FE8 Fanfic based sequel

[Benstekar]

The following is the culmination of over two years of storyline and character development that took place between me and a friend of mine. It was originally meant to be made into a mod for the original FE8, but I have zero coding ability and The Sacred Stones is not the most popular modding platform. For quite a while, we worked on the "mod" together and after a while, he lost interest. Me being more of a writer rather than programmer, I wrote it like a book and got the very basics of the entire plot down in a bout 100 pages. I had very clunky placeholder dialogue, but the idea of what the characters would be feeling and why they did certain things(including romance between them) was laid out, but not gone into too in-depth.

I have changed the format of the story once more and made it into something more of a screenplay so actions and dialogue can be better smoothed out and extra scenes not in the original can be added that serve as character development, backstory, and relationships between characters. I had to take some creative liberties in setting up the plot for the story, but I tried to stay as close to the official canon as possible. That being said, please don't yell at me for killing certain characters or using endings for original characters that are not your preferred ones. One such change I made was the fact that I took Joshua's and Marisa's ending and added backstory that probably does not exist in the official game, but would not be impossible. I also know that Natasha is typically the preferred match for Joshua. Other than that, please notify of any inconsistencies, so I can change them and make this story as canon-friendly and entertaining as possible.

Thank you for you patience so far. I will be adding posts to this as I complete the process of transferring formats and polishing it up a little(probably about every week or so). The first part is rather short and is really just to introduce my writing style and the setting of the story.

Had this work been finished already, I would leave out this piece of information, but since you are giving me your attention, I will reveal that the story takes place 24 years after The Sacred Stones.

One last thing: I have a rather vivid imagination and I try to make fights as unique as possible. This means that they are rather brutal at times, but not to the point of being sick and demented. I try to keep action moving as fast as possible without dragging out explanations as to what exactly is happening. I will regularly use anatomically correct descriptions to convey actions with precision. Unfortunately, there may be times where a body part is mentioned and it's location may be unknown to the reader. Rather than looking up an image(as you never know what might pop up), I would suggest looking up the definition first and only the most brave of heart should venture further.

Thank you so much for time. Please enjoy!

Prologue:

Scene 1

In an expansion of Castle Frelia that serves as both a barracks and council meeting chamber, eight council members conclude their meeting and move on to other topics. Tana and Ephraim sit together in the center near the door. Ross and Cyphus sit on either side of them and across from them are seated Seth and Eirika and Vanessa and Innes.

Ephraim: “Now that that matter is settled, how have you been these last few weeks, Eirika?”

Eirika: “Just fine, brother. Seth and I are very happy.” Eirika takes Seth’s hand in her own.

Ephraim: “I am glad to hear it.”

Seth: “We brought Liam with us this time. It has been almost a year since he’s seen the capital.”

Cyphus: “Quite a long time.”

Ross: “It is my understanding that Blake is with him.”

Seth: “Yes, we’ve brought your son along.”

Ross: “I trust he has served you quite well. It was his idea, after all.”

Eirika: “He has been an invaluable asset to us. He trains with Liam everyday.” She turns to Seth. “You must remind me to thank Cormag for the wyvern egg he gave Liam.”

Seth: “I have already sent a messenger.”

Eirika: “I would still like to thank him in person.”

Innes: “It looks as though it will hatch soon. I saw it just before we started here.”

Seth: “Cormag assured us it would.”

Cyphus: “Mayhap we should go see the boy rather than just talking about it. I think we can call this meeting adjourned.”

Vanessa: “Maybe we could send a messenger to retrieve them.”

Cyphus: “Excellent idea, Vanessa.” He stands and walks to the door. A guard answers it and Cyphus relays a message before returning to his seat. The guard leaves the castle.

Scene 2

Blake and Liam are sparring in a field near a small village.

Blake: “You should try keeping your feet planted when you strike.”

Liam: “You should try not being such a dunce when you speak to the maidens you meet.”

Blake: “Hey! That has nothing to do with me beating you every time we train.”

Liam: “Four times does not count as always.”

Blake: “It does when we have only had four matches today.”

Liam: “What about yesterday?”

Blake: “Three fights, three wins for me. You have yet to best me.”

Liam: “It will happen eventually.”

Blake: “Not today.” Blake disarms Liam drops his shoulder before ramming Liam’s chest, sending him to the ground. “Five.” The guard from the castle arrives and Blake picks Liam up. They bow to each other and then turn to face the guard. “What is it?”

Guard: “The council requests your presence.”

Blake nods and they follow the guard. After a very short stroll, they hear an impact and the guard falls backward onto Blake while his lance falls to Liam. Blake sees the arrow in the guards chest and looks up to notice the archer who fired it. Blake kicks the body off of himself and picks himself up. The archer runs toward the castle and three men take his place. Two carry lances and the other has a sword. Blake takes Liam’s arm and they run into the house nearest to them. An old man is sitting at a table in the main room.

Blake: “We need to barricade the door!”

Old Man: “Whatever for?”

Blake: “There are men attacking the village!”

Old Man: “Oh, really?” He stands and looks out the window to see the swordsman setting fire to his neighbor’s house. “Indeed.”

Liam: “We need to do something!”

Old Man: “Don’t worry. I can handle this.” He walks to the table and pushes it a few feet. He then rips up a floorboard and pulls out a rusty war axe. He begins to walk toward the door. Blake stops him with a hand on the haft of the axe. “What do you think you are doing, boy?!”

Blake: “It would be best for someone more capable to deal with them.”

Old Man: “I will-” Blake rips the axe from his grasp. “Hey!”

Blake: “I’m sorry, but I can do this.”

Old Man: “Do you know who I am?!”

Blake: “No.” Blake runs out the door while saying this. Liam shrugs and takes off out the door after Blake.

Old Man: “Insolent little-” The old man stops and smiles.

The house ignited by the swordsman is ablaze and one of the soldiers moves towards Blake and Liam, intent on lighting the old man’s house as well. He readies his lance and Blake deflects it downward as he lunges. Blake then swings for the soldier’s throat. He opens his eyes, which he closed involuntarily, and sees the soldier fall away with a four-inch long trench below his chin. The swordsman notices this altercation and moves in to finish off Blake.

The mercenary comes at Blake, who swings and misses. Blake’s axe is swept from his hands and the mercenary strafes to prepare to hit Blake in the side. Before he can strike, Liam buries the guard’s lance in his thigh. The merc takes a swing at Liam while going to his knees and Blake recovers his axe to strike the sword swinging adversary in the temple with the butt of it. He falls sideways, unconscious and Liam puts the lance through his oblique figuring he is piercing his heart.

The final soldier comes at Blake and Liam intercepts him with his lance causing the soldier to pole-vault over them. Once he is on his back, Liam walks over to him and spins his lance above his head before bringing it down on the soldiers helmet. The tip pushes its way past the metal and into the cranial cavity of the soldier. Liam notes the lack of movement from the man and realizes truly what he has done. He leans on the lance and loses his lunch over the impaled skull. Blake pats him on the back.

Blake: “You alright?” Liam wipes his mouth.

Liam: “Yeah, I’m fine.” He pulls out the lance and staggers back into Blake. Blake rights him and Liam turns. “Thanks.”

Blake: “That archer went for the castle. We should probably go kill him.”

Liam: “Okay.” Blake turns and they run toward the castle.

Fun fact: The character of Blake is based off the friend that helped me craft the lore around this story and shares the same name as well as demeanor(for the most part).

Edited September 4, 2015 by Benstekar

[Diogenes]

This isn't bad. Since it has something of a script format to it, most of the exposition is going to be dialog, which isn't always fun to read. You need to establish who cyphrus is. Everyone else is with their spouse, but ross is with some random (guy?)

Also Ross the boss seems like a guy you want on your side in a battle (+15 crit!) But it seems weird that he'd be in a war council attended by monarchs. I think Kyle, Franz, Duessel, or one of the missing lords would make more sense.

Keep it up, and consider posting this to FF.NET

[Benstekar]

This isn't bad. Since it has something of a script format to it, most of the exposition is going to be dialog, which isn't always fun to read. You need to establish who cyphrus is. Everyone else is with their spouse, but ross is with some random (guy?)

Also Ross the boss seems like a guy you want on your side in a battle (+15 crit!) But it seems weird that he'd be in a war council attended by monarchs. I think Kyle, Franz, Duessel, or one of the missing lords would make more sense.

Keep it up, and consider posting this to FF.NET

Thanks for the great feedback! I avoided putting in the original four paragraphs that I had explaining who Cyphus was and what was going on to see if I would be able to sneak it in at some point(like the fact that it is 24 years later). Ross isn't with Cyphus(yes, a guy. I will fix that.) though. They are mentioned at the same time because Ross holds the title of War General and Cyphus is the Mage General, who is the person in charge of training all mages at the Tower of Valni. Oops, spoilers. *wink*

I don't care much for this style of writing either, but it is good for me to try experimenting with different formats and POV's. The second part of this will be up some time tomorrow morning and I will be sure to take a look at the site you mentioned. Not to reveal too much, but ALL playable characters from The Sacred Stones are accounted for somewhere in the world, even if they are not directly talked about.

Once again, thank you.

[Benstekar]

As promised, I have the second chapter of this story ready to go, but before I reveal it, I have to give another "news" update. The time in between posts of the story itself will begin to increase as the chapters become longer and include more scenes. Another reason for the upcoming delay in posts is the fact that this was my first week of school and I have probably spent a total of 10 hours at my house besides when I am sleeping. Up until the end of October, I have Cross Country practice and meets that prevent me from having much leisure time. After it ends and I have my heart surgery, I will have a lot more time to finish this version of the story. I don't want to make this about my real life, but if you ever wonder why it is taking longer between posts, that's why.

Another thing I have to mention is that fact that ALL feedback is taken into deep consideration and any changes that need to be made will be. I will not be re-posting the fixed chapters or editing the preexisting post, but instead I will make changes to my master copy of the entire story. After the story is finished being written, it has been smoothed out dialogue wise, the action is clear and concise, all plot related elements are cemented and make sense, and I am happy with the overall product, I will make a post of the ENTIRE story in its finished state.

Thank you again for your time, and without further ado, here is the second chapter(Chapter 1).

Chapter 1:

Scene 1

A guard runs into the council room.

Guard: “Someone is assaulting the castle!” All members of the council stand and prepare to leave.

Ross: “Everyone stay here. I will handle this interruption.”

Ephraim: “You don’t expect to be able to take them on your own unarmed, do you?” Ross turns and kicks the back off of his chair. An axe’s grip is visible. He pulls it out and walks over to the guard before taking the key to the chamber. “Are you going to acknowledge me?” Ross leaves the room.

Ephraim: “Ross! Damn you!”

Eirika: “Leave him. Ross has always been able to hold his own.”

Ross turns and drops the key at the door. He pulls up the axe and sees that the majority of the guards have been killed. Several men prepare themselves to attack. An axeman rushes him, followed immediately by a lance wielder. Ross deflects the axe and kicks the man backward onto the soldier’s lance before grabbing it near the tip and pulling both of them closer to him. He brings the heel of his axe to wrap around the soldier’s neck and jerks forward violently, prompting a loud pop. He tilts the axe to allow the broken-necked man to fall away.

A fireball comes toward Ross and he raises his turned axe to block it. He then responds by throwing his axe upside down and piercing the young man’s sternum with the toe. He runs up to the mage, who has fallen to his knees. Ross then grabs the axe and rolls it until the beard sits on the man’s manubrium. He pulls up, hooking the man’s chin and tearing off his mandible entirely. Ross permits the man to fall backward onto the stone and die.

Ross makes sure the bottom jaw of the mage is not still on his axe and notices a knight coming for him. He flips his axe and approaches the knight. The knight extends his lance slightly in a reserved strike. Ross easily dodges this and kicks the lance, but the knight recovers it in time to block the axe. Ross’s strength is greater than the knight’s, so he has to push the axe sideways and stop Ross from bearing down on him. He punches at Ross’s side and receives a backhand that causes a minor loss of balance. He swings his lance up toward Ross, but knows he really doesn’t have a chance of hitting him. Ross knocks the lance away and takes a step forward. The knight plants a foot and holds his lance diagonally before charging Ross. Not expecting the attack, Ross brings up his axe and is pushed off his balance.

Ross hooks the knight’s lance and uses his momentum to swap places with the knight by throwing him against the wall next to the door. He brings his axe above his head as the knight tries to block his attack again. Mid-swing, Ross notices the point which he hit previously and adjusts to hit it again. This causes the lance to splinter in two and the axe to cut into the knight’s left shoulder. The knight yells in pain and Ross snatches the broken shaft of the lance from his right hand. He then shoves the wooden shard up through the knight’s breastplate. The knight gasps and Ross withdraws his axe before spinning and decapitating the man against the wall. The body falls before Ross pulls his axe away, allowing the head to once again rejoin its body.

An arrow penetrates Ross’s left calf and he turns to see the same archer that killed the guard near the village. He kneels and breaks the arrow before pulling it through and walking toward the archer. He takes two steps before he feels a blade slip its way between his shoulder blades. He turns and swings at his attacker, but nothing is there and there is no blade in his back. He staggers forward into the door and slumps to the floor.

Scene 2

Ephraim: “We have to help him.” He walks over to the guard and relieves him of his weapon. Tana stops him before he reaches the door.

Tana: “Be careful.”

Ephraim: “I’ll be right back.” He kisses her and moves to the door only to find that Ross has locked it. “Dammit, Ross!”

Vanessa: “He locked it?”

Ephraim: “Yes.”

Innes: “We should leave through the passage.”

Seth: “Indeed.”

Ephraim: “Fine. Let’s go.”

Innes goes to the back of the room and pushes a piece of stone that creates an opening in the wall. He puts his hand on this opening and begins to push the wall sideways. Vanessa comes to help and Seth walks closer as well. The door is completely opened and Innes takes a quick look inside before an arrow plunges its way into his chest. Vanessa catches him and takes him gently to the floor, dragging him back away from the black doorway. Seth walks in front of the door as a hooded assassin jumps out. Seth dodges his strike and Ephraim throws his lance. It hits the assassin in the arm, causing him to lose grip on one of his blades. Seth picks it up and before the assassin can recover. He stabs him in the chest and the scrawny aggressor falls. Three more come from the tunnel.

The first lunges at Seth, who parries the blade and receives a kick to the chest, sending him reeling. He recovers and deflects another couple slashes before landing a heavy punch to the assassin’s covered face. The man spins in an attempt to distract Seth and then comes back at him.

The second assassin takes a swing at Ephraim as he tries to retrieve his lance, but he slides under both blades. He picks up his lance and knocks the legs of the assassin out from under him. A quick stab to the torso is what Ephraim intends as he brings down the lance before the assassin flips out of the way. He kicks the lance and then kicks Ephraim back against the wall. Ephraim pushes off the wall as the assassin picks himself up and runs the assassin through as he just makes it to his feet.

The third assassin ignores the other council members and heads straight for Vanessa, who is still kneeling with Innes. Her eyes are filled with tears as she strokes Innes motionless face and looks up to scowl at the assassin. The assassin moves to stab her, but she catches his wrist and twists it backwards. As she brings her other hand up to take the dagger, the assassin brings his other forward and inserts it in her throat. Her grip lets up and she closes her eyes before leaning over Innes. The assassin brings his padded foot to her face and pushes her head, as well as the rest of her, backward. Cyphus looks at the ensuing chaos and teleports away in a spin.

Eirika: “Coward!”

The assassin attacking Seth manages to pin him to ground and cut his left arm. Ephraim sees the struggle and throws his lance into the back of the assassin. Seth responds by punching the assailant and picking back up his dagger before adding another stab to the assassin. The one that has finished with Vanessa turns to face Ephraim. Ephraim takes a defensive stance as another assassin comes out from the doorway. He puts his blade through Ephraim’s right side and lets him drop.

Eirika: “Ephraim!”

Tana: “Oh, no.”

Seth charges and cuts down Vanessa’s killer while his back is turned. He throws his dagger at the last assassin and misses. He takes up two more from his most recent kill and throws one since he cannot wield both. The thrown dagger cuts into the assassin’s side and falls away before Seth charges him. The assassin leaps over Seth and runs for Tana and Eirika. Seth tackles him from behind and they land hard on the steps surrounding the chamber. Tana moves and takes up the lance as Eirika arms herself with a dagger on the ground. Seth stands over the assassin and kicks his head hard into the step. A loud crack is clearly audible.

Seth: “Are you both alright?”

Eirika: “We are fine.” Tana does not acknowledge the question. Instead, she turns and goes to Ephraim, who is holding his profusely bleeding wound.

Ephraim: “Tana…”

Tana: “We have to get you out of here.” Seth moves to the doorway.

Seth: “I will make sure there are not any more of these assassins. You two will have to move him through the tunnel.” Tana looks at Eirika.

Tana: “Come on.” They prepare to pick him.

Ephraim: “No.”

Tana: “What?”

Ephraim: “I don’t want to go.”

Eirika: “We have to get you to a healer.”

Ephraim: “I don’t want to rush. We would never reach one in time.”

Eirika: “We have to try!”

Ephraim: “Please… I want to enjoy my final moments.” This statement causes both women to cry profoundly.

Eirika: “Brother-”

Ephraim: “I love you both. Please forgive me for leaving you.” Tana leans down and kisses him.

Eirika: “You can’t leave, not yet.” Tana hugs him and he puts his hand on the back of her head. She pulls back and Ephraim lifts his other hand to Eirika, who takes it and squeezes it gently. Tana takes the other one and ignores the blood on it and the fact that there was now some in her hair from when he touched her. Ephraim smiles. A moment later, his eyes stop moving and his hands become heavy. A loud metallic clunk is heard from the doorway and Eirika looks up to see a general wielding a large lance. She takes Tana’s hand and they both stand. They exchange a knowing glance as they prepare their weapons and begin to charge the armored foe.

Scene 3

A hooded and masked young man sits crosslegged on a carpet, concentrating greatly on something. He takes several deep breaths and the light of dim, candlelit room seems to flow with his respiration. His eyes are closed and he sways back and forth ever so slightly, until he both feels and hears a thump against the wall behind. At once, his hands go to his knees and he looks at the wall. After studying it for a moment, he jumps to his feet and heads for the door to the room. He goes down a dark corridor and makes a turn before continuing to a dead end.

A second secret passage to the council room slides slowly open and the hooded man steps out. He observes the dead assassins and the bodies of five of the council members. In the center of the room is a heavily armored statue with a lance in the chest keeping it from falling to the floor. Its shoulder plates have the symbol of Jehanna painted on them. A body against the wall nearest to the hooded man stirs. He moves to be by its side.

Hooded man: “Tana…” Tana takes his hand and smiles.

Tana: “Ben, you must leave this place.”

Ben: “I will stay with you, until you pass.”

Tana: “You must return to Jehanna. This is not right.”

Ben: “I will, but you need me here. After all you’ve done for me, the least I can do is be here for you.” Tana looks into Ben’s eyes. Through them, she can see that he would not leave for any reason. She takes comfort in his presence.

Tana: “Very well… When I am gone, you must be also.”

Ben: “Why would Jehanna do something like this?” He looks up and scans the room once more. “Why would assassins wear the crest outright?” After a moment, he glances back down to find that Tana has passed. He puts her hand back over her abdomen and then places the other over top of it. He says a silent prayer before standing and slowly turning.

Ben follows the escape tunnel until it exits the castle. Along the way, he crosses the body of Seth crumpled on the ground. When he steps outside, he is surrounded by camping supplies. There are a few horses tied to trees, a bed of coals that had certainly been used as a fire the night before, mats for sleeping, as well as other assorted belongings. Ben finds some food and puts it in a pack to take with. He nabs a vulnerary and proceeds to let the horses loose. He takes the final as his ride to Jehanna. After a reassuring conversation with the beast, he mounts it and begins riding Southwest.

Mere seconds after Ben has left the chamber, Cyphus returns holding his tome and prepared to throw fireballs. He is let down when he sees what has happened. He inspects the bodies of each of the council members for signs of life, but they are all gone. He throws a fireball at the monument in the middle of the room, igniting it out of frustration. He turns and heads for the door behind Tana and Ephraim’s chairs.

Scene 4

Blake arrives at the gate to the castle with Liam in tow. They enter to see enemy soldiers infesting the main room that are hesitantly approaching the body in front of the door to the council chamber. Blake realizes that the one they are poised to kill is his father.

Blake: “Hey!” With their attention drawn, Blake readies his axe and looks back to ensure Liam is prepared as well.

One of the six hostiles in the room comes at Blake with a lance. Blake knocks away the shaft and spins while chopping at the man’s chest. He leaves a deep impact and shoves the man back to the ground. Another soldier, accompanied by a mage, approaches next. The soldier goes for a downward strike while jumping, which Blake dodges and then nearly steps into a fireball. He gets hit in the thigh with the hard wood of the lance and cringes as the fat in his leg complains of abuse. Blake takes hold of the lance and turns it sideways, putting the lanceman in an uncomfortable position and opening him to a strike from Liam. The impaled man lets go of his lance and puts a hand on Liam’s. Liam shoves forward harder after seeing this and Blake hacks at the soldier’s head sideways just below his eyes. He falls down dead as a sword comes toward Blake.

Blake gets his axe up to block the first blow and takes a step back to reassess the situation. Liam gets his lance out and jabs at the swordsman, but misses. This provides Blake enough time grapple the man and swap places while throwing him. The swordsman dodges another swing from Liam and kicks him to the ground. Blake intercepts the man’s blade mid-swing and throws it back at him. Blake then defends himself from an onslaught of swings until he hears an exertion of energy from the mage behind him. At this signal, Blake drops to the ground and the sword wielder is blown back by a blast of fire.

The only remaining hostile force in the room is the mage and a knight at the far end of the room who has just taken notice to his fallen comrades. The archer that shot Ross has entered a down a hallway to escape the confrontation. Blake runs at the mage and is greeted by a short but continuous burst of fire. He raises his axe and charges through it. As he begins to close the gap, he is knocked sideways by the knight, whom he did not think would possess enough speed to cut him off. Blake picks himself up and deflects a jab before kicking the lance away and jumping to bring his axe down on the knight’s helmet. A halfassed raise of an arm does not do much to stop the momentum of the axe as it enters the metal protecting his head. His blood sizzles on the blade as he falls to his knees. Blake puts a foot on his shoulder guard and he grabs the belly of his axe as he pries it from the knight’s head.

As soon as Blake recovers, he notices the mage preparing to cast another spell. Just as the mage extends his arm, Blake lobs his axe in the mage’s direction. The lightning spouting from the mage’s fingertips is intercepted by and absorbed in the axe as it flies straight for the caster. It makes a satisfyingly juicy yet crisp thud as it wedges its way into the mage’s forehead. Blake follows the axe and runs toward the mage. He jumps and puts one hand on the axe while setting his foot against the mage’s chest. A quick and powerful kick dislodges the axe and sends the mage ragdolling across the ground.

Blake walks over to the corner where the hallway begins and listens for the archer. He is surprised when he hears the breathing of the archer a moment later. Blake reasons that he stopped hearing fighting and got curious. Blake lifts his axe and swings it around the corner, catching the archer in the throat and not decapitating him only because the edge has met a cervical vertebrae. Blake brings his axe back down and walks slowly to the door.

Ross: “You fought very well.” Blake realizes his father is still alive even though he had not moved the whole battle.

Blake: “Father!” He immediately drops the axe and embraces the wounded warrior.

Ross: “Blake… I must leave you now.” Blake ignores the statement and holds Ross tighter.

Blake: “No! You need to stay here. You can’t leave!”

Ross: “Son, I must pass my responsibilities onto you, now.” Blake ignores this as well and continues crying over his father. Ross puts his arm around Blake and tears begin to fill his eyes. “I must name you as my replacement as- as Renais-Frelia’s military commander.”

Blake: “You’re going to be fine. Just… don’t leave me.”

Ross: “There will be a counter attack… as part of a pre-made plan in case Jehanna invaded, but… these men don’t fight like the ones known for wearing that symbol.”

Blake: “I don’t understand.”

Ross: “You must keep our forces here. There is something off about these men.”

Blake: “I-”

Ross: “This is my final wish, for you to be wiser than your father.”

Blake: “I’ll try.”

Ross: “Good. Goodbye, my son.” Blake embraces his father again and after a moment, Ross passes. Blake remains with his father until he finally pulls himself away and storms out of the castle. He takes a seat on the steps and cries onto the stone while holding his forehead in his palms. Liam follows him and takes a seat one step higher. He puts his hand on Blake’s back feeling it is the best thing to do. “Don’t. Touch. Me.” Liam removes his hand and looks into the distance. After a little while, he speaks.

Liam: “Blake, there are horsemen coming.”

Blake: “Yay.” Blake does not look up.

Liam: “They look like some of ours.”

Blake: “Big whoop.”

Liam: “It’s General Franz.”

Blake: “Really?! Let me know when I should give a f-”

Liam: “Greetings, General!”

Franz nods to the little boy and dismounts his horse. The two cavaliers with him follow suit and follow him up the steps. Franz glances at the boy with his head down and enters the castle. He takes in all the bodies and makes his way to the council door. As he steps up to it, he notices the key on the ground. As he stoops to pick it up, the door opens. Cyphus is standing in the doorway and is surprised to see Franz on the other side.

Cyphus: “That was rather quick. However, you have arrived too late. The other members have fallen.”

Franz: “All of them?”

Cyphus: “Regrettably.”

Franz: “Truly?” Franz pushes past Cyphus and sees the death that fills the once peaceful room. “I see.” Franz frowns and nearly comes to tears, but instead looks up and takes a deep breath. He turn and leaves the room. “Are you injured, my lord?”

Cyphus: “I was not present during the battle. I arrived as it was almost resolved.”

Franz: “Fine.” Franz walks back outside, passing by one of his cavaliers. The one he passes wears green armor to match both her slightly dimmer hair and her emerald eyes.

Green Knight: “Are they okay?” Franz turns to her and shakes his head solemnly. Her jaw drops and she turns to enter the council room. Franz grabs her arm.

Franz: “Perhaps it would be bet-”

Green Knight: “Let go of me!” She tries to prevent herself from crying, but fails terribly, her voice being poorly controlled. Franz allows her to go and himself walks over to the two boys sitting on the steps.

Franz: “Blake and… Liam?”

Liam: “Yes?”

Franz: “Are you both alright?”

Liam: “We’re okay.” Franz squats next to Blake and sighs.

Franz: “You father was-”

Blake: “Go away.”

Franz: “Look, I don’t-”

Blake: “That’s an order.”

Franz: “You can’t te-”

Blake: “My father’s last words passed his authority onto me and I order you to leave my presence.” Franz stands and walks down the steps, a little perturbed. Another female cavalier in crimson armor with auburn hair and garnet eyes approaches Franz.

Red Knight: “Permission to check on the safety on the village.”

Franz: “Granted.”

Red Knight: “Thank you.” Franz turns to Blake and Liam.

Franz: “Take these two with you.”

Red Knight: “Yessir.” She takes Liam’s hand and leads him to a horse. Blake pulls himself up and mounts one as well.

Scene 5

Blake, Liam, and the red knight make the short ride to the village and she brings them straight to the old man’s house. She helps Liam off his horse and enters the residence. Blake enters once again and the old man smiles at the sight of him.

Old Man: “Come back to apologize, did you?”

Blake: “No.” The red knight walks arounds the table and hugs the old man, who awkwardly accepts.

Red Knight: “I was afraid they had killed you.”

Old Man: “No, Not yet. Even though this young fool stole my axe, I still had plenty to keep me safe.” He pulls out a large sword from under the table and sets it down with little effort.

Red Knight: “I am just happy you’re safe.”

Old Man: “It is good to see you again.” He turns to look at the boys. “Helen… Are you going to tell me why you brought them back here?”

Helen: “The General wanted me to keep an eye on them.”

Old Man: “Fine.” He stands and begins to walk away, but stops and turns to point at Blake. “I expect to have my axe returned to me and to be accompanied by an apology.” He continues into a back room.

Helen: “Where are you going?”

Old Man: “To make some supper. You will be staying long enough to partake, won’t you?”

Helen: “I suppose.”

Old Man: “Good, come help me.”

Scene 6

Franz rides to the village. When he arrives, he notices the green cavalier’s horse is tied up outside. Before he gets to the door, he sees her standing amongst some trees nearby. He approaches her and hears her crying.

Franz: “Are you okay, Lindsey?”

Lindsey: “Please, just let me be.”

Franz: “Alright, but I want you to know that if you need anything, you needn’t be afraid to ask.” Lindsey does not say anything, but sniffles. Franz turns to walk away. “I don’t want you to be angry. I know how prone to vengeance you are. Just think before you act, okay?” Lindsey remains silent. “Okay.”

Franz enters the house and sees everyone sitting around, telling jokes and laughing. Liam sits in the corner with his wyvern egg. The other three were gathered at the table. Blake tells a vulgar joke that makes Helen gag on her drink while the old man laughs heartily. Blake takes a sip from his bowl and looks up to see Franz.

Franz: “It is nice to see everyone having a good time, despite the circumstances.”

Old Man: “There is room for you and plenty more soup.”

Franz: “I don’t see how you can be so relaxed.” Helen calms her coughing.

Old Man: “Just lightening the mood. No need to be so grim all the time.”

Franz: “Are you not worried we might be attacked again?”

Old Man: “Of course I am, but I am not going to let it ruin my supper and the time I spend with my daughter. I don’t get to see her enough as it is.”

Franz: “But, sir. We need to make preparations for the counter-attack against Jehanna.”

Blake: “There will be no counter-attack.”

Franz: “This is no place for your input.”

Blake: “My father said that the men who attacked were not Jehannan.”

Franz: “They wore the crest of Jehanna, that is sufficient enough evidence to follow through with the council’s contingency plan.”

Blake: “The council’s plan is not to take effect.”

Franz: “It’s too late. The men are already marching.”

Blake: “Recall them.”

Franz: “I don't take orders from you. Finish your soup.” Blake stands.

Blake: “Don’t make me break my chair over your-” A knock comes from the door. Franz turns and opens it. In steps a young woman with long cerulean hair. She takes a look around and looks up to Franz.

Woman: “We managed to track down a group of attackers fleeing Southward.”

Franz: “Thank you, Stella. We leave immediately.” As Franz says this, a head pokes into the doorway. It is soon followed by a body that moves and positions itself next to Stella. A heavyset, amber haired woman holding a staff gawks at the assembly. “What is it now, Jela?”

Jela: “You guys ate without me?!”

Blake: “We had to eat at some point.”

Old Man: “Help yourself.”

Jela: “Thanks!” She takes a bowl and sits down. She slams back a little over half in one gulp and notices Blake’s disgust at her behavior. She winks at him before downing the rest of the bowl.

Franz: “We must be leaving now.”

Jela: “I haven’t even had seconds.”

Franz: “Helen, let’s go.” Stella turns to leave and Helen stands. Her father rises and gives her a hug before she leaves.

Old Man: “Be safe.”

Helen: “I will.” She walks past Franz and out the door. Franz salutes the old man and Blake stands to follow him outside. Franz blocks the door. Jela takes Blake’s bowl and finishes it.

Franz: “You will stay here with General Duessel.”

Blake: “I will lead the hunt for these cowards that dare run from our forces.”

Franz: “Nice try. Stay here where it is safe.”

Blake: “That’s an order.”

Franz: “I already told y-”

Duessel: “Take him with you. Hell, take em’ both.”

Franz: “I’m not sure that would be wise.”

Duessel: “The safest place for them is under your own supervision. Plus, I don’t want them here.”

Franz: “I can’t take them with knowing that there will be bloodshed.”

Duessel: “I have seen them fight. They are not very good…” He looks at Blake specifically. “Not very good at all, but they will be perfectly fine.”

Franz: “There is no reas-”

Duessel: “You will be taking them with you, or you can stay here and I will take them. I don’t want to hear another word about it.” He turns to Blake again. “Enjoy your trip.” He smiles and stands before walking into the back room again. Franz scowls at Blake and Blake returns the favor. Liam slowly pries himself from the corner, carrying his egg. “Well? Weren’t you leaving?!”

Fun fact: You have seen that Helen is the daughter of Duessel, but there are actually 11 children from the playable characters of The Sacred Stones in this story(Four have been introduced so far).

Edited September 6, 2015 by Benstekar

[Benstekar]

I would like to apologize for the delay in this post. I was not at home all weekend. I have it ready now, but I would like to address the fact I forgot to add extra lines in the last post I made. This one should be better sectioned.

I don't have much more to say, so here you go.

Chapter 2:

Scene 1

A man with two axes drags his weapons behind him on the ground. He groans and lifts his head to look up at the man riding a horse in front of him. Several others around him, also walking, were becoming weary as well.

Axeman: “We must stop to rest, Kammeron.” The horseman stops and looks at the group with him.

Kammeron: “The border to Grado is just on the other side of the valley. If we make it through tonight, we will be home free.”

Axeman: “It couldn’t hurt too much to make camp for one more night. We have spent the last two days on the run. We really need to rest. Besides, we don’t even know if anyone is following us.”

Kammeron: “Fine. You can all stay here. I will go further.”

Axeman: “Why would you need to leave? You have the horse. You could check if we have any pursuers. Then tomorrow, when we are rested, we can all go home.” Kammeron considers this and speaks.

Kammeron: “Alright. I will backtrack and return. In the meantime, you can start to make camp.”

Axeman: “Thank you.”

Kammeron: “Don’t mention it.” He rides back and several of the men sit down.

Scene 2

Franz exits a house in a village North of the valley by a couple miles. He gives news to the group.

Franz: “They passed by a little over an hour ago.” He looks up at the setting sun. “They will probably make camp somewhere in the valley.”

Blake: “Then we hunt them down and finish them.”

Franz: “Yes, we will. You and Liam will stay here.”

Blake: “That’s not going to happen.” Franz turns and speaks to Jela.

Franz: “Keep them here and rejoin us after a while.”

Jela: “Yes, sir.” Franz looks to Stella.

Franz: “There is another village just down the road. Please, go make sure the inhabitants are safe and tell them to remain in their homes.”

Stella: “I will.” She takes off on her pegasus and Franz addresses Lindsey and Helen.

Franz: “Let’s go get them.” Both nod and put on their helmets before following him.

Scene 3

Stella finishes warning the villagers and goes to the gate of the village to mount her pegasus again. As she exits the village and walks to her mount, she notices a couple children with bows and indigo hair arguing.

Girl Archer: “I think we should keep looking for him.”

Boy Archer: “I am not saying we should stop, I just-”

Girl Archer: “Don’t care about Nere.”

Boy Archer: “That’s not true. I meant that-”

Stella: “Excuse me. I don’t mean to be rude, but there are bandits nearby and you should probably get inside.”

Boy Archer: “I’ll not take orders from a pegasus knight. I was in the middle of telling my sister that we should not be going out anyway.”

Girl Archer: “You don’t have to be so mean, Kyron. She’s just trying to help.”

Kyron: “And I don’t take orders from her.” The girl turns to look at Stella.

Girl Archer: “Wait, you’re a pegasus knight?”

Kyron: “Of course she’s a peg knight! That’s her pegasus right there!”

Girl Archer: “Oh! He’s beautiful!” She runs over to him and begins petting him. She whispers to him. “You’re such a pretty boy!” Kyron sighs deeply.

Stella: “He definitely likes you.”

Girl Archer: “What is his name?”

Stella: “I named him Strantus.”

Girl Archer: “You’re a good boy, aren’t you, Strantus?”

Kyron: “Either way, he wouldn’t stand a chance against my bow.”

Girl Archer: “Hush, Kyron.”

Kyron: “Didn’t we have someone we were looking for?”

Girl Archer: “Oh, right.” She turns to Stella. “Have you seen an orange-haired mage around?”

Stella: “No, I haven’t. I’ll keep my eyes peeled, though. Their name was Nere?” The female archer nods her head while making a face at Strantus. “I’ll let them know where you are if I see them.”

Kyron: “That won’t work because we are leaving. Come on, Eve.” Stella blocks him from walking away from the village.

Stella: “I’m sorry, but you need to stay here.” Kyron scowls at her and looks behind her.

Kyron: “Who is that?”

Stella: “You really think I am that stupid?” Eve turns to look as well.

Eve: “No, who is that?” Stella decides to humor Eve and turn around. When she does so, she sees a man on a horse retreat back into the woods and ride away.

Stella: “You two need to go home, now.” She moves to untie and mount Strantus. She puts her helmet on and takes the lance that Eve hands her. She takes off into the sky and toward the forest. Both siblings watch as she does so.

Eve: “We’re still leaving, aren’t we?”

Kyron: “You bet. I don’t take orders from anyone.”

Scene 4

Kammeron rides quickly back through the forest and nearly tramples a young boy, who dodges out of the way at the last moment. Rather than continue, Kammeron stops to make sure the boy is okay.

Kammeron: “You alright, kid?” The ginger picks up his tome, which had fallen out of his robes, and looks up at the man.

Nere: “I’m fine.”

Kammeron: “Good.” Kammeron turns to leave, but looks back at the boy. “Hey, you wanna make twenty gold?”

Nere: “Sure.” Kammeron pulls out a pouch and counts some gold before dropping it back in. He stuffs the rest in a pocket and tosses the pouch to Nere. Nere catches it and Kammeron speaks again.

Kammeron: “Head a little to the east and tell the first person you find that ‘Kammeron’ says the coast is clear and that he has gone on to scout the valley.”

Nere: “That all I have to do?”

Kammeron: “No. You then have to go home before you get hurt.”

Nere: “I can handle that.”

Kammeron: “Good lad.” He rides off again. Nere holds the gold in his hand and debates whether he should relay the message or take it and run. He ultimately makes his decision based on the fact that his mother would give him ultimatums just to see how he would react to them. He walks east for nearly ten minutes before coming across an archer who points his bow at Nere.

Archer: “Stay right there. If you move, you die.” Nere puts his hands up.

Nere: “I have a message from Kammeron.” The archer lowers his bow slightly.

Archer: “And what would that be?”

Nere: “He said the coast is clear and he has gone to scout the valley.”

Archer: “Okay.”

Nere: “I’m leaving now.” The archer turns and runs south without acknowledging Nere’s statement. Nere puts his hands down and walks back towards the village. Shortly after passing a large tree, Nere sees a man sporting a broadsword walking his way.

Without a word, the man begins to sprint at Nere and prompts him to run away. He runs back to the tree and the swordsman follows as he darts around the other side, heading back North. Nere reaches for his book from under his robe, but accidently drops it in front of himself before tripping on the back cover and falling face-first to the ground. As the merc closes the distance, a javelin falls from seemingly nowhere and lands in front of the aggressor. He looks up to see Stella landing next to Nere. Nere is in wonder as the gorgeous maiden dismounts and takes up her lance before spinning it and challenging the mercenary.

The man spits an insult and charges Stella. She, in turn, walks past Nere and dodges a diagonal slash before striking the mercenary’s thick head with the end of the lance. He rolls and gains solid footing before coming at her again. She extends her lance and allows it to be struck away while keeping her eye on his sword and drops down to avoid the horizontal swing he attempts. Using the momentum provided by the mercenary, Stella flips the lance around her back grabs the neck with her left hand and pushes off the ground to bury the tip in his chest. He nails her with his elbow and she recoils while tearing back out the lance.

The mercenary winces at the pain in his chest and brings up his sword. He readies himself to charge and kill Stella, taking her with him into the afterlife. Just as he takes a step forward, he is knocked over by a ball of fire. Stella turns to see Nere with an outstretched arm pointed at the merc. The man sits up and looks at Nere before Nere brings forth another fireball and launches it at the man’s face, forcing his head back to the ground and killing him.

Stella: “Very nice.”

Nere: “Thank you.”

Stella: “You must be Nere, then.”

Nere: “You know of me?”

Stella: “Your friends are searching for you.”

Nere: “Kyron and Eve?”

Stella: “The same.” There is an awkward silence as both wait for the other to say something.

Nere: “Well, are we going to go somewhere?”

Stella: “You should probably head back to the village, where it is safe.”

Nere: “Why can’t I just stay with you?”

Stella: “I have a job to do.”

Nere: “Let me help.”

Stella: “That would not be wise.”

Eve: “You found him!” Kyron and Eve approach from behind Nere.

Stella: “Speaking of.” Kyron tosses Nere’s hair as they reach him. Stella looks up at the sky. “Why did I think they would listen?” She turns her attention back to the three. “You all need to get back to the village. It isn’t safe.”

Eve: “One bandit does not qualify as ‘unsafe.’ We could easily take down half a doz-” A loud horn is heard in the distance. All four turn toward the sound.

An arrow flies straight past the three younger ones at head height and makes a high-pitched whistle as it does so. Kyron and Eve immediately draw their bows and nock before letting loose in the direction of the projectile. Nothing is hit, but the archer reveals his presence by turning and running. Nere throws a fireball and strikes a tree next to the fleeing foe. It proceeds to catch fire and ignite several other adjacent trees.

Nere: “Oops.” Stella runs to Strantus and flies above to see the archer running on the side of a wall comprised of burning flora. In the distance, she can see an altercation between the other members of her group. She examines the area below to see if anything remains near the three children and is disappointed to see several bodies moving in around them.

Kyron notices a brigand coming for them and lets off an arrow that misses completely. Nere casts a fireball to compensate and Eve follows it up with an arrow to the man’s chest. The man falls to the ground and Eve is launched off her feet sideways by a black orb striking her side. Kyron lets off an arrow at the source that impacts a dark magic user in his leg. Stella touches down behind for just a moment to spin her lance sideways, slashing the shaman’s backside and causing them to fall. Nere runs to pick up Eve and a myrmidon appears out of seemingly nowhere, swinging at them. Eve brings up her bow to block a couple strikes before the attacker twists and lands a kick to her chest, knocking her down again. She tries to regain her breath while Nere attempts to blast the myrmidon with fire. The swordsman cuts through the fire and lunges at Nere, who barely manages to dodge the elongated jab.

Stella comes around and charges the myrmidon, leading with her lance. The sword parries just in time, but Strantus’ hoof knocks him off balance. He pulls himself back up to stand straight and looks to Nere. He twists his wrist to prepare it for killing the mage. As he begins to move, an arrow touches his neck and slips halfway through it. He stops and, after a second, falls on all fours. Kyron lowers his bow and runs next to his friend and sister. As payback for what he did to Eve, Nere kicks the arrow the rest of the way through and the myrmidon goes limp. Kyron stoops to pick up Eve as Stella lands.

Stella: “Not half bad. Are you all okay?”

Kyron: “I think we’ll be fine.”

Stella: “Good. You all need to get back to the village. Can you handle that?”

Nere: “Yes, definately.”

Stella: “You’d better go then.”

She turns Strantus and prepares to take off when an arrow strikes beneath her right scapula. She leans opposite the wound and lets herself hang off the side of Strantus. She orders him to take off and he does. Nere lets off several fireballs toward the origin of the arrow. They are accompanied by numerous arrows from the siblings. After nearly thirty second of non-stop firing, they pause. Yet another portion of the forest is set ablaze and no standing enemy is visible. The three cautiously make their way back to the village as fast as possible.

Scene 5

Jela: “Alright, you two stay here. I need to go help General Franz.”

Blake: “Yeah, go. Go help them. We’ll be waiting right here.”

Jela: “Thanks, love.” She turns and begins to leave the village. Liam walks closer to Blake.

Liam: “We following?”

Blake: “Yup.”

Liam: “Why? It’s much safer here.”

Blake: “I want to be the one that puts these cowards to the axe.”

Liam: “Why does it matter who does it?”

Blake: “Because they killed my father. Besides, what good does it do to leave us with our weapons if we aren’t expected to use them?”

Liam: “I guess they’re to defend ourselves.”

Blake: “Good. I’m going to the valley, and I will defend myself there.” Blake begins to leave. Liam sighs and reluctantly follows.

Scene 6

Several men sit around a small campfire and exchange stories of their hard childhoods in Grado and share their dreams of new lives once home. One thinks he hears something coming from the trees nearby. He grabs his axe and moves to check what caused the noise. The others make fun of him for his superstition.

Archer: “Kammeron said we’re in the clear.”

Axeman: “It sounded like hoofbeats.” He sees the glint of a sword and yells to the others before Franz and mount jump from the shadows, cutting him down. The others scramble for their weapons as Franz is joined by both Lindsey and Helen. They kill an additional four men with ease before the archer puts a horn to his lips and blows. Lindsey silences him with a lance in the back and they all look for any more opposition. After a short time of waiting, light is seen to the west by all three as part of the forest is set alight.

Lindsey: “What do you make of that?”

Franz: “I’m not sure what kind of strategy that is, but we should probably investigate”

Helen: “Look out!” Helen shoves Franz off his horse to help him avoid a javelin from the trees behind him. He picks himself up quickly and Helen rushes forward to kill the soldier. After he is laying on the ground, a knight with a large shield charges Helen, knocking both her and her horse over.

An axe flies past Lindsey and she retaliates by riding at full speed past the man and jumping off her horse whilst simultaneously drawing her sword. She knocks him down and rolls before bringing herself to her feet and lunging at the axe wielder as he stands. She withdraws her blade, causing as much additional damage as possible. She sidesteps another sword as it tries to come down on her. The man brings it back up and tries to slash at her midsection, but she pulls back just enough to avoid it. She gives a quick swing and takes the man’s hand off, leaving him screaming in pain as she grabs his collar and headbutts him.

Franz casually deflects the axe of a man hoping to catch him off his guard as he picks himself up. Franz runs the man through and pushes him off his sword then turns to see multiple more waiting to strike from the darkness. Another man with dual axes walks out and is followed by two soldiers. The axeman swings at Franz, who dodges the first axe, but must block the second. The man spins around. Franz knocks the first axe away from himself and brings his sword up to the stop the second. He shoves it aside as well and kicks the man in the back. Franz turns and finds himself moving towards a lance and shifts to narrowly avoid it.

He knocks the soldier in the face with the guard of his sword and puts his hand on his shoulder to avoid falling. His grip gets tighter as he rotates his sword and shoves it into the man’s back.The other soldier tries to jab at Franz, but Franz turns the impaled man to absorb the blow. Franz leaps from behind the soldier and grabs hold of the javelin, pushing his sword into him and letting go. Franz wrestles the javelin free of his grasp and lets it fly. He then ducks under the first axe. The second is deflected by his wrist guard. He stoops to pick up his sword.

Helen feels a heavy impact on her right leg before she notices she is falling. She braces for impact against the ground and hits hard enough to knock her helmet off. She struggles to pull her sword from its sheath, but manages to get out. The knight puts one boot on her horse as he leans and spits on her. She flicks the sword upward and it pings off the side of his helmet. He seems enraged by this as he takes his lance and brings it down on her. She uses her sword to push it away at the last moment and the knight withdraws. He moves to stab her once more and comes to the same outcome. He jumps over the horse and stomps on her sword arm. She lets out a cry of pain before the knight reaches down to punch her. He brings up his lance for one more to stab her as she spits blood in protest. The lance comes fast, but Helen shoves it just quick enough with her left hand to make it miss her head. The knight feels ready to explode in rage as he yells at the cavalier.

Knight: “You bitch! Just die!” These prove to be his final words as, just after they leave his lips, a javelin finds its way into his neck. He stands for a moment, stunned, before he drops to his knees and flops over onto Helen’s torso.

Lindsey sees the battle going on between Franz and she sees him throw the javelin. As the axeman’s back is turned to her, she walks behind him and brings her sword out through his gut. Lindsey kicks him off her sword before she and Franz move to help Helen.

Helen already has the knight off of her by the time Lindsey and Franz arrive. They help to pull her out from under the horse and then set the horse upright. It doesn’t seem to be injured until a blast of fire hits its side. All three turn to see a mage ready to throw more fire their way. He begins to run sideways and Lindsey starts to run an intersecting path before he is clotheslined and falls to the ground. Blake brings his axe down in his head and stands, satisfied. He is not happy with missing most of the battle, but glad he at least got to finish it. Liam catches up to him and Jela follows shortly. She pants and utters apologies to Franz as he approaches Blake.

Franz: “What on earth do you think you’re doing?!”

Blake: “Fighting. Just as the leader of Renais-Frelia’s army should.”

Franz: “I am the commanding officer of this mission.”

Blake: “Nope.”

Franz: “You are just a brat that wants his father’s title. I have no time for your nonsense.”

Blake: “That’s no way to talk to your superior.”

Franz: “It will be a dark day when I take orders from the likes of you! I am the highest ranking officer in our country’s military and you’re nothing but an ignorant child with an stolen axe! You have no business being here.”

Liam: “Actually, there are three others with the same rank as you.”

Blake: “Shut up, Liam.” Liam puts his head down. “And General Duessel said I could keep it if I did my father proud.”

Franz: “Hell of a job you’re doing!” Blake lowers his head and turns to walk away. Liam follows him and Helen chases after them. “See how Stella is doing, Lindsey. The entire forest being on fire is not a good sign.”

Lindsey: “Yes, sir.” Franz hears a groan from behind. He turns to see the axeman trying to crawl away. He walks over and kneels next him. Upon noticing this, the man begins to whimper and cry.

Franz: “You had to have known it would end like this.” The man continues to crawl away. “You will not live till daylight, but you could at least tell me why.”

Axeman: “I was- I was just paid to create… a distraction near the castle… to pull the guards away.”

Franz: “You know nothing else?”

Axeman: “Only that… Kammeron is nothing but a filthy liar.”

Franz: “Is he the one that hired you?”

Axeman: “Yes, then he left us for dead.”

Franz: “Where is he?” The axeman points towards the valley. “He was here?” The axeman nods.

Axeman: “I just want to go home…” He says this then lays his head down.

Franz: “Don’t you worry. You will be soon.” He pulls out a small knife and flips in his hand before shoving it down through the man’s neck. He wipes the blade on the man’s clothes and puts it away before standing and looking toward the valley.

Scene 7

As the three children near the village, Eve notices a man walking down the road. She stops Kyron by putting her hand on his chest and points to the man. Nere notices that both have stopped and turns his attention to him as well. He takes a few heavy steps towards them and drops his lance to charge them. Both Eve and Kyron equip their bows and draw back arrows as Nere fishes out his book and searches for a spell. The knight runs at them and the siblings let loose their arrows with no effect. They begin to run away as he closes in and Nere produces a ball of fire in his palm. He throws it, but the knight stops in time for it to sail past his face. Enraged by this, the man turns and prepares to charge to Nere.

Nere turns and runs away while throwing another fireball backwards. It impacts the man’s chest, but his armor prevents any serious burns. The chase continues and the knight absorbs two more fireballs before he can no longer stand the heat. They make it to the entrance of the village by the time he finally collapses from exhaustion. Nere looks back to see the man on all fours, gasping for air and trying to cool down. Nearby, he can see Stella leaned against a post next to Strantus. He pulls forth another fireball and approaches the knight. He blasts the lance out of reach as the knight tries to reach for it. Nere brings one last prolonged blast and watches as the man falls forward, cooked inside his armor. He immediately turns and runs to Stella’s side. Stella remains completely lucid and strikes up a conversation while still holding her side.

Stella: “That was quite a display for one such as yourself.”

Nere: “What is that supposed to mean?”

Stella: “You’re skilled for your age.” He kneels.

Nere: “Thank you. Are you alright?”

Stella: “Fraid not. This wound’s pretty bad.”

Nere: “Can I help?”

Stella: “There is a healer with my company. Her name is Jela.” Nere stands at once and prepares to leave. He turns back for confirmation.

Nere: “Jela?” Stella nods. “And yours?” Stella is surprised by the question, but wastes no time in answering it.

Stella: “Stella.”

Nere: “Okay.” As he runs back down the road, Kyron and Eve pass him.

Eve: “Where are you going?”

Nere: “I have to get a healer. Stay with her.”

Eve: “With who?!”

Nere: “Stella.” He keeps running until he sees a cavalier coming toward him. He readies his book and makes sure he can have a spout of fire at a moment’s notice. The horse slows down and the woman on it speaks.

Lindsey: “Where is Stella?!” Nere stands straight and takes his hand off his book.

Nere: “She is back at the village, but she’s badly injured. I need to find her sister.” Lindsey is confused by the last statement, but she knows what she must do.

Lindsey: “Go back. I will get Jela.” Nere nods and takes back off down the road as Lindsey also turns around.

When Nere gets back, Kyron is having a look at Stella’s would while Eve is comforting Strantus.

Kyron: “Ooh, that’s a bad one.”

Stella: “I guessed as much.” Stella says this sarcastically, but not to the point of being mean. Kyron backs away.

Nere: “Alright, your sister is on the way.” Stella seems to panic.

Stella: “My sister is here?!”

Nere: “Yeah, I saw a horse rider who said she was going to get her.”

Stella: “Is Jela on her way?”

Nere: “I just said that.”

Stella: “No, you- wait… Did you think Jela is my sister?”

Nere: “Is she not?” Stella laughs and stops herself while clutching her side and cringing.

Stella: “She isn’t.”

Nere: “Oh…” Nere feels as though he has made an ass of himself and lowers his head.

Stella: “That’s alright, but she is on her way?”

Nere: “Yes.” He walks away, sulking.

After a few more minutes, Lindsey returns with Jela on her horse. Jela hops down immediately once Stella is in view and rushes to her. Kyron remarks to himself how such a plump woman can move so fast. Eve, knowing what he is thinking, punches him in shoulder. He rubs his arm while glaring at her. Jela kneels and takes a quick look at the wound before taking a step back and lifting her staff. A light seems to come from it and dance through the night air on its way to Stella. It snakes its way to her injury and forms an orb. The light intensifies and pulses a few times before it begins to dissipate and Stella breaths a sigh of relief. Jela helps her to her feet and she leans against the stable for a moment before she seems normal.

Shortly after Stella is back to her regular self, Helen, Franz, Blake, and Liam arrive. Franz addresses Lindsey.

Franz: “Is she alright?”

Lindsey: “She’s doing fine. We made it in time.”

Franz: “Good. We can’t stay here long.”

Lindsey: “What’s the matter?”

Franz: “The employer of those thugs has apparently escaped through the valley. We must track him down and see that justice is done.” Lindsey nods in understanding. Franz looks at the two children near Stella and at the boy keeping to himself near the gate. “Who are they?”

Lindsey: “I don’t know, but they helped Stella.”

Franz: “They should go home.” Franz walks past Helen, who is arguing with Jela that she is fine and doesn’t need help. He approaches Stella and cuts in on her conversation with Eve.

Franz: “Stella.”

Stella: “Sir.”

Franz: “One of the men escaped through the valley and, if you’re feeling up to it, I need you to track him down.”

Stella: “Absolutely. What of these three?”

Franz: “They will return to their families, of course.”

Stella: “They were a great help. Perhaps we could use their help a little while longer.”

Franz: “We are only going to be dealing with one man. I would also rather not put them in danger.

Stella: “I wouldn’t have made it back alive if they had not covered my retreat. They may be young, but they are far beyond their years when it comes to fighting. Anyway, I thought I might share it with you. I’ll be on my way now.” Stella moves to mount Strantus and leave. Franz looks at Kyron and Eve, who were listening to the exchange between he and Stella, and turns away. He begins to walk over to Helen when Nere intercepts him.

Nere: “Where is Stella going?”

Franz: “Nowhere that concerns you. Isn’t it past the time when you should have been home?”

Nere: “I don’t live anywhere near here.”

Franz: “Then why are you here?”

Nere: “I had to… deliver a message to a family friend… for my parents.”

Franz: “And where exactly do you live?”

Nere: “I won’t tell you until you answer to me where Stella went.” Franz thinks for a second. He figures there would be no harm in a small divulgence of information.

Franz: “She went south to scout for me.” Nere lowers his head and thinks. “Well then, where are you from?” Nere tries to think of a reason for him to go south and follow Stella.

Nere: “Bethroen.”

Franz: “Bethroen?!”

Nere: “Uh… Yep! Bethroen.”

Franz: “Your parents sent you all this way just to deliver a message? Haven’t they heard of a courier?”

Nere: “And… uh, a package.”

Franz: “A package?”

Nere: “Mmm hmm.”

Franz: “What was in this ‘package?’”

Nere: “I was told not to open it. I suspect that’s why they didn’t hire a courier.”

Franz: “And your friends,” He gestures to the siblings. “Where do they come from?”

Nere: “Same place as me.”

Franz: “They came all this way with you?”

Nere: “Yeah. It would be unsafe to come all this way by myself.”

Franz: “Okay… Go sit over by them, please.”

Nere: “Right.” He walks over and sits down with his friends. Franz continues walking to talk with Helen.

Helen: “They did an alright job, I suppose.” Franz turns to face everyone as Helen already was.

Franz: “We need to get ready to move again. I want to finish this and return to the capitol.”

Helen: “I feel the same. Hopefully this chase will be over by tomorrow night and we can be back by next week.” Blake and Liam join the three sitting. Franz gestures to them.

Franz: “What do you make of this?”

Helen: “Kids making new friends?”

Franz: “What is your opinion on the matter?”

Helen: “I don’t know what you mean.”

Franz: “What would you advise?”

Helen: “I still don’t know what you mean.”

Franz: “The mage boy says that he and his friends are from Bethroen.”

Helen: “Why are they this far North?”

Franz: “He says his parents sent him.”

Helen: “You think they would do such a thing?”

Franz: “I don’t know his parents, but the boy seems off.”

Nere crosses his legs and lowers his posterior to the ground.

Eve: “What did he say?”

Nere: “He wanted to know why we were here and where we came from.”

Kyron: “And you told him…” He runs his palm against the arch in his foot.

Nere: “That we were here to deliver a package to a friend and that we are from Bethroen.”

Eve: “Bethr-” She begins to say this before Nere shoots forward and covers her mouth and whispers.

Nere: “Quiet! I don’t want that guy hearing us.” He removes his hand and Kyron smiles at the fact that the man would be gullible enough to believe anything Nere says.

Eve: “Why would you tell him that?! He’s gonna send is the completely wrong direction!”

Nere: “Wrong direction for you maybe.”

Eve: “Sorry if it inconveniences you, but I wasn’t the one running away from home!”

Kyron: “Technically, we did.”

Eve: “To get him!”

Nere: “I’m not going back. I’ve found my purpose.”

Eve: “To get us all in trouble?!”

Nere: “I am merely following my destiny. It’s fine if you don’t want to be part of it, but I am not going back.”

Eve: “It is too dangerous to be alone.”

Nere: “Precisely why I lied to them. My plan is to have them take me South with them.” Blake comes to sit down by them and Liam takes a seat next to him.

Blake: “How’s everyone doing?”

Nere: “Just fine. We were talking about our home, Bethroen.”

Liam: “Isn’t that really far away?”

Kyron: “Very.”

Blake: “So where are you guys really from?”

Nere: “Beth-”

Blake: “And don’t tell me you are from Bethroen; You haven’t done heavy traveling a day in your life.”

Nere: “How?” Blake gestures to Kyron.

Blake: “Princess is already getting blisters.” Kyron Gives Blake a nasty look. “I’d say you guys set out this morning at the latest.”

Eve: “Just after lunch, actually.”

Nere: “Shutup, Eve!”

Eve: “He already knows we lied. What more harm could it do?”

Nere: “He could tell the horseman and have us sent home.”

Eve: “So?”

Blake: “I won’t rat you guys out. I was supposed to be leading this mission anyway. That guy apparently doesn’t respect the authority of the War General.”

Eve: “The War General? You mean, Rorik?” Kyron sighs.

Kyron: “Ross.”

Eve: “Ross.”

Blake: “Yeah. He was.”

Eve: “Was?”

Blake: “Ross was my father. Before he died, he made me the War General. It’s my responsibility to find out why he was killed.”

Eve: “Aren’t you a little young to be the War General for the entire country?”

Blake: “Not a bit.”

Kyron: “Overconfident are we?”

Blake: “I will fulfill my father’s final wish. I don’t have an option.”

Nere: “Sure you do. You can always just turn tail and run.”

Blake: “No… I can’t.” Blake lowers his head a little. Liam leans forward and begins picking at the grass. Kyron notices the mass under his clothes.

Kyron: “Whatcha got there?” Liam looks up.

Liam: “Hmm?” Kyron points to his abdomen. “Oh…” He debates for a moment and then pulls out the egg. “This, is my wyvern egg.” He says this very proudly. Blake lifts his head and prepares for the bragging that will follow. “It was given to me by General Cormag.” he turns it and gazes at its magnificence.

Eve: “May I hold it?” Liam is taken slightly aback by the question and brings it closer to himself.

Liam: “What for?”

Eve: “I just want to hold it for a moment.” Liam looks at the egg for a moment and slowly begins to pass it to Eve.

Liam: “Be very careful, please.” He waits until she has both hands firmly grasping it and lets it transfer to her. “Don’t jostle it. I don’t think he would like it.”

Kyron: “How would you know if it likes it or not?”

Liam: “I don’t know.”

Eve: “How do you know it’s male?”

Liam: “I don’t, but-” Liam is interrupted by a loud clap behind him. He turns to see Franz with his hands clasped.

Franz: “Everyone get ready to move.”

Nere: “Everyone?”

Franz: “I did say ‘everyone,’ didn’t I?” All of them stand and after making sure everything and everyone is accounted for, they begin to make their way south.

(Fun fact: Kyron's name was Kieran for the longest time until Blake informed me that someone with the same name already existed in the FE universe. Now he has a slightly different name that happens to match a friend I had in kindergarten and first grade.)

[Benstekar]

It has been quite a furious week of writing and I just finished giving Chapter 3 a twice over. From the prologue through to this chapter, the chapters have been getting progressively longer. Chapter four will not be quite as long because it will begin to develop a separate viewpoint from that of Blake's and his group. This will give me a little more breathing room for the coming week and let me get a head start on the week after that. Eventually, these chapters will become quite extensive and may even become up to four times as lengthy as this one(just a guesstimate).

As always, if you guys have any insight you would like to offer, don't be afraid to voice your opinion. If there is anything wrong or anything you feel I may have glossed over, let me know. Some things are left vague on purpose, but any feedback at all is incredibly useful.

Thank you once again for your patience and time! Without further ado, may I present: Chapter 3.

Chapter 3:

Scene 1

The group takes a break just North of Bethroen. Lindsey and Jela finish eating their lunch with the younger members of their party as Helen joins Franz, who eagerly awaits the report from Stella’s latest reconnaissance.

Helen: “Quite a chase he’s led us on, wouldn’t you say?”

Franz: “Indeed, but he has run out of road. We’ll have him in a matter of hours.”

Helen: “You think he’ll come peacefully?”

Franz: “Doubtful, but he will have us, as well as the city’s guard, upon him.”

Nere: “Why’s that?” Neither Helen nor Franz hear him approach, but they do not react much to his question. “Why should they help us?”

Franz: “Due to an agreement between the king of Grado and our country, should Renais-Frelia need to investigate any crime to done it, we have the full cooperation of any occupying Grado forces. It also works vise versa.”

Nere: “So they will just give him to us?”

Helen: “Yes. All we have to do is be able identify him.”

Franz: “Which shouldn’t be too hard, since he is a Jehannan hiding out in a town he’s probably never been to.”

Nere: “You mean you don’t know what he actually looks like?”

Franz: “Of course not. If we had ever come face-to-face, he would not still be drawing breath.”

Nere: “What if I said I know what he looks like?”

Franz: “I would ask you to explain how you could.”

Nere: “I saw him back in the woods just before you guys came.”

Franz: “Why wouldn’t he just kill you?” Nere decides the truth might be a little too complicated and gives a quick excuse.

Nere: “I was hiding from him and his men. I got a good look at him while he was giving them orders.” Franz nods and turns his attention back to the view of the city. After a short time, he sees Stella ride towards them. She lands in front of them.

Franz: “Anything?”

Stella: “Unfortunately, no. No reports of any strangers for days. The last ship to leave was a cargo ship yesterday morning, but the stable owner said that he found a horse tied to one of his posts today, so he is still in the city somewhere.”

Franz: “Well, we are in luck. Nere has just revealed that he knows what the man looks like.”

Stella: “Really?!”

Franz: “Apparently so.” A pause.

Stella: “So, am I going to be escorting him around the city until he spots him, or something of the sort?”

Franz: “I am open to other suggestions.” Stella lets out a short sigh and rolls her eyes.

Stella: “Alright, climb aboard.”

Nere: “Yes!” Nere happily climbs onto Strantus and they take off toward the city.

Scene 2

Kammeron sits under his favorite tree, enjoying what remains of his dinner. While eating, he glances up through the branches and remembers all the long hours he used to spend in this very spot when he was younger. The tree is fairly close to market and not all that far away from the docks either as it is in the very center of the city. From where he sits, he can enjoy the sight of the sea and the smell of the food from the vendors at the same time. He reflects on the eagerness of his young self that had dissipated through his age, but recently resurfaced. He is not proud of how he had finally made the money he once dreamed of, but there were worse ways to get rich. Two weeks of preparations leading up to making a commotion and knocking a few heads wasn’t a bad segway into an early retirement. He is sure of one thing: His life has taken a turn for the better and he won’t need to worry about the future any longer. He considers finally getting married, but doesn’t think much about having kids. He smiles and leans his head back to enjoy the breeze coming off the ocean and the sound of the leaves rustling. In a matter of weeks, they will be changing color, and he will be there for it. He decides he will spend his days under this tree until he has no more.

Scene 3

Stella follows Nere as he strolls through the market and gawks at all the wares and food. He seems to be fascinated with just about everything.

Stella: “It is getting late. We should head back and tell Franz we haven’t seen him.” Nere doesn’t seem to hear her and continues walking. “We can come back tomorrow if we need to. You’ve caused enough trouble today, don’t you think?”

Nere: “Lighting that old guy’s beard was accident, but he did deserve it. He shouldn’t have been yelling at me.”

Stella: “You knocked over his cart.”

Nere: “I said I was sorry.”

Stella: “‘Sorry’ doesn’t always cut it.”

Nere: “Well, it should.”

Stella: “Come on, let’s get back.”

Nere: “Why can’t we just stay here for the night?”

Stella: “One: I have to report back to Franz. Two: I don’t have any money.”

Nere: “But I do!” Nere pulls out the coinpurse.

Stella: “You didn’t steal that, did you?”

Nere: “I am not a thief. I found it in the forest shortly after hiding from the bandits.”

Stella: “Did you?”

Nere: “Yeah. Now, do you want to sleep in a bed, or on a mat?”

Stella: “We should report back to Franz.”

Nere: “Alright then. How about a hot meal at the very least?”

Stella: “I suppose there wouldn’t be any harm in having a little something while we’re here.”

Nere: “Great, I’m starving. Let’s go.” Nere takes Stella’s hand and drags her farther into the market.

Thirty minutes later, they near the edge of the market, bellies full. Nere takes a bite out of a pear and Stella follows behind him. He speaks through a mouthful.

Nere: “Shee? Washn’t that bad, was it?”

Stella: “I think I swallowed a pheasant bone.”

Nere: “I told you you should have gone with the boar.” He takes another bite.

Stella: “I don’t much care for swine.”

Nere: “It wush good though.”

Stella: “How about we get back now?”

Nere: “Yeah, I guess we should, but I want to see the docks first.”

Stella: “Wait…” Nere turns to look at her.

Nere: “What?”

Stella: “You aren’t really from Bethroen, are you?” He chokes down a bite of his fruit.

Nere: “Uh… well, no.”

Stella: “That’s why you didn’t want to show me where you lived.”

Nere: “Ye-ah. I have never even been here before.”

Stella: “Then why did you lie to Franz?”

Nere: “I- I… wanted to visit… and… I wanted to go with you.” Stella sighs and shakes her head.

Stella: “So then, where are you actually from?”

Nere: “Just Northeast of Rigwald.”

Stella: “What?! You were practically home when we met you!”

Nere: “Yeah, I guess. So… you pretty much kidnapped me.”

Stella: “No, that is not what happened.”

Nere: “It’s alright. I don’t mind.”

Stella: “That’s not the point!”

Nere: “Then what is?” He tilts his head while asking this. Stella scowls at him despite his attempt to act innocent.

Stella: “I am taking you back to Franz.” He turns away.

Nere: “I’m not going back.” She grabs his hood and pulls him backward. He spins out of it and lets it go limp in her hand. She glares at him and he smiles as though playing a game.

Stella: “Like hell you aren’t!” She tries to grab at him, but he dodges away before running in the opposite direction, dropping his pear. She gives chase in a full sprint for nearly two minutes before she sees him standing still at the corner of a building. She reaches him and grabs his arm. He turns and pushes her back behind the house. “What are you doing?!”

Nere: “I saw him!”

Stella: “Who? Wait, really?!” She pokes her head around the corner to see a man running in the other direction.

Nere: “And it appears he saw me.”

Stella: “We have to tell Franz.” She hands him back his cloak and they turn around.

Scene 4

Franz: “They should have reported back by now.” They are all gathered around a campfire.

Helen: “What would keep them so long?”

Lindsey: “Could they have been detained?”

Franz: “It’s possible, but they would have most certainly informed the guard of their purpose.”

Blake: “And if they didn’t believe them?”

Franz: “They have no reason not to, but that’s not out of the question.”

Blake: “So if they have been captured, what are we to do then?”

Franz: “Tomorrow we will ride to the city and explain our purpose. After we have this Kammeron, we will take the archers and the mage to their respective homes and bid farewell.”

Blake: “Sounds fine to me.” Kyron feels uneasy about the prospect of ratting out Nere and returning home.

Eve lays down and drifts into sleep. Liam passes out mid-stroke of his egg and after a little while, Franz advises all of them to get some sleep. They all obey and are asleep in a matter of minutes. Franz sits attentive while waiting for Stella and Nere to return. Just when he doubts they will return at all, he sees a figure in the dark sky. It closes in and lands.

Nere: “We found him!”

Franz: “Fantastic!”

Stella: “He made a run for it as soon as he saw us, so we couldn’t capture him.”

Franz: “Perfect, tomorrow we will alert the guard of his presence and they will allow us to take him.”

Scene 5

Kammeron rushes to the guard barracks and enters through the front door. He walks up to and puts his hands on the desk. The man behind it is very broad and more of a bouncer rather than a receptionist.

Kammeron: “I need to speak with Jou.”

Guard: “What for?” The guard looks up while asking this. “Oh, Kammeron. Haven’t seen you in a while. How have you been?”

Kammeron: “This is important. I need to speak with him immediately.”

Guard: “Sure. He’s in his quarters. You remember where it is?”

Kammeron: “Yeah.” He heads for a door on the other side of the room. “Thanks.” The guard calls to him.

Guard: “You still owe me that drink.”

Kammeron: “I’m free tomorrow night.”

Guard: “I’ll hold you to it.”

Kammeron: “Have a nice night, Trent.” He says this more annoyedly than sincerely.

Trent: “You too.”

Kammeron shuts the door behind him and heads down a hallway before turning and heading up some steps. Once he is at the top, he follows another hallway and opens the door at the very end.

Kammeron: “Jou!”

Jou: “What is it?” He looks up. “Where have you been?”

Kammeron: “That doesn’t matter. Listen, there is a group of soldiers from Relia intent on taking the city.”

Jou: “Slow down, Kamm. What now?”

Kammeron: “There are several soldiers posted outside the city. They were the ones who burned the two towns near Rigwald.”

Jou: “I haven’t received any reports of this.”

Kammeron: “It happened just two nights ago. I rode straight here, but they followed me and plan on continuing their onslaught here.”

Jou: “If what you are saying is true, we are in serious trouble.”

Kammeron: “What are we going to do?”

Jou: “We?”

Kammeron: “I might as well help.”

Jou: “Alright. First, I am going to send a man to get me an exact count on their numbers, then I will send a request for reinforcements.”

Kammeron: “Send it to who?”

Jou: “Taizel.”

Kammeron: “It could take a week before we get a response.”

Jou: “Not much more I can do. I will send the scout immediately.”

Kammeron: “What if he doesn’t come back?”

Jou: “Then we do our best to defend against the enemy.”

Kammeron: “What if I was to accompany him?”

Jou: “I have no problem with that, but you might not come back.”

Kammeron: “I’m fine with that.”

Jou: “Very well. Give me a moment and I will send him. Afterward, I will have Trent prepare the men.”

Scene 6

Kammeron and the scout get a good look at the group from over a nearby hill.

Scout: “Is that it?”

Kammeron: “Is what it?”

Scout: “That. Just ten people? Half of them are just kids.”

Kammeron: “That’s not just ‘ten people.’ That is one of the four Generals of Renais-Frelia. Those are not just children. They are much stronger than they might appear. That group slaughtered two whole villages.”

Scout: “I’m going to go down there.”

Kammeron: “Are you mad?!”

Scout: “You know how many there are. If anything happens to me, you can go back and inform the head of the guard to raise the defences.”

Kammeron: “Alright, go ahead. I’ll wait here.” Kammeron waits and watches. He sees the scout approach Franz, who puts his hand on his sword. After a short time, Franz lowers his guard and engages the scout in a conversation. Ten minutes later, the scout comes back over the hill.

Kammeron: “What did he say?”

Scout: “He said that they are searching for a Jehannan hiding in the city.”

Kammeron: “Anything else?”

Scout: “He apparently knew their name.”

Kammeron: “What was it?”

Scout: “Kammeron.”

Kammeron: “Interesting.”

Scout: “You know someone by that name?”

Kammeron: “No.”

Scout: “We’d better get back and tell the commander of the guard.”

Kammeron: “Yes.” He moves his hand to tell the scout ‘after you.’ As the scout passes him, Kammeron grabs hold of his head and breaks his neck. “I’ll probably regret that when I’m older.” Kammeron makes his way back to the city.

Before re-entering the city, Kammeron leans down and cuts the back of his leg slightly and throws himself on the ground to dirty himself a little. He makes his way to the barracks once more and goes to the commander’s quarters.

Kammeron: “They killed him.”

Jou: “What?!”

Kammeron: “He tried to talk to them, so they killed him and came after me. Once I started to get close to the city, they backed off. I barely made it back.”

Jou: “How many were there?”

Kammeron: “At least thirty heavily armed soldiers. I didn’t get to see much before I was running for my life.”

Jou: “Then we need to raise the defences at once.”

Kammeron: “Or we could lure them into a trap.”

Jou: “No way. We need to get ready for a siege.”

Kammeron: “Wait. What if we just waited?”

Jou: “Why on earth would I do that?”

Kammeron: “This is our city. We know it better than anyone. If we act like everything is alright, they will walk right in.”

Jou: “Which is exactly what we don’t want to happen.”

Kammeron: “No. We want them to think that something’s up by not doing anything. They will be hesitant and try to send spies to know what we are doing. When the spies come, we kill them to show we mean business and then raise the defences.”

Jou: “You sound way too confident.”

Kammeron: “It’s exactly what they did to the villages. All we have to do is ambush the spies and kill them that way we have less opposition and don’t have to worry about being stabbed in the back later.”

Jou: “Raise defences, or wait, ambush, and then raise defences. I hate to say it, but I think that might be a solid plan.”

Kammeron: “Even better than trying to steal Old Man Len’s dog?”

Jou: “I don’t even want to think about that.”

Kammeron: “That was Trent’s fault. My plan was sound.”

Jou: “Don’t worry. Trent will have nothing to do with this. As far as I am concerned, after he relays the orders, he can just stay here when all this happens.”

Kammeron: “He does have a tendency to overdo things.”

Jou: “Including Mrs. Len. Remember that story?”

Kammeron: “Aww! Ew! Gods no! I don’t even want to be reminded of that!” Both laugh heartily.

Note: Apparently this chapter was actually too long to have in just one post. That means that the other half of Chapter 3 is just below. After it is posted, I will look into simply linking a .txt document or something of the sort for future posts of the story. Sorry for the inconvenience.

[Benstekar]

Scene 7

Franz and party have just entered the gates to the city.

Franz: “Alright, we are going to keep our heads down for the most part. I will go to talk with the head of the guard and enlist his help. I don’t want anyone making trouble while I’m gone. Everyone just stick together and I will be back shortly.” Eve raises her hand. “What is it?”

Eve: “What are the guards doing exactly?” She points behind Franz and he turns around. Several soldiers stand before him with lances at the ready. An archer stands behind them with his bow at the ready. Behind the entire group, the gates to the city slam shut.

Franz: “It would seem as though they are trying to arrest us.” Just after saying this, the arrow comes at Franz and sticks into his left shoulder. “Rather, it would appear they are trying to kill us.” He says this calmly while drawing sword.

Eve: “What do we do?” Franz stares down the three lancemen and charges through them, knocking their weapons out of the way.

Franz: “Defend yourselves!” All of them prepare their weapons and follow Franz, who cuts down the archer and keeps running. He pulls out the arrow while running and calls backward. “Jela!” Jela raises her staff while scampering behind and sends the light from it forward to heal Franz. They come to a wall of men and all stop. Another group fills in the space behind them.

Kyron: “And now?” There are narrow spaces between building to both their left and right. Franz notices these.

Franz: “Split up.” Not everyone understands at first, but Blake takes off down one of the openings. Liam takes Eve by the wrist and drags her with him, following Blake. Jela takes off after them. Helen pushes Kyron into an opening on the other side of the road and Lindsey brings up the rear. Franz continues to stare down the group in front of him. Stella stays by his side and Nere remains as well.

Franz pushes forward and blocks several blows while cutting flesh and having his armor receive a beating. Stella follows closely and stabs at a couple soldiers that try to go for a lethal strike on Franz. Nere chucks fireballs as fast he can to keep the other wall of men from closing in. After the front blockade consists of only a few men, Stella grabs Nere and pulls him to continue running. Franz shoves a man against a stone house and follows. As they run, a man steps out in front of Stella, brandishing a sword. She quickly pushes Nere sideways so there is no way for him to be hit and dodges a swing at her. She wraps her hands around his sword arm and throws herself around and onto his back. She wrestles the blade free and inserts it into his side, remaining on his back until he falls to the ground.

Nere is pushed against a house and an arm reaches through a window to pull him inside. He is slammed onto the floor and the man who pulled him in raises his hand to bring a blade down on the boy, but he, too, is pulled through the window. Franz puts his sword through the man’s back and then lets him fall the rest of the way out of the window. He puts a foot and a hand inside and calls back.

Franz: “Stella!” She turns to look at him and sees him drop into the house. Before she can move to the window, she sees their pursuers turn a corner and come after her. She decides to lead them away and runs farther down the street. Franz picks up Nere and sets him against the wall as the group of soldiers runs past. Nere looks up at Franz, who is holding a large cut in his right arm, and whispers.

Nere: “Where is Stella?” Franz nods his head toward the mob outside and Nere lowers his eyes.

Blake makes it to the end of the gap and is presented with a man bringing down a sword on him. He blocks it and brings it farther into the air before stomping the man’s knee backward. The man drops down to his other knee and Blake grabs the handle of his sword while dropping his axe into the back of his skull. Blake pulls it out and exits the small passage onto another small street. The three following him exit as well. Eve stops to fire an arrow back down the gap. She pauses for a moment and then nods, satisfied. They run down the street a ways and soon find themselves entering the market district. Even though all citizens were more than likely told to stay in their homes, there is an abundance of civilians. It isn’t long before more soldiers present themselves and begin chasing them again.

Blake: “Just get to the other side.” Blake gives this order and disappears into the crowd. Liam takes Eve’s hand again and, too, enters the crowd. Jela simply stands still, hiding her staff and examining the different wares as the soldiers run past her.

Helen brings Kyron with her until they hit a wall that appears to be the wall for the entire city. The path along it isn’t much wider, but they turn and continue down it anyway. After just a few steps, a couple men appear and Helen lets go of Kyron, drawing her sword again. She deflects a sword into the wall and pushes into the man, tackling him to the ground. The man behind raises his lance, but instead of stabbing Helen, he receives an arrow through the cornea of his left eye. Helen withdraws her dagger and buries it the man before standing up off of him. Lindsey hears an aggressor behind her and turns to block an axe and insert her sword in the man’s neck. She turns back to Kyron barely having enough space to draw another arrow.

Lindsey: “Hey.” Kyron turns to see Lindsey putting her hands together to boost him vertically. He puts his bow over his head and takes the boost. She lifts him unexpectedly fast and he grabs the edge of the roof before pulling himself up. He takes his bow in hand once more and follows Helen and Lindsey from the rooftops.

Blake finds his way to a strip of market that allows him to run almostly freely. He covers a good distance while only needing to dodge a few patrons. He begins to feel as though he is in the clear when a myrmidon nearly takes his head off while swinging from behind a market stall. Blake puts his axe up to slide the sword up and over himself. He turns and engages in a game of block-the-sword until a basket of apples, thrown by Blake, distracts him enough to be rushed and knocked over. The swordsman picks himself up quickly and flips his sword before taking a step forward and getting a staff to the back of the head. Blake thanks Jela by bowing slightly and turns to continue running. She follows him.

Liam and Eve snake their way through the crowd until Liam noticed a group of what he would guess to be about eight soldiers come from an alleyway and begin to search through the crowd. He takes Eve to the ground and slides under a table, then pulls her under as well. He listens as the soldiers make their way through the crowd and pass by. He turns to her and puts a finger to his lips.

Liam: “Shh… Stay here.”

Eve: “Where are-” He rolls out from under the table and puts a foot on it before pulling himself up onto the awning. He stands on it and gives a yell.

Liam: “Hey!” The guards turn and begin to move towards him. He steps onto the wooden beam in the middle of the stall and walks gingerly across it before jumping onto another one. He moves faster across this one and leaps to another. The guards have a hard time keeping up as they push civilians out of the way. Liam clears one more stall before he notices the gap for the next jump is the longest. He prepares himself and runs as fast as he feels comfortable and jumps for it.

Liam’s foot slips as it comes down, causing him to fall onto the wood with his chest. With the breath knocked out of him, he barely pulls himself onto it before a guard can chop at him with his sword. He brings himself to his feet and walks clumsily across the beam, nearly messing up his next jump. He has only three more stalls before he can drop down and give a full out sprint. He dreads not having his breath back at that point, but continues anyway. He jumps once more, but loses his footing and falls onto the awning to his left, ripping through it and landing on fresh produce. Liam rolls off the vegetables and onto the ground. He stands and prepares to run, but is rammed in the back by some force. He falls to the ground and rolls over the see an axeman coming toward him.

Liam begins to crawl away as Eve jumps onto the man’s back. She puts one hand over his mouth and brings the other, with an arrow clenched inside, up to his throat. The axeman chomps down hard on her fingers and she yelps in pain while dragging the tip of the arrow through his throat. She tries to pull away, but the man’s jaw does not let go. Panicking, Eve rotates the arrow and starts beating on the back of his skull. Liam stands and approaches the man before landing a heavy blow to man’s groin with his right foot. The man relents and drops down, freeing Eve. They take off down the street with soldiers picking back up the chase. After a short run, Liam slams into Blake, who rights him and points to another alleyway.

Blake: “That way!” Liam obeys and drags Eve along.

The men chasing Blake and Jela meet up with those that were already after Liam and Eve. Eve raises her hand and, moments later, it is engulfed in healing light and feels much better. There’s no way she would be able to draw her bow without it. After getting out of the alleyway, they turn down another street towards the center of the city.

Franz waits for the men to pass then prods Nere up the stairs. They climb out a window on the opposite side of the house from the one they had entered. Franz lowers Nere down with his left arm and jumps down himself. He begins to run down the street. They go for quite a while before they see a couple knights blocking the path. They ready themselves and Franz prepares to take both with his sword.

Nere: “Wait.”

Franz: “What?” Nere opens his tome and flips a page.

Nere: “Here. Hold this in front of me so I can see it.”

Franz: “Prolonged-”

Nere: “I just need you to hold it, not read it.” Franz sheathes his sword and takes the book. He holds it up in Nere’s vision. Nere takes a deep breath and flicks his hands, producing flames in both. He takes a few steps closer to the knights and waits for them to take a single step in unison before he snaps his wrists and long shoots of fire come out to engulf both knights, one for each hand. After feeling that they have had enough, Nere lets up and reveals the two flaming corpses left behind.

Nere: “Ha!” He says this before immediately fainting and falling into Franz’s arms. Franz takes the boy over his left shoulder and continues running to center of the city. When he reaches it, he is alone, but not for long. From a few streets down, he sees Liam and followers come toward him. Franz walks over to the only tree in sight and lays Nere down. He then draws his sword.

Stella sheathes her shortsword and removes her gauntlet before bringing her index finger and thumb to her mouth and whistling twice. She puts back on her gauntlet and keeps running. As she nears the end of the street, she finds she is blocked by two knights. To avoid them, Stella climbs through a window and into a house. One of the knights catches her foot as she brings it inside. She limps to the stairs and hops up them. She can hear men coming inside as she reaches the top. She goes immediately for the window. After a quick peek to ensure no archers would get her, she hauls herself out and stands on her good leg then takes hold of the roof. Stella manages to pull herself up before anyone can reach her.

Soldiers begin to climb out the window and after her. She removes her gauntlet once more and whistles again as they begin to get onto the roof. Three, then four, then five bring themselves up. They begin to approach her. She stands on the edge of the roof and salutes them. She then turns and jumps outward. She catches Strantus’ saddle as he reaches the vertex of a swoop. She can’t help but smile as he carries her away and over the city. She sees her comrades gathering in the center of the city and moves down to meet them.

Kyron hops between houses and provides assistance to Helen and Lindsey as they move slowly through the narrow passageways. They are ambushed once more and each one defends themselves as Kyron lets loose an arrow into a man coming from behind. After they are safe again, Kyron takes the liberty of running ahead on the roofs to spot any more opposition. He finds that they will eventually have to turn and move to the central point that all streets seem to lead, but the street they need to go down has two knights blocking it. He goes across the roof until he is standing directly over them and waits for Helen and Lindsey to turn and see the knights.

The women run at them and prepare to take on both, but Kyron shoots an arrow into the neck of one. The one that is hit flops forward and Lindsey deflects a blow from the other while Helen takes up the lance on the ground and buries it in his hip. He swings at her as she pushes him down and Lindsey inserts her sword through the front of his helmet. Helen takes the lance and keeps moving as Lindsey assists Kyron down off the roof. They are the last to rejoin the group at the center.

As they all regroup and Jela heals both Stella’s and Franz’s injuries, soldiers file out of the streets and move to surround them. Jela notices Nere laying unconscious.

Jela: “He alright?” Franz looks down at him and back at the group around them.

Franz: “Overextended himself. He’ll be fine.”

Blake: “I don’t think any of us will be fine.”

Kyron: “And mom thought I was negative.”

Eve: “You are.”

Franz: “Everyone, focus. We need to work together if we are gonna make it out of this.” From behind come a large collection of archers. They aim their bows at the group and a knight named Jou steps out from the group. He walks rather close to the group and speaks.

Jou: “Lay down your weapons and we will not kill you.”

Franz: “Is this how Grado treats its diplomats now?”

Jou: “General Franz. I had never imagined you to be the type to kill innocents. My, how the world has changed.”

Franz: “Riddles don’t serve you well. Do away with them now, or else be done away with yourself. Who are you that you might accuse me of murdering innocents?!”

Jou: “My name is Jou. I am the commander of Bethroen’s guard.”

Franz: “Then you are the one who ordered us be attacked without provocation?”

Jou: “Hmph, if you believe it to be unprovoked, where is my scout?”

Franz: “He returned to the city to tell you of our purpose that you might help us.”

Jou: “And what would that be?”

Franz: “We were chasing after a group of Jehannan mercenaries. Their leader managed to escape and come to this city. We came here to bring him to justice. Your scout should have told you of this.”

Jou: “My scout did not return.” Franz motions for everyone to lower their weapons. He then walks up to the Jou.

Franz: “The man we are looking for may have killed him. Have you heard the name ‘Kammeron’ as of recent?”

Jou: “Yes. How do you know it?”

Franz: “He is the one we are after. He hired men to attack Renais-Frelia.”

Jou: “That doesn’t make any sense.”

Franz: “Do you know him?”

Jou: “He is a friend of mine.”

Franz: “From Jehanna?”

Jou: “No, we have known each other forever.”

Franz: “Then it could not be him, but perhaps someone with the same name.”

Jou: “Then again, he did just return from a long trip. While I have you here, we might as well clear some things up.” Franz crosses his arms. Jou waves a man forward who comes to receive orders. “Fetch Kammeron.”

Man: “Yes sir.” He leaves at once.

Nere sits up, holding his head.

Eve: “Nere!”

Nere: “Eve?”

Eve: “Are you okay?”

Nere: “I think so. Where are we?”

Kyron: “Waiting to die.”

Eve: “Ky!”

Kyron: “What?” Jela pushes past him and kneels next to Nere.

Jela: “Anything hurt?”

Nere: “Just my head.”

Blake: “Try choosing a better time to pass out next time, okay?”

Nere: “I didn’t do it on purpose!”

Helen: “They’re coming back.” They all turn their attention back to the conversation between Franz and the knight.

Jou: “I wonder what on earth is taking so long.” Shortly after saying this, Trent begins to move through the soldiers behind Jou, dragging a barely conscious Kammeron by the collar. Jou turns back to look and is verily confused by what he sees. “What happened?!”

Trent: “He killed the soldier you sent to retrieve him. When he tried to leave, I stopped him.” Trent lets go of the collar and allows his head to hit the ground. He runs a hand through his jet black hair and spits a little blood onto the ground beside him. Jou has trouble finding words and finally addresses Kammeron, who is bleeding from his head.

Jou: “Why?” Kammeron sighs.

Kammeron: “Remember when we used to say ‘at any cost?’”

Jou: “It was you who always said that.”

Kammeron: “Still.” Jou turns back to Franz.

Jou: “This him?”

Franz: “I don’t know.”

Jou: “You don’t know what he looks like?”

Franz: “I never saw his face. Plus, we were looking for a Jehannan, not a resident.”

Jou: “The name was all you had?”

Franz: “No. One member of our party has seen him, but he fell unconscious.”

Jou: “Looks like everyone is fine to me.” Franz turns and sees that Nere has woken up.

Franz: “Nevermind.” Jou looks to Trent and tilts his head. Trent grabs Kammeron and drags him over to the group. He sets Kammeron against the stone and drops his head. Kammeron looks up at the boy.

Franz: “Is this him?” Nere nods. Franz draws his sword. “Kammeron of…” He pauses, not sure anymore.

Kammeron: “Grado.”

Franz: “Gra-” His eyes widen and he blanks out for a moment. He brings himself back and looks back at Kammeron. “G-Grado. You have conspired against the great country of Renais-Frelia and your intentional actions have indirectly led to the deaths of its leaders. For this crime, I sentence you to death. However, in accordance to laws between Renais-Frelia and Grado, so long as you are on Grado soil, I cannot execute you.” Franz tries to hand the sword to Jou, who pushes it away. Kammeron stares blankly up into the branches of the tree.

Jou: “If I may.” Jou points to the man slouching on the stone. Franz pulls back his sword and takes a step back. Jou kneels down next to him. “You killed your own countrymen. And for what? Gold? At one point, we were great friends, you, Trent, and I. We almost made it, all three of us. It was tough, but after the war and the disasters everything was finally starting to straighten itself out.”

Kammeron: “Maybe for you.”

Jou: “I am sorry for this, my friend.” His eyes start to fill with tears. He stands back up.

Kammeron: “So am I.”

Jou: “Trent, would you do the honor?” Jou takes a step back and Trent moves to stand over Kammeron. Nere moves to get closer, escaping Helen trying to keep him back. He goes to Kammeron’s side and pulls out the coinpurse. He puts it in Kammeron’s hand. It is empty, but Nere feels he should have it back.

Nere: “Thanks.”

Kammeron: “No problem, kid.” He smiles. Nere stands and goes back to the group. Trent prepares his axe.

Jou: “Any last words?” Kammeron clenches the purse and takes one last look at the tree that had always watched over him.

Kammeron: “At any cost.” He closes his eyes and awaits the edge of the axe.

Scene 8

The group has not moved and sits talking amongst one another as the soldiers that had surrounded them have left. Lindsey sits by herself on the edge of the stone. Helen and Jela speak of how lucky they are. Nere has passed out again and rests gently on Stella’s arm that she holds her sword with while sharpening it. Blake watches as Liam talks with Kyron and Eve of his time in Renais-Frelia.

Franz has an extensive conversation with Jou and Trent, then he comes to get Blake. They walk over and he is introduced to both of the guards.

Jou: “This is him?” Franz nods.

Trent: “He doesn’t look like much to me.”

Franz: “He didn’t to me either, but this is him.”

Jou: “Why would he name one so young as his successor?”

Franz: “He is his son and he was the only one there at the time.”

Jou: “It is a pleasure to meet you, Blake.”

Blake: “Did I miss something.”

Franz: “No, it was something I missed. I assumed you were lying when you said that your father had passed his title on to you.”

Trent: “Pretty big boots to fill there, bud.”

Blake: “I don’t understand.” He turns to Franz. “What made you change your mind?”

Franz: “You were right about the assassins not being from Jehanna. It would appear that they originated from Grado.”

Blake: “Why would Grado do it?”

Jou: “We have been trying to figure that out. Whoever planned the attack on your leaders paid very handsomely for the men, so they have to be pretty wealthy.”

Blake: “You think the king had something to do with it?”

Trent: “We… wouldn’t go that far, but he certainly has the means and reasoning.”

Blake: “I don’t understand. Aren’t the council the ones who appointed him king?”

Jou: “Talskun was seated on the throne with the intention of him ruling to their specifications. He had them breathing down his neck for years. Not saying he had anything to with it, but, like Trent said, you don’t have to go far to find a motive.”

Blake: “So we need to confront the king.”

Franz: “I wouldn’t be so fast as to point fingers at Talskun. Not only that… sir, but I would recommend halting the march of our troops on Jehanna.”

Blake: “Right. And you don’t have to call me ‘sir’ if you don’t want to. What should I do then? ...since you obviously know more than I do.” Franz smiles.

Franz: “General Gilliam will have begun to march through Carcino now and General Sintzen will be marching through Old Renais.”

Blake: “Okay. What about the other general?”

Franz: “They are still near the capitol doing their duty. We don’t have to worry about them right now.”

Blake: “So we have to get to Carcino before they get to Jehanna.”

Franz: “Only one person needs to deliver the message. I could ride and inform Gilliam of your orders.”

Blake: “And what about the other?”

Franz: “If everyone were to leave now, you six could make it to Castle Renais before the army.”

Blake: “How?”

Franz: “Simply cut through the mountains. It won’t be easy, but it will be faster.”

Blake: “Alright. We leave immediately?”

Franz: “I would advise so.”

Blake: “Then, let’s go.” Franz turns to the two men.

Franz: “Thank you for your understanding.”

Jou: “Safe journey to you.”

Blake: “Thanks.”

Trent: “No problem.” Franz and Blake turn to leave. Trent and Jou turn to head back to the barracks.

Jou: “Well, it was fun.”

Trent: “What?”

Jou: “Being head of the guard.”

Trent: “What do you mean?”

Jou: “There is no way I can hold position after a mistake like that. We lost too many men due to nothing more than a misunderstanding. What would people say if I didn’t do something? I have to resign.” Trent remains silent, listening to his friend. “I have to pass my responsibilities onto you. I’m sorry.”

Trent: “I can’t lead anything. You know that.”

Jou: “Perhaps, but you are my only option. If you ever need any advice, I’d be happy to provide it.”

Trent: “I can’t. You saw. I wasn’t even clear enough in my orders to send the archers to the right place.”

Jou: “Maybe, but-”

Trent: “Wait!”

Jou: “Wait what?”

Trent: “I was the one who gave the orders to the men.”

Jou: “I know.”

Trent: “So it is my fault.”

Jou: “No, it’s really not, I-”

Trent: “No, look. I gave the orders to the men. That doesn’t mean they had to have come from you. I know you regret the decision, but that just means you are doing the right thing. I take the blame for the mistake, resign, and you continue leading them.”

Jou: “That wouldn’t be just.”

Trent: “No. Maybe not, but it’s the right thing to do.”

Jou: “Then what do you plan to do?”

Trent: “I will find my own way. The men here need you. They can’t look up to me and that makes it perfect.”

Jou: “I couldn’t…”

Trent: “You will. Gather the men and I will confess to giving them orders without your permission. You relieve me of duty, they all cheer for you, and I leave.”

Jou: “To where?” Trent pauses for a moment and then smiles.

Trent: “I’ve got an idea in mind.”

Scene 9

Blake leads the group along the coast until late in the day when they finally stop and make camp on the beach. Everyone gets comfortable and Trent arrives shortly after.

Trent: “Well met.” He announces to Blake as he approaches.

Blake: “Why have you followed us?”

Trent: “I have decided to accompany you.”

Blake: “That’s it? You just thought you’d tag along? You didn’t think to ask?”

Trent: “Not in the slightest.” He walks over to the fire that is now burning on the sand and takes a seat next to Jela. “Hey, honey.”

Jela smiles and pokes a stick at the fire. Blake turns and walks away. He leaves Liam sitting across from them, hand on his egg. Lindsey is also crouched by the fire. She is using its light to clean her sword more thoroughly than before then sharpen it. Eve is passed out in the sand and Kyron stops talking to Helen as she stands and speaks with Blake.

Helen: “That’s it? You’re just going to let him join us?”

Blake: “Yeah, why?”

Helen: “I thought you might at least try to get a reason out of him.”

Blake: “I did.”

Helen: “What was it?”

Blake: “He said he wanted to come.”

Helen: “That’s all he said? Don’t you care to know why?”

Blake: “Not really. He seems alright.”

Helen: “‘Seems?’ You’ve got to be kidding.”

Blake: “No.”

Helen: “You might be willing to let him just tag along, but I don’t trust him.”

Blake: “Why not?”

Helen: “Well… he’s- he hasn’t- What has he done to prove himself?”

Blake: “He didn’t kill us, for one thing.”

Helen: “Who’s to say he won’t?”

Blake: “Nobody, but I hadn’t proven myself and you didn’t speak out against me coming.”

Helen: “It wasn’t my place to question then.”

Blake: “Is it now?”

Blake does not wait for her response before walking away. Helen feels her anger is uncharacteristic of herself and unclenches her fists. She realizes how Franz felt when dealing with Blake. She also remembers that he is her superior now. Helen lowers her head slightly and walks away. Blake passes by Stella who has Nere curled up under her arm. Both are asleep. Blake thinks nothing of it, but Stella still does not understand why Nere has latched onto her like he has, although she does not mind it too much and wouldn’t dare voice it to him.

Blake takes a seat in the sand and looks out into the ocean as the last pieces of red light from the sun turn purple. It wouldn’t take long to reach Serafew. From there they would have just over a day’s journey to Castle Renais. Blake hopes he will be able to cut off the army before it makes it that far. He tosses his head back in the sand and looks up at the stars that are just becoming visible.

(Fun fact: At one point during this chapter, when Kammeron is addressing Jou, he uses the word "Relia." This is a slang term used to describe Renais-Frelia by commoners from Grado, Jehanna, Rausten, and sometimes even Relian(Renais-Frelian) citizens, or anybody too lazy or busy to be bothered with stating the full hyphenated name of the country. It will come up a few more times in the story and most Relians find it highly offensive. After all, people from Rausten are not call Rausties or anything demeaning like that.