FE: War of Men (Gameplay)

[Moblin Major General]

"Abeloth. Also, I would like to accompany Rekia, as I now have a personal stake in this situation. Sicon did an adequate job of assisting milord yesterday, and that one on the ground doesn't seem like he's going anywhere, either. With your leave, sir, I will see if we can yet wrangle this thief." Abeloth looked Aster and his friend over, seeing nothing interesting about them at first glance.

[Poimagic]

Hiero smiled. "It seems to me like your passing is over and seeing us as nothing special and me as a pervert, right? Well, I thought you would now the saying of don't judge a book by it's cover." He said that last part in a very serious tone, much different from his happy go-lucky additive earlier.

[Iota Irondust]

Lowe turns his head slightly in the direction on each person introducing themselves while still staring at the ground. Scowling after hearing Hiero speak, he shakes his head and eases to a standing position again. "Aye, I assure you any one of us could leave that thief cut up or scorched. Hiring these two would be advantageous for any army, same goes for me." He then points to his own chest with a thumb. "Lowe Striga, I'll burn a trail after that traitor weather you hire us or not"

[Poimagic]

"Names Hiero Lona. I'll help you catch that thief and even join your army, for the right pay of course. And us three now how Sujad mostly works, so having us will allow you to get that thief faster." He smiled a small smile.

[Enaluxeme]

"I have no use for more mercenaries right now, but surely helping us is in your own interests if you want to get paid by the Sage. Now, I don't believe I will require assistance here. The priority is catching the traitor and I would only slow you down, whether I come with the wagon or on my own feet."

[KingStaragna]

"I wouldn't expect you to come along, Elijah. We've been hired by you,  and we are yours to do with as you see fit. You should stay here with Sicon and get some rest. Give us the means to catch the thief and we'll be on our way." Rekia still did not relish the idea of taking on Sujad, but he knew he could track him. Past that, well, Abeloth could deal with the rest in the way those of his kind knew. The three fools tagging along would be good shields. Maybe.

[ThicreanPhoenix]

Sicon stood dumbfounded as the three new arrivals introduced themselves. Seeing as his name had been mentioned multiple times, he felt no need to follow suit. He turned to Elijah. "So...allow me to recap. That thief guy stole a tome that those three-" At this, he gestured towards the three unfamiliar men, "-were supposed to deliver to the guy we're heading for. Well, I'm more than willing to go track the man down, and apparently they are, too, but ultimately, it's your call, sir."

[Enaluxeme]

"Don't worry about me. Those others may help you but I can only trust you three. The traitor may have allies, better being cautious. Go, follow his tracks and bring the book back before dawn!"

[Moblin Major General]

"As you wish, milord. Come, we aren't getting any closer to him if we're just standing around. We need to get moving." Abeloth went beyond the entrance to the town and armed himself, waiting for the rest of the pack to catch up.

[Intercopter]

Asther, after hearing the apparent "Lord's" orders, bowed his head slightly and headed back to the inn to grab his things. He wanted to get that tome back as much as the rest of his party, but didn't exactly relish the thought of working under this highborn man. Ah, well, he thought. Beggars can't be choosers, I suppose.

After grabbing the rest of his traveling equipment from his room at the inn, he met Abeloth at the town's entrance, now donning a brown burlap traveling cloak above his doublet. "I'd like to apologize once again for the incident back in town. It was never our intention to rope you folks into this mess, nor did we expect things to get as hairy as they have."

[Iota Irondust]

Hearing the bearded man's command and seeing Asther bow left Lowe with a bitter taste in his mouth but he bit back antagonistic urges. 'This isn't bending a knee, this is getting food...' he forced himself to repeat thinking that phrase while stomping off to follow behind Abeloth and check his pockets to take account for the only things he bothers to travel with, his tome and a vulnerary. Rather than standing next to Abeloth, Lowe saunters over and sits crosslegged at the base of a tree, intently and silently watching the brute prepare.

[ThicreanPhoenix]

"As you command, sir." Sicon told Elijah, offering a bow before leaving. He grabbed his helmet and weapons and fastened his armor a little bit tighter. And then, it was time to move out.

Sicon walked with purpose to the town gates, where Abeloth and two of the other men(whom he didn't remember the names of) were gathered. I'm not the first here? Strange, it didn't feel like I took that long. He was itching to get his job done, but Sicon knew he needed to wait for everyone else. Rekia wasn't here yet, and there should be one more of those other guys...

[Poimagic]

"Fine, might as well join. Just gotta prepare." Hiero went back to grab his stuff. After about 4 minutes, he returned, with what looked like a traveling bag. He had a romance novel, his vulnerary, and a money bag, which only held 10 gold in it. His sword was in it's sheathe, behind his back. "I'm ready to go. Are you ready to go?" He just stood there, awaiting an answer.

[KingStaragna]

Rekia gathered his supplies and stood with the group. He addressed them as a whole, all business with out his usual cordiality. "I'm the one with the most experience in tracking here, so I'll be taking point. Be on guard for shifty business, you three probably already know how unpredictable Sujad can be. I'm not much of a fighter, and if I have my preference, I'd rather not let things come to blows. If it does, I'll pull my weight as long as you all do the same. If we're all clear as to how this will go, then let's head out. Our quarry can't be too far out, and he'll have to rest sometime. If any of you are going to be a hindrance, we'll leave you behind. Any questions?"

[Moblin Major General]

"Only one. I'm wondering, who, if any of us, could lead the assault once we locate him. We haven't really known each other long enough, particularly in regards to our convenient allies, who of us is a competent tactician. I don't necessarily want to charge in blind and hope he doesn't kill one of us, and I'm sure all of us want to live as well. We all know how dangerous he is, and that some of us aren't as commited to fighting him as the rest." Abeloth didn't want to look at Rekia. He knew sellswords like Rekia understood that fighting based on your pay meant that there was a chance that someone you fought alongside could be your enemy during another job, and vice versa. He was aware Rekia might have worked with Sujad before, and that he was only doing because Elijah asked him to. The 3 convenient allies were more willing to fight than even Abeloth was, and Sicon dared not interject his own will into the conversation.

Edited September 29, 2017 by Hylian Air Force

[Iota Irondust]

Lowe ponders for a moment then eases his hand into the air and speaks aloud. "If I could speak my mind on the matter, I would like to volunteer not myself but Asther. From the short time I have spent with him I can say out of the three of us I'd prefer him in a slot like tactician. Not to say Hiero would be not a good fit but I fear his judgement might be impaired while leading a charge against women. I personally would probably end up sacrificing a few of you in gambles. Asther has shown competence and fairness on the battlefield and, like Hiero and myself, has worked with the target before, giving him an advantage on this job. Those are my thoughts." After putting his hand down Lowe looks to Hiero and speaks honest words, though still uses a dry tone. "Sorry if that was rude or you wanted to give it a shot or something, but that's my vote"

[ThicreanPhoenix]

Rekia arrived, and Sicon turned and listened to him address the group. Abeloth had brought up an interesting point. Who would lead the fight if worse came to worse? The one of the three other men made a compelling point. Sicon decided to chime in. "If I may interject. I have no qualms with...er, Asher, was it?...taking the role of tactician. Prior experience with the target is a valuable asset. If he does take this mantle, though, I would appreciate if I could add a little input. As, I'm assuming, the only trained soldier here, I have some formal training in strategy and the like." He didn't want to be completely in control, but the opportunity to pitch in would be nice. He was assigned to do his part, and darn it, he would do it.

[Intercopter]

Asther double-taked at Lowe's statement--this was the first time he had heard the boy praise anyone, much less himself. He raised an eyebrow at Sicon after he mispronounced his name, but decided it was close enough. "Any input would be appreciated. We're up against a powerful opponent, and must employ every advantage at our disposal."

Asther cleared his throat. "I appreciate the vote of confidence, by the way--I'm not sure about this 'tactician' business, but for right now, I'd like to ensure everyone knows what we're up against." Asther turned to Rekia. "It's nice to keep our options open, but this is very likely going to come down to a fight--he clearly risked a lot to steal this tome from us, and I doubt he'll give it up willingly. Both because Sujad himself just isn't that kind of person, and whoever's payroll he's on clearly wants this tome desperately." Asther then addressed the group as a whole. "I believe it goes without saying that I'd rather not kill the man--the dead keep their secrets, and Sujad apparently has many of them--many that our employer would be very interested in hearing, perhaps."

Edited September 29, 2017 by Intercopter

[Poimagic]

Hiero started blushing after Lowe's statement. "He isn't wrong. But something has been bugging me. Sujad said He had to steal the tome for some unexplained reason. Why though? I'm worried he knows something about our client that we don't know. But don't listen to me. Also, I second Asther being our tactian."

[Iota Irondust]

"Agreed. We're all in the dark on a lot here. All the more reason to keep him alive and for Asther to lead." While saying this Lowe nods and tilts his head to look between Rekia and Abeloth. "Sujad's gaining ground as we speak so any objections or comments should be preferably quick." He then stands up from his sitting position and dusts himself off lightly.

[KingStaragna]

"Right then, let's be off. Asther, you're in charge if things come to a fight.Lowe and I will be support and Hiero and Abeloth will provide the bulk of our force. That said, let's set out. I hope to catch up to Sujad by nightfall." Rekia was still unsure as to how successful this venture would be, but it wouldn't be from lack of trying, that was for certain.

[Enaluxeme]

Trying to locate whatever path Sujad took was initially difficoult but, after a bit of searching, Rekia found a lead: fresh prints in the grass off the road made a nice little path for the group to follow.

The six young men followed the tracks up north until they saw a fort in ruins. It seemed like it was abandoned for years, yet the group could see a feeble light coming from the inside, likely the product of a few torches. Moreover, giving a better look revealed some human figures patrolling the entrance.

For Thany

Spoiler

Myst woke up in a cell. She could remember when she found an abandoned fort and decided to rest inside it for some time. The fort was not so abandoned as she tought, as she could also remember having seen a brute holding a small girl against her will, but then nothing else.

Fortunately her staff was still with her, but her horse companion was nowhere to be found.

For Michelaar

Spoiler

Cecilie had been traveling for some time, and eventually found herself three companions: Maurice, Radle and Joicelyn. They looked like good people and were all more experienced than herself. Plus, Joicelyn specialized in the same kind of magic Cecilie practiced, and was happy to tutor the aspiring dark mage.

Some days ago, a well dressed figure approached the four and offered them a job. Cecilie wasn't told all the details, but she had no reason to dubt her partners.

The guy Cecilie and the others were waiting for finally showed up. Before she could take a good look at him, however, the young mage was immediately sent outside to make sure nobody could interrupt whatever business was going on inside. She was not alone, as she was joined by Joicelyn and two unknown men that, to be completely honest, didn't look like respectable people, just like the others inside.

 

Edited October 5, 2017 by Enaluxeme

[Moblin Major General]

Not good These forts are usually crawling with bandits, or worse. Abeloth waved his hand in front of the others. "I'm not sure what is going on in there, but whatever it is, either Sujad is in league with bandits, or he's walking into the same trap that we might be. Asther, how do you suggest we see what's going on? Do we send someone to listen in. or do we spring the trap?" Abeloth prepared his axe in case they were to charge in.

[Thany]

Not having her horse with her, Solare found it very hard to stand up since her legs did not work properly. she was getting worried about where she was and where her horse was. she inched her way towards the cell bars and called out. "H-hello? Can anyone help me?" She said hoping someone nice would answer her.

[Moblin Major General]

Abeloth heard a panicked cry coming from within the fort. Prisoners? This is getting worse by the minute. Asther has to have heard that, This just complicates things even more.