I would like to give a big thanks to MR11 for their help with this chapter. Awhile ago they gave me a suggestion for a Star of Destiny that fit into this story better than one of the Stars I had already created. Their suggestion is being introduced in this chapter, number 90 the Chitan Star.

Also, an eighth play has been added to the Plays Template page, unsurprisingly about Suikoden IV. As of right now this is the last play that will be added to this story. If you would like to see a play with a specific cast, or if there's a play you would like to suggest to appear in this story, feel free to leave a suggestion in a review either on the Plays Template page or any chapter.

Oh, and the three wedding polls will be closing on Saturday, July 16th. If you can't cast your vote, then put your vote in a comment and I will count it towards the total. The polls results for all three polls will be posted in the chapter following the results.

Part Six

"What?!" Daunte asked. He had woken up late due to the slumber party (and had still been a bit lethargic up to his point) but this revelation jolted him into full awareness.

"Didn't I ever tell you?" Farzin asked. "I can raise your magic skills the way Jantu can raise your combat skills."

"N-No, I had no idea!" Daunte exclaimed. "I've been raising my magic skills in towns, when I could've come to you all this time?!"

Farzin shrugged. "Well, you didn't ask."

"I didn't know you could do that!"

"Well anyway, come to me if you want to raise your skills. I'll give you a discount."

"A discount?!"

"Hey, I need to make a living. Quickie divorces earn easy money, obviously I'm in short supply of handing those out. I even offered one to Tidur, and she refused!"

"You offered Tidur a divorce?!" Daunte snapped. "Wh—" he suddenly froze and his eyes went wide. "Wait. Ms. Tidur declined to get a divorce?!"

"Yes," Farzin answered positively. "She said it wasn't needed. I would think with how hard she tried to get a divorce before that she would want one, even with her estranged husband here, but she said no." he shrugged again. "Quite curious, isn't it?"

Ms. Tidur refused to divorce Sloan. They're estranged and they're living separately here, and Tidur said that she would never forgive Sloan for what he did to Esther and Ciana. But…she won't divorce him? He looked in the direction of the inn. Then…does this mean that it's not too late for Sloan?

"Marriage is a crock anyway," Farzin huffed. "Did you know that loose woman got with the armorer—"

"Don't talk about Priscilla like that," Daunte said sharply. He shook his head. "I'm going to go see Oboro. I'll be coming to see you later to build my magic skills."

"I'm looking forward to it," Farzin said with a smile.

"Here's comment #87," Gertrude said. Her tone was somber. "'Yasaka said he doesn't have a recipe for cheesecake. Could you please get him one?' - Georg Prime'."

"Oh, Georg Prime wrote that?" Bax asked. "I didn't know Georg Prime likes cheesecake!"

"Comment #88," Gertrude droned on. "What the—'UP UP DOWN DOWN LEFT RIGHT LEFT RIGHT B A (SELECT) START'. What is this, some kind of code?!"

"Sure sounds like it," Bax said. "That sounds like a super awesome code! Maybe it will benefit Lord Daunte!"

"How so?"

"Well honestly, I don't know. B-But I think it would help him!"

"Let's move on. God, I wish Sanji was here…"

"…Me, too…"

"Okay next, comment #89. Well, this doesn't make sense but I'll give it a try. …'Nomannic drow eht tsuj htiw tnemmoc, egassem siht daer nac uoy fi'. …Is that even the common tongue?"

"It sounds like you when you're drunk, Gertrude!" Bax laughed.

"Oh?" Oboro said with a smile. "You're requesting eighteenInvestigations this time?"

"I have the money," Daunte said, putting a large bag onto the coffee table. "I would like you to investigate Sloan, Tidur, Esther, Ciana—"

"So their whole family then?" Shou said in a montone voice.

"Yes. And Adalgiso, Lady Leknaat, Georg, Sanji, Fred, Rico, Sharon, Futch, Bright, Suna, Tamara, Blaise and—ah—" Daunte flushed in embarrassment. "Ah…both Shou and yourself, Oboro."

"Eh?" Shou quickly exclaimed.

"Done," Oboro said, accepting the money.

"Wait, we're going to investigate ourselves?!" Shou snapped.

"Oh no, either Umeko or Masaru can do your report," Oboro said blithely. "I'll handle my own investigation."

"Why can't I do my own?! I don't want anyone invading my privacy!"

"But it's okay for you to do that to others?" Masaru asked.

"Besides, should we be taking on other Investigations now?" Shou continued. "We're still looking for Lord Daunte's dad, and we found some new recruits for the Army!"

"Wait, but didn't you say you DON'T want to find his dad?" Umeko asked.

"You have found new recruits for the Army?" Daunte asked.

"Ah, yes," Oboro said. He pulled out a slip of paper and handed it to Daunte. "We recommend that you go to Winter Hill, 8 kilometers due north of Mlkwt Alsmwat. And we would also recommend that you go to the L'enfer Sea."

"L'enfer Sea?" Daunte's eyes widened. "T…That's the sea beyond the Red Tundra! H-How did you guys get down there safely?!"

"It was difficult," Masaru said. "The enemies down there are powerful and the climate is extremely cold. Probably more-so now that we are in winter. The sea is solid ice, solid enough for you to walk on."

"It is solid ice!" Daunte exclaimed, jumping to his seat. "Just as the Scriptures said!"

"I remember seeing that when I breezed through the text," Oboro said. "We will take care of your Investigation request. As for your father—"

"Shou said you haven't found him?"

Oboro nodded, his expression sad. "I must admit that I am not looking forward to meeting him, if he is who we believe him to be. However we are working diligently to find him."

"If he does something—" Shou sneered but Oboro waved him off. "Please, enough. We won't allow anything to happen."

"If my father is Nakula, then he will have a lot to answer to," Daunte said. "Such as where he's been all this time." While Mom has been dead and Arin and I were tortured in a labor camp.

"We'll work hard to find him, my Lord," Masaru said, bowing.

"Absolutely!" Umeko cheered. "A deadbeat who abandons his kids doesn't deserve to remain hidden!"

"Umeko!" Masaru snapped.

"Ah, sorry…"

"All right, comment #93! The last comment of the day!" Gertrude was still trying to force enthusiasm into her voice.

"Ooh, what does it say?!" Bax asked, also trying (and failing) to sound enthused.

"Let's see…HA, listen to this! 'I will tear everything you built up apart! You're dead!'"

"Whoa…"

"…It's signed B.L. What a coward, signing a death threat with initials. Be a man or woman and REVEAL YOURSELF!"

"Uhh, should we turn that in? That was put in Lord Daunte's comment box—"

"Nah, he obviously knows," Gertrude said. There was then the sound of ripping paper.

"Gertrude and Bax don't sound like they're in the best of spirits," Sanji mused, leaning his back against the wall. After a moment he said, "Hey, this isn't the same cell Sloan Faakhir was put in, is it?"

"It's not," Daunte said, folding his arms over his chest. "Zaj Quilous—"

"Sanji, please. I imagine that this is what's on the Tablet of Stars, given that none of you figured out who I was before."

"That's correct. I had asked Lady Leknaat why it displayed the name that you gave me and not the name that you've been going by but she didn't have answers. She believes that this is because this is the name you know yourself as now."

"Maybe it's because it's my birth name?" Sanji shrugged. "One of life's mysteries, I presume."

"Why exactly do you hate Nash so much?" Daunte asked him. "Why have you hurt his family? You both are part of the Stars of Destiny so I need you two to coexist. But you can't coexist if I can trust you."

"That's a fair point," Sanji mused. "Very well, I will tell you."

Daunte nodded.

"Thirty-eight years ago my home country of Sanadia was annexed by the Holy Kingdom of Harmonia. Overnight the entire population of Sanadia became third-class citizens Harmonia. I imagine that you're not aware of the caste system in Harmonia, so I will give you an abridged version. First-class citizens are the elites; "True Harmonians" they call themselves." he spat out the two words as though they were curse words. "They are the ones born in Harmonia proper with all the wealth, pay the lowest taxes, and are highly xenophobic. Not unlike some of the people in your government here.

"Then you have second-class citizens; your general allies of Harmonia or nations who allowed themselves to be annexed without a fight. They pay a heavy amount of taxes, but you can afford to have a comfortable life if you're a second-class citizen. The same cannot be said of third-class citizens."

"Like your home country?" Daunte asked.

"We are the conquered class," Sanji said bitterly. "The lowest of the low. Everyone steps on us and sees us as subhuman. We also pay the highest taxes. And you know what's the worst part?" he laughed coldly. "All children from the third-class are robbed from their parents and sent to the capital, Crystal Valley. Crystal Valley is as big as a country, if you can believe it. There we are brainwashed into being good little dogs of the Kingdom and then sent home when we turn 13. I returned home to a country a shell of its former self, and the citizens mindless marionettes parroting the talking points I heard in Crystal Valley. How wonderful Harmonia was. How happy we should all be to be mindless slaves of that regime. They took everything from us, and my people acted like everything was okay."

Daunte was silent for a long time before he said, "I'm very sorry to hear that, but what does that have to do with Nash?"

Sanji stared at him blankly. Daunte felt awkward standing there and feeling his piercing gaze. "Was Nash responsible for what Harmonia did to Sanadia?"

"No," Sanji said. "He would have been an infant when it happened."

"Then why—"

"He's a first-class citizen of Harmonia."

"…Ah," Daunte said. He rubbed at his nape. "Um…did he discriminate against you or something?"

"No, he treated me as an equal. I was even engaged to his sister at one point."

"I don't understand—"

"He's from the elite class," Sanji said sharply. "Do I need any other reason to hate him?"

"Yes!" Daunte shot back. "You can't just decide to ruin someone's life because they had a better life than you did!"

Sanji shrugged. "Doesn't your Scriptures teach to kill anyone who doesn't believe in Nagar? Who are you to judge me for my grudges?"

Daunte scrubbed both hands over his face in frustration. It took a lot of self-control to not get angry. "…Sanji," he said quietly. "What you have done to Nash is wrong."

"What happened to my country is wrong," Sanji responded. "What I did to Nash was a minor inconvenience to him."

"A-A minor—you killed members of his family!"

"And he's an immortal vampire who will live forever until either his wretched woman slays him or he falls at the hands of another. His family line is going to die out regardless, so what difference does it make when any of them die?" he chuckled again. "Perhaps I should thank Sierra then for extinguishing his family line—"

"You're a bastard," Daunte snapped, his anger taking hold of him. "You're not leaving this cell until further notice."

"So be it," Sanji said. "You took Talgrund away from me. If I leave this cell I run the risk of that brute from the Howling Voice Guild coming after me, or one of those wretched bloodsuckers—"

There was a loud 'BANG' to Daunte's left and he jumped as he saw Sierra suddenly pressed against the bars of the cell. Sanji flinched as well, his coolly calm expression fracturing.

"You," she breathed softly. "There are three things I cannot forgive in this world. One is someone stealing my True Rune. The second is the abuse of power of my Rune. And the third…is when anyone makes the people I love suffer." she smiled dangerously. "Where do you think you fall, Zaj Quilous?"

Sanji puffed out a short breath, pressing his back against the wall hard. "Know this," Sierra continued, her voice still soft. "Your life is safe during this war, because you are needed as one of the 108 Stars of Destiny. But once this war is over…" she trailed her index finger down the length of one bar. "It will not be quick," she whispered. "And you will not see it coming. But your life became forfeit the moment you hurt my husband and his family. Sometime in the near future…I will bring about your death, without shedding a drop of your foul blood."

Sanji said nothing. Sierra moved away from the bars then and breezed out of the jail. Just a few seconds later Arin burst in, carrying Kibbeh in his arms. "Brother, can we buy more figurines?"

"…Sure," Daunte said, looking away from Sanji and looking at Arin. "I think I'm nearly done with the Dunan Unification War…"

"Hey, Mooney?" Daunte called out, looking up from the Second Fire Bringer War case.

"Yes, Lord Daunte?" Mooney responded from the counter.

"I already own all of these figurines. Will you soon put out figurines I don't have for my collection yet?"

Mooney 'tsked' at him and wagged his finger at him. "Now, now, Lord Daunte. I have quite an expansive clientele. It would not be fair to set out figurines based solely upon what you do or do not have yet, would it?"

"You're right, I apologize." Daunte tapped the case briefly and sighed. Looks like I'll need to visit here FREQUENTLY to get all the figurines from each set.

"Brother, here!" Arin shouted from the Dunan Unification War case. "You need nine more of these, don't you? Here's ten!"

"There's also a few Stars from that war in the specials case," Mooney said.

Daunte hurried to Arin's side and looked in. "I see…five, that I don't have yet," he said, deflating slightly.

"Let me help you," Mooney said, coming over to them. "So that would be Mukumuku, Jeane, Amada, Simone, and Hans. Shall I get them out for you?"

"Yes, please," Daunte said. "So I have four left." And it will probably take forever for them to appear, he added silently.

"Oh, Lord Daunte," Mooney said, gesturing to the specials case. "You might find the remaining four Stars for this war in that case."

Daunte hurried to the case and looked inside. "Camus, Miklotov, Shu, and Apple—YES! These are the ones I need!"

"HOORAY!" Arin cheered.

Mooney was silent until he got all nine figurines up to the counter. "That will be 86,000 bits, Lord Daunte."

Daunte sputtered loudly for a moment before counting out the money. "Here you are, Mooney."

Mooney took the money and wrapped the figurines individually. Then he threw his hands up into the "CONGRATULATIONS!" Confetti fell from the ceiling and rained down upon them again. "Good job on completing the set! I have a special reward for you!"

"Oh good," Daunte said. "Another piece from the Heavenly Set? The Boots you gave me have worked excellently."

"Yes, of course!" Mooney retreated to the backroom, and returned moments later carrying something in both arms wrapped in green cloth. "Ta-DAA!"

It was a pair of beautiful gauntlets, silver and red in color and glittering in the light. "Wow," Daunte breathed.

"The Heavenly Gauntlets," Mooney said proudly. "Part of the Heavenly Set, as you know. 30 Defense, and 3-point boosts on Attack and Technique!"

"I'm happy to accept them," Daunte said. "So what's left then are the Heavenly Helm, Heavenly Armor, and Heavenly Ring, right? Has anyone else claimed them?"

"Oh no, they are still available," Mooney said, waving his hand. "And I don't anticipate anyone else getting them since you are the only one here who has completed two sets! Or one set, even!"

"I look forward to completing the whole set," Daunte said. Arin snatched all of the figurines from the counter and raced from the room.

"I can do commissions for the Dunan Unification War as well," Mooney said. "Jowy Atreides, Mayor Annabelle, even King Luca Blight! Do any of these appeal to you?"

"I…will wait for another time," Daunte said. When I have more money, he added silently.

"Oh, you're going on a recruitment quest?" Caesar asked. He nodded and smiled. "That's a good idea. Now that we're all together, and the Holy Army is surely aware that we are all back now, we should plan on our next campaign."

"The Sheikhs who were killed in the Battle of Winter Hill have not been replaced yet," Chinmaya said. "Their Garrisons are largely empty. Thus the only Sheikhs we need to worry about are Keha Hale and Imbuka Liger."

"I would like to go after Imbuka Liger first," Daunte said. "Hale has been a Sheikh longer than she has, but Liger is a former Nether Gate assassin and thus is far more dangerous than him."

"That's an excellent idea," Caesar said. "And Keha Hale is naturally a coward. Once he's the only Sheikh standing he will feel the walls closing in on him and he will act in desperation."

"But we can plan for that later," Chinmaya said. "In the meantime, who would you like to take with you on this recruitment quest?"

"Keiran and Mihr," Daunte said. He tapped the hilt of the sword on his back. "Mihr still won't take Nariek back, so I hope with this quest Keiran and I can convince him to take the sword back."

"Good point," Caesar said dryly. "And who else would you like to take with you?"

"Yuber, Pesmerga, and Viki," Daunte said. "And Templeton in my convoy, as we will be traveling to the L'enfer Sea and he will want to see this unmapped area."

"You've been taking those three with you frequently," Chinmaya said. "And none of them seem to get along. Why?"

"Well, they ARE the only unit that survived fully intact in the Battle of Winter Hill," Cesar said. "That has to count for something."

"Five out of your six party members are also short-range weapon users," Chinmaya said. "You will need to change your party formation to ensure that all of them are able to fight."

"The Crane Wing formation will work for a party of short-range weapon users," Caesar said. "So just switch to that."

"I will," Daunte said.

His party was quickly summoned. Daunte was alarmed to see Yuber's current state; the Black Knight had a pale expression and sunken in eyes. He also looked furious but said nothing. Pesmerga looked perturbed at his state but also said nothing.

"I-I'm happy to help!" Viki said.

"Whatever you need, my sword is at your disposal," Keiran said, bowing.

"I thank you for another opportunity to redeem myself," Mihr said.

"Mihr—" Keiran began.

"I won't hear another word," Mihr interjected. "This is something I must do."

"We're going on a recruitment quest—" Daunte began, and Yuber interrupted him with an obnoxious scoff. "The first stop," Daunte said forcefully. "Is Winter Hill. Then we'll need to travel through the Red Tundra towards the L'enfer Sea."

"Oh, excellent!" Templeton exclaimed. "Finally I will have an opportunity to draw the south coast of Nagarea!"

"W-We're not going back to where the battle was, are we?" Viki asked fearfully, clutching her staff. "The last time we were there the ground was s-stained with blood! I-It didn't go away, not even after you revived everyone!"

"No, we're not going there," Daunte said reassuringly. "We're going due north of the capital. Oboro said that we would find a recruit there."

"In that case, let's teleport to Tenaga," Keiran said. "That would most likely be the closest city to where this recruit is."

"Yes, I can get us there!" Viki said proudly, but Yuber immediately teleported away.

Daunte rubbed at his forehead sheepishly. "Let's go stock up on supplies and see Jantu and Farzin to hone our skills."

"Wait, Farzin can raise our skills?" Keiran asked.

"He can raise our magic skills."

"I was not aware of that," Mihr said. "I've been traveling to towns to raise my lightning abilities. But he had the capability of doing it all this time?"

I guess I'm not the only one he didn't tell, Daunte thought. "Well regardless, let's get going."

—

They didn't enter Tenaga, but from the outskirts of the town Daunte did not see many soldiers on duty. The ones he saw were not standing at attention. They were slouching with their shoulders drooped. They did not appear to be watching what was going on.

They said morale was low with the Holy Army, and I can see that clearly now.

It was chilly but thankfully not snowing. Even though they were far from the place of the battle, Daunte felt uneasy being back at Winter Hill. There was an eerie silence about the plain, and almost none of the usual travelers about. They didn't even run into monsters on the open flat plains. They were surrounded by open space, ground frozen by winter's chill, and silence except for the howling wind.

Hundreds of thousands of people died in that horrible battle. Most of them were revived by the Rune of Restoration, but they had still died violently in battle. Is…Is this why the place is so empty? I-It's so confusing though, the stench of death should have attracted monsters! Unless…they all gathered at the site of the battle…

They found a man and a woman lying dead after going over a small hill. Daunte checked them, and saw that their throats had been slit. He raised his right hand high. "Wail!"

The Rune of Restoration's symbol rose into the air, but just as quickly it dissipated. Daunte quickly looked down at the dead couple and saw that their injuries were unhealed and they were still unmoving. "W…It didn't work?!"

"It looks like they were killed a few days ago," Keiran said softly, kneeling beside the bodies. "Their souls may have already passed on from the World of Emptiness." he reached out to close the woman's eyes, but the lids popped open. "…Yes. It has been too long."

So now I know that I cannot bring Kass back, even if we had his body, Daunte thought, his throat tightening.

"It must have been bandits by the look of them," Mihr said. "They have nothing but the clothes on their backs."

"I'm not leaving them like this," Daunte said, standing. "We need to bury them."

"Do we?" Yuber asked dully.

"Yes!" Daunte shouted at him.

Yuber rolled his eyes. "Fine." He raised his hand and fired a lightning spell at the ground. A massive hole appeared in the frozen soil. He fired another shot, creating a hole beside. "There. Now do it and be done with it."

Daunte, Keiran, Mihr, and Templeton buried the bodies. "I may not be a Sheikh anymore, but I will give them last rites," Keiran said once they finished pushing soil over the pair. "May they find peace in the beyond…"

"They were murdered," Yuber said bluntly. "Peace rarely comes to murder victims."

"If you know this then why do you murder?" Viki asked him.

"Because I like to," Yuber snapped back.

"Enough," Mihr said harshly. "Do not disrespect Lord Keiran's prayer."

Everyone (including Yuber) remained silent as Keiran prayed over the couple. Then they continued on their way through Winter Hill. They did not run into any other people or monsters along the way.

"This is stupid," Yuber said in frustration. There was a sudden strain to his tone that Daunte hadn't heard before. "We've been walking for nearly an hour and not a single monster is around for me to slay."

"That's a good thing," Keiran said. "We'll find the recruit easily. We'll have our fill of monsters once we get down to the Red Tundra."

"Then let's find the idiot you're looking for and get going!" Yuber snapped.

"H-Hey, can you not shout?" Viki complained, rubbing at her ear.

Yuber glared at her, but Daunte moved to stand between them. "Enough," he said harshly, returning Yuber's glare. Yuber snapped his teeth angrily and stormed off ahead of him.

"Emotion," Pesmerga said, his voice cold.

"What?" Daunte looked at him.

"He is emotional," Pesmerga said. "Outside of anger and bloodlust. …I have never seen him act like this before."

"I-I never met him during the Gate Rune War and Dunan Unification War," Templeton said. "But I had heard what he was like, and now…"

"Something seems to be bothering him," Viki said softly, looking at Daunte. "Is…What do you think is wrong?"

"I don't know," Daunte answered honestly. Yuber is acting emotional? And he's acting out of character from what Pesmerga is used to seeing from him? I-I mean, this is a good thing, right? I'm trying to humanize Yuber. But he does seem very bothered…

"It would be best to approach him with caution," Keiran said. "If he considers himself a monster and has started acting emotional, he must be trying to reject the feelings that he's been having. He's clearly not happy about it."

"Right," Daunte said. "But I'll leave it for later. It's probably not a good idea to bring it up now."

"…I hope the new recruit wasn't the couple we buried," Templeton said.

The group caught up to Yuber a half hour later, just in time to find a tiny cottage. Daunte blinked with confusion when he saw the cottage. A house? It's against the law to build settlements in Winter Hill, though. So why is this here?

…Is this where the new recruit is?

"I'll go and knock on the door," Daunte said, taking the lead at the front of the group.

"Be careful, Lord Daunte," Mihr said.

Daunte reached the first step, but at that moment the door opened. He jumped back but relaxed when he saw the figure appear. It was a woman who looked to be in her late thirties or early forties, holding a broom in her right hand while her left hand felt around the doorframe. She wasn't wearing a veil; her black hair ran loose and long down her back straight to her heels. She wore a dark purple shapeless dress but when Daunte looked up at her face a loud gasp ruptured from her throat.

"Who's there?" the woman called out cautiously, leaning against the doorframe. Hideous, horrifying scars stretched horizontally across her face where her eyes had been. They did not look like they were caused by cuts but by burns. Daunte couldn't help but gape in horror at her, even though she couldn't see his expression.

Who did that to her?!

"I-If you must know," the woman said, her voice trembling slightly. "I-I…I woke up in this home and was cared for by a couple, a man and a woman for the last couple of years. T-They left three days ago and haven't been back. I…" her breath hitched slightly. "I was told this is Winter Hill," she said. "I-I know building settlements is illegal here, but—"

"Don't worry," Daunte said reassuringly, setting his foot on the bottom step. "We're not here to arrest you. My name is Daunte—"

"The Liberation Army leader?" The woman asked. Her forehead wrinkled, and had she a brow it probably would have lifted. "I've heard stories about you. You survived the Dark Chasm, didn't you?"

"I-I did, yes. How did y—"

"My child was sent to the Dark Chasm," the woman said. Daunte's heart leapt into his throat. "My poor son, punished under Original Sin. They killed my husband and I was supposed to have died as well, but…" she gestured to her face with her free hand. "Perhaps they thought this was punishment enough."

"What's your son's name?" Daunte said. He hurried up the steps to reach her side. "We liberated the Dark Chasm, he may have been sent to Fal—"

"No," the woman said sadly, tears in her voice. "My son is no longer alive."

"But you don't know—"

"My son had severe asthma, Lord Daunte. He could barely walk without being out of breath. A child who cannot even run without fainting would not have survived hard labor in the Dark Chasm." she shook her head and dipped it forward.

Daunte felt tears sting his own eyes and he swallowed thickly to steady his voice. "W…When was he sentenced to the Dark Chasm?" He asked quietly.

"IS 476," the woman responded.

Daunte closed his eyes, tears spilling down his cheeks. If she is right about his physical condition, then…no. Her son wouldn't have been alive during the liberation. He may have died long before I got the Rune of Restoration.

"I do not know why Nagar decided to spare me and take my husband and son," the woman continued. "It was my fault we were all tried and arrested. I talked back to a Cleric in the capital and we were convicted of blasphemy. With this…" she touched her cheek, fingertips tracing under the scars. "The couple said I nearly died. In and out of consciousness for over a year. They said it was a miracle that I survived, but how is this miraculous, I wonder? I have only recently started regaining my strength. The couple, they—they left to go and buy supplies, but they haven't been back. They would not have abandoned me, so I fear…" her voice trailed off.

The couple we found, Daunte thought. It was probably… He didn't say it out loud. He reached out and carefully laid a hand on her arm. She flinched him her touch. "May I have your name, please?" he asked.

"Parvati," the woman responded. "Are you seeking to recruit me? I am blind, my Lord. I'm good with cleaning but I have no combat skills. I am useless to you."

"I have a healing rune," Daunte said. "I could—"

Parvati shook her head at him. "I'll never forgive you if you restore my eyes. My family suffered and died because of me while I lived. Since Nagar deemed that I should live, I will live the rest of my life this way."

"The rune may not be powerful enough to do that. I-I couldn't fully heal my brother when he saw sick, a-and I have someone in a coma at my HQ and another with a severe head injury that caused his amnesia. But I can restore some of your strength at least."

Parvati gripped at the broom she held. "The couple…they will be back. I cannot simply leave before they come back."

"You said that they've never been away this long before," Daunte said. "And I…" he shook his head. "I think you already know the answer."

"…Yes," Parvati said tearfully. "Yes, I think I do."

"My lady," Keiran said, climbing the stairs. Parvati flinched backwards away from them. "T-That voice! I know you, Sheikh Umed!"

"I am not a Sheikh any longer," Keiran said. "And I am deeply ashamed to have served a government who did something so awful to you. I ask you now though that you trust in my lord and come with us. We will take care of you. I swear it on my life."

Parvati was trembling where she stood, but she didn't retreat further away from them. After a moment she returned to the door, still holding her broom. "…Lord Daunte," she said quietly. "You suffered what my son suffered and survived. I…" she shook her head. "I must throw myself on your mercy then, as I am struggling to take of myself. Please, help me. In exchange I will make myself useful to you as best as I can."

Daunte touched her arm again but this time she didn't flinch away. "I will help you," he said. "And we will take care of you. Welcome to the Liberation Army."

"T-Then hold on, please." Parvati disappeared back into the cottage. A few moments later she emerged again with a dark purple scarf wrapped around her eyes. "The couple…they warned me that my scars were unsightly. I'll wear this so I don't upset anyone by my scars."

Daunte felt his heart ache for her but he didn't know what to say. Keiran and Mihr helped her down the stairs, but then suddenly Daunte felt the familiar rumble in the earth. Parvati grabbed for Mihr's arm. "I-Is that an earthquake?" she breathed.

"Oh no, this is nothing to worry about," Daunte reassured her. "I will be right back."

He left the party and headed towards a clearing in front of the cottage. The earth split apart and Öt rose into the air. "Öt," he breathed. "I'm so happy to see you."

"I was killed by humans," Öt said. "I was sent to a place that smelled of death for a brief period, but then I was restored to my own body once more."

"The World of Emptiness," Daunte said. "That's where our souls go immediately following death."

"…I see. Then if I take you to where my mate has been lain, could you—"

"I-I'm sorry, Öt," Daunte interrupted gently. "I've tried but it appears I can only revive people whose souls are still in the World of Emptiness. Once your soul moves on my power can't reach it. And from what it looks like, our souls don't stay in the World of Emptiness for long."

"Then you restored me to my own body to still face the fate of my own extinction," Öt said.

"No, Öt," Daunte said harshly. "I don't believe that. I-I said I would help you find more Death Worms and I will keep that promise."

"I have searched for more of my kind all across this wretched land. I have found none."

"I WILL help you," Daunte insisted. "All hope is not lost. I don't believe it and neither should you."

Öt silent for a long time. Then the Death Worm dipped his neck forward. "Thank you, my friend. Thank you for restoring my life and giving me hope."

"Thank you for the help you have given me," Daunte said.

"I came here not to confront you but to warn you," Öt said. "There were troublesome humans about. Thieves."

Daunte remembered the couple that they had buried and swallowed hard. "I know."

"I sensed them rob an older human and kill him unnecessarily," Öt continued. "I was bothered that they slew him when he gave them his possessions without a struggle. I could smell death on them, though not as bad as the butcher who killed my mate. I feel that they have killed many needlessly on this plain. This is no doubt one of the reasons there are hardly any human travelers about."

"W-What happened to them?"

"They killed the human man before I could stop them. I killed them in return. I pushed the man's body beneath the earth so that the birds or wandering monsters could not feast upon his flesh. As for the thieves; pieces of their flesh are strewn about the ground to the west of here. The birds will get their fill of them."

"Thank you for burying their victim." Daunte leaned in close. "I-I believe…I have a new recruit. These thieves may have slain a couple that was caring for this poor woman."

"Then I have done a service for your Army," Öt said. "Be careful if you linger here. All of the monsters on this plain have gathered where the battle was. They are attracted to the strong scent of death."

"I don't intend to return to that area for awhile," Daunte said bitterly. "But take care, Öt. I will help you in your quest, I promise."

"I will hold you to that promise." Then Öt departed without another word.

"I-I am confused," Parvati said behind Daunte. "I heard Lord Daunte speak to someone, but I heard no one reply to him."

"That was Öt," Keiran told her. "You'll get used to it."

Daunte took Parvati to Dr. Yulin and Clara when they arrived back to HQ. The two doctors were horrified by her scars but remained calm as they examined her. "D…Do you remember how you got these scars?" Clara asked her.

"No," Parvati said. "And I don't want to remember."

Dr. Yulin told Daunte in private that he suspected hot oil was poured into Parvati's eyes, but he was shocked at how centralized the scar tissue was. "Only the area of her eyes is burned. Her cheeks, scalp, and forehead are not burned. Someone took the time to meticulously burn her eyes out without injuring any other part of her face or head. This was the work of a sadist. I'm honestly stunned she didn't die from shock."

Parvati didn't want pity or to be fawned over, but survivors of the Dark Chasm gravitated to her once word spread that she had lost her son to the Dark Chasm. Arin brought Kibbeh for her to play with, and Roen, Felicity, Lysander, and Allise sat with her and spoke to her in gentle tones. Sloan, Adalgiso, and Tamara also came down to see her. Tamara immediately burst into tears when she saw Parvati's scars, but though she quickly composed herself she kept silent while the other former Sheikhs spoke with her.

Parvati may not have seen herself as valuable to the Army, but the Army was quick to welcome her with open arms.

"We still have work to do," Daunte said to his group. "Are you all ready to go to the Red Tundra?"

"Hurry up," Yuber said harshly. "I want to kill something."

Daunte tried not to roll his eyes. "Let's go, then." At least he didn't say someone.

Viki teleported them to the marker for Lorik's old hamlet and they headed south. To Yuber's delight they did indeed run into some powerful monsters and thieves the further they traveled south. The wind became cooler and harsher, and it had started snowing against. The wind blew the snow right into their faces, which made it hard to walk and fight, but they made it work.

Mihr and Keiran could not do their unite attack. Daunte didn't know though if this was because he had possession or Nariek or if it was because of their current turmoil, but the two soldiers still fought bravely and skillfully even without the unite attack. Yuber and Pesmerga's unite attack predictably didn't work most of the time, but when it did it killed all enemies in fell swoop. The only person who seemed to be enjoying themself was Templeton, who was happily scribbling on a notepad. The weather didn't affect him in the slightest.

Night fell before they reached the L'enfer Sea and so they were forced to set up camp, but it was an uncomfortable affair. The weather was too volatile to build a fire, and because of the freezing conditions they all slept in the same tent with their bedrolls in a row. Yuber and Pesmerga did not bed down and simply stood outside the tent unaffected by the weather. Daunte didn't sleep well; he lay between Viki and Templeton silently praying that the tent wouldn't collapse.

They traveled on through the next day, the weather conditions worsening and the monsters coming at them in increased numbers and brute strength. Their supplies were nearly gone and their runes were nearly out of spells. We may need to make camp again, if for no other reason than to replenish our spells, he thought sheepishly.

It was near dusk (or at least Daunte thought so, it was impossible to tell because of the dark sky) when the wind and snow finally came to a stop. Daunte almost fell to his knees in relief. Are we nearly there, then?

They climbed a hill that was so steep that they had to crawl up the tundra on all fours to maintain their balances. Yuber and Pesmerga effortlessly walked up the hill and stood on the top and waited for them. Daunte saw that they were looking south of their position. When he was close to the top he reached out to grab the ledge, when Yuber suddenly grabbed his wrist. Daunte gasped as the Black Knight pulled him up onto the ledge rather harshly, and it took a moment for him to gain his balance. "Thank you," he said.

"You were taking too long," Yuber responded coldly, not looking at him.

"Heh," Pesmerga said. Daunte thought he saw a smile.

"Ooh, this is unpleasant," Viki complained loudly as she neared the top. To Daunte's growing shock Yuber reached down without turning around and grabbed Viki's arm, pulling her up onto the ledge. "You can teleport, why are you climbing?" He snapped at her.

"I-I don't know if I would get myself to the top or if I would end up somewhere else!" Viki snapped at him.

"…Fair point," Yuber conceded coldly. He did not help Keiran, Mihr, or Templeton.

Daunte turned to finally look south and gasped throatily. At the bottom of the hill the tundra was no longer red, instead it was black as onyx with small piles of snow on different pieces. Where the tundra ended he saw an endless, gleaning sheet of ice that stretched out for kilometers east and west, and towards the horizon.

Keiran similarly gasped as he reached the top and helped Mihr up. "The L'enfer Sea," he breathed. "I never thought I would ever see it in my lifetime…"

"A sea of frozen ice," Mihr said, his brow raised. "That does seem the stuff of legends."

"O-Oh, what's on the other side?!" Templeton exclaimed, hurrying down the hill. "Is it an unexplored land?! Is it the edge of the world?! Oh my goodness, what if I could walk to Toran from here?!"

"That would be interesting," Pesmerga mused.

"Wow," Viki breathed, her eyes wide. "It was frozen even this far back?"

"What?" Daunte asked.

"O-Oh, nothing, NOTHING!" Viki shouted, hurrying down the hill.

The group headed down the hill to what was undoubtedly once the banks of the L'enfer Sea. Daunte shielded his eyes as he looked at their surroundings before contemplating the ice itself. The group all looked at the ice for a moment before Yuber moved forward, stepping deliberately on it. "Let's go."

Daunte followed, but skidded slightly. The ice was unsurprisingly slippery, but it felt solid underneath his feet. It didn't even groan from his weight. He looked down and saw his own reflection staring back at him. "L-Let's tread carefully," he called over his shoulder.

The group didn't encounter any monsters on the frozen sea, but Daunte felt uneasy the further they walked. He kept glancing over his shoulder and saw the Red Tundra getting further and further away from them. After a stretch of time Nagarea was on the horizon behind them.

"Lord Daunte?" Viki said suddenly.

"Yes?"

"W-We're traveling too far away! Any further and we will be out of reach from the mirror!"

"O-Okay," Daunte said, nodding stiffly. "We'll go as far as we can but then go back once we're out of reach." Yeesh, where exactly did the detectives see the new recruit?!

"Yield! Yield to me, damn you!"

The group stopped when they heard the shout ahead of them. Daunte frowned in confusion and squinted through the growing darkness. He thought he saw frantic vertical movement ahead of them. That voice…it sounded familiar…

"You damn stupid ice! Why must everything go wrong in my life?!"

"I'm assuming that is the recruit you want?" Yuber asked coldly.

"Let's go," Daunte said, though his stomach was twisting in discomfort. That voice…I know that voice but I can't place it…

Six meters ahead they finally got a look at the person. It was a man in his forties, his back was to them and he was stabbing at the ice frantically with an ice pick. He was wrapped in dark furs and his slate gray hair was tied in a tight ponytail. Beside him on the ice was a dark pink bottle with a long neck and wide bottom. The ice in front of him looked frayed, but he didn't look close to piercing it.

"Excuse me—" Daunte said.

"Stay back!" The man shouted, jumping to his feet. His dark eyes were wide and he waved his free hand at them. "Don't come any closer! It's too dangerous!"

"'Dangerous'?" Keiran echoed.

"Oh great, Sheikh Umed!" The man spat. "Another Sheikh?! Just leave me alone, will you?! Haven't you bastards done enough?!"

"You will not speak to him like that," Mihr said darkly. He moved forward but Keiran restrained him with his arm.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" The man suddenly cried out. He raised both hands, but then saw that he was still holding the ice pick and abruptly dropped it onto the ice. "There, see?! I'm not a threat! Don't attack me, please!"

"He's sniveling," Yuber said with annoyance. "It's pathetic."

"Look, just leave me be!" the man pleaded. "I'm not bothering anyone, I swear! I'm just trying to bury this thing and get it out of my life!" he gestured to the bottle at his side.

"'Thing'?" Daunte asked, looking at the bottle. "What is that bottle? And why are you trying to bury it in the ice?"

"You don't wanna know—" The man suddenly stopped. He squinted at them, and tentatively moved forward towards them. "It…" he craned his head in confusion while he squinted. "It…Daunte? Daunte, is that you? I thought you were dead!"

Daunte stiffened, and his group converged around him. "Lord Daunte, do you know this man?" Keiran asked, raising his sword.

"'Lord Daunte'?!" the man sputtered, his eyes going wide. "W-Whoa! You became a leader like Lady Phoebe?! Good for you! Like mother like son, huh?!"

Lady Phoebe…this man, he was in the previous Liberation Army? Who—

"I don't want to think it either, but everything—the campaign, my staying behind, everything—was after all his idea. And right now he's the ones leading my soldiers…into a trap."

The anger was quick and fire-hot. "EVARR!" Daunte shrieked. He moved to charge forward but Keiran stopped him.

"Oh hey, you DOremember me!" The man, Evarr, responded positively. "How've you been? How's Arin?"

"You BASTARD!" Daunte hollered, struggling violently in Keiran's arms. "You betrayed my mom!"

"Wait, what?!" Evarr exclaimed in confusion. He pressed a hand over his heart. "I-I—Daunte, that wasn't my fault! I never meant for that to happen—"

"You sold us out to the Holy Army! You caused our ruin! My mom is dead and Arin and I nearly died because of you! ALL of our allies died because of you!"

"No, it wasn't like that!" Evarr pleaded. "It wasn't my fault, I didn't intend for—"

"I'll kill you," Daunte rasped, jabbing his finger Evarr.

"No, don't say that!" Evarr cried out. He quickly glanced at the bottle.

"I SWEAR I'll kill you!" Daunte shouted.

The top of the bottle came off with a loud 'POP', and the cap bounced across the ice. "OH NO!" Evarr shrieked. He fell to his knees beside the bottle. "No, no, no! He didn't mean it, I swear! I swear it!" Evarr's head snapped up and he looked at Daunte. "Say you didn't mean it! PLEASE say you didn't mean it!"

Daunte stared at him blankly. Dark blue-silver smoke began to pour out of the top of the bottle and Evarr wheezed with fright. "Run!" Evarr yelled at them. "She's coming out, RUN!"

"Who is 'she'?" Mihr asked.

"Ohhhh," Yuber laughed sadistically, raising his twin swords. "Is that what I think it is?"

"Um—" Viki said helplessly.

"We're in trouble," Pesmerga said, raising his sword. He looked at Daunte. "You better give that sword back to your soldier or else he's going to die."

"Wait, what is coming out of that bottle?!" Daunte demanded as he unstrapped Nariek from his back.

The smoke suddenly shot vertical towards the sky. Right before their eyes the smoke mutated into a giant silver-blue king cobra snake. Daunte couldn't see its eyes but he heard the guttural hiss coming from its mouth.

"Run, GET OUT OF HERE!" Evarr shrieked. "She's going to kill you!"

Yuber squared his shoulders, smiling in delight. "I've always wanted to fight a Djinn."

The group went still when Yuber said that. Daunte hurried over to Mihr and shoved Nariek into his hands. "You're using this, don't argue with me."

"That's a direct order from our Commander," Keiran said before Mihr could say anything. Mihr looked angry but he unsheathed Nariek and followed them.

Evarr flailed uselessly behind the snake—Djinn—but Daunte wasn't expecting to rely on him for the battle anyway. "Howl!" He shouted, raising his hand.

The Djinn went still as the party was healed by the Rune of Restoration. It leaned its neck back slightly, staring straight at Daunte. It was no longer hissing.

"HAA!" Yuber shouted, lunging forward.

Abruptly the Djinn shrank into itself into poof silver-blue smoke. Yuber paused, and he frowned as the smoke dissipated. The snake was gone, replaced by a humanoid woman with silver-blue skin. She was nearly nude except for wisps of dark cloth that hovered over her chest and hips. Her hair was dark blue and floated around her head. Her ears were pointed and there was a red oval-shaped gem in the center of her forehead. When she opened her eyes, Daunte saw nothing but darkness.

"Oh thank Nagar!" Evarr exclaimed, panting loudly in relief. "It's all right, it's all right!" He called, waving a hand over his head. "She's not going to fight you."

"You have a True Rune," the Djinn said. Her voice sounded like a thousand whispers overlapping at once.

"I—yes," Daunte said. "The Rune of Restoration."

"You are the one who threatened this man," the Djinn said, gesturing to Evarr. Evarr flinched away from her. "You are not allowed to kill him."

"I—"

"This man is not allowed to die," the Djinn insisted. "Not until he grants his third and final wish."

"'Wish'?" Keiran asked. He looked at Evarr. "You bound yourself to a Djinn?! Are you out of your mind?"

"No," Evarr said painfully. "Just a very, very, VERY stupid man who's been living with this mistake!"

"I demand that you tell me your third wish," the Djinn said.

"I can't!" Evarr wailed. "The two wishes you gave me were a disaster!"

"I wanted to fight the Djinn," Yuber grumbled, sheathing his swords.

"What did you wish for?!" Daunte demanded. "Did you wish for the failure of the Liberation Army?!"

"NO!" Evarr exclaimed. "My first wish was motivated by greed! I wished for unlimited money, and she gave me this!" He pulled his sleeve back to reveal a dark circle on the back of his hand.

"What kind of rune is that?" Templeton asked.

"It's a Money Rune," Evarr ground out. "Infinite coins at my disposal. But look!" he held his hand out. The rune glowed and the circular symbol rose into the air. In the blink of an eye a pile of coins was in front of him as high as his waist.

Daunte looked at the pile of coins, his brow rising in confusion. The color of the coins seemed strange to him. They looked dark green. Neither bits nor Potch was green. "…Is that money?" He asked.

"Oh yeah," Evarr said bitterly. "It's lydia! A currency that predates the Sindar! A currency that hasn't been in circulation for hundreds of years!" He hollered the three words at the Djinn. "Completely worthless!"

"You wished for unlimited money," the Djinn responded. "You did not specify what kind of money. Had you wished for unlimited bits, then you would have received a rune that produced bits."

"So I'm stuck with this," Evarr said, showing the back of his hand. "This rune will never come off me until I'm dead. But this? This is just a minor inconvenience. The second wish…" he scrubbed both hands over his voice and let out a painful sob.

"…My mother thought you betrayed us," Daunte said softly, glaring at him. "She died believing that you betrayed us. So if it wasn't your fault, what happened?"

"I made a wish, Daunte." Evarr dropped his hands from his face. Tears were streaming down his cheeks. "I wished that the war would end quickly, Daunte. That's all I did, I swear. But sh…" he began sobbing where he stood.

"You wished for the war to end," the Djinn agreed emotionlessly. "And I ended it for you."

"But the WRONG SIDE WON!" Evarr shouted. "Don't you undestand that?! You gave the enemy the victory!"

Daunte looked between them, a numbing sensation consuming his body. He was afraid he would faint. He was hardly aware of his body's motions, gesturing limply to the Djinn. "Y…You…" he couldn't hear his own voice over the roaring in his ears. "You caused our defeat?"

"As I said," the Djinn responded. "I was commanded to end the war quickly. I was not commanded to ensure victory for your side. Victory for the Holy Army was a swifter outcome, so they won."

"A swif—PEOPLE DIED!" Daunte hollered. "My mom died! You destroyed so many lives! Doesn't that matter to you?!"

"It does not," the Djinn responded without hesitation.

"She is definitely a Djinn," Keiran said solemnly.

"That is why you do not make deals with Djinns," Pesmerga said. "There is never a good outcome."

"Make her angry agains so she transforms," Yuber goaded Daunte. "I want to fight her."

"Daunte, please believe me," Evarr stammered, clasping his hands in front of himself. "I never meant for ANY of that to happen! I-I was trying to help the Army, but this thing twists wishes sadistically! That thing doesn't give you what you want!"

"If you must refer to me," the Djinn said. "I go by Nian. Use that name and not immature name-calling."

"I wanted us to win!" Evarr exclaimed. "I wanted us to win, so I made that wish while I was marching with the Army! Then BAM! All of a sudden we were ambushed and everyone was dead except for me! I'm sorry, I am SO sorry for everything that happened! I won't ask for your forgiveness but please believe me when I tell you this wasn't my intention!"

Daunte's eyes wandered between Evarr and the Djinn, Nian. The anger was bleeding out of him, replaced with a crushing weariness. We…thought Mom's Army was destroyed by a betrayal, but it was a careless wish. And I thought I had a traitor, but the Army was just eavesdropping on us. So in both instances…there was never a traitor? It was a bizarre set of circumstances?

Evarr sank to his knees in front of Daunte. "Let me help you," he pleaded. "They called you Lord Daunte. You have rebuilt the Liberation Army, haven't you?"

"I am," Daunte said numbly.

"I want to redeem myself. I owe it to your mother for being so careless. Please, Daunte—please let me join you and fight for you. I-I'll give you my own might alone, I swear!"

Daunte swallowed hard, a noise rumbling in his throat as he glanced at Nian. "…You are still bound to her?"

"I haven't been able to get rid of her," Evarr said painfully. "I buried her bottle underground, I threw it into Golden River, I threw it into the Dark Chasm, I even dropped it off a cliff on the High Peak Mountains! Her bottle has never broken and she ALWAYS finds a way back to me!"

"Because you owe me a third wish," Nian reminded him. "You give me your third wish, and our partnership will be over."

"But how will I know that something bad won't happen if I give you that wish?!" Evarr shot back at her.

"It will not be bad for me."

"I don't feel comfortable having a Djinn at my headquarters," Daunte said honestly. "Especially since her powers caused my mom's death."

"You have two Black Knights with you," Nian said. "Have either told you who they serve?"

"Neither of them destroyed my mother's Army," Daunte said. "You did."

"What do you expect of me, bearer of the Rune of Restoration? An apology? I am sorry. Will that suffice?" her words and tone had not an ounce of emotion to them.

Before Daunte could speak Evarr suddenly shouted, "Nian! You want your third wish, you got it!"

"It is about time," Nian said, turning her attention to him. "You have kept me waiting."

Evarr pointed his finger at Daunte. "You destroyed Daunte's life. So now your life is bound to him. My final wish is that you fight for Daunte with full loyalty until he wins in penance for what we both did to him!"

Nian quickly moved forward, stopping until she was centimeters from Evarr's face. "You will regret crossing me," she whispered.

"I accept my fate and the consequences of this wish," Evarr said defiantly. He looked at Daunte. "We are both at your disposal, Lord Daunte. As you can tell from her anger, I have made this wish so exact that she cannot twist it for sadistic purposes."

Nian hissed like the king cobra, but drew away from him. "…I am bound," she conceded. "I will come to combat if you call. But I was commanded to fight, so I will fight like a warrior. You will not benefit from the best of my skills."

"I don't need them," Daunte said. "If you are bound to fight for me then I accept you as an ally but you had better not betray me."

"I am bound to be loyal to you per the terms of the wish. I cannot betray you." Nian then suddenly turned into smoke and quickly flew back into the bottle. The cap of the bottle bounced back across the ice and closed tight once the last of the smoke had entered the bottle.

Daunte sighed heavily as Evarr reluctantly picked up the bottle. "I…don't really know how I feel about this. But I believe you when you say you didn't mean for any of that to happen. Just…" he gestured to the bottle. "I-I don't know how I feel about her yet. For the time being, please keep her away from me."

"I will," Evarr promised. "My lord, I—"

"If you're apologizing again, please don't. Put your words into action and fight to redeem yourself."

Evarr nodded and forced a smile. "I-I will, Lord Daunte. I promise."

"Damn," Yuber hissed. "I should have fought her before that damn wish! She has deliberately depowered herself to serve in this damn Army!"

"Well it would be too easy for us if she was at full strength, wouldn't it?" Pesmerga mused.

"I think we should go," Keiran said. "Our surroundings are getting darker, so the sun must have set."

"I wish I could go further," Templeton said softly.

"If we go any farther, we'll be out of range from the mirror at headquarters," Mihr said.

"Right," Daunte said. "Let's go—"

"U-Um, Excuse me?"

Viki was now standing in front of Evarr. Evarr looked at her in confusion. "Uh, yes? What is it?"

"If you want the Army to win, then why didn't you just wish for us to win?" Viki asked him.

Evarr looked perplexed for a moment, before a shadow of horror fell over his face. Yuber threw his head back and shrieked with laughter. "If that girl can get it, then you must be really stupid!"

I would sometimes forget that I had recruited magic and combat trainers and would get the training in towns, lol.

The currency of lydia in this fanfic came from the name of the Iron Age Kingdom of Lydia, which is currently known as the oldest kingdom in human history to have used coins as a form of currency.