CHAPTER 4

Meanwhile, on the Old Road with the Dawn Brigade, they were on their way to a region known as Kisca, which was a small remote town near the Daein capital, Nevassa. As Nolan was going to stock up on supplies there, Bri and Sothe said to him that they would easily be spotted by Begnion soldiers. Therefore, they had to avoid towns.

"So we have to sleep on the cold ground with nothing but bugs to keep us warm?!" asked Edward in disbelief. "I mean, come on, people!"

"I mean, I sleep beside my wolf every night." said Bri.

"Come on, everyone!" said Micaiah. "The forest is so beautiful and serene!"

"With bugs, Micaiah!" yelled Edward.

"Guys, this is no time for talking yourselves into arguments." Nolan said. "We need to stock up on our supplies!"

As the group continued talking with arguments coming their way, a small girl came to see the Dawn Brigade. Named Laura, she was a priestess from Kisca. She had come to the Brigade for assistance because her abbot was ill and Begnion soldiers were storming the manor hoarding provisions.

"What's your name?" asked Nolan. "We promise to help you and your abbot."

"My name is Laura." the girl said, introducing herself to the Dawn Brigade. "Follow me to Lord Kisca's Manor, and I'll…discuss things more there." Everyone later headed off to Lord Kisca's Manor.

When everyone reached the manor, Sothe remembered the place after visiting it years ago. He remembered that there was an armory tucked deep inside the manor. There, Begnion soldiers were guarding necessities and rare valuables. It was likely that the medicine was in there too. However, when they entered the manor, Begnion soldiers were stationed everywhere, including a Begnion armored knight at their command named Zaitan. When he found out from another Begnion soldier that a battalion was in the manor, more soldiers were sent out to capture them.

"Sir, what should we do?!" asked a Begnion lance soldier.

"Filet them like fish, that is! Oh ho!" said Zaitan.

"That's what we'll do?" asked a soldier.

"Yes, yes, yes!" said Zaitan.

"Excuse me, Begnion scumbags and dumbasses!" a voice said.

"Eh?! A wolf-riding freak and a green-haired rogue?!" asked a Begnion soldier. "Why are there pathetic and stupid children here?!"

"Hey, stop this right now!" said Bri. "We are here to take back what you have stolen from Daein, and that includes Lord Kisca's medicine he needs to heal his sickness!"

"Oh, I see…" said the Begnion soldier. He later gave a whistle for his boss and general, Zaitan.

"How many times have I told Begnion soldiers to tighten security when it comes to the Dawn Brigade?!" asked Zaitan. "But noooobody listens to my orders! Get in formation, soldiers of Begnion!" Begnion soldiers later got into formation thanks to the great General Zaitan's orders.

"You are sooooo glued, you wolf-riding freak!" said a Begnion priest.

"Yeah!" said a Begnion sword soldier.

"You are certainly not gonna get past us, you filthy vermin of Daein." said another soldier.

"Excuse me?!" asked Bri. "You are targeting a girl here, and I was the wolf-riding girl who fought in the Mad King's War! I was AGAINST my own king! He killed my family! He and his wretched soldiers did!"

"So why would you even join the Dawn Brigade anyways?!" asked a Begnion soldier.

"Answer him right now, freak." said General Zaitan.

"I joined for the cause of restoring my homeland to its former glory!" Bri said. "Besides, I am still in the process of looking for work thanks to me losing my own family!"

"Likely story indeed." said Zaitan. "OK. Now you are going to die." said Zaitan. "Prepare to be skewered by my lance and I'll have you and your wolf down the grave!" As Bri was about to be skewered, Micaiah used her personal light spell of Thani to save Bri's life and murder Zaitan. When all the other Begnion soldiers were down dead, Laura the priestess went to find the medicine her abbot needed.

Minutes later, when everyone was present and accounted for, Micaiah noticed that Laura was missing. And she was not the only one. Bri, Rita, and Carl were missing too. As she went to find them, she was stopped by the Halberdier Jarod, who apparently had Laura. It was a strange feeling for Micaiah because Laura was not one of the Dawn Brigade members. However, Jarod never believed a word Micaiah said. Both the girls were taken to the Begnion-controlled Glaive Prison for keeping.

When both were brought to the Begnion-controlled prison, Micaiah prayed to herself, hoping that her other friends escaped safely. However, a lady named Aimee who worked for a merchant convoy noticed Micaiah was bleeding a little bit. As she said that there were no medicines and vulneraries in the prison, she told Micaiah to wrap a cloth around it to heal it up. Then, something was heard.

"Here you are." said Sothe as he appeared without warning.

"Sothe!" shouted Micaiah as Sothe shushed her. He picked the lock of all the prisons and everyone made their escape. However, surprise, surprise, Begnion soldiers found them escaping Glaive Prison.

"Hmph!" said Rita. "They found us fair and square."

"Yup." said Rita's brother Carl. "They did find us fair and square."

"Guards! Capture 'em!" said a Begnion Sword Knight.

"Yes, sir!" said another Begnion Sword Knight. Bri later arrived with a little boy.

"What happened?!" asked Bri.

"Bri, take that boy out of here!" ordered Micaiah.

"O-O-OK, Micaiah!" Bri said nervously. Bri told the boy to hop on the back of her wolf and they later trotted off into the unknown of Daein. However, dropped by Bri were herbs and a thing of Olivi Grass, which she was using on the children to cure their wounds instead of her staff.

"Bri's Olivi Grass! She dropped it!" said Sothe.

"And she already left." said Aimee. "Just what was she using it for anyways?" she asked herself. However, accompanied with Aimee was a silent boy named Kurth, whom Aimee suspected that he did not speak the normal beorc language. Then, he offered the grass to Micaiah for her wound.

"Well I am pretty sure Bri won't mind." said Micaiah. She later healed her bloody wound. Then, somebody else told them all to wait. It was Ilyana, a girl who had fought in the Mad King's War.

"Ilyana, where's your–" Aimee asked as she was interrupted by Ilyana. She had stated that she had to grab it quickly before the general almost caught her.

"Hm…" Aimee thought. "Likely story indeed."

Kurth later told Micaiah that he and Aimee would leave the fighting to her and her friends. Micaiah then stated that Bri was returning soon, but she didn't know where she was. Then, Bri showed up.

"Sorry for the delay, everyone." said Bri. "I had to fight off some soldiers of Begnion's dirty rotten empire."

"Alright, Dawn Brigade, attack!" ordered Micaiah. "Aimee, Kurth, we will protect you." The fighting later began.