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Return of the Emblem Chapter Nine: Consolidating Forces


Phoenix
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Robin let herself be hugged one last time before she stood up. Then she offered her hand to Zach to help him upright as well. "Yes. Zach and I met as children when he came to Ohka. We were very different, but found common ground before long. As we grew up we stayed close friends. I was always interested in his magic and having someone close was great at times. Then, about two years ago, he left suddenly after bandits tried to attack Ohka and my father drove them off, but not before some damage had been done. I wish Zach had told me what happened, but he never did. I am happy to have my friend back now though."

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"What, are you not sure anymore? I thought you wanted to see it! Maybe we can participate, even!" Aned hurried along, a spring in her step as she neared the entrance. There was some people there, looked like some man and a... Nadya, perhaps? As Aneda drew closer, she could easily make out that it was a Nadya. Is she here to watch some battle thingies? "Heeeeey, Nadya!" Aneda yelled to her. "You gonna watch some scuffles?!"

"Well, a metal whip in concept would be pretty... different. It'd probably require a bit more precision than a normal whip. Though it'd be pretty difficult to keep its flexibility, or perhaps if it were made of individual pieces, much like a chain or perhaps a flail it could keep its flexibility in some semblance. Huh..." His curiosity piqued, Davod went on. "Maybe if you'd like to give it a try, we could find a way to make it work? If you'd have time for it of course, I'd hate to keep you buys on a potential fool's errand."

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“B-but...” Torin didn’t know what to say. He wanted to get his brother out, but he didn’t want to hurt his feelings or damage his honor either... Maybe there was another way he could help. Still trying not to cry, he turned to Mireille and the others. “W-would any of you be willing to sponsor my brother?” Hopefully that wasn’t something Antonio could object to. A large portion of arena fighters were sponsored and it would at least give him a chance to win back what he owed.

“What?” Synthia asked. Her first thought was to say no outright, but then she remembered the oodles of gold they had earned from Weyland. “How much is it?”

“Well, I think it depends on the type of fight... I don’t know if they’re having a tournament soon or not,” Torin admitted.

-----

After failing to find anyone else above deck, Valter returned to the stables. Just in time to see Robin and Zach’s hug fest. Um, ok then. Well, if the mage knew someone with them maybe he’d be a little less likely to throw them to the lions, but Valter trusted him as far as he could throw him. Which may have been a few inches.

In other news, Valter questioned the merits of meeting in the stables. Ignoring the smell, they were probably bothering the animals. “Perhaps we should move somewhere else. This isn’t the best place for a strategy meeting.” Thanks, Valter, for articulating what everyone else has said.

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Before much could happen, then came the news that Robin knew this stranger. And even more surprisingly, they were old friends.

<Well, that sure was unexpected.> John thought, hearing their initial exchange. <Then again, I suppose that's what happens in such situations.>

What just happened? Sophia was a bit confused at first. But likewise with others who didn't knew Neviskotian, she soon got an explanation in Common. Oh, so they're old friends? Well, that explains it.

And then Valter brought up about moving the meeting to another place. <I suppose it's not a bad idea.> John thought. <Well, whatever place they decide to. So, an enemy huh. Did the organization has found already we are in this port? That sure was quick.>

So... we just arrived and we are already in danger? That sure wasn't good news. Just what is it this time...?

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Raquel

Finally the point came up again. This time Raquel could reinforce it and hopefully get enough people listening to get this 'meeting' relocated. "Yeah, Valter's right. There is room, but this isn't the place. How about ... I don't know, the galley?"

"I don't want you people crowding my cook unless you're actually hungry." Bogdan shot back blankly.

"Navigation?" Bogdan shrugged at the second suggestion, and Raquel ended up looking to Gytha for suggestions. Bogdan was clearly indifferent about the issue.

Unknown Town; known Presence

A few hours had passed, and Cecily was almost done exploring the area. With her scouting nearly complete, she began dwelling on more mundane things, like what to eat and where she would be sleeping in this rundown old place. Returning to the tavern would definitely be the first order of business. As she began heading back, she saw numerous figures emerging from the shadows and all running southeast as quickly as they could and taking any shortcuts they could. Some were moving over the rooftops, and others were slipping through alleyways. The smallest fraction of figures were out in the opening and trying to race off with the others.

"W-what's going on?" she asked one of them, beginning to run herself to try and keep him from escaping without answering.

"Someone's here." he answered simply before picking up the pace. It was annoying for Cecily to be so easily outrun like that, but she wasn't used to running on this kind of terrain. She quickly realized an appreciation for paved roads in all of this almost silent commotion. All she could do was keep running.

Meanwhile in the tavern ...

"We've got an intruder, Sardis!" a sentry announced as he entered.

Sardis slowly glanced at the man over his shoulder. "Have you identified them?" That same sadness was still in his voice.

"Not yet, sir."

"Hmm."

The Unwelcome

The threat wasn't so severe yet that they would need to completely reveal their presence, and so Sardis ordered the sentries and snipers to remain hidden but close by while he took his officers to 'greet' the intruder. Simon hated the idea of being confined to the tavern at a time like this, especially when Sardis wasn't around to gather information on, but insubordination was going to make his and the pegasus sisters' jobs ever harder, so he stayed put and ordered some water from the barkeep. "This is quite unfortunate. I wish he had taken us along with him. I want to see what all of the ruckus is about."

Outside, a relatively small gathering was flanking Sardis. It consisted of Hayato, Silvia, Colin, Jethro, and Alexis. "Why are we bringing him?" asked an agitated Hayato while pointing his thumb back at Jethro.

"I want to be absolutely positive that we can quickly dispatch whoever might have thought they could trespass here. I don't want a drawn out battle if we end up crossing blades with this person. If I give the order, converge and kill." Sardis replied, sounding agitated himself, now.

"Urgh, understood." Hayato begrudgingly accepted the order.

When they found out who the traitor was, Sardis immediately stopped in his tracks. Hayato buried his face in his palm. Silvia gave a friendly little wave. Colin merely smiled in surprise. Jethro just gave an apathetic gaze as usual, and Alexis raised an eyebrow. The intruder was Naomi. She was standing alone and in the middle of the road leading into town.

"Oh yeah, it's the coffin girl!~" Colin affirmed a bit cheerfully.

"The who?" Jethro asked.

"Naomi, what are you doing here?" Sardis asked her.

"I'm here to deliver a message from Burke." she answered, quickly retrieving a note from her right boot lining and unfolding it so she could read the contents aloud. "The message is ... 'Hey, Sardis. Still alive?'"

"Why you ..." Hayato was pissed, and immediately drew his sword. Its power began to ignite even as it left the sheath, and so it came out almost on fire. Naomi leaned back nervously in response. "You nearly got us killed! What do you want, now, huh?!"

"Hayato, look out!" Sardis warned. Sardis' entire group including Hayato leaped back and the Coffin of Spears slammed into the ground where Hayato was once standing. A normal coffin would have shattered like glass having come in so fast. The explosion of dirt and dust still caught Hayato and left him in a coughing fit for a moment. The unnatural flames of his sword died down and vanished as a result. "Naomi, this is your only warning. Don't do that again."

"She did that?" Jethro inquired, not quite believing what he was hearing. Sardis simply nodded without looking Jethro's way.

"N-no! He was threatening me! I'm not completely in-" "Shut up, Naomi!" Burke's voice came, muffled by something and very nearby. The Spear Coffin's door was swiftly kicked open and Burke came out, grabbing the top of the coffin with his hands, and flipping onto the top of it all in the space of a second. Once he was perched on top of the Spear Coffin, he stood up and faced the onlookers. "I'm glad you're still alive, Sardis. You dying back there would have been most unfortunate." he greeted.

"Why all the concern, now?" Sardis retorted suspiciously.

"Sardis nearly got killed because of you. You've got no business showing your face here!" Hayato snapped.

"I was under no obligation to protect any of you, and besides ... if Sardis were so easily defeated, would you really want him leading you? That's not really important, though; I'm here on other business." Burke replied.

"It does matter! You're nothing but a traitor, and we should kill you right here and now!"

Burke was silent for a moment. "Really? Somebody almost got him?" That was something ...

"Yeah, a persistent Ursian bitch came after him. No thanks to you."

"Hmm. That's all it takes, huh? May want to watch your back, then, because there's another 'persistent Ursian bitch' who's been after you from the beginning, bahahahahaahahah!"

Sardis grimaced a bit in frustration and Jethro gave a dubious look of his own. That line had to be about Raquel. "It's your fault she escaped in the first place! And ... you're going to pay for it, Burke ... you're going to pay! It cost too many lives to get our hands on her!" Hayato was about ready to strike, and his blade was completely on fire, now.

"Look, you chained attack dog, I didn't come here to apologize or 'receive punishment' or anything of the sort. My business is with Sardis." Burke explained. "The rest of you aren't needed here."

"... what is this about, Burke?" Sardis asked, stepping forward and motioning the others down. It wasn't a sign to leave, but he definitely wanted Burke to get to the point, and for that, the tension needed to brought down some. "Why are you here?"

"I'm here about Raquel. You would have found that out sooner if not for your yapping lapdog over there. Her escape didn't ruin my plans ... and fortunately for you ... my plans also benefit you. If you'd gone and gotten yourself killed, there would be no one left within your little new age movement that I could trust enough to work with. Only you have any measure of my trust, Sardis." Burke explained.

"I see ..."

"No, you don't see just yet, Sardis. Take out your emblem ... and wait for it." Burke instructed, somewhat ominously.

"... hmph." He reached into his coat and pulled out his own piece of the emblem. It wasn't active or reacting in any way. "So, then ... what exactly am I waiting for?" Burke didn't answer and instead looked back over his shoulder and nodded at Naomi, who immediately put her hands together and closed her eyes as if she was going into prayer. Sardis had his guard up, just in case, and so did Hayato. Finally it happened, Sardis' emblem piece began to glow. He looked down at it wondering what was causing it. Then it began to shine brighter and brighter. He couldn't look directly at it after a few moments, and in the distance, seven more coffins appeared in the distance, each taking a separate and elaborate path to reach the meeting. Sardis was convinced that whatever was causing the emblem to react was coming from one of them. "Burke, what's causing this type of reaction?! It's too strong! You said Raquel escaped from you! Were you telling the truth or not?!"

Jethro looked on at the approaching coffins in shock. Was Burke lying? Was his daughter actually here?

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"Thanks for the advice," Norbert grudgingly replied, mulling over the information he'd been given. Who knew that by going to this building I'd find out how this entire city was run? And so Norbert began wandering away, leading Riz and considering what he'd been told.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Gytha caught Raquel's look and began brainstorming where a good place to talk would be. "Don't see how th' galley would upset th' cooks s'long as we stayed out o' th' kitchen. Though, if we're allowed, I think th' wardroom would be a better meetin' place," she suggested, looking to Captain Bogdan in an indirect way of asking what he thought of it.

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"Sounds like it's impromptu. Can't say I disagree with you, though," Blake said, as he got up and put away the combat team list. "And yes, I will attend it. I get the feeling there's another threat on the horizon. Nice talking to you," the swordsman finished, as he turned away from Reign and made his way to the stables in the lower decks.

By the time the swordsman had arrived, Raquel had began discussing a relocation. Brilliant timing on his part. Blake had little experience with ships, so he just let the matter sort itself. He'd speak up once the issue finally emerged.

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Relocate, Yes?

"That would be acceptable." Bogdan answered in a neutral tone.

"Okay, then. We'll go there. Any ... objections?" Raquel asked everyone present. She got head shaking from the Leverager sailors immediately.

Arena

"No problem. Is there anything else you need?" the receptionist asked Bert.

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Norbert stopped, realizing he was being addressed. "No, that's all. Thanks," he replied before heading off on his way once more.

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Veronika

So this Zach leaves Ohka on a journey to "study magic"...ends up in a cult all the down here. An odd journey to say the least. Veronika thought to herself, not objecting to the meeting location.

Nadya

"Eh I see enough fightin' on my day job, don't really need to do it on my free time too," she answered Aneda. "I was more interested in participatin'- how much gold you get for that? What are the requirements?" she asked the receptionist. Betting sounded intriguing, but not knowing any of the entrants made her wary of placing any bets at this moment.

Connor

"Hmm metal plates...I'll try to think of something. Whips aren't a very common weapon and I have a lot of other projects, so it might take a while," he admitted to Davod.

Sister Sister

Cloe found nothing of interest in her quick scan of the rooms upstairs- and they all seemed occupied. What lousy accommodations. I might suggest quitting, but deserters from the Org tend not to last long. she thought to herself, before heading back downstairs.

At the order of an intruder, Clara and Cloe decided to join the others in flanking Sardis against the unknown threat. Cloe noticed that there was an unfamiliar man and woman- she made a mental note that they might be important.

Watching the situation unfold, Clara decided to show some sympathy for Sardis. "Oh, you failed your mission and you almost died? That must be why you're so glum, almost dying is never a good thing," she said in an attempt to be reassuring.

This earned her an elbow in the ribs from Cloe "Really not the time," she hissed quietly to her sister, attempting to catch the names of the newcomers so the inevitable report to Layla did not consist of names like "coffin girl" and "armor guy".

Edited by -Cynthia-
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Accepting Robin's hand and getting back on his feet he quickly whispered in her ear "<I'll explain everything later all right, but right now there's work to do.>"

Readjusting his robes Zach spoke up again "The Wardroom is fine with me, I can explain the current predicament again to the people that just got here while we walk."

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"I just wanted to make sure you were okay, Aneda..." Faatina muttered, before following the rider to the arena. It seemed Nadya was there as well, and the two began to exchange words, Nadya asking specifically about prize money and gambling.

***

"It does not seem fair to ask something like that of these people, Torin." Antonio replied, leaning against the wall of his cell.

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"Oooooo! If you were gonna go in and participate, maybe we could all go together? If it's a team thing that is! I think we could do well!" Aneda chimed in again as if she was still relevant. "That sounds nice, right Faatina? You'd help out right?"

"Oh please, take your time! I'm not even sure if it'd be entirely usable, and I'd mainly like to see it out of curiosity or novelty, Connor." He seems to be a good kid. It's rare to see discipline these days, right? Don't respond! "Anyway, I'd still like to sit in when you'd be comfortable with it. Right now I'm kinda wondering what we're gonna eat." His attention turned to Gabbie for a moment, "You spot anything you'd want yet?"

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As he was leaving the arena, Norbert spotted a few group members talking to one of the arena workers. Nadya, Faatina and Aneda. They're probably getting information like I did. I wonder if anyone's harassed Aneda about her pegasus yet... Maybe I should warn her... Deciding on that course of action, Norbert made his way over to them. "Hey," he greeted the three women.

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Wardroom

Captain Bogdan led the way. Reign had been purposelessly wandering the ship and slipped into the procession on its way to the wardroom. The wardroom itself was empty when they got there ... not void of furniture or anything, just no one else was there. He took a seat the moment he entered, in front of a big table. There were plenty of chairs around, as well. Raquel shyly claimed one and sat down. Reign opted to remain standing.

Searching

At around the same time Davod asked Gabbie if she'd found any place in particular, she noticed Ringo land on the roof of a building. It was probably the least graceful landing she'd seen all year long. It was even embarrassing to see him botch it so badly, barely cling to the edge of the roof and scurry up to it, leaving a few falling tiles in his wake. "Oh gods ..." she muttered, slapping her forehead. "Well ... this is a restaurant looks loike. Not sure I wanna go in now, though, honestly ..." she cracked a smile and tried not to laugh. Embarrassing, yes, but also funny.

Arena

"It depends on which event you're participating in. Entering a tournament might very well empty your coin purse, but it's well worth it if you win. We're still going through sign ups to see who or what can bring down that dark avian back there, but that would only cost you ten gold. You'd need your own equipment though ... at least if you don't want to pay for spars." the man replied.

Edited by Phoenix
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With Zach just finishing catching everybody up and noticing their rather appropriate reactions given such a topic he wanted to make sure nobody needed any more info. "That's pretty much all of what I told Miss Raquel, enemy types and all. Does anybody have any questions before we start trying to come up with a plan to take down these sick bastards?"

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Gytha sat down at the table as well. There was a sort of awe at sitting at the wardroom table, but at the same time she was disgusted at just who was hunting them as well as a bit disturbed that this organization was gathering information on them. For now, she was tuning out that Zach fellow. "Captain, how soon until we can leave? Honestla I'd rather just not get involved. Doesn't sound like they'd follow us out t' sea. Fightin' th' regular villains is one thing, but this bunch is downright unsettlin'," Gytha voiced her opinion.

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Veronika

"I think we should deal with this problem while we can. Maybe they'll have information we can use later," Veronika said after Gytha. Though this cult doesn't seem to be the Organization itself, so perhaps not.

Nadya

"I don't like my chances of fightin' anything with wings thanks. And I don't know about 'emptyin' my coin purse' either. Big prize does sound good, but I'd have to know who all is competin' in this tournament to make any kinda judgment," Nadya said aloud, mostly to herself.

Connor

"Well...you could always try not taking responsibility for Ringo. Though if the authorities think there's a wild wyvern around there could be problems," Connor said, watching Ringo with some interest.

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"I don't think this particular group will be a problem if we just sail away. They sound like an extension o' th' ones huntin' us, but not like they'd have any valuable inf'rmation," Gytha replied, shaking her head as she leaned back in her chair with her arms crossed.

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Zach was surprised by this woman's attitude towards the matter, she seemed to not even care a bit about the girl. Slightly mad at this fact Zach managed to keep his voice in check as he spoke "Ma'am, if you leave this port right now I'm going to die, and that girl that I just finished talking about is going to be abused by that cult for years. If you all leave I plan on walking back to that manse by myself, killing my way to where she's kept, and seeing if I can't put the poor child out of her misery before I'm killed as well."

His anger slipping through at this point he continued with venom leaking in his voice. "I want you to think really hard about this, do you really want to run away and leave that girl to her fate? Is that really the kind of person you want to be?"

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"Can't say it's our problem. N' realla, leavin' while we can when dealin' with a group like this is th' best course o' action we could take. Too bad about ye 'r th' girl if ye choose t' stay, but sometimes it's better not t' run headlong inta danger," Gytha replied with a shrug, "Not up t' me n' I don't know how long th' shipwrights'll be, though, so no reason t' get so worked up."

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"<Zach. Don't try to push the issue. Gytha is a stubborn, thick-headed woman who is convinced she is always right and doesn't care about anyone beyond herself. She's willing to shoot her own teammates if she thinks she's been wronged and it was only today that Raquel got her to promise not to do such a thing again, though I believe her more than willing to bend that rule if it suits her temper. She... already shot me once. Don't make her shoot you too. I'm not looking to fight a second bear.>"

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Wardroom

"Already scheduled and paid for the ship repairs." Bogdan replied. "If we did leave before the repairs were completed, the Leverager might be alright, but the Dark Utka would be vulnerable if it were attacked." he added.

"They've kind of got us at a bad moment." Raquel muttered.

"Sooo, what's your goal, here, exactly? Are you trying to defeat every last one of them or ... just cut the head right off the serpent and let the rest handle itself?" Reign asked from behind Raquel. "If you want to smash them all, then this ain't a bad place to start. They might just be pawns, but they're pawns they can't use against you later on, too. Don't bite off more than you can chew, but don't let them push you around, either. If they think they've got you on the run, it's going to get worse next time, I bet."

"So you think we should fight them?"

"Only if you can win." Reign quickly clarified. Then Robin began a lengthy explanation. Reign stood there just listening for a moment and eventually scowled. "Hey, can you two have your little chat somewhere else? This is important ... or at least you'd think it was important since people could die."

Not Wardroom

"If we go insoide, he'll just hoide out up there." Gabbie figured. "Ringo! Stay put!" she ordered. "Ehhh I'm hungry so screw it. Let's get something in here." Ringo was passive for a wyvern, so if no one tried to stick him with anything, he wouldn't attack them. That would suffice for Gabbie, at least enough to leave him up there for the time being.

Edited by Phoenix
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"What all were ye discussin' anyway? This is important," Gytha added to what Reign said before shaking her head, "No, never mind. Let's keep this about what t' do. Looks like we can't leave yet if they're that bold t' attack a docked ship. Not that that wouldn't go very badla fer them. Th' captain in charge would be owed a ship by th' local government n' that won't please th' lads n' ladies in charge one bit so they'll have this part o' th' organization's head fer settin' either ship ablaze in port."

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Responding to Reigns question about what exactly the goal was Zach explained "It would be best to kill all of them, or at the very least make sure they can never report to the Organization to give them more information. At the very least Cervantes dies, he's too much of a coward to fight himself. If he's still alive once the battle is over I plan on taking the satisfaction of killing him myself."

Hearing Robin's short speech about the sailor woman, apparently named Gytha, Zach nearly yelled "<What the hell she shot you!? What for? Are you okay now?>" Hearing Reign's rather assholish statement Zach gave a sigh "He's right, we need to be working together at the moment okay? We can all talk this out later."

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