RPG

"I disagree." Seliah said promptly, leaning back in her seat. "An ambitious king wouldn't let his goals die after his death. He would have established successors that shared his ideals, and the war would continue." A twisted smirk took shape on the girl's face. "But if you crush an army, and devastate a nation so much that it can't pick itself back up from the ashes, that is a total victory. Pure strength is naturally sought. Raw power will raise you to the top of the world. And then nobody can hurt you anymore." Seliah sat up in realization. "I apologize for that. If I have offended your master's ideals Daloth, my deepest regrets of course..."

"Magic is one of the great mysteries of our world," Seliah replied. "Its ancient secrets lost to us, we can only theorize about its roots...I've read books saying magic is a manifestation of a person's willpower channeled through something such as a tome or rod. Others say that magic is influenced by the souls of the dead, a theory I disagree with due to dark, ancient arts being of more raw power than others." She placed her tome onto her lap, and summoned a small fireball in her hand, whirling and flickering. "I am no expert on the subject of magic, though I have undeniable talent with it, you see," Seliah boasted. "I believe that magic takes influence from a person's inner state of being. Not a soul, but who they 'are,' if you will. For this reason humans can only be skilled in so many types of magic. I've read theories stating that our minds are more vast than the known universe. I believe that we can indeed manipulate our universe's reality, tomes being an enhancer to our mental awareness." She clenched her fist and the fireball vanished. "Have you ever noticed yourself spacing out while casting a particularly strong spell, Daloth? Did you feel tired afterward? I have experienced this, and for that reason I believe that tomes are a method of removing ourselves from the reality we know to harness a minuscule portion of the universe's web of power." She folded her arms. "Of course, this is all a theory, no more."

"Of course," Seliah responded, feeling more like herself, the embarrassment from before lessening. She turned back to her knights. "You two. Hurry it up." She let out a short sigh. "Really, I'm not used to travel. I lack the patience. There must be some sort of shortcut." She considered using fire blasts to propel the carriage, then she considered how ridiculous that thought was. Smalltalk bored her, but she figured that it was necessary. "So, how has life been treating you Daloth?" Well, that sounded ridiculously forced.

Seliah felt embarrassed, a rare occurrence. "Ah...so it seems I spoke without thinking. My apologies." Seeming somewhat forlorn, she took note of the scenery slowly passing by. "A character's meaning only being clear once everything about them is in the open...it is an interesting point. One that can be placed into judging people as well. And even if all is known, their true meaning or purpose may not even be known to anyone, not even themselves." She sighed. "Point of view...it is a very important concept. It starts fires constantly, and it can rebuild from the ashes." Despite her boredom, Seliah felt oddly chatty. "Life is a silly thing. People treasure and covet it so much, yet countless die and are born each day. Who is to say how much a person is worth? ...Regardless, I look forward to hearing a continuation of your story, Daloth."

Seliah stared blankly at Daloth for several seconds before giving a response. "That was fascinating," she commented. Seliah had recalled that these stories may have some sort of moral. "Then...that Northern man is a representation of what society can do to a person's attitude and drive. He is a victim twisted by societal pressures, and Les is his own victim. As they are both victims, it shows how chains of hatred never end if left alone. The prized sword could represent...no, it must represent fire. Then the story tells of the struggle between humans when they come across a power that could be used for their own personal gain. They fight until one side sees use for the other, forces its alliance or assistance, and the hatred continues, fanning the flames into something more dangerous than either side could realize." She felt very proud of her analysis. "Maybe this tale even mirrors that of the Fire Emblem." Over-analyzing much? Raim thought to himself. Brat, you think you're so clever, but you're far more naive than others your age. He scoffed, no longer caring if she heard.

Seliah found her interest piqued. "We may not find them for a while...very well," she said. "I'm interested in hearing one of these tales. If you can make a profession out of storytelling, you must be talented." She sunk back into her seat. "Please begin."

"I see..." Seliah responded to Daloth, clearly in thought. The true facts of his tale intrigued her considerably. This woman the mage mentioned seemed to be involved in something. Maybe the Fire Emblem was closer than she had ever hoped for. "Your original story was a tad dubious, if I may be frank. But that's water under the bridge. We should focus on finding this woman, perhaps she may provide us with more information than a library could." Addressing her knights, Seliah called out. "Speed it up you two. If her cart is on this route, we need to catch up with them." From his steed, Oude raised a hand in acknowledgment. "Do not worry m'lady, I have no doubt that we could easily catch up to a mere merchant cart or what have you. We are talented horsemen after all." Satisfied, Seliah once more turned her attention to Daloth. "My apologies, but there's a small detail that I'm rather sensitive about; don't refer to me as a treasure hunter. I'm nothing of the sort, being considerably more if I do say so myself." She stated confidently. She took great pride in herself, believing she was wise beyond her years. "I am a woman of power with an objective." Her face curled into a grin. "Look at me, rambling about myself. Well, what else to do when idle, hm?"

Seliah took note of the marker Daloth had indicated. Indeed...need to keep a closer watch on my surroundings. Satisfied that they were moving at a reasonable pace, she ceased her worrying. "Well Daloth, I'm seeking the Emblem for rather simple reasons. I care not for its powers, nor its worth, nor its legacy. I will seize it because I can't let it get away from me. That's all." She felt satisfied enough with her answer. She just hoped that she wouldn't need to provide any small talk. Seliah despised pointless chatter, and was thinking that Daloth was beginning to bore her. She felt a strong urge to burn something to make this trek more amusing. "So much to do to attain a single ancient trinket." she muttered.

"I doubt we'd run into anyone that knows my father personally," Seliah reassured Daloth. "Just act subtle without being suspicious, and we're in. The Fire Emblem shall be within my grasp." She took note of their surroundings. "Now...we need to find this town. Are we going the right way?" she wondered aloud. "Can't be too far m'lady," came Oude's response. "We haven't traveled far since we picked up our hitchhiker. We simply need to retrace his steps." From her carriage seat, Seliah shot the knight a death glare. "You didn't answer my question you dolt. Are we going the right way?" She felt her anger rising inside of her. It would not be unlikely that this greasy old man would have the bright idea of leading them around aimlessly to slow her down. "I would assume so Lady Seliah..." the knight calmly replied. After a brief silence, Seliah directed her attention back to Daloth, Oude choosing not to respond further. "Daloth. Are we going the right way?" He's a fool, yes, but I see no reason for him to deny something as simple as direction. She restlessly drummed her fingers along the spine of her tome.

I give up. Raim decided. No use reasoning with loonies. The annoyed cavalier decided not to speak for now, despite Seliah's glare as she noticed his attitude. "Your reasoning is sound Daloth," Seliah said to the man. "But I would say that posing as a relative of mine would suffice to fool these guards. It's rare that they question one of wealth exceeding theirs. We must be aware of security increases in the town, however. With the incident you described, I'm sure that the guards would need to be preparing." Now that she thought about it, Daloth's explanation of half-dressed assailants and gun toting apes was beginning to sound less plausible. "Regardless, if you truly want to impersonate a Lady, I won't stop you, but beware any consequences. Let's get moving, shall we?" She said, returning to her carriage seat.

Raim winced. "Please...stop." The young cavalier didn't expect that he would be thrown into something like this when he was asked to look after his lord's daughter. The man was eccentric, but now he was just making him feel awkward, to say he least. "M'lady...is this really the best course of action?" He didn't want to bring Daloth along in the first place. Seliah stared at Daloth thoughtfully. "Raim. Shut up." This man would make a good court jester. Or maybe a pet at least. "Very amusing Daloth," Seliah told the mage. "If we were to go for a disguise that's improbable and easily seen through, as you mentioned earlier, this would be the one." Oude looked over at the young girl. I truly hope she was being sarcastic. This child is worrisome. The cavalier sighed. "You and your silly mustache can leave if you want." Seliah said to her guard. "I say we try this. It will be very funny." Just to see if he would actually consider it...he's certainly an unpredictable character. She smirked. "M-M'lady..." Raim began, noticeably nervous. "You see, Daloth is joking. He's not actually going to try this..." Seliah conjured a small fireball, and she hovered it around above her palm idly. Do those fools really think I want him to wear that? It seems I've proven your idiocy yet again. "I told you to shut up. Daloth will be dressing like this. Isn't that right?"

What is this guy, a mind reader? Jeanne wondered, looking blankly at Hans. Or am I just that transparent? She felt that maybe she wasn't giving the man enough credit. With him being so openly friendly, she was beginning to feel like part of the group. She wondered what else real mercenaries did other than fight and talk idly. Her thoughts were interrupted as Nanahm greeted them. Probably for the better, since staring blankly while deep in thought was sure to be odd. "Glad to see you're fine," she said to the fighter. She figured Hans could introduce himself. But Nanahm's presence reminded her, with all the worrying about fighting and the new people she'd been meeting, she completely forgotten about Veronika. Now, where is boss lady? She noticed her talking to a tanned thief, the one she recalled was badly injured. Another foreigner? Jeanne wondered. --- "Very well," Seliah responded to Daolth. "Stop the carriage!" With the coach stopped, she performed a small hop to exit and get onto the ground, and she made her way to its rear end. Seliah pulled a key out of a hidden pocket within her sleeve; a master key to any of the locks used by her family. She used it to open a trunk in the back of the coach. Grabbing a bundle of robes and a bulky case, she returned to the side of the carriage, holding the clothes up to Daloth with both hands. "The smaller one could make a suitable turban. Perhaps you would want to wear two robes over yourself, to make it seem you have a large build." Setting the robes down on the seat, she opened the case she held, needing to place it on the floor; there was too much in there for her to carry for too long. "For disguises, I have two fake beards in here, a fake mustache, a pink wig, glasses, and an eyepatch. There's also a dress and an undershirt which would make it appear that you have female chest anatomy, but I don't think we need that one right now." She offered the case to Daloth. Up front, Raim leaned over to the other guard, and whispered, "It's convenient, but...why is Lady Seliah carrying that around with her? Especially that last one." Oude shook his head. "No idea. I can see why Lord and Lady Heizen were worried about her odd tendencies. I suppose she could just have been prepared for anything." he quietly responded.

"Alright," Jeanne responded, noticeably relieved. "I'll just take five, make sure the wounds are closed and such..." She found herself surprised at how much Hans trusted his boss. However renowned or skilled he was, should they just leave the leader of their company alone in an enemy base? People confused her at times, but she chose not to say anything. I'll just wait and tag along, probably better...I'm probably one of the weakest ones here, I could have easily died, and Hans wasted his healing stuff on me. I don't think I'd contribute much... Jeanne gently petted Megaera's mane as she wallowed in self-pity. She does that.

Jeanne smirked at the sniper's attitude. He was more lighthearted than she pictured most mercenaries. "Alright thanks, I owe you one," she said to Hans, flexing her healed arm. "Much better. Well, your boss seems to be headed in." She walked over to Megaera, stretched, and grabbed her reigns. I don't think pegasi would be very mobile indoors...maybe the fort's huge on the inside. Jeanne very slowly began to follow into the fort, not wanting to be the second to enter. She thought it would make her look too optimistic. --- "Alternately, I could burn your face. Then nobody would recognize you." Seliah added. "Kidding, kidding. We have a few options. You could hide underneath the seat of the coach, though with your height, it would be uncomfortable. We do have robes we could disguise you with, but then you could look suspicious. Alternately, I don't think the guards would object if they believe my knights here took you prisoner. We could tell them it is a private matter, and that they shouldn't interfere." If necessary, she was perfectly willing to throw her status around. "And there are...more extreme options, but I think those should be avoided for now. They involve a drastic amount of fire, and who knows what the property damage would be like." She folded one leg over the other. "You're a guest on our little entourage, you should have a say in this. Any other ideas Daloth?"

"Alright," Jeanne responded, glad for the assistance. She held her right arm out to the side, showing a small gash between her neck and shoulder, and a considerably deeper one on her forearm. "Lucky for the wonders of modern medicine, or I'd be out of a job..." she muttered. "Just don't forget Megaera," Jeanne added, noting her wounded yet indifferent pegasus. "Her injury wasn't that bad, thankfully."

Megaera's landing was a little more rough than usual. Jeanne brushed herself off and winced. "This is no problem Hans, I've had worse." That was a lie; this had been her first real battle, and her slash wounds were stinging severly. She dismounted and leaned on her somewhat bloodied lance, noticing that Megaera had sustained a slash wound as well. No doubt that was what caused her shaky landing. Shit, what have I gotten myself into? The thief was smart enough to aim for the chinks in her armor, and she wasn't one to carry around any type of healing salve. "Do what you need to," she said to the bowman. "I'll wait for Synthia to become available, doesn't look like my wounds are the worst."

Seeing Veronika attack the thief as well, and miss, Jeanne felt a little better about her failure. Trying again! Combat: Well, fuck my luck. Jeanne had missed again, but thankfully she managed to pull Megaera back enough to avoid a lethal blow. This thief is either extremely lucky, or a god in disguise...he's dodged what, four times?

Combat: "Fuckin' sunnuva--" Jeanne's followup stab had missed, and she was brutally countered. Need to plan an escape route if things get worse...

"Enemies? There's a good amount of them." Though nervous, Jeanne was determined not to lose out this time. "Hold on," Even with Hans riding on Megaera with her, Jeanne saw a chance to aim for a lightweight thief engaged in combat with a wyvern. Jeanne dove from above. She didn't plan to let Hans attack if she could avoid it, she needed as many kills as possible. Combat: Jeanne winced as the thief countered her. Alright, at least I got a solid hit. Then she noticed the archers. "...Shit." --- "How interesting..." Seliah thought she noticed Daloth thinking about something, and the odd break in his sentence seemed irregular. It's probably nothing important. She decided. She turned to her guards. "Oude, are there any towns nearby?" The cavalier turned his head. "Well m'lady, there is a port town nearby." He couldn't remember if Daloth had came from there, but it seemed likely. Seliah folded her arms, turning back to Daloth. "You came from there, yes? Though it may be a good place for leads, with all of the possible merchants, you wished to avoid running into the guards, correct? We should find another possibility." She hated to admit it, but she was clueless on where to go next.

"Her name is Megaera, and mine is Jeanne. Nice meeting you, and such." Jeanne responded to Hans, turning back slightly to look at him. Though a strong wind could cause her to fall when her body was in this position, if there was anything Jeanne had confidence in, it was her pegasus. Jeanne knew that she would never let her fall. "I may have never ridden a wyvern, but I understand that a pegasus flight could be completely different." She began to speak without thinking. "Wyverns have a considerably larger body mass. Though their wingspan compensates more than enough to fly easily, I'd assume that they need to flap their wings more to maintain a stable trajectory. Though it's not a huge difference, pegasi are built for more stable takeoffs and gliding, with light skeletons and overall structure. Additionally, their wingspans are frequently larger than a wyvern's on a proportional scale. Megaera's wings are larger than average as well, so our flight will be extremely stable." Oh damn. Sometimes I wish I'd never taken physics. Jeanne turned her body to face front once more after she finally realized that she was rambling. Once more concerned with the image she hoped to maintain, she let out a heavy sigh. "You can ignore what I said. Anyway Hans, glad to be working with your and your fellow mercs." I wonder if that was a good thing to say, if it sounded too soft or fake or something. If not, too late now.

Completely surprised by the begging the sniper performed, Jeanne could only stare blankly. Huh, I guess anyone can become a hardened, elite mercenary nowadays. "Um, sure," she said, finding herself able to respond. She slid her position to the front of Megaera's back. "Just hop on the back. She can hold weight, but try not to shift around too much." Jeanne neglected to admit that this was only the second time her mount had provided passage for two people. My biggest fear is that he'll fall off...but, he's an elite I guess... --- A brief silence before Seliah looked over at her guards. "Raim, what did you have for breakfast eighteen days ago?" Surprised by the question, the cavalier stammered. "W-Well...I don't know m'lady. I mean, it's just breakfast, I wouldn't bother to remember it." Seliah clapped slowly. "Excellent. Your intelligence seems to surpass that of a squished cockroach. Now, you couldn't remember it because you said it was unimportant." She began to speak faster; she was feeling rather proud of herself. "Therefore, I deduce that something remembered for thousands of years must be endlessly important. The Fire Emblem must be an object of great power, and thus much controversy." She saw no flaw in her logic, but her guards exchanged glances. "We can follow your call Daloth, merchants first," Seliah said, returning his attention to him. "They may have heard significant stories, I'm sure they have been around all sorts of people. If we're lucky, they may be well traveled, and have more to share. Perhaps a visit to a library to look for information on the object...a relatively large town would work, but not on a city scale..." she began to mumble to herself again.

Jeanne mounted her pegasus, and prepared to follow the cart. She had enough room for another person, but she had no problem riding alone. It may be easier on Megaera after all. --- A brief silence. "Um, excuse me?" Seliah responded to Daloth's words. "I had no idea that the Fire Emblem had such powers." He said setting on fire. She said it had fire in its name (which was true). Her hand instinctively tapped on her Elfire tome; she was interested. Now that she thought of it, she never learned very much about the Fire Emblem. All she knew was that it was a historical object of great importance. Could it be...my parents withheld information of its powers because they feared what I would do if I knew? So do they...fear me? A devious grin crept across Seliah's face. She had all the more incentive to snatch the object of legend. "Um, Mister Daloth," Raim spoke up from his horse, helping pull their carriage. "I'm no historian, but that just sounds incorrect. I don't know how much it actually has to do with fire--ACK!" He narrowly ducked under a small fireball that Seliah had shot at his head (not trying to hit him necessarily). "Cease your babble and pick up the pace!" she demanded of the two knights, glaring back at them and tightly gripping her tome. "I command you to find a city, maybe one of historians...no, cultists may be better...perhaps a mix, or just those who are well traveled...or all of them..." she found herself mumbling to herself. Her guards had stopped listening to her, though they were ready to duck under another fireball at any moment.

Jeanne had winded up close to Nanahm, and indicated him with a lazy pointing motion. "Same situation as axe-guy. I'm just hired by chance." Looking around, she had noticed that most of the other mercenaries and warriors seemed more experienced and stronger than she was. Between the very burly sailor woman, the swordsman that just gave off an aura of "elite mercenary leader," and the wyverns that dwarfed her pegasus severely, Jeanne was feeling very inferior. --- "...I'll respect your privacy then." Seliah responded to Daloth. She hadn't been extremely interested in the tome until Daloth started acting so possessive of it. She had begun wondering what it would look like if it was burned. Perhaps this is the "rebellious adolescent" side of me that the psychologist mentioned, reacting to his overprotective tendencies. She wondered. Or...maybe it's the sadistic one? Dismissing the issue, Seliah folded her arms and casually placed one leg over the other. "Well, if you have no destination in mind, I suppose that we could take you with us to find the Fire Emblem." She wondered if the assailants Daloth mentioned could have anything to do with it; she didn't believe that people attacked without reason, for the most part. But the pants-less leader he mentioned seems too...irregular She placed one hand on her chin, pondering her leads.

Making sure that Synthia had safely climed atop Megaera, Jeanne took her seat in front of her, clasping the reigns. "Alright; we're gonna launch pretty fast, so hopefully you don't get airsick," Without giving her time to respond, she whipped the reigns. Megaera shot upwards. In mere minutes, the two had arrived. Megaera was going so quickly that she skidded as she landed. Yeesh. Jeanne dismounted, and reached into a sack she carried. "Well, here we are." she said to Synthia as she gave Megaera a roll, which was quickly devoured. "Right. I'm Jeanne by the way, your average cheap sellsword." Jeanne petted her mount's mane. You really do work hard, don't you? "Poor girl's tired. Even if the lack of air resistance meant more speed, she pushed herself to go much faster than she usually does. Your stomach feel okay kid?"