level_act14side_08_beg

level_act14side_08_beg

Sir, I've searched the woodlands around the perimeter of the Paleroche clan and found no signs of mobilization.

Keep looking.

Yessir.

Gnosis, we've got an issue.

Gulo split from the Doctor's forces and led a team around Mount Karlan, breaking through the pass and occupying the station there!

What?!

Right now, Gulo is driving everyone out of the station, and another team is heading for Klin.

That's where Yucatan is being held... Is this a rescue operation?

Impossible. They're being far too inefficient for that. There must be another motive.

Monch, based on the route you saw them taking, where do you think the Doctor is headed?

...They chose a route that could lead either to Mount Karlan or to the pass.

Oh... Could the Doctor intend to bypass Mount Karlan to directly attack our territory?

I should've warned you about this possibility.

No, I was caught off guard myself. I should've stationed more troops at the pass.

The Doctor...

But, Arctosz still hasn't shown himself, and we cannot say for sure what their true objective is...

Grr, I'll have Valais head to the station to deal with Gulo, then Weiss will go to Klin.

Have a portion of the troops stationed at the base of the mountain go defend the pass and prevent the Doctor's forces from breaking through to our territory.

Understood.

General, we've already taken control of the station. Why are we still waiting here?

The Doctor told us to avoid hurting anyone, but I didn't hear anything about not smashing the place up. This station is a symbol of Silverash treachery.

Calm down. We'll see when the next train arrives––

Grr... When's the thing supposed to arrive anyway? Let me see the note the Doctor left me...

Okay, that sounds about right.

Huh?! What's going on here?!

This station now belongs to Gulo of the Paleroche clan! Get out of here, if you value your life!

Why is the Paleroche clan here?!

And it's none other than the terrible Gulo! Did the Paleroches declare war?!

Ugh... I'm too young to die! Run!

That's right! Run, faster!

Umm... General Gulo, thanks for bringing me along.

Hmph. I would want nothing to do with a Silverash daughter, if not for the fact that the Doctor told me you were helping.

You really aren't in cahoots with that brother of yours?

I'm here to stop him.

...I don't trust you, but I do trust the Doctor. The one called Sharp told me to trust in the victory the Doctor would bring.

Alright. Didn't you say you had to make your way up the mountain? Off with you.

After you go, I'll have to halt the railroad... to do what again? Oh, right, gotta stop things from running so that Silverash reinforcements don't show up too quickly.

Well, thanks anyway, General Gulo!

These people make no sense to me at all.

Whatever. I have my own things to do anyway.

Hmph, that musclehead might not be the sharpest tool in the shed, but he certainly does know how to fight.

He should be fine holding down the station.

Next up is... Dammit, my ass..

Madame, why don't you get off the burdenbeast and rest for a bit? The rest of us can handle things.

Hmph. I don't have the luxury for that right now.

Our task is much more difficult than Gulo's.

In addition to rescuing Yucatan, we also have to take as much of Klin as we can.

Until the Doctor wins over on the other end, we have to draw the Silverashes' attention.

Madame, can we really hold out against those numbers with the forces we have here? Are you sure this Doctor isn't just using us as fodder?

That's right, the Matriarch...

Shut it.

Listen, Ratatos is sick and tired of carrying this clan on her back, so she's trusting this to me.

We're at a do or die moment for the house of Browntail. If we succeed, the Browntail clan might just have a future. If we fail, we're all changing our names to Silverash.

I don't care what Enciodes is trying to do or what he wants Kjerag to be, but us Browntails will never be anyone's fodder.

If you're that eager to get a new name, then you can leave now. But if being a Browntail means anything to you, then come with me!

(I've never seen Sciurus so charismatic before...)

(I didn't know Sciurus had such a talent for speeches...)

(I think she really is speaking her mind. She's just never been given a chance before.)

What are you mumbling about over there?!

(Even though I heard that the Matriarch herself was planning on surrendering, if Sciurus isn't willing to give up, then...)

(It would be really shameful for us to raise the white flag.)

(That's right. And to be honest, I find it hard to believe that the Matriarch would do something like that...)

You're still not done? If you don't like it here, then beat it!

We fight for the house of Browntail!

Hmph, that's more like it.

Alright, I'll handle the rest.

Are you serious about this?

Don't worry. I'm a bona-fide pro.

You'd better not die on us.

I'll be waiting for the good news.

As much as I've trained, it's been a long time since I've done any real mountaineering. Not since I came to Rhodes Island for treatment.

This sure is getting my blood pumping, haha...

Wait for me, sis. I'm coming for you.

Ensia remembers how when she was a child, she always loved bringing her sister along to her climbs.

Though she was physically fit, she'd always give up halfway through.

Her favorite thing to do was to curl up on the sofa by the fire, knitting something for herself or her brother, or just napping.

'My sister probably doesn't like the mountains.' That's what Ensia thought.

But in the end, after becoming the Saintess, she was bound atop the mountain.

Ensia always had a dream – that one day, she would save her sister from the mountain.

General, this railway should be useless now, right?

No clue. But it probably isn't gonna work anymore.

But who gives a shit. The other job the Doctor gave us was to start some chaos in Silverash territory, the bigger the better.

Since we've already messed this place up pretty good, let's go somewhere else––

...Huh?

You sure took your sweet time, Valais.

Gulo, what exactly is the Doctor after?

The sentimental side of me actually wants to tell you.

But, honestly, I got no clue what the Doctor is trying to do either, hahaha!

But what I do know is, I'm here to make enough trouble to give Enciodes a tough time!

Gulo, I'd prefer not to humiliate you.

Or any of the excellent warriors of the Paleroche clan.

So lay down your arms. You have no chance of winning.

Valais, I know you've got some bad blood, and I'm not good at comforting people.

I also know that there's nothing I can do to bring back what you've lost.

But I'm happy to rumble with you. Let you blow off your steam.

Phew... That should be it for the first checkpoint.

Ah... If I remember right, this trail was part of the trial to become a Saintess.

Ensia remembers, the night before the selection of the Saintess, her sister had some kind of fight with her brother.

That night, she sat alone on the sofa in the living room until the sun came up.

She still remembered telling her sister that if not for the fact that she was too young, she would've joined the Saintess selection process herself. Her sister smacked her upside the head.

Her sister was quite strong.

But never did she expect that this would be the last time her sister would smack her around.

Sir, it's starting to snow.

A good opportunity.

Kjeragandr smiles upon us, by the look of things.

Though it took a lot of extra time to make our way to the Holy Hunt, it was well worth it.

How's the situation at the foot of the mountain?

It seems like the Doctor was able to divert their attention. The forces stationed there were far fewer than we expected.

Haha, good! Very good! The Doctor is quite capable!

Still, we can't afford to bring shame to the Paleroche name.

Warriors, now that our time is nigh, we need no longer conceal ourselves.

Forget the Silverashes! Follow me – we'll rush up the mountain and rescue the Saintess!

Yessir!

Why'd it have to start snowing now...?

Old Kjeragandr really has a dry sense of humor.

Or, maybe this is a test for me, as the sister of the Saintess?

Well, whatever.

A bit of wind and snow can't hold me back!

You can do this, Ensia! You weren't just talking big in front of Aurora! You've got this!

It was hard to send letters back to Kjerag from Rhodes Island.

Usually, she would only get the opportunity when Courier showed up.

Each time he visited, she always felt conflicted.

Fortunately, Courier would bring a letter from her sister.

Unfortunately, Courier and Matterhorn would always treat her like a kid, as if she couldn't see the sadness on their faces.

She is also a child of the Silverash family. She read the books left behind by her parents and knew of the vision they had for Kjerag. She also got good grades in Hypatia's class!

Of course she knew.

What she did not know is... Did things have to turn out like this?

If so, then why her family?

Sir, troops led by Arctosz suddenly appeared at the foot of the mountain and broke through the defensive line!

Grr... Where'd they come from?

I'm afraid they entered the site of the Holy Hunt, so our men were unable to track them down...

And our forces stationed there couldn't stop them?

A portion of the forces were split off to defend the pass, plus it suddenly started snowing, and morale was low to begin with. Since their goal was to break through the line...

You've been outplayed, Gnosis.

You made the right call. They care only about Mount Karlan and the Saintess. Everything else is secondary to that.

Did you come back only to mock me?

No, I would've hesitated too, in your position.

Just as you used your longstanding reputation within Karlan Trade to put on a play of half-truths...

Our lack of familiarity with the Doctor worked to that one's advantage – no shortage of tricks up those mysterious sleeves.

You may believe that the Doctor has designs on Kjerag, but from my perspective, I don't necessarily think that the Saintess is the only objective.

Of course, the Doctor could not be sure that we would see things this way, and that was the wager.

That you'd see the Doctor's actions around the pass as a move against Kjerag.

The Doctor only required that you be sufficiently concerned about this possibility to send your troops to assuage those concerns.

As such, the Doctor won the bet.

Enciodes, your arrogance is truly loathsome. To wax admiringly about the actions of your enemy at a time like this.

This is not a game, and we cannot afford to fail.

I am not a fan of failure, Gnosis.

I've already sent Degenbrecher.

To intercept Arctosz?

No... Why do you think the Doctor chose a route that could lead either to Mount Karlan or the pass?

You're saying that Arctosz's forces are a ruse.

From the very beginning, the Doctor's forces were both the bait and the main force.

No wonder why they were moving so slowly. They were waiting.

That's right. And, if I'm not mistaken, this is when they will start making their move.

If the Doctor is allowed to group with Arctosz, then there would be real trouble.

Ensia already knows.

She knows her wish cannot come true.

She cannot save her sister from the mountain.

She also cannot mend the relationship between her two siblings.

How could she have no idea as to what her brother seeks to accomplish?

How could she not see that the rift between the two was only growing wider and wider?

But what can she do?

She doesn't like to cry, to vent her frustrations to others, or to give up.

All she can do is wedge the climbing pick in her hand into the rock above her head, and momentarily forget some of her troubles as she overlooks the scenery from atop the mountain.

Drifting snow strikes her face, leaving traces that look like streaks of tears.

Doctor, Master Arctosz has begun to move.

We've also heard that the Silverashes are reinforcing the pass.

So far, everything is proceeding as you have planned.

So she's here.

This is as far as you go, Rhodes Islander.

Hm?

I remember your codename. You're Sharp.

Lucky the Doctor brought some spare clothes.

So that's what's going on. This entire army is both the genuine article and also a decoy.

To be precise, this plan was specially tailored to you.

The Doctor had to plan for a contingency that included a woman strong enough to tear any plan to shreds.

I am not Enciodes. The admiration and respect of my enemies mean nothing to me.

The only thing I need of my enemies is for them to be strewn across the ground.

Then you're in luck. You've got a whole army of opponents right in front of you.

You're the only one in this crowd worthy of being my opponent.

Degenbrecher shakes her head, sighing as if offering an immutable truth within her opinion.

Sharp looks at the woman before him, and for some reason, is reminded of his friend Stormeye, a fellow elite operator.

Stormeye would've been very happy to face an opponent like her.

But to him, whether mingling with the army here, or dealing with Degenbrecher, all of this is just a part of the job.

It's a shame, an enemy's respect doesn't do much for me either.

I dislike glory, but you don't seem to care about it at all.

Nothing personal. It's just business.

Just business?

Doing business requires professionalism. Only an amateur would bring personal feelings to the job.

There's nothing worth bragging about when it comes to my combat abilities. It's just one of my tools to get the job done.

Hahaha, I like the way you think.

I've always despised self-righteous challengers, pumped up on their skills or ideals.

And, without exception, I crushed them all underfoot.

I have heard of your feats as The Black Knight.

A Leithanian who cannot use Arts, rendering all dignity and pride worthless before your greatsword.

Where is that greatsword, by the way?

Waving something like that around in this unsophisticated place would only scare the natives, so I decided to switch weapons.

Not that it matters what I use, though.

Degenbrecher flourishes the blade in her hand, and in the blink of an eye, the wind and snow itself seem to cleave in two.

As for me, I was promised victory.

Sharp bends forward slightly, placing his hand on the hilt of the standard-issue knife at his waist.

Degenbrecher notices a familiar scent from him.

Back when she was in Kazimierz, only a few people gave off this same scent.

The scent of war.