I saw a review from svallkille asking about a map of Nagarea. My map was also lost but I've been reconstructing it. I've been trying to find a software where I can recreate it on the computer. Once I do I'll try to have it available for you all to see. But so you have a visual of my version of Nagarea, it's a peninsula that shares a border with one country (Falena). Since Nagarea in canon is an isolated country I felt that this made the most sense. There are mountains in the north (the High Peak Mountains) along with a beach (Northern Wharf), tundra in the south (the Red Tundra), rocky wastelands to the southeast (the Rocky Plains), a river that flows into the center of the country (Golden River), and fertile lands in the center of the country (Winter Hill) stretched to the west. The Nagarean-Falenan border is in the northeast but the land was heavily damaged by the Great Earthquake and is impassable by land. The country is roughly the size and shape of both Spain and Portugal combined, but currently the map of the country in-story is incomplete as no topographers have successfully transversed the Red Tundra. More info will be added as Daunte travels.

I have also created a new poll for the future wedding in the story. You can find a link to the polls on my profile page, and if you can't vote any of the polls, feel free to leave a comment of your vote on the poll page or in a review.

Anyways, onto the story!

Chapter Six: Part One

Kader, Southeastern Provinces

The sun was rising soon. Virgil didn't know how long he'd been sitting on the couch, hands clasped over his knees as he watched the front door, but he knew from the lightening of the night that he had maintained that position all night.

I'm not perfect. I know that I'm not perfect. But I have tried my best and my best isn't good enough.

He sighed heavily, the sound sad. He looked himself over, feeling sick to his stomach. He was forty years old and he was an ugly man. He had an ugly face, pale green eyes that people had compared to a cat's eyes, and short black hair which he had recently shaved off, and a diagonal scar across his face that started at the left side of his forehead and ended at his right jaw. A leftover from his life as a soldier for the Holy Army. He had a body built like a brick wall; the clothes he wore barely fit him. It was muscle and not fat but people stopped when they saw him.

I know what I am, and I know how people perceive me. But I am not unfeeling. I thought she knew that.

The doorknob of the front door rattled, and Virgil sat up straight. He frowned as his beautiful wife breezed into the house, not even noticing him as she spun around to lock the front door behind her. Then she turned and saw him, and she cried out in shock. She pressed a hand over her heart and fell back against the door. "Virgil, you startled me! Why are sitting in the dark?"

"Caoimhe," Virgil said. It took a considerable amount of restraint to keep his voice calm. "Where were you?"

Caoimhe didn't flinch from the question. She simply rolled her eyes and gave a toss of her apricot hair. "I was with friends, Virgil. I told you I would be."

"You're not wearing your veil," Virgil pointed out to her.

"So?" She casually walked past him and towards the kitchen.

Virgil felt anger then but he squashed it as best as he could as he leapt from the couch and stormed after her into the kitchen. "You know that you must wear your veil in public," he said sharply. "Especially since you are a married woman! You need to wear a solid veil to show that you are married! If you don't wear any veil, you will draw unwanted attention to yourself! Something bad may happen to you!"

"Your concern for my wellbeing warms my heart." But her tone was cold as she began slicing from the loaf of bread.

Virgil reached out and grabbed her by her arm. He leaned in close and she finally stiffened as he inhaled close to her ear. He recoiled as bile rose in his throat and he wrenched himself away from her. "Y—You stink of men's cologne!" he hissed

Caoimhe sighed, but she sounded annoyed and not sad or regretful. She set down the knife and turned to face him fully. "Are we going to have this argument again, Virgil?"

"You are still seeing him!" Virgil shouted at her. "You are cheating on me, Caoimhe! Still! How could you do this to me? To our family?!"

"How am I hurting our family?" Caoimhe shot back at him. "Our son is not hurt, is he? I've heard no complaints from him!"

"You have broken our wedding vows and my heart! You are breaking the law!"

Caoimhe scoffed and threw her hands up in the air. "So turn me in then! Go to the authorities and tell them that I've stepped outside my marriage! You're a man, your word will surely have greater weight in the court of law than mine!"

Virgil squeezed his eyes shut and gritted his teeth. Caoimhe tried to walk past him again, but he grabbed her by her elbow again. "Let me go," she snapped at him.

"Caoimhe," he said gravely. "If I turn you in, they will kill you. And even though your parents disowned you, under Original Sin the Theorcracy may kill them and any other blood relative you have. You will be branded as an adulteress and all of you will be burned at the stake. Our son will be in danger. And if he isn't also sentenced under Original Sin, the authorities will force him and I to watch your executions. To watch your "cleansing"—"

"Let me go, Virgil!" she swung her free arm back and slapped him as hard as she could right in his ear. The blow did not hurt him, but it caused his ear to ring. He left her go to cup his ear and Caoimhe shoved him as hard as she could. But with his giant frame she could not even nudge him. "Stop talking like you care about me!" Caoimhe snapped. "I have sacrificed everything for you! I had the perfect life before I married you! I was happy! You promised me that you would make me happy and you broke your promise! I'm stuck in this pathetic house in this pathetic city with an ugly monster I'm too embarrassed to call my own husband and an ungrateful child! So what if I'm stepping outside of this marriage?! I haven't felt happy in a long time and I deserve to be happy! I don't deserve to have this life with you of all people! You pathetic, sorry excuse for a man who doesn't understand love!"

Caoimhe gasped for air, tears stinging her eyes finally. Virgil's heart was aching and he was almost ready to cry himself. He didn't recognize this woman with whom he'd been married to for the last fifteen years.

She used to be a sweet woman, giving. Now…Now I don't know the person who stands in front of me.

Virgil dropped his hand away from his ear and looked away from her. "You can't even look at me," she taunted him. "You're a coward!"

"I'm afraid you're wrong, Caoimhe," Virgil said finally, looking at her. "I do love you. I've loved you from the moment I first met you. It's because I love you that I haven't gone to the authorities. Why I have covered up your adultery. I didn't want my wife and the mother of my child to suffered the fate that convicted adulteress's face. But I will no longer be doing that."

Caoimhe stiffened. "What?"

"I will not reveal your adultery," Virgil said. "I will not have you death or the deaths of your family on my conscience. But I will not live in this marriage any longer. You may think that I waited up for you to confront you, but truthfully it was to say goodbye."

"W-What—"

"I'm leaving. Do you remember the trip to Mlkwt Alsmwat that Dylan and I were going to leave on today? The trip that you encouraged us to take? I will be going to the capital and filing a petition for divorce from you."

Caoimhe's eyes went wide but Virgil continued. "I will cite irresponsible differences and I will make a claim for full custody of Dylan. I will not spirit him away, we will return here so that he can continue to have a relationship with you. But I will not live like this anymore, Caoimhe. I put up with your behavior because I love you, but I have reached my limit. We are done."

Caoimhe choked, and suddenly burst into hysterical laughter. She hunched forward, hugging her sides as she laughed. Virgil watched her without reacting. "Y…This is a joke, isn't it? You divorce me?! You would walk away from the most beautiful and wealthiest woman in this region?! You cannot be serious!"

"I am serious," Virgil told her. "I am divorcing you and nothing you say will make me change my mind."

"You're not getting any of my money!" Caoimhe shrieked, her laughter abruptly stopping as she jabbed her finger at him. "That is my money and you won't get a single bit of it!"

"Your money never mattered to me. All I wanted was you. If money was what I was after, I would have left you when your parents disowned you for marrying me. You have no money, Caoimhe. It is something you have cursed me for for the lost couple of years."

Caoimhe looked incredulous, like she couldn't believe his attitude. "No one will want you," she tried. "An ugly, burly scoundrel like you? I was the only woman in the whole world who wanted you! You will never find anyone else!"

Perhaps these words would have hurt Virgil before, but now he was simply numb to her insults. "So be it."

"Mom? Dad?" Dylan's voice floated over to them from the stairs. "I-Is something wrong? Why are you guys shouting?"

Virgil stepped closer to Caoimhe, towering over her as he looked her straight in the eye. "I don't know who you are, but you are not the woman I married. I don't want to be with the thing that stands before me now."

He didn't wait for her reply. He left the kitchen and put on a smile for the twelve-year-old boy standing at the stairs. Though he had Virgil's green eyes he had Caoimhe's apricot hair. "Everything is all right, Dylan. Are you excited for the trip to Mlkwt Alsmwat?"

Dylan's face lit up. "Oh boy, am I!"

"Good!"

Inside the kitchen, Caoimhe clenched her jaw and clenched her hands into fists so tight that her long fingernails cut into her palms.

Liberation Army Headquarters

"You have intruders."

Daunte was startled awake, shouting as he fell out of bed tangled in his bedsheets. He sat up and blinked to adjust to the darkness in his bedroom, and felt a surge of irritation flare up inside him at the person standing directly before. "Y—Yuber," he panted, grabbing at his own chest. "Why are you in my room? Don't you know how to knock?"

"You have intruders," Yuber repeated himself calmly.

"W-What?!" Daunte frantically scrambled to his feet, yanking the sheets off his legs.

"Three intruders, two male and one female," Yuber supplied coldly. "They entered this building without announcing themselves in the middle of the night. I observed them climbing the stairs to the sixth floor. One of them is not human."

"T-That got all the way up to the sixth floor?!" Daunte sputtered. He felt a spike of fear in his body. They got passed the guards! How did they do that?! He raked a hand through his hair and looked at Yuber. "You saw them and you didn't stop them?!"

"Per rule number two I am not allowed to kill anyone unless you order me to," Yuber reminded him sharply. "So I came here to get your permission to kill them."

Daunte hesitated, and looked towards the ceiling. He knew that he could tell Yuber to kill the intruders, knowing that they could be a threat to the rest of the Army. But he also knew that he could go up to the sixth floor to see who the intruders were and what their intentions were.

"You are wasting time by hesitating," Yuber said. "The intruders may strike and kill your Army while you debate. Or you can give me the approval to kill them, and I will do so in seconds."

He paused for a long moment before he said, "If my actions upset you, I will remove their corpses before you go up to the sixth floor. No one will ever see their bodies. But you must tell me now what to do. Should I kill them or not?"

Daunte knew that Yuber had a point. Anyone entering their headquarters in the middle of the night without announcing themselves probably didn't have good intentions. He knew he could just order Yuber to deal with it, or he could take on the potential threat personally. After a moment he swallowed and met Yuber's gaze. "I'm going up to the sixth floor to meet the intruders, but I would like you to come with me to be my support. If the intruders pose any threat to the Army, either in words or actions…then you have my permission to kill them."

"And threats against you?" Yuber asked.

Daunte shrugged. "Okay, if they pose a threat to me then please protect me."

"…All right."

Daunte didn't bother getting dressed. He threw a robe on over his pajamas and grabbed his tekko and hurried towards the stairs. The set of doors next to the stairs was barricaded; the morning after their return Hero and James had started working on the door, saying that it was an elevator. It had reminded Daunte of the elevator in Keha Hale's Garrison and he was excited to see it when they finished working, but kept his focus on the intruders.

He knew with Yuber by his side that he didn't need to assemble a full party. At the sixth floor he signaled to Yuber to move behind him when he heard voices coming from the rotunda. Daunte pressed his ear to the door. "What are these pipes for?"

"Communication, I presume. You speak into the mouth of one pipe and your voice will travel throughout the entire compound."

Daunte's stomach clenched. I—I know these voices!

He looked at Yuber over his shoulder and nodded. Yuber did not visibly react as Daunte grabbed the doorknob and burst into the room. "Halt!" He shouted.

The three intruders turned to face him, their demeanor nonplussed. Daunte didn't falter in his steps, but he definitely recognized the trio. The black-haired man with the bright yellow trench coat. The woman with the revealing clothing and pauldrons and gauntlets covering both of her arms. The anthropomorphic cat that Caesar called a…Nay-Kobold? They…I saw them arrival when we departed for Falena for the first time? Their names—Sanji…Gertrude…and Bax, right?

"And there he is," the leader, Sanji, said, clapping his hands together as he moved towards Daunte. "The leader of the Liberation Army himself."

"He's the Commander?!" Gertrude exclaimed. Daunte noticed her voice was a little slurred. "That child?!"

"Gertrude, that's not very nice," Bax said, rubbing his wrist against his face. "He could be the best leader in the country for all we know. What's the old saying? Ah…"Youth is wasted on the young"?"

Daunte stared at him blankly while Sanji coughed discreetly. "Bax, that was not exactly a compliment either."

"Hey!" Gertrude suddenly shouted, her flushed face scrunching up. "Why are you glaring at us?! Do you wanna fight?!"

Daunte quickly realized that she was addressing Yuber and sensed his ally moving behind him. Daunte took just a moment to think about it and raised his hand. "Wait," he said over his shoulder.

"All right, let's go!" Gertrude shouted. She unsheathed the large sword from her back, revealing a long sword, a took the fool's guard position. "I'll take you on any day!"

Yuber quickly drew his two swords, but Sanji inserted himself between Gertrude and Yuber. "Please forgive my companion," he said serenely. There wasn't a note of panic in his voice. "She is intoxicated. Gertrude is from Kanakan, where drinking and fighting are common and plentiful together, but with alcohol laws in this country she has not had a drop to drink in a long time. We…procured some alcohol on the way here, and she drank it all."

"Yeah, Gertrude can drink like a fish but she's one of the best swordswomen I've ever met!" Bax chimed in. "She did most of the fighting for us since I fight with my hands and Sanji…"

"I am useless in combat," Sanji said. "But we did not come here to fight you or threaten you. On the contrary, we have come to join your Army."

Daunte gaped at him. Yuber stood beside him at the ready, his swords still drawn. "Y…You want to join us?" he asked slowly. "Why?"

"Why?" Sanji echoed. He shrugged casually. "Why not?"

"N…" Daunte shook his head slightly and looked at the trio before him. "None…of you are from Nagarea, are you?"

"Right," Bax confirmed. "Gertrude is from Kanakan, I'm from Nay Island, and Sanji—"

"I'm from the Northern Continent," Sanji interrupted. "We arrived here to Nagarea a few months ago."

"I know," Daunte said. "I saw your arrival at the Northern Wharf."

Sanji smiled. "Then you must agree that is fate that brought us together."

"But I'm confused as to why you want to join my Army."

"Because it's the right thing to do?" Sanji said, phrasing it as a question. After a moment he sighed dramatically. "All right, all right. We entered your country illegally and the authorities have been most unkind to us. See, it would be one thing if they sought to deport us but as none of us have identification papers they've resorted to outright attempted murder without a trial. I find such behavior rude and uncalled for, and as we don't have the means to leave anymore siding with you is in our best interests."

"So…you are trying to leave our country?" Daunte asked him. "We do have means of transportation. W-We could take you to Falena, or further north—"

"I don't think the neighboring nation you just allied with would appreciate you dropping off a ragtag trio of misfits who don't have identification papers," Sanji said. "And I'm sure the nations of the Northern Continent would feel the same. Except for Kanakan, but Gertrude is not exactly in a hurry to return to her homeland."

Daunte saw his point but rubbed at his forehead. "I'm…struggling to understand," he continued. "The three of you entered Nagarea illegally, abandoned your boat and lost it, and are actively trying to leave this country—but want to join my Army?"

"Wait, stop a moment," Gertrude groaned, dropping her longsword on the ground to clutch her head. "You're making me dizzy just thinking about it."

"We can help you!" Bax spoke up. "Gertrude and I know how to fight! And Sanji, he—" he gestured to his leader. "He's so positive! He could be a great source of moral support for your Army! Moral support is important to any Army!"

"All of you are idiots," Yuber snapped. He still had his swords drawn and looked at Daunte. "Killing them will not be fun for me because they are so stupid, but I will dispatch them at your order."

Sanji 'tsked' at Yuber. "What a terrible thing to say. You should stop expressing yourself so negatively. You will live longer when you don't have that poison inside of you."

"I'm immortal," Yuber snapped at him. He looked at Daunte again. "I want my order now. Do I kill them or do I not?"

Daunte looked between him and the trio before them. The trio looked completely unfazed by the threat on their lives. But Daunte had no idea what their true motives were, and despite the charisma of all three of them he didn't like knowing so little about potential allies. "So what function will the three of you serve?"

"Gertrude and Bax have offered their combat skills," Sanji said. "And I offer my impeccable communications skills. We will set up our base of operations here on this floor. Every morning the three of us will do a morning broadcast to wake up the Army. If there are any current events, we will announce them. If you have a new recruit, we will personally interview them here to introduce them to the Army. We will serve as positive reinforcement to your soldiers and aid you in battle. If…you will have us."

Daunte held his gaze for a long moment and then looked at Bax and Gertrude. Then he looked at Yuber, who was still armed. He contemplated the trio's offer for a long moment of silence before he finally nodded. "If you three want to help our Army…then I welcome you."

"Excellent, Lord Daunte!" Sanji said, shaking his hand enthusiastically. "You will not regret this!"

"You are too soft-hearted to be a leader," Yuber scoffed, sheathing his swords as Bax shook Daunte's hand. "You must realize how foolish it is to recruit just anyone to your Army. Particularly when they invade your headquarters."

"Thank you for the criticism, Yuber," Daunte said, nodding as Gertrude moved towards him. "I—"

At that moment Gertrude paused in her tracks, and promptly vomited onto the floor. Daunte jumped back and Bax cried out but Sanji didn't visibly react. Neither did Yuber.

I…hope I don't regret this.

"Good morning, Liberation Army."

Daunte was startled awake at hearing Sanji's voice. He said up and rubbed at his eyes in confusion. "I am Sanji, and as of three hours and forty-seven minutes ago my compatriots Gertrude, Bax, and I became the newest recruits of this Army. As a showing of our appreciation, we will broadcast here, every morning, to ensure that our troops are awake safe and sound in a timely manner."

"O-Oh, and to announce current events!" Bax added eagerly.

"That is correct, Bax," Sanji agreed. "As a forward warning, I see dark storm clouds coming in from the west. Perhaps it would not be good idea to have fishing—"

"Urrrrrrgh," Gertrude grunted throatily into her pipe. "Does anyone have a tonic for a hangover?!"

Daunte laughed reflexively upon hearing this but Bax interjected. "You humans drink alcohol so much and I don't understand why! Alcohol has a rancid smell, the taste is terrible, and drinking too much of it makes you empty your stomach out of your mouths! I did not think such evacuations were common with humans!"

"No, they are only common with Gertrude," Sanji said sagely.

"I can handle my liquor better than YOU can, Sanji!" Gertrude snapped.

"Well that is true…"

Daunte finished getting dressed when there was a knock on the adjoining door and Arin came into Daunte's room. "Brother, who are they? They speak kind of funny!"

"They just showed up last night," Daunte said dryly. "They said they could act as moral support for the Army and fight in battles."

There was a knock on the door leading to the hallway. "Come in!" Daunte called out.

Caesar was smiling his usual smile as he sauntered into the room. "This is quite interesting. Did they arrive last night, my Lord?"

Daunte stiffened, and guilt swelled up inside him as he realized that he did not seek Caesar out when Yuber told him that intruders were in their building. "I apologize," he said shakily. "I should have woken you up—"

Caesar waved a dismissive hand. "You're our Commander you shouldn't apologize. As the Tenkai Star, you are responsible to recruit the 108 Stars of Destiny. Plus, they seem like interesting people. I spoke with them earlier and all three of them have a very…dark sense of humor. Our soldiers should enjoy their morning commentary."

"B-But I don't know if Sanji, Gertrude, and Bax are part of the 108 Stars of Destiny," Daunte confessed softly.

"Well, you could always check to see if their names are on the Tablet of Stars."

"Hey, that's right!" Arin exclaimed. "Go and see if they're on there, Daunte! If they are, then you'll know if you made the right decision!"

"That's well and good, but I haven't seen Lady Leknaat since she arrived a few days ago," Daunte said. "I don't know where she set up her quarters or where the Tablet of Stars is."

"Well—" Caesar began.

"Daunte!"

A smile immediately came to Daunte's face when he heard this voice. Caesar moved out of the way as Surya raced into the room followed by Mokuren. "Daunte, you came back!" he grabbed Daunte's hand and shook it vigorously. "We just got back just now! I'm so sorry we weren't here when you came back! It's great to see you!"

"You were out hunting monsters to help build up our Army's resources," Daunte reminded him. "Which I appreciate greatly. And I'm glad to see you both now."

"We did good on the hunt! We brought back some meat for food, and we were able to build 20,000 bits we can put into the Army!"

"Where are the voices coming from?" Mokuren asked, looking towards the ceiling. "I don't understand the appeal of coffee either," Bax said through the pipes. "Sure it gives you energy, but it also makes you go—"

"Bax, please don't finish that sentence," Gertrude groaned.

Mokuren giggled. "They are certainly entertaining at least!"

"Those are our latest recruits," Caesar said. "We gathered quite a few of them while we were at the Northern Continent, and one when we got back. Lady Leknaat is her name."

"Lady Leknaat?" Surya said thoughtfully. "I—think I remember my parents talking about her once."

"She has the Tablet of Stars," Arin said. "She—"

A loud 'DING' suddenly echoed down the hallway through the open door, and Arin's voice trailed off. The sound was immediately followed by a shout. "Lord Daunte!"

Daunte quickly moved into the hallway and saw James running towards him. His goggles were pushed up onto his forehead, and back down the hallway he saw Hero standing in front of the door that had been blocked off just a couple of hours prior.

A door that was now opened.

"We fix it!" James cried out, grabbing Daunte's sleeve. "The elevator! Grandfather and I fixed it!"

"Ooh, the elevator is fixed?" Caesar asked, coming back into the hallway. "Is it mechanical or do men pull the lift?"

"What?" Daunte asked but Caesar shrugged. "Those are the types of elevators I'm familiar with."

"We polished and oiled gears and mechanisms to get it working again," James explained.

"Ah, so it's mechanical," Caesar said

He tugged on Daunte's arm. "Please, my Lord! Please let us show you how it works!"

"If it's like the elevator at Keha Hale's Garrison then it should be resourceful," Daunte said. He looked at his companions. "Would you like to join me?"

"Yes, yes!" Arin said enthusiastically.

"It should be significantly less harrowing than the last time we rode an elevator," Surya said.

"Oh, my Prince!" Mokuren cried out, clutching at her chest. "Your first experience was an unpleasant one, and I could not make it better for you! I am a failure as a bodyguard! I must throw myself from the cliffs to the unforgiving sea! I must confess my disgrace to Her Majesty!"

Daunte was used to her theatrics and simply shook his head. "Are we all ready?"

"Yes!" Mokuren said, recovering herself.

As they made their way towards the elevator, Roen and Felicity came up the steps. "Oh, good morning Daunte," Roen said. He did a double take when he saw the open elevator. "Oh it's fixed?"

"Yes, I want to ride!" Felicity immediately shouted, hurrying into the elevator. Daunte couldn't help but smile, as he remembered that she was not in their party when they went to Kõrkus and hadn't ridden in an elevator yet. "Will the elevator hold all of us?" Daunte asked Hero.

"Yes, of course," Hero said quickly and impatiently. "Hurry, let's go!"

The loaded into the elevator and the doors automatically slid closed. Above the door was the floor number wrapped around in a circle with a clock-like hand. "Select the floor you want here," James said, pointing to a panel on the right. Daunte looked at the panel and saw the numbers for each floor. 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, B…

"'B'?" Daunte read aloud in confusion.

"That usually stands for basement," Caesar said. "I was not aware though that this building had a basement, though. Interesting."

"We're going to the basement," Daunte said, pressing the 'B' button. The elevator lurched slightly, but otherwise traveled smoothly down towards the basement. Daunte watched the clock hand move down and he felt Arin grab his hand. "W-What if there's a monster in the basement?" he asked fearfully.

"We'll take care of it," Daunte said, but he felt Roen and Felicity grab his arms and push Arin and him towards the back of the elevator.

The elevator reached the 'B' level, and with a loud 'DING' it opened up to a wide space of darkness. Daunte could see a dirt floor directly in front of the elevator. Roen, Felicity, and Mokuren exited the elevator first, but all three immediately relaxed as they observed their surroundings. "Wow!" Roen shouted. His voice echoed.

Daunte and the others exited the elevator into a wide underground area. There were lit torches around, and the ceiling was at least thirty meters above them that was dark blue. Giant blue pillars reached from the floor to the ceiling lined the walls. The wide area was mostly empty, though twenty meters directly in front of the elevator Daunte saw…

"Good morning, everyone," Leknaat greeted them serenely, bowing slightly. The Tablet of Stars was to her right.

"Lady Leknaat, here you are!" Daunte exclaimed as the group hurried over to her. "I was looking for you! You've made your quarters down here? Are you sure you're comfortable?"

"I'm very content, Lord Daunte," Leknaat responded. She smiled. "Have you come to see the Tablet of Stars? You will see that new names have been added."

"New names?" Caesar echoed, but Surya and Mokuren quickly moved towards the Tablet. "There's my name!" Surya exclaimed, pointing to the Tablet. "Number 11, the Tenfu Star!"

"Prince, my father had that Star!" Mokuren cheered, hugging him. "I remember him telling me that! You share a Star with my father!"

"Mokuren, your Star is here," Roen said, pointing lower on the Tablet. "Number 53, the Chikai Star."

"The Chik—that's Aunt Luserina's Star!" Mokuren shrieked. "Prince, I share a Star with my Aunt!"

"I'm happy for you," Surya said sincerely.

"The Falenan Civil War had the Tablet of Stars as well?" Felicity asked. "Surya, did your parents ever tell you what their Stars were as well?"

"My father was the Tenkai Star and my mother was the Tenei Star," Surya said softly. "Lord Daunte has the Tenkai, and the Tenei—ah, Sierra's name is there."

"I'm here too!" James exclaimed. "Number 73, the Chisyun Star! Grandfather, you're number 65, the Chisou Star!"

"Great!" Hero called disinterestedly from the elevator.

"Ah, here they are!" Daunte said, gasping in relief as he looked the Tablet over. "Sanji is number 27, the Tenken Star. Gertrude is number 29, the Tenzai Star. And Bax is number 31, the Tenpai Star."

"That's the name of those vulgar people talking through the pipes, right?" Felicity said, making a face.

"That's not surprising," Caesar said thoughtfully. "The Tenken, Tenzai, and Tenpai Stars traditionally come as a trio together."

Daunte looked the Tablet over. "We still have a lot of people I need to recruit. Lady Leknaat, would you happen to know who is missing?"

"I apologize my Lord," Leknaat responded. "But even with my abilities I cannot see the faces of the missing Stars. As the Tenkai Star you are the one who will bring them all together, and fill this Tablet completely with names."

Out of the corner of his eyes, Daunte saw a name on the Tablet that he did not recognize. He blinked and rubbed at his eyes for a moment, wondering if he had misread the name. However, even after rereading the name to himself multiple times the name was not familiar to him.

—

15. Tenritsu Star

Soturi

—

Daunte frowned, and traced his index finger under the name. "Soturi? Who is Soturi?"

"Oh, he's Freyr's bodyguard," Surya said nonchalantly.

"Bodyguard?" Daunte asked.

"He arrived while you guys were traveling at the Northern Continent. He suffered debilitating injuries when Freyr was kidnapped to this country. So severe were his injuries that we actually thought that he may need to retire from the Queen's Knights. He only fully recovered from his injuries a little over a month ago, and my father gave him permission to return to duty and come here."

"So that's why Freyr came here without a Queen's Knight," Felicity said softly. "Because his personal bodyguard wasn't fully recovered."

"Well, not quite," Surya said. "As it turns out Freyr gave conflicting information to all of us. He told me that he was given permission to leave Falena without a bodyguard, but he told Father and Aunt Lymsleia that another Queen's Knight was coming with us. A Queen's Knight that was not in Sol-Falena when we left. His lie blew up when said Queen's Knight returned to the capital a couple of days after we left but by that time we were already gone."

"Freyr seemed…pretty determined to come back here with us," Roen said, folding his arms over his chest. "To the extent that he did not wait for his bodyguard to fully recover from his wounds."

"I will pay them both a visit," Daunte said, nodding. "I ought to introduce myself to him."

"I'll take you there," Surya offered. "Freyr will be happy to see you too."

"Lady Leknaat, would you like to come with us?" Daunte offered.

"Thank you, but I shall stay here," Leknaat said. "But if you have need of me for travel, call me and I will be ready."

"I was going to head to the restaurant to get breakfast," Caesar said. "My lord, please feel free to find me there when you are done."

"I'll come with you," Arin said.

"So will I," Roen said, smiling. "I feel like it's been forever since we hung out."

"Tell me about it," Felicity groaned, casually throwing an arm around Daunte's shoulders. "Next time you take a trip across the sea, please take me with you."

"Me too!" James said, waving his arm. "Please take me with you too!"

"James, you're my co-pilot," Hero pointed out. "You have to come on long-distance trips!"

"Oh, right," James said, rubbing the back of his head as everyone laughed.

Freyr's bedroom was on the third floor. Daunte knocked only once and the door opened, revealing a young man in his early twenties with short bright white hair and intense hazel eyes. Daunte quickly saw his Queen's Knight uniform and blurted out, "Soturi."

Soturi's brow rose but Daunte saw movement inside the room and Freyr came to the doorway. "Oh, Lord Daunte! Long time no see!" He gestured to Soturi. "I was able to introduce you, but you already know Soturi's name. Did Surya tell you?"

"Soturi's name is on the Tablet of Stars downstairs," Surya said. "As are you, Freyr."

"T-The Tablet?!" Freyr's eyes went wide. "You mean like my dad?!"

"Like all of our dads," Surya said dryly.

"Welcome to the Liberation Army, Soturi," Daunte said, addressing the young man in question. "I'm sorry that I wasn't here when you arrived. Did you have any trouble getting here?"

"No trouble," Soturi said, his tone stoic and abrupt. "I followed the underground river to get here."

"I'm glad that you're back," Freyr said sincerely. "But I wish you would relax—"

"I have missed out on much due to my injuries," Soturi interrupted him. "More so since you came here without me."

"You were still in recovery when I came here!" Freyr shot back.

"All right, all right," Mokuren interjected quickly. "Let's not fight. Yasaka is serving breakfast in the restaurant and Lord Caesar went on ahead of us. Why don't we all go get breakfast together?"

"Sounds like a great idea," Felicity agreed.

"I'm pretty hungry myself," Roen agreed.

Daunte nodded but noticed the sword strapped to Soturi's hip. "You're left handed?" he asked. "And what kind of sword is that?"

"A danpatta," Soturi said, hoisting the scabbard up with his right hand. Daunte noticed a slight tremor. "And to answer your question, I'm actually right-handed, but my right hand is not as strong as it once was. My left hand however is still strong so I can hold a sword."

Daunte saw that Freyr looked upset and felt awkward for bringing it up. "A-Ah, lets go get breakfast then."

The group headed towards the elevator, but Freyr hung back a little to speak to speak to Daunte. "It's okay," he said softly. "It is a result of his injuries, but your question wasn't offensive."

"Is he all right?" Daunte asked him.

"His skills are as good as ever, but he—" Freyr's voice broke off and he swallowed thickly. "I—thought he had died," he said quietly, his tone mournful. "When I was kidnapped. There was so much blood and his body was so still…I didn't mention him during the time I was here before I went back home because I couldn't bear to think about him. He has a fiancée at home and when I thought of how he left her behind I…I-I just kept my focus on getting my sisters and cousins back. I didn't even know that he was still alive until I got back home.

"I came here without him yes, because he was still recovering but I don't…want him doing that again," Freyr hissed. "If I ever see something so horrible happen like that to him again I…"

Daunte smiled, and looked ahead of them and saw their friends entering the elevator. "I will take care of him," he promised. "And I will take care of you, so that both of you will go home safe and sound."

Freyr nodded. "Thank you, Lord Daunte."

They entered the elevator and Daunte saw Soturi watching him. D-Does he know we were talking about him?

"Congratulations," Daunte said suddenly.

Soturi blinked once. "…Congratulations?"

"Freyr told me of your engagement," Daunte hastily added. "So—congratulations," he offered lamely.

"Ah," Soturi responded, and said nothing more. Though Daunte thought he saw the tension leave Soturi's shoulders.

"Oh you should really meet his fiancée," Mokuren interjected brightly. "She's from Lordlake and she's the sweetest girl you'll ever meet! She—"

"Mokuren," Surya said discreetly as they reached the first floor.

Yasaka's restaurant was predictably busy, but Daunte felt guilty as his soldiers immediately stepped aside and let his group and him cut the line. Inside the restaurant every table was full except for the one Caesar occupied. "Over here!" Caesar called out, waving his hand.

"Good morning, Lord Daunte!" Yasaka called. "For today's breakfast I made a skillet with some of the meat Surya brought back! It's 300 bits per plate!"

"Does that sound good to everyone?" Daunte asked the group. He got affirmations from everyone but then noticed someone at the counter. "Go ahead and sit down. I'll take care of this."

Though the group protested Daunte insisted. He approached the counter and counted out money. "I'll cover myself and everyone at my table, including Caesar."

"You are too kind my Lord," Yasaka said as a girl at the counter counted his bits.

The person beside Daunte also smiled. "Indeed you are, Lord Daunte."

"Good morning, Oboro," he greeted. He saw the bag in front of Oboro. "Getting yourself and your detectives breakfast?"

"It is my turn," Oboro confirmed. "I must say though that the ninja girl Umeko is…unique. She insists on helping us with our work but keeping secrets seems to be an impossible task for her. Shou loses his temper very easily with her." but he was laughing as he said that.

"I'm glad she's trying to help at least," Daunte offered.

"Oh, and before I forget…" Oboro pulled a folded note out of his pocket and handed it to Daunte. "You had asked me for to look for possible new recruits. I have found the locations of some candidates for you."

"Oh, thank you!" Daunte said. He pocketed the note as plates of the breakfast skillet started arriving at the counter. "It looks fantastic, Yasaka!" Daunte called out.

"Thank you!" Yasaka called back.

"I'll see you later," Oboro said, taking his bag as Roen and Felicity came up to help Daunte with the plates.

"I see that Oboro gave you locations for new recruits," Caesar said once everyone started eating. "That's good, my Lord. It will take some time to fully assemble our strategy for our campaign against Tamara Nuori. In the meantime you can go out and do a recruitment quest if you like."

"What places did he recommend you go?" Arin asked eagerly as Daunte unfolded the note. "Ah…oh," Daunte said, reading the first point. "H-He…He said we should check the East Forest?"

"The East Forest?" Roen exclaimed. "B-But are there any established holdings in the East Forest?"

"Wasn't there a rumor that the last surviving Elves of Nagarea were there?" Felicity asked. Her eyes went wide. "Then—the Elves want to join us?"

"Where is the East Forest?" Surya asked. "The east coast of Nagarea seemed to be just a rocky wasteland."

"I-It's in the southeast," Roen said. "It's east of—" his voice broke off and he glanced sideways at Felicity before he shook his head. "Nevermind."

"East of what?" Freyr asked.

"Brother?" Arin asked suddenly.

Daunte felt all eyes on him, but his throat felt frozen. He tried to swallow but it hurt. He couldn't tear his eyes away from the second location listed. It…It can't be.

"Here, Lord Daunte," Caesar said. He carefully took the list from Daunte and read it himself. His eyes went wide, but he recovered quicker than Daunte. He calmly folded the list and set it on the table.

"…Where is the second location?" Felicity asked quietly. Her tone was a little scared. Caesar lifted his head to speak, but it was Daunte who spoke it first.

"Farna."

Investigations

Secret #1

Name: Caesar Silverberg

Age: 19

From: Gregminster, Toran Republic

Position: Liberation Army Chief Strategist

Secret #2

Caesar hails from the famous Silverberg family and is a hero of the Second Fire Bringer War. His grandfather was Leon Silverberg, a hero of the Gate Rune Wars and an antagonist of the Dunan Unification War, and his father was renowned military strategist George Silverberg. Though the Silverbergs are strategists, Caesar had a first cousin once removed named Odessa. Odessa was a warrior and Tir McDohl's predecessor as Toran's Liberation Army leader. From the information I have gathered, most of Caesar's family is dead, included his parents and grandfather. His only family is his older brother, Albert.

Secret #3

Caesar spends a significant amount of time sleeping, and he sleeps in odd areas. Don't get me wrong, he works hard, but just the other day I found him behind the northwest building, twisted up in a strange position but he was comfortably asleep. He appeared to have picked up odd sleeping habits from his youth that he maintained even while as a student in Harmonia. He was quite gifted academically but only if he applies himself or has passion. Without effort or passion he doesn't bother.

Secret #4

Caesar fought on opposing sides as his brother during the Second Fire Bringer War. He was disturbed that Albert helped orchestrate genocide and aided and abetted in a plot that would have led to the destruction of the world, only to end the war considerably better off than he had before the war had even started. Indeed, Albert Silverberg currently lives in Zelant in a high government position under the country's dictatorship. Caesar was bothered greatly by how much his brother benefited from ruining lives, and thus has fully dedicated himself to be Albert's antithesis. Despite being a foreigner to Nagarea, Caesar will anything within reason to ensure the victory of the Liberation Army. I believe we are lucky to have him.

Investigations

Secret #1

Name: Gunther

Age: 26

From: Mlkwt Alsmwat, Nagarea

Position: Liberation Army Lieutenant

Secret #2

With his skills with a sword, you would think Gunther came from a family of swordsmen but on the contrary, his parents were scholars. Not only were they scholars they were also pacifists. They had always wanted Gunther to follow in their footsteps but Gunther was not inclined towards scholasticism and preferred combat. This put him at odds with his parents frequently and when he made it clear that he wouldn't attend the Holy School for scholasticism they threw him out. Unfortunately not long after his parents were convicted under blasphemy laws for speaking negatively about the High Clerics, and Gunther was likewise convicted under Original Sin. Gunther fled the capital though before he could be arrested. Though he doesn't ever talk about his parents, he did love them deeply and misses them every day.

Secret #3

Gunther has an extensive criminal record with the Theocracy. In addition to his Original Sin conviction, his arrest record includes assault, grand theft, blasphemy, adultery, election fraud, and, um, jaywalking. He's been cited for jaywalking 44 times in five cities. Uaminifu has the honor of having the highest number of citations for him. I have to wonder if he doesn't like the city with how flagrantly he's broken the law there. The arrest that led to him joining the Liberation Army is quite stunning, to say the least. Bearyl Lutis saved him and spirited him away from Uaminifu, and Gunther was in his debt as a result. However, Bearyl Lutis did not have a lot of respect for him because his criminal activities and mistreated Gunther. Gunther put up with it and even now remains a valuable asset to the Liberation Armu.

Secret #4

I found…love letters hidden away in Gunther's room. A literal pile of love letters in a chest in unsealed envelopes. I thought that they were for all the women he flirts with, but the name written on every single envelope was Allise's name. I freely admit I read one of them my Lord, and I must say it was one of the most sincere declarations of love I have ever read. Gunther has a flirtatious personality and he seems to have many…acquaintances, but the language he used in the letter was that of pure love. I know this is surprising, but it seems for all intents and purposes he sincerely loves Allise. …Should I deliver one of them?

Investigations

Secret #1

Name: Allise

Age: 22

From: Kõrkus, Nagarea

Position: Liberation Army Lieutenant

Secret #2

She's had an eventful and tragic life. I know you have spoken with her about her past so I will start with a simple recap of what she has already told you. Allise's father was a runemaster, and he used a secret technique to attach a Pale Gate Rune to her forehead so that Sheikh Keha Hale could not use it to destroy a town. Allise's parents were executed for treason and Allise was sentenced to the Dark Chasm under Original Sin, but she spent most of her time in the Dark Chasm with runemasters who tried to remove the Pale Gate Rune. Whatever technique her father used has not yet been broken and no one has been able to remove the Rune from her forehead. Not even Jeane has been able to remove this simple Rune. The Sheikh then made the decision to marry Allise against her will to utilize her as a weapon. It did not work.

Secret #3

I will spare you the details but Allise had a very unpleasant marriage to Sheikh Keha Hale. It was very traumatic for her to be married to the man who killed her parents and he mistreated her terribly. I have come to discover that there are domestic violence laws on the books in Nagarea, and per the laws a convicted abuser is publicly flogged with the number of blows determined by the level of abuse they inflicted. However I am also aware that the domestic violence laws are rarely enforced in Nagarea, and no one would dream of publicly flogging a Sheikh, so Allise and even Tidur suffered in silence. After years of a miserable marriage Allise snuck to Mlkwt Alsmwat to get a divorce, which Farzin Masood granted on a technicality. After she fled the capital she was "kidnapped" by Gunther, when in actuality he saved her life. She has faithfully served in the Liberation Army ever since.

She may not say it, but she is in fact grateful to Gunther for saving her. As for the extent of her feelings for him, well…not even I could gather information on what she feels.

Secret #4

This is quite surprising. Allise loves spicy food. Yasaka made curry the other day with an ingredient he called a "ghost pepper", and a few people fainted when they ate the curry. Not even Mihr could handle the heat of this pepper! Allise however didn't even become flushed in the face and ate the whole thing in one sitting. I do not know how she could sustain such heat, but she did so effortlessly.

Yup, Euram Barows was the Tenfu Star in my universe. I played Suikoden V with both Euram and Eresh as the Tenfu Star, and even though Eresh is awesome in combat I prefer Euram for story's sake. As for whether or not Eresh will show up here, well you'll see. ;)