Sorry about the wait everyone. Honestly, I haven't been motivated to write, but I got an urge tonight, and downed it all in one swoop. I read through and realized that it isn't as detailed as it could be, but I think it's still decent. Still, if people want me to be more detailed in future chapters, leave a comment. Further, I'd like to thank EinsatzCalcatrix on youtube. He's doing a complete playthrough of the game, so it won't take as much time for me, as I don't have to play the game to get the script I need. Thanks to all the reviewers, I'll get back to you as soon as I complete this story. I've seen at least a few bits of helpful advice, as well as tons of encouragement. Thanks all, I'll try to update more often.
I don't own the original story, original characters, or original script for this story.
Yawning and stretching, Jack slapped his alarm clock and sat up with a groan. Leonard turned over in his bed and put a pillow over his head, making Jack give a weak grin.
Looks like someone doesn't have to get up early this morning, he thought to himself, quickly outfitting himself with his knight's attire and gathering together the pack he'd be taking with him. As he took some items out of his large storage, he thought about the journey ahead, and wondered what he could do differently for the time being. First things first, I have to get stronger…I can't take on much of anyone like this…especially not a blood orc, he thought calmly, pulling out the training gear he'd stored in a box under his bed. Hesitating, he put it in his travel sack, knowing that if he wore it on the journey, it'd be noticeable. When he finished packing, he slung the bag over his shoulder and took a look at the clock.
"Fifteen minutes…shit," he mumbled to himself, dashing out of the room and slamming the door, heading for the main entrance of the castle. Within ten minutes, he'd arrived at the open gateway, panting slightly as he bent on his hands and knees. Taking a seat against the gateway, he sighed and looked around. "Where is everyone…?" he muttered aloud before seeing the captain approaching, who gave a wave and sped up his pace.
"Master Jack! You're early!" the captain said enthusiastically, setting his bag down as well. Jack opened his mouth to question before he remembered setting his clock back fifteen minutes the night before. Sighing at his defeat (by his own hand no less!) he stood to give his captain a salute.
"Yes sir. But I mis-judged the time, so I can't say it's because I'm a good knight," Jack admitted, giving a light smile to the captain. "I actually set my clock a few minutes back, but I didn't remember until I got here." The captain looked a bit disappointed, but he shook it off quite quickly.
"That's quite alright Master Jack. I just got a little over excited, is all," he said, dismissing the knight from his position. Ganz set down his own bag near Jack's and gave a sigh. "Truthfully, I'm quite nervous about this. It's quite a responsibility, getting a mission this important so early on. Besides, I'm not that much of a diplomat…" Trailing off, the captain shook his head. "But I'm sure we can handle it, the two of us and Lady Ridley." Jack nodded his approval before turning at the sound of approaching footsteps.
"That's..."
"Ah, Lord Jasne! What a pleasure to see you this early in the morning!" the captain said, cutting off Jack as he stood up. Jack followed the captain's example, remembering the last encounter he'd had with the man with a slight smirk on his face. At the sight of them, Jasne groaned mentally, though he threw on a smile just as well.
"Ah yes, Captain Rothschild…a fine morning for a walk, isn't it? Um, tell me, Ridley wouldn't happen to be here yet, would she?" he asked as formally as possible. As if summoned by magic itself, Ridley walked out of the gate. A look of frustration crossed her face as she noticed her father, but it quickly changed to her regular impassive stare. Jack winced at the unspoken tension, clearing his throat calmly.
"Well, everyone is here now…Captain, isn't it time to leave?" he said, nudging Ganz's side lightly. Ganz jumped slightly, but nodded.
"Yes of course Master Jack. Lord Jasne, excuse us," he said, the two grabbing their bags and walking down the street, Ridley following at their heels with her own equipment. As they reached a reasonable distance, Jack turned back and nodded to Ridley.
"I'm sorry if it was intrusive, but that looked like an uncomfortable situation, so I cut in," he said, giving a light smile even as she frowned.
"I didn't need your help, farm boy. Don't forget that," she said snobbishly. But internally she did hold a bit of gratitude for the action, though she had more questions from the incident than gratitude. How does he know how to address nobles? He hasn't been taught at all, hell, he's supposed to be a hick, she thought, fuming silently as she pondered. Jack shrugged off her behavior and moved forward to the captain.
"So captain, what's on the agenda first?" Jack questioned, trying to at least act the part of an unknowing pawn for the castle.
"Well, we have one more person accompanying us. A member of the Olacian Order…I believe his name was Clive," Ganz said, continuing past various shops and houses towards the gate. "He should be meeting us near the front of Theater Vancoor, the warrior guild." As they got closer to the gate, Jack spotted a figure in white robes and gave a weak grin. As they approached, the captain stepped forward to greet him.
"Howdy," the figure said, nodding to the captain.
"You are from Olacian, yes?" the captain asked, receiving a nod. "Right then. I am Captain Ganz Rothschild, and these are my subordinates, Master Jack and Lady Ridley. You must be Master Clive."
"Yep. I just joined Olacian, though. I can't do nothin' yet," the man answered with his thick country drawl.
"You can't do nothing? Nothing at all?" the captain answered with the same incorrect grammar as their new party member. Jack gave a light smile, while Ridley put a hand to her forehead, contemplating this new development in her mind, along with the foolishness of her captain.
"Nope. I'm real new, so they haven't taught me anything," Clive answered with a hint of guilt. "But I'll do all I can to help out." The captain sighed, but never letting himself be down for long, quickly nodded and smiled.
"Alright then, as long as we have everyone, I believe we're ready to go," he announced, heading towards the gate, the other three following.
Passing through Lupus gate, the group paused as Ganz turned around. "Alright team, this is it. We can be attacked now, so be on your guard." Ridley sighed and shook her head at this.
"Captain, there can't be anything too dangerous around here, right? Simple enemies that won't be a problem," she stated calmly. The captain nodded, but continued to be determined.
"True, Lady Ridley, things will seem simple here. But I've heard talk of Bandits along the road we're going. Anything could happen, so we need to be prepared for anything. Even orcs." At this, Jack winced involuntarily, recalling the soon to be incident on their second mission. Unfortunately, the captain caught this reaction. "Are you alright, Jack?"
"Fine…just…excited! I mean, an orc would be a huge challenge, wouldn't it?" Jack played off, giving a grin as he remembered his excitement the first thing around. At least some things don't change… he thought to himself, though the other three members of the party acted like he'd done something completely ridiculous.
"Jack, just promise me you won't do anything to bring trouble," Ganz said calmly, while Ridley merely sighed.
"An orc would tear you to pieces, you know," she said, receiving a nod of agreement from Clive.
"They can kill a smilodon with their bare hands," Clive said, and the two walked after the captain calmly. Jack stood still, feeling foolish for a few moments before he shrugged off the feeling, moving after them to follow the captain. It was going to be a long day, he was sure.
As the sun was setting, the weary group approached Earth Valley, home of the dwarves. The weary party stood at the top of a steep cliff, taking in the view of the city as they caught their breath. They'd gotten into a few skirmishes, but like Ridley had predicted, nothing they couldn't handle. Even the bandits proved to be simpler than imagined. Jack stood off by himself, unlike his first encounter with this place, merely thinking about the tragedies that would occur in this place. "No…not this time," he said quietly, just as Ridley was approaching to scold him and tell him to get moving.
"What was that?" Ridley asked, not sure if she'd heard him right. Jack flinched and turned around, laughing nervously and rubbing the back of his head.
"Ah, nothing. Don't mind me, your lady-ship," he said, picking up his bag and walking after the captain and Clive, who had already gone ahead. Ridley watched momentarily before following.
Something is definitely strange about him…I'll have to keep an eye open. The captain doesn't seem to see it, she thought calmly, following after him as well.
Ganz arrived at the gate first, calling out to get the attention of the gatekeeper. "We are the Rose Cochon brigade, sent in place of the Violet Chevre," he called out.
"Ah, you're here to escort the trade cart. Alright, hold on," the dwarf called, and soon the gate opened. The party stepped inside, and everyone seemed to have a look of surprise as they saw the city, save for Jack, who kept himself quiet. "Right! Well, we need to go see the village leader, Gonovitch. It won't take long, and then we can get a good night's rest," the captain said to the group before heading towards a large building made of gold, with jewels on it.
"Three guesses which building it is," Jack said jokingly, from which he got a smirk out of both Clive and Ganz, while Ridley gave a frown of disapproval. Still, within a few minutes, they'd arrived, and Ganz knocked loudly on the door.
"Come in! I'm on the second floor!" a voice called from above, to which Ganz opened the door, and the party followed.
"Hm…So you are here instead of the Violet Chevre," Gonovitch, the dwarf leader, said aloud. He didn't sound too enthused. However the captain was never one to be downtrodden by such a simple gesture.
"It is an honor to be of service," Ganz said, giving a small bow towards the man. This raised some sort of interest for the dwarf leader, and he voiced it, apparently not afraid to be heard in any company.
"Hm? Who are you?"
"Ganz Rothschild, at your service," the captain answered diligently.
"You aren't Gawain's kid, are you?" the dwarf asked, to which Ganz visually reacted.
"You…You know my father?" he asked hesitantly, glancing at Jack out of the corner of his eye. Jack was too preoccupied listening to the leader, so he didn't catch the small gesture.
"There isn't a dwarf alive who doesn't know who your father was. You know…" he started, before Ganz cut him off.
"Yes, yes, well. We can talk about my father another time," Ganz started hesitantly, to which Jack finally did take notice.
Captain…you don't have to worry. I know what really happened, Jack thought to himself, knowing he'd have to talk to him soon.
"Ah yes, I have a very important favor to ask of you Ganz…" Gonovitch said, reaching behind him and looking around his desk before pulling out a letter. "I want you to take this to your king. It's a letter describing the new prices for our metal goods and weapons." Ganz looked slightly taken aback, but resumed his captain like stance before it became noticeable.
"Did you say new prices?" He asked, verbalizing his surprise. The entire party could tell that this wasn't good news, but Jack knew the gravity of it more than anyone.
"We're getting less and less ore out of this mountain. The mine is running dry. What's more, the water of Earth Valley is turning muddy and foul, and the earth is turning thin and barren. Nothing will grow here anymore…" the man stated, taking a pause at the last words. Jack could tell this man was worried about his people, and he knew there wasn't much of a choice in this. But still he cursed himself for not being able to share the consequences of this action. His reaction showed visibly, and unfortunately, Ridley had been watching.
"That is terrible, sir," Ganz said, showing his remorse with his eyes.
"Everybody is having a hard time," Gonovitch continued, resuming his stature. "We have no choice but to raise our prices, just a little."
"And hence the letter…I see. I will make sure that it is delivered safely," Ganz assured the man, taking the letter from him.
"Thank you my friend," the dwarf said to them, nodding lightly. "The goods will take about a day to be prepared. Please, relax and enjoy some of the Valley's hospitality."
And with that, the group was dismissed, each to go their own way. Clive went to explore the city, while the other three momentarily went to the inn to prepare the room. After setting up home base, the captain gave his okay for them to go about as they wished.
"Um…captain? Can I have a word with you?" Jack asked, to which the captain nodded. The pair stepped out into the hall, and Ridley took a seat next to her bed, sighing.
"Captain…I just wanted to say…don't blame yourself for whatever our fathers may have done," Jack said calmly, causing Ganz's eyes to widen. "I don't think your father…well…killed my dad. So don't feel strained by it, alright?" Ganz looked at Jack momentarily before sighing and leaning against a wall.
"Thank you Master Jack. I didn't mean to worry, but it just…" he paused and shook his head. "Someday, we'll talk about our fathers. But not today, not while we're on a mission," Ganz said, looking up with determination. Jack smiled and nodded.
"Understood Captain!" Jack replied with enthusiasm before entering the room again. Grabbing his bag, he went to leave when he was cut off verbally.
"Where do you think you're going farm boy? With all of your things, no less," Ridley said curtly, causing the Captain to question the motive as well.
"I wanted to…get a souvenir for my sister. I figured I'd better bring my bag to store it," Jack replied, waiting to see how his excuse would go over.
"That's very thoughtful of you, Master Jack. See to it that it's something nice," the captain said, and Jack nodded, closing the door behind him before giving a sigh of relief.
Too close…Jack thought calmly, exiting the inn and looking up at the now red sky. "Good…I should be able to train a bit," he said to himself, heading for the bridge leading to an open mine shaft, which several dwarves were crossing at this moment.
A few moments later, Ridley left the inn as well, looking around for a sign of Jack. She had a feeling he wasn't telling the truth when he'd spoken to the captain, and she wanted to find out what he was up to. After a few seconds, she caught sight of him on the bridge, and went to find him.
Jack passed a few dwarves on his way down into the mine, to which he merely nodded and gave a weak smile. As soon as he was deep enough, and no-one was around, he set down his bag and opened it, pulling out the Training Device he'd been saving. "Time to get some work done…" he spoke to himself as he fit himself into the springy accessory, wincing at his limited movement. I got some work done today, but this should help a lot more, he thought, leaving his bag hidden behind a stack of barrels and proceeding down the path, his sword in hand, his movements limited.
Ridley glanced down the tunnel curiously for a minute before shaking her head. No, he wouldn't go down there…why would he? She thought, stopping a dwarf politely as he exited. "Excuse me, did a human boy go down there?" she asked.
"Yes, I saw him heading down. Had a determined look on his face…maybe he's going to clear the mine's infestation for us," the dwarf said jokingly, laughing and patting the girl on the back as he continued forward to cross the bridge until he was out of sight. It was growing dark now, but the tunnels were lit, and Ridley decided to continue; she'd gone this far, she wanted to know what was going on.
It took awhile before she picked up any trace of Jack, and she thought of going back numerous times, but found wreckage from what looked like battles, and hand continued on. After about half an hour of decent, she'd picked up noises that sounded close enough to battle to figure that the dwarf had actually been correct. That idiot! Going down there alone is dangerous, she thought, breaking into a run. When the sounds stopped, her worry only increased, and she picked up her pace even further.
"Out of my way!" Jack shouted, slashing down on yet another mechanical menace, panting and lowering his sword at the realization that his enemies were defeated. Jack was trying to push his limits, and he was doing just that; he could already feel his muscles trying to restrict his movement, along with the training device, but he wouldn't have it. Picking up his sword, he shook his head; this wasn't going to be where he stopped. It'd barely been an hour since he started training, probably less, and he wasn't going to stop here. He gritted his teeth and made himself move forward, taking a herb to heal what injuries he had sustained in the last battle. I need…to clear this mine… he thought, freezing as he heard footsteps behind him; armored footsteps. "Shit," he growled, dashing down one of the passageways to avoid detection.
Reaching the open room, Ridley sighed, seeing the remains of battle. "Missed it again!" she complained, looking up from the scraps to see that the path diverged. She looked between the two before taking the opposite path that Jack had taken.
Jack paused further down the corridor, listening for the sound of footsteps before he sighed and let himself cool down a bit. "Close call," he said to himself, closing his eyes for a moment. Who would that have been? He pondered, though that would be revealed soon enough. As Jack was about to push forward again, he heard the sound of a scream. He winced as he recognized the voice, as well as his own mistake. "There were two paths," he voiced, groaning as he ran wearily towards where he'd just been.
Ridley was running now; there wasn't much she could do. She thought that she would've been able to deal with them, if Jack could, but her axe didn't have the force behind it. With that realization, she'd started running back towards the room she'd come from. Jack...where is he? She thought, pausing as she reached the room she'd been to see Jack arriving at the same time. "Jack!" she said, running towards him before pausing. His eyes…they weren't the same as before. They were a lot more serious than she'd ever seen them. Further, what the hell was that thing he was wearing?
"Ridley…stay back. I haven't had much practice with this, but now's about as good a time as any," he said, stepping in front of her, his sword braced as the enemies she'd attracted, both initially and by her screaming, started out of the entrance. Closing his eyes momentarily, he reopened them with renewed vigor, gritting his teeth before shouting "TRI-EMBLEM!"
Ridley gasped as a blue light enveloped Jack, seeming to empower him before it dissolved into the air. She watched as Jack grinned and flexed the fingers in his free hand, slashing the air as a test of his newfound physical ability before rushing forward into the mix. "Jack!" Ridley shouted before seeing the mangled form of a machine being tossed away, then another, then another.
Jack was having fun; distracted from thoughts of the future, the fighting had just gotten interesting. His body no longer felt tense from the training device, but at the same time, he knew it was helping his body. He'd felt the increase in strength and flexibility immediately, but even as the battle progressed, he was more awed at the power. Enemy attacks hurt him less, some even deflected off like they were nothing. Yet he was throwing them around the room like they were ragdolls. After a few minutes, Jack drove his sword through the last machine, looking to Ridley before his eyes faded back to normal, the triangle within them disappearing as he fell forward, exhausted.
Ridley stared in amazement, awed to the point of inaction. When he fell, she stayed motionless, her mouth opening to speak, though the words took time to be produced. "What…what are you? What was that?" she asked, barely able to form the sentances. As Jack struggled to get up, she took a step back, bringing her axe to the front. "I asked a question!" Jack merely smiled as he reached up to his torso, pulling at a chain before the training device fell from his body and down to the floor.
"You wouldn't believe me even if I told you…so let's keep this between us." Groaning as he leaned down to pick up his gear, he grinned in her direction. "Besides, who'd believe you anyways?" Though he showed confidence, his mind was in turmoil. It can't be over this fast, can it? I need to stay here! At least for now.
Ridley stared at Jack for a few moments defensively, noting that his eyes seemed less confident than his smile. Taking her axe, she slammed it into the ground so that the handle was sticking out before she looked at him with calm determination.
"Try me, farm boy."