Jason: On Borrowed Time
"Come along, Jason," said Priam. "I think it's about time we gave you the royal tour of our humble island."
Thinking that he needed something to take his mind off the smouldering car wreck behind them, Jason agreed. Their path led them back to the hill overlooking the various warriors committed to their training routines, and Jason was once again fixated on the soaring pegasi and wyverns while Priam explained what was going on.
"These fine men and women are all members of my mercenary company, the Radiant Raiders," Priam explained. "In short, if you're strong and are committed to becoming even stronger, there's a good chance we let you in. We're not so concerned with what's going on in the wider world, content to do low-key work to keep us all happy and focused on our training here on the island."
"Looks like a small army from here," Jason remarked, and Priam nodded gravely.
"Exactly why we typically keep to the island," he explained. "Only a handful of us leave the island at a time to do mercenary contracts. It throttles our ability to earn coin, but it helps keep unwanted attention away. We've built a reputation as some of the best mercenaries gold can buy, but if Valm or Chon'sin caught on to how many of us there are, they'd see us as a threat and sack the island. Or forcefully hire us to die at the hands of their enemies."
"Neither of which seem appealing," Jason concluded. Priam nodded, and they moved on to the village proper, where a young girl was waiting for them. It took a moment for Jason to recognize her.
"Hey, you're the girl who ran off when I woke up!" Jason laughed as the girl flushed with embarrassment. "Sorry, only teasing. But I assume you helped out during my, er, recovery, so thank you."
Priam stepped forward and threw his arm around the brunette, who only sighed in annoyance. Jason wondered if this was a frequent exchange between the two. "Jason, I want ya to meet Eloise, one of the island's esteemed villagers." Priam laughed as he ruffled Eloise's hair, who squawked as she tried to fight Priam off. "She's been training in healing magic for only a year now, but impressed Culsan so much he decided to train her for the duration of his visit to the island. Was a real help in putting you back together this past month."
Eloise finally fought off Priam and did her best to smooth out her hair. "H-hardly," she grumbled. "Culsan is the one who did the actual healing. I just made the splinters for your leg and arm and replaced your bandages."
"Well that sounds a lot like what folks back home do to fix someone up, so I'd say you did a lot," Jason said, beaming at Eloise before turning his focus back to Priam. "So, I've been out for like, a month, and I'm absolutely ravenous. Either of you got any food or something?"
"Glad you asked!" Priam said with a bark of laughter. "One of the things I'll be teaching you on is basic hunting on top of self-defence, so for today I was thinking—"
"Oh, no you don't!" Eloise interrupted with a huff. "The guy just woke up like thirty minutes ago and you already want to put that sort of strain on his body?!" When Priam didn't immediately answer, Eloise rolled her eyes with an 'of course' grumbled under her breath as she grabbed Jason's arm and started marching into the village. "The entire village is about to have a communal dinner with the rest of your army of meatheads, Priam, so that's where Jason will be eating. I don't want to you undoing a month of our work just because you two can't wait a few days to ensure that Jason's body is properly healed." Priam only laughed at the bewildered look at on Jason's face as he raised his hands in surrender, letting them walk off ahead of him.
After a few moments, Jason figured it was safe to speak.
"So, uh…. Could you let go of my arm now? It's a little hard to remain balanced with you tugging me along at this pace." Jason asked with a slightly nervous laugh. Eloise, seemingly to only now recalling that she had been dragging Jason the entire way, immediately let go with an apologetic 'eep!' as Jason lost his footing and fell.
"I-I'm so sorry!" Eloise stammered as she helped Jason back up. "It's just that Priam really drives me up the wall sometimes. Keeps treating me like a kid even though I'm definitely an adult now!" Eloise huffed as she did a little stomp with her foot. Jason found himself staring incredulously and shook his head with a cough.
"And, uh… how old are you exactly?" Jason ventured. Eloise shot him a withering glare. "Sorry."
"For your information, I am seventeen." Eloise declared with her chin held high. "I may be the youngest person on the island, but that doesn't give everyone a free pass to treat me like a child! I'm pretty sure some of Priam's men are about my age, but nooooo. They know how to smack each other silly with steel so clearly they're adults!"
Jason was becoming increasingly aware that he just opened a can of worms of some kind.
"Look, I… don't know what to tell you," he said. "But are you gonna be alright? Priam seems to have gotten you all worked up." Eloise gave Jason a blank look before something clicked in her head.
"Oh. Oh! No, no, no, I'm fine," she assured Jason. "Priam's only like that with me because he basically helped raise me. Well, the whole village did, but I guess he's the closest thing I have to a dad."
"Ah," answered Jason. That explained a lot.
"A-anyways," Eloise fumbled. "Let's get going. Sometimes dinner can be a real mess, so if you aren't fast enough to get there you go to bed hungry."
Dinner was perhaps one of the most chaotic and haphazard events Jason had ever been a part of. Coincidentally, it was also one of his favourite things about the island.
People bumped into each other jovially as what looked to be the entire island's population crowded around a massive table that nearly reached each end of a great clearing just outside the village, villager and mercenary alike chatting amongst each other like one massive extended family. The table itself was adorned with at least four entire roasted boars as people helped themselves, passing food and mead around like it was going out of style. Despite a seeming lack of order or sense, nobody seemed to be left wanting for food with everyone getting a healthy share.
Jason watched Eloise seamlessly insert herself into the clamour, almost disappearing into the swirling mixture of food, drink, and bodies. After a few moments when she realized that Jason was still hovering outside the human re-enactment of a hurricane, Eloise reached back out, grabbed Jason's arm, and effortlessly plopped him onto the bench beside her. Jason probably would have kept gawking at the scene he was now a part of, but the delicious aroma of meat reminded him of his hunger, and he dove right in.
"Do you guysh eaht like thish ev'ry day?" Jason asked between bites.
"No," Eloise said with amusement. "if we did, the boar population would die out in a month. So, we try to time these feasts with when the mercenaries who were on expedition come back. That way nobody misses out."
"Except fer those on watch!" barked the mercenary to Jason's right, who jumped in surprise. He tried to ignore Eloise laughing at him as the mercenary kept talking. "Those of us who have been on the island longest since an expedition will keep an eye out for raiders or soldiers from the mainland."
"Forgive me for asking, but uh, what exactly is an expedition?" Jason asked.
"When some of the mercenaries go to the mainland to accept contracts… didn't Priam tell you anything about that?" said Eloise with a frown. Jason stared back for a moment as he tried to jog his memory.
"Uh… I think so? He didn't exactly give it a fancy name or anything." Jason answered sheepishly.
Eloise rolled her eyes and halfheartedly grumbled as the mercenary guffawed. "Yeah that sounds like Priam alright!" He took a massive swig of his mead before slamming it back onto the table.
"What sounds like me?"
The three of them whirled around to see Priam standing right behind them, sporting a massive skewer of meat with a grin to match. Priam squeezed into a spot on Eloise's left and snatched a mug from the blackout drunk villager slumped across the table from him.
"Explaining what an expedition is while neglecting to mention what it's called," Eloise teased with a smirk. Priam just shook is head and laughed, Eloise and the mercenary joining in. Jason opted to focus on his food in case someone tried swiping it.
"Yeah that does sound like me," Priam admitted before taking a swig from his new mug. "So, how're you holdin' up Jason? Today is your first day up and awake." As Jason turned to answer, Priam looked past him and barked "Leave his food be Zasz. I know you've already had plenty." Jason jumped and looked back to the mercenary shooting Priam a sheepish look.
"Just thought I'd see if you haven't lost yer edge boss," Zasz laughed as he made to stand. "Gods know nobody else 'cept Eloise here's got the guts to keep you in line." Priam merely shook his head as Zasz sauntered off.
"Don't mind him," Priam said to Jason. "He plays a bit fast and loose, but I have yet to meet anyone who can get as scrappy in a fight as Zasz."
"He's also all talk when it comes to roughhousing friends," Eloise added. "But when he's in a real fight? People don't call him a dread fighter for nothing." Jason, more than a little confused, just nodded along and smiled as though he knew exactly what they were talking about.
"I'm feeling great, by the way," he said, beaming at both Priam and Eloise. "Healing magic must be pretty awesome if I'm not even sore!" Priam just shrugged while Eloise frowned.
"Well, I've never heard of recovery going that well before," she mused. "But that must be why Culsan wouldn't let me in the tent when he'd work his magic, so to speak. He's got to have some sort of powerful technique he doesn't want just anyone knowing about. But—"
"P-Priam!"
The cry cut through the clamour of dinner, and everything noticeably quieted as a young mercenary sprinted towards the village. Priam frowned and rose to greet the young woman.
"Easy Hi'na, what's wrong?" He said, reaching out to steady the girl as she came to a stop at the table. Still catching her breath, Hi'na tried waving him off while pointing back to where she came from.
"V-Valmese warships are coming in from the coast! I came as fast as I could," Hi'na said as she steadied her breathing and straightened herself. Like a switch, all the mercenaries present seemed to drop whatever it was they were doing and made to get their weapons ready as the villagers flocked to the village.
"Were they looking ready for a fight?" Priam asked as he readied his sword. Despite everything going on, Jason couldn't help but wonder where Priam had put the sword until that point.
"No sir," Hi'na said as she shook her head. "On standby in case they're attacked. They even hailed us as they approached."
"Must be some sort of Imperial escort," Priam mused before turning to the rest of his men. "Alright, gents! We're going low profile here, so a third of you will integrate with the village and prepare their emergency defenses, another third will be on standby in the woods, and the rest of you are with me. Let's meet this envoy head on."
As the men around them cheered and mobilized, Eloise grabbed Jason by the arm and dragged him over to Priam. As they came up, Priam raised an eyebrow at Eloise and opened his mouth to speak.
"Head to the village you two," Priam instructed. "Best to stay out of—"
"No," Eloise cut him off, "You are not making me sit in the village twiddling my thumbs while everything blows over again. Besides, if everyone who went to meet the Valmese looked like a bunch of hooligans ready for a fight, they will give you one. And I am not letting Jason out of my sight, seeing that I haven't seen Culsan since noon and I frankly don't trust anyone else to monitor his recovery right now."
Jason tried to make himself as small as possible while Priam and Eloise engaged in a tense yet brief standoff. After a moment however, Priam let out a frustrated breath and ran a hand through his dark blue hair.
Jason wondered how he managed to miss that exotic detail this entire time.
"Fine!" Priam spat before composing himself. "Fine, you need to know how these things work anyway. Just stay close, don't say anything, and everything will work out. If something—Naga forbid—does go wrong, look for Nadya. She'll make sure you two will get back to the village safely.
"Uh, who's Nadya?" asked Jason, having finally felt as though it was safe to join the conversation. Eloise startled as if she forgot Jason was there as he pulled his arm out of her grasp.
"One of my mercs," Priam explained as they swiftly made their way to the island's coast. "I haven't met anyone better at stealth, and only Hi'na is a better shot with a bow. If anyone can get you guys away from the fighting safely and unseen, it'll be her."
Jason nodded in understanding but kept his mouth shut as they approached the coast, some of Priam's mercenaries and village elders coming into view. They were in a standoff with an advance party from the Valmese ships, led by a fat nobleman of some kind, a nasty grin adorned across his face.
"Greetings, locals!" said the nobleman. "I am Excellus, the Maréchal d'Empire, chief tactician to Walhart the Conqueror. I would hope you have come to welcome his Excellency's representative, and not to try and turn us away. Actually, I don't think I would mind. Would definitely spice things up!"
"We have paid our duties to your Emperor faithfully for years," said one of the villagers. "I do not understand what would incite such a show of force. Have we broken our agreement in some way?"
"Far from it," sneered Excellus. "The Conqueror has a vested interest in protecting his subjects. Over the last few months, reports from across the continent have told of the most fascinating displays of magic in the sky. Some reports even go as far to say that they looked like eyes! I have been personally commissioned by his Excellency to investigate these matters."
Jason tried not to let his discomfort show as at least a few of the villagers gave him a side-eye. Thankfully, Excellus didn't appear to notice as he gleefully set his terms.
"As this island has yet to be formally conducted into the Empire, I recognize that the authority invested to me by imperial jurisdiction does not yet apply here. However, failure to comply with our investigation will be reported directly to Walhart, and it will account for how your island's official induction into the Empire will play out."
"Is that a threat?" Priam growled, and as if his anger was a signal, Priam's men subtly and slowly readied themselves for a fight. Excellus' escort, accurately reading the situation, tensed as they prepared to spring into action at a moment's notice.
"Hardly," Excellus scoffed. Whether he was oblivious to the tension around him or just did not care, Jason couldn't tell. "It's a promise."
Priam stepped forward and Excellus stared him down, expression daring Priam to make a move. Jason shared a worried look with Eloise, whose brave expression couldn't quite hide her nervousness. In all honestly, Jason was amazed he wasn't shaking in his boots.
"Now what's all this about, hmm?"
As Culsan's voice seamlessly cut through the tension, everyone seemed to snap out of an aggressive haze in surprise as the old wizard made his way down the path to join everyone at the shoreline. In the distraction, Jason was perhaps the only person to notice Excellus grow pale as a sheet.
"Y-you...!" Excellus whispered. He whipped around to the imperial officer next to him and shook him quickly as he fumbled with something in his pocket.
"Abort mission," he breathed in relief as his delicate fingers finally grasped whatever it was he was scrambling for. The officer just looked at him in bewilderment as Excellus slipped a simple gold ring onto one of his fingers.
"What?" The officer asked, stupefied.
"Abort mission!" Excellus nearly shrieked as the ring began to glow. Then, in a bright flash of magical power, Excellus disappeared in the blink of an eye.
There was a pause as folks were divided between Excellus' about-face in attitude, and the old man who caused such a reaction.
"Did… did that dude just teleport?" Jason asked weakly.
"I think…. he did? I've never seen something like that before," Eloise responded numbly.
"Argh! I HATE it when he does that!" the officer screamed, throwing his helmet onto the ground in frustration. "Every damn time! This settles it, I'm putting in a transfer request when we get back to Fort Steiger." Everyone, including the officer's own men, stared at the man in amazement as he slowly pulled himself together before addressing Priam.
"Apologies citizen," the man grunted. "These flighty types from the imperial city are all pomp and no substance. On behalf of the Empire, please accept my apologies for this disturbance. The next tribute will not be expected until a month from now as recompense. I hope an extra half-month will be sufficient." And with that, the officer rounded up his men and they re-embarked on their advance boat to leave the island.
"Well that was an emotional whirlwind," muttered the lead villager as she turned to Priam. "Thank you again for standing with us Priam. You have no idea how much comfort you and your Raiders bring."
Priam looked to Jason and Eloise. "I think I got an idea," he eventually said with a grim smile.
"Thanks," Jason snarked. "Pretty sure I was about to soil these new pants, but sure! Go ahead and air that out for everyone here. I don't think Culsan could tell from my knees knocking together."
Eloise blinked at him in confusion as Priam roared in laughter.
"It was a joke," Jason explained lamely.
"Well young Jason, it seems the Empire has a vested interest in you," Culsan declared. "Hopefully, they aren't aware of you yet, but it would be for the best if you and Priam left as soon as you're able. It seems now more than ever that time is not on your side."
Priam nodded in affirmation as he stepped forward. "We'll have to accelerate the schedule I wrote up while you were recovering," he muttered. "At any rate, it looks like we'll have to start the training I had in mind for you first thing tomorrow if we want you sufficiently prepared for the journey to Valm Harbor. Sorry, Eloise."
Anger briefly flashed across Eloise's face before she realized what Priam meant. "Oh, well Jason's recovery is remarkable, so while I'd prefer he take it easy for the next week, it won't kill him if he starts training with you."
What was that about? Jason wondered as he glanced at Eloise with concern. Priam seems to have touched some sort of nerve here with Eloise, but I don't think he even noticed.
"As it happens, I will be departing tomorrow," Culsan announced. "And while Excellus will stay away for now, he knows that I won't be sticking around for long. He will be back soon, and Jason must be gone before then."
"Don't think I didn't notice that wild reaction from the slug when you showed up," Priam teased with an amused grin. "You two got a history of some kind?" Culsan smiled back, but Jason was surprised at how cold it was, eyes twinkling with anger.
"You could say that," Culsan growled. "Now if it's all the same to you folks, I will be retiring for the night. These old bones can only do so much in a single day." As Culsan trudged back to the village, Jason shared a look with Eloise before turning to Priam.
"That was surprisingly offbeat of him," Jason remarked once he was sure Culsan was out of earshot.
Priam scoffed as he watched Culsan go. "Offbeat is probably the best word to describe that man," he remarked. "Old man's been here for what, three months? Yet I feel like I know him less than when he first showed up." Priam sighed and turned back to Jason and Eloise. "So far, he's been nothing but helpful, and he's paying well for this escort job, but I wouldn't get too cozy with him. Not with anyone that secretive."
Eloise shrugged as the trio made their way back to the village. "Well he actually took the time to instruct me on healing magic, so he's alright in my book. I'm going to miss being treated like more than a helpless child." Jason's head swiveled to face Eloise in shock as Priam frowned.
"Eloise—" he began, but Eloise seemed to be having none of it.
"Well I'm turning in for the night, so I'll see you tomorrow Jason." She said before stalking off. Jason watched her go in bewilderment before turning back to Priam.
"What was that?" he exclaimed. "I thought you guys were tight." Priam—despite seemingly confused by Jason's slang—grimaced as though he just ate something unpleasant before trudging off into the woods, Jason stumbling to keep up.
"Don't worry about it," Priam grunted. "Anyways, you'll be sleeping with us mercenaries for now, to speed up acclimation to sleeping on the road. Luckily we're pretty far south and not too far from an active volcano, so it shouldn't be too bad for now." Jason nearly tripped at that information.
"Priam," he asked, voice just a few octaves higher. "Did you just say active volcano?!" This managed to elicit a small smile from Priam as he waited for Jason to catch up.
"Don't worry about it," he repeated, this time with an amused smirk. "Now get some rest. If we want you prepped in no time, I won't be holding back in your training."
AN: And there's Chapter 2!
Funnily enough, we get two big introductions that, just like Priam and Culsan, are a canonical and OC duo: Excellus and Eloise, respectively. Both were very fun to write, and Eloise was just an impromptu writing decision! She got plenty of focus here, mostly because next time we see Jason he'll be leaving the island, so it may be quite a while before we see Eloise again. Excellus was super fun because almost everything that came out of his mouth ended up becoming worldbuilding for the Valmese Empire, which in this story is based on Napoleon's French Empire if he was ruling out of Luxembourg or Belgium. Partly because everyone associates Roseanne with France, and both countries were part of one massive nation at one point.
Excellus also gives us a face to the Valmese threat that the Garden faces, giving us a better idea of Priam's motivations. There's not a whole lot to him in the game outside being an Ike reference and that he has a following of strong mercenaries from all over the world, so I decided to try and build on the latter.
Disclaimer: while I purposefully wrote Excellus in a super negative light, I do not condone fat-shaming. Excellus is reflective of a medieval/renaissance era noble who's lazy lifestyle—that profits off the labors of others—is what gave him his extra weight.
Once again, a thank you to my sister the editor, and a big thanks to all of you for reading! Feel free to leave a review if you so desire :D