>>5506150Silence follows as Ashe seems to contemplate what you have just said. What a horrendous reunion this has turned out to be. And yet, for having often wondered how you would ever break the revelation to him, you feel a sense of relief for finally getting things off your chest.
“This is…a lot to take in, Blair.” Ashe finally says, after what feels like an eternity. “I always knew that there had been something off about those two. But it never occurred to me that they might not be…human. Do you…have any proof?”
>“No.” You bark. “At least not any proof presently with me. There’s a woman. She is Agarthan herself, only she’s turned against the rest of them. She’s allied with us and is currently in Ordelia right now. You’ve met her once before, back in Rusalka. Her name was Alena.”Ashe paces around his cell, appearing as though he were in turmoil. “Forgive me, this is just…” He shakes his head, and then looks at you determinedly. “I don’t know if I can take all this at face value just yet, Blair. But I do know that in all the time we’ve been together, you’ve never given me reason to doubt you. So, I’ll help you. You say this guy in Ordelia is kidnapping villagers? Whether he’s a monster or a human, he sounds like someone that needs to be stopped. And if along the way, I find out more about these…Agarthans, then all the better. So yes, I’ll join the Blackwings.”
>“Ashe!” You feel a sense of joy before Corrine cuts in.“What about your siblings?” Corrine asks. “Will they be okay while you come with us?”
Ashe nods. “I left them in the care of a trusted friend, and they have plenty of gold to get by for the time being. And hey, now that I’m a mercenary, it sounds like I’ll still have a steady stream of gold to keep sending them. I’ll write them a letter explaining I’ll be tied up for a while.”
“And your Count?”
Ashe shrugs. “After the loss he just suffered, he won’t notice one knight missing. I imagine he’s liable to think I perished in the fighting. Which works well enough for me. Regardless of my feelings towards the Church of Seiros, I’m done fighting against Prince Dimitri and the Kingdom.”
>“Then it’s settled! I’ll tell the Professor you’re coming with us, and they’ll let you out! The Blackwings are stationed at the old barracks. You can find us there.”Ashe gives you a formal military salute. The action almost seems comical given that it’s coming from behind iron bars. “Thank you…Commander! I look forward to working under you!”
You depart the dungeon with Corrine in tow, elated at the prospect that you’ve not only been reunited with Ashe, but that he’ll be joining your company as well.
“What a strange boy.” Corrine muses. “I just don’t understand what you see in him.”
>A): I still love him>B): He’s a dear friend I won’t abandon>C): He’s a useful person to have fighting with us>D): Write-in 