A Little Problem

{Era|ACV|Memories}}

A Little Problem was a virtual representation of one of Eivor Varinsdottir's genetic memories, relived by Layla Hassan through the Portable Animus HR-8.5.

Description

Eivor found a young boy named Knud crying for her help.

Dialogue

Eivor found Knud in the longhouse.

• Eivor: Knud? What are you doing in here?
• Knud: Eivor! We need your help!
• Eivor: Who is "we"?
• Knud: Sylvi and Eira are in trouble! We went into the woods and... and... there's no time to explain! You need to come with me!
• Eivor: Are they alright?
• Knud: No! They're hurt! A-and badly!
• Eivor: Take me to them.

Knud nodded and ran out of the longhouse, with Eivor following him.

• Eivor: Where are they?
• Knud: Not far! We need to hurry!

They reached the bridge leading northeast out of the settlement.

• Eivor: What happened? Are they still in danger?
• Knud: Not if we get there soon!

They reached a fork in the road.

• Eivor: Which way now?
• Knud: This way, we're almost there!

He continued running, guiding her down the lefthand path up into the hills. Along the way, Eivor may have had to fight some wolves, which she quickly dispatched.

• Knud: Come on, Eivor! Can't you run any quicker?
• Eivor: Knud, you have to tell me what has happened.
• Knud: I can't! You won't understand, even if I do! Just trust me!

The pair arrived at a house in the woods. In the backyard near a blocked well, the girls waited.

• Sylvi: I think he did it.
• Eira: Shhh, she's coming!

Eivor and Knud approached the girls, who were in perfect health and lacking in injuries.

• Eira: You did it! You brought Eivor!
• Sylvi: Good work, Knud!

Eivor finding the children in "danger"

• Eivor: What is this about?
• Knud: Sorry, Eivor. We had to trick you. But it wasn't my idea, it was Eira's!
• Eivor: Lying is not a good way to get my attention, children.
• Eira: But we found a dog that needs your help! She's caught in a trap down there!
• Sylvi: We thought you wouldn't come if you knew it was just a dog.

A loud howl came from the well.

• Eivor: O! That is not the sound of a dog, Eira. That is a wolf.
• Knud: But a wolf is a kind of dog, yes? My mother told me that.
• Sylvi: Of course it's a kind of a dog! Listen to that sound! Awoooo! Pure dog.
• Eira: Eivor, if you won't help us free her, we must do it ourselves.
• Eivor: There is no need. Let me see what I can do.
• Eira: We must help her. She could be starving!
• Knud: Poor her!

The group began canvassing the house, looking for a way in.

• Knud: She's crying, we have to help!
• Sylvi: Her family probably misses her!

Eivor inspected the front of the house to find the door locked.

• Eivor: This house needs a key. If I am lucky, there is one nearby.

Within a storage space to the side of the house, she found a man's body, slumped against the wall.

• Eivor: The children must have missed you, poor fellow. Or they might be singing a different song. It looks like something attacked you. An animal.

She inspected the body.

• Eivor: No key here. I should look around.

Beside the house, Eivor spotted a Wild boar.

• Eivor: A bloodied boar. I think we have found our killer.

The boar took notice of Eivor and charged her. Eivor killed the boar.

• Eivor: A shame Wallace isn't here to butcher you. But I need to see if you are carrying a key.

From the boar's body, she retrieved the key to the house.

Fully investigated firstDid not investigate

• Eivor: And there it is. Along with your last meal.

• Eivor: A key to the front door. I must be cautious opening it.

Eivor unlocked the door and entered the house.

• Eivor: I'll free that wolf. And pray to Tyr that I needn't slay it in front of the children.

Before finding the wolf, Eivor looked around the hut.

• Eivor: The table is set. He never made it home. At least his end came quickly.

On a nearby wardrobe she found a note.

Hunter's Journal I

There is no safety in alliances with savages and Dane outsiders. Despite my warnings, they invite Viking strangers into our village and mingle with the degenerates.

Damn them all! I say if they will open their gates to those people, then they are shut to me. I am happier to live alone, in safety, than in the chaos they have bred.

Near the stairs, she found stacks of furs and animal parts.

• Eivor: These skulls bear teeth marks. The wolf must have helped him take them down.

She started down the stairs. Mounted just above them, she noticed a taxidermy head of a deer.

• Eivor: The man liked his trophies. At least he leaves that legacy.

In the basement she found a wooden cage, holding a white wolf. Another note sat on a box nearby.

Hunter's Journal II

The pup hanging about and begging for scraps is a decent hunting dog. I have slain more wolves in my time than I care to count, but this one seems to have been away from her pack long enough that she has lost her wilder and crueler instincts.

If she proves herself useful, I may even give her a name.

She approached the cage.

• Eivor: Easy... easy... You have a kind look to you. I think.

Eivor unlocked the cage and the wolf dashed to freedom.

• Eivor: Wait! Easy now!

The wolf sprinted past her, up the stairs.

• Eivor: Deceived by children and shouting at wolves. I was a warrior once.

Eivor followed the wolf from the house, finding the children outside the front door.

• Eivor: Are you all right? Did you see the wolf?
• Knud: Yes! You freed her! You're amazing, Eivor!
• Eira: But she ran away! And didn't even say thank you!
• Sylvi: She's going back to her family, maybe! Her mum and dad were probably very scared.
• Eira: Or her wolf-husband!
• Knud: Maybe her wife! We don't know!
• Eivor: But we do know it is time to get you three back to the settlement. Before your parents think you were eaten by wolves.

She put a hand on Knud's shoulder and he sighed.

• Knud: O, all right...
• Eivor: Chin up, Knud. You were very brave today. All of you.

Eivor escorting the children

The group started to jog back to Ravensthorpe.

• Eivor: In future, you should not be exploring the woods alone. You understand?
• Sylvi: But you go off on your own all the time!
• Eivor: Because I am very wise. And you have a lot to learn.
• Eira: Yes, but there are three of us. That balances everything.
• Eivor: That is not quite how it works.

Halfway back to the settlement, they were attacked by a pack of wolves.

• Knud: Ah! More wolves! And not our new friend!
• Eira: Eivor!
• Eivor: Stand back!

Eivor fought the enemy wolves, and in time the rescued wolf returned.

• Sylvi: Look there, that's her! Our wolf friend!
• Knud: She's coming to save us!
• Eira: We love you!

Eivor with the childre nand the wolf

The wolf joined forces with Eivor in attacking the other wolves. Eventually, the last hostile wolf fell and Eivor turned to the children. The freed wolf approached with her.

• Eivor: Are you alright?
• Eira: Thanks to our hero! This dog-wolf!.
• Sylvi: Dwolfg!
• Knud: What?
• Sylvi: Duh-wolf-guh. It's like dog-wolf.

Knud scoffed.

• Knud: No, I don't like that at all! We should name her Mouse.
• Eira: That makes no sense. I think we should call her... Chewy. Because she chews things.
• Sylvi: What do you think, Eivor?

Dwolfg.Mouse.Chewy.

• Eivor: Dwolfg. It has an absurd sound, just like all of this.

• Eivor: Mouse. That's a... a strange choice. But it works.

• Eivor: Chewy, I suppose. Good as any other.

• Knud: She's our best friend!

Sylvi nodded in agreement. The group started to jog towards Ravensthorpe once again.

• Eivor: Now we need to get home. All five of us.
• Knud: Fine...
• Eira: We only wanted to have an adventure like you, Eivor.
• Sylvi: And we did! And we got a new friend!
• Eivor: Part of adventuring is learning a good lesson, did you know that?
• Sylvi: Yes. The boring part.

They reached the fork in the road and they turned right towards home.

• Eivor: Well... have you children learned anything about wild animals today?
• Eira: Hmm... maybe!
• Knud: Yes! Befriend them at any cost.
• Sylvi: They are perfect companions. And very kind.
• Eira: My mother always told me to avoid wild animals. Shows what she knows!
• Eivor: How about we think quietly on what we have learned. Just until we get home.

They arrived at the settlement.

• Eivor: I think she's quite fond of you.
• Knud: I know she is! We saved her!
• Sylvi: She'd be rotting away by now! Just like that boar you killed, Eivor!
• Eivor: You saw that?
• Eira: We see everything.
• Eivor: Let's not tell your parents, all right? Now scamper off home. And take your new friend with you.

Outcome

Eivor helped the children to rescue a trapped wolf, whom she named and kept as a companion.

Behind the scenes

From the completion of this memory onwards, Eivor learns the ability "Man's Best Friend," which allows her to summon the wolf in battle. However, it is still possible to obtain the corresponding Book of Knowledge from Crepelgate Fort long before taking on this memory, learning the ability from that book instead of this memory and allowing the summoning of the selfsame wolf regardless. In either case, the second event to be completed will confer the upgrade to the ability, however the distance to Lunden and the relatively early onset of this memory in Ravensthorpe's development seems to intend that the memory be completed before collecting the book.

At Ravensthorpe, Eivor will address the wolf in non-subtitled utterances with the name she chose from among the three given by the children. While the wolf is referred to consistently as "she" throughout this memory, Eivor will call it "boy" and speak to it as though it's male for the rest of the game.

While the memory is available to start but not begun, i.e. with Knud crying in the longhouse but before speaking to him, it is possible to venture to the hunter's hut and use the Photo Mode free camera to peek through the locked door, where the actors for Sylvi and Eira are loaded until the memory is begun in earnest. It is not possible to enter the hut until the boar with the key in its gut is loaded into the world. It is possible to fast travel away from the hut after unlocking the door and even freeing the wolf, but the memory will not progress until Eivor returns to the loading trigger for the final segment, i.e. the journey back home and the fight with the pack of wolves, at which point the prompt to choose a name for the freed wolf is queued.

Gallery

• 
  Knud seeking Eivor for aid

References

• Assassin's Creed: Valhalla