Return of the Emblem Chapter Fifteen: Alliance

[Phoenix]

Meeting Room

"The problem is if we actually get close enough to know the gate is there, they'll probably already be all over us and we'll have to fight our way out. I feel like we're a little unprepared for this mission," Amon admitted, wondering what they could do if the completion of the gate came down to the hour and no one else was around to help them. They almost certainly didn't have the numbers, which would make it a suicide mission. No, Ra couldn't be relied upon to help tip the scales in their faver ... at least not as far as Amon was concerned. "The only way we're getting past our 'admirers' is with a decoy or something like that ..."

[Snike]

"Ya think?" Pete asked, as Amon suggested that they were unprepared. "Though, maybe the Kigenese can help with regards to scouting safely. As for decoy, well it might be easier if Ra was around. But, speaking of them, that reminds me. Hoshi, do you know Arugai very well?"

Maybe since most of the 'leaders' of sorts were in the room, they could actually hammer out a working plan to get out of the port city. Probably not, but the Ursian man had to try.

 

[-Cynthia-]

Liam didn't know about how much value Kigenese etiquette lessons would add, but he supposed that he should try and learn as much about these human cultures as possible if he was going to work with them. The more pressing matter however, was being trapped in this village by the Ursians and Neviskotians. Normal protocol would be to achieve a diplomatic solution between the two factions, but there definitely wasn't enough time for that. These humans have been fighting for years anyway- I am not sure what words I would have to sway them. This left him relying upon the others for ideas on how to get out.

[Phoenix]

Meeting Room

"Let's try and leave him out of this if it's possible," Amon winced, unable to hide his deep distrust of the golden phantom. He knew that might come across as stupid, but Ra's interests didn't line up perfectly with the group. He was willing to inflict harm at the drop of a hat. He might even put them at a disadvantage somehow if it accomplished his goal of getting rid of the group's weakness. "We can't really trust him," Amon added, hoping to at least sound sensible. He found himself glancing at Angelica again, wondering if she had gotten what she bargained for, or if Ra was making things difficult for her, instead.

[scorri]

Hoshi shook her head. "I can't say I do, I'm sorry... I spent most of my time in the capital. I only passed through here very briefly on my way to Ursium." She could probably make some general guesses as to the layout of the city, but anything more than that would be pure speculation. Pete seemed like he wanted solid information, not wild guesses. Though maybe... "I... do know that Haruhi has a... friend. Who has lived in Kigen her whole life. If we can find her, she might know more about the city. She seemed to have spent at least some time here from what I understand."

[Ether]

Angelica couldn't help but shudder the slightest bit as Ra was brought up, not missing Amon's glance in her direction either... the man still likely felt betrayed by the outcome of their earlier meeting, at least to some extent. It hadn't been pretty... speaking of not pretty, there was the rest of the discussion as well. Not exactly roses in bloom, their current situation. At least insofar as one matter, how the women should behave about Kigenese men, Angelica was already accustomed, and if Hoshi needed, she could likely act as a secondary instructor of sorts... less versed than the Kigen native of course, but proficient enough on her own.

"If you need help setting up lessons for the girls, I can give you a hand. I may not be Kigenese, but I've spent enough time here to know how to take care of myself for the most part... sadly not much time in Arugai itself. I could likely navigate the city well enough given some time, but I couldn't say I'm familiar with the finer details of it." Angelica chimed in after a few moments, choosing not to directly comment on the issue with Ra, but her initial reaction should have been enough to at least tip Amon off that her thoughts on the matter were... unpleasant.

 

[Nanami Touko]

Without a map or a way to figure out where the gate was, Eva was left with exactly what she didn't want. "Alright, alright... Guess I'm sticking around for these lessons." Something to keep her occupied was better than nothing, so she looked between Hoshi and Angelica both, wondering what was going to come of any of this.

---

Haruhi did her best to bear with Thales' chipper attitude, leading him into the market and pointing out the pharmacy he was looking for, but not doing much talking otherwise. She really did wonder if he'd have it in him to navigate his way around the locals, but it would look weird to them if she was leading things... Unless he tried to play himself off as a woman, but she doubted he'd do that. Oh well. Time to see how well he'd do.

Edited April 12, 2018 by SnakeMomMelissa

[Xinnidy]

Ah, and there they were: The heart of the city, where all trades met, the marketplace! If Thales' chipper attitude was bothering Haruhi before, it only became more annoying with that constant smile on his face, looking through the wares displayed with a certain wonder and glee that could only be best described as a girl in a discount shopping spree. "<Right, right. Hey, Mister!>" He'd quickly taken the lead as long as his target was set, dragging Haruhi along as he walked towards the apothecary. "<All medicine out here to sell?>" He waved his arm around the wares in front balcony, some he could tell were standard herbal medicines for bruises, cold, and general unwellness, but some of them were understandably labeled in Kigenese, a language that completely eluded the boy in its written form. "<Ah, what this one?>"

The apothecary seemed well in his late 30s, shaggy in appearance albeit well-dressed, and despite taking his time to answer the boy, did not seem as taken aback by his broken Kigenese --in a port town like Arugai, he was sure to have dealt with worse--. He simply nodded at the boy's first question, figuring just another curious tourist, though seemed a bit confused by the boy's appearance at first, focusing on Thales' face whilst doing his best to keep his arching eyebrow to seem too obvious. "<This liquid is an herbal extract to be applied to your feet, you douse your feet after washing with lukewarm water to suppress itches and remove white spots.>" The apothecary's answer was mechanic, and perhaps a bit dismissive, he seemed to doubt that was an item the... couple needed particularly much. He seemed to have just noticed the locked arms of the two young customers, and despite his best attempt to look professional, casted a brief curious glance at Haruhi. "<If you came here by ship, you might want our aloe extract for sunburns. I also recommend Camphor oil.>"

Thales didn't really understand half of what the man said, but he seemed pleased by the options suggested, "<Ah, I'll take those --ah, that one is good for skin too, right? One also.>" Content as he was, Thales had ended up with a modest pack of powders and oils for himself as the talks went on... mostly cosmetic, by the look of things. The apothecary had done quick work of suggesting similar things, and with little mastery of the language the boy had to put a fair amount of trust in him. In the end, Thales ended up purchasing less than what he had browsed to have it work with his funds, but didn't seem to upset by how things ended up. "<Alright, should be enough. Thank you~.>" Seeing himself out, the boy continued dragging Haruhi as he explored the marketplace. "<Was not bad, right? Been learning Kigenese fine~.>" A bit of a proudful boast, the boy looked through the stalls for something of interest. "<So... know where purchase clothing, next?>"

Behind them, the Apothecary seemed to continue looking curiously at the two, enough for Haruhi to notice.

[Toogee]

Jam was getting cabin fever. She had been stuck indoors since their arrival in Kigen. Between Ursian and Skotian search parties and the differing culture of the natives, the dancer couldn't venture out and perform. She thought about dancing for their demon guest Canaan. Surely he was just as bored, maybe moreso. Her boredom had led her into the meeting room, though she stayed in the back and listened. When talk turned to etiquette lessons, Jam joined the others in support.

"I'm in too," Jam announced. "Speaking of culture, do the Kigenese tip. I'm hoping to get some extra coin with a couple street performances."

[Phoenix]

EXTREME MEASURES

Spoiler

An hour had elapsed since Nadya and Anna had spoken with him, but Norbert didn't notice. He was stuck in his mind, still locked in a battle between his desire to do what he thought was right -- assisting the group in foiling the Fallen's goal to take over the world -- and the powerful, pounding instinct to flee the danger that was coming because of his earlier display of weakness. He'd paced around a little bit earlier, sat down, stood back up, all over time, and all absent-mindedly as he fought to overcome his fear. Rizen was getting a little worried, watching him, and barely aware of his private struggle.

She was still next to the tree Norbert was near. It was among the only notable landmarks in the area. There was a gentle, waving slope gliding down toward Arugai, and some farmland beyond the pegasus and rider's resting point. Other than that, the spring grass was green, and the weather was fair.

What an absolute mess... my orders are absolute, Ra had said... there wasn't much she could have done to prevent it once the wheels had been set in motion, but the reality of those words were terrifying. Kill Norbert... he's weak, he's a liability. That had been the order... naturally, assassinating a comrade... even one that wasn't always effectual, was an absurd request. Of course she had refused...

And that was when things truly turned. Within an instant, her body wouldn't move an inch. Ra had only uttered a single word... Disappointing... and then began to approach. Angelica never found out what he intended to do once he had reached her... who in their right mind would push further, suddenly afflicted with such paralysis? She had even managed to fight back with her magic... if you could call it fighting back. A grand barrage of spells had amounted to little more than tearing into his golden body... yet he did little more than flinch ever so slightly. Blows that should have ripped him to pieces instead only caused a golden foam to bubble from his flesh where he had been struck, only for Ra to continue forward uninhibited. Of course she had relented in the end.

There he was... just standing there in the middle of the field. Cover was certainly... lacking. Angelica had managed to find a gentle slope, steep enough to conceal her from him so long as she remained prone... rifle currently pointed at Norbert. Waiting... watching... she couldn't see Ra... couldn't even feel him, but she knew he was there. He had to be, he always seemed to be...

How to go about this, she thought to herself. Abrasive as he could be, did Norbert deserve to die? He had never slighted her personally, and Ra's judgment had proven itself... extreme. Immensely extreme. There had to be some way... some way to scare him off, take a shot that didn't betray her intentions, let him escape with reasonable doubt. As long as he wasn't in their way, that should solve Ra's purposes, shouldn't it? But on these relatively featureless plains, the wind blew just enough to make her aim difficult... there had to be a shot she could take, but it seemed almost impossible to find. She didn't have long, Ra would intervene if she waited for too much time with an obvious shot, from his perspective. She didn't intend to take his suggestion to be swift as an idle threat, not anymore...

But how in the hell was she going to pull this off without killing the man? Was it even possible?

I wondered what might manifest in such a dire moment as this. Show me your resolve. Show me Raquel's gift.

'If I adjust half a degree to the left, then...' Angelica continued considering her options, until... what was that? In the back of her mind, she could see so clearly... the bullet firing from the muzzle of her rifle, embedding itself into Norbert's throat... dead. She hadn't fired, but the vision she saw was so clear. She herself could not see it, but her eyes had begun to shine with an unmistakable golden glow. Another shot, another kill... this time to the temple. Wait two seconds before firing... bullet veers slightly right due to the wind, buries itself into Norbert's shoulder...

Why were they so clear? How could she manifest these visions, that seemed to so perfectly... could it be? Yes. Yes it could, yes it was. This feeling, this energy flowing through her, it had to be the Emblem. Was this her ability? She could... see the outcomes of different actions. If this was the Emblem, then these visions had to be correct, didn't they? If so, then she could find an outcome where... there it was.

So that was his game... incredible. Taking her eye away from the sight of her rifle, Angelica shifted slightly, putting her rifle away in the case meant to conceal it. He'd stun her again, but she was ready this time... just don't panic, let it play out as you saw. 

"I've got what I wanted from you, Ra."

"... so, you will not act?" Golden particles appeared, gathering together in front of Angelica to herald Ra's return. True to her vision, Angelica was rendered completely immobile as Ra manifested. There was no turning back this time, however ... "So be it."

A sudden, bright light about 300ft away -- and Rizen's surprised and alarmed whinny in response -- forced Norbert out of his thoughts. The pegasus instinctively half-spread and fanned her wings, swished her tail, tossed her head, and stomped her hooves to loosen her muscles in preparation to flee. Norbert's mind had a bit of catching up to do, however. He suddenly became aware of his surroundings again, and then, looking to the golden light, for a moment, he thought he saw Amon, or someone who looked like him. Particles of light -- like those that appeared during the fight in the strait -- were suddenly shooting off of him, though, as he was struck again and again by a barrage of powerful wind blades.

Alarmed, the rider called Rizen to him. Said pegasus hurried to her rider, but, of course, he wanted to ride straight at the dazzling display, instead of away from it. As usual, though she had her reservations, Rizen followed his lead. Norbert wasn't sure what was going on, but he thought he saw Amon looking down at something before all those particles began being blasted off of him and obscuring his features. It was probably the caster, but that was about all the time for speculation that he had.

Eyes glowing gold, Angelica turned to face Ra as he appeared, before her body was immobilized. What he was about to do... it seemed it wasn't something she could stop if he resolved himself to it, but she could spur Norbert towards playing his part. On cue with the golden rendition of Amon's appearance, the air became thick with anima; blades, hammers and spears formed from the raging magic, coming together as they struck Ra's appearing form in tandem with the formation of a tornado whipping into existence behind Ra, ripping and tearing at him forcefully. To think even this assault wouldn't stop him... how durable was he, really?

Soon, Ra's magic withered arm, and the surrounding light, began to disappear into Angelica's chest, as if burning clean through her. It didn't stop with just his arm. Ra's entire form transformed into light, converging on the spot, and within a few seconds vanished, leaving behind a brilliant golden 'wound' on Angelica's chest.

As Ra entered her chest via his ever-strange Emblem powers, she felt a warmth similar to the feeling of the Emblem itself spread throughout her. She still couldn't move, but that didn't surprise her at this point.

'Get out.'

This was Emblem energy. She couldn't have been entirely sure about Ra before, but it was obvious to her now. He had transitioned into pure energy and had retreated to perform his foul deed. But the Emblem and it's energy existed to be given a command.

'Get Out!'

If he wanted to take everything she had fought for, use her or his ends... she would fight back. You're not the only one who can grab someone's core and twist it...

'GET OUT!'

Eyes giving off a harsh golden glow as she struggled to writhe, move her body at all. 

"I, am an Emblem wielder now... you will... not... control me... GET OUT!"

He was almost there...and then, the mass of lights that once looked kind of like Amon disappeared. It looked like they flowed into the ground, or... Someone was there. She looked different than before, but he recognized the voice, and this wouldn't be the first time she changed her appearance. The rider was confused, but also wary. Angelica? And...she's an emblem wielder now? What's going on? Control her? "Get out?"

Suddenly a lot more alarmed at the implication of her words, Norbert's old determination began to set in again. He needed to find out what was going on. He had to reach them. Did some emblem wielder attack their group? Had Angelica been coming out here to warn him? I have to help her!

Suddenly, and with the intensity of a bomb, the energy gathered inside Angelica burst forth. A dozen rays and countless particles of light filled the air above her. As the last of the energy escaped, the light's hold on her body faded, and hundreds of the tiny particles began to converge on a single point high up in the air. When Ra returned to physical form, he wasn't alone. Lying unconscious in his arms was a young blonde woman, dressed in attire strikingly similar to Ra.

Ra glanced down at the woman. It seemed he couldn't help but smile at her ... and as fortune would have it, Norbert was already on his way ...

As the light burst out from her, Angelica stood up from the ground, looking up at Ra. So he had pulled... her, out of her. How odd... it was almost surreal to look at, even though she had seen... this, it was still almost impossible to believe. Still, her precognition had been correct, even up to this point...

"So this was your plan all along, huh? I was wondering what it was that you put into me when this all started... I don't feel it anymore, so I guess that was it." Angelica noted, continuing to watch Ra, as Norbert continued his approach.

"So care to explain what you're up to a bit? You've already gotten what you wanted out of me, after all."

So, the Amon imitator -- or Amon, who had gone crazy? -- appeared in a light in the sky that shot out from Angelica, who stood up after the lights flew out of her. He was holding...another Angelica. And the Angelica below was asking Amon questions. Norbert pulled Rizen to a halt near Angelica, and dismounted his pegasus, deciding that it would be better to gain some answers before attacking.

"What's going on?" he asked the grounded Angelica, keeping his wary eyes on the glowing duo above.

Ra glanced down toward Angelica, then Norbert just as he arrived on his pegasus. "Not yet, Angelica. The order has already been given. So has the explanation."

As Ra gave his answer, he began a slow descent back toward the earth. His shining eyes quickly settled on the wary pegasus rider. "Prepare yourself, Norbert. This woman is your crucible. She will spare neither you, nor your faithful companion."

"I see... there's a lot of explanation we don't really have time for Norbert, but the long and short of it is that he wanted me to kill you. I'm not going to, but her? She's not gonna be quite so nice. And my gut tells me that he's not just gonna let me get in her way." Angelica replied, lowering her stance and twirling a dagger in her right hand.

"And yeah, I know you and your order, Ra. Don't think I can't see your play here." Angelica continued, looking over at the golden Amon and her own new doppelganger. 

"So tell me, is she supposed to be my pinnacle too? That might be an impressive sight."

Norbert didn't know who or what this emblem-powered Amon-looking person was, but he clearly understood his threat. Inside, Bert could feel his aggression rising, and his figurative heels dig in. His eyes turned from wary to inimical, his hostility reaching an extra degree as the threat wasn't only levied against him, but against Rizen as well.

Angelica gave a bit of explanation, but Norbert's focused glare was unmoving. This emblem-fueled being was called Ra, and he'd tried to get Angelica to kill him. She was about ready to fight Ra and her copy, though, so clearly, that hadn't played out the way he'd wanted it to.

Keeping his gaze locked on his foes, Norbert mounted up onto Rizen again. Ra, at least, could fly, and he had no idea what other powers they had, so sending Rizen away wasn't necessarily going to protect her. That was especially if Angelica's copy had her same abilities. Instead, as soon as he was mounted, pegasus and rider charged toward their foes, Rizen's wings propelling them to meet Ra and his creation before they could gain their feet. Her horn was leveled at them, and Norbert was already drawing a mace back, ready to strike. If he could help it, he wanted to protect Angelica, too, even if he couldn't keep her out of the fight entirely.

Ra glanced at Angelica, seemingly about to address her, when Norbert sprang into action. A pair of direct hits seemed inevitable, with Ra doing little more than drifting slowly toward the ground, but as soon as he turned his attention back on Norbert, an intense flash of light enveloped the two golden figures. Norbert and Rizen plowed through a cloud of light particles as Ra and Angelica's doppelganger vanished into the air.

So Norbert was going for the patented 'charge headfirst' method... which, predictably, wasn't all that effective. Ra only had to disassemble and re-appear out of Norbert's current range... there it was.

"That's a little too straightforward to work on a guy like him, Norbert. I'm curious what he has to say though... there's a method behind that madness, there always is."

Pulling with the hand that was gripping Rizen's reins, Norbert rounded his steed about in a sweeping turn, gaining a bit of altitude while he was at it. All the while, his eyes scanned the area. Where did that blasted mimicker go? When Ra's light had flashed, Norbert and Rizen both had been forced to close their eyes, but that didn't stop their forward momentum. He saw the particles, and had been able to guess what had happened, but he wasn't about to let his guard down.

"He's made it pretty clear what he wants to do to us," Norbert responded a bit testily to his ally below, eyes still searching for his target. "I'm not going to just wait for him and your other you to do something to hurt Rizen or me! If I have to, I'll keep attacking and forcing him to warp away until we can figure something out to take them down! I won't give him an opening! Let me know if you get any better ideas, though -- they're more than welcome."

There is but one more to test. Just one more ...

Far above Norbert and Angelica, the emblem's light appeared, marking the swift return of Ra. Instead of the man himself appearing, the light descended down on the two like a meteor! It grew more bright and intense as it closed in on the spot between them. "Defend yourselves or perish!"

"Move!" Angelica called out, as she pushed off from the ground to evade the incoming blast of light. She could only hope Norbert had reacted fast enough, watching the scene... luckily enough, he had been in the air already, and the blast radius wasn't very large... although now the epicenter was between them. Predictably enough, the clone of hers had rushed off after Norbert, while Ra stood between Angelica herself and the soon to be dueling pair. Standing arms out and open, with a confident grin on his ever so smug face... keep her from interfering while the clone cleaned Norbert up, was it? Well... this body seemed to be immortal without anything happening to Amon, so if nothing else he might make a good target sponge as she tried to break through.

Calling forth a whipping whirlwind of blades, Angelica loosed the monsoon directly at Ra, more blades appearing from the air behind her, primed to follow up.

***

"I understand." The golden figure affirmed as she awoke, coming down to the ground in tow with Ra. Such a task seemed simple enough... thinking back to her inherited memories... yes. Norbert was... unlikely to be a challenge. Enough energy in reserve for relatively uninhibited output, residual anima units to make use of, and access to the entirety of her armoury... yes, this would be more than sufficient, especially with Ra keeping the original at bay. Kicking off from the ground with her step boosted by a heavy burst of wind, "Angelica" rushed towards the airborne rider with near blinding speed, concentrating wind units to the side of Norbert for just a moment, in order to create a solid wall to platform off of. Anchoring her left foot on the construct, Angelica swerved her body for leverage, launching her right foot towards Norbert's head before the bright flash had even dissipated. If he didn't put up a good defense, he's be booted straight off of that pegasus and into the dirt below.

"Let's see if you've got what it takes to show me some fun, little man!"

Ah. So there the bugger was, if that sudden, second sun was any indication. This time, the ball of light fell much more rapidly, and Angelica narrowly escaped it. Norbert was never anywhere near it, as it had only been big enough to envelop around four people, and he'd been gliding in a wide arc. Even when the light passed him during its descent -- at an altitude of little over 20ft -- he was about that distance away from it. It looked more like Angelica had been the intended target this time. She'd been standing still, so it wasn't like the change in targets didn't make sense.

Before Norbert could even quite register that Ra had reappeared, Angelica's copy shot out from the burst of light straight at him. She'd been so blindingly fast that he'd only had time to jerk backward a little bit and tense up on reflex before her foot was in his face. She hit with surprising force; if he didn't have the reflex to increase his grip when something like that happened, he may have been dismounted. As it was, he nearly had been, and even his sturdy head couldn't protect him from being momentarily stunned. He shook it off fairly quickly, regaining an awareness of his surroundings.

Rizen had reared up a bit and loosed a shrill, alarmed whinny at the sudden and violent weight shift, beating her wings and pawing at the air, having been forced into a momentary hover. Norbert moved himself back into the center of his saddle as quickly as possible, and guided Rizen into a rapid glide downward and away from Angelica's copy, and towards the real one. They would have an easier time fighting if they teamed up, but Norbert's main reason for the move was to get Rizen on the ground. It had become very clear very quickly that fighting from the air wasn't decidedly advantageous in this instance, but at least he had the option in case he needed it. For now, though, among his highest priorities was to preserve Rizen's wings. Tiring her out early or getting knocked out of her saddle while high up would only lead to a deadly loss. And it was only during their descent that Norbert realized that that kick to his face had been hard enough to burst the capillaries in his nose, which was now flowing with blood, not that he really cared about that. It wasn't broken, at least.

Unlike every other time prior, Ra's response to Angelica's magical assault wasn't to simply take them on the nose, but to break them apart with brute force. His arms and the sleeves clothing them began to glow brighter and brighter as he struck the oncoming wind blades. The ones his arms didn't catch, hit his chest instead, but the damage was unclear. A more diffuse light, much like those cloaking his arms, appeared there, as well. The light was different from the kind that spewed forth out of his wounds. There was something reminiscent of a barrier at play, this go around.

"So you're actually taking this seriously for once." Angelica noted as Ra actively struck down her incoming assault instead of taking it on the chin as he had prior. Starting to move, Angelica continued firing off blades at Ra, beginning to strafe to the side and closer to him... she had to try and keep her distance somewhat due to his massive unpredictability...he seemed to be unable to stun her anymore, or at least was opting not to, but the prospect of getting injected with another beam of light wasn't appealing. Still, if she stayed fully at a distance, she was giving him exactly what he wanted. 

***

"Running away? How disappointing." "Angelica" taunted with a scowl, the wind whipping around her momentarily before firing down at Norbert's retreating form in a rain of myriad spears and blades. Giving off a golden glow, several of the daggers that Ra had provided to her began to shimmer in the air about her, floating in place for a moment before following up on her first wind assault, golden knives shooting from the sky after Norbert, each propelled by a burst of wind as they flew, morphing them from gently falling blades to something more akin to ordnance from a cannon... smaller, but sharp, and far more fast. 

"Do you really think giving up the high ground will help you?"

Angelica will know how to fight her copy better than I do, if she's anything like her. Once I-- Small slicing and larger stabbing sensations interrupted Norbert's thoughts, and something that started as a grunt and ended as an irritated growl emanated from his throat. Rizen also loosed a startled shriek, and balked a tiny bit as a couple wind blades nicked her wings. The pain struck first, but Norbert noticed the glowing green weapons dissipating a little further below them after the hailstorm of sharp, magic-formed objects hit them. Several seemed to have been actual knives, though. Urgh, magic. He rather disliked having to deal with the stuff.

The wind blades scratched up the back of his and Rizen's armor, but hadn't been strong enough to pierce it. Cloth was far too thin to withstand them, however, and was easily torn through. One particularly good shot cut a fair slice into his left arm from just below his shoulder to his elbow, and several left their marks on his thighs. Some of the stronger, metal knives came far too close for comfort, one of which even got stuck between some of the gear strapped to the pegasus.

With her wings stinging from the assault's damage, Rizen's instinct pushed her faster to land, and the false Angelica's shout reached the rider. For a moment, he wondered if keeping airborne would have been the better strategy, but he quickly dismissed it. For now, it was safer on the ground. Besides, he wasn't ready to engage the golden woman head-on yet.

Touching down nearly parallel to Ra, Norbert directed the pegasus at a curved, speeding gallop towards his ally. Swiftly closing the distance and aiming to ride right by her, he leaned out some and extended his arm, hand spread out toward her. "Angelica!"

Hopefully, she would grab on so he could haul her up behind him onto Rizen's back. There was no way he was holding still in order to get tactical advice from the woman. Besides that, he had an idea.

"His fate may yet be the same as yours," Ra warned Angelica, his guard allowing almost none of the incoming wind blades through to his body. "Now this merits my full attention."

As Norbert maneuvered by him and called out to Angelica, Ra donned a smirk and began to take on more and more of the emblem's light. It was as if he was about to vanish, again.

There was just no getting through his defense, Ra easily blocking everything that she threw at him... his fate might be the same as hers, was it?  Still, it seemed Norbert had managed to break past Ra, and was now heading in her direction, which took precedent for the moment. It seemed he wanted her to mount up with him, shaking her head slightly and dashing alongside Norbert as he rode instead, using bursts of wind to keep up with his movement speed.

"We're more vulnerable if we're both riding on Rizen, we've at least managed to regroup... don't worry about me, I can keep up with you." Angelica noted, eyeing Ra warily.

"Watch out, I think he's about to make a move." The mage warned, gathering wind units as her eyes started to glow golden.. hopefully she could intercept whatever Ra was about to try.

***

A few hits, but he had managed the bare minimum of not getting himself killed. Touching down on the ground, "Angelica" watched Norbert ride across the plains with eyes like a hawk, staking out how to approach. Even with the pegasus, he shouldn't pose much of a problem, although if she could dismount him it would make things much simpler.

Norbert glared and his throat rumbled at Angelica in frustration. "Just get on! I need advice and it's a lot easier to talk to you if we don't have the wind between us! And if they want us separate, then we should be as hard to separate as possible! Besides that, I have a plan, but it won't work if you're not on Rizen!" Exasperated, but figuring she wouldn't listen if he didn't give her something of an explanation ahead of time, he decided to tell her "There was a wind mage in our group I was friends with named Ranyin and he and I were working on a maneuver before he had to leave. I want to modify it and try it here!" Why doesn't anyone ever listen to me, especially under circumstances like these?! We're wasting time, and every moment we don't work together is an opportunity for the people who want us dead! Or, just Rizen and me in this case, I guess. Ra and the other one don't seem to care if Angelica lives or dies.

"Tch..." It seemed he wasn't letting up... it was bad enough riding on Sasha and he was far more familiar at this point, but they had to do something, she supposed. Grabbing onto Norbert's arm and pulling herself up, Angelica got onto Rizen's saddle, though it was clear from the outset that it made her a bit twitchy. Watching both Ra and the doppelganger more closely, the mage tensed, ready to jettison herself off at a moment's notice if need be.

"Alright, I'm going to trust you Norbert, don't let me down."

Bert was a little surprised that Angelica decided to trust him at all, let alone so suddenly. He was glad for it, though, and a resolution to do just as she had asked settled itself solidly within him.

In a blinding flash of power, Ra vanished once again, and this time, not even the congregation of lights remained. He seemed to disappear from reality altogether, leaving behind only Angelica's deadly doppelganger. Ra was far from gone, however. New light appeared on the far side of the skirmish, converging quickly a mere six meters ahead of the mobile trio, and releasing Ra back from the unknown.

"Merge into one if you must," he greeted them, holding out his hand as the Regalia appeared, "however ... be prepared for the consequences!" Rather than the twin bladed knife he had showcased to Amon, the Regalia was manipulated, elongated into a shimmering staff. Ra wasted no time in slamming the Regalia into the ground, its sharp bottom penetrating the surface with ease. A tremor was unleashed as the emblem's power began to lash out from underground, rending the surface all around Ra, and just meters ahead of Rizen.

As Ra disappeared, Angelica's eyes began to glow a bright gold, as she focused on trying to perceive his next movement... the advance warning was small, but it was there, and Angelica could see the golden entity unleash his hell upon the ground in the moment that he re-appeared, but that wasn't all that she saw, ducking her head down and and firing off several wind shapes behind her in order to try and curb the shot she saw coming.

"Get off the ground, now! And duck!"

***

Grinning as Ra completed his pincer movement, "Angelica" pulled a golden rifle much like the original's from the air in a flash of light, aiming the barrel towards Norbert for a moment before taking her shot, leading it to take off the back of his head as he ascended to evade Ra.

"Goodbye, mongrel."

Bert had just opened his mouth to speak when Ra appeared in front of them. What came of his mouth instead as an exclamation of surprise. "Whoa!"

Rizen, likewise, was surprised by the sudden appearance, unfurling her wings on instinct at the grounded obstacle. Norbert could hardly hear what Ra was saying over all the overlaying events, but he could see clearly what was in front of him. Angelica's warning came quickly, and he would have followed it immediately, but there was something else... It was like a strong instinct, or a memory just on the edges of his mind. Someone was alarmed, and yelling out a warning of some kind... He couldn't make out any words, and what impression of an image he had was too blurry to make out any details, but he wound up following what he knew was the instruction.

It was a very difficult and stupidly risky maneuver, but Bert pulled up his legs and quickly turned around in the saddle, gripping her tack with his hands and her flanks -- as well as he could in this position -- with his legs as she took off into the air. His stomach lurched at the unnatural positioning during the takeoff, but he was glad he changed position. A bullet bounced off of the metal plate on his forehead guard, then fell harmlessly back to the ground below. If he had ducked, given the bullet's trajectory and the angle the two riders and pegasus were at, he would not have been hit, but Rizen would have been, and in the neck, no less. They weren't out of danger yet, though. They may have been above Ra's strange attack, but they were still rising more slowly than Norbert liked. He shifted his weight to get Rizen to even out a little more -- he couldn't move while she was tilted at such an angle.

"Sorry for the trick riding," the man told Angelica as he pulled his legs back up and changed to his usual riding position. "I had to protect my pegasus. Thanks for the warning, though."

There was no telling when another attack would be launched, so Norbert hurried into his explanation. "Here's the plan. Flight depends on the wind around the wings, and you can control the wind. I want you to make a fast air current for us to ride. As long as we're carrying you, you don't have to worry about keeping yourself aloft or getting yourself out of the way of attacks -- we'll take care of that. That copy of you has to concentrate on herself, though. Rizen was made for flying, so it should be easier to help her fly than it is for you to fly, yourself. You can change your focus from speeding us up to attacking whenever you want, too. Dragging through the air makes flight harder and slows us down, so if you could decrease that, that'd be great, but right now, what we need is speed and lift. If we can outmaneuver and outpace your copy, I can get us close enough to take away her ranged advantage. Our armor's less damaged in the front that it is in the back, too, so we're going on a full frontal assault. That's why you're behind me; I'll protect you. If you have any advice along the way, I'm all ears."

Throughout his explanation, Norbert had been directing Rizen to climb while turning to face their feminine foe. "Oh, and lean into the turns. Flying on a pegasus takes a lot of core muscle control and careful awareness of where your weight is. Just follow my lead on that."

Instead of ducking... Norbert had made some sort of crazy maneuver... he said it was to protect Rizen... which she supposed made sense. Her vision had shown that bullet would have missed the pegasus, but it would have been a near miss, and not something that Norbert could have seen coming. Also, it could have been nothing but sheer luck that had allowed that plate to actually take a bullet without ripping through or crushing his skull underneath by force. It was done though, and it was at that point that Norbert explained his plan... it was fairly basic in execution, although...

"I suppose that might work. My advice might not be the best though... anything I can do, she can. So she can reverse any changes I make if she catches on, and is smaller than us, so she'll have less wind resistance once she gets going." Angelica began, biting her lip.

"Also, there's a reason I wasn't thrilled to get on. I don't do well with flying mounts... I can get on them, which is better than I used to be, but... on here, I'm a lot less effective in a fight." She eventually admitted with a sigh. Still, with a quick cast, the wind currents shifted to be in Rizen's favour, and the air in front of her moved to give less resistance.

***

"Oho... well, I'd give you points for guts, but I'd need to take them back for sheer stupidity, mongrel." The golden doppelganger noted, mostly to herself, with a click of the tongue. Still, the original being with him was annoying... luckily she was a bad flier if it wasn't her own power doing the flying. She'd be easy to wrench off that pegasus without much danger. Snapping her fingers, more wind shapes began to emerge, and fire off towards Norbert. This time, rather than blades and spears, they were large, blunt obstructions in the form of approaching wind walls and smaller ordnance. 

"Your advice is to be unpredictable, then, huh? Not sure I can do that, but I'll follow my gut, if you think that'll help," Norbert responded. He could feel Rizen's muscles relaxing as the wind filled her wings and sped them onward, lifting them higher before they began surging towards their foe.

Despite the situation, Norbert felt a sort of inner calm, and it was reflected in his tone. He was no less determined, however. "Thanks for all the help. And hold onto me if you think it'll keep you in place -- I don't mind it -- but be sure to hold onto Rizen with your legs, too. There's only so much we can do to keep you from flying off, but we'll do our best. I'm a little surprised you're afraid of flying on mounts, but at the same time, I understand. Thank you for trusting me. That means a lot more than you probably realize. I'm going to do everything within my power to get us out of this alive, Angelica -- you can count on that."

More wind spells were hurtled their way, and the rider's face set into an aggressive snarl once again. "Hold on!"

Angelica seemed capable of anticipating the rapid twists and turns he pulled them into, changing the wind to suit their needs. It was pretty impressive, but he could only give it a little bit of thought. The wind whipping around Rizen's body and wings propelled them onward as rider and pegasus banked hard, now right, now left, then even jumping over one of the blunt, incoming walls. But they were also rapidly closing the distance between the copy of Angelica and themselves, always facing forward.

Almost there. Rizen's horn pointed at the woman in the final stretch, and Norbert readied a mace, holding onto Rizen's reins with his other hand. His eyes were fixed upon her, and focused, and his mouth was set in a grim line.

The doppelganger wasn't alone. As the trio approached, Ra appeared in a burst of light, just behind and beside her. He placed a hand on her shoulder, and as soon as he did, the emblem's light began to radiate from them both. Ra's eyes were squarely on Norbert, and his smirk had become something more faint, diluted by his nefarious intent. "Escalation it is, then."

As Ra appeared next to her and filled her with light, "Angelica"'s lips curled into a smile. She hadn't been overly concerned about the approaching pegasus, but this... well now it was just child's play. 

"Oh, now this will be fun..." She let out with a gentle chuckle, pointing her finger to the heavens as the light enveloping the golden pair began to grow in intensity exponentially, brighter and brighter, expanding outwards to fill the sky with a blinding golden radiance. Bringing her hand down to face Norbert, the growing light exploded outwards towards the mount and her riders, in a spectacle that could only be described as a 'glowing wall of certain death', a gleeful shout leaving the doppelganger's lips.

"Die as you lived, mongrel! A helpless fool!"

***

What was? No, no no no. How in the hell... how could she, what kind of?!

"Norbert, back off! Now!" Angelica managed in a hoarse scream, the golden glow from her eyes increasing in intensity as her clone started to do... something. Something nefarious, something nearly unimaginable? Witnessing the carnage through her mind's eye was terrifying... how much power did Ra have? To not only be seemingly invincible, but to call down that sort of Armageddon on a whim?! Focusing every bit of anima she could draw, not only from her tome, but the surrounding environment, Angelica immediately began to construct walls, cushioning layers of air, anything that could hold back the incoming blast. At the same time, she forced an air current against Rizen's forward path, the backdraft leaving the pegasus almost forced to retreat. Gritting her teeth as the wall of light slammed into her defenses, she could only hope it was enough. There was no room to dodge, and getting hit was certain death... retreat and holding it off was the only option.

What're they--? "Gah!" The sudden change in windflow buffeted Norbert's face, blurring his vision and forcing him to shield his eyes. Rizen, in response, whinnied in a mild panic. It'd caught her wings and began blowing her backwards, which was quite unnatural for the winged animal. She began beating her wings to shake off the backward-propelling current, and trying to turn a couple of times. The last time she brayed in protest. It had been Norbert's steering that had kept her from being able to change course. We can't turn away. We'll be shredded for sure if we do! Besides, Angelica would get hit by the brunt of the attack, and she's not even wearing any armor. I won't let her get hurt in something that pointless!

"Angelica, let us go forward! Stop pushing us back!" Norbert called over the gusting wind. He could see the wall of light breaking through the mage's barriers perfectly clearly...but something inside... He just knew that the only way to go was forward. "I can't explain it, but we have to keep pushing forward! I know it sounds crazy, but it's our best chance! If we turn around now, we won't escape that attack anyway; you have to know that. I'm sorry to ask this much trust from you, but it's the only option I can see...and I need your trust right now."

Something warm was gathering in his core. It felt like many other times he was about to plunge into something dangerous, so he chalked it up to anticipation, not even noticing that there was something different about it this time.

"Yes, go on. Charge into your doom, little man~" The golden doppelganger continued with excitement... the original's magic couldn't stop this, try as she might. This was a power that was beyond her grasp. It belonged only to Ra and to her, and it wasn't something that the original could match. While she was exerting herself though... whirling the wind in her free hand, "Angelica" loosed a small number of wind shapes to come in from the side. No use offing them both.

***

"Graaah...!" Angelica grunted... he wasn't turning around, even the backdraft wasn't making him turn around! Couldn't he see charging in would kill him for certain? Her eyes glowing brighter and brighter, she couldn't see any positive outcomes. Unless something happened that was impossible for her to foresee, this was the end, now that Norbert hadn't turned back. It was all she could do to stop pushing against Rizen and focus all of her efforts on blunting the incoming wall of light, bombarding it with everything she could envision in her head. Projecting every weapon she had memorized, even those with only a basic outline would be better than nothing... more walls, more layers of cocoon around Rizen's front, a spell she had only ever managed to cast semi-effectively... in her desperation, the shielding came, and a massive tailwind at Rizen's back borne of sheer force of the whirling winds. It was all she could do to try and stop the encroaching wall when Angelica was caught off guard by an approaching hammer. It was too close for her to do anything about it but take the blow...

As soon as Angelica stopped blowing them backward, Rizen surged forward toward the collision of anima and emblem magic. It was intuitive and strange, suddenly knowing these things. It was like someone had told him...but his focus was on only two things right now: his target, and keeping the three of them alive. The wall of light grew ever-closer, and Angelica was clearly straining. It was making him angry. Pushing us like this...using that weird magic to augment your attacks... We've done everything we can, and it's not enough! But even if it doesn't make sense, and even if I can't push you back physically, or tactically, or stop Angelica from straining herself...

Norbert's entire body began glowing with a golden light, the reaches of which extended beyond Rizen's wingtips. A wind hammer swung at Angelica's side from her double, but it slowed and dissolved as it tried to penetrate the glow, never reaching its target. The trio crashed into the wall of light, the attack rolling off of Norbert's glow like water off a duck's back...and then they were through...and Norbert's eyes were blazing, his arm pulled back and ready to swing. I CAN STILL DEFY YOU!!!

"So, you choose Defiance over Death!" Ra grinned from ear to ear, pouring even more power into his servant's body. As her power grew, a small sphere of light appeared several meters from them. Another appeared on the far side. Then another, higher up in the air. Within a few seconds, there were twelve in total, all with different vantage points of their target's approach. All of them prepared to disperse themselves as deadly beams of energy in time with not only each other, but also Angelica's gold reflection.

As her power surged, "Angelica" saw Norbert charge through her wall, bathed in a golden light. So it had activated... but was it a fluke or was it his to control? They still had to test it. It was unfortunate that he had stopped her from knocking the original away, but she had enough control, especially with Ra's influence, to stop the assault cold before the original was killed if Norbert failed... she'd drop to the ground sitting on the back half of a pegasus with the front vapourized, but she'd be alive. Keeping her arm forward, and adjusting it to face Norbert directly, "Angelica" began to glow ever brighter.

"Let's see how you handle this, mongrel?!" She shouted, a sphere of emblem energy appearing in front of her. Smaller than before, more concentrated, more deadly. As it shot off into a beam about as wide as Rizen and made it's way directly towards Norbert, all that was left was to see if he could control his power. If not, he'd be reduced to nothing in an instant, and he was far too close now to be able to dodge.

All thirteen beams of golden light raced to converge on the pegasus and her passengers. Rizen really wasn't sure about all this, but her rider seemed sure of himself... They'd passed through a glowing wall just prior, so she decided to trust him, not that she could have turned away at this point.

Norbert's resolve only hardened and his enmity flared at their foes' coordinated attack. In his anger, his voice rose in a steadily-escalating roar, and the golden light emanating from him reached further out, growing denser at its center. The beams collided with them...and exhausted themselves, again unable to penetrate the rider's light. An instant later, and Rizen was bodily slamming into the two, golden lookalikes, and Norbert swung his mace as hard as he could, crashing the corner of its butt into the false Angelica's temple, which would have knocked her head forcefully into Ra's throat. However, as soon as Rizen and Splinter touched the golden beings, the two dissolved into golden particles. As a result, Norbert's mace slid harmlessly through the air, and Rizen's momentum kept moving forward uninhibited.

"Magnificent. The both of you," Ra's voice came from behind the trio this time. The two golden entities stood a fair distance away, with no signs of a counterattack looming from either. "This performance has now reached its end. Joining your will to Raquel's has granted you tremendous power, power you will need if you truly wish to oppose the fallen ones. You would do well to remember this day and the many gifts it has brought you."

"It was kind of unfortunate... I wanted to dance a bit more first... doing everything from range is so... impersonal. Still, it turned out well in the end." The golden doppelganger noted from Ra's side, sighing as she shrugged her shoulders.

***

There was no doubt about it now. Norbert had awakened to an ability of his own, passing through the blinding assault without seeming to take any damage whatsoever. Hopping off of Rizen with a cough... she had used more anima than she had been anticipating... given a short rest she would be fine, but she was still a bit dizzy in the moment.

"Oof... what a mess, damn it." The mage groaned out as she started to stretch, in an attempt to even herself out a bit.

Rizen's hooves skidded on the ground, trying to slow her momentum. It was a bit of a stumble; she'd been expecting impact, not...whatever the heck just happened. Gaining control again, Norbert turned her around and rode closer to the golden duo, still glowing cautiously and still glowering angrily. They sure seemed like they were done fighting, but they had just been trying to kill him. Besides that, Ra was sounding infuriatingly like Steinn.

"'Joining our wills with Raquel's?' 'Performance?!' 'Gifts?!' What in Truth's name is wrong with you?! And who the heck are you, anyway?! What have you done with Amon, or the others?!" he demanded.

"Well, I don't know how much he wants to tell, but I can say what I know, Norbert." Angelica interjected, standing straight after she finished stretching.

"That is Ra. He's connected to Raquel and the Emblem, and is supposedly Amon's... he called himself Amon times Amon, essentially he is what Amon is supposed to become, I think. Anyway, his goal, as he put it to me, is to prepare us for what lies ahead. By unlocking our latent potential as Emblem wielders, for those of us that can... how do you think you just got through that attack, Norbert?" Angelica explained what she could, but some things were still unclear.

"He always has a play in mind. He probably tried to force me to kill you because he knew that if I defied him, I could unlock my ability, or if I didn't, that you might unlock yours. Either way, it's a win for his cause. Isn't that right, Ra?"

Glancing at Norbert briefly, Ra explained, "You know who I am, Norbert. You have seen my face many times, and I yours. I am Amon. The shadow you have grown so accustomed to also bears that name. Call me Ra ... until this struggle comes to an end."

Angelica tried to bring Norbert up to speed on Ra and what he was trying to accomplish, but it was admittedly a whole lot to take in all at once, especially after a life or death struggle. "If you believe this," Ra began, sounding amused with Angelica, "then surely you must be curious. I have yet to rid this gathering of all weakness, haven't I? There are still those whose very existence undermines you. What next, then? Interestingly ... you have indeed abandoned your role as my servant ... and so all of your rewards shall be hers," Ra indicated the "Angelica" beside him. "What comes next, then? She will be the judge."

"Shadow?" What? Weird magic always seemed to make his head hurt. Angelica explained things a little bit, but it was all so strange...which was normal, where the Fire Emblem was concerned, he supposed. Didn't mean he liked it, though. Why does everything always have to be so Wrath-blasted complicated? Was Ra a friend or a foe? He'd just been trying to kill them, but his motives were to prepare them to fight the foes that were ahead. Everyone seemed to agree on that, anyway... But he still tried to kill them! And his wording about people's "existence undermining them."

"Oh, no! You are not going to try to kill anyone else!" Norbert practically ordered, jabbing a finger in Ra's direction. "That is not a good way to go about things, especially with your friends!" Ugh, what am I saying?

The glowing rider crossed his arms, glaring irritably at the golden man. "I'm not sure I believe you anyway. Amon doesn't act like this at all: treating his allies like his enemies! If anything, he's quiet and apologetic. And what's this about Angelica being your servant, and whatever that thing next to you is?"

At least it sounded like nothing had befallen any of the others...yet.

"Well, he said that in order for Amon to be able to do what he has to do, he'll need to become more like him. Whether that simply means more willing to make harsh decisions or something further I don't know... but he said if Amon can't or won't comply, he'll kill him too. Even though that would mean destroying himself as well." Angelica interjected, looking over at Ra. She understood Norbert's anger... if Ra went after Eva, how would Angelica reply? If things got down to the brink... a thought crossed her mind that she shook off. If it came down to it, would she assassinate Amon to keep Ra from killing Eva if she didn't make his cut? She couldn't solidly say she wouldn't do something like that, even to a friend. No other method seemed to be capable of giving the golden rendition of Amon pause... if he was even telling the truth about that. Was it simply another ploy to see where their resolve would bend?

"Perhaps I should go back a little. I met Ra with Amon, and truth be told, I underestimated him. He injected... her, into me. Well, at the time it was just a mass of golden light, before I could realize what was happening. So long as it remained, he could freeze my body at will. I don't know what else he could have done, but it seemed it grew to mimic me as it lay dormant, exerting his control. And now that he's pulled it out, while it seems the power he held over me is gone, he has a perfectly capable substitute by the looks of things." Angelica continued, looking over Ra curiously as he spoke.

"I figured you would say that. Of course, I don't know what your standard is yet, Ra. I know that... our Amon is not where you want him to be yet, but who else falls below the bar? If I had not come to you, would you have come after me on your own accord, or was I strong enough already to pass, now moreso that I've awoken this power? I suppose you won't give me a direct measure, that would be too generous." The mage reasoned out a bit, wondering how much Ra would divulge. Would it be nothing, now that she had defied his control and had, in a sense, outlived her usefulness as a direct tool? Or did empowering those who he had strengthened with even further knowledge, so long as it did not obstruct him, further his cause ever more? Still...

"But you aren't wrong. If we're to truly take on such a responsibility that the Emblem might bestow upon us, then there is still a lot that needs to be done. We're too segmented, not yet strong enough, our camaraderie is nowhere near where it needs to be. I only hope that further... projects of yours don't require such an elaborate farce to pull off."

***

"Oh Norbert, didn't your sisters teach you not to refer to a lady in such basic terms? That thing... how vulgar. Maybe I should have roughed you up more personally before waking you up... a few broken limbs build character." The golden doppelganger interjected with a bit of distaste.

"You may have awoken to your ability, but your character needs more fixing before you're truly up to par. Some of us would kill for the chance to meet a father who cares for us, you know."

"You leave my family out of this you cheap imitation!" Bert snapped at the golden woman, his glow doubling in diameter and his eyes blazing in insult. He would have charged in and tried to knock her head off if he didn't have his desire for answers as an unconscious tether. "You don't know a thing about us!"

"I know everything that she does." "Angelica" replied, motioning at the original with a grin. 

"I know that you were raised in a girls' orphanage, your figurative family spread across the continent. Always looked down on, always teased. The little brother who always needed to be protected by his sisters... always inadequate~" The doppelganger taunted, riling Norbert up proving to be a reasonable source of entertainment. 

"I know that when a man came into your life claiming to be your father... wanting to be the father you never had, instead of taking that chance, you ran away. You turned your back and fled from a man who wanted nothing more than to be your family and make right what had went wrong. Instead of taking the chance to have a real father, something that I... that she..." "Angelica paused, pointing at the original, causing her to flinch in place.

"... would have killed for, you ran away. Not only denying yourself that chance, but making a scene that, if this father of yours had been a lesser man, could have jeopardized everything we came here for. You may have awoken to your latent potential Norbert, but you are far... far from adequate. And no matter how strong you might get physically, even if you hone that ability to shrug off any attack." "Angelica" paused again, gritting her teeth and balling her fist before letting out a long breath and continuing.

"So long as you continue to fly of the handle, rush in and out like a fool, and put your friends and allies at risk with your selfish behavior... you'll always be weak, Mongrel. As you are now, you're still a liability."

"Indeed," Ra chimed in between Norbert and Angelica's doppelganger, "You remain a burden to your allies, even with your power. However, I believe you have learned a valuable lesson, this day. If you take it to heart, it may yet redeem you."

"Angelica," Ra's attention shifted back to her, "you fear I am the one who judges all of these matters, however that is far from the truth," he noted, eyeing her seriously, "You recognize and shine light on every weakened link in this poorly fashioned chain. You know what must be done in order to prepare these aspiring heroes ... and so do I. If you wish everyone saved alive or simply those dearest to you, then act quickly. My designs allow for any eventuality, be it life or death. Now then. The time for the two of you to leech your strength from me has ended." Ra snapped his fingers, and Norbert's light abruptly faded away. "Henceforth, you shall receive your portions from Raquel, herself."

Norbert could hardly keep himself from charging at Angelica's copy with the intention of grinding her into the dust. She claimed she knew him, but she only knew a spattering of things about his growing-up life and recent history, and even then, it wasn't entirely accurate. The copy began to stumble, referring to herself, then correcting herself to refer to her original. It was a little surprising, but it seemed that he and Angelica had something in common, at least to a minor extent. Maybe she was an orphan, too. He really didn't know. She brought up his show of weakness: that moment in which he hadn't even been able to stand resolutely in his heart, but fell backward, and ultimately fled. He could still feel all of the icy fear attached to that moment, but this time, he was able to control it. And then...

"So long as you continue to fly off the handle, rush in and out like a fool, and put your friends and allies at risk with your selfish behavior... you'll always be weak, Mongrel. As you are now, you're still a liability."

He remembered when he'd put everyone at risk in Sanctuary, and the new resolution he'd made to get better at controlling his temper so that he wouldn't put his allies at risk because of it again. He'd even left Raquel and her group behind because he didn't think his self-control was strong enough yet to handle being in Neviskotia. Is this the same? He was still angry at her, and he sure as the Gate didn't trust her, but he couldn't ignore the potential risk to his allies, despite the circumstances.

And then Ra agreed...and then offered something that could constitute as both advice and an encouragement. Bert really hated how much these two were reminding him of Steinn. That featherduster prince was absolutely irksome...but he also often times held points that were hard to deny. And, perhaps the most oddly, Steinn even believed in him. He saw potential in him...and even worked, it seemed, to help him grow, and to give him opportunities to continue that growth, and to even have a hand in history. And, for whatever reason, that made Norbert want to...impress him. He wanted to hear the Fallen prince take note of how much stronger he had become. And Bert still wanted to prove him wrong in other areas, too. And now, those feelings were beginning to spill over to Ra and, to a much lesser extent, to the duplicate Angelica. There was no question that any and all of them would end his life if it suited them... Why did he want to impress them, then?! Why was he feeling anything other than animosity towards them?! What in Truth's name is wrong with me? This is...so confusing... And a lesson... What lesson was Ra talking about?

And then he spoke to Angelica... He really wasn't against the group, despite being willing to kill them all. Nothing could ever be simple. Bert wasn't sure if he should help him or dismember him. If he could, anyway. And then it was revealed that Ra had been the one supplying him, at least, with emblem energy the entire time, as his fading glow suddenly winked out. Norbert blinked in surprise. He could still feel the potential to use his new ability, but...it was like it was...asleep, or something. It just didn't have the energy to keep going. Of course, that made sense, but... That meant that this whole time, Ra was giving his own energy to help strengthen them. Urgh, I really don't know what to think about this guy... And then something about Raquel?

"Wait, what? Raquel should be in Neviskotia by now," Norbert responded to Ra, confused, and still irritated at the other Angelica. Of course, it wasn't like he wouldn't like to speak to Raquel again. He missed her, really.

"Find out their innermost desire and force them to grasp it. Turn us from a rack-shamble gathering into a proper unit." Angelica affirmed, meeting Ra's gaze. Either his way, or if she could find one, hers. As harsh as his methods were, they clearly worked. Both she and Norbert had been awoken in one fell swoop. But how many of them would fail to realize their potential, and fall victim to Ra's potential brutality? Would they include people that Angelica wasn't ready to lose? It was impossible to know, but... 

"Ra... did you know what our abilities would be? Does your connection to Raquel allow you to see such things, to see our desires and how they will manifest? This setup... it seems too perfectly designed for you not to know." She began, as Norbert brought up a prudent question about Raquel. 

"Ra has always referred to Raquel and the Emblem as one and the same. Amon saw Raquel when he first manifested the Regalia... and she did always seem to have a strong connection to it. It would seem Raquel has merged with the Emblem... somehow. As roundabout as Ra is about things, I don't think he would speak false of something so fundamental."

"Perhaps I held foreknowledge," Ra shrugged faintly, "Or perhaps Raquel's whims lie at the heart of all of this. Little if anything changes. Know this, the both of you," Ra held up a finger, "Raquel has indeed joined together with the Fire Emblem. You no longer have any need to distinguish one from the other. Her power lies in many different places, and she bears just as many faces. Remember this."

"That doesn't make any sense," Norbert stated, his voice tinted with annoyance as he tried and failed to picture Raquel with a different face. Ra seemed to speak in riddle a lot more than Amon, did so he probably didn't mean something literal. For the life of him, though, he couldn't think of another meaning.

Shaking that off and deciding he'd either forget about it or come back to it later, Norbert turned his attention to the other bit of ridiculous Emblem business. Angelica and Ra both seemed to be serious about Raquel and the emblem becoming the same...being? He wasn't sure how an object and a person became the same thing, but if anything could achieve that, it was the Fire Emblem...and if anyone would stumble into it, it was Raquel. It reminded him of Hypnos. Maybe Nyx's son had some answers...or maybe he could communicate with Raquel now, the same way that she used to communicate with that dragon head. I'm an emblem-wielder, now... Weird. It had always been Raquel before. Protecting her, trying to help her have the energy she needed to survive... To have such a reversal was...odd...and a bit concerning, but not nearly as much as it could have been.

Norbert acknowledged that the scenario Ra and the other Angelica had taken him through had been necessary, even though it meant that they really try to end his life. If he hadn't exhausted all of his natural abilities in trying to bring down foes empowered by the emblem, he would have just rejected the golden power. But facing that situation... He was forced to acknowledge that he couldn't fight enemies like that on his own, or even with help from an ally. He needed to use a resource that was just as powerful: the Fire Emblem. If he didn't, he not only would have lost... He would have died. And anyone he was protecting would have died, too.

In the end, it was better to learn that lesson from people who were trying to help than from those who wouldn't have withdrawn. Norbert directed his attention to the new feeling within him: what he could now identify as his slumbering power. This is...too weird... But there's nothing else I can do about it.

Nothing, of course, but help prepare the others for what lay ahead. That, and get one, crucial question answered. "Will we be reliant on emblem energy now like Raquel and Hypnos were?"

Ra looked amused at first; Norbert's confusion most likely, but when the newly empowered pegasus rider eventually asked the apparition about their reliance on the emblem's energy, Ra's expression changed. "Your power will draw its strength from Raquel. Accept her gift, however, rely on yourselves," he said, scowling mildly, "Do not expect her to forsake one wielder for the sake of others. She will not--she cannot."

This news clearly alarmed the pegasus rider, as his eyes widened and he hastily asked, "So, she only has a limited amount of energy again? She could die if we take too much?"

Ra's smile began to return but only little by little. "Raquel is not limited in this way. What I speak of is your struggle against the fallen ones. Have you already forgotten who leads them? Have you forgotten the treasure Aisha's servants seek to take from him?"

It was strange that Ra didn't include himself when he referred to the Rexians, but he began to understand what the golden man meant. He grimaced. "You mean we can't rely on our weird magic when we fight Steinn's stupid brother because he uses it, too."

Norbert's brow furrowed as he thought about it, then he asked, "Does that mean he can't use his power against us, either? And, wait, are we reliant on emblem energy, or are just our powers? 'Cause for a while, if Raquel didn't have emblem energy in her, she would have died."

He couldn't exactly recommend becoming wielders if it meant you were reliant on emblem magic for the rest of your life. If that was the case, then maybe Shadrak's idea of becoming minor gods was a better one...which was saying something.

"That would be the natural assumption, yes. Which means that he shouldn't be able to abuse his clones, at least against other wielders... if we can put him down, it might actually be for good. Of course, nothing is ever certain when it comes to the Emblem..." Angelica interjected, thinking over Norbert's concerns for a moment.

"But I don't think you need to worry about that too much, Raquel was a pretty exceptional case all around, and I don't feel any worse for not having access to that energy anymore. Do you?"

Ra scowled again. "It seems you are reliant on far more than Raquel's power. You would leech my strength to the last ember if I allowed it. We have endured enough of your questions. Go. Prepare yourselves for your next trial."

It seemed that was it. Ra was fed up, and more likely than not was about to disappear into a flash of light.

"That's it for now then, I suppose. We should head back, Norbert."

Wait, does this mean that we really are going to die if we don't breathe that energy like air?! Norbert thought in alarm. True, he wasn't feeling any ill-effects yet, but he didn't know how any of this worked. Maybe it was something you didn't feel coming. And what was this about a "next trial?"

"Next trial?" Bert echoed. He was all for getting stronger, but if this was what the first one was like, what could the second one possibly be? Would it be just as deadly? Besides that, he was still nervous from not getting a direct answer to his earlier question. "What do you mean? What next trial?"

"Enough," Ra sighed, turning away alongside "Angelica." He looked truly finished with the exchange. The golden lights quickly returned and began to envelope the two as they started off in the other direction. "Go, and witness with your own eyes ..."

Did something happen to the others while they were out here? What "next trial" could Ra have meant? Upon their return to the Kigenese port town, would it become clear? Panicking, Norbert spoke to the disappearing golden ones. "Wait! You have to at least tell me if everything's okay back in town!"

"Hah! All is as it should be, whether or not you would agree," Ra called back, just before he and his servant vanished. The golden lights faded too, leaving virtually no trace of the emblem's presence in the Arugai outskirts.

EASING TENSIONS

Spoiler

Whether Ra's parting words were meant to be helpful or not, Norbert wasn't sure. The Amon-lookalike... Well, it was hard to tell if he had compassion or not. Still, given what little he knew about the confusing golden man, he probably meant that nothing disastrous had occurred. Otherwise, why all the previous talk about making everyone else stronger? There probably wasn't a reason to rush... From here, at least, it didn't look like the town was on fire or anything -- he was sure he would at least see smoke if that was the case.

This is...really weird. I don't know what's going on at all. Norbert thought, a little frustrated but mostly uncertain. Were he and Angelica dying without even realizing it? Evidently, they'd been taking from his energy, and he didn't like that, but would he really go through all that trouble if it just meant they'd die in the end? He said we'd need to get energy from Raquel... Maybe that's the "next trial" he was talking about? Hmph. He is the sort to make us figure it out on our own...

"I'm going to see if I can't talk to Raquel," Bert told Angelica with an uncertain grimace. "I don't know much about even normal magic so...I'm not sure if I'll do this right, but I can't just leave something like this to chance."

That said, Norbert closed his eyes and focused as completely as he could on the feeling of the new power within him, on his desire for answers, and on his memory of Raquel. He thought of the feeling of having his pink-haired friend around, and pictured her in his mind's eye. Raquel, I could use some help. If you can hear me, please answer me; I don't know what's going on.

"I don't think there's any point, Norbert. At least not here... if you're gonna have any luck at all, it'll be with a piece of the Emblem close by. If we're out of range to use our abilities, something like that won't work either." Angelica chimed in... she wasn't sure if it would work at all, but he'd certainly have a better shot somewhere other than here.

"Besides, I'd rather not stick around long enough for authorities to get word of the light show and come running to check it out."

Well, he'd given it a fair shot, but Bert didn't hear any responses. Angelica had a good point, too. All the time he'd been following Raquel around, she always needed a piece of the emblem. And, thinking about it, Jo had a piece with her. Maybe just being near it would be enough, even if they were in mortal danger from not having any emblem energy right now.

"You're right," the rider responded. He didn't like the idea of having to explain himself to the authorities, but thinking about it, that was probably unavoidable at this point. "We'd better head back."

After Norbert dismounted his pegasus, it suddenly occurred to him to explain the action to Angelica. "I think I'll walk for a while. It didn't sound like the others were in danger... Not yet, anyway." He turned to look to her. "Did you want to walk together?"

"It can't hurt, at this point. I'd like to rest up before using any more magic, anyway." Angelica replied, finally allowing her shoulders to relax, releasing some of the tension in her body. What an ordeal this had been...

"Let's head back to town then, Norbert. I'm sure if something is happening, we'll get wind of it before long."

He nodded and began heading back. Rizen followed him along without having to be led and Norbert worked through his thoughts. There was that next trial that Ra had mentioned, but he also talked about a lesson of some sort. What exactly had he learned? Well, before all this happened, I was terrified of what the others would do to me... Having to fight for my life, though, I guess I forgot about that. I was just focused on surviving...and protecting Riz and Angelica. That's nothing new, though... What could Ra have meant? Was it his change in prospective about people becoming emblem wielders? Even then, it wasn't changed entirely... He still didn't know the risks, and he couldn't recommend something like that.

Thinking back to the context, though, Ra was agreeing with Angelica's copy that he was a danger to his allies. And according to them, it was because he rushed into things, and lost his temper. But to have learned something contrary to that... Thinking back to the battle, he worked with Angelica rather closely. Each was completely reliant on the other in some way. They...trusted each other.

Trust... Is that it? For some reason, he felt a nervousness beginning to form within him at the thought. "If you take it to heart, it may yet redeem you." That was what Ra had said. Does he mean I'm supposed to trust the others more? His expression soured, thinking back to the last time he trusted them: the bandits' outpost. They'd left him behind, without so much as a warning. They let him carry out his role in the mission while they abandoned theirs. How can I trust people like that -- who treat my life like garbage? His walls were coming up again.

Recent events crashed into his conscious memory in stark contrast. Angelica had risked everything to help him. She'd even listened to him when he gave her the bare bones of his plan, and even confronted a fear of hers by mounting Rizen. It was downright humbling, and he wound up taking a second look at the possibility of trusting the others.

But what had been different? Well, this time it was just us: Angelica, Rizen and me. At that bandit camp, it was a lot of people... Was that the key? Considering the plan forming in his head made Norbert's stomach clench, and a realization began to form. Am I...afraid of them? No, that wasn't quite it. It wasn't them so much as... I'm afraid of exposing myself... Of putting myself at their mercy. I'm...afraid of being vulnerable.

As though confirming his guess, fear snatched up the pegasus rider in an iron grip. The "what if's" began in the back of his mind, and roiled along with past experiences, of being attacked in various ways, by people within and outside of the group. His history showed him reason after reason why he couldn't trust people -- how he would only be hurt or destroyed in the attempt. His strides became more stiff as he battled them alone, trying to fight them off with some of his most recent experiences, and arguments based in fact, citing how groups who trust one another can achieve much more than those who don't.

But they have to be trustworthy. his fears argued. Norbert responded, How can they be trustworthy if I never give them a chance to prove if they are or not? He also reasoned that in a life-or-death crisis is probably not the time to prove such a thing. His fear argued back that if they couldn't prove themselves in such dire straits, then they certainly couldn't be trusted with anything else. I'll never get stronger if I don't face and overcome my fears. Norbert thought in frustration. That was the real focus, here...and his fear couldn't argue against that.

Bert began devising a plan on how to overcome this newly-discovered fear, choosing to take it slow. He didn't have to blindly trust everyone at once -- that would only damage everyone involved and make it even harder to trust them. He would have to cultivate relationships...which was frightening in and of itself. Thoughts like "I'm unlikable to them" "this isn't going to work" and "I'm just going to make a fool of myself" began to come up, but Bert was determined to overcome this weakness. And not only for his own sake. He really didn't want to cause problems for the group.

"That other you thinks she knows me," Norbert mentioned to Angelica. He was still fairly in his thoughts, but his voice was calm and serious. And he kept his eyes ahead of them. Honestly, he was afraid, saying all this and what it was leading up to, but at least, after what Angelica had done for him, it was within his power. "She doesn't. I guess that means there are things you don't understand about me, too."

"Well, that's about to be expected." Angelica replied, somewhat surprised when Norbert brought it up... of all the things they had gone through, that was what stuck with him? Oh well, it wasn't her place to judge, and there were worse things to comment on, she supposed.

"Everyone keeps things about themselves private, and we haven't spoken all that much before this. I know what you've shown me, willingly or otherwise. But I don't know why things are like that, or the personal nuances behind them."

"Or otherwise?" Norbert's defenses began to spring back into place, but he forced them back down. They would only get in the way of his objective.

"Well," Bert did his best to keep his nerves out of his voice, pausing to moisten the inside of his mouth and swallow. "Here's the truth. My sisters may have thought I was inadequate, but they never defended me. Not until recently, anyway, and even then, it was only one of them, back when we were last in Urquium. She was one of the pegasus knights we rescued."

That was getting a bit off-topic, so he returned to his point. "Starting when I was three years old and until I left home at seventeen, my sisters would attack me, and lie about me. No one believed me when I said I didn't start the fights. No one came to my rescue, even when I told Father Nigel -- the man who raised us -- about it. He believed the best about everyone, and was easily fooled by false apologies, and never investigated what actually happened. I was beat up regularly, my reputation was destroyed, I was told I was weak and worthless, that I was limited because I was a boy, and every one of my sisters would blame me for every wrong that was done to me. Some of their attacks, I'm surprised I survived, like when I was locked outside... I gained a reputation for having a bad temper before my temper actually developed, and when it did, it was because of all my sisters put me through. They seemed to enjoy it when I showed fear or weakness, so I learned to hide those. I didn't even realize that I was becoming terrified of showing weakness or...of being vulnerable. Not until today."

Norbert turned his eyes to Angelica. Though his facial expression was set in rigid determination, his eyes were filled with fear. "You faced your fear for my sake. So...I'm going to trust you with mine. It's only fair."

His eyes slipped away, returning to the road. Norbert was beginning to feel a little lightheaded, too, from his fear. It was out there, now: exposed...and his insides were quaking. "I told you... You don't know how much it meant to me that you listened to me earlier. That you trusted me... I refused to betray that trust. So, I hope I didn't let you down, during that fight. I did my best not to."

It was clear that Norbert had gone into a defensive mindset for a moment at Angelica's words, so taking a moment to clarify before things had the chance to get out of hand;

"Yeah, like what happened with Kazemi. I don't know what the dynamic is that lead to you reacting like that, but you did. That means that, at the very least, I know something is up with you, at least pertaining to having another father figure in your life. I doubt it was your intention to show me or anyone else that, but you did. That's all I meant." Angelica clarified, figuring it prudent to specify another, as Norbert had opened up about his history in the orphanage, and had mentioned one man that might qualify.

"So you were singled out for being different and abused. That abuse caused you to grow emotionally stunted." Angelica noted, repeating a condensed version of his story. Sounded familiar enough, not an unusual occurrence to say the least. Things got a bit more heavy when Norbert continued, Angelica letting out a sigh.

"I'm not exactly the most eloquent with this sort of thing, so you'll have to forgive me. I think that being afraid of showing weakness or vulnerability is pretty... normal. No one wants to have people see those things... it's to a different extent for everyone, of course. You can get so caught up in being strong that you don't realize that trying to be strong makes you weaker in other areas. So I guess what I'm trying to say is, you don't need to be ashamed of your fear, Norbert. Now that you've realized it, you've just gotta learn to not let it control you." Angelica reasoned out, thinking it over. It was a fundamental problem for a lot of people, and as easy as reasoning that stuff out was, it was difficult to put into practice.

"And hey. We're both alive, we're both walking of our own power... I didn't end up having to dispose of a body today or amputate any limbs. I'd say that's more than good enough to not let me down."

So, that was her standard? Well, given events, it was actually probably reasonable, what she considered a success. Emblem-related adventures were just ridiculously dangerous.

But she had brought up the other point, too. He'd get to that in a moment, but it sounded like she was trying to reassure him. That was nice of her. "I'll still try to overcome my fear, but thank you."

So, that was her standard? Well, given events, it was actually probably reasonable, what she considered a success. Emblem-related adventures were just ridiculously dangerous.

But she had brought up the other point, too. He'd get to that in a moment, but it sounded like she was trying to reassure him. That was nice of her. "I'll still try to overcome my fear, but thank you."

"Now... About...him..." It was time to talk about that other issue. Oh boy... "I never meant for my reaction to hurt anyone. I was just scared...and I had to run away, because I was overcome by that fear. Fear and anger... You're right that I don't want to replace Father Nigel -- I can't. As inadequate as he was as a leader, he still raised me. And as terrible a time my sisters gave me, they're still my family. I may hate what they did to me, and I may see most of them as enemies, in some ways...but I love them, too. Whatever they did to me in the past, I'd defend them in an instant. I have defended them in an instant... They're my sisters."

Bert grimaced. "But... The way the sisterhood works is that joining a family -- whether you get married or get adopted or whatever -- means leaving the one you have. It's how we keep our numbers in check, and not having a surname is our surname. I've just made a good connection with one of my sisters. How can I turn my back on her, or anyone else? Besides that, it was so sudden...and...I don't know how to be Kigenese. I've always been Ursian, and have always been so sure of that part of my identity... That guy's asking me to throw away most of who I am. I can't even pronounce Kigenese names right! Just ask Suzumay!"

The rider grunted in frustration, crossing his arms, which he'd just previously raised halfway in an expression of exasperation. "It's just so much to think about, and all at once... Besides that, there's the Fallen invasion, and all this emblem stuff, and Wrath returning... I can't handle all this."

Norbert grimaced, turning his uneasy expression back to Angelica. "So...that's what that was. I wasn't trying to be selfish or insensitive... I don't even know what happened to your father, and you don't have to tell me, but... You must be just as upset as your copy was. So, I'm sorry that all this hurt you. But...well, I can't really help it. I hope you understand that now...and that it makes you feel a little better about it. Having wondered who my father was this whole time, though, and imagining what he'd be like... I get that this little bit won't help you much. I'm not that arrogant to think that. But it's all I can do for you, so... Well, there it is."

"My father..." Angelica began, pausing for a moment and letting out a sigh.

"He was a blight on humanity. The greatest favour I've ever received was a bullet through his skull. She might have given you an odd impression... it's not that I don't know who my father was, or anything like that. As far as I'm concerned, I have no father. As for Kazemi, I don't think anyone expects you to immediately start wearing the family robes and start speaking Kigenese. Norbert. But I think you owe it to yourself, and if you can't accept that, then you at least owe it to him... to hear what he has to say, and respond. Even if that response is that you aren't ready to decide, or if it's that you can't give up the family that raised you for a new family. He seems like a reasonable sort, I'm sure he'll accept your decision, whatever it is." Angelica concluded, choosing to leave out a few select details... like how the whole concept of a family was to expand to include marriages and the like, and this whole sisterhood felt like something else entirely in that regard... it simply didn't seem like something Norbert needed to hear at the moment.

Oh. So, her father was dead... And more than that, so terrible in life that his own daughter was glad for the fact. Well, if she'd made peace with it, then he'd leave that be. There was no sense in dredging up things that unpleasant, especially since she wasn't that close to him. If she needed help dealing with something that personal, she had closer friends to ask about it. It wasn't his place.

Angelica, however, was doing what she could to help him. She said some Kigenese name... Was that the name of the guy who claimed to be his father? Bert grimaced a little at the realization. I don't even know his name... More belatedly, a small bout of panic spiked within him as he realized that at least one member of the group talked with him afterwards. That was embarrassing... Argh, of course they would... Really, who wouldn't in that situation? Still, something very personal was now common knowledge, if Angelica could get a pulse on the Kigenese man like that.

Blushing by now, Norbert responded uncomfortably, "I...want him to be who he claims to be. I want to get to know him, and learn more about my mother. I want to know...who I dreamed about as a little kid..." Norbert's face changed to a scowl at his next sentence. "And I want to know why he never came looking for my mother and me." His expression lost some hostility, replaced with unease. "But I also don't want to give up Father Nigel or my sisters...and if I acknowledge him as my father, then that's what would happen. It's not in me to lie to anyone about that and it'd just make a mess anyway. So...all I could do was run away and deny who he is over and over again. It's all...so confusing... It's hard to find a place to begin..."

Thoroughly uncomfortable, Norbert took in a deep breath and let out a long sigh. "Your advice is helpful, though. And I appreciate you listening to my troubles so patiently... I feel like I'm being tossed up and thrown down at the same time -- it's dizzying... You're right, I think... I should hear him out at some point...but...I don't think I'm ready for that, yet. I don't know if I could handle talking to him... Besides, it's not like this only affects me. I...think I need to write a letter... And as soon as I can, to Darcey, my sister in Urquium, and see what she thinks. Besides, I told her I'd write her."

"Until then..." the pegasus rider's face contorted into unease again as his nerves stirred his stomach, "I think...I just need some space...away from him. And, er... I'm trying to overcome my fear, but that doesn't mean I want everyone to know about all of this just yet. This is all new, so I can't handle it in large doses yet."

"Well... you might want to sort that out, Norbert. Kazemi is a rather high-ranking military officer... he's our best shot at getting in contact with the Emperor and doing what we came here to begin with." Angelica replied... it made sense he was unaware of how much more precarious his particular position had become... he hadn't been there for the meeting after all.

"I'm sure he'll give you time if you need it, but depending on how closely we end up working with him... avoidance might be difficult for you."

A frustrated sigh rumbled from his lungs and out his mouth as the Kigenese man's position was explained. Great. So, this was somehow even more complicated. Doubtless, the others would want to stay on this guy's good side, so they'd probably want him to keep the guy happy by accepting him as his father. So, he could expect a lot of pressure upon his return. Fleeing this whole things sure was looking appealing again... Yeah, right... Like I could run away now. As per his limited experience, once you became an emblem-wielder, you were stuck in these sorts of messes until the day you gained victory or died. Why couldn't he have been the one who was kidnapped? He didn't really mean that...exactly... But he certainly thought things would have been simpler for him, personally, if his father at least didn't have sway with the emperor.

"Well..." Bert dragged the sentence out, trying to decide what to say as he went, "I guess we'll just have to see how everything goes... But I can't enter into his family just to appease him for the mission's sake. I know what's at stake, but..." The half-Ursian heaved out a heavy sigh. "I don't know what to do... The best I can do is take this one step at a time, and adjust my course depending on what comes up."

"Hmm? I didn't say anything about that. Like I said, he seems pretty reasonable, I don't think that would be an issue... I just don't know how much luck you might have avoiding him entirely." Angelica explained... what did he have going through his head to jump that many hoops at once?

"I'm just thinking... If people don't want to lose this contact -- and I understand why they wouldn't -- that they might pressure me into taking him as my father in order to secure contact with the emperor," Norbert explained, worry evident on his face...or at least as evident as it got with Bert's facial features. "You seem to think he wouldn't be manipulative like that, though... I don't know him at all, so...I guess you'd know better. And if you're right, then I'm glad there's that, at least."

"He doesn't seem like the type to do that sort of thing, at least from what I've seen from him. But I guess I can't say for certain." Angelica replied with a shrug. It seemed like an overblown worry, and it might have been paranoia on Norbert's part, but they couldn't see the future... well, not right now, anyway. Angelica doubted her ability could look into that sort of thing regardless.

"Well... We'll just have to see..." Norbert replied, a tad bit worried, but a lot readier for what was to come than he had been a short while ago. "Thanks, Angelica. I'll handle things with Ka... Kazi.. Uh... That guy... from here. But...I guess... Does this make us friends? I wouldn't mind it, I just...don't really know how to 'be friends' very well... I don't really know how to go about it, even though there are people I call my friends."

"I guess, if you want it to. I wouldn't worry too much about stuff like that, just... whatever makes you comfortable. You don't need to go out of your way to act differently around me or anything." Angelica replied, pausing for a moment, before continuing somewhat in jest, with a chuckle.

"I guess if you wanted to make me happy, you could try to get along better with Eva. I'm the one who has to deal with it when she gets frustrated, after all." 

"Well, that's not my fault!" Norbert replied, a tad irritated, but the air about it was far less heavy than it had been for the other topics. "She puts a natural predator next to its prey and how do you think the prey's going to respond?! Rizen's been a close companion to me since before I left home, so of course I'm going to protect her. I just wish Eva would understand that prey won't be happy near its natural predators and keep her wyvern separate from the horses and pegasi. But every time I tell her that, instead of being considerate that pegasi will always have an instinct to keep away from wyverns, she starts going on like I'm the one being unreasonable! If we were traveling around with whatever ate wyverns in the wild, I'm sure she'd ask that thing's rider for the same courtesy that I am!"

"Calm down, calm down. It was a joke... I can't say I'm all that versed with how mounts interact, but I don't recall it being much of a problem aside from you two. If it's a no go, then it's a no go." Angelica replied, putting her hands up a bit as she spoke. Don't go there, got it.

"It's not like I'm...that angry over it. I'm just really annoyed, since she always ignores this," Norbert responded, still irritated, but with less passion about the subject in his intonation, "And whatever anyone else says, you can't completely erase that instinct. Even if other pegasi can tolerate wyverns, that doesn't mean they like being around them. It isn't fair to them to keep prey animals around their natural predators all the time. It isn't good for them. And even if they really didn't care, how does that give anyone the right to terrorize someone all the time, just because that one person is the only one who has that particular fear?"

Norbert grimaced at Angelica. "You, er...said I didn't have to act differently around you... And this is just how I really feel about this. Rizen isn't just my responsibility, she's my longest-standing friend. And, now that you know my history, you might be able to understand why that means so much to me. I get protective of people I care about."

"I suppose that's true. Although I think she's been trying to keep them separate when it's possible... I don't think she enjoys fighting with you. Keeping them a reasonable distance apart doesn't seem that hard... most of the time. There'll be times where we don't have that luxury." Angelica replied, turning it over in her head a bit.

"I don't know all of the specifics of that stuff like I said. I'm sure there's more to it than it seems on the surface."

"Probably," Norbert grunted, willing to cede that. It wasn't like Eva had ever really explained herself to him. She just always acted like he was being unreasonable. "It's not like I can know what she's thinking unless she tells me, though. Maybe this is why she doesn't like me, but how can I know? I've been as honest as I can be with her, but I don't know what, specifically, makes her so exasperated with me. Maybe it's my temper, but...I am trying to get better at that. Not that anyone ever cares that I'm already doing my best... And when I tell them about a problem I have with something, instead of addressing it, it seems like everyone would rather just chalk it up to it somehow being my fault and ignoring it...and that just frustrates me even more!"

Norbert stopped himself there and took some deep breaths. "Sorry. I just...wish people cared about what I have to say. That they'd treat me like another person instead of something else..."

"If I had to make a guess, she probably feels at times like you're showing up with Rizen and telling her that she has to take Sasha and go, because the pegasus is here now. I'm sure that it's happened both ways at one point or another, but it can be difficult to shake a first impression, especially if you just get into a fight every time." Angelica reasoned, thinking about how Eva likely saw their interactions.

"Rizen doesn't have formal training like most pegasi used as combat mounts, right? It makes dealing with her a bit different than most riders... we haven't had many wyverns around with us so it probably hasn't cropped up as much of an issue elsewhere... so she might feel singled out. Why do I have to change what I'm doing just because Rizen isn't trained, when no one else does? That sort of thing. I don't think she doesn't care what you have to say, so much as she doesn't appreciate being imposed on without getting a say in it herself... I think." Angelica continued, putting her hands behind her head lazily as she walked.

"But I get where you're coming from. It can be difficult to break a negative stigma. I've mostly only seen you from afar, so I don't really have too many negative personal experiences with you to drag me back. It might be more difficult to get along if I did. People don't tend to notice progress until it's finished. A cart that has been torn to shreds and a cart that is almost fixed, and just needs one more wheel put on are both broken, neither will carry goods. That's how people tend to look at things by default."

Norbert gave a deep sigh, then paused. "I think you're right...but that doesn't make things easier for me. If I have to be perfect before I can be accepted... Hmm no, that doesn't make sense... No one's perfect -- we're all 'broken' in some way... So... I guess it's just my kind of 'broken' that people don't like. It's not really fair, but...I'm already doing what I can. It'd be nice if people were a little more forgiving about it, but what people should do and what people will do are often different. Not like I can convince them to be a bit easier on me. I've already tried using reason..."

He looked over to Angelica again. "And I tried explaining my reasoning to Eva, too. I understand how she might feel better now, because of what you just said, but how can I explain the problem in a way she'll understand? Being direct doesn't seem to work with her..."

"All you can do is keep working on improving. Eventually, people's perceptions of you will change, if you don't do what they expect anymore. Some people will never let go, but most will start to notice after a while. You've gotta prove yourself before people will be willing to put what they know behind them." Angelica explained with a light sigh... it was unfortunate, but that was how people operated. As for Eva...

"My best guess would be to try and talk about it when it's not an issue. When it comes up now, you're upset over Rizen, she's upset over you, and no one gets anywhere. No one really wants to work things out so much as they want to be heard and get their anger out there. And I know you might not want to hear this, but... usually if you want to break a stalemate like that, you've got to be willing to accept the blame, a bit. You're both involved, but if you admit your part of it outright, it might make her more willing to hear you out, instead of just thinking you're gonna yell again."

"Would she even be willing to listen to me? It seems like she listens more to how I say something than what I'm actually saying. I could be warning her that her house is on fire and she'll ignore me just because I'm the one who's saying it," Bert asked. With a grunt, he admitted, "This feels pretty hopeless. I wouldn't be surprised if she stops listening as soon as she sees me, before I even have the chance to say anything."

"I don't know, Norbert. It's possible the bridge has been burned completely by this point. All you can do is try, and if it doesn't work, take it upon yourself to keep Rizen at enough of a distance that she feel safe. I can't think of anything else to say, really." Angelica admitted, pulling her hands out from behind her head and stretching them in front of her.

Bert crossed his arms as he considered the scenario where he wouldn't be listened to. "I guess I'll just have to take it up with the leadership of the group, if it comes to that. I won't sacrifice Rizen's health just because Eva's being unreasonable. Wyverns shouldn't be housed with equines; they should have a separate place to stay. It's not like I can just move Rizen whenever Eva brings her wyvern close to her. She seems kind of oblivious, too... I think that's my other point of frustration. She does things that cause problems that could have been avoided by just taking the time to think about things first. I may charge headfirst into things, but I take stock of my environment and alternate possibilities, too...unless I've just been provoked that much. Is she even trying to get better, though? If she's at least trying, I can give her a little slack, but..." The pegasus rider sighed, unsure of how to finish that thought.

"I don't know. I can't really say much else on the matter, really. That's all I've got." Angelica admitted, unsure.

"Well... Thank you. For all of this, really. You've done a lot for me today, between risking your neck to save mine and giving me all this advice. I wish I could do something for you in return," Bert responded, letting his arms fall to his sides again.

"I'm sure something will come up, at some point." Angelica replied, leaning back on her hands again as she walked.

"Heh," a smile cracked onto Norbert's face at the comment. Returning his vision forward, he replied, "Well, just let me know what you want when that time comes and I'll do my best to help you out. If it's something I can't do, I'll just let you know at that time. But you can trust me when I say I'll do my best."

AFTERGLOW

Spoiler

The trail had gone cold, just outside one of the city gates. It was difficult to think of the emblem's energy as a 'trail,' but Joanna didn't know how else to describe the sensations. What she did know, was that whatever was causing the emblem to go active earlier was relatively far away at the time, and the path the emblem's energy took to reach it seemed to fade away at this spot. There was a distinct possibility that this trail wasn't ending so much as fading with the passage of time. Normally, once the powers faded, so did the energy, so Joanna couldn't help but feel a little worried as they progressed. The avians had traveled at as non-conspicuous a pace as they could to avoid drawing the wrong kind of attention along the way, going on foot up to this point. There was no physical sign of anything wrong, so Joanna would have to use her eyes. Fortunately Liam was with her still, and could help her keep an eye out for anyone or anything suspicious.

They weren't the only ones in the area, unfortunately. There were some people talking in tiny clusters around the gate and a few nearby buildings. Some of them were guards. More and more it was starting to look like something had happened somewhere nearby, something related to the Fire Emblem. Joanna wished just keeping their heads down would be enough, but they were impossible not to notice with the large wings on their backs. What did work in their favor initially was the fact they were heading toward the disturbance and not away from it. They looked just as curious and out of the loop as everyone else. That didn't stop them from being approached by a pair of guardsmen, eventually, and the badges weren't enough to keep them from being briefly examined, but after that, they were on their way, again.

Finally, a short time after they made it to the outskirts, Joanna caught sight of two familiar faces. Norbert and Angelica. The former didn't look so well off, even at this distance, but it wasn't until they were much closer that the injuries began to 'pile up.' Joanna gasped and sprang into action, picking up her dress just enough for her to safely run toward them. "My goodness, what happened?!"

Things had been relatively calm on the way back to town... a few gawkers here and there, but after a brief spirited moment of discussion, the rest of the way back had been mostly quiet. Tired, sore... the usual post battle fair applied here as well as any other combat, aside from the need to treat severe wounds or bury the dead. Things would have likely remained relatively quiet, if not for the steadily approaching... presence. It was a presence that Angelica had no problem placing at this point. A piece of the Emblem was approaching them, which could only mean Joanna.

Well, okay. It could have meant other things, but there was far too little commotion or destruction taking place for those to be viable alternatives. Testing a bit, Angelica's eyes began to glow golden, seeing Joanna crest over the top of a nearby hill and start to run at them, several seconds before the avian priestess actually did so in reality. When her question came, all Angelica could do was scoff and shrug.

"Ra was being an asshole. What else is new?"

Great, we're a spectacle now. As soon as the thought passed through his head, Norbert realized that of course their battle would have been noticed. They weren't even really in the wilderness when it'd taken place. There would be no helping the stares from the locals.

It was a surprise when the pair of Avians appeared, though. Angelica's answer was a bit surprising, too. Turning to look at her, Bert reflexively asked, "This sort of thing is normal? Since when?"

Considering that he had traveled to Kigen on a separate vessel from most of the group, and that he fled just about as soon as he disembarked from the Emi Maru, Bert figured Ra had to have appeared sometime during that voyage. There was a lot he had to catch up on, it seemed.

Ra? So Norbert had run into him out here? Angelica too? That couldn't be good. Had he tried to kill Norbert or ...? No, that couldn't be it, Joanna quickly reasoned. If Ra wanted Norbert dead, he would be. The upper limits of his power were a mystery, but he was more than strong enough to use emblem energy as a lethal weapon. Norbert didn't have enough experience in magic to counter something like that. That still left the question only partially answered, though.

Slowing as she reached Norbert, she raised her hands to try and contain the light magic she was gathering, bringing it closer and closer to the pegasus rider's face. "Please hold still. How serious are your injuries? Are you still bleeding anywhere?" Now that she was here, up close, she noticed that even Rizen was injured. She was going to be busy from the look of things.

"Well, this is the first time he's gone to these lengths... that I'm aware of, anyway. But he's that sort... the first time I met him, he kicked Amon through several wooden crates basically just as a spectacle. He's got a bit of a mean streak." Angelica replied, as Joanna got to work trying to heal Norbert.

"Basically since he showed up on the boat ride here, to answer the when of it."

Norbert flinched away as Joanna brought her hands up to his face, which quickly gained a confused look to it. Then, though he didn't know just how bad he looked, he realized he probably looked kind of alarming to the healer.

"I'm fine," he replied, immediately indicating the pegasus beside him after that. "But Rizen's wings were cut up a bit."

Liam had remained silent for a while, processing all that he had heard. "It seems clear to me that this Ra is our enemy, given his actions so far. We need to work out a plan to either convince him to stop or defeat him somehow. What all do we know about him?" he asked the group.

Well, that confirmed his guess as to when Amon's lookalike started appearing. Given his extreme methods, attacking Amon like that probably shouldn't have been surprising. It got Norbert to wondering what Amon thought of all this. Just what is Ra? Right; Angelica had said he was some future version of Amon or something...but that still didn't explain him. He sure wasn't human... At least, Bert didn't think he was. The same went for the other Angelica, but when he'd tried to ask about that before, he got provoked into getting off-topic. According to Liam, based on recent accounts, Ra was an enemy.

"Actually," Norbert hastily interjected, surprising himself a little bit at his own intent. Grimacing, he went on with a hint of uncertainty. "I think Ra wants to help us. I don't like his methods but I have to admit that they're effective. He tried to get Angelica to kill me, but when that didn't work out, he made a copy of her to do it instead. We fought back, and...well, we're both emblem-wielders now. They stopped attacking after I used my new power and talked to us a bit afterwards, like everything was normal. Ra's weird, but...I don't know if he's really an enemy or not. That guy's just confusing..."

Norbert's brow furrowed as he tried to puzzle out Ra again...and reached the same point of "nowhere" as he had during the last attempt.

Joanna was incredulous for a moment, Norbert's answer sounding utterly ridiculous in her ears, even with the purple hue and blood fading from his nose and face. Still, she made a mental note to tend to Rizen as soon as the worst of her rider's injuries were addressed. Scar tissue would be a bigger burden on her than on him, especially on her wings. Being a flier herself, Joanna could appreciate the potential problems there.

The information about Ra was admittedly a little confusing, but only a little. If the apparition planned on removing 'weakness' from the group, via strengthening or extermination, this was definitely one way to go about it. The whole thing sounded as if it might have been set up as a win-win situation, with either outcome being acceptable to him. Ra obviously didn't care about giving people any more information or warning than absolutely necessary, likely so orchestrated disasters like these would go off without a hitch. Worse still was that he seemed to actually be in league with the emblem piece she was supposed to be guarding. How was she supposed to guard it from him if he could access it remotely? Was this just a giant gaping hole in her defense that she could do nothing about? It was starting to feel like she and Amon were mostly at fault, here ...

"Norbert? I'm going to treat Rizen too, but I need your help, both with your injuries and hers. Would you try moving your limbs around and help me stop any bleeding that might still be happening?" After that, she would need him to keep Rizen relatively still while she worked on those injuries.

Norbert gave the cleric a disapproving look, but it quickly evaporated into a relenting one. Along with it, he blew out a somewhat-irritated, quiet sigh.

"She really should be the one getting treatment first," Norbert grumbled. Even as he complained, though, Bert began flexing his injured arm and rolling his shoulder. He kept the arm as still as he could with all this, though, so that the healer could observe any new bloodflow with relative ease. Being the deepest wound he'd received during the battle, sure enough, a fresh stream began to slowly pour from the long injury.

"You speak as if having more emblem wielders is a good thing. If this Ra can make us try to kill one another, that means that he's not above manipulating us for his own ends. I cannot see this ending well," Liam stated, shaking his head.

With Joanna tending to Norbert's wounds, that left speculation on Ra. Norbert had given a basic explanation, and Liam seemed to be holding firm on the stance he always had... keep anyone and everyone as far away from the Emblem as possible if they weren't sporting a pair of wings. 

"What we know about Ra, is that we can't stop him. Believe me, I tried... he made something abundantly clear to me today. If we want to prevent him from forcing his methods on us, then we need to find our own way to do it instead. Whatever the Emblem foresees we'll have to face, it seems like we can't do it without wielders. Those who can't or won't acquiesce to that seem to be on his hit list... get rid of or convert anyone holding back our potential." 

"On the plus side, I learned a bit about his power... or at least some of it. I told you that he... put some of his energy into me, Joanna. Well, when I defied him, I learned a bit about it. He was capable of paralyzing my body on the spot... he couldn't stop me from speaking or casting, however. Norbert mentioned that he made a copy of me, well... he did that by pulling that energy out of me. He lost his influence over me, but he gained his own version... I don't know exactly how she compares, given Ra seemed to be able to forcibly increase her output, but on her own, she seemed to be about my level at a glance." The mage noted, given Joanna was one of the few people who might be able to parse this information.

Manipulating the group was definitely within Ra's capabilities, whether he wanted to be subtle about it, or as in most instances, direct and extremely forceful. As far as Joanna could tell, however, the apparition was still technically on their side. Perhaps it was a part of his perception of people; if he was a stronger version of Amon, perhaps he only cared for a stronger version of the people in the group, and if that potential couldn't be brought out, it was better to have them die. That was basically the ultimatum Amon had been given, after all.

Joanna focused on Norbert's arm as Angelica put in about Ra's abilities. It was strange to think he could make copies of people. Was it an aspect of Amon's emblem ability, or was it something else? Joanna noted that her own emblem ability likely wasn't intended for use as a long range form of communication, otherwise it ought to have been much more effective. Could it be something like that? If making copies of people wasn't an intended effect, then it might have some severe limitations ... otherwise why wouldn't Ra simply subdue Amon, make a copy of every member of the group he wanted, and go off to defeat the fallen with them? That had to be it ...

"I learned something, too," Norbert added. Though he was tailing off of what Angelica said, he was looking at Liam seriously. "I used to be against people becoming wielders or Vasili...but Angelica and I fought Ra and the other Angelica with everything we had, and it wasn't enough. If our foes are going to be like that -- Vasili or wielders -- then there's no way we can beat them as we are right now. I'd never really decided if I thought we could or not before. I just knew that we had to beat them, so we'd find a way. That was what I thought. But after actually trying it, even working together, there was just no way to win with what we had. We needed to fight them on even ground. The same's true for the ones we're going to have to fight in the future. Ra's right about at least that."

Norbert relaxed his arm as it was healed. He still grimaced, though, at what he was about to say next. "I still don't know if I can recommend becoming a wielder or not, though. According to Ra, our powers don't work against other wielders, but at least that would mean other wielders' powers won't work against us, either. That still doesn't give us the advantage we'd need, though, and I don't know how dependent we are on the emblem's energy. Everyone was always fretting over Raquel before because she became dependent on emblem energy, and would die without it. I don't know much about how this all works, so I don't know if we'd even feel it if we needed the emblem's energy like that. We could even be dying right now without knowing it...so I can't recommend becoming a wielder until that question gets answered. I guess the only alternative, though, would be Shadrak's idea...but we know almost nothing about that, either. I guess the Vasili in our group could still use their powers against enemy emblem wielders...and maybe emblem wielders could use their powers against enemy Vasili? But even that's just guesswork -- noting to count on. I still think we should get the facts before we commit one way or the other, but we'll need to become more powerful somehow and we're running out of time."

Joanna didn't know enough about Raquel's situation to be confident in her response to it, but when it came to light magic dependency, it wasn't as simple as a mere infusion. It took time and repeated exposure to truly make separation life threatening. At the very least, the same principle ought to apply to the emblem, but Joanna wasn't sure of that, either. What she was sure of was that Ra's power wasn't as tremendous as it seemed, at least not in terms of scale.

"Ra is supposed to be Amon's power, so we shouldn't think of him as a true individual," Joanna began carefully, still putting her thoughts together. At least Norbert's arm was looking better. He would have to see a seamstress or something about his clothes, though. As much as she wanted to take care of his legs next, the worst of his injuries seemed to be handled, so Joanna was willing to tend to Rizen for the time being.

"Alright, let's treat Rizen, now ... ... about our situation, though," She glanced at Angelica, "I think that copy of you he created was something ... extraneous. Ra's body must be made out of the emblem's energy, so that would mean the copy is, too. There must be something about the way he manifests that allows him to have multiple bodies. Or he uses spare energy to sustain other forms. At least that's how it seems. I'm not certain, but he shouldn't be so obsessed with making us all stronger if he can replace us all so easily. I don't think turning everyone into emblem wielders will be enough, either ... and Shadrak's idea is even more dangerous ... but I'm not sure how to stop Ra, either ... especially if he's getting help from the emblem, itself." She gently touched the choker Ra had placed on her, wondering just how far they were planning to take things.

"Ra's his power?!" Bert exclaimed in surprise. His brow furrowed again. "Just what is it that Amon wants if Ra is his power?"

The question was out before he really considered it, but Amon was usually really agreeable. Maybe Ra just came about because Amon was worried about what would happen to everyone if they didn't get stronger before facing their foes. Grunting and crossing his arms, Norbert decided to voice that. "Maybe he's just worried about everyone...and for good reason, if we're going to have to fight people like Ra and the other Angelica eventually. Them being more emblem phantoms makes sense, too... There was one who lived in Raquel's piece called 'Hypnos.' He's Nyx's son, and is living with her now. If we can find a way to contact him, maybe he can answer some of our questions."

Norbert's question was a difficult one to answer. Amon and Ra seemed to be working at cross purposes, even though they both wanted the group to succeed. There was also the former's personal issues. Massive trouble was brewing back in Rex-Avaz. Maybe that had something to do with Ra's aggression? Perhaps he was in a hurry, hoping to strengthen the group as quickly as possible? They didn't have a lot of time to dawdle in either case ...

Carefully approaching Rizen, but holding off until Norbert could show her the injuries, Joanna said, "We may just have to ask Amon about this when we get back. All I know for sure is that Ra wants Amon to change too ... or he'll kill him."

Norbert had also mentioned a 'Hypnos' there, but Joanna wasn't sure what to do with it. She didn't have the man's address, and her emblem ability became gradually less reliable over longer distances. Trying to pick out someone in a settlement hundreds of miles away would have her sifting through perspectives for a long time, potentially hours.

"Humans can make poor decisions with the best of intentions. I do not think that Amon is a fundamentally evil person from what I have seen, but making some sort of deal with an entity out of perceived necessity is certainly plausible," Liam theorized. "If this Hypnos has information that can help us, I think contacting him would be worth our time. We are operating with less information than we need."

Norbert nodded at Joanna's suggestion. Talking about this with Amon was probably their best option if they wanted more insight into...well, everything involving Ra. And since Amon and Ra didn't seem to be on good terms -- really, did all copies feel compelled to kill their originals? -- telling him about the new wielders' recent experience was probably also a good idea. He could relay the warning to the group, too... Ra wasn't afraid to kill them for their...own good? Okay, Ra was just twisted.

And then there was Liam...with his superiority complex again. Really, Avians were just as likely to make bad choices with good intentions. Why did that guy always have to look down on them? And did he think Amon made a deal with Ra or something? ... Heck if Bert knew. Emblem stuff was weird. At least, it seemed, both Liam and Bert agreed that they needed to get more information on this stuff, and that Hypnos was perhaps as liable a source as they had available at the moment.

"Hypnos can enter people's dreams," Norbert explained, "so maybe he'll come talk to us when we're asleep." There was another alternative, of course, and though it was more proactive, it still made Bert grimace. He didn't want to ask Shadrak to think about this... "But Shadrak might know how to get in contact with him. He was there when Hypnos left Raquel's emblem and started staying with Nyx."

"Erm, Norbert?" Joanna motioned toward Rizen, "I'm going to need your help. I'm not sure exactly where her wounds are, or how comfortable she is with me being so close." Rizen actually wasn't the rowdiest pegasus on the continent, but since she wasn't formally trained either, Joanna preferred to be careful. There was enough tension between Liam and Norbert without her and Rizen adding to it over a misunderstanding.

"Oh, right," Norbert quickly said, remembering that he hadn't been very specific in his earlier description. Rizen was right next to him, so all he really had to do was turn before he started pointing to the places on her wings that he saw her injuries. "I might've missed some, though... Guess you can't just use your magic and heal everything without knowing where the injuries are, huh? If you'd like, I could see if I can coax her wings open. She kind of just does what she wants, but even besides that, pegasi don't like showing off their injuries."

"Not exactly," Joanna shook her head, "There are staves that can help with that kind of healing, but it's usually better to be as precise as you can. You could wind up treating a surface wound and missing an internal injury entirely if you aren't careful." It could also simply waste a lot of light energy or cause an unneeded infusion, but these weren't problems that most of the people unversed in magic could fully appreciate.

"Anyway," Joanna shook her head, wishing she hadn't let herself get sidetracked, "let's see what I can do for her."

Inquiries at the Gate

Joanna was able to tend to Norbert's wounds, as well as Rizens, but she could do nothing to hide the signs of battle they were wearing. Even if not for that, she and Liam hadn't gone unnoticed leaving through the gates the first time. Now they had a small entourage with them, and just about everyone nearby had their eyes on the four of them and their pegasus. Joanna hoped against hope that they wouldn't be accosted again, but with several guards approaching, one mounted on a horse with a bow in his main hand, it was clear that they weren't getting through without an explanation this time around ...

<"Stop right there!"> The order was stern but not threatening, despite the weapon he was holding. The men on foot hadn't drawn their weapons, thankfully.

Joanna didn't quite catch what was said, but it was obvious they wanted the group to stop; they had moved to make passing by them extremely awkward, with the bowman on horseback flanking the group's left side, and two more guards more or less blocking their path to the gate. A final guard was jogging to catch up, and he seemed to have his sights set on the group's right flank. If they were going to book it, the only plausible direction was backwards ...

<"These two are the avians from before?"> the bowman quickly asked, turning to a guard Joanna recognized.

He nodded, and stepped forward. "Back again, I see," the guard smirked, his heavily accented Common sounding almost inherently condescending, somehow, "And you brought some friends." The man eyed said friends carefully, taking special note of Norbert's clothing and pegasus, and Angelica's case. "There was a disturbance out near the fields a little while ago. Did any of you happen to see anything?" He tilted his head slightly as he laid the question accusingly at their feet.

Scattered

Time seemed to freeze once Joanna and Liam left. Amon had spent most of his time in the meeting room, just thinking. To his knowledge, Malik had been keeping an eye out for the avians, 'patiently' awaiting their return out in the reception area. He might have actually gone outside or around the block to keep himself moving. Amon wasn't sure what to do with his time, or with his worries. Joanna sensed that the emblem was active, and that some sort of 'trail' was forming, leading somewhere else. Amon eventually caught it too, but didn't know exactly what to make of it. Eventually, she opted to go investigate. The Sancturan offered to go with her, but Joanna rightly pointed out that the group's leadership needed to be ready to meet Daichi when he returned. Hoshi wasn't a bad choice, per se, but at the same time, the culture they were dealing with required a bit of compromise. Amon also relented for another reason. Ra. Perhaps he was up to something, and a healthy distance from Joanna would put an end to his scheme before it ever began. There was no telling how that had turned out. Not yet ...

"It finally happened," came Malik's voice as he leaned his head into the meeting room through the barely open, sliding door, "Our admirers finally found us."

Amon shot up out of his seat, his eyes unfocusing as he recalled the mass destruction Edith had wrought. "Which admirers? The Ursians or the Neviskotians?" Neither would be good, though Amon certainly had his preferences ...

"I don't know," Malik shook his head, irritably, "and she won't tell me." Malik gave Amon a second to give him that questioning look, and then said, "The girl outside wants us to meet with someone important about a special 'offer.' She looks like a local, so I think they just paid her to set things up for them. It could be either side."

Amon grimaced at the meeting room table. "At least there aren't two of them, right?" he shrugged helplessly. It felt too soon to act on anything, yet. Joanna wasn't back, yet. Greta wasn't back, yet. Daichi wasn't back, yet. The group in general was just ... scattered. "Did you ask her what would happen if we turned down that meeting?"

"I did," Malik nodded, "She has no idea."

[Nanami Touko]

Eva yawned, pacing about Weyland's building without a thing to do. Hoshi was busy, Angelica had run off, she didn't have the knowledge or anyone around to take her through the town, the locals would probably throw a fit if she took off on Sasha, their pursuers might see her-- "Hahhhhh..." Her sigh met no one, pacing back and forth through the empty halls. At least it gave her time to think... She hated thinking, it always left her with more questions than answers, since she was too simple minded to answer her own questions fully. Where did Angelica go? What's she up to? Is this Ra nonsense going to be fine? Eva had no answers for these, and as she'd assumed, they just brought more worried questions to mind. She was even worrying about Norbert! Of all people... His father had certainly left an impression on her, if she was wondering where he'd run off to. She wanted to give him a piece of her mind on how he'd treated his apparent dad, but... "If I did that, he'd probably just yell at me, I'd yell at him... And the cycle continues." His temper was something special, but her defensiveness was almost up to par.

At least thinking let her have that... Introspection on her actions. She hadn't been with a group for this long before... And she'd never had someone like Angelica around. Getting yelled at over her recklessness, threatened even, having someone so frustrated with her lack of self care... It was shocking. It was great that Angie cared, of course, but it made her think about herself a lot, especially during that boat trip. Do I really not care about myself that much? I guess I don't really pay attention to a lot of what I do... And going up against the Fallen, acting like that would just get her killed. Was changing easy, though? "I can address it, but can I do anything about it? Well... Angelica'll kick my ass some if I don't. She might even kill me herself, heh. Guess... I gotta start somewhere--"

"Oh, hey, Malik, what's..." He was certainly in a hurry, heading off towards the meeting room. It was something to do... Probably. Following after him and listening in to his conversation with whoever was in the meeting room, she tried to poke her head in over his. Man, he was tall, wasn't he? She'd never noticed, but on her toes, barely getting her eyes into the room... "Oh, Amon!" Of course, who else would Malik be reporting to? Taking it upon herself to open up some space to step in, she slid the door further, leaning in next to Malik. "So... You two need a bodyguard for whatever's going to happen during this talk? I can provide translations if it's the Neviskotians~ Oh oh, and Sasha makes a mean guard dog!" In truth, Eva was just desperate for something to do.

Edited April 12, 2018 by SnakeMomMelissa

[Mercakete]

Search and Un-Skew

Spoiler

Anna was looking for Norbert, and so while Daichi would stop every once in a while to ask for a subordinate to keep an eye out, his first destination was where he had last seen him. He vividly remembered when the young man had mounted up and rode away, so following that trajectory was a simple matter, once he reached that place. He'd been able to focus on his mission fairly well, given the circumstances, but now, following this route, his personal objective kept flickering between finding Anna and finding his son. For a couple moments, he would forget which one he was looking for, and then return his mind to the task at hand, only for it to wander again.

Thankfully, the immediate forced his attention back on his mission more solidly, as a woman matching Anna's description came into view, along with a southerner woman on a horse. They were coming in through the town's gate... Had Norbert left Arugai altogether? Daichi frowned briefly, concerned. But then, he forced his focus back on mission, and walked up to the two women.

Though he acknowledged both, it was Anna he addressed. "Hello. Are you Anna, direct subordinate to Professor Ses Weyland?"

"I am," Anna nodded, her perfectly neutral expression not giving anything about the encounter with Norbert away. Chances were he might come up, though more importantly, the meeting might have already ended. "Kazemi Daichi, right?"

 

He nodded in return, having become completely no-nonsense. "I spoke with Amon and his company. They told me about the demons' 'gates.' They confirmed that the demons attacked Europa, and that they attacked your company building there. There has been no attack like it in Neviskotia, even though they plan on attacking all three of our homes. As you might know, I asked your employer about a mercenary who survived an attack from <the White Devil> who expressed regret about taking a job from Professor Weyland, as it caused <the White Devil> to pursue them even as far as our northern border. The professor denied knowing anything about it, but I believe that he was lying to me. I was told that you know what your employer asked those mercenaries to do that so angered <the White Devil> that the demons would attack him in his home country. I was also told that though they do not know where the professor gained this information about the gates..."

Daichi was beginning to puzzle things out, himself, as he spoke. Everything was beginning to add up, if what he was beginning to suspect was true. His gaze hardened as he watched her, though his voice remained neutrally calm. "That you do. ... Those mercenaries were hired to take a demon to Professor Weyland, were not they? And that demon is your source for the information on the gates, and on the demons' plans to attack our three countries, is it not? That was why your company did not tell Amon and his allies about the source's identity, and that was why he lied to me about the mercenaries' job. And that was why the demons attacked Europa... To punish your employer, and to perhaps prevent that knowledge from coming to our countries." Another detail came to mind. "And this demon...had white hair and white wings, did not she?" Perhaps the demon was related to the White Devil after all. The one who disappeared after the attack...

Finally, Daichi quietly warned, "Do not lie to me... Even if it means you are admitting to a crime on your employer's behalf."

To be honest, he was angry. He was angry about what, if he was right, had been done, the cost the people of Europa had to pay for it, and for having been lied to about something so serious. But he remained completely in control of himself. He wanted to hear what Anna had to say with as fair and unbiased a mind as he could muster. He wanted the truth, not colored one way or the other. And he wanted to perform this job as well as he could. If he got in his own way, he could never achieve that, and others would suffer for it.

The town gate was an awkward place for this type of 'discussion,' but there wasn't much Anna could do other than carry on. She didn't want to make a scene. That would just make it more likely they would be overheard, though thankfully no one seemed to be close by, certainly not within earshot.

First, though ... "Nadya, you should probably head back without me ..." Anna paused, looking back at Daichi, "Is that alright? She's not one of Weyland's employees or anything like that."

Daichi gave Anna a careful nod in response to her question. "She may do as she wishes."

Nadya's immediate reaction upon seeing the Kigenese military man was that she was in big trouble- but he apparently had business with Anna instead. She figured Anna could handle herself and dealing with Bert was Nadya's limit for personal issues for the day. "See ya," Nadya waved goodbye before trotting off.

"Alright then," Anna crossed her arms. "I won't lie to you, but I will omit a few things for the moment. This is the last place we should be talking about this in detail." At least if they were in a tavern or something most patrons would be drunk and they themselves could pass the discussion off as incoherent drunken ramblings.

From what she could gather, Anna quickly deduced that Daichi had gotten a fair bit out of Amon and company, though not enough to complete the picture, or to condemn the group. That was good but, also bad; they had a delicate ruse to maintain on top of everything else they had been saddled with. At the moment, Daichi believed that Siv, the white winged abductee, was the source of Weyland's information about the gates, rather than Steinn. The White Devil's connection hadn't quite come into focus yet, though the man was definitely on the right track.

"To start, I apologize for my employer's dishonesty in this regard, but I do agree with him that full and open cooperation with the Kigen Empire won't address the problem at its source." That may have been a bit rude, but the central power that had ultimately become the Kigen of today had been combating the fallen since ancient times and seemed no closer to total victory. For all intents and purposes, it was the longest war in recorded history, and barring a miracle, was about to become a continent spanning war. Anna would be lying if she said she didn't blame at least part of this war's unfathomable longevity on the Empire's laws against demon capturing.

Daichi agreed that this wasn't the ideal location for this particular conversation, but he didn't trust Weyland's employees enough not to press the advantage when he had the opportunity, even if that meant talking in a place like this. Anna's response, however, was building at least a little bit of trust, regarding the Hikibain's view of her, personally. He was still cautious, though. For all he knew, she would take the earliest opportunity to take advantage of any trust he gave her, as her employer had taken advantage of his suspense of judgement.

Walking around the city was risky, as Common was among the better-known languages in the area, and Kigenese was right out. Staying in the gate presented the same problem. Besides that, it would arouse suspicion and curious ears would doubtless gather after a while. If they left town, Daichi would lose the advantage of potential allies, which helped to incline cooperation. There was another place they could go, but it seemed a bit extreme to take her into the barracks... Loss of backup it was. He wanted as many details as he was able to get.

Daichi looked beyond the gate to the countryside. "Would you like to take a walk? This road is much quieter than Arugai is."

"I've honestly had it with walking today," Anna scowled, "but since this is important, fine. Lead the way."

And so, Daichi did. He made sure to keep Anna in sight, and fairly close at hand as he strolled out of the port town. His pace was fairly slow, at the moment, exuding a casual, tranquil air. He would have been able to make the feeling more legitimate, if the subject of conversation wasn't so serious.

Once they were far enough out, Daichi spoke again, though he didn't stop walking. "Now, Miss Anna... Is this a better place for 'talking about this in detail?'"

"It'll have to do." Anna quickly reviewed the conversation up to that point in her head. "So you think the mercenaries brought a demon back for us and we got our information from her?" Best to confirm before going any further.

The Hikibain nodded. The walk had been nice, but with the topic in full swing again, its seriousness colored his expression. "It is my guess. Where did you get the information about the demons' gates? Did your employer hire <Kai's Mercenaries> to capture a demon, and bring it back to Europa? Is that why Professor Weyland and his company always answered me with lies -- because he knew that it was illegal?"

"As far as we can tell," Anna began, trying to visualize the awful outcome as she spoke, "if Kigen had knowledge of what the mercenaries had done, word would have reached the Ursian government. In all likelihood, Weyland's mission would have been stopped by the Ursians in order to ease tensions and keep Kigen politically neutral." Of course, after the attack on Europa, this didn't seem like such a big risk anymore. If the government knew about Steinn in particular, they might still put a stop to Weyland's shenanigans, but they would most likely start their own. The mentality of the north was markedly different from the south, and Ursium wouldn't pass up the chance to glean all they could from a fallen prisoner at this point.

"Frankly, until your people are ready to fight the demons to win, close cooperation is out of the question. That's why Weyland kept the truth from you. Considering what's at stake, I still agree with that approach, if only in spirit. After all, the fallen girl those mercenaries captured didn't give us the information, a member of the fallen royal family did. I can't imagine your Imperial Court seeing that kind of correspondence as anything less than an act of war. Can you?"

Daichi stopped in his tracks. Initially, as Anna spoke, he listed for the answers to his questions, as well as any extra information. He was very near the end of his investigation -- he could tell -- so unintentionally spoken, useful information was unlikely to come up, but that did not make useful information any less useful. Of course, at first, Anna brought up the common Northerner concern of Kigen's allegiance. Ursium knowingly allowing such a prominent figure to break Kigen's laws, of course, would strain relations, and Neviskotia would doubtless capitalize on it.

So, the professor did not want word reaching either government. Underhanded, no matter how one looked at it. The professor was willing to go behind his own country's governing authorities' backs to achieve what he saw fit. Such a person was untrustworthy. He had raised his priority above that of the law, and thereby of the safety of those who lived in Europa, let alone elsewhere.

From what he understood of Anna's words, continuing on, she had doubt that Kigen wanted to win their struggle against the demons. An audacious and offensive claim. How many men had given their lives to put an end to the demons? How many years had the country put everything they had into that struggle, while the northern countries bickered with one another, refusing assistance?

What brought Daichi to a physical halt, however, were the words that followed. Anna confirmed that the mercenaries were hired by the professor, and did, in fact, smuggle a demon to him. But...more than that... He could hardly believe it. A...royal demon? The professor was working with a royal demon?

It was unlikely that Ursium knew of this creature. And indeed, allying with such a hated enemy... It was unfathomable. And as his mind worked to accept the information, he realized that it could even mean that such a horror was in Ursium in that very moment. He couldn't react as he wished to. He had more work yet to do. But what could he say? And then, he had to translate it to Common...

"When...did the professor meet with...his informant?" Daichi haltingly asked. He was still wrestling with his increasing distaste for Professor Weyland, as well as his shock at this revelation. He'd managed to at least keep his temper completely within himself, even if his surprise showed up on his face.

"I'm not sure when they first made contact," Anna replied, "I'm too busy to keep track of the finer details like that, but it's been no less than a month." Anna glanced around, just doing a routine double check. As more information was revealed, more caution was needed. "Weyland's 'informant' isn't just a royal. He's one of the last two surviving princes. There's a succession struggle going on between him and his brother right now and the one that wins is going to be setting Corvus' military policy going forward. It's the difference between these siege gates being used, and maintaining the status quo for another generation. That's why he told us about the gates, so we could put a stop to them while there's still time."

That probably wouldn't ring true to Daichi, given how determined the demons were in general to conquer everything. Frankly, trusting Steinn beyond the immediate situation was foolish, but she didn't, and neither did Weyland, as far as she knew. The Prince said he wanted frequent conflicts between Corvus and Kigen stretching ever into the future, or any suitable rival nation, in order to strengthen each new generation of fallen. That was a philosophical bent that looked reasonable on parchment, and it had seen some limited success throughout Corvus' history. That didn't change the fact that there may yet come a time when this conflict became unsustainable in the absolute sense. This said nothing of the God of Wrath and his impending intervention.

"Listen," Anna lowered her head, doubting what she was about to get into would be well received, either, "This endless string of wars between Kigen and Corvus ... it's exactly what many of the fallen want. They're using your armies to weed out their weaklings, make the strong stronger, and keep their people relatively unified. As experienced and powerful as Kigen has gotten, it can't win the war like this ... and since I imagine peace is off the table, the rest of us can either wait for this siege gate plot to happen, or take matters into our own hands. I'm sorry, but that's just the way it is."

No less than a month... That made sense with the timing of the White Devil's appearance. Still, that such an event had occurred, and they were only just hearing of it...and, in fact, that Ursium's leaders were likely still unaware...

And then, yet another piece of information was revealed. The demon royal...was a potential successor to the leader of the demon horde. ... Yes, Daichi really wished that he had a chair or something in that moment -- he needed to sit down. There was a power struggle going on, as to which brother would inherit rulership of the demons... Daichi's military mind couldn't help but see the opportunity there, as he tried to absorb the information with some semblance of grace. If the demons were currently leaderless, or otherwise divided, then now was the time to push their offensive. With internal affairs going poorly, external affairs would go even worse. If they could route the more powerful demons entirely, that may be enough to scatter those that remained. Then, it was just a matter of hunting them down as quickly as possible. In all honesty, though, the plan -- or semblance thereof -- was just a fringe thought. The majority of Daichi's brain was focused on trying to hear and accept what Anna was telling him.

And then came the demons' prospective...and it made the Hikibain burn with indignation. His mouth was set in a slightly-curved frown, and in his eyes his fury was visible...but otherwise, his composure remained. By this point, he believed everything that Anna was telling him, and his hatred was seething at the demons. Using their people like that... Brave men, throughout countless generations, who gave up everything so that others could live in peace...spat on. Their honorable sacrifices, treated as convenient baubles. The demons' insolence knew no bounds. Many faces crossed Daichi's mind... Faces of soldiers he knew before they met their gruesome ends at the claws of the demons. Faces that meant nothing to their enemy... Truly, the demons held no honor, and were only fit to be destroyed.

He began to wonder if these gates only allowed transport in one direction. He was certain that his fellow Hikibain would relish the chance to go through one, right into the heart of their enemies' territory to destroy all there... Particularly, the powerful ones. If the demons used Kigen's armies to get rid of their weaklings and make the strong stronger...then they would kill the strong and leave none but the weak alive...to begin with. Kigen's people would not be used so casually. The demons would not be the ones to decide their fate, whether to be exterminated in the immediate or over time, causing grief and death at a whim... No. Kigen would protect its people...and all others. And the demons would learn their place.

That was what Daichi wanted to do...but it was not his decision to make. There were likely other factors that he did not know, since he wasn't the one all reported to. No...they needed the emperor's wisdom. Only he had the authority to rally Kigen's forces in full to counter this threat, and the wisdom to know how best to do so. Daichi could voice his plan, but ultimately, the choice was rightfully Emperor Yamato's.

Daichi closed his eyes and breathed deeply and evenly. In this moment, they weren't under attack. They had time to prepare. By the time the Hikibain opened his eyes again, they had lost their rage, and taken on a sharp, focused look.

"Your messengers are right. We must speak to Emperor Yamato about this as soon as possible." Then, he asked, "How much time do we have? And please tell me the name of this demon prince."

Anna had been holding back the names she knew, partly to gauge how much Daichi--and by implication, the Kigenese military--knew about the more powerful fallen in Corvus. She was also holding back those names until she had a better read on the Hikibain's intentions for Weyland's employees in the port town. There weren't a lot of them all in all, but a few individuals had been involved in the cover up, too. Revealing things gradually had been a strategy to lesson the chances of a more violent reprisal. There may have never been a serious risk of that from this particular man, but the situation had sprung up too suddenly to take needless risks. It seemed to be paying off, as Daichi's tone, while still grave, was also somewhat cooperative. No doubt he was still upset about all of this, but if he was still willing to help them with their gate problem, then Anna was happy cooperate. What came after that was a bridge too far off to worry about, today.

"Valdimarr and Steinn," Anna said, naming both brothers, "The former is the one that's trying to use the gates to invade Kigen, Ursium, and Neviskotia all at once. The latter is the one that wants things to stay the way they've always been. Weyland's siding with him for now ... the lesser of two evils ... I think you understand ..." A stalemate was better than a complete loss, wasn't it?

He was certain that he'd heard at least one of those names before. The one who wanted to invade... He was a terror on the battlefield, quick and powerful. As the Hikibain recalled, he also was able to use fire magic: an exceptionally uncommon ability among the demons. The other... He wasn't sure if he'd heard of him. Then again, with such outlandish names as those, perhaps he simply didn't remember. At least "Steinn" was easier to pronounce.

His focus shifted from the demons again with the rest of Anna's explanation, however, back onto the professor. Daichi shook his head in disagreement. His voice was calm, but adamant. "If you accept evil, you should not be surprised when it surrounds you. There is no 'lesser.' We will oppose both evils, and the way we oppose them will be decided by Emperor Yamato. I am unwilling to accept the death that either wishes to bring. I will protect Kigen. And, if possible, I will give all that I am to defeating the demons so completely that they will not be able to recover. We will be free, no matter what they want us to believe."

The Hikibain folded his arms. "Though I also believe that we should consider these gates first. And so, I will bring your messengers to Emperor Yamato as quickly as I can. Is there anything else that you have not told me about this topic?"

Anna didn't think Weyland was leaving the Steinn situation to chance. While they weren't truly enemies so long as Ursium wasn't in the fallen prince's sights, Weyland was more than a little interested in finding a resolution to the greater conflict. He was just ready to consider all of the potential long term options. There was no selling that to Kazemi or his people, though ...

Anna shook her head at Daichi's question. "Nothing that would help with convincing the Emperor or changing your opinion," she sighed.

Changing his opinion? Daichi's frown deepened in distaste. It was disgusting that a fellow human could care so little about the atrocities afflicted on his own kind. Of course, it was not Ursium who had been plagued with these creatures for so many generations. Even then, however, one would think that hearing even a handful of stories about what the demons did to people would be enough to provoke one's sense of justice. The professor was a man of science, though... Perhaps he was simply all head and no heart. The callousness was no less revolting, but it would at least explain its presence.

"If there is nothing left to say, and you have given me every relevant detail pertaining to the mission your employer sent <Kai's Mercenaries> as well as to these gates, then we are done, here." Daichi said that, but he waited to see if she had anything more to add. If, later on, he found out she withheld something, he would be sure to remind her of this moment, when he gave her the chance to tell him the whole truth.

"Their mission doesn't have any bearing on what's happening now, so no," Anna shook her head, "If anything new comes up, I'll be sure to let you know, but for right now, you're up to date: We're trying to stop Valdimarr's people from using those gates to invade the major nations, and his brother is helping us do that, mainly with information."

He may not have been the best at understanding or speaking Common, but it was clear that Anna was implying that she had more information on the Kai's Mercenaries mission, and was unwilling to share it. At least she was being honest about that, but he was still frustrated that even now, Weyland's people seemed to only share what was convenient for them, instead of choosing to do the right thing. He'd given Anna her chance, and so he'd leave it at that, for now. He would certainly include it in his report, however, and vaguely, he wondered who the next person to speak with Weyland Enterprises would be.

Daichi gave Anna a nod. "Then our meeting is over. I will return to your building later. You should encourage your messengers to finish their preparations swiftly."

The man then turned and began walking briskly back to the port town. He had both at least one letter and a report to write, people to organize, and preparations to make.

 

Preparations had gone well, in all respects, and Daichi had done everything he could to streamline them. He'd returned to the barracks immediately following his conversation with Anna, and set right to work writing his letters, ordering his subordinates not to disturb him unless demons were attacking. His first letter was to the Neviskotian ambassador, detailing what Daichi knew of the demons' gates and what the Fallen were planning to do with them. He included what information he knew of the attack on Europa, and urged him to contact his leaders in his homeland about the impending attack, so that they could prepare for what was to come. The Hikibain then wrote a similar letter to the Ursian ambassador, though only citing the attack on Europa this time, and using it as an evidence to spur the Ursians to action. In this letter, though he didn't cite who he received the information from, he did say that Professor Weyland may have more information in the issue if they wanted to investigate. Both letters were written in Kigenese for expedience's sake. The ambassadors had translators available if they needed them, and Daichi couldn't be bothered with trying to quickly write official letters in a language he only had a loose grasp of.

The final letter he wrote was to General Fukui Hayate: the man he was coordinating with to consolidate the Kigenese forces in the north. To him, he explained the situation in as much detail as he could, disclosing all of his findings on the investigation regarding the White Devil's recent appearance and the situation involving the Fallen's plans to attack all three countries. He also informed him that he would be traveling with messengers to Emperor Yamato in Kayoyama to relay this information directly and set about doing something about it. He told the general that he had already sent letters to the northerner ambassadors -- which would be true by the time he sent this letter -- insisting that they inform their own governments about the threat. Daichi was leaving the north in Hayate's hands while he escorted the messengers, and advised him to keep a sharp eye out for any demons and their gate.

Letters written, the Hikibain had quickly packed up some supplies, then called together what men were both nearby and under his command. He informed them that he needed to return to the capitol, and that they were now under General Fukui's command. They were to relay this to all others who had previously been working more with Daichi than with the general. He also gave the letters to three separate messengers to deliver to their respective recipients. The soldiers didn't bother asking Daichi any questions about his mission. He had an unusual sternness about him, so they figured it was urgent. Given his role, that wasn't surprising.

All that taken care of, the Hikibain hurried to the W.E. building. He didn't want to alarm anyone, so he'd hired a jinrikisha to take him there. Usually, he traveled on foot, but this way, it was less noticeable that he was bringing travel supplies with him, even though there wasn't much of it. Given that he'd be traveling with what was essentially a caravan, he wouldn't need to bring as much as what would be recommended otherwise.

Daichi frowned as the Weyland Enterprises building came into view. An hour or two had gone by since his talk with Anna, so he had expected Weyland's messengers to be busy preparing themselves to leave Arugai, wagons out front, and people bustling about moving supplies -- and that only if they hadn't already finished getting ready to leave. However, the front of the building looked about as ordinary as it did every day. There was a woman out front, seemingly waiting for someone, but Daichi didn't recognize her. After the jinrikisha came to stop, Daichi swiftly unloaded his few provisions, paid the driver, and thanked him for his service. Then, he walked up to the woman.

<"Good afternoon,"> Daichi greeted, giving a very slight bow. His face was more stern than usual, but he seemed more mildly perplexed than anything. He was a tiny bit miffed, though. Not that his tone indicated that at all -- that was cordial, calm, and polite. <"Are you one of Professor Weyland's messengers?">

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

Of course, as soon as they reached the gate, they were stopped. Not just stopped, but surrounded, and even yelled at in Kigenese. That put Norbert on edge. Great.

Before all this, he'd thanked Joanna for his and Rizen's healing, and made sure to wipe off the dry blood from his arm, legs, and face, but that was about all he'd been able to do to make himself look less alarming. He'd change when they got to Weyland's building, but out here in the open, there really wasn't anything he could do on that front.

Now, though, someone was coming to talk to them...in Common? Well, at least there was that. That was where the good news ended, though, as he heard about their run-in with Ra, from the sound of things. Of course he would have. Norbert loosed a sigh. Just how were they going to explain all that? It was pretty darn clear that they -- or, more specifically, he -- had been involved in that. Joanna and Liam hadn't been a part of the clash with Ra and the other Angelica, and the real Angelica hadn't been as overtly involved. But, well, the condition of Bert's clothes -- along with the fact that he had a pegasus -- was rather telling. No use in lying, even if he'd wanted to. Now, normally, a story about a big fight between a team of two people made of emblem energy, and two emblem wielders, would have been unbelievable, but more than one person must have given some version of that story to these guys. So, at least they wouldn't sound crazy...unless they denied the whole thing.

Norbert gave the man a look that was somewhere between doubting and bored. "If you've already heard what happened from other people, then you already know what we're going to say. There was a fight with a lot of really bright lights. What is this, a survey? Why don't you go up the road and investigate what happened yourself instead of stopping everyone who have better things to do than tell you what you already know?"

[Phoenix]

Help

Malik grimaced. "I'm not sure we're going ..."

Amon stepped away from his chair and sighed. "We were supposed to leave once Daichi got back, but Greta's still out, and now Joanna's off checking on something with the emblem. If we meet with them just the three of us, they could probably overpower us, whether it's Ursium or Neviskotia." Amon didn't have an emblem piece to barter with, either ... not that doing so would have been an even remotely good idea.

"Either way," Malik resumed his thoughts, "stay with us. If they know where we are, then this could get dangerous."

Signs

<"Good afternoon-"> The young woman seemed perfectly calm and cordial at first blush, as she listened to Daichi's question, but that calm shattered briefly as she spotted the man's iconic tattoo. She completely lost her nerve, and all she could do at first was simply shake her head at the question. Her thoughts had clearly gone somewhere else, entirely ...

Lights

"Bright lights, you say?" The guard looked incredulous, but he'd obviously heard something similar sometime in the last twenty minutes. "Light magic? Specialty of Ursian mages?" That wasn't quite on point, but Ursium had far more light mages than Kigen or any other relevant nation. His eyes were on Rizen now, and the connections he was making were crystal clear. "What were you doing when you saw these lights?"

One of the guard's colleagues carefully stepped over to him, hoping to put in without too much eavesdropping. <"This might be the pegasus rider we heard about. The one racing through the streets.">

The guard who spoke Common nodded gravely.

[Mercakete]

Oops. Well, instead of making the situation better, it seemed that he'd made it worse. Urgh, why does this keep happening? I don't want to cause everyone trouble! Norbert wasn't very good at hiding his frustration, even though it only came out in an irritated expression and a bit of a guarded posture. What didn't help was the fact that the guardsmen were muttering some things to one another in Kigenese. That was only putting Bert more on edge.

"I don't know anything about magic, so you're asking the wrong guy." Honestly, he'd had no idea that light magic was more common in Ursium than in other countries, and he wasn't sure he believed it, given the source. It sounded more like he and the others were just convenient targets to pin that spectacle on, and this guy was justifying it. Not that they weren't actually at the center of it, but the suspected reasoning was what was bugging him about that. At least, since it wasn't confirmed, the irritation from that particular source was negligible.

Bert also hoped that Angelica didn't tip the guys off that she was a mage. She was pretty smart, though, so she was probably among the least likely to get them all in trouble, between the four of them. As for his own likelihood of getting them into trouble compared to the others...he didn't really like his position on that list. "As for what I was doing, I was riding my pegasus. I met up with my friends, here, on the way back. They were coming to get me."

It was too vague to be the whole truth, but it was at least partially true. Bert hoped that Angelica would be assumed to be among those he'd met up with. And it wasn't like Angelica hadn't come to get Bert...it was just a very different kind of "get" at the time.

~~~~~~~~~

<"Oh, I see,"> Daichi responded, frowning lightly in concern. It seemed that he'd accidentally frightened the poor woman. <"I'm sorry about the confusion. I was going to meet with some messengers from Professor Weyland here. Are you okay, miss?">

[Nanami Touko]

Eva frowned. "I'm not that weak. We could take 'em, if we had to..." No action, then. She sighed, standing up straight, hands back behind her head. "Are we really just going to keep standing around, then? I don't think looking for a fight is the best idea, but... Doing anything would probably be a good idea, no?" She was just being impatient, even she could recognize that... But there was only so many times she could go over the same thoughts in her head before she needed something else to do. "You're the boss, I guess... Well, you and Hoshi, but you know what I mean."

[Phoenix]

Meeting Room

"I really doubt that," Malik sighed. Just the three of them? Even if they only had twice their own number to worry about, things could go south quickly if the enemy was determined enough. That said nothing of their preparations if they met these people at a place of their choosing. ... wait, why did they have to meet these people at a place of their choosing, again? "... okay, I've got an idea," Malik stepped into the meeting room and took a spot on the wall, "Let's tell that girl to tell our 'admirers' that if they really want to meet with us, it should be right here, at Weyland Enterprises. No ambushes or anything like that to worry about, this way, and they probably can't bring all of their people."

"Daichi's not going to like waiting around while we deal with another group," Amon frowned. "And no, we're not using him as a shield."

Streets

<"I-I'm fine,"> the woman quickly bowed an apology. Two times, for good measure. <"Forgive my rudeness. I wasn't expecting to see a Hikibain here."> She took a few steps away from the path leading to the main entrance, giving Kazemi plenty of space to head inside. She seemed to be puzzling something out as she stood aside.

Gate

The Common speaking guard stepped a little closer, looking even more confrontational than before. "You don't know anything about light magic ..." He paused, glancing at Joanna, then Liam, and lastly Angelica. "I am sure one of you does."

Wincing as she caught the guard's piercing glance, again, Joanna spoke up. "I do, but ... what you're talking about wasn't ..."

<"Come ooon, just confess,"> another guard groaned in his native tongue. <"We know you're all Ursians.">

The Common speaking guard shrugged. "He said you should confess. Are you Ursians, or not? What are your people doing out here?"

[Nanami Touko]

"That's a grade A idea, Malik. It probably isn't a good thing to keep Daichi waiting, but we have to wait anyway, don't we? Besides, I don't think we're gonna be able to run away from them if they're already caught up to us. Better to deal with them at some point. Maybe we can end things all civil like?" If it was the Neviskotians, no. If it was the Ursians... Also probably no, but less no than the people they'd stolen a boat from. Not just any boat, too... "Well?" For the record, Eva was also against using Kazemi as a shield.

[Mercakete]

<She must not have been in Arugai for very long, unless she meant here, at Professor Weyland's building. Then, that's understandable.> Daichi thought when the woman expressed her surprise at a Hikibain being around. His expression had turned sympathetic. <I wonder if she had a bad experience with someone of a higher rank before.>

Daichi gave the woman a smile for her sake, though that sympathy wasn't completely erased initially. Instead, it gradually faded as he spoke. <"Really, it doesn't bother me. Some of the others may act important, yes, but I'm just content seeing people safe and happy. That's what being a Hikibain is all about: protecting people's peace and happiness. So I hope that you enjoy this beautiful day, miss, and don't worry about how you did or did not speak to me today.">

~~~~~~~~~

Norbert's guard went up as the Common-speaking one moved his focus off of him and onto his companions. Worse, -- and of course she would -- Jo admitted to knowing light magic. That wasn't really a bad thing in and of itself, but it gave these guys a foothold to put the blame for what happened in the fields onto her. And then, evidently, the guardsmen thought it would be better to confess...because they were Ursian?

I knew it. Norbert's eyes narrowed in irritation. "It's obvious that we're Ursian, but what does that have to do with anything?! Do you just blame all your problems on whatever Ursian happens to be in town at the time?! How about this: instead of sitting here speculating, you do your jobs and go to the site to investigate!"

[Ether]

"What we were doing, was that my friend here was letting his pegasus stretch her wings, and the rest of us came to collect him. As for light magic, sure, I know plenty about it~ I know that it's bright, shiny, favoured by the clergy... not by Ursians or any other nationality in general, in case you didn't know that... oh, and I know that I can't use it." Angelica eventually added with a sigh... these folk sure were persistent... rightfully so perhaps but it was rather annoying. She could play the Daichi card if need be, but that might place undue stress on Norbert... they'd have to see where they got with all this.

"Now is that all? Surely there are enough people around that you have better things to do than keep lobbing empty questions at us just because we aren't Kigenese."

[Phoenix]

Telling

"Yeah," Amon nodded, "Let's go tell her to pass this along: They have to meet us here or not at all." As for Daichi waiting ... "If we're not going to have someone stay behind to meet them while everyone else heads off then ... I don't know. We might have to just tell him what we can about it ..."

Gomen

The woman smiled, still looking slightly guilty. <"Thank you,"> she gave one more apologetic bow, perhaps out of habit or for some other reason. 

Assertions

<"It's definitely them,"> the guard on horseback concluded.

The common speaking guard nodded at that, his eyes darting back and forth between Norbert and Angelica. That obviously wasn't all ... "I will ask you again. What are your people doing out here?" He pointed a finger hard toward the sea, well beyond Arugai, where an Ursian fleet was still lingering on the horizon. "What were you sent out here to do? You can answer us here, or from inside a cage."

Joanna winced at the threat. It made a little more sense now, though. These guards thought they were all from the Ursian fleet ... the very people they were trying to get away from, oddly enough. The ships themselves were few, far between, and looked like scattered dots from here, but they were still there. These men probably thought Norbert was a pegasus knight, and that Joanna herself was a healer. Liam too, perhaps. There was no telling what role Angelica played in the Ursian navy in their view, but it didn't matter so long as Rizen was standing here. The stereotype of the pegasus knight and the oh so common avian healers was clearly enough for them to feel confident with the assertion.

[Ether]

"Is that what this farce is about? We're not with the Ursian navy. Hikibain Kazemi-san won't appreciate your threatening people that he's working with, you know. Now get out of the way." Angelica replied, dropping niceties for the moment entirely. Hopefully the name drop would make them back off at least far enough to investigate... if not, well... she was prepared to repel any incoming attack, her eyelids dropping as her pupils began to glow gold beneath them. If they attacked, it would be no surprise.

[Mercakete]

<"Of course,"> Daichi replied, beaming that friendly, calm smile of his. Then, as he began to head for the front door, he gave her a little wave, and farewelled, <"Have a good day, miss.">

That encounter had wound up putting Daichi in a cheerful mood, but as he opened the door and stepped inside, his mind returned to just how serious the situation with the Fallen was at the moment. His smile disappeared, replaced with a considering frown, and a brooding furrow to his brow. <The peace of simple living can easily be destroyed... If we do not act carefully and swiftly, people like her may never be able to have a calm walk through town again. We need to go to Kayoyama as soon as possible, to protect these people.>

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

The heck is she saying? Norbert wondered in confusion as Angelica suddenly said something in Kigenese. That sure wasn't Common, anyway. Was it a name or something? It sounded like she was referring to a person.

Shoving that confusion to the side, Norbert refocused on what the guardsman, himself, had said, arms crossed and glowering at the man. It sure sounded like they were being investigated, not really for the disturbance south of town, but they were trying to get answers on the Ursian navy's presence in general. Urgh. That's weird... What we're actually guilty of, they don't really care as much. They're trying to get information on something we're actually not a part of...

"Like she said, we're not from the navy," Norbert confirmed. He didn't like where this was going, though. These guards weren't likely to believe them, especially given his luck. His main objective was quickly switching from convincing these guards of this, to protecting Liam, Jo, and Angelica. "We did come from Ursium, though. If you don't believe us, you can follow us; we were just heading back to the others in our group. You can see for yourself that we're telling the truth."

Norbert had another plan stirring in the back of his mind, but if the guardsman accepted the solution he offered, then there wouldn't be a need for it. As long as they were being chased, the Wrathites were a threat, and he preferred not to expose himself to them. But here in Kigen, he was unknown, so he didn't mind dealing with the local guard. Still, he couldn't let these three be incarcerated, especially with the Wrathites nearby. Maybe it was better to say his alternative plan now, after all. Better him than them. "And if that doesn't work for you, then I'm willing to go with you without making a fuss. My friends have business to get to, though. They can explain why I'm stuck with you to the others in our group when they get back to them, and hopefully you and I can work things out to your satisfaction before our group leaves town. I can just catch up on my pegasus, though, if it comes to that."

Edited April 15, 2018 by Mercakete

[Toogee]

Back at the Weyland outpost, Jam watched from just outside the meeting room as Amon, Malik, and Eva debated on their next move. One of their pursuers had found their location, but which one? Juggling multiple meetings and their forces already scattered, there was a real danger of endangering their mission to stop the gate. 

"I'm no tactician," Jam interrupted, "but whoever wants this meeting, if they were looking for a fight, they'd have an army at our doorstep instead of some messenger. I say we play the same game. We send our own messenger to figure out who we're dealing with. The rest of you can go deal with King Kigen or whoever it is you're talking to."

"And FYI, Greta's off doing something, so I'm free for such an errand."

[Phoenix]

Volunteers

Malik scowled lightly. "That could wind up giving them a hostage to work with ... the same hostage if we're dealing with the 'skotians again and we send you," the sancturan noted, "I'm fine with figuring out which side we're dealing with, but it's better to give that girl our message, and then have someone quietly follow her back to the people that sent her. They can't grab the person we send if they don't know they're there."

That sounded like a decent compromise on parchment, but they hadn't gotten into any of the details, yet. As far as who they would send in this hypothetical situation. Malik himself was good at sneaking around, but otherwise stood out like a sore thumb in these parts. Jamilla could play at being a traveler, but she stood out in other ways. It was a shame there weren't any emblem wielders in their group with some kind of invisibility power. They would be the obvious choice for something like this.

Relief

<"And you as well, Sir,">The young woman looked somewhat relieved, though she clearly wasn't about to leave Weyland's establishment, just yet.

Just a short ways inside the main building, one of Weyland's receptionists was idling behind the main counter. <"Welcome back, Kazemi-san. Should I let the others know you're here?">

Escorts

<"Kazemi?"> The bowman sounded intrigued, but quickly became annoyed along with the other guards when Angelica told them to get out of their way. They didn't budge.

"You are not the first to claim important business with someone above us," the common speaking guard noted disapprovingly. He listened to Norbert's proposal next while his three colleagues did some relatively quiet deliberating in Kigenese. As a whole, they weren't interested in letting the Ursians out of their sight, again. The common speaking guard spoke up again once the other brief discussion tapered off. "Heh. Always wanted to meet a Hikibain in person, anyway," he shrugged, "We will escort you back to your 'group.'" His eyes narrowed as he leveled a stern warning at them. "If you are lying to us ... about anything ... the only work you will have to worry about is in a mine somewhere."

Edited April 16, 2018 by Phoenix

[Mercakete]

Daichi's attention easily slid to the receptionist, and his demeanor turned businesslike. <"Yes. Thank you.">

He remembered the way to the meeting room they had occupied before, but there was no telling if anyone was there now, let alone if the people there would be profitable to speak with, efficiency-wise. <I should speak with one of their leaders. They are the most likely to know how travel preparations are coming.> Since someone was going to let the group know he was there, Daichi decided to just remain standing as he waited.

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

I guess that's what Kigenese prisons are like, huh? Norbert thought, comparing the new, vague, mental image with his experiences in Ursian jails. He was a tad surprised that that was what had grabbed his attention, but it didn't linger there anyhow, and his mind quickly refocused on the more important bits of what the guardsman had said. It made Bert a little uncertain, though he didn't show it. Collectively, they hadn't been as honest as they could have been. In particular, Angelica didn't have to say that he'd left town so that Rizen could "stretch her wings." He didn't want to correct her in front of the guards since that would have raised their suspicions even higher, but at this point, he knowingly allowed the lie to slip past. It's pretty obvious I didn't leave causally... Guess if it comes up I can set the record straight and say that something personal came up, and I wanted to get away for a while. Hopefully, they won't be as strict as they say they'll be.

"Yeah, whatever," Norbert responded to the guardsman, his tone lightly peppered with annoyance. Then, he turned to Angelica. "Want to lead the way once these guys clear a path?" I wouldn't know where I was going...