I don't think I mentioned this before, but with Suikoden III I follow canon in terms of the True Runes. So Hugo has the True Fire Rune and is the Flame Champion (though I had him keep his own name), Chris has the True Water Rune, and Geddoe has the True Lightning Rune.

Also, I've decided to end the government poll the Saturday before I start Chapter Ten. By my calculations that should be around March 26, 2022, so obviously there's a lot of time still. I'll put reminders as we get closer to this date, and if the date changes I'll also let you all know.

Part Three

The Free State of Budehuc Castle wasn't quite what Daunte had expected. Caesar had recommended that they stop there first before going to Iksay Village, to which Daunte readily agreed with as the castle served as the HQ for the Fire Bringer Army during the Second Fire Bringer War. Caesar also recommended that they buy their Army's individual lottery tickets at Budehuc Army's lottery stand as well, but warned that the owner of the Lottery stand at the castle was…abrasive.

It took some convincing to get Hero and James to leave the skyship to travel to Budehuc Castle. "It will be all right," Caesar reassured them. "Monsters don't attack transportation! And do you think other travelers will know what to do with this ship? Just come with us and get some rest for a few hours!"

"Only a couple of hours," Hero said sharply. "Then I'm coming back here."

"I don't mind the break," James said more positively. "It will be nice to see this castle."

"And if anything happens to the ship, then Brother can make it better!" Arin cheered.

"What?"

"Nothing," Daunte said quickly, hooking his arms under Arin's arms and walking away.

To Daunte's surprise they faced no monsters crossing the Yaza Plain towards the castle, which he was happy about since they were carrying a significant amount of money. But they soon left the plains and found themselves walking along the path of broken stone to the castle. "Oh, that's odd," Caesar said softly.

"What is?" Daunte asked him.

"There's usually a guard named Cecile at the gate of the castle, but the gate is empty." He shrugged though. "She's probably getting breakfast or something."

"Hmm."

There wasn't a "gate" per se, or even fortified walls around the castle, but Daunte was immediately charmed by his surroundings. There was charm to the place that almost made him feel at home.

I didn't see the HQ for either Master Tir or Lord Riou's armies, so it's nice to see the HQ of the Fire Bringer Army.

"Oh, you're back?" A harsh voice called out. Daunte looked to his right to see an older woman wearing a frown standing at a stall. "I thought you went back to Harmonia, Lord Caesar."

"Ah, hello Martha!" Caesar called out. He waved to Daunte and the group headed over to her stall. "Long time no see! I actually went south and joined a new Army. This is my Commander, Lord Daunte."

"Oh, so you're the Southerners everyone's been talking about?" Martha huffed. "It's an amazing trend seeing the youth be put into positions of authority." She rolled her eyes but Daunte thought he saw a smile. "Master Thomas will be happy to see you at least."

"Before that," Caesar said, turning around. "My Lord is here to buy lottery tickets. Is your next drawing soon?"

"No," Martha sighed. "We just had a drawing yesterday so you have time before the next one. It's 100 Potch per game. You can buy 6 Sequential games and 6 Random games for a grand total of 12 games, 1,200 Potch."

"Done," Daunte said, handing over the money. "Good luck," Martha told him as she handed him the tickets.

"Hey, what's this?" Arin asked, pointing to the sign next to the stall.

"That's the prize board," Caesar told him. "Every lottery ticket has one letter and four numbers, and you have to match the numbers on the board to win the specific prize." He pointed to the bottom row. "That's a wild card prize. You match the last two numbers and you'll win a random prize. Sometimes its potions, sometimes armor. It can be anything."

"This row only requires one number to match," Allise said, pointing the row above it marked with a 4. "Fourth place, right? It looks like the prize for this row is 3,000 Potch."

"That's one of the most common wins," Caesar agreed.

"Third place looks like you can match two number pairs," Roen said. "For a prize of 30,000 Potch."

"Second place is also two numbers," Felicity said. "But with a prize of 100,000 Potch."

"First place…has a significant amount of money," Varnaz said thoughtfully. "Matching three numbers will grant you a prize of 500,000 Potch. That's 5 million bits."

"5 millions bits?!" James exclaimed, his eyes going wide. "I-I've never seen 5 million bits before!"

"That will certainly help our army," Allise laughed.

"I've never even see 1 million bits," Hero muttered. He looked at his watch irritably. "Do you have an inn around here?"

"There," Martha said bluntly, pointing to the nearby building. Hero patted James on the shoulder and shuffled towards the inn. "I'll see you later, Grandfather!" James called after him.

"What about this one?" Daunte asked, pointing to the top of the sign. The word "Grand Prize" was printed in bold letters next to a gold grown.

"That's the ultimate prize in the Lottery, but it's impossible to achieve," Caesar said.

"Hey," Martha said sharply.

Caesar shrugged. "Am I wrong?"

"It's impossible?" Daunte asked him.

"To win the grand prize, not only do all four of the numbers have to match but the letter in front of those numbers has to match," Caesar explained. "No one has ever achieved this, so I'm not trying to achieve it. Our goal is winning this." He pointing to first place. "At least two times."

"But what is the grand prize?" Xi An asked.

"You'll receive a rune," Martha said bluntly. "That will print infinite money for you. Your pockets will never ever be empty for as long as you shall live."

"That's amazing!" Arin gushed. "Never-ending money?! We'll surely win our war if we get that!"

"It's a nice thought but unrealistic," Caesar told him. "As I said, no one has ever won the grand prize in the history of the Lottery in this region. Winning first place is also rare but more possible so that's what we're going to aim for."

"Are you done?" Martha sighed.

"Actually," Daunte said, pulling out his notebook. "I'm also purchasing lottery tickets on behalf of thirty-seven of my soldiers. Is that allowed?"

Marth gaped at him for an uncomfortably long moment. "…Are you serious?" she asked finally.

"My Lord is quite serious," Caesar said cheerfully.

"Since 3,000 Potch is the lowest prize, we should try to make sure anyone who doesn't win gets at least 3,000 Potch," Varnaz said.

"Which may be most of the soldiers," Roen muttered.

A chorus of barking behind them startled the group. Arin left Daunte's side and raced towards the fountain. "Doggies!"

Daunte turned to see five small dogs jump onto all Arin. Each of them wore different colored scarves and their coats were different colors, but the animals were in pleasant moods. They jumped onto Arin as he knelt down and quickly began licking his face.

"Oh, they're adorable!" Felicity exclaimed, hurrying over. "Do they have names?"

"Koroku, Connie, Koichi, Kosanji, and Kogoro," Caesar said, pointing to each dog in kind. "I'm glad to see them all still here."

"Oh my goodness, Caesar?!"

Daunte looked up at this new voice and stiffened as he recognized the young man who was running towards them. He was a teenager older than Daunte, but Daunte knew his face. He was being followed by a teenage girl in half armor and an older man looking heavily stressed. T-That's Thomas! That's the Tenkai Star of the Second Fire Bringer War!

"Long time no see, Master Thomas," Caesar greeted him, accepting his handshake. "Everything looks almost the way it did before."

"I'm so happy to see you," Thomas said sincerely. "I heard you went to Harmonia, but…" his voice trailed off as he saw the rest of his party. "Oh, are these friends of yours?"

"Sort of," Caesar said, waving to Daunte. "This is Lord Daunte, Commander of Nagarea's Liberation Army. You probably heard rumors that we were coming, yes?"

"Oh, of course I did! But I didn't—had I known—" Thomas looked a little flustered.

The girl in half-armor patted Thomas on the shoulder reassuringly. "It's okay, Master Thomas! This is the first time we've had people from the Southern Continent visit Orange Castle! That will bring even more commerce here!"

Thomas nodded and smiled to the girl. "Thank you, Cecile."

"Orange Castle?" Daunte said aloud. He looked at Caesar. "But I thought it was called—"

"A-Ah, yes," the older gentleman stammered. He moved forward and clasped Daunte's hand. "Welcome to Orange Castle, Lord Daunte. I-I am Sebastian. The official title of our free state is Budehuc Castle, but the proper title of our castle is Orange Castle. It—"

"Frankly, I didn't like the other name," Thomas admitted. "Cecile suggested Orange Castle, so that's the preferential name of the property. All of our official documents has the name Budehuc Castle, so for convenience sake that is the legal name of our free state."

Daunte nodded. "Orange Castle sounds…less complex."

"Yes, that's what I thought too!" Thomas said.

"Oh hey, you're Thomas!" Arin exclaimed. He was still swarmed by the dogs so it was a struggle for the boy to get back to his feet. "Here, can you sign this?!" he pulled out Thomas's figurine and handed it to him.

"Oh wow, that's amazing!" Cecile gushed, taking the figurine from Thomas. "That looks just like you, Master Thomas!"

"Y-Yes, it does," Thomas said uneasily. He looked at Daunte. "Where did you guys get that?"

"I have a whittler in my army named Mooney," Daunte said. "He makes figurines of heroes from five past wars. The Second Fire Bringer War is one of those wars."

"Oh, that's interesting…"

"If I may," Sebastian interrupted gently. "I have heard that Nagarean dignitaries came to this region to—study the local governments."

"That is correct," Caesar said. "Nagarea is a Theocracy, but my lord is considering whether or not to maintain the Theocracy when we win."

"Oh, a Theocracy?" Thomas asked in genuine curiosity. "I would like to know more. Lord Daunte, Caesar, why don't you both come up to my office so we can discuss this further? Your comrades can rest at the inn, take a look at our shops, stop in at our theatre, or even go down to our race tracks to see the horses."

"I would like to see the race track," Allise said.

"As would I," Varnaz said.

"Where is the theatre?" Nāṭaka asked excitedly. "Is Nadir here?"

"O-Oh, the theatre is the door on the left of the main castle," Thomas said, gesturing behind him. "And yes, Nadir is—" his voice broke off when Nāṭaka took off running towards the castle.

"I'll take a look at the shops here," Felicity said.

"Me too," Roen said.

"I'll go look at the theatre," James said.

"I'll just wander around," Xi An said.

"Brother, can I stay with you?" Arin asked.

"Sure," Daunte said, nodding. "Then we can explore later, if that's all right Master Thomas."

"Of course," Thomas said. "This castle is open to the public, after all…"

Cecile resumed her post at the gate of Budehuc (or Orange) Castle with the dogs. Sebastian followed Thomas up to his room/office. Daunte saw a few people loitering around, and he was impressed with the diversity of the visitors of the castle. He saw humans but he tried not to gape at the large lizard people that he saw, or the large ducks.

Arin however was less tactful. "That duck is wearing clothes!" and pointed to the duck in question. The duck person glanced at them in confusion and Daunte quickly pulled the boy away while Caesar coughed loudly to cover up a laugh.

In Thomas's office Daunte was first asked about the Theocracy of Nagarea, and while Caesar filled him in on the technical aspects of a theocratical government Daunte supplied information about the corruption of their current government.

"That is very interesting," Thomas said when they finished. "So in a theocracy, the head of state is a deity?"

"That is correct," Caesar said.

"And in the case of Nagarea's theocracy, the supreme deity is a God of War?" Sebastian asked meekly.

"Yes," Daunte said. "We are taught that Nagar lives for conflict and is good to those who worship Him, but we must smite His enemies."

"His enemies of course being nonbelievers," Caesar said.

"That is true," Daunte said reluctantly. "B-But our teachings say that Nagar loves and protects all who believe in Him. Our Cabinet of High Clerics are supposed to be clergymen who speak directly to Nagar and carry out His will, but…"

"But your High Clerics are really cold-blooded assassins," Thomas said. "Who hurt everyone around them. Including believers in your god."

"Which is why we're fighting them," Caesar said. "But you can see my lord's reluctance in maintaining a Theocracy after the war."

"I can understand that," Sebastian muttered.

"Well," Thomas said, raising his voice a little as though to drown his comrade out. "Our free state is a bit—different than a theocracy. Our land the castle sits on is leased by the Karaya Clan, where we pay 1 Potch a year. However we are technically an independent nation not officially associated with the Grasslands. We are not part of the alliance of the Grasslands, nor are we required to call to arms if they are in conflict. They are in are not required to call to arms if WE are in conflict. We also do not answer to Chief Hugo, and the Karaya Clan does not dictate who we can share relations with. We govern ourselves and follow our own bylaws."

"I see," Daunte said. "So your Free State has a technical tie to another nation but the tie is just a formality. You are otherwise our own country with you as the acting leader, Master Thomas."

"That's right," Thomas said, nodding.

"Hmm." Daunte rubbed at his chin as he thought about this. I…don't think this is the right form of government for Nagarea. Nagarea is already a standing independent country from other nations, but if we were to adopt this style then another nation would own the land we reside in.

"Do you have elections?" Daunte asked, looking back up.

"We do not," Sebastian said. "Master Thomas was appointed his position and he is the recognized leader of Orange Castle by both Zexan and the Grasslands. He will serve in this position until he deposes himself."

"That's right," Thomas said. "I wouldn't mind having elections but everyone is satisfied with my performance so far and I will continue to work harder as to not disappoint anyone."

"Do you have a True Rune?" Daunte blurted out.

Both Caesar and Sebastian looked surprised by the question but Thomas smiled. "I do not." He rolled up his sleeves and slid his palms across the desk to show Daunte the back of his hands. "As you can see, I have a simple Balance Rune on my left hand and a Wind Rune on my right. I am not the Flame Champion. If you would like to meet him you'll have to go deeper into the Grasslands. But you'll like Hugo, he's got a good head on his shoulders."

"That he does," Caesar said, smiling. "We'll meet him in the upcoming days when we go to Karaya Village."

"Sounds good." Daunte looked around the room before looking back at Thomas. "So you allowed the Fire Bringer Army to use your castle as its HQ during the war, and maintain a role of leadership after the war?"

"That's right," Thomas said, though he looked confused. "Ah…is that a problem?"

"N-No, not at all. I just—I met Tir and Riou," Daunte explained. "The heroes of the Gate Rune War and Dunan Unification Wars. They're Tenkai Stars like we are, but they didn't take a role of leadership. A-And Prince Freyjadour of Falena, he's the Commander of Falena's Queen's Knights but is not the head of state in his country. I-It just seems rare for a Tenkai Star to maintain a leadership position when the war is done…"

"Ah, so your war is also guided by the Stars of Destiny?" Thomas asked. "And you've met other Tenkai Stars? I'm envious of you. I wish I could meet them…"

"Oh, I remember that Tablet," Sebastian said. "If I recall, I was listed as number 64, the Chihi Star."

"Oh, that's the same Star as my innkeeper, Tidur!" Daunte exclaimed.

"The Chihi Star is usually an innkeeper," Caesar said amusedly.

"If there is anything else you need, don't hesitate to ask," Thomas said. "In the meantime, if there's nothing else then feel free to relax and look around. The rates at our inn is 300 Potch per night per person, but as you are dignitaries I will let you stay for free for one night."

"You don—" Daunte began to protest, but Caesar grabbed his arm. "Thank you, Master Thomas. You've always been kind."

Oh. Right. The only Potch we have on us is lottery money.

"I did have one more question," Daunte said, and Thomas nodded. "Why did you decide to become the leader of Orange Castle?"

"Truthfully?" Thomas asked. "I'm the illegitimate son of a former member of the Zexan Council. He exiled me here to save himself public embarrassment. It's been a lot of hard work but I genuinely enjoy it. It makes me happy to help people. There's a great feeling of satisfaction in leading others, isn't there?"

Daunte smiled a little upon hearing that. "Yeah…there is."

I may not be sure about turning Nagarea into a free state, but this place seems to be in goods hands with Thomas.

It was decided that they would stay the night before heading to Iksay Village and then the Great Hollow. Caesar retired to the inn after their meeting with Thomas, but Daunte and Arin got a lot of enjoyment out of walking around the castle grounds. The residents of Budehac (or Orange) Castle all took their roles seriously.

It was surreal meeting Nadir in the bar/theatre after only knowing him from his figurine, and Daunte was a little surprised to see how…dramatic the older man was. Nāṭaka seemed to be in high spirits speaking to him, though their conversation was loud and sounded highly dramatic, making Daunte wonder whether or not they were arguing.

"Lord Daunte, this is Nadir!" Nāṭaka introduced them. "Remember how I said I traveled in a theatre troupe with two other people? This is one of them!"

"I'm very pleased to meet you," Daunte said. "I've heard how popular your plays were during the Second Fire Bringer War. They definitely have an audience at my headquarters…"

"Ah, a man of culture!" Nadir gabbed Daunte's hand and shook it firmly. "Many thanks for allowing Nāṭaka to showcase her creativity, though mine shines brighter!"

"I beg your pardon?!" Nāṭaka asked sharply. "I was the most popular actor in our troupe!"

"Oh, revisionist history is beneath you, Nāṭaka…"

Daunte looked towards the stage and saw three humans, two ducks, and one lizard staring at them. "Ah…what production are you putting on?"

"William Tell, of course!" Nadir announced, striking a pose. "It is a fantastical play about conspiracy and family drama! Ah! The poor father who must shoot the arrow off his son's head!"

"Can we have the play?" Arin asked excitedly.

"Alas, I do not have any extra copies," Nadir said apologetically. "But here! Allow me to give you the masterpiece I penned myself!" He turned and opened a chest directly behind him. Then he spun around and shoved a script into Daunte's arms. "I call it 'Burning Heart'! It is my retelling of the war three years ago!"

"Oh, that's fantastic!" Nāṭaka gushed, her mood quickly improving. "I look forward to putting on this production! And you better believe that I will certainly give you the play I wrote about Nagarea's Civil War!"

"Please don't," Daunte said softly, but both producers ignored him as they began conversing amongst themselves.

Roen and Felicity had each bought a few items from the shops. "There's a fortune teller here," Felicity said. "Though his predictions seem a little…"

"Off," was all Roen said. Daunte was still curious though and went to see the man. The elderly fortune teller, Piccolo, seemed jovial enough and offered Daunte a free reading. "Hoo hoo! Would you like to know how your betrothed is doing?"

Daunte gaped at him in shock and Arin shrieked in delight. "That's amazing! How did you know Brother was engaged to Princess Farrin?!"

"We're not really—" Daunte began.

"Oh, this is very interesting," Piccolo said thoughtfully. "I sense—that you are having problems. Someone dressed in all black. Oh, I know this person. Quite an awful one…"

"Yuber," Daunte said, sitting up a little straighter. "A-Are you able to see if he will learn compassion?"

Piccolo frowned. "Ah…no."

"No?" Daunte deflated slightly.

"But I see three things," Piccolo said softly. "Colors. That may sway him to the path of a warm heart."

"Colors?" Roen asked. "We have to teach Yuber colors for him to grow compassion?"

"Three colors…will guide him. I see red, quite strongly. Striking red, like the color of blood. Very strong, I can feel a pulse."

"That's a color Yuber would like," Felicity muttered.

"And…white?" Piccolo's brow furrowed as though in confusion. "A floaty white, like a puffy cloud. Faint. How very strange."

Puffy white? Like a cloud—THE SKYSHIP! Daunte slapped a hand over his eyes. Oh no! Does this mean I should have brought Yuber with me on this trip after all?! Augh, a missed opportunity!

"And—oh." Piccolo's voice dipped low. "Black. There is black, a chilling coldness to it. Magnetizing power, old power."

"It sounds like blood, clouds, and—darkness, will sway Yuber towards compassion," Daunte said wearily, dropping his hand away from his face. "I never would have thought that these objects would brighten a black heart…"

"Oh, they're not objects," Piccolo said cheerfully. "They're people."

"Wait, what?!" Daunte exclaimed, but Piccolo shook his head. "That is all I can give you at this time. Any more and you would need to pay me."

Daunte snapped his teeth, but reminded himself that the Potch in his pocket did not technically belong to him. This is my own fault though for not converting my personal bits…

James and Xi An were eating at the outdoor restaurant, and though Daunte was told the chef was not the same chef who cooked for the Fire Bringer Army the food still looked good. He saw a young man and woman sparring nearby (and was told their names were Juan and Emily) but Emily's stance and expression seemed very…familiar to him.

She…looks like the figurine of Ronnie Bell, doesn't she? But they looked busy so he decided not to disturb them.

The castle's vault was run by a cheerful-looking Kobold named Muto with a striking scar on his head. Arin engaged him in conversation easily. Lastly they went to the race track, which was run by a cheerful young lady named Kathy. Allise and Varnaz were watching the races with several other people, and Daunte was surprised to see how happy Varnaz looked. He even laughed, which Daunte was certain he had never seen him do before.

This trip is benefitting him greatly so far. I'm glad.

Later they ate dinner with Thomas and the rest of the residents of the castle before retiring early. They would have to leave at dawn to visit both Iksay Village and the Great Hollow in a single day.

"Okay," Daunte said, looking down at his bed. Thirty eight piles of lottery tickets covered the bedspread. Each pile was taped together with the corresponding soldier's name on it. "This is the Army's tickets—" his picked up the pile directly in front of him. "—And these thirty-two gave me less than 1,200 Potch and thus have all of their tickets here. And those eight—" he pointed to the foot of the bed. "—Gave me more than 1,200 Potch. So I'll have to buy tickets for them at more than one town."

"You can buy the rest of their tickets in Iksay," Caesar reassured him. "I've heard that lottery stands opened in every town after the war so you can buy tickets even at the Great Hollow."

"Good," Daunte said, nodding. "Yaman however gave me 5,000 Potch, so his tickets will have to come from at least four towns." He rubbed at the back of his head in exasperation. "I can't believe how much money Yaman spends on gambling! This is 50,000 bits he gave me for lottery tickets! He always claims he's broke, but yet if he ever wants to place a bet on anything he readily has money for it!"

"That's all the charm of having a gambler in your Army. But make sure he's not spending your money, Lord Daunte."

"Yeah, no kidding…"

"I like this place," Roen said, stretching out on his bed with his hands behind his head. "I feel a lot less stressed here…"

"Because we're far away from our war," Felicity said. "But that's okay. We're the good guys after all."

The next morning Hero, James, and Xi An left the party to return to the skyship, taking with them the thirty-two sets of lottery tickets that didn't need more. Nāṭaka also stayed behind because she wanted to work with Nadir again, leaving Daunte with his combat party of five and Caesar and Arin as his support units.

"I do hope you'll return again," Thomas said, shaking Daunte's hand.

"We'll come back here right before we leave," Daunte said.

"You'd better," Martha said. "Because I can't start a new round of lottery until you turn in your tickets."

"Why?" Daunte asked.

"Because." Was all Martha said.

"We may as well enjoy this calm," Allise said as they left the castle. "Because I imagine things will be more dramatic for us as we move deeper into this country…"

They reached Iksay Village in less than two hours. Though it was still early morning the small village was awake and bustling. Daunte saw the high windmills before the saw the houses and he gaped in amazement. "Wow!" Arin shouted.

"This is an agriculture village," Caesar explained. "Their harvest festivals tend to be a lot of fun. Although the one they had three years ago…was not."

"It wasn't?" Roen asked.

"I'll just warn you to not ask anyone in the village about it."

"The breeze feels nice here," Allise said.

"And it will feel nicer at the back of the village near the fields."

"I should find the lottery stand," Daunte said. "I'll be able to buy most everyone else's tickets here, except for the Army and Yaman's tickets."

The citizens of Iksay all seemed to be happy, and everyone said "Good morning" to them. Daunte kept hearing the name "Percival" come up from people and everyone referred to this person with glowing praise. He must be a hometown hero, Daunte thought to himself.

The group wandered to look around and Daunte completed his goal of buying more tickets. "So that's it for most everyone," Daunte sighed. "Yaman has 2,600 Potch left, and the Army—"

"Brother!" Arin ran over to him and grabbed his arm. "Brother, hurry come on!"

"What is it?"

"They're here! They're here, come on!" Arin pulled on his arm and pointed frantically towards the windmill. "Hurry before they leave!"

"Who is they?" Daunte asked, but Arin didn't answer him and still pointed towards the windmill. Daunte sighed heavily but nodded and hurried after Arin. He saw Roen and Felicity react with confusion to seeing them running and hurried after them, but Daunte kept his eyes on the windmill. What is Arin talking about? Well, I'm about to find out…

"Are you ready?" Daunte heard a young man's voice shout ahead of them.

"I-I-I think so, master!" a girl's voice squeaked in reply.

Arin pulled him towards the left around the windmill. Daunte saw two people standing to the northwest of the windmill and skidded to a stop.

"Now Rico, I don't see your enthusiasm!" A young man in purple armor had his shoulders squared and his hands planted on his hips. Before him stood a teenage girl struggling with a massive pack on her back. "We as members of the Maximillian Knights must fight for justice! Wherever there is evil we must be there to best it!"

"I-I understand, Master Fred," the girl, Rico, stammered. "B—But how are we supposed to get there?"

"Where there is a will, there is a way!" Fred pumped his fist. "Now, let's get going!"

"But where are we going to find a boat to the Southern Continent?!"

"If Isabel and Mathias could do it, so can we!"

Daunte gaped in shock. That's Fred and Rico! The Maximillian Knights! They were those figurines I purchased before we left!

"Fred! Rico!" Arin shouted, racing over to them. The pair jumped at Arin's approach. "It's really you! Here, can you sign these please?" He pulled out the figurines in question and held them up in each hand.

"O-Oh my goodness!" Rico squeaked, slapping a hand to her cheek. "I-Is—Is that me?"

"Whoa!" Fred shouted, taking his own figurine from Arin. "I'm an action figure?! That's amazing!"

Daunte hurried over. "You two are part of the Maximillian Knights, right?"

"Ah, I see I have a reputation!" Fred said. He gestured to himself. "You know my name, so you must know my motives!"

"'Motives'?"

"A-As members of the Maximillian Knights, we fight for truth, justice, and the eradication of evil," Rico said. "Word has been traveling about dignitaries from Nagarea visiting the region, s-so we decided to learn about what was going on in Nagarea. Only…" her voice trailed off.

"We're in the middle of a civil war, trying to overthrow a tyrannical government," Daunte confirmed softly.

"Ah, so it is you!" Fred exclaimed. He shook Daunte's hand. "Then if everything we heard about the Theocracy is true, and you are standing against the Theocracy, then we must insist on joining you!"

"Wait, really?" Daunte asked.

"Oh, Fred and Rico!" Caesar called out, hurrying over to them. "Long time no see! When did you come back to this region?"

"Just a few days ago," Rico said painfully. "I-I keep suggesting we go back to Toran, but Master Fred—"

"You have joined forces against the evil of Nagarea, Caesar?" Fred asked. He nodded confidently. "Then I must wholeheartedly insist that you recruit Rico and I to join your cause! Together, we will purge Nagarea of its infectious evil!"

"Well there you have it," Caesar said, smiling at Daunte. "Fred and Rico fought in the Fire Bringer Army. They will benefit our Army greatly."

"I like his enthusiasm," Felicity said.

"He seems a little loud though," Roen said.

"Oh, what's going on here?" Allise laughed as she hurried over. "You're a lively fellow, aren't you?"

"He's a Maximillian Knight and he wants to join us!" Arin gushed.

"A knight?" Varnaz asked, moving towards them at a slower pace. "Well, we could certainly do with more knights in our Army."

"If you would like to join us, then I'll be happy to have you," Daunte said, smiling. "Welcome to the Liberation Army!"

"Excellent!" Fred proclaimed, shaking Daunte's hand enthusiastically again. "Rico! We are officially soldiers of Nagarea's Liberation Army!"

"Hooray," Rico whimpered without an ounce of enthusiasm in her voice.

"What's this?" Fred asked as he looked over Daunte's group. "You appear to have five fighters in your party! I will gladly fill that sixth spot! Sorry Rico, you will have to be in the support unit!"

"Okay," Rico said with a little more enthusiasm.

"I'm going to look around a little more," Daunte said. "Then we're going to head back to the Yaza Plain to drop off our lottery tickets with the skyship. From there we will head towards the Great Hollow."

"Skyship?" Fred asked. "A ship for the sky? I haven't heard of such a thing!"

"You'll see it soon enough," Caesar told him.

They encounters a few axe-wielding rabbits in the Yaza Plain heading back to the skyship, but Daunte was glad for the opportunity to make some money for himself. He debated if he should take his new Potch and go back to Budehuc Castle to ask Piccolo for the names of the three people associated with the colors that were supposed to redeem Yuber, but ultimately decided to not backtrack to do it.

I'll ask him when we get back.

Fred and Rico were in awe of the skyship, and James was very pleased with their enthusiasm. Hero was mostly annoyed by their presence and Xi An pretended to be flying the ship. Rico wanted to stay behind with the ship, but Fred dragged her off after them as they headed west towards the Great Hollow. Daunte felt a little sorry for her.

They reached the Great Hollow close to noon, having fought many enemies along the way. Daunte was impressed with Fred's skills with the sword and his enthusiasm and energy. He could tell that Allise and Varnaz were also impressed with his skills. As part of the support party Rico didn't fight, but hugged a hammer to her chest protectively. Daunte had to guess that this was her weapon of choice.

"Just as a warning," Caesar said as they saw a tall rock formation ahead of them. "There is almost no natural lighting inside the Great Hollow. The place is lit up with torches and lights from the floor, but it's still a dark place. And it's full of lizards."

"It's the home of the Lizard Clan, right?" Daunte asked. "What are they like?"

"Bull-headed," Caesar said bluntly. "They are proud warriors, and if they are wronged they will not stop until their wrong has been avenged. During the Second Fire Bringer War their chieftain Zepon was killed by Yuber—"

"Yuber killed him?!" Daunte exclaimed, stopping in his tracks.

"Yes," Caesar said bluntly. "And Lady Chris Lightfellow of the Zexan Knights was framed for his murder. It wasn't her, just an illusion of her, but the Lizard Clan refused to believe that she wasn't involved in the attack on the Great Hollow or Zepon's murder. It took a…significant amount of convincing for them to see the real enemy."

Daunte gaped at him but he smiled his usual lazy smile. "So you made a good judgment call as to not bring Yuber with us."

"Wait," Fred said suddenly. "You guys recruited Yuber?!"

"B-But why?!" Rico exclaimed, her face going pale.

"Yes, we did recruit him," Varnaz said, his tone firm. "Will that be a problem for you both?"

Fred and Rico exchanged a look for a long moment before looking back at Daunte. "…No," Fred said slowly. "If you have recruited him to the side of justice, then that is good because he cannot be used for evil purposes elsewhere. But…"

"But what?"

"He's a monster," Rico whispered, her eyes still wide. "H-He's done…terrible things."

"I am well aware of that," Daunte said, suddenly embarrassed by his outburst. "But he has committed no such acts so far while in my Army, and I'm determined that it will remain that way."

"Okay," Fred said, nodding. Rico nodded wordlessly.

"Come, let's go," Caesar said, waving to them. "Let's see if Chief Dupa is available for us to speak to."

"Let's see what an Alliance government looks like," Allise said.

The group walked the dusty path towards the large open entrance in the tall rock formation. Two armed lizards were standing guard and they raised their spears as the group got closer. "Halt!"

"Good afternoon," Caesar said, pushing himself to the front of the group. "It's been a long time. My name is—"

"Ah!" One of the lizards shouted, pointing at Caesar. "It's you!"

Caesar smiled. "Yes, it's me."

"Wait, who is that?" the other lizard asked.

"Don't you know?!" The first snapped. "That's Master Thomas of Budehuc!"

The smile immediately dropped from Caesar's face and the group chuckled. "Ah," Caesar said, raising his hand. "Actually, I'm—"

"You old fool!" A third lizard ran up. "Use your eyes! That's that one boy! You know—Rody?!"

"Rody? That apprentice"

"Um—" Daunte said.

"Oh, wait!" The second yelled, startling the other two. "Now I remember! That's that Maximillian Knight Fred!"

"Right here," Fred said, raising his hand.

"Actually," Caesar interjected. "I'm Cesar Silverberg, the strategist from the Second Fire Bringer War."

"Ohhhhh," all three lizards said in unison.

"Now I remember," the first said.

"Yes, but you look so much like Rody!" the third said.

"I'm sorry, but I can't tell ANY of you apart from each other," the second said.

Daunte's brow rose. They can't tell us apart? I could say the same for them!

"Regardless," Caesar said. "We were hoping to speak to Chief Dupa. Is he available?"

"I'm afraid not," the first said. "He took his best soldiers, including Shiba and Bazba, and headed south to help with the conflict there. We are not to allow visitors, but seeing as so many of you served as our comrades in arms, it should be all right." the other two nodded enthusiastically.

"Well we can't speak to the Chieftain at this time," Caesar said. "But we may as well go inside and buy stuff so that this is not a wasted trip."

"I agree," Daunte said.

"I have a question," Arin said suddenly.

"What is it?" the second soldier said.

"What do you guys eat?"

The Great Hollow was as dark as Caesar warned them it would be. Daunte felt goosebumps on his arms as he they headed down the corridor towards the village proper. As they neared the interior entrance, a slight tremor ran through his body. He squeezed Arin's hand and hugged himself with his free arm, glad for the darkness of their surroundings.

The darkness. The dim light. The claustrophobic structure. This…This place reminds me of the Dark Chasm.

The realization struck Daunte sharply and he looked over his shoulder at Roen and Felicity. He couldn't see them properly but he thought he saw them huddled together. He looked down at Arin, but his little brother did not appeared bothered.

Calm down. Just calm down Daunte. This isn't the same place.

The "city" of the Great Hollow was a much wider space with many rooms on the lower and upper floors that led to shops. The group once again scattered to look around, and Arin in particular ran straight for the fountain. Due north of the fountain Daunte saw the lottery stand and he hurried over to buy more tickets.

"I don't get many buyers here," the lizard running the stand said. "But the same rules apply. You can buy a maximum of 12 tickets."

Daunte added his tickets to the Army count and Yaman's tickets to his bundle. Okay, I've bought 36 tickets for the Army and Yaman. I've never spent this much money in all my life. I don't know how Yaman can do it so easily. I hope this pays off for the Army.

Daunte looked up as he tucked his tickets into his satchel and stiffened. The lighting was still dim in the Great Hollow, but…but on the second floor. He saw a shadow pass directly in front of the blue torch light. The blue flames glinted off the black armor that passed in front of it.

Wait. Black armor? BLACK ARMOR?!

"HEY!" Daunte shouted before he could stop himself. He heard murmurs of confusion around himself but ignored it. He saw a ramp leading to the second floor to his right and bolted up the ramp. "Watch your step!" another lizard shouted. "Humans fall easily from the second floor!"

Daunte noted that there were no rails but didn't lose his balance as her ran around the perimeter towards the person in black armor. He had enough practice with balance on narrow ledges. He stopped when he was six meters away from his target. They had their back to Daunte, but Daunte's anger flared as he got a better look at the man.

I know that armor. That's the armor of a Black Knight. So that means—

"Yuber!" Daunte said sharply. "I thought I told you to—"

His voice broke off when Yuber(?) turned to face him. The armor was similar, but the person who stood before him was tall and burly but had black hair that fell into his face. The helmet covered the top of his face and Daunte could not see his eyes, but…but he thought the man wore a grin.

"You're not Yuber," Daunte breathed.

The person twitched, and in the blink of an eye Daunte found himself flying backwards. A hand closed over his throat and he saw stars as he was slammed against the cave walls. He struggled briefly, but the single grip of the hand restrained hims effortlessly. Daunte gagged, his vision swimming as the stranger grabbed his right hand and held it up. He turned his face towards Daunte's hand, but not the face of it. No, he was staring at Daunte's palm. After a moment he traced a diagonal line with his thumb across the palm.

The man leaned in close to Daunte's face and he saw his eyes then. They were pitch black, as though they were nothing but pupils. "You made a contract with Yuber."

Before Daunte could respond the man abruptly let him go and unsheathed his sword. Varnaz hollered and swung his Morningstar at the man, but he deflected the blow and jumped back. Daunte coughed and gagged as he sat on the ground clutching at his throat.

"Daunte!" Arin rushed to his side and hugged him tight. He was crying. "A-Are you okay?! That was scary!"

"You bastard!" Felicity shrieked, readying her knives but then Caesar shouted, "Stop! Do not fight! We are guests here!"

The group quickly surrounded Daunte in a protective wall with Varnaz at the front. Roen and Allise carefully helped Daunte to his feet while he continued to cough and try to catch his breath.

"He attacked our Lord," Varnaz said dangerously, readying his weapon. "He will pay with his life."

"Please, hold on," Caesar said, looking between Varnaz and the stranger. His hands were raised. "We need to be careful here."

"You are allies of Yuber," the man spoke up, still holding his sword. His tone was leveled but cold. "Bring him here now."

"H-How did you know that?" Roen asked.

"That one—" the man pointed to Daunte. "Bound himself to Yuber. I can smell it from the mark on his hand."

"M-Mark?" Daunte wheezed. He looked down at his palm. He remembered the cut he'd made during the summoning ceremony, but he didn't even see a scar on his hand. "I-I…There's no mark though." He held up his hand to show everyone.

"It is branded on your blood," the man insisted, his tone unchanging. "I can sense your tie to Yuber, as I can sense the chaos of his work in this cave. You summoned Yuber. He is your responsibility."

"I…" Daunte looked at his allies briefly before looking back at the man. He debated if he should confirm or deny what the man was saying, especially after he was attacked. He swallowed thickly, his throat tight and raw. Then he said, "…You're correct."

"As I thought," the man said. "I seek Yuber. Bring him here now. I will not say it again."

"Oh boy," Caesar sighed.

"Don't you dare issue orders to our Lord!" Allise hollered, readying her tessen.

"I-I can't do that!" Daunte blurted out.

"Why not?"

"B…Because Yuber is not here! He's not on this continent at all!"

"…You left Yuber unattended?" the man asked, his tone rising slightly. "Do you know what you have done? You are a stupid fool."

The party surged forward but Caesar quickly inserted himself between the group and the man. "Do not talk to Lord Daunte like that. And it's not stupid, Yuber is bound to my Lord's will. Lord Daunte ordered him not to kill anyone while he is gone, and that is an order that he must do."

The man was silent for a long before before he promptly sheathed his sword. "Foolish."

"W-Why do you seek Yuber?" Daunte asked. "If you need to talk to him, then you can come with us."

"My Lord—" Caesar interjected.

"No," the man said. "You are allies of Yuber. I do not trust you. My goal is to seek Yuber, but I will not go with you. Go and get him and bring him back here."

"W…" Daunte had so many questions. Even in the darkness of the Great Hollow he saw that Caesar's expression was grim. "Who are you?" he asked softly.

"Pesmerga," the man responded. "Tell Yuber I am looking for him. He will know my name."

The new play has been added to the Plays Template page!

Receiving a rune upon winning the Lottery grand prize is just a theory of mine. I have never achieved this myself while playing Suikoden III (I gave up after reseting multiples times for two hours) but I've read that if you receive the grand prize then your Potch is replaced with an infinity symbol. So I figured that there's a money rune or something had to be in play.