Return of the Emblem Chapter Eight: Affairs of the World

[GoD]

Chelsea tilted her head slightly to right, then quickly followed Gytha, trying to keep up with her.

"But what seems to be the problem?"- the troubador asked. "Do you want to go outside the city? Why?"- she asked the mariner.

[ReformBlade]

"Oh yeah you're a lancer like me. What's wrong with your current one, aside from it being temporary? Is it, like, gonna break in the middle of a fight? Because that would indeed suuuuuck." Bread finished, she now propped her head on her hands. "I'm sure they could help you out with that. And it's not like you'd be asking a massive favor, right? They all seem to be very friendly, and on top of it very prompt..." Smiling lazily, Aneda eye'd some more bread, "Just saying~."

[-Cynthia-]

Veronika

"Trading would probably benefit both parties here, but the customs of this place are a little...odd. Maybe if you got approval from one of the maidens or something, people would be more inclined to trade with you. Not that I have any idea if the maidens would agree with such a thing, but it's a place to start. And if they won't do it originally we could have Amon ask on our behalf," she suggested to Raquel.

[Phoenix]

Raquel

"I wouldn't want to head into town first only to find they don't want to trade with us, so I will ask a maiden about it first. Now where to find one." Raquel trailed off, wondering if perhaps Rasha was around somewhere.

Gabbie

"For someone just startin' out, this would be an ideal lance. I've been doin' this for years, though, and my weapon of choice is locked away in Weyland's basement level somewhere. Punishment for me kickin' Raquel's ass so hard. I miss Geminoi so much ...." she grimaced, thinking back to her last use of the weapon; how easily she defeated Raquel and Chip; how portable the weapon was.

Lulu and Guardsmen

Seeing Gytha's change in tactics, the guards changed their entire formation without missing a beat and surrounded Gytha, all standing firm with their arms crossed. "Sometimes the only 'support' one can offer is moral. Are all you good for is showing up for a fight?" Lulu inquired rudely.

Amon and Malik

The Tide camp was calm for hours, nothing was amiss and the men and women shared stories, food, drink, and battle strategies as the night drug on. Malik's plan to quickly bomb their supplies and fight their way out was quickly shot down by Amon when he realized that they did not necessarily have to keep to a particular time table so long as no one escaped with information about Sanctuary's location. They kept careful watch over the camp well into the early morning hours. Once it was well past midnight, most of the camp was asleep, a few stayed up to recon the area. Malik quickly considered another form of violence, though he felt it necessary for their sake; take out the sentries so they can plant the explosives without being spotted. Amon was against it, and wanted to sneak around or knock them out if necessary. The whispered argument continued.

<"I know what Lulu said, but it's too risky to try to do this without killing anyone, and knockouts are completely unreliable."> Malik argued, examining his closed fist for a moment.

<"Quit letting your bias get in the way ... knockouts are good enough for what we're trying to do here, and they'll have less reason to hate us Sancturans after their surrender if we don't kill anyone here. Don't resort to murder just because it's all you're good at!"> Amon shot back, keeping his voice down.

<"I'm not throwing my life away on a gamble, you moron!">

<"Okay I have an idea ... and if we each do our part, we'll complete our mission and make it out of here alive.">

Malik gave an eyeroll, but then curiosity took hold and he sighed. Amon was clearly waiting for him to ask, and so he did. <"Alright, how is this going to work?">

<"Simple. You plant the bombs on their supplies and QUIETLY pour their extra water onto the ground. Leave them just what they have on them so they can make it to Sanctuary and nowhere else. While you do that, I'll take out the sentries and plant Lulu's letter. Once they're down, you set off the explosives and we'll get back to Haythem and fly out of here.">

<"Hmm ... not bad, but let's let Haythem know, first. Their fire's out, so it'll be easier to get back there. I'll tell him, and then I'll come back and start planting the bombs and running the fuse line. See if you can't take out one or two of them while I'm gone.">

<"Sure ... I guess.">

[Mercakete]

Gytha shrugged, having stopped when the guards surrounded her. "I never asked 'im. No way fer me t' judge if I'm good at that 'r not," she replied to the priestess. Chelsea began asking questions from outside the ring of guards, so she responded, "Me teammate n' good friend, Amon, is in trouble, but these people seem t' not want t' let me go." She had to think about what she was going to do now since she couldn't go over, under or around the guards and she didn't want to have to go through them. Hmm... Maybe I can after all... Gytha began walking backwards a few steps, then, she dashed forward and tried to jump over the ring of guards. However, she couldn't jump as high as she needed to and wound up just tackling two of them down on accident and rolled forward. She didn't want to miss this chance and so just kept running, looking for a way out and heading to the cloest one she saw.

[Phoenix]

Measures

The victimized guards weren't sure what to expect when Gytha came running at them beyond a tackle, but her leap into the air caught them off guard, leaving them almost helpless when she hit them. The other guards broke formation and chased after her while the two downed guards picked themselves up. Lulu had kicked her pegasus into flight the instant Gytha ran toward the guards, and had flown ahead of the moving group and cut off the nearest wall entry way. The guards standing by it didn't know what to think. <"I did not want it to come to this, but she is too stubborn for her own good."> she noted bitterly before waving the guards at the entry point over. With her pegasus and two other guards blocking the way, she pulled out a tome from her pegasus' right saddlebag. It was a heavy looking gold lined tome with a large circular symbol in the center, most likely an earth tome. "Stop right where you are!" she demanded, already in the motions of casting.

[Mercakete]

"By Leviathan!" Gytha shouted in surprise as she switftly changed directions and began running at the next exit. She was castin' at me! Why was she castin' at me?! What'd I do?

[Phoenix]

Founder

"I said halt!" Lulu shouted, quickly putting all of her energy into one spell. She reached out with a hand grasping in Gytha's general direction A large cart, and even a supply wagon loaded up with supplies rolled out into the open and blocked Gytha's way. One of the soldiers was relieved to see the High Priestess taking the environment into consideration, not liking the idea of the pavement being ruined by an upheaval attack just to stop one mad mercenary woman from running off into the desert. Still the vehicle blockade wasn't going to hold her for long, and they quickly began sprinting to catch up to her. They wanted to end this here and now.

"Why are you defying us?! Stop running!" one of the guards called out.

<"Just take her down! We can sort this insanity out later!"> another shouted at the inquiring guard. Meanwhile Lulu dismissed the guards assigned to the entry point and took off again. This time she stayed airborne so she could at least keep up with the fleeing woman.

[Mercakete]

"Whoa!" Gytha changed directions again to go around the carts and kept running. As soon as she saw the next way out, she dashed for it, running low. She didn't want to stop to answer the guard who'd called out his question. A crazy mage on a pegasus was making carts roll out and she was being chased by a bunch of soldiers but she didn't want to attack anyone. All that left was running and hollaring, but she refrained from the latter, at least for the time being.

[Phoenix]

Last Resort

The guards standing in front of the next entry point weren't sure what to make of the woman heading their way, not until they noticed half a brigade coming up behind her and the High Priestess herself soaring overhead. They drew their swords and stood in front of the entrance, intent on keeping the way blocked by any means necessary. Meanwhile, Lulu swooped down at a low enough speed to avoid passing Gytha up and began shouting at her from her pegasus. "I told you to halt! You will never make it outside of the city! If you ignore my order one more time, I'll have you arrested!"

[Mercakete]

The word "arrested" was not a good one and it immediately clicked with the mariner. Not like she could do anything if she was arrested either. But could she make it? She was almost to the exit. ... No, she probably wouldn't be able to and being arrested was not at all a pleasant thought. She was still being persued, though. Even so, she slowed down until she finally stopped. Adreniline dying somewhat, her fatigue began catching up with her and she leaned on her knees to catch her breath. As she did, her mind began working on what had just happened. I was bein' chased by a lot o' soldiers n' someone who's basically their commander, wasn't I? Oiii makes me sound like a pirate... I'm a law-abiding mariner, though! Did I break some law? They just wouldn't let me out o' their city... Why? Why aren't visiters allowed t' come n' go? N' I was goin' t' help 'em out... None of this was making sense. Everything seemed so backwards to Gytha.

[Phoenix]

Conclusion ... Maybe

As Gytha slowed down, Lulu's pegasus slowed as well, but was soon forced to land when there wasn't enough lift left to keep her aloft and began a canter alongside Gytha. When Gytha stopped, Lulu rode out just a little further and then turned halfway, making her pegasus a sort of roadblock. Finally the soldiers caught up, and they wasted no time in surrounding Gytha. Lulu sighed in relief. She tried to explain the situation one last time, but regardless of Gytha's response, she wasn't going to allow anymore shenanigans. "Amon was sent on a mission last night with two other men. They were the only ones meant to go, and therefore the only ones allowed to go. Extra people would have only jeopardized the mission. When Amon returns, he'll return to the palace, so that is where you should be going, not the wilderness. That's all there is to it, now stop this nonsense before someone gets hurt."

[GoD]

When Gytha tried to make a break for it, for some reason or other, Chelsea attempted to follow the mariner. She overheard from the argument that Gytha was trying to 'save' Amon, who had left on some mission for the Priestess. However, Gytha was worried about Amon, which was quite understandable. But the mariner wanted to follow Amon into the desert, without knowing what direction she was going. without alerting the group and without the neccesary suplies. It was a suicide trip.

Thankfully once the High Priestess mentioned the word "arrested", Gytha run slowed to a crawl. It seemed as though she did not like breaking the law, so she stopped before she could do something that would warrant an arrest. Once she calmed down, the troubdour approached Gytha and suggested "Gytha, perhaps Miss High Priestess is correct. Let's just go to the palace, eat something refreshing and wait for Amon. Don't worry, he'll be fine."

[ReformBlade]

Aneda had to stifle a laugh at Gabbie's story. "Wait a second, you got in trouble for kicking her ass? Oh this I gotta hear, and is it literal? Like, a foot right to her ass? If so I envy you just a bit. I've only known her for a bit and after that stupid trip I've wanted to slap her silly!" She looked about as if she just realized she was talking out loud, but ultimately she shrugged her shoulders and continued in her usual ways, "And I take it 'Geminoy' is your weapon or whatever??" Aneda asked, a little clueless as to what Gabbie was referring to.

[Rothene]

"Well, if you find protecting Raquel too much of a chore, you may entrust the task to me. As a knight, it is my duty to protect others," patting her shield lightly, Mireille thought about her magical latency as well, "And probably my only purpose in life."

[Acacia Sgt]

Having come to a decision, Sophia was now making her way out of the Guest Quarters. On the way, she came across Bert and John, who seemed to be talking to a guard.

''Good morning.'' She called out.

Hm? John turned around at the sound. ''Oh, hi.'' He said.

''What are you doing?'' She asked.

''Eh, not much. Looking for someone, and then a somewhere.'' He said, shrugging.

''Huh?''

''For a sparring practice.'' He clarified.

''Ah, I see.''

[Phoenix]

Raquel Slayer

"She was smart enough not to turn her back on me, but not smart enough to dodge a kick to the head." Gabbie clarified, looking amused by the event as well. "She and I just had a run in down in Weyland's basement levels and we koinda mistook each other for intruders. Her monkey shot first, though, so I took'em both down~ Oooooof course I only learned afterward that she was a guest of sorts, so Weyland took my lance. Better than gettin' foired I guess but damn ... I miss that lance. It's one of a koind, double bladed, retractable, and made out of dexterium, so if I'm lucky, I cant ruin other people's weapons with it." Gabbie leaned back in her seat and sighed just thinking about it. "No regrets, though. It was a fun foight even though I almost took a bullet in the head. Miss Mireille over here has a shield, so ... yeah, I think I'll leave the bullet munching to you. Thanks~"

Edited February 12, 2012 by Phoenix

[-Cynthia-]

Veronika

Figuring not to waste any more time, Veronika approached a nearby guard. "Excuse me, we'd like to have an audience with one of your maidens...are any available? And where would they be located?" she inquired of him.

Selene

Selene nodded and excused herself from the office, pondering her new duty. I'll have to be cautious about who I approach...there are some who would look down on this mission, perhaps even work against us. Allies will have to be chosen carefully and discreetly.

Leaving the office, she saw General Capaberra in the main hall of the cathedral. "Well...that meeting in Worthington's office was probably the most interesting one I've witnessed," she said to him casually.

[Phoenix]

Trade Establishment

It was a slow morning, like usual, but then one of the guests approached. These people sure had a habit of asking for information ... not a bad thing, just something the guard noted to himself before engaging. "A maiden? Lady Rasha should be here. She is the one making sure you foreigners are comfortable during your stay." Raquel tagged along since she was the one that needed to figure out whether or not they would be able to stock up on all forms of supplies in the city, not just food and water. "Look for a woman with the maiden garbs and ruby eyes. Her clothing is also red, if that helps." he added, trying to be a bit more helpful.

Dat Meeting

"Somewhat frightening, as well ..." the General muttered as he turned to face Selene. "Lord Wrath himself, communing directly with us. It was an honor, though I must admit, Archbishop Worthington's ensuing disapproval has me concerned. He is no longer the voice of Lord Wrath and I cannot help but wonder what the cause of all this is. I fear we may be going back to a time before the uniting of the four orders ... though perhaps it is just paranoia; an aging general always seeing the worst in things." he trailed off.

[Mercakete]

Gytha quietly thought about what the priestess said for a moment. "I understand what ye want me t' do n' I understand that as yer guest, I need t' follow th' laws, but..." she slowly replied, giving Lulu an inquizative look as her tone remained nonagressive, "Quite frankla, yer not in charge o' me. If I want t' go outside th' city fer some reason, ye don't realla have th' right t' keep me here. N' bein' 'allowed' t' go realla onla applies t' yer own soldiers seein' as yer not one o' me authority figures. I'm part o' an entirela different party than yers so ye can't realla give me orders 'r tell me I'm not allowed t' leave th' city if it's just so I won't go someplace else."

That was when Chelsea spoke up again, pleading for Gytha to follow the pegasus-riding priestess' orders. She only gave the troubador a glance before looking back to the gates, then back to Lulu. "I don't want t' break th' law. ... Doesn't look like I have a choice," she muttered, considering her options before telling Lulu, "I'll wait fer Amon t' come back. If th' others return without him, though, I will go look fer him. Ye can't tell me I can't. He's me best mate n' me teammate. If ye arrest me fer goin' after him when I know he's in danger, I'll accept that but then ye'd just be bein' unjust. I work independantla from ye so ye can't decide where I go 'r don't go outside o' yer city n' I never give up on people who've proven t' me that they're worthy o' me protection and, more importantla, me trust. Understand?" By the end of it, her tone had become quite stern. This was a point she wasn't going to back down on and she wanted to make that clear.

[Phoenix]

Lulu and Company

"You've already made it clear to us that your only purpose in leaving the city is to go to Amon. His mission is important to the security of the city, and interfering ... even with the intention of helping, would be illegal. It's only a minor issue since you have no means of reaching him to begin with, but I can't let you go out there and get yourself killed." Lulu replied, sounding resentful as ever. "You may not understand just how harsh and unforgiving the rexian wilderness is, but your ignorance isn't something you should die over, and it's not something Amon should suffer over, either. I'm not going to have him come back here to find that the most zealously loyal of his friends ran off to almost certain doom, and no one bothered to stop- ... no ... save her from it."

And the guards may or may not have been doing stuff during the exchange.

[Mercakete]

"Either ye reeeeaaalla like controlin' things 'r.... ... Actualla, that's all I can come up with," Gytha replied with a shrug, "Now, how 'm I goin' t' get back t' th' palace if ye keep me surrounded?" She was getting the feeling that Lulu might be upset because she wasn't acting like she'd expected, but there were probably other reasons besides that. Either way, this priestess was beginning to get annoying.

[Phoenix]

Lulu and Guards

"You brought that on yourself with your crazed running." Lulu pointed out before motioning for the guards to disperse a little; only a little. They had no intention of letting her make another run for anything. She was still surrounded, but there was no one standing directly in front of her, in this way they had her caught in a 'U' formation and could herd her around if need be. Lulu was still at the front, though there was still a gap between her and the soldiers surrounding Gytha. "We're going." she announced, before her pegasus began to walk off back toward the palace. The soldiers followed as well, keeping Gytha close to the bottom of their U shape. The distrust was just a little too evident at this point.

[Mercakete]

As she was escorted back to the palace, Gytha decided she didn't like Sanctuary. Though the guards were nice enough, Lulu was just too controling for her tastes. And so the priestess was marked down on a mental list of people Gytha would rather avoid and did not like. It was a small list, but its function remained.

[ReformBlade]

Aneda gave a rather impressed look at Gabbie's story, a little bit surprised, "She took a kick to the friggin face? Oh wow, that's gotta... Agh it hurts thinking about it! And if you thought she was an intruder you musta put some oomf into it, aaah..." A shiver went down her spine as she thought of how much that would've hurt. "Yeeesh, remind me never to fuck around with you, sounds way too hazardous." She added a smile to emphasize that she was just playing around, but now she decided to address another person who seemed to have walked in. "Your only duty? Oh come on, I'm sure you've got more going for you than guarding! I mean look at me, if I can accomplish things, you can accomplish more." She had no grounds to base that off of, but she wanted to at least try and be positive about things instead of finding fault in everything. Aaand then her attention was back to Gabbie, "A retractable spear, huh? Sounds... difficult to use, if you ask me. Or maybe I'm just imagining something completely different from what you're talking about. Either way, I'd sure as hell like to see one."