Asuna Recital's Story

The sunlight slowly poured in on the window of the infirmary where the red-haired Knight was treated following the last battle. She felt a presence standing beside her, probably having been in the room for quite a while now. Slowly, she rose up and faced the one person she didn't expect to visit her.
"Feeling better? I have something to ask of you." Avicebron immediately briefs Rasiel. Rasiel rubbed the sleep of her eyes and checked her arms.
"I would've liked to stay in and be present for my unit's last rites..." She sighed and stared at Avicebron straight in the eye. "But I doubt you'll let me do that. I doubt you have any intention of respecting my decision if I don't go with this job."
"You understand me well. Come. Get changed into your armor and follow me. Your unit was already buried a few hours ago. The Transient is being repaired so I'll provide you with your weapon. Follow me." Avicebron immediately turns around to leave, leaving Rasiel with no choice but to obey her superior.

Upon arriving at the place Avicebron led her to, which was the fishing harbor, Rasiel has spotted a large crowd that gathered around. Avicebron confidently walked up to them and forced his way through to go directly in front, dragging Rasiel behind. It was there that Rasiel saw another woman, possessing red hair like her and with a sword by her side.
"As I said before, I'm merely lost and shipwrecked. I didn't come here to pick a fight nor bewitch anyone for that matter." The girl explains to the crowd again, keeping her hand by the handle of her blade as she took a few steps backwards. Rasiel looks up and saw a rather large boat stranded by the side.
"I-It's huge..." Rasiel stood in awe, completely oblivious to the banter Avicebron was having with the woman.

"Well sorry if we don't believe you. You strike us as rather...odd, to say the least. If you say that you are merely shipwrecked, then why keep your hand ready by your weapons." Avicebron was rather stern in saying these words, even motioning for one of his two Knights, the female one, to step forward and draw her sword. This action prompted the foreigner to do the same.
"Ha! Your words are quite hypocritical considering the battalion you've assembled against me." As the girl prepares to face her enemy, Rasiel noticed her sword which glowed with an eerie white light.
"My lord, her weapon appears to be an Oriental sword. Against this variable, I don't think it's rather wise--"
"I didn't ask for your evaluation. If you think it's a bad idea then assist us in apprehending this witch!" Avicebron hands a longsword forged in his territory to Rasiel, urging her on to fight. Realizing she has no choice, she also stepped forward, moving slightly adjacent the other knight.

"Those swords...quite a craft but, you haven't really maintained it properly." The girl chuckled as she mocked Avicebron's weapons, much to his annoyance.
"These weapons were forged with the best materials we can get by the best blacksmiths in this city. You will eat those words when these girls get you begging for mercy. Rasiel, slay this infidel!"

Rasiel sighed. "Sorry." She silently apologized to the girl who merely nodded. Charging in using her magic, she immediately closed the distance and struck first but the woman simply parried her blow effortlessly, sliding her down the beach. With Rasiel down, the other Knight also charged in, striking with much power. But the woman simply dodged them with minimal effort. Soon, an intense sword fight went underway between the three girls. As the foreigner managed to push Rasiel away for the second time, the other Knight suddenly attacked from behind. Much to the crowd's surprise however, she managed to not only intercept the blade as it swung downwards, she also managed to snap it into two. Kicking away the mute adversary, she turned to Rasiel who immediately got up. Same thing, she intercepted the blade and broke it, causing Rasiel to go off-balance and crash to the ground--again.

"Like I said, proper maintenance." The girl looked on to a crowd who had now stepped back except for Avicebron who still stood dumbfounded.
"Impossible. You--!" Avicebron was rather furious now though he's still trying his hardest to conceal it. "Who are you really?"
"I don't feel like telling somebody who raises his swords at me the moment we meet. This isn't really a great business strategy in order to breed trust." She sheaths her blade and turns to her defeated adversaries.
"I would like to know as well." Rasiel asks as she picks herself up and dusts her clothes off. "Who you are, what your purpose is, where you came from--I would like to know."

The odd foreigner laughed and took a bow, similar to a count or someone raised in a high court in front of her. After the brief display, she introduced herself.
"My name is Asuna von Recital, a shipment guard and merchant of sorts hailing from the Transcendence Isles. I was originally en route towards the Priscillan group of islands but an unfortunate weather stirred the waters up and caused me to nearly capsize, forcing my mates to abandon ship. I manage to steer it here before we completely sank and had just arrived last night."
She suddenly walked up to her and took her hand though, surprising almost everyone in the crowd, especially Rasiel. "Do not worry. I do not mean anyone harm. What I did earlier was simple self-defense. I had no intention of killing either of you."
"I-Is that true?" Rasiel asks, a bit flustered.
"I assure you. My only intention was to trade with Priscilla; coming here was just an accident. Trust me, I won't hurt you, Princess." Much to the shock of most, she suddenly kissed Rasiel's hand, causing her to shake it loose.
"I-I appreciate the compliment but, I-I'm no princess...The princess is--"

The whole time, Flandre watched the proceedings from afar. Having recognized the blade, she sought out the other person she knew possessed a similar weapon.
"Robin, there is a commotion at the harbor. Rasiel has already gone there. Follow me." She heads into Robin's quarters and led him to the harbor where the unusual woman was.

Robin only nodded at the blacksmith, putting his blade back where it was and smiled. "Very well. Two days it is. I hope to see you soon then blacksmith. Same time." he walked silently back towards the place he was sleeping at when he arrived at the city when he bumped into Flandre. She explained that there was something going on at a harbor and Rasiel was already there.

"Didn't know we had one of those." he said in a hurried manner as he went with Flandre towards the harbor. He picked up his pace a bit as he noticed a bunch of people around Rasiel and someone who.....didn't look like she was around here. But he noted the sword at her hip was almost strikingly similar to his own. Old Bron was there and he didn't seem to like her.

"What is this commotion about? Is this how you people welcome strangers beyond the undrinkable water? Or is this how the Peacock welcomes them?" Robin asked, with the peacock part aimed directly for Bron. As far as he cared he didn't care what Bron said to him, just as he didn't care what the Noble said about him. As far as he knew some of the people cared he was just a tribal savage.

Nevertheless, he approached where Rasiel was, and simply sniffed the air near the two women, to try and garner a scent from the woman. He backed up a bit for fear the woman might draw her katana, yet he kept his hand on the handle of his own. "Friend?" was all he asked of her, trying not to catch anyone's eyes as he kept his strange grey eyes on the woman and Rasiel.

"What is this commotion about? Is this how you people welcome strangers beyond the undrinkable water? Or is this how the Peacock welcomes them?"

Flandre hears Robin makes a rather bad generalization of the people around. She immediately explains what she's observed thus far. "More like they're just being cautious. Unlike you who's still part of this continent, this woman was from a whole different world we live in. With this, even I can understand what old Bron thinks." Her eyes turned to his broken weapons. "Although he's probably just upset with losing to her."

Avicebron manages to regain his composure as he spoke to the foreigner again. "And now you're violating what's taboo. Didn't it ever occur to you that once in a foreign land, you must abide by its rules and customs?"

Asuna lets go of Rasiel's hand and turns to the people, specifically, the pyromancer in red. "Taboo? I'm just showing proper behavior in the presence of a princess."

"Umm...like I said, I'm not a princess..."

"Besides, how do you expect me to know what's taboo and what's not, what's acceptable and what isn't right off the bat? I've only been in this continent for about four hours at most."

"That's funny. For someone who's traveled the world, surely you're the one who knows best that not all customs are similar to your home country's. Such as that totally unacceptable display with our Rasiel earlier."

Asuna laughs out loud at that remark. "No. Out of all places I've visited, this is the first one who's scolded me for kissing a woman, on the hand I might add. All other places are embracing the change brought by radical youth and here you are clinging to old redundant traditions. You're rather backwards and left behind compared to the rest of the world. Enough. I've had enough of your preaching old man."

"O-Old man?"

"I wish to speak with someone of a higher authority regarding my situation. I request that I be granted an audience with a sovereign. A princess or your king would be appreciated." Asuna formally demands, more than requests.

"Very well then." Flandre steps up. "Seeing that you do not want being around our lord Avicebron any longer, I would escort you myself. Will that suffice?"

Asuna smiles and bows. "Much appreciated thank you. Oh, and can I ask someone to guard my ship?"

"So everything's resolved I take it? Oh well. I'll inform the other lords and court members of this situation."

Flandre whistles for three members of the Trojan Knights and orders them to guard Asuna's ship. Nodding to Asuna as a signal for her to follow, she started walking back, heading to the royal halls with the foreigner following behind. As she passed Robin, she heard her mutter something.

"Friend?"

She paused a bit to check Robin out. Her eyes were mostly drawn to Robin's blade. "That sword...it will serve you well in the long run. Heh...never let its spirit tarnish."

"So you survived your first night watch duty? Good morning." Rasiel chuckles as she approaches Robin. She watched Flandre walk away with Asuna following her. "I'm not sure we can go inside the royal hall but--" Suddenly, Flandre paused as Asuna ran back to them and grabs Rasiel's hand once more.

"I'll need a witness. I hope you don't mind~"

"A-ah! Please don't drag me around too much. Well, Robin see you later!"

---

The council was rather astonished by Asuna's story and situation. It took them a while to reach to some kind of conclusion mostly due to Avicebron almost turning the entire proceeding into a debate of sorts, which Asuna answered with calmness and ingenuity. After a lengthy two hours, the situation was finally settled.

"To repeat what was said inside: Since we do not have much of the materials nor capability to repair Count Recital's ship--"

"Count?" A woman among the Trojan Knights asked.

"Yes. Asuna Recital is apparently, a count from the Transcendence Isles. Carrying on: The higher authorities allowed her to setup her own shop of sorts. This will allow her to gather the materials and funding she needs to repair her ship."

"But--can we really spare the time? We still have to deal with the Spectral and Chrysalis threat here."

"Yes, she's been briefed on that as well. I don't quite understand her position but, she promised to fight if the need arises. Well, there's nothing you can do even if you don't like her. Since the king himself allowed it, who are we to judge?" Turning to Robin and Rasiel, she gives them an order. "You two, help her out with unloading her items. We'll resume our regular duties then. Rasiel, regarding your unit...never mind. We'll talk about it in the evening in the Knight's mission room." Flandre departs with her unit after these last reminders.

"Okay, let's go--Ah! You don't need to come aboard. I'll just throw them down from above." Asuna utters as she boards her ship--in a mere series of leaps--without needing any ladder whatsoever.

"Hey Robin? Don't you think this is rather exciting? I've always wondered how the situation is in other lands far from here. Do they face the same problem that we do? Or are things more peaceful over there?" Rasiel asks the man beside her.

"I'm taking the first one out now! Step back a bit." Asuna called out from above. Once the two have taken a step back, she gently threw down a crate, landing in some sort of cushion Rasiel laid out. The force was still enough to pop the lid off, revealing odd trinkets and items inside. Curious, Rasiel took out a small box-shaped compartment.

"What is this item?" She accidentally pressed a button, forcing a small head on a spring to pop out, shocking her. "Ah!!! What was that?!"

"Don't be alarmed. That's just a toy of sorts." Asuna laughed from above as she watched. "There's plenty more where that came from so look forward to it, Princess!"

"Like I said, I'm no princess..." Rasiel sighed.

Robin sighed realizing he said the wrong thing to Flamdre about the people of the city as a whole and not just aiming an insult to Bron. He then watched as he observed a conversation before he saw the strange woman look at his blade and complimenting him on having it and to take care of it.

Then Rasiel came to see him. "Rasiel!! You're alright! I got distracted fighting a magic wielding person an-" his talking was cut short when the foreigner took Rasiel and Rasiel apologizing. Robin stood in small perpetual silence. He almost looked like a lost puppy as he realized work stole both his friends away.

He then smiled. "They'll be back." as he thought this he sat on an empty crate, waiting for Flandre and Rasiel to come back.

---

They were back with the foreigner in less then two hours, the Foreigner was to set up shop. He halfway wondered if he could find something to make his room more lively to match his weapon and personality. He shrugged as he walked to Rasiel and Flandre as The latter told the former he and her were to help her unload her boat. She also said something about the future of Rasiel's unit but said it would come later. Robin frowned. He hoped that she'll find new Knights to fill in her unit.

And if Avicebron does anything to stop her...well, he was going to show him the Feral part of himself. He would make sure the man knew well to not mess with his friends.

He looked at Rasiel when he was asked a question and he really pondered. "I wonder as well at times. I've never seen lands beyond the Undrinkable waters. The Only thing I know of them is my sword, and I found this in a meadow. Don't know who dropped it. Maybe a corpse was nearby. Who knows? This newcomer makes me intrigued." he stopped talking and looked at the box that was dropped in surprise.

He looked at the various things out of sheer curiosity. Then Rasiel saw a smaller box and pushed it, only to have a clown faced toy pop out and surprise her. Robin face slowly turned into a smile as he began to laugh. "The look on your face..." he said before giving into his laughter. He calmed down and proceeded to watch for the next box, wondering what more is in store.

----

Serena scowled in her lair as she paced back and forth. "I need a new plan. Recon was a bust because those other spectrals showed no respect for me. They could've given me the courtesy of meeting with me so we can collaborate! At this rate, I will never be able to get the throne and do something about this hopelessness! Even the tribesmen are getting bored." she thought out loud in a sole occupant's ranting. "Hmmm..... I wonder if I can stir up some chaos in the villages not aligned with me. It may entice some of Those Knights to investigate, and I know The Wild Man won't resist either since he joined their 'merry' bad. I can try to dispatch this accidental threat more easily then."

She smiled wickedly as she began to figure out which bandit or wicked tribesman will do it for her.

The meeting was rather quick and simple. All Avicebron had to do was to re-inform the other lords and counts so that they'll be aware of the foreigner's presence. After all that was done, he retreated back to the tower on his property to take a little break from all the recent events that transpired.

"Goodness gracious...We just finished staving off a wide-scale attack and now this?" He wondered about the foreigner. "Will I be able to coerce her into cooperating with me? No, it's almost impossible. She has a continent to go back to; a place that isn't plagued with this apocalypse." The male knight walked up to him, trying to reconfirm his orders. After receiving his approval, he went on and left Avicebron to his musings.

"I guess the problem lies in the fact that her presence may ignite the spirit of voyaging out of this place in the hearts of the people. Escaping to other continents...If that happens..." He stood up from his seat and walked over to another window, showing a clear view of the harbor. Back then, he would've been greeted with the sight of the calm waves and the gulls flying over the horizon. Now, that view had been intruded upon by a large, black vessel ripe with the spirit of industrialization.

"For now, it's okay to turn a blind eye on her motives and actions. But, I'll have to gather allies. Someone who'll follow my judgement...The two yesterday--I don't think they'll be fine with being led. Not to mention that I don't know where they are. There was a third who seems to be plotting some scheme, based from what I've observed. Hmmm...the question is: Will our views align with each other? Or is she another obstacle? Only one way to find out."

As Avicebron retreats to his study to monitor his "eyes", he murmured something to himself. "There is one other..."

---

"The look on your face..."

"Hmph!" Rasiel pouted at Robin as she stood up again. She went over to the stash and arranged it neatly so it would be easier to load into the cart that they were given.

"The next one's ready but, this thing is a bit more fragile so we'll lower it down with the ropes. Princess, mind taking the other one?"

The two girls got to work lowering a large crate, one bigger than the first one. Once it was on the sand, Rasiel took a peek again. Pieces of black wood and some sort of stringy metal were inside. She wanted to take a better look but, the box was sealed shut and it might anger Asuna if she is to force them open.

"The next one is also ready--Ah! You shouldn't lift that with your bare hands Princess. That thing's heavy. Needed to push it all the way over here. Good sir, is it okay if we relieve the princess of the hard task of lifting such a rather heavy crate?" She addresses Robin and Rasiel.

"Ah! Now this is quite okay for you. They're mostly soft items so I'll also throw this down." Once Rasiel was ready, Asuna threw down the third box. Once again, Rasiel looked inside and saw several other playthings of sorts and, were they decorations? Rasiel wasn't sure. She took out a small, human shaped item from inside. It seemed to be stuffed with wool since it was soft and the hair was made of a thick thread of sorts.

"That's just a rag doll princess. It fetches quite low on our market." Asuna explains.

"Come to think of it, it looks like a witch of sorts. It's beautiful craftsmanship nevertheless..." Rasiel admires the...well, witch doll.

"Rawr!" She suddenly tossed it to Robin, just to see how he'll react. In the meantime, Asuna had finished preparing the other crate and was taking a look to see what's inside.

"So, these are the weapons huh?"

---

Avicebron's male knight rode on horseback, carrying a skeleton clad in armor with it all the way to the forest. Since his master was unable to communicate telepathically, he had to come up with a different measure of calling out to the other Spectrals lurking in the wild. He managed to convince the patrol that he will be buried in the tribal grounds in accordance to his will but in reality, it was just an effigy made by Avicebron to serve as a mouthpiece.

The knight dropped it off at a least traveled path in the forest, like what his orders dictated. Once a Spectral approaches, it would activate the spell bound to it allowing Avicebron to communicate with the outside.

Robin smirked slightly at Rasiel's pout. "It was funny, Rasiel." he stated as he watched the larger box was pulled off the ship. He observed Rasiel trying to take a peek at what was inside as the woman, as he had not learned her name yet, called her princess as Robin raised an eyebrow. She was a commander not a princess wasn't she? "Why do you think Rasiel has the title of Princess? Why do you make that assumption, she's a commander, I think?" Robin puffed his cheeks slightly before letting the air out with a sigh. Nevertheless he nodded about relieving Rasiel of the hard task of the bigger crate.

Robin then turned to watch Rasiel pick up a doll, a rather strange looking one at that. She then threw the object at Robin's face and did a playful roar as she did. Poor thing! He was caught off guard as he grabbed it and threw it back to the box as he nearly fell backwards in fright. "Geez! What was that for?!" Robin cried out in surprise and walked to the larger crate to prepare to lift it to the cart. He then saw a young woman with brown hair who was watching from the sidelines laugh before the woman who cheered him up earlier hit her lightly, scolding her. They seemed to be siblings as they were possibly looking for a fishmonger store for a nice meal for the evening.

The thought of Rasiel's future crept back to the forefront of his mind. He wanted Rasiel to still be on duty. If need be, he'd be willing to volunteer to be a part of her unit if she'd let him. But first he had to help her get the strange woman settled. Robin sighed, getting back to the reality of the meaningful task as he then heard said woman say something about weapons. He turned to her to raise an eyebrow. "Weapons, what kind?"

"Geez! What was that for?!"

"Nothing, just wanted to see how you'll react." Rasiel laughed. Asuna calls out to Rasiel to help her in bringing down the weapons crate. As the two of them lowered it down, Asuna heard Robin ask what kind of weapons were in store.

"The usual stuff. Well, what makes them a rarity in this parts would be because they've been manufactured in different regions and continents. I haven't got a closer look yet so I'm not too privy to details--" When that was lowered, Asuna jumped off the ship and into the beach, dusting the sand off. "That's the last one for now. I don't want to bring out the other items yet since I may still need them if I get off this continent." She watched as Rasiel tries opening the weapons crate.

"Wait a moment..." Asuna got down to opening it by inserting a key into some sort of lock on the chest. It only took her a few seconds before completely opening the crate.

"All your weapons are oriental?" Rasiel asks, picking up a naginata from the large crate.

"Not all of them. I've got some rune blades and other stuff in here that I don't know how to use and...hmmm?" Asuna spotted a bag and a case out of ox horn within the box. Rasiel picked up the bag and saw...balls? They seem to be made of metal though.

"I'm not sure I understand how these can be used as a weapon." Rasiel asked.

"They can. It's more effective than a sword in my opinion but, they're rather limited...Come to think of it..." Asuna takes the bag from Rasiel and transferred the metal balls to a wallet she kept at her waist. She took the horn case as well. "I think I better keep these to myself instead of using them as trade items--hey, what are you doing princess?"

"Can I have this?" Rasiel asked as she picked up a medium-length sword with a steeper curve than even Robin's katana. It was encrusted with some rubies on the handle and the blade itself was polished to a shine. Asuna suddenly burst into laughter.

"It's okay but, you'll have to give me something else in exchange. That scimitar was forged by a renown master so it fetches a rather high price. I'm not even sure that your claymore's cost can cover it." Asuna points to the Transient.

"Awww...please?"

"Sorry princess...international trade rules."

With the last of the crates having been loaded on the cart, Asuna asked Rasiel and Robin to board. "Okay sir with the katana, mind taking the reigns? I want to do some sightseeing as we go to the shop they supposedly prepared for me."

"Where are you setting up shop?"

"Hmmm..." Asuna re-read the letter she received from the castle. "Around an intersection by the main market close to...oh, a shop run by the oriental blacksmith Tatsuo."

Robin frowns at Rasiel's explanation but he then he simply shrugged, not wanting to dwell on it long. He then watched the two women look into the very large crate of weapons as Robin looked at the ship curiously for several minutes. He heard the woman call him and Robin frowned as he walked to the head of the cart and sat on it, looking around as he looked at the reins. He was pondering how they work when he saw another person on the cart do the same thing. He mimicked the action as he started the horse going and started to drive around town.

It was then Robin turned to face the woman again. "I'm not a Sir, I'm Robin. Rasiel is not a princess either. So why call her that??" Robin asked curiously. he then turned to face the road to make sure the horse wasn't doing anything too crazy. "Why do I get the more complicated jobs??" he thought as he sighed. Robin rubbed his head silently as he heard where the new shops was going to be situated and began to work his way toward there.

He came to a complete stop at the empty building when he was done driving around town. "We are here, Countess. Least you'll have a neighbor who's an expert in oriental stuff. I've got armor commissioned that Tatsuo is working on." he said to poke fun at Asuna's title, and be proper at the same time. He knew it was still too early to bug Tatsuo about his armor, so he just sat in the driver's seat, rubbing and cleaning his long tail of hair.

"I'm not a Sir, I'm Robin. Rasiel is not a princess either. So why call her that??"

"Those are common expressions used nowadays. My calling of Sir to you isn't particularly special; it's what I refer to the other male customers I have." Asuna explains to Robin. Turning to Rasiel, she continued. "You on the other hand, are much prettier than your own princess, Princess." Asuna once again takes Rasiel's hand in hers. "I wish to invite you to dinner, after I've set up shop."

"W-what?! Uhh...I mean, I do have my original job as a Knight to attend still." Rasiel was flustered by Asuna's gestures. She wasn't quite used to this kind of treatment. "A-are you probably courting me, Miss Recital?"

"Actually, I am." Rasiel initially thought it was just a joke but the look in Asuna's eyes showed her to be dead serious. "Don't worry. I won't force you into doing things you're uncomfortable with."

Rasiel was rather relieved by that statement. She wasn't quite used to Asuna's radical train of thought just yet. "I see. Much appreciates, Count Recital."

"Of course, as long as I believe I have a chance while you're still single, I won't stop pursuing you, haha!!!"

Their journey through town was rather uneventful. Asuna was still a bit unaccustomed to the other residents giving her the eye of sorts, staring at her like she was some kind of evil enchanter. The overall mood of the town was rather depressing as well. They passed by the graveyard, a sight that rarely crossed Asuna's path.

"This is probably the only kingdom I've seen where the graveyard is much larger than the town square." Asuna had a distant look in her eyes as she uttered the words.

"We've lost a lot of our soldiers and Knights in the battle against the Chrysalis. You haven't been to many battlefields have you Count?" Rasiel explains. Asuna merely sighed.

"In my battlefield, we do not have time to even properly bury our dead. When you die, you simply get thrown out into the waters." Asuna now turns to face Rasiel. "My battles are with other humans, all seeking leverage over each other, one way or another. The sea isn't a particularly great place to wage them. Out there, life is even cheaper than it is on land."

"You don't give last rites to your fallen? The Goddess doesn't approve of such things. None of the deities does."

"Oh right, you're still polytheistic. Out in my world, several continents have started adopting a more monotheistic ruling structure. Besides, I don't particularly believe in all of those things."

"Where does your faith lie then? How do you keep on living if you don't think there is a beautiful life that waits for you after you pass on?" Rasiel asks, intrigued by Asuna's different stand in life.

"I only have faith in myself. Unlike some, I live my own life on my own terms. This is the only world I'll ever live in and it makes me value my life even more. I'm not someone who'll throw it away at a simple command. Like how you've been handling your Chrysalis problem."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Princess, haven't any of your people thought of departing for other places? I've seen the continents and this is the only one that hosts these kind of beasts. You will only meet your destruction if you stay." Asuna spouted yet another radical train of thought.

"I-I don't know if any of us can do that..." Rasiel stuttered as she said so. "Yes. I think we're still too attached to this land. It's our home. As you said, we can't just leave it and throw it away at a single command."

The entourage finally arrived at the place where Asuna is to set up shop. It looked old and rather worn-out, with some pieces falling here and there. The interiors were rather dusty as well but most of the drawers and tables were left intact and in one piece.

"We are here, Countess. Least you'll have a neighbor who's an expert in oriental stuff. I've got armor commissioned that Tatsuo is working on."

"Place seems to be falling apart but other than that--" Asuna kicks the door, which immediately collapsed and fell useless to the floor. "It will do. You say my neighbor's oriental eh?" Asuna walks over to Tatsuo's workshop.

"Yes. Tatsuo's one of our more skilled blacksmiths out here. H-hey, what are you going to do?" Rasiel hurries over to follow Asuna.

"Hey! Blacksmith-san! Mind if I ask for some wood that I can use? I need to fix the door over at my place." Asuna shouted to the window. When there was no reply yet, she stepped even closer to the door and knocked frantically. "Oi! Get your ass out here! You have a customer for God, Goddess, whoever you believe in's sake!"

Tatsuo had just been working on the armor that man had wanted. Just as he was forming the pauldrons of the armor, he was suddenly interrupted by a loud and frantic knocking on the door, accompanied by a voice- just as frantic. He tried to focus on his work for a bit before finally, he set down the hammer, and stomped over to the storage. He could do without a few more blocks and planks of wood, and he needed to get rid of this...annoying voice somehow. With some of the planks tucked under the Overbreak, he stomped over to the door and fumbled around with the latch, emerging and narrowing orange eyes at the company of people.

There was Rasiel Seraphiel, and the man who asked him for armor, and-- slight confusion appeared. An odd woman was there, in equally as odd clothes, and he supposed that this was the one asking him for wood. Earlier, she had spoke in a different accent, as well. "She doesn't seem to be from around this place at all...could it--?"

Robin sat on the chair as he observed the woman called Count Recital and Rasiel. Whilst he didn't know what she was doing to fluster Rasiel so much, he felt very uncertain if the woman's intentions were as he thought. He actually didn't know what Rasiel meant by courting. He then saw Recital knock on the door of Tatsuo's as he silently decided to get the lighter boxes in the abandoned shop. The heavier box he and Rasiel would deal with at a later time. He gave a passing wave to Tatsuo when he answered the door.

In truth it was to help distract his thoughts. How Rasiel behaved to Count Recital's talking almost made him think on himself, a few months before meeting Rasiel. He remembered his one friend in the village who died in his arms. He smiled softly at those memories with her. "If I had more time with her..." he thought. But he shook his head, no. No need to get worked up about the past. Not yet, he had work to do. He positioned to prepare to move the larger of the boxes.

"Will one of you ladies help me please? Your third box needs to be moved in and I have a feeling I'm not strong enough to lift it by myself." Robin stated. He sighed, maybe after this assignment he would help Rasiel figure out what the fate of her getting new members of her unit would be.

Finally, after a series of knockings and a bit of yelling, the man in question emerged from his workshop, carrying a bunch of wooden planks tucked in what appears to be a substitute arm. Asuna found it quite interesting, and wondered what capabilities does it have. But for now--

"Ah! Much appreciated, thank you. In exchange--no, I think I better lay out everything in the shop first." Asuna mentions as she takes the wood. "I will be your new neighbor it seems, just until I can get the Leonora fixed up. My name is Count Asuna Recital, a traveling merchant from the Transcendence Isles. Nice to meet you."

"Will one of you ladies help me please? Your third box needs to be moved in and I have a feeling I'm not strong enough to lift it by myself."

"I'll do it!" Rasiel excuses herself as she heads over to the cart and assists Robin in unloading the larger box. As far as she can recall, the larger box contained the odd, black and white contraption she saw. "T-This is heavy..."

---

In the meantime, Flandre had gone on an excursion with her unit further North, going deeper into the forests. They planned on visiting the other tribes in order to continue the last of the evacuations, originally assigned to the Ashen Dragoon Units.

"My lady, this village is deserted as well." One of her soldiers informs her after performing a clean sweep of the place. "However, that isn't what's unusual."

"Oh? And what might it be?" Flandre walks over to one of the dead bodies and flips it over. She kind of expected it but still, she was rather taken aback by what she saw. The body didn't appear to have died because of a Chrysalis attack. Rather, it was burnt, almost beyond recognition. "This wasn't a battle. This is a massacre. We're dealing with a powerful mage here. A not so ordinary Spectral."

"What do you mean my lady?

"Think about it: How come most of the villages we've been trying to rescue all turn up dead while those we haven't considered somehow manages to survive until such time as our interference. The defensive outposts all fall in bizarre ways and, like what Rasiel found in one village--" Flandre inspects each of the surrounding bodies.

"L-Lady--we can't do that! That's a disservice to the dead!"

"It won't do him neither harm nor good now would it?" Flandre had just replied when she finally found what she was looking for. "One of our weapons always turn up in the most unexpected places."

"That's a Lucrezian long sword! What is it doing here?"

"Someone's selling us out. And from what I can guess, it's not someone who's frustrated with the trade network or someone who wants to exact vengeance either. An ordinary resident won't have the power to smuggle weapons out of the city much less commence an all-out attack with magic. Cross all that out and there's only a handful of other possibilities left. Moreover, we inspect a great deal of the items sent to Insalaum, meaning that the mastermind behind it has some influence over the guilds and the trade network, a power that Knights do not have."

"N-No...You mean--?"

"One of our Lords has been false. And I have a good idea who."

"AAAAAHHHHHH!!!" Their meeting was interrupted when they heard a loud scream of a woman somewhere in the innermost vicinity. They rode on inside and saw one of their soldiers dead on the ground. Standing over her corpse was a man clad in simple armor, wielding yet another Lucrezian weapon.

"Stay close--we're surrounded." Flandre rallies her force to her as other men emerge from the shadows, shooting intimidating glances at them.

"You know too much..." One of the men spoke in a manner that Flandre recognized.

"So it has come to this...All women of the Trojan Knights--Slaughter them! Show them the true meaning of hell!!!" Flandre gives out the order, prompting all of her warriors to start attacking the mercenaries who started fighting back as well. From atop his tower, Avicebron observed via his familiar.

"So--will the storm hit or break first? Lady Flandre, you're a huge hindrance to my plans for this city." One of the two Knights entered as Avicebron watched. "Keep an eye on Seraphiel. When the time comes, we'll have to get rid of her as well. I'll deal with the foreign count myself."

The Knight nodded and exited the tower. With that, Avicebron stood up and retreated back to his study, having already set his plans in motion.

Robin nodded in appreciation of the help, and used his legs to help with the lifting of the load, hopefully making it easier on Rasiel as he flashed a small smile. Carefully he lead the way into the shop and set it down on next to the other boxes as the warrior sighed in relief. He sat on a box and waited for Miss Recital to come inside and signal the two that they can return.

Then for some reason, he felt a chilling feeling of dread. He turned to look out a shabby window. It had been awhile since he heard from Flandre. Apart from himself and possibly other refugees, she was the only other tribal person he's met and is a good friend with. He tried to shrug it off. Flandre could take care of herself. Robin was just worried over possibly nothing. Besides if she were here and he said that, she'd probably rebuff him by saying something like keep watch over Rasiel.

Robin sighed. He unsheathed his sword to examine the blade and make sure it was in working order. "Rasiel...I'm sorry about your friends. The ones you worked with anyway. If there is anything you want or need, I'll try to help." He said with a small smile as he plucked a stray hair from his head and gently cut it with his blade. He nodded in approval and sheathed it. "Same goes for Flandre too. So far they've been nothing but kind and accepting to my presence. I'll do anything for them if they asked it of me." he thought. He shook his head to snap out of his reverie of his only two friends. He needed to keep his head focused on the task at hand.

----

Lady Begarde was resting in her chambers when a tribesman hurried in and whispered in her ear. "What? Knights, in a village? In a Melee with a mercenary group not in my employ? Hm, intriguingly suspicious. I wonder if another spectral is the cause of this. I must make contact soon. Leave, I will go to the lake to bathe." Serena stated firmly as she shooed the man away and gathered her bathing things before heading out on a trail only she knew by heart to go to the lake.

She passed by a strange corpse on her way over, and raised an eyebrow suspiciously at it before giving a small shrug. Several more steps later and she was at the shores of a lake. Smiling she prepared for her bath.