I've been favoring Osvald, Castii and Hikari as Priscilla's traveling companions for the last couple chapters. I'm going to try to change things up a bit.
Disclaimer: Octopath Traveler 2 and its associated characters were made by Square.
Eastward-bound
The group went to the tavern for breakfast again the following morning, Priscilla pondered her next course of action as she ate her omelet. She could go to Timberain now, but there was no telling where Crimson Sun will strike next. It seemed best to make her way to Flamechurch and check in with the Sacred Guard and the Inquisition.
"I hope Throne and Ochette are okay" Castii said as she ate her sandwich.
"I wouldn't downplay their skills, plus they seem to have a good watchdog, or should I say, Watch-Jackal?" Priscilla joked.
Osvald and Hikari raised their eyebrows at the comment. Priscilla flushed as she realized what she had just said"I like a jest from time to time, but it's usually not very good" she admitted, sheepishly.
"It could be worse" Hikari chuckled before taking a bite of his soup.
They paid their bill after eating and went outside. Alistair paused to address Priscilla"Its going to take time to inform the king and make some necessary preparations for potential threats from both Ku and the Crimson Sun. Ku may be very far away from Vella, but its still best to use caution."
Priscilla nodded"I will see if I can get some help from the Inquisition at Flamechurch, in case Crimson Sun gets the bright idea to commit murders on the east continent as well." Nathan had told her what the syndicate's general targets are, but vigilantism is a crime unto itself, regardless of the vigilantes' motives.
"Good luck to you all" said Alistair.
Osvald nodded.
"To you, as well" Hikari answered.
Priscilla nodded"To you as well, Alistair. I hope I can find Nathan again and deal with him while I am at it. Hikari, can you think of anyone on the east continent who may become targets of the Crimson Sun?"
Hikari shook his head"I've not been to the east continent, so I am not entirely certain. A good starting point for information gathering may be at the town of New Delsta on the Brightlands."
"New Delsta is on the way to both Montwise and Flamechurch, correct?" Priscilla asked"And I assume that Winterbloom is also located somewhere on that continent."
"And so is Stormhail" Hikari nodded.
"We best get a move on, then" Osvald grunted. Not that he was in a real hurry to catch up to Harvey.
Osvald, Priscilla, Castii and Hikari headed back northward, away from Conning Creek. Alistair, meanwhile rendezvoused with Sergeant Gareth and his squad and explained what their next course of action is going to be.
"So we're going to fight Ku rather than submit to any demands that Mugen might make?" One of the knights in Gareth's squad asked, a bit uncertain.
"Mugen will probably destroy us anyway if we do nothing, I suspect he would not be satisfied with the other clans in the Hinoeuma region" Alistair replied"But before all else, I want one of your men to report to his majesty regarding recent events."
"Consider it done" Gareth nodded, instructing one of his men to to go deliver the message to King Lorian.
Priscilla and her group continued back towards Canalbrine, the Prosecutor addressed Osvald as they walked"So what was the research that Harvey stole from you?" She asked, curious.
"I would rather not talk about it, and it doesn't really concern you" The older Scholar grunted"But there a certain kind of power called The One True Magic that is said to be even more powerful than the known elements of magic itself."
"Huh, I never heard of it" Priscilla commented.
"Its hardly common knowledge" The older Scholar explained"But some have tried to uncover the secret behind it" he finished gruffly, not wanting to discuss the topic any further.
Priscilla took the hint and silently kept walking, the four of them walking towards the port. Along the way, Throne and Ochette crossed their paths, accompanied by another young man with a gray vest with a white undershirt and a tie, with black pants and brown shoes. He also wore a white fedora with a yellow hatband.
Another young woman also accompanied Ochette's group, this one had golden brown hair in a twisted braid with a black hairband. Her dress had white shoulder straps, a black bodice with orange threads, and a long orange skirt with a darker hem.
"Hey, everyone" Ochette called to Priscilla's group.
"Ochette" Priscilla turned to greet her"Good to see you again, did you find what you were looking for?"
"She did, after giving it a rude awakening with her arrow" Throne commented.
Ochette rubbed the back of her head, abashed"Ah, well, Tera was still pretty sleepy, but I got him to agree to help protect my home. He's gone to Toto'haha, already. How did everything go at your end?"
"As well as could be expected" Hikari replied"And what of you, Throne?" He asked her.
"I went to Oresrush where I ran into Partitio and Agnea" Throne indicated the newcomers.
Priscilla looked at the newcomers"Oh, how do you do? I am Priscilla Whiteshore, from the island of Vella."
The smartly-dressed merchant smiled"Pleasure to meet you, the name's Partitio, a Merchant. I was about to hit the dusty old trail when I met Throne, she was gathering information about some shady folks from what she called the Blacksnakes."
"And I'm Agnea, a dancer from the village of Cropdale" Agnea introduced herself"I'd recently started traveling when I got to Oresrush for a break, monsters were sure getting a bit out of hand these days. I met up with Throne and Partitio at the tavern. We went together with Ochette to Cracksridge and helped Ochette to tame Tera."
"It really was a tough battle, we've had to use some of Agnea's travel money to replenish supplies afterwards" Throne shrugged"And that was after I managed to get information on Mother. She sometimes goes to Wellgrove to recruit fresh members for the Blacksnakes."
Priscilla was intrigued"I see. I planned to go to Timberain on business, which is slightly further than Wellgrove. But there was something I wanted to check over at Montwise and Flamechurch, first. I haven't known you for long, but I thought you'd have gone to confront this "Mother" individual as soon as you found out where she's going."
"I planned to, but there are stronger monsters in the area surrounding Wellgrove than the ones that tend to show up near Oresrush. Besides, Ochette suggested that we go see how you were faring" Throne replied"Besides, I've seen some suspicious people passing to and from the Leaflands. I caught a glimpse of one or two with crimson sun tattoos. They looked tough, so I kept my distance. I'm going to Winterbloom to seek information on Father, first."
"I see. Then the Crimson Sun's base may be in the Leaflands, then" Priscilla said, thinking for a moment"Timberain is where Stenvar said I might find Scarlet, the mercenary captain he mentioned. Yet I am concerned that they'll strike at the east continent, which is why I haven't gone to Timberain, yet."
"Sounds like quite the conundrum. But I think you chose correctly by going to the east continent, first, your enemy would likely not stay in one place for long" said Throne, thoughtfully.
Priscilla nodded"You're right." She then looked at the merchant and the dancer"So what are your reasons for traveling? Neither of you seem like much of a fighter."
Agnea squared her shoulders"I can sort of understand why you think that, but I knocked out a boar-like Dourdour with some help from a friend of mine back home, before I left. I'm good with the knife, and I can use a little wind magic. Why, I even can motivate and inspire people with my dancing."
The rest of the group was impressed by that. Hikari, especially"It sounds quite impressive. My name is Hikari, I hail from Ku" he introduced himself to the dancer.
"And I'm a dead-shot with a bow and mighty good with a spear" Partitio explained"I wouldn't have been able to knock Giff off his high horse when he was stealing money from my hometown, otherwise. The guy was mostly acting under someone else's behalf, though" he frowned, thinking of his childhood mentor for a moment before continuing"Well, lets just say I'm off to make the world a better place for folks who are suffering. I am going to Clockbank to see Roque."
"Roque? I hear he's pretty famous, he operates a factory over at Clockbank if I recall correctly" said Priscilla, intrigued"What is your connection to him?"
"My pa was his business partner" the merchant replied"I admired Roque since I was a Chickadee."
"I'm just sort of off to see the world, and to become a famous dancer like my mother was" Agnea smiled for a moment"My dad wasn't totally on board with the idea at first, but he eventually came around."
"Sounds like he was just worried about you, Agnea" Priscilla said, thoughtfully"So I guess we're all going to the east continent, then."
Agnea nodded"You bet, I'm itching to visit New Delsta, first."
"Shall we get going, then?" Hikari prompted.
The group headed into Canalbrine. The town was busy as ever as the group headed in the direction of the port. Ochette addressed Priscilla with a curious look on her face"So where's your friend, Alis?"
"Alis?" Priscilla was confused for a moment, then realized who the hunter was referring to"Oh, Alistair. He had other matters to attend to, so we've split up. But I plan to meet back up with him, eventually."
"He must be pretty busy" Ochette commented.
"He is, as expected" Priscilla said.
As the group walked, they noticed that a few Sanctum Knights were in the town. Priscilla frowned"Hm."
"What's wrong?" Hikari asked.
"Something's going on, I want to find out what's up" Priscilla turned to go in the direction of the Sanctum Knights, only to come across two men who had just come around the corner after conducting an investigation in one of the houses. One of them looked pale and had silvery-white hair that was tinted with light blue with blue eyes, he also wore a long dark turquoise robe with gold accents, and seen to be wearing similarly colored pants with a white buttoned cape over his shoulders.
The other young man seemed to be a knight with silver armor, he had brown hair.
"If these notes are anything to go by, the murderer's next target is on the second floor at the tavern" The silvery-white haired man spoke"If we hurry, we can catch the elusive culprit."
Priscilla walked over"Pardon me, but what's happened?"
The knight looked at her"Are you one of the locals?"
"Actually, I'm a Prosecutor" Priscilla replied, showing the two men her badge"I'm in the middle of an investigation, I am Priscilla from House Whiteshore. "
"A blue-blood and an Official of the Law, eh?" The flamboyant cleric grinned"No harm in telling you, then. I am Temenos Mistral, an Inquisitor from Flamechurch. Yon lamb, here is my acquaintance, Crick."
The aforementioned knight bristled"I really wish you wouldn't call me a lamb, Inquisitor." He then looked at Priscilla"We are in the midst of an investigation ourselves. I am a part of of the Sacred Guard, having only just joined them, recently."
"So the knights I just saw in town are members of the Sacred Guard?" Priscilla asked.
"Yes" Crick replied, affably.
Temenos glanced over at the seven other people who caught up to Priscilla"And these are your companions?"
"We sure are" Ochette grinned"My name is Ochette."
"I am Hikari, Prince of Ku" Hikari introduced himself to the Cleric.
The rest of Priscilla's group introduced themselves. Crick looked curiously at Throne and Osvald"Quite the... Unusual company you keep, Lady Priscilla."
"Please, just call me Priscilla" Priscilla requested, calmly"Throne is a thief and Osvald is an escapee from Frigit Island, which is true, but they are caught up in peculiar circumstances orchestrated by Harvey and the Blacksnakes, respectively."
"Quite the conundrums" Temenos commented"And what you just told me about them seems a bit dubious, but I shan't pass judgment. So what brings you here, Priscilla?"
"I am investigating a syndicate called the Crimson Sun" Priscilla replied"I know little about them, but I was informed that they supposedly target criminals who are untouchable by the law."
Crick frowned"They sounds like a bunch of pretentious vigilantes to me."
"I couldn't agree more" Temenos nodded in agreement"Quite possibly a moral conundrum, they must think that those they believe truly untouchable by the law can only be dealt with by killing them, correct?"
Priscilla nodded"Yes, that's what ultimately befell Lord Seymour Vanneth of Sai. Nathan, who joined the syndicate, killed him." She frowned at that particular memory.
"You seem familiar with this Nathan fellow, care to tell me more?" Temenos asked.
"With all due respect, Inquisitor, we should hurry with our investigation" Crick interrupted. Privately, he contemplated whether to inform Captain Kaldena about this syndicate who Priscilla mentioned, despite the Inquisitor's clear distrust of the Sacred Guard.
"Ah, right, we must hurry to the tavern" Temenos agreed"We mustn't dilly dally."
"Is there something happening at the tavern?" Priscilla asked.
"Possibly, if my notes are anything to go by" Temenos replied"Crick and I caught wind of the local Apothecary's death. And Lucian, who I suspected of murdering the said apothecary was found dead, too. The culprit appears to be patterning his attacks off the church's most holy books."
Priscilla felt sickened at whoever this blasphemous murderer is that Temenos is hunting down"I know that this case is not in my jurisdiction, but might I be permitted to assist you in this investigation? In addition to being a Prosecutor, I'm also a Magic Scholar."
"Your assistance would be welcome" The cleric nodded"Now, call it a hunch, but our culprit's next would-be victim might be at the second floor of the tavern."
"Since we have a large group, some of us may want to wait on the first floor of the taern" Hikari added"However, I will assist you, Temenos and Crick, Priscilla."
"Count me in" Throne said.
"Same here, all we gotta do is catch the scoundrel, right?" Partitio asked.
Crick nodded"Indeed. Though I am against the idea of civilians getting involved."
"No need to worry, Throne and I can handle ourselves, we won't get in the way" Partitio assured him.
"If you say so" Crick nodded, reluctantly.
"Now then, shall we?" Temenos led the way.
The group headed into the tavern. Osvald went to get a drink while Ochette, Agnea and Castii started getting to know each other. Hikari, Crick, Temenos, Throne, Partitio and Priscilla went upstairs in the meantime.
A few people had gathered before the stage upstairs as a brunette dancer in a red outfit was putting on a show. Priscilla looked around"Hm. Everything appears to be well, enough. Nothing out of the ordinary."
"Things aren't always as they appear" The cleric said"Doubt is what I do in my line of work. Throne, Hikari, do me a favor and wait near the stairs, will you? Priscilla, shall we start asking around? I see a couple of hooded people we could question."
"Fine by me, it'd be hardly the first time I had a good round of logic chess against someone before I managed to get them to spill the beans" Priscilla commented.
"Do you have any idea who the murderer is, then?" Hikari asked.
"I'm quite positive that who we are looking for is in this very room. There are a couple of hooded people in here we could question" The cleric responded, optimistically.
Priscilla nodded and went to go talk to the man at the back of the room while the Cleric went to speak with another hooded person near the stage. The man at the back looked at her"Hm? What is it?"
"I am simply investigating a murder" Priscilla replied"Do you happen to know anything?"
"How should I know?" The man replied, irritably.
Priscilla scrutinized the man for a second"Hm. My apologies, you don't really seem suspicious." Plus, its hard to imagine how anyone could pull of a murder in front of a bunch of potential witnesses.
"Its all right, lass, I've just been in a bad mood since my friend, Lucian died" The man assured her"So, what do you make of that dancer over there? Pretty good show, right?"
Priscilla turned to watch the dancer"Why, yes."
Temenos addressed the other hooded man, this one had brown hair"Hm. If I am not mistaken..." He scrutinized the man.
"What?" The other man frowned"Something on me?"
"Why, yes" Temenos said"In fact, I may just have an answer as to who was behind the recent string of murders."
Crick and Priscilla walked a bit closer, curious. The Prosecutor looked at the person Temenos just addressed"Truly?"
Temenos smiled cockily, looking at the person he is questioning"The recent string of murders was done by none other than you: Vados the Architect. After the "flamebringer" was killed, you came here to Canalbrine where you easily crossed the "Charitable" and the "Scholarking" off your list."
The hooded man simply stayed silent, betraying no emotion as the Inquisitor deducted who was responsible for the deaths of the aforementioned people.
"Hold on, a third person was murdered in this town?" Priscilla asked, confused.
"No, the Inquisitor is probably referring to the late Pontiff of Flamechurch, am I wrong?" Crick replied.
Temenos nodded"Precisely. And on top of that, his next target will be Seaticage the Lady of Grace, according to the list of scriptures in Vados's hands. The Lady of Grace is played by the renowned dancer, Hermes, is that not so?"
The hooded killer said nothing, simply driving Temenos back with a table before darting to the stage and drawing a dagger, much to the surprise of the rest of the audience. Throne, Temenos and Crick quickly moved towards the stage. Priscilla hurriedly prepared to cast Thunderbolt.
The dancer was frightened"Ah! Please, stop!"
"Heh, heh" Vados chuckled darkly"I am a servant of the one true god, Vide. Open your eyes to the truth!"
Before Vados could strike Hermes, Crick moved onto the stage and blocked the dagger with his blade while Priscilla blasted Vados, staggering him with thunderbolts. The would-be assassin looked only mildly surprised"A Sanctum Knight?" He gazed at Crick.
"Newly anointed, but yes" Crick replied, tersely, not letting his guard down.
"And a Scholar" Vados stepped back.
"Bravo, Crick, and you as well, Priscilla" Temenos complimented them before turning his attention to Vados.
Seeing he was foiled, Vados darted out of the tavern. Throne and Priscilla hurried to give chase, followed by Temenos, Crick and Hikari. The Prosecutor stopped to look around as they exited the tavern"Did anyone see him pass by?"
Throne looked back toward the entrance of town"I don't think so, he probably went to hide somewhere."
"Where did he go, exactly!?" Crick looked around.
Temenos had managed to get a glimpse of someone's silhouette moving towards the port"There! He's headed for the Sacred Guard's Ship. We must be swift!"
"What just went on?" Castii, Osvald, Agnea and Ochette came out to see what's happened, having barely seen the hooded man fleeing the scene of the attempted murder.
Priscilla turned to the three"We found our culprit behind the recent murders."
"That explains the commotion that just came from upstairs" Osvald grunted.
"We'll go on ahead and catch him" Priscilla said, referring to herself, Temenos, Crick, Hikari, Partitio and Throne.
Castii nodded"Be careful."
Priscilla and her group rushed towards the ship and hurried into the hull. It was getting late as the group made their way to the upper deck where Vados the Architect was hiding. The Cleric proceeded to confront him again"The time has come for answers."
The hooded assassin turned to face the group as Temenos continued to speak"The Late Pontiff left behind a note just before his death, which reads as follows: Soon, Night shall fall. Words which I believe came from the Keepers of the Flame."
"Night shall fall? Well, that's pretty cryptic, yet I don't think there's anything unnatural about that" Priscilla commented.
"Something is definitely going on" Throne said.
The Assassin said nothing as Temenos continued to address him"You bear a mark of theirs on the back of your hand in the form of a tattoo. Which means that the Pontiff wanted us to know that the killer is one of you."
Priscilla was still wrapping her head around hearing the news of the Flamechurch Pontiff's death, how and why did this happen"How did that even happen? Do you have evidence that he was the one who did it, Temenos?"
"Its elementary" Temenos replied, dismissively"The night of the Pontiff's murder, Vados took the underground passage which laid underneath the church. He lured the beast that killed the Pontiff, and left it to follow its natural instincts, standing watch as the Pontiff died."
"In other words, the Apothecary and this Lucian were not Vados's only victims" Hikari mussed.
Vados smirked"Well deduced, Temenos." He drew his dagger.
Crick and Temenos readied themselves, the Cleric saying"None could deceive mine eyes. Not even a god."
"Vados..." Crick whispered"Why?"
"You cannot detain me here" Vados whispered"I am on a mission."
Priscilla cast fireball, which Vados dodged before summoning black and red wisps. Hikari glanced at the creatures"Priscilla, you and Partitio take down the Wisps if you can. Throne, Temenos and I will fight Vados."
"Oh?" Vados grinned, unleashing a wave of flames at the group. Temenos healed the group as Throne lunged at the killer, narrowly managing to scratch Vados's hip with her dagger.
Priscilla cast Icewind, taking down the red Wisps before having to dodge while Partitio cast Fire to take down a Black Wisp. Crick pitched in by managing to cut down a Wisp before it could blast him with fire.
Temenos started casting shields to protect Priscilla and the others as Vados summoned more wisps. Throne jabbed at Vados, who dodged and blasted her backwards with a magical Taint with Darkness attack. Hikari took the opportunity to ram Vados with his spear, staggering him.
"Take this!" Priscilla blasted the incoming wisps with Icewind and Fireballs with Partitio and Crick backing her up. Vados, meanwhile had recovered and shot a Dark spell at Hikari before rushing Throne, who avoided his charge. Temenos rushed in and swung at Vados with his staff. Vados nimbly dodged and summoned a couple more Elementals. Priscilla and Crick moved to intercept them.
Vados, however killed an elemental and launched a supercharged fire spell, knocking Priscilla backwards. Throne stabbed the rogue with her dagger, staggering him enough for Temenos to knock the wind out of him with a swing of his staff.
While Crick helped Priscilla to her feat, the Cleric looked at the now-defeated assassin"Now, talk."
Vados kept silent, chuckling darkly after a moment"Surrender yourself not unto silent dusk. For the light shall fade."
Priscilla and Temenos frowned, not letting their guard down as they pondered what the man meant.
"That's enough" A voice rang out as a woman with blond hair and dark skin came into view, dressed in the Sacred Guard Captain's uniform, but with tyrian purple highlights instead of the typical royal blue tint. She also wore a flowing cape.
"Captain Kaldena" Temenos greeted her.
The captain and several more sanctum knights surrounded Vados, the captain proclaiming"In the name of Brand the Thunderblade, you are under arrest! Beg for mercy, for it is he who will judge you for your crimes."
Vados glared at her"Be not conceited, its you who must beg forgiveness."
Captain Kaldena was having none of it as she ordered her men to take Vados away, stopping to address Crick"Crick, is it? Well done."
Temenos was hardly surprised"And so the crows of the Sacred Guard descend once more... So eager to take credit for the hard work of others" he said in obvious distaste. Priscilla raised an eyebrow, but kept quiet.
Captain Kaldena sneered at Tenebis's statement"Forgive us for not having the luxury of pecking at every seed and rock we come across. Your little interrogation is over, so just go about your business."
"I'll merely note that the criminal in your custody is a heretic" Temenos said, simply"You see, he chose his victims according to scripture."
Kaldena shook her head, annoyed"Will nothing stay your tongue?"
As Captain Kaldena motioned to Crick to accompany her, Priscilla addressed Temenos"I intended to inform the Sacred Guard about Crimson Sun and ask for aid in investigating them, there's a strong chance that the Crimson Sun might strike at the east continent."
"But as you can see, the crows and I have our hands full, yes?" Temenos replied, cheekily.
The Prosecutor nodded"Yeah, but still I felt I should let you know. And as for Nathan, he.." she groaned, not exactly willing to talk about him"Well, Nathan is my brother, loathe that I am to say it."
"Must be quite a bit of bad blood between you two" Temenos commented"Well, I will not pry if you don't wish to talk about it, but as a Cleric of the church, its my jobs to provide guidance to the flock should they feel lost. I would suggest not bothering yourself with telling the crows, not to say that they are entirely untrustworthy, only that I don't trust them."
"Is the Sacred Guard that bad?" Throne asked, curious.
"Let's just say that I feel that Captain Kaldena may not be what she seems" Temenos replied"This Nathan character and the syndicate may be your problem, but I shall still do what I can to help you while we are conducting our investigations, Priscilla. This, despite what I just said, shall involve letting the crow know in case something... Unfortunate happens, I will have drop a hint to Crick."
Priscilla nodded her thanks, and the group headed to the inn. While Priscilla, Hikari, Throne and Partitio went in to rest, Temenos remained outside a bit longer to read his notes. A moment later, Crick came to check on the Inquisitor"What are you reading?"
"The theologican Lucian's notes, I borrowed them" The cleric replied, matter of factually.
"Stealing evidence, yet again!" the knight exclaimed, shaking his head. The Inquisitor's methods astounded him.
"Let's not say what we might regret, this is well within the bonds of our investigation" Temenos said, simply as he kept reading.
"Gods, please have mercy" Crick muttered, aghast.
"What do you plan to do next, anyhow?" The Inquisitor asked.
"Well as the case regarding this string of murders is now closed, I was told to escort Vados to headquarters, which I shall do" The knight replied"You'll be given the opportunity to interrogate him once he is safely in custody."
Temenos crossed his arms, bemused"Oh? With the crow's approval? How suspicious."
"I would think you'd choose gratitude over doubt this once" Crick shook his head, trying to be calm.
Temenos laughed"You forget that doubt is what I do. And right now, two paths lie before me."
"Two path-" Crick sputtered"Are you not returning to the Sacred Guard Headquarters, yourself?"
"The first path is the interrogation of Vados" The cleric replied, simply"The second however, is in these notes. The Fellsun Ruins, so be precise. They lay somewhere in Crackridge. Before he was killed, Lucian intended to visit them."
The knight stayed silent, unsure how to respond to as Temenos said"I believe this may be a momentous clue. Therefore, the second path would lead to Fellsun ruins. Question now is which I shall solve first."
"Whichever you choose to follow, good luck, Temenos" said Crick, smiling slightly"I shall welcome you at our headquarters when you arrive."
"I shall be looking forward to our reunion, then" said Temenos, sincerely"And do keep an eye out for any suspicious individuals, especially the Nathan fellow Priscilla told me about. The crow may not care, but in case Stormhail happens to become a target of the very syndicate that Priscilla told me about, I won't protest if you were to report them, especially Nathan, who Priscilla told me about."
"I would not want to meddle in Lady Priscilla's investigation, but very well" Crick nodded, and walked away while Temenos pondered for a bit longer, he still had no answers as to why Vados killed all those people and likened his targets to the eight gods. The Inquisitor went into bed for the night after thinking on the matter for a few seconds more.
As the travelers got up to go to the tavern for another early morning breakfast, Temenos took it upon himself to speak with Priscilla"It seems that again, I must thank you for your assistance, yesterday."
"It was nothing" Prisiclla assured him"So you're coming with us?"
Temenos nodded"Indeed. I intend to officially join you, you're all heading for the east continent, correct? Stormhail is in that direction, its one of two places that I must visit, next. Although I wouldn't be opposed to taking our sweet time."
"You are certainly welcome to join us" Hkari told Temenos.
"The more the merrier" Agnea said.
The group ate breakfast at the tavern, making small talk while they ate before going over to the port. Agnea paid for their passage and they got onboard the ship. Priscilla stood not far from Temenos as she gazed at the open sea.
"I've been thinking about whether to tell you about it, and I must confess" Priscilla turned to Temenos"My mother wanted me to reconcile with Nathan, but he's in denial and delusional about his father, who had framed mine for rape and treated my mom as an object."
"I can see why its so upsetting, but did you not consider that Nathan's father may have been kind to him?" Temenos pressed"And did you even think to show him some proof that his father was a criminal?"
Priscilla thought about it"No. But then again, I could never stand to be around him."
"I see. Well, I can't really judge either of you, especially since I never met Nathan, myself" Temenos replied, calmly"We only can do what our hearts dictate. But I hope that one day, maybe you and your brother could reconcile."
"That'd be the day" Priscilla muttered under her breath, if there was one thing she and Nathan could agree on, loathe that she hated to admit it, reconciliation was essentially impossible as far as she and her brother are concerned.
Temenos smiled"And by the way, might I say that you were quite the graceful swan and a daring falcon, yesterday?"
"W-what's with you, comparing me to birds?" Priscilla stuttered, blushing.
Temenos chuckled"How could I not? I speak only what is true. You are quite a talented spellcaster, yet I also sense that deep down, you are a gentle, kind soul. And I'm sure you can guess why I called Kaldena a crow, last night."
"I suppose its true" Priscilla murmured, still somewhat flustered"And you said something to the effect of the sacred guard getting all of the credit for someone else's hard work, right?"
"Precisely" Temenos nodded"But enough of this unpleasantness, where do you plan on going?"
"I'll be heading to Montwise with Hikari and Osvald, there is a chance the Crmson Sun could strike there" Priscilla replied"I hope I did not intrude on your own investigation by requesting your help with mine."
"You're not meddling at all" Temenos assured her"After all, the least I can do is assist you in any way that I can after you helped me."
"I didn't do that much" Priscilla said, flushing.
Temenos laughed"Heh, might I add that you're cute when you blush?"
Priscilla blushed furiously, unsure what to say to that. After a moment's pause, she said"You're really not other clerics I've met."
"Oh? In what way?" Temenos asked, curious"Reposing our history ad nauseam? Blindly following the Sacred Flame's teachings? Trading common sense for blind faith? Because I've met fellow clerics who are like that."
"Some repose our history ad nauseam as you say, I've even known someone who trades common sense for blind faith" Priscilla replied, calmly.
"Ah, it's a shame, really. Clerics are often turned to for answers, yet some of them don't seek answers themselves. I believe one must always be willing to question everything, but perhaps that's my own personal bias. Doubt is what I do, after all" Temenos replied.
The pair consented to gaze out into the sea for a while. Partitio and Agnea were nearby, listening. Osvald generally minded his own business as he read a book that he had purchased the other day, while Hikari was meditating. Castii was in the cabin, mixing herbs in case they would be necessary later. Ochette and Akala were in another cabin.
"Tenenos and Priscilla sure look cute together, though I haven't known either of them for long" Agnea said quietly.
"Darn right, they do" Partitio grinned.
Priscilla silently gazed at the open sea for a bit longer before going below deck to a spare cabin to write in her journal. She had only just met Temenos, but she felt a warmth inside herself that she couldn't explain straight away. That flamboyant cleric acted insufferable, but his drive to discover the truth and his handsome looks appealed to her.
'What's wrong with me? I'm supposed to be a professional Scholar and a Prosecutor, not some schoolgirl with a crush' Priscilla mentally scolded herself, still pondering. She proceeded to rest up until dinner, it would take a day and a half at the least to reach New Delsta Harbor.
What a chapter, I know that I took dialogue from the game, but I wasn't feeling that creative. I planned on having Osvald be Priscilla's love interest at first, though they wouldn't even consider each other until after Elena is saved, later on. Plus, Osvald wouldn't be open to the idea of romance while he's heck-bent on getting revenge on Harvey, as Earthernwolf pointed out. So, I've started to do some buildup for Temenos as Priscilla's love interest, instead.
Alistair and Sabrina are the official secondary pairing, but I might do something special for Nathan and maybe Hikari later on. I might also deviate a bit from canon and have Crick survive somehow, but we'll see.