Character Summary: Victor, Vengeful Commander
Connected adventurer stories: Noelle
“The commander of a mercenary band called the Shadewolves who were betrayed and annihilated by the Empire. This left him a shell of a man who gave up everything in the name of revenge. Where he goes, dark rumors follow.”
Euden, Ranzal and Luca begin to retreat when they become outnumbered by Imperial troops. A mysterious voice implores them to do so quickly; while unfamiliar with this person, they heed his advice and fall back with haste. The individual then unleashes multiple log traps against the soldiers. Using the division to their advantage, Euden and crew begin their counterattack with the unknown man lending his aid. The Imperials then retreat from the battle.
Euden offers his thanks to the man, but the man says there’s no need, revealing he knows of the prince in the process. Ranzal recognizes the man as Victor, a mercenary he had once worked with. Victor remarks that he hasn’t seen Ranzal since their hire by Baron Djorden, calling him by an old nickname, “The Arc in the Storm.” Ranzal uses this as an opportunity to confirm a rumor that the Shadewolves, Victor’s mercenary band, had been annihilated by the Empire and that their leader had embarked on a blind quest for revenge. Victor tells Ranzal not to fall victim to rumor and explains that as long as he is alive, the Shadewolves live on, and he will carry out their fight by all means.
As they’re speaking, a wounded Imperial soldier attempts to stand. Victor tells the others to wait a moment while he goes to kill him, the soldier begging for mercy. Victor blames the soldier for the deaths of his comrades even though this one had never come into contact with him before; to him, simply being associated with the Empire is instant guilt. Euden stops Victor to his confusion. He tells him that he will not take the life of a man ready and willing to surrender. Victor argues that the soldier came with the purpose to kill Euden, but the prince lets the soldier go regardless. He remarks what he’s heard of the prince’s nature is true, and he requests Euden to hire him. Euden accepts under the condition that Victor will never hurt a helpless enemy, Ranzal adding that if the enemy were faking it, they’d figure it out as a team. Victor accepts these terms while still harboring his desire for revenge.
Elisanne expresses her concern to Euden of the rumors she’s heard of Victor’s actions. Ranzal, just joining the conversation, adds that he’s heard some troubling things as well, from him torching an entire village to poisoning an entire village’s water supply for the sake of killing a few imperials. Ranzal and Euden are doubtful these are true after observing Victor’s strong morals; however, Elisanne points out that a pursuing revenge could change anyone.
Meanwhile, in a nearby village, Victor knocks on the door of a house, asking for the parents of someone by the name of Tomas, a deceased member of the Shadewolves. The old man confirms that he is his father; he explains that he already knows what Victor has come to tell him: that Tomas is dead. Victor offers his condolences, but the father refuses his apology; he then tries to give the family financial compensation. Tomas’ mother shouts at him, calling him a monster for killing her son, the family attempting to console her. The old man shoos Victor off while telling him to treat his gift of continued life with more care in the future. The commander says the only reason he has left for living is revenge. The old man, now taking care of Tomas’ son, tells Victor that his son will never end up like him and that he must never visit them again. Victor understands and leaves.
Euden, Elisanne, and Ranzal come to the conclusion that Victor is not the monster they’ve heard in the rumors after spying on this encounter. Elisanne becomes more sympathetic of the commander’s motivations when realizing his love for his fallen comrades, but the prince points out that it doesn’t make Victor’s actions right.
A messenger by the name of Noelle meets Victor in the night to give him new orders from an unknown source. His orders are to capture the prince and bring him back home; Noelle writes down additional orders adding that the general is pleased with Victor’s dedication to his mission. She reveals that Victor working alongside the prince is just what their superiors want and that he must return home with the captured prince, seeming nervous all the while. Victor jokes that he thought he’d been forgotten. Noelle adds one more order: if the prince resists, Victor should kill him instead. They agree that his death would cause turmoil in Alberia just as their superiors want, but Victor tears up his orders. The messenger seems surprised but doesn’t protest; the commander tells her to go home immediately. However, Ranzal and the others show themselves, having been eavesdropping on the two the entire time.
Noelle attempts to defend Victor, but he tells her to stand back and that remaining peaceful is the best course of action. The commander explains that he is a military general working directly under the crown for a poor country in northern Grastaea. Their plan was to incite chaos in Alberia in order to mount an invasion, Victor being one of many spies tasked with this objective; his particular directive is to discover the secrets of dragonblood in the Alberian royal family. Elisanne says they’ve heard enough, but Euden stops her to let Victor finish.
Victor’s way of executing these orders was to demonstrate his strength under the guise of a mercenary, forming a company along the way. However, when the Empire ambushed and slaughtered his comrades, Victor realized just how irreplaceable they had become to him all too late. Ranzal asks if that was the cause for Victor’s desire for vengeance, but Victor says the true reason was that he didn’t want to admit responsibility for their deaths. Euden assures the commander that their fates were the Empire’s fault, but Victor credits it to his foolishness as a leader: that his ambitions overpowered his common sense. He no longer cares about his homeland or orders; all that matters to him now is to atone for his sins.
Victor tells Euden he will accept whatever punishment as long as Noelle is let go, but the prince says that he doesn’t want to kill him. He chooses to believe in Victor on the basis of his changed personality and passion, adding that Victor would have no need to protect Euden as much as he’s done if his goal truly were to find the out secrets of his dragonblood. The commander is taken aback by the prince’s observations and tells him that he then must understand his grudge. Euden does not understand the full extent of Victor’s turmoil, but he knows that he has no malicious intent, thus he puts his trust in him. Victor thinks to himself that he no longer has an interest in Euden’s dragon blood but what he will accomplish in the future.
Ranzal runs to Victor distressed about the increasing intensity of the rumors surrounding him. He assures Ranzal that he and his men all followed a strict code to never harm civilians. Ranzal, having parsed the information he’s gathered from various people, comes to the conclusion that there is in fact 2 people being confused for the same person: a man matching the description of Victor, and another with a cloak and a similar sword. Victor puts the pieces together and is shocked to realize that the hooded figure is a surviving member of the Shadewolves. He explains this person is most likely Robelle, a fellow spy who was Victor’s adjutant in the company. Robelle had pretended to be Victor to buy his commander time for escape, switching swords to make the act more convincing. The sword Victor holds now is a memento of Robelle, his once-thought fallen comrade. Victor then requests the aid of Euden to track him down.
They determine his most likely location is a mountainous region where Imperial soldiers have halted their progress due to a rockslide. Euden and crew arrive and, as expected, they find the hooded figure in the act of slaughtering a civilian who helped direct the imperial troops. Victor approaches him and tells him to show his face. Robelle is eager to do so, seemingly overjoyed that Victor is okay. During the ambush on the Shadewolves, Robelle had tumbled down a cliffside and woke up in a riverbank. He hopes Victor’s presence means that their company is still alive, but the commander confirms that they indeed all died. Robelle is disappointed but not surprised, at the very least glad they all succeeded in protecting Victor. He has devoted himself to avenging the Shadewolves, but Victor discredits his efforts because of how many innocent people Robelle has killed. His every action has defied to code of integrity their company upheld. Robelle becomes increasingly more upset, claiming that his lack of raw strength makes his underhanded tactics the only viable option for punishing the Empire. He feels there’s no point following the moral principles of those who are dead.
However, Victor rebukes his claim, stating that the Shadewolves will always be alive as long as he still stands. Robelle has turned on all that the Shadewolves stood for, and thus, the commander tells him that he is no longer considered a member. This enrages Robelle; despite all his efforts, Victor denounces his actions, saying he has shamed the names of them all. The commander draws his sword and tells Robelle to do so as well. Victor tells him he deserves a warrior’s death and kills Robelle where he stands.
It begins to rain on the mountainside. Victor tells Euden he needs a moment and continues to stand in the rain.
Victor contemplates his existence as the single remaining member of his company. Noelle arrives once more with yet another order from their superiors, urging Victor to read it quickly. It’s an order to return home to their country where Victor will have an available combat post waiting for him. The messenger seems barely able to contain her excitement at the prospect, but Victor tears up this order as well. Noelle no longer knows how to respond. He explains that he’s abandoned everything in pursuit of hopeless vengeance; despite his pain, he feels there is yet something waiting for him in this life. Giving his sword to Noelle, he tells her to bring it back home and say he died avenging his people, adding that she can never return to him. Victor says he intends to live freely from now on and she should as well. As Victor leaves, Noelle decides that she will come back regardless. Her duty is to connect others, and she fully intends continue doing so.
Later, Victor enters Euden’s room and the prince apologizes for the commander’s troubles. Victor thanks the prince for helping him bury Robelle. When Euden asks how he’s doing, he admits he still needs time to process everything. He comes to understand the difference between him and Robelle, as in that Victor lacked the resolve to carry his revenge through. The commander and prince agree Robelle has done horrible things, but Victor points out that that is how he’d end up were he to continue down the path of hatred. It hardens the commander’s resolve to become nothing like him.
In the end, Victor gives up on revenge. Euden inquires what his plans for the future are. The commander explains that he’ll take the time to truly think whilst visiting the homes and lands of his fallen comrades. He hopes that through partially experiencing their lives he’ll discover how to proceed. He jokes about the strangeness of soul-searching at his age, offers thanks to Euden once more, and heads out.
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