Stepping closer, I saw a strange sight. The view changed, rising and flying smoothly closer to the town. Looking down upon the strange civilization, I saw that the castle and the market square were patrolled by soldiers in strange armor. They had shoulder-plates of glinting black enamelled metal, and stout helmets which protected their faces and necks, adorned with decorative metal plumage attached to the front of the helmet. They moved in groups of twos and threes, and they were each armed with a pair of long curved swords.
“These soldiers you see are the Samurai of Yamato, and this town is called Otara in their language. Yamato is very different from the land of Saxe, with many customs, traditions, and magics which will be strange to you. Go carefully. There are new enemies near the town. There are four, but I know only of one; Yukana, a brave Samurai from the town who ventured out alone to investigate the mysterious threats. He was caught and enslaved by the Festering, and now he stalks the outside of the town he used to protect, and the folk fear to leave their town at night. You must defeat Yukana and cleanse him of the Festering. In doing so you will bind his Persona to yourself. Once you have succeeded in that, you must find the other threats for yourself.”
“And what about me?” Cara asked, stepping boldly forward.
“Ah!” exclaimed the old man with a mischievous glint in his eye. “I had not forgotten about you. Cara Ironside, you must choose. Will you stay in Saxe? Or will you go with Leofwine? His quest will be a long one, and indeed he may never return! Who can say where that choice would lead you...?”
She turned to look at me, naked lust in her eyes. “You know what this means, don't you, Leo?”
From the way her gaze roamed over my body, I had an idea, but I preferred to play it coy.
“An adventure beyond anything we’ve ever known?”
“You could say that.” Her tongue flashed across her teeth. “And the oaths we swore on our world won’t apply. We won’t be leaders of our respective armies. . .” She let her words linger, and I smiled at her.
“Perhaps we will finally have our chance, eh, Cara?”
The Keeper coughed loudly. “So, you will be going with Leo then?” he asked Cara.
“I will go with Leo,” she said decisively. “There is no greater threat that I know of than the Festering. What more could I ask of my life’s work than to join in this noble quest to cleanse the taint from all lands and worlds? There are, of course, other benefits to being away from Saxe.” Again, her ice-blue eyes set to scouring my body.
The old Keeper nodded and wagged his beard at her, well pleased with this. “Good, good,” he said. “You pass the test. I could not choose for you, but it is essential that Leo have strong and brave companions with him. Without your choice, the prospects would not be so good.”
“Keeper,” she asked, “I, too, have felt the gathering of Renown in my heart as I’ve dispatched my enemies. But if I do not have the ability to bind Personas, then how can I use my Renown to gain upgrades?”
“Ah, you may not be able to bind the Personas, but who’s to say you cannot use them? I am limited in what I may tell you, but I will risk telling you this: there is a way for Leo to share his Personas with you. You cannot do it just now, but you may be able to in future. In fact, it’s essential that you learn to eventually.”
“But how? Can’t you tell us?”
The old man threw back his head and cackled, seeming in high good humour.
“No, no, my friends, I cannot tell you. You and Leo must work out that particular aspect of the magic for yourselves.” He glanced from Cara to me and back again and smiled secretively. “I have no doubt that you will work it out, sooner or later.” He chuckled, shaking his head, and would say no more on the subject.
“There is another matter,” he said. “Of language.” He raised his hand, and a coolness washed over me. I glanced at Cara and saw that she had experienced the same sensation.
“With this enchantment of mine,” he said after the feeling had vanished from me, “you will be able to speak and understand the languages of all peoples you come across. A rather powerful spell, I must admit, but what else do you expect of a Keeper of Cultures?”
“Thank you,” I said. “It would have been rather difficult had we not been able to speak with the natives.”
“Say no more,” he said. “Now, you should be off. Tarrying will only provide the Festering with more time to work its taint on the land of Yamato.”
“You’re sure you want to come with me, Cara?” I asked, laying a hand on her arm.
Her eyes shone as she looked up into my face. “More than anything,” she breathed.
“Very well, then.”
I took her arm. The portal had shifted its view again, and we were now looking at the top of a soft, grassy hilltop some way away from the town. I could just see the red roof of the foreign castle poking out over the treetops a little way away.
I took a last glance around the devastation
