Sorry for the delay, it was predictably due to the holiday.

I forgot to mention this last chapter, but a new play based on Suikoden V has been added to the Plays Template page! Feel free to check it out and leave a comment on who you would like to cast in the play or any of the plays on that page.

Part Four

Three days later…

"Are you both prepared for Blood Fest?" Sanji asked.

"I-I don't believe so," Bax said warily. "And I mean no offense, but the Nagarean religion seems very…um…unpleasant."

"That's what happens when you worship a God of War," Gertrude gruffed. "But yeah, I was flipping through one of their religious texts and ALL of the holidays are either violent or broody! Where are the romantic holidays?! Or holidays that promote drinking?!"

"As you said, Nagar is a God of War," Sanji asked. "Romantic holidays would be the antithesis of the ideology of a God of War. And excessive drinking is illegal in this country, as you well know Gertrude…"

"…That's a good transition to our next topic," Caesar said. "We are less than two weeks away from Blood Fest, where we are anticipating a violent assault from the Holy Army. And we will be circumventing that by attacking Sheikh Sloan Faakhir on the day before, the enforced calm day."

"The Wingers are ready for an aerial assault," Oisin said grimly. "I will not stop fighting that day until I have that human's head on the end of my spear."

"My people are ready to fight as well," Lorik said, folding his arms over his chest. "We are also committed to ending Faakhir's life."

"And Otis will be—" Chinmaya began.

"Öt," Daunte gently corrected her.

"Sorry, Öt. Öt will be joining us for the battle with a preliminary strike." Chinmaya grunted as she struggled with the puppy in her arms. "Ack, Hagan, stop it!"

"Maybe you should let him run around and exert his energy?" Eamon offered. Jasira was resting placidly in his arms. Daunte couldn't help but feel envious.

"Right," Caesar said. "As you all know we have a Death Worm as an ally who can create earthquakes. Öt will strike first and cause an earthquake so great that it will cause the entire collapse of Sheikh Faakhir's Garrison. From there, Hero and James will strike from the sky. Hero said that he they would attach a Thunder Rune to the skyship and that they can channel the power of the rune from the "mouth" of the ship. Then from there we'll move in with our ground forces and the Winger's aerial forces."

"So long as the Sheikh dies that day, I will be satisfied," Oisin said.

"I'm no fighter, but I will ride with the vanguard to ensure I witness his death as well," Lorik said.

"Looks like we have some competition for who will kill the Sheikh," Gunther said, looking around the room. "Lord Daunte, didn't Öt already say he wanted to eat Faakhir for killing his wife?"

"Ah, yes he did," Daunte said warily. "And I understand the sentiments of everyone in this room. Sloan Faakhir has done many horrible things. I won't dictate to you how you all feel about this matter, but please keep in mind that Sloan's daughters are here. They know what their father has done, and that we are going to face him in battle. Whatever happens in the upcoming battle I want to minimize their trauma as much as possible."

"Why should I care for humans who share blood with a butcher?!" Oisin spat.

"Because they are innocent!" Daunte said heatedly. "And they were not immune from Sloan's violence. Their mother especially suffered from his hand! But he is still their father and they are children, and I do not want Esther or Ciana to see their father's head paraded around on your spear like a kebab! I will get you justice for your people Oisin, and for you Lorik! But I ask of you to have tact in this situation if for no other reason than to ensure that those girls don't suffer anymore than they have!"

"Lord Daunte is right," Caesar said. "We have an eclectic bunch here serving in this Army trying to make Nagarea a better place. We come from different backgrounds—"

Chinmaya snorted and Caesar gave her a dirty look before continuing. "But we are still allies and we must look out for each other. We cannot put our selfish desires ahead of the greater good of this Army. We will face Sheikh Faakhir in battle, but we must not turn into a bloodthirsty bunch. That is the sort of Army we are fighting, remember?"

"I will get you justice," Daunte said. "I made an oath, including to Öt, that I would get justice. But we have to do this the right way."

Oisin scoffed but his posture relaxed. "Fine. I won't brag about taking that bastard's head out in public. But he will die. I will make sure of it."

"And if you don't, then I will," Lorik said. Tala stepped up and nodded. He looked at Daunte. "But you are right Lord Daunte in that those girls don't deserve to hear anyone speak about their father like that. I—had heard how their home was attacked in K'alak'i Patieba after my people were slaughtered. I found no joy that Faakhir's family suffered when they did nothing to us personally. Faakhir's wife and daughters have been traumatized enough thanks to that man. I will do my best to not add to their trauma."

"Though with a Death Worm also after him, we'll be lucky if there's anything left of the Sheikh once we arrive at his Garrison," Varnaz said.

"So now we have a plan of action," Keiran said. "Outside of deciding the forces we will be sending to the Garrison, is there anything else on the bracket today?"

"If I may," Tamara said, stepping forward. She wrung her hands a little as she looked at Daunte. "Lord Daunte, y…you haven't told us how your visit to Sol-Falena was."

"Hey, that's right," Gunther said, slapping Daunte on the back. "Did you see your fiancée, Lord Daunte?"

"Don't let Freyr hear you say that," Surya laughed.

"What about the children," Tamara quickly interrupted. "The children from the Dark Chasm. How are they?"

"Yes, how are they?" Allise quickly perked up. "I didn't suffer nearly as badly as the rest of those children did, but I remember the conditions of the mine vividly. Are they doing well?"

Daunte said, smiling. "I met many of them in Sol-Falena, and they're thriving in their new environment. They will eventually become well enough where they can make a decision as to whether they want to come home…or remain in Falena."

"There's no hurry for them to make a decision," Surya said reassuringly. "Aunt Lym is happy to help the kids. And none of the families who have taken them in have made any complaints about them."

"I'm happy to hear that," Keiran said, smiling thinly. "I was scared for the children when we liberated the Dark Chasm. Too many of them were too weak to even walk on their own…"

"Lord Daunte," Tamara said suddenly, looking at Daunte. He saw tears in her eyes. "I-I joined you as part of my redemption, but I feel that I need to do more to redeem myself to those kids. Whatever you need me to do, I-I will do it."

"I appreciate your concern but we can discuss that at greater length later," Daunte said. "For now, just be rest assured that they're doing better."

"I'd say we should call this meeting to an end," Caesar said. "Continue to prepare the forces for the upcoming war battle. It will surely be a difficult one but we need to keep morale high and conflicts and disputes to a minimum."

Everyone began to disperse, but to Daunte's surprise Keiran approached him directly, Mihr trailing behind him. "Lord Daunte. I don't want to take up too much of your time but are you free later?"

"I should be," Daunte said. "I'm going to go see Oboro about possible new recruits. Then I'm going to check on the infirmary and then on Ms. Tidur and her daughters. Georg taught me a few techniques on how to train Kibbeh that I'm—ah—still trying to apply in practice, but that will be after dinner. What can I help you with?"

"I hope this isn't too forward," Keiran said. "But I would like to duel with you."

Daunte gaped at him in shock and then looked at Caesar and Chinmaya. Chinmaya also looked surprised but Caesar shrugged. "This sounds interesting."

"It's something that I've wished to do for awhile but haven't had the time to ask you," Keiran said. "The last time I challenged you Mihr stepped up in my place."

"I didn't think Lord Daunte worthy of dueling you," Mihr said, though Daunte heard a note of apology in his tone. "Due to my foolish pride I did not realize that I was the one unworthy of dueling him."

"No it's fine, really," Daunte said. "I have to admit that dueling you was a little scary, but your skills are amazing Mihr."

"My Lord's skills are greater than mine," Mihr said, gesturing to Keiran.

"I've seen you battle firsthand," Daunte agreed, though he felt his stomach squirm.

"It would please me to duel you my Lord," Keiran said, saluting slightly. "Would this be all right with you?"

Daunte knew that he could say yes and risk losing and looking bad, or he could say no and insult Keiran's wish. After a moment he nodded hesitantly. "It-It's been awhile since I've dueled anyone. This should be good for me and I'm sure people would enjoy watching it. Okay, Keiran. I accept your challenge."

"Thank you, Lord Daunte." Keiran bowed. "I will wait at the duel area. Take your time with what you need to do and meet me when you're ready."

Keiran and Mihr took their leave, and Daunte was startled when Chinmaya grabbed his arm. "A-Are you sure you want to duel with him?! That's Keiran Umed! He's a former Sheikh! He's one of the best swordsmen in Nagarea!"

"Yes, and we are quite happy to him in our Army," Caesar said cheerfully.

"It will be fine," Daunte said. "I haven't been practicing my duels the way Jantu advised me to. If I win this then that's okay. If I don't then it's just a sign that I need to practice more."

"But what if you lose?!" Chinmaya exclaimed. "What will that do for the morale of this Army?!"

"It's a duel between comrades," Caesar interjected. "Another fun activity for our soldiers to gamble their money on. Our job will be to go down there and treat either outcome as a good thing. If Lord Daunte wins, then we will lavish him with praises for defeating Keiran. If he loses, then we will lavish him with praises for being so humble! So long as WE act happy with the results, so will the troops!"

Chinmaya scoffed and rubbed a hand over her eyes. "And what if it doesn't have the desired effect?!"

"That will not be an option." Caesar nodded to Daunte. "You may go ahead of us, my Lord. Your two Army Strategists are going to ensure that there will be no issues no matter the outcome of your duel."

Daunte nodded. "Thank you both."

"Lord Daunte was challenged to a duel by Keiran Umed?"

"Yes, Bax. Thank you for repeating the words I just said."

"Aw, our Commander is a goner—"

"Gertrude!"

"Hey, I have to be honest! Keiran is a BEAST with a sword! I dueled him the other day and he defeated me in two turns!"

"Oh, do not sell yourself short Gertrude. I'm certain that the fact that you were hungover did not help your dueling capabilities…"

"Aw, you're too kind to me Sanji! And don't listen to me, Lord Daunte, you've got this!"

Daunte rubbed at his forehead and looked towards the ceiling. "…Who told the trio about the duel?"

The infirmary was full, but most of the Wingers who had been injured in the attack on Peak's Edge had recovered and had either gone home or had joined the Army. Dahlia sat with her father at a bed in the farthest corner of the infirmary, holding his hand while Dr. Yulin examined him. "Hello," Daunte greeted them.

"Lord Daunte!" Dahlia stood up briefly but then sat back down, still holding onto her father's hand. "A-Ah, how nice to see you."

"Hello, Lord Daunte," Dr. Yulin greeted him warmly. Daunte didn't like how pale his complexion was. "The chief of Peak's Edge has made progress with his recovery. He remains in his coma but he is breathing on his own and his body is healing. These are good signs."

Daunte raised his right hand. "Howl."

The spell wash over not only Dahlia's father, but also over Dr. Yulin, Clara, and the other patients. He felt a familiar dizzy spell but he successfully ignored it as he lowered his arm. "I hope that helps me."

"It will certainly help all of us," Dr. Yulin said, his complexion a lot better.

"L-Lord Daunte, I don't feel tired anymore!" Dahlia exclaimed. "You included me in the healing spell?"

"I included everyone here in the healing spell because you all deserve it," Daunte said.

"Oh thank you! I…" Dahlia's voice trailed off when she looked down at her father. "Father's still not awake."

"It's truly not a surprise," Dr. Yulin said. "The damage to his body was extensive and he lost considerable blood. It will take more than one healing spell to fully heal him. But he is getting better, not worse, so he should eventually wake up."

Tears had filled Dahlia's eyes but she forced a smile and nodded. "Thank you, Dr. Yulin. And you as well, Lord Daunte."

"Go and relax yourself," Daunte said. "We have an onsen here. It will help you clear your head."

"I'll try it out later, thank you."

Daunte turned to take his leave, and he smiled as he saw people leaving their beds to exit the infirmary in better health. "Thank you, Lord Daunte!"

"You are so generous!"

"Is it true that you're dueling Keiran Umed?"

"Ooh, I'll definitely bet on you Lord Daunte!"

One other person remained in a bed, though he was sitting up with Clara at his bedside, her hands planted on her hips. "La'Ahad," Daunte said, moving to stand beside Clara. "Are you all right? Is it your head again?"

"…Not this time, Lord Daunte," La'Ahad said quietly. His hood was still pulled over his face. Daunte was surprised that Clara hadn't directed him to take his cloak off. But he thought it would be rude to mention it and so he didn't. "Just an old injury to my knee. I went foraging yesterday with a party, and…"

"And I was giving him a lecture about going out on hunts and foraging when he has an existing head injury!" Clara scoffed, shaking her head in exasperation. "Lord Daunte, could you order him to not do such things?!"

"I'm a soldier in this Army," La'Ahad responded calmly. "I have to pay my dues—"

"La'Ahad," Daunte interjected. "Clara is right. You've been suffering from a head injury for years. Your injury lingers even after multiple healing spells from Dr. Yulin, Clara, and myself! I'm not going to throw you out for remaining idle! Please be patient and wait for the doctors to clear you to enter active duty! Just relax, will you?"

La'Ahad rubbed his knee idly for a moment before responding. "I…will try. Truthfully I don't know how to relax. I feel as though I have been fighting for decades, but have no memories of it…"

"Well you can relax now," Daunte said. "Go fishing or watch a play. Heck you can even try the library or the onsen! There is a library here with a lot of books! I read there with my brother sometimes, you should join us!"

La'Ahad nodded carefully. For a moment, Daunte thought he saw a smile. "Thank you, Sir. I will…try to enjoy myself here, before I am able to make myself useful to you."

"Good," Daunte said. "Thank you for taking care of him, Clara."

"Just don't get carried away in your duel," Clara said. "Dr. Yulin and I will be furious if either Keiran Umed or you ends up in here later."

Daunte was worried about Tidur, Esther, and Ciana and how they were coping with everything going on, but to his great relief the girls were heavily distracted by their new puppy. Tiara seemed to be a bundle of endless energy and both girls looked exhausted chasing after her, but they had smiles on their faces.

"We'll be okay," Tidur reassured him. "The girls have never liked Blood Fest, so I've distracted them in the past with activities when the day comes along. Tiara though is serving as the best distraction yet."

Daunte swallowed hard as he contemplated his next words. "I—"

"I know what you are about to say," Tidur said softly, her smile fading. "I know my girls begged you not…" she shook her head. "I'm aware that there are many people here who have been hurt by my husband. The Wingers, the survivors of Agameru, Ichirou…even a Death Worm. I-I wish that there could be a peaceful resolution to this, but I know that's wishful thinking.

"I just don't want Esther and Ciana to be hurt anymore. I-I wan them to be happy. I w…" Tidur pressed a hand to her mouth as tears spilled down her cheeks. "I…wish I knew what happened to Sloan. I wish I knew why he became this way…"

"I wish I knew too," Daunte said softly. "And I'm sorry for what's to come."

"No, don't worry about it." Tidur quickly wiped her face with her sleeve. "Please, don't tell my daughters I cried. When you are victorious it will be hard enough t…"

"We won't celebrate it," Daunte promised her. "It will be just another job. And my allies have already promised not to talk about the campaign in your presence or in your daughters' presence's. You can count on me."

Tidur nodded and forced a smile. "I know, and I believe you."

Daunte went up to see Oboro and Shou next. Daunte was relieved that Shou didn't jump in his presence anymore and wasn't on his guard. He seemed convinced that Daunte wasn't holding a grudge or pursuing a vendetta. Daunte for his part was still wrapping his head around how interwoven his family's history was with the detectives but he tried not to rehash the same thoughts over and over again.

All I can do is seek vengeance against the people who caused our misery. The people who are our enemies now.

"Good evening, Lord Daunte," Oboro greeted him cheerfully, gesturing to the couch before him. "I heard that Keiran Umed challenged you to a duel. Best of luck with that."

"Thank you, Oboro," Daunte said, sitting down. "I have some more requests for Investigations, if it's not too much trouble."

"Oh, no trouble at all. Who would you like us to investigate this time?"

"I'll keep it simple with the rest of our shopkeepers," Daunte said. "Jeane, Gusoku, Kin, Cairoh, and ah—Templeton."

"Templeton isn't a shopkeeper," Shou pointed out.

"But an ally all the same," Oboro said, scribbling down the names. "Very well. And I trust that you have the payment for the fee?"

"I do," Daunte said, handing the money over. "Also, do you have any news on new allies?"

"Ah, yes I do." Oboro reached into his pocket and slid a piece of paper across the coffee table. "There is a Winger near the abandoned mine where Princess Farrin was taken. He is said to have mentioned a "treasure hunt"."

"A Winger?" Daunte asked. "Oisin and Dahila might know him. I'll take them with me when I go meet him." He opened the note and quickly scanned it. "Oh, you want me to take Futch and Sharon with me too?"

"And Suna," Oboro said. "There was a familiar peculiarity coming from the cavern that Sharon and her dragon may be interested in.

"So Oisin, Dahlia, Futch, Sharon, Bright, and Suna," Daunte said. "Should I also bring Azul and Zǐsè in the support party as well?"

"I would recommend it, yes."

Is there another dragon's egg in this mine? I'll find out regardless. "Okay, sounds good." Daunte stood up. "Okay. I think that wraps up all my errands…"

"Except for your duel," Shou pointed out bluntly.

"Oh, don't worry too much about it," Oboro said pleasantly. "It's just for fun after all."

"Keiran holds his sword in the ox position," Shou said. "You can circumvent the ox position by—"

"It's okay," Daunte said. "This is just a friendly duel. I know duel etiquette so I'll be careful with my tekko."

"You're going to duel against a sword with tekko?! Why?!"

"Because our Lord fights with tekko," Oboro reminded Shou. "He's going to be having duels with people who don't wield tekko after all."

"Well that's true." Shou paused for an uncomfortably long moment. "Good luck at least."

"Thank you," Daunte said sincerely.

Due to Sanji, Gertrude, and Bax's announcement the main courtyard was flooded with people. Everyone was chatting excitedly, passing around snacks, and shouting bets to Yaman. People started recognizing Daunte though as he got nearer to the duel ring, and he was given handshakes, back slaps, and even fist bumps as soldiers shouted good luck to him.

This is a little crazier than other duels I've participated in. I didn't expect this. I don't think Keiran expected it either.

"Ah, Lord Daunte!" Jantu shouted as Daunte finally entered the ring. Keiran was standing beside him and the former Sheikh looked amused by the chaos around them. "I have wooden weapons for you both to wield for this duel. Are you ready?"

"I am," Daunte said, squaring his shoulders as he slid on the wooden tekko. "I hope to not disappoint you, Keiran."

Keiran smiled as he raised a finely polished wooden sword. "I should be the one to say that, my Lord."

"Good luck, Brother!" Arin shouted. Kibbeh was squirming in his arms. Daunte looked over and smiled at him and he saw that Roen and Felicity were standing on either side of him. Mihr was also standing beside Roen but he wore a stoic expression. Caesar and Chinmaya stood on beside Felicity and both were smiling, but Daunte had a feeling that they were forced smiles.

"Fighters, take position!" Jantu shouted, though his voice barely carried over the noise around them. Daunte and Keiran moved to stand in opposite positions in the arena, and the crowd quickly began to quell. "As usual I will supervise the duel, and upon my word the duel will begin and end! Not before and not after!"

Daunte bowed in respect before taking a fighting stance. His heart was pounding in his throat. Remember, Daunte! Attack, Defend, and Deathblow! Deathblow defeats Attack, attack defeats Defend, and Defend defeats Deathblow!

Keiran bowed as well before taking the ox stance. "Hold nothing back, Lord Daunte!" He called out.

"Same to you!" Daunte called back.

"And—BEGIN!" Jantu shouted.

The cheers and shouts picked up around them, but Daunte heard Keiran when he spoke. "Shall I end this quickly?"

A deathblow?! So early?! Defend!

Daunte put up his guard as Keiran charged towards him. His speed was startling, but not so startling as Keiran penetrating his guard and striking him in the side with his sword. Daunte gasped harshly in pain and stumbled back as he heard the crowd groan around him. What, no?! That was an attack?! How was saying something like THAT an attack?!

"You'll have to do better than defend if you expect to defeat me," Keiran said, jumping back. His tone was cold, focused and straight to business. Daunte quickly guessed that his statement signaled an Attack, but he couldn't catch his breath to muster a Deathblow. Instead he charged forward just as Keiran charged forward. To his relief he guessed correctly, and though Keiran's sword nicked his arm he was able to land two solid blows to Keiran's solar plexus.

"Guh." Keiran hugged his torso as he stumbled back. "That knocked the wind out of me. How unfortunate."

Daunte knew that he would defend and lunged forward with another Attack. Elation filled him when he successfully penetrated Keiran's guard and landed one blow to his stomach, another to his right shoulder, and another to his right arm.

"YEAH! YEAH!" Arin shouted, jumping up and down. Kibbeh bobbled in his arms.

"Very good, my Lord," Keiran said calmly, though he nursed his injuries. "This has been an honor."

Daunte briefly panicked because he couldn't gauge what his words meant. It wasn't a threat but a compliment. He took a split second to decide, but impulsively chose Deathblow and flew forward. Keiran flew forward as well, and though Daunte was relieved that he didn't defend, a stab of dread filled him when he saw Keiran's movements towards him.

He chose Deathblow, too.

"Haa!" Keiran shouted, swinging his sword down from above. Daunte brought both fists up and blocked the blow with his tekko. The cheers and shouts around them heightened as they struggled to overpower each other. Daunte gritted his teeth as he felt the full weight of Keiran's strength bearing down upon him. He locked eyes with Keiran briefly and saw determination there. Keiran wanted victory, and he would surely have it.

No! I can't let this end like this!

"Urrrgh!" Daunte grunted, pushing up on the sword with all his might. Keiran barely budged. Daunte knew that if they held this stance then Keiran would win. He sucked in sharp breath, and made a decision. He retracted his right hand, and his left only sped down the momentum as they sword struck his shoulder. But leaned in with his whole body and punched Keiran again in the solar plexus. The blow caused Keiran to stagger, and Daunte launched forward and struck him in the face, sending him sprawling across the ground on his back, the sword coming loose from his hand.

"And STOP!" Jantu shouted. He gestured to Daunte. "The winner—Lord Daunte!"

Cheers and cries of outrage rose around them. Daunte hurried over to Keiran and helped him up. "Are you all right?"

"I'm well, thank you," Keiran replied, calmly wiping blood away from his chin. He held out his other hand to Daunte. "Thank you for fulfilling my selfish wish, Lord Daunte."

Daunte smiled and accepted his handshake. "I should thank you for not holding back."

The handshake and camaraderie on display was moving for the Army, and even those who lost their bets clapped for the combatants. "Wonderful, both of you!" Caesar shouted, clapping as he hurried over. "A fine display by two great warriors!"

"Excellent job, Lord Daunte!" Chinmaya exclaimed. Her voice had a chirpiness to it that startled Daunte somewhat.

"Daunte!" Roen and Felicity hugged him. "You did it!"

"You did it, Big Brother!" Arin shouted.

Mihr gave Keiran a potion. "Dr. Yulin gave me this just in case."

"Thank you, Mihr." Keiran drank heavily from the vial. "Well, Lord Daunte defeated me and you defeated him. You have me beat in that regard."

"Hardly, when he was on an inferior level than he is now," Mihr pointed out. He paused before saying, "Will you tell him?"

"Not right now. I want him to enjoy this victory." Keiran finished his potion. "I just hope it doesn't scare him when I do tell him…"

The next morning, Daunte went up to assemble his party for the trip to the mine in the High Peak Mountains. He said his goodbyes to Arin and Kibbeh and rode the elevator up to the fifth floor. As he did, he could hear Keiran's words from last night whispering in his mind.

"Lord Daunte. I wanted to duel you because it has been a desire of mine, but I also did so to prepare you for what's to come."

"Prepare me? Ah…for Sloan Faakhir?"

"Precisely."

Keiran and Mihr had looked deadly serious when they spoke to Daunte before he went to bed the night before. Their seriousness made Daunte feel uneasy.

"When I was a Sheikh I had a duel with Sheikh Faakhir. It was supposed to be a friendly sparring session between comrades but it was…not."

"He was ruthless?"

"He tried to kill me."

The news of this had shocked Daunte deeply. "The High Clerics claimed that he got carried away," Keiran had explained. "But he was relentless during the duel, fast and gave no reprieve. I've seen him in battle and he did not spare me. Mihr intervened to help me and he turned his ire on Mihr."

"He follows the etiquette of dueling very…minimally," Mihr said.

"He was forced to apologize to us for his brute behavior, but I do believe that he sought to kill us during the duel. Nothing stopped him but the Lady Matron from the Dark Chasm. I held him with contempt ever since, even as an ally. I was forceful in our duel because if you happen to duel him Lord Daunte…Faakhir will be even worse than me."

Daunte looked towards the ceiling and sighed heavily. "…Great."

Well, I felt Sloan's brute force when he beat me unconscious. I shouldn't be surprised that he wouldn't fight fair even during a duel.

"I guess I'll have to do more duels for practice," Daunte said, nodding as he arrived on the fifth floor. Yuber's spot was still empty on this floor. Daunte looked towards the ceiling. "Yuber?" He called out.

He received no reply and Yuber didn't come. Daunte sighed heavily, his stomach feeling knotted. He knew that Yuber was immortal and was a fierce warrior, but he couldn't help but feel worried. The lightning that had struck him had been a powerful blast, and the fact that Yuber was not answering his call this long afterwards showed Daunte that he had been seriously injured in the attack.

But Viki teleported him away accidentally. We can't help him, although being spirited away probably spared him from worser injuries. But she doesn't know where she sent him, so all I can do at this point is just…wait for him to come back.

Daunte entered the war room, where Caesar and Chinmaya were waiting. "Hello, Lord Daunte," Caesar greeted him. "We are still not ready for the campaign, but I can assemble a party if you're looking to do a recruitment quest."

"Isn't it risky, looking for new recruits so close to a war campaign?" Chinmaya asked warily. "Will any potential ally want to join us when we're about to lay siege to a Garrison?"

Caesar shrugged. "It's happened in past wars."

"I was looking to a recruitment quest," Daunte said. "Please call Oisin, Dahlia, Futch, Sharon, Bright, Suna. And Azul and Zǐsè for the support party."

"Will do," Caesar said with a smile.

A few minutes later Daunte's party had assembled and he gave them a quick rundown of his plans for the quest. "T-There's another baby dragon?!" Sharon cried out excitedly, hugging her dragons to her.

"If there's a dragon egg out there about to hatch, then we should get to the baby before that happens," Futch said.

Oisin however was glaring at Daunte. "You summoned Dahlia and I to talk to some random Winger?"

Daunte flushed at his dark tone. "I-I had thought that maybe you two know hi—"

"Why would we know him? Because we're Wingers? So you think all Wingers know each other?"

"That isn't what I meant," Daunte said defensively. "The mine is at the High Peak Mountains. The Wingers have lived in the High Peak Mountains for as long as anyone can remember. I-I just thought—"

"You thought in your prejudiced human head that we are all the same," Oisin said sharply. "I owe you my life but I will not tolerate your bigotry."

Daunte bristled, but before he could say anything Chinmaya snapped, "Don't talk to our Lord like that! How dare you use that disrespectful tone!"

"Oisin—" Dahlia said softly.

"I will not stand for ignorance and bigotry," Oisin said sharply. "Especially from a human who believes that we Wingers are all the same!"

"That is NOT what I said," Daunte said sharply. "I merely made an assumption that you knew a Winger who does treasure hunts because he was in an area where you live! And don't you think you're being hypocritical?!"

"Hypocritical? How so?"

"You accused Lord Daunte of bigotry," Caesar pointed out. "But you have displayed bigotry yourself, Oisin."

"I cannot be a bigot," Oisin shot back. "Only humans can be bigots."

"You have previously treated Lord Daunte no different from the Holy Army, despite the fact that they are enemies, because he is human. How is that not bigotry?"

Oisin's mouth opened and closed soundlessly as anger swept across his face. He still tried to deny the accusaiton. "But to insinuate that we know some random Winger just because—"

"Wait!" Dahlia cried out, grabbing Oisin's arm. "They said the Winger is a treasure hunter! That might be Rafe!"

"Rafe? That idiot?" Oisin's face twisted up in annoyance.

"Rafe isn't an idiot! He's just a—a—a dreamer!" Dahlia tried. She beamed at Daunte. "Rafe has been talking about treasure hunts since we were young! He's left Peak's Edge from time to time over the years to go on treasure hunts!"

"All of which have failed," Oisin scoffed. His features relaxed then as he looked at Daunte. "I…all right. Then we probably know him."

"Good," Chinmaya said sharply. "Now apologize to Lord Daunte for insulting him."

Oisin looked enraged, but Dahlia gently squeezed his arm and said his name softly. After a moment he relaxed and ducked his head. "I…apologize for my behavior."

"It's all right," Daunte said. "But please remember that I'm your ally. I would very much like to become your friend as well."

Oisin frowned, but he didn't say anything for another uncomfortably long moment. "…Okay."

"Right," Caesar said. "Now that the air's clear, you should be on your way."

Thankfully Viki gave them no mishaps and teleported them to Peak's Edge. The town was under heavy guard from Liberation Army forces and Wingers who had recovered, but the people were slowly rebuilding their homes. The atmosphere however was somber and Daunte knew better than to linger. "Futch, could you fly us to the abandoned mine?"

"Certainly but you will need to direct me there," Futch responded. "I haven't been there before."

"We'll guide you," Oisin said, raising his spear.

"It's been awhile since I fought alongside you Oisin," Dahlia said, raising her own spear. "I'm looking forward to this."

Oisin finally gave a sincere smile. "Just watch yourself."

On flight they made it to the mine very quickly. At the entrance to the cave Daunte saw a Winger with charcoal wings and shaggy shoulder length ash blonde hair looking over a piece of paper in his hands. Daunte had to guess that it was a map. As they landed he heard the Winger say, "Yes—Yes! This must be it!"

"RAFE!" Oisin hollered, landing on the ground hard in front of the other Winger. Rafe didn't even flinch. "You moron! Where in the name of spirits have you been?!"

"Oh hi Oisin," Rafe said nonchalantly, completely unmoved by his anger. "You're angry as usual. What's wrong?"

"What's wrong?! What's wrong?!" Oisin gestured violently with his hands before he screamed in frustration. "How could you be so clueless?!"

"I'm not clu—DAHLIA!" Rafe cheered. He hurried over and lifted her up into his arms. "It's been so long! How are you?"

"I-I could be better," Dahlia answered honestly. "B-But I'm glad to see that you're okay."

"Wait, what's wrong? Is Oisin being a jerk to you?"

"No, I—"

"HEY!" Oisin snapped. "Don't go grabbing someone else's girlfriend like that!"

Rafe waved a dismissive hand as he set Dahlia down. "We're friends, Oisin. Maybe if you had more friends you would understand."

"I have plenty of friends! I—"

"Rafe," Dahlia said soberly. "Peak's Edge was attacked by the Holy Army. Many of our people died."

"Wait, WHAT?!" Rafe shouted, his hazel eyes widening. "Humans attacked us?! Why?! Are my parents okay?!"

"Yeah they're alive," Oisin said primly. "Maybe if you actually stopped home then you would see that our village was razed."

"But all was not lost," Dahlia said. She pointed to Daunte. "This human saved us. His name is Lord Daunte, and he's the leader of the Liberation Army fighting the Holy Army. We joined them."

"Wow, so you saved my parents?" Rafe asked. He hurried over and shook Daunte's hand. "Damn glad to meet you! I knew not all humans were bad! And hey, if you could convince Oisin to team up with humans, you must be amazing!"

"I-I can't take credit for personally saving your parents," Daunte said. "But I was glad to help."

"So what brings you all here?"

"I, ah, had heard that you were on a treasure hunt," Daunte said. "And I wanted to hel—"

"He wants to recruit you in exchange for helping you find your nonexistent treasure," Oisin said harshly. He pointed to Futch and Sharon. "Those humans are Dragon Knights looking for a dragon egg."

"Wow, you have a lot of dragons!" Rafe grinned toothily as he looked the baby dragons over. "Did you give birth to these?"

"G-G-Give birth?!" Sharon shrieked, her whole face turning red. "What does that mean?! I can't have dragon babies!"

"But you both have dragon wings on your head," Rafe said, pointing to Futch and Sharon's head. "That means you're dragons, right? These are your babies?"

"It's a headdress!" Sharon shouted, ripping the wings off her head and thrusting them into Rafe's face. "There, see?! I'm a human! I didn't give birth to these dragons, only dragons can give birth to other dragons!"

"…Oh," Rafe said after a moment. "That doesn't sound as cool."

"Oisin was right," Futch sighed. "You are a moron."

"But I would like to help you," Daunte said, subtly moving to stand between Rafe and Sharon. "And if you would like to join the Liberation Army."

"So why don't you make yourself useful for once?" Oisin said.

"Oisin!" Dahlia reprimanded him.

"Weeeeeeell…" Rafe let the word hang on his breath for a long moment before nodding. "How about this; you help me find the treasure and then I'll join you. Do we have a deal?"

"But what if there's no treasure?" Futch asked.

Rafe shrugged. "Then I won't join you."

"Oh for the love of—" Oisin scoffed.

"Okay, okay," Daunte said, raising his hands. "I'll help you look for the treasure, and help Sharon and Futch find the dragon egg. If we don't find the treasure, then you don't have an obligation to this Army. If we do, then you join us. I accept your terms."

"You're too generous, human," Oisin sighed.

"Lord Daunte," Dahlia gently corrected him.

"Lord Daunte," Oisin conceded.

"It's still early," Daunte said. "So we should head inside and find what we seek before sundown. With any luck we can get this taken care of before nightfall."

"But I claim dibs on majority of the treasure," Rafe immediately added.

"You guys can sort out who gets what," Daunte said. "I don't need the treasure."

"Oh, you'll change your mind."

"Probably not," Futch said. "He won 11 million bits in the lottery not too long ago."

Rafe's jaw was still hanging open in shock as they headed into the mine.