…that he has already sold the earring to Gebbin the Pawnbroker. Stroingarm visits him, but once again he must perform a task in exchange: Gebbin asks him to capture a master criminal, who apparently has been conning everyone in the city.

After many chase scenes and battles of wits, Strongarm brings him down. He returns and tells Gebbin that his mission has been accomplished.

What does Gebbin say? He says…

Huan Strongarm: A Bartfort Folktale, by Lufas Maphaahl

Corkus was once again standing guard before the gates of the Keep, giving them a friendly wave as they passed. The square had been devastated by the stampede of UnFae a few days earlier, and the wreckage had been mostly cleared up; nevertheless, countless hair raising gouges and scratches still marked the cobblestones. Perhaps they would become an urban legend one day.

The man they were looking for owned a modest pawnshop, with the name You Just Got Pawned scrawled across the sign in messy italics. As they entered they could hear two men arguing in the back; one of them cut the other off when he heard the tinkle of the bell attached to the door, hurrying through to attend the counter. He was very old, with wispy white hair, half moon spectacles and a wobbly lower jaw. "Yes?"

"Is your name Gebbin?" Angelica asked politely. Julius closed his mouth and shot her an annoyed look, having been just about to ask that same question. "We were asked to retrieve an earring that a man named Ivas sold you earlier today. Do you still have it?"

"As a matter of fact I do," he nodded. He squinted at them suspiciously. Leon didn't blame him; thanks to Liliana's disguise spell, all five of the love interests looked like muggers. "Can I assume that you are… adventurers?"

"Sure can!" Greg bragged, puffing out his chest proudly. "We can solve any problem you have!"

Gebbin's face lit up. "Does that mean that you're willing to complete our request?"

"Uh…"

"Mercer!" He disappeared into the back before Greg could take it back. "I've found someone! They said they'll get your stolen things back!"

The redhead slumped his shoulders as everyone glared at him. "Sorry."

The man that Gebbin introduced to them actually took Leon by surprise: he didn't have a character portrait in the game, which is why it came as a surprise that he was yet another character from Berserk. He wasn't a major character by any means, but his large nose, solid jaw and brown hair tied into a ponytail were unmistakable.

"Hello," he greeted them tiredly. "My name is Gaston. Gaston Mercer. I am a tailor by trade."

"Gaston?" Jilk repeated curiously. "Why do I feel like I've heard that name recently?"

"I enjoy a modicum of success," he shrugged humbly. "But I'm wasting your time; you must want to know what I need. The truth is I've been robbed, and my shop is closed until I can recover my losses."

Chris superciliously pushed his glasses up his nose. "I mean, if your shop is in the Old City then it really shouldn't come as a surprise…"

"Nah," chuckled Gaston, taking the remark in good humour. "My shop is actually in the town square; you see, a customer bought fine silk garments from me and paid for them with what seemed to be gold coins. The coins were base lead with a thin coating of gold."

"Cursed thief!" Gebbin barked. He slammed his fists down on the counter, slightly startling them and making Leon yip in surprise. "Mercer is ruined because of him! Ruined!"

"How is he ruined?" Brad asked curiously.

Gaston just sighed wearily. "My best clothing stock is gone: with no money to buy more, I'm afraid I'm out of business. Truthfully, I have already informed my old colleagues from my time in the Guard. The swindler seems to have caught wind of it, and has been heckling me more as they get closer to arresting him."

This dialogue sounded familiar. Leon pricked up his ears; soon he was able to pick up the sounds of two men moving around outside. Discreetly, he manoeuvred around the bipeds so that he was between Gaston and the window.

"Can you at least tell us his name?" Olivia was asking.

"He goes by the name of Cerval. If you were to find him and return what he stole, I would reward you well-"

Almost soundlessly, an arrow flew through the open window; the wolfdog leapt into the air and caught it between his teeth. The two shopkeepers ducked behind the counter as Jilk drew his gun, firing wildly out the window.

"Did you see that?" Leon demanded, his tail wagging furiously. "Did you see?"

"Yes, Huan. I saw it."

The love interests had all piled outside to stop the assassins from escaping, so by the time they got outside the two assassins had been subdued; the five stupidheads hadn't had a chance to do anything, as Corkus had seen what happened and pinned one of them to the floor after hitting the other in the throat with a throwing knife. "Are you okay? I heard a yelp!"

"I'll live," huffed Leon dismissively. "I've taken way worse from way scarier." He looked down at the assassin, who was valiantly struggling to be free. "Has anyone asked him about Cerval?"

This made Olivia perk back up a bit. "Actually, I have a new spell that might help with that!" A circle of light began to glow around her feet. "Zone of Truth!" The circle expanded until everyone was surrounded, giving Leon uncomfortable flashbacks to his first meeting with Elodach. "Where can we find Cerval!"

The man gave them immediate, precise directions against his will. As Corkus dragged him back to the Keep to be incarcerated, the party began the march to the forger's hideout. "That poor man," Olivia was saying. "This person ruined his whole livelihood over some fancy clothes."

"Some people have no regard for others," said Angelica contemptuously. "There is no limit to who they are willing to hurt to get what they want."

"I'm not sure why you care," remarked Julius snidely. "You told me once that commoners are only a percentage!"

Angelica recoiled. "That's not… You're leaving out the context."

He responded with a derogatory snort. "What kind of context could possibly make that alright?"

Leon glanced at Olivia; she had cast her eyes down and gone very quiet, and had placed her hand on his fur for support. Villainess or not, Leon really didn't blame Angelica for her opinion; she was a product of her environment, just like everybody else. The way she thought was no different from most celebrities and nepotistic politicians from his past life.

The Prince's hypocrisy was not lost on him; for all his claims of being a man of the people, Julius knew next to nothing about being middle or lower class. After all, as the Crown Prince he was in the perfect position to do something to make the lives of his people better. He had made the conscious decision to do nothing at all, which really took the high horse out from under him.

It was really starting to bug him that he couldn't give that boy a talking to.

Cerval's hideout was in a nondescript building that they otherwise wouldn't have looked twice at. In other words, it was exactly where it would have been in the game. Julius had clearly realised that he had gone too far, his face twisting in guilt and self-loathing. It was like the Mouthy Teenager equivalent of post-coital clarity.

"R-Right then!" His voice became slightly shrill as he tried to alleviate the mood. "Let's break down this door!" He still had the decaying bulwark that he had looted from Ikus Fou Seberg, which looked ridiculous now that he was disguised as a midget. "I finally get to try out my new shield!"

"Worry not, Your Highness," declared Jilk. He tried to dramatically flick his hair, but now that it was so short the gesture fell a little flat. "I have your back. No one can touch you while I am acting as support."

"Also, you're not the only one with new gear," added Chris. Slowly, so that Brad and Greg got a good look, he drew the Sword of Spirits. "With this, I can strike him down even from a distance. I have no weaknesses."

Greg snorted contemptuously. "Please! Real men don't rely on petty artefacts! Strength and skill are all that matters!"

Brad scoffed. "So uncivilised. Let me show you the most beautiful battle!"

All of these were generic lines that their ingame selves would say before random encounters. Leon rolled his eyes. "Gawd."

As one man they kicked down the door to the hideout, and as one man they fell through the trapdoor that had been set up on the other side. Cerval - a Kimblee looking dude with a ponytail and a receding hairline - looked up from the egg he was frying on his stove, apparently not expecting visitors.

"Uh…" said Olivia.

He pulled a gun from his hip and began firing wildly; both girls ducked behind the indestructible wolfdog, who blinked as the bullets bounced off him harmlessly. "Good news," said Leon mildly. "It seems like my brain no longer acknowledges bullets as a threat! If this were, like, the day before yesterday then I would be flinching so hard right now!"

Angelica pulled a revolver from her hip and returned fire; she was much more accurate than the other guy, and soon Cerval was screaming and ducking for cover. The unmistakable sound of the love interests screaming began floating up from the open trapdoor. "What's going on?" Her voice was thick with panic. "Are they okay?"

"They'll be fine," yawned Leon, idly scratching his chin with his hind leg. "The only things down there are Bone Boms."

"Bone Boms?" Olivia repeated. "As in explosives?"

"It's short for Bone Abominations," he explained. "Fairly weak, but very scary. The stuff of nightmares. Also it's pretty dark down there, which probably makes it worse."

While they were talking Cerval had managed to retrieve something from a cabinet; it looked like a wine bottle, except it was glowing orange. "He just pulled something out," reported Angelica. "It looks like a bottle of… Maybe it's a potion?"

"It's called Demonic Lava Whiskey," explained Leon. In the background, Cerval chugged the entire bottle in one go. "First, it paralyses you for ten seconds."

The forger went completely stiff, laying on the floor like a cardboard cutout. Confused, Angelica stopped shooting.

"Next it deals fire damage, also for ten seconds."

He abruptly caught fire, causing both girls to scream.

"Luckily it heals you for twenty seconds, so that really isn't a problem."

Sure enough, Cerval's flesh was healing faster than the flames could burn it away.

"Finally it summons a demon lord, who protects you for sixty seconds."

The girls watched in horror as a tall figure appeared looming ominously above the frozen swindler; it was taller than Guts but shorter than Pippin, with terrifying red armour and a huge mace in one hand. They couldn't see its face, which was covered by a helmet warped into a terrifying demonic visage.

Both girls shrieked and ducked as it threw a fireball at them.

"Overall it's not the best magic item," continued Leon, allowing the fireball to explode harmlessly against his face. "Call me old fashioned, but the paralysation is kind of a deal breaker for me. There are plenty of items that let you summon things without drawbacks… or you could, you know, just go to the dungeon and tame something."

Angelica began casting a powerful fire spell, and soon Cerval's house was obliterated as she and the demon lord fought back and forth in a magical duel. "Why aren't you helping?"

"I've decided that I'm going to take more of a mentor role on this one," he said pleasantly. Somehow, the fact that he was so calm was helping to ease their panic.

"I have an idea!" Olivia said suddenly, remembering the fight against Ikus the previous day. She created a barrier around the demon lord's legs, instantly severing them; the creature barely had time to look surprised before Angelica launched a lance of flame, hitting it in the torso and blowing it to smithereens. "Nice!"

"Yeah!" Angelica roared, and high fived her. As ten seconds had passed, Cerval was suddenly able to move again; he was halfway through sitting up when both girls ran forward, punching him simultaneously in the face.

High on adrenaline, they both cheered in victory. They stood there and panted for a moment, their smiles becoming awkward and embarrassed as they calmed down.

"Sorry," said Angelica quietly. "Julius was telling the truth: I did say that, and I meant it. I'm… I'm really sorry. I know I hurt your feelings, and… a-and…"

"It's fine," smiled Olivia weakly. "Honestly, I… I know where you were coming from."

"You do?"

"Fairies live for a really long time, and we… we tend to look down on humans. After all, how attached can you get to someone whose lifespan is barely a fraction of your own?" Olivia fiddled with the snail shell amulet around her neck, a constant reminder that she was a stranger in a strange land. "To be honest, I used to think like that too."

Leon hadn't been expecting that. "So you don't anymore?" Angelica asked curiously.

"No. I met someone. A travelling scholar. He stopped by my town one day and taught me the basics of magic. He liked to… to challenge how people thought. He was the one who made me want to see the human world." She gave Angelica a long, penetrating look. "The reason why I felt that way about humans - why you felt the way you did about commoners - is because we had no experience with them. And that's fine; I don't think there's any shame in not understanding something when you've never had a chance to learn about it. But if you interact with someone, if they become people to you and not just numbers on a page, and you still treat them the same way… that would really be something to be ashamed of, I think."

Leon stayed out of the moment, but nodded proudly. Spoken like a true protagonist.

It was at this point that the five dunderheads showed up, having finally found the basement's exit. "What did we miss?" Greg shouted. "Where's the swindler?"

"Over there," nodded Leon, drawing their attention to the unconscious Cerval. The boys were clearly crestfallen at having missed out on the confrontation, and on top of everything the disguise magic had started to wear off; Olivia laughed helplessly, having forgotten about the silly outfits that they were wearing underneath.

"We should find those clothes he stole," said Jilk, trying to stay businesslike. He began rummaging through his drawers as Chris and Greg tied the unconscious man up, eventually finding a pile of expensive silk garments at the bottom of a wardrobe. "Perfect! Mission accomplished!"

Gaston was thrilled to receive his swindled goods, his eyes slightly damp with relief; it was convenient how close Gebbin's shop was to the Keep, as it had made it easy to drop Cerval off with Corkus on their way over. "Thank you, my friends! Please accept my heartfelt thanks!"

"That's your response?" Gebbin demanded. "They look completely different! The dog and the blondes look the same, but the rest-"

"Just tell them what they want to know, Gebbin!"

The Pawnbroker huffed, but did as he was told. "I've already sold the earring," he admitted sulkily. "To a merchant. Agilo, the name was. He has a stall in Avrum Market."

"A pattern emerges," said Olivia dryly. Leon and Angelica both laughed, and the search began anew.

Sidequest: Cerval's Game

Summary: Another quest to be completed in the sewers, where Cerval can be found in the original Summoner. Now that I'm sitting down and analysing it, the Quest has a few things in common with The Beggar's Eyes: both quests have a piece of armour as a reward, being the Blessed Surcoat for one and the Silk Breeches for the other. The game tricks you into thinking you should give the Surcoat to Joseph when actually you're better off giving it to Flece, then also tricks you into giving the Breeches to Flece when they are actually better suited to Rosalind; I'm fairly certain that they are the only leg armour she can wear besides the Magus Leggings, her end-game equipment.

With the appearance of Gaston - foreshadowed all the way back in Chapter 10 - we finally have the full Band of the Hawk running around in Holfort. The man who originally gives you the Cerval's Game sidequest is called Mercer the Tailor, which is where his last name comes from. It is also a nod to Mercer Frey, a prominent figure in the Thieves' Guild questline in Skyrim.

When trying to decide how they should confront Cerval I had a bad case of writer's block, so I looked to my old video games for inspiration. Mercer Frey's questline was one possible way this chapter could have turned out; the rest were from Oblivion. I won't list them all, but 'Caught in the Hunt' was my first choice, but when the boat ride back from Fort Grief took them into the Flooded District for a confrontation with Daud/Cerval I decided that I was making things too complicated.

Connoisseurs of vintage video games may notice that this chapter actually takes cues from Assassins, the mission from the very first Thief game. While it may have drifted far from its roots in the Elder Scrolls, I still couldn't resist one last callback to what could have been with the Daedric Lava Whiskey.