"Morning, Fred!"
The orange-haired barista waved his hand from behind the counter. "Morgan! Mornin'! Been a while since I've seen you this early. Want me to get ya the usual?"
"Yes, please." Morgan set her belongings down and sat at her usual spot at the counter.
"Guess it's that time of month again?" Fred asked.
"Yup!" Morgan eagerly nodded her head. "Field study time."
"You're lookin' a bit more peppy than usual," Fred remarked. He set down a pot of coffee and poured Morgan a cup. "Where's the school shippin' you guys this time?"
Morgan smiled into her drink. "Well, you see…"
"...Game, set, and match!" Instructor Sara raised her right hand. "And with that, your winners are...Laura and Fie!"
"As if there was any doubt," Jusis drily remarked.
"You have to admit, Rean and Alisa still put up a good fight," Emma pointed out.
"Considering the state he was in a few days ago, it's good to know that he can still hold his own in a fight," Machias agreed. "It's just that his opponents are on a whole different level…"
"Yeah…" Having been on the receiving end of Laura and Fie's combined assault before, Morgan knew full well that when Instructor Sara announced that this month's practical exam would consist of two-on-two battles, those two would dominate the competition.
As all four of the combatants returned to the larger group, Morgan locked eyes with Rean briefly.
"Well, you tried your best," she said.
Rean shrugged. "There's always next time, I guess."
Instructor Sara clapped her hands to get everyone's attention. "All right! That brings this month's practical exam to an end! Nice to see you've all been experimenting with your Rush attacks. Keep it up!
"Next, it's time to announce this weekend's field study locations. Everyone, line up!"
"Here it comes…" Elliot muttered.
Morgan nodded. "The moment of truth."
"And just where are they planning to ship us off to this month?" grumbled Machias.
Each student grabbed their copy of the information sheet.
[Field Study: July]
Group A: Morgan, Alisa, Emma, Laura, Fie
(Study Location: Heimdallr, the Vermillion Capital)
Group B: Rean, Machias, Elliot, Jusis, Gaius
(Study Location: Heimdallr, the Vermillion Capital)
Morgan's heart nearly skipped a beat when she saw the field study location. Beside her, Elliot and Machias shared similar reactions.
"It looks like both groups are going to the same place," Emma observed.
"I assume we'll be dividing the work between our groups? Gaius wondered.
"Well, the capital is incredibly vast, so it seems like a logical solution," Alisa said.
Morgan nodded her head. "Most likely. One group will cover the west side while the other will handle the east side. That's what I'm guessing, anyways."
"Speaking of groups…" Machias adjusted his glasses. "I can't help but notice that we're separated by gender."
Morgan smirked at him. "What, you think we can't handle ourselves?"
"I-I didn't say that at all!"
"Heh. Just messing with you, Machias. Besides, you, me, and Elliot all have the home field advantage here!"
"I'm definitely surprised at the choice of the capital as our destination," Elliot admitted, "but I'm not complaining! That means we'll get to be in town for the Summer Festival."
When it came to celebrating the Summer Festival, Heimdallr was notable as the only major city to celebrate it in July as opposed to June. This was done to coincide with the end of the War of the Lions in July 952.
"Believe me, there's actually a reason why the groups are split the way they are. Buuut…"
"...You'd rather we find out for ourselves once we get there. Am I right, Instructor?"
Instructor Sara threw a thumbs up. "Attaboy, Rean! You know your instructor well!"
Rean groaned. "It's not like I had much choice…"
Beads of sweat collectively dropped from his classmates' heads out of sympathy.
"Heimdallr, huh? Sounds like it'll be fun."
"Definitely." Morgan looked to the side. "By the way, have you seen Misty at all recently?"
"Yeah, about that…" Fred frowned. "According to Michael, she's busy this month. Didn't say much, but apparently she's got a side gig that needs taking care of, so she's been out of town."
"Seriously? I knew she was busy, but… Wait, just how many things is she juggling?"
"Only the woman herself knows. My gut feeling says it's got something to do with the Heimdallr Summer Festival, but, eh." Fred nonchalantly shrugged his shoulders. "Not my issue."
After a few more minutes, Morgan finished her coffee and looked at the time. "Almost 8:00. I should probably get going." She set down the payment for the coffee on the counter. "Thanks again, Fred! See you when I get back!"
"So, Morgan!" Alisa piped up once the students were on the train. "What can you tell us about Heimdallr?"
"Weeell…" Morgan pursed her lips. "You're gonna need to be specific. Do you want general information? Local knowledge?"
"Preferably the latter," Jusis answered from the booth opposite to them. True to their group assignments, the boys and girls sat in their own compartments. "The less you sound like a recitation of a travel brochure, the better."
"Ahaha…" Elliot chuckled nervously. "Well, putting aside the fact that it's the capital, Heimdallr is divided into sixteen main districts, and each district is about as large as a whole town in any of the Empire's provinces."
"All in all, the city's population hovers around 800,000 people," Machias followed up. "It might not be as concentrated in a singular area of trade like Bareahard or Crossbell, but it more than makes up for it with its sheer size and variety."
"I'm personally wondering what kinds of tasks we may be asked to do in such an expansive city," Laura remarked. "I can hardly hazard a guess."
"Anything, really," said Morgan. "You name any sort of problem you'd find in a town, there's probably a request like that and then some. That's kind of the thing when your town has multiple districts."
"Does that mean we'll have to travel in between districts?" Gaius asked.
Machias nodded. "I'm almost positive we'll need to. Fortunately for us, the trams should be running at frequent times due to the Summer Festival. Or you could just walk. I...wouldn't recommend that if you're in a hurry, though."
"Hmm…" Rean was stroking his chin, currently deep in thought.
"Is something the matter, Rean?"
"Huh?" Rean snapped out of his reverie. "Oh, it's nothing, Gaius. I was just thinking about how there's still so much we don't know. Like, we don't know who our point of contact is, or even where we're going to be staying."
The rest of the class murmured in agreement.
"Maybe we'll end up staying in one of your guys' homes?"
"Rean, what gave you that idea?" Machias half-exclaimed.
"Oh, well, you know how Group A stayed at Gaius's settlement when we were in Nord? I figured we'd be doing something similar here."
"Ah." Machias cleared his throat. "Well, if there were arrangements like that, I sure as hell didn't hear anything about it."
Gaius chuckled. "Living arrangements are usually handled a few weeks in advance. If neither of you three had to be pulled aside in the past month, then I highly doubt that we would be taking up residence in your houses."
Elliot scratched his cheek. "Yeeaah, my house isn't big enough to put a single group up."
"Same," Machias said. "Though, I wouldn't be surprised if some of our tasks sent us by our respective houses anyways. I live in the Ost District, which is on the southeast side of the city. Where do you two live again?"
"My house is in the Alto District in the east," Elliot replied. "Though these days, it's usually just my older sister who lives there."
"I live in the Kunst District to the west," Morgan answered. "Specifically in the Vermillion Ziegel apartment complex."
"Oh! I know about that one! That's where the Vermillion Deliverer was, right?"
Fie tilted her head. "Vermillion...Deliverer?"
"Honestly, that's more of an urban legend than anything." Machias crossed his arms. "The story goes that if you fill out a request form and put it in a certain mailbox, you'll be contacted by someone who can help you sort out your issues. Sort of like a bracer, except they reach out to you with a phone."
"Well, you never know! Considering how interconnected everyone in Heimdallr became within that time frame, she could have existed!"
"She?" Alisa asked. "The Deliverer was a girl?"
"From the descriptions, yeah." Elliot looked over to Morgan. "What do you think, Morgan? Have you seen her?"
"Huh?" Morgan raised her eyebrows. "Sorry, it's been a while since I thought about that. What was the person like again?"
"If I recall correctly…" Elliot tapped his forehead. "There were a lot of differing accounts over who was or wasn't the Deliverer, but the most common description was that she was a young woman with neck-length black hair and a scar travelling diagonally up her face."
Elliot then realized what he just said. "Wait… A young woman…"
"With neck-length black hair…"
"And a scar?"
Everyone's gazes shifted over to the person in the train that matched that description to a T.
"Aaahahaha…" Morgan rubbed the back of her head. "Could be a coincidence, right?"
"Perhaps if we were going solely off of physical characteristics…" Jusis mused. "Regardless, the scar is something that stands out among the rest."
Fie crossed her index fingers in an "X" shape for Morgan to see. "I'm doubting."
"There was one other thing," Elliot added. "Whenever she was asked about who she was or where she got access to her information, the Deliverer would always reply the same exact way. She always said-"
"'It's a secret to everybody,'" Machias said. "NOW I remember why it sounded familiar."
Fie raised her crossed fingers higher. "Gee, I wonder where I heard THAT before."
Half of the students were confused as to what they were talking about, but Fie, Machias, Jusis, and Rean knew from their field study to Bareahard.
Morgan gulped. If she wasn't sweating nervously before, she was certainly sweating now.
Fortunately, she was saved in the nick of time by a message over the intercom. "The Ministry of Railways wishes to thank all passengers for their patronage. This semi-express line is bound for...Heimdallr."
"Aw, well that sucks!" Morgan bolted upwards. "Looks like we'll have to pick up this discussion another time! Come on, everyone!"
In the span of a few seconds, Morgan had already gathered her belongings and walked to the exit, leaving her classmates behind.
Machias shook his head. "Well, at the end of the day, it's still an urban legend."
"She COULD just be a fan…" Elliot's voice trailed off.
Fie covered her eyes with her palm. "It's so obvious, guys…"
When the students exited the train, they were immediately greeted with a familiar face waiting for them on the platform.
"Exactly on time."
Alisa gasped. "Wait, you're-?!"
"The woman we encountered in Celdic," Gaius remembered.
"Captain Claire Rieveldt." Morgan respectfully bowed her head towards the captain. "It's good to see you again. Thank you for your help at Bryonia Island."
Claire smiled in response. "It's been about a month since then, hasn't it? I'm just glad I could have been of service." She scanned the faces of the other students. "As for the rest of you, I recognize some faces from my trip to Celdic three months back. I'm glad to see you're all looking well."
"Um…" Alisa tentatively raised her hand. "Since you're here, does that mean you're going to be the one assigning our tasks for this month's field study?"
The captain shook her head. "No. I'm just here to provide a place for you to talk with the person who is. On that note, if you'll please follow me…"
Claire guided Class VII to a door marked by the Railway Military Police logo. She nodded to the guard standing by the entrance, who opened the door to reveal a briefing room, where they were greeted by none other than…
"Dad?!"
Machias's jaw practically hit the floor. Sitting at the head chair was a man who, for lack of a better term, looked exactly like an older, cleaner version of him. His green hair was short and slicked back, which paired well with his spectacles and blue business suit. Despite his attire, though, he wore an amicable smile that Machias rarely ever showed.
"Perfect timing!" the man said. "Welcome to Heimdallr, ladies and gentlemen of Class VII! I'm Carl Regnitz, governor of Heimdallr, head of the local government, and, most importantly, Machias's father. Please, take a seat so we can get started…"
After getting over their initial shock of meeting the Imperial governor so suddenly, Class VII sat down at the large briefing table in their respective groups. Once seated, Governor Regnitz quickly got to work in confirming the students' assignments and lodgings.
As Morgan had previously suspected, each group would be assigned one half of the city to work in, with Group A being assigned to the western half and Group B being assigned the eastern half. Naturally, this also meant that each group had at least one person who was familiar with the area to act as their group's guide, Morgan for Group A, Machias and Elliot for Group B.
Next, the governor handed each group a field study envelope, which contained their field study tasks for the day, along with a slip of paper and key. Both papers had the same two addresses printed on them:
Group A - Vesta Street, 5-27-126
Group B - Alto Street, 4-32-21
Morgan's eyes widened. "Wait…"
"You recognize the address?" Fie asked.
"I think so. I've been around Vesta Street a few times, so I should be able to locate where this is."
"Elliot, you said you live on Alto Street, right?" Rean recalled. "Do you recognize the address?"
The red-haired student shook his head. "Can't say I do. Maybe once we get there, I'll be able to point it out."
"Dad, are these…?"
Machias's father nodded. "That's right. These are the addresses of the places you'll be staying while you're here along with their keys. Both groups will be staying in different places, so I suggest tracking down your lodgings before you start your work. Think of it as an...orienteering exercise to help you get a better feel for the city!"
Governor Regnitz chuckled to himself, but Class VII didn't share his sentiments. Thanks to their instructor, they had long since learned to dread the words "orienteering exercise."
He then checked his watch. "Right. I'm almost out of time. If you have any questions, please speak them now."
Machias's hand shot straight up.
"Yes, Machias!" The governor smiled. "What sort of fatherly advice can I give you?"
"Not in front of the others, Dad…!" Machias grumbled under his breath. The exchange caused some of the students to chuckle a bit. He could feel the self-satisfied smirk that Jusis was giving him. Clearing his throat to recompose himself, he said, "Putting it bluntly, how did YOU, of all people, end up being the one to sort out our lodgings and tasks? It seems a little too inconvenient!"
His father hummed to himself. "You're wondering how I winded up as your point of contact, is that what I'm getting? Yes, I probably should've explained a little more beforehand…" He stretched out his arms. "It's actually a very simple reason: I'm here because I sit on Thors Military Academy's board of directors."
To say that his answer shocked the students was an understatement.
"Hm, Rufus was right!" Governor Regnitz mused. "It IS amusing to see so many jaws hit the floor!"
"First Jusis's brother, then Alisa's mother, and now Machias's father…" Emma counted on her fingers.
Laura nodded in agreement. "It stretches the bounds of imagination to believe the academy's choice of directors is mere coincidence."
The governor laughed wholeheartedly in response. "I can assure you, the three of us didn't arrange for it to be that way. If anything, I was unsure what to do when the academy first offered the position to me."
"Would I be right in assuming there's some kind of secret reason behind the formation of Class VII?" Rean asked.
"...I'm afraid that's not my place to say," Governor Regnitz said. "But whatever the case may be, I'm the third and final member of the board of directors, and that's why I'm the one who's prepared your field study tasks and arranged lodging for all of you. Incidentally, thanks to Chairman Reinford, the communications functionality of your ARCUS has been enabled in the city, so feel free to use that however you wish."
Alisa's face scrunched up at the mention of her mother.
The governor nodded. "Right. My apologies, but I'm afraid I'll have to take my leave now. Preparations for the Summer Festival have me running from place to place, as you can imagine." He stood up from his chair. "I wish I could stay and chat a bit longer, but that's life in politics for you."
Waving goodbye to the students, Claire escorted him out of the briefing room.
Machias slumped into his chair. "Ugh…"
"Same…" Alisa muttered.
'...And that makes the last member of the board of directors,' Morgan thought. 'All that's left is the ornamental chairman of the board. How long until they get to meet 'him'?'
With their arrangements all set, Class VII split into their respective groups in front of the station.
"We've got a long three days ahead of us," Rean said. "So, um...let's give them our best."
"Yeah…" Morgan nodded. "Stay safe out there."
Once the two groups went their separate ways, Fie asked, "Still tough being around Rean?"
"You could notice, huh?"
"I'm surprised Instructor Sara didn't put you two in the same group to work things out," Alisa remarked. "You know, like with past field studies."
"Well, she DID mention that there was a special reason our groups were divided by gender," Emma pointed out. "If not for that, it very well could have been a possibility."
Laura stepped forward. "Morgan. You know these half-hearted exchanges can't last forever."
"...I know. And we'll cross that hurdle once we're both ready." Morgan slapped her cheeks. "So before we go to Vesta Street, would you mind if I stopped by someplace on Vainqueur real quick?"
"Are you sure that is wise?" Laura questioned. "The governor said our first priority is to locate our lodgings."
"I know, but I promised someone that the next time I was in Heimdallr, I'd go meet with them." She clasped her hands together. "Pleeeaaase?"
The rest of Group A looked at each other.
Fie was the first to speak. "This place seems like the main hub. Might be worth it to know where everything is."
"I guess there's no harm in looking…" Alisa's eyes wandered to the open street in front of the station. "I just hope we don't get lost."
"With Morgan here to guide us, we shouldn't have that much of an issue," said Emma.
The four girls nodded their heads. "One small visit," Laura stated. "After that, we must find our lodgings."
Morgan pumped her fists. "Yes! Thank you! It's just along this way!"
With Morgan at the forefront, Group A made their way from Heimdallr Central Station onto the bustling Vainqueur Street. From just one glance alone, one could tell that this was truly the capital of Erebonia, with hundreds of pedestrians walking about and several orbal-powered tram cars ferrying passengers all across the various districts of the city. Off in the distance was Valflame Palace, where the Imperial family resided and the Imperial government operated.
"This is the place!" Morgan stopped in front of a store with a sign overhead that read, "Watson's Weapons."
"A weapons store?" Emma guessed. "Are you going to replenish your supplies?"
Morgan shrugged her shoulders. "Maybe, maybe not. I'll need to see if he's here first." She pushed open the doors to the store.
"Welcome! Feel free to-" The shopkeeper, an elderly man, stopped mid-sentence upon seeing the group entering the store. "Well now! If it isn't Morgan! I haven't seen you in months! How's school been treating you?"
"Pretty good, Watson!" Morgan answered back. "Nice to see you're looking as sharp as ever!"
Watson laughed. "And just what sort of store do you think I run?"
Morgan slapped her forehead. "Walked right into that one."
The elderly man turned his attention to the other members of Morgan's group. "I take it the ladies behind you are your classmates? I can tell some of you have seen combat."
Laura raised an eyebrow, looking impressed. "You have a keen eye."
"Feel free to browse around if you want," Morgan said to her classmates. She then looked back to the shopkeeper. "Watson, is Old Man Omar in?"
"Figures you'd be searching for him," he responded, not surprised in the slightest. "Unfortunately, he just told me that he's running a bit late. He should be here in about half an hour, though. Do you want to wait for him?"
"Well, we're on a bit of a tight schedule ourselves," Morgan explained. "We're here on a field study, so we have to complete all our tasks first. Until then…"
Watson held up his hand. "Say no more. I'll leave him a message saying that you're back. Should I tell him to contact you via orbment?"
"That'd be great! Thanks, Watson!"
"It's thanks to you I managed to find him. I'm just returning the favor." Watson leaned in closer. "By the way, once you're finished with school, do you think you'll go back to doing that thing?"
Morgan, who had just turned around to talk to her other group members, immediately turned back. "Oh, that? Mmm…"
She cupped her chin and made a small humming sound. Then, she held her index finger to her lips and winked. "That's a secret to everybody!"
"I haven't been to the capital in a long time…" Alisa remarked. She and the rest of Group A had left the weapons store and were now on an orbal tram en route to Vesta Street. "But I'm always surprised at just how big this street is alone."
"You think?" Morgan looked at the view of Vainqueur Street from the window. "Well, then again, I got the same reaction when I first came here. You get used to it, though."
"So you didn't always live in Heimdallr?" Emma asked.
"Only for the past...three years or so? Either way, I still know my way around pretty well, so don't worry about us getting lost."
"Would you say you are familiar with the place where we are staying?" asked Laura.
"Like I said, I've been around Vesta Street a couple times. It's one of the main shopping streets on the western side, and it's home to a working-class neighborhood." Morgan pointed her finger. "Oh! You can see it right now!"
The tram made a left at the corner and the girls got their first look at Vesta Street. Even though it was still in the early morning, there were plenty of pedestrians walking in and out of the various buildings. Eventually, the tram pulled into the tram stop, and Group A stepped out onto the street.
Fie sniffed the air. "Something smells good…"
"There's a famous bakery right over there." Morgan pointed to a building with a circular sign that read, "Bakery - Lafite." "We can stop by there on our way out."
"This place feels so lively!" Alisa commented. "I can see why it's considered a main street."
"Yup! It's like Vainqueur Street, except you can actually see what's going on."
Morgan led the group up a set of stairs past the bakery. "Now if memory serves correctly, the address should be around here somewhere…" She walked up another small set of stairs and came to a stop at a large two-story building. "A-ha! Knew it."
The rest of Group A looked up at the building. "This place is…" Emma started to say.
"This was where the Bracer Guild used to be."
Laura snapped to attention. "A guild branch?"
Fie showed the opposite reaction, merely looking to the side. "Bracers, huh…?"
Morgan pointed to the address plate, which matched the one designated on their paper. "I guess that means Group B was fixed up in the one on Alto Street, then."
"There's more than one guild branch in the city? Alisa asked.
"Mhmm. One for each side of Heimdallr, same as our group assignments. Well, I actually wasn't here when the guilds were up and running, so I don't know much about them myself, but they came under attack two years ago. The guild pulled out of the city not long after that incident was resolved."
"Is that so? I've heard rumors that bracers have all but vanished from the Empire."
"There are still traces, Emma. One such branch still exists in my hometown, Legram."
"Yours is probably the exception to the rule, Laura." Fie then whispered to herself, "Must've been that operation…"
Feeling that they had stood outside long enough, the girls unlocked the door to the guild house. It was clear from the moment they set foot into it that the building was designed to house large numbers of people, presumably to accommodate people waiting in line to get their requests filed to the guild. Despite otherwise looking abandoned on the outside, the place was surprisingly well-furnished and tidy, with several bulletin boards adorning the walls and a large reception counter snugly tucked in the back. Placed on the back wall was the Bracer Guild emblem, a red shield with a symbol of a glove emblazoned on it.
"Look there." Fie pointed to a small notice posted up on some of the walls and bulletin boards. "A property statement. Apparently, the government's in charge of this place."
"That would explain why the governor had the authority to let us stay here," Emma presumed.
Located to the left was a flight of stairs that led to the second floor. The students walked up the stairs to find doors leading to rooms with beds in them.
"Three beds in each room," Laura observed. "How do you propose we divide our living arrangements?"
"I don't think it really matters…" said Alisa.
"Yeah, but that's no fun."
"What's your idea, then?"
Fie raised up a fist. "Five-way rock-paper-scissors."
"That sounds like it'll be total chaos." Morgan smirked. "Let's do it."
Alisa groaned. "Oh no."
Emma giggled. "Once Morgan and Fie get going, there's no stopping them. How does this game go again?"
Several rounds of rock-paper-scissors later, the room arrangements were decided: Alisa and Laura in one room, Emma, Fie, and Morgan in the other.
"Now for today's agenda…" Morgan spread out the list of tasks across the reception counter.
"Monster extermination spotted." Fie snatched that request. "They really like giving us these, don't they?"
Morgan peered over Fie's shoulder. "It says it's on the West Ostia Highway… Then report to the Heimdallr Military Police by the exit…"
Alisa picked up another request form. "This one says it's from the airport. 'Deliver three shipments to locations across Western Heimdallr.' That sounds tedious."
"The last one is from the Heimdallr Racetrack in Racecourse Plaza," Emma read from the third request. "They're asking us to put up flyers for tomorrow's race all over the plaza."
Laura hummed to herself as Emma handed her the request form. "The tasks Machias's father selected certainly show the variety one would expect from a city this size."
"It might be a good idea to go around and scope out all these places before noon," Emma suggested.
"Well, you're in luck." Morgan pointed to the paper Alisa was holding. "The airport delivery request should take us through several of the districts. Might even be places that we'll visit in the future."
"That begs the question, though…" Alisa murmured. "How many things need delivering? There's gotta be a catch somewhere."
"Catch or no catch, we could be stuck on that for a while," said Morgan. "I say we focus on that for the morning, then work on the other two. Also, my friend should be finished with his shift in the afternoon, so we'll need to make time to check up on him."
"What exactly does your friend do?" Fie asked.
"We've been working on a project for the past year," Morgan explained. "Long story short, he's building a weapon that can channel the elemental properties of quartzes. Similar to an orbal gun, except with, you know, regular weapons."
"An orbal weapon?" Alisa's eyes practically lit up. "Now THIS is something I have to see."
Morgan snickered. "Curious, aint'cha? Thought so. The rest of you can come with if you're interested. At any rate, I'll get a call once the prototype is ready. Until then, let's get cracking on those field study tasks!"
"Right!" "Okay!" "Of course!" "Ja!"
"Kind of ironic that the first place we need to go to is right back where we started, huh?"
"We might as well! It gives us the opportunity to get more comfortable with where we're staying, after all."
For their first delivery, Group A had returned to Vesta Street. They were tasked to deliver some goods to Herschel's Shop.
"This is a general store, from the looks of it," Emma observed. "It might be best to stock up on supplies while we're here."
"Herschel's Shop…" Laura hummed to herself. "I feel like I've heard that name before…"
Morgan opened the door to the shop. There were several people in the store already, and Group A felt like they were standing out like sore thumbs in their uniforms. Regardless, they walked straight to the check-out counter, where a brown-haired woman wearing an apron was standing.
"Yes! How may I help you today?" The cashier flashed a professional smile, but that smile dwindled into curiosity when she got a closer look at the students. "Wait a minute. That uniform! Are you students from Thors Military Academy?"
"That's correct." Morgan smiled. "You're looking well, Martha."
The woman studied Morgan's face intently before widening her eyes in surprise. "You're...Morgan!"
Morgan feigned shock. "You forgot what I looked like? I'm hurt, Martha!"
Martha stepped out from behind the counter with her arms outstretched. Morgan welcomed the hug wholeheartedly.
"Oh, it's good to see you!"
"Good to see you, too! How's the family?"
Martha released her hold on Morgan. "Fred is the same as always, but Kai's beginning his growth spurt! He's no longer the small boy you've seen helping around the store."
Morgan pouted when she heard that. "So how long do you think it'll take before he's taller than me?"
"Oh, I wouldn't worry about that just yet. You're still growing, aren't you?"
Morgan couldn't bring herself to tell her that she had stayed relatively the same height for the past few years.
"Ah, where are my manners!" Martha waved to the other girls. "My name is Martha Herschel. The rest of you must be Morgan's classmates, correct? She's been a regular customer and occasional helper this past year."
"And speaking of helping…" Morgan brought forward the first of the shipments they were asked to deliver. "We have a delivery for you."
Martha took the box from Morgan's hands and scanned the label. "Ah! Our new shipment of novelty goods from Crossbell! I was wondering when I'd be getting them. Thank you very much for giving this to us."
"By the way…" Laura raised her hand. "If I may be so bold to ask, are you related to President Towa, by any chance?"
"Yes! That's my niece!" Martha set her shipment down on the counter. "She's been helping you first-years, no doubt!"
"Wait, niece?!" Morgan tried to process the information in her head. "Towa...Herschel…"
Fie squinted her eyes amusedly. "You seriously didn't connect the dots before?"
"I thought it was just a coincidence!" Morgan admitted. "And it's not like I've seen her here. Or maybe I have? I don't remember."
Martha chuckled to herself. "Well, I can't blame you for not making the connection. Towa spent most of her time studying by the time you started arriving, not to mention that she spent her entire first year at Trista. She even got admitted with a scholarship! We simply never had a reason to tell you."
"I did get the feeling that President Towa was the studious type," Alisa commented.
"So she was admitted with a scholarship…" Emma realized. "Just like me!"
Martha went behind the counter to open the box Morgan had gifted her. Inside the box was a generous collection of familiar-looking plushies.
"Mishy-!"
Laura tried to keep her growing love of Mishy reined in. Fie, meanwhile, tried to keep her growing snickers from coming out.
"But putting aside all that…" said Martha. "While you're here, if it's not too much trouble, can I ask you to deliver something else on your way out?"
"You want us to do something else?" Alisa frowned. "We're kind of in the middle of something right now-"
"Sure! What do you need?"
The other girls looked at her in shock. "M-Morgan?!"
"Excellent!" Martha grabbed a large brown paper bag. "I would like you to take this order of yarn to Charlotte's house down the street. You remember where it is, right?"
"Course I do!" Morgan grabbed the bag, but she immediately frowned when found that the bag was heavier than it looked. "Whoa! Didn't expect it to weigh that much! Why does Charlotte need this much yarn? It's not even the season for knitting yet!"
Martha leaned in close and cupped her mouth. "Well, from what I heard, her daughter has an eye on a certain SOMEONE. And starting last month, Charlotte's been teaching her how to knit!"
"No! Get out!" Morgan covered her mouth. "Who's the lucky one?"
"Morgan?"
"R-Right! Sorry! Don't worry; this'll be quick! See you later, Martha!"
Martha laughed as she waved goodbye. "Have a nice day!"
The other members of Group A reluctantly followed Morgan out of the store.
"Charlotte's house is right over this way," she told them. "Follow me!"
"Wait! Morgan! Slow down!" Laura sprinted after her.
Fie sighed. "Should've known we'd get sidetracked sooner or later…" she muttered to herself before following suit.
Emma and Alisa both brought up the rear. "And I thought Rean had it bad when it came to helping people…" the latter complained. "But no! Morgan's just as-no, she's worse!"
Emma could only laugh nervously. "Ahaha… I suppose that's another thing they have in common."
Eventually, Group A finally arrived at their destination. As the others took a moment to catch their breath, Morgan stepped forward and rang the doorbell. "Excuse me? I come bearing gifts from Herschel's Shop!"
A young voice said from inside, "Coming!"
Alisa looked up. "Hey, isn't that…?"
The door opened to reveal a girl with neck-length blonde hair wearing a pink shirt and a long skirt.
The girl gasped. "Morgan! Is that you?"
"Hey, Sharl!" Morgan greeted her. "Long time no see!"
"Yes! Long time no see!" Sharl looked past Morgan and waved her hand. "Oh! Is that Alisa and Emma with you? Hello again!"
Alisa waved her hand back. "It's nice to see you again, Sharl."
"Wait, you three know each other?"
"We met last month, during our field study," Emma explained. "She was staying at Zender Gate."
Morgan slapped her forehead. "Right! We left on a Saturday, and Sharl helps out her dad on the weekends. Of course you'd run into each other! But how come you're not over there today?"
"He told me to stay behind for the Summer Festival," Sharl replied. "Mom actually just left to take care of some errands, so I can take those off your hands."
"That'd be great. Careful, this one's REALLY heavy!"
Morgan carefully transferred the bag over to Sharl's open arms. Sharl set the bag down, opened it, and took out one of its contents: a ball of green yarn. "Yep. They're all here!"
"So, Sharl…" Morgan leaned in close to see the yarn. "Is there a particular reason why the yarn's green?"
"Green?" Emma widened her eyes. "Oh! So that's for Thoma's-!"
The bespectacled student stopped herself before she could say any more, but it was too late.
"Heeeeh…" Morgan's mouth crept into a grin. "So his name's Thoma?"
Her cheeks blushing, Sharl actively tried to avoid meeting Morgan's eyes. "I, uh…"
"Sharl…" Morgan rubbed her chin. "You have a crush on someone, and you never told me?"
"I-It'snoneofyourbusinessokaythanksbye!"
The door was slammed shut not a second later. That didn't stop Morgan from calling out, "Good luck!"
Fie looked up at Alisa. "So who's Thoma?"
"Gaius's younger brother," Alisa replied. "Last month, Sharl wanted us to ask him what his favorite color was so she could knit a scarf for him."
"It would seem that the two of them are rather close," Laura mused. "May the Goddess watch over them."
"Good old Westen District…" Morgan said when she stepped off the tram. "I've missed you, but I can't say the same about the smell."
"These buildings look older than the ones on Vesta Street," Emma noticed.
Fie nodded. "Looks like the slums."
"Westen District is home to mostly lower class citizens and laborers," Morgan explained. "It's one of two districts designated for those kinds of people, with the other being the Ost District in the east. From what people have told me, those two weren't included in the city's redevelopment plans, but the government still tries to take care of their basic needs. The water filters we've been asked to deliver are part of those basic needs."
"Interesting…" Laura furrowed her eyebrows. "I suppose the chancellor and Machias's father are to thank for the increased standards of living?"
"That would explain why they're so popular with the commoners," Alisa surmised.
"Hey! It's Miss Morgan!" "Miss Morgan!" "Miss Morgan's back!"
The students were surprised to see a group of small children running towards them.
"They're so cute…!" Alisa gasped.
"Hey, you little rascals!" Morgan knelt down to give some of them hugs and head-pats. "You been keeping the fort safe while I'm gone?"
"Uh-huh!" one of the boys said. "Nothing to report from the Justice Cabal!"
"Justice Cabal?" Laura inquired.
The crowd of children finally noticed the other four students standing behind Morgan.
"Hey, who are these girls?" the same boy asked.
"Th-They're pretty…" a little girl stammered.
Morgan stood up straight. "These are my classmates! We've also got some guys, don't you worry; they're just on the other side of the city right now."
She waved her hand at the children. "And these little ones are part of the Justice Cabal! They patrol the district and make sure there aren't any troublemakers running around. They may not look it, but they're experts at their job, so be sure to take them seriously!"
"The name sounds kinda dumb, though…" Fie mumbled.
"Hey!" one boy shouted. "Miss Morgan gave us that name!"
"Yeah!" another boy said. "It's cool!"
Alisa laughed and raised her hands up. "Okay, okay! It's cool!"
Emma patted Fie's shoulders. "Just play along with them for now, okay?"
Fie's frown deepened even more. "Almost makes me jealous at how innocent they are…"
A loud clapping sound came from in front of them. "Okay, that's enough, kids. Miss Morgan and her friends are busy, so give them some space!"
The children reluctantly stopped clinging to Morgan and made way for an adult woman to come forward. "It's wonderful to see you again, Morgan."
"Likewise." Morgan bowed her head slightly. "Everyone, this is Maia. She runs the daycare for the kids in the Westen District."
"It's not every day we get to see new faces around here," Maia remarked. "It's very nice to meet you."
The other girls likewise returned the greeting.
"Incidentally, Morgan…" Maia said once she had shooed the children away. "If you're here to see Omar, I'm afraid you just missed him."
"I've already made plans to meet with him later," Morgan informed her. "Actually, I'm here because we've been asked to deliver some things…"
Laura stepped forward to give Maia a box. "My, are those the new filter replacements?" the latter queried. "Good! We've been waiting for those for a week! I'll be glad to take these off your hands."
"You need any help with changing the filters?" Morgan offered. "We've got five pairs of hands right here."
Alisa gave an exasperated sigh. "Come on, Morgan. Not again!"
"First rule of living in Heimdallr!" Morgan raised her index finger. "Always ask! It's fine if someone doesn't need your help, but at least it beats not knowing!"
The other girls were taken aback by Morgan's answer. "Well, if you put it that way…"
"Helping the populace certainly falls under the scope of our field study."
"I think now I understand why you get along with everyone so well."
"Might as well see this job through."
Maia smiled. "Follow me to the daycare. I'll show you ladies how it's done first. Then, you can set out on your own to deliver the rest. And remember, always be sure to ask if someone needs help."
Alisa reclined in her seat, feeling exhausted. "That took a lot longer than I thought."
"Only because you got sidetracked!"
"I-I couldn't help it! How could I say no to those pleading eyes?"
Morgan snickered. "You should be glad they asked you to play tag instead of hide-and-seek, otherwise we could've been stuck there for a lot longer. I've got a feeling Fie would be great at both games."
Fie shook her head. "I don't do well with kids."
"Hey, you never know! Besides, you're still-" Morgan stopped herself abruptly.
"...You were about to say 'You're still a kid', weren't you?"
Morgan looked to the side. "No, but you just did!"
The former jaeger squinted her eyes. "I'm gonna get you back for that."
"Fie. Morgan. That's quite enough." Laura pointed out the window. "This is our next stop, if I recall."
The tram pulled over, and Group A stepped off the vehicle.
"The Leica District, also known as the academic district," Morgan introduced. "It's built on a hill with the Imperial Institute and Imperial Museum at the top. You'll mostly find students and faculty here, but there are some manufacturing companies that are here as well."
Fie pointed to a structure in the distance. "Is that…running water?"
"That's an aqueduct, Fie," said Emma. "They are used to carry water across large distances from their source. These particular ones have been around since the War of the Lions."
"An academic answer from our top academic," Morgan mused. "You'd be right at home here."
"You know, Emma…" said Alisa. "I've always wondered why you didn't apply to the Imperial Institute. With your grades, getting into that should be a cinch."
"I'm flattered that you think so, Alisa," Emma responded, "but I have my own reasons for choosing to enroll at Thors. As much as I'd like to talk about that, though, we still have a job to finish."
"Right." Morgan pointed to a building. "I've been in and out of this district more times than I can count. The place we're looking for is right around the corner, past Rieveldt and Co."
"Rieveldt?" Fie raised an eyebrow. "Wasn't the captain's last name Rieveldt?"
"Now that you mention it…"
"Could be a coincidence, could be not." Morgan shrugged her shoulders. "It's not our place to pry."
"Plus, you don't exactly have the greatest track record when it comes to connecting names," Fie reminded her.
Morgan ignored Fie's comment. "Laura, I think you're gonna love this next place."
"Oh? Why might that be?"
"You'll see." Morgan smirked as she led the way into the district. As they turned the corner past Rieveldt and Co., a large stone building came into view. The students could hear the muffled sounds of people shouting from within.
"Ah!"
"Looks like they're going through morning practice right now." Morgan looked at Laura. "Ha! You should see the look on your face."
Fie looked up at the building. "Is this…?"
"The headquarters of the Vander School," Emma confirmed. "One of the two great sword styles of Erebonia alongside the Arseid school. Fie and I have been to the one in Parm, but I can tell from first glance that this is leagues beyond that one."
"Do you think it's okay for us to barge in in the middle of practice?" Alisa wondered.
"We could wait a bit…" Morgan's voice trailed off. "But a certain someone looks like she's drooling at a chance to get a piece of the action."
Laura looked offended. "I-I am NOT drooling!"
Morgan knocked on the door. "I've got a delivery here for you!"
A voice from inside shouted, "I will take care of this! The rest of you, continue with your drills!"
"That sounded like a woman…" Alisa muttered.
Fie nodded. "Not to mention strict."
The door opened. "Yes, how may I help you…"
The woman who opened the door widened her eyes after scanning the faces of the students. The rest of Group A likewise shared a similar facial expression, but each for different reasons.
Alisa and Emma were stunned at how graceful the lady was, whether it was the serenity of her face, her long dress, or her long light blue hair that was tied back. Laura and Fie were surprised by the way the woman carried herself, never wasting a movement and never letting her guard down even when opening a door.
Morgan, meanwhile, was just curious as to why there seemed to only be one Vander in the building. "Lady Aurier…" she announced as she bowed respectfully towards the woman. "I have returned."
'Aurier…!' The name struck a chord in Laura's memory. 'So this is…?'
"Morgan…" The blue-haired woman smiled. "Welcome back to us, Morgan. It has been quite some time. Please, come in."
"Pardon the intrusion." Taking that as their cue, the rest of Group A followed Morgan and the woman called Aurier into the building. They were immediately met with the sight of people wearing leather equipment sparring against each other with wooden swords.
"Nice to see that this place hasn't changed," Morgan said. "I hope we didn't interrupt your practice."
"Not at all. We could never say no to you." Aurier smiled at the other students. "And these are your classmates, I presume?"
"That's right. One half of the illustrious Class VII."
"It's a pleasure to meet all of you." Aurier placed a hand on her chest and bowed. "I formally bid you welcome to the Vander Training Hall. I am Aurier Vander, the second wife of Matteus Vander and the current acting headmaster of this branch of the Vander school."
"My name is Emma Millstein."
"I'm Alisa...R."
"Fie Claussell."
Laura let a brief moment pass by before giving her name. "I am Laura S. Arseid."
The mere mention of her last name was enough to cause the trainees to stop whatever they were doing. It was rare for a member of the rival school to drop in unannounced, much less the daughter of its lead practitioner.
Aurier then shot a glance at the trainees, who immediately resumed their drills.
"I see…" She turned back to Laura. "Judging from your name and hair color, I presume that you are Viscount Arseid's daughter?"
Laura nodded her head. "You presume correctly. My father has also told me much about you. It is an honor to come face-to-face with the 'Stormwatcher.'"
Aurier laughed softly. "I haven't used that name in quite some time. Not since I became a mother."
"A mother-?!" Alisa half-exclaimed before promptly covering her mouth with her hands. "S-Sorry! I didn't mean any offense! It's just that...you look so young!"
The Vander responded with a simple smile. "None taken. Now then, what brings you all here today?"
Emma stepped forward. "We were tasked to drop this off for one of our field study tasks, Lady Aurier."
"Just 'Miss Aurier' is fine, Emma." She took the package from Emma's hands. "Thank you for doing this. You may consider this shipment received."
"That makes three," Fie counted. "Guess that's that."
"And we managed to deliver all three shipments to their respective recipients before the noon hour," Laura added.
Alisa looked at Morgan. "Morgan, you're not gonna ask her if she needs help?"
"Huh? Why would I do that?" Morgan tilted her head. "We've stayed long enough as is, and I wouldn't want to intrude on Lady Aurier's time when practice is going on."
The blonde archer rolled her eyes. "Of course NOW you decide it's okay to leave."
"Actually, I may have something you can do…"
All the students snapped to attention.
"Seeing as you're all military students…" the Vander explained. "You must have heard about our school in passing. However, some of you may not have had the opportunity to see it for yourselves. If you aren't preoccupied at the moment, we could give you all a demonstration of our school's techniques. Would you like that?"
Morgan glanced at Laura. Her eyes were shining brighter than she had ever seen them before. How could they NOT pass up this chance?
"Welp. Looks like we're staying behind again."
Emma giggled. "Heehee. This IS the last stop on our delivery list; I think we can afford to spare a little time, Fie."
The acting headmaster had already gone and notified her students about the change in plans. In the span of a few minutes, the trainees all brought wooden training dummies to the center of the training hall.
Alisa tapped Morgan's shoulder. "Say, Morgan?"
"Yeah?"
"The Vanders are, like, really important, right? How is it that you know them so personally? Were you a student?"
"That would make the most sense…" Emma's voice trailed off. "Except you said that you were afraid of swords, if I recall."
Morgan shook her head. "No, I was never a student. But we've known each other for a while. They were the ones who helped me get off the ground when I was first on my own."
"Is that why you insist on calling Miss Aurier 'Lady'?" Emma queried.
"No, I'd say that's more...common courtesy mixed with old habits."
"Old habits…?"
Fie cupped her mouth with her fist. "She was taken in by a local family...and then they set her up with some family friends…"
Laura nodded at her friend's mutterings. "I think there's little doubt that the Vanders fit one of those criteria. But which one? And what of the other…?"
Their brief contemplation was halted by the sound of Aurier clapping her hands. She began with a brief exposition of the history of the Vander School, as well as an introduction of some of the students who were present.
"The objective of the Vander School is limiting the opponent's options through blistering offense. Precise swings combined with swift footwork are the keys to maintaining the advantage state, which is the reason many of the Vander School's practitioners favor the greatsword as their weapon of choice. Other weapons that are commonly used include the two-handed spear for its superior reach and the twin short swords for swifter offense.
"We will now begin the practical demonstration of these weapons. Swordsmen! At the ready!"
"Yes, ma'am!"
As the demonstration was nearing its end, Morgan walked over to Aurier, who had taken a moment to inspect the weapons rack. "Excuse me? Lady Aurier?"
"Yes, Morgan?"
"I just noticed something. Is Kurt not here today?"
"No, I'm afraid," she denied. "He and Matteus have been at the Parm branch for the past week. They WILL be back tomorrow to prepare for the Summer Festival, though. Perhaps you can come back then? They would be delighted to see you again."
"If we have time, we'll definitely do that." Morgan looked behind her. "I think Laura in particular would like to meet the God of Thunder."
Aurier smiled at Morgan.
"Is there...something the matter?"
"You've changed since we last met."
"You think so?" Morgan twirled a finger through her hair. "I don't think I've changed much."
"It's in the subtle ways that you carry yourself." Aurier moved her head up and down. "You're much more confident and poised in your movements. If this were last year, you would not have approached me while I was by the weapons."
Morgan realized that what Aurier said was true. It had seemed like it was only recently that she had grown used to the presence of swords. "I know that my life won't change if I keep holding on to what I feel safe with. That's why I promised my classmates that I'd be more forthright in my actions. I have to confront my fears sooner or later."
The older woman hummed to herself. "I think it might be time, then…"
"Time for what?"
"...Come with me." The blue-haired woman grabbed a two-handed spear and made her way to the center of the sparring hall. She told the trainees to take a break so they could show the students around the building.
As Morgan was about to leave with her classmates, however, Aurier told her to stay.
"What's going on, Morgan?" Fie asked in a hushed tone.
"I don't know, but I think Lady Aurier wants to have a word with me."
"A word?" Alisa skeptically raised an eyebrow. "A word that involves a spear?"
"I'm sure it'll be quick." Morgan nodded her head. "You guys go on ahead."
"To be able to see the Stormwatcher brandish her weapon…" Laura's voice possessed a hint of jealousy. "You should truly make the most of this opportunity."
Once her classmates were gone, Morgan asked, "What's this about?"
"Ready your weapon," Aurier said, all forms of pleasantries having up and vanished from her tone. "There is something that I have been wishing to try with you. If all goes well, I should be able to dispel any and all fears you may still possess before you return to Thors."
Morgan was taken aback at the sudden request, but she wasn't going to keep someone of her stature waiting. She grabbed her weapon and lengthened it to its polearm form. "What is it that you want me to do?"
"Watch what I do carefully."
Aurier began by assuming a pose with her spear by her side. Then, she leapt high into the air, gracefully moving her body while twirling her spear. Finally, she slammed her weapon down on the ground as she landed, creating a small shockwave in front of her.
"Wow…"
The Vander stood up straight. "Tell me, Morgan: do you recognize that technique?"
Morgan nodded. "One of the trainees used that in the demonstration, right?"
"Correct. The full name of this technique is 'Form of Silence - Lulling.' In truth, the attack is supposed to end with a circular swing to attack opponents on all sides, but for the sake of this demonstration, I revised it to hit only one opponent."
"It still looks very strong."
The blue-haired woman stretched out her hand. "Now it is your turn."
"M-Mine…?" Morgan stammered. "You want me to do...that?"
Aurier nodded.
"But…" Morgan looked down. "I've never used that before."
"And that is why I am here. You cannot know if you do not try beforehand."
Morgan still had doubts about this impromptu training session, but she decided she might as well play along. First, she replayed the movements Aurier had displayed in her head. The attack consisted of three main actions: a leap upwards, a twirling of the body while in midair, and a stab downwards. She spent about a minute jumping in place and spinning around on the ground, trying to get the movements right.
'All I need to do is combine all three motions into one fluid attack.' Morgan assumed the same starting pose as Aurier. 'No pressure, right?'
Author's note: Surprise! I decided to skip the practical exam chapter and jump straight to the field study. I did this for two reasons: 1) the practical exam in the game served to highlight that Laura and Fie hadn't gotten over their differences by this point, but since they HAVE in this story, there's little point in keeping it around save for the reveal of the field study location; and 2) it's around this point that the field studies start to have more content packed into them (the Heimdallr field study in particular lasts for three days instead of the usual two), so I figured it would be best if I just started getting to work on that sooner than later.
As for the group assignments, I decided to do the unthinkable and split them by gender, which was never done in the game. I also decided to switch the group names around to accommodate this change: Group A for "Amazons" and Group B for "Boys". Pretty handy, huh?
Just like with Bryonia Island, the contents of this field study will be mostly my original take on West Heimdallr, though I will be basing certain aspects of it off of the location's appearance in Cold Steel III. Expect new and old characters alike to make their appearance, as well as pieces of Morgan's own history with the city. Until next time, stay safe and stay healthy! ( •̀ᄇ• ́)ﻭ✧