The young huntress takes Enya into the forest, the mysterious assailants in hot pursuit.
Their numbers are soon thinned by crossbow bolts that seem to come out of nowhere.
Joanna
There's at least one more... where are you...?
The huntress knows that her last shot has revealed her position, while the enemy has withdrawn into the shadows.
She hides behind a large tree, zeroing in on one little sound.
Lock, load, loose—
Joanna
Missed?!
The young huntress is pushed to the ground as her shot misses.
The attacker picks up a bolt from the ground and aims it at her throat.
But he never gets the chance to bring his raised hand down. It is frozen.
Joanna
—!
A blurred silhouette appears from above the assailant, bringing the weight of a thousand mountains down upon his head.
The ground trembles, and the snow on the tree branches is scattered...
Enya
...Degenbrecher?
Degenbrecher catches the bolt flying towards her with one hand.
Joanna
Who are you?! What do you want with the Saintess?!
Enya
Stop, Joanna! Degenbrecher is a friend.
Joanna
Degenbrecher...?
Joanna hesitantly removes the bolt from her crossbow as she looks up and down at Degenbrecher.
Joanna
I've heard your name before... they say you're a strong warrior.
Joanna
But I've never seen... a man beaten into permafrost like that...
Enya
What are you doing here, Degenbrecher?
Degenbrecher
Enciodes sent me.
Degenbrecher
I apologize, but now is not the time to stick to the rules.
Enya
How did he know I was in danger...?
Degenbrecher
This is not the only attack in recent days.
Degenbrecher
There were attempts on the lives of the members of Clans Silverash and Paleroche, soon after you left the Vine-Bead Court. The three clans are on the brink of civil war.
Enya
How could this be...?
Degenbrecher
These people...
Only now do the trio have the time to take a long look at the assailants—late assailants, more precisely.
They are wearing Paleroche armor, and they are carrying standard-issue Kjerag weapons.
Degenbrecher
Clan Paleroche...?
Joanna
That's impossible!
Joanna
Clan Paleroche has always been loyal. They would never think of murdering the Saintess!
Degenbrecher
But there has to be an explanation for these people.
Joanna
Th-They must be in disguise! Someone is trying to frame the Paleroches!
Joanna
Let me see... There must be some gap in their disguise...
Joanna
Yes! Look at this bolt!
Joanna
Hmph! These people thought they could fool us wearing Paleroche clothes, but they got a very important thing wrong.
Joanna
Look, the bolts they're carrying are two-fletched, but the ones used by Paleroche warriors are three-fletched, which are more suitable for battle than hunting.
Joanna
Dad told me that our family was the best, most loyal warriors of the Paleroches before we split from the clan.
Joanna
Our shooting skills were passed down from our ancestors, who used them in war, mostly against—
Joanna
...against the Silverashes.
Degenbrecher
A logical explanation.
Enya
All ancient history now.
Enya
The wars between the three clans, Paleroche, Browntail, and Silverash, have long since come to an end, and your family became hunters under Kjeragandr's kind guidance.
Joanna
Yes... by Kjeragandr...
Degenbrecher
It's not hard to guess who is impersonating Clan Paleroche.
Enya
The Victorians...
Degenbrecher pulls a bolt from one of the Victorian's necks and examines it.
Degenbrecher
Hm...?
Degenbrecher
Did you make this yourself?
Joanna
Yes, my dad taught me when I was little. The craftsmanship has been passed down my family from one generation to the next.
Degenbrecher
From one generation to the next?
Degenbrecher
The cut of the fletching, the shape of the point, even the etching on the shaft, these are all unique to Ursus.
Joanna
How's that possible? Dad said it's a mark of Kjeragandr's faithful.
Degenbrecher
I've seen arrows like these in the arenas of Kazimierz many times, used by those who claimed to master the most authentic Ursine martial arts.
Degenbrecher
A gimmick, no doubt, but the GCC also sponsors legitimate historians. I've read their papers and seen the artifacts they dug up.
Joanna
But... but we're all indigenous to Kjerag. We used to be part of Clan Paleroche!
Joanna
What does Ursus have to do with Kjerag?
Joanna
...Enya?
Enya
'...Some brought flags, some brought drums, and some brought swords.'
Enya
'The three outsiders fought constantly, and their blood turned the rivers red, and She grieved.'
Enya
'She went to the place of battle and said—'
Enya
'Sheathe your weapons and let your hearts be joined, and I will bestow upon you the blessings of prosperity, and protect you from ill.'
Enya
'But the three were foolish, and continued to fight even after they heard Her words.'
Enya
'So She cracked the heavens and split the clouds, and She brought forth a miracle, and the fighting was stopped.'
Enya
'One of them wept: But how could we forget the hatred, the blood that was shed?'
Enya
'And She wept as well, and Her tears froze the enemy, becoming three eternally frozen peaks.'
Joanna
...What was that?
Enya
A passage from the Kjeragandr that is often overlooked... now, I think I understand.
Enya
Joanna, I believe that your family... indeed, all of Clan Paleroche, originally came from Ursus.
Joanna
You think so too?
Enya
Yes. But it's not just you. The Silverashes and Browntails came from elsewhere as well.
Enya
As the scriptures say, our three clans were outsiders who fought incessantly over resources, until Kjeragandr intervened.
Enya
The 'three frozen peaks' seem to refer literally to the three mountains surrounding Kjerag, but it in fact refers to the domains of the three clans, which She had demarcated.
Enya
'She will come again, if the swords are not laid down.'
Enya
Several years ago, She manifested through me, averting what would have been the first civil war between the three clans in centuries.
Enya
The hearts of the three clans must be joined in order to receive Her protection...
Enya
The first virtue that Kjeragandr taught us was... forgiveness...
The tall guards bring over several prisoners, bound with ropes.
Paleroche Guard
These guys were hiding in some abandoned houses, clearly up to no good. They had binoculars and communications equipment on them. Victorians, by the looks of it.
Arctosz
Ha. Just as I thought.
Arctosz
Ratatos is plotting with the Victorians to kill me. We'll take these men to her—
Arctosz
No, we'll do it in front of the Vine-Bead Court with all three clans present, and we'll see what she has to say for herself!
Arctosz
Who's there—
Browntail Guard
We caught the remaining Victorian spies, Sir Arctosz. We are glad to see that you are unharmed.
Arctosz
What? What do you mean?
Browntail Guard
Matriarch Ratatos's orders were to protect you, Sir Arctosz.
Browntail Guard
We had been following you, and stopped these men when they attempted to make a move against you.
The warriors put their bound prisoners down.
Arctosz
What in the name of Kjeragandr...?
Arctosz
...Where is Ratatos?
Browntail Guard
We do not know.
Browntail Guard
She said she would try to draw out the spies that Victoria has deployed around here. When they reveal themselves, we can—
The old Browntail manor explodes, its walls torn apart like cardboard.
Glass and wood fragments fly in all directions, as flames consume the traces of a once sumptuous history. The boiling smoke distorts the night air.
The Paleroche warriors stand transfixed, eyes wide. Behind the brown car, some warriors caught by the blast now stagger as they try to help each other up.
The echoes of the explosion gradually disperse, leaving the crackle of wood and distant sirens ever clearer in the night.
