(The chapter opens to show Corrin, Azura, and Jakob looking out over a steep cliff of about ten feet leading to a lower segment of the ground.)
Corrin: I suppose that we've arrived...
Azura: I don't see any other soldiers... Come on. Let's go down there.
Jakob: The cliff isn't too particularly steep, so we should be able to climb back up here when we're ready to return to the rest of the world.
Corrin: You're right... Hey, look over there! I think I see a person!
Azura: A person...? But that shouldn't be possible... No humans have lived in Valla for decades.
Corrin: It's at least worth checking out. Come on. Let's see what's going on.
(Corrin slides down the wall into the lower area of Valla with Azura and Jakob following a few feet behind.)
Jakob: Hold on a moment, Lord Corrin... Look over there.
(Jakob points to a soldier made of purple fire who is appearing and disappearing at random.)
Azura: Wait a moment...
Corrin: Those look just like the soldiers who appeared when Mother was attacked! But why are they here?
Azura: I'm not sure, but there has to be a connection of some sort. I don't know what it could be, but I get the sneaking suspicion that we'll be finding out soon enough.
Jakob: Chances are you are correct...
(Corrin leans down upon seeing something on the ground. They pick up a map.)
Corrin: This map is in tatters... But it says that this is Valla.
Azura: The lost kingdom of Valla... I never would have expected to find myself here... Most books these days scarcely speak of it in the first place. The land fell from grace so quickly that nobody could have accounted for it. I suppose it's a part of Pheuyuran history that people would rather forget.
Corrin: We're here for now though... Let's see if we can find somewhere to camp out.
Jakob: I don't know if we'll have that luxury... The invisible soldier from before is moving towards us, and it appears that he isn't alone.
Corrin: Damn... If that's the case, we'll just have to fight our way through.
Jakob: It seems to me that Valla isn't just devoid of all life... It's also haunted to some degree.
Azura: I love a good ghost story, but this... This is ridiculous...
Corrin: Ready your weapons. We'll fight our way out of here if we have to, and it's starting to look like that's our only option.
Azura: We're at your command, Corrin.
Corrin: Alright. Let's do this!
(The battle begins. The objective is to rout the enemy. Your units are positioned at the center of the map, and the enemies are stationed all around the area. After the battle starts, the following dialogue plays out after Gunter appears at the bottom of the map.)
Gunter: These beasts are far more troublesome than I expected...
Corrin: Wait... That voice... Gunter?!
Gunter: Lord Corrin! I never expected to find you here!
Jakob: You can certainly color me surprised...
Corrin: We can answer all our questions after this fight ends! For now, let's focus on fighting our way out of here! These enemies aren't going to be letting up until we get rid of them, so I think that should be our priority!
(After the battle, Gunter stands with Corrin, Jakob.)
Azura: It's finally over...
Corrin: Gunter, I can't believe that you're here... I thought that Hans had...
Gunter: I'm not dead yet, Lord Corrin. No need to worry.
Jakob: What happened after we were separated? I demand an explanation at once!
Gunter: The Bottomless Canyon... It was not the place where I was set to meet my demise. His blow did not kill me, instead merely weakening me. I managed to pry myself off the ground and start running. Afterwards, I found myself here. I don't know where we are now, but I can say for sure that those soldiers are everywhere.
Corrin: I see... The Bottomless Canyon could lead here if you went north for long enough, and this place certainly looked appealing given that it was abandoned for the most part. No soldiers of Hoshido or Nohr were going to find you here.
Jakob: That makes sense... Well, welcome to Valla. That's the name of this desolate place.
Gunter: Thank you... But what brings you here? What's going on?
Corrin: It's a bit of a long story... The short version is that we're on the run from Hoshidan and Nohrian forces right now, and this was the best place for us to stop and come up with a plan for what we should do next.
Azura: I believe I know what would be best.
Corrin: What is it?
Azura: I think we should go for Hoshido first. Sakura is the most likely person there for us to convince to join our cause, and if we can get her with us, then the rest of the Hoshidan royal family will be more likely to side with us later on.
Corrin: That sounds like a plan to me. For now, let's stay here and try to recover our strength... I'm exhausted after all that running.
Azura: Alright. As soon as we're ready, we march for Hoshido.
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More updates! Wow!
-Digital