"All know the way. Few walk it." -Proverb Newbie Studios presents a Rocketarian Pictures production in association with Improfanfic [*] Suikoden: Distant Shores Original concept by Todd Harper and Illyria [*] Chapter 14: "A Name to Follow" by Swordfish >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> A cold wind blew through Lindael, the Capital of Heresha. It blew over rooftops, through alleyways, past citizens and guard alike, and right up to the walls of Saints Castle. What no one who felt the wind knew was that this wind had a face. A face whose eyes peered out from over a black mask. Right up the side of the castle wall. Over, past two guards asleep on duty, and back down to land in a side courtyard less than 100 feet from the door to the wing with the council members' suites. He glanced around to make sure that no one had spotted him, and quietly walked inside. ----------- Elsewhere in the castle, Adele was on patrol. 'It's not that I'm having trouble sleeping,' she explained to herself, 'It's just that the safety of the officials of Heresha is paramount. The reason I'm here has nothing to do with any terrible nightmares about Tavia, or what happened at Heimdal Academy. Absolutely nothing at all.' With that firmly in mind, she turned the corner just in time to see a bit of movement, as it disappeared around the next corner. ----------- The hallways were laid out exactly the same as on the map he had memorized. Right, then left, then right again. Up those stairs, the third door on the left. No guards. He paused to listen for sounds inside the door. Then silently he opened the door, only to hear the words, "Halt! Intruder!" screamed from behind him. --------- Adele followed that bit of black shadow. It seemed to flit in and out of sight, but just when she thought that she had lost it, it would jump around another corner, or up a flight of stairs. It finally stopped in front of Governer Sere's door. 'What could it be doing? Why did it stop?' Adele thought as she watched this big black blob of shadow open the door without making a sound. "Halt! Intruder!" Adele screamed at the top of her lungs. --------- For someone who had always prided himself on his speed and fighting skills, he was doing remarkably poorly against one young woman, who, from the somewhat gaunt look on her face, should have been a pushover. In the small amount of time they had been fighting he had already taken several light hits, and had utterly failed to respond to any of them. Also his target had fled the room, and presumably the wing, screaming bloody murder. This would be utterly humiliating if he had to report back to his superiors, since he was paid to kill people quietly and without anyone noticing. He could almost hear his boss now, "You lost to a little girl? What do I pay you for? Your origami skills?" It would be most embarrassing, and he wasn't entirely sure that he would live through the experience. Perhaps it was time to go and do some solitary training in the mountains somewhere far away. With this thought in mind he tried to maneuver his opponent towards the window so that he could make a break for the door. But she seemed to catch on to his plan instantly, and the fight started to turn south as she redoubled her attacks. He realized then that there was only one other way out of the room. Fortunately he was only on the second floor, and jumping out of the window at this height would not be anything near lethal. This time he maneuvered her into a clinch, just for a second, more than long enough to take his free hand and drop a smoke bomb in between them as they broke apart. As the room filled up with foul smelling, but otherwise harmless, smoke, he quickly rushed over to the window. Releasing the catch and sending the window flying open, he leapt to the ground some twenty feet below, and dashed off, right back the way he had come into the castle. --------- Adele coughed and sputtered, trying vainly to find her opponent. Finally she stumbled over to the open window and caught a glimpse of him as he vaulted over the parapet of the outer wall. Peering through the billowing cloud of smoke, Adele turned back towards where she thought the door was. As she walked into the cloud of smoke she noticed several forms coming towards her. She readied her sword again, preparing to finish her opponent. As she got closer she was able to discern who it was with her in the smoke. "Lieutenant Adele, I'm glad to see that you are alright," Devon said calmly as the smoke began to clear. He saluted crisply, and continued, "I'm sure that Governor Sere will be very appreciative that you have prevented her assassin from reaching his intended target. I will of course report to you in the morning about our findings tonight. Perhaps it would be best if you went and got some rest." "Thank you. I would appreciate that," Adele sheathed her sword. "I will await your report in my suite." 'A Malespoir shows no weakness,' she chanted in her mind, as her body demanded that she collapse where she stood. After steadying herself, she strode purposefully out of the suite and walked all the way back to her bedroom. After the door to her private room was firmly locked, she fell onto her bed in exhaustion. By the time her head hit the pillow she had fallen into a deep and dreamless slumber. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Tavia's footsteps echoed hollowly as she walked under the archway into a large room. Above her head hung a series of chandeliers running the length of the hall. Each chandelier held several Glow Globes similar to the others lighting the rest of the building. "I think that this would make a good dining room," Tavia commented, "It's what I always imagined a banquet hall would look like." Tavia walked toward the raised platform at the end of the hall. On her way she stopped to poke at several piles of ash with bits of wood still in them. "Sure, but what are we going to do with the other five rooms like this?" Reid asked, trying to pin down exactly what Tavia's plans for the huge castle were. "I don't know, I'm sure we will think of something. We can always use the extra space for storage, or something like that," Tavia replied as she stepped up onto the dais and looked back at Reid. "Yes, but we need to know what we are going to store in them, and how much, and all sorts of other small details," Reid explained. "You're right," Tavia sighed as she turned to go back to the main hall on the floor below. "But I just can't think like that. I need someone to plan this all out. Maybe Li could do it. Besides, we need to go and get the rest of the troops anyways." Reid followed Tavia out of the room. "You sure are excited today. Is there something different that I missed?" Tavia looked back and grinned, "No, for some reason I just feel, I don't know, up. It's really strange. I mean, looking ahead to everything that needs to get done, just to be able to live here. It's a big task. Maybe too big, but I can't help but feel happy today for some reason." With that Tavia broke out into a laughing run, leading Reid around to the central staircase to the main hall. Tavia raced down the stairs to the main entrance hall, where the rest of the group was waiting. She ran right past Alaric, who had just started up the stairs to look for her and Reid, skidding to a halt in front of Alyssa, laughing hard and nearly out of breath. "Okay team, it's time to go and get everyone to come on up," Tavia yelled to the others. "Baren. Kaleen. You two stay here, and make sure that no one else tries to conquer it. It may not be much but it's all we have. Alaric, Alyssa, Reid, you three are with me. We're going to go tell the others to pick up the pace and get here as soon as possible." "Tavia, perhaps you should stay here where it's safe, while some of the rest of us give Kyrina and Lierni the go ahead to start moving the troops here," Reid suggested. "No," Tavia giggled as Reid's face fell. "And I'll tell you why. One because I should be the one to tell the troops that the castle is secured and that everybody is safe. And two I need to talk to Lierni." "You are wise, oh exalted leader," Kaleen said as he leaned toward Baren with his hands hovering near his weapons, "but perhaps you would consider leaving someone other than this unwashed barbarian here with me?" "Someone you could easily overpower with your army of fleas, you mean?" Baren gripped his spear tightly and shifted his feet. "Boy, boys. Let's not get excited now," Alyssa soothed. "I'm sure that the two of you can work out your differences and guard the castle peaceably until we get back with the rest of the army." "I've been thinking, Tavia, just calling it 'the army' hardly inspires love or fear in the hearts of men, perhaps you should rename 'the army' to something more appropriate," suggested Reid. "Hmmm. I think that The Crescent Freedom Army would be a good name," Tavia said with a slight quaver in her voice. "You know, I like that," Reid agreed. He flashed Tavia a brief smile. "It is a name that will make our enemies run in fear," said Kaleen, as he straightened from his crouch. "Good. I'm glad that you all like it. Now, let's go and get The Crescent Freedom Army!" >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> The Sindar ruins never had looked like much from the outside, just a cluster of moss covered hills in the middle of a bug infested swamp. But for Tavia they were the best thing she had seen all day. The number of monsters and aggressive animals on the roads was getting ridiculous. And either they were getting stronger, or she was getting weaker. Her stomach rumbled as if to remind her that very shortly she would be getting a lot weaker unless she appeased its appetites. Which did not surprise her much, considering everything that she had done today. Tavia sighed and shrugged. It was something to look into later when she had more time to do things like finding out where this endless population of tigers was coming from. The caped squirrels she had understood, squirrels bred like rabbits, but eight tigers, in four groups of two, was just too much coincidence for her taste. Tavia looked to her companions as they approached the ruins turned fortress. Alaric still looked uneasy, but Alyssa was doing her best to cheer him up, which was not really working all that well in Tavia's opinion. Reid looked lost in thought, though he seemed to do that a lot. Maybe that was one of the reasons she liked him, he always thought about things before it came time to act, but then when it was time to do something, he would choose a course and stick to it. The day's watch waved as Tavia and her companions approached the front entrance to the ruins. Tavia waved back as the stone gates to the ruins opened wide to let them in. Tavia was greeted with cheers as she walked into the main courtyard of her soon to be former base of operations. She stood there for a moment wondering, 'Do they really think that much of me?' before she spotted Lierni talking with some of the section commanders about something. "...Daniel you'll leave tomorrow morning just after breakfast. Try to go as fast as possible, we need someone to guard the castle and approaches while the rest of us come up. Remember to keep your troops fairly spaced out we don't want the Hereshans to see us," Lierni said as Tavia walked up. The section leaders turned to salute Tavia. Lierni sighed, "Alright go get your sections organized, and be ready to march tomorrow." "Admit it. You love that, Li," Tavia said after watching the four semi officers of her new army leave. "It's Lierni. And no, not really, but somebody has to do it," Lierni grumped. "It would be good to get some one to take over doing that sort of thing soon, we're getting more and more troops, and we'll need someone to organize them better than I can." "You're right, but who?" Tavia asked with a shrug. "No clue. Most of the good generals and strategists that I knew were either at the academy or in the capital. I doubt that any of them will help us." Tavia grinned irrepressibly, "Another problem that we'll simply have to deal with another day, I guess." "So you're still alive, I see," Lierni said dryly. "Yeah. We even ran that pesky ghost out of the castle," Tavia grinned like the cat who had just swallowed the canary. "Will wonders never cease," Lierni continued in the same tone of voice, "And now I suppose that you need someone to make sense out of this big drafty castle of yours." Lierni began walking towards the tables being set out for the grand feast in celebration of Tavia's 'triumphant' return. "Why yes. However did you know?" Tavia gasped as she turned to go into the dining area. When she stepped through the door to the mess the cheers were almost overwhelming. Shouts of "Our Leader", "White Cloud Castle", and "For Freedom" were the most common things heard of above the rest of the shouting. Tavia raised her arms over her head. "Thank you," Tavia began as her troops fell silent. "Yes, we have secured White Cloud Castle." Tavia had to pause to let the cheers subside again. "And I hear from Lierni that we will march for it tomorrow at day break. "I'd like to say a few words before we begin dinner," Tavia continued. "When Senrou led this army you were his army, dedicated to Senrou's ideals of revolutionizing our corrupt government into a fair and just organization that would treat all of its citizens equally. "Senrou sacrificed his life so that you could live and help to carry on his dream," Tavia felt her heart begin to race. Several of the older members of Senrou's Liberation Army shouted out a 'Here, here' while Tavia paused for breath. She had been trying to plan this moment the entire journey here, and now that it was upon her she had no clue what to say. "Now you have chosen me to lead you. And while I'm not Senrou, I share his dream of a just government for ALL of the people." Several people spoke out to say things like 'For the people', and 'For equality'. "But neither is this just Senrou's Liberation army any more. The Heimdal cadets have joined us in our fight to free this country." Upon hearing themselves mentioned the Heimdal cadets gave a short but loud cheer. "So it seems fitting that this army be given a new name: The Crescent Freedom Army," Tavia posed for a second as the assembled troops began to applaud and shout. As this crescendoed into applause that would threaten to shake the ruins apart, Tavia sat down abruptly on her bench. "Very well done, Tavia. In one fell swoop you have managed to raise their morale, again I might add, ensure their loyalty, and give them a sense of identity," Lierni ticked each point off on one of her fingers. "Yeah, but I think I might need to go and lie down. I'm feeling kinda weak after all of that," Tavia admitted. From Tavia's other side Reid interjected, "Half a day's walk, fighting off eight tigers, and you're just feeling kinda weak. For someone who has only eaten a light breakfast you're in remarkably good shape." "You should take better care of yourself Tavia," Lierni clucked as she stood up. She then promptly walked into the kitchen and brought out a tray loaded with bread. She set it none too gently in front of Tavia and said, "Eat. Then we'll try to get you out of here quietly so that you can get some undisturbed sleep." >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Haran Evenwier, the Governer of Monies of Heresha, the richest person in Lindael, and all around not nice person, was happy. So happy in fact that he had simply fired one of his errand boys for leaving cold coffee on his desk, as opposed to having him executed or thrown in jail for life. He also had yet to scream, yell, or throw a tantrum this afternoon. Needless to say, the rest of his office staff feared for their very lives. They went about their various tasks with a renewed sense of vigor and fear. Each and every single one of them did his or her personal best to ensure the smooth operation of Evenwier's office. This effort would have been much more effective if Evenweir had noticed that any of it was occurring. He, however, did not notice it at all. In fact, he noticed very little sitting in his chair basking in the warm afternoon sun. Even when the shadows in the room darkened considerably, Evenweir simply thought that a cloud had crossed the sun, and gave it not another thought. It was not until a six foot five inch tall form covered head to foot in midnight black armor stepped out of those same shadows that Evenweir was broken from his reverie. "You're back," Evenweir said as he swiveled around to face his guest. "I thought I commanded you to make sure that Governor Sere died." Evenweir said as he leaned forward to rest his arms on his large oak desk. "You did," the large dark warrior replied flatly, "However, the plans you gave us showed that there would be no guards patrolling the hallways once my assassin entered the castle proper." "Yes, unfortunate twist of fate that," Evenweir grinned. "But it turned out for the best. The evidence you planted in Aisha's room worked splendidly, even that Malespoir brat was convinced that our dear General Nevenheim had had a hand in the assassination attempt." "I am glad to see you so pleased." "You should be," Evenweir retorted. "Since this means that you will be leading our forces in the field. I expect that there will be no problems in eliminating that pesky revolutionary army down south, or with disposing of the Wind Children now that they have served their purpose." "The Wind Children disbanded after the fight at Bristow," Evenwier's Dark guest informed him. "I have learned that your 'pesky revolutionary army' has gone to ground in White Cloud Castle. It would be no easy task to attack them there. However, I have a plan to lure them out. And before you ask, two of my agents in Lierstam have reported success in their assignments and await further orders." "Good," Evenweir leaned back in his chair and steepled his fingers in front of him. "You may use any means necessary to get rid of our revolutionary friends. I don't care how it gets done so long as they are dead. As for your agents in Lierstam, tell them that they should wait until it is time to begin phase two of our invasion plans." "As you wish," the dark knight replied. "I will see to it immediately." He turned and stepped back towards the shadows from which he had come. "Oh, and my dear newly appointed general," Evenweir said too sweetly as he turned to go. "You had best not fail this time or I will truly give you something to fear." The Black Knight turned back to face Evenweir, and said in a low voice, "There is only one thing that I fear. My brother. I haven't seen him lately." The dark warrior stared into Evenweir's eyes for a moment. Then he turned and stalked off to disappear into the shadows near the door. Evenweir turned back to the window, his attention now fixed on the tower across the main courtyard from his office. The same tower that held Adele's sleeping quarters. "Perhaps, we should find something more for you to fear, my dear Black Knight." >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Lierni made a quick note on her clipboard and said, "I think that about does it. With this layout we should be able to comfortably house and feed everyone, and still have space in which to renovate." Alouette glanced down to see what she had just written and whispered to Reid, "If that's her idea of comfort I would hate to see her idea of cramped quarters, non?" "If you don't like it you can always sleep outside," Lierni offered. "Now that we're done..." Lierni trailed off as a big glowing blue ball of light began to materialize behind Alouette at the head of the hall. Alouette turned to see what Lierni was staring at. His mouth dropped open in a big 'O' of surprise for a second before he said, "Maybe we should get Tavia." Lierni nodded as Alouette turned to find Tavia and Reid standing at the entrance way to the hall, with fifty or so cadets milling around in confusion behind them. Tavia stepped forward and bowed to Leknaat. 'Why did I do that?' Tavia thought quietly to herself while trying fiercely to keep a straight face. "It is good to see you doing so well, Tavia," intoned Leknaat. "I have come to tell you about your destiny." Leknaat stepped aside to reveal a man of middle height with brown hair, startling green eyes, and delicate almost bishounen features. He was carrying an iron tipped staff that was nearly as long as he was tall. He wore a simple pair of sky blue pants with a matching vest and a white long sleeved shirt underneath. Beside him, defying all known laws of physics by floating almost a full foot off of the ground, stood two large granite tablets. "Thank you, Lady Leknaat. It would be of great help to hear more of what I'm going to do here," Tavia said as she approached Leknaat. Leknaat gave a sage nod to Tavia and began, "The times have grown dark once again. Thus as is tradition the Stars of Destiny are gathering as well. Only you, Tavia, have the power to collect all of the Stars and stop these evil times. "But be forewarned, there are those who would keep you from your destiny. You must overcome these obstacles and fulfill your destiny, or the land will be plunged into darkness forever. "To help you in your quest I present you with the 'Tablets of Destiny'. These tablets hold the names of all of the Stars of Destiny, whom you gave gathered to your cause. I also present you with my pupil, Luc. He guards the Tablets, and will help you on your path to victory." Tavia bowed again. Then Leknaat stepped back, and another glowing ball of blue light began to form around her. "Farewell, Tavia. Gather the Stars to you and fulfill your destiny." As the sound of the blind seer's voice faded so did the glowing blue light. When the light was gone so was Leknaat. The silence was overwhelming. No one in the room wanted to be the next to speak. Finally Luc, having the most experience with Leknaat said, "You get used to that. By the way, where do you want me to set up? This looks ideal right here." Luc pushed the 'Tablets of Destiny' up against the far wall right between the stairs going up and the stairs going down. They lowered slowly to the floor making a resounding thud as they touched the ground. With that accomplished he sat down in front of them and looked around at the gathered people. "Not very professional," he remarked coolly, while fanning himself with his hands. "Suppose that can't be helped, though most of the 'heroes' as she calls them start out much better. Well, I guess I'm stuck here until you win." Luc paused to look at Tavia, and said, "Well. Aren't you going to introduce yourself and your friends here?" "Uh sure. I'm Tavia, and this is Reid," Tavia began, "That's Alouette and Lierni over there and this is 'A' squad of The Army." Tavia considered sweat-dropping, but decided that it would be too much trouble. "Where are Alaric and Alyssa? Oh, and it says here that you already have Baren and Kaleen too," Luc commented upon glancing at the Tablets. "They are outside with Kyrina, making sure that the last couple hundred troops make it to the castle safely," Reid stepped up beside Tavia, not liking Luc one bit and having no clue as to why. Meanwhile Lierni had approached Luc and was closely examining his right hand. "A common wind rune," she pronounced. Luc's face seemed to screw up some, whether in disgust or contempt it was hard to tell. "Just 'a common wind rune' she says," Luc sneered. "It may be just 'a common wind rune', but I am no common rune user. I have studied with the Seer Leknaat, for many years. I have fought beside the first star in heaven, not once, but twice already. I worked closely with both Mazus and Crowley, the two most powerful rune users in the land. And you think that in my hands it is still just 'a common wind rune'?" "Yes, I do." With that, Lierni 'harrumphed' and stalked out of the room taking Alouette with her. "Well, that went well," Reid mumbled to Tavia, who was standing with her mouth hanging open in an ever-widening grin. "Who thought that such a nice looking guy could be so arrogant?" "Yes, but he mirrored Lierni's attitude almost perfectly," Tavia giggled, "And he even one-upped her at it." Reid could not help but join Tavia with a slightly muffled chuckle at the thought of someone one-upping Lierni. "Come on. We had better warn the others," Tavia said as she turned to leave, still smiling but with her giggles under control. "About what, Luc's personality, or Lierni's mood?" Reid asked taking the bait. "Both," Tavia replied as she broke down and let the giggle fit seize her. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Notes: -Stars Recruited: Luc, Tenkan Star. The choosing a new name for the army bit is included in every game. As well as the whole speech from Leknaat. Tablets of Destiny are also there now. With Luc standing in front of them as always. Several characters introduced in this chapter can be recruited. But remember just because someone from a previous game is introduced, does not mean that they have to be recruited. That Ninja guy, who Adele defeats in the opening scenes could be recruited. Ninjas are fairly traditional in Suikoden games, and to see several of them crop up is fairly common. Aisha is now seriously on the outs with the Hereshan government. She would probably make a good tactician for Tavia's army. However, as of right now she is sitting in jail cell in Lindael pending a trial. I'd like to take some time to thank those people who have helped me with ideas and suggestions. So thank you Illyria, Todd, Scott, Stephica, and Jeffery. -Swordfish.