Reverberation of Heroic Spirits

(Approach the camp)

Paimon: Huh? Over there... did something just flash by?

Paimon: They've gone already. (‍TravelerThe player's chosen name for the Traveler‍), let's go take a look!

Paimon: Hey, these tents are all torn up — looks like this camp was abandoned long ago...

(Read Neatly-Written Diary (I))

Neatly-Written Diary (I)

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■/■. The selection list for the Ratniki was posted today. My rank was low, yet I still managed to squeeze in at the very bottom. All the years of effort finally paid off. I can at last wear the uniform of a Ratnik. I stood before the mirror, studied every detail of the uniform again and again. The buttons, the badges, the cap, and the lantern that belongs only to me, with my name engraved on it. I could look at it forever. New uniforms always carry a scent of leather mixed with hope. It is strangely comforting. I ran my fingers over my name on the lantern and pictured myself guarding the borderlands. I could not help imagining the future. Would my name and my story one day spread back to Nasha Town, and from there, across all of Nod-Krai?

■/■. The unit assignments came out today. Perhaps luck really does balance itself. I was not chosen for a frontline Lightkeeper unit. Instead, I was assigned to a support unit stationed at Kipumaki Cliff. I should have known better than to hope for too much. With my test scores, being accepted as a Lightkeeper at all was already more than I could've hoped for. Today I met my captain and my teammates for the first time. Captain Asebov is a stone-faced man. He gave me a brief rundown of our duties, patted my shoulder, and went back to his post. His grip was so strong I almost lost my balance. Chernov is a cheerful fellow. He pulled me to the campfire for drinks, and I had a surprisingly pleasant night. Shonokovych is as thin as a sheet of iron. I heard he used to be a poet. Chernov says his dream is to write a great poem about military life, which is why he became a Lightkeeper. To be honest, he is a strange one. Patolichev joined the same day as I did, and he seems downcast for some reason. I wonder if his reason for being thus is the same as mine.

■/■. I have lost track of how many days I have been stationed at Kipumaki Cliff. Perhaps it has already been months. Each day feels as if it will never end, as though I am trapped living the same one over and over. I rise at six each morning to train with the captain. After that, I search for fruit or hunt small game to top up our rations. Then Chernov takes over my watch, and I get to enjoy staring at the jagged walls of Kipumaki Cliff and letting my mind drift. I imagine what my battles against the Wild Hunt will look like one day. I truly don't know what Shonokovych hopes to write about in a unit like ours. What great poem about military life can sprout from this?

■/■. The captain received an order from Piramida today. We are to clear several Wild Hunt nests around Kipumaki Cliff in a support unit role. To be honest, this is the best news I have had in days. No, in months. At last, I will go to the battlefield. At last, I can prove myself. Filaev the Lightkeeper, remembered by the generations to come, is finally about to have his first battle!

(Read Unknown Person's Abandoned Diary)

Unknown Person^{[Note 1]}'s Abandoned Diary

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...From the records of the Frostgale Steeds: We received an urgent request for reinforcements from Piramida and set out for Kipumaki Cliff to deal with an unexpected Wild Hunt outbreak. According to our scout teams, there should be another group of Wild Hunt lurking beneath Cliffwatch Camp.
...It is now the third day. The Wild Hunt spilling out of Kipumaki Cliff has already reached the ramparts. That place is often called the Sanctum of Departed Heroes, the resting ground of soldiers who once fell in battle. The sheer number of Wild Hunt creatures this time is unsettling. I only hope I will not become one of them.
Thankfully, the scout has already returned to report to the old man in Piramida, so reinforcements should be on the way. Our orders are to clear three Wild Hunt nests. We destroyed one the day before yesterday, and another this morning after being forced into it. This should be the last one.
If we can hold out until help arrives, I can finally return to Piramida and make my report. I'm taking a long break once we get back... About time I headed home and checked on things there, too.

(Quest triggers)

Paimon: What was that horrible noise...? What's going on in there...?

Step Description

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Roars echo through the canyon, suggesting the presence of monsters...

(Investigate the canyon)

(Four phantoms of Lightkeepers appear, cornered by Rifthounds)

???^{[Note 1]}: Hey, Chernov, you okay?

Chernov: Still lifting that blade... Captain.

???: Shonokovych, Filaev... are you alright?

Shonokovych: Ugh... pretty sure my leg's busted, but hey, I'm still breathing. You keeping count? How many did I take down?

Filaev: H—How many monsters are there? Are we... are we gonna die out here, Captain?

???: What nonsense are you talking about, kid? We'll definitely make it out safely! Don't worry, the scout must have already returned to the city to inform the old man, our reinforcements are on their way!

???: ...Here they come again, these Wild Hunt just won't give us a break!

???: Alright! Weapons up, lanterns steady. We've got another wave coming!

Step Description

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Abyssal monsters are roaming in the canyon. Let's defeat them.

Paimon: Lightkeepers...?

Paimon: Huh!? (‍TravelerThe player's chosen name for the Traveler‍), watch out for the Wild Hunt!

(After defeating the monsters)

(A Rifthound slashes through two of the phantoms, causing them to disappear)

???: Chernov! Shonokovych! No!

???: Get in there! Move it! Now!

(The two remaining phantoms flee)

Paimon: The way those Lightkeepers suddenly showed up and then vanished... like shadows... D—Don't tell Paimon they're...?

(Keep exploring)

Paimon: Something's still making noise in there... Be careful, (‍TravelerThe player's chosen name for the Traveler‍).

(Read Neatly-Written Diary (II), optional)‍^{[ver­i­fi­ca­tion need­ed]}

Neatly-Written Diary (II)

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■/■. This was my first mission under Captain Asebov. The real battlefield is nothing like the training grounds. When that monster threw itself at me, I could hear nothing but my own heart pounding. Everything I learned in training was gone. Fear flooded through me in an instant, my legs turning leaden. I never knew battles could be so terrifying. I could barely hold my sword.
I woke up several times in the middle of the night, gasping for air inside my tent. It feels as if the Wild Hunt will strike the moment I lose focus. Chernov saved me this time, but what about the next? Will I be wounded, or will I die?
I worked so hard to become a Ratnik, dreaming of standing beside the legends. Yet look at me now. I cannot even keep my grip on a blade when facing the Wild Hunt. Will I ever see my mother's warm smile again? Will I ever return to Nasha Town, the place from which I first set out?

(Approach the marked location)

(The two remaining phantoms appear, surrounded by Fishers of Hidden Depths)

???: Don't be afraid. Patoli and I will get you out of here. Stand tall — hold that blade like a proper Lightkeeper!

Filaev: I... I...

???: What plan? What plan could there possibly be, Patoli? If this is the end, then I'll fight to the last right here.

???: You're the finest squad I've ever had. Whatever happens next... it has been my honor to fight alongside you.

Filaev: ...

Filaev: The honor's all ours, Captain.

???: Come on, prepare the defense! Let these damned creatures witness the wrath of the Frostgale Steeds!

Step Description

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There seem to be some remaining monsters ahead... Let's eliminate them all.

(After defeating the first wave of enemies)

???: Filaev! No! Patolichev, go! Get out of here! Forget about me!

???: Go! Tell the old man we need backup — there are too many of them!

(The two phantoms disappear)

(After defeating all of the enemies)

(Quest ends)

(Read Neatly-Written Diary (III), optional)‍^{[ver­i­fi­ca­tion need­ed]}

Neatly-Written Diary (III)

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■/■. Around four this morning, I was jolted awake by waves of roaring, the ground shaking beneath me. The air carried an acrid, bloody smell. When I looked outside the camp, I saw countless monsters rushing toward us in the dark. Captain Asebov burst out of his tent and began shouting orders. My foggy mind slowly understood that this was a Wild Hunt attack.
What surprised me was the flood of images that suddenly flashed through my head. Some were from the training grounds, some from my first night with the support unit, and some from long ago in my home. For a moment, I even thought I smelled the ribs Mom used to grill.
I do not know why all those memories filled my head at once, but I am grateful that fear was no longer the only thing in my heart. This was the first time I fought with the squad to clear a Wild Hunt nest. Even now, my heart still pounds, and my arms feel numb with exhaustion. I was injured in the fight, but I was not as terrified as on that night. Maybe I will grow into the person I hope to become after all. I hope so.

Post-Quest Dialogue

(Open the Luxurious Chest)

(A kuuhenki pops out and creates a Moonlane)

(While riding the Moonlane)

Paimon: Phew... Finally out! That place was way too dangerous.

(The Moonlane deposits the player at the cemetery south of Cliffwatch Camp)

(Interact with one of the graves)

Paimon: Hmm... Looks like a Ratnik's gravestone. Could it be from those Ratniki we saw in the canyon?

Paimon: They keep flickering in and out, showing up one moment and vanishing the next...

Paimon: Hmm, Paimon still doesn't get what's going on. Let's ask around in Piramida next time! Maybe someone there knows about this.

(Talk to Patolichev in Piramida)

Patolichev: Oh, greetings. I'm Patolichev, quartermaster of the Lightkeepers. How can I help you?

Are you Patolichev of the Frostgale Steeds?

Paimon: The Frostgale Steeds... Ah, you mean those strange shadows we saw earlier...

Patolichev: Yes, that was the squad I once served with. The Frostgale Steeds... It's been a long time since I've heard that name. I never thought I'd hear it from someone else's mouth... May I ask how you...?

We've been to the foot of Kipumaki Cliff before.

Paimon: Yep! And we took care of the Wild Hunt that was causing trouble there!

Paimon: We even saw the Ratniki from the Frostgale Steeds... their shadows still lingering from their fight against the Wild Hunt...

We saw the Ratniki of the Frostgale Steeds...

Paimon: Yes... and even if only their shadows remain, those shadows still show them locked in battle with the Wild Hunt...

Patolichev: I can't believe it was real...

Paimon: Of course it was! We saw it with our own eyes!

Patolichev: Ah... Over the years, people have told me from time to time of how they've seen the figures of my fallen comrades at Kipumaki Cliff. That's why even now, I still go there often... and tend to their graves while I'm there.

Patolichev: But not once... not even once, have I ever seen them myself. It's been so long... I thought those stories were just kind lies to comfort me.

Patolichev: And yet you truly saw them... Why is it that whenever I go, they never show themselves to me?

Maybe... the time just hasn't come yet.

Patolichev: Perhaps... Still, knowing they're really there, even as mere fleeting shadows or memories, is enough for me.

Maybe they just don't want you to recall the pain...

Patolichev: *sigh* Pain? No... Those final days, standing side by side with them to the very end... how could that ever be painful?

Patolichev: In any case, thank you, (‍SirText for male Traveler‍/‍LadyText for female Traveler‍), thank you for being willing to tell me. This means a lot to me.

Patolichev: It's thanks to them that I can still stand here today. And yet... how I wish I could stand with them once more at the foot of Kipumaki Cliff, fighting shoulder to shoulder again.

Patolichev: ...One day. One day, I'm sure I'll meet them again.