Caesar followed Katelyn into the Drisdall Manor, needing to tell her about Albana. He knew that her identity would need to be hidden for the next part of their journey, seeing as she would be an important piece to defeating the Yshrenian army. The only problem was breaking the news to her. He knocked on the door to her room and heard a, "Come in." He walked into the room and asked, "Hey, are you almost ready?" "Yup, just finishing getting dressed. What's up?" "Well, I was going to tell you, Kara was from Albana, and with the Yshrenians there, we can't risk your identity being exposed. We need 'Kara' to come in later to help us defeat their army," he said, raising finger quotes around Kara's name. Katelyn looked him for a moment and said, "I'll need to pretend to be her, won't I?" "Yes," he answered, nodding at her. "Didn't she have an accent?" "She did, and we can practice on our way to the Lagnish Desert, but we should wrap your hair and maybe have you wear a face veil until we need your 'identity' to come into play." "So, I get to look like a modern-day ninja, great," she muttered to herself. "Okay. I think your mother may have had scarves, but where will I get face veils?" "We can run down to the Merchant's Quarter underground and see about getting some at one of the exotic clothing shops. Are you ready," he asked. "Yes, let me just grab those scarves," she said. She ran around the room, grabbing her things along with the scarves, and started to head out with him. He grabbed his stuff by the front door and slung his spear over his shoulder, ready to head down to the Merchant's Quarter. When they got to the Merchant's Quarter, Caesar grasped Katelyn's hand as they walked, holding onto it as they greeted people throughout the city. He wanted everyone to see them as a united force in Greede and know that she was his one and only. As they made their way to the underground markets, he stopped at one of the more exotic shops that he knew sold clothing and items from all over the world. When the lady who ran the booth came over to talk them, she greeted them both and asked, "My lord and lady, what can I help you find today? Something unique, maybe? Or, perhaps a specific item you are in need of, hmm?" The lady reminded Katelyn of a fortune teller from her homeland. She was dressed in multiple layers of exotic, draping clothes and had a wrap around her head. "I am looking for face veils of some sort," Katelyn began. The lady replied with a twinkle in her eyes, "I have a fine selection of exotic face veils, all made with the finest of materials. Would you like to have a look?" "Yes, please," Katelyn replied to the lady. The lady guided her over to a chest of drawers and opened one, letting Katelyn examine inside. There were many kinds inside, some with glitter and others very thick, but there was one kind that caught Katelyn's eye. "What about this one, here?" She pointed to a flowy black veil that she could tie around her face, very sheer in the fabric. It reminded her of the veils that belly dancers would wear during performances. It would be perfect because she would be able to easily breathe, but also keep her identity a secret when her hair was wrapped. "That one is a fine choice my dear." "Do you have any others like this one?" "Yes. They are very hard to come by, but I have one in a navy color, one in red, this black one of course, and one that is a blue color." "I'll take all four," Katelyn said. "Of course. Shall I discuss payment with you or lord Caesar?" Katelyn motioned over Caesar who was looking at items on one of the tables and said, "I want to make sure that he likes them for the journey we have ahead." "Of course, my dear." Caesar came over and asked, "Did you find any you like?" The lady showed him the face veils and explained the details on the fabrics and colors. He said, "We will take them all." "Okay then," she said, " Feel free to look around for anything else you may like and come see me about payment when you are done." Caesar and Katelyn browsed for a few more minutes before Caesar saw something he thought Katelyn would like. "Hey Katelyn, how good do you think you are at throwing a shuriken," he asked, holding up one of the small weapons in his hand. "I don't know. Aren't those for self-defense?" "Yes, they are. They could work in a pinch if you needed to get away from someone." "I could definitely practice with them." Caesar picked up the small pouch of them and went up to pay for the face veils and the shurikens. They left the little shop with a farewell to the owner and made their way back towards the train station. Katelyn stored three of the masks with the scarves in her pack and added the small pouch to her waistband, then had Caesar help her to wrap her hair and face. By the time she was done, she felt that her clothing gave off more of an exotic vibe then a ninja vibe. Her bustier was armored and had gems in different places. The fabric of her pants flowed out into a skirt that almost brushed the ground behind her as she walked. With a black scarf wrapped around her hair and the black flowy mask around her face, Caesar said that the only noticeable thing was her eyes, which there really was no way to hide.
They made their way into the train station and heard a whistle as Yulie flagged them down. "Wow, Katelyn! You look so mysterious," she commented when she saw Katelyn's outfit change. "Do you think the Yshrenians will recognize me?" "If you stay covered like that until the right moment, I don't believe so. Grazel and Shapur are too focused right now on conquering the world." "How about we test out this disguise? Leonard and Eldore aren't here." "Oh, good idea. Go sit down on one of the benches over that way and I'll ask them if they can pick you out of the crowd. You can get up and move through the crowd as well to throw them off your trail." Katelyn went over to the other side of the crowd and sat on one of the benches. A few minutes later, Eldore and Leonard exited the elevator. They walked towards Caesar and Yulie but didn't see Katelyn. "This is weird," commented Leonard. "Where's Katelyn at? You two have been attached at the hip since she showed up here." Eldore just made a grunting noise behind him in agreement. "Let's play a quick game. Katelyn is hiding somewhere in the crowd. See if you can find her." Leonard looked around for a moment, but didn't see the long, blonde hair Katelyn sported anywhere. "I don't see her," he said. Eldore had already spotted the figure sitting on the bench dressed in a way that was slightly unusual for these parts but didn't comment to Leonard. Katelyn stood up and started walking into one of the more crowded areas of the station, walking towards where people entered the elevator. "Wait a minute, is she disguised?" "Yes. Why? Have you spotted her," Yulie asked. "I think so. She was on the bench out that way," he said, pointing towards the bench she was sitting on a moment ago. She was gone, which threw him off for a moment, but her outfit had been what drew his attention. "That was her," Yulie said. She motioned Katelyn over and Leonard asked, "Well, where is she now?" Right then, he turned as a small object flew past his head. Caesar caught it in his hand behind him. He turned to see Katelyn approaching behind him. He said to the others, "Man, Caesar let her out of the house in that outfit? She's bound to get a few stares." "It's alright. She can wear what she wants as long as I get to... nevermind. Let me keep that comment to myself," Caesar said as she approached and leaned up against him. "What was that comment you said a moment ago? I didn't catch the ending," Katelyn questioned playfully. He leaned towards her ear and said, "As long as I get to rip them off of you at night." "Let's see if you act on those words later tonight then, hmm? I'm sure if we stay in Albana tonight, we can stay at an inn. Hopefully the Yshrenians left the town by now." He groaned a bit as she leaned up against his ear and said, "We'll see, won't we?" They started to walk towards the gondola station to leave Greede. The group boarded and took off towards Flander Trail. They got off when the gondola landed and started to walk down the trail.
Katelyn looked over to Caesar and asked him, "So, how exactly did Kara talk? You said I could practice an accent for impersonating her, but I don't really know what she sounded like." Caesar said, "The easiest way would be to look through your memories and see if you can remember snippets of conversation she had. Do you remember any of her conversations?" Katelyn thought back to the memories she gained and continued thinking until she remembered a pivotal moment. In this moment, she could remember the moment Kara turned on their small group. In this moment, she could remember the moment Kara turned on their small group
Katelyn stopped for a second and pulled out her sword. "What are you doing, Katelyn," Caesar asked as she held the sword to the side of his neck. She schooled her face into a blank stare, looking directly at Leonard, Yulie and Eldore ahead. "You should have known better. Remember? Only the pact maker is able to touch the Knight's Ark. If anyone else wants to take the Ark, the only way is to break that bond and kill the pact maker." Caesar seemed to have caught on to what she was remembering and said the same words he had said the last time Kara had a sword to his neck. "Right, silly me." "You're a sweet man. Too sweet for your own good. It's time for you and Leonard... to die. You all really are far too trusting." Leonard and Yulie had caught on to the situation after hearing those past words and gave a small round of applause as Katelyn finished speaking. Katelyn removed the sword from Caesar's neck and put it back in her holster. "Kara faked the accent. She didn't actually have an accent at all." "Right, well... that's enough of trying to give me a heart attack today. Let's go back to loving each other, at least until we reach Albana," he said, holding a hand out to her. She put her hand in his as Yulie came and looped an arm through Katelyn's on her other side and said, "You are good at impersonating her. I want to see Grazel's face when he sees you." The purple haired girl doubled over with laughter, which made Katelyn start to do the same. "Ladies, don't worry you're pretty little heads. I'm sure us men have the situation covered," Caesar said. "If only," Katelyn whispered to Yulie, which made then both start laughing again. "Up ahead guys," Leonard yelled as monsters started to charge at the group. Yulie knocked her bow and started to aim as Katelyn pulled out her sword, running towards the small battle. She knew that her sword skills had gotten slightly better, so she hoped for the best when fighting the vespids and boars. One of the vespids flew towards Katelyn and dug into her skin with its stinger. She started to feel sleepy, like she couldn't stay on her feet. She fell over and her vision went black for a few moments. Yulie ran towards her, hitting the insect with an arrow before starting to shout out the incantation of awakening. Katelyn's vision started to come back and she lifted her head from the ground. Yulie held out a hand to her, which she took as she got off the ground. "Thanks, Yulie. That bugger got me good." "You'll be fine. It's stung you with a sleep poison, but the effects should be gone now." Katelyn nodded and said her thanks one more time before rushing to help Caesar defeat a wild boar. A few minutes and a few healing incantations later, everyone was back to normal and kept going down the mountain trail. After another mile of walking, Katelyn could see desert sand blowing her way. Down the road, there were two toads standing on the end of a wooden bridge. The group started to approach them as Leonard asked, "Hey, don't we know those toads? Pedro and Padro, right?" Katelyn whispered to Caesar, "I am still fully covered, right?" He looked over her, held his thumbs up said, "Yes. All good." "What's the matter," Yulie asked as the toads stood at the end of the bridge. "What isn't?! We've been forced from our beloved Albana and chased all the way across this frog-forsaken desert," the frog named Pedro said. "Then it's true that Albana is under Yshrenian occupation," Leonard asked. The other toad, Padro said, "As true as we are blue. And they got poor Boss Phibianacci, gods bless him..." "Farewell sweet boss. Your sacrifice will not be forgotten," Pedro yelled out dramatically. "Oi, oi, don't get ahead of yourself. Boss Phibs got captured, not drawn and quartered," Padro said. "Oh, shut up you. Can't a fellow punch up a story? Anyway, we'd best clear out before those Yshrenians show up. I reckon they were right on our tail vestiges," Pedro said.
Behind the toads, footsteps were heard in the sand, along with the rolling of wheels through the sand. "You reckon right," Eldore said. One of the soldiers yelled out, "There they are," as the two toads hid behind the group in fright. "Who the hell are you punks," the soldier questioned. "Hey, take it down a notch man. You'll scare these guys' warts off," Caesar said. "Our orders were to apprehend any toads that escaped from Albana. Don't interfere," he said. The group charged towards the guards, as the guards began to run towards them. The giant tank started to spin its wheels towards them. Caesar and Leonard transformed as Katelyn, Yulie, and Eldore spread out. Katelyn had never killed a person before, and it terrified her fighting against people. She decided instead of fighting a person, she would deactivate the biggest threat by hitching a ride on the machine's back. After she jumped on it, she worked to see if she could cause it to break down. With some assistance from Caesar's Dragon Knight, she was able to pry the metal off the back. The engine was left exposed, which she quickly cut the wires to. The machine stopped in its tracks and couldn't shoot anymore from its turrets, which meant that the battle was over. She hopped down front the back to see the group gathered around the machine. The group walked back over to where Pedro and Padro were hiding as Pedro hollered out, "You lot are as tough as nails!" "We've dealt with worse than that before," Caesar said. "Thank you! How can we ever repay you," Padro asked. Leonard asked, "How about you tell us what happened to the royal army stationed in Albana?" "Hoho, Balandor's forces you mean," Padro asked, "Well, last I heard they scurried off to the Nordia Tunnels." "That's right, they retreated north, and Yshrenia won't be far behind them," Pedro said. Eldore said, "Then we haven't much time. We must reach the tunnels as quickly as possible." "Well... you are not going to get anywhere without passing through Albana first," Padro said with a shrug. "There must be some way," Yulie said. The two toads began to whisper back and forth to each other as Katelyn whispered to Leonard, "I don't like the sound of this." "Sorry to keep you," Pedro said. "After much discussion, we think cutting through Albana is your best chance!" "Cut through! It's going to be swarming with bad guys," Caesar cut in. Padro said, "Now hold on! You did hear us mention the Yshrenian army has marched off to destroy Balandor? Well, what does that mean?" Pedro said, "I'll tell you what it means! Yshrenia can't very well be in two places at once." "I get it... fewer soldiers patrolling the city," said Leonard. "You are forgetting something, how are we going to get into Albana," Caesar questioned. "Leave that to us. We'll risk life and limb... oh, dear me... we have one small problem. When we skipped town, we got separated from our associates," Pedro said. "We'll need every toad we can get to sneak into Albana. They must be hiding out somewhere in the sand maze. Reckon you can track them down? Course you can," Padro said. "We're missing three associates. You just got to find them, tell them to meet us outside of Albana's south gate, come back and join yourselves, and bob's your uncle! Best of luck, now," Pedro said as they ran off. "They really need to work on their people skills," Leonard said, shaking his head as they ran off. The group began to walk towards the sand maze. Leonard said, "Let's go find those toads who got separated." "Ugh, toads! Always getting you to do the work," Yulie yelled out in frustration. "Those two were quite rude, how did you put up with them in the past," Katelyn asked, laughing at the situation they were in.
As the group reached the destroyed ruins in the center of the sand maze, there were footsteps in the sand leading up to the ruins, and voices up ahead. "I recognize this place," Katelyn whispered, examining the ruins. Caesar nodded and said, "Go on." "It's where Lena was killed... during the battle for the argent shield that the White Knight possesses." Caesar said, "We can hang back for a minute if you want." Katelyn sat down and said, "I'll wait here. Go find the toad." "We'll be right back," Caesar said. The group went ahead for a moment to find the toad while Katelyn sat there and replayed the memory of Lena's terrified eyes when she was sacrificed by the Magi. She wished that Lena could have survived and wondered if that is what caused Kara's mind to be fragile enough for the Magi to penetrate in the first place. She wished that Lena could have survived and wondered if that is what caused Kara's mind to be fragile enough for the Magi to penetrate in the first place.
By the time the group returned, Katelyn had tears rolling down her face. She wiped them away when she saw the group approaching. "So, there are toads to the northeast and southwest. What do you say, we split up? Me and Katelyn can head north, and you guys can head south. We can meet at Albana in a bit," Caesar asked the others. "Yeah, just make sure you guys don't get killed out there," Yulie said. With that, the group split. Katelyn and Caesar headed north. Caesar put his arm around Katelyn and asked, "Hey, are you okay?" "Yeah, I just wish that Kara's little sister could have been saved. Her terrified eyes are all that keep replaying in my mind. I wonder if this is how Kara felt after seeing her sister sacrificed." Caesar took Katelyn's hand in his and said, "Let me share the pain, please. Let me in." Katelyn looked into his eyes and knew that his dragonsight was looking into her mind. "Gosh, that's just awful. I can't believe that the Magi sacrificed an innocent little girl to try and prove a point." "I know. I wish that Kara never had to feel this amount of pain. I didn't even know Lena, but I feel like I'm mourning her loss." Caesar and Katelyn at this point heard voice coming from the east, so they started to walk towards them. "Do you think that we will be able to push onto the Nordia Tunnels without an issue? Or that we will rendezvous with Balandor's army," Katelyn asked Caesar. "I hope that we can. I plan on joining the front lines if Grazel has joined their forces." "Wait, so you are going to leave me, us?" "No, I'm going to protect you, us. I need to keep you and our people safe while you help Yulie to find the third insignia. We will need it if we are ever going to defeat Grazel's Sun God." "I understand, I just didn't think we would have to talk about separating on these terms." "We can talk about it more later. There are the toads, on the other side of that Megalo Tigris who looks angry. Get ready!" Katelyn transformed and swung at the Megalo Tigris as it ran towards her. She began to leave gashes all over it's body with her sword, but it didn't seem to be slowing down. After a few minutes, Katelyn was feeling weaker, but continued to swing. The Megalo Tigris leaned backwards on its hind legs before lunging toward her knight's stomach. Her knight fell to its knees and transformed back to her human form. She collapsed from exhaustion as the Megalo Tigris towered above her. "Katelyn!" The Megalo Tigris swung one of its giant paws towards her stomach. Caesar transformed quickly and plunged his spear through one of its heads, drawing its attention. He continued to fight it until it collapsed in defeat. He then transformed back and ran towards Katelyn.
When he got to her, she had blood coming out of multiple gashes on the exposed part of her stomach and she had yet to awaken. He uncapped a strong healing potion and poured it into her mouth, forcing her limp form to swallow it. He pulled her to his chest and whispered, "Please come back to me. I can't lose anyone else." He sat there for a long time, listening to her breathing as her body healed internally. One of the the toads slowly walked towards the two of them and asked, "How is she?" "I don't know. She hasn't woken up. She got hurt badly." "Well, I will leave you two. I am going to head towards Albana." "Meet Pedro and Padro at the south gate," Caesar said. "Thank you," the toad said before walking out of the area they were in, the other toads following behind him. Caesar stood up and picked Katelyn up bridal style. He began to walk towards Albana, knowing it would be best for the group to find them in case they got attacked again. As he started to get worn out from carrying Katelyn through the sand maze, Caesar heard voices coming from behind him. He turned around and saw Yulie, Eldore, and Leonard approaching. "Guys, I need help. Katelyn and I were attacked by a Megalo Tigris. She hasn't woken up. I'm getting worried." He looked down at her peaceful face as he leaned down onto his knees. Eldore ran to them first, leaning down by Caesar and looking over Katelyn's form. "This isn't a normal sleep spell or exhaustion. You said she was wounded?" Caesar showed him the scratches that were still healing on her abdomen and asked, "Do you think the injuries caused this?" "How much blood did she lose?" "I don't know, there was a puddle under her. She had open gashes for at least seven or eight minutes before I got to her." "She needs time to heal then. The toads outside Albana can keep an eye on her while we head inside and scope the place out. We need to find a place for her to rest and heal. She may be asleep for hours or days before she comes to." "Gosh, I think I'm going to be sick. Let's hurry and see if we can find either a safe place to hide, or a way to make it through Albana." Eldore nodded and led the group the rest of the short distance to Albana's south gate. Leonard took over carrying Katelyn for a few minutes until they reached the gate. Pedro, Padro, and the other toads waited outside the gate. After listening to them for a few minutes as they blathered on about the soldiers stationed in front of Don Phibianacci's mansion, they entered the gates. When they went inside, Caesar entered one of the small, abandoned houses. He placed Katelyn on the bed and placed a kiss to her forehead. "I'll be back for you in no time," he whispered as he rejoined the group. When he rejoined, he peered around the corner at all the Yshrenian soldiers set up and said, "Yeesh, that is a lot of soldiers." "How are we gonna get through? They'll cream us before we go ten steps," Leonard said. "Perhaps we should fall back and rethink our strategy," Eldore asked. "Yeah, you're right," Leonard agreed. At the same time, the group did not realize that Pedro had started to very dramatically sneak away. When he got a good distance, he took a deep breath and yelled, "INTRUDERS! INTRUDERS IN THE CITYYYYY!" "Hey," Yulie yelled out as Pedro turned and ran away. "Those damn toads! They tricked us," Caesar yelled out. "Well, we have to fight now. Come on," Leonard yelled, charging at the Yshrenians.
The group fought tooth and nail against the soldiers and their watchtower that they built in the center of the town. After using both Leonard's and Caesar's knights, all the soldiers and their watchtower were defeated. After the two transformed back, Pedro and Padro ran up to Don Phibianacci's mansion while yelling out his name. Caesar ran back towards the small house he had placed Katelyn in, while the rest of the group entered the mansion to check on the Don. "Boss! Say they didn't hurt you," Pedro cried out. "Fear not, my dear sweet toadlings! You came back to rescue me, didn't you? I might have known you'd find some way to turn the tides." By this point, Caesar entered the mansion and said, "More like dump the tides! All over us, thank you very much." Pedro replied, "Well, what else were we supposed to do. Nice work, by the way." "You got a lot of nerve, wart face," Caesar replied. "Now, now, that's enough. We have other things to worry about," Yulie said, motioning to the girl still asleep in Caesar's arms. "Really though, there just aren't any words for your sort of heroism. Once again, I am indebted to you, my friends. You've saved me from a fate worse than my wife! And for that I thank you. Gladly, I would have allowed you to select one of the many fine treasures that made up my collection. Sad to say, however, those Yshrenian scoundrels made off with every last item of value. This little bauble is all that I have left to give. But by all means, take it. Accept it as a token of my most heartfelt gratitude," he said, handing it to Eldore. "Tell me my friends. Will you be returning to Balandor, then?" "Yes, after our friend awakens. Can you set us up at an inn for the night and send a doctor for her," Leonard asked. "I see, very well. I will get that set up right away. When you leave, whatever you do, beware the Sun God. Not even the combined might of Balandor's royal army was a match for him on the battlefield. It pains me that I can offer so little in the way of assistance, but I nonetheless wish you a safe journey home to your kingdom." With that, the group left towards the local inn. Caesar just hoped that Katelyn would be able to join them on their adventure, if only she would wake up.
