Chapter 4: The Fiery Kingdom of Might, Brodia
"So this is Brodia, Geina?" Siege asked.
"Yeah. We're almost there. Just have to make it to the Grand Crossing a- SIEGE! DIVINE ONE! WATCH OUT!" Geina exclaimed as Siege and Alear looked, watching as an arrow flew right at them, before Geina stood between them, slashing the arrow away before she pointed it at their group of attackers, one of them being an individual with blue hair in royal dark blue clothing with white trim, a pink haired swordswoman wearing red royal clothes, and a blonde haired woman wearing a dark green dress.
"Prince Alcryst! What is the meaning of firing on the Divine Dragon and the Radiant Saviour!?" Geina spat at the blue haired man.
"Ambassador!?" Alcryst exclaimed, before looking at Alear and Siege. "I…"
Alcryst then screwed his face tightly, before he then rushed towards Alear and Siege, before leaping into the air, before them landing a dogeza pose. "I am so, so sorry!" Alcryst apologised, as his rough voice became far more soft and whimpering than before. "I threatened the Divine Dragon and the Radiant Saviour! I'm begging, please find it in your hearts to forgive me~!"
"It's alright, none of us were hurt." Alear remarked, before turning to Geina. "This is your Prince, Geina?"
"Indeed. He is someone… quite interesting, to put up such a tough appearance, when he has a fairly submissive heart inside of him." Geina explained. "Rest assured, he earned his title fair and square."
"That's Prince Alcryst! Ah, I see now." Alfred remarked. "I'm sorry that we may have startled you with our arrival. How's it going, fellow Prince?"
"Even worse than usual. I'm sorry for not responding back like I should have." Alcryst stated. "And with me are my retainers, Lapis and Citrinne."
"Honored to meet you and your coterie." Citrinne stated, being the blonde-haired mage, before noticing Mokou and Hitomi. "And welcome back, our ambassador and her retainers."
"Welcome to Brodia, I guess." Lapis remarked, being the pink haired swordswoman.
"Could you at least explain for this hostility?" Vander asked Alcryst.
"We're far too tense. You see, my father, King Morion, received word from Queen Eve that your party was on its way. He ordered us to meet you at the border and formally welcome you to the kingdom . We've been waiting for a long time, and all we encountered were bizarre creatures, or bandits, the latter that we sent Nihilister forward to deal with."
"Remember those bandits that set up near our border?" Nihilister asked. "If I hadn't met you all before the battle with the bandits concluded, I would have also considered you all as such. But rest assured, Prince Alcryst, they are far much nobler and dignified than bandits ever thought of being. Still, it's slightly disappointing you all couldn't even dodge that arrow, and needed our ambassador to deflect it for you."
"What does that have to do with- …Ohh, right. Brodia's the kingdom of might. And might is what you all stand for." Siege remarked.
"Bingo. No showing of might, little to no respect. You're lucky you have us already on your side to vouch for your strength." Hitomi remarked.
"I figured…" Alfred sighed deeply.
"Please don't take those words too strongly." Alcryst stated. "Even without that, you have nothing to prove. I am well aware of your battle prowess already from other accounts. I'm so sorry regardless. And I'm sorry that it's me greeting you, instead of someone better."
"You're a prince, for Divine One's sake!" Mokou shouted. "It can't get much better than that!"
"Indeed, I'm grateful that a prince like you is the one to receive us personally, misunderstanding aside." Alear assured Alcryst.
"Really? You're grateful to see… me?" Alcryst asked with surprise.
"Of course!" Siege said with a smile. "It's not everyday a prince themselves comes and greets visitors personally. We're honored to be in your presence."
"How polite of you to say so." Alcryst remarked. "Both of you are charming as well as divine, I see… Could you-"
"Let's not." Hitomi firmly stated, as there was some actual concern in her voice.
"You need to stop being so hard on yourself, Alcryst. Would King Morion be pleased with that?" Geina asked in concern. "Now, please, if the tensions have lifted, let's get to the Grand Crossing."
"Of course, of course." Alcryst answered back. "Come with me. I'll show you the way to the castle through the Grand Crossing that Geina mentioned."
As they walked, Siege's eyes suddenly glinted towards figures walking along one of the high cliff sides of the border, as he stopped, somehow feeling the both of them as familiar auras.
"Father? What's wrong?" Mirai asked as she noticed Siege had stopped, causing everyone else to do the same.
"...I see… figures… on the high cliff to the left here… and… they… they feel so… familiar to me." Siege remarked, as if grasping for a memory of who they were.
Meanwhile, on said cliff…
"Uuuugh… we've been walking for houuurs…" Quency groaned. "Can't we take a minute for a break?"
"We can have a break when we find a proper place to rest in Brodia." Richard answered back. "After all, the news says that we'll find Siege and the others at Brodia."
"Ohh… alright, I guess-" Quency was about to finish when she looked down in the canyon and nearly fell down into it upon who she saw. "Richard! Richard! Richard! Look down in the canyon! I see him! Siege is down there!"
Richard immediately caught Quency, before pulling her back, as he saw Siege and his group, before seeing that Siege was here, as his expression lit up.
"Well, I'll be… We're quite ahead of our schedule." Richard remarked with triumph in his voice. "As much as I would like to hop down and meet him, just meeting him all the sudden would cause the wrong impression. We can wait a little longer."
Back on the ground, Siege lingered only a little longer before he started walking again, as Quency saw them heading for the Grand Crossing.
"They're heading for the Grand Crossing, but there's a bunch of Elusian soldiers on the bridge… I think we better rendezvous with them before that battle starts." Quency suggested.
"I have a better idea." Richard remarked back. "Since the enemy is in a formation, it would be a better idea to sneak an ambush into their formation, and help relieve the pressure on them. Introductions can wait then, and so can shoving Siege's memories back into his noggin. Besides, sneaking in and out is your forte. I know you got an idea."
"Yeah… the best idea I got is for us to get inside the Castle Grounds before the battle starts and start taking down Elusian soldiers from behind." Quency remarked.
"We'll go with that." Richard stated. "Come on, it won't be long before the battle truly starts."
Back with the others…
The group approached the Grand Crossing as Geina's eyes suddenly squinted.
"That's… odd. There's quite the number of soldiers out today." Geina remarked.
"Wait a moment, those aren't our own! Those are Elusian soldiers!" Alcryst exclaimed. "They occupied the Great Crossing!"
"Damnit, he's right!" Nihilister exclaimed. "Divine One, Radiant Saviour, please, we need your aid, we must break through to the Castle!"
"You shall have it! We will break through!" Alear exclaimed.
As the group began to form up at their end of the Great Crossing, the leader of the Elusian detachment made themselves known, as it seemed to be a princess that had pink and white hair that was tied into large rings above her head, with a red heart mark under her right eye, and a fairly flamboyant blue and dark purple striped dress, with large fluffy wool balls of pink and white under her skirt, as her retainers took to her side, one being a extremely effeminate young man with long blue-to-white gradient-hued hair, with ribbons tied in it, blue eyes, a black woolen coat over his armor, and a purple kilt with pink knee-straps, wielding an axe, while the other retainers was a woman with light brown hair and yellow eyes, dressed in a black cuirass with white on the breast area and a yellow skirt wielding a sword.
"Well aren't you just a cute little gumdrop." Siege spoke to the young leader of the army. "It would be a shame, really, if I had to harm you. Why don't you run home with your little cute triage?" Siege quipped.
"How dare you!" The princess burst. "I've been waiting for you long enough! And the first words out of your mouth is called me a 'cute little gumdrop'!"
"I'd watch your tongue. You're speaking to me, the Radiant Saviour." Siege spoke with a growl.
"And I am the second princess of Elusia, Hortensia!" Hortensia shouted back. "So you're the Radiant Saviour, and that girl behind you is the Divine Dragon Alear? And I assume that you have-"
"Oh pardon me, princess!" Siege pulled the classic line from Zelda CD as he shook his head. "But yeah, you're right. On all accounts. The rings too. But you're not getting them. So one chance: Surrender now and I'll let you live."
"Haven't you used that enough…?" Geina asked.
"What? It's my one intimidating phrase!" Siege quipped back.
"Great, and here I thought nabbing the rings would be the easy job. Lucky big sis, getting to attack the castle instead…" Hortensia muttered under her breath.
"What!?" Mirai exclaimed, having heard the last part of that sentence.
"Oh, you heard that?" Hortensia remarked.
"Yeah. Loud and clear. Now we have even more reason to break you down!" Mirai exclaimed.
"Fine! I'm going to make my father proud! All Elusian soldiers, forward march! Get me those rings, and teach that 'Radiant Saviour' a lesson on respecting royalty!"
As the map pulled up, the entire map shifted from the usual map, as it shifted towards the middle of the bridge, as occupying the spaces Hortensia used to be at, in front of the gate, came Quency and Richard.
"Phew! We got here just in time! The battle's just starting!" Quency exclaimed. "...Wait a second… Richard, do you see what I see?"
Quency noticed Hortensia not only had a regular Emblem Ring, but also an Otherworld Emblem Ring.
"A Dark Emblem on her hand… and a Otherworld Emblem on her personage…" Richard remarked. "It seems that she's a two-for-one deal, ain't she, Quency?"
"I think this girl's got one ring too many, Richard~" Quency smirked. "Leave it to me to retrieve it. I think you better give Siege his memories back mid battle, this formation looks ROUGH!"
"Leave the rendezvous to me." Richard told Quency. "You just make sure that you filch that ring from Hortensia… and stay in one piece long enough for the others to thin the horde!"
Victory: Defeat Hortensia
Special Victory: Survive 1 turn after Siege and Richard Talk
Defeat: Siege, Alear, or Richard fall in battle
PLAYER PHASE
"Dammit this formation is well built! It's gonna take us a long time to break it! Stupid Armor knights!" Hitomi cursed.
"I got this handled. My weapon's powerful enough to drive them back." Lapis answered back. "After all, no-one can avoid getting pushed back by the blade in my hand."
"No, allow me to go to the front. My magic can easily take down these pesky armored foes." Citrinne remarked.
"And the fliers can be handled by me! Let's go!" Alcryst exclaimed.
"Wait! Prince Alcryst! Citrinne! I'm supposed to take the point in front of you!" Lapis exclaimed, as she sighed. "Ohh… you two…"
"Looks like it's starting." The feminine male retainer of Hortensia remarked, riding a wyvern. "To your positions, everyone."
"Oh, the Divine Dragon is…" The female retainer of Hortensia remarked.
"Absolutely not as cute as we are, Goldmary?" Hortensia's male retainer asked.
"Right, Rosado… Exactly." Goldmary sighed.
"That's the spirit! Outshine your opponents before you defeat them!" Rosado smiled.
The turn began quite standard, the group moved ahead as a cohesive unit, and quickly dispatched a good number of Units on the opposing side.
ENEMY PHASE
The Elusian army began to advance right upon the allied army, as they began to do some damage, as several attacks were dodged, before Chloe, Louis, and Vander would find themselves hit, as Chloe was slightly wounded from the attack, while Louis defended against the spear of an enemy spearman, while Vander blocked the lance of a knight.
ALLY PHASE
"Alright… let's see just how well I can get this done…" Quency remarked as she prepared to move for the Otherworld Emblem Ring, which was a golden ornate ring with a purple curved triangle-shaped gem, wedged into a intersecting three-ring formation, on the top of it.
Quency Personal: In and Out: When this unit steals an item, unit can move again equal to her move value +2, activates only once per turn
At the same time, Richard began to advance forward slowly, to keep surprise on his side, before he then began to target Rosado himself.
Quency quickly snatched the ring off Hortensia before tossing it. "Here, Richard!" Quency remarked, as Richard would catch the ring with his own hand.
"...The Ring of Triumph!" Richard remarked, before he then slid it on. "...If I can clearly recall the incantation phrase… Guide us, Emblem of Triumph!"
"Huh!? Wha-!?" Hortensia exclaimed as the entire force turned around, seeing Richard activate the Ring, as a horseback mage with blonde hair and dark royal clothing materialized at his side.
"I am Emblem Leo." Leo introduced himself. "It seems that you are in need of my power at this trying time. Very well, I can sense the potential within you, as well as your desire to seek victory for the sake of your ideals. I shall lend you my strength and wisdom."
"Much appreciated." Richard stated, before he then pulled out a familiar dark tome in his hand. "Gotta make a good first impression, after all!"
"Did everyone else see that!?" Yunaka exclaimed on the side of Siege's group.
"Yeah, he just activated an Otherworld Emblem! We have 3 of them now!" Siege smiled.
"How did you two sneak around our forces!?" Hortensia remarked in outrage.
"Hah, sneaking is my thing~!" Quency remarked with a cutesy wink and stuck her tongue out.
"Darn you for trying to beat us in cuteness!" Rosado yelledt Quency, before noticing that Richard was nearby. "Huh, you seem to be someone… fairly odd. I have to admit, you look fairly cute in that attire. But you might want to return that ring you took from the princess."
"Sorry, no can do." Richard answered back. "Besides, I would be happier if you just let me through… since I really don't want to end up making that cute body of yours hit the ground hard and getting nasty bruises… but I doubt that you'd let me through. So unfortunately, to end this quickly, I have to use some measures… Ginnungagap!"
Rosado barely had the time to react, before Richard created a massive singularity of light right in front of Rosado, before it then exploded into a shower of light rays that knocked Rosado off his mount, as he barely managed to get the strength to retreat away.
"I'm sorry, Hortensia. I have to retreat…" Rosado apologized, before he then quickly moved around the Great Crossing, finding the nearest point to retreat to, without running into the main force, or Quency herself.
As for Richard, he felt his hands tingle from unleashing such a powerful spell, although he felt that it was a temporary setback.
"Hoo, that was a hard hit there." Richard answered back, before noticing the distance he was from the main group. "Just a little longer…"
PLAYER PHASE
"Alright, this is just becoming more and more terrible at each passing moment!" Hortensia growled. "So I'm going to have to go forward and take care of this myself, with a friend to join in the fun!"
Hortensia then swiped her hand out, summoning Emblem Lucina, although she seemed to have red hair and eyes, and the red aura surrounding her, unlike the calm blue that normal Emblems do, as there was not a single word leaving her mouth.
"That's an Emblem!" Alear exclaimed. "But how? How is she here without my summoning here?"
"What? You thought that the Emblems were just a 'you' thing? Not by a long shot." Hortensia scoffed. "It's a pretty cool trick, huh? I'm so glad I'm able to use it. And it's all thanks to Lord Sombron powering up this ring. And even without that Otherworld Emblem Ring, the Ring of the Princess Exalt should help even the odds for me and my army!"
"Tch. Of course." Siege growled.
"That's one of the rings my mother was protecting!" Alear exclaimed, as she became angry. "Return it to me!"
"Yeah, not gonna happen." Hortensia stated. "But I'll gladly give you one good, long look, when I use it to thrash the rest of you into the ground for that sneak attack!"
"You must take caution, Divine One." Emblem Celica popped up to warn Alear. "The Emblem from that ring is no mere foe. She can rally her nearest allies to assist her in attacking the same foe. Should there be enough people… it would be a death sentence to the one targeted by such an manuever."
"This spoiled brat needs to be taught a lesson!" Hitomi growled.
"Agreed. We reduce her numbers, and she won't be so threatening!" Mokou yelled.
The allied army began to march onwards, as the group managed to land several powerful blows, as Alcryst managed to get in range for one of the knights ahead of Hortensia.
"I hope this is enough!" Alcryst stated, before he then back-flipped, nocking a arrow to his bow, and then shooting a penetrating arrow right through the head of the knight, as he fell down defeated. "I can't believe I did that…"
"That's just how strong you really can be, Alcryst! Nice shot!" Geina complimented.
"Thank you!" Alcryst answered, genuinely happy with the compliment he got.
ENEMY PHASE
Goldmary decided to make the charge forward, as she targeted Alear for her attack.
"Up close, you're only half as captivating as I thought, Divine Dragon." Goldmary sighed.
"That's what you care about? Here, in battle?" Alear asked with an incredulous tone. "Let's just settle this."
The two of them exchanged blows, as Goldmary was at the brink of defeat, while Alear managed to avoid getting hit by her large blade.
Hortensia then decided to go for Siege, as she began to gather power into her Emblem Ring.
"You got a lot of nerve picking on me! Don't you look down on me just because I'm a second princess!" Hortensia declared. "I got a lot more kick than you'll be able to handle."
"Oh, you're approaching me? Hah, if that's the case then I'll stand here and let you hit me! Bring it!" Siege yelled.
And so, as Lucina called in allies, Siege tanked their blows easily, and as Hortensia herself attacked, he parried her blade easily.
"Not so tough now, huh!?" Siege taunted.
"Urg… This isn't over yet!" Hortensia exclaimed.
The remaining soldiers of Hortensia's force decided to withhold attacking the enemy, instead moving back out of the attack range.
ALLY PHASE
Quency immediately began to rush forward, before she went for a back-attack right on Hortensia, as the surprise attack managed to hit her hard.
"Gotcha!" Quency remarked with a smirk.
"No fair, I lost…?" Hortensia remarked. "Ugh, this is so frustrating!"
Richard then rushed forward, before finishing off Goldmary with a distant Brynhildr spell, which actually connected, as the rising tree knocked her flying across the bridge, before she then landed down, skidding across the bridge.
"You're horrible. That's it…" Goldmary remarked.
Richard found himself right before Siege, which prompted Richard to grab Siege's shoulders.
"Siege, I've been looking for you! I've finally made it to you at last!" Richard exclaimed, as he kept his joy at a minimum to avoid weirding Siege out too much.
"...Why… why do I feel… so many different emotions towards you? I know you… I can't bring up your name and yet… I… feel so conflicted at seeing you…" Siege remarked.
"I know that things aren't clear for now. But after the battle, after I have fulfil my purpose, everything about how you feel to me, and to those beside you… it will become clear as crystal to you." Richard answered back. "For now, let your allies finish the fight for you. You will need time to process this, after all."
PLAYER PHASE
Alcryst managed to take down another knight with the help of Citrenne using a spell to soften them up, as the arrow finished them off, while the other allies began to use their ranged options to weaken the remaining enemies, while Chloe and Vander finished them up, ending the battle with little fanfare.
STAGE CLEAR
MVP: Alcryst
"This isn't working…" Hortensia remarked. "Rosado, Goldmary, all soldiers… retreat!"
The remnants of the Elusian army division fled in a hurry, as the group assessed the damage.
"They fled in a hurry…" Alcryst remarked.
"Hmm.. There's a lot of evident damage to the bridge. It may take time to find a safe path forward." Alfred stated.
"And we didn't recover the Emblem Ring… or at least the one Hortensia had on her finger." Alear lamented.
'We didn't lose any either. And no-one took a heavy wound from the fighting." Alfred stated. 'Let's call that good enough."
"It is plain that the rings stolen from Castle Lythos now lie in Elusia's hands… and from the looks of it, both Emblem and Otherworld Emblems have been stolen. Five Emblem rings then… since we have the Ring of the Holy Knight, and now six Otherworld Emblem Rings as well." Lumera remarked.
"Do you recall the Emblem Ring that your nation was given, Prince Alcryst?" Vander asked Alcryst.
"The Ring of the Young Lion." Alcryst answered back. "The king favors it, or so I've heard. He keeps it in his personal chambers."
"His chambers? That's odd, Firene's ring has a hall in the castle all to itself." Alfred remarked.
"Could it be that the chambers refer to a special gallery in the castle, right?" Celine piped in.
"That's right. And considering the urgency of the situation… I hope we can move as soon as we can." Alcryst stated. "I'm worried about the situation at the castles, from what that Elusian princess said.
"Rest assured, when we get in, none of us are going to let any of those bastards go anywhere!" Hitomi exclaimed, banging her fists together.
"Neither will I." Mokou remarked with a stern expression.
"Consider me in on that as well." Nihilister stated.
"Hold for a moment." Richard remarked, reaching the group with Quency in tow. "We would like to join your group. I know that this is sudden out of the blue, but we've been looking for Siege."
"Ah, that's right… you seem like you have been looking for Siege for a while." Clanne noted.
"Yeah, we've been looking for him from the moment we heard news of him here." Quency added.
"And you are…?" Alear asked both of them.
"I'm Quency. You could say that I'm a reformed criminal of some sorts." Quency energetically declared. "But don't worry, I promised that I'll use my escaping and stealing talents for the good of the people, instead of for selfish gain. I'm also no slouch, and I can wield a sword quite well."
"I would give my name, but I think that it is best that Siege introduces me." Richard stated, before pulling out a glistened orb of white light, with black droplets swirling inside of it. "After I give him back what he has lost."
"Those… are his memories?" Alear remarked, as Siege touched his hand on it, as the mere touch of it allowed him to feel some things return to him.
"...He's not lying." Siege answered back.
"Let me do what I need to do, and I promise that I will fight for your side, because wherever Siege is… I'll be there by his side, no matter what, whether it be hell itself or death itself." Richard firmly declared.
"Lumi…" Vander asked Lumera.
"Let him. I can sense that the orb indeed contains memories long lost. If it can at least bring back what Siege has lost, then I am truly grateful for this young one's assistance in doing so." Lumera stated.
"Thank you. You are as kind as Goddess Magina says you are…" Richard remarked, knowing that Lumera was purposely hiding her identity, and keeping her own name omitted for that purpose. "Now, hold still, Siege. This might bring a rush of emotions that might cause some… unfavorable side-effects."
Richard then channeled the orb of memories into his hands, before he then pressed it right onto Siege's forehead, as his hands channeled the memories right into his very mind, as the process took a while, as neither Richard or Siege moved a muscle, while the energy form of his memories slowly flowed into their original owner.
Siege gasped, once he had them all back, as he closed his eyes… before looking back up at Richard with a small glare.
"...For everything you've done. Everything you put me through before I lost these memories… I ought to disown you as a brother in arms. I ought to strangle you and mangle you for all your worth, considering your selfish actions of throwing your life away for a land distant from the one you called home. And for what, Magina reincarnated you, yes, but we could be in far worse consequences now. Because of what you've done." Siege spoke in a low tone at Richard, who did not flinch at Siege's scathing words, not even the slightest.
Siege sighed. "...But I can't bring myself to do either of those things. Not just because of how much I care for you as a brother, but because of being reunited with something I forgot I even had. A family. And you inadvertently brought that back to me… so I'm going to instead tell you this: From here on out, from this day forward, I expect you to be much more straightforward with me, and less apt to throw your life away for things that could be meaningless. I care about you too much to let that happen again." Siege spoke with a gentler tone.
"Believe me on this, brother in arms: Temporary my death has been… it has given me a lesson that I soon won't forget." Richard answered back calmly. "This will not be the second time that I shall offer my life for such a purpose. That time has long passed, and I will not regret what I have done, but I will aspire to never cause such consequences again for you and the others."
"Siege… who is this magician?" Alear asked. "You speak of him, as if he has betrayed you, and yet he inspires trust in you so greatly, as your words radiate warmth in them."
"This… is Richard Liu. My entrusted brother in arms, and the partial reason I lost my memories." Siege answered plainly, before turning to Alear and Mirai. "...And as far as the two of you go, I'm sorry for abandoning you both… now I know it has been a thousand years, due to how time works in different worlds." Siege stated simply. "I'm sorry I wasn't here as a proper father should be, or a proper husband at that."
"Wait… husband…!?" Alear exclaimed.
"Before your slumber, we had grown so tight together, Alear." Siege stated. "Tight enough that you desired to be assured the future would still have a Divine Dragon to protect it. So, in our own private ceremony, we got married, you and I." Siege stated. "I merely forgot… because I lost the ring you had given me in marriage after I left. Yet, through our love… Mirai was born." Siege remarked, looking at Mirai in a solemn tone.
"So that was what happened…" Alear remarked. "I can understand now why I can cling to your name after so long… because you have become so close to me, that I cannot forget everything about you…"
"Glad to have the old Siege back." Mokou remarked, with a chuckle.
Richard then walked before Alear and Mirai, before he then knelt on one knee, and lowered his head, as a sign of submission to the Divine Dragon and her heir.
"Divine Dragon Alear, and her successor, Mirai." Richard declared with gravitas. "I kneel before you both, and submit myself to your judgment. I declare myself guilty for having caused grief to your own family, even if only indirectly… I shall leave you with what you shall punish me with. Lock me away without key, brand me for my sin, leave a scar upon my body. I shall take your retribution as my intended price from you both. But let me stay alongside Siege, I ask that much, selfish as it might be."
"Now… why would we do any of that?" Mirai asked. "You… you're the reason I got to see my father again, Richard." Mirai stated in a gentle tone.
"...You…" Richard started, as he raised his head.
"Indeed. From what it sounds like, your actions weren't without justice of its own." Alear told Richard confidently. "Therefore it would be truly unfair of me to punish you for trying to do what was right in your own sense. Your actions have caused a temporary problem, which ended up resolved by your hands."
"If it's a punishment you want… then join our ranks." Mirai would say. "We need someone like you, who can call upon Emblems just as Mom and Dad can. And perhaps by request… may I call you Uncle Richard?" Mirai asked with a childish smile.
"Uncle Richard…?" Richard remarked, before he then found it humorous, before chuckling, which then turned into good-natured laughter. "...Very well, little Mirai. You can call me your Uncle. And I shall accept this punishment with no regrets and restraints. This magician shall see to it that your cause is done there, with the fullest extent of our power."
"So what do we do with thief number two then?" Nihilister asked.
"Heeey! Why am I number two!?" Quency exclaimed.
"Because I came before you, silly!" Yunaka giggled.
"Drats!" Quency huffed.
"She can join us as well. She's a close friend of mine as well, and can steal from anyone without being in jeopardy of counter blow." Siege smiled.
"Thanks for vouching for me, Siege…" Quency huffed.
Siege then turned to Geina and Nihilister.
"Sorry you both had to learn I had previous engagements… I-" Siege was about to apologize.
"Don't. It's okay." Geina said firmly. "While it slightly stings to learn I wasn't your first love, I know you still love me just as much as your previous love, along with the love you have for Nihilister, and Rapi back at base. To be honest, it's gonna be refreshing getting to know Alear personally."
"Don't sweat it, Siege. You just have more passion to share with more people now!" Nihilister smirked. "Your passion is blazing like a wildfire and I personally love it!"
"Heh… thanks for being understanding. Now, with that long conversation on all fronts said and done…" Siege remarked as the group reconvened.
"So the Elusian Army is marching on the Castle…" Alcryst remarked.
"Yeah. And from the sounds of it, we may not have much time." Mirai stated firmly.
"Then we need not waste any more time." Siege stated. "Let's get into Brodia and protect the castle."