Prologue: Fateful Crossroads

Opening

(An old woman walks through a forest path.)
APATE
......
(Three brigands appear from the woods.)
FANGO
(smiling) Gee, look at this, López! A lil' ol' lady!
López
(smiling) Hell of a weather to be takin' a stroll through the forest.
You lost, m'lady? Well, you're one lucky grandma.
We're here to escort you somewhere nice and dry. Hehehe...
APATE
......
FANGO
She doesn't seem the rich type t'me...
Do we even bother?
Begoña
'Course we do, you moron! Beggars can't be choosers!
With that runt bearin' down on us, we gotta take what we can get.
'Sides, everyone's got someone that loves 'em in the world.
(smiles) Somebody'll pay a wee ransom for ya, right, ma'am?
APATE
...Leave me be. I have no time to waste.
FANGO
You tryin' to order us around? Old coot! Boss, lemme--!
Begoña
I'll handle this, Fango. You always get too carried away.
FANGO
Aww, fine...
(Begoña moves closer.)
Begoña
(grins) Imma take you alive, but that don't mean I can't rough you up some!
APATE
Hmph...!
(Kyra appears from the woods and blocks Begoña's attack, taking heavy damage. Phobos appears and attacks López, wounding him. López counterattacks, but only inflicts superficial damage.)
Begoña
Drat! Drat, drat, drat! Not you again!
Why do you always have to pop up wherever we go?!
We're not the only bandits in the realm, you know!
KYRA
You're the only bandits in this area, though.
At this point, anyway. The rest were not nearly as stubborn as you.

Now... How about you give it up? You know you can't beat us.

Begoña
Oh, can't I? Wanna bet, bow girl?!
You ain't gonna get lucky shots on me forever!
FANGO
I'll break every bone in their bodies, boss! Just say the word!
Begoña
You got it! Let's go, boys! Bring 'em all to their knees!
López
Guess no one cares I'm bleedin' out here, huh...
That's okay. Don't mind me. I'll just find a hole to die in...
Begoña
Ohhh, you useless...
Fango! You and the rest take care of this! I'll help López home.
fango
Ya got it, boss!
(The bandits run away to the north, but several more appear from the trees.)
PHOBOS
Kyra, you're hurt!
kyra
Nothing that can't be patched up later.
But what about you, lady? That was a close shave.
apate
...I'm fine.
PHOBOS
A-Am I supposed to give chase, Kyra...?
kyra
There's too many of them. Stay close to me, Phobos.
You as well, lady.
apate
......
kyra
The others should be on their way. These idiots are in for a nasty surprise.
We just have to keep them at bay until those two arrive!
phobos
A-All right, here goes nothing...!

Apate Healing Conversations

The first character Apate heals will have a unique reaction.

Kyra

(Kyra startles.)
Kyra
What...?

What did you just do?!

apate
Focus on the battle. We can talk later.
kyra
......

Phobos

(Phobos startles.)
Phobos
Huh?!

Wait-- No way...!

apate
Focus on the battle. We can talk later.
phobos
W... Who are you...?

Soter

(Soter startles.)
Soter
What is this?!

It cannot be... You are...!

apate
Focus on the battle. We can talk later.
soter
It... It can't be...

Hecate

(Hecate startles.)
Hecate
What just happened?

Hold on, what did you...

apate
Focus on the battle. We can talk later.
hecate
...Well, this is getting interesting...

Turn 2 (Soter and Hecate)

(Soter and Hecate arrive from the northeast, distant from Kyra and Phobos.)
Soter
Hurry, Hecate! Onwards! We must make haste!
hecate
I'm making haste, aren't I? Look, one leg in front of the other.
Soter
Faster, girl, faster! Our friends are counting on us!
hecate
We can count on our friends, too. Kyra's a tough nut to crack.
I'm sure the brigands are in worse shape than they are by now.
Soter
And?! Does that mean we are to leave them to the wolves?!
hecate
No, it means we don't need to perform miracles.
We've been plenty fast. Let's not overexert ourselves, huh?
Conserve our energies for the tussle ahead?
Soter
Hmm... A fair point.

Nevertheless! We swore an oath!
Oaths must be honored! Full speed ahead!

hecate
(smirks) Knock yourself out. You're supposed to be the vanguard anyway.

Conversations

Soter & Kyra

soter
(smiles) Kyra, my bold friend! Still breathing, eh?
kyra
(smiling) Breathing easier now that you're here, Soter.
soter
Hah! These ruffians are no match for a true knight.
Their blades bounce off of my pristine armor!
Justice shall prevail over their wicked ways tonight!
kyra
Glad to see the weather's not dampened your spirits.
soter
...It has dampened me, though.
Let us finish this before we all catch a bad cold...
kyra
Yeah, that's a good idea...

Hecate & Kyra

hecate
Hey there, chief.
kyra
Hecate. Took you long enough.
hecate
Please, not you too, huh? I'm here, aren't I?
kyra
(smirks) Of course, I'm just messing with you.
With your magic on our side, it's as good as over.
hecate
I'll show this lot the full potential of the dark arts.
(Frowns) ...Oh, what am I saying. They don't even know what a book looks like.
kyra
(smirks) Hah! Doesn't take a scholar to know pain, though.
hecate
And pain they shall have.

Fango

Engaging Combat

fango
I'm gonna fold you into a neat little bow!

Fango takes damage but does not die

fango
Gaahhh! I-I'm hurt! I'm cut!

O-Okay! I give up! I yield! I s... surrender?
Whatever you wanna call it! Just don't skewer me, please!

Death

fango
(smiling) W-We sure had some fun times... Didn't we, boss...?

Locations

Northeast House

old woman
My, my... You're up early. Don't worry, though - so was I.
Oh, you're one of those sellswords protecting the next town over, right?
I have to commend you. I hardly ever see a brigand dare cross that bridge.
But lately they've looked... I don't know. Riled up, somehow.
Watch yourselves. You're the only obstacle between them and us.

Ending

If Fango survived:

(Kyra binds Fango.)
fango
D-Dammit! Ease up! That hurts!
kyra
Don't be such a baby.
fango
C'mon, please! Just lemme go!
kyra
So you can run right back to Begoña with your tail between your legs?
I think not. You're going to spend the night in the dungeon.
fango
...Gaah... I'm such an idiot!
(closes eyes) So sorry, boss...
kyra
...You just be glad you're not worth killing.

If all characters survived

kyra
[To Apate] ...I think we ought to have a conversation, lady.
phobos
W-What's there to talk about? She's a heretic!
Why are we still talking to her?! We should be making tracks!
Nothing good ever comes out of mingling with her kind!
She'll steal our lifeforce! She'll siphon our blood...!
If the inquisition doesn't round us all up first for harboring her!
kyra
Phobos, you've done enough. Please return home.
phobos
But--
Kyra
Phobos. Please. We'll catch up.
phobos
......
(Phobos leaves.)
kyra
...Forgive him. He... tends to worry.
apate
His is not the strange reaction. Yours is.
kyra
Mine?
Hecate
You've got to admit, it's pretty weird how calm you are.
We face a lifewringer. A real one, fresh off the tales.
Kyra
First and foremost, she was a person in need.
What, was I supposed to let her be taken by those brutes?
hecate
Not saying that, but...

Hey, Soter! Aren't you going to weigh in?
This is meant to be your area of expertise, right?

Soter
......
apate
A holy knight...
soter
Formerly. This armor is all I have left of those days.
...And yet...
kyra
No one here has any ill will towards you. Rest assured.
apate
Hmm.
I am willing to answer some questions.
...But there is no sense in staying out here, is there?
kyra
Fair enough. C'mon, everyone, let's get out of this rain.
You as well. We'll provide you a room for the night.
Soter
Kyra... Are you certain?
kyra
Later, Soter.
soter
...Sigh...
Very well. Back whence we came.
kyra
Thank you.
All right, follow us. Uh, I didn't catch your name...
apate
Call me Apate.

If any characters died

kyra
[To Apate] ...I think we ought to have a conversation, lady.
apate
So collected. Yours is not a reaction I often witness.
I am a heretic... What do the fairy tales call us, again?
Lifewringers? Hmph... How come you remain so calm?
kyra
First and foremost, you were a person in need.
What, was I supposed to let you be taken by those brutes?
apate
......
kyra
If you're wondering, I am not with the inquisition.
The knight's just another member of my band. Nothing more, now.
No one here has any ill will towards you. Rest assured.
apate
Hmm.
I am willing to answer some questions.
...But there is no sense in staying out here, is there?
kyra
Fair enough. Let's get out of this rain.
We'll provide you a room for the night.
Uhm, I didn't catch your name...
apate
Call me Apate.

If Apate did not heal anyone during the battle

kyra
[To Apate] How are you holding up?
apate
I am unscathed, thanks to you.
kyra
Don't mention it. We were after those brutes anyway.
I'm just glad we made it in time to save you...
(Kyra stumbles.)
kyra
Urk...
apate
You sustained an injury for my sake...
kyra
No problem. They'll take care of me back home.
Speaking of, I'm beyond sick of this rain.
Let's head back. You can come along too.
apate
...No. I must continue my journey.
But thank you kindly for your help.
kyra
Ah, well, if that's what you prefer.
Farewell. Be careful in your travels.
apate
I shall. Best of luck to you, my saviors.
(Apate leaves.)
Kyra
...Hmm.
narrator
Kyra returned home with her band, where she received treatment for the wound she had sustained.
The brigands gave them some trouble, but they handled it. Soon, all was quiet in their little hamlet.
Kyra would never know just how close her life came to changing forever that stormy night...

[The game ends instead of advancing to the next chapter.]

Character Descriptions

Kyra
The stouthearted, strongheaded chief of a mercenary band of sorts.

Huntress
A woman who honed her skills with the bow to provide for her loved ones.

Apate
An elderly woman of unknown origin and unclear motives.

Bishop
A practitioner of searing light magic, today known only to a select few.

Phobos
An insecure and fearful young man from Kyra's hometown.

Soter
A former holy knight who joined Kyra's band seeking purpose.

Hecate
A practitioner of dark magic who joined Kyra's band seeking to hone her art.

Fango
One of Begoña's henchmen. As tough as he is dimwitted.

Purloiner
A small-time ne'er-do-well following Begoña's say.