Chapter 5: Southern Breeze

You arrive back in town as the sun is setting. You feel utterly drained. Wendy offers to put Marth in the stable, and you head straight for bed while Rain goes to deliver her report and introduce the new recruits to the commander. You pass out almost instantly, but your sleep is uneasy. You awake in the middle of the night, but do not wish to return to sleep. You decide to seek some fresh air, and you head down to the stables.

As you enter, you hear the sound of someone crying softly. You follow the sound and find it coming from Marth's stall. You're surprised to see Rain, brushing his coat. You reach for the stall handle, but pause. You hear Rain speaking to your horse.

"I'm going to miss him, Marth... Bud was a good man. And he raised a good daughter." You step back into the shadows. "I know understand what June's going through. My father was killed by bandits when I was young. That's why I joined the Holy Knights, you know." Marth snorts in response. "I know the best medicine is time, but I wish there was more I could do for her... Maybe tomorrow I'll ask her to help me on kitchen duty?"

"I'd like that," you say, without thinking. Rain jumps as you open the stall. "Thanks for cleaning him up."

"Oh... Don't mention it. Um... I'll leave you two alone, I suppose..." Rain slips out of the stall, clearly embarrassed. You can't help but smile as she walks away.

Alyssa steps down into the dark room. "Jessup?" she whispers, shaking him awake.

"A-" he starts to say loudly, before Alyssa places a hand over his mouth to silence him. She holds a finger to her lips and takes her hand away. He begins again, whispering. "Ali? What are you doing in the men's barracks?"

"I just wanted to check on my little brother..."

"You shouldn't be breaking the rules like this, though! Especially on your first day!" his voice is rising, and Alyssa silences him again. Someone stirs in a nearby bed.

"Don't worry, I doubt they really care about men and women... fraternizing, especially two that aren't actually Holy Knights."

"OK, ew. I don't want to hear my sister talking about those things."

"What do you think about our new friends?"

"I like them well enough. Bud's really nice, and so is Agni, even if he talks a bit funny. I haven't really talked with the others yet, but I think we'll be safe here."

Alyssa smiles. "That's what I want to hear. I'll see you in the morning, Jess." With that, she slips back out the window. She skulks back to the women's barracks, remaining unseen until reaching the door. "Ah... June?"

You turn from opening the door. "Alyssa. Out for an evening jog?"

"Yes, something like that. Just wanted to see if this place was secure as it seemed."

You can't restrain your curiosity. "And what did you find?"

"Well... The outer windows are too low, easy to slip into. The lack of a strong guard means an enemy could slit all our throats in the dead of night. The innermost buildings are safe enough, nice thick walls and only a few narrow windows. Although, if my count isn't completely off, I think there must be a hidden room or two."

"...Wow. I never thought about any of that. I'm impressed."

Alyssa wags a finger at you. "Well, I'm not particularly worried, but it pays to think ahead. Always have an escape plan, y'know? And I have my little brother to worry about, too."

"You really care about him, don't you?"

"More than anything."

You wake up early, and step out into the training yard. Ferris lies in the training yard, his headband pulled over his eyes and a slight smile on his face. He sits up as you approach, grass falling from his back, his headband still covering his eyes. He groggily removes it. "Oh, hey June. Fancy meeting you here."

"Sleeping again already? You can't possibly be tired..."

"No, but when I got out here, there was still a thin layer of dew on the ground, and I was wondering what it would feel like. I laid myself down to try it, and I guess I must've... dozed off... Heh."

"That's a good way to catch a cold, you know. I'd hate to see you get sick. How's your head, by the way? That monster slammed you pretty good..."

"I'm still really exhausted, but I can manage. Anyway, you up for a quick sparring match? It'll still be a few hours before we can collect our pay from Doran."

You jump at the chance to spar with Ferris, picking up a dulled training axe. He draws a training blade, and adopts a defensive stance.

(A) Try to match his speed
(B) Try to overwhelm him with brute strength
(C) Wait for him to strike and focus on counterattacking
(D) Other

You've seen Ferris' speed, and you doubt you can beat him if you try to match him. You think you can overpower him, but only if you manage to slow him down first. You decide to exploit his exhaustion, trusting your defense to hold against his strength until you have an opportunity to counterattack. You circle around him, waiting for him to make the first move. He stubbornly refuses, even when you feint an attack. You make several more feints, all of which Ferris simply ignores. "You're telegraphing, June. You're cocking your hips too much on the step."

You decide on a less conventional tactic, leading with a feint, then letting your grip slide, and whipping the handle out toward him. He's caught off guard and forced backwards by the impact. You follow through, readjusting your grip to swing the blade. Your swing finds nothing but air. "If you're trying to wear me down, it won't work. Conservation of energy and all that." You doubt he's bluffing, so you take the offensive. You swing your axe repeatedly, driving Ferris backwards towards the wall. Your assault leaves little room for counterattack, and the few swings he make, you easily deflect.

Eventually, you drive his back to the wall. You swing, expecting to end the fight, but Ferris leaps into the air. He kicks off the wall, somersaulting forward, catching you in the back of the head as he passes. "An-n-n-nd you're dead, June. Still, that was well-fought."

"That was... amazing..." you manage to stutter between pants.

Ferris chuckles. "Gotta use the environment to your advantage, you know. Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to get back to my nap."

"Yes, that's enough for now, I think. I need to feed Marth." You thank Ferris for the match, and leave the training ground.

Ferris returns to his nap, only to be awoken shortly afterward. Haley enters the training yard. "Alright, time for a bit of sword practice! Can't only do lance work, have to be ready for the next time we're in a cave or something. But, man, smashing training dummies gets so boring. They don't hit back like bad guys do!" She only then seems to notice the prone myrmidon. "Oh, hey Ferris... Oh! Hey, Ferris..."

"Let me guess. You want to spar?" He tosses her a training blade, rising to his feet. "Very well. I accept your challenge!"

Haley adopts a defensive stance. Ferris moves to one as well, then suddenly sweeps low. "Your feet are unguarded!" Haley stumbles backwards, barely raising her sword in time to block Ferris' next slash. "Keep your center of gravity low! You'll recover your balance faster!" After a few minutes, Haley decides she's had enough abuse, though she did land a few hits.

"Thanks Ferris, that was a blast! We'll have to do it again sometime. Anytime you want, just come find me. I'm usually at the stables, or in the mess hall. Or the barracks. Unless I'm on a mission, but you're usually with me when I'm on a mission n- OMYGOSH! We're mission buddies!" Her energy recovered, she gives Ferris a quick pat on the back and runs off.

"...Gods, where does she get all that energy?" With a shrug, Ferris returns to sleep.

As soon as Haley leaves, Lane walks in. "Ferris... Napping. Ha. Can't say I'm surprised."

"Ah, Lane. Here to practice that butchery you call swordplay again?"

A gleam of anger crosses her face, before she cracks a sadistic smile. "Ha. Maybe I'm inaccurate, but if I hit something, I actually hurt it. More than I can say about you, Tiny."

Ferris shrugs. "That's a big 'if.'"

"Yeah, well... Why would you even come out here to sleep? Surely there are better places than the training yard."

"Yes, but no more interesting places. Now, match me!" he rises, drawing his training blade.

You finish tending to Marth, just in time for lunch. As you leave the stables towards the mess hall, you overhear Wendy and Rain talking.

"Oh, Wendy. Guess what?"

"Yes, Captain?"

"Oh, come on, guess."

"I... have no idea, honestly."

"Ah, you're no fun, Wendy. I have good news. A message just arrived from Antea. They've finished preparing a new mount for you, and they should arrive be arriving in the next few days."

"That's... fantastic, Captain. Can you tell me anything about him? What color is his mane? His eyes? How many hands tall? Weight? Favorite food?"

"Haha... Calm down, Wendy. Wouldn't you rather wait and see for yourself?"

"...I suppose... I'm just so excited! I mean... I'll always miss Caed, but I can't wait to make a new friend."

"You really love animals, don't you Wendy?"

"Ah... Yes. Sorry, Captain. I do tend to get a bit worked up. With your permission, I'll take my leave for lunch."

"Yes, goodbye Wendy."

You grab catch up to Wendy, and chat with her on the way to lunch. When you arrive, Bud waves to Wendy, and she excuses herself.

"Can I help you with something, Bud?"

"I wanted to make sure you were OK. You took quite a hit yesterday, one that was likely meant for me."

"It is the duty of a Holy Knight to act as a shield for all Valerians."

"Yes, well. Remember, I'm not just some helpless villager anymore. I may not be a Knight, but I am your ally."

"I'm glad to see your confidence. But we Holy Knights watch out for each other, as well."

Bud smiles. "I see. Well, I'm glad to know I'll have someone like you watching my back."

Wendy returns his smile. "I believe I was watching your front. You can watch my back."

True to her word, Rain collects you in the early afternoon to help prepare dinner. Syrene and Agni also join you, though not by choice. Neither seems particularly upset, though; Agni is actually excited by the prospect of preparing Valerian food. "In my wanderings, I have yet to have spent any time cooking. Lots of time spent fighting, yes, but no time cooking anything besides simple traveling food."

Rain hands him a potato. "I'm afraid you won't be learning any fancy cooking here, we usually prepare fairly simple meals. Soups, salads, and breads, things like that. Our country's pretty reliant on Carcinan crops, anyway, so we don't have a whole lot of food to waste."

"Oh..." He says, dejectedly.

After an hour of peeling potatoes with little more than idle chatter, you overhear Agni and Syrene chatting, Syrene stirring a large pot of soup soup while Agni stokes the flame. "Agni. I want to thank you. For saving me. If you hadn't been there, I'd probably be dead, just like... um... everyone else..."

"Oh... Syrene, you should not be thanking me because of lucky happenings. I was just in the act of passing through when the bandits attacked your home. I was fighting for my own surviving as much as anyone else's. And, I seem to be remembering you jumping in front of me when things were looking the bleakest."

"I honestly don't care about your motivations. You did what you did, regardless of why you did it. I feel like there's some saying about this, but I can't remember what it is..."

The fire catches, and Agni stands. "Yes, well... I am finding that disappointing. I am very much interested in learning what proverbs are popular in this country."

"I'm... sorry. I'm probably not a good coach to teach you... er... talking. Right talking. Um... Proper speech."

"Ah, well. I am sure there is much more you can be teaching me, if you are pleased."

"I'll... sure. I'll try." Agni begins to walk away, as Syrene calls out. "Never look a gift horse in the mouth!"

The next morning, you are sent on a short delivery to the outskirts of town. You are happy to see the few survivors of the Hearthstone massacre settling a small homestead on the outskirts, and they are thankful for the delivery of new farming equipment. You chat with some of your old acquaintances, catching up on old tales. When someone asks about your father, you sadly deliver the news, and a murmur of sadness runs through the group.

As you turn to return to the city, a shriek rings through the air, one you've don't recognize. You turn to see a large, draconic beast flying through the sky, straight toward the town. A second dives from a could behind it, and you see a large axe arc from the pursuer, striking the leader. The beast spins to the side, and plows into the ground uncomfortably close to you, covering you in a shower of dirt.

At this close range, you can see the beast wheres a saddle. "One of... This must be one of Carcina's wyverns?" A groan from the settling dust startles you. As it clears, you see a badly wounded man.

(A) Defend this man with your life
(B) Hail the second rider and talk it out
(C) Return to Trine to rally the Holy Knights

You aren't sure why two Carcinan wyvern riders are fighting on the border, but you decide you should probably find out. You call for the villagers to go inside and hide, and ride over to the downed knight. You dismount to check his pulse, and find he's merely unconscious. Miraculously, he doesn't even have any obvious wounds; it appears his wyvern took the worst of the impact. The other wyvern circles above.

You wave at the circling wyvern, and he slowly descends, coming to a hover several feet above your head. "Hail, Valerian!" he calls down. "Your armor marks you as a Holy Knight, does it not?"

"No, I am merely a mercenary in their employ," you call back. "You've given these villagers quite the scare... Would you explain why you've attacked this man?"

It's difficult to tell with the wyvern in the way, but you believe he is saluting. "My apologies, ma'am, I did not intend for him to crash here. This dastard is a traitor and a deserter of the Carcinan army, and I have been tasked with retrieving him and bringing him to face the king's justice." Suddenly, 6 more wyverns descend from the clouds, quickly descending towards their leader. "We are technically in Valeria now, outside of our jurisdiction, but I trust you'll surrender him peacefully?" The man on the ground groans pathetically; he seems to be coming to.

(A) Hand him over
(B) Throw him on your horse and break for the forest
(C) Throw him on and make for town
(D) Throw him and make for the plains
(E) Stall

You decide to stall, sure that someone back in Trine will have noticed the 8 wyverns fighting on its outskirts and gone to assemble the Holy Knights. "Perhaps you would allow us to bring him to a healer? He's rather badly injured, and I fear he would not survive even the short flight back to Carcina."

"That wouldn't be a problem," he says. You detect a hint of a laugh in his voice. "My commander told me to drop him off in front of his tent... literally."

You're absolutely horrified at the proposition. "Listen, Sir... I don't know much about politics and laws and whatnot, but I'm fairly certain this man has the right to a trial, at least."

"With all due respect, the processes of the Carcinan army are of no concern to you. This man has already been found guilty."

You get an idea. "If he was already found guilty, how did he manage to escape your custody?"

"He... er..." The guard hesitates. "He... slit his guard's throat, and made a break for it. He's a very dangerous man. Surely you understand why you must return him? This entire town is at risk if you don't. We're doing you quite a service, really."

"If you don't mind me asking, what exactly is he guilty of?"

"I do mind you asking. I'm afraid those are confidential matters."

"What's his name?"

"Listen, girl, I tire of these questions. He is a traitor, and a deserter. Return him to us peacefully, or I will be forced to take him from you."

"That would create quite an incident, killing a Valerian mercenary. Almost as good as declaring war. Are you prepared for that?"

The man levels a lance at you. "If need be."

Well, you weren't expecting that answer, but at least you bought a little time. The man on the ground stirs and begins to stand. "Got... to warn... Valeria..." Well, that tears it.

(A) Stand and fight, using the plains for mobility
(B) Retreat toward town
(C) Retreat into the woods
(D) Screw it, hand him over

You mount your horse. "Very well," you call to the knight. You trot over to the downed rider, who's managed to regain his feet. Aside from some scrapes and cuts, he seems to be fine.

The wyvern lord calls down. "Excellent, we'll gather him and be on our way. You have my thanks."

You draw a hand axe as you approach the wounded rider. "You. What is your name?" You point your axe at him.

The rider shakes his head. "My... name? Dan. I am called Dan. Are you... a Holy Knight?"

"No, but I know where to find them. Now, I suggest you get on my horse as quick as you can." With that, you hurl your axe at the wyvern lord. He yells in surprise, and your axe catches him in the shoulder before he can evade. The other riders swoop down toward their captain, but you're already mounted with Dan holding on to your waist. You turn Marth and spur him toward town.

The riders flap after you, but the lord takes a moment to recover and break out of his hover. On the level trail, you're able to keep a slight lead on the riders, but once the lord gets up to speed, he begins closing the distance. You feel a hand reaching into your belt. "Er... Sorry," Dan says as he pulls out a hand axe. You hear him throw it with a grunt, and a wyvern screeches in anger. You don't look back to see how close the riders are, but that screech was painfully close.

You make it through the outskirts of town, and the buildings force the wyverns to maintain a higher altitude. They still throw the occasional handaxe, but Dan calls out warnings, and you manage to dodge most. The rest, Dan deftly swats away.

As you near the barracks, Rain and Haley fly up, turning to intercept the wyverns. You see Agni, Syrene, and Bud taking positions in high windows, and the others gather on the roof. Rain calls out "You are attacking a mercenary of the Holy Knights! Explain yourself immediately!"

The captain slows, stopping just out of range of your archers. "This girl harbors a fugitive of the Carcinan army! He is a traitor, and has been sentenced to death! Return him to us, immediately, or this will lead to all-war, I swear it!"

Rain hesitates, then flies down to meet you. "June, is what he says true?"

You open your mouth to reply, but Dan cuts you off. "I am a traitor, indeed. I come to warn you, Carcina plans to invade! I must speak to your commander, immediately."

The blood drains from Rain's face. She pauses for a moment to regain her composure, then returns to the sky. "Begone from this place! This man is now under the protection of the Holy Knights, and you will not have him."

"We'll burn down this whole town if we have to!" He turns and begins to fly away, his 6 riders following him.

(A) Send a team to follow the enemy wyverns and make sure they don't try anything (Choose 8)
(B) Post guards on the barracks (Choose 8)
(C) Send a team to recover Dan's wyvern, then pull back to the barracks (Choose 4 to go out and 4 guards)

Rain comes to a landing next to you. You briefly explain about the crashing wyvern, and the other riders. She turns to Dan.

"Thank you," Dan begins. "But we have precious little time. A Carcinan invasion force was being prepared, and they're probably on the way here right now, they mean to take Trine, then cut straight north to the capital. Take me to your commander, I'll give him as many details as I can. But, if I may deign to ask one favor of you, would someone please retrieve Shard? Er, my wyvern? I'd hate for him to wind up in the enemy's hands..."

"...Very well. June, since you know exactly where it crashed, will you lead a team to recover his wyvern?"

"Yes, of course, Captain. I'd like to bring... Haley, Ferris, and Bud."

Rain nods. "Very well. I'll begin organizing defenses here. Wendy, Jessup, Lane, escort our guest to Commander Doran."

You let Ferris onto your horse, and when Haley signals she is ready, you lead her towards the crash site. On the way, you consider your forces. You've seen upwards of 50 Holy Knights in the barracks at once, but several are out on missions and patrols. There are roughly 100 mercenaries and militia, many of them raw recruits and farmers fresh from the fields. If Carcina were to throw its forces at you, how well could Trine hold?

You follow the wyvern riders until you reach Dan's wounded wyvern. They continue south, ignoring you. Ferris dismounts while Haley flies overhead with Bud, watching the south. "So..." Ferris begins. "How... How are we going to get this big lizard back with us?" You realize the wyvern is easily 3 times as large as Marth, and probably weighs much, much more than you could drag. Come to think of it, you aren't sure what you'd do even if it were conscious...

The wyvern lets out a low snarl. "Er... Shard? Are you... awake...?" Suddenly, the beast's giant eyes snap open; it opens its mouth and releases an enraged snarl. "Easy, boy, easy... I'm supposed to take you to Dan." The wyvern seems to relax, but continues to make a low growl. You slowly approach, and gingerly pat it on its snout. "Can you walk, boy? Or... fly? Anything?"

To your surprise, the beast stands on its hind legs, flaring its wings, as if to test them. It flaps twice, then leaps into the air, slowly circling into a climb. "Well, I'll be damned..." you hear Ferris mutter.

You mount and begin heading back to town. Shard stays over you, flying slowly. You realize Haley is not following. "June!?" You look up to see Haley staring south. "We've got a big, big problem! Like, huge! Ju-"

Bud cuts her off. "There's a large group coming up the trail to the south!"

"Carcinans?"

"Looks like it!"

"How many?"

"Lots. They just keep coming... Gods, there must be a thousand!"

"What are they? Soldiers, cavalry, fliers?"

"Mostly soldiers, a few dozen cavalry and fliers..."

"...We need to get back to the barracks, quickly."

End of Chapter 5