>>5699376You initially settle on Mina as your choice of hostage. As there’s no way you’d ever enter her in the Cúig Triail, it seems a no-brainer. But the more you see of those Sreng raiders, the less you like the idea. The majority of them are male, and each one seems hyper-fixated on slaughtering you and yours, or perhaps doing much worse. Mina being Mina, you’d feel uncomfortable leaving her to the whims of Leif’s men. Sebastian though is a much more suitable alternative. While ordinarily he’d be a huge asset in these trials, the man is still recovering from his wounds, and would be unlikely to compete. That being said, he was still a hulking behemoth of a man, and less likely to be subjected to the whims of the Sreng raiders than Mina would. He also shared the same desire as you did to put himself in danger before the others in the company. If this was the only way he could do so, you knew he’d welcome the opportunity.
>“Very well. I’ve settled on my hostage.”Leif nods. “Good, as have I. We’ll send them over to each other within the hour. In the meantime, I’d suggest you take refuge in your tower and prepare yourselves. We have much work to do out here after all, and you’ll likely want to make the most of your remaining time left.” Leif boasts about his chances of victory, and yet you get the feeling he doesn’t actually care. This man was a strange one. How did he know Sylvain? And just what were his intentions? He’d mentioned an upcoming battle with southerners. Was he referring to his plans to raid Faerghus? Or was there something else at play here? You’d love to get to the bottom of things fast, but for now, you had work to do. The two of you shake hands, and head to back to your respective armies.
“What the hell is going on?” Asks an exasperated Corrine upon your return, axe drawn and resting at her side.
You explain the situation to the assembled Blackwings. Already exhausted from the events of Gronder, no one is particularly happy to hear the news. By the end of your tale though, they seem to be in sullen agreement that these “trials” are a far better alternative than defending this worthless tower to the death.
“Commander.” Sebastian calls for you. The man is utterly enraged. At first you believe that he’s upset over your decision to choose him as hostage. You’re prepared to defend yourself when he reveals his thoughts. “That man…the one you said is the ‘First Blade of Sreng’. The sword he is carrying…I’m confident that weapon is Mercurius.”
>“Mercurius?” You’d never heard the name before.Sebastian nods. “It’s a sword of great renown, only a notch under the Hero’s Relics. It was forged during the original War of the Eagle and Lion. It’s a prized regalia that belonged to House Blaiddyd. Dimitri's house.” He clenches his teeth. “I saw it once during my time serving King Lambert. They called it the Shooting Star Sword. Why does he have it?”
