Foreword:
This story is based on my experience playing Arcane Odyssey. Obviously not entirely 100% accurate to the in-game story and lore, but perhaps a fun story, regardless.
Warning! Major canon divergence detected! Please be advised!
This is Chapter 4 of the Astral Odyssey series.
Content Warnings: Blood, Violence, depiction of an Injury, depiction of a Mass Execution
Ravenna - Rubica - Ravenna Castillo, Guest Quarters
”I’m not entirely certain how to feel about Iris, especially with recent events. But things have taken a very unexpected turn.”
”This morning, I was greeted by the sight of a Ravenna Galleon, gangplank extended onto an ice floe near the shore, and a cohort composed of a mixture of ensigns and centurions, led by a pair of legionnaires. The ensigns and centurions were talking with the civilians, asking if everything was alright.”
”To my great surprise (although, thinking back, it wasn’t -too- surprising), everyone mentioned me. I had retrieved coconuts, caught fish, and helped the alchemist, Enizor, with his research into a topic he refused to elaborate upon. He departed the day before, and I had very little idea as to where he went.”
”Eventually, I was approached by a man in fancy robes. He introduced himself as Prince Revon of the Ravenna Realm. He was visiting on behalf of his brother, King Calvus the Fourth.”
”He had received a letter from the mayor of Frostmill, explaining that his prior request for aid from Ravenna was no longer necessary, as a young man by the name of Matt Starsoul had appeared, seemingly out of the blue, and resolved the matter peacefully.”
”I, of course, introduced myself, bowing politely out of instinct and downplaying my prior achievements, so as not to seem like I was… a tryhard? A glory-hound? In any case, my efforts seemed to win Prince Revon over. I didn’t need to try very hard, it seemed, the two of us seemed to get along quite nicely.”
”He was here for me. More specifically, he was here to see if I knew anything about the incident. I explained about the girl with the strange magic, but I knew little of where she had gone, only that she had left abruptly and peacefully. I did warn them that she seemed to have something against Ravenna, something to do with her father, but I didn’t go into specifics.”
”He nodded, sagely, as if pondering my words, before abruptly turning and inviting me aboard his ship, the Bronze Sunrise. We were to sail for Ravenna, as I had been invited to dinner at the Ravenna Castillo with the king, a handful of Ravenna Nobles, and a prominent Ravenna General.”
”As I climbed aboard the Bronze Sunrise, I asked all sorts of questions.”
”My clothing? I’d get new clothing for the meal.”
”Etiquette? Not as important, considering I was their guest and wasn’t expected to be flawless.”
”My ship? They were debating giving me a new one, actually. For such a fine young man assisting the Ravenna Realm, I may not have been worthy of a grand galleon like the Bronze Sunrise, but I was perhaps worthy enough for one of Ravenna’s finest caravels.”
”All of this seemed too good to be true, but evidently it was true, regardless. Apparently I’d had quite a positive impression on Revon.”
”The morning sun was beautiful, burning away the fog over the ocean. I looked out, having never had the luxury of examining the ocean from a ship that I wasn’t personally piloting- or at least not in my recent memory. The blue sky, the rhythm of the waves, the warming morning air and the scent of seasalt a pleasant combination.”
”As we traveled, the fog slowly dissipated. I noticed another ship approaching out of the fog, one with dark sails and a distinct symbol. They seemed to be approaching, fast. ”
”I pointed this out to the crew, and word spread around the deck swiftly. Revon was escorted inside the captain’s quarters, the legionnaires guarding the door. Revon asked me to come and stay inside with him, but I refused. He seemed hesitant to let me risk my life for him, considering that I was his guest, but considering all that I had done before, and the threat of the approaching, evidently hostile ship, he headed inside and told me to be careful.”
”I stayed on deck, keeping my head low and preparing for potential boarders. I heard the ship’s bell ringing, a call to arms for the crew. The cannons were readied, and the opposing ship, a ketch, I believe, came up alongside us.”
”One of the Ravenna Ensigns was readying their cannon when a knife flew out of nowhere, striking them in the face and sending them sprawling to the deck, crying out in pain, clutching their rapidly crimson-soaked face. A couple of other ensigns quickly moved them to safety.”
”For reasons I still do not understand, I… took up their position at the cannon. When the order was given, I took aim, and fired.”
”The cannons were loaded with heavy grapeshot, and the ketch, while large and imposing, was not heavily armored. Though the ship was struck several times, and I braced out of instinct, there was no significant damage taken.”
”The enemies- whom I later learned were part of the Bronze Sea’s Assassin Syndicate -were lead by a journeyman assassin who thought he was a big-shot, evidently. The entire crew of the assassin ship were slaughtered, and the ship was scuttled and sank to the bottom of the ocean, though not before the crew searched for any valuables and brought them aboard.”
”Revon came out after the all-clear was given, expressed his concern for the one ensign who had been injured- they were likely to be blinded in their left eye, unfortunately -and came to check on me.”
”The others told him about what I had done. He asked me why I did it- and I replied, again, honestly. I didn’t know exactly why, but I did so out of instinct.”
”The rest of the journey towards Ravenna was uneventful, and he asked me of my life. I continued to be honest with him- I washed up on an island with no memories of my prior life, operating mostly out of instinct and internal desire, and discovered that I was quite powerful. He found my story intriguing.”
”As we approached Ravenna, I saw something terrifying. Smoke was rising from the city. Revon seemed horrified, and then determined. The city of Rasna, the common-folk town in Ravenna, was under attack by pirates. Revon lamented that he would have to call upon my aid as soon as we’d arrived, but his concern was primarily towards the townsfolk of Rasna.”
”The legionnaires kept Revon safe inside the captain’s quarters of The Bronze Sunrise, while the rest of the cohort and I disembarked and headed into the city, where fighting had broken out.”
”These pirates seemed to know what they were doing. Ordinarily, I should have been cutting through them like butter, but they were putting up a very, very good fight. I took several wounds, but kept fighting, alternating between firing blasts of my light magic and striking with my sword.”
”But I was eventually outmatched. A pirate with an iron great-hammer struck my blade from my hand, disarming me. I turned to strike with my magic, but a single swing caught me in the chest, lifted me from my feet, and tossed me against a wall. My vision darkened and I felt weak, watching helplessly as the pirate approached… before they were riddled with arrows.”
”A figure approached, wearing some sort of metal armor, a cape, and some sort of cloth covering over their face. They regarded me, seemingly out of place among the pirates and citizens of Rasna, and made a connection, hurrying over to me.”
” ‘Drink this,’ he said, and passed me a potion. I drank, and immediately, strength began to return to me. He extended his hand to me and helped me back up.”
”He was a Ravenna noble, by the name of Elius. He and his sister, Carina, were the first ones to respond whenever the pirates started attempting to loot Rasna. He had a distinct pair of scimitars, a spear, and a bow. He helped me to my feet and we headed into the main street, just in time to see a figure in a martial-artist’s stance slide backwards. Elius recognized Carina, and headed to assist her. I followed, in spite of my injuries- whatever was in that potion was working quite well for me.”
”A large group of pirates, headed by a figure wielding a greatsword, was on the opposite side of the main road in Rasna. The streets were littered with wounded, composed of both pirates and ensigns.”
”Carina regarded both me and Elius, and warned us, gravely, that the head pirate was not to be taken lightly. We readied ourselves, when a figure appeared from behind the pirates, leaping boldly into the air, and brought a halberd down in the midst of the group. Many of the pirates were instantly defeated, and the pirate’s leader was thrown forward, sliding and turning mid-slide to face his aggressor.”
”This man was wearing heavy bronze armor, wielding both a halberd and a lance, and proceeded to demonstrate their tremendous strength by absolutely destroying the pirate leader, bringing him to his knees.”
”I looked away to avoid witnessing the aftermath, but I knew for certain that he’d been decapitated without any fanfare. I began to feel dizzy again, the potion’s effects starting to wear off. I staggered, and abruptly, the figure in bronze armor was over to me in an instant, catching me before I fell.”
”I awoke in a bed in a place I later learned was in the Ravenna Castillo. My wounds had been bandaged, and somebody was watching over me. A fresh set of clothing had been prepared, of similar coloration to my prior clothing. It was a distinctly Ravennan style, colored with vibrant blues and blacks. I didn’t have any bronze accessories, however.”
”Revon left a note, telling me that due to the damage inflicted by the attack, the dinner had been postponed. However, as a result of my involvement, I was going to receive some additional rewards for my efforts.”
”With little better to do, I wrote down most of my thoughts in my journal and opted to try and rest more.”
-Matt Starsoul
”Some time later, I woke up in the middle of the night, feeling thirsty.”
(Depiction of a mass execution- viewer discretion is advised)
”I happened to glance out the window as I moved down the hallway, and saw a sight in the Castillo Courtyard. There were easily about thirty people, a pair of Ravenna ensigns wielding spears standing in front of them. I couldn’t hear very well from where I was, but they were wearing ordinary clothing. I thought I recognized a few faces from the pirates that I saw, some of them quite pale already from blood loss from the battle.”
”Before I could look away, the two ensigns before each of the people thrust their spears into the person in front of them. Thirty lives were extinguished in an instant, in a mass execution. A mage with water magic began to wash away the blood into a drain- evidently, this wasn’t the first time such an execution had taken place here -and the bodies were wrapped in cloth and hauled away for disposal.”
”I tried to push what I’d seen from my mind, but against my better judgment, I wrote it down in my journal, regardless. Why I did this, I don’t know- perhaps just to recall that it happened, so that I didn’t believe it was just a dream. I want to think that they were just pirates being executed for their crimes against Ravenna, but why weren’t they turned over to the Grand Navy?”
-Matt Starsoul
Cutscene - The Celebratory Meal
The Great Hall of Ravenna Castillo. The banner of the Ravenna Realm hangs proudly on the walls, crimson red and bronze-trimmed.
A large table is set up. Sitting at this table are several Ravenna nobles, among them Elius and Carina. Centurions stand at attention as attendants make sure everything is in place.
Prince Revon leads Matt Starsoul into the room.
Revon: “Apologies, again, for the mess. First assassins, and then a pirate attack? Certainly, these past few days have been rather tempestuous for you. For that, I apologize, sincerely.”
Matt: “It seems to me that such is the nature of life in the Bronze Sea, at times.”
Revon: “Unfortunately, such experiences are a fact of life in the War Seas in general. Those pirates certainly underestimated the might of the Ravenna Realm, however.”
Matt takes a seat at the table. Revon takes a seat to the left of the head of the table, where Calvus will be sitting.
General Argos enters.
Argos: “Ah! The young warrior is up and about, eh? Quick on the mend, you are. I’ve seen my fair share of battles in my youth, and those pirates were certainly not from around here. Still no match for General Argos, the Lion of Old Ravenna, that’s for sure! Hahahaha!”
Carina looks at Matt skeptically as Argos remarks.
Carina: “You don’t look like much of a fighter to me- perhaps I’m more used to people demonstrating their martial prowess.”
Elius clears his throat, regarding Carina, first.
Elius (to Carina): “Sister, please. I’ve seen him fight. He’s certainly got potential, though he ended up in over his head. Most of us did, admittedly.”
Elius (to Argos): “Did we ever find out where those ships came from? And how did they manage to get by Fort Talos, anyways?”
Argo: “Definitely experienced mariners. They used the morning fog to obscure their approach. Reports state that their ships didn’t have any lanterns on them, so they clearly knew what they were doing. But they’re pirates, through and through.”
(Unknown): “So the treaty remains intact. Most fortunate.”
Everyone turns to regard the new voice, King Calvus IV. Everyone bows, reverently. Calvus takes his seat at the table.
Calvus: “You’ve done a remarkable service to the Ravenna Realm, Matt Starsoul. On behalf of the Ravenna Realm, I would like to thank you for your assistance in our… recent trials.”
Calvus: “It’s hard to imagine that my brother would be attacked by The Assassin Syndicate on his way back from Frostmill Island. Did I hear correctly that you bravely took up a fallen ensign’s cannon?”
Revon: “Brother, I told him that it would be safer to stay in the cabin with me, but he didn’t listen. Still, I’m grateful for his intervention.”
Calvus: “As am I. In addition, you’ve had a hand in thwarting the pirate attack on Rasna. For that, I am also very grateful.”
The food is served. Everyone is eating fairly normally.
Matt Starsoul thinks the food is delicious and can’t help but enjoy it.
Carina: “Hmm, the esteemed guest of Ravenna eats like a pig?”
Argos: “Hah! I recall you eating in a similar manner after training. Can’t exactly call yourself a shining example of etiquette, now can you, Lady Carina? Our guest is a warrior after my own heart, and certainly has the appetite to prove it! Hahaha!”
Carina, sighing, shaking her head, and smiling slightly: “Point taken.”
Elius: “To be fair, The Ravenna Castillo has the finest chef of the Bronze Sea in its employ. Anyone fortunate enough to be permitted to dine here is certainly in for a culinary delight.”
Revon, to Calvus: “Brother, you’ve barely touched your meal. Is everything alright?”
Calvus, to Revon: “I’ve been lost in thought, in regards to the recent attacks, and I’ve been distracted by some… additional business. There’s that saying; heavy is the head that wears the crown.”
Calvus, to Argos: “We’ve business to attend to, later. Meet me in my chambers.”
Argos, to Elius: “And I’ve something to discuss with you as well, later.”
Dinner finishes.
End cutscene.
