So It Begins was a virtual representation of one of Kassandra's genetic memories, relived by Layla Hassan in 2018 through the Portable Animus HR-8.5.
Description
Whilst relaxing atop her home, Kassandra was interrupted by thugs bearing a warning.
Dialogue
While her eagle Ikaros patrolled the skies, Kassandra sat, humming while holding the top half of a spear atop her home.
- Rogue: Hey, shit-face! Get down here!
Kassandra proceeded to the edge of the building.
- Rogue: Cyclops's got a message for you!
Kassandra leapt down to stand before the rogue and his companion.
- Kassandra: Tell your boss he can stick it—
The rogue's companion punched Kassandra in the face, making her nose bleed.
- Rogue: That's for last week!
- Kassandra: Maláka!
- Rogue: The Cyclops said you like to act tough. So act tough!
- Kassandra: Get a little closer, and I will.
- Thug: You should know by now. The Cyclops always collects his debts. You have a lesson to learn.
- Kassandra: If the Cyclops wants to teach me, tell him to come here himself.
- Rogue: Never mess with the Cyclops!
After Kassandra knocked out the rogue and thug, she sat down, exhausted.
- Kassandra: Last week? This shit happens every week. I can't keep doing this.
Kassandra looked up as Ikaros landed and screeched. She tended to her nosebleed.
- Kassandra: Thanks for the warning.
Phoibe ran around the corner.
- Phoibe: What happened to you?
- Mithios: It's nothing, Phoibe. All taken care of now.
- Phoibe: The Cyclops again, huh? Hasn't he learned his lesson yet?
- Kassandra: Apparently not.
Phoibe proceeded to eat some of Kassandra's food.
- Kassandra: Of course. Help yourself.
- Phoibe: You hungry too, Ikaros? Do you think Zeus would bless me with an eagle? Like he blessed you, Kassandra? ...Maybe you could ask him for me!
- Kassandra: Phoibe...
- Kassandra: We've been over this.
- Phoibe: I know, I know. He's just an eagle.
Kassandra stood up.
- Kassandra: I'll try to put in a good word for you.
- Phoibe: Finally!
- Kassandra: So. What are you doing here?
- Phoibe: Oh! I almost forgot! Markos is looking for you.
- Kassandra: What does that weasel want now?
- Phoibe: Don't know. He wants you to meet him at his new house. On his vineyard.
- Kassandra: What? A vineyard? Maláka!
- Phoibe: It's on the road to Sami. He says wine will make him rich!
(If "How long has Markos had a vineyard?" is chosen.)
- Kassandra: Since when has he had a vineyard?
- Phoibe: Yesterday I think.
- Kassandra: So Markos—who owes me drachmae—is buying vineyards? With what money?
- Phoibe: I dunno.
(If "Where on the road to Sami?" is chosen.)
- Kassandra: Where can I find Markos's new, beautiful estate?
- Phoibe: You know the statue of Zeus on Mount Ainos? It's south of that!
("I'll go find him.")
- Kassandra: Well, I guess I owe Markos a little visit. Thank you, Phoibe.
Phoibe reached out her hand. Kassandra tossed a drachma into her hand.
- Phoibe: I'll go tell Markos you're coming.
The rogue and thug rose groggily to their feet as Phoibe departed with her eagle toy Chara.
- Phoibe: Skree!
- Thug: My head...
Kassandra waved her hand in the direction of the main road.
- Kassandra: Fun's over. Tell that one-eyed freak if he ever sends you here again, I'm gonna cut out his other eye and feed it to my bird.
- Kassandra: You made a mistake coming here.
- Kassandra: I'll see Markos as soon as I'm dressed.
- Kassandra: I'll have to go up top to get dressed.
She entered her home, looking to a knife on a table.
- Kassandra: Markos knew this would serve young Kassandra well. Can't imagine fighting the Cyclops's thugs with it now.
Kassandra left the room through the back door, spotting a basin near the exit of the small courtyard.
- Kassandra: Eugh, that smells lovely. Probably time I emptied it.
She climbed the stairs that lead to the rooftop, where she noticed some stirred pillows beside an extinguished brazier.
- Kassandra: Phoibe slept here again, poor kid. No place to call home.
If Kassandra tried to leave the area without equipping her armor, she would comment on this.
- Kassandra: I'm not getting caught without armor twice today.
Kassandra reached the chest on top of the house, from which she recovered a broken bow, as well as a belt and a tunic, which she donned. Kassandra then made her way to the vineyard.
Along the way, she was ambushed by the Cyclops' thugs from earlier with more reinforcements.
- Rogue: There she is! Get her!
- Thug: By Ares, we'll slice you right open.
- Kassandra: That's what I get for sparing you? No manners.
She sent Ikaros to scout ahead.
- Kassandra: Guess this is the vineyard... Straight ahead. There you are. Let's see what you've gotten yourself into this time, Markos.
Kassandra came upon Markos conversing with one of his farmers.
- Farmer: Boss—I keep telling you—you can't do that.
- Markos: Why? It's my farm! I can plant where I want.
- Farmer: The grapes will die here—all of them.
- Markos: You have to forget what you know about the past, my friend—together, we will revolutionize wine making! Believe me, you will look back on this day and—
Kassandra nudged him from behind.
- Markos: Kassandra, thank the gods—Phoibe found you in time.
The farmer walked away, muttering under his breath.
- Farmer: Thinks he can tell me about grapes...
- Markos: I can still hear you...
Markos turned back to Kassandra.
- Markos: I was worried sick. The Cyclops sent his scum to find you. I think they mean you harm.
- Kassandra: I wish you would have told me that before they hit me. But that's beside the point. You bought a vineyard, Markos? A vineyard?!
- Markos: Why not? I like wine, you like wine. Everybody likes wine. Everybody buys wine! Why not from me?
- Kassandra: Because you don't know how to grow grapes or make wine?
- Markos: I'm a fast learner! You grow grapes on the vine, then you get some wine!
- Kassandra: It's that simple, is it?
- Kassandra: Please, Markos. You'll fuck this up like you fuck up everything else. You can't pay me back in grapes.
- Markos: You know me better than to think I don't have a plan. Markos always has a plan!
- Kassandra: All right. Then do you have the money you owe me?
- Markos: Do I have the money I owe you? Of course. Of course. Well, no. Not at the moment.
- Kassandra: Then—get—it.
- Markos: Instantly, my friend, instantly. But—maybe you should do that. There is a merchant in Sami—I'm not very good at these things as you know.
- Kassandra: You want me to collect my own debt?
- Markos: It's just waiting for you in Sami, my friend.
- Kassandra: Who's the merchant?
- Markos: Duris. You know Duris. He's very nice.
- Kassandra: Duris? How stupid can you get? Stop giving him money!
- Markos: He always pays me back.
- Kassandra: After I threaten him.
- Markos: Exactly—everybody benefits. Duris gets his money. I get my interest—and you have work. Kephallonia is wonderful, is it not?
- Kassandra: Duris? Again? Why do you keep lending him money?
- Markos: He's a loyal friend. I don't want his family to starve.
- Kassandra: You're a good friend, but you're bad with money.
(If "Where is Duris?" is chosen.)
- Kassandra: Where can I find Duris?
- Markos: In a shop in Sami overlooking the docks—you know this Kassandra.
- Kassandra: Will he be there?
- Markos: You mistake me for the Pythia. I couldn't possibly know.
(If "How should I handle this?" is chosen.)
- Kassandra: How do you want to handle this one?
- Markos: Not like you handled that olive oil business. That was—that was too much.
- Kassandra: I got the money.
- Markos: And now we'll never get any more from him. If you kill them all, nobody benefits. Threatening them and maybe more... Breaking things, certainly. Seal the money if you have to, but don't robe me of my customers. Unless you can't avoid it. These things happen.
(If "I want my drachmae." chosen.)
- Kassandra: He'd better have my money, Markos. I'd hate to have to sell our vineyard.
- Markos: Of course he will! Oh, after there's another matter I want to discuss with you. After.
- Kassandra: Fine, but I'm taking a horse. It's too hot and too long a walk to go on foot.
- Markos: But—
Markos and Kassandra approached the nearby stables.
- Kassandra: Think of it as interest, Markos. Everybody benefits.
- Markos: Of course, my friend, you shall have your pick!
(If "What about the horse on the left?" is chosen.)
- Kassandra: Tell me about this one.
- Markos: The Skyros! You have an eye for sturdy stock, my friend! That horse can cling to mountain passes like a goat.
(If "What about the horse in the middle?" is chosen.)
- Kassandra: The one in the middle. Tell me about it.
- Markos: Ah! You have picked a beauty, my friend. That horse is from Thessalonia. Bred for its courage.
(If "What about the horse on the right?" is chosen.)
- Kassandra: I like the look of the one on the right.
- Markos: Ah, the Makedonian. These are bred for battle. A true warrior's horse!
("I'm ready to choose.")
- Kassandra: I've made my choice.
- Markos: Which one will it be?
(Note: Despite the descriptions, there is no difference between the horses except for color.)
- Markos: A, uh, a fine choice. But, this particular breed has a few... quirks that you might not be aware of. I wouldn't want you to take an unworthy horse.
- Kassandra: This is the one I want.
- Markos: Are you sure, because—
- Kassandra: I'm sure, Markos.
- Markos: Everybody benefits. Especially you! You've chosen the great Phobos. He's never let me down!
- Kassandra: Phobos.
- Markos: Remember, meet me at the temple in Sami when you have, uh, your money from Duris.
The farmer Euterpe walked up to the pair.
- Markos: Ah, Euterpe! There's plenty of wine left to buy. Don't fret.
- Euterpe: Not now, you fool! Phoibe's been taken.
- Kassandra: By who?
- Euterpe: Thugs of the Cyclops—who else? Snatched her right off the main road!
- Kassandra: Tell me where they went.
- Euterpe: In the direction of Ktimene Beach.
- Markos: The beach? Can she swim?
- Kassandra: I'll get her.
- Markos: Yes, go. But don't forget about dear Duris, Kassandra!
Outcome
Kassandra defended herself against thugs sent by the Cyclops. Later, she reluctantly agreed to help Markos reclaim his money, but not before learning of Phoibe's capture by the Cyclops' thugs.
Gallery
