Fire Emblem: Poem of Secrecy

[Shaman]

He woke up. His legs were cut badly. It was annoying to be beaten by a man smaller than him and now he was being carried by him. The worst part was that he had been captured instead of slain. How badly he wished that Grima spare him, by taking his life. Most of his men were already dead and he could feel his life fading away. He stared at the golden girl, a short distance away from him. She was nearly his. He would have taken his prize back to headquarters and receive his reward. She was wanted by nearly all of the Grimleal in the area. He spat on the ground, annoyed with himself. How tantalizingly close he was at completing his mission! He gathered the last of his strength and freed himself from the blue-haired mercenary. He took the myrmidon's sword, and plunged it into his stomach. He smiled as the blood poured forth. In his last moments, he laughed and told himself that Grima would be pleased. His eyes lost focus and with a great sigh he passed away.

[Empoleon77]

OOC: I'm starting a support conversation (Or at least trying to) between Shadow and Blodwyn now.

"Ever since Edward found out about how I trust Blodwyn most in this army, I can no longer talk to her without him thinking I have a crush on her!" Shadow sighed as he reinforced his armor with plates of armor taken from the Grimleal he killed that day.

[Noahfest]

I know he was referring to Fivel as "the bunny", but who is "the adventure boy"? (It had better not be Shadow; he wouldn't be very happy).

OCC: The ''adventure boy'' is Emil, because he joined mercenary business looking for adventures. In Edward's thoughts Shadow is ''The Creep'' or ''creepy armored myrmidon''. xP

IC: Edward and Dougal finally found the others after some time walking through the woods, he didn't even thought about anything else, the first thing he screamed was:

''EMILLL! I think I got a hard job for ya!'' Edward sat Dougal in the ground ''He has some broken some bones, except for that, the lil' dude is a tough guy, well... For a mage at least, see if you get him fixed up will you?''

Edward looked around, everyone seemed to be alright, it was good thing, if they survived this unplanned mess, they are tough, he thought. Edward looked at Pleiada, she had some scratches but nothing to worry about, he looked back, it was getting dark, they could get lost in the woods, but letting that disabled brigand there all night, he would end up dead by the morning, and would be of no use, he stared at Fivel and said:

''Hey bunny, would you be able to find this place if we go to that forest down there, again? I need to check on something...''

Edited April 12, 2015 by Haon

[Rapier]

Dougal bit his lip when Edward dropped him on the ground, though it would not have mattered if the young man had been dropped in the softest bed of the world - his right leg was on a bad shape, and he knew some of other bones were broken. Specially his back, which hurt more than all of his parts together. He did not even bother crawling toward a nearby tree in order to find somewhere else to rest his back on, the ground should suffice.

"See if you get him fixed up will you?'' He heard Edward tell the red haired youth, who had been busy fixing up Fivel's wounds and now had a lot of work to do.

From what he saw, everyone was in bad shape, except maybe Shadow and Emil. Even Pleiada had been dragged into it, bruised all over her body. Dougal felt the urge to hide his face from shame and ridiculousness. "We were so busy keeping ourselves alive that we forgot to keep her out of harm... I'm such an idiot! She could've died, and then what? Everything for naught!", he thought, reprimanding himself.

The young man turned to the boy with a healing staff on the ready. "Nevermind me, Emil. Take care of Pleiada first. She must be our priority from now on". He then turned toward his employer. "Forgive me. Next time, I won't be so... absent minded...". He turned to Shadow and changed his mind quickly before blushing from the embarrassing situation he had been in. "Now, Shadow... was it? I take it that the man lying next to us was one of the brigands...".

After analyzing the body, Dougal's mouth opened in surprise. The man had a "v" scar near the middle of his forehead, which could be easily mistaken from a wound taken during a battle, but the young man knew better.

It was made by hot iron, like one brands an animal. He remembered when one of the Grimleal warriors from his tribe had been in a fight with another kinsman, which ended with the brute smashing the offender's head against the ground until it was barely unrecognizable. Seldom these cases happened among the Grimleal, even though they were known to be violent with outsiders, and keep their captives alive to be used later. He had been punished for breaking one of the tenets of their tribe, which was killing their kinsmen deliberately, and the "v" mark on his forehead was a brand of banishment to advise other Grimleal that the man was not permitted to interact with their tribe any more, under threat of death, and that one should avoid falling for the same mistake. Dougal could not remember whether that man was the same one who had been banished, yet the similarity was obvious.

And worse of all, the man was a Grimleal. Dougal did not have a doubt about it.

In order to hide his tracks, he was quick to change the subject.

"T-That man looks tougher than the brigands I've faced. Say, who killed him? Whoever it was, he must be good". He said, a hint of fear in his voice.

Edited April 12, 2015 by Rapier

[Dragoncat]

Fivel sat up and blinked. He had returned to human form after the battle. "You want to check on something...?" Then he shrugged. "I'm usually good at finding my way back to where I'm supposed to be. But honestly? There still might be Grimleal thugs in those woods. And they'll be out to avenge their dead friends...we can't afford to run into any more trouble at the time being."

He handed one of his concoctions to Dougal. "Here. Pleiada might be our first priority, but you're not exactly in very good shape..."

"I think that Shadow character did." He said when the mage wondered who killed the berserker. "Must've had the upper hand. Human weapon triangle and all that..."

[Empoleon77]

Continuing the attempted support conversation: "Blodwyn? I have something for you." Shadow called as he searched for his ally. He was fixing his armor, and had some leftover metal from that job. He used that leftover metal to make Blodwyn a new lance, considering her old lance broke in the fight.

[Rapier]

Dougal accepted Fivel's concoction, more taking it forcefully from the Taguel's hand rather than being given the remedy. With one hand he closed his nostrils in order to survive the terrible taste of the concoctions, with another he brought the recipient to his mouth and gulped it down. When it became empty, he set the flask aside, waiting for its effects to rid him of the pain. "Thanks, Fivel. I'll owe you one".

[Noahfest]

''Fine... I guess...'' Edward said in a disappointed voice.

He looked at the others, and started thinking, ''Damn I really got myself into a mess, newbies, Grimleal... Anyways, Blodwyn seems to be fine, Pleiada got some scratches, nothing to worry about, Emil can easily dispatch them, Fivel and Shadow are alright, Dougal is really bad...'' **sighs** ''...Perhaps... No I am misthinking... We should get a camp built, get some rest...''

''Well, Emil keep up the good work, Shadow, you and Blodwyn stay here and protect the others. Bunny, you and me, we are going to find a place to stay the night, anyone knows if there's anything close that we could look for?'' Said Edward to the party.

Edited April 12, 2015 by Haon

[Shaman]

Pleiada was in shock. She knew that something like this could happen, but she proceeded with her adventure anyway. She fought to regain control over herself, because her body was shaking against her will. Her mind kept going back to that menacing smile. She imagined what it must have looked like, seeing a weak girl like her being beaten by a brute. Pleiada felt an overwhelming anxiety sweep over her. 'Am I really this incapable?' she thought to herself.

"I thought we got them all in the forest and you were safe." the pegasus rider said. Pleiada broke free from her self-torturing languish. She looked up and saw Blodwyn. Her body was bruised and bloody. Pleiada felt safe next to the young lady. Her presence calmed her down, and reassured her that the battle was over. She then noticed that her employees had gathered near her and were treating their wounds. "Next time, I won't be so... absent minded..." the dark shaman said to her just before he turned away blushing.

The party was ready to set camp, yet there was a possibility that there would be reinforcements. Pleiada overheard Edward trying to find a good spot to camp out. Any place was better than near the bodies that were strewn about the forest. She approached Edward and Dougal.

"Edward I will go and look for an appropriate place to camp with you. Dougal, would you light this torch with your fire magic please?" She held it in front of him.

[Empoleon77]

Shadow stood in silence, knowing that he had to get this lance to Blodwyn before Edward got back. He snuck up on Blodwyn, quickly laid the lance next to her, then scurried behind a tree. "I hope nobody saw me. Edward already thinks I have a crush on Blodwyn, and I can't let Fivel, Emil, or Dougal think the same." Shadow thought, sweating a river from the stress that the gift brought. He only trusted her best, but he didn't have a crush on her. "Even though I may not have been seen, Edward may find out I gave her the lance. That may be a way he could find out I made it for her." He thought. "Maybe I should join the others now. I don't get the chance to socialize with anyone often."

Shadow walked over, and sat down next to Blodwyn. He said nothing at first, but he was still worried sick. "Possibly the worst that could happen is if Blodwyn herself believes Edward's, and maybe everyone else's, thoughts. I really need to be careful here." Shadow muttered under his breath. "Oh gods, did she hear that?!" Suddenly, he felt an arm resting on his shoulder. He looked in the direction it was coming from, and saw someone smiling. When he saw this person, he completely froze. Then, he grew woozy, then completely lost consciousness.

[Nanami Touko]

(OoC: Okay Empoleon holy shit can you like just fucking wait for Snowy to post like what are you doing. How impatient can one person get?)

(I know I'm not a part of this RP but I have been watching this all day and it's getting ridiculous)

Edited April 13, 2015 by I have opinions

[Snowy_One]

Blodwyn looked down at the lance that had been laid before her, made of little more than scrap. Yet, as she touched it and held it up, it proved to be little more than a quickly scrapped together lance. But not a lance she was, somehow, incapable of wielding. She took a quick look over it, noting what it was made up of and how it seemed to function. While the metal was simple iron there were bits of enchanted metals inside of it. Maybe one of the bandits had broken a wind edge and hoped to have it mended at some point for their honey bunny back home? She shrugged as she gave it a light whirl about, noting it's weight, before she quickly tossed it like a javelin, testing the range. To her delightful surprise, as the lance flew outwards and struck the ground, it suddenly started to shudder before pulling itself out of the ground and returning to her hand like a good magical weapon.

"Either Anna is on my side or Shadow did not know what he made." she said to herself as she quietly reached into her pack on Nyx's side, pulling out several black feathers. They weren't of any real note and, too be honest, were more left-overs from her meal the day before that she had forgotten to throw out than anything. Yet, slowly, she plumed the lance before holding it up.

"A throwing lance that can return to my hand. Crow. Seems like a fitting name." she said with a smile as she gave it another toss, watching again as it returned to her hand.

Then she looked to Shadow. "Thanks for the lance Shadow, though I must ask, why do you keep referring to yourself in the third person?"

[Noahfest]

(OOC: The great part is that Empoleon is giving Edward thoughts about Shadow and Blodwyn, yet the only thing Edward thinks about Shadow is that he's a creepy armored myrmidon... You have to develop your character man, not mine, remember there are other people behind the other characters, that's the thing with RP'ing.)

IC: Edward looked at Pleiada, she was clearly fine, but still making she wander around when the Grimleal could still be out there, that is insane, ''she's the contractor, she's not supposed to get herself into danger'' he thought ''What should I do...''

''I know you want to help Pleiada, but ya know, there may be more of those stupid thugs out there, we can't put you into more danger, staying here with Shadow and Blodwyn is the best option...''

Pleiada looked at him, it was clear she wanted to go, she wouldn't just back away now, ''Say whatever you want...'', Edward thought ''...this lil' girl is a tough one, I like that.'' He smiled and kept speaking:

''Hehehe Okay okay, don't make that awkward face lil' girl hehe, I got it, you want to help. It's just that... It's not usual contractors do that, they usually would just want us to die for them while they sit and watch... You really must have a deathwish I guess... I like that makes things a lot more interesting! So it's settled you're going with me Pleiada, just make sure not to get yourself killed. Fivel what you say?''

Edward looked at the party, and thought ''Yeah, this is for sure one odd band of misfits, a quiet male Troubadour, a creep myrmidon, a kind and weird-looking Mage, a young and inexperienced Pegasus Knight, a 'Bunny', a suicidal Contractor and the ''worst'' Mercenary in miles... Yeah I'm starting to like this contract.'' He smiled again.

Edited April 13, 2015 by Haon

[Empoleon77]

Blodwyn looked down at the lance that had been laid before her, made of little more than scrap. Yet, as she touched it and held it up, it proved to be little more than a quickly scrapped together lance. But not a lance she was, somehow, incapable of wielding. She took a quick look over it, noting what it was made up of and how it seemed to function. While the metal was simple iron there were bits of enchanted metals inside of it. Maybe one of the bandits had broken a wind edge and hoped to have it mended at some point for their honey bunny back home? She shrugged as she gave it a light whirl about, noting it's weight, before she quickly tossed it like a javelin, testing the range. To her delightful surprise, as the lance flew outwards and struck the ground, it suddenly started to shudder before pulling itself out of the ground and returning to her hand like a good magical weapon.

"Either Anna is on my side or Shadow did not know what he made." she said to herself as she quietly reached into her pack on Nyx's side, pulling out several black feathers. They weren't of any real note and, too be honest, were more left-overs from her meal the day before that she had forgotten to throw out than anything. Yet, slowly, she plumed the lance before holding it up.

"A throwing lance that can return to my hand. Crow. Seems like a fitting name." she said with a smile as she gave it another toss, watching again as it returned to her hand.

Then she looked to Shadow. "Thanks for the lance Shadow, though I must ask, why do you keep referring to yourself in the third person?"

OOC: Shadow isn't referring to himself in the first person. He just is thinking to himself more than he actually is talking.

IC: "W-what? How did you know I made it? Well, now that you know, just don't tell Edward about it. He must not know about it." Shadow said in surprise. "I just decided to make it for you, because I was fixing my armor using metal from the Grimleal I killed today. This metal was from their armor. I had some left over, so I made you the lance. Sorry that I didn't do well on it." Shadow said.

Then, Shadow heard footsteps. "Oh gods, I have to hide." Shadow thought as he frantically scrambled for the nearest tree. He hid in the tree, looking at what was happening. Blodwyn was still there, and now, the source of the footsteps as well. It was Edward. "Oh no...did HE hear all that?! Shadow said, trembling.

Edited April 13, 2015 by Empoleon77

[Snowy_One]

"Why do you care if he did? Even if you have some sort of feud with him once this job is over you'll never have to see him again. Just ignore him and continue on with your job." she said as she shook her head in dismay. "You need to calm down in general. I saw you fight back there and you acted like a rabbit on sugar, attacking wildly at high speeds. Maybe you succeeded but if you forget to breath you'll also end up, well, dead. Even if not fighting like that can't be good for your health. And no, don't tell me 'but I've trained long and hard' or 'I can take it' or anything like that. Just slow down, breath, and think through what you're doing and saying. Heck, imagining you fighting on horse-back is terrifying as you'd probably try to run the horse into the ground for your fighting."

[Empoleon77]

"I understand. I know you just told me not to say this, but I will say it anyway. That is how I have always trained with my sword. And you're right, breathing enough is one of my major weaknesses in that style of swordfighting. I mostly breathe when I'm hiding in a tree, ready to sneak attack an enemy. Sure, I know I'm a Myrmidon that fights like a Thief would, but that is my all time favorite combat method." Shadow explained to his friend.

"As for Edward, well, he's the reason why I try to talk to you only when we're alone. He's been taunting and mocking me because he thinks I have a crush on you when I really don't. I just think you're easier to trust than the other members of the party. As for why everyone else is a worry in this context, well, let's just say that I don't want them thinking the same thoughts about this as Edward already does." Shadow continued.

(Shadow and Blodwyn attained support level C).

Edited April 14, 2015 by Empoleon77

[Shaman]

Thousands of leaves rustled in the wind, shook off of the branches and fell away from the starry night sky. The gust carried loose foliage across the forest floor, until they stuck to twigs and tree roots. Moon beams lit the ground with pale and faint light. It was a quiet night, save the distant chatter and murmuring of people. He followed in the direction from where the voices came. Stepping over tangled sticks and onto mossy rocks, he made his way to the riverside.

He wore dark robes down to his feet, and hid under a hood. Long locks of silver hair swayed in the wind and brushed his pale neck. Two deep blue eyes glimmered on either side of his little pointy nose. He stopped walking when he noticed that he stood among many dead bodies that were strewn about. They were brigands, with tattered tunics, mismatching armor and dull axes. Upon inspecting them, he noticed that some of them bore the mark of the Grimleal. This was common for most Plegians, but the question was why they crossed the border into Galeo Forest, into Ylissean territory.

The crows squawked at him, as if to tell him that he was in the way of their midnight snack. He snickered, and continued walking through the forest and towards the river. He concluded that the battle must have ended not too long ago. The robed figure enjoyed the summer night breeze, and the scents it brought to him. It smelled like zesty bark, and muddy earth. Suddenly, he heard a snorting to his right. He turned to see a large moving shape. Clutching his tome, he started to whisper the incantations and then stopped. The shadow moved into the pale light, to reveal a horse.

The spell caster hummed with slight relief and carefully gestured the horse towards him. He noticed that it still had reins, but no saddle. He took the reins, and lead the horse with him towards the river. It may have belonged to one of the people that he was nearing now. Branches snapped under the horses hooves, as the robed man and the horse descended a slope. He stepped out of the trees and revealed himself to the group of mercenaries.

"Good evening. Is this your horse?" he said politely.

Pleiada jumped away from Dougal and turned to see another robed man that stood behind her. At his side was her horse.

"I-I believe that is my horse. It is a bit dark though. Who are you?" she said nervously.

"My name is Remi." he bowed. "What are you doing in these woods?" he asked blatantly.

Pleiada stared at her horse who stood so calmly beside this ominous-looking man. She wondered why there would be a lone wanderer at such an hour. Skeptical of his intentions, she answered his question vaguely.

"We are stopping Plegian criminals from hurting innocent people." she said with conviction. It was the partial truth.

Remi acknowledged her answer: "I see... well not to worry, because I am not Plegian, or a criminal."

Pleiada did not feel reassured. "What are you doing in this forest at night?" she asked.

"I live here." he said. He patted the horse, and stared at everyone from a few yards away.

[Empoleon77]

Shadow saw a strange robed man near Pleiada and Dougal, and immediately jumped out of the trees and drew his sword. "Just because you say you're not a Plegian, that doesn't mean I trust that you aren't of the Grimleal." Shadow growled with his sword pointed directly at the man. "Who are you? And what is your business here?"

[Rapier]

He nodded to Pleiada, accepting her orders. "I will. Just give me a few minutes". Dougal could not act just yet, because his broken bones were not fully recovered. The pain did go away, yet his right leg did not obey him as it normally would, nor was he able to bow. Sighing, he dragged himself toward a tree and rested his back against it. He observed the sky, cloudless and orange, the sun disappearing under the mountains on the horizon. "At least we are not going to be seeing rain", he thought.

When his limbs started to work as before, he used the tree as a support to get on his feet, then approached the fireplace. Closing his eyes, he channeled the power within his book into the palm of his free hand. At first it merely glowed, emitting a faint heat and light, but as Dougal mentalized a flame in the void of his mind, the glow started to take the shape his manipulator had in mind, growing into a small flame that mysteriously did not burn the mage's hand. He crouched and approached his hand to the woods, and soon did the flames spread, filling the camp with light and heat. With a wave of his hand, the flame he had summoned disappeared completely, not even a burn left in his palm to indicate there had ever been a flame.

"Now, we celebrate victory with bread and water", he said aloud, more to himself than to the others. Dougal stood far from the flames, his back resting against a tree, as that summer night was particularly hot.

----

Later that night, a silver haired man wearing a tunic appeared from the trail through the trees, guiding a horse through its reins with one of his hands. When he announced his presence, Dougal jumped from his spot, standing up almost as quickly in order to protect himself from... whatever he thought it was. His survival instinct kicked in before he could recognize the man. One of his hands held the red book, his mind ready to channel it's power should he reveal himself to be a threat. Even after he told the group about his intentions, Dougal did not lower his guard, skeptical of someone who appeared from literally nowhere and who claimed to live in the forest.

"Tell me, is it common for bandits to lurk in these woods? I thought we wouldn't be seeing brigands right in the Spectral Forest".He frowned upon his wishful thinking. "They must not care much about superstitions, it seems".

[Empoleon77]

Shadow heard everything Remi said, but his sword did not lower. "He can't be trusted. I can already tell. He could very well be a Grimleal spy, and his words nothing but lies, just so he can earn our trust." Shadow said to Pleiada. "I'm going to take him to the tree for interrogation. I must know if he has any relation to the Grimleal."

Shadow saw Blodwyn circling overhead, patrolling the camp on Nyx. Shadow silently waved. Blodwyn waved back. He led the man to the tree he slept in that night. "We're here." Shadow stated with hate and distrust filling his voice to the point of overflowing. Shadow felt a bit uncomfortable speaking like this on the inside, because he only uses that voice for interrogating captured Grimleal soldiers, (and any time he is talking to Edward, in any circumstances whatsoever). "Now for the first question: Do you know anything about the Grimleal?"