Part Three
Daunte knocked on the door and waited for Oboro call him inside. When he entered the office Shou immediately stood up and snapped to attention, but Oboro gave Daunte a wave from where he was sitting on the couch. "Ah, Lord Daunte! Come in and have a seat!"
Daunte took a seat on the couch across from Oboro. "How have things been, my Lord?"
"The scouts we sent up the underground cavern returned early this morning," Daunte said. "The cavern apparently stretches up throughout the entire northwest of Nagarea to the Northern Wharf."
"Well, that will certainly reduce your travel time," Oboro said. "That is, when you're not relying on Viki to teleport you." He folded his hands over one knee. "How about Varnaz? Has he returned, or did you want us to go and find him?"
Daunte shook his head. "We've not heard back from Varnaz yet, but Caesar isn't concerned about it so I won't be."
"I see. This is all good to hear. But I sense you didn't come here just to give me updates. How can I help you, my Lord?"
"I wanted to check with you and see if you've had any more sightings about possible recruits for the Liberation Army," Daunte told him.
"More recruits?" Shou asked from his position along the wall. "What about all those kids you brought back?"
"They're not recruits," Daunte told him. "They're rehabilitating."
Shou shrugged. "All right."
"As usual, I'm always happy to help." Oboro got up from the couch and walked over to his desk to retrieve paperwork. "You were kind enough to pay us to scout around, and I'm pleased to say that I have results for you."
Daunte grinned and nodded enthusiastically. "Thank you for your hard work."
"Now, now. Wait until I present my results before thanking me." Oboro sat back down on the couch. He flipped over a couple of page. "All right. I've received recommendations for you to return to Uaminifu."
Daunte nodded. "The city is on our side so I'll be happy to return there."
Oboro turned over another page. "Also, there was some positive feedback regarding Peak's Edge—"
"Peak's Edge?" Daunte burst out. He stood up. "A-Are the Wingers looking for an alliance with us?"
"That, I do not know," Oboro admitted. "However it has been suggested that you go there."
"Right." Daunte sat back down. "Anything else?"
"Yes. I've received word that you should return to the Dark Chasm."
Daunte stiffened. "They didn't reopen it, did they?"
"No, it's been abandoned. Besides, it would be nigh impossible for them to reopen it considering our Army took the time to destroy all the mining equipment there. Not to mention the fact that I'm fairly sure you would simply liberate it again, my Lord."
"Of course I would."
"Well, my report suggested you might find something or someone useful there. It also suggested that you bring the dragon girl and her dragon with you."
"Sharon and Suna?" Daunte asked. "Does your report say why?"
Oboro shrugged. "I'm afraid not. But I hope this will be helpful for you. Will you be sending out groups to recruit people?"
Daunte shook his head. "I'll be going out to do the recruiting myself."
"Why?" Shou asked. "You're our leader now. Don't you have a lot on your plate already?"
"It's actually pretty ingenious," Oboro said. "Having our Lord Commander personally go out to round up recruits for the Army. When I served the Loyalist Army during the Falenan Civil War, Prince Freyjadour went out and personally recruited almost every one of the members of the Army. It demonstrates a degree of deep dedication that one leader would have for an Army."
Shou shrugged. "Well, to me it looks like a desperate move to send our leader out to personally recruit people."
"You're not far off, we are desperate for more recruits," Daunte said, looking at Shou over his shoulder. "I have no problem meeting with people personally to recruit them. Anything that will ensure our victory."
Shou relaxed a little. "Well, it's your decision."
"That is all I have for now," Oboro said, setting his paperwork on the coffee table between them. "Was there anything else you needed, Lord Daunte?"
Daunte thought about it and turned around. "Would you mind running some more investigations on my soldiers?"
"Certainly."
Daunte hadn't seen much of Nash and Sierra since they basically ambushed him in his bedroom, but he did hear that the couple had taken up residence in the underground cavern.
Well, Sharon and Suna have company now, Daunte thought dryly
Before going up to see Caesar and assembling his party for his recruiting quest, Daunte visited the children of the Dark Chasm. Within the compound walls and even outside, the children were living in tents and slowly recuperating. Daunte watched them with a heavy heart. Even while liberated so many of the over three hundred children were too weak to do little else but sit down and stare off into space. Most were scarfing down food so quickly that it was making them ill. He was also aware that despite their freedom many of the children frequently experienced night terrors. There was hardly a night where one or ten children woke up screaming.
Even though he had freed them, it still felt like to Daunte that he wasn't doing enough for them. That's why whenever he checked up on them he was surprised to see the children suddenly energized when they saw him, and they gathered up their strength to stand up and greet him, or to salute him.
"Look, Daunte! I got a sunburn! I've never gotten a sunburn before!"
"I heard some of the others complaining about having to sleep in tents. I don't care! I'd rather sleep on the cold ground outside than go back to the Dark Chasm!"
"I was thinking of putting on a uniform and joining the Army, but I'm just so exhausted all the time! Even after I get a full night's sleep!"
Daunte ventured outside the headquarters and visited as many children as he could who were resting in tents lining the cliffside. As he walked along greeting the children and asking if they were okay, something caught his eye. He saw a boy roughly sixteen or seventeen years old wearing a tan-colored tunic with a black vest and black pants, taking practice swings with a Khopesh. His wine-colored hair was short and messy and his dark eyes were tired, but he had a look of determination as he continued practice swings.
But Daunte was stunned to see him. So much so that it took him a moment to react and walk over to the boy. "L…Lysander?"
"Huh?" Lysander quickly turned and his face brightened when he saw Daunte. "Hey, Daunte! Long time no see!"
"I-I can't believe it," Daunte said with disbelief. "I had no idea you survived! I'm sorry I didn't come looking for you sooner!"
Lysander shrugged. "To be honest, this is the best I've felt in days. I mean I can actually f-f-f-f-…" his voice began stuttering slightly and he stopped briefly and pressed a hand over his heart. For a brief moment he looked distressed before he recovered again and forced a smile. "Sorry. I haven't talked in a long time, so I have to force the words to form."
"No, it's okay. But seriously, I'm so sorry I didn't look for you in the Dark Chasm!"
"Like I said, I hadn't said a word in almost two years and…" Lysander had to pause again and he cleared his throat. "I wasn't in good shape. T-They had to carry me out of there. But I'm better now."
Daunte gestured to the Khopesh he held. "Where did you get that?"
"Oh, there's plenty of unused weapons in your armory. I asked if I could have it and they said yes." Lysander took another practice swing and smiled. "I'm ready."
"Ready?"
Lysander squared his shoulders. "I want to join the Liberation Army."
"H-Hold on a second. You're still recuperating from the Dark Chasm. You don't have any obligation to join the Army. None of you do. I don't want you to feel like I'm pressuring you into joining."
Lysander shrugged. "You're not pressuring me. I'm joining because I want to."
"Ly—"
"Do you know why I was sentenced to the Dark Chasm?"
Daunte stilled. "…Why?"
"Because my aunt was caught picking her nose during the Morning Prayer in the Grand Citadel."
Daunte gaped at him. The word 'what' formed on his lips but he couldn't even speak it.
"They said she defiled the sanctity of the Morning Prayer, in the most holy of Chapels," Lysander said. His tone suddenly turned bitter. "And so because of that, they put my family to death. My parents, my two sisters, everyone. I-I-It—" rage has risen to his gaunt face, making his expression more unsettling.
"I heard," Lysander continued softly. "That the High Clerics aren't even real High Clerics. That they're r-r-r-r-r-really assassins. If it weren't for them, none of those w-would've happened to me. I want to f-fight, Daunte. In the Dark Chasm—the things they did, I…" he quickly shook his head, his expression filling with sorrow. "They crushed me, Daunte. They crushed my s-spirit so badly that I couldn't speak. Even now it's hard for me to talk. They ruined my life, Daunte. I want vengeance. I want to make them suffer the way they've made me suffer."
Daunte looked at him for a long moment, and then he looked at the children around them. Everyone was watching in silence. Lysander didn't look that much better than those who were too weak to stand, but he was standing and he was ready to fight.
I was in the same position as him not too long ago. How can I possibly say no?
Daunte turned to look at him. "Build your strength up Lysander, and I'll be happy to have you join the fight."
"Thank you so much!" Lysander threw his arms around Daunte, but Daunte shoved at his right arm to keep the Khopesh away from him. But Lysander was too happy to care. "I'll go report to your strategist right now!" he hurried off.
Daunte finished checking on the children, who also wanted to join the Army, but Daunte had to refuse them. They still needed to recuperate. Strangely despite hearing rumors about complaints, nobody brought any complaints to him. He didn't know if they were true or just rumors.
He made his way back to the main building of the headquarters, and upon entering he heard Clara speaking sternly. Daunte took a moment to peek into the infirmary to see why she was angry.
"—really all right," Dr. Yulin insisted. "I've had plenty of rest, and—"
"Just be quiet and get back into bed!" Clara snapped at him. "You're still swaying on your feet! That indicates to me that you're not fully recovered!"
Daunte snorted and left her to it. He climbed the stairs and nodded to Viki as he passed her. "Good morning."
"Good morning!" Viki greeted him. "I have good news! Since you liberated the Dark Chasm, soldiers have retreated from cities all across Nagarea! I should be able to safely teleport you to any city that you have already visited!"
This surprised Daunte. He would've thought that since they liberated the largest (and only) prison camp in Nagarea that the Theocracy would've tightened security. But they loosened it?
They must have called most of the soldiers back to Mlkwt Alsmwat to add security to the capital just in case I decided to march on the capital like Bearyl did. Except I'm not going to do that. Not yet, at least.
Daunte started the climb up six stories, checking on each of his allies on each floor. En route he noticed a lone set of double doors that opened up to an empty shaft. It reminded him of the elevator in Sheikh Keha Hale's Garrison (to which Allise confirmed it was), and Daunte made a mental note to find someone who could build him a proper elevator.
He stopped a little longer on the third floor. Gunther and Eamon had claimed rooms on this room of course, but now the third floor had new residents.
"Ah, Lord Daunte." Keiran Umed stood to attention from his desk as Daunte entered. It felt awkward to Daunte to have a former Sheikh defer to him, but Keiran didn't seem to mind in the slightest being subservient to a teenager with no military background. "How can I help you?"
"You've all been here for over a week," Daunte said. He looked at Mihr, who was sitting on a couch cleaning his sword. "How have things been for you all?"
"I can't complain," Keiran said, smiling. Indeed, Keiran and Mihr had been quick to choose a room within the main building. Daunte was puzzled as to why they chose to share a room and take the time to fit two beds on opposite sides of the room, when there were still empty rooms throughout the building. But Keiran insisted, stating they didn't want to take up too much space. He did request however that Lanny have a room on the third floor, also fitted with an extra bed so someone else could move in and share the space. "Really, the most difficult thing about leaving my Garrison was that some of the men and women who served under me turned on me. But that was only two dozen soldiers, really—the rest defected along with me and we are ready to serve."
"I can't believe that they chose to follow that bastard Ramiro Lažov," Mihr said from the couch. He held up his sword and examined it closely. "The northeastern provinces are going to fall to ruin under that man's command."
"…I heard about that," Daunte said, looking back at Keiran. "That Lažov was promoted to Sheikh in your place." He didn't know yet if Varnaz knew about his former brother-in-law's ascension since Varnaz had still not returned, but he knew it would only be an incentive for the Lieutenant General to fight harder to overthrow the Theocracy.
"It's fine," Keiran said. "Well, it's not fine because I worked hard to bring stability to my provinces and I don't trust Ramiro Lažov to maintain that stability. But I look forward to liberating them, and liberating this country." He nodded. "You can trust us to ensure your victory."
"Have you had any problems since you arrived?" Daunte asked.
"None," Keiran said, but Daunte said Mihr shift out of the corner of his eye. Keiran continued. "There's nothing to worry about. We waltzed into this Army after being your enemy for so long, and after we killed many of your soldiers. We have to prove ourselves to the people here, and that's what we'll do. You can count on us."
Daunte nodded. "Thank you."
He checked on Lanny, who was counting off pushups, and decided not to disturb him. Especially when the younger boy called out, "Five hundred and thirty-two!"
On the fifth floor outside the war room, Reis was studying the writing on the wall next to the door. Farzin was out on the balcony, and it looked like the ex-Cleric was in deep meditation. Daunte entered the war room, and found it was empty except for Caesar. The Army strategist immediately stood up from the table as he entered. "Good morning, Lord Daunte. Are you ready to go for your quest?"
Daunte nodded. "Viki said that soldiers have withdrawn from many of the cities so it should be safe for her to teleport me."
"Excellent! That will reduce your travel time considerably!" Caesar rubbed his hands together. "Allow me to assemble your party. Who would you like to bring with you?"
Daunte remembered Oboro's suggestion. "Sharon and Suna."
"All right. Anyone else?"
For the remainder of his party, Daunte had to think about it. He finally settled on "Gunther, Allise, and Farzin."
"Good. I'll summon everyone." Caesar summoned a scout and instructed them to get the people together for Daunte's party. The scout quickly left.
It would be the first time Daunte ventured out on a quest without Roen or Felicity. It felt strange not having his two best friends with him, but after visiting them in their rooms he knew they needed the break. Roen was still asleep when Daunte checked in on him, and while Felicity was awake she looked lethargic. She'd been working overtime to take care of the children of the Dark Chasm, and it didn't sit well with Daunte to drag them on a recruiting quest.
Well I won't be gone for long. And the people I'm bringing with me are competent and I trust them.
The scout returned less than five minutes later with Daunte's party. Gunther was positively grinning. "Thank you, my Lord."
"I think you ask too much of me," Allise said, but her tone was soft and playful.
"Suna has been restless for the last few days," Sharon said, hugging her dragon. "Ever since you guys came back from the Dark Chasm."
"I'm happy to serve," Farzin said, though his tone was bland.
"All right, you're set," Caesar said. "Be careful, my Lord."
Daunte nodded. "Thank you."
The group headed back down to the first floor, and Viki waved to them. "I'm ready whenever you are! Where would you like to go?"
Daunte reached her. "Can we teleport straight to the Dark Chasm, or can you only take us as far as K'alak'i Patieba?"
"Why would we want to go back there?" Farzin asked.
Viki nodded. "T-There is a marker there, so I can teleport you there." She gestured for them to come closer. "Now everything, clear your mi—A-AH!" she shouted, clutching at her face. Daunte rushed forward and plugged her nose as everyone else stumbled away from her. A few moments passed, and Viki finally relaxed. She did not sneeze. "Thank you, Lord Daunte."
"Anytime," Daunte said dryly, releasing her.
Viki beamed at them. "Now then! I'll send you all where you need to go!"
Thankfully there were no mishaps and Viki successfully teleported them to the Dark Chasm. There were five Liberation Army scouts in the area, and they immediately saluted when Daunte and his party arrived. "The Theocracy has not returned," one reported. "The mineshaft remains abandoned."
"As it should," Allise muttered.
"Just to warn you all though, we've broken all the equipment," the scouts continued. "That includes the lift. We wanted to ensure that this place could never be used for any purpose again."
Daunte nodded to him. "Good job." Again, he was surprised when he saw how pleased the scout was by his praise.
"S-Suna?!" Sharon suddenly shouted. Daunte turned and saw the golden dragon was struggling in its mistress's arms. Suna then broke free and suddenly rose high into the air. "W-Where are you doing?!" Sharon jumped and tried to grab for Suna, but the dragon rose too high. Then suddenly, Suna was flying straight down the Dark Chasm's mineshaft. "Suna!" Sharon took off running after the dragon.
Daunte quickly followed and ran straight down the Tiers in pursuit. He was struck by the utter silence of the Dark Chasm, except for Sharon's shouts. It wasn't too long before where the mineshaft had been filled with the sounds of screams, beatings, and children being worked to death. It was still unreal to him that the place had been liberated and had been abandoned.
And it's going to stay that way.
"Suna, you naughty dragon!" Sharon had reached the Lower Tier and was chastising her dragon. Suna however was sniffing at a pile of rocks and ignoring Sharon. "Don't ever scare me like that again!"
"Did Suna find something?" Daunte asked as they reached the Lower Tier.
Sharon shrugged. "How should I know? Su—"
Suna then nudged a large rock aside and Sharon shrieked, startling Daunte. "W-What?!" he shouted.
"Oh my goodness!" Sharon screamed, her voice echoing up the mineshaft. She ran over to the pile of rocks and pushed several rocks aside. "Is it re—IT IS!" she screamed even louder.
"What?" Daunte asked more calmly, but he stilled at what Sharon had uncovered. She heaved up a large round rock that was dark blue, almost black. Sharon was cradling the rock in her arms as though she were holding a baby, and caressed the surface with a large degree of tenderness. She looked up, and Daunte was stunned to see that she was crying. "Do…Do you know what this is?"
Daunte shrugged stiffly. "I don't. What is it?"
"It's a dragon's egg!"
"W-What?!" Gunther shouted, pulling out his sword. Daunte's jaw dropped and he looked at the egg in question. "A-Are you serious?! We had a dragon's egg down here this whole time?!"
"The egg is warm! Even after being buried under rocks it's warm! D-Do you know what this means?" Sharon carefully set the egg down on the ground.
"What does it mean?" Allise asked.
"I-It means the baby will hatch very soon!"
"Then it needs to be taken care of," Gunther said harshly.
"Absolutely not!" Sharon said, throwing her body down over the egg. Suna took a protective stance in front of its mistress and growled slightly. "This is a baby! I'm a Dragon Knight, I know what I'm doing!"
"This is a dragon born out in the wild!" Gunther pointed out. "Not a dragon born in one of your caves surrounded by professional Knights! It might be born rabid!"
That was a real possibility, but Daunte quickly gestured to Gunther. "It's all right."
"But my Lord—"
"It's all right," Daunte said more sternly. "I trust Sharon's judgment."
Gunther stared at him for a long moment before slowly sheathing his sword.
Sharon smiled at Daunte from her kneeled position. "Thank you, Lord D—OH!" she cried out and quickly sat up. Suna turned around and began grunting at the egg.
The egg that was moving.
"Oh boy," Allise sighed, still on her guard.
After a few moments, the dark surface of the egg cracked violently. The crack then twitched, and pieces of egg flew everywhere as a small light blue dragon head. Daunte gaped as more and more of the tiny light blue body burst and crawled out from the egg until it was sagging into Sharon's lap. The tiny creature was panting heavily, and Suna kept sniffing at it, and it was a long moment before it raised its head. It blinked rapidly, revealing pale orange eyes, and stared straight at Sharon. The newborn dragon held Sharon's gaze for a long moment before it opened its mouth and let out a croaked squeal.
"O-Oh my goodness!" Allise gasped, pressing her hands to her mouth. "I never thought a baby dragon could be so cute!"
"It…appears harmless," Gunther said after a long moment.
"The creature seems to have quickly imprinted on the dragon girl," Farzin observed. "Hopefully she can take care of both of these dragons."
Sharon held the newborn dragon baby in her arms, and used a free hand to scrub the tears off her face before giving the baby a kiss. Suna continued sniffing at the newborn, and nearly knocked Sharon over. But she remained sitting as she stroked the baby's head. "I'm going to call you 'Azul'."
"Well, that makes sense," Allise said. "Azul is a shade of blue."
Sharon looked up at Daunte. "Thank you so much for bringing me here. If we had gotten here any later, Azul would've been born and without a mother or Dragon Knight it would've died or gone mad. But we made it here in time." She laughed a little. "Mom won't be so mad at me now when I bring home a new dragon."
Daunte smiled. "Let's go back to headquarters so you can get Azul settled."
"Yes, let's."
Not everybody was immediately on board with having a newborn dragon on the premises, but nobody could deny that Azul really was adorable. Suna quickly took on role as an older sibling, and they played with each other in their home in the underground cave.
"Well, that was fun," Gunther said blandly. With Sharon and Suna gone to take care of Azul, that left them short two party members. "Where to next?"
"Uaminifu," Daunte said. "This time we'll be gone longer because we'll be going to the High Peak Mountains afterwards."
"Hmm," Allise said. "Are you trying to strike an alliance with the Wingers?"
Daunte shrugged. "I don't know what I'll find there."
They seemed to accept this and went back up to see Caesar to replace Sharon and Suna. Once again however, Daunte did not know who he should bring with them.
Gunther was all too eager to volunteer.
"Priscilla and Desiree!"
"Oh Nagar," Allise groaned, rubbing at her face.
"Well, Priscilla said she had a 'headache' and wasn't up for traveling at the moment," Caesar said. "Or at least that's what the scout said earlier. But Desiree is available."
Gunther perked up at that and Daunte thought about the final person and shrugged. "Lanny?"
Thankfully, the young swordsman was too enthusiastic to volunteer. As was Desiree.
"Y-You're going out on a mission dressed like that?!" Lanny demanded, gesturing to Desiree's outfit. Unlike the war campaign when she was in armor, Desiree was still dressed in her revealing dance outfit.
"Hey, whatever works," Gunther laughed.
Desiree smiled and spun around in a circle before striking a pose. "What's wrong with my outfit?"
"'What's wrong with your outfit'?" Lanny echoed incredulously. "Everyone can see what's wrong with your outfit!"
"Can you elaborate for me?"
Lanny flushed, clearly not wanting to explain that her midriff was bare and her pants were so loose that they looked like they were about to fall off her hips. Lanny suddenly glared at Daunte, obviously not pleased with these arrangements.
"Ah, so, let's go," Daunte said.
Uaminifu was a much more settled city when Daunte returned. Everyone seemed to be high alert, but the moment the guards saw him they ushered him inside the city. They did not check his identification book or ask him religious questions. But there wasn't a strong military presence. Business seemed to be going on as usual.
Is…Is the Theocracy just going to pretend they didn't try to massacre everyone here?!
The mood was not as jovial as it was when Daunte first came to the city, but citizens recognized him and approached him for thanks. It made navigating the city difficult, but he narrowed in on the Rune shop in the market district and hurried inside.
"Ahhh, our savior has returned!"
And Jeane was behind the counter as usual. Gunther's jaw dropped and his eyes went wide when he saw the beautiful Runemistress. Lanny however quickly blushed and looked away. Jeane came out from behind the counter, showing off her revealing outfit, and Lanny's head turned further away and his face turned darker red.
"Thank you," Gunther mouthed to Daunte, which earned him a jab in the gut from Allise's elbow.
"Thank you so much for what you did for us," Jeane said. She gave Daunte a kiss on each cheek, and Daunte got a whiffed of her perfume. It was strangely ethereal, which unsettled him. "How can I help you today?"
Daunte shook his head to clear it. "Would you like to join the Liberation Army?"
"Yes," Jeane responded without hesitation.
"Wow, just like that?" Desiree asked.
Jeane shrugged gracefully. "Why not? I'm naturally drawn to young men on the verge of manhood."
"Um…thanks?" Daunte said.
"So you'll set up a rune shop at our headquarters?" Allise asked.
Jeane laughed softly and gave a toss of her head. "There is no better Runemistress than I."
"In that case, I would like to see you about something once we get back."
Daunte glanced at her, but Allise's expression was hard. Even Gunther look concerned for Allise. Jeane merely nodded her understanding and turned around. "Of course. I just need to get my inventory in order and find someone to watch my shop, and then I'll be on merry way." She winked at Daunte over her shoulder. "I'll see you later, my Lord."
The group was left standing there as she ventured into a back room. Gunther then cheered and slung an arm around Daunte's shoulders. "Thank you so much for recruiting so many hot women!"
"Let's go," Allise said curtly, quickly heading for the door.
Lanny finally uncovered his eyes. "Don't women get cold from wearing so little?" Desiree laughed loudly at that.
Daunte didn't know what else to look for in Uaminifu, but since he hadn't seen much of the city before he decided to still explore it. He made a mental note of where the inn was and continued to wander around and listen carefully to gossip around them.
"—told you to leave! Your presence is driving away my customers!"
Daunte heard this shout to his right and looked. He stiffened when he recognized the figure in shabby clothes and a hood pulled over his face towering over a man wearing a chef's apron. They were in front of a restaurant, and the chef was clearly throwing the other man out.
"I don't mean to be trouble," La'Ahad said softly. "I was just looking for a hot meal."
"And do you have the bits to pay for a hot meal? Since you can't even afford new clothes or to bathe, I can't imagine so! Now move on!" the chef shoved at La'Ahad's arm.
"W-Wait!" Daunte shouted, surging forward. He yanked out his wallet as he ran over. "How much is your most expensive meal? I'll pay for it!"
The chef's eyes went wide when he saw Daunte. "O-Oh, my Lord!" he did a full kowtow before Daunte. "Please forgive me! I had no idea that this gentleman was one of your soldiers!"
La'Ahad wasn't one of his soldiers and Daunte knew he could correct the man. But he didn't know if La'Ahad would be denied a meal if Daunte told the truth, so Daunte held his tongue and held out his money. "Don't worry about it. Just tell me the price of your heartiest meal and I will pay for it."
"I-I, uh…" the man was completely flustered as he frantically stood up, brushing the dirt off his apron. "Well, the largest meal I serve here is Chankonabe. It can serve up to five people. I charge 1,500 bits for it."
"Deal," Daunte said, counting out 1,500 bits. "Please prepare Chankonabe for my friend."
"O-Of course! I'll even give him the best seat in the restaurant! Come right this way, sir!" the chef frantically ran back inside.
Daunte noticed that La'Ahad was staring at him and Daunte felt awkward by it. Mostly because he still could not see La'Ahad's face. "Your table is waiting for you, La'Ahad. Go on in."
"You remembered my name," La'Ahad said to him. "So you remember me, Daunte?"
Daunte shrugged. "Of course I do. You remembered my name, right?"
"You paid for my inn room in Baltas, and now you pay for my first hot meal in weeks here," La'Ahad said. "Why would you go to such lengths for someone you don't know?"
Daunte felt even more awkward by that piercing question. He didn't know how to answer. La'Ahad was someone who needed help, and Daunte was in a position to help him so he wanted to help him. There had been too many times where there were people who could've helped him while he was stuck in the Dark Chasm and nobody did. No, the only help he got was from a foreign prince, a battered doctor, his even more battered friends, and his own two mangled hands.
Life was very different for him now, but that didn't mean he could just ignore when other people needed help.
"I help you because it's the right thing to do," Daunte said finally. "Now go and have your meal."
La'Ahad nodded to him. "I won't forget this. I promise."
He finally ventured inside the restaurant and Daunte let out the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. He turned to face his companions but stilled when he saw the looks on their faces. "What?" he asked.
"This is why you're the right leader for our Army," Gunther told him.
"I agree," Farzin said.
Daunte flushed, and shifted his feet. "Look, I did what any—"
"Aww, you guys are making him embarrassed!" Desiree teased. She raced over and linked her arm with Daunte's. "Are you going to recruit him?"
"Not unless he wants to join me," Daunte said. "Right now I won't bother him about it." he gestured with his arm. "We should keep moving. We've attracted a crowd."
Indeed, a crowd of around five hundred people had converged upon them. All of them had nothing but positive things to say to Daunte, so that was reassuring at least.
As they got closer to the mayor's residence, what had once been Eamon's home, a windowless building that had guards on duty caught Daunte's attention and he headed over towards it. When he got close enough he saw a sign on the building.
It was Uaminifu's prison.
"Oh, this is interesting," Gunther said, coming up beside Daunte.
"We're not going to recruit criminals, are we?" Lanny demanded.
"Sweetheart we are criminals," Desiree teased him.
"Well…yes, you're right," Farzin added.
"It wouldn't hurt to glance inside I suppose," Allise said, shrugging.
They approached the main door, and the guards snapped to attention. "Nothing to worry about, my Lord," one said. "We've got only one criminal locked up at the moment."
"What was his crime?" Allise asked.
"Gambling."
Gunther actually burst into laughter at this. Farzin sighed heavily and folded his arms over his chest. "Well, gambling is a sin as according to the Nagarist Order. The High Clerics didn't twist that one up at all."
"Was he sentenced?" Daunte asked.
"Lord Eamon was merciful to him," the second guard said. "He told the prisoner that he could be set free if he paid off his gambling debt."
"How much is his gambling debt?"
"Um…5,000 bits, I believe."
Daunte nodded. "Thank you."
The guards let him inside. For such a large city, Uaminifu's prison was rather small. It was only two stories tall and Daunte only counted twenty cells total for both floors. Another guard came up to them. "Can I help you?"
"I would like to see your prisoner," Daunte said.
The guard nodded. "Right this way."
Since this was the only prisoner in the prison, it was easy to tell which cell had the prisoner. The guard guided Daunte and his group to the second floor, where Daunte could hear an older male voice singing a Nagarean hymn. Followed by a clanging sound that made the guard stiffen. "Don't tell me—!"
The guard raced forward and stood in front of a cell. "Yaman! Why do you have your dice back?! How did you get your dice back?! I confiscated those yesterday!"
"Oh…the dice came back to me naturally," was the nonchalant response.
The guard grumbled under his breath and furiously fumbled for his keys. "This is the last straw! I'll see to it that your debt increases by 2,000 more bits!"
"Oh no, please don't!" Yaman called out in a dramatic voice. Wrinkled hands grabbed the cells bars and a man in his mid-fifties became visible to Daunte. His dark silver hair was in a long ponytail, though his eyebrows were black, and his pale green eyes were narrow. His tunic and pants were stark black. "Haven't you done enough to me?!" he began to cry, but it was in such an over the top and mocking manner that Daunte knew he was faking it.
"You're in prison for gambling!" the guard snapped. "When you continue to gamble while in prison, you're not showing that you are repentant!"
"Well, what am I supposed to do?" Yaman whined. "I'm locked in this hellhole all day with nothing to do! I'm bored!"
Daunte quickly started developing a headache. He knew of bigger "hellholes" than this place. But since he was there he knew he may as well meet this man, so he approached the cell. "Good afternoon."
"Oh, it's you!" Yaman reached through the bars towards Daunte, but Gunther quickly yanked him back and Allise pulled out one of her tessen and pointed it at Yaman with a warning look. "Wait, wait!" Yaman said defensively, raising his hands defensively. "I mean you no harm! I swear if you get me out of here, I'll help you make millions of bits!"
"If you can make us money, how did you end up in there?" Lanny asked him.
But Yaman shook his head. "I swear—I'll do anything you ask if you let me out! I-I'll show you how to make a lot of money! O-Or I'll even swear off gambling forever! I swear to Nagar!"
The guard snorted. "Fat chance."
Daunte thought about this in silence for a long moment. Once the moment ended he reached for his wallet and began counting out his money. "Wait, what?" Lanny exclaimed. "You're going to pay his debt?! Why?!"
"The gambler seems like an interesting guy," Allise said.
"Here, let me give you some money as well," Gunther said, reaching into his own pockets.
"You'll pay off his debt?" the guard asked. He motioned to them. "I-In that case, you should see the warden. He'll accept your payment."
"Oh thank you, thank you!" Yaman was positively gushing. "I won't forget this!"
"I keep hearing that a lot," Daunte said as they followed the guard.
"That's what happens when you're generous, Lord Daunte," Allise said amusedly.
The prison warden was surprised they were willing to pay off Yaman's debt, but did not object in any way.
"You saved us from a massacre," the man said with awe. "It would be wrong to deny you the opportunity to help that heathen."
We're all heathens, Daunte thought.
So Yamen was set free, to his utter delight, and was ready to help his saviors. Except…
"The Liberation Army?" Yaman went a little pale. He laughed shortly. "You're…You're with an Army. An Army against the Theocracy?"
"Hey we're not just some grunts," Gunther said, slapping Daunte on the shoulder. "This is our Lord Commander."
Yaman went a little paler. "A…Ah. A-And you were looking to recruit me?"
"Wait, we are?" Lanny asked. "I thought we were just bailing him out of prison!"
"Hey, you promised to make us money," Allise pointed out, grinning. "And we bailed you out of prison. You owe us."
"I don't condone gambling, but you do in fact owe our Lord," Farzin said.
"I…see." Yaman forced a painful smile. "Um…well you see, I'm not the Army type. I'm an old and feeble man—"
"Who said you had to fight?" Gunther asked. "Unless you want to go back to your prison cell?"
"Oh, that is unfair!" Yaman fussed. He shook his head and suddenly grinned. "I've got it."
"Got what?" Desiree asked.
Yaman held up his three dice between his fingers. "Why night make this a wager? I'll play you at Chinchirorin. We'll each bet 5,000 bits. Whoever loses 5,000 first loses. If I lose, then I'll join your Army. If I win, you let me be on my way. Do we have a deal?"
Lanny made a face. "Huh?!"
Daunte nodded. "I'll accept your challenge."
"Wait, didn't you just spend 5,000 bits on this idiot?" Farzin demanded.
"Okay," Yaman said. He rolled out a mat and propped a bowl in the center of it. "This is how Chinchirorin works: we throw the dice into this bowl and when you roll a double with the same number on two dice, the third die will be your score. Whoever has the highest score wins. If any of your dice fall out of the bowl, you automatically lose. However, you don't just win by high score. Getting triple on numbers two through six will result in an automatic win, and you win triple the amount your opponent bet. But!" Yaman looked up. "If you roll three ones, then you automatically lose and pay triple what your opponent bet. In addition, if your dice form one, two, three, it is an automatic loss and you pay double. If you roll four, five, six, it is an automatic win and you win double. Do you understand?"
Daunte nodded and knelt down.
"You had better not cheat," Allise said. "We'll be watching you, sir."
Yaman nodded nervously. "I know. I'll go first."
Everyone waited with abated breath when Yaman threw the dice. They clattered around the bowl until they came up with one, six, and three. "No score. I'll go again."
Yaman threw again and Daunte stiffened when he saw four and five, but visibly relaxed when the final die read three. "No score." He was visibly sweating as he snatched up the dice. "My final turn."
He chucked the dice into the bowl, and this time he had two twos', with a five. He relaxed and grinned at Daunte. "Your turn."
Five was hard to beat. Daunte knew this, but he remained outwardly calm and picked up the dice. He juggled them in his palm briefly and tossed them into the bowl. On his first try he rolled two threes'…and a six.
"Daunte, you won!" Gunther shouted, hugging him from behind.
Yaman looked dismayed, but only for a moment. He sighed heavily. "Well, I'm a man of my word. Here's my 5,000 bits." He handed the money over to Daunte and gathered his things and stood. "Where is your headquarters? I will set up shop there."
"So you intend to gamble on the premises?" Farzin asked.
"Hey, I promised to earn money for this Army. So, which direction should I go in?"
Allise told him where to go, and he was on his way. "You know you guys just got cheated, right?" Lanny asked. "I mean, now that you've set him loose what's to say he'll go to our headquarters?"
"Well if he's smart he'll go," Allise said. "Or else he'll find that most politicians in Nagarea are not as merciful as Lord Eamon was when it comes to gamblers."
Daunte stared at the bits he held in his hand. Then he looked up at Gunther with confusion. "If he had 5,000 bits on him this whole time, then why didn't he pay off his gambling debt?"
They stayed the night in Uaminifu's inn (which wanted them to stay for free but Daunte insisted on paying full price), and then they purchased horses to travel to the final destination that Oboro had recommended; Peak's Edge on the High Peak Mountains.
Daunte had never been to Peak's Edge. The High Peak Mountains used to be home to thousands of Wingers, but in the last few centuries their numbers dwindled. Now there were maybe two or three hundred Wingers living on the mountains. Peak's Edge was the largest known settlement of Wingers (though Daunte was certain there were more), but given the hostility between humans and Wingers, the last known visit for a human to Peak's Edge was nearly a century ago.
I'm interested to see who wants to be recruited up there.
On horseback, they rode north and reached the High Peak Mountains by early afternoon. The horses were immediately on edge, and Daunte knew from previous experience on the mountain that they would not want to travel up the narrow path. They were preparing to dismount when Daunte saw movement out of the corner of his eye.
"Hello to you, strangers." The man was familiar to Daunte, and he was dragging a cart behind himself. Daunte floundered on his name until the man continued. "My name is Eliasen. Might I have a moment of your time?"
"Oh, I know you," Allise said. "You came to Liberation Army headquarters peddling something."
"Well, that is true," Eliasen said. "But to be more precise, I want to bring change to Nagarea."
"How so?" Gunther asked.
"We are one of the few countries in the entire world who do not follow the universal currency of Potch. In my years of calculation and research, I've come to realize that our bits are worth next to nothing compared to Potch." Eliasen picked up the soroban resting on top of his cart. "It's taken me well over a decade, but I finally perfected a formula to convert bits into Potch."
"Is that so?" Lanny asked with genuine curiosity.
"How much is our bits in comparison to Potch?" Gunther asked.
Eliasen fished around in his pocket and pulled out a coin. It was yellow with the letter 'P' engraved on it. Daunte knew this had to be Potch. He pulled out a second coin that was rust-colored red. Daunte recognized this as bits.
"For one of these," Eliasen said, indicating the Potch. "You would need ten of these." He indicated the bits.
"So Potch is worth ten times the amount of bits?!" Farzin asked incredulously.
"Nagarea has been an isolated country for many years," Eliasen said. "But I want to bring us on par with the rest of world. For the last few years I've been trying to convinced the Theocracy to adopt my currency conversion but they refused. So I went to see Lord Bearyl Lutis about it, but…" he shrugged. "I've had no luck."
Daunte remembered how Bearyl had turned Eliasen out, and how he'd felt it was a missed opportunity. If…No, when we succeed, our borders will most likely become more open. Once that happens, we will have more foreigners here. How will we expect to welcome foreigners here if we don't know how to convert their currency?
"But the Theocracy already has currency conversion on the books," Allise said. "They utilize it in Baltas for the few foreign visitors we receive."
Eliasen shook his head. "The Theocracy's idea of currency conversion is giving foreigners the same amount of money in bits that they paid in Potch. It is a completely inaccurate system. My system, however, is very accurate. Trust me when I say that there is no other formula in the world that is more accurate than mine."
Daunte gave this a lot of thought. If he trusted in Eliasen and used his currency conversion system, he knew he would be spending a miniature fortune on converting bits to Potch. If Potch had ten times the value of bits, then 1,000 Potch was worth 10,000 bits!
Thankfully so many monsters drop bits in battle.
"What you're proposing is very innovative," Daunte said, looking at Eliasen. "I would love to have you join our Army and utilize your conversion system."
Eliasen's face brightened, and he firmly shook Daunte's hand. "I promise to work very hard for you, my Lord. Together, we will bring Nagarea back out into the world and out of isolation!"
Daunte gave Eliasen directions to reach headquarters, and Eliasen was nice enough to take their horses with him. Daunte didn't want to risk the horses getting attacked by monsters, and he knew once he was done on the High Peak Mountains he was going to use the Blinking Mirror to return to headquarters. Having successfully recruited another Liberation Army member, they made the trek up the mountain path.
The monsters up there were predictably harder than the last time they were there. Plenty of dragons, even larger spiders, and rabid wolves in large packs. But they remain on guard and fought and pressed forward. Admittedly, Daunte didn't have a clue of how he was supposed to reach Peak's Edge. He knew the path towards the abandoned mine where Sloan Faakhir had held Princess Farrin hostage, but he had a feeling that the Wingers weren't in that general direction.
It was dusk on the High Peak Mountains when the group reached a forked path. Daunte briefly debated which path he should take, when a blood-curdling scream from the right path helped him to quickly make up his mind.
"Let's go!" Gunther shouted, unsheathing his sword. They raced down the path as the screaming grew louder and more frantic. They rounded the corner and what he saw caused Daunte to pause but briefly.
It was a female Winger, perhaps Daunte's own age, and she was partially sprawled on the ground with a large rabid bear on top of her. She was frantically trying to use a spear to protect herself from the bear's jaws, but the bear was growling gutturally and overpowering her.
Daunte overcame his brief shock and shouted. He activated his Boar Rune and began pummeling the bear. The new distraction worked and the bear immediately forgot the Winger and turned its attention to Daunte. Luckily, the rest of Daunte's group joined the fight and after a short battle the bear fell over, dead.
"Are you all right?" Allise was at the female Winger's side. Gunther joined Allise and helped the trembling girl into a sitting position. "Were you bit? Are you injured anywhere?"
"I-I'm grounded," the Winger sobbed, wiping at the tears on her face. "I-I flew into a tree on the cliff above us and fell! I haven't been able to fly back up, and then I was attack by that bear!"
Daunte checked on her wings. They were pale grey, almost white, but Daunte did see that her right wing was not as straight as the other. She had a unique appearance. Other Wingers that Daunte had seen had disheveled appearances. Not this Winger. She wore a green leafy dress and other than her wings and her clawed feet she was clean and looked proper. Surprisingly, her appearance looked closer to a Holly Fairy than a Winger. Her hair was short and permed like a Holly Fairy, though the color was platinum and not pink, and she even had flowers in her hair. She sniffled and she looked, her blue eyes dark and looking at each of them.
"You…You are humans?" she asked. She bowed slightly. "Thank you for saving me."
"What's your name?" Lanny asked her.
"A-Ah, my name is Dahlia. I'm from Peak's Edge. What brings you all here?"
"We're traveling through," Daunte said. He raised his right hand over her. "Howl."
To his relief, his healing spell straightened Dahlia's wing. Her face lit up and she was able to stand up. "I…you healed me!" she beat her wings, and she laughed with relief. "Oh, my goodness! I can fly back up now!" she turned to face Daunte. "You saved my life and you healed me! I don't know how to thank you enough for this!"
"Can you tell me where Peak's Edge is?" Daunte asked her.
Dahlia's face fell, and she looked uncomfortable. "I…ah…"
"Dahlia!"
Daunte jumped at he heard the striking sound of beating wings. He was on edge as they were suddenly surrounded by a circle of Wingers, all of them armed and looking threatening. A shadow fell directly beside Dahlia, and Daunte recognized Oisin. The Winger turned Dahlia's face towards him, and rage quickly filled his face when he saw the tears on her cheeks.
"You filthy humans!" Oisin roared. He advanced on Daunte and swung his spear. "What did you do to her?!"
"Oisin, stop!" Dahlia grabbed him by his arm. "Oisin, they saved me! I was grounded and got attacked by a bear, and they saved me! That human boy even healed me!"
Oisin looked at her. "They did not harm you in any way?"
"No, look!" Gunther snapped, jabbing a finger at the dead bear. "We saved her from that!"
Oisin and the other Wingers looked at the bear. One of the Wingers knelt down to check it. "This was a rabid animal."
"What were you thinking, flying all the way out here by yourself like that?!" Oisin admonished Dahlia, cupping her face in his palms. "Do you know what would've happened to you if you'd been here by yourself any longer?!"
"I can't take care of myself," Dahlia told him harshly, pushing his hands away.
"Clearly you can't!" Oisin snapped at her. He paused however when he saw how much that comment hurt her. He stepped closer and gave her a quiet apology before turning back to Daunte. Despite Daunte having saved Dahlia, the Winger still looked hostile. "And what are you doing here? Why have you come back? I thought I made it clear to you that humans are not welcome on the High Peak Mountains!"
"I was looking for Peak's Edge," Daunte said. "I'm with the Liberation Army, and I—"
"I don't care," Oisin interjected. "You're not coming to Peak's Edge! Now get off our mountain!"
"Oisin he saved me!" Dahlia shouted at him. "They could've left me to die, but they didn't! I don't believe they would use their knowledge of our village against us, so the very least we can do is grant them their wish!"
"I'm not going to allow this!"
"Well it's not your choice, is it?! My father is our chieftain, so my authority overrules yours! I say they're welcome to Peak's Edge!"
They argued back and forth about this for several minutes. Daunte saw that the other Wingers were awkward at having to witness this. Daunte had to guess, by their intimate gestures and the way they spoke to each other, that Oisin and Dahlia were in a relationship.
Oisin is probably ashamed that we saved his girlfriend and he didn't. But I hope he understands that we mean no harm.
"Fine!" Oisin finally shouted. He turned to glare at Daunte. "We'll take you to Peak's Edge and to our chieftain. But!" he snapped. "But we're going to carry you there! You will not know the path up to Peak's Edge!"
Daunte knew that it wouldn't matter because he could simply have Viki teleport him to Peak's Edge if he wanted. So he simply nodded. "Understood. I won't stay long, I promise."
Predictably they faced heavy hostility from the Wingers at Peak's Edge. The village fit the name—it was right on the edge of a cliff. To their left there was a large wall of mountain that stretched so high that Daunte had to tilt his head back to see the top. All the way up the wall he saw several houses. He knew he couldn't get up to these homes unless he had wings.
He met with the chieftain, who had a stocky figure but Dahlia had a strong physical resemblance to him. The chieftain thanked them for saving Dahlia, but other than that wanted them gone as quick as possible. Daunte remembered though that Oboro had recommended Peak's Edge and tried to be persuasive. Unfortunately, this only made the chieftain irritated and he finally yelled at them to leave. Daunte didn't miss the smug look on Oisin's face. But his spirits lifted a little when Dahlia hugged him and thanked him again for saving her. This of course wiped the smug look off Oisin's face.
"Well this was a waste of time," Farzin said. It had turned nighttime, and Daunte didn't want to stay the night. "Shall we head back to headquarters?"
"It wasn't an entire waste," Desiree said. "We saved that poor girl after all. And we have visited Peak's Edge so we come back whenever we like."
"That's true," Allise said with a smile.
"Oh! Strangers!"
Daunte looked to his right. A Winger looking to be twenty years old was kneeling next to an anvil and holding a worn blacksmith hammer in his right hand. His left hand was waving to them. "Welcome to Peak's Edge, humans! Would you like me to sharpen your weapons?"
Daunte was surprised to meet a Winger who was actually friendly towards them. He had a rather unique hairstyle—his shaggy yellow hair on the left side of his head was loose, while on the right side it was tied in a tight braid. His big brown eyes were very friendly and his wore a friendly smile as well.
Daunte approached him. "How high of a level can you sharpen our weapons to, Mr…?"
"Baldemar," the blacksmith greeted. "And Euphoria can sharpen your weapons to level 9."
"Level 10?!" Lanny exclaimed.
"'Euphoria'?" Daunte echoed.
"Here, let me introduce you." Baldemar hoisted up his hammer. "This is Euphoria. She has been my constant companion for the last three years. I trust her more than anyone else."
"…You named your hammer?" Farzin asked.
Baldemar shrugged. "Why not? People name their swords all the time. Our tools are an extension of our bodies—as important to us as family or lover. Euphoria has never failed me, so you can trust her as well."
"I see," Daunte said. He slid off his tekko. "Can you sharpen my weapon?"
"Oh, absolutely!" Baldemar was positively giddy as he set one of Daunte's tekko up in a proper position. Then he raised Euphoria high over his head. "Hi-YA!" and brought the hammer down.
Euphoria clanged against Daunte's tekko, and promptly broke in half.
The next few moments were awkward to Daunte. Baldemar reacted to the destruction of his beloved hammer as though he had just witnessed his loved one die in front of him. "No! Euphoria! This can't be!" he scrambled to pick up the broken pieces of his hammer. Within seconds he was crying uncontrollably. "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to hurt you! Please forgive me!"
Gunther tugged on Daunte's arm. "Let's go."
"But—" Daunte said.
"He'll be okay after he gets another hammer," Allise said in a soft voice.
"EUPHORIA!" Baldemar wailed.
"U-Um," Daunte said, retrieving his tekko. "Please excuse us." They quickly went on their way.