Part 131: Karel

Supports: Karel

Karel/Fir

C Support

Uncle!
Ah, Fir.
Please let me stay with you and learn from your mastery of the sword!
Suit yourself.
Thank you! ...But... It doesn't feel right that you are staying here partnering with me. I'm still a novice, but you're the strongest member of our army!
...
They don't know how powerful you are! Once they see the true strength of the Sword Saint, then they'll...
Fir.
Y-Yes?
Your heart is wandering.
I... I respect you so much, so...
It is pointless to marvel over one's power. That is not the kind of strength that I seek.
...Yes, Uncle.

B Support

Uncle...
What is it, Fir?
Please, teach me your way of the sword.
...
I want to know how you gained your power. I want to master the sword like you have.
The way of the sword...
Yes!
That isn't something that can be taught, Fir.
What...?
A sword is simply a sword. It is a weapon used to kill people.
That... That's not true!
There's no strength in this piece of metal. I have lived by the sword ever since I was born, but my blade never gained any power.
...
True strength is not the power of a weapon. It is something that cannot be seen. We all have it within us. Including you, Fir.
M-Me...?

A Support

Please tell me, Uncle!
...
What is true strength...? What is the way...? What...what must I do?
...Fir. You were always looking at your mother's back and following after her.
...
And now, you come to me for advice because you have lost sight of your mother.
...Yes.
But, Fir. You are not your mother, nor are you me. The path which you seek does not lie behind us. It lies in front of you. It is you who must cut open that path for yourself.
In front...of me?
That isn't something that can be taught. It is something which you must discover on your own.
...Yes. Thank you, Uncle!

Karel/Zeiss

C Support

You're the Sword Saint...?
...They gave me that name against my will. Just call me Karel.
Master Karel, I am a Dragon Knight of Bern.
...
...You're not going to say anything? My father said you fought against Bern in the past. He saw you in a rain of blood, slicing all those who crossed your path...
...I am through with this world. Bern, Etruria... They are meaningless words to me now. I am only here for my family.
...I see. If only I could think like that... But I can't...not even after Bern has fallen...

B Support

Before coming here...I fought against my older brother.
...
Well, he's not my real brother... His name was Gale. He was a Dragon Knight with equal power as the Three Dragon Lords.
...
I always looked up to him. My sister was also very fond of him... ...I never thought that the three of us would end up as enemies. I never thought that we would have to fight Gale...
...
I'm sorry... Have I bored you?
No, not at all. A life story can never be boring.

A Support

Zeiss.
Yes?
Why... Why did you tell me that story?
...I thought that maybe you would be able to guide me... Perhaps you would be able to help me get rid of my hesitation...
...Unfortunately, I don't have any words of guidance for you. But...I can say this. It is you who must carve your own path.
...
Zeiss... I think you already have an answer.
...Maybe. Perhaps...I just wanted someone to tell me that the path I chose wasn't a mistake.
Then...
Yes, I understand now. I chose to turn against my country... And I won't regret that decision.

Karel/Rutger

C Support

...!
You noticed me at this distance? Impressive.
...Karel, the Sword Saint.
Well, what an honor. You know me?
...Everyone who uses the sword knows your name.
Yes, well, I travelled all around when I was young.
...Why are you here in this army?
My family is here, so I joined as well. I'm hoping that even my rusty skills could be of use.
Rusty? Even you joke around sometimes?
No, I'm serious. I probably would lose out to you young ones.
... *leaves*
...Interesting.

B Support

You, please wait a moment.
...What do you want?
I am looking for someone to spar with. Would you care to?
...No.
Why? Am I not a worthy opponent for you?
Your sword isn't used to kill... It doesn't agree with the path I pursue.
Perhaps you think so now, but we both follow the way of the sword... All paths of the sword lead to one place.
...

A Support

...Do you need something, Rutger?
I want to ask you something.
Yes?
I sense no hate in your sword... You just seem to blend with the air around you when you attack. Even the heaviest, strongest blades can't cut through air... Your sword would beat them all. I want to become stronger. If all paths of the sword lead to one place, then would I be able to blend with the air as you do?
...You're from Sacae, aren't you?
...Right.
I was born in Sacae as well. I grew up under the protection of Father Sky and Mother Earth. They are all that are in my sword.
I'm not a pure Sacaean... I wouldn't be able to sense them like you can...
Was that true when you were young?
...!
You were able to hear the sky and the earth once. Although, now it seems that your hate is covering your ears.
...Do you think I'll be able to hear them again once this war ends?
Of course you will. The breeze that runs through the plains... It never forgets those that it loves.

Karel/Noah

C Support

...I've never heard of this area before. I never knew there was a place like this in Bern.
...This is a land that people have long forgotten. The years go by, but time just seems to linger... It is that kind of place.
Did you always live here?
No. Before I settled here, I used to travel around the world, living by the sword.
Then... Have you been to Ilia?
...Once, in the past.

B Support

The Sword Saint... Have you heard of this legendary figure?
...No.
My mother used to tell me stories about him. When I still very young, a large group of bandits attacked my home village.
...
There was a traveler from Sacae in the village inn. Without saying a word, he went out to the village gate... He then cut down all of the bandits, leaving none alive. When he was finished, he left as suddenly as he had come...almost like the wind.
...
If he hadn't saved my village, I wouldn't be here today. I'll always be grateful to the Sword Saint...
...No. That is wrong.
...What? Wrong...? What do you mean?
...

A Support

...
Master Karel...
I suppose I should tell you the truth. Keeping silent to cover up one's shame would be stepping off the path of the sword.
Shame? You saved my village...
No. I never thought about saving the village. I just wanted to kill.
...
I was like a demon back then...possessed by the sword. I was aimlessly wandering around, looking for people to satisfy my lust for blood. As long as I could cut, as long as I could kill, it didn't matter who it was. ...Even if that were an infant in a village I happened to stop by at.
...!
You have no reason to thank me. They call me the Sword Saint... It is but a false name.
...But... I can't imagine that what you say is true when I look at you now. You, standing before me now, are the Sword Saint that I had always pictured in my mind. What... What happened...?
...Some things you will realize only after you have lost something else. However, by the time my foolishness had left me...it was already too late.

Karel/Bartre

C Support

I... I'm terribly sorry about Karla. If I could take her place, I would do so in an instant...
Well, I can't exactly say my sister was in good health. I'm glad she lived as long as she did.
I'm sorry...
One thing that I am worried about is Fir. She lost her mother at such a young age...
Yes... Maybe... Maybe the reason she left home to go train herself was that she wanted to get her mind off of her mother's death.
Training? So Fir was traveling around the continent?
Yes. She said she wanted to become a great swordmaster like her mother.
I see...

B Support

...
Bartre... What's the matter?
Ah, Karel. ...I was just thinking about Karla.
About Karla?
Yes. I first met her when I was traveling around the world, training myself. And then... I met her at that arena. Her sword...it was almost invisible. ...I suffered defeat for the first time in my life.
...I understand. In our family, the sword is everything. We are brought up by the sword, and it is all we know. The sword was so central to our lives...even to the point that it blinded us from our own human nature.
Each time I lost, I would challenge her to a rematch. And then, the third time we fought, I was able to evade her first strike. I was immediately knocked out by her second strike, though... When I woke up...there she was. It was the first time I saw her smile. After that, we traveled together, training ourselves alongside each other. Although...I never was able to defeat her.
You wouldn't see Karla smile very often... She must have been that fond of you.
Do you think so...?

A Support

...After she fell sick, Karla starting telling me about her family for the first time. She talked about her heritage, about you, and...about herself.
I'm sure she was happy to be with you when she left this world.
Around that time was when we first met each other as well... You resembled her when we first met. You were inhumanly strong... Dangerous, and forbidding.
...Yes. That time, I left you two without saying a word. You must have thought what a terrible brother I was.
No, not at all. While she was dying, Karla told me about her childhood with you... She would tell me over and over again, with a smile on her face.
...Yes...I see...

The Marcus/Lilina support about Eliwood's wife can at least be justified as him being a lord and therefore not knowing who his wife would be. Bartre's wife is Karla and I'm sick of seeing him keep saying "my wife" and "my sister" when we know damn well who it is so I put in her name where it made sense.

Karel/Fir - Light/Fire
C - Attack + 1, Defense + 0.5, Accuracy + 5, Avoid + 2.5, Crit + 5
B - Attack + 2, Defense + 1, Accuracy + 10, Avoid + 5, Crit + 10
A - Attack + 3, Defense + 1.5, Accuracy + 15, Avoid + 7.5, Crit + 15

Karel/Zeiss - Light/Thunder
C - Attack + 0.5, Defense + 1, Accuracy + 2.5, Avoid + 2.5, Crit + 5, Crit Evade + 2.5
B - Attack + 1, Defense + 2, Accuracy + 5, Avoid + 7.5, Crit + 10, Crit Evade + 5
A - Attack + 1.5, Defense + 3, Accuracy + 7.5, Avoid + 7.5, Crit + 15, Crit Evade + 7.5

Karel/Rutger - Light/Dark
C - Attack + 0.5, Defense + 0.5, Accuracy + 5, Avoid + 2.5, Crit + 5, Crit Evade + 2.5
B - Attack + 1, Defense + 1, Accuracy + 10, Avoid + 5, Crit + 10, Crit Evade + 5
A - Attack + 1.5, Defense + 1.5, Accuracy + 15, Avoid + 7.5, Crit + 15, Crit Evade + 7.5

Karel/Noah - Light/Anima
C - Attack + 1, Defense + 1, Accuracy + 2.5, Avoid + 2.5, Crit + 2.5, Crit Evade + 2.5
B - Attack + 2, Defense + 2, Accuracy + 5, Avoid + 5, Crit + 5, Crit Evade + 5
A - Attack + 3, Defense + 3, Accuracy + 7.5, Avoid + 7.5, Crit + 7.5, Crit Evade + 7.5

Karel/Bartre - Light/Thunder
C - Attack + 0.5, Defense + 1, Accuracy + 2.5, Avoid + 2.5, Crit + 5, Crit Evade + 2.5
B - Attack + 1, Defense + 2, Accuracy + 5, Avoid + 7.5, Crit + 10, Crit Evade + 5
A - Attack + 1.5, Defense + 3, Accuracy + 7.5, Avoid + 7.5, Crit + 15, Crit Evade + 7.5