The Promised World
Imperial Commander: Hrrrgh...
Imperial Officer: To think I would find men of the Empire in such a shameful, wretched state!
Imperial Officer: We recently received word that sylvans in the Halidom have staged a coup.
Imperial Officer: And yet you cravens would sit here and let this golden chance slip through your fingers? Disgusting, all of you!
Imperial Commander: B-but we're deathly ill... There's nothing to be done...
Imperial Officer: Silence! As of this moment, I am taking command of this unit. You will return to the capital and face punishment for allowing our troops to be annihilated.
Imperial Officer: All men who are of courage, follow me! Leave the rest for the wolves and ravens! We will storm that loathsome, treacherous prince's castle and take it for our own!
Sylvan Warrior: The imperials are closing in!
Luca: Well, it's about time.
Young Sylvan: Uh, Luca? There's a lot of them. Like, a LOT a lot.
Luca: Looks like they got some healthy reinforcements. This might be more trouble than I first thought.
Young Sylvan: SWEET MOTHER OF MERCY, THERE'S SO MANY OF THEM!
Sylvan Archer: And only us sylvans stand between them and utter annihilation.
Luca: We have to do this, or there was no point in chasing Euden out!
Imperial Officer: Are these pathetic nature lovers really all that's protecting the Halidom? What a stroke of luck!
Imperial Officer: Crush the sylvans! Leave none alive!
???: Raaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaagh!
Imperial Officer: Ah, what a valiant cry! I'm sure those sylvans are quaking in their very—
Imperial Soldier: S-sir, that's not us! It's the enemy!
Imperial Officer: WHAT enemy?!
Imperial Soldier: Behind us, sir! The New Alberians! It's an ambush!
Imperial Officer: But I heard there was a sylvan revolt— and a grave illness besides!
Imperial Soldier: That's what I heard too, but... Gyaaaaaa!
Ranzal: Sorry, pal, but ya heard wrong. We're tip-top and ready to rock!
Imperial Officer: Wh-why...? How...?
Euden: The sylvans didn't revolt—they brokered a deal to protect us from the sickness.
Elisanne: This plan also had the advantage of luring some over-confident imperial commander into a trap of our own devising.
Imperial Officer: D-damn you...!
Euden: C'mon, everyone! This is our chance!
New Alberian Soldiers: Yeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaah!
Ranzal: Right then! A toast to victory!
Everyone: Cheeeeers!
Euden: This is thanks to your quick thinking, Luca. We are in your debt—all of us.
Luca: Whoa, what's up with the formalities? You know I'd do whatever it takes to see my friends safe.
Euden: True—but if you didn't force us out of the Halidom, who knows what we'd be going through right about now?
Ranzal: It was a real humdinger of an idea. Frankly, I'm surprised it came outta yer noggin! ...Er, no offense.
Luca: Well, since the approaching soldiers were also getting sick, I figured the cause had to be somewhere in the Halidom.
Notte: Which was true, because we all healed up quick once we left.
Elisanne: Still, I am unclear as to why your plan required the pretense of false mutiny.
Elisanne: Would it not have been easier to tell us your reasoning rather than engage in such dissembling?
Luca: Yeah, but see, I didn't KNOW anything. It was all guesswork. ...Plus, you never woulda left if I just asked real nicely.
Luca: Not like it took long for folks to figure out I was lyin', anyway.
Euden: Well, I certainly believed you at first. You had such a serious look in your eyes!
Cleo: Luca is correct. Had he not taken this action, I'm certain everyone would have hesitated if told to abandon the castle.
Euden: So here's to you, Luca—and all the rest of the sylvans!
Euden: Thank you.
Cleo: And yet, we cannot celebrate for long; we still need to find and eradicate the source of this disease.
Luca: Oh, that? Don't worry about it. I already figured it out.
Cleo: Truly?!
Luca: Oh yeah—and I'm gonna take care of it. Everyone come back to the Halidom in, like, three days. Okay?
Cleo: What was that illness, anyway? And what is it you're planning on doing, Luca?
Luca: Well, you see...
Cleo: Y-yes...?
Luca: ...Actually, I think I'm gonna keep quiet about it for now!
Notte: Awwwww, whaaaaat?! Why?!
Luca: Because it'd ruin the surprise!
Elisanne: I am not certain this is the kind of thing where surprises should be included.
Euden: Elly's right. Plus, if you tell us the cause, we might be able to do something about it.
Luca: And let you take all the credit? Fat chance, bud!
Ranzal: I ain't sure whether to hug this guy or kill him where he stands...
Notte: And here we thought you were all grown-up. You'll never change, man!
Luca: Sh-shut up! Besides, what's it matter?
Notte: Awww, he's pouting. Adorbs!
Everyone: Ha ha ha!
Luca: Still, I don't know how I'm going to break this to the rest of the sylvans.
Luca: I mean, who'da thunk the álfr tree would go and make everyone sick?
Luca: Guess we don't have a choice...
Luca: All right. Let's do this thing.
???: Wait!
Luca: Muh?!
Luca: Sarisse? Guys? What're you doin' here?
Sarisse: We thought you were acting weird, so we followed you.
Luca: Wait, you ALL followed me here? Man, something must really be wrong with me if I didn't notice a whole pack.
Sylvan Warrior: There IS something wrong with you, Luca. Do you know what you're trying to do?
Luca: Yeah. I'm gonna cut down the álfr tree.
Sarisse: And THEN what, genius?! Do you have any idea how the other sylvans will respond?!
Sylvan Warrior: They'll stop acknowledging you as sylvan. You'll be an outcast. Banished. Alone. Forbidden to visit even your own home.
Sarisse: Are you seriously okay with that?
Luca: That's WHY I'm doing it— so no one else has to.
Sylvan Archer: So you'll be the one to shoulder all the blame?
Luca: It's nothing cool and admirable like that. ...It's just, I made a promise.
Luca: I'm going to make a home for EVERYONE.
Sarisse: And that promise is worth your entire life and heritage?
Luca: Mascula didn't hesitate when he learned what mattered, and I ain't gonna do it either.
Luca: So yeah, Sarisse. I'll give all that up.
Sarisse: Rrrr! You are SUCH an idiot sometimes!
Luca: I always wanted the barriers between races to go away.
Luca: But I feel like I won't make any progress so long as I keep calling myself a sylvan.
Luca: So I'm going to stop thinking of myself like one!
Sarisse: You're going to WHAT?!
Luca: At the end of the day, I'm the same as everyone else that lives in this world.
Luca: And that means my race is the entire planet! I'm a planetian!
Sarisse: Are you serious right now?
Sylvan Warrior: Only you could make that up, Luca.
Young Sylvan: Especially since it sounds kinda dumb.
Luca: C'mon, I'm bein' serious!
Sylvan Warrior: Oh, we know. ...So should we get started or what?
Luca: Er, started on what?
Sarisse: Cutting down the álfr tree, obviously.
Luca: Er, didn't you come to stop me?
Sylvan Archer: That was the plan when we thought you were doing some crazy, half-baked idea.
Sylvan Warrior: But then you told us you were going to give up your sylvan heritage.
Sylvan Warrior: So I'm going to join you.
Luca: So that means...
Sylvan Warrior: Yep! I'm a planetian!
Young Sylvan: Me too!
Sarisse: And I suppose we can't have Luca being a planetian while his sis is still sylvan.
Luca: Guys, are you sure about this?
Young Sylvan: Not getting cold feet, are you?
Luca: No—I just didn't expect all of you to be such idiots!
Sarisse: Hello, pot. It's kettle. Nice to meetcha! Anyway, enough snark. We've got some work to do—right, Luca?
Luca: Yep! I'm going to make a home where everyone can finally live in peace.
Luca: And I'll cross any barrier and break any rule to see that happen!
Luca: So hold on, Mascula! I'm coming!
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