(creatures groaning)
(intense music)
(people shouting)
- [Hobnail] Gods be damned, I hate this forest,
- [DJ] I'm just glad the rain's finally letting up,
- [Marko] That won't last,
- [Top] Cut the chatter,
How's our rear?
- [Whisper] No sign,
Think they may have pulled back,
- [Top] DJ, how's home?
- [DJ] Seems clear, bring it in,
- Keep an eye out for leeches,
(intense music)
Hob, how long until the inside perimeter is secure?
- Keep interrupting me
and you're looking at a big, fat never,
- How about I slit the little toad down the middle, Top?
- How about I punch an arrow straight
through your pretty little neck?
- Leave Hob alone, Whisper,
You know she can't help it,
She's just huffed too many of her own potions,
- Play nice, soldiers,
- Got a stray, north grove,
(creature groans)
Kaylee said you shoot like you screw,
I guess she wasn't lying,
- What does that even mean?!
- It means you can never find the target,
You know,
- Oh, come on!
That's low, look, I didn't ask for this job!
- [Top] You got the job because Switch isn't
here and I told you to do it,
So pipe down and kill shit,
Dammit, where the hell are our people?
- Manoj nakoshtos!
Done,
The perimeter is secure with shriekers,
You're welcome,
- [Top] Good job,
- Quit smacking your torc,
or you'll break the enchantment again,
- Who's gonna secure the outside perimeter?
- You volunteering?
Let's see you take your new trophy shield
up to Ghostwatch new guy,
- I'm not new,
- It's covered,
- Covered, right!
Judge got back today,
Huzzah,
I hope we all survive the reunion with that tree-hugging
psycho-- - Hobnail,
my friend, you better quit while you're ahead,
- And while you still have a head,
- Whisper,
(fire blaring)
I see them,
200 paces out,
They got Slab!
Seven hells, he does not look good,
- Keep them covered until they get inside,
then post to Ghostwatch,
- I've only got so many arrows,
- Then pick better targets,
Whisper, DJ, Marko, secure the second floor,
(suspenseful music)
(Top groans)
(man groaning softly)
- [Buttercup] Mission accom, accomplished, Top,
- Good job, all of you,
Where's Wymrick?
(Top gasps)
(ominous music)
- [Buttercup] They almost got Kaylee, too, but we--
- We traded one life for another,
- Wymrick the Red will be missed,
and as soon as we get home,
we will give him a proper send off,
Until then, there is work to do,
It's good to have you back, Slab,
Now let's get you fixed up,
- Those mother-humping Nosck gutterdogs--
- [Buttercup] Cut him open with mordine-barbs,
- I've tried every spell I know,
and every elixir in my bag, but he won't stop bleeding!
- It's the damned venom,
- Maybe Hobnail can-- - No!
You keep that gods-forsaken abomination away from me,
(suspenseful music)
- [Top] I need you healed up as soon as possible,
Use this,
It'll stop both the venom and the bleeding,
- I'll die before I let you touch me
with any of Hob's potions,
- [Flewellyn] That's not one of her's, son,
- [Top] It works,
- That stuff's not meant for our kind,
We can't use it,
- [Switch] It works until it doesn't,
- It hasn't begun to quicken yet,
- Hey, guys,
(Kaylee grunts)
I don't feel so good,
- Better ask that goddess of yours for some
actual help, Kaylee,
- Top, don't make me do this,
- [Top] Use it, Kaylee,
Then clean the wound before it quickens,
- It's okay,
I can handle it,
He goes first,
(Kaylee groans)
(Slab groans)
(suspenseful music)
(Top gasps)
(muscle sizzles)
(Top whimpers)
- Fix him, that's an order,
(Kaylee panting)
Flewellyn, move Slab to the Chopshop,
Switch, Buttercup, to your posts,
(suspenseful music)
- See anything?
- No,
Wait, I do see something,
It's your missing spine,
(Marko snickers)
- It was the Samada soldier hiding behind that bush, not me,
I just went to finish him off,
That's called protecting your flank,
- Really?
And did you kill him?
Because I don't remember seeing you draw your weapon,
- He was already bleeding to death when I got there,
There's nothing for me to do,
Thanks to all the arrows you guys put into him,
That's called overkill, by the way,
I mean, the Samada are tough and all,
but you freakin' archers are just way too enthusiastic,
- What color are the feathers?
- (grunts) One blue, one orange,
- And the third?
The killing arrow?
- Wouldn't you like to know?
(snickers)
- This one wasn't caused by mordine-barbs,
But, the venom's in your body so won't stop bleeding,
What did it?
Ice blade or a Vine sword?
- [Slab] What difference does it matter?
Just get on with it!
- Well, smart guy, if I treat an ice blade wound
with this blood sap, it'll quicken straight away,
lighting you up from the inside, and then lighting up
this barn and then lighting up the entire forest,
- Bullshit!
There's not enough of it in there,
It'll light me up, definitely,
You, maybe,
Him, hopefully,
- (laughing) I forgive you, Slab,
because you're probably gonna die,
But you should know that arguing with a child
is a dangerous and ill-advised endeavor,
- Call me child again, Flewellyn,
and I'll make you eat a torch,
- Now, Kaylee, you know what Top says
about starting a fire you can't put out,
- Fuck! - No, no!
Don't waste! - I don't care if I burn up,
just get him to shut up already!
(panting)
- [Flewellyn] Son, don't keep doing stupid stuff like that,
I'm rather keen on not visiting the Sword Halls again,
- Again? (Kaylee scoffs)
- That's for being an idiot,
- [Flewellyn] Do you want me to hold him down?
- No, just leave,
- She'll be as gentle as always,
but it's still gonna hurt like hell,
so brace yourself,
(Slab sighs)
- [Kaylee] Looks like you fucked a hill
full of fire ants there, big guy,
- You sounds like DJ,
- [Kaylee] Don't insult me,
- God, I really hate this kingdom,
I am not worried about the pain, I can handle it,
I just don't want the others to think that--
- I'll twist a cantrip to speed the healing,
It's not much but, just tell me when you're ready,
(Slab screams)
- That Nosck shield Marko picked up is pretty tough,
- Yeah,
Too bad he's about two feet too short
to lug it around,
(Slab continues screaming) - I don't know,
He can block a lot of shit with it,
- You're bucking for two straight weeks of latrine duty,
(Slab continues screaming)
- That girl has a mean streak in her
that rivals Hobnail's,
- Cruelty isn't in her nature,
She just grew up too quickly,
- War does that,
- [DJ] I don't understand them,
- Who, the Nosck, the Samada,
or the weirdos who hired us?
- The Nosck,
Like every day, right now, right before dawn,
they lineup on the battlefield,
set their weapons and armor aside,
sit down bare assed naked in the snow,
and meditate or, I don't know, pray, or whatever,
- You have way too much free time
to think about stupid shit,
- That's crazy if you ask me,
- I didn't,
- Remember that recon a few days ago?
I overheard some Samada soldiers say
the Nosck have icefire in their veins, huh?
I bet you that keeps them-- - Shh!
- What is it?
(rain trickling)
What?
(ominous music) - Look,
- Movement, northeast quad,
Nosck just beyond the perimeter wards,
(creature grunting) - Grimhail markings,
If that thing sets off the wards, we're fucked,
(creature shrieks) Seven hells, down!
That's one big son of the snow whore,
It must be a wallbreaker,
- [Top On The Torc] All swords, dig in,
No torcs,
(creature grunts)
(creatures roaring)
Overwatch, report,
- Top, something isn't right,
That wall breaker was hauling full kit,
- [DJ] And at least four squads of berserkers flanked him,
- [Top On The Torc] Scout reports from Samozar's unit
say the Grimhail are out of food,
They must be moving east away
from Stone's Fall to forage,
- The villagers don't stand a chance,
They need our help,
- [Top On The Torc] We stay,
Those are our orders,
- Top, let me go!
I can assassinate the Nosck IceHand
and the Samada Exarch,
The villagers can escape in the confusion--
- Contract or not,
we can't just let the villagers be slaughtered,
- [Top On The Torc] Conversation over, DJ,
Update Judge on the situation,
- [DJ] Yeah, like Judge needs advanced warning,
- It's better than nothing,
I almost feel sorry for them when they run into Judge,
- A copper for your thoughts?
- No, thanks,
- [Buttercup] I'm your team leader, I can order you to talk,
- I don't get it,
I should be on Overwatch,
I'm the best shot in the unit,
Reaper, she isn't all that bad, but Whisper, DJ, come on,
it doesn't make sense,
- Use that stupid hayseed head of yours (scoffs),
Top's got his two best archers,
you and Reaper looking south,
Why?
- He's worried about the Serrinians?
They don't even have a dog in this fight,
We wouldn't be needed here if they did,
Why would he care about Serrinia?
- Who cares?
Politics are above my pay grade,
All I know is I've got better things to think about,
like keeping you stupid peckerwoods alive,
And don't think for a moment you make it easy for me,
Wymrick worst of all,
There's not a single one of you I wouldn't toss back
into the pits for another month or two of training,
Then maybe you wouldn't die on me so often,
- Wymrick wouldn't have wanted to go out any other way
and you know it,
- All we do is die in the name of other peoples' causes,
- [Switch] They pay us well for it,
- But don't you think we should have some greater purpose
than chasing the next score and hoping some
stroke of luck, we survive?
- No,
I like the gold, and when I die,
it goes to my brothers and sisters just like Wymrick,
If the cause is just, so much the better,
- How many bodies do we leave in the ground
when the captain says the cause is out of money
and it's time to move on?
Is that just?
- I don't know,
Don't care,
(dramatic music)
(rain trickling)
- You know we're done, right?
- You sound like a Doom Herald,
You want a bell to ring in the streets?
- That scout report from Popper's crew said
the four Nosck units on the western border are
preparing for a final push against the Samada,
- Now three,
The Grimhail,
- Yeah, no shit, new guy, I heard,
So what?
That still leaves us with the other three,
- Well, that's good news!
It means we're slightly less likely to die
when they come to kill us,
- Just switch posts with DJ already,
You're annoying, (arrow cracks)
(arrow clangs)
- You need to relax,
- Relax?
Relax?
It's a good thing you're so pretty,
otherwise I'd puncture your lungs,
We are so doomed,
- You're acting like Hobnail,
- Haven't you been listening?
Not only are the Nosck camped west,
we have the entire Sacred March of the Samada to our east!
That army is as big as all four Nosck units combined!
Oh, and let's not forget the Ardenians,
who hired us in the first place,
They can't wait to crucify us on their Soul Weald,
- To be fair, they should be mad at us,
The Captain reneged on his contract,
And someone cut down one of their sacred Soul Wealds,
- Those trees are creepy,
The woods just feel off, like off off,
- Yeah I know, it's like a snake humped
a tree sprite or something,
- We've been in some tight spots before, Marko, but this?
It's crazy,
- The Captain had his reasons for what he did,
- So says Top,
- I trust Top,
And if Top says the Captain had his reasons,
I believe him,
- Our only way out is through one of those armies,
- Top will get us out of this,
He always does,
- You've only been with us for two campaigns,
What the seven hells do you know, you dumb mud-chin?
(Marko sighs)
(creature groans)
- What's goin' on?
- Excuse me?
- You took Cobra team to Riversmeet this morning
to me with the Captain,
You've been running Vulture Squad ragged with recon,
And then there was the mission that killed Wymrick,
What game are you playing?
- You're too damn nosy for your own good, old man,
- No, my friend,
I've just been at this longer than you have,
- Speaking of which,
why don't you accept that promotion
to unit commander and get out of my hair?
- I don't think my torc could bear the weight
of another notch,
And you haven't answered my question,
- You'll find out soon enough,
- Sla-- - The unit's orders
are between myself and the Captain for now,
- Very well,
- If you don't like it, feel free to take that promotion,
- May I?
(Slab and Kaylee groan)
- Your magic is weak, girl,
and it stinks of seaweed and sunlight,
- You're lucky I swore an oath to Top
or I would smite you dead, you wretched homunculus,
- Someday, princess, you're going to need me;
and when that day comes, I'm going to look the other way,
- (scoffs) If you're all that stands between me and death,
I'll take death,
- [Slab] Knock it off, both of you,
- You should feel the healing cantrip start
to kick in soon,
If more blood appears on the bandages, send for me,
- [Slab] Yes, ma'am,
- Don't worry,
If he starts to bleed out, I'll take care of him,
(ominous music)
(Hobnail snarls)
(sniffing)
- What now?
- Do you smell that?
Something foul here,
Something familiar,
- Kaylee? - No!
That horrible bitch didn't twist this,
She doesn't know the first thing about,,,
This is like--
(bangs on floor)
- [Hobnail] Missed me!
- Stick your head in, let's see!
- [Hobnail] You smell anything strange up there?
- Just archer farts,
(arrow thuds)
(Hobnail sniffing)
- You got any last words for him?
Usually you say something poignant,
- No, not this time,
- [Kaylee] Why not?
- I couldn't protect you,
- It wasn't your fault,
You were nowhere near him and Slab when,,,
(Flewellyn blows) (ominous music)
- Fitting,
- What does it mean?
- It means Wymrick the Red is not going
to the Sword Halls, child,
- How can that be?
- His sins were far greater than any of us
could have ever imagined,
You tell no one about this,
(rain trickling)
- Uninvited pest,
Should I kill it?
- What do you want?
- Something's wrong,
It smells all wrong in here, in the whole barn,
(sniffing)
- Try taking a bath once in a while,
Is that a new hutch?
I don't recognize the god's mark,
- Yeah,
The Captain gave it to me a few weeks ago,
He said it once belonged to a priest
of the Rage Thane,
Apparently he pissed off the wrong guy, got himself killed,
(Switch grunts)
- This isn't like the other campaigns, is it, Flewellyn?
- No,
(sighs)
(war drums beating)
(dramatic music)
- Listen to me!
There is vile magic here that we haven't seen
in a very long time!
It's here!
I smell it!
- Are you talking about what I think you're talking about?
- It or one of its minions,
- That was nine years ago,
When you broke the binding spell on Cerak's phylactery,
the backlash destroyed everything except us,
- Carried the lich-mark of Alden,
He could have survived it
or some of his creations could have survived it
or one of those infernal artifacts!
- Do you really believe your spell-breaking
was so half-assed?
- I don't know,
That was the best I ever twisted, though,
- Whatever you think you smell
is nothing more than a loosened memory,
Because if anything survived your magic,
it means you didn't do your job, soldier,
and I refuse to believe that,
- Let's walk away from this damn stupid war
and this damn stupid country while we still can,
Just us,
Vulture and Cobra,
(sniffs)
- I swear to all the Warlords in the Sword Halls,
that mage is more trouble than she's worth at times,
- Go easy on her,
She can't help who she is, or her calling,
- All swords to the Abbey,
DJ, Switch, keep an open eye for more Grimhail foragers,
You two are it right now,
- Finally! - Got it!
- Gods!
Why the hell is he always putting me on arrow duty?
- My guess is he's trying to get you killed
because you annoy the shit out of everybody,
(war drums beating)
- Enough with the damn war drums already!
- Better than Samada trumpets,
(war drums beating)
(Kaylee breathing heavily)
- [Buttercup] Stay frosty, farm boy,
- What do you think it is?
- [Buttercup] Maybe Top tellin' us we can go home at last,
- Gods willing,
(war drums beating)
- Yesterday morning the other unit commanders
and I went to Rivers meet to talk to the Captain
about his new orders,
This Ardenian contract was bullshit from the start,
we all know that,
But a job is a job,
When the Captain backed out on the deal, I didn't ask why,
He had his reasons,
The last two weeks, though, have been rough,
We've been on our own, we've received no pay,
and our quartermasters are missing and likely dead,
In the opinions of the commanders,
his new orders crossed the line and threatened
to needlessly endanger us,
- We've already lost too many,
(crowd mumble)
- Whatever I said to the Captain is my business,
Suffice to say, he came this close to dismissing me
for insubordination,
- The regulations say the penalty
for insubordination is death--
- [Flewellyn] He's being circumspect, young lady,
- So here it is: Pack your bags, mend your armor,
sharpen your blades and get some rest,
We're breaking camp at dawn to leave Ardenmor for good,
- What changed the Captain's mind?
- Doesn't matter,
Just tell us the bad news,
There's always bad news when we get new orders,
- Our most recent spy reports say a contingent
of Serrinian Knights moved into southern Ardenmor
and brought a Nu'uman Sorceress with them,
(all groan)
She twisted a spell-ward across the southern border
so nothing can cross it,
(Hobnail sniffing)
They don't want this war
spilling over into their kingdom,
- And what's the bad news?
- We're going west to Stone's Fall,
At dawn we're gonna take it from the Nosck troops there,
and then we're gonna hold it until the rest
of the Broken Swords arrive from Riversmeet,
- That doesn't sound--
- Stone's Fall is indefensible,
It's a barren hill with an old mining camp on it
that did its job too well,
For a mile in every direction there's nothing
but rocky plains,
A small unit of Nosck Gladiators
can easily take us out at distance,
- I really hate this plan so far,
- We got lucky tonight when the Grimhail cleared out,
Now we just need to deal with the auxiliary units,
Those units don't measure a full company,
but they still outnumber us roughly 20 to one,
(Marko whistles)
- It's not too late to come up with a better plan, is it?
- Someone shoot me,
- Additionally, Judge told me the Ardenian Rangers
are planning a nasty surprise for us,
as payback for the Captain's treachery,
(all groan)
So, assuming we survive all this,
and once the Broken Swords regroup,
we'll run north along the border
until we can grab passage and reach safety in Wayanmar,
- You really pissed off the Captain this time, didn't you?
- Whatever differences I may have with him are irrelevant,
This is our only way out,
Three armies are seeing to that,
- This is a suicide mission at best,
- No, we've got this,
How many close scrapes have we gotten into before?
Too many to count,
We're golden!
- You stupid cow!
Just tie your torc to your hutch and pray
that the scavengers that find it in the battlefield
give you a proper send-off to the Sword Halls,
Not like you deserve it,
- You're such an asshole,
Down the middle,
- All right, dismissed,
We've got a long day ahead of us,
- What's the word?
Bad?
- You know that fiefdom in Serrinia you've always wanted?
You're gonna have to settle
for an unmarked grave in Ardenmor,
(ominous music)
- Great,
(thunder roars)
(candle flickers)
(suspenseful music)
- [Flewellyn] Judge's perimeter ward,
- Contact!
North and south perimeters!
- They're lining up fire arrows,
- Samada sharpeye, southeast squad!
- Sharpeye, northwest quad!
One support unit,
All Samada,
- Give me a target,
- You know Mama Kindeep's whore house
across from our inn in Solyn?
- Yes, I do,
- Daisy Cutter's window,
Go,
(arrow fires)
Close, you would have killed Hatty Brineshaw with that shot,
- Oh no, I liked her,
- Fredrick Jack-in-the-Hole, go!
(arrows firing)
- Are you kill-stealing from Reaper?
- I can't help it, she's so slow,
Don't think I don't see you, you pieces of Samada shit!
- [Buttercup] Thumper!
(explodes)
(Kaylee sobbing)
(horse neighs)
- Hob, flame ward!
Not yet, - But (groans),
- It won't last long,
- Old man, protect Kaylee,
Give me ranges!
(arrows firing)
(suspenseful music)
- Thumper!
50 strides!
(arrow fires) (arrow explodes)
(arrow thuds)
(suspenseful music)
- 30 strides!
(arrows firing)
- (groans) We need blades out there!
These assholes are enchanted!
- If anything comes through that door,
you have to stay behind me!
I can't protect you otherwise,
- Son of a bitch!
(groans) Son of a bitch!
(arrow explodes)
(Reaper yelps)
Son of a bitch!
- Enough of this,
Stop them,
- It'll weaken me,
I need my strength for Stone's Fall,
- [Top] This could go all night,
Do it,
- We have a problem,
- What now?
- Reaper fell out of the window,
- [Top] Judge, northwest quad in--
- This is gonna hurt,
- Five!
Go!
(Slab grunting)
(Slab's berserk raging) (all groaning)
- Fuck you, Hob!
A little warning next time!
- Oh, shit, that hurt,
Did she-- - Bitch amplified
her shriekers,
(Marko groaning)
- Reaper?
(Top panting)
- Report,
- [Marko On The Torc] Ghostwatch clear,
I think the sharp eye got away, though,
- [Whisper] What the hell, Hob?!
- Dogwatch clear,
- [Top On The Torc] We only got the backlash,
The Samada should have been torn inside out,
- Looks like they were,
Gave Slab and Judge enough time to murder
the shit out of 'em (laughs),
- (screaming) No!
No, no, no, no, no,
No!
Fuck you!
Cocksucking whoremongers!
I will kill you!
I will kill all of you!
Fuck you, lord of light!
I'll kill them, brother,
I will kill all of them,
I swear on both our god's marks,
(intense music)
- Here you go,
Easy, girl,
- Tell Marko that sharp eye didn't get away,
- What did I miss?
- I think we lost Switch,
- Was it me?
- Not this time,
Your spell worked as intended,
- Switch is dead,
- Yeah,
- You're next if you knock me out of the window again,
- Yeah,
(softly) Ah! (Reaper laughs)
(both laughing)
- (softly) Switch is dead,
- [Marko] Come on,
(groans)
- Let him go, Buttercup,
- He was a good man,
- He wasn't good,
None of us is good,
He was only in it for the money,
It doesn't matter,
He'll always be my brother, and I will see him avenged,
- All right,
Let's do this,
(mysterious music)
Kaylee,
- Switch's Testament entrusts his soul-hutch to DJ,
and splits his back pay between both Buttercup and DJ
excluding the seven gold he owes Hobnail from stones night,
Who witnesses this?
- On my honor, I witness this,
- Moreover, his Testament designates that both the hutch
and DJ's portion of his back pay are death ransom,
to be taken in good faith to his family in Talinor,
- What?!
- [Top] Who witnesses this? (Whisper snickers)
- [Kaylee] On my honor, I witness this,
- That son of a bitch!
There's a huge bounty on my head in Talinor!
I knew he hated me,
(strains)
- All swords, Chopshop, two minutes,
(eerie music)
- O' Mighty Lords and Champions of the Sword Halls,
Our brother, Switch, stands before your gates at last,
By our blood, his ransom shall be paid,
We beseech you now, let him enter,
for he is the worthiest of warriors!
His aim was ever keen,
His courage was ever resolute,
Let him sit an honored man at your table!
Reunite him with fallen comrades and lost loves!
Bring forth vanquished foes to kneel at his feet!
He has earned it!
(melancholic music)
- He died with honor,
- [All] His honor is our honor,
(melancholic music)
- (softly) That'll do,
(melancholic music)
- You're posted to the B,F,R, with Buttercup
until we decamp,
Keep a close eye on her,
(eerie music)
- Stop it,
- [DJ] Stop what?
- Stop thinking that it's yours,
- I'll cut you,
- You're no throat slitter, DJ,
- And you're no thief,
Give it back,
(DJ groans)
(whimpers) Fuck!
- [Whisper] Let's see what we've got,
- That's his share of the treasure from Black Ridge Canyon,
Hand it over, Whisper, it's mine,
- [Whisper] It's Switch's,
and you're going to honor his Testament,
- He knew what I was when he gave it to me!
I think he wanted me to steal it,
because if he didn't he would have given it to someone
with more willpower!
- Do you think that anyone's gonna carry your death ransom
after you steal Switch's?
- That's somewhat different,
- He chose you!
Only the gods know why,
but it must have been something worthwhile,
Do not prove him wrong,
You will honor his death by carrying his ransom
to those whom it's owed,
- But I could finally buy myself an estate,
a fiefdom,
- Gold makes you stupid, my friend,
That's why Top put me with you,
Be better than this,
(ominous music)
(dramatic music)
(DJ groaning softly)
- What's his name?
- What makes you think it's a he?
- [Kaylee] I just know,
- You never asked before,
Why now?
- I was afraid before,
- [Flewellyn] What's changed?
- I'm no longer afraid,
- Your goddess, won't she be jealous if you flirt
with the affections of another god?
- She's fickle, but, no,
She favors the warrior-born,
And while she may not always mend our wounds,
it's her river that carries us toward the Sword Halls,
All she cares for is the appropriate respect,
- I'm tired, Kaylee,
I've watched so many of you die,
I don't think I can do this anymore,
- Don't worry, old man, I'll protect you,
And when you're tired, I'll be your strength,
- Indeed,
- What are you doing?
- Here take it,
It's yours,
If we get out of this mess, I intend to retire,
Congratulations, my dear,
You drew the short straw,
- Wait a minute, I don't-- - I hope
someday you can find it in your heart to forgive me,
- I need to attend to Switch,
Tell Slab to bring the Samada head in,
- [Marko] What?
- Top sent you to babysit me,
- So what?
He wants to make sure you're okay,
- I'm not okay,
I just lost my best friend,
But that's what we do, isn't it?
(rain trickling)
We wage war,
We all knew the risks when we signed on,
That doesn't mean I won't mourn him,
But if you think for one moment my grief will slow my sword,
try me, slave boy,
- I'll ignore what you just said
because we're in the same unit
and because you're mourning,
But friend or not,
if you call me that again,
I'll rip your gods damned throat out,
(scoffs)
(rain trickling)
- I'm sorry,
- You're my new roommate or somethin'?
- [Hobnail] I don't wanna be anywhere near Kaylee
when she does that thing to that body,
- Why do you always smell so foosty?
(Hobnail sniffs)
- I don't understand you,
- You've known me for years,
What's not to understand?
- Why do you always stick up for me?
What did I ever do to you?
- Maybe I like an underdog,
- A warmage is never an underdog,
Besides, you're not my type,
- No, dumb shit,
This isn't about sex,
- Well, I am the only person in the unit,
- Don't be a petulant ass,
You know I don't bed teammates,
- I,,,
apologize,
- We're in this shitpot together,
We stand up for each other whether we like it or not,
Whether we like you or not,
Haven't you figured that out after all this time?
- Well, you smell like Autumn!
(chanting in foreign language)
- [Slab] Here,
(chanting in foreign language continues)
- Ooh, Shiny,
Now I don't have to desecrate Switch,
- Can't you ask your goddess to just bring him back?
- (sighs) That's not how it works,
- [Slab] Yeah, I know,
- Talk to me, Slab,
You're troubled,
- What we're doing is wrong,
It's not our way!
Stone's Fall is a Coward's Gauntlet
and nobody wants to run it just to go die!
There's no honor in it!
- Well, speaking as your healer,
one death, same as the next,
Messy, often slow, always agonizing,
But speaking as your squadmate,
how you die matters more than why you die,
Anyways, when you go, it'll likely be as a fat old man
surrounded by a gaggle of grandchildren,
They'll have to roll you into your grave,
- You really think so?
- (sighs deeply) No,
You're gonna die at Stone's Fall with the rest of us,
- You're probably right,
- You might wanna leave the room before you get wet,
(Flewellyn whistling)
- May I make a suggestion?
- Can I stop you?
- Encourage the others to treat Kaylee
like the soldier she is and not the child they think she is,
- What's goin' on?
- Nothing, my friend,
(sighs) The years weigh heavily on me,
It may be time to inspire them,
Kaylee has much wisdom in her,
- And I suspect one day far in the future,
whatever you're on about is gonna hit me
and I'm gonna hate you,
(Flewellyn chuckles)
(Hobnail breathing heavily)
(creatures moaning)
(massive water splashes)
- What's your problem?
You know we can't leave his body here,
- Feeding our dead to that thing is unnatural,
- That thing carried his soul to the Sword Halls
on her mistress's River, why not his body too?
- At least my magic is honest in its foulness,
What's her excuse?
(retches)
- Check on Kaylee,
She does not do well after communing with whats-her-face,
and you are the only one who doesn't get creeped out by it,
- Oh, I get creeped out by it,
I'm just too old to care,
- I wasn't always like this,
- Your kind always says that,
- What does that mean?
- Nobles,
We all know you're one,
I wouldn't be surprised
if you had a line of titles behind your name,
Lord Spungdington?
Baron Mourningwood?
Lady Rosepurse?
- My full name is Dhuveth Jarinis,
(Whisper laughs)
My father is a fief holder sworn to the lord of Serrinia,
- Dhuveth is a whore's name,
- He's also an arrogant son of a bitch
who never wasted an opportunity
to tell me how worthless I was,
- Maybe save all this deep emotional crap for a confessor,
- On the day he banished me,
he gave me an old heirloom dagger,
Same one I stole from his trophy case
the night before I made a decision to murder him,
- You're a seriously messed up individual,
You know that, right?
- It's the only thing of value he's ever given me,
He suggested I cut my own throat with it,
- Tell me you slit his throat instead,
then maybe I'll have a little respect for you,
- I couldn't,
He's still my father,
(rain trickling)
- Switch was one of us, DJ,
Why?
- Because after all these years in the Swords,
I still don't have it,
I still don't have enough gold to buy my own lands,
How else am I gonna show my father who's the better man?
- You would deny Switch his place in the Sword Halls?
Don't show him who the better man is, DJ,
Be the better man,
I should cut your heart out,
- I once visited a temple dedicated to your watery goddess
on the Corsican Isles,
On a beach perfectly situated to capture
the setting sun each day,
Regardless of weather or season,
it always made it through to her altar
to kiss her on the brow,
There's something else about that isle,
Unlike all the others,
it was blessedly free of seagull crap,
(Kaylee laughs)
- She doesn't have any more temples,
The sea reclaimed them all,
- As you say,
This was well before your time,
- Yeah, by at least a hundred years,
- Give us the room,
- You shouldn't get drunk before battle, you ass,
Are you trying to get us all killed?
- We're dead anyway,
- That's Flewellyn's,
(DJ gulps)
- Whisper called me out,
I wanted to steal Switch's gold,
- (hits him on the leg) She should have cut your heart out,
- That was her opinion too,
(DJ moans)
- At least you're honest,
- And you're wet,
(DJ grunts) (both giggles)
- Got it,
And, Samozar, stop worrying,
If the,
all the units do their part,
The plan will work,
- Care to tell me what you're doing
with the Captain's Torc?
(rain trickling)
- [Top] You and I both know the Captain suffered most,
I believe it all started at Cerak's tomb,
- [Flewellyn] That was years ago,
- The unit commanders,
we all noticed him changing recently,
It's like another person was looking out of those eyes,
Um, we just thought it was the stress of the war,
but it just kept getting worse, Flewellyn,
- I'm listening,
- The orders he gave us yesterday would have had us
march directly into the Samada camp to surrender,
And they don't take prisoners,
So, we confronted him,
Called him out on both the orders
and his increasingly strange behavior,
He accused us of breaking our oaths
to the Sword's, to him, and lost control,
Before we knew it, he had pulled his blade
and slashed Boxwise's throat,
(eerie music)
At that point, we had no choice,
(eerie music)
(Buttercup whimpering)
- Hey, are you okay?
- Yeah, I'm fine,
Really, I'm fine,
- Do you think the dark magic
that Hob has been ranting about all night
is tied to Cerak's madness?
- I don't know,
- You took his torc,
What about his hutch?
- He wasn't wearing one,
- This batch is bitter, I like it,
- Is that supposed to be a compliment
or you want seaweed and sunlight?
- Overwatch, report,
- [Reaper On The Torc] Ghostwatch, all quiet,
- [Whisper On The Torc] Dogwatch, clear,
Someone keep an eye on DJ, though,
He's drunk off his ass,
- BFR, you good up there?
- [Marko On The Torc] All clear, boss,
- Everyone get some rest and conserve your strength,
Come dawn, you're gonna need it,
- I can never sleep before battle,
- Top,
Take your hand and place it on your god's mark
and speak truth,
Are we getting out of this?
Because by my hand on my mark, I believe we are all doomed
and we only have you to blame for it,
- Hobnail, you cross--
- No, Flewellyn, she's right,
(dramatic music)
- Is DJ with you?
- I haven't seen him,
He's probably with the water witch,
- Ugh, Kaylee creeps me out,
- Hey, can I ask you somethin'?
- [Whisper On The Torc] No,
- Are you worried?
- No,
- Stone's Fall is gonna be bad,
- Stone's Fall is going to be glorious,
I'm gonna kill everything,
- We've never been this outnumbered,
- It is what it is,
- On my god's mark, I will do everything in my power
to get you all out of this alive
even if I have to sacrifice my life,
(Hobnail scoffs)
- With all the Swords combined, it's 120 of us
and 12 warmages against four units of half giants
and an army of templars,
That's--
- 3,000 enemy soldiers,
Our destiny was set the moment we set foot in Ardenmor,
Top is not to blame,
- Strategically and tactically, nothing's changed,
We came into this country to harass the Nosck and Samada,
and that's what we're going to do on our way out,
- That was a skirmish war,
All we had to do is discourage them from hurting the locals
and now you got us going headlong right into their lines,
Strategically, that's terrible,
- [Top] Leave the strategy to people
like me who understands--
- The locals are after our blood,
18 Ardenian Rangers are nothing to take lightly,
Each one fights like five men,
- Five men?
Have you seen Judge?
Try 15 insane berserkers!
- You know Judge led those Rangers once long ago, Hob,
but is a broken sword above all,
We can't do this without you,
You need to stay strong,
Do you understand?
(dramatic music)
- My turn now,
You were a Black Arrow
with the Royal Guard of Talinor, right?
Why'd you break your sword with them
and swear our oaths instead?
- What difference does it make?
- It doesn't,
I just wanna win the bet the others have going,
I said murder,
Did you murder someone?
- In Talinor, a woman may only carry a weapon
if she serves in the Royal Guard
or as a widow with no man to protect her,
As a soldier, I was strictly ornamental,
Even though I was well-trained and better
than the king's myrmidons,
I was never sent into battle,
I wasn't expected to do anything,
No one could get within a league of the king,
Not with his pet mage around,
I broke my sword because I needed to fight in battle,
- When the sun rises today,
you'll fight until your arms go limp
and you will stand atop a mountain of dead foes,
And when the rest of the bastards finally come to kill you,
you will enter the Sword Halls a legend,
- You better pray those bastards don't kill me
'cause you're the one who gets to carry my death ransom,
- I hate you,
- [Reaper On The Torc] I need to piss,
- [Whisper On The Torc] Go ahead,
I'll tell Buttercup and Marko
to keep an eye on the southeast approach,
(dramatic music)
- Someone needs to tell DJ to get back to his post,
We're just trying to decide who,
- Why are you telling me this?
- Because he's still with Kaylee,
- (sighs) Damn it,
- Since you're standing up,
- I need a drink first,
(Kaylee and DJ moaning)
(faint voice talking)
- [Kaylee] Oh my god,
Oh yeah,
(Kaylee panting)
Please don't stop,
Oh, don't stop,
(Kaylee panting)
Just like that (panting),
(Kaylee moaning) (DJ grunting)
- Top wants you back on watch,
(both panting)
- Don't worry, I'll kill her when we decamp,
I'll slit her throat,
- Don't,
I've got next meal duty,
Been saving a Nosckian mushroom just for her,
I can slip it into her rice,
(dramatic music)
- How bad was it?
- No worse than usual,
(Hobnail retches)
(rain trickling)
(ominous music)
(Hobnail sniffing)
(ominous music)
(suspenseful music)
(Hobnail grunting)
(Hobnail speaking in foreign language)
- [Top] Hold her down!
- [Slab] What happened?
(Hobnail speaking in foreign language)
- It's here,
(grunting) It's here,
- What in the Seven Hells is happening?
Is she possessed? - I don't know,
- Shoggotha!
(grunting) I must stop it!
(suspenseful music)
(intense music)
(Buttercup grunting) (glass shattering)
(Buttercup breathing heavily)
(Buttercup grunts)
- Shoggotha!
(Hobnail panting)
Shoggo,,,
- Hob?
Hob?
(Slab groans,)
- Get off me, you fat meatball!
(Hobnail breathing heavily)
- Is it gone?
- I don't know and I don't sense it anymore,
- Talk to us,
Hob?
- It felt like Cerak, but it was weak,
So unfocused like,,,
- Like an echo?
- Maybe it was the Nosck,
They worship such dark things,
- If the Nosck have necromancers--
- Then our chances of getting out of this
just became nonexistent,
(rain trickling)
(ground rumbling)
- Nosckles,
What now?
My balls are still killing me from the last what now moment,
- Do you feel that?
- [Slab] Do you feel that?
Do you smell that?
Does this deer testicle taste funny to you?
You really need to have Kaylee check your head out,
- Do you see me laughing?
(table vibrating) - Fuck!
(arrows clanging)
(suspenseful music)
- [Top on the Torc] All swords, high alert,
(Marko mumbles)
- Report!
- The Nosck can't have learned the kind of magic
that affected Hob,
This must be--
- [Reaper on the Torc] Ghostwatch is clear,
Feels like an earthquake is coming though,
- Marko, I,
I think I,,,
- Tell him that we're all clear,
- I think I might-- - Tell him!
- [Whisper on the Torc] Dogwatch clear,
I need to kill something,
- They killed the Captain, Marko,
- What in the seven hells are you talking about?
Who killed the Captain?
- Top and the other commanders,
- [Top on the Torc] BFR, report!
- Tell him we're all clear,
- He mutinied us,
Why?
Why would he do that?
Mutiny is punishable by death,
Even worse, it's dishonorable,
He got Wymrick and Switch killed for--
- [Top on the Torc] Buttercup, Marko, come in,
- Tell him,
- BFR clear,
- Think about what you're saying, Buttercup,
This is Top you're talking about,
I don't know what you think you heard but--
- I heard Top confess to Flewellyn
that he and the other commanders killed the Captain,
They thought he was crazy and trying to get us all killed,
so they killed him first,
This bullshit plan to escape to Stone's Fall, that's theirs,
They are the ones who are trying to get us killed,
- We'll talk about this later,
- Overwatch, talk to me,
- [Reaper on the Torc] Got nothing here,
Trees are shaking like crazy,
- Whisper?
- I don't see anything,
but every bird in the northern reach
silhouetted against the moon,
- [Top On The Torc] Night sight,
- I'm already on it,
[Top On The Torc] Double time, soldier,
- [Whisper On The Torc] Tell DJ to get his ass
back up here,
- DJ?
- On my way,
- Shit!
- Top, it's the Samada,
- [Top On The Torc] How many horses?
- [Whisper] Too many to count,
- [Top On The Torc] Anything else?
- Two dozen archers and cavaliers
just separated from the main force coming right at us,
- Fuck, who's shaking the bed?
- [Reaper On The Torc] I've got movement,
- What do you see?
- 25 archers,
They're Nosck,
I thought you said they were Samada, Whisper?
- On my side of the barn, they are,
(clattering)
- [Buttercup] Cover!
(DJ and Marko grunting)
(horse neighs)
- [DJ] Seven hells,
- Shit, - That was close,
(both grunting)
- [Marko] Shit,
(Buttercup grunts)
- Too close,
- Kaylee, we need you!
It's DJ,
(Kaylee screams)
- She's coming,
- Slab, you and Flewellyn secure the Chopshop,
- Don't hold back, old man,
When it comes to it, you unleash hell,
(Hobnail chanting)
- Have you got anything left?
- Not much, and this is gonna hurt,
(DJ grunts)
(DJ groans)
- No, no, no, no, no,
- [Buttercup] Kaylee!
- Where is it? (Kaylee panting)
Slab, you stupid bastard,
I'm gonna kill you for wasting it,
- How do you like that, you ugly pieces of shit?
- [Reaper On The Torc] I need backup,
- You're so beautiful,
- You can't die on me, DJ,
I won't let you (sobs),
You're mine,
- Summon the Water Queen, Kaylee,
(Kaylee crying) (DJ grunting)
- [Kaylee] Don't do it or I swear
on my god's mark, I'll follow you,
- [Marko] Summon her,
(dogs barking)
(Kaylee breathes heavily)
(whispers holy incantation)
(magic sparkles)
(Kaylee panting)
- No,
No (sobbing),
(arrows firing) (crowd revolting)
(crowd howling)
- One, two, three!
(arrow firing)
(explodes)
(creatures whimper)
(Hobnail chanting in foreign language)
- Buttercup, you're with Whisper,
(Kaylee crying)
- Stay with me, dammit!
This isn't optional,
Get on your feet,
You can't take the easy way out this time,
Do you hear me (cries)?
- I'll do it, Switch,
(Slab screaming)
- What the hell was that?
- Hell unleashed,
- Hurry up, Hob!
(Hobnail chanting in foreign language)
(arrow firing)
(Reaper breathing heavily)
- I'm out of arrows,
Make sure the Warlords of the Sword Halls
know I fought well,
(Reaper grunts)
(arrows firing)
- (gasping) Pull them out,
I'm not done killing these bastards,
(horse neighs)
(dogs barking)
(arrows firing)
(fire blazing)
- Come on, motherfuckers,
Come after me, you piece of shit,
(faint voice talking)
(fire explodes)
- (gasping) Was that,
was that us or them?
- It was me,
- (whimpers) It's okay,
It's okay,
- I need to meditate,
(Top pukes)
- [Slab] Top, are you okay?
- [Top] I'm okay,
Okay,
Hob? - She'll be fine
with some rest,
- [Top] Something we don't have the luxury of,
All swords, report,
- Buttercup left, Top,
What did you do to her?
Top?
- [Top On The Torc] All swords, regroup in Abbey,
- Yeah, about that,
(Marko grunts)
- Kaylee,
(Kaylee sobs)
I know about the Captain,
- Ghostwatch is alive,
- [Top] Get up,
How far away did you send them?
- (coughs) One, maybe two leagues,
(everyone groans)
- Not far enough, especially for the ones on horseback,
- [Hob] I jumped them as far as I could,
We're still gonna die,
- [Top] Kaylee, can you--
- Wymrick died,
Switch died,
DJ is dead,
- I know-- - No one else,
Not now, not again,
Hob can wait until I'm done with Whisper,
- Let's go kill something,
- Top?
Buttercup overheard you and Flewellyn,
She heard everything,
- Not now, Marko,
- [Reaper] Those troops are probably on their way back,
We need to go,
- [Flewellyn] I don't know what you heard, son,
but it's not what you think--
- No, no, no, no,
Not after all the hell we went through tonight,
don't you dare disrespect us,
especially Wymrick, Switch, and DJ with bullshit,
- Careful, Marko,
I'll put you out of your misery like you asked,
- [Flewellyn] What did Buttercup tell you?
- You're the one Top confided in,
You tell us,
- Stand down, all of you,
You are good soldiers,
but if you are gonna turn on anyone, you turn on me
and me alone,
- Did you kill the Captain?
- No,
No, no, no, no,
No!
- Yes,
- What?
- Oh, Top,
- Why?
- I can,
I will explain, but we need to get to safety first,
We can do a reckoning then--
- You broke us,
You broke the Swords!
- He was unstable at the end,
If we had followed orders, we would be dead,
- [Kaylee] Whisper!
- DJ was my friend,
If he died in vain, I will spend whatever time I have left
killing you slowly,
Do you understand me?
- I understand,
On my god's mark, Whisper, he did not die in vain,
- I trust him,
- And that's supposed to be good enough?
- He's right, Whisper, it's not,
The Swords are my family,
If he killed the Captain--
- If he killed the Captain, he had a good reason,
- And what reason would that be?
- You need to focus on duty,
Listen to orders, think later,
- Shut up, old man,
Marko, Top has never done bad by us, ever,
We owe him the benefit of the doubt,
- Do we?
- New guy's gonna die,
- I am not fucking new!
Every master I had promised me my freedom,
Promised that if I listened, I could walk free,
And we all know how well that went, huh?
- When we joined the swords,
that was all forgotten and put behind us,
We should listen to Top,
(ominous music)
(creature growls)
- [Slab] Oh, shit,
- I need food,
(ominous music)
(weapons clang)
- Judge?
- (spits) Slake,
Three Samada scouts captured your shield-maiden,
I couldn't get to her in time, I'm sorry,
It was their final act,
Do you have the Captain's hutch?
- He wasn't wearing one,
- Buttercup had it,
The Captain gave her his last will and testament,
She meant to fulfill it, whatever it was,
- We don't have time for this,
If you're here to kill me, kill me,
- No!
(sword clangs)
- You've changed,
A caul of mortality clouds your vision now,
Be certain, Reaper,
There will be no second chance,
(Flewellyn grunts)
(Flewellyn panting)
Isn't it about time you stepped out of his shadow?
It's not surprising any of this,
(door slides)
(sighs) This land, it's dark,
A dark place,
Soldiers turn,
words and bonds get broken,
Feels like the Pit again
and that black-damned soul-wizard Cerak,
- I knew it,
- Hob remembers,
Slake should, even though he was a new recruit,
The first soldiers taken, we found nailed to trees,
The wounds on the bodies were odd,
Straight lines down each limb,
A clean cut down the torso,
Their flesh hung from the nails like used clothes,
Their bones were gone,
- Gods,
- No, it wasn't the gods,
It was much worse,
I heard it first,
A clicking that made my ears itch,
What came over that ridge-line,
the clicking was the sound of bones, hundreds of bones
that were fused together in some sort of sick twisted
thing that looked like a,
their bones were used by that godsdamned wizard
for this monstrosity,
We ran as fast and as far as we could,
then we waited,
Waited for daylight,
Three days,
Our supplies were gone,
Anyone who was slightly injured died
of the blight that infected the forest,
Three days and the healers finally figured out
that chewing Arvanda root would seal our wounds
and keep the infection from getting in,
The Captain had us focus on a simple task,
Dig in,
Dig in and hold,
He and Deegan left us there,
Only later did we realize what he did when he went back,
We never saw Deegan again,
Those last few hours were the worst part,
That waiting and the not knowing
I'll never eat Arvanda root again,
But we killed that bastard Cerak,
Tore out his soul
and sent it to oblivion,
- I don't know if it was one of the lich's minions
or the Captain unwittingly brought a piece of the tomb
out with him or maybe intentionally, but I--
- The Captain would have killed the entire company today,
You were right,
but you need to be reminded,
You need to remember the price he paid
so that we could all escape that black hell,
- Valara, I--
- Did he die swiftly?
- He died with honor,
The unit commanders were witnesses,
- And if I were here to kill any of you, you'd be dead,
(door sliding)
(Top sighs deeply)
- I remembered now,
(dramatic music)
- So, how the hell are we gonna get out
of this fuckin' shit heap?
(dramatic music)
- Slab, they're all yours,
- Top, are you sure it's a good idea--
- My responsibility is all the remaining Swords now,
He's ready,
- All right, assholes and elbows everybody,
Pack it up,
Let's get ready to move,
(metal gears clanging)
(dramatic music)
SitRep,
- [Reaper] Two minutes, coming in hot,
They're lighting up their skybows,
- [Slab] Hobnail, Kaylee, you're in the middle,
Whisper--
- Fuck you, I can help myself,
- Reaper, new guy?
- No,
New guy no more,
His name is Scar,
- Well isn't that just fucking great?
- Top, you and Flewellyn are--
- Not me,
- [Top] Old man,
- I've decided to take that promotion after all,
- We're all getting out of this, or none of us,
- [Marko] One minute,
- I'm tired, Slake,
I need to go home,
I can buy you all time,
You'll need a distraction,
- But DJ's body--
- Is no longer your domain, Kaylee,
Just see his hutch delivered,
I can certainly take care of his body for you,
(dramatic music)
- This might help a little, you old goat,
(dramatic music)
- Take care, old friend,
- Godspeed, brother,
(wolves howling)
(Top sighs deeply)
- You're the best troops I've ever led,
You have never failed me,
You will not fail now, do you understand?
We will get to Stone's Fall
and we will kill every asshole in our way
and every single one of us will raise a toast
to our fallen with mugs of ale in Wayanmar!
(all cheer)
(Top breathing heavily)
- [Slab] Let's go!
(dramatic music)
(intense music)
("Apex")
¶ Hello mountain, remember me ¶
¶ Child of your womb ¶
¶ I return ¶
¶ From a perilous place ¶ (wolves howling)
- We don't speak often, Father,
but thank you for this life,
My honor is your honor,
(wolves howling)
And if you deem me worthy, grant one last gift
to face whatever is on the other side of those doors,
(thudding on the door)
Oh, (laughs) and apologize to the Madzi Witch for me,
We all know Kaylee was never destined to be hers,
(crowd revolting)
Now, assholes,
how about we unleash hell one last time?
¶ As your power, it sinks into me ¶
¶ Your roots take their hold ¶
¶ My body as one with the earth ¶
¶ My blood as the stone ¶
¶ The mountain, my home ¶
¶ Home ¶
(intense metal music)
¶ Heavy walls enclose me ¶
¶ Cover me in endless warmth ¶
¶ And now the dreams will come ¶
¶ Lucid freedom takes me ¶
¶ To a world no longer run by the laws of relativity ¶
¶ Fly out beyond the stars ¶
¶ Where the wind takes me away ¶
¶ And leads me through the dark ¶
¶ Defying gravity ¶
¶ Can you follow me? ¶
¶ Follow me to apex ¶
¶ Can you follow me? ¶
¶ Follow me to apex ¶
¶ Through a meadow running ¶
¶ Feel the sun upon my face ¶
¶ And the air intoxicates ¶
¶ Rushing like a river ¶
¶ Toward a waterfall that takes me out beyond reality ¶
¶ Away, you lead me through the dark ¶
¶ Defying gravity ¶
¶ Can you follow me? ¶
¶ Follow me to apex ¶
¶ Can you follow me? ¶
¶ Follow me to apex ¶
(intense metal music)
¶ Can you follow me? ¶
¶ Follow me to apex ¶
¶ Can you follow ¶