Return of the Emblem Chapter Eight: Affairs of the World

[Snike]

The wheels on the wagon went round and round, before coming to a stop. Then, the clinking and clattering of wood and metal colliding filled the air, followed by voices. A few moments passed, and the wheels began to creak some more, while the ground shifted slightly upward. Eventually, the vehicle came to a stop once more, and there was the clambering of various people escaping the weapons carriage. With all this racket, it was going to be impossible to get any more rest, so after a long moment, Blake slowly sat up and clapped the sleep out of his face. Once he was sufficiently conscious, the swordsman followed his coworkers' leads and exited the wagon.

All around the caravan of death the band of bodyguards were being busied with the Rexian military officers. From the sound of nearby conversation, they were essentially taking a census of the group, so that in the event they all ended up being horrible monsters they'd at least be able to name the enemy. Well, seeing as there was probably a whole army in this area, if this was Sanctuary and not some cruel hallucination, Blake was not really in a position to argue. After a moment, one of the idle guards noticed the relatively new stranger and approached the swordsman, notebook in hand.

"<Do you speak any Rexian at all?>"

Blake said he didn't understand that. Scribble.

"Full name."

He said his name was Blake.

"Full name."

He said that was his full name. Scribble.

"No last name? Why?"

The man suggested that the guard take a wild guess. Lie number 1. Scribble, scribble.

"Where were you born?"

Urcenter, Ursium, was the reply.

"Occupation and religion if any?"

The man said that clearly he was here as a florist. Then after a moment, he said that he was a mercenary. Scribble scribble scribble.

"... Thank you," the guard finished, with a frown and stepped back. Blake vaguely wondered whether or not he might've been a bit too rude with the guard, but that was brushed away as the group was given entrance to the palace.

The palace was packed with wealth. The Walls, floors, ceilings, supports, and doors were all woven out of gold. A legion of gems larger than bread loaves lay encrusted in the sides of the shining structure, which enhanced the sense of perfection in the hall. Further along, the sparking jewels were only slightly scarcer, and the halls were less blatantly the work of luxury. It was all extravagant, and Blake hated it. The whole point of working as a mercenary was to escape that decadent lifestyle, and he did not want, much less deserve any sort of treatment like it, even if it was for a short period time, as the maiden/tour guide explained. Their being 'guests' of the palace almost assured that treatment was to be applied, with the other alternative being imprisonment or execution.

As the tour was concluded, and everyone went their separate ways, the swordsman did not go directly to the baths like most people, nor did he move to the dining hall. Instead, he asked for directions to where the wagon was being stored, with the excuse that he forgot a personal item inside it. Lie number 2 so far. Blake declined company once he got the directions, and swiftly marched towards the storage area, unhindered by the palace security or the maidens. After a few minutes of furiously scrubbing off what sand he could remove from his person, the man climbed into the stationary vehicle. He'd be resting here for the night, guest quarters be damned. Besides, there had to be someone to watch the wagon for thieves while everyone else was absent. And so, the mercenary spent the last few hours of his day between staring at the confines of the arms carriage, reviewing the events that led to his joining of the party, and how lucky he was to be alive at the moment. Eventually, though, he fell asleep.

A bright beam of brilliant light brought Blake around. As the sleep slowly seeped away from his face, he realized that it was morning. A faint rumbling of his stomach indicated that he was hungry, so the man instinctively reached for some rations... before putting them back. They might not get a chance to restock before being removed from the city, which meant that those rations would have to be all the group lasted on. Well, he certainly could skip a meal, so it was no major loss. Blake stepped out of the wagon and began to walk in the general direction of the guest quarters. Time to check up on the rest of the band, then maybe retreat back to the arms carrier.

***

Red was a mess, once the armor was removed. Practically his entire body was burned, there was no skin on various parts of his body thanks to the armor melding, and at some areas, like his knees one could see the bones, only barely encased by muscle. It was a miracle that the man was alive, Ethan thought, as he examined the victim, a roll of bandages in hand. Well, it was time to earn his keep, it seemed.

Ethan began to wrap Red in his roll of bandages. Around and around the roll spun, and the flow of cloth seemed to be endless. Once, twice, and three times the patient was encased in the dressing, until the whole roll was exhausted. Red was now essentially a mummy, with only his nose and mouth free, so he could breathe. Ethan tied the end of the fabric into a knot, then pressed his staff onto the comatose man. After a moment, and a murmur, the healer removed his stave and left the medical room.

"My shift's over. The patient is stable," he said to the guard posted outside. "I'll be back in 12 hours to remove the dressings. Try not to disturb him until then."

With that said, Ethan left the estate, and disappeared into the night, a hard day's worth of mending managed.

***

"So do I," came a voice from right behind Burke. A man in an expensive-looking black overcoat and grey trousers had seemingly appeared out of nowhere, without a sound. His jet black hair sharply contrasted his shining golden eyes, which appeared to be relaxed at the moment. Right now, he had his arms crossed, as he stared at the sleeping girl thoughtfully.

[Phoenix]

Gabbie and Gemini

Remind her? "Heheh, sure thing." Gabbie replied. Around then the waiter returned with her sandwiches and set them in front of her along with a glass of water. Should have ordered some wine ... she thought to herself. She decided not to, though and settled for what she already had. The waiter waited around to take Aneda and Mireille's orders, seeming willing to wait out the entire conversation if necessary. When the focus shifted back to Gabbie's old lance, she started making motions and gestures with her hands to help describe it. "Well loike I said, it's made of dexterium, and that stuff is the best. There're a couple of triggers near the center that let me spring and retract it, and it hooked anywhere on my belt so I didn't have to worry about carryin' a huge pole around with me everywhere. I can also handle multiple enemies with it since it's got two identical spearheads, hence the name~"

Rearrival

Once Lulu and the U cage containing Gytha made it back to the palace, Lulu split off from the group and put her pegasus into the nearby stables(not the same one the group was using). Meanwhile the U cage escorted Gytha right back to the guest quarters, and upon arrival, they left. Each guard returned to his original post. Lulu was also making her way over to the guest quarters, having been planning to go there once she finished with her winged steed. She passed up several of the guards on her way, and all of those that had duties in the palace and were dressed as such turned right back around and followed her back to the guest quarters. Lulu didn't like the idea of just hoping Gytha would stay put this time. The palace guards didn't like the idea of just hoping another confrontation wouldn't break out between the two.

Bedroom of Overseers

"GA-!!!" Naomi jumped and quickly covered her mouth to cut off the scream. That wasn't the preferred method of waking up the woman in the bed. Burke's neck and shoulders twitched slightly. Without changing his posture or footing he looked over at the new voice.

"... I sure hope you're having a better night than we are." Burke addressed the man, alluding to some trouble. Of course since the three of them were present, it could wait briefly while they did what they came to do. "Go on, Naomi, let's see if she's ... 'okay'."

Naomi nodded nervously and approached the bed again. Before she made any kind of contact though, the woman began to stir. Not surprising with the talking going on, as well as the near scream let out by Naomi. "Miss, wake up, please." she politely asked.

Burke's head tilted a bit at the request. "Oh that's right, we need a name ...." he said, making a thinking gesture. That lasted a mere second, as he quickly looked to the dark haired man, seeing if he had anything in mind.

Edited February 13, 2012 by Phoenix

[Mercakete]

Well, the guard hadn't answered yet. Don't tell me this one doesn't speak Common... That was a bit annoying. It didn't matter much, though, since Blake was walking right towards them anyway. "I still want to know if you have any sort of place we can spar. Just a moment," he quickly told the guard, planning on talking with him again for the information whether the Rexian knew Common or not to retrieve the information. Then, he turned to adress Blake. "Hello, Blake," he greeted, "Would you like to spar again this morning? I want to get in some more practice with my poleaxe. Robin and John will be along, too, but I want the first match at least to be just us. What do you think?"

That was when something caught the pegasus rider's attention: a bunch of Rexians were walking along with Gytha at their center. They only broke off after she was almost to them and once they dispersed, Gytha simply glared with minor annoyance in their general directions. That didn't bode well. "What was that about?" Norbert found himself asking.

"Amon's gone off on a mission somewhere outside o' Sanctuary. Th' priestess n' th' guards wouldn't let me out t' go help 'im," Gytha huffed as she idly brushed some hair out of her face, somewhat exasparated.

The pegasus rider was practically at a loss for words. This...is all just a pretty cage, isn't it? He grit his teeth, gasting a seething glare at the ground as he clenched his fists. Blast it... "They won't let us outside the city?" he practically growled. He wanted to make sure he had his facts straight.

"Well, they wouldn't let me, at least. I don't know about what'd happen if we all tried t' leave," Gytha explained, "Th' guards said they were keepin' me in th' city fer me own safety. Th' priestess said it would be illegal fer me t' try t' go help Amon on his mission."

"That's stupid!"

"Aye."

"Still... I guess we don't really know if we're trapped or not..." Norbert grudgingly admitted. More cautuiously, so that any nearby guards couldn't hear him, he mentioned, "I'll see if I can get outside the city later today. Until then, maybe you should go tell Raquel what happened."

"Aye, that's a good idea," Gytha agreed, "I should tell Synthia, too. She's part o' th' team, after all."

"Yeah, that makes sense," Norbert agreed.

Gytha gave a light wave and then she was off, heading into the guest building and searching for Raquel and Synthia. Meanwhile, Norbert returned his attention to Blake. "Anyway, might as well go along casually for now... I don't see any reason to change the plans yet. So, what do you say to the sparring?" he asked.

[Acacia Sgt]

And speaking of, Blake had arrived.

''Well, looks like there was no need to ask.'' John commented.

And then, then came Gytha... escorted by guards.

<Hm? This doesn't look good.> John thought.

Did something happened? Sophia wondered.

The pair decide to get closer to see what was that about. The result was... well, it was quite something.

<Go into the desert huh.> John thought. <Doubt she could've caught up to Amon by foot. Less so with those sandstorms.>

She wanted to go alone into the desert? Was was she thinking!? Sophia was surprised.

And then Gytha left. John looked over until she was out of sight, then back at Bert and Blake. <Hm... even so, the way she said it leaves some doubt...>

''Say guys, you really think that what she said was all that there was to it?'' He asked aloud.

Edited February 13, 2012 by Acacia Sgt

[-Cynthia-]

Veronika

Veronika moved about the palace with Raquel for a bit, looking for a maiden with red clothing, eventually locating one she thought was correct. She did look vaguely familiar, though Veronika was forced to admit to herself that she had difficulty telling the Rexians apart.

"Excuse me, miss Rasha? We wanted to speak with you regarding trade permits within Sanctuary...is this a good time?" she asked, a bit uneasy due to not knowing the social custom.

Selene

"The orders really haven't been unified for quite some time, to be quite honest. Even if we don't work together, they don't seem willing to take up arms against us, which is good," she commented to Capaberra.

"I think that the Order of Wrath is the future of Ursium regardless...we have ways to protect Ursium most people do not know about," she said slyly.

[Phoenix]

Knockouts, Explosives, and Wyverns

Amon and Malik quickly set their plan into action, and the two of them split off to accomplish their individual objectives. Malik made it back to Haythem and quickly informed him of the plan. Haythem then followed Malik's path back to the camp leading Isis quietly by the reins. Malik made it back but was running faster than he realized. To avoid being spotted by a nearby guard, he slid down behind a crate instead of trying to clumsily come to a stop the normal way. The sentry heard the sound and looked over, but a figure emerged from the shadows, put him in a perfect choke hold, and dragged him quietly into the darkness. The man reappeared moments later, unconscious and hit the dirt with a thud and a puff of dust.

<"Show off ..."> Malik muttered. He quickly got out his bombs and began preparing a fuse to run through the camp. By the time Malik had gotten his first bomb set and was running the fuse through it, he noticed another sound ... similar to that thud from about a minute ago. Another one must have gotten taken down. Without their fire, the Tide operatives seemed almost helpless. Not that he and Amon hadn't been well trained, but this was just too easy. A second bomb placed and fused, a third sentry dispatched without notice. The mission continued ....

Rasha

"Trading permits? Oh that's right! One of you is a merchant." Rasha replied, realizing that it wasn't as odd as it initially sounded. Raquel was right behind Veronika and identified herself as the merchant with a tiny handwave the moment Rasha spoke up. "I'm here to help however I can, so it's a perfect time." she assured the both of them.

Well, it's now or never. "I'm a merchant, but not just for general wares. I'm an arms dealer to put it bluntly ...."

"You sell weapons? The military handles all weapon imports and exports." Rasha noted.

"So there aren't any weapon dealers in the city ...?" It sounded odd to Raquel at first, but she was about to get a prompt reminder of where she was.

"'Welcome to Sanctuary'. Only the military, law enforcers, security, and VIPs ever have weapons. It's easier to maintain peace and discourage everything else when only law enforcers can legally carry weapons around. Still, they may trade with you. We understand that foreigners have different beliefs and customs, so we try not to let that get in the way of an honest business opportunity." she explained. "You should probably speak with Commander Aziz about that, though." she added with a nervous smile. This wasn't her area of expertise and she didn't really like talking about weapons.

Antonio

"True unity is a rare thing, but I cannot say I was not content with the four orders function as they have been. Prior to the reformation, Ursium was a complete and chaotic mess, and war against Neviskotia was barely justifiable. I doubt we'll return to such times, but what happened today is ... well ... historical to say the least." Capaberra replied, still only nearing the end of the shock. "What do you mean by that ...?" he asked, wondering about Selene's last point.

[Snike]

It was like he was a celebrity, or something. The moment he turned the corner, Blake was accosted by Bert, John, and the newer cleric, of all people. Immediately the temperamental pegasus rider axsked Blake if he wanted to spar, with the accompanying archer and lance-wielder for later rounds. It seemed reasonable enough to practice with all standard physical weapon types, and the swordsman was about to affirm his intent to participate, when the oddest thing occurred.

Gytha was walked down into the main area of the guest quarters by an entourage of Rexian guards. Upon further inspection, it appeared that she was stopped attempting to go help Amon on a... mission? Lovely. Their male Rexian actually was a spy, after all. This situation was just getting better and better. Regardless, it was apparently outside Sanctuary, out in the desert. The fact that she was turned back was to be expected, since the mariner was trying to out in the desert. Alone. With no supplies. It wasn't the smartest plan, to say the least. The real interesting thing was that she was threatened with arrest if she did leave. The last time Blake had checked, excessive foolishness was not a criminal offence in most, if not all countries. That probably meant that the Rexians wanted them to stay in the city. Now, why would they do that, unless they wanted something from their 'guests'? The man blinked, then returned back to the main conversation, face emotionless.

To spar, or not to spar: that was the question. Bert and the others didn't seem to be too concerned about the incident. Or rather, they had decided to push it to the back of their minds for now for the sparring match. John was the sole exception, as he was skeptical of Gytha's story. This nonchalance really irritated Blake internally, as now that Gytha was banned, it was pretty evident that there was treachery afoot involving the group. On the other hand, there was no need to raise the Rexians' alarm by educating his coworkers.

"... Not just yet," Blake replied to Bert, as he pretended to be oblivious to John's query. "I just got up, and I want to eat before anything else." It wasn't a lie, per ce, as he actually was hungry. But other duties, such as the protection of the host trumped his personal desires at the moment. The mercenary nodded towards his would-be training partners, and calmly walked past them, heading directly towards what appeared to be a dining hall. Once he was out of sight, he quickened his pace over to where the wyvern-rider girl -how did he still not know her name?-, the Ursian lady knight, and another pegasus knight were sitting.

Towards the former, he asked, "Do you have any idea where Raquel is?"

***

"Let's call her Cassandra," the man in black said, unmoving. "And judging by how nervous Miss Naomi is, I'd say I had a better one. It would've been nice to have let me know that the Emblem actually works, and that ANARCHIST was free. On the other hand, the Guardian's close to joining us."

He paused, to let that sink in. "Any news?"

Edited February 14, 2012 by Snike

[Mercakete]

Norbert nodded. Not everyone wanted to exercise before breakfast, though it made more sense to him. To each his own. Well, now he knew Blake's answer. John had brought up something, though, so Bert figured he'd adress that. "I don't think that's all there is to it at all, but I don't trust our hosts to be honest about anything so I'm not going to ask them about it since I don't see any point to it." That said, he returned to the guard he'd been previously talking to. "Alright, I don't know if you can speak Common or not, but if you can, I want an answer. Do you have anywhere good for sparring and where is it if you do?"

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

As Gytha wandered around, she came across a maiden talking with Veronika and Raquel. Well, that was one of the people she wanted to talk to right htere and Veronika was sensible too. So, she just waited nearby for them to finish their conversation, planning on speaking with them when they were done.

[Acacia Sgt]

Well, so much for that. They weren't interested in discussing it. <Well, at least I tried.> John shrugged.

''So,'' he then said, turning to face Sophia. ''What are your plans for today?''

''Huh, mine? Well, I was planning to see if I could take a look around the city.'' She answered.

''Sight-seeing huh. I was probably thinking of doing the same, but well, got into other stuff to do first.''

[ReformBlade]

The description of Gemini intrigued Aneda, having a much clearer picture of it in her mind now, "Daaaamn, sounds positively awesome. Now I want one. Think they could make a smaller one for, like, a sword? Augh, now I'm trying to imagine a fold out axe kind of... thing. Dangit, ahahaha... I shouldn't get too carried away I suppose. Either way I'd like to see that weapon at some point if possible." Seeing the waiter, well, waiting for Aneda to order something, and since it'd be rude to keep the waiter waiting all day, Aneda took this moment to think of something to eat, or rather, fill her stomach enough. "Hummmmmmmeeeehhhh if you've got a good pick-me-up kinda drink, I'll have it. Otherwise I'm ok!" With that, she leaned back in her chair and stretched. "I'm kinda hazy, is there somewhere we need to be at the moment or are we just on our own? Within limits, of course, yeah... I don't mind all of this but I think I may go stir crazy if I don't do anything!"

[Phoenix]

Gabbie

A retractable sword ...? That idea stuck with Gabbie for a moment. The weapon itself would be almost prohibitively expensive to mass produce into a standard military weapon, but it still had the combat potential of a sword, the storage cost and size of a knife, and the extra power to damage other weapons if it just so happened to be made out of the same materials as Gemini. A weapon like that wouldn't revolutionize warfare on its own, but it would certainly give blade users an edge ... a particularly sharp one at that. While she thought on this, Aneda ordered what almost sounded like an energy drink to her.

"A pick me up, hmm? Oh I know just the thing for you, then. Do you mind particularly sweet beverages?" the waiter replied, trying to make sure he was actually right about the drink he had in mind.

When Blake arrived, he seemed interested in finding Raquel, or at least knowing where she was. Your typical suggestive Gabbie-answer was impending. "Haven't seen'er since we were laughin' and playin' in the baths together~ She left first so she could be anywhere by now." she explained with a smirk and a shrug. She quickly turned her attention back to Aneda who seemed to have a question relevant to both of them. "Well I was going to head into the city at some point and do a bit of shopping ... I've got the extra coin after all. Not sure I'll foind a new lance but it's worth a look. Wanna come with?"

The Mock Arena

"Hmm ..." the guard appeared to be thinking of a place. Of course he was. There was no immediate location that came to mind when Bert first asked, but he had a feeling nonetheless that there was someplace on the palace grounds where he and his companions could spar without upsetting anyone. The maidens would probably not want to be bothered by the training exercises, so any places they frequented were right out. Perhaps the courtyard. It was a public area and was spacious enough to function. The only problem was workers and sometimes maidens themselves would tend to the flowers and plants there. It was the only place he could think of other than the area the maidens used for their fitness exercises. "... perhaps the courtyard ... but mind the flowers, and do not disturb anyone." he replied ... his voice was rather big and deep for a man his size.

Awakening

"So you heard about that ..." Burke replied. "I sent Volya out to see if our guests were still alive, but apparently Danton landed right on top of the tomb. They escaped, probably with her help, so I sent him out to try and find them while we deal with issues here." he explained, gesturing at the woman, now named Cassandra.

"I'm so sorry." Naomi spoke up, bowing her head deeply. Despite how unstable the warps were in general, she still felt guilty about it.

Voices ... one of them slightly veiled in metal, and quite familiar. She opened her eyes but the figures in she turned over to face were a bit blurry. "W-who ...." Burke tilted his head at her. Was she just coming to or did she have no idea who they were? It wasn't entirely clear just yet.

[Mercakete]

Norbert was a bit surprised by the guard's voice, but the langauge that came out of it was Common, so that was good. He simply nodded to the guard before turning to John, "Looks like we'll meet at the courtyard. I'll go in to find Blake and Robin to let them know. You can go to Gil or whatever." After that, he began heading inside to inform the other two, figuring he'd go talk to Blake first and track down Robin after that. Blake was going to be in the dining area, after all, and he knew where that was.

[ReformBlade]

"A sweet beverage? Ummm, if it's not mind scrambling sweet, I don't mind, anything will do sir~" And then her attention was turned back to Gabbie, "Oh right, right..." She had almost forgotten there was a town here. Almost... "Yeah I wouldn't mind, god knows I could use the distraction... I mean I don't particularly need anything, but who knows! Window shopping ain't as bad as people make it out to be!" And on that note she began to wonder how Hanna was doing as of now. She wasn't worried for her loyal steed, just curious. Hannah could take care of herself, Aneda knew that much, but there was that small lingering nagging in her mind to check on her at some point if she could. Nah she'll be alright.

[Acacia Sgt]

Looks like Bert finally got his answer.

<Hm, the courtyard huh. Looks like I can detour to the stables after all.> John thought. ''Well, I'll be on my way now.'' He said, and he walked towards the palace.

''Wait.'' Sophia said as she started to walk as well.

''Hm? You're going sight-seeing now?'' He stopped for her to catch up and then resume walking.

''Not exactly, but you guys are gonna spar, isn't it?''

''Ah, that. I don't think it'll reach the point to need a healer.'' He shrugged.

''Well, you can never be too sure about it.'' She said. ''And it's only part of the reason.''

''Part?''

[-Cynthia-]

Veronika

"Commander Aziz? Oh...the tour guide. Would you happen to know where he is?" she asked Rasha inquisitively, figuring they should go through the proper channels here in Sanctuary if they didn't want to cause trouble.

Selene

"Well...there may be something that could end the war between Ursium and Neviskotia, all wars even. I'd rather discuss it somewhere more private though, there may be ears that should not be privy to such things around here," she said, looking around suspiciously.

[Snike]

They were laughing and playing in the bath, huh. That was an... interesting image, one that was not really appropriate to dwell on, giving the circumstances. Blake blinked briefly, then turned away from their table. Well, he'd have to search by foot, then. The swordsman began to make his way back to the guest quarters hall when Bert came out of nowhere, and headed directly towards him. What did he want now?

***

"It's a bit of a mess out in Ursium, what with her retrieval of her cake cutter," the man with golden eyes said evenly, before shifting his gaze to Naomi. "Relax. Though the warp went horribly wrong, it at least confirmed our suspicions about the emblem... and provided us with a welcome distraction." Before he could continue, though, the girl stirred. "Oh. So no do over this time. Morning, dear."

Edit: Removed Gerund opener.

Edited February 14, 2012 by Snike

[Mercakete]

Well, that was odd. Norbert had expected to find Blake ordering something or waiting at a table, but he seemed to be leaving the dining area. "Not hungry after all?" he asked, "I just came to let you know we'll be meeting in the courtyard. After telling you that, I was going to look for Robin to tell her. But now, I wonder why you really wanted some time before the spar." He sounded suspicious, but really he didn't suspect anything of Blake since he had no idea what he might've been wanting to do.

[Phoenix]

Trade Stuff

"Tour guide?" Rasha wondered aloud. "Well I'm not sure if anyone else will need me for anything but I'd be glad to take you to the barracks to speak with Commander Aziz about the issue, if you'd like." she offered. Amina was still in the guest quarters, so with a little help from the guards, she should be fine on her own for awhile, Rasha figured(and hoped).

Raquel looked to Veronika and then shrugged. Apparently the commander was someone you were brought to. Not like she was expecting him to come to them, even if it was Haythem. "Sure. Lead the way." Raquel answered. That was when she noticed Gytha standing not too far away, who seemed to be waiting. Bad timing ... or maybe good timing depending on how it all worked out. She made eye contact with the mariner and kept it, somewhat encouraging her to say whatever was on her mind before Rasha led them off.

Church Stuff

"Hmm ... very well. You have my curiosity. Let us speak of this in private, Major General." Capaberra replied, glancing over his shoulder to see if there was really anyone around to keep an eye out for. Despite his age, he had incredibly keen eyesight, possibly due to his reliance on ranged tactics and commanding from a distance.

Breakfast Stuff

The waiter the looked to Mireille, wondering if she planned to order anything. "Is there anything you would like as well, Miss?" he asked her politely. Meanwhile Gabbie took the first bite out of her sandwich and savored every second of it.

Stuff That Makes No Damn Sense

Amon took down what appeared to be the last sentry, and Malik planted the last bomb and had several lines converging into a single twisted fuse. He wasn't at the ideal distance, but the fuse would burn slow enough for them to make a break for it and escape the camp before the noise of the fuse woke the others up. With Haythem a short distance away, the letter planted on a sleeping Tide operative, and Malik ready to light the fuse, the mission seemed to be inevitably accomplished.

Suddenly, just as Malik had ignited his fire stone, a figure appeared from within the camp and startled the crap out of both Malik and Amon. If not for some lingering pessimism, they would have given themselves away entirely with reflexive shouts. <"You two ... you're Sancturans, aren't you?"> the cloaked man spoke up.

<"Amon ... let's take him down, quickly and quietly."> Malik suggested in a low and threatening tone.

<"Listen to me, I'm not your enemy. I'm the informant ... the spy. the report I sent you. Did you get it? Is that why you're here?"> he inquired with outreaching hands.

Amon and Malik looked to each other, and then back to the self proclaimed spy. Amon spoke up first. <"If you're him then ... it probably wouldn't hurt to take you back with us. If your cover gets blown because of this operation, they'll probably kill you before they reach Sanctuary.">

<"So true, agent."> the spy replied, nodding in agreement.

<"Our ride is outside of the camp, to the east. Get your butt over there, I'm about to light this thing."> Malik chimed in aggressively. They had come to far to waste anymore time.

The spy nodded again. <"Right away."> Just as he was about to start running, he cringed where he stood, getting Amon and Malik's attention. He made a pained and suppressed cry before grabbing his neck. What the hell just happened? Black liquid squirted out from his neck and he fell to the ground. Amon saw the liquid hit the sand and the moonlight turned it red ... blood red. He was killed right in front of them, and the killer stood where he was, their face veiled in darkness.

<"You Sancturans are idiots ...."> came a woman's voice.

Malik froze, unable to light the fuse, and Amon was just as immobilized. Were they caught? Would they have to fight a Tide assassin? They both knew that if they had to fight one of the assassins head on, their chances were slim to none. Gender didn't matter to the outsiders, so this woman, whoever she was, was likely on par with any Sancturan elite warrior. Both of them gulped, unable to work out a strategy.

Stuff?

"Morning? Wait, where am I?" the woman asked. That was quite a familiar voice she had.

"Oh you don't want all the answers just yet." Burke warned with a halting hand put forth.

"B-Burke!" she crawled back in the bed a ways, leaving Burke to slowly drop his hand and sigh.

"Maybe I should just ... leave this to you two. At least until she realizes that I'm not her enemy." he suggested with a slow shrug.

"It's because you hit Raquel and tied her to a pole." Naomi clarified.

"Shush, you." Burke shot back.

The woman kept staring back and forth at the three figures, only recognizing Burke and Naomi, the third was a mystery to her. "What's going on here?"

[Snike]

Busted. Bert had successfully intercepted Blake, and was now asking as to why he was leaving the dinner table. Time to think fast.

"I was actually hoping to find Raquel here, and speak to her with regards to wages," Blake lied, making that lie number three. Or four, if the previous one counted. "Have you seen her around? And the courtyard? Alright."

***

"That'd probably help. Burke, if you will," Gold-Eyes said, with a gesture to the door. Without waiting for a response, he returned to the one known as Cassandra.

"If you're wondering what's going on here, what's going on is that we were having a genial chat Now, I suppose, it's time for Q and A, considering you're conscious. So, Miss Valcyn, shoot."

[Mercakete]

Well, that seemed to be her cue. The mariner walked over to Raquel and warily glanced over at Rasha before she decided on more tactful wording. "So, I was lookin' fer Amon n' found out he's been on a mission since last night. It sounded dangerous, so I decided t' go lookin' fer 'im but th' soldiers wouldn't let me outside th' city, no matter what I did," she informed, clearly concerned about the news she was delivering.

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

"Hmm I haven't seen her since yesterday," Norbert replied, still not convinced, "Maybe I should go with you, though. I should probably talk to her about my wages, too, since I don't remember us ever coming up with a definite number. I'll tell Robin after we talk to Raquel."

[Phoenix]

Raquel

"Do you know where they sent him?" Raquel immediately asked. It wasn't information she really cared about. She was at the meeting with Aisha, and Lilith's suspicion was something she agreed with. She knew Amon was sent away so he wouldn't be around during the decision making process. There would be no input from him for awhile. I'm not sure how to tell her about that part ... darn it, and we were just about to change focus for awhile ....

Raquel

Burke left the room at a leisurely pace, and Naomi got quiet. The woman in the bed shook her head a little, wondering what to do. I don't know how long it's been, but it looks like I'm still ... A hostage. That was not a good feeling at all, and this dark figure standing near her was just ready and willing to answer questions? Where to start, she wondered. Well there was one thing she wanted to know. "Who are you?"

[Mercakete]

Gytha shook her head. "All I know is that he's off somewhere in th' desert with two others n' th priestess doesn't look too sure if he'll come back in one piece," she answered, worry darkening her countenance, "I should be out there, lookin' fer him... But they won't let me out. I tried everythin' t' get out there, but th' priestess threatened me with arrest if I kept tryin'... I agreed t' wait till noon, but I'll try again if he's not back by then, even if it means I'm put in prison. I don't give up on me teammates 'r friends n' Amon's both."

[Snike]

Damn, now he had to go along with Bert. Blake shifted his stance. He must've dropped some sort of tell. Or the pegasus knight held the same suspicion. No matter.

"Alright, then," he said, in an attempt to stay as cool as possible. "Let's go look for her."

With that, the swordsman left the dining hall, and began to search for the elusive merchant.

***

"It has been about about two days or so, since your last memory," Golden Eyes said, as if answering Cassandra's mental question. "And you aren't really a prisoner here, either. As for who I am, well, my name is Thanatos. Perhaps you've heard of me?"

[Mercakete]

Blake was perhaps one of the more competant group members, even if there wasn't much to base trust on for him. Still, for now, Blake was inthe same situation as the rest of them so he wasn't anyone to be wary of. The Rexians were by far the more dangerous. Even so, Blake was planning something. Bert just had to figure out what. Could it be related to the news from earlier that Gytha delivered? Probably. Nothing else came to mind at the moment, but he'd keep looking for what the marcenary was planning and why. Well, he was probably telling the truth about looking for Raquel. But why? If he had the same suspicions as he did about the Rexians keeping them there, then maybe he was trying to find some sort of leverage with Raquel? Blake was smart, but jumped to conclusions sometimes, like back when he was calming down and they had their first spar in Purgatory. Not that he wasn't guilty of making hasty descisions. It could be that he intended on making sure their leader was safe. Bert left her with Veronika, though, so she was probably alright. Veronika was competant, after all.

After a bit of searching, Norbert caught sight of Raquel talking with a maiden, Veronika and Gytha. Looks like she found her. "She's over here," Norbert told Blake, idly indicating the merchant with his thumb.

[-Cynthia-]

Veronika

Veronika sighed a little at Gytha's story. "I can understand you're concerned for Amon's safety, but wandering alone in a desert full of sandstorms is tantamount to suicide. Besides, I'm sure Amon has been on this sort of mission before, it's his job as one of Aisha's...operatives," she said, a bit unsure of Amon's actual title within the Sanctuaran hierarchy. "I'm a little worried too, but sometimes part of caring about people is knowing when to let them go. People I care about are in danger all the time...but I can't be there to fight all their battles for them," she said somewhat sadly.

Selene

Selene quickly made her away over to her office in the nearby barracks, allowing General Capaberra to follow. Making sure no one was around before she closed the door, she began. "So...what do you know about the ancient artifact called the Fire Emblem?" she asked him plainly, curious of his knowledge on the subject.