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* Shiro: Damn! They got away.
* Rhajat: Wretched fools... I'll curse them for a thousand years for causing me pain.
* Midori: Are you hurt bad? Here, try my all-natural painkiller!
* Caeldori: Maybe it's for the best that the enemy fled from us. If they had continued with a full-force assault, we might not have survived.
* Shiro: That's what you think. Me, I'm not gonna stand for a beating like that! Lousy punks... Soon as these wounds heal, I'm gonna—
* Asugi: Run away? As fast as we can?
* Shiro: Not you, too! You seriously think we're gonna let them off after they attacked us?
* Asugi: I don't know if you've taken a look around, but some of us are cut up pretty bad. Is the plan to order us to die for you?
* Shiro: Well... I mean...
* Caeldori: Why don't we all take a break to cool our heels here? We were lucky that we all met up after escaping our Deeprealms. But we've been fighting nonstop since then, and it's clearly taking its toll.
* Midori: Can't argue with that! Besides, the more time my remedies have to work, the better!
* Rhajat: Everywhere we turn, these ghostly enemies seem to be waiting... If this is a hex on us, it's a strange one.
* Asugi: I never wanted to fight in the first place. Look at us. None of us are what you'd call trained soldiers. It was clear as day we didn't stand a chance against those guys just now. But there you go, charging right into a fight without thinking.
* Shiro: Did you not see the dragon with them?
* Asugi: What about it?
* Shiro: The second I heard that dragon's roar, I couldn't resist wading in. Here we had a mighty beast, backed up by powerful-looking allies. I had to know if I could go the distance against a force like that.
* Asugi: The hell is wrong with you? What do you think this is, a sport? Sure, you're the prince, but you can't go off on your own half-cocked. We all agreed before your suicide run to steer clear of the enemy.
* Shiro: It's not like I asked any of you to follow me into the fight. You came along on your own.
* Asugi: I give up! You're impossible!
* Caeldori: Stop squabbling, both of you. This isn't the time to treat one another like enemies.
* Asugi: For the record, it's not my job to keep you safe. My dad might've been your dad's retainer, but I didn't inherit the job. So don't act as reckless as you please, thinking I'm obliged to clean up afterward.
* Shiro: Heh. I'm actually glad you're not my retainer. Who needs a coward like you working for them?
* Caeldori: Shiro! Asugi! Behave!
* Shiro: Whoops...
* Asugi: Yeah, sorry.
* Caeldori: Our homes have been taken from us in a coordinated ambush. We need to know more about who our enemy is and why they've done this. Until we have that, we can't be picking fights among each other. So take deep breaths. Count to 10. Whatever it takes to settle down.
* Shiro: Yeah. I know what I SHOULD be doing. But I'll blow my stack if I can't fight a little to get my mind off these last few days. Doesn't this frustrate you at all? We lost our only homes, our only family... You never wish you could hit back? It doesn't get your goat to have to run away all the time?
* Caeldori: That's not—
* Shiro: Because it gets my goat. My whole herd of them. Probably some cows, too. Father kept me alive long enough to meet up with you—even gave me the Raijinto. Somehow, I don't think living life on the run is what he wanted out of me. I wish I'd been better when things started happening. Maybe we'd still be together. He'd have been happier than anyone to see me wielding his sword. He'd have been proud of me...
* Caeldori: Oh, Shiro...
* Midori: *sniff* *sniff*
* Rhajat: Hmm? Why are you crying?
* Midori: I'm frustrated, too. Father isn't here because I couldn't defend myself. All I know how to do is brew medicine. If he was here, I could have patched up his wounds. But he never came back from the Deeprealm he rescued me from...
* Rhajat: You weren't to blame, Midori. The fault lies with those shadowy soldiers. Not even my dark magic had any effect... I hoped to make them rue the day they forced us out of our Deeprealms. But all the rue is mine for being unable to squash them like the toads they were.
* Caeldori: I feel the same way. Well...up to a point. If I had honed my skills more, I could have fought them off alongside my father. But I'm a pale shadow of his perfection. He had to stay there alone while I fled. It doesn't seem fair of him to leave such a perfect void in my life...
* Asugi: Huh... Guess I'm the odd one out here. I finally feel free. It was no thanks to my dad that I made it out of my Deeprealm. I'm sure he had better places to be, as a Saizo and all.
* Shiro: Hey, watch your mouth. Saizo was there at your Deeprealm.
* Asugi: Say what?
* Shiro: He went to help my dad, but my dad just yelled at him to go see to his son. If you didn't see him, you might've left just when he was getting there. Or maybe... I hate to say it, but he might've been defeated before reaching you.
* Asugi: You think so? It'd certainly explain why there was nothing stopping me from leaving the place. Is that even possible? Could my dad be...
* Shiro: Sorry, man.
* Asugi: Well, how do you like that! My dad saved my life, and I never even knew. Guess that's a ninja for you.
* Rhajat: Heh heh...you're not as unique as you thought, it seems. It's a bit creepy how similar all our shared experiences are, though. Since we all have regrets over not fighting, why not try proving ourselves once more? After all, our enemy no longer has the benefit of their dragon.
* Midori: Wait, really?
* Rhajat: The dragon's signature presence is absent now. Surely you noticed.
* Midori: That's weird. What could have happened to it?
* Rhajat: I couldn't guess. Maybe it was under a curse and someone dispelled it. Whatever the reason, it's fair to say that this changes things considerably. Without a rampaging dragon on their side, the advantage may swing back to us.
* Shiro: Huh, yeah. You think we have a chance at beating them if we strike now?
* Rhajat: I'm no tactician. Just stating the facts.
* Caeldori: There was something strange about those enemies with the dragon, though. They acted less predictably than the troops who stormed the Deeprealms. I can't put my finger on it beyond that... Maybe if we can take them prisoner, we can question them and find out why.
* Midori: Hmm. They might be as tired as we are from the last fight. If we can sneak up when they think they're safe, maybe we can win this time.
* Shiro: I'm game. Is everyone ready?
* Midori: If you give me a little longer, I can brew up a bit more medicine. Although I want to make sure Asugi's OK with it before we go.
* Asugi: Hmph... If there's gonna be a fight, I'll pitch in my share. But I'm doing this for my own reasons, not any of yours. If a certain someone can't keep his head, it's not on me to reel him in.
* Shiro: I'll keep it in mind. All right, everyone, if things look bad, it's OK to fall back. That said...let's go!
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