by myself, so if you wouldn't mind having me I would gladly pledge my support to you!"

"As for our names, I'm Daunte," Daunte introduced himself. "This is Priscilla, and—"

"She doesn't need to know my name," Lanny interrupted. "We're not on the same side."

"But if you can take us where we need to go, then I would be grateful to you and I would ensure your safety," Daunte told her.

"O-Okay, everyone!" Viki announced. She raised her staff and spread her arms wide. "Envision in your mind exactly where you would like to go! Hold the image in your mind!"

Daunte closed his eyes and focused all of his energy on forming the image of the headquarters in his mind. If this worked, then they would hopefully find the necessary clues to find the Liberation Army.

"Here—we—go!"

Daunte felt a 'whoosh' of air around him and a bright light flashed in front of his eyelids. He opened his eyes, suddenly feeling dizzy, and grabbed the saddle's pommel to steady himself on the horse.

"This is the place?"

Priscilla's surprised tone had Daunte open his eyes fully. The sight in front of him made him stiffen in horror.

They were indeed back at Liberation Army headquarters, but the castle had been reduced to rubble. The trees around them had been mostly flattened—the forest destroyed. Thankfully he saw no dead bodies strewn about, but he knew he could see dried blood on the stone and on the grass.

And he also knew it would be next to impossible to find any clues about where the Army was in the debris.

"Is…Is this the right place?" Viki asked fearfully.

Daunte forced a smile down at her. "Yes, thank you."

"That was incredible!" Lanny was positively gushing. He leapt off his horse again and grabbed Viki by her hands. "My Lady, you must join the Holy Army! Your Blinking Rune would be most vital to us!"

"B-But I already pledged myself to Lord Daunte," Viki said. She gently pulled her hands free. "It would be rude to turn on him after he already promised to protect me!"

Lanny glared murderously at Daunte. "You have a knack for making things more and more difficult, don't you?"

Daunte shrugged.

"Well, that was interesting."

Lanny and Priscilla immediately unsheathed their swords at this new, unfamiliar voice. Daunte tensed as two figures emerged from what remained of the forest. He raised his fists as he recognized the robes of a Cleric on one of the people, while the second was dressed in a brown uniform with yellow lapels. Daunte could tell that both individuals were male, though the Cleric looked to be in his forties (and his piercing blue eyes definitely had an age to them) and the other man looked to be in his mid-twenties. He had a mellower demeanor and his tawny hair fell into his face and dark eyes.

Daunte coughed awkwardly. "A-Ah, can I help you both?"

"Are you with the Liberation Army?" the younger man asked bluntly.

"Not me," Lanny said quickly. "I'm escorting these two."

"I must find the Liberation Army," the Cleric said. "The Cabinet of High Clerics has plotted something heinous—"

"The massacre on Uaminifu?" Daunte asked him.

"Y-Yes. How did you know that?"

"Because you're not the only one trying to stop it," Lanny spoke up.

"T-Then allow me to introduce myself." The Cleric gestured to himself. "My name is Farzin Masood, a Cleric of Mlkwt Alsmwat. Or rather I was a Cleric until three days ago, when the High Clerics defrocked me for protesting this utterly insane resolution!"

"I'm Shou," the second man said, his tone still blunt. "I'm looking for Oboro."

"We met while on the road," Farzin explained. "He's not very sociable, but he brought me here without difficulty. Quite amazing, considering he snuck into Nagarea illegally."

"T-Then you've come to the right place," Daunte said. "We're with the Liberation Army, and Oboro is a member of the Army."

"Not really, considering the Liberation Army isn't even here," Shou said. "But that should change shortly."

"How so?"

"Because I sent up a signal. If Oboro is still alive and with the Liberation Army, then he should see my signal within a twenty kilometer radius."

"And if they're further away than twenty kilometers?" Lanny asked.

Shou shrugged. "Then they won't see it."

"Oh, is that what you're looking for?" Priscilla suddenly spoke up, pointing.

Daunte looked in the direction she was pointed in and squinted. On the horizon he saw something that was catching the sunlight. It was brief flashes of light, but very noticeable.

"That's it," Shou said. "The Liberation Army is that way."

"Then my task is completed," Lanny said. He turned towards Viki. "My Lady, can you teleport me back to Sheikh Keiran Umed's Garrison?"

"Sheikh Umed?!" Farzin sputtered. He yanked out a hardcover book and pointed it threateningly at Lanny. "He's the one who's leading the massacre!"

"And he's the one who sent us out to stop it," Lanny said irritably. "Just hurry up and get to the Liberation Army so the lot of you can intercept us!" he turned back to Viki. "So, can you teleport me?"

"Sure I can," Viki said. She raised her staff and spread her arms.

"W-Wait," Daunte said. He turned his horse towards Lanny. "Thank you for your help."

"Don't thank me, I didn't do this for you," Lanny told him. But he softened slightly. "Just…stop us, okay? Please stop us from committing the massacre."

"We will."

Seconds later Viki successfully teleported Lanny and his horse away. "There! He should be okay! …I think!"

"Then let's go," Farzin said. "The sooner we get to the Liberation Army, the sooner we can prevent the deaths of thousands of people."