Part Four

When Daunte used the Blinking Mirror to teleport the party back to headquarters, he was stunned. Somehow everyone he had recruited—Jeane, Yaman, Eliasen—had beaten him back to HQ and were scattered around. Jeane had set up shop on the second floor beside Gusoku of the northwest building. Eliasen had set up shop on the second floor of the southwest building. And Yaman was in the inn/tavern building on the first floor, challenging many people to Chinchirorin.

"How did they get here before us?" Daunte wondered out loud.

Allise shrugged. "They must have run very fast."

Daunte looked at his group. "Thank you for your assistance. You're dismissed."

The group dispersed and Daunte quickly headed for the main building. It was pretty late at night but the headquarters was still very active as he ran all the way up to the fifth floor. Before turning in, he needed to report to Caesar about how his recruitment quest had gone.

"Excellent, my Lord," Caesar told him once Daunte finished his debriefing. "I've received word that one hundred extra volunteers from Uaminifu are on their way here."

"Really? One hundred more?" Daunte was surprised.

"We heard about how you stuck your neck out for a drifter in the city," Caesar said. "A lot of people witnessed it, and a lot of people were inspired by it. They think it's admirable that you, the leader of the Liberation Army, took such care of someone who wasn't even in your Army."

So did everyone know then that La'Ahad had not been one of his soldiers? Daunte shrugged. "All I did was pay for his dinner. It wasn't anything miraculous."

"Yes, but you demonstrated your care for your fellow man. It's really made people recognize how much you care for those who serve under you, and they want to join the fight because of it."

Daunte slowly nodded. "I'll be glad to welcome them."

"However, there is something I want to discuss with you." Caesar gestured to Daunte to take a seat at the war table. Daunte complied, and Caesar sat down next to him. "It concerns the refugees of the Dark Chasm."

"What about them?" Daunte asked.

"This is a report of our resources." Caesar presented Daunte with a thick stack of paper. Daunte started to read it when Caesar continued. "It won't surprise you to know that three-quarters of our resources have been diverted to take care of these children."

Daunte felt a twist of discomfort in his stomach, but he didn't show it. "It's not surprising. Most of the children are still malnourished and sick. Even with our healing Runes it will take them time to recover."

"My Lord, many of them are not recovering."

A jolt of shock shook Daunte to his core and he gaped at Caesar. "The children are receiving the bulk of medical supplies, medical care, and food," Caesar continued. "But for many of them it's not enough. Even with the food and added care, some are still too weak to get out of bed. I've done an assessment of the care we've been providing them, and I've come to the conclusion that we're in over our heads. We've diverted so much time into taking care of the children that it's starting to interfere with training drills. Clara and Dr. Yulin have not been taking care of any other patients other than these children, and even though they're both brilliant doctors they're overwhelmed. Your liberation of the Dark Chasm was a noble and righteous move, however at it currently stands I'm afraid our Army doesn't have the necessary capabilities of caring for them."

A surge of anger shot through Daunte and he quickly stood up. "If you're suggesting that we throw the children out, you can be quiet Caesar! There is no one else who would care for these children if we send them away! I understand that the care these children need is very time-consuming, but I would never abandon them to their fates!"

Caesar stood up and raised his hands defensively. "Lord Daunte, I would never suggest throwing the children out. But I needed to tell it to you like it is based on my assessment. Caring for these children is beyond the means of the Liberation Army. As it stands now we don't have enough food to feed everyone, and if the Theocracy were to attack us we would be completely underprepared for it. I'm not asking you to get rid of the children of the Dark Chasm, but I wanted you to understand that their care is stretching our resources completely thin. That's all."

Daunte's breathing was ragged and he closed his eyes. This isn't what he wanted to happen. It would've been ideal if the children instantaneously got better with the move to HQ, but it wasn't happening. He had hoped things would be much better by liberating the Dark Chasm, but for all intents and purposes it just seemed like he made things worse for his Army by doing this.

But they needed to be liberated. How many more children would've died if we had left things be?

Daunte finally opened his eyes and looked to Caesar. "I will think of something," he promised, though his stomach churned. "Please, allow me to sleep on this and I will think of something."

"My Lord, I don't want to put pressure of you. You don't need to come to a split decision about this. We're doing okay for right now; it's just in the long run this will prove difficult for us. Whatever you decide to do, I will trust in your judgment."

Daunte nodded stiffly. "Thank you for bringing this to my attention. I'm going to go to bed now."

"All right. Have a good night."

Daunte still felt sick as he went back down to the fourth floor. He couldn't, couldn't abandon the children! But if they weren't capable of taking care of them, then…what could they do?

Just sleep on it. You'll think of something.

Before going to bed, Daunte checked up on Arin. His little brother was asleep and Daunte felt bad about waking him up, but Arin didn't seem to mind and woke right up. "Welcome back, Big Brother."

"Thanks." Daunte sat down on his bed. "How have you been feeling?"

"Great," Arin said, positively smiling. "Everyone is really nice here. Did you hear that Jantu and Keiran Umed had a duel? It last for three hours!"

"I wish I could've seen it," Daunte laughed.

Arin was silent for a long moment before speaking. "I-Is everything okay, Daunte?"

Daunte shrugged and almost shook his head. Arin was a child and he didn't want to burden his little brother with his own issues. But ultimately Daunte just wanted someone to talk to. Even if it was a nine-year-old boy. "We're having some…problems."

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Arin asked.

Daunte shook his head. "It's the children of the Dark Chasm. Taking them in has proven to be more difficult than we imagined. When I liberated the Dark Chasm I didn't consider the strain it would cause on our resources. I just wanted to get them the hell out of there. But according to Caesar we're running out of food to give everyone, and not a lot of the kids are getting better despite the help we've given them."

"But we need to help them!" Arin said desperately. "Who else is going to help them if we don't?!"

"I know, Arin. That's the drawback of being leader. I have to make decisions that are best for everyone. Taking in the children was what was best for the children, but the Army…" Daunte shrugged. "Eventually our soldiers are going to starve, and both Dr. Yulin and Clara might die if they don't take a break. Taking care of the children has put a generous amount of strain on them."

Arin thought about this for several long minutes. During that time an awkward silence stretched throughout the room as Daunte pondered what to do.

Then Arin smiled brightly. "You'll think of the right thing to do. I trust you to, Big Brother."

Daunte forced a smile at him. "Thank you, Arin."

But he still felt no better as he went into his own bedroom. He got changed into his pajamas and rubbed both hands over his face several times. He sat down heavily onto the bed and looked towards the ceiling. "What am I going to do, Mom?" he said aloud.

"Daunte."

Daunte yelped and jumped straight out of bed as a white light filled the room. It expanded across the room right in front of Daunte, but he relaxed slightly as a floating figure emerged from the light. Her feet touched down gently onto the floor as the light faded. Daunte knew who she was and stood up a little straighter. "…Lady Leknaat."

"Daunte," Leknaat greeted him in kind with a slight bow of her head. "Or rather, Lord Daunte. I sensed that you have taken the mantle fitting of your role as the Tenkai Star. Congratulations."

"Um…" Daunte looked around the room awkwardly before looking back at her. He gestured to the table, though he flushed at doing so since she couldn't see the gesture. "Would you like to sit down?"

"Thank you, but I won't be staying long. I'll remain standing, if it suits you."

"Okay." Daunte rubbed at his nape. "Can I…help you with something?"

"I sensed that the Stars of Destiny have started to come into alignment here in Nagarea, so I wanted to check in on you," Leknaat responded. "There is a…peculiarity in this country that has gotten my attention, but I don't know for certain what it is. However, I have also sensed that as the Tenkai Star you are shouldered with a heavy burden. It is the curse of the Tenkai Star to carry the weight of the destiny of the other 107 Stars, but I would like to offer you help if you would need it. Is there anything you wish to discuss with me?"

Daunte had only met Leknaat once before, and very briefly too. He wasn't sure if it was a good idea unloading his stress onto her when he didn't know anything about her, but he couldn't deny that he felt at ease being around the older woman. Though she spoke in riddle, her presence was warm and comforting. It made Daunte want to trust her.

So, he let out the breath he was holding and quickly explained the situation about the children of the Dark Chasm. Leknaat listened attentively, her eyes still closed and her face unmoving. When Daunte finished she slowly nodded. "You are right to want to care for the children, and you are also right to be concerned for the well-being of your Army. Undoubtedly when you grow into a greater force to be reckoned with, you would have the capability of caring for such poor children. However, as it stands you can barely take care of the Army you're building up. I can see that this is a great moral dilemma for you."

She'd said 'when you grow into a greater force'. Not if but when. The subtle difference was a great mood lifter for Daunte. Having this anomaly of a woman speak about his success with certainty made him more confident that he would succeed.

But Daunte stilled pressed forward. "What do you think I should do?"

"It's very simple," Leknaat said. "Your forces are currently incapable of giving the children the care that they need. So you should reach out to allies who would be able to take care of them."

"But who?" Daunte asked. "Nagarea is an isolated country! We alone are standing against a tyrannical government! There's no one I could ask to take these children in!"

"I don't believe that, Lord Daunte. And neither do you."

Daunte stared at her stunned. Leknaat gestured to him very slightly. "I must go for now. You have my word that I will return to you in the near future. Until then, please rely on your inner strength and on the strength of your allies. Never forget that you are not alone in this."

"W-Wait a minute," Daunte said. "Before you go, can I ask you a question?"

"Of course, my Lord."

"Why are you helping me? I have no idea who you are, or even if you're Nagarean. But this is the second you've shown up to give me advice and information that I've needed. Why would you do that?"

Leknaat smiled serenely. "Because it is the right thing to do. Until we meet again."

The room filled with light once more, and within moments Daunte was left standing in the middle of his room alone. He rubbed at his eyes, wondering if he'd hallucinated the whole thing. Ultimately he decided that yes, Leknaat had come to see him again.

But I'm no closer to finding my answers than I was before she arrived. Daunte climbed into bed and stared at the ceiling for a long time. What am I supposed to do? I'm not going to abandon the children, but the Army isn't capable of taking care of them! Lady Leknaat said that I should rely on my allies, but all of my allies are right here! I'm already relying on them enough as it is! Who could I possibly ask to take in over three hundred starving and sickly children? Who would have the resources to take care of them?

He closed his eyes, feeling sick to his stomach. He lay there for several minutes, trying to figure out what he needed to do. Who on earth could he ask to care for so many kids? To feed them and to provide them good care? This monumental task seemed impossible.

"I know that you contributed greatly to the rescue of all of my kin, and I am eternally grateful to you."

Daunte's eyes quickly snapped open, and a sharp jolt shook his body as he quickly sat up. "Falena."

The following morning Daunte quickly ate his breakfast with Arin and raced up to the sixth floor to speak to Caesar. He wanted to tell Caesar about his idea as soon as possible, but the moment he arrived in the war room he paused at who he saw. Gunther, Allise, Eamon, Keiran, Roen, Felicity, and Caesar were there, but so was someone else.

"Lord Daunte." Varnaz saluted him. "I have returned."

Varnaz had returned to HQ with his envoy during the night. Despite having maybe four or five hours of sleep, Varnaz looked fully alert. Daunte approached him. "Welcome back. What have you found?"

"After an extensive search, Varnaz found Lord Lorik and the remaining survivors of Agameru," Caesar said, stepping forward. "They're south, deep in the Red Tundra."

Daunte nodded. "How many survivors are there?"

"Twenty at the very most," Varnaz said. "Most of them are children, very few able-bodied adults. They're short on supplies, and with the terrain they're incapable of growing their own food. They're in dire straits."

"But they did not come back with you," Daunte immediately observed.

Varnaz slowly shook his head. "Lord Lorik would not even see me. We tried to explain that the Liberation Army was under a new leader and that we wanted to take them in, but they remained stubborn and insisted that we leave. They were acting very unreasonable, considering the circumstances."

"No offense," Gunther said cheekily. "But I think it has less to do with the Army and more to do with the fact that it was you they were dealing with."

Varnaz glared at Gunther, but Daunte stepped in before an argument could break out. "Thank you for this information, Varnaz."

"But Varnaz has a point," Allise said, folding her arms over her chest. "We're genuinely offering them help, and they're allowing their emotions to rule their judgment. Lord Lorik should have more sense than to refuse any means that would help his people."

"Maybe they don't trust us?" Eamon offered, shrugging.

"I don't necessarily blame them," Keiran said. "They must have heard that I've joined the Army."

"Well, it's actually more to it than that," Gunther told him.

"If that's the case, then perhaps you should go and meet with them in person," Caesar said to Daunte. "You should lay out your intentions to them and make it clear that we want to help them. Hopefully meeting the new Liberation Army leader will change their minds."

Daunte nodded. "I agree. I will get ready to go and head out today."

"I will go with you," Varnaz said. "I know how to get to their new encampment, so I'll guide you so you don't get lost in the Red Tundra."

"B-But you just got back," Daunte protested. "And you've spent the last couple of weeks searching! You should rest!"

"How else are you going to find them, Lord Daunte, if I'm not with you to tell you where they are?"

Daunte saw his point, even if he felt like he was overworking Varnaz. He reluctantly nodded. "All right. Thank you for the help."

"Anytime."

"Also—"

"If you're going to tell me about Ramiro Lažov's promotion, you don't need to," Varnaz said darkly. "I heard of it while on the road."

That didn't really surprise Daunte, but he still felt a squirm of discomfort as he looked to Varnaz. "I'm sorry," he offered lamely.

Varnaz shook his head. "This is only an incentive for me to try harder. However, I do have one request of you, my Lord."

"Yes?"

"When we bring Lažov down, leave him to me. I will see to him personally. That's all I ask."

Daunte quickly nodded. "Absolutely. I leave Lažov's fate in your hands." He couldn't possibly deny Varnaz vengeance for the death of his whole family, brought about by a sanctimonious bastard like Ramiro Lažov. Lažov deserved no more than to die by his former brother-in-law's hand.

"Thank you."

"Speak with me directly once you're ready to assemble your party," Caesar told Daunte. "Unless there's anything more, Lord Daunte?"

Daunte nodded, remembering why he had rushed up there to begin with. "Caesar, can you prepare an envoy to travel to Falena?"

"Oh?" Caesar said mildly, grinning at him.

"Wait, you guys are in contact with Falena?" Keiran said. His eyes widened. "That's incredible!"

"Are we reaching out to Falena for a formal alliance, then?" Caesar asked Daunte.

"Not necessarily," Daunte said. He heard the others shift with shock and raised a hand. "I don't want to squander a potential alliance, but I want to see to something else first. I want to ask Falena to take in the children of the Dark Chasm."

"What?!" Felicity exclaimed.

"Daunte!" Roen immediately protested. "Are you planning on just dumping the children somewhere else?! You promised to take care of them!"

"Yes, he did," Caesar said. "But as it stands now their care is coming entirely at the expense of the Liberation Army. Not to mention the fact that the care that we're providing them isn't enough. So we're thin on our own resources, and several of the children are not getting better. I wholeheartedly agree with reaching out to Falena about this. They technically still owe us—rather you, my Lord—a favor. You may as well call them in on their favor and have them take the children in."

"Wait a minute," Gunther said, stepping forward. "I thought our 'calling them on their favor' would involve them joining our Army as allies."

"Well we tried that already and look where it got us."

"But it's different now," Allise jumped in. "Our leader now is someone who not only actively participated in the rescue of all the Falenan royals, but he personally saved Falena's Crowned Princess! Not to sound greedy or anything, but we currently do have the upper hand in negotiating an alliance with Falena now! If all we ask of them is to take in the refugees, what obligation would they have to offer any other assistance to us?"

"For one thing, they have nothing to gain by leaving things as they are," Caesar said. "Not only is the Cabinet of High Clerics made up of ex-Falenan assassins, but also they kidnapped almost the entire Royal family. At least with us they can trust that things will definitely change in Nagarea so that something like that won't ever happen again."

"I agree," Daunte said. "I want reach out to them first to see if they will accept the children in. Once that happens we'll work from there about properly securing a political alliance."

"That would be advantageous to us," Keiran agreed. "In addition, it will be a good PR move to only ask them to take in the children as opposed to outright asking for military aid. It demonstrates the level of care that you have given the people who serve under you, my Lord."

"I just…I don't know," Felicity said. "I feel like we're abandoning those kids. What if they feel the same way?"

"They won't feel that way once they're in a country with the resources to take care of them," Caesar spoke up.

"I agree with Lord Daunte," Varnaz said. "Those children deserve care that we're not currently capable of giving them. If there's a chance that Falena will take them in, then I think we should take it."

"And they won't be there forever," Daunte said reassuringly. "I'm not exiling them. Once they get better, and once our Army is in greater stable condition, then I will bring them back. I swear an oath I will bring them back!"

Luckily, Daunte's sheer conviction was enough for everyone to cool down and respond more positively to his idea. "I'll stand by your decision," Allise said.

"As will I," Gunther said.

"If they're willing to take care of the children, then I think we should take the opportunity," Eamon said.

"Surya will definitely take care of them," Felicity said. "He saw firsthand how awful the Dark Chasm was."

"I hope they do get better," Roen said.

"Well it wouldn't do the Falenans any good to mistreat the children," Keiran said. "They would be better off rejecting us outright than doing that."

Caesar patted Daunte on the shoulder and grinned. "I will prepare an envoy to travel to Falena immediately. With any luck they'll be back in time for your return from the Red Tundra."

"Let me write the official letter of request," Daunte said. "I want to show them that this is my personal request."

"How will they know for sure that it's your personal letter?" Eamon asked.

"I wrote a letter to Prince Surya previously. If he still has the letter, they can compare the handwriting to show that it's really from me."

Eamon smiled. "That's an excellent idea, my Lord."

Daunte was honestly touched by the praise and smiled in kind. "Thank you."

"Go ahead and prepare a rough draft of the official letter," Caesar said. "I'll proofread it for you and give you some advice, if necessary, and then write a final draft. We'll send the final draft with the envoy."

Daunte had thought writing the official letter himself would've been easy. It wasn't. In between stumbling over his words, and Caesar critiquing every sentence, he ended up rewriting the rough draft five times over the course of six hours. And even with Caesar satisfied enough for him to progress to the final draft, that took two tries of writing it before the Army strategist said it was perfect. By the time Daunte was done, half of the afternoon was gone and his hands were covered in black ink. From that moment on he decided he would never write an official letter again.

The one good thing that came out of the time he needed to write and rewrite the letter was that Varnaz got the rest he needed from being on the road. Daunte decided that by the time he was done with the letter that it was too late in the day to venture to the Red Tundra and instead resolved to set out the following morning. The envoy for Falena, however, was immediately prepped and they were sent up the underground river towards the Northern Wharf in a boat.

By dawn the next morning, Daunte was ready to go and went to see Caesar. Varnaz of course was ready to go, and that left Daunte with four more people to choose from. "Roen, Felicity, Priscilla, and…Viki." He shrugged.

"All right," Caesar said. "We'll call your party together and you can be on your way. But don't forget to have Viki wear nose plugs. You've seen her…habit of randomly teleporting people when she sneezes."

Daunte nodded. "Got it."

He said his goodbyes to Arin and set off with his group. He allowed Varnaz to take the lead towards the Red Tundra. But he felt apprehensive as they rode south. He'd never been so far south in Nagarea before, and he knew they had to be careful because of the fact that they were crossing through the southwest provinces to get to the Red Tundra. The last thing he wanted was to draw the attention of Sheikh Keha Hale's forces. But outside of the usual monsters, they ran into no problems.

Three days later, they reached the Red Tundra. The temperature had dropped considerably, but it wasn't the chilly air that set Daunte on edge; the landscape itself was far more uncomfortable. The Red Tundra was a barren wasteland of permafrost. No trees, no grass, just permanently frozen soil that was the color of blood. The Nagarist Faith stipulated that the land had been permanently stained red a from a fierce battle between the worshippers of Nagar and non-believers. Considering that the Red Tundra was approximately three hundred kilometers wide, Daunte wondered just how many people died if this was true.

"Their encampment is about five hours southeast of here," Varnaz said, looking over his shoulder at Daunte. "We should be on guard. The monsters that roam these plains are very fierce."

"No, this won't do. This won't do at all!"

The group started slightly, and Daunte turned to look to his feet. Three meters away he saw a blonde-haired man in his thirties, pouring over a longer sheet of paper. The man was wearing a blue hat and what looked like a blue and white uniform. His brown eyes were narrowed, and he had an expression of deep distress in his face. Daunte glanced at the others, and then dismounted his horse to approach the man.

"This is hopeless!" the man complained, scrubbing a hand over his face. "How am I supposed to complete this map if I can't even get far in this region?!"

"Excuse me," Daunte said.

The man looked up. He seemed relieved to see Daunte and hurried over to him. "Oh, hello! Are you familiar at all with this region?"

Daunte shook his head and looked at the paper in the man's arms. "What is that?"

"Oh, this?" the man showed it to Daunte. "This is a comprehensive map of Nagarea. I came all the way here from the Toran Republic because I wasn't able to find a single map of Nagarea in any of my textbooks. However, the Theocracy wasn't interested in giving me a map, and actually tried to have me arrested! So I've spent the last year or so traveling and dodging soldiers who were trying to arrest me for being in the country illegally, and this is what I've been able to come up with!"

Daunte looked at the map and was immediately impressed. It was far more detailed than the maps they currently had at HQ. Not only was every city listed, but they also listed population sizes for each city, and the High Peak Mountains were a lot more detailed than he'd ever seen them be. The only region that wasn't in a lot of detail was the Red Tundra.

"I've been trying to transverse this region to map it out," the man said. "You know, to find a coastline. There are no markers here, so it's ridiculously easy to get lost. But I'm not a fighter, and the monsters are so violent and powerful that I haven't gotten very far! It's such a shame, really, because this is the only region I have left to explore!"

Daunte stared at the map for a long moment before looking at the man again. "What's your name?"

"Templeton," the man responded. He looked at Daunte's other companions. "I…" his eyes suddenly went wide. "Oh, Viki?"

"Huh?" Viki blinked as she looked at him. "Ah, you seem familiar to me. Who are you, again?"

"It's me, Templeton!" he surged forward towards her horse. "We fought on the same side in the Gate Rune Wars and the Dunan Unification War! But wow—you look the same as you did in both wars!"

"O-Oh, I think I remember you!" Viki laughed a little. "You were that boy who made maps!"

"So you made maps for the armies that you served?" Varnaz asked. He looked to Daunte then and gave a slight nod, as though in approval. Daunte approached Templeton again. "Would you be interested in joining our Army? We have maps at our headquarters, so you can study them and modify them as you wish."

"Really? You want me to join you?" Templeton turned around to face Daunte. "Well…it would be in my best interest to join you since the Theocracy rejected my proposal and has been trying to arrest me for over a year." He nodded eagerly. "Yes. I'll be happy to join you."

Daunte shook his hand. "Thank you. Our headquarters is—"

"Oh, I know where it is," Templeton said. He correctly pointed it out on his large map. "I'll head for there right away. In the meantime, have this." He reached into his satchel and pulled out a rolled-up scroll and handed it to Daunte. "This is a smaller version of this map. I hope this will be of assistance to you."

It was. Daunte quickly unrolled it and was pleased to see that it was just as detailed as the larger map. "Thank you, Templeton."

"I'll work hard to get this map finished up. If you'll excuse me, I'll head to headquarters right away!" Templeton hurried off.

Varnaz came over and looked at the map over Daunte's shoulder. "The Red Tundra may be incomplete, but it looks like he got as far as where Lord Lorik and his people are. This should be able to guide us to where we need to be."

For the next three hours they traveled southwest towards the location of Lorik Varra's camp. Along the way they fought many difficult monsters. Daunte was used to fighting wild boars and wolves, but now they were fighting bronze suns, skeletons, banshees, DoReMi elves, and many assorted and very difficult foes. During the battle one of the banshees dropped a bags of seeds, but Daunte didn't know what plant they were. It was exhausting fighting them, even though Daunte felt he his experience was increasing with each battle.

I'm definitely using the Blinking Mirror after I speak to Lord Lorik.

"We're almost there," Varnaz announced, to Daunte's immense relief.

"Oh, who's that?" Roen asked suddenly, pointing.

Daunte looked. To their right just over six meters away they saw a woman in her early thirties on her hands and knees. She was wearing a solid beige veil on her head, though it was wrapped up around her ginger colored hair. She was dressed in a dark pink tunic with beige pants, and her dark eyes were furrowed in concentration as she tried digging into the permafrost.

"What is she doing?" Priscilla wondered out loud.

"Whatever she's doing, I'm surprised she hasn't been attacked by monsters out here," Felicity said.

Daunte drew his horse closer to the woman, and the rest of the group followed suit. They came to a stop less than a meter behind her, although she didn't seem to notice. As Daunte approached, she sighed with exasperation and pulled off one thick glove to wipe at her forehead.

"It's no use," she said with dismay. "Nothing I've planted here has taken root!"

Daunte reached her side. "Are you all right?"

The woman looked up with slight alarm. She sized Daunte up for a moment, and then sized up the rest of the party, before turning back around to look at the crimson ground before her. "The Red Tundra. Nothing has grown here in hundreds of years, but I wanted to try and bring life back to this wasteland. But no matter what I plant—flowers, vegetables, trees—nothing grows! It's very discouraging!"

"Well the land is permafrost," Varnaz pointed out. "Nothing is going to grow here."

The woman shook her head. "I-I still wanted to try. But I've wasted so many seeds…my supply is now short! What am I going to do?"

Daunte remembered the seeds that they'd just picked up and he pulled them out of his satchel. "Will these do?" he handed them to her.

Her face lit up and she quickly opened the bag. "Oh—these are radish seeds! Wonderful! I just ran out of radish seeds!" her face suddenly looked forlorn as she looked out over the landscape once more. "But…But if I plant these, then they'll just go to waste! Where can I possibly go to make my plants take root?"

Daunte of course had an answer for her, and he was elated at the possibility of recruiting a potential gardener to grow food for the Army. Especially with their dwindling supplies. "My name is Daunte, leader of the Liberation Army. What's your name?"

"My name is May," the woman said. She brushed off her tunic and quickly stood up. "I-If you're from the Liberation Army, does this mean that you want to recruit me?"

"Yes," Daunte said. "Our headquarters is on fertile land. You can designate any location for your garden."

May positively smiled at him and clutched the bag of seeds to her chest. "Yes…if there's some place where I can properly grow my seeds, I would be happy to join you! Now, where is your headquarters?"

Daunte showed her the newfound map Templeton had given him, and she nodded in understanding. "I'll go there right this minute and get set up! And if you find any other seeds around, please bring them to me! I can grow anything!"

"…Well," Roen said as she took off. "Now we have someone to grow crops for us."

"Wait, doesn't she still have seeds?" Priscilla asked with confusion. "Why do you need to go out and get more for her, Lord Daunte? Isn't that her job?"

Daunte shrugged. "I'm happy to help in any way I can. How far are we now, Varnaz?"

"Ironically their camp is just over that hill," Varnaz said, pointing due south.

"Well, that' convenient," Viki quipped.

Daunte climbed back onto his horse. "Let's hurry."

They calmly rode their horses to the top of the hills. Daunte looked down below them and his heart leapt into his throat. There were six shaggy tents just below them, and people milling about. Varnaz was right—there wasn't a lot of people, and most of them were very young. They looked world-weary, and while they didn't look malnourished they didn't look like they were in good condition either.

I have to help them.

"You!"

A shout startled Daunte and he quickly dismounted. The others followed suit as Tala advanced on them. There was fury in her youthful face, and she readied her gunstock club. "I warned you, Varnaz Behzadi! I warned you that if you showed your sorry face around here again that you would regret it!"

"Hold on a moment!" Daunte interjected. He sidestepped to stand in front of Varnaz. "We're not here to fight! We're here to talk to all of you, and to bring you to our headquarters!"

"As if we would join ranks with you!" Tala said harshly. "You—the people who abandoned us to die!"

"Tala, if you would just hear us out," Varnaz said, stepping around Daunte to stand at his side. "As I've repeatedly told all of you, Bearyl Lutis has been ousted from power as commander. This is Lord Daunte, our new leader of the Liberation Army."

Tala stilled in her tracks, but she did not lower her club. She looked Daunte up and down several times in silence before she finally—and visibly reluctantly—lowered her club. "Your lot must be desperate if you're following the orders of a child."

Daunte's brow lifted from the slight insult, but Varnaz stepped forward before he could respond. "Don't speak to our Lord like that. You know nothing of the sacrifices he's made for this Army, and the amount of hard work he's put into our cause!"

Daunte was both surprised and pleased to see Varnaz come to his defense, and he looked at the others in the group. They also looked on guard, and upset by Tala's words. He looked back at Tala, who was indifferent to Varnaz's harsh reprimand. She shrugged slightly. "Well, I'm pleased that bastard is gone from power. I will take you to see my Lord, but don't expect us to change our position."

Tala escorted them into camp. All activity within the small camp ceased and everyone fell silent and stared at them. Daunte felt uncomfortable at seeing the small numbers of the survivors of Agameru, but he kept outwardly calm despite the glares they were receiving. All of the tents were the same size so Daunte did not know which one was Lorik's. Tala guided them to one of the tents, and Daunte was impressed that Lorik was at least modest about his living conditions compared to everyone else. "My Lord," Tala said to the tent flap. "The Liberation Army has returned. Now they've brought their new leader."

"Bring them in," Lorik called from the inside.

"Well, come on," Tala told them curtly. She held the tent flap open and directed them to go in. Once all six were inside she followed.

"Oh. I know you." Lorik Varra stood to attention as he looked at Daunte. The man looked disheveled but otherwise uninjured. Outside of four bedrolls and a trunk, the tent was otherwise empty. "When we attack Sloan Faakhir's Garrison, you led the group that raised the Army's flag."

Daunte nodded. "I'm glad to see that you survived, Lord Lorik."

Lorik shook his head. "We didn't stand a chance. They came at us from all sides. I'm ashamed to have survived when so many of my people died."

Daunte didn't know what to say to that so he said nothing. Lorik shook his head and looked back at Daunte. "But I digress. Why have you come here? While I'm pleased your Army was sensible enough to depose Bearyl Lutis, I've already told Varnaz here that we have no intention of joining you."

"Have you seen your people?" Priscilla asked incredulously. "You really can't afford to be holding grudges here!"

"I'm not holding a grudge. I just don't trust the Liberation Army to take care of us, because you didn't before."

"I don't blame you at all for your feelings," Daunte said. "But I won't let this happen to you again. I don't make these promises lightly. I mean, I liberated the Dark Chasm and have taken in the children who suffered there. We're currently taking care of them. You can trust us to take care of you."

Lorik looked very surprised by this, and for a moment Daunte thought that he would relent. But then his face fell, and he shook his head. "If you're currently taking care of over three hundred children, then I don't expect that my people will be given much attention."

Well…that backfired. But Daunte maintain his patience and raised a hand. "You all will be taken care of. I promise."

"I know this wasn't your fault, but the Liberation Army abandoned us to die," Lorik said. "They ignored our pleas for help before and after the massacre. We begged you to assist us and you turned our backs on us. Now you suddenly want to help us? After everything you've allowed to happen to us? Forgive me for being skeptical, but I know that you're low on resources and manpower, and I cannot help but think that you're only here to recruit us for your standing Army. You've used us enough for your own purposes without giving anything in return. I'm not going back to such a thing, and neither are my people."

"I was abandoned to die."

Daunte looked at Varnaz with shock, but the other man was looking at Lorik. "Bearyl Lutis sent my soldiers and I behind enemy lines with the promise of backup to cover our retreat. However, instead he called for an Army-wide retreat. He ran away from battle without having any initiative to send someone to rescue us. And I was his best friend! I would've died if it weren't for Lord Daunte! He came behind enemy lines, with just five people, and held off the enemy long enough for us to retreat. He was captured, held for days while Lutis made no move to rescue him and you know the very first thing he asked for once he came back to us? Not for compensation, not a confrontation at being abandoned—he asked that we mobilize to protect Uaminifu! Do you know what his very first order was as leader of this Army? To find you and to make sure you were all right! I've never seen him act in his own self-interest! Everything he has done has been in the service of others! I tell you right now that if we had him as our leader sooner, then this war would already be over! If he tells you that he wants to help you, you better believe he's telling the truth! Actions speak louder than words, and his actions have proven his integrity and his dedication to making Nagarea a much better place!"

Daunte was honestly surprised by Varnaz's behavior. It was hard to believe that not too long ago this was the same man who treated him with open hostility and scorn. Did he really mean what he was saying, or was he putting on an act to convince Lorik to join them?

Or maybe being away from Bearyl Lutis has been much better for him than the rest of us?

Lorik looked moved by Varnaz's words, and Daunte saw that the man was deeply conflicted about what to do. Daunte honestly felt sorry for him. It had to be a struggle trying to decide what was best for his people.

Lorik bent his head slightly and rubbed at his face. When his head lifted, Daunte's heart sank. His expression was hard once more. "I'm sorry, but I don't trust any of you. I'm not going to join the Liberation Army. The risks are not worth it. Please leave and do not return."

"Why don't you forget your damned pride and take care of your people?!" Varnaz snapped.

Lorik shrugged very slightly, his expression sad. "That's all I've been doing."

There was nothing they could do to convince Lorik to come to their side. None of the survivors of Agameru seemed inclined to join them, either. Daunte didn't want to leave them to their fate, but it was painfully clear that they didn't want them around. They had no choice but to leave.

I have the Blinking Mirror, however, so I can come back here whenever I need to. Once we have a stable flow of supplies at headquarters, I'll bring some food and clothing here.

As Tala escorted them out of camp, a figure suddenly jumped out from behind a tent. "So you dare to show your faces back here?!"

"Zander!" Tala snapped, and Daunte felt a jolt. "We warned you to remain in hiding in case they come back!"

"I don't need to hide!" Zander hollered. "They caused their own downfall and ours! I'm not afraid of them!"

"Oh, it's the broody boy I saw in the Sheikh's Garrison jail," Priscilla said amusedly.

"Wait, what are you guys talking about?" Felicity asked. "Why would you hide Zander from us?"

Tala stiffened, and some of the bravado disappeared from Zander's face. Daunte quickly suspected why they hid Zander—because of what'd happened with Keiran Umed's Garrison. Zander had undoubtedly told the former Sheikh where the former headquarters was as retaliation for Bearyl Lutis not giving a damn about the fate of Agameru.

So they were afraid we would want revenge on Zander for what he did. But in all honesties, I don't blame him for what he did.

Daunte knew he could still verbally condemn Zander for selling them out, keep silent, or ask Zander how he was doing. Daunte saw however that despite the circumstances that Zander looked much better than before, and he carefully took a step forward. "I'm glad to see that you're still alive. How are you doing?"

"I could be better," Zander responded. I kept running and running and—WAIT!" he seemed to remember himself and glared at Daunte. "How dare you speak to me so casually! After everything you did to us!"

"Daunte was the one who brought you into our headquarters to get you medical attention!" Roen reminded him. "He's not the same as Bearyl Lutis!"

Zander looked at Daunte closely, and something flickered across his face. "You…Yeah. You look familiar to me. I remember falling off my horse and someone was screaming for help. Was that you?"

Daunte slowly nodded. "I'm sorry I didn't do more to stand up for you to our former leader."

Zander looked incredibly upset, and for a moment Daunte saw a sliver of guilt in his expression. It took Daunte off-guard. He…He feels bad about what he did?

But the moment passed and Zander looked angry again. "I'll never forgive any of you for what you did to us. I—we lost everything because of the Liberation Army! I would rather die than join you!" he took off running.

Daunte watched him go, but Tala brought his attention back to her, her gaze hard. "It's not just Zander. We all share that sentiment. Don't come back here again."

Daunt had wanted to help them, but he knew there wasn't much he could do if they didn't want his help. Sighing heavily, he reached into his pocket and pulled out the Blinking Mirror. "You'll want to stand back, otherwise you might be teleported with us."

The survivors of Agameru complied, and Daunte used the Blinking Mirror to return his party to headquarters.

"So Lord Lorik would not accept our help even after our leader humbled himself to him?" Caesar surmised. He shook his head. "That's a shame. But there's not a lot we can do if they're refusing our help."

Back at HQ, both Templeton and May had already gotten situated (somehow miraculously beating Daunte back to headquarters). Templeton had taken one of the room on the first floor, and his giant map was spread out stretching halfway across the room. May had found a gardening location in the northeast end of the compound, even further north than the northeast building. She'd already set up a lovely garden beside a white marble gazebo. Flowers were already growing there and she tended to them, but she also started growing vegetables. Despite her failure in the Red Tundra, she had quickly grown fond of her new quarters.

"Caesar, once we have a stable flow of supplies coming through our headquarters, I would like to send supplies to them," Daunte said. "Even if they don't want to join us, I want to help them in some way."

"But if they're already refusing your help, they may refuse the supplies you send them," Keiran pointed out.

"Hopefully Lorik Varra will let go of his pride long enough to accept them," Allise said.

"Also, I wanted to report to you that our envoy that we sent to Falena has not returned yet," Caesar said. "But I wouldn't worry. Even with a Water or Flowing Rune it's still a long travel. Plus, I'm sure their Parliament will want to convene and hold a vote about this."

Daunte nodded and turned to his companions. "Unless there's anything else to report…?" he let the sentence trail off in wait for an answer. He did not receive one and smiled. "Thank you all for a good job. You're dismissed."

Everyone complied and disperse. Caesar approached Daunte. "You've been working overtime, as usual. Why don't you take the rest of the day off?"

Daunte forced a smile at him. "I'll check on how the Army is doing and then I'll get some rest."

That evening Daunte drank some of the tea Tidur sent up to him as he got ready for bed. He was finally able to go down into the underground cavern because the stairs had been fixed. Despite being a wet cave he'd been surprised that some of the small tunnels had been converted into roomy bedrooms. Sharon was having a blast with both Suna and Azul in a room close to the entrance, and deeper into the cavern he found a room Nash and Sierra were sharing. Nash was his usual cheerful (but shifty) self, and Sierra was fast asleep. Even in the middle of the day.

But everyone seems to be settling in well. That's good. I just wish I could solve all these problems that I have. The children of the Dark Chasm, the survivors of Agameru, our supplies! Not to mention the fact that despite the volunteers we're still lacking in numbers. I really hope we receive positive feedback from Falena. Even if they agree to take the children though, it doesn't guarantee me soldiers…

There was a knock at his bedroom door. Daunte had started to remove his vest but he quickly shrugged it off. "Come in."

The door opened, and Caesar strolled inside. "Good evening, Lord Daunte. I hope I'm not disturbing you."

"No, not at all." Daunte gestured to a seat at the table. "Have a seat. Ms. Tidur sent tea up to me, so help yourself."

"Oh, thank you." Caesar took a seat and poured himself a cup. Daunte also had another cup of tea and sat opposite of Caesar. He grinned around his cup. "This is good. What tea leaves are these?"

"Valerian," Daunte said, sitting down. "Ms. Tidur said it would help me sleep."

"Hmm." Caesar took a long drink from his cup.

"So what brings you here?" Daunte asked him.

Caesar didn't answer him at first. Instead he finished his tea and poured himself another glass. Daunte waited in silence as he took another sip and drank his own tea to give himself something to do.

"Can I ask you something, Lord Daunte?" Caesar said suddenly.

Daunte looked at him. "What, Caesar?"

"Do you want us to succeed?"

This seemed to be an odd question for Caesar to ask, but Daunte stilled when he saw the look on Caesar's face. The strategist looked…grim.

"Of course I want us to succeed," Daunte replied.

"Are you truly serious about winning this war?"

"Yes."

"Will you accept any means to win this war?"

This made Daunte very uncomfortable and he stood up. "Caesar, what are you getting at? Are you questioning my commitment to the Army?"

"No, of course not," Caesar said, also standing up. "I'm only asking you how far you would go in order for us to succeed."

"I would do anything to make sure we succeed," Daunte quickly said. Then he backpedaled. "But not at the expense of others. Never."

Caesar gave this a lot of thought before he finally nodded. "All right." He gestured to Daunte. "Please, come with me."

"Where to?"

Caesar smiled thinly. "We're going to summon some much needed help to our cause."