Scenario:Charlotta - Sacred Vow

Sacred Vow

(Captain) and company visit a snowy mountain to hunt monsters. The place reminds Charlotta of her snowy hometown, and she speaks fondly of her days there, but a scream from nearby interrupts her. The crew races to investigate.

---

Monster: Grrr...

Charlotta: Take that!

Charlotta: Whew... Is that the last of them?

Lyria: Wow, Charlotta... You move like the snow's not even there.

Vyrn: (Captain) was having trouble even walking. Is there a trick to it or what?

Charlotta: Hehe... The only trick is good old-fashioned practice.

(Captain) and company are in the snowy mountains on a request from the Knickknack Shack.

Vyrn: It's up ahead, right? The village where Siero told us we'd find the monsters.

Charlotta: These mountains remind me of home... Sometimes everything was absolutely buried in snow just like this.

Lyria: Wow! What kind of place did you come from, Charlotta?

Charlotta: Nowhere special. Just your average country village.

Charlotta: But for most of the year it would snow just like this.

Vyrn: Oh, I get it! So you've had plenty of practice swinging a sword in the snow! That explains your skills!

Charlotta: Not exactly. I was just a normal child when I lived there.

Charlotta: Like so many other Harvins, I was good at detail-oriented work and business. I never even touched a sword.

Lyria: Really? So how'd you end up as a captain?

Charlotta: Well—

???: Aahh!

Lyria: ...!
What was that?

Charlotta: The scream came from over here! We must hurry, (Captain)!

Sacred Vow: Scene 2

(Captain) and company save the villager, who guides them to the village. Some Holy Knights have taken the same request as the crew, so they cooperate to patrol the area, but they end up getting separated. Imperial soldiers suddenly surround the crew, forcing them to fight.

---

Villager: Oh, thank you. I thought I was a goner for sure.

Charlotta: I'm glad we made it in time. Are you injured?

Villager: I don't think so. Um, forgive me for asking, but are you perhaps skyfarers?

Vyrn: You bet! We're looking for a village that needs some monsters hunted.

Villager: I knew it! That would be our village. Let me take you there!

Lyria: We heard that the village that sent out the request is full of Harvins.

Villager: Yeah. As ashamed as I am to say it, most of us Harvins aren't exactly fighters. We often end up sending out calls for help with monsters.

Charlotta: My village was much the same!

Charlotta: My life was actually saved by a group of Lumiel's Holy Knights.

Charlotta: And that's when I realized that I wanted to protect people too.

Vyrn: That explains why you were running with the Holy Knights!

Villager: Huh? Would you also happen to be one of Lumiel's Holy Knights?

Lyria: Huh? What do you mean also?

Villager: Well...

Villager: A group of Holy Knights actually answered our call. They're in the village now.

Knight 1: Wha? Captain Charlotta?

Charlotta: Um... Long time no see.

Knight 2: So it is you. What are you doing here? Don't tell me you knew that—

Knight 1: Hold it. We weren't sent here until after the captain left.

Knight 2: Oh... Yeah, you have a point. At any rate, we're glad to see you safe, Captain.

Knight 1: If you don't mind my asking, what have you been doing? Why are you here?

Charlotta: Well... Um...

Looking more than a little embarrassed, Charlotta explains how she came to be here.

Knight 1: So you joined a crew of skyfarers, and now you're in this village on a request.

Knight 2: I didn't know they'd sent out another call for help. This is quite the coincidence.

Charlotta: Huh? What's wrong? If I've caused you any trouble—

Knight 2: No! Not at all! It's nothing, really! We're just so relieved to see you again, Captain.

Knight 1: Indeed. You look like you're with a pretty seasoned group.

Vyrn: That's right! (Captain)'s seen more of the dark side of adventuring than any one person ever should!

Knight 1: Impressive...

Thus the crew joins forces with a team of Lumiel's famous Holy Knights.

At the knights' suggestion, they head out to patrol the mountains around the village together, but they run into some trouble.

Vyrn: Something's off. Where'd those knights run off to?

Lyria: Looks like we've been separated. Do you think they'll be all right?

Charlotta: I don't think they've had much experience in weather like this either.

Charlotta: The Holy Knights don't spend much time in the sno—
Huh?

Imperial Soldier: ...

Vyrn: Wha? What are imperial dogs doin' around here?

Imperial Soldier: ...

Charlotta: And we appear to be surrounded. I do believe they mean us harm.

Charlotta: We can save the explanations for later. For now, we fight! Back me up, (Captain)!

Sacred Vow: Scene 3

The imperial soldiers are after a rare mineral found in the village, and they're using dark essence to send monsters there. When Charlotta learns that the Holy Knights cooperated with them, she's furious at them and their pretentious claim that justice is the absolute right of the strong, and the fight begins.

---

After repelling the Imperial troops, (Captain)'s crew find themselves wrapped in the eerie silence of the forest.

Lyria: Why would imperial soldiers be here?

Charlotta: I have no idea. What could they be trying to accomplish?

Vyrn: Wait a minute. You know how the knights vanished? You think the imperials got 'em?

Knight 1: You need not worry yourself over us.

Knight 2: ...

Charlotta: You two! You're safe!

Knight 1: Remind me never to underestimate you, Captain. Novice soldiers like them didn't have a chance, did they?

Charlotta: ...?
What are you saying?

Dragon: Groar!

Charlotta: What? Now we have to deal with monsters too? Be on your guard, (Captain)!

Charlotta: You two! Hurry up and unsheathe your swords!

Imperial Soldier: And why would they do that?

Charlotta: Another imperial soldier? What are you trying to say?

Imperial Soldier: Can't you see for yourself? Those two knights are friends of ours. And the monsters attacking the village are under our control.

The soldier finishes his sentence by revealing a sinister-looking crystal.

Lyria: Th-that's dark essence!

Imperial Soldier: And we have a winner. But wait... You're that fugitive, aren't you?

Imperial Soldier: Haha! How perfect! Two birds with one stone, eh?

Vyrn: Hold on just a second! How about you wipe that stupid grin off your face and tell us what's going on!

Imperial Soldier: Do I really have to spell it out? We planned the whole thing! We found ourselves a rare mineral here.

Imperial Soldier: We wanted to get rid of the villagers and get to digging, but they're a bunch of stubborn old goats.

Imperial Soldier: So we thought about burning the whole village down, but we'd prefer to stay nice and friendly with the village's trade partners.

Imperial Soldier: And that's where the dark essence comes in. It's all you need to control a few monsters and make it look like the village got hit by them. Nothing easier.

Lyria: That's terrible...

Charlotta: And why would two proud Holy Knights stand with this imperial fiend?

Knight 1: ...

Knight 2: You don't understand, Captain. They're strong. Unbelievably so.

Imperial Soldier: I couldn't have said it better myself! These little knights came down to save the village, but then they got a taste of us.

Imperial Soldier: That's all it took to win 'em over to our side! And thus we tied up the last loose end in our glorious plan!

Charlotta: Fools!

Knight 1: Captain Charlotta, why are you so angry with us?

Charlotta: You dare ask me why?

Charlotta: You had honor! You were disciples of justice! Yet all it took to get you to throw your lot in with this evil was a little show of cowardly force!

Charlotta: You are beyond forgiveness! Well beyond!

Knight 1: Dear Captain... this justice you speak of. What if there was an evil that dwarfed it?

Charlotta: What do you mean?

Knight 1: The only true justice in this world is absolute power, and that rests in the mighty hands of the Erste Empire.

Knight 1: Only the strongest have the right to claim their cause just.

Knight 1: Justice without power is little more than a fantasy, and the justice of the weak is no justice at all, Captain.

Vyrn: You low down, dirty, double-crossing—
You disgust me.

Charlotta: Is that all you have to say for yourself, knight?

Knight 1: What?

Charlotta: Justice—true justice—walks hand in hand with the righteous.

Charlotta: Your claim that justice answers only the call of the strong is preposterous, uncivilized, and dangerous!

Charlotta: That day in the mountains, when the Holy Knights saved me, I knew that I would one day join them.

Charlotta: I knew that I too would be there to protect those who couldn't protect themselves. That vow is justice in its purest sense!

Charlotta: Justice was there to aid me in my weakness, and it made me strong.

Charlotta: Forever pure, forever righteous. No matter how weak they are, those who uphold the ideals of our order are just.

Charlotta: And you, my former comrades, gave all of this away for a little power. Your names are no longer worthy of utterance!

Sacred Vow: Scene 4

The crew defeats the knights, and an envoy of the order shows up to apologize and take them into custody. The envoy invites Charlotta to return to the order, but she decides to stay with the crew until the order can again lay claim to its own words: forever pure, forever righteous.

---

(Captain) and company capture the imperial soldiers and corrupt knights.

They hand over the knights to a visiting envoy from Lumiel.

Envoy: No words could ever express how sorry I am for what those knights did to your village.

Villager: It's fine. Thankfully we managed to avoid any casualties.

Envoy: That's a relief to hear.

Envoy: I've also heard that we owe our gratitude to Captain Charlotta and her crew for resolving this matter.

Vyrn: Yeah, Charlotta was just terrifying back there! I've never seen her so furious!

Charlotta: Well, all the memories of what it really means to be a knight came flooding back, and I got a little carried away.

Lyria: You were sooo cool though, Charlotta!

Charlotta: Um... I'm not sure that losing your cool counts as cool.

Envoy: Captain Charlotta, you have no idea how much the order needs you.

Envoy: I've heard of your travels from other skyfarers...

Envoy: But would you do us the favor of returning to us? I beg you.

Charlotta: I... Well...

Envoy: Every citizen of Lumiel and every knight of the order awaits the day you come back home.

Charlotta: I see... I do wish to see Lumiel again. I truly do.

Charlotta: But I...

1. They need you.
2. I want you here with me.

Choose: They need you.

Charlotta: ...!
Oh... Well, if you say so, (Captain).

Charlotta: Sniff... If that's your command, then I've no choice but to obey.

Charlotta: I suppose... sniff... I suppose our time together is at an end.

Charlotta: I... I don't know what to... what to say... sniff...

Charlotta: I... sniff... I'll never ever... sniff... forget you, dear skyfarers!

Lyria: Charlotta...

Vyrn: Hey... You sure about this, (Captain)?

Lyria: Charlotta, why don't you stay with us?

Charlotta: Sniff... What was that, Lyria?

Vyrn: Um... Lyria? Didn't you hear the captain?

Lyria: But I want to spend more time with her!

Lyria: And I'm pretty sure Charlotta wants to be with us too.

Charlotta: Sniff... Sob...

Go to "Continue 1"

Choose: I want you here with me.

Charlotta: Well, how could I refuse an offer like that?

Charlotta: (Captain), if you really want me with you...

Charlotta: Then I'm more than willing to stay by your side!

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Envoy: That's that then, though I do sincerely wish you'd join our ranks again, Captain.

Envoy: But now that I think about it, perhaps it's still too early for you to come back to us.

Charlotta: Huh?

Envoy: For two of our own to stray so far... I cannot tell you how ashamed I feel. We cannot face you with our heads held high quite yet.

Envoy: Forever pure, forever righteous. The Holy Knights of Lumiel must work to reclaim those hallowed words.

Envoy: Will you stay with these dear skyfarers until we do, Captain?

Charlotta: Of course! I'll be right here with this crew until you're ready!

Envoy: Heh-heh. I look forward to that day, Captain.

The envoy leaves with a gentle smile.

Vyrn: Whew... I thought you were gonna leave us for a minute there, Charlotta.

Lyria: I'm so glad you didn't! And I'm glad the envoy understood too!

Charlotta: Hee-hee... I'll have to give him my thanks once I return to Lumiel.

Lyria: But that won't be for a while, right?

Charlotta: Of course not! For now, consider me a full member of (Captain)'s crew!

Charlotta: I do hope you'll be glad to have me on for a bit longer, (Captain)!

Thus (Captain)'s crew is asked to look after Charlotta.

Their adventures with her will soon be too numerous to count.