wildmn

'Iwona, what do you fight for?'

'What do I fight for?'

'To become a glorious campaign knight, of course. To take on the strong, protect the weak, and make a name for myself!'

Upon hearing Iwona's answer, her parents laughed with satisfaction. Her visiting uncle cheerfully patted her head.

There's just one last Infected to contact on the list? Already?

Of course. You know how quick I work.

Great.

Anybody else you need me to get in touch with? Lemme take care of it.

Let's see...

Nope, we're good for today.

After you contact this Mr. Kalisz, you can take the rest of the afternoon off.

Time off? Naw, I don't need any of that.

Iwona, getting proper rest is important too!

(Wait, is that... a campaign knight?)

A campaign knight stands before a newsstand not too far away, and Iwona naturally comes to a stop when she sees him.

...That'll be...

...Not this one... Umm...

Seeing that he's in a bit of a pinch, she quickly strides forward without a second thought.

She wasn't able to personally witness the Silverlance Pegasi entering the city on the night of the power outage, but the flood of news and photos that followed stirred her heart.

For her, it was a bolt from the blue that pierced through Kazimierz's neon skyline.

Sona, something came up. Talk to you later!

But you're supposed to be taking a break—

I know! After I get ahold of Mr. Kalisz, I'll make sure to do nothing else this afternoon!

Okay, see you!

(Calm down, Iwona. Calm down.)

Good day. Do you need some help?

Who are you?

I am—

Up close, Iwona can now clearly see the source of the campaign knight's hesitation – two lottery tickets.

A campaign knight. Gambling.

Two things she'd never imagined could mix.

...I am Iwona Krukowska, an Infected competition knight.

Sorry for bothering you. I'll be on my way now, if there's nothing urgent I can help with.

One moment, please. Do you know anything about this type of lotto–

Sorry, I'm not familiar with that stuff... Goodbye.

Alright then.

Why would a dignified campaign knight be buying lotto tickets? Seems kinda sketchy for someone like that.

Well, whatever. None of my business.

Maybe he was just curious because he'd never seen stuff like that. Yeah, that's gotta be it.

Let's see... Mr. Kalisz is supposed to live somewhere around here...

Mr. Kalisz?!

I-Iwona...

The man she was looking for is collapsed in his own doorway, moaning as he clutches the wound on his leg, blood gushing between his fingers.

There is nobody nearby to help him. Nor does anyone dare step forward to help the injured Infected, for obvious reasons.

Did the Armorless Union do this?

(Nods in pain)

Where'd they go?

(Points towards the depths of the alley)

Dammit!

Iwona urgently bandages his wound, then tightly grips her lance.

I'm gonna go settle the score–

As soon as those words leave her mouth, it suddenly dawns on her – is it really a good idea to leave him alone after he was just attacked? An Infected person, at that.

The old Wild Mane Knight would never have considered this: all she'd ever wanted was to charge at her enemies lance-first. But now, things were different. Now she's Wild Mane of the Pinus Sylvestris Knightclub.

But if she let the assassins get away, wouldn't that endanger both herself and Mr. Kalisz?

Right at that moment, she sees someone pass by the entrance to the alley.

Hey– Do you hear me? Hello?

Iwona Kru... Miss Krukowska? Did you need something–

This man... Who did this to him?

The Armorless Union. I'm about to go teach them a lesson. Can I leave Mr. Kalisz to you?

Sure thing. Wait a sec– is he also Infected, like you?

So what if he is?

Then I have to be extra careful not to come in contact with his blood, right?

Go show those sewage-sucking pests what for! I'll take care of him!

Appreciate it!

Take him to a Pinus Sylvestris safe house, please! He knows the way!

This card has our knightclub's crest. Show it to the people there, and they'll know what happened!

Hold it right there!

You've got nowhere to run!

...You're pretty quick on your feet, girl.

Why did you attack Mr. Kalisz?

First, I don't know either.

Second, I know who you are, Wild Mane.

Seems like you got into a pretty big brawl with my colleagues earlier, but that's none of my business.

Also, you ought to get your temper under control, for your own sake. We weren't after that guy's life, yet you've chosen to wade into these murky waters yourself?

Just shut up and face me, asshole!

I'll admit, I'm no match for you. But you were never one of my targets to begin with.

You were about to skip town too, so why bring all this extra trouble on yourself?

How'd you know we were leaving?!

You <i>are</i> public figures, after all.

A good while ago, I even placed a few bets on you. Lost quite a bit of money on that–

Who cares?! I'm here because of what you did to Kalisz!

Even if you're just following orders, does your trigger finger not shake even a little bit when you're indiscriminately pointing your weapon at innocents?!

Of course my fingers are shaking. I'm absolutely terrified, young lady. So, would you mind letting me go now?

I'm not after your head. What I want is—

An apology!

For Mr. Kalisz!

If that's the case, I'm not sure what to tell you.

All I can say is, you're very fortunate to have met Flametail's crew.

If you'd all come together, you might have been able to keep your life.

The Armorless Union member's presence diminishes.

Iwona's instincts, honed through countless battles, tell her that–

Someone's firing arrows?!

Where are they hiding? I need to flush them out–

The arrows from the hidden assassins take aim at her vitals, forcing her to constantly dodge.

Then, she sees the person she had just cornered take out a bow and aim it squarely between her eyes–

Reveal yourselves, you vermin squirming in the shadows!

...The campaign knight?!

We do not defend Kazimierz to provide a breeding ground for your corruption!

A campaign knight?

Iwona, don't let them catch you off-guard.