Previously on The Mighty Nein...
Have-have you heard of the Soltryce Academy?
It is an excellent school.
The teachers are another story.
You ever been to a Cobalt Soul Library?
Nein.
Hello, old friend.
How did you lose your magic?
Someone took it from me.
Did you kill them?
Not yet.
Volstruckers-- all we know is they're trained
by someone in the Cerberus Assembly.
I seek one of your prisoners.
Nein, not the necklace.
I-I need it.
We are all in great danger.
She found me.
Let me tell you a story.
Bren! Breakfast!
Good morning, Mother.
Where is Father?
Boars ruined the fence again.
I will go and fetch him.
Before your delicious porridge gets cold.
Oh, come on!
Thank you, little spark.
Left, left!
Here, let me help.
No offense, kid, but I don't think you can do any better.
Son? You have something up your sleeve?
Pockets, actually.
Now keep it steady.
Amenth-Spaodas.
Well done, boy.
Sorcery!
No-- well, yes. Sort of.
Your father said you could do magic-- but I figured he meant card tricks...
A common misunderstanding.
Magic is nothing more than a tool.
Like a hoe or a hammer.
Amazing what this one can do with talent and some old books.
Ho.
Wow, that's a fancy ride.
What is the Empire doing way out here?
Hail King Dwendal.
I presume this is your work?
Pardon me, is there some
kind of problem?
How rude of me.
Trent Ikithon. I am a Professor at the Sol--
The Soltryce Academy.
Shake his hand.
Apologies, my lord.
We don't often get visitors of your standing.
Oh, I am no lord.
Merely a practitioner of the arcane arts.
I heard there was a farmer's son in the Zemni Fields
who had a gift for magic.
This transmutation spell... it shows a high level of refinement.
He's not in trouble then?
No, no. Quite the opposite.
It's been quite a while since I've had a home-cooked meal.
Ah.
Your doing, I presume?
It was an accident.
Arcane Fire.
Sadly, your brick never stood a chance.
Arcane Fire burns hotter than natural flames.
To summon such a spell with no instruction--
that's exemplary, Bren.
It was just in a book, sir.
Anyone can read the words.
But to understand it...
I believe you would thrive at the Soltryce Academy.
I appreciate that, sir.
But my hands are needed here.
We've discussed it.
The tuition is...
We could take some livestock to market.
Darling.
We'd never want to hold Bren back from serving the Empire.
I see.
I'm certain Bren's talent will secure him a scholarship.
And if he graduates, he'll earn more than enough to hire help for the farm.
Ow! You stupid--
Frumpkin! No!
I am sorry, sir. He's never done that before.
It's quite alright.
See?
All better.
In my hand is an acceptance letter to the Academy.
The parchment is enchanted
so that when it burns, the letter will appear in the Admissions Office.
Consider this your entrance exam.
Bren means 'fire' in the old tongue, yes?
Let's see if you can live up to the name.
Voos-caulda.
You can do this, lad.
Voos...
...caulda!
Bren Aldric Ermendrud.
Welcome to the Soltryce Academy.
And to the rest of your life.
- My boy! - Bren, how wonderful.
Oh. Hello.
Hello yourself. I'm Astrid.
The big lunk is Eadwulf.
Come on in.
So... what's your name?
Bren.
You're a long way from home.
Who the hell is she?
Why do people keep trying to kill us
in this goddamn town?
This is not a fight we can win. We need to run.
No chance. This fucker's been following me for weeks.
If we're gonna do this, we need a plan.
Molly, you and I--
Oh, my Traveler! Fjord!
You want a fight,
I'm happy to oblige.
Lebash Nivek!
Wow, that is actually really cool.
As I was saying...
Get sailor boy on his feet. We'll buy you time.
The poison's not reacting to my magic.
Is it bad?
Bad is so negative.
How about we just say "impressively gruesome"?
Could you pick a word and get on with it?
Come on, Fjord.
Caleb!
My guardian goblin.
This bitch.
Yah!
Sorry, I don't do magic.
Payback's a bitch, ain't it?
A-Are the bugs gone?
Wow. [laughs] We won.
Hooray.
Normally, I love drawing a crowd,
but perhaps we should get the fuck out of town.
What about Goth girl?
I've got more than a few questions for her.
More Townsguard will be here any minute.
Oh,
Caleb and I saw an abandoned farmhouse on the way here.
Fine. Load up.
The fuck, man? We need her alive.
My amulet.
Give it to me.
Now you can no longer hide.
You've got big balls showing up late.
More like his chicken legs were too slow.
Library?
Lost track of time.
Let us begin.
Combat magic can be entirely unpredictable.
In battle, you may find yourself distracted, confounded.
But, above all else, you must protect yourself.
Line up, please.
Now, your task is a simple one.
Come, join me here.
The first three students who do, pass.
The rest fail.
Come.
Surely one of you can reach me.
Ah. Unlucky.
What the hell?
Traps. He is testing us.
You see that route?
Ja. Use the others.
All right.
Race you, chicken legs.
Nice.
Whoo! That's how you do it.
Owelia?
Doff-keen-brada.
Well done.
Thank you, Master.
Bren figured it out.
Distract, confound, protect yourself.
You gave us the solution right at the start.
These students have
displayed a wisdom I have been trying to impart all semester.
In the service of our Empire, you will be faced
with choices that seem questionable.
But as you saw today, you must do
whatever it takes to succeed.
Class dismissed.
A moment.
I have a special task for you three.
Should we at least wrap her wounds?
- Nein. - No.
Are you okay? Maybe we should find you a doctor.
I'll be fine after a good night's sleep.
Was, uh, was that everything you needed?
You did very well, ja.
And what does it mean that she broke your amulet?
Yeah, Caleb.
What does it mean?
That we are not safe. Any of us.
I also find it quite interesting that this woman has been tracking you, ja?
Not that it's your business,
but I think she's tangled up in an explosion at the border.
The Kryn and Empire are always trying to kill each other.
Not like this.
Monk's right.
Last couple towns we played, folks were on edge.
Don't you feel it?
War's brewing.
You can feel that?
I can feel when my purse is empty,
and we haven't had a sold-out show in months.
Not till the one you fucked up, thank you very much.
That tent exploding was cool, though.
Point is,
with war comes assassins, spies.
Secret Empire agents, like this bitch.
You are correct.
She is too dangerous to let live.
Are you suggesting we execute her?
Or maybe we'll talk to her and she'll see how cool we are
and become our bestie, you don't know.
Well,
ladies and gents, misfits and malcontents,
our traveling troupe has reached
its destination.
You could've just said, "We're here."
Let's get little miss cockroach in a chair.
Oh, can I come? I've always wanted to see fingernails pulled.
I go where Caleb goes.
This isn't a damn social club.
She's right.
But I should at least be there in case you need backup with--
Whoa, there.
You're looking much greener than usual.
Come on, Fjord, let's find you a bed. No arguing.
Um, Caleb,
you sure you're all right?
You seem tense.
More than usual.
Go help Jester.
You have a gift for toxins and the like.
You can help.
Okay.
Use your reed if you need me.
I'm watching you, undercut.
Danke.
Go.
So, what is our plan?
She is a wizard like me.
Perhaps I can assist with the interrogation.
Fine. Look,
maybe we try the old "good monk, bad monk."
I'm bad monk. Obviously.
Oh, Molly, he's burning up.
I can heal cuts and bruises, but not poison.
Traveler, please, I don't want Fjord to D-I-E.
Get out of the way.
Okay. Let's see here.
The poison may be magic, but...
...it resembles adder venom.
You can make a home remedy with Basilisk Tongue.
Okay. Where do we find a basilisk?
And I call dibs on cutting out its tongue.
It's a plant.
That is disappointing.
Look, i-it must grow nearby.
These little yellow flowers have antiseptic properties.
We need enough to brew a tea or the corruption will spread and he'll...
uh, D-I-E?
You guys know I can spell, right?
I didn't, actually.
Do we really trust the goblin?
Hey, he's got a point.
No, Nott wouldn't lie.
We will go find the Basilisk Tongue thing.
Fjord, hang on.
You better listen to her.
I'm pretty sure she'd kill you if you die.
Sorry about that. I...
I didn't mean--
I don't know what she sees in you.
Whisper the first syllable of a spell,
and I crush your larynx.
Then my friend here lights your ass up.
Do the, do the fire fingers thing.
I thought I was "good monk."
You and your Volstrucker buddies stole something from the Kryn.
And it sure as fuck wrecked Rockguard Garrison,
so what was it?
Okay.
I know you have snitches in the Cobalt Soul.
Give me names and maybe we'll leave you in one piece.
What you did is starting a war,
and thousands of innocent people are gonna pay the price.
Now talk.
Three days.
Three days till what?
Leave the prisoner in isolation
for three days before questioning.
To imagine the torture they will receive.
To break them without lifting a finger.
You are an amateur.
And it shows.
Enflotho hashet.
You will answer her questions
or you will regret what comes next.
Think this is another test?
Mm. Everything is a test with him.
Guys, relax.
I bet we're gonna get promoted.
You think?
Look at us.
Master Ikithon's not an idiot.
You first, little spark.
'Tis only a chair.
Do you know why I plucked you out of the Zemni Fields, Bren?
Because you, my boy, are special.
Even at your age, I believe you are ready to apply your education to the field.
You mean join the Cerberus Assembly?
Uh, not quite.
As of tonight,
you will join an elite group.
A secret force trained in incredible magic,
who exists only to serve the Empire.
Just as you've always wanted, yes?
Of course, Master.
What of Astrid and Eadwulf?
Oh, they will be given the same opportunity.
But make no mistake,
you are the rising star, Bren.
The little spark who became a firestorm.
Shratten thoo.
Accept the pain.
Endure it.
A sign of your dedication.
You can do this.
Your father needs you to be strong.
What did your Master steal from the Kryn?
Okay. I think she gets it.
You should not have stopped me.
These people only tell the truth when their body has no other choice.
You certainly know a lot about "these people."
Yes, he does.
You know how easy it would be for us to kill her, together.
What did she just say?
Nothing important.
So it's just a fucking coincidence this chick speaks Zemnian, too?
Or is there something more to it?
This is her plan.
To sow doubt between us then escape when we are focused on each other.
That's funny. You didn't say I was wrong.
Fjord won't die, will he?
Don't even answer that. He can't die.
The Traveler would never let that happen. Right, Traveler?
"Right, Jester."
You know, y-you-- whenever you want to say hi,
I'm just freaking out here, trying to save a life.
That's the trouble with gods, isn't it?
You never know if they'll be there when you need them.
Oh, the Traveler is always there.
He's just not always here.
Hmm.
You know who is always here,
at least, in the scant few days I've known you?
You are so right.
The Traveler must have sent Fjord so I could have a friend when he's busy.
Huh.
Who knows the whims of the gods?
Well, this doesn't seem like enough.
Can you use your special vision to find more,
like with that ugly ghost frog?
Or do you need blood?
Want to know a secret?
That's never happened before.
So mysterious.
I mean, you can smell blood, and your blood turns into ice?
Ho.
What happens if you drink blood?
You know, I'm not too keen to find out.
Those answers lay in the past,
and I find the past dreadfully boring.
Oh, yeah, is that why you carry those fancy cards?
To peer into your future?
Not quite, lass.
Take this group, for instance.
We've got a homeless wizard, an inebriated goblin,
a half-orc midshipman--
- Captain. - Right.
...who doesn't understand his power
and a temperamental monk in way over her head.
I don't need the cards to tell me that adventure lays before us.
You people are damned interesting.
I know, right?
And the most intriguing of all is this wide-eyed talented woman
who'd do best to leave a one-sided relationship with an invisible god.
Yeah.
Wait, are you talking about me?
Get off of me.
Ugh, stop.
Oh, what, you think I want to touch your sweat-ass body?
What are you doing?
I'm trying to keep you cool so the fever doesn't cook your brain.
You're a wizard's sidekick.
What do you know about poison?
I knew an alchemist once.
He taught me a few things.
And I helped him stay alive.
Or at least, I tried to.
Wow, an alchemist goblin.
Well, you know, that's, uh,
that's pretty impressive--
God, you son of a bitch.
Captain!
I-I tried to stop him.
But I... but I was weak.
I failed.
I'm not the man you thought I was.
I'm sorry.
No, no, no. No, you're...
It's okay. No, you didn't fail.
There, there, honey. It's okay.
You have lost her trust Bren. The others will soon follow.
Silence.
She's really getting under your skin.
Tell me what the fuck she's saying.
You may not trust me, Beauregard,
- but we cannot do this here. - Cool.
We're doing it here.
The monk will snap your neck when she finds out the truth.
- Shut your mouth! - Oh, yeah.
You two are total strangers, huh?
Spill it. You working with her?
Nein.
Kill her, while you still can.
- Nein. - Then who the fuck are you?
Just tell her.
You are still Volstrucker.
Now, that I understood.
It hurts so much.
Yeah, but that's okay.
You will not have to endure it alone.
Master Ikithon called us "Volstrucker"?
I was supposed to be a farmer.
You have a purpose now.
These arms make us something new.
Something powerful.
It's frightening, but it's beautiful.
Bren.
You are beautiful.
Whatever we are, we will be together.
Do you see the monk?
Not yet. Foxstep.
Remember our first dance lesson?
I remember thinking it was a waste of time.
Who knew it was the easiest way to infiltrate a party?
You were a menace.
Almost broke my foot.
And now?
Now you are merely clumsy.
Ooh.
Thank you, Herr Bren.
See?
I am not a complete amateur.
Maybe save the flirting for after the mission?
Where's the target?
No need to be jealous, Wulf.
I will let you dip me later.
Psst. There he is.
Brada-unneen.
We secured the key.
Bring the thunder, big guy.
Music to my arms.
What's happening?
It's a Crick attack.
- Where should we go? - Try to stay calm.
Halt! Only Cobalt Soul allowed.
Yah!
Not another step.
I'll take them. Go.
Visda-Revelo.
That was a warning.
You must be brave or stupid to break into the Soul.
There is no place on this continent you can hide from us,
so I suggest you spill your guts and give up your patron.
Maybe you should spill yours.
Lebmac Nitsirk.
Tired of this shit.
Who are you?
Do not do this now, Beauregard.
You are a killer. Follow your instincts.
Kill her, then come home.
Father still loves you.
Oh, you son of a bitch. You're a Volstrucker.
Give me one good reason not to snap your neck right now.
Nein. Nein...
W-We are...
Well? What do you have to say?
We took our eyes off her.
Ah, shit.
Get back!
Oh, the prisoner's free.
I'm sure that's totally on purpose.
She did become our bestie.
Nope. Not a bestie.
Get her ass.
Neirbo Mael.
You wanted to know me?
This is who I am.
Ah, my prized pupils.
Congratulations.
Your success will help keep the Empire safe.
You have earned this feast.
Don't mind if I do.
You have the manners of this pig.
You think this body fuels itself?
This reminds me of the day we met, Bren, don't you think?
Much less humble, sir.
It's a shame about your village.
The Zemni Fields are now being used as a rebel base
to spread lies against the king.
Ungrateful traitors.
We should drag them out of their hovels in the dead of night.
Mm. No, it should be public.
A flogging.
Something to send a message.
Hmm.
Bren?
What would you do to traitors?
The greatest fear of the Zemni people is losing their livelihood.
I would raze their farms to the ground,
then hang their ashen corpses along the King's Way as a warning to all:
this is what the Empire does with traitors.
- Hear, hear. - Hear, hear.
Hmm.
I am happy to hear you say that.
Because you have a new mission:
to put down the Zemni rebellion.
These missives contain a list of traitors,
as named by the King's spymasters.
However, it, uh...
it comes with difficult news, Bren.
You may recognize some names on the list.
I heard you'd wasted away in a sanatorium.
Forgot even how to speak.
But you're less rusty than I expected.
All those lessons never really leave you.
Weshun, Felinth-ono-Bladros.
I... Everyone all right out there?
Stay alive. Please.
Where's Caleb?
He's dead?
Trapped in a well?
Rune trap.
Buried alive? What are you saying?
Rune trap.
What's a "poon clap"?
Oh, he used a rune trap to stop you
so he could follow the poison lady alone.
Wait, you left him alone?
Okay, okay. Relax.
He's used this trick before. It only lasts a minute.
Okay, Jessie, when you're free, brew the flowers into a tea
and give it to Fjord before he croaks.
You probably have... eh, ten minutes.
I don't know. Uh, I'll go get Caleb.
You can thank me later.
I never understood why you were his favorite.
I never betrayed him.
I never ran away.
Yet, all he wants is to find you.
There's the Bren I knew.
Master Ikithon will never stop sending us until you come home.
Everyone you love will die.
At least it will not be by your hand.
Bren!
The little spark who became
a firestorm.
You, my boy, are special.
Accept the pain.
Endure it.
Caleb!
It's okay. It'll be okay.
I'm here.
The mad fire wizard, rising like a phoenix.
How you feeling?
Eh, sounds about right.
I'll say this: we've got questions.
But, hey, well done.
You made it to a new day,
and each new day is a new opportunity to be someone...
well, new.
So, who would you like to be today?
Ugh. Bleh.
This shit tastes like shit.
How do you know what shit tastes like, hmm?
- Drink up. - Hmm?
Ugh.
Your friend's got problems, kid.
Yeah, like you're a peach.
I'm just saying, he's gonna get you into trouble,
if he keeps making you clean up his messes.
Caleb doesn't make me do anything.
Really? 'Cause you guys have very parent-child vibes.
Maybe.
But I am the parent.
You do understand that, correct?
I keep him safe so he can get better and stronger
and achieve great things.
When I found him, he was nothing.
Just a scared little boy in the corner of an alley.
It's my job to protect him.
I protect him.
He's my boy.
And he'll be a great man someday.
Does he know all that?
I don't know what he knows.
I weirdly want to beat his ass but also...
- hug him right now. - I wouldn't.
The smell won't come off your clothes for days.
I think you owe us some words, trash-wizard.
You are right. I do.
I have not been entirely honest with you.
But that ends today.
Let me tell you a story.
Chirp.