Chapter 10: Dance with the Devil
You're awakened the next morning by screams. You leap from your sleeping bag, hastily throwing on your leather underarmor. You run for the newly-repaired gate, axe in hand, as others are just beginning to emerge from their tents. "Help! Come on, someone help!" You start to shove open the gate, but as you lift the bolt you realize this could be a trap. Instead, you bolt up the stairs to the ramparts. "Oh, thank gods! I was starting to think the fort was abandoned!" Did Horatio not assign a patrol?
"What is it?" you call down. A single man is standing there. He wears a sword, and not much else. His outfit is finely cut, baby-blue see-through silk, with a few areas just thick enough to keep it clean. He has a head of emerald-green hair that flows gently down to his shoulders.
"Our village was attacked by... things! I don't even know how to describe them. They looked like men, but their eyes were glowing..." Risen? Oh no... Who took care of the corpses last night? "Look, are you going to help or not? It's your job to protect us, you know!" By now, soldiers are assembling, roused by the panic. You call down and order the gate to be opened. The man runs in, and you walk down.
"Calm down. I need you to tell me as much as you can. How many? What did they look like? Were they organized?"
The man starts to answer, but then realization washes over him. "Wait a second, you're not Carcinan soldiers, you're... Did I... This is Fort Gagar, isn't it?"
Horatio appears. "It's under new management. If I heard correctly, this man's village was attacked by Risen?" The man nods. Horatio smirks. "Well, looks like the Risen don't discriminate. It's always ironic when monsters turn on their former masters."
You turn to face him, trying to hide the panic in your voice. "H- General! They're innocent villagers, we've got to help them, even if they are Carcinan..."
"Y... Yes, please!" The man stares at Horatio wildly.
A flash of anger washes over Horatio's face, but he returns to his normal, slight grin a second later. "Tsk... Do as you wish, Lady June. I authorize you to take your team, but know you won't be receiving any aid from the rest of the army. We must remain to keep the fort secure, in case this is some trap... You do realize you could be charging headfirst into a trap, yes?"
The man's face flushes red. "T-Trap!? My friends are being slaughtered as we speak! We need to hurry, this is no time for... for... Please, just help me!"
(A) Take your team and follow the man
(B) Get directions from the man and take your team, but leave him with Horatio as a hostage
(C) Screw this, I'm going back to bed
"Anyone who's afraid is free to stay. Everyone else, get ready to move out." Horatio looks concerned, but he shrugs and walks away. No one hesitates to run to grab their equipment, but you grab Walt. "Walt, you know how to prepare a horse. Can you get Marth ready? I need to speak with... our new friend here." He gives you a quick salute and runs toward the stables. You turn to your scantily-clad visitor. "Come with me, I need to get in my armor, and I have questions. First, what's your name?"
"Name? Oh, right! The name's Charon. I'm a traveling performer... I had just gotten home to Yuna after touring along the Valerian border when the village was attacked." You trade questions and answers with him as you slip into your plate mail.
The enemy force consists of just short of five dozen enemies. The majority are soldiers/halberdiers and fighters/warriors, with nearly two dozen cavaliers, paladins, and great knights. From the description you get from him, you surmise they are indeed Risen, and they sound very similar to the force that was guarding the fort.
The town itself sounds surprisingly large. There's a large number of farms along the outskirts, and the town itself contains several merchants, serving as a trading post between Valeria and Carcina. He continues telling you about the town as you saddle up and form the others into a formation. The town is only 20 minutes away with a brisk march, and you set out.
Charon tells you that when he left, some of the roughly two hundred villagers had taken up arms and started fighting, but most had taken shelter in the church and the town inn. A Grimleal church? This could complicate things... You need to decide how best to deploy your forces.
New Character!
Charon
Class: Dancer
Weapons: Sword
Skills: Rally Heart, Bond, Beau (Avoid/Crit +10 to nearby females)
HP: ****
Str: ***
Mag: **
Skill: ******
Speed: ******
Def: *****
Res: ****
Luck: ********
Items: Steel sword, vulnerary
(A) Make for the inn
(B) Prioritize defending the church
(C) Split up (choose who goes where, and who leads the second team)
(D) Tactician: Try to draw the enemies out of the city
As the outskirts of Yuna come into view, it is clear everything is not well. The fields are trampled, and several fires burn in the distance. Far in the distance, you see a wyvern flying over the town; it turns and disappears into the distance before you can get a better look. You decide the first priority is to minimize the damage to the town, and fighting in the middle of it won't exactly help with that...
"We need to draw them out of town. Form defensive ranks! Bud, Wendy, Rain, Ferris! We're going to strike into the town and try to lure them out this way." Charon looks like he wants to say something, but he bites his lip and nods. Ferris leaps onto Marth's back, and you realize how familiar it's starting to feel for him to be back there.
Haley looks hurt. "Um... June, I'd like to join you, if that's alright..." You certainly don't see a reason not to let her, so you give her a nod. She pumps her fists and squeals in excitement.
Once you're satisfied with your troops formation, you leave Holland in charge and lead your assault team through the fields to the town. As you clear the outlying buildings, you see Risen clustered around two main places. The inn and the church, you surmise. Soldiers pound on the church's doors, but they seem to be holding against the assault, for now. At the inn, a small group of villagers with a pair of knights are fending off Risen just outside the door. Looks like some Carcinan knights were visiting the town. As Charon said, there are a large number of soldiers, fighters, and cavaliers, though also a small force of mages and a few entombed. Villagers...
You signal Rain and Wendy to attack the group at the Inn. Haley follows you as you plow through the group of soldiers. You manage to slay three between you. After you clear them, you wheel around and charge again. You almost make it through, when you feel a hard clang against your helmet. Fortunately, the handaxe didn't penetrate your armor, but it still knocked you off balance. You can feel yourself slipping, and Ferris trying to grab you, but you can't control yourself. You land on the ground and roll to a stop.
A few Risen run after Haley and Marth, as Ferris tries to get him to turn around. You notice almost all of the Risen cavalry and entombed are leaving the inn to follow Rain, though a pair of paladins remain; they seem to be standing guard to keep the villagers from leaving. As you force yourself to your feet, reaching for your trusty hatchet, you see a force of twenty Risen moving to surround you. Well, at least they stopped attacking the church...
The church is closest, and only a few Risen currently stand in your way, but you don't know if they can - or will - open their doors. The knights at the inn seem like they want to help, hesitantly moving toward you, but pulling back when one of the paladins notices them. Several Risen are already blocking you from the inn, and it's quite a bit further away.
(A) Try to run to your allies
(B) The church is closest
(C) The inn seems safest
(D) Put your back to the nearest wall and try to fight it out
You start backing up, not willing to let the Risen surround you. You glance over your shoulder and see a store behind you. If you can just get it at your back, you'll at least have one less thing to worry about.
"June!" Haley calls. You look and see her bringing Fare about. A Risen warrior reaches for a bow, and quickly fires an arrow at her. She dodges it easily and keeps flying toward you. You count three warriors among the enemy.
(A) Tell her to leave you and head back with the others
(B) Tell her to dismount and fight beside you (dismounted falcoknights use sword and stave, lose 1 speed, strength, resistance, and defense, but no longer suffer penalties against wind/bow)
(C) Tell her to risk it and fight mounted
(D) Tell her to try to pick you up
(E) Tell her to wait until you take out the warriors, then join you
(F) Tell her to wait until you take out the warriors, then pick you up
You hurl a handaxe at the warrior who shot at Haley. It hits the unaware warrior in the shoulder, and you quickly throw another; the Risen falls to the ground and begins to fade. "Wait for me to clear these archers, Haley!" You target the next warrior, though the other Risen are beginning to tighten in around you. This one sees your throw coming, but still reacts too slowly to dodge, and a second axe catches it in the head. The Risen are now right beside you, but you manage to take a quick throw for the final warrior.
Your axe goes wide, and a Risen swings at you. The attack barely grazes your armor. You throw again, but the Risen ducks. A nearby fighter takes a swing, and his axe bites into your flank. The pain causes your third throw to go far wide, and an entombed latches onto you, biting at your shoulder. You can feel it piercing your armor, tearing into your flesh. Haley had been hesitantly hovering, but now she dives to help you. The warrior was ready for her, and draws his bow. With a roar, you throw the entombed to one side. "I won't let you!" you yell, hurling an axe as hard as you can. The warrior sees it at the last second, but the axe strikes true, the force of the blow knocking it off its feet.
Haley hovers over you, reaching for her staff. As she raises it, you feel a familiar warmth, and you can feel the blood flow staunching. A sage hurls a fireball at her, but she doesn't even react. She floats down and takes a place beside you. "All right, Juney, let's show these guys what a pretty pair of Holy Knights can do!" You feel emboldened by her presence, and shout an agreement as you dive into the fray.
You manage to take down a few Risen, but you lose track by the fourth. Haley tries to keep your pace, but she's forced onto the defensive. Just when you contemplate a retreat, a screech draws your attention; the Risen stop their attack for a moment and look as well. A half-dozen wyverns dive in from the south, and start cutting their way through the throng of Risen.
(A) Attack indiscriminately
(B) Focus on the Risen, don't attack the Carcinan wyverns unless attacked
(C) Focus on the wyverns
(D) Retreat, this may be your only chance to
You take advantage of the Carcinan reinforcements and hope for a shaky alliance. As you catch the Risen between you, several villagers and a few more knights come out of the inn to help. Haley keeps to the rear, patching up the wounded. As the last Risen falls, you find yourself face-to-face with a Carcinan wyvern lord. He points his lance at you, but you lower your axe. He hesitates for a moment, then spits at the ground. "Get out of here, Valerian, before I change my mind. Don't think saving this village changes anything - it's your fault that it was attacked in the first place."
"Are you sure you don't want us to stick around? We have healers-"
"We'll take care of it. Now, go." You decide not to press the issue, and mount up alongside Haley.
"Well, he was certainly in a foul mood," Haley begins as you take off. "I mean, he could have at least said thanks. And what did he mean it was our fault? We didn't tell the Risen to attack anyone!"
"Haley... Those were the soldiers we killed attacking Fort Gagar."
Before Haley can respond, Rain, Dan, and Wendy come rushing to your side. They escort you back to the ground. The first thing you notice is Charon lying on the ground, covered in blood. Several people try to run to you, but you push your way through to Charon's side. "Don't worry," Jessup tells you. "He's pretty badly hurt, but he'll be fine after he rests for a bit."
Rain steps up behind you. "He fought marvelously. He isn't great with that sword, but he's... oddly charismatic. Just being around him makes me want to fight harder. Anyway, what do you think we should we do with him?"
"Well, we can't leave him here, and I don't think we can bring him back to town... I guess we'll take him back with us."
Charon is exhausted!
After returning to Gagar, you leave Charon in Jessup's care, and head to report in to Horatio. You see a knight clad in blood red armor exiting the building Horatio decided to make his headquarters; he doesn't stop to speak with you, but jumps onto a large warhorse and rides out of the gate.
As you enter Horatio's office, you find him smiling even more than usual. "Ah, June. Good to see you. I can only assume everything went well, then?"
"Yes, General. A few injuries, but we'll be ready to march when the army moves tomorrow."
"Actually, we'll be marching tonight instead. You saw the knight who left just now, yes? Meridia has agreed to form an alliance with us to oust King Paen, and we need to hook up with their army immediately."
"Meridia?"
"Ah... I can't say I'm surprised you've never heard of it. They're a small country, and very new. They were originally a part of western Carcina, but they declared independence just two years ago. There was a short dispute, but the secession was settled largely without blood... Well, they're willing to aid us if we agree to recognize their independence. They don't have enough size to provide many troops, but they will be able to provide a large amount of the supplies we so desperately need."
"That's excellent news, General, but..."
(A) "About the Risen that were attacking the town..."
(B) "About last night's patrols..."
(C) "Are you sure we can trust them?"
(D) Other question
(E) No questions
"That's excellent news, General, but about last nights patrols..."
Horatio sighs and shakes his head. "I know. If that dancer was able to get up to our gates, who knows what a trained enemy operative could have done... Well, I looked into it. One of the guards dozed off on his post. He's been put on kitchen duty indefinitely. I've made it very clear that this is unacceptable."
"I see. That's good to hear, General. But... About the Risen in that village. I'm almost certain they were the same troops we killed last night. How did they... I mean, surely we disposed of them before they could turn?"
Horatio frowns. "To be honest, I wasn't expecting them to turn. Carcinans on Carcinan soil? Perhaps they don't have as much control of those beasts as we thought."
"And we're sure they're controlling them?"
"...Perhaps they aren't controlling them, I will admit. But they are definitely the ones creating them. It was Grima's power that created them in the war all those centuries ago; who else but the nation of Grimleal could be creating them now? Besides, don't you think it's a bit too convenient - the Risen start attack Valerian villages right before Carcina invades? And I don't buy for a second that the king wouldn't know anything about it."
"I... see. Thank you, General."
"Dismissed, Lady June. I expect your team patched up, resupplied, and ready to march by nightfall." You give him a salute, and turn to walk out. "Oh, before I forget. Here." He tosses you an elixer.
June received elixer!
Pick 8 supports
June/Haley A
Rain/Holland A
June/Syrene C
June/Agni C
June/Jayce C
June/Holland C
June/Fumiko C
Rain/Agni C
Bud/Taika C
Bud/Vine C
Bud/Syrene B
Haley/Alyssa B
Haley/Ferris B
Haley/John C
Haley/Walt C
Haley/Holland C
Wendy/Dan C
Wendy/Jayce C
Wendy/Vine C
Ferris/Walt C
Ferris/Alyssa B
Alyssa/Jessup A
Alyssa/Syrene B
Alyssa/Walt C
Alyssa/Holland C
Jessup/Agni C
Syrene/Agni B
Syrene/Charon C
Agni/Dan C
Agni/Jayce C
Agni/Taika C
Walt/Jayce B
Walt/Holland C
Holland/Vine C
John/Taika C
John/Mary C
Taika/Charon C
Mary/Vine B
Mary/Charon C
Wendy pulls Dan aside while he packs his gear. "Sir Dan. Are you sure you can go through with this?"
"What do you mean?"
"You're fighting against your own country. Against your brothers-in-arms."
"It leaves a foul taste in my mouth, yes, but if it ends the war faster, then so be it. The sooner we bring them to their senses, the sooner we can begin rebuilding."
"But, what about all the people we kill? You can't rebuild them, can't heal their families..."
"Enough. This is already difficult, and you aren't helping."
"I apologize. It wasn't my intention to... Look, if you ever need someone to talk to, or you want to go out for a flight, let me know."
Agni stands next to the newly repaired gate, a look of contemplation on his face. Syrene notices and walks over. "Oh... Agni? What are you... er, doing?"
"Oh. Good mornings, Syrene. I am currently thinking about this door. No, not door, the other word..."
"Um... Gate?"
"Yes, this gate. We smashed it coming in, but we were so quickly rebuilding it. Without this gate, this fortress is completely not defendable, yes?"
"Well... It still makes a... narrow... um... choke point, that's it. So it's easier to defend, I suppose, but not... really as good?"
"Yes, exactly. When it is lacking its gate, can one still be calling a fort a fort?"
"Well... What else would you call it?"
Agni shrugs. "I am not so good with your language. If you can't be telling me, I certainly have no ideas. But anyway, I am thinking, what makes a fort a fort. A gate? Its defenders? Its wall?"
"I... guess it's not much of a fort if it's missing any of that."
"Exactly! The fort is being defined by the sum of its parts, and without them it is no longer in the state of 'fort.' And this is getting me thinking, what else is there that can only be defined when it is all together?"
"Er... I'm not sure I follow you..."
"There are things that are not things if the things that make them up are missing." Agni thinks for a minute. "If... Ah! If you are taking the beef out of stew, it is becoming soup, yes? A tiny distinction, a slight change, and it is no longer being what it was before. Are you following now?"
"I... think so. But I've never been good with all this... phy... philoc... philosophy! Philosophy things. Not my specialty. Though I suppose that's rather interesting to think about. Oh... Oh! Speaking of stew, I need to go help with lunch. I'll talk with you more later, Agni."
"Farewell, Syrene."
A loud, booming voice calls out over the rest in the mess hall. "Rain! Where are ya, girly?"
"I'm here, Holland," a voice right behind him says calmly. "Need something?"
"I hear you were training last night, and didn't invite me!"
"Oh, we were doing flight drills. You wouldn't be too much use with those. Unless you've learned to use those ridiculous sideburns as wings?"
"'Ridiculous!?' Foe-fum, Captain! You insult my very soul! I challenge you to a duel on the field of honor!"
"Very well, I accept your challenge. Lances at high noon?" Rain answers with a smile.
"Bah, I never have been able to best you with a lance... Use what you like, I'll be using my axe!"
Rain chuckles. "All right, old friend. But let's make this a bit more interesting, hm? Loser buys the winner something nice."
"Oh-ho... There's the Rain I remember! We haven't had any fun together in quite a while. I can scarcely wait...!"
Mary blatantly walks into Charon's tent. "So, I've been meaning to ask... What's with the ridiculous outfit?"
Charon jumps in surprise, then yells in pain. "Ah... Don't you know how to knock?"
"How does one knock on a tent?"
"...Fair enough, but at least announce yourself before entering, miss...?"
"Oh." Mary steps back out, and in a deep, exaggerated voice, "I now present Mary, future guardian of Sefa Forest!" She returns to the tent. "Better?"
"Ha! That's much better. Perhaps you'd like to announce for me at my next show?"
"You still haven't answered my question. What's with the outfit?"
"I'm a traveling dancer. Have you never seen a performance?"
"No, I don't think so. Unless you've performed in the forest before."
"I can't say that I have, but mayhap I should be the first dancer to put on a show for the forest animals."
"I doubt they'd much appreciate it."
"You don't understand humor, do you?"
"You still haven't answered my question. Why do you dress so... scantily?"
"Well, it helps my mobility, which a dancer needs, and the fabric breathes well. But more than that, you're supposed to... I don't know, feel the dancer's outfit." Mary reaches out and grabs his outfit. "Not... Not literally. In your heart."
"So, it helps you attract the audience's attention, hm... Interesting. And it does feel quite comfortable. Perhaps I should try an outfit like that..."
"Well, I'd be happy to lend you some of my spare outfits, if you really want. I'm sure plenty of people around the camp would be... inspired if you were to wear one."
"If you can convince me that it actually helps form emotional connections, I'll consider it."
"Haley? Is something wrong?" Alyssa cautiously enters the barn, half-expecting Ferris to be waiting behind the door with a sword. "I didn't see you at lunch."
"Oh! Alyssa. I didn't go to lunch. Had to take care of Fare, you know." Fare snorts, annoyed someone has come to interrupt his post-battle brushing.
Alyssa puts her hands on her hips. "Don't give me that, Haley. I can tell you're upset. So, are you going to spill the beans, or am I going to have to weasel it out of you?"
Haley giggles. "Alright, you got me. I've never been very good at keeping secrets. I've just got a little bit of a crush, is all. And I'm worried, because things could get a bit awkward."
"If you're scared about messing up the team dynamic, I wouldn't worry too much. I've noticed several blossoming romances, and no one seems to mind." Alyssa smiles a wicked grin.
"Well, that's part of it, but... Well, Ferris..."
"Ferris!? I see... So, June's the problem. Well, the way I see it, you should go for it anyway! Don't think about it, just do it! What's the worst that could happen, right?"
"You're right! I'm going to go tell June how I feel right now!" She throws her brush to the ground and charges out of the barn. Fare starts to follow her, but realizes he won't be able to catch her. He snorts again, then stares accusingly at Alyssa.
"Easy, buddy. I'll brush you. How hard can this be, right?" She picks up the brush and starts going at it. "...Wait, tell June...? Why not just go straight to Ferris...?"
June and Fumiko sit on the grass, clinging to what little shade the fort wall still provides in the noon sunlight. They elected to take their lunch out into the fresh air, rather than sit in the crowded room. "Oh, my. I'd almost forgotten what beorc fare tastes like," Fumiko begins. "It's rather... dull." She bites into her hard biscuit with a grimace.
You can't help but laugh a bit. "Well, we normally eat a bit better than this, but an army marches on its stomach, so we have to be conservative with our food."
"If it marches on the stomach, all the more reason to provide the best food you can." She reaches into a pouch on her belt. She sprinkles a bit of dust into her bowl of stew. You eye her curiously. "Oh, would you like some? It's a special blend of herbs and mushrooms from the forest." Mushrooms... When she notices your hesitant expression, she giggles and tosses a bit into your bowl. "Don't worry, a different kind of mushroom."
You take a bite. The flavor is somehow... different. Not substantially better, but the dust seems to bring out the natural flavors of each ingredient, especially the beef. "My... That's quite amazing. You must be quite an expert chef."
Fumiko grins at the compliment, and you see a slight movement under her skirt that you think might be her tail wagging. "Why, thank you. But I'd hardly say I'm an expert. I've just got plenty of experience cooking for my family; it's a bit of a habit of mine."
"Well, if you enjoy cooking, I can see about getting you a few shifts on kitchen duty."
You notice Fumiko's ears perk up, even under the kerchief. "Oh, I'd quite like that! Are you sure it's not any trouble, dear?"
"Oh, none at... Um..."
Haley marches up to June, hesitantly, with a mixed expression on her face. "J-J-June... I... um... wanted to..."
You rise to greet her. "Ah, Haley. I wanted to talk to you, too. I mean, about earlier. You didn't have to come back for me, but... I mean, I was in trouble. If you hadn't..."
"Oh, June. Of course! I couldn't just leave an ally behind, especially one I care about... Erk! I mean, um..." Before you can react, she grabs you and pulls you into a tight hug. "June, I... um..."
You hesitate, then return her embrace. She flinches, then draws you in closer, resting her head in the crook of your neck. A few strands of her fiery hair fly into your face. You stand there for several increasingly awkward seconds. "Um... Haley?"
"Oh! Sorry, June. I didn't mean to hug you that hard. Or long. And my hair must have been in your face. What was... Oh, right! I came out here to talk to you about something. June, I-"
"Hey, June. Haley, Fumiko." Ferris casually walks up. Haley turns to face him.
"Ferris..." she mutters. You notice uncharacteristic venom in her voice.
Ferris notices it, too. "Er... Am I interrupting something?"
"No..." Haley seems to have a sudden inspiration. "In fact, this is perfect timing. I was hoping to find you later. Spar with me!"
"Right now? I was kind of here to talk to June about someth-"
"Yes, right now! Defend yourself!" She draws her sword. Ferris' shocked expression is quickly replaced with a grin.
"Very well, then!"
As the two trade blows, you notice an unusual intensity in this battle. You can't quite put your finger on it, but you feel this battle has some deeper meaning. Fumiko giggles knowingly beside you.
In the distance, Holland raises his axe, and Rain draws her sword. The fort is soon echoing with the sounds of combat.
End of Chapter 10
Aside: Haley won with 3HP and a lucky crit. Holland never stood a chance.