Scenario:Sturm - The Likes of Revenge

The Likes of Revenge

In the cave they retreated to, Sturm tells Muile that she recognizes the rookie's style of swordplay. Muile states that she was taught by her grandfather, who was Sturm's father's partner. Moreover, she reveals that the accident that killed Sturm's father and permanently injured her own grandfather was caused by their current opponent. Muile wants revenge and insists that they should take down the undead, to which Sturm agrees.

---

Sturm: My dad died in an accident while out working as a mercenary. It was his partner who came bearing that news to us.

Sturm: Mister, this is...

Partner: It's the sword he always used. I found it at the bottom of the cliff, next to his body...

Sturm: He... He fell off a bridge while transporting cargo, right?

Partner: Yes, that's right. We had to really hurry over it, and...

Partner: ...

Sturm: Mister?

Partner: I'm sorry, it was my fault. I'm sorry.

Sturm: Why? It was an accident, right? One that got you really hurt too... It's not your fault.

Partner: Yeah, it was an accident. I won't deny that. But...

Partner: I'm a mercenary. And that means that your dad's death is my responsibility.

Sturm: My dad's partner just kept apologizing with tears in his eyes.

Sturm: Back then, I didn't understand why.

Sturm: ...
I don't hear anyone nearby. We must have lost him.

Muile: But he'll still find us eventually. We need to strike first.

Sturm: Before that, we have something to talk about.

Sturm: Muile. That swordplay you just showed looked remarkably similar to that of someone I once knew.

Muile: And... who would that be?

Sturm: The partner of my dad, who was a mercenary. They had known each other since before becoming swords-for-hire, and he would sometimes spar with me when he came to visit.

Sturm: It's been a long time since I met him, but was the person who taught you swordplay...

Muile: I knew it. So you really are that girl my grandfather talked about.

Sturm: Grandfather?

Muile: He was the one who showed me how to fight with a sword. The style originated from one used by knights of a fallen kingdom. Yours does too, right?

Sturm: So I've heard. I never gave it much thought, though.

Sturm: So, you're that man's granddaughter. How is he doing?

Muile: He has passed away.

Sturm: ...
I see. That's a shame.

Muile: He retired from being a mercenary because of his injuries from that accident, and eventually died full of regret over it.

Muile: No, let me rephrase that. He died full of hatred for the perpetrator.

Sturm: The perpetrator?

Muile: Your father and my grandfather fell off a bridge while transporting cargo because they were in a rush, Miss Sturm.

Muile: And they were in a rush... because they were being chased. Just as we are being chased right now.

Sturm: You can't mean...

Muile: It was an undead bearing a cursed sword, a thing that had once been called a war god, that was responsible for their deaths.

Sturm: Impossible. Your grandfather said it was an accident.

Muile: It was an accident. The undead was trying to cut them up with that blade, not run them off a bridge.

Muile: And I imagine he didn't want to get you involved. Ixaba was legendary even back then, and any mercenary would have fought for a chance to obtain it.

Muile: That means any stories about it would have been pursued relentlessly. If rumors had spread that your father's death was connected to it...

Sturm: Then mercenaries seeking information on it would have gathered at my village in search of his relatives. I see...

Muile: I have no need for Ixaba, Miss Sturm.

Muile: I became a mercenary for the sole purpose of taking revenge on that undead for ruining my grandfather's life.

Muile: Let's rid the skies of him together. We can't miss this chance to avenge our loved ones, right?

Sturm: Did your grandfather know that you were going to become a mercenary?

Muile: No. I was hoping to let him know before he passed away to put his mind at ease, but...

Sturm: I see. No wonder you...

Sturm: ...

Muile: What is there for us to waver over? Let's get going, Miss Sturm.

Sturm: No, we're going to head back and gather reinforcements.

Muile: But... But he's so close!

Sturm: He's also strong, and you're inexperienced.

Muile: I know that! I know that, but...

Sturm: No, don't misunderstand me. I'm saying that...

Suddenly, Sturm notices a glittering light flashing from the top of a particularly tall tree.

Sturm: Wait, cancel that. We're taking it out.

Muile: Huh?

Producing from her pack a spare magical orb infused with her partner's magical power and making it glow, Sturm repeats herself.

Sturm: We're taking that undead out. Right here and now.

The Likes of Revenge: Scene 2

Sturm and Muile face the undead again, but Muile's desire for revenge leads to her being injured, putting Sturm in a bad position. Drang suddenly reveals himself and engulfs the undead in an inferno. Muile asks if Sturm does not want to take vengeance with her own hands, but Sturm replies that proper mercenaries don't seek revenge. Sturm and Drang then put the undead down together.

---

Sturm: Stay behind me.

Muile: Understood, Miss Sturm. I have your back.

Undead Blademaster: ...

The undead's crude katana shines ominously in the moonlight.

Sturm: The legendary cursed sword Ixaba, and you, who are possessed by it...

Sturm: Will pay for my dad's death!

Undead Blademaster: Come.

Sturm: Haaah!

The undead effortlessly parries Sturm's fierce blow.

Muile: How about this!

Ixaba flashes as the undead cuts through Muile's fireball, nullifying it.

Muile: My magic!

Muile: In that case...

Sturm: Stay back! Keep covering me!

Undead Blademaster: So, you feel comfortable enough facing me to chatter. In that case...

Undead Blademaster: Hah!

Sturm: Grgh!

The undead swings at Sturm with even greater force than before.

As he does so, Muile appears behind him and unsheathes her sword.

Muile: There!

However, he dodges her blow easily, as if he had known it was coming.

Undead Blademaster: Weak.

Muile: Grah...

Sturm: Muile!

Muile: I'm... sorry. I really wanted to finish him... with my own two hands...

Undead Blademaster: Unworthy.
What about you?

Undead Blademaster: Hraaah!

Sturm: ...!

Muile: Miss Sturm, I'll cover... Urgh...

Muile tries to use her magic to save Sturm as the veteran mercenary is showered in blows, but her wounds hinder attempts at concentration.

Sturm: Pant, pant, pant...

Undead Blademaster: Now, to end this.

Muile: Miss Sturm!

Sturm: I'm fine... Just stay back...

Sturm: Just like my dad... I have a partner too.

???: That's right. We're not the Maelstroms of Discord unless we're together!

Undead Blademaster: Grah!

Drang: Nice, a clean hit. That was a great distraction, Sturm. The bit about paying for your father's death sounded totally realistic!

Muile: Wh-who are you?

Drang: Me? I'm...

Drang: I'm one half of the dynamic merc duo, the Maelstroms of Discord, Sturm and Drang!

Drang: Drang, specifically. Nice to meet you!

Drang: Yeowch! Why did you have to stab me now, Sturm? I managed to make that sound so cool!

Sturm: No you didn't. And you're late. You were supposed to ambush him once he was focused on me.

Drang: Sorry, sorry. The guy just wouldn't show any openings. But thanks to you, I think I managed to get him pretty...

Undead Blademaster: Another seeker of my blade, then.

Drang: Wow, he's still standing. This guy's a tough nut to crack.

Sturm: No matter. We just have to keep hitting him until he stays down!

Undead Blademaster: Haah!

The undead attempts to hit Sturm with his strongest blow yet. However...

Drang: Not on my watch!

Drang's ice magic stops him in his tracks.

Undead Blademaster: Cheap tricks! Then I'll take you out first!

The undead tries to turn his blade on Drang, but is thwarted there too.

Sturm: Back off!

Sturm steps in and knocks the katana away from her partner.

Undead Blademaster: Grah!

Muile: Incredible... They fight together as if each already knows what the other is going to do.

Sturm: Raagh!

Undead Blademaster: But your efforts are still tepid!

Drang: Oh, you don't like tepid? Then I'll just go ahead and turn up the heat... to your boiling point, and beyond!

Undead Blademaster: Graaaagh!

The undead screams as Drang traps him inside of a magical inferno.

Muile: Now, Miss Sturm! Finish him off!

Sturm: No. We're going to back up and let the fire do its work.

Muile: Huh? B-but... Don't you want to take revenge yourself?

Sturm: Not really... I only signed onto your reckless plan because I knew that Drang was here to reinforce us.

Drang: Yeah, checking up on the seal was easy-peasy, so I decided to cut my vacation short and join up with my partner.

Drang: It's a good thing we decided on a cypher to let us communicate with those magical orbs. Climbing that tree was a real pain, though!

Drang: Wait, did she just say revenge? Did that zombie actually kill your father, Sturm?

Muile: That's right. This is our vengeance... If you have no connection to that thing, then don't get in our way!

Drang: Huh? But you're a mercenary, aren't you? You really ought to drop that kind of stuff before it fills your schedule.

Muile: Wha...

Sturm: No proper mercenary goes looking for revenge.

Sturm: To us, today's friend could be tomorrow's enemy, and vice versa.

Sturm: A person who gets angry at every enemy who kills an ally, who kills someone precious to them, won't be able to get any work done.

Muile: But that's...

Sturm: Strength is what's important to a mercenary. Not fame or glory, but their own strength.

Sturm: So when you lose someone important to you, it's your weakness that you should hate. That's what your grandfather did.

Muile: What?

Sturm: A weak mercenary is a worthless mercenary. It's our weakness we should hate, and our failure to protect our partner we should regret.

Sturm: Your grandfather told me that too. Seeking revenge is a mistake.

Muile: ...

Undead Blademaster: Grhh... Aaah...

Drang: Whoa, he still hasn't burned up? This guy's a really tough cookie!

Undead Blademaster: If they are not worthy, then Ixaba... Then the title is still... still... mine...

Sturm: Revenge aside...

Sturm: This work's not half bad if I can take out trash like this guy.

Drang: Oh my, that sure takes me back.

Sturm: Help me out with this, Drang.

Drang: You got it!
Let's turn it up another notch, Redster!

Undead Blademaster: Graaaaahhhh! But I still... I still!

As the inferno becomes even hotter, Sturm steps before the screaming, writhing undead.

Sturm: Haah!

Undead Blademaster: Gagh!

Taking one last blow, the warrior finally falls to the ground, never to rise again.

The Likes of Revenge: Scene 3

Sturm arrives at the guild to leave Ixaba with Donna but ends up keeping it, as well as promising to eventually take up the post of guild leader. After parting with Muile, who has decided to continue on as a mercenary, Sturm worries about how to bring up the fate of their partnership to Drang. Before she can, he mentions his plan to become the guild leader's assistant to stay by her side, and she hides her embarrassment by stabbing him.

---

Guild Mercenary 1: Hey, did you hear about Sturm?

Guild Mercenary 2: You bet I did! She got the legendary cursed sword, Ixaba!

Guild Mercenary 1: Ain't that something? She's gotta be the next head of the guild for sure.

Guild Mercenary 2: But then what would happen to her partner, Drang?

Donna: Hehe. Did you know the whole guild's abuzz with rumors of your adventure, Sturm?

Sturm: Yes. Hearing all that whispering gets on my nerves.

Sturm: More importantly, let's talk about the job.

Sturm places a bundle on the table and reveals its contents, the katana Ixaba.

Donna: Good work. Right, let's take a look...

Sturm: H-hey, you shouldn't touch...

Donna: Okay, this is certainly the real Ixaba.

Sturm: Are you all right?

Donna: What, are you worried about me?

Sturm: Shut up. That's not what I mean.

Sturm: Isn't that sword cursed?

Donna: Well, people say it is. But the truth is, it doesn't actually do anything to people who hold it.

Donna: It's an ancient weapon that's made it through plenty of battles and bathed in plenty of blood. That made it magical, but not sentient.

Donna: The stuff about it only obeying the strong was never anything more than rumors, and it doesn't have the power to resurrect its dead owner to search out a new one.

Sturm: Then that undead was...

Donna: Just brought back by his own regrets making use of the sword's magical power.

Donna: It wasn't the sword's will. Ixaba was just doing its job as a weapon.

Sturm: I see...

Donna: That said, this thing's got a hell of a reputation, so it'll cause trouble for sure if I let it back into the wild.

Donna: Therefore, here.

Donna places the katana in Sturm's hand and makes the mercenary close her fingers around it.

Sturm: Hey...

Donna: It's yours. Think of it as a bonus.

Sturm: I don't want it.

Donna: I've got to leave it in someone's hands. And someone everyone will agree deserves it, too.

Sturm: I didn't do it alone.

Donna: You were the one who took the job, though.

Sturm: Then stick it in the guild's vault.

Donna: Come on, you know how much trouble we'd be in if someone managed to steal from us.

Donna: Plenty of people can't tell the difference between reputation and ability, after all.

Sturm: ...

Sturm: Fine. I'll hold onto it.

Donna: Huh?

Sturm: Is it really that surprising?

Donna: I though you'd be more resistant. You know that taking it means...

Sturm: I won't replace you immediately.

Sturm: But if that's what you want, I can promise to do it in the near future.

Donna: Oh?

Donna: Now that I think about it, I heard that a non-affiliated rookie got involved in the fight. Did that make you see how important the guild is?

Sturm: To a degree, I suppose. I certainly understand your desire to prevent talent from being wasted.

Sturm: But that's not all. Your...

Donna: My?

Sturm: ...
No, it's nothing.

Donna: Come on, now you've got me curious. My what?

Sturm: It's nothing! We're done here, I'm leaving!

Donna: ...
She actually left. I wonder what that was about.

Wolke: Haha.

Donna: And what are you laughing at, Wolke?

Wolke: My apologies, I couldn't help myself. It's just that I've known you both since back when you were teaching her all kinds of things.

Donna: I wouldn't really call that "teaching." It was more like nagging.

Wolke: Either way, that's what that was. Hehe, you can be unexpectedly dense sometimes, Donna.

Donna: ...?

Donna: Seeing you like this really makes me think none of us are better off alone though. Maybe I should actually put that plan into motion.

Sturm: Are... you seriously going to form a guild?

Donna: Yeah. Lots of folks out there could use some help, just like you.

Sturm: (I decided to take up the position because I started to understand what you felt at the time and how important the things you gave me were.)

Sturm: (It just wouldn't feel right getting that kind of help and then not doing the same thing for others.)

Muile: Miss Sturm? What's wrong?

Sturm: Nothing. Anyway, did you really decide to join the guild?

Muile: Yes. After this incident, I've realized that I have much to learn.

Sturm: That undead is gone now. Do you still want to continue as a mercenary?

Muile: To be honest, I wasn't sure for a while... But then I remembered something.

Muile: My grandfather always talked about how fun it was traveling around doing all kinds of things as partners that work together like a well-oiled machine.

Muile: And because I just saw a wonderful example of that in you and your partner Drang, I started feeling like it would be a waste to quit now.

Sturm: I see...

Sturm: Well, let me know if you have trouble with anything. I'll see what I can do.

Muile: Thank you, I will! And I hope to be able to keep learning from you as well!

Sturm: (An example, huh? But if I'm eventually going to lead the guild...)

Sturm: ...
I'll have to talk to Drang about this.

Drang: Hey, Sturm!

Sturm: Drang?

Drang: Come on, Sturm, why would you leave the guild without me like that?

Sturm: Without you? Wait, you were at the guild?

Drang: I sure was. I am a member, for what it's worth, so surely you shouldn't be that surprised.

Sturm: But you never go there. You say that Donna makes you nervous.

Drang: Yeah, she does. But, well...

Drang: I've recently learned that I can sometimes get along pretty easily with people I assumed I'd have trouble with.

Drang: So I figured that I'd pop in there to study.

Sturm: Study what?

Drang: How to be the guild leader's assistant. Wolke let me borrow the key to the records room, so I was reading up on some things.

Sturm: ...
But why?

Drang: You're going to lead the guild, aren't you?

Drang: I need to be a good partner for that too when the time comes. We're not the Maelstroms of Discord unless we're together, after all!

Sturm: ...

Drang: Gah! Why? Why did you stab me this time?

Sturm: To hide my embarrassment.

Drang: That's the calmest embarrassment I've ever—

Drang: Yowch! H-hold up! I don't think that opening new holes in others' butts is a proper hobby for a prospective guild—

Drang: Gyaaah!

Sturm: Stop talking nonsense and get a move on.

After the events of this day, the pair's routine will be a little different than the one they are used to.

Sturm: Come on, Drang. Or I'll leave you behind.

Drang: Don't leave me, Stuuurm!

Drang: Sturm, I said wait uuup!

They will, however, continue facing it together.