Suikoden VI

Chapter Six: Part Five

Part Five

"Ah, here you are Lord Daunte," Caesar said, knocking on the doorframe of the storage vault. "Do you need any help?"

"Ichirou is helping me, but thank you," Daunte said over his shoulder. "We've been so busy lately that I forgot where I placed the Iron Hammer I bought in Dunan."

"Oh, so you're going to go get a blacksmith for the Army?"

"Yes." Daunte frowned as he pushed aside a box but didn't see what he was looking for. "I was so tired when I came back that I put the Hammer in a random spot in here. But—"

"Lord Daunte, I found it!" Ichirou announced, jumping up and down and pointing at the corner.

"Oh thank goodness," Daunte said, breathing out a sigh of relief as he hurried over to grab it. "Good job, Ichirou."

Ichirou beamed at him. "Thank you!"

"Yes, it was a good thing you found it," Caesar agreed. "These types of specialized Hammers are hard to come by. I wouldn't even know where to look for a replacement one."

"Well the easy part is finished," Daunte said, tying the Hammer to his back. "Now I have to go to Peak's Edge and hopefully not anger the Wingers with my arrival."

"It will unfortunately be difficult," Caesar agreed. "But if they start getting aggressive with you then you can use the Blinking Mirror to return here!"

"That's true," Daunte said. He nodded to Ichirou and then left the vault with Caesar. "The last thing I want to do is—"

"Excuse me."

Daunte and Caesar stopped in their tracks as Barō quickly approached them. The sniper was frowning deeply. "That dwarf woman has signed me up for one of her silly plays. I will not be participating in something so ridiculous."

"I apologize for the inconvenience," Daunte said sincerely. "But as you've undoubtedly noticed, in the last few days Nāṭaka's plays have become extremely popular here at HQ. They've netted some bits for us and have had a positive impact on morale. You can consider this part of your service in this Army."

"I don't give a damn about this Army," Barō snapped. "I have a mission to fulfill. I am to find Zaj Quilous and retrieve the gun he stole from the Howling Voice Guild. How am I supposed to complete this mission if I'm stuck here performing for idiotic simpletons?"

"Yeesh, why don't you tell us how you really feel?" Caesar asked lightly, his tone sarcastic.

Daunte however was in a far less joking mood and squared up to Barō. "Don't talk about the people in this Army like this. The people here have sacrificed everything in the fight to make Nagarea a better place. You will not demean them like that!"

"I have a mission—"

"And I told you the condition of my bringing you here to Nagarea was that you be a soldier in this Army. You agreed, and we brought you here. So while you are here, you are going to do what you promised and serve this Army. You can certainly work on your mission, but you're also a soldier. And don't forget; you're number sixteen, the Tensyo Star."

Barō didn't react to him. "What difference does that make to me?"

"You are a Star of Destiny," Caesar clarified. "Destined to help the Tenkai Star—Lord Daunte—to achieve victory. That means by fate, your mission from the Howling Voice Guild comes second to this." he smiled. "Don't you worry, I'm sure you'll find Zaj Quilous somewhere. But you did agree to serve my Lord in this Army as payment for passage to Nagarea. You need to fulfill your end of the bargain."