The outlaws force Cain, Gran, and the crew to follow them to their den. The gang leader Reinhardtzar explains that they're all ex-soldiers from a corrupted, fallen country and that he wants to build a country safe for all. Cain angrily opposes his plan as it means war against other kingdoms and deaths of innocent people.
Cain, Gran, and the crew, led by Reinhardtzar's gang, walk the path to the den.
Cain
...
Vyrn
I wonder what's going to happen to us...
Lyria
I don't know... But we have to find the others no matter what.
Katalina
Don't worry. Even in a pinch like this, we could easily...
Reinhardtzar
I wouldn't try that. We aren't your average outlaws here.
Reinhardtzar
If you've been trained as we have, then you'd better think carefully about what you do next.
Katalina
Trained... as you have?
Reinhardtzar
Yep, that's right. We might not look it, but we're all ex-soldiers.
Reinhardtzar
If you take us for some ragtag band of brawlers, then you've got another thing coming.
Katalina
Humph...
Reinhardtzar continues speaking, seemingly amused by Katalina's stern reaction.
Reinhardtzar
Don't look so disappointed. I think you guys have got some amazing strength.
Reinhardtzar
You kicked around my men within an inch of their lives, but you didn't take them. That's no small feat.
Reinhardtzar nods pleasantly to himself before suddenly clapping his hands together.
Reinhardtzar
That poses the question...
Why don't you folks become my allies?
Cain
You need even more allies than the ones you've got here? Are you trying to build an army or something?
Reinhardtzar
Yeah... I guess you could say that.
Cain
Beg your pardon?
Cain glares at Reinhardtzar, but he seems unbothered by it and continues to speak.
Reinhardtzar
I want to build a country. But for that I need more power.
Reinhardtzar
I'd said that we're all ex-soldiers, right?
Reinhardtzar
Before Merkmal, we were formally enlisted in the military of a certain country, defending it against foreign enemies.
Reinhardtzar
But one day our country collapsed.
Reinhardtzar
Not from an outside attack though. It was already rotten from the core. We didn't realize it until it was too late.
Suddenly Cain's eyes grow wide in surprise.
Cain
Does that mean... you're from Torhid Kingdom?
Reinhardtzar
That's right. From the look on your face, I'm guessing you know something about it.
Cain
...
Reinhardtzar
Well, it's no matter. What's done is done. Hindsight's 50/50 they say, but it won't do us any good now.
Reinhardtzar
The real problems didn't start till later. We were looking for a new country that'd take us in.
Reinhardtzar
But it was nowhere to be found. Despite the fact that our country was in such disarray.
Reinhardtzar
Well, I don't blame them for staying out of it. Who'd want soldiers from a nation that fell by a coup d'etat?
Reinhardtzar, in both frustration and surrender, squeezes his hand into a fist.
Reinhardtzar
Whether you're strong or weak, there's always a burden left to bear in the end.
Reinhardtzar
The military that'd upheld the dignity of their great country became powerless overnight.
Reinhardtzar
We tried to keep order and do as we're told, but the rules became more and more warped.
Reinhardtzar
But it's what you'd expect. The ones who made the rules were at the polar opposite of where we stood after all.
Having laid bare his resentment, Reinhardtzar sighs deeply. He begins to speak again, but with a tone of fresh resolve.
Reinhardtzar
So I'll make the rules. I'll build a country where even the powerless like us can live on in peace.
The other outlaws gaze up at Reinhardtzar, with a faint glimmer of hope in their eyes.
But Katalina seems unconvinced. Raising an eyebrow, she begins a bitter reply.
Katalina
That's a joke... What about the villagers? How can you threaten them one moment and spout your powerlessness in the next?
Reinhardtzar
...
Reinhardtzar glances once at Katalina before shifting his gaze to the rising fortress in the distance.
Reinhardtzar
Tell me. Have you ever wanted to be a ruler?
Katalina
What is this about?
Reinhardtzar
A ruler means reigning over others. Me taking money from the villagers is no different from them paying taxes.
Reinhardtzar
Besides, we spare them their lives and a fair portion of their fortunes.
Reinhardtzar
In exchange for all that, we protect the village from enemies and monsters.
Reinhardtzar
Merkmal Island may belong to Idelva Kingdom on paper, but there's been no government here.
Reinhardtzar
Until we showed up, there was barely a village with all those monsters disrupting their way of life.
Reinhardtzar
Those folks aren't afraid of us. They're afraid of us leaving them.
Reinhardtzar
And considering we don't draft people to join us, it's more peaceful to live here than in Idelva or Rhem.
Reinhardtzar
So? You'd say we're a threat to the village still?
Katalina
Humph... But it's not just that...
Cain
I'll say you're a threat.
Cain interrupts without hesitation.
Cain
The way you tell it, a ruler's job is to bully the citizens.
Cain
This coexistence you're talking about might work as a system.
Cain
But no matter how you look at it, those villagers live in fear of you.
Reinhardtzar
To reign is to be feared. That's what comes with power and responsibility.
Cain
I'm telling you that's backwards! People want to live in happiness with smiles and all.
Reinhardtzar
Then why don't you tell me about what sort of lord you'd wish to serve?
Cain
Sorry?
Reinhardtzar
What makes a good ruler to you? What sort of ruler keeps people happy and smiling?
Cain
...
Cain grows silent all at once. His defiance from earlier begins to dissipate.
Reinhardtzar
It's all right if you don't know the answer right now.
Reinhardtzar
But if you happen to find it, let me hear it. I'm curious...
With nothing left to say, the crew follows behind Reinhardtzar as they continue their trek to the outlaw den.
81: King of the Outlaws 
