This topic is locked
Spoiler -
Once Amon and Haythem arrived, High Priestess Lulu gave them a briefing. There were numerous others present for the meeting, all looking like potential candidates for the mission. Among them was a young rexian similar in appearance to Amon, but boasting deep red hair and clothing. He had a small collection of weapons at his sides and rear. He seemed ready to do just about anything. He and Amon initially never made eye contact, but the young man was eying him constantly throughout Lulu’s briefing.
<”The objective of this mission is to destroy the supplies the Tide infiltrators are using and destroy any documented charts and maps they possess as well as any and all forms of communication they might have. If they have carrier birds, I’m afraid you’ll have to capture or kill them. We are trying to capture these people without a fight, so I expect there to be little to no bloodshed unless your lives depend on it, understood?”> Everyone nodded or saluted or did both. <”Haythem, I want you and two others to fly up into the mountains and find the Tide encampment. You won’t have long, so get in and out as quickly as possible. Amon is the first one chosen for the mission, but I’ll be picking a second.”>
<”So I’m ‘the ride’. Understood, Lu.”> Haythem nodded with a serious look on his face. It was mission time.
<”Who else did you have in mind, High Priestess?”> the red rexian inquired.
<”We need fast, agile, and stealthy individuals for this, so a man who fits these would be ideal.”>
<”Why have Haythem accompany us, then? He would probably jeopardize the mission with how much he yammers on.”> the red rexian replied. Haythem didn’t even bother looking his way, but Amon gave an annoyed glare.
<”Haythem doesn’t need to get as close as Amon and the other operative. He’ll wait at an extraction point of your group’s choosing with Isis while the two operatives go in on foot and handle the mission objectives. It shouldn’t be a problem.”> Lulu clarified.
<”Huh. Very well I volunteer. This mission is important to Sancturan security and I’d hate to leave it in the hands of an outsider like Amon and the Commander’s pup.”> Suddenly Haythem shot the red rexian a very angry look and spoke up.
<”Amon is not an outsider! Get it through your head, he didn’t have to be born here to be a Sancturan. He’s one of us, Malik. Get a clue.”>
<”Call him what you want, but he’s not the most reliable choice either way …”> Malik replied, conceding just slightly.
<”Alright, Malik. You can go with them since you are so bothered by Lady Aisha’s preferences. There is one more thing …”> Lulu stated, taking out a note from her cloak. <”This is a letter from me to the Tide faction’s expeditionary forces, the people you are about to engage. It will also show them the location of Sanctuary …”> she paused to let that sink in. Many were at first shocked, but it did make sense that they would need to be guided if an escort wasn’t sent. <”Make certain that they are left with absolutely no means to call for help or send information. Leave it in their encampment where they’ll easily find it, but don’t bother if it’s too risky. In the event you can’t plant the letter or it’s destroyed, we’ll have to send out a force to retrieve them. I want them to surrender to us. It will be easier if they know we don’t aim to kill them.”> She handed it to Amon, who gave it a good once over and then put it into his vest. <”As for everyone else, you are to spread the word that if any Tide forces show up, they are not to be attacked on sight. Our usual policy must be put aside here for their safety and ours. That’s it. Amon, Haythem, Malik, you should all leave immediately.”>
<”Right now …?”> Haythem asked, feeling a bit rushed all of a sudden.
Lulu nodded. <”Yes, right now. There’s no time to waste.”>
<”The objective of this mission is to destroy the supplies the Tide infiltrators are using and destroy any documented charts and maps they possess as well as any and all forms of communication they might have. If they have carrier birds, I’m afraid you’ll have to capture or kill them. We are trying to capture these people without a fight, so I expect there to be little to no bloodshed unless your lives depend on it, understood?”> Everyone nodded or saluted or did both. <”Haythem, I want you and two others to fly up into the mountains and find the Tide encampment. You won’t have long, so get in and out as quickly as possible. Amon is the first one chosen for the mission, but I’ll be picking a second.”>
<”So I’m ‘the ride’. Understood, Lu.”> Haythem nodded with a serious look on his face. It was mission time.
<”Who else did you have in mind, High Priestess?”> the red rexian inquired.
<”We need fast, agile, and stealthy individuals for this, so a man who fits these would be ideal.”>
<”Why have Haythem accompany us, then? He would probably jeopardize the mission with how much he yammers on.”> the red rexian replied. Haythem didn’t even bother looking his way, but Amon gave an annoyed glare.
<”Haythem doesn’t need to get as close as Amon and the other operative. He’ll wait at an extraction point of your group’s choosing with Isis while the two operatives go in on foot and handle the mission objectives. It shouldn’t be a problem.”> Lulu clarified.
<”Huh. Very well I volunteer. This mission is important to Sancturan security and I’d hate to leave it in the hands of an outsider like Amon and the Commander’s pup.”> Suddenly Haythem shot the red rexian a very angry look and spoke up.
<”Amon is not an outsider! Get it through your head, he didn’t have to be born here to be a Sancturan. He’s one of us, Malik. Get a clue.”>
<”Call him what you want, but he’s not the most reliable choice either way …”> Malik replied, conceding just slightly.
<”Alright, Malik. You can go with them since you are so bothered by Lady Aisha’s preferences. There is one more thing …”> Lulu stated, taking out a note from her cloak. <”This is a letter from me to the Tide faction’s expeditionary forces, the people you are about to engage. It will also show them the location of Sanctuary …”> she paused to let that sink in. Many were at first shocked, but it did make sense that they would need to be guided if an escort wasn’t sent. <”Make certain that they are left with absolutely no means to call for help or send information. Leave it in their encampment where they’ll easily find it, but don’t bother if it’s too risky. In the event you can’t plant the letter or it’s destroyed, we’ll have to send out a force to retrieve them. I want them to surrender to us. It will be easier if they know we don’t aim to kill them.”> She handed it to Amon, who gave it a good once over and then put it into his vest. <”As for everyone else, you are to spread the word that if any Tide forces show up, they are not to be attacked on sight. Our usual policy must be put aside here for their safety and ours. That’s it. Amon, Haythem, Malik, you should all leave immediately.”>
<”Right now …?”> Haythem asked, feeling a bit rushed all of a sudden.
Lulu nodded. <”Yes, right now. There’s no time to waste.”>
Strength
Spoiler -
Raquel managed to fall asleep quickly upon returning to her room. All of the walking tired her out and her fullness had been burned off. She would be hungry by morning for certain. Before long she opened her eyes to find herself submerged in the deep blue sea and choking on water. WHYYYYYY DID I LET MYSELF FALL ASLEEP?!!! I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN I WAS GOING TO GET DROWNED FOR THE THIRD TIIIIIME!!! she mentally cursed her situation while covering her mouth. Being a poor swimmer was scary for her, but the unnatural speed of her descent into the depths was scarier. She doubted she could have escaped, even if she did know how to swim. This was just awful. She reached the bottom a lot sooner than she expected though, feeling her butt bump into a pitch black surface. The landing was soft and she almost forgot that she was drowning for a moment. Eventually she lost her struggle again and a torrent of bubbles escaped her mouth as she seemingly passed out. I hate this …
When she next awoke, she was in the same place, barely able to move, but with the emblem in hand she quickly recalled the previous lesson she’d learned in that place. Like before, it took several minutes, but soon she was able to move her body again, and her lungs being partially filled with sea water was somehow negligible. She had no idea where the dragon head was, so she sat idly for a while, trying to figure out a way to regain her voice. Despite herself doubt, lack of confidence, and fretting, she managed to learn to speak underwater a second time. Now she could focus on her real goal, finding the dragon head.
“Hellooooo?! Dragon! Are you heeeeere?!”
“Oh that’s where you were? I was looking all over for you. It seems I forgot to check above my own head. Imagine that.” That voice was back, and it came from below Raquel. That was when she realized she had been sitting on top of the dragon head’s … head for what may have been an hour or longer.
“W-why di- … why didn’t you say anything?!”
“Sharks.” the dragon replied simply.
“You’re afraid of sharks? But you’re … huge …” Raquel was baffled. She stood up and wandered carefully onto the dragon head’s snout, his eyes crossing to focus on her.
“Doesn’t everyone have at least one fear, Discovery, whether rational or irrational?”
“Well … I guess. I’d ask you what you are if you’re afraid of anything but you’ll probably just dodge the question with your ‘dragon head’ claim, again. Besides, I hardly believe you anyway since you’re talking, now. Either you’re not afraid of talking with me around or you’re not really afraid of them.”
“You have the emblem so there’s really nothing to fear at all with you around … not even Lilith~”
“What? You’re a gigantic dragon head, and I don’t care what you say. You’ve probably got incredible powers of some kind just waiting to be unleashed.” Raquel shot back.
“I hate to belittle myself so, but I’m somewhat irrelevant to begin with. Why, without you here I probably wouldn’t even exist. Before you arrived, I was all alone, just like the last few times. No one was around to hear anything I had to say. Now you’re here and I can … interact. I enjoy it, really.”
“Umm … it’s … not so bad, when I’m not being stabbed, dragged around, imprisoned, executed or drowned multiple times …” Raquel pieced together her thoughts and gave an awkward expression.
“I’m glad to hear it. I thought these trials might hurt your opinion of me.” The dragon head’s statement ended and there was a long pause. No one said anything for a moment, and then the dragon head spoke up again. “So … the fire emblem’s strength or Amon’s strength. This Aisha person wants you to choose, yes?”
“How did you know about that?”
“I know a lot of things I probably shouldn’t … like your first love.” Raquel flinched and pulled back, blushing bright red. “So what will you do? Will you keep your emblem intact, or lend part of its strength to Aisha?”
“Wait, so if I share it with her, it actually will get weaker?”
“Mmmm, slower, not weaker. I’ve never heard of a ‘weak’ piece of the fire emblem. That just doesn’t make any sense to me.”
“It doesn’t? Mine’s already kind of small, though …” Raquel replied examining the fused emblem on her cloak.
“If size truly mattered, I think that handsome fellow Obelisk would have won the war.”
“Handsome?” Raquel echoed. Another moment of silence went by.
“… … so the choice is the strength of your emblem piece, or the strength of your companion. I don’t think I should tell you which to choose. I will ask you to consider some things before deciding, though. Ask questions. Always ask questions. Is the piece you carry truly going to kill you? Is it truly wise to keep the emblem pieces separate?”
“So … just keep asking questions? Not that I ever get answers, but I guess that wouldn’t be too hard.”
When she next awoke, she was in the same place, barely able to move, but with the emblem in hand she quickly recalled the previous lesson she’d learned in that place. Like before, it took several minutes, but soon she was able to move her body again, and her lungs being partially filled with sea water was somehow negligible. She had no idea where the dragon head was, so she sat idly for a while, trying to figure out a way to regain her voice. Despite herself doubt, lack of confidence, and fretting, she managed to learn to speak underwater a second time. Now she could focus on her real goal, finding the dragon head.
“Hellooooo?! Dragon! Are you heeeeere?!”
“Oh that’s where you were? I was looking all over for you. It seems I forgot to check above my own head. Imagine that.” That voice was back, and it came from below Raquel. That was when she realized she had been sitting on top of the dragon head’s … head for what may have been an hour or longer.
“W-why di- … why didn’t you say anything?!”
“Sharks.” the dragon replied simply.
“You’re afraid of sharks? But you’re … huge …” Raquel was baffled. She stood up and wandered carefully onto the dragon head’s snout, his eyes crossing to focus on her.
“Doesn’t everyone have at least one fear, Discovery, whether rational or irrational?”
“Well … I guess. I’d ask you what you are if you’re afraid of anything but you’ll probably just dodge the question with your ‘dragon head’ claim, again. Besides, I hardly believe you anyway since you’re talking, now. Either you’re not afraid of talking with me around or you’re not really afraid of them.”
“You have the emblem so there’s really nothing to fear at all with you around … not even Lilith~”
“What? You’re a gigantic dragon head, and I don’t care what you say. You’ve probably got incredible powers of some kind just waiting to be unleashed.” Raquel shot back.
“I hate to belittle myself so, but I’m somewhat irrelevant to begin with. Why, without you here I probably wouldn’t even exist. Before you arrived, I was all alone, just like the last few times. No one was around to hear anything I had to say. Now you’re here and I can … interact. I enjoy it, really.”
“Umm … it’s … not so bad, when I’m not being stabbed, dragged around, imprisoned, executed or drowned multiple times …” Raquel pieced together her thoughts and gave an awkward expression.
“I’m glad to hear it. I thought these trials might hurt your opinion of me.” The dragon head’s statement ended and there was a long pause. No one said anything for a moment, and then the dragon head spoke up again. “So … the fire emblem’s strength or Amon’s strength. This Aisha person wants you to choose, yes?”
“How did you know about that?”
“I know a lot of things I probably shouldn’t … like your first love.” Raquel flinched and pulled back, blushing bright red. “So what will you do? Will you keep your emblem intact, or lend part of its strength to Aisha?”
“Wait, so if I share it with her, it actually will get weaker?”
“Mmmm, slower, not weaker. I’ve never heard of a ‘weak’ piece of the fire emblem. That just doesn’t make any sense to me.”
“It doesn’t? Mine’s already kind of small, though …” Raquel replied examining the fused emblem on her cloak.
“If size truly mattered, I think that handsome fellow Obelisk would have won the war.”
“Handsome?” Raquel echoed. Another moment of silence went by.
“… … so the choice is the strength of your emblem piece, or the strength of your companion. I don’t think I should tell you which to choose. I will ask you to consider some things before deciding, though. Ask questions. Always ask questions. Is the piece you carry truly going to kill you? Is it truly wise to keep the emblem pieces separate?”
“So … just keep asking questions? Not that I ever get answers, but I guess that wouldn’t be too hard.”
The Waking Hours
Spoiler -
Raquel’s dream ended way too soon. She couldn’t remember what happened after the dragon head advised her to ask questions. Did it end right there? Was that conversation ended only seconds ago, or had dreamless hours passed before she woke up? She couldn’t tell and for the first few waking minutes, it bothered her. She tried to remember anything else that happened in the dream, but nothing came to mind.
Meanwhile Rasha and Amina were up bright and early and already making their way toward the guest quarters. Rasha was taking over Amina’s guest sitting task, now, but Amina came along at Rasha’s request. To her, it was a good opportunity for Amina to be more directly exposed to Common and help her pick it up faster. Amina would have preferred to spend the morning practicing on her qanun. They arrived at the guest quarters shortly before they expected to see anyone else up and about.
Raquel eventually got out of bed and gathered her now clean outfit and took it with her to the bathing areas. She was hoping to take another bath and then change back into her normal outfit. She wasn’t the first to make it to the baths though. She found Gabbie down there getting ready to take a bath as well. “Oi!” Gabbie greeted.
“… what does that word even mean?” As soon as Raquel asked the question, she thought to herself. Well at least his advice is easy to follow … asking questions is just a natural thing in life.
“Whatever ya want, really.” Gabbie replied shrugging. “You look toired.”
“Frustrated. I’m trying to figure out this weird dream I had.” Raquel replied. She began preparing to bathe right along with Gabbie while they talked.
“Ugh, dreams are annoying as all hell. Last one I had was about Zel turnin’ Connor into a rat. It was cute and a noice gesture but I had to explain the whole thing to Weyland and it was just a noightmare … literally. What’s worse is it felt so real. I didn’t realoize it was all bullshit until I woke up and remembered Zel is not an all-powerful mage.”
“I … I’ve been getting … counseled … in my dreams … by a gigantic talking dragon head.” Raquel explained in small parts.
“Dragon head? Didn’t you have an ‘episode’ the other day about a dragon?”
“Yeeeeah, I thought he would be there, but apparently he’s ‘shy’ …” Raquel explained, looking unconvinced by the dragon’s excuses. The two finally finished getting ready. Raquel wandered into one of the women’s baths and unexpectedly, Gabbie followed. Raquel didn’t notice her until after she got in. Gabbie’s submerging leg appeared in the corner of Raquel’s eye and her gaze shot to the other woman. “We’re sharing?!” she exclaimed.
“How else are we gonna to talk? I’m not shoutin’ to ya from one of the other baths; they’ll think we’re bein’ murdered down here.”
“… I guess.” Raquel conceded, sinking into the water a bit.
“So tell me about Mister dragon. Is he one of those hideous bleeding heads or is he one of those ghosty heads?”
“His neck sort of … it fades to nothing, and it’s really thick and short. He’s enormous, way larger than a dragon should be. About the size of a house. He’s got big red eyes with these scary irises … no pupils, and his mouth is really flexible; I’m not sure how else he could make those expressions …. He talks in about ten different voices all at once, too. His … well I guess it’s a he? I don’t really know.” she said, stopping to shrug. “His emotions are always on the surface for some reason. He’s so strange. I can never get a straight answer from him and he keeps bringing up the flaws in my assumptions as soon as I reach a conclusion on something.”
“… dick. Sounds loike a silly mage instructor. Anyway magical Zel is a real charmer. His horse is a bit snooty, though. Connor didn’t let bein’ a rodent stop him from transmuting things, eoither. If not for that, Weyland moight’ve been royally pissed.” The two of them laughed, Raquel’s laugh being nervous at first, but quickly fading into genuine laughter as the weight of the dream began to lift away with the rising water vapor.
Meanwhile Rasha and Amina were up bright and early and already making their way toward the guest quarters. Rasha was taking over Amina’s guest sitting task, now, but Amina came along at Rasha’s request. To her, it was a good opportunity for Amina to be more directly exposed to Common and help her pick it up faster. Amina would have preferred to spend the morning practicing on her qanun. They arrived at the guest quarters shortly before they expected to see anyone else up and about.
Raquel eventually got out of bed and gathered her now clean outfit and took it with her to the bathing areas. She was hoping to take another bath and then change back into her normal outfit. She wasn’t the first to make it to the baths though. She found Gabbie down there getting ready to take a bath as well. “Oi!” Gabbie greeted.
“… what does that word even mean?” As soon as Raquel asked the question, she thought to herself. Well at least his advice is easy to follow … asking questions is just a natural thing in life.
“Whatever ya want, really.” Gabbie replied shrugging. “You look toired.”
“Frustrated. I’m trying to figure out this weird dream I had.” Raquel replied. She began preparing to bathe right along with Gabbie while they talked.
“Ugh, dreams are annoying as all hell. Last one I had was about Zel turnin’ Connor into a rat. It was cute and a noice gesture but I had to explain the whole thing to Weyland and it was just a noightmare … literally. What’s worse is it felt so real. I didn’t realoize it was all bullshit until I woke up and remembered Zel is not an all-powerful mage.”
“I … I’ve been getting … counseled … in my dreams … by a gigantic talking dragon head.” Raquel explained in small parts.
“Dragon head? Didn’t you have an ‘episode’ the other day about a dragon?”
“Yeeeeah, I thought he would be there, but apparently he’s ‘shy’ …” Raquel explained, looking unconvinced by the dragon’s excuses. The two finally finished getting ready. Raquel wandered into one of the women’s baths and unexpectedly, Gabbie followed. Raquel didn’t notice her until after she got in. Gabbie’s submerging leg appeared in the corner of Raquel’s eye and her gaze shot to the other woman. “We’re sharing?!” she exclaimed.
“How else are we gonna to talk? I’m not shoutin’ to ya from one of the other baths; they’ll think we’re bein’ murdered down here.”
“… I guess.” Raquel conceded, sinking into the water a bit.
“So tell me about Mister dragon. Is he one of those hideous bleeding heads or is he one of those ghosty heads?”
“His neck sort of … it fades to nothing, and it’s really thick and short. He’s enormous, way larger than a dragon should be. About the size of a house. He’s got big red eyes with these scary irises … no pupils, and his mouth is really flexible; I’m not sure how else he could make those expressions …. He talks in about ten different voices all at once, too. His … well I guess it’s a he? I don’t really know.” she said, stopping to shrug. “His emotions are always on the surface for some reason. He’s so strange. I can never get a straight answer from him and he keeps bringing up the flaws in my assumptions as soon as I reach a conclusion on something.”
“… dick. Sounds loike a silly mage instructor. Anyway magical Zel is a real charmer. His horse is a bit snooty, though. Connor didn’t let bein’ a rodent stop him from transmuting things, eoither. If not for that, Weyland moight’ve been royally pissed.” The two of them laughed, Raquel’s laugh being nervous at first, but quickly fading into genuine laughter as the weight of the dream began to lift away with the rising water vapor.
Conviction
Spoiler -
Mansur awoke in his bed, regretting doing so every single time. His body was throbbing in pain. Even in its lighter phases, the pain was too much to cope with, and he feared he would eventually go insane if it didn’t pass. He spent the entire night like this. Finally morning came, and though he was still hurting all over, he was able to ‘function’. He sat up in bed, trying to keep his aching body from going into random spasms, and he even managed to eat the food his caretakers brought him. Given his progress in a mere day, they were confident he would make a full recovery within the week, but something else was wrong with Mansur. He thought back on the situation and what led to it. He had pushed Lilith too far and yet … it was she who made such a cruel example of him. It was she who tore him to pieces and tortured him. It was she he allowed him to believe he was powerless. These sorts of things eventually convinced him that he was in the right and Lilith was in the wrong. He became so convicted of it, that his hatred for her began to fester and grow with each passing minute. If only he could give that evil woman a piece of his mind without being ‘omniforged’ for it.
Goddess and High Priestess
Spoiler -
Lulu entered Aisha’s chamber to find the Rexian queen sitting sideways in her throne in a relaxed manner, both legs resting over the edge of the right armrest, and left arm supporting her body on the left. Her left hand was left to support her head while her right rested near her lap. Only her eyes wandered to investigate when Lulu arrived, and they didn’t do so for long. After a short glance, Aisha returned to staring at nothing.
<“Milady.”> Lulu greeted Aisha and bowed.
<“Good morning, Lulu. Tell me what’s bothering you.”> Aisha immediately replied.
<”W-what’s bothering me …?”> Lulu echoed, coming up from her bow with some reservation in her eyes.
<”I know you. Your feelings call out to me as if they were shouting with a voice of their own. So tell me, what’s bothering you?”>
<”Well, aside from this Lilith business, I’m worried about Amon. I was nervous about sending him out into the world like that to begin with. I’m glad he gained so many allies but … well … I don’t know how to put it into words.”>
<”You fear his ‘friends’ possess an equal share of his heart?”>
<”Not equal! Certainly not! But … enough to have me worried. What if he wants to continue traveling with them?”>
<”… I’ll allow that, in exchange for a piece of the fire emblem. I’ll need it in order to remove this despicable curse of mine, and once it is gone, Amon will never be beyond my reach again. Unless the girl hopes to actually wield the emblem’s power herself, it’s a mutually beneficial exchange. I honestly wish for Amon to remain here, but I won’t treat him like a pet. If this Raquel is going to depart from my holy city with one of my people, she’s going to have to make it worthwhile for us. All of us.”>
<”All of us?”> Lulu echoed.
<”When my curse is removed, I’ll be free to move about as I please. What benefits me benefits all Sancturans … and all Rexians, whether they realize it or not.”> she explained in a somewhat bitter tone. <”We’ll wait. We’ll wait and see what she decides to do.”>
<“Milady.”> Lulu greeted Aisha and bowed.
<“Good morning, Lulu. Tell me what’s bothering you.”> Aisha immediately replied.
<”W-what’s bothering me …?”> Lulu echoed, coming up from her bow with some reservation in her eyes.
<”I know you. Your feelings call out to me as if they were shouting with a voice of their own. So tell me, what’s bothering you?”>
<”Well, aside from this Lilith business, I’m worried about Amon. I was nervous about sending him out into the world like that to begin with. I’m glad he gained so many allies but … well … I don’t know how to put it into words.”>
<”You fear his ‘friends’ possess an equal share of his heart?”>
<”Not equal! Certainly not! But … enough to have me worried. What if he wants to continue traveling with them?”>
<”… I’ll allow that, in exchange for a piece of the fire emblem. I’ll need it in order to remove this despicable curse of mine, and once it is gone, Amon will never be beyond my reach again. Unless the girl hopes to actually wield the emblem’s power herself, it’s a mutually beneficial exchange. I honestly wish for Amon to remain here, but I won’t treat him like a pet. If this Raquel is going to depart from my holy city with one of my people, she’s going to have to make it worthwhile for us. All of us.”>
<”All of us?”> Lulu echoed.
<”When my curse is removed, I’ll be free to move about as I please. What benefits me benefits all Sancturans … and all Rexians, whether they realize it or not.”> she explained in a somewhat bitter tone. <”We’ll wait. We’ll wait and see what she decides to do.”>
Welcomed Outsiders
Spoiler -
It was longer than Lulu had ever hoped, but she eventually returned to Asad and his companions and explained the laws of the city to them. After that, she had them taken to the low quarters and seen to by the locals there. Their group of five was large enough to be given a family sized home, a large apartment on the second floor of a seemingly random complex. Random or not, it was still an absolute paradise compared to where they came from. Clean floors and walls and well maintained furnishings. It wasn’t as lavish as the palace, but it was the perfect healthy environment for Asad and his companions. They were allowed to keep what few belongings they had brought with them and settled in quickly for the night. Little did they know that all of these very well furnished surroundings came with a price, a fair price, but a price nonetheless.
Asad awoke to some prodding by one of his former subordinates. The man was standing over him with a panic stricken face. <”Ugh, what is it?”>
<”We have to get out of here … they’re going to enslave us all!”>
<”… what …?”> Asad was certain he wasn’t going to be getting another moment of rest, so he bit. Getting out of bed, he followed his man to the living room where Tamina and the remaining two rexian charters were standing in line like soldiers while being addressed by a Santuran officer. Asad raised an eyebrow and was quickly motioned in line with the others by a couple of other soldiers that were inside the apartment.
<”Well, good morning, Asad. Welcome to the low quarters. I hope you had a good night’s sleep.”>
<”So close, but you know how that goes.”> Asad replied with a grin.
<”Indeed. Now as I was explaining to your friends, here, this is not your run of the mill society where the poor get stepped on. Yes you are the lowest of the low, but you will not live like the lowest of the low. You will work; you will have food and board; you will live prosperously, just like everyone else.”> he explained.
<”How do you people manage that?”> one of Asad’s men asked. It was a nice sounding society, but it was also tough to believe.
<”We are not governed by human beings. We are governed by a goddess, a goddess who has overseen our city since its founding over five thousand years ago. She knows what she’s doing, people. Her autocracy insures fairness and balance. Everyone works, everyone eats, no one quits. If you don’t like your job, convince us you’re better suited to something else, and you’ll be reassigned. Those who can’t obey the law will be sent back to where they came from. Today you’ll be assigned your new occupations. You’ll have these assigned positions until we find you’re better suited to some other sort of work, or you kick the bucket. I’m the officer in charge of this neighborhood, Captain Rahj. Did you people catch all of that?”>
<”Oh boy … we certainly did.”> Asad replied. This was a bit inconvenient, but looking at the overall picture, he was actually happy that they were enforcing such positive activities. They didn’t have guns aimed at them either, so this was very much appreciated treatment. They weren’t completely distrusted it seemed, which meant he would have to make sure his companions stayed in line. This might be the only chance for a relatively happy and peaceful life they had left, though thoughts of home and what was left of his family still floated to the surface throughout the officer’s briefing. Maybe someday I can bring them here, as well … someday.
Asad awoke to some prodding by one of his former subordinates. The man was standing over him with a panic stricken face. <”Ugh, what is it?”>
<”We have to get out of here … they’re going to enslave us all!”>
<”… what …?”> Asad was certain he wasn’t going to be getting another moment of rest, so he bit. Getting out of bed, he followed his man to the living room where Tamina and the remaining two rexian charters were standing in line like soldiers while being addressed by a Santuran officer. Asad raised an eyebrow and was quickly motioned in line with the others by a couple of other soldiers that were inside the apartment.
<”Well, good morning, Asad. Welcome to the low quarters. I hope you had a good night’s sleep.”>
<”So close, but you know how that goes.”> Asad replied with a grin.
<”Indeed. Now as I was explaining to your friends, here, this is not your run of the mill society where the poor get stepped on. Yes you are the lowest of the low, but you will not live like the lowest of the low. You will work; you will have food and board; you will live prosperously, just like everyone else.”> he explained.
<”How do you people manage that?”> one of Asad’s men asked. It was a nice sounding society, but it was also tough to believe.
<”We are not governed by human beings. We are governed by a goddess, a goddess who has overseen our city since its founding over five thousand years ago. She knows what she’s doing, people. Her autocracy insures fairness and balance. Everyone works, everyone eats, no one quits. If you don’t like your job, convince us you’re better suited to something else, and you’ll be reassigned. Those who can’t obey the law will be sent back to where they came from. Today you’ll be assigned your new occupations. You’ll have these assigned positions until we find you’re better suited to some other sort of work, or you kick the bucket. I’m the officer in charge of this neighborhood, Captain Rahj. Did you people catch all of that?”>
<”Oh boy … we certainly did.”> Asad replied. This was a bit inconvenient, but looking at the overall picture, he was actually happy that they were enforcing such positive activities. They didn’t have guns aimed at them either, so this was very much appreciated treatment. They weren’t completely distrusted it seemed, which meant he would have to make sure his companions stayed in line. This might be the only chance for a relatively happy and peaceful life they had left, though thoughts of home and what was left of his family still floated to the surface throughout the officer’s briefing. Maybe someday I can bring them here, as well … someday.
Reflection
Spoiler -
Her talk with Raquel didn’t seem to help the girl with her decision much, but helping her decide wasn’t her intention. Some feelings from the past inevitably came up, nearly to the surface as a result of all the talk of allies and power. Lilith found herself standing alone in an almost alien world, and her tough exterior only masked her sadness until she was alone. Finding a balcony on one of the higher floors of the guest quarters, Lilith spent much of the night reflecting on the past, all of her fights, all of her friends and allies lost to a war that should have never come about in the first place.
I keep wondering now … if perhaps I could have done something … anything to put an end to this struggle forever way back then. The fire emblem fell from the sky and … there was just no time left for anything else. I’m afraid I won’t be able to find the help I need to put an end to this once and for all. After all, the ones that helped me before are all dead … well … one of them may still live. I don’t know what exactly transpired in that battle, or what happened to Sylphy afterward ….
She grimaced and looked down toward the Sancturan skyline as the darkness overtook the land. There were actually several human beings that I cared for deeply, and they aren’t here with me now because they’re long dead. I can understand Aisha’s longing for her people better than she knows. Finally she lowered her head and her hair fell in front of her eyes, veiling the pain on her face. I genuinely hate this place … and every time I hear the name Valcyn, I cringe inside.
I keep wondering now … if perhaps I could have done something … anything to put an end to this struggle forever way back then. The fire emblem fell from the sky and … there was just no time left for anything else. I’m afraid I won’t be able to find the help I need to put an end to this once and for all. After all, the ones that helped me before are all dead … well … one of them may still live. I don’t know what exactly transpired in that battle, or what happened to Sylphy afterward ….
She grimaced and looked down toward the Sancturan skyline as the darkness overtook the land. There were actually several human beings that I cared for deeply, and they aren’t here with me now because they’re long dead. I can understand Aisha’s longing for her people better than she knows. Finally she lowered her head and her hair fell in front of her eyes, veiling the pain on her face. I genuinely hate this place … and every time I hear the name Valcyn, I cringe inside.
Revelations
Spoiler -
The ruins of fortress Danton lied desolate in the Flats of Purgatory. The air still and stagnant, the sky black as an abyss. A lone avian flew down into the abandoned complex and landed hard, kicking up dust. He wore a blue head band and no shirt. His chest bore a very large blue and white tattoo and his black hair ran down his black, blending in perfectly with his wings. His white eyes scanned the ruined surroundings with caution. He was on the lookout for living people. To his surprise, no one was there.
“Are they dead? I don’t smell death here.” He said to himself. There was no choice but to search more thoroughly. He hadn’t searched long before finding their scent trails leading to and around the main building. His exploration of the ruins left him with a hanging jaw at the sight of the forgotten shrine. “That idiot … she warped them here right on top of the tomb ….” He quickly ran inside and was further shocked to see the inner tomb breached. There was no living or dead thing inside the place. The open tomb the legend’s body would have been placed in was empty and the entrances left wide open. He quickly made for the exit upon realizing there was nothing left to investigate there. He flew off into the sky and left Danton far behind.
Somewhere else in creation lied a recreation room that was surprisingly well kept and full of ‘the ordinary’ given who was occupying it. Everything seemed in its proper place, save for the two dark figures taking seats on separate couches. Burke was leaning back on a couch with his arms out over the back rests and his left leg crossed horizontally over the right. Naomi was sitting politely on the edge of the couch eating a few cutlets of pork, using both of her hands covered with a small white cloth and taking needlessly small bites. One other thing seemed to be out of place in the room … the Coffin of Spears was lying up against the wall in the corner almost like a decoration. The other seven coffins were nowhere to be seen.
“Volya? You’re back a little early … did they whoop you that badly?” Burke inquired, not changing his position beyond looking over at the panting man.
“Perhaps they would have if they had any true strength, or at least if they had bothered to stick around. They escaped, Burke.”
“… whaaaat? Do you mean they ran out into the wilderness or they actually got out of Purgatory?” Now he was uncrossing his legs and sitting up so he could more easily turn to face Volya.
“They. Got. Out. There was no scent trail leading into the wilds, and little Naomi is to blame for this.”
“What did I do wrong?” she asked looking innocent as could be.
“What did she do? Other than stealing an Ursian landmark, warping it and a bunch of mercenaries to the land of the dead, and then losing to them in a battle, she didn’t do a damn thing.” Burke commented. “Bad Naomi … do more, next time, please ….”
“That ‘landmark’ she took from Ursium landed right on top of the tomb of Lilith and they freed her!” Volya exclaimed, his wings expanding a bit in conjunction with his arms.
“… oops.” Naomi uttered, dropping her cutlet back onto the plate along with the cloth.
“They freed the Maiden of Consolidation? Ohohohohohoooooooshiiiit! Wait til he hears about this!” Burke bellowed in humor.
“He won’t be mad at me, will he? I didn’t mean to! I swear!” Naomi pleaded shaking her head rapidly and closing her eyes.
“I’m still wondering how they even got to her, let alone woke her up. Shouldn’t the doors have crushed them or something? Also the waking her up thing; I don’t get that, either. Did they smack her with a plank until she came to or what? We weren’t supposed to do that but maybe it’d work …? Oh wait, that damn fire emblem is probably behind this, somehow. Yeah that’s it. Fire emblem. Definitely. We never tried smacking her with one of those before.” Burke concluded, nodding a few times.
“I don’t want to get in trouble …”
“Well don’t cry to me! Go hide in one of your flying killer boxes or something. Besides, the maiden getting free isn’t the worst thing that could happen. No use getting upset over spilled … spilled vasili. Just see where it leads, then take swift advantage~”
“What?” Volya chimed in.
“Let’s move on to a more interesting topic, shall we? Our little one has been successfully birthed. Congratulations, Volya. You’re a mother. A very masculine looking mother … yes.”
“A mother?” Volya raised an eyebrow.
“Heheh, sorry but you don’t get to play the father. You know that, light boy. Would you like to go see her? She’s asleep upstairs.”
“I’m no one’s mother, and she means nothing to me.”
“Please, spare me your semantics and lone wolfing tripe. Anyway, if you’re not going to go check on her, do something useful. You should still be out there beating up on those mercenaries but since they escaped, you’ll need a different assignment. Hmmmm … oh I know. Go find out where they are and report back. They escaped, but we don’t know where to, yet. Try not to get yourself vaporized by the rogue vasilus while you’re at it. It’d be difficult to receive a report back if that happened ….”
“Very well ….” Volya conceded. He turned to leave, which left Burke and Naomi alone.
“Well?” he half asked her something. “Are you going to go off and hide or what?” Naomi looked over to the Coffin of Spears for a few moments, and then the coffin’s door slowly opened. Naomi shook her head and it began to close again.
“This is my fault. I’ll … take responsibility for it ….” She replied, putting her head down.
“There ya go. That’s how a real woman handles things. Speaking of women, Volya might not give a shit about the girl, but we really should check on her to make sure she’s stable. We don’t want to leave any issues unchecked and have to deal with an emotional wreck crying for ‘daddy’, after all.” Burke got up and left the recreation room and Naomi quickly followed. The two of them eventually arrived on the second floor of the building they were in and stepped into a room lit by just one candle. There was someone sleeping under the covers, apparently a woman, her only discernible features being pure white hair, darkened by the dim lighting.
Burke lowered his head just slightly and then crossed his arms. “… please don’t be a catatonic mess. I hate ‘do overs’.” he muttered as Naomi carefully approached the bed.
“Are they dead? I don’t smell death here.” He said to himself. There was no choice but to search more thoroughly. He hadn’t searched long before finding their scent trails leading to and around the main building. His exploration of the ruins left him with a hanging jaw at the sight of the forgotten shrine. “That idiot … she warped them here right on top of the tomb ….” He quickly ran inside and was further shocked to see the inner tomb breached. There was no living or dead thing inside the place. The open tomb the legend’s body would have been placed in was empty and the entrances left wide open. He quickly made for the exit upon realizing there was nothing left to investigate there. He flew off into the sky and left Danton far behind.
Somewhere else in creation lied a recreation room that was surprisingly well kept and full of ‘the ordinary’ given who was occupying it. Everything seemed in its proper place, save for the two dark figures taking seats on separate couches. Burke was leaning back on a couch with his arms out over the back rests and his left leg crossed horizontally over the right. Naomi was sitting politely on the edge of the couch eating a few cutlets of pork, using both of her hands covered with a small white cloth and taking needlessly small bites. One other thing seemed to be out of place in the room … the Coffin of Spears was lying up against the wall in the corner almost like a decoration. The other seven coffins were nowhere to be seen.
“Volya? You’re back a little early … did they whoop you that badly?” Burke inquired, not changing his position beyond looking over at the panting man.
“Perhaps they would have if they had any true strength, or at least if they had bothered to stick around. They escaped, Burke.”
“… whaaaat? Do you mean they ran out into the wilderness or they actually got out of Purgatory?” Now he was uncrossing his legs and sitting up so he could more easily turn to face Volya.
“They. Got. Out. There was no scent trail leading into the wilds, and little Naomi is to blame for this.”
“What did I do wrong?” she asked looking innocent as could be.
“What did she do? Other than stealing an Ursian landmark, warping it and a bunch of mercenaries to the land of the dead, and then losing to them in a battle, she didn’t do a damn thing.” Burke commented. “Bad Naomi … do more, next time, please ….”
“That ‘landmark’ she took from Ursium landed right on top of the tomb of Lilith and they freed her!” Volya exclaimed, his wings expanding a bit in conjunction with his arms.
“… oops.” Naomi uttered, dropping her cutlet back onto the plate along with the cloth.
“They freed the Maiden of Consolidation? Ohohohohohoooooooshiiiit! Wait til he hears about this!” Burke bellowed in humor.
“He won’t be mad at me, will he? I didn’t mean to! I swear!” Naomi pleaded shaking her head rapidly and closing her eyes.
“I’m still wondering how they even got to her, let alone woke her up. Shouldn’t the doors have crushed them or something? Also the waking her up thing; I don’t get that, either. Did they smack her with a plank until she came to or what? We weren’t supposed to do that but maybe it’d work …? Oh wait, that damn fire emblem is probably behind this, somehow. Yeah that’s it. Fire emblem. Definitely. We never tried smacking her with one of those before.” Burke concluded, nodding a few times.
“I don’t want to get in trouble …”
“Well don’t cry to me! Go hide in one of your flying killer boxes or something. Besides, the maiden getting free isn’t the worst thing that could happen. No use getting upset over spilled … spilled vasili. Just see where it leads, then take swift advantage~”
“What?” Volya chimed in.
“Let’s move on to a more interesting topic, shall we? Our little one has been successfully birthed. Congratulations, Volya. You’re a mother. A very masculine looking mother … yes.”
“A mother?” Volya raised an eyebrow.
“Heheh, sorry but you don’t get to play the father. You know that, light boy. Would you like to go see her? She’s asleep upstairs.”
“I’m no one’s mother, and she means nothing to me.”
“Please, spare me your semantics and lone wolfing tripe. Anyway, if you’re not going to go check on her, do something useful. You should still be out there beating up on those mercenaries but since they escaped, you’ll need a different assignment. Hmmmm … oh I know. Go find out where they are and report back. They escaped, but we don’t know where to, yet. Try not to get yourself vaporized by the rogue vasilus while you’re at it. It’d be difficult to receive a report back if that happened ….”
“Very well ….” Volya conceded. He turned to leave, which left Burke and Naomi alone.
“Well?” he half asked her something. “Are you going to go off and hide or what?” Naomi looked over to the Coffin of Spears for a few moments, and then the coffin’s door slowly opened. Naomi shook her head and it began to close again.
“This is my fault. I’ll … take responsibility for it ….” She replied, putting her head down.
“There ya go. That’s how a real woman handles things. Speaking of women, Volya might not give a shit about the girl, but we really should check on her to make sure she’s stable. We don’t want to leave any issues unchecked and have to deal with an emotional wreck crying for ‘daddy’, after all.” Burke got up and left the recreation room and Naomi quickly followed. The two of them eventually arrived on the second floor of the building they were in and stepped into a room lit by just one candle. There was someone sleeping under the covers, apparently a woman, her only discernible features being pure white hair, darkened by the dim lighting.
Burke lowered his head just slightly and then crossed his arms. “… please don’t be a catatonic mess. I hate ‘do overs’.” he muttered as Naomi carefully approached the bed.
Gathering Forces
Spoiler -
Somewhere in a deep valley in the north, there was a large rundown ghost town. Its only purpose now seemed to be serving as a meeting place for those who worked with Sardis. He and the remains of his forces arrived at the city in the morning and entered what must have been a serviceable tavern at one point. There were plenty of faceless goons of a similar sort waiting for them inside, but one of the people inside stuck out and somehow towered over the rest of them. He had a commanding presence and bore a striking resemblance to the assassin Gabriel. His face donned a mustache, beard, and large scar under his right eye, however. He also wore thick and sturdy armor on his left shoulder. He was the first to greet the arrivals.
Putting on a mocking smile, he said “So good to see you screw ups alive. I hope it wasn’t too difficult to find this place … way out here.”
Sardis ignored the man’s tone took a position for himself by the wall, crossing his arms and legs and closing his eyes so he could think. “Is there some reason why you’re here, Zerachiel?” he asked.
“In the very likely event that you get yourself killed I would have to take on all of your duties.”
“I am not so easily killed, Zerachiel …” Sardis shot a glare at the man, and his eyes immediately shifted to black. They reverted back to normal once he looked away, and this Zerachiel chuckled.
“Easily? Didn’t they try to blow you up with a division of tanks and then sic an Ursian dragonslayer on you? I don’t think it was meant to be easy. They knew that, I’m sure.”
“You’re awfully well informed, though these events are fairly recent.”
“A few of your men have been keeping me ‘well informed’ of your regress. I need to know what you’re doing and just how you’re being beaten, so I don’t make the same mistakes. From what I’ve gathered …” Zerachiel paused to quickly take out his blunderbuss and aimed it at Sardis. “… you’re too soft. What’s the girl’s name? Raquel? You should have killed her when you had the chance, not hand her over to those lunatics. Second, you should have killed everyone by your own hands since you train completely incompetent fools.”
“Raquel may be a great asset to us. She has a unique connection to the emblem. I’m not going to butcher her just because it’s convenient. Senseless slaughter will gain us nothing.”
“We haven’t even been senselessly slaughtering people and we still have all of nothing, dumbass. If you start prattling on about your ‘waste not’ nonsense, I’ll waste you. It’s perfectly fine to try and recruit new muscle, but it should have been obvious to you that it would never work out after your first screw up. Instead of blowing up Weyland’s tanks, you should have been killing the people who really mattered, not hoping they’ll see the light and join us. They’re too alienated to ever join our cause, so we need to get rid of them. I won’t be so shortsighted; I promise you that, Sardis. When I see her, she dies.” He smirked and held his shotgun up.
“No she won’t.” came a voice from behind him. A silver blade quickly appeared at Zerachiel’s neck. The man holding the sword was dressed in medium sized armor and had dull red hair.
“Hm? Oh it’s you ….” Zerachiel muttered, barely interested.
“… Jethro?” Sardis recognized the man.
“She’s my daughter. I’ll convince her.” Jethro declared in a very calm tone before sheathing his sword.
“… you people are just too much.” Zerachiel said with a heavy sigh.
“What’s Jethro even doing here? Did he truly come arou-“ “Of course. We wouldn’t let him run around with a weapon if we couldn’t trust him … not that I do. I’ve got a bad feeling about this father daughter garbage.” Zerachiel explained.
“That’s why I’m going to be keeping an eye on him.” came the voice of a woman. She stepped out of the crowd and stood by Jethro. She appeared to be a sage and had navy blue hair. “Jethro is loyal to us. He’s proven that much already … but he’s still a loving father and there’s nothing wrong with that. She’s merely on the wrong side. Frankly, if he was willing to cut down his own little girl, I wouldn’t be comfortable keeping him alive.” she explained.
“That’s why you have someone like me do the killing. The rest of you people need to get off the front lines before you undermine the entire organization.” Zerachiel cut in, again. He shook his head. Sardis and his moronic tactics. His sword toting underlings can’t win a single fight on their own. Alexis and her disgusting laziness. Having this ex-military doter walking around like he’s a wrathdamn lieutenant. You think this isn’t hurting us? Think again.”
“We win fights, sometimes … I beat Amon~” Silvia shot back with a playful accomplished look on her face. Zerachiel either didn’t catch it, or didn’t bother to respond. Colin was ignoring the conversation from the onset, and Hayato was standing not far from Sardis and practically snarling at Zerachiel and Jethro.
“Arguing isn’t going to help. We need to decide what to do next.” Sardis interjected.
“Well that’s simple. We need to deal with these mercenaries once and for all.” Zerachiel answered firmly and crossed his arms.
“They … may or may not already be dealt with. I haven’t had contact with Burke since the battle at Danton.” Sardis explained with some hesitation in his voice.
“Get a hold of him so we can finish this, assuming they haven’t already taken care of it. And find a way to talk them out of the fire emblem piece she and those mercenaries had. We’re the ones who should be holding those.”
“Who’s Burke, and where did he take my daughter?” Jethro cut in.
“He took her to a realm we cannot reach, unfortunately. He’s likely taking care of his end of the bargain, though I don’t know what his plans were.”
“What?”
“It’s not important at this point. All I can do is contact him and try to find out what’s going on ….”
Putting on a mocking smile, he said “So good to see you screw ups alive. I hope it wasn’t too difficult to find this place … way out here.”
Sardis ignored the man’s tone took a position for himself by the wall, crossing his arms and legs and closing his eyes so he could think. “Is there some reason why you’re here, Zerachiel?” he asked.
“In the very likely event that you get yourself killed I would have to take on all of your duties.”
“I am not so easily killed, Zerachiel …” Sardis shot a glare at the man, and his eyes immediately shifted to black. They reverted back to normal once he looked away, and this Zerachiel chuckled.
“Easily? Didn’t they try to blow you up with a division of tanks and then sic an Ursian dragonslayer on you? I don’t think it was meant to be easy. They knew that, I’m sure.”
“You’re awfully well informed, though these events are fairly recent.”
“A few of your men have been keeping me ‘well informed’ of your regress. I need to know what you’re doing and just how you’re being beaten, so I don’t make the same mistakes. From what I’ve gathered …” Zerachiel paused to quickly take out his blunderbuss and aimed it at Sardis. “… you’re too soft. What’s the girl’s name? Raquel? You should have killed her when you had the chance, not hand her over to those lunatics. Second, you should have killed everyone by your own hands since you train completely incompetent fools.”
“Raquel may be a great asset to us. She has a unique connection to the emblem. I’m not going to butcher her just because it’s convenient. Senseless slaughter will gain us nothing.”
“We haven’t even been senselessly slaughtering people and we still have all of nothing, dumbass. If you start prattling on about your ‘waste not’ nonsense, I’ll waste you. It’s perfectly fine to try and recruit new muscle, but it should have been obvious to you that it would never work out after your first screw up. Instead of blowing up Weyland’s tanks, you should have been killing the people who really mattered, not hoping they’ll see the light and join us. They’re too alienated to ever join our cause, so we need to get rid of them. I won’t be so shortsighted; I promise you that, Sardis. When I see her, she dies.” He smirked and held his shotgun up.
“No she won’t.” came a voice from behind him. A silver blade quickly appeared at Zerachiel’s neck. The man holding the sword was dressed in medium sized armor and had dull red hair.
“Hm? Oh it’s you ….” Zerachiel muttered, barely interested.
“… Jethro?” Sardis recognized the man.
“She’s my daughter. I’ll convince her.” Jethro declared in a very calm tone before sheathing his sword.
“… you people are just too much.” Zerachiel said with a heavy sigh.
“What’s Jethro even doing here? Did he truly come arou-“ “Of course. We wouldn’t let him run around with a weapon if we couldn’t trust him … not that I do. I’ve got a bad feeling about this father daughter garbage.” Zerachiel explained.
“That’s why I’m going to be keeping an eye on him.” came the voice of a woman. She stepped out of the crowd and stood by Jethro. She appeared to be a sage and had navy blue hair. “Jethro is loyal to us. He’s proven that much already … but he’s still a loving father and there’s nothing wrong with that. She’s merely on the wrong side. Frankly, if he was willing to cut down his own little girl, I wouldn’t be comfortable keeping him alive.” she explained.
“That’s why you have someone like me do the killing. The rest of you people need to get off the front lines before you undermine the entire organization.” Zerachiel cut in, again. He shook his head. Sardis and his moronic tactics. His sword toting underlings can’t win a single fight on their own. Alexis and her disgusting laziness. Having this ex-military doter walking around like he’s a wrathdamn lieutenant. You think this isn’t hurting us? Think again.”
“We win fights, sometimes … I beat Amon~” Silvia shot back with a playful accomplished look on her face. Zerachiel either didn’t catch it, or didn’t bother to respond. Colin was ignoring the conversation from the onset, and Hayato was standing not far from Sardis and practically snarling at Zerachiel and Jethro.
“Arguing isn’t going to help. We need to decide what to do next.” Sardis interjected.
“Well that’s simple. We need to deal with these mercenaries once and for all.” Zerachiel answered firmly and crossed his arms.
“They … may or may not already be dealt with. I haven’t had contact with Burke since the battle at Danton.” Sardis explained with some hesitation in his voice.
“Get a hold of him so we can finish this, assuming they haven’t already taken care of it. And find a way to talk them out of the fire emblem piece she and those mercenaries had. We’re the ones who should be holding those.”
“Who’s Burke, and where did he take my daughter?” Jethro cut in.
“He took her to a realm we cannot reach, unfortunately. He’s likely taking care of his end of the bargain, though I don’t know what his plans were.”
“What?”
“It’s not important at this point. All I can do is contact him and try to find out what’s going on ….”
Altena’s Training
Spoiler -
Hold steady … find my target … hold steady … release! Altena let loose an arrow that struck through a dome shaped shoulder plate. It appeared to be good quality armor resting up against a practice target. Good quality or no, Altena’s shot pierced right through it dead at the center and rocked the whole target. Well that wasn’t so bad. I just wish the face of a real enemy was behind that plate, and not just a bullseye. She sighed, and then quickly readied another arrow and fired. The shot was hastily fired, and so the odds of hitting dead center again were close to zero, but it still came frighteningly close, striking the plate at almost the same spot the first arrow did, its shaft sticking out from the plate leaving the tails of both arrows a mere five degrees separate. Altena smiled.
Graceful
Spoiler -
“Iiiiiii’ll beeeee someone-the only one-the number one-the time has come.”
“The Phoeeeeeeeeeniiiix must pass the torch along-but preferably through song.”
“If one’s defeat must come-it must be gracefully done-and now the man’s engaged-it’s time to leave the stage … beeeehiiiiiiiiiiiind~”
Alice bowed to a small applause from some of her deli patrons. “It is true, though. Rodrigo is going to be a family man soon, so he shouldn’t be leading all of those swooning young ladies on. Besides, once he fades from the public’s attention, it will be my time to shine. It’s time to bring back the classical performances!”
“Hear hear! I do miss the classics. This new era of singers and performers is just … lacking something.” One of the older gentlemen spoke up.
“It lacks Alice Grace, but not for much longer!” the woman herself announced.
“Hahaaaah, well put!”
“The Phoeeeeeeeeeniiiix must pass the torch along-but preferably through song.”
“If one’s defeat must come-it must be gracefully done-and now the man’s engaged-it’s time to leave the stage … beeeehiiiiiiiiiiiind~”
Alice bowed to a small applause from some of her deli patrons. “It is true, though. Rodrigo is going to be a family man soon, so he shouldn’t be leading all of those swooning young ladies on. Besides, once he fades from the public’s attention, it will be my time to shine. It’s time to bring back the classical performances!”
“Hear hear! I do miss the classics. This new era of singers and performers is just … lacking something.” One of the older gentlemen spoke up.
“It lacks Alice Grace, but not for much longer!” the woman herself announced.
“Hahaaaah, well put!”
Crackdown
Spoiler -
“Who the hell do you think you are, huh?!” a husky bandit leader yelled down on a familiar form. He grabbed Boris by the collar and hauled him in really close. Everyone in the cave became tense. Then he began spraying his point and elaborating. Boris turned to the side to keep his face dry while his hair shielded him from the droplets. “You think you can barge on in here with your puny goons and tell us what to do?! Do you have any idea who we are, boy?!”
“You’re days or less from being overrun by a very proficient Ursian battalion. They cut down bandits like you for a living in an effort to make Ursium a safer place to live. They’ve been following your trail of destruction for a while now and so have I. To them, you’re nothing but bandits, but to me, you’re potential strength, and instead of letting you be destroyed by them, I’d rather recruit you into my organization.”
“You run it? Hah! If you’re in charge, then I’ll be calling the shots from now on. I’m the strongest, so I should be in charge of your whole operation!”
“You fool, I’m not as soft as I look … and no I don’t run the entire organization, only a small part of it. The people I answer to are more powerful than you can possibly imagine, and they wouldn’t approve of premature promotions. You’ll start out like I did, a simple grunt, with plenty of opportunity to show both your strength and your competence.”
“… hmm … I’ll think about it. Doesn’t seem like it’d take long to reach the top of the ladder if people like you are allowed to go outside without a helmet on, hahah.”
“Think quickly. I don’t want to be here when they find your hideout.” Boris replied, crossing his arms.
The bandit didn’t think quickly, but eventually made a decision ... three hours later. “We’ll have to relocate by this time tomorrow, anyway, so let’s head south … to where your ‘base of operations’ is. Provide us with food and board and we’ll … be more than happy to consider your offer.”
“… huh.”
Suddenly one of the other bandits came flailing into the cave screaming. “RUN AWAAAAY!!! THERE’S A SKY FULL OF PEGASUS KNIIIGHTS!!!”
“What?? They’re here, already?!” the bandit leader inquired. He was ignored as the bandit ran past him to grab his things. As far as that one was concerned, it was every man for himself.
“I told you to think quickly. You decided to waste three whole hours. Colonel Langley makes good use of pegasus knights and she can scout out potential threats quickly. Now we’ll have to fight our way out.” Boris explained with some bitterness in his words.
“Urgh! Don’t pin this all on me! Your organization should have sent someone more convincing!”
“… I just had to pick the stupid bandits instead of the remnants of the Farsiders or Revenants. Well watch closely, and you’ll see what I can do …” Boris replied, unsheathing his sword. “Men, prioritize your escape. Use the escape routes through the forest we had picked out, but don’t head out until their full force appears, or you might run straight into an ambush.” The bandit leader was surprised to see Boris taking charge of the situation. He hadn’t even thought to give his own men orders yet, but Boris seemed to already have his every move planned out and issued his orders in advance. He shook his head to focus.
“Alright boys! We’ll charge straight at them! Cut their battalion right down the middle and escape south during the chaos!”
“Are you trying to lose all of your men? Colonel Langley specializes in dealing with people like you. If you charge at her directly, you’ll be flanked on both sides by pegasus knights … after they unleash one or two volleys of arrows at you. Frontal assault is suicide.” Boris scolded him.
“Urrrgh! Don’t lecture me! We do things our own way! Like your plan’s going to work! Tch! How do you even know so much about this Langley wench?”
“Know your enemy, but also know third parties who may become your enemy. As for my plan … well it isn’t perfect. We might have some casualties but we will escape. We would have been long gone if we didn’t make the mistake of patiently waiting for you laggards.”
Outside the cave, the bandits that were standing guard there were scattering like roaches, and Colonel Langley’s snipers were getting into position while swordsmen were covering their approach. Pegasus knights were flying around all over the place and the area seemed locked down. The only hope of escape seemed to be north through the woods. The bandits quickly realized that the battalion wasn’t moving in to attack them just yet and some of them rush inside the cave.
“We have to stay here! We can wait them out!” a bandit from outside said on arrival.
“Gaugh, you people are idiots … if only Silvia were here ….” Boris muttered.
Meanwhile outside, Colonel Langley sat atop her pegasus. Her second in command was standing close by, leaning up against the pegasus and looking rather bored. “So, do you think they’ll surrender?”
“They’ll run. Unless we cut off all escape routes. I don’t want this to get too bloody, though, so try not to get in over your heads.” Langley replied.
“Understood, ma’am.” Miguel, quit leaning on the pegasus and ran out to the front of the battalion. He came upon a group of soldiers and tapped the shortest one on the shoulder. The girl turned around and her eyes lit up.
“Lieutenant Colonel Taylor, do you need me to do something for you?! Anything?! I’ve been waiting for a chance to prove how much stronger I’ve gotten!”
“Easy, Grace. Don’t underestimate the enemy.” he replied simply. “Let’s see how they respond, first.”
Meanwhile Fletcher led the line of archers and positioned themselves within shooting distance of the cave’s entrance. A few bandits were bunkering down there and getting their own bows ready. “Don’t fire until they do, or we get the order from Colonel Langley or Lieutenant Colonel Taylor. This is going to be either a very short skirmish or a very long standoff. These must be the dumb bandits since they’re scrambling like that. That’s good. I was worried that this might be one of our bad days, heheh.”
“You never know, Lieutenant … they might have a ballista or two set up at the entrance of that cave just waiting for us.” One of the other bowmen spoke up.
“Hmmm, good point. If they don’t come out, we’ll have to go in there, shields first. Trying to ‘turtle’ our way past siege weapons is risky business ….”
“Well it’d be better than that one hideout that was completely mined.” the bowman added.
“Ugh, don’t jynx us by bringing up that explosive nightmare.”
“You’re days or less from being overrun by a very proficient Ursian battalion. They cut down bandits like you for a living in an effort to make Ursium a safer place to live. They’ve been following your trail of destruction for a while now and so have I. To them, you’re nothing but bandits, but to me, you’re potential strength, and instead of letting you be destroyed by them, I’d rather recruit you into my organization.”
“You run it? Hah! If you’re in charge, then I’ll be calling the shots from now on. I’m the strongest, so I should be in charge of your whole operation!”
“You fool, I’m not as soft as I look … and no I don’t run the entire organization, only a small part of it. The people I answer to are more powerful than you can possibly imagine, and they wouldn’t approve of premature promotions. You’ll start out like I did, a simple grunt, with plenty of opportunity to show both your strength and your competence.”
“… hmm … I’ll think about it. Doesn’t seem like it’d take long to reach the top of the ladder if people like you are allowed to go outside without a helmet on, hahah.”
“Think quickly. I don’t want to be here when they find your hideout.” Boris replied, crossing his arms.
The bandit didn’t think quickly, but eventually made a decision ... three hours later. “We’ll have to relocate by this time tomorrow, anyway, so let’s head south … to where your ‘base of operations’ is. Provide us with food and board and we’ll … be more than happy to consider your offer.”
“… huh.”
Suddenly one of the other bandits came flailing into the cave screaming. “RUN AWAAAAY!!! THERE’S A SKY FULL OF PEGASUS KNIIIGHTS!!!”
“What?? They’re here, already?!” the bandit leader inquired. He was ignored as the bandit ran past him to grab his things. As far as that one was concerned, it was every man for himself.
“I told you to think quickly. You decided to waste three whole hours. Colonel Langley makes good use of pegasus knights and she can scout out potential threats quickly. Now we’ll have to fight our way out.” Boris explained with some bitterness in his words.
“Urgh! Don’t pin this all on me! Your organization should have sent someone more convincing!”
“… I just had to pick the stupid bandits instead of the remnants of the Farsiders or Revenants. Well watch closely, and you’ll see what I can do …” Boris replied, unsheathing his sword. “Men, prioritize your escape. Use the escape routes through the forest we had picked out, but don’t head out until their full force appears, or you might run straight into an ambush.” The bandit leader was surprised to see Boris taking charge of the situation. He hadn’t even thought to give his own men orders yet, but Boris seemed to already have his every move planned out and issued his orders in advance. He shook his head to focus.
“Alright boys! We’ll charge straight at them! Cut their battalion right down the middle and escape south during the chaos!”
“Are you trying to lose all of your men? Colonel Langley specializes in dealing with people like you. If you charge at her directly, you’ll be flanked on both sides by pegasus knights … after they unleash one or two volleys of arrows at you. Frontal assault is suicide.” Boris scolded him.
“Urrrgh! Don’t lecture me! We do things our own way! Like your plan’s going to work! Tch! How do you even know so much about this Langley wench?”
“Know your enemy, but also know third parties who may become your enemy. As for my plan … well it isn’t perfect. We might have some casualties but we will escape. We would have been long gone if we didn’t make the mistake of patiently waiting for you laggards.”
Outside the cave, the bandits that were standing guard there were scattering like roaches, and Colonel Langley’s snipers were getting into position while swordsmen were covering their approach. Pegasus knights were flying around all over the place and the area seemed locked down. The only hope of escape seemed to be north through the woods. The bandits quickly realized that the battalion wasn’t moving in to attack them just yet and some of them rush inside the cave.
“We have to stay here! We can wait them out!” a bandit from outside said on arrival.
“Gaugh, you people are idiots … if only Silvia were here ….” Boris muttered.
Meanwhile outside, Colonel Langley sat atop her pegasus. Her second in command was standing close by, leaning up against the pegasus and looking rather bored. “So, do you think they’ll surrender?”
“They’ll run. Unless we cut off all escape routes. I don’t want this to get too bloody, though, so try not to get in over your heads.” Langley replied.
“Understood, ma’am.” Miguel, quit leaning on the pegasus and ran out to the front of the battalion. He came upon a group of soldiers and tapped the shortest one on the shoulder. The girl turned around and her eyes lit up.
“Lieutenant Colonel Taylor, do you need me to do something for you?! Anything?! I’ve been waiting for a chance to prove how much stronger I’ve gotten!”
“Easy, Grace. Don’t underestimate the enemy.” he replied simply. “Let’s see how they respond, first.”
Meanwhile Fletcher led the line of archers and positioned themselves within shooting distance of the cave’s entrance. A few bandits were bunkering down there and getting their own bows ready. “Don’t fire until they do, or we get the order from Colonel Langley or Lieutenant Colonel Taylor. This is going to be either a very short skirmish or a very long standoff. These must be the dumb bandits since they’re scrambling like that. That’s good. I was worried that this might be one of our bad days, heheh.”
“You never know, Lieutenant … they might have a ballista or two set up at the entrance of that cave just waiting for us.” One of the other bowmen spoke up.
“Hmmm, good point. If they don’t come out, we’ll have to go in there, shields first. Trying to ‘turtle’ our way past siege weapons is risky business ….”
“Well it’d be better than that one hideout that was completely mined.” the bowman added.
“Ugh, don’t jynx us by bringing up that explosive nightmare.”
The Avatar
Spoiler -
Not all were present, but Worthington had gathered many of the church’s representatives into his office. The morning light pierced through the large window behind his desk and illuminated it beautifully. Worthington himself stood in front of the desk, ready to address all of those present. “I was hoping to hold this meeting at a later time … preferably after laying Bishop Bradford to rest, but the Order of Wrath and its supporters have requested we do this now.”
“Indeed, Bishop Bradford will be laid to rest, but there is no need to stall these proceedings, in my opinion.” General Capaberra spoke up.
“You see, General, Disciple Desmond was being trained to succeed Bishop Bradford, but I do not feel that he is … ready for the position just yet.”
“And why is that, Archbishop Worthington, if you don’t mind me inquiring?”
“Regardless, he will be assuming this position at a very early age. To add to this, the Order of Wrath has recently had members of the order involved in various incidents that I believe are connected to a certain artifact.” Desmond winced slightly at Worthington’s words, remembering that the man was more observant than he appeared. Was he going to get in their way? Well … more than he already was? “Desmond is not focusing on the faithful. His focus is on those capable of finding the artifact and bringing it into the hands of the Order. I want him to take the time to correct this imbalance in his judgment before I will feel comfortable letting him take up Bishop Bradford’s position as head of the Order of Wrath.” He then looked to Desmond and added “Desmond, you have a great responsibility ahead of you, and you must approach it humbly. You must always remember the people. Always.”
“I know that ….” Desmond bitterly shot back.
“Knowing this and living it are two different things, Desmond. Please, do not divert the Order of Wrath from its purpose of instilling justice in the hearts of the people.”
“Worthington … I am a devout follower of Lord Wrath, but because of you and your secretive ways, I am deprived of his words. I cannot hear the voice of the gods as you do. I cannot fulfill the will of my own lord because I must go through you, the man who insists on impeding the entire order. I have no intentions of leading the people toward justice as we understand it. I will lead them to where Lord Wrath dictates, and nowhere else. His justice is what we’ll follow, not mine, and not yours .
Capaberra nodded slightly in agreement with Desmond as he spoke. Clover held both of her hands together during his rebuttal, and Prince Athrun nodded a single time toward the end of it. “Desmond, there is a reason only one person can ever hear the voice of the gods. It is a sacred duty that prevents instability within the four orders. It keeps us united through a single head. Like it or not, Lord Wrath, Lady Mercy, Mother Nature, and Lord Truth, have all agreed upon using me as their vessel through which the people of Ursium and the Four Orders are taught and guided.”
“Forgive my harshness, but I do not see you as a guide and voice of the gods. You work more as a keeper of peace and a keeper of secrets. I don’t approve of that and will not remain silent on the matter a moment longer.” Desmond replied. “You may have spoken with Bishop Bradford on matters that were not meant for anyone else, but I am the man he trained to take his place. You share nothing with me, not the word of Lord Wrath, and certainly not true guidance and direction. You continue to hide behind your own title and stall these proceedings for as long as you can. I’m tired of it.”
“Desmond, you are clinching your fits …” Worthington noted, trying to point out that the man was no longer composed and should calm down. So they were.
“What would you expect of a Wrathite denied his own purpose in this life? I’m here to be promoted to Head Wrathite. You’ve no reason to deny me.”
“Insubordination is reason enough, but I am willing to look past that if you will simply hear me out.”
“This is your last chance, Worthington.” Desmond threatened.
“My last chance? Are you threatening me?” Worthington looked astonished and leaned back a bit.
Desmond quickly snapped out of whatever was holding him in such fury and recalled his own words. “… what did I just say …?”
“Do you see?! He is too focused on the personal endeavors of the order to be bothered with its purpose! Desmond, I think we should end this meeting here and now. You are clearly not ready to succeed Head Wrathite Bradford.”
“Uuuuurgh … no … no we won’t. The voice of Lord Wrath should be delivered to the Wrathites! Not withheld from us!”
“Desmond …” Athrun tried to speak up, but felt powerless at the moment.
“Desmond, calm yourself.” Capaberra advised, reaching out with his hand in a similar manner to some others. Desmond was fuming at this point.
This … hatred … it isn’t mine … “I won’t let you hold the order back, Worthington. I … I won’t.” I don’t know what’s happening but I … I must act now. I must put a stop to Worthington’s oppression.
“Desmond! Come to your senses!” Worthington pleaded.
“This … ARGH!!!” Desmond fell to his knees with a look of blind fury on his face. That was when he realized. “This is too much … for me … this … this wrath ….”
“What are you saying, Desmond? Are you losing your grip on reality? Being the most enraged does not make you a suitable successor to Bradford. Please, stop this … for your own sake. I don’t’ want to have you excommunicated from the order ….”
Desmond picked himself up with some help from Athrun and then looked up to the ceiling as he began to sweat. “Don’t go … please … I will … I will deliver your words to the people, milord.”
All eyes widened at those words. “It’s not possible …” Worthington uttered, taking a step back.
“I’ll carry this burden. I’ll carry it … even if my body crumbles to dust …” Desmond pledged.
“Even unto death …” a voice echoed out through the room. The source seemed to be Desmond’s own lips. He quickly took on a heavy and dark aura that everyone could see. “If you wish to carry my voice … so be it.” Desmond’s body curled up and Athrun backed off quickly. A good decision, since Desmond floated up off of the ground a foot or two and began to flail as his body was overpowered. Violent energies overcame the room and forced everyone present to back off. Desmond’s eyes disappeared behind a piercing yellow light. When he came back down onto his feet, he was eerily calm.
“L-Lord Wrath … what is … what is going on?” Worthington asked pleadingly.
“Lord Wrath?!” Capaberra asked Worthington with great urgency in his voice. Was he serious? Was Wrath truly present with them and speaking through Desmond’s form? Without waiting for an answer, the general kneeled before Desmond’s saturated form and took the Prince’s wrist urging him to do the same.
“They have kneeled. Why haven’t the rest of you?” Desmond asked, his voice being overlapped by a second. Worthington quickly corrected his error and kneeled. Everyone else in the office did, as well, though Io spared the whole situation an eye roll first. Remiel, Ilan, Lyle, John, everyone present kept a knee to the floor. Only Desmond remained standing. “Look on this man and know him. From this moment forth, he is my vessel, my avatar.”
“L-l-l-lord W-Wra-th … y-y-you can’t be serious. This is not how the Four Orders function.”
“I am working out a special purpose. My people will require more direct guidance than what you, the Archbishop of Ursium, can provide.” Worthington was just about to speak, but was cut off. “No, Michael Worthington.” Desmond held out his hand. “You questioned me once. You will never do so, again. I have chosen my vessel. Desmond Langley will serve as Avatar of the Order. His rank is now equal to that of Archbishop.”
“Y-yes, milord.” Worthington lowered his head to keep his face hidden. He couldn’t believe what was happening or why. Soon the energies began to fade and Desmond’s eyes, voice, and body returned to normal. He fell to his knees, still conscious. “Desmond ... are you alright?”
A teary eyed smile appeared on Desmond’s face as he examined his hands. “Thank you, Lord Wrath … you’ve answered not just mine, but all of our prayers.”
“Desmond?” Worthington tried a second time.
Desmond quickly got on his feet, this time without assistance. He looked to Prince Athrun with a joy no one had ever seen from him before. “We’re … finally free, my prince.”
“Free to what? Go and hunt down ancient artifacts and neglect the people?” Worthington interjected.
“We’re free to do the will of our god, not the will of a cryptic managerial holy man such as you. From now on, we will never be cut off from his words. I have no intention of withholding his will from the order, and so we are finally free. Free of you. You heard what the Lord said. I am his holy spokesman. You needn’t go to Worthington a day longer. You can come to me ….”
Lord Wrath, why?! Why are you doing this?! Why?! Worthington anguished in his mind.
“Indeed, Bishop Bradford will be laid to rest, but there is no need to stall these proceedings, in my opinion.” General Capaberra spoke up.
“You see, General, Disciple Desmond was being trained to succeed Bishop Bradford, but I do not feel that he is … ready for the position just yet.”
“And why is that, Archbishop Worthington, if you don’t mind me inquiring?”
“Regardless, he will be assuming this position at a very early age. To add to this, the Order of Wrath has recently had members of the order involved in various incidents that I believe are connected to a certain artifact.” Desmond winced slightly at Worthington’s words, remembering that the man was more observant than he appeared. Was he going to get in their way? Well … more than he already was? “Desmond is not focusing on the faithful. His focus is on those capable of finding the artifact and bringing it into the hands of the Order. I want him to take the time to correct this imbalance in his judgment before I will feel comfortable letting him take up Bishop Bradford’s position as head of the Order of Wrath.” He then looked to Desmond and added “Desmond, you have a great responsibility ahead of you, and you must approach it humbly. You must always remember the people. Always.”
“I know that ….” Desmond bitterly shot back.
“Knowing this and living it are two different things, Desmond. Please, do not divert the Order of Wrath from its purpose of instilling justice in the hearts of the people.”
“Worthington … I am a devout follower of Lord Wrath, but because of you and your secretive ways, I am deprived of his words. I cannot hear the voice of the gods as you do. I cannot fulfill the will of my own lord because I must go through you, the man who insists on impeding the entire order. I have no intentions of leading the people toward justice as we understand it. I will lead them to where Lord Wrath dictates, and nowhere else. His justice is what we’ll follow, not mine, and not yours .
Capaberra nodded slightly in agreement with Desmond as he spoke. Clover held both of her hands together during his rebuttal, and Prince Athrun nodded a single time toward the end of it. “Desmond, there is a reason only one person can ever hear the voice of the gods. It is a sacred duty that prevents instability within the four orders. It keeps us united through a single head. Like it or not, Lord Wrath, Lady Mercy, Mother Nature, and Lord Truth, have all agreed upon using me as their vessel through which the people of Ursium and the Four Orders are taught and guided.”
“Forgive my harshness, but I do not see you as a guide and voice of the gods. You work more as a keeper of peace and a keeper of secrets. I don’t approve of that and will not remain silent on the matter a moment longer.” Desmond replied. “You may have spoken with Bishop Bradford on matters that were not meant for anyone else, but I am the man he trained to take his place. You share nothing with me, not the word of Lord Wrath, and certainly not true guidance and direction. You continue to hide behind your own title and stall these proceedings for as long as you can. I’m tired of it.”
“Desmond, you are clinching your fits …” Worthington noted, trying to point out that the man was no longer composed and should calm down. So they were.
“What would you expect of a Wrathite denied his own purpose in this life? I’m here to be promoted to Head Wrathite. You’ve no reason to deny me.”
“Insubordination is reason enough, but I am willing to look past that if you will simply hear me out.”
“This is your last chance, Worthington.” Desmond threatened.
“My last chance? Are you threatening me?” Worthington looked astonished and leaned back a bit.
Desmond quickly snapped out of whatever was holding him in such fury and recalled his own words. “… what did I just say …?”
“Do you see?! He is too focused on the personal endeavors of the order to be bothered with its purpose! Desmond, I think we should end this meeting here and now. You are clearly not ready to succeed Head Wrathite Bradford.”
“Uuuuurgh … no … no we won’t. The voice of Lord Wrath should be delivered to the Wrathites! Not withheld from us!”
“Desmond …” Athrun tried to speak up, but felt powerless at the moment.
“Desmond, calm yourself.” Capaberra advised, reaching out with his hand in a similar manner to some others. Desmond was fuming at this point.
This … hatred … it isn’t mine … “I won’t let you hold the order back, Worthington. I … I won’t.” I don’t know what’s happening but I … I must act now. I must put a stop to Worthington’s oppression.
“Desmond! Come to your senses!” Worthington pleaded.
“This … ARGH!!!” Desmond fell to his knees with a look of blind fury on his face. That was when he realized. “This is too much … for me … this … this wrath ….”
“What are you saying, Desmond? Are you losing your grip on reality? Being the most enraged does not make you a suitable successor to Bradford. Please, stop this … for your own sake. I don’t’ want to have you excommunicated from the order ….”
Desmond picked himself up with some help from Athrun and then looked up to the ceiling as he began to sweat. “Don’t go … please … I will … I will deliver your words to the people, milord.”
All eyes widened at those words. “It’s not possible …” Worthington uttered, taking a step back.
“I’ll carry this burden. I’ll carry it … even if my body crumbles to dust …” Desmond pledged.
“Even unto death …” a voice echoed out through the room. The source seemed to be Desmond’s own lips. He quickly took on a heavy and dark aura that everyone could see. “If you wish to carry my voice … so be it.” Desmond’s body curled up and Athrun backed off quickly. A good decision, since Desmond floated up off of the ground a foot or two and began to flail as his body was overpowered. Violent energies overcame the room and forced everyone present to back off. Desmond’s eyes disappeared behind a piercing yellow light. When he came back down onto his feet, he was eerily calm.
“L-Lord Wrath … what is … what is going on?” Worthington asked pleadingly.
“Lord Wrath?!” Capaberra asked Worthington with great urgency in his voice. Was he serious? Was Wrath truly present with them and speaking through Desmond’s form? Without waiting for an answer, the general kneeled before Desmond’s saturated form and took the Prince’s wrist urging him to do the same.
“They have kneeled. Why haven’t the rest of you?” Desmond asked, his voice being overlapped by a second. Worthington quickly corrected his error and kneeled. Everyone else in the office did, as well, though Io spared the whole situation an eye roll first. Remiel, Ilan, Lyle, John, everyone present kept a knee to the floor. Only Desmond remained standing. “Look on this man and know him. From this moment forth, he is my vessel, my avatar.”
“L-l-l-lord W-Wra-th … y-y-you can’t be serious. This is not how the Four Orders function.”
“I am working out a special purpose. My people will require more direct guidance than what you, the Archbishop of Ursium, can provide.” Worthington was just about to speak, but was cut off. “No, Michael Worthington.” Desmond held out his hand. “You questioned me once. You will never do so, again. I have chosen my vessel. Desmond Langley will serve as Avatar of the Order. His rank is now equal to that of Archbishop.”
“Y-yes, milord.” Worthington lowered his head to keep his face hidden. He couldn’t believe what was happening or why. Soon the energies began to fade and Desmond’s eyes, voice, and body returned to normal. He fell to his knees, still conscious. “Desmond ... are you alright?”
A teary eyed smile appeared on Desmond’s face as he examined his hands. “Thank you, Lord Wrath … you’ve answered not just mine, but all of our prayers.”
“Desmond?” Worthington tried a second time.
Desmond quickly got on his feet, this time without assistance. He looked to Prince Athrun with a joy no one had ever seen from him before. “We’re … finally free, my prince.”
“Free to what? Go and hunt down ancient artifacts and neglect the people?” Worthington interjected.
“We’re free to do the will of our god, not the will of a cryptic managerial holy man such as you. From now on, we will never be cut off from his words. I have no intention of withholding his will from the order, and so we are finally free. Free of you. You heard what the Lord said. I am his holy spokesman. You needn’t go to Worthington a day longer. You can come to me ….”
Lord Wrath, why?! Why are you doing this?! Why?! Worthington anguished in his mind.
Questions
Spoiler -
Sabina sat at the center of a room with her hands cuffed in irons and sitting on her lap, and her legs bound in chains, just lose enough for her to walk or cross her ankles, the latter of which she did while sitting in a rusty old metal chair. Four stone walls, and a door at the center of the southern wall. The room had absolutely no windows, so a light rune was the only source of light available, and it seemed to be very old, giving off only a faint light compared to normal ones. The floor was well paved, but the blood stains on the ground told a thousand tales of a thousand rough interrogations. This wasn’t a prison cell, it was an interrogation chamber. Sabina honestly didn’t give a damn.
The door eventually opened revealing a rather casual looking woman. Major General Patricia Belo, one of Ursentius’ defense force commanders, and iconic ‘action officer’. “Morning.” She greeted, obviously pretending to be cordial.
“It’s morning? Tch. Like I’d know.” Sabina replied and then looked away dismissively.
“Yeah, time sure gets funny in a cell, doesn’t it?” Patricia stood a short distance from Sabina with her arms crossed and leaned to one side. “I’ve got some questions for you.”
“I”ve got answers, but you’re just some Ursian bitch with no coin, so good luck getting those answers.”
“Oooo feisty~ The tough act is very impressive but you Skotian’s aren’t the only ones with some horribly cruel torture methods. I suggest you reconsider. You were hired by people who tried to resurrect the artificial human project that was shut down seventy years ago. I just want to know everything else you know about them. They might be connected to others and this is a problem I want to deal with once and for all.”
“You people blew up their labs and destroyed all of their work in one night. It’ll be decades--maybe even another seventy years--before anything like this ever happens again. Long after your career days are over at any rate … so why do you care? Trying to earn a more important place in the history books or something?”
“Maybe I just take my job a little too seriously. I don’t like to wait for obvious problems to make it to my doorstep. When you’re trying to keep a garden healthy, you get rid of the weeds the moment you spot them, and then you search the whole garden for any others you might have overlooked and get rid of those too. I wouldn’t expect a loner type like you to understand, but I also don’t see why you would protect your old employers. Do you still have a contact who’s willing to pay for your silence?”
“Tch, of course not.” She shot back, looking away again.
“Then why protect any of their secrets? That’s not worth me kicking your ass over, is it?” Patricia had a worried look on her face, fearing the possible answer she might get back from the supposedly self-serving mercenary.
“Either way I’m in prison. May as well stick it to you people however I can.”
“… sheesh, haven’t you ever heard of ‘early release for good behavior’? No? Well, let me give you an example. Unless a miracle comes down from the heavens or something, you’re going to be behind bars for a looooong time. But if you give me some information I can put to good use … it might not be as long as you think.”
“Early release, huh? How early?”
“Well, that depends on what you can offer me in exchange. You’re just a mercenary, and I’m after real criminals, dear.”
The door eventually opened revealing a rather casual looking woman. Major General Patricia Belo, one of Ursentius’ defense force commanders, and iconic ‘action officer’. “Morning.” She greeted, obviously pretending to be cordial.
“It’s morning? Tch. Like I’d know.” Sabina replied and then looked away dismissively.
“Yeah, time sure gets funny in a cell, doesn’t it?” Patricia stood a short distance from Sabina with her arms crossed and leaned to one side. “I’ve got some questions for you.”
“I”ve got answers, but you’re just some Ursian bitch with no coin, so good luck getting those answers.”
“Oooo feisty~ The tough act is very impressive but you Skotian’s aren’t the only ones with some horribly cruel torture methods. I suggest you reconsider. You were hired by people who tried to resurrect the artificial human project that was shut down seventy years ago. I just want to know everything else you know about them. They might be connected to others and this is a problem I want to deal with once and for all.”
“You people blew up their labs and destroyed all of their work in one night. It’ll be decades--maybe even another seventy years--before anything like this ever happens again. Long after your career days are over at any rate … so why do you care? Trying to earn a more important place in the history books or something?”
“Maybe I just take my job a little too seriously. I don’t like to wait for obvious problems to make it to my doorstep. When you’re trying to keep a garden healthy, you get rid of the weeds the moment you spot them, and then you search the whole garden for any others you might have overlooked and get rid of those too. I wouldn’t expect a loner type like you to understand, but I also don’t see why you would protect your old employers. Do you still have a contact who’s willing to pay for your silence?”
“Tch, of course not.” She shot back, looking away again.
“Then why protect any of their secrets? That’s not worth me kicking your ass over, is it?” Patricia had a worried look on her face, fearing the possible answer she might get back from the supposedly self-serving mercenary.
“Either way I’m in prison. May as well stick it to you people however I can.”
“… sheesh, haven’t you ever heard of ‘early release for good behavior’? No? Well, let me give you an example. Unless a miracle comes down from the heavens or something, you’re going to be behind bars for a looooong time. But if you give me some information I can put to good use … it might not be as long as you think.”
“Early release, huh? How early?”
“Well, that depends on what you can offer me in exchange. You’re just a mercenary, and I’m after real criminals, dear.”
Status Quo … the New One
Spoiler -
Lyra’s eighth or nineth or twelfth--she couldn’t remember anymore—missed vacation day was off to its usual start. She had three primary objectives to take care of once she was properly dressed. She had to sift through a mountain of arrest warrants that she hadn’t yet finished before her promotion, she had to check on the indentured servants from Neviskotia, and she had to oversee a weapons shipment that was coming sometime later in the afternoon. It was probably best to make certain the Neviskotians weren’t up to no good before worrying about the paperwork, and the weapon arrival wasn’t due for hours.
Her first stop was the kitchen of the fortress’ main building. It was larger than one might expect, but Lyra knew a few of her charges would be there since they were specifically assigned to ‘kitchen duty’. She didn’t know what those duties entailed on this particular day but she also didn’t care so long as they didn’t burn the area to the ground. She spotted them immediately upon entering. Liza and Liliya were washing and drying dishes respectively while Olga was sitting on an island counter wearing a huge apron and feeding her sheep with one hand while chopping carrots with a knife like an assassin with the other. Lyra grimaced when she saw what Olga was feeding the poor sheep. It was alcohol in a bottle. Light alcohol but what difference did that make in principle? She sighed heavily. “Olga, please don’t intoxicate the sheep.”
“Oh good morning, Lyra~”
“Great … it’s the buzzard, come back to check on us.” Liza muttered.
“Don’t call me that.” Lyra quickly ordered. Noticing that Nico still had a bottle held up to his mouth, she instructed Olga again. “Olga, stop making the sheep drink your extra booze and focus on your work, please.”
“Nico’s a free spirit. I give’em just enough of a buzz to keep him from getting too adventurous. That way he stays nice and calm while I work. Just ask the chefs. He’s never a handful when he’s got enough in him~”
“… whatever. It’s your sheep, but this is why we wanted him kept somewhere else. It doesn’t matter if he’s adventurous if he’s locked in a pin.”
“Tried that back home and he almost got sent to the slaughter house by mistaaaake~, no thanks~” Olga replied.
On to the next one. That really only left Bron. Where was he? She tried to recall what duties he had been assigned. It took a moment but she eventually remembered that he was handling janitorial matters. He was the least troublesome of the group to her, so she felt some sympathy for him. Tracking him down didn’t take long. He was wearing worker’s clothes and carrying around a mop, a broom, a bucket of water, and a several pairs of gloves. More sympathy surfaced. “Bron?” came her one worded greeting.
“Morning, Lieutenant. How are things?” he replied with a bit of a forced smile. He wasn’t enjoying his duties, but tried not to let it show too much.
“Things are … ironic. I suppose you haven’t heard about that incident at the museum last night?”
“Incident? No, not at all. What happened?”
“Some avian showed up, overpowered the guards, and stole Ascension. They haven’t been able to track her down.”
“Whoa …”
“Crazy … the sword you and your girlfriends came here to steal gets stolen by a woman claiming to be the original owner. A pity you didn’t get here a few days later. You could have been beaten to the punch and still had your freedom.” she noted thoughtfully.
“Or you could have been a nice avian and not gotten us arrested …” Bron prodded.
“Sorry, but you’ll just have to take solace in the fact that one of you is still free roaming about somewhere.”
“Hm? Oh … Robin.” Bron paused a moment, and then shrugged. “She’s probably back home by now … or close to it. Good for her, I guess. Maybe I’d care a bit more if she didn’t leave thinking we betrayed her. I can’t help but worry she might take a shot at me if I ever see her again.”
Lyra looked at Bron like he was being silly. “If she’s willing to shoot you, she’s just a brute. Besides, you’re working in a fortress and I’m sure she’ll be staying away from Ursian forts at all cost from now on, don’t’ you?”
“Yes, maybe she would keep her distance … well I should get back to work. These halls won’t clean themselves. Thanks for … checking in, I suppose.”
“True. Take care, Bron.” Lyra left him those parting words and went to her office. There was the mountain of paperwork she needed to finish up. She sat down in her chair and leaned forward, staring at the pages for a while. “I should be relaxing at home, right now. Or at a spa ....”
Her first stop was the kitchen of the fortress’ main building. It was larger than one might expect, but Lyra knew a few of her charges would be there since they were specifically assigned to ‘kitchen duty’. She didn’t know what those duties entailed on this particular day but she also didn’t care so long as they didn’t burn the area to the ground. She spotted them immediately upon entering. Liza and Liliya were washing and drying dishes respectively while Olga was sitting on an island counter wearing a huge apron and feeding her sheep with one hand while chopping carrots with a knife like an assassin with the other. Lyra grimaced when she saw what Olga was feeding the poor sheep. It was alcohol in a bottle. Light alcohol but what difference did that make in principle? She sighed heavily. “Olga, please don’t intoxicate the sheep.”
“Oh good morning, Lyra~”
“Great … it’s the buzzard, come back to check on us.” Liza muttered.
“Don’t call me that.” Lyra quickly ordered. Noticing that Nico still had a bottle held up to his mouth, she instructed Olga again. “Olga, stop making the sheep drink your extra booze and focus on your work, please.”
“Nico’s a free spirit. I give’em just enough of a buzz to keep him from getting too adventurous. That way he stays nice and calm while I work. Just ask the chefs. He’s never a handful when he’s got enough in him~”
“… whatever. It’s your sheep, but this is why we wanted him kept somewhere else. It doesn’t matter if he’s adventurous if he’s locked in a pin.”
“Tried that back home and he almost got sent to the slaughter house by mistaaaake~, no thanks~” Olga replied.
On to the next one. That really only left Bron. Where was he? She tried to recall what duties he had been assigned. It took a moment but she eventually remembered that he was handling janitorial matters. He was the least troublesome of the group to her, so she felt some sympathy for him. Tracking him down didn’t take long. He was wearing worker’s clothes and carrying around a mop, a broom, a bucket of water, and a several pairs of gloves. More sympathy surfaced. “Bron?” came her one worded greeting.
“Morning, Lieutenant. How are things?” he replied with a bit of a forced smile. He wasn’t enjoying his duties, but tried not to let it show too much.
“Things are … ironic. I suppose you haven’t heard about that incident at the museum last night?”
“Incident? No, not at all. What happened?”
“Some avian showed up, overpowered the guards, and stole Ascension. They haven’t been able to track her down.”
“Whoa …”
“Crazy … the sword you and your girlfriends came here to steal gets stolen by a woman claiming to be the original owner. A pity you didn’t get here a few days later. You could have been beaten to the punch and still had your freedom.” she noted thoughtfully.
“Or you could have been a nice avian and not gotten us arrested …” Bron prodded.
“Sorry, but you’ll just have to take solace in the fact that one of you is still free roaming about somewhere.”
“Hm? Oh … Robin.” Bron paused a moment, and then shrugged. “She’s probably back home by now … or close to it. Good for her, I guess. Maybe I’d care a bit more if she didn’t leave thinking we betrayed her. I can’t help but worry she might take a shot at me if I ever see her again.”
Lyra looked at Bron like he was being silly. “If she’s willing to shoot you, she’s just a brute. Besides, you’re working in a fortress and I’m sure she’ll be staying away from Ursian forts at all cost from now on, don’t’ you?”
“Yes, maybe she would keep her distance … well I should get back to work. These halls won’t clean themselves. Thanks for … checking in, I suppose.”
“True. Take care, Bron.” Lyra left him those parting words and went to her office. There was the mountain of paperwork she needed to finish up. She sat down in her chair and leaned forward, staring at the pages for a while. “I should be relaxing at home, right now. Or at a spa ....”
Lunch
Spoiler -
It was a strange time in Joanna’s life. She was still trying to find her true place in the world. She was still trying to figure out relationships with other people, and improve her social life. That was the only reason she agreed to this. That’s what she kept telling herself while she sat at a small round table outside of a restaurant, waiting for someone. Not in her usual gown, she was sporting a knee high spring dress of the same color, with short sleeves, a matching choker, and white slippers. She sat alone at the table with her arms and legs held close, and her head down between her shoulders. She was like this for all of five minutes before the person she was waiting for arrived.
The man who approached the table was dressed more casually than she was; he was wearing what appeared to be simple pants, some relatively good boots, and workman’s vest. Dressed in this simple clothing was a smiling young man. He waved over to her to get her attention before sitting down. “Glen.” She called him by name with a slight smile.
“I hope I didn’t keep you waiting long …” he said apologetically as he took a seat across from her. She immediately shook her head. “Are you …feeling nervous? I kind of am too. I usually don’t have the courage to do something like this. Uh, so … Joanna … while we wait for the waitress to notice us …”
“Huh?”
“Err-tell me about yourself.” The man found himself constantly holding his breathe and he was too distracted to bother correcting this. “Where are you from? Where’s the rest of your family?”
“… my family …?” she seemed saddened by the question, and this he did notice.
“Oh you don’t’ have to answer, I was just curious! I’m sorry! Uh … well I’ve got relatives in Sergio. I’m here in the capital because I want to perfect my art.” he hastily changed the focus from her to himself.
“Your art?” She looked up a little out of curiosity.
“Yep. I’m a forger. I’m still a novice, though. Oh right, can’t expect you to know what that is, can I? Well what I forge are magic tomes. Particularly anima tomes; those are the interesting ones.” he explained, leaning forward and going on with some natural enthusiasm. “You see, anima is the real gem in the magical arts, because it takes on so many forms. Did you know that even though you might be carrying around a fire tome, you could still cast thunder if you were proficient enough? The various tome types are necessary guides to learning to cast type of magic, but they’re only guides, and the energy tucked away inside them is all the same. The real masters can cast they’re preferred type of anima with any anima tome available. I’ve always found that so interesting~”
“Hmm, it is …” Joanna noted to herself after taking a moment to think about it on her own.
“All of you avians can use magic, right? What kind do you use? Is it light, like most I hear about or do you know some anima arts?” he inquired, seemingly hoping her answer would be anima.
Joanna lowered her head a little. “I only know how to wield light.” She could tell he was hoping for the latter to be the case, so she worded it gently for him.
“Ah, I see. Well that’s still amazing. I mean light magic is the power of healing. You’re a Mercinic, right? So it’s more fitting for you.~”
“… yes.” She nodded and smiled. The tension seemed to be going down now and she felt more comfortable. “You asked about my family … well they live far away. I’m alone in Ursium.”
“Alone? Did you leave your home?”
She nodded. “Yes. Around two years ago. You see … I’m from Aria.”
“Aria?” he echoed. He’d never heard of a place like that before.
“It’s a name shared by seven great cities. People from elsewhere only know my homeland as Aquila.” she explained in soft words, trying to keep her voice down.
“You’re an … avian? I mean an AVIAN avian, not a dark avian.”
She quickly and repeatedly shook her head, even as he asked. “I’m a dark avian. That’s why I had to leave. Most dark avians grow up outside of Aria, but I’m originally from there.”
“Why is that? Are dark avians considered evil, or something like that?”
“It’s difficult to explain to humans. Dark avians aren’t evil. They’re … they’re actually a lot like humans.” She began her seemingly lengthy explanation. Glen blushed a bit at the comparison to humans. He was making no attempt to hide that this was ‘technically’ a date. Did Joanna know this was a date? Had he implied it enough when he asked her to lunch? He was beginning to doubt it and winced a bit. “Humans have no direct connection with the great goddess Mercy. Neither do dark avians … neither do I, anymore ….” He came back down from the blushing and warm feelings when it was clear she wasn’t exactly making a compliment with the comparison, and she also seemed to have upset herself in the process.
“You use light magic, of course you have a connection with the goddess.” He tried to reassure her, all the while trying to find a way to ask her if she knew this was a date without actually asking her. What a horrible distraction this was.
“Even a fallen could learn to wield light magic if they put their minds to it. My connection was deeper … but once I lost it, I had to leave. All dark avians who lose that connection have to leave. Children of dark avians don’t have the connection either, and so no one ever returns.” she explained gloomily.
“Well that’s dumb-I-I-I-Iiiiiyamean … it’s just a bit unfair, I think. I’m not trying to insult your culture or anything. It just seems unfair to kick you out.”
“I was required by law to leave, but it was my choice, and in some ways, I’m helping my people, still. Avians can never leave Aquila, but dark avians can, and they do. I lost my connection to Mother Mercy, but like so many others in the past, I can use what remains of my life to aid those out in the world. That’s all I ever really wanted anyway. I miss home, but this is not a curse and I don’t like moping over it. It’s a duty and I’m going to do my best-oh! … I’m rambling. I’m sorry.”
“You were on a roll!~” Glen replied. “The avians live one place, the dark avians go off into the world and … spread goodness. Nothing wrong with that, though I do have to wonder why the avians confine themselves at all. I used to read about history with the avians and it’s pretty dark. It even led to the fallen, but is that reason enough to isolate themselves for good?”
“Avian teachings aren’t compatible with human teachings. The Order of Mercy has made concessions where the avians, the goddess’ own people, would not. All four orders have made compromises to coexist, and avians don’t compromise.”
“I see …”
“They say I’m stubborn too …” she added as an afterthought, looking a bit sad again. “Um, Glen?”
“Yeah? What is it?”
“So, what do you think? Of the avians, I mean. I usually keep things like that to myself. I keep it to myself because there aren’t people in my life that I … trust. I also keep it to myself for my own safety. Most people assume any dark avian they run into is from Ursium, Neviskotia, or Kigen. A dark avian showing up directly from Aria is very rare, and some people want to … learn more about Aria by questioning or … interrogating dark avians originally from there.”
“That’s cruel …” suddenly a thought occurred. Wait, does she trust me?! That could be a good sign!
“I hate keeping all of this to myself, though. I’m just, looking for an honest opinion. If I don’t tell someone, I’ll … I’ll start talking to myself, again ….”
Oh, she’s just desperate. Aww. “Well …” How to word this … “The avians stick to their principles. You have to give them credit for that. Seems like they can’t let go of the past though.”
“… the past is glaring at them from south of Kigen …” Joanna quietly noted, speaking of the Fallen. “Those people are … a great shame to avians. We all have the potential within us to become fallen, and it’s difficult to accept that.”
“… well it is hard to imagine you as a raven winged monster that eats children and moves through walls.” Glen admitted as he pictured it.
“I’m a good example of how an avian should be, then~ … if you can’t imagine me as anything else, that is. Thank you.” She cheered up immediately and put on a wide smile.
Progress!
OoC:
The man who approached the table was dressed more casually than she was; he was wearing what appeared to be simple pants, some relatively good boots, and workman’s vest. Dressed in this simple clothing was a smiling young man. He waved over to her to get her attention before sitting down. “Glen.” She called him by name with a slight smile.
“I hope I didn’t keep you waiting long …” he said apologetically as he took a seat across from her. She immediately shook her head. “Are you …feeling nervous? I kind of am too. I usually don’t have the courage to do something like this. Uh, so … Joanna … while we wait for the waitress to notice us …”
“Huh?”
“Err-tell me about yourself.” The man found himself constantly holding his breathe and he was too distracted to bother correcting this. “Where are you from? Where’s the rest of your family?”
“… my family …?” she seemed saddened by the question, and this he did notice.
“Oh you don’t’ have to answer, I was just curious! I’m sorry! Uh … well I’ve got relatives in Sergio. I’m here in the capital because I want to perfect my art.” he hastily changed the focus from her to himself.
“Your art?” She looked up a little out of curiosity.
“Yep. I’m a forger. I’m still a novice, though. Oh right, can’t expect you to know what that is, can I? Well what I forge are magic tomes. Particularly anima tomes; those are the interesting ones.” he explained, leaning forward and going on with some natural enthusiasm. “You see, anima is the real gem in the magical arts, because it takes on so many forms. Did you know that even though you might be carrying around a fire tome, you could still cast thunder if you were proficient enough? The various tome types are necessary guides to learning to cast type of magic, but they’re only guides, and the energy tucked away inside them is all the same. The real masters can cast they’re preferred type of anima with any anima tome available. I’ve always found that so interesting~”
“Hmm, it is …” Joanna noted to herself after taking a moment to think about it on her own.
“All of you avians can use magic, right? What kind do you use? Is it light, like most I hear about or do you know some anima arts?” he inquired, seemingly hoping her answer would be anima.
Joanna lowered her head a little. “I only know how to wield light.” She could tell he was hoping for the latter to be the case, so she worded it gently for him.
“Ah, I see. Well that’s still amazing. I mean light magic is the power of healing. You’re a Mercinic, right? So it’s more fitting for you.~”
“… yes.” She nodded and smiled. The tension seemed to be going down now and she felt more comfortable. “You asked about my family … well they live far away. I’m alone in Ursium.”
“Alone? Did you leave your home?”
She nodded. “Yes. Around two years ago. You see … I’m from Aria.”
“Aria?” he echoed. He’d never heard of a place like that before.
“It’s a name shared by seven great cities. People from elsewhere only know my homeland as Aquila.” she explained in soft words, trying to keep her voice down.
“You’re an … avian? I mean an AVIAN avian, not a dark avian.”
She quickly and repeatedly shook her head, even as he asked. “I’m a dark avian. That’s why I had to leave. Most dark avians grow up outside of Aria, but I’m originally from there.”
“Why is that? Are dark avians considered evil, or something like that?”
“It’s difficult to explain to humans. Dark avians aren’t evil. They’re … they’re actually a lot like humans.” She began her seemingly lengthy explanation. Glen blushed a bit at the comparison to humans. He was making no attempt to hide that this was ‘technically’ a date. Did Joanna know this was a date? Had he implied it enough when he asked her to lunch? He was beginning to doubt it and winced a bit. “Humans have no direct connection with the great goddess Mercy. Neither do dark avians … neither do I, anymore ….” He came back down from the blushing and warm feelings when it was clear she wasn’t exactly making a compliment with the comparison, and she also seemed to have upset herself in the process.
“You use light magic, of course you have a connection with the goddess.” He tried to reassure her, all the while trying to find a way to ask her if she knew this was a date without actually asking her. What a horrible distraction this was.
“Even a fallen could learn to wield light magic if they put their minds to it. My connection was deeper … but once I lost it, I had to leave. All dark avians who lose that connection have to leave. Children of dark avians don’t have the connection either, and so no one ever returns.” she explained gloomily.
“Well that’s dumb-I-I-I-Iiiiiyamean … it’s just a bit unfair, I think. I’m not trying to insult your culture or anything. It just seems unfair to kick you out.”
“I was required by law to leave, but it was my choice, and in some ways, I’m helping my people, still. Avians can never leave Aquila, but dark avians can, and they do. I lost my connection to Mother Mercy, but like so many others in the past, I can use what remains of my life to aid those out in the world. That’s all I ever really wanted anyway. I miss home, but this is not a curse and I don’t like moping over it. It’s a duty and I’m going to do my best-oh! … I’m rambling. I’m sorry.”
“You were on a roll!~” Glen replied. “The avians live one place, the dark avians go off into the world and … spread goodness. Nothing wrong with that, though I do have to wonder why the avians confine themselves at all. I used to read about history with the avians and it’s pretty dark. It even led to the fallen, but is that reason enough to isolate themselves for good?”
“Avian teachings aren’t compatible with human teachings. The Order of Mercy has made concessions where the avians, the goddess’ own people, would not. All four orders have made compromises to coexist, and avians don’t compromise.”
“I see …”
“They say I’m stubborn too …” she added as an afterthought, looking a bit sad again. “Um, Glen?”
“Yeah? What is it?”
“So, what do you think? Of the avians, I mean. I usually keep things like that to myself. I keep it to myself because there aren’t people in my life that I … trust. I also keep it to myself for my own safety. Most people assume any dark avian they run into is from Ursium, Neviskotia, or Kigen. A dark avian showing up directly from Aria is very rare, and some people want to … learn more about Aria by questioning or … interrogating dark avians originally from there.”
“That’s cruel …” suddenly a thought occurred. Wait, does she trust me?! That could be a good sign!
“I hate keeping all of this to myself, though. I’m just, looking for an honest opinion. If I don’t tell someone, I’ll … I’ll start talking to myself, again ….”
Oh, she’s just desperate. Aww. “Well …” How to word this … “The avians stick to their principles. You have to give them credit for that. Seems like they can’t let go of the past though.”
“… the past is glaring at them from south of Kigen …” Joanna quietly noted, speaking of the Fallen. “Those people are … a great shame to avians. We all have the potential within us to become fallen, and it’s difficult to accept that.”
“… well it is hard to imagine you as a raven winged monster that eats children and moves through walls.” Glen admitted as he pictured it.
“I’m a good example of how an avian should be, then~ … if you can’t imagine me as anything else, that is. Thank you.” She cheered up immediately and put on a wide smile.
Progress!
OoC:
Spoiler -
Will this Glen fellow continue down a zigzagging path to Joanna’s heart? Will he win the love of this somewhat altruistic winged maiden of suicidal tendencies? Find out next time on RotE!
Now please move along to the next segment. I’m tired of writing about this, and the latter half is just not coming to me right now.
Now please move along to the next segment. I’m tired of writing about this, and the latter half is just not coming to me right now.
Northward Bound
Spoiler -
Sailing along the West Sardian Channel was a small unmarked vessel; destination unknown. A woman dressed in a dark crimson dress and a veil stood mostly alone in the shade of the main mast. A small black raven was perched on her shoulder; Naoki. “You. Woman.” One of the skinny crewmen tried to get her attention. “You should not be here. Passengers need to stay below the deck. No exceptions.”
“I am not spending another moment down there with those … people.” Chie replied. She seemed to have had an incident or was made uncomfortable at the very least. It made the crewman wonder what happened down there to ‘chase’ her up here, but it was more important to enforce the ship’s rules than worry about things like that.
“You need to go back down below. I don’t want to have to bring you to the captain.”
“… no, you don’t. Hear my case. Several of the people you are bringing to Sergio Port are borderline brigands. I’ve been pestered by these individuals repeatedly since we left Kigen. If they continue to harass me, I’ll be forced to deal with them. Harshly. I am hoping we can avoid a needless confrontation by staying up here.” she explained.
“Your problems with other passengers are none of our business. You paid for passage to Ursium, not luxury or protection.”
“Very well. I’m sorry for trespassing. I also apologize in advance should the screams of the fools down there reach your ears and distract you from your work.” She turned around and headed for the lower deck at a brisk pace.
“Screams …?”
Surely enough, sometime within the next five minutes … “SNAAAAKES!!! WHOOOOOOOOAAAAAGH!!!”
“What, snakes?!” the same crewman asked anyone willing to answer. He was looking all over the place but saw nothing but other crewmen. It must have come from below the main deck. “… did that woman smuggle a bird AND snakes onto the ship?!” he realized and he along with several others quickly headed down below. When they arrived at the source of the screaming, they saw every last passenger save for Chie backed up against the walls of the ship. That was no sanctuary from the four snakes slowly slithering toward them, several of them took the time to hiss at some of the men as they drew closer. Chie was standing roughly at the center of the room and had an additional two snakes on her body; one climbing along her right arm and onto her shoulder, and the other coming out of her left sleeve and wrapping around her arm.
“As you men can now see with your own eyes, the only things that await you underneath this dress are venomous fangs.” she then noticed the crewman from earlier and gave him a blank stare. “As I said before … I apologize for the screams.” Having addressed him, she returned her attention to the fearful men who appeared to be ready to try their hands at climbing up to the ceiling just to escape the approaching serpents.
“We get it, okay?! We get it! Just call them off, already! Please!” one of the men pleaded.
“Very well, but do not speak to me, again. I do not carry any antidotes with me; I believe people should pay for their foolishness, harsh though it may be.” With that, the snakes turned around and Chie knelt down to receive them. The four snakes slithered up her arms as she stood up, they all vanished into her sleeves, much to the disgust and dismay of the men watching. “Perhaps the rest of this voyage will be quiet and peaceful. I had almost given up hope.”
“I am not spending another moment down there with those … people.” Chie replied. She seemed to have had an incident or was made uncomfortable at the very least. It made the crewman wonder what happened down there to ‘chase’ her up here, but it was more important to enforce the ship’s rules than worry about things like that.
“You need to go back down below. I don’t want to have to bring you to the captain.”
“… no, you don’t. Hear my case. Several of the people you are bringing to Sergio Port are borderline brigands. I’ve been pestered by these individuals repeatedly since we left Kigen. If they continue to harass me, I’ll be forced to deal with them. Harshly. I am hoping we can avoid a needless confrontation by staying up here.” she explained.
“Your problems with other passengers are none of our business. You paid for passage to Ursium, not luxury or protection.”
“Very well. I’m sorry for trespassing. I also apologize in advance should the screams of the fools down there reach your ears and distract you from your work.” She turned around and headed for the lower deck at a brisk pace.
“Screams …?”
Surely enough, sometime within the next five minutes … “SNAAAAKES!!! WHOOOOOOOOAAAAAGH!!!”
“What, snakes?!” the same crewman asked anyone willing to answer. He was looking all over the place but saw nothing but other crewmen. It must have come from below the main deck. “… did that woman smuggle a bird AND snakes onto the ship?!” he realized and he along with several others quickly headed down below. When they arrived at the source of the screaming, they saw every last passenger save for Chie backed up against the walls of the ship. That was no sanctuary from the four snakes slowly slithering toward them, several of them took the time to hiss at some of the men as they drew closer. Chie was standing roughly at the center of the room and had an additional two snakes on her body; one climbing along her right arm and onto her shoulder, and the other coming out of her left sleeve and wrapping around her arm.
“As you men can now see with your own eyes, the only things that await you underneath this dress are venomous fangs.” she then noticed the crewman from earlier and gave him a blank stare. “As I said before … I apologize for the screams.” Having addressed him, she returned her attention to the fearful men who appeared to be ready to try their hands at climbing up to the ceiling just to escape the approaching serpents.
“We get it, okay?! We get it! Just call them off, already! Please!” one of the men pleaded.
“Very well, but do not speak to me, again. I do not carry any antidotes with me; I believe people should pay for their foolishness, harsh though it may be.” With that, the snakes turned around and Chie knelt down to receive them. The four snakes slithered up her arms as she stood up, they all vanished into her sleeves, much to the disgust and dismay of the men watching. “Perhaps the rest of this voyage will be quiet and peaceful. I had almost given up hope.”
Plans
Spoiler -
Staying at the Weyland estate and helping fill out security for the past few days had been almost worthwhile, but if not for the letter Weyland told her about, she would not have stayed. The estate was holding five fallen, after all, and only three of them were captives. The other was a would-be empress, and the other was a would-be emperor. That was just too much for her. The gold to support her family and those of her fallen brothers had already been sent off and she had little reason left to stay. After writing a short letter and sending it off hoping it would reach Katsu, she prepared to depart for Kigen.
She had the misfortune of running into Siv of all people before reaching the front door. She was wearing one of the estate’s many maid outfits, only one in her size, and with some modifications made to account for the wings. She was dusting things left and right, and doing a poor job of it, but she stopped when she saw Atsuko trying to walk by her. The door wasn’t too far away, so she hoped she could make it by the fallen without an interaction, but Siv spoke up in her own language. <”Where are you going?”>
Atsuko stopped in her tracks, looked down at her feet and sighed. <”I’m going back to Kigen. My family … all of our families should be well off for quite a while, now. That’s good, but I can’t stay here, and I need to see Katsu. It’s because of him that I even survived.”>
<”I won’t be here much longer, either. Lord Valdimarr will come for me.”>
<”He sent those other fallen that got captured. He’s probably too busy to come himself.”>
<”It’s not just me, anymore. Norn is here too. He’ll come for us.”>
<”And fall right into whatever trap Steinn has planned.”> Atusko amended.
<”Lord Valdimarr will … think of something ….”> Siv tried to assure both Atsuko and herself while she slowly lowered the duster.
Part of me hopes he doesn’t let her down … even though that would be disastrous. On the other hand … Ursium and Neviskotia would have to open their eyes and pay attention to what’s going on in the south if fallen start rampaging up here. That might actually be worth it in the long run. <”Goodbye, Siv. For what it’s worth, you aren’t … bad person, I just think you grew up in the wrong society. You might even make a decent human being.”>
<”You too!”> Siv replied quickly, hoping to catch Atsuko before she left. <”You would be a good fallen … I think …”> Siv was only trying to be polite but Atsuko cringed at the thought.
<”… t-thanks.”> She then left the estate behind, possibly for good.
She had the misfortune of running into Siv of all people before reaching the front door. She was wearing one of the estate’s many maid outfits, only one in her size, and with some modifications made to account for the wings. She was dusting things left and right, and doing a poor job of it, but she stopped when she saw Atsuko trying to walk by her. The door wasn’t too far away, so she hoped she could make it by the fallen without an interaction, but Siv spoke up in her own language. <”Where are you going?”>
Atsuko stopped in her tracks, looked down at her feet and sighed. <”I’m going back to Kigen. My family … all of our families should be well off for quite a while, now. That’s good, but I can’t stay here, and I need to see Katsu. It’s because of him that I even survived.”>
<”I won’t be here much longer, either. Lord Valdimarr will come for me.”>
<”He sent those other fallen that got captured. He’s probably too busy to come himself.”>
<”It’s not just me, anymore. Norn is here too. He’ll come for us.”>
<”And fall right into whatever trap Steinn has planned.”> Atusko amended.
<”Lord Valdimarr will … think of something ….”> Siv tried to assure both Atsuko and herself while she slowly lowered the duster.
Part of me hopes he doesn’t let her down … even though that would be disastrous. On the other hand … Ursium and Neviskotia would have to open their eyes and pay attention to what’s going on in the south if fallen start rampaging up here. That might actually be worth it in the long run. <”Goodbye, Siv. For what it’s worth, you aren’t … bad person, I just think you grew up in the wrong society. You might even make a decent human being.”>
<”You too!”> Siv replied quickly, hoping to catch Atsuko before she left. <”You would be a good fallen … I think …”> Siv was only trying to be polite but Atsuko cringed at the thought.
<”… t-thanks.”> She then left the estate behind, possibly for good.
Recovery
Spoiler -
Katsu had sent off his letter hoping it would reach Weyland and eventually reach Atsuko, but some days had passed, and he had reached a point of hopeless wondering. With the pain from his injuries still clinging to him like a bad reminder of his battle with the White Devil, he was unable to train or do anything else that might take his mind off of Atsuko. All he could do was wait in bed. He was in an infirmary in a Kigen barracks, he recalled. Breakfast was waiting for him too, it seemed, but he wasn’t hungry just yet. For the moment he was content to exercise his hearing and listen to the various sounds around him … mostly soldiers chatting in other areas, though at one point, he could hear the morning drills. The soldiers could train and get stronger, but he couldn’t, what a bother.
Passage
Spoiler -
Searching for a ship was Gabriel’s goal in heading east. Not just any ship, but one willing to brave the waters of the Far East. His best chance for accomplishing this would be to search for Neviskotian sailors or those that frequented Neviskotian waters. It would be difficult to cross into Neviskotia with the blockade set up in northern Central, but fortunately for him, he managed to find a ship on the Ursian side of the blockade. The name of the ship was the Al-Lyrae, a large treasure galleon with blazing red sails and gold trimming throughout the hull. The captain was none other than Giovanni Devlin. It seemed the terms of the agreement were still being discussed on the main deck. The ship was docked and had its loading ramp down with the crew carrying quite a bit of supplies to and fro. Rico and Fira were standing close by while Gabriel and Giovanni talked.
“Right, we may need you to be at a certain place.”
“Hmm …” Giovanni stroked his beard a bit. “Do you have any preferred ports, or will this be completely random for us?”
“We may need to bypass the Neviskotian blockade, so Urquium is a good bet. Sergio if we can’t leave from Urquium for whatever reason.” Gabriel replied.
“You know this is going to cost you a small fortune, right, Gabriel? Asking a captain to keep his ship just ready and waiting for up to a month when he could be pursuing his own dreams is a lot to ask. Forget the fact that there’s some potential danger in where you’re asking us to sail.” Giovanni pointed out with his arms crossed.
“I figured it would be expensive, but it can’t be helped. Just tell me how much you need, and I’ll see how much I can pay you up front.”
“One hundred thousand. Can’t go a copper lower.” Gio said sternly.
“.. yikes. I’ve only got twenty … and not all of it with me of course.”
“Sorry to hear that.” he muttered.
“Don’t be. There’s still time to make up the difference, and if you’ll work with me, you might come out of this with more than a hundred thousand.”
“What are you getting at?”
“We don’t do I.O.U.s, Gabriel.” Rico warned, crossing his arms and giving the white haired man a bit of cold stare.
“I was thinking of actually making up the difference in various ways.”
“How?”
“Well it wouldn’t be long term, but I could work off some of the payment. I’m also told I’m a decent fighter if you’re looking for an extra. If you’d rather be more direct about it, I could also enter a local tournament and try to win some of the money that way. There are a lot of options so I’m not all that concerned with your price. It’s just the difference of ‘when’ I can pay you.”
“Heheh. You really want our boat, don’t you? Well I won’t say no to that. Let me see what you’ve got, Gabriel. Then we’ll see if you’re worth hiring as a mercenary.” Gio declared. Rico, Fira, pretend he’s a pirate or something and let’em have it.” Both of them nodded. “If you can take on both of them and win you’ll have me convinced, Gabe. I’ll even double your credit toward the payment, but I’m sure you’ll just have to settle for ‘staying conscious’, heheheh.”
“We’ll see.” Gabriel smiled back and then turned to face his opponents.
Gabriel
HP: 9 STR: 6 MAG: 0 SKL: 12 SPD: 18 LCK: 2 DEF: 3 RES: 3
Weapon 1: Xion
HP: 27 MT: 6(24 D or D) Hit: 12 Evade: 20(+10 vs Range/Siege and Guns) AS: 18(14=x2 atk if Xion; 9=x3 atk if Xion) Defense: 3 Resistance: 3
Rico
HP: 6 STR: 0 MAG: 11 SKL: 9 SPD: 7 LCK: 3 DEF: 3 RES: 6
Weapon 1: Centauri
HP: 18 MT: 11(22 if A)(18 if FP) Hit: 9 Evade: 10 AS: 7 Defense: 3(14 if AWT) Resistance: 6
Fira
HP: 9 STR: 2 MAG: 12 SKL: 10 SPD: 15 LCK: 0 DEF: 4 RES: 12
Weapon 1: Fire Blast
Weapon 2: Blaze
Weapon 3: CQC
HP: 27 MT: 2/12(21 if FB) Hit: 10(20 if B) Evade: 15 AS: 15 Defense: 4 Resistance: 12
“Let’s go! Fight!” Gio ordered. Rico went first, pulling out his fire tome. Rico rolls 5,3,2!
MIS-“Uh nope.” Gabriel interrupted me to point out the Myrmidon class ability. Gabriel rolls 3,2,2!
CRITICAL HIT!
-10 hp!
Gabriel doubles! Rolls 2,4,4!
CRITICAL HIT!
-14 hp!
KO!
Gabriel hp 27/27
Rico hp 0/18
Fira hp 27/27
“ARGH!!!” Rico went sailing to the ground, Gabriel having somehow struck him from two different directions in a fraction of a second. Fira prepared an attack of her own(Blaze), but Gabriel beat her to the punch as well. Gabriel rolls 4,5,6!
HIT!
-7 hp!
Fira counters! Rolls 5,4,3!
HIT!
-13 hp
Gabriel hp 14/27
Rico hp 0/18
Fira hp 20/27
Gabriel quickly struck Fira, but holding back so he wouldn’t cause a serious injury proved a costly mistake when she went all out, surrounding him in a ring of fire. She almost burned him alive, and would have had he not leaped away in time. Fortunately, only his boots and coat tails were damaged, the boots a bit cooked and his coat tails thoroughly charred. “Careful, Gabriel. Fira here is the real deal.”
Gabriel +2 hp
Gabriel hp 16/27
Gabriel rolls 5,2,3!
HIT!
-4 hp
Fira counters! Rolls 3,6,3!
AUTO HIT!
-15 hp
Gabriel hp 1/27
Rico hp 0/18
Fira hp 14/27
Fira’s healing factor activates! +13 hp
Fira hp 27/27
“… you’ve got to be kidding me.” Gabriel forced out a heavy sigh. His latest attack was even weaker than the last due to his insistence on not causing an injury she would need to see a healer for, and then she suddenly blasted him at close range and then healed herself. Gabriel shook his head. Her initial wounds were just plain gone. He wasn’t beaten in earnest, but that healing factor had set him back quite a ways, and he knew it was time to forfeit the match. “Okay, Fira, you win.” he declared, using his sword for support.
“Not bad, Gabriel. You lost, but you didn’t draw those fancy pistols of yours on my crewmen, either. I respect that. I get that you’re strong, but that kind of restraint is just as important. I think you and I can work something out, after all.”
“Well that’s good, I was starting to get worried there for a second, heheh.” Gabriel replied, panting a bit. Wow, I am getting rusty. I’d better consider getting back in shape before someone who’s actually dangerous decides they don’t like me …
While Gio congratulated Gabriel, Fira held up Rico’s barely conscious form and rested his head on her lap. “Tell me you gave him what for …” Rico asked her. She nodded. “… good.” Having confirmed the match results, he promptly passed out.
“Right, we may need you to be at a certain place.”
“Hmm …” Giovanni stroked his beard a bit. “Do you have any preferred ports, or will this be completely random for us?”
“We may need to bypass the Neviskotian blockade, so Urquium is a good bet. Sergio if we can’t leave from Urquium for whatever reason.” Gabriel replied.
“You know this is going to cost you a small fortune, right, Gabriel? Asking a captain to keep his ship just ready and waiting for up to a month when he could be pursuing his own dreams is a lot to ask. Forget the fact that there’s some potential danger in where you’re asking us to sail.” Giovanni pointed out with his arms crossed.
“I figured it would be expensive, but it can’t be helped. Just tell me how much you need, and I’ll see how much I can pay you up front.”
“One hundred thousand. Can’t go a copper lower.” Gio said sternly.
“.. yikes. I’ve only got twenty … and not all of it with me of course.”
“Sorry to hear that.” he muttered.
“Don’t be. There’s still time to make up the difference, and if you’ll work with me, you might come out of this with more than a hundred thousand.”
“What are you getting at?”
“We don’t do I.O.U.s, Gabriel.” Rico warned, crossing his arms and giving the white haired man a bit of cold stare.
“I was thinking of actually making up the difference in various ways.”
“How?”
“Well it wouldn’t be long term, but I could work off some of the payment. I’m also told I’m a decent fighter if you’re looking for an extra. If you’d rather be more direct about it, I could also enter a local tournament and try to win some of the money that way. There are a lot of options so I’m not all that concerned with your price. It’s just the difference of ‘when’ I can pay you.”
“Heheh. You really want our boat, don’t you? Well I won’t say no to that. Let me see what you’ve got, Gabriel. Then we’ll see if you’re worth hiring as a mercenary.” Gio declared. Rico, Fira, pretend he’s a pirate or something and let’em have it.” Both of them nodded. “If you can take on both of them and win you’ll have me convinced, Gabe. I’ll even double your credit toward the payment, but I’m sure you’ll just have to settle for ‘staying conscious’, heheheh.”
“We’ll see.” Gabriel smiled back and then turned to face his opponents.
Gabriel
HP: 9 STR: 6 MAG: 0 SKL: 12 SPD: 18 LCK: 2 DEF: 3 RES: 3
Weapon 1: Xion
HP: 27 MT: 6(24 D or D) Hit: 12 Evade: 20(+10 vs Range/Siege and Guns) AS: 18(14=x2 atk if Xion; 9=x3 atk if Xion) Defense: 3 Resistance: 3
Rico
HP: 6 STR: 0 MAG: 11 SKL: 9 SPD: 7 LCK: 3 DEF: 3 RES: 6
Weapon 1: Centauri
HP: 18 MT: 11(22 if A)(18 if FP) Hit: 9 Evade: 10 AS: 7 Defense: 3(14 if AWT) Resistance: 6
Fira
HP: 9 STR: 2 MAG: 12 SKL: 10 SPD: 15 LCK: 0 DEF: 4 RES: 12
Weapon 1: Fire Blast
Weapon 2: Blaze
Weapon 3: CQC
HP: 27 MT: 2/12(21 if FB) Hit: 10(20 if B) Evade: 15 AS: 15 Defense: 4 Resistance: 12
“Let’s go! Fight!” Gio ordered. Rico went first, pulling out his fire tome. Rico rolls 5,3,2!
MIS-“Uh nope.” Gabriel interrupted me to point out the Myrmidon class ability. Gabriel rolls 3,2,2!
CRITICAL HIT!
-10 hp!
Gabriel doubles! Rolls 2,4,4!
CRITICAL HIT!
-14 hp!
KO!
Gabriel hp 27/27
Rico hp 0/18
Fira hp 27/27
“ARGH!!!” Rico went sailing to the ground, Gabriel having somehow struck him from two different directions in a fraction of a second. Fira prepared an attack of her own(Blaze), but Gabriel beat her to the punch as well. Gabriel rolls 4,5,6!
HIT!
-7 hp!
Fira counters! Rolls 5,4,3!
HIT!
-13 hp
Gabriel hp 14/27
Rico hp 0/18
Fira hp 20/27
Gabriel quickly struck Fira, but holding back so he wouldn’t cause a serious injury proved a costly mistake when she went all out, surrounding him in a ring of fire. She almost burned him alive, and would have had he not leaped away in time. Fortunately, only his boots and coat tails were damaged, the boots a bit cooked and his coat tails thoroughly charred. “Careful, Gabriel. Fira here is the real deal.”
Gabriel +2 hp
Gabriel hp 16/27
Gabriel rolls 5,2,3!
HIT!
-4 hp
Fira counters! Rolls 3,6,3!
AUTO HIT!
-15 hp
Gabriel hp 1/27
Rico hp 0/18
Fira hp 14/27
Fira’s healing factor activates! +13 hp
Fira hp 27/27
“… you’ve got to be kidding me.” Gabriel forced out a heavy sigh. His latest attack was even weaker than the last due to his insistence on not causing an injury she would need to see a healer for, and then she suddenly blasted him at close range and then healed herself. Gabriel shook his head. Her initial wounds were just plain gone. He wasn’t beaten in earnest, but that healing factor had set him back quite a ways, and he knew it was time to forfeit the match. “Okay, Fira, you win.” he declared, using his sword for support.
“Not bad, Gabriel. You lost, but you didn’t draw those fancy pistols of yours on my crewmen, either. I respect that. I get that you’re strong, but that kind of restraint is just as important. I think you and I can work something out, after all.”
“Well that’s good, I was starting to get worried there for a second, heheh.” Gabriel replied, panting a bit. Wow, I am getting rusty. I’d better consider getting back in shape before someone who’s actually dangerous decides they don’t like me …
While Gio congratulated Gabriel, Fira held up Rico’s barely conscious form and rested his head on her lap. “Tell me you gave him what for …” Rico asked her. She nodded. “… good.” Having confirmed the match results, he promptly passed out.
L.F.G.
Spoiler -
Meeting the assassin Gabriel had been a wondrous event for Simon, but he was soon forced to face a grim reality once the man had departed. ‘What next?’ He was only an information broker, and soon Cecily and Clara would drop him back off at his mother’s house. He didn’t really want to go back. He wanted desperately to remain active … to remain out and about. He thought up excuse after excuse of why he had to continue traveling with them long in advance so that when the time came and either of them made it obvious that they planned to dump him soon, he could quickly counter and make his case.
The time came when they made it back to the Ursian mainland and crossed over the lower edges of the mountains. “Well, another day or so and you can tell your mother you shook the hand of an assassin. You may want to just stick with that part, by the way. No need to tell her you also tried to make out with the assassin ....”
“It was not an attempt to ‘make out’! I was simply trying to give an appreciative kiss on the cheek! Have you never heard of such things?!” Simon was so concerned with defending himself that he forgot to use the opportunity to bring up his grouping woes. “It is not strange for a man to kiss another man on the cheek …”
“Sure, but … why?”
“Never mind that! There is something I should bring to your attention, ladies. I um … I think it would be best if I did not return to my mother’s house at this time.”
“… huuuh?” Cecily was suspicious already.
The time came when they made it back to the Ursian mainland and crossed over the lower edges of the mountains. “Well, another day or so and you can tell your mother you shook the hand of an assassin. You may want to just stick with that part, by the way. No need to tell her you also tried to make out with the assassin ....”
“It was not an attempt to ‘make out’! I was simply trying to give an appreciative kiss on the cheek! Have you never heard of such things?!” Simon was so concerned with defending himself that he forgot to use the opportunity to bring up his grouping woes. “It is not strange for a man to kiss another man on the cheek …”
“Sure, but … why?”
“Never mind that! There is something I should bring to your attention, ladies. I um … I think it would be best if I did not return to my mother’s house at this time.”
“… huuuh?” Cecily was suspicious already.
Edited by Phoenix, 11 June 2012 - 12:17 AM.
