Shin

Catastrophic Symphony Emmet had been swarmed by his former allies, with Sidney, Adele and Serge all trying to have a piece at him. Neither Arteria nor Apellon intervened as he was mobbed, both of them entertained by the assault on him. Arteria cackled in delight, clapping her hands as Serge manhandled Emmet, slamming him to the ground like an angry farmer dropping a sack of potatoes. Apellon was more interested in Serge himself though, especially his remarks after he had finished with Emmet. Grinning as Serge began to swear, the unarmed Apellon replaced the vial to his jacket pocket. "Serge, you never fail to intrigue me. Your value for life... and yet your disregard for it once your anger consumes you. It's a fascinating moral dichotomy." Apellon sneered, watching as Serge began his assault. "However, you make one fatal mistake at a crucial moment." Without any warning, Apellon catapulted himself over Serge, launching himself among the Reliants and landing on his feet. His agility was superb, far beyond anything that he'd displayed in their first battle. Serge's men stayed perfectly still, fully aware of how murderous their visitor was. "And that's declaring your attack. Not only with your words but also your passion. Your temperament is enough to alert a sleeping foe... I was hoping for more of a surprise. It would be delicious to cut down more of your men, but if I send you spiralling down into despair... where else would I be able to take you? Your suffering is best prolonged... then i can see what kind of man you truly are." Arteria looked down at Emmet, grinning like she'd stepped on a particularly vulnerable spider. "Brother, I'm bored now. The Princess' friends are so busy killing each other... I would feel awfully rude to interrupt them." she yawned, stretching her arms. "Perhaps we should say goodbye to our lovely friends... and Emmet. I don't think I want to be friends with him." "I agree, dear sister. But I shall leave him with a farewell present." Apellon laughed, taking the vial from his pocket again. "You see this vial, Emmet? You've sacrificed almost everything you have only to prove you would discard friendship for your goals. Perhaps my next action is a fitting reward for you?" Taking the vial in his hand, Apellon hurled it at the ground, causing the glass vessel to shatter and spill its contents on to the soil. Watching the fluid soak into the earth, Apellon was characteristically pleased. "Now, I feel that it would be fair for us to depart... would it not, Prince Owen? I see no reason to claim a life from your group, but I do want to say one thing... the conflict at hand is far bigger than yourself, do not take it lightly, or you shall be swallowed up."

None of the children's books were anything that Tarquin would have considered normally. However, they were likely to be basic enough to use as supplementary material for Nikolai. However, in order to provide technical instruction, Tarquin needed something for substantial, and thankfully the store appeared to stock material intended for the education of children. Nikolai wasn't exactly a child, but he would have to start basic in order to help him progress. Tarquin had been reasonably literate from his early years, but it would be unfair to expect Nikolai to be able to make the same advancements. It seemed to be one day where Tarquin faced a plethora of weaknesses that he had, some of which had never been particularly relevant until they had reared their ugly heads. Not only would he have to get to grips with the civilian payment system, he would have to face a challenge that seemed to have very few solutions. "The shelf is higher than I expected." Tarquin winced, standing on his tip-toes to try and reach at the upper shelves. It was no use, there was no way to overcome the vertical distance between himself and the books he desired. How were people supposed to purchase books when they couldn't even reach them? Surely the books couldn't have gotten up there by themselves? Looking around, Tarquin needed to find someone suitably tall. Emotional independence was something that he could maintain, but unless he were to suddenly grow six inches taller, he was short of luck. With all his genetic superiority, it would have been convenient if his full predicted height were to arrive sooner rather than later.

Unlikely Target Emmet's interjection had changed the nature of the conversation quite drastically, although the differences between unsettling and actively volatile were those only Apellon and Arteria seemed to enjoy. Grinning, Apellon put his hand into his own jacket's pocket, revealing a small vial of fluid to Emmet. "You certainly are determined... would you go so far to achieve your goals? Perhaps immortality is not something you were hoping to obtain." Apellon taunted, gently rolling the vial between his fingers. "To fire on an unwitting ally would be relatively dull for my tastes... but if I were to name a target..." Raising his free hand, Apellon's finger floated between members of the group. "It's hard to think who you would share any sentimentality with... but perhaps your armoured friend, Freya? I believe you wouldn't feel anything if you were to eliminate her, I wouldn't want to make you any less popular with your allies than you already are... you may have to act quickly" Un-Nona Depths Nona looked over as Nelon dove into a bush, his desperation to escape her taking priority over his own well-being again. "Perhaps I need to be more forward, thanks for letting me know, Claire." Nona replied, smiling as she focused back on Claire. "I was hoping that the last time would have let him know my intentions... but when looking for the bathroom, he somehow managed to fall out of the manor's chimney. Isn't that unfortunate?" The mention of Angus and Cass brought another grin to Nona's face. "It's just that with Angus being readily available, I wondered where your heart would lie. Princess Cassandra's been awfully distant from him, it is almost as if they were not to be married at all." she laughed. "But that would be silly, the only reason for engagement would be true love, no?" Patting Claire on the head, Nona couldn't help but look at the bush Nelon had fallen into again. "I wonder if he needs any help, I should go see how he's doing... I hope to see you later, Claire!" With that, Nona left Claire to her own devices, skipping towards the bush merrily. It sounded as if Owen's group were starting to get a little more chaotic than usual, their shouts and threats were very audible to Claire. Third Choice Larissa jumped as Alain tapped her shoulder, her entire focus had been on Emily's body. "Oh? Sir Alain?" she replied, turning to him nervously. Her eyes were watering, but she was quick to wipe them as she faced him. "There's been so much going on, with Emily, Emmet... Commander Serge and those vile siblings... I'm not sure what to think any more. Emily didn't deserve to go like that, is war really like that?" Lifting her staff, she pointed it at Alain's chest. "I'll... do what I can, but I'm not particularly good, Mister Sebastian might have been a better choice." she added. Sebastian however had stopped healing Emily, he was poised with a trio of knives between his fingers. His expression was almost threatening, his cool glare fixed on Emmet. "It would be a shame to dispose of Sir Emmet, but I cannot say his manners are to my liking." Sebastian remarked, taking aiming. "I will allow my Lady to act first, but at the first hint of danger, these blades will find their way into his throat."

I'm not going to lie. Before I googled him, I had no clue who Professor E. Gadd was.

Invitation "Please, Emmet. You're awfully forward. I think we should get to know each other before committing to something long term." Apellon replied, almost as if he were half-tempted by the proposal of his own torture. "I can't say that friendship with you would be something that would satisfy me enough to indulge you. Unless... it would be interesting to see how far your desire for the Fountain would take you. Would you turn on your own allies here if it were to further your ambitions?" Whilst Apellon was busy with Emmet, Arteria was more than happy to answer Cass for him. "A wedding? I would be more than grateful to attend... but I could also make it your funeral as well. Dear Princess, it would be rude to give you a weapon that would cause you harm." she cackled, watching as Cass clumsily raised the weapon. "The only harm that would come to you from that blade would be unintentionally severing your own arm during a sword swing... that would be delightful to observe, but unfortunate for your well-being. If handing you a sharp edge was enough to cause your demise... I would have offered to peel potatoes with you instead." Owen's question was one that Apellon had chosen not to ignore. In fact, it appeared to amuse him so much that he couldn't help but laugh. "The wizard Malaphar? Ah, Traliard had spoken of him. A man beyond the balance of good and evil... and outside the realms of humanity. Battle against him was a truely superb experience, to face a shifting reality around us... it was a defeat we were both delighted to face." Apellon replied, fondly recalling his experience. "We have been watching you for some time, Prince Owen. However, to view in retrospect is one thing, it is not possible to predict an action you have not yet taken... without sufficient assistance of course. Thankfully, such assistance is not impossible to reach in Magonsaete." Cereal Hunt Nona hurried over to Claire, nearly walking into her in her rush. "Oh, Claire! I was hoping to find you! " Nona cheered, pausing briefly as she spotted the handkerchief in Claire's hands. Giving Claire a smile, Nona looked over at the escaping Nelon. Nelon appeared to look over his shoulder, breaking into a hobbling sprint as he turned back to face ahead. "He must be feeling better already. Baron Nelon's a funny one, isn't he? I'm so glad that you've become such good friends with him, Claire. My little Morta says she's seen you with him rather often the last few days. Of course, you would have more free time considering Angus is now betrothed... wouldn't you?"

I actually really like the idea. So far, the vast majority of characters and tracks are Mario themed, but it's a nice touch to add a couple from other series. The F-Zero tracks were nice and although Link was an odd choice, I'm pretty OK with him existing. If the entire FE13 crew appeared as characters and got an entire cup dedicated to them, it'd be weird but the odd track and character is something I like!

It's worth remembering a 6 or a 7 isn't a bad score, as much as game reviews would suggest! Celice can be made entirely self sufficient and it's common practice to load him with stuff so he can promote at the start of chapter 7. Aless has no competition for the Mystletainn, and his access to it is essentially part of him as a unit. Arthur is unlikely to get a 10, but I'm sure the fact that he's the most mobile Holsety user will help contribute to his score.

It's more than what Shanan can do can be mostly replicated by a mounted unit, who can also do it faster. Celice and friends can deal with the same enemies, and get there faster too. There has to be a benchmark for a 10 somewhere! If gen 2 were significantly harder, Shanan's combat ability would be more highly valued. However, since the game's not terribly difficult relative to the units you get, there's a point where combat ability becomes superfluous.

His stats are enough to function even if he never procs anything and Balmung is ridiculous enough to supplement his already swanky bases. Again, the only criticism is that he's a foot unit, but unless you're actively trying to kill him, he's likely to survive most encounters and murder anyone who looks at him funny. 6.5/10

The concept of a comedy book was completely alien to Tarquin, almost as much so as the fact that someone would choose them as their reading material of choice. His own enjoyment came from the acquiring and utilisation of knowledge, the quips and misfortune of others didn't even interest him remotely. There had to be an explanation, surely people liked them if they were able to produce so many? There were so many books in existence, did people really feel compelled to read ones like that? There was no doubt though that the building contained more books than he'd ever seen before. It would have been a simple task to simply indulge in his own tastes and completely ignore Melissa. There seemed to be many shades of grey, none of which piqued his interest enough to even consider. It would have been easy to correct Melissa, stating that he preferred abstract sciences more than the natural world, but he'd learned that would only open another can of worms. He simply nodded his head, eager to return to his reconnaissance. "I'll go see what it's like there, I can always ask a member of staff for assistance." he replied, looking over at the stairwell. Logically, children's books were easier to read, so they would surely be a good starting point for Nikolai. It would also give him a chance to observe the purchasing habits of younger people. "If there is anything you desire to purchase, I'm more than happy to pay for it." It was the least he could do trying to ditch her, he might have possibly felt bad otherwise. As Tarquin left to head down to the stairwell, a shocking realisation came to mind. How does one pay for things? He'd never used his card, he remembered all the numbers associated with it and which ones he should reveal or not... but the actual practicalities were completely foreign to him. It was another thing he would have to observe, did all these things come naturally to people? It sounded like a skill that took very little ability to perform, yet with all his intelligence, he found himself completely stumped.

Arrows and Tenure Emmet's threats seemed to amuse Apellon more than intimidate him, although it had gotten him to pay attention to Emmet. "That's a very interesting question, Emmet. Where do you think it may be?" Apellon replied, casually watching the tip of the arrow Emmet had notched. "Unfortunately for you, the fear of death is not a concept my mind is able to process any more. I could divulge its location to you, but it would be far more entertaining to watch your internal turmoil. To shoot or not to shoot? Could this perhaps be your only chance to learn its location, only for me to cruelly deny you... either through silence or by my own demise? The only eternal concept in your life would be your fruitless yearning for truth." Arteria cackled, both at her brother's response to Emmet as well as Cass' proposal. "I have no hidden agendas, Princess. Your death would only please me if you were to see it coming. To fearfully anticipate your own end by my hand... knowing that you had truly tried your best to escape death. That is the beautiful cadence that your life deserves, no cheap finish would do it justice." Arteria rambled, her right hand twitching as she spoke. "Your proposal interests me, enough for me to crave it. I shall teach you all there is to know, to live and fight until your heart beats not." "Well put, dear sister. Although I fear that such a full lesson shall have to wait for another time. We have other matters to attend to for today. If it is any consolation, your friend should wake in a few days... you should be in Tytila by then. Do not worry, Princess. My sister will have no problems finding you there for further tutelage." Apellon added, looking up at the sun above them. Angus' question was perhaps more difficult for him to answer, putting a description to a face was proving troublesome. "Impossible hair? I cannot say that we've killed anyone in the last few days... much to Arteria's disappointment. Nor have we met anyone who possessed hair we could not comprehend." Apellon grinned, chuckling to himself again. "But if I were to meet such an individual, I would be more than happy to vanquish them for you." he replied, his eyes glimmering with a playful malice. Drawing his sword, Apellon tossed towards Cass, the weapon impaling itself in the ground, only a few inches in front of her. "Consider this a present, Princess. I have many,and I feel that any attempts to attack me unarmed would... go poorly." Marmalade Nelon smiled, releasing Claire's hand. "Without your aid, I would have perished. You have my gratitude, Claire." Nelon replied, looking over at Owen's crowd with Claire. "Individual events all combine to our own histories, we each have our places to play in the stories of others. You must continue to do what you feel is right, even if you are uncertain at the time. I do not believe you would ever act in a way intended to harm others, so I hope you are able to move forwards... it is... probably best I go see Thomas, if there is anything else you require, let me know." Hurrying away nervously, it soon became clear why he'd left so abruptly - Nona had begun to approach from behind a group of trees, waving to Claire as Nelon made his escape.

Double Trouble Arteria didn't even have to think twice before jumping down the ledge, landing gracefully in front of Owen's group. "Such a kind invitation, Princess." she replied, stepping towards Cass casually, her arms spread outwards. "I had a far more pleasant experience than my beloved brother, you were spectacular. I can still remember your axe carving into my intestines, my vision fading as the excitement spread across my very fibre. I would dearly love to taste your fear and might once more. I would offer a hug... but I feel that your scruffy friend would get a little jealous." Apellon quickly joined his sister, leaping down to accompany her. "My dear Adeltrudis, that's not a very flattering description of us... as accurate as it may be. I am Apellon, and this is my sister, Arteria. It is a pleasure to meet you, Prince Owen. I hope we may cross blades in the near future." he chuckled, looking down at Serge. "Serge, my good friend, why so glum? Can you not understand the rhapsody that is suffering now? If you have not lost, you have not the motivation to strive forwards." Emily caught Apellon's eye, his face widening into a mad grin. "I can feel it, you've snatched her back from death's door. However, you cannot reclaim everything. The broken tea cup is never the same again. Even after the first time, the result can be frightening. Arteria and I were reborn with our love for battle." Apellon added, almost remeniscing in his own words. "I wonder if it's something I enjoyed in my first life, I must have been a rather interesting individual, I would have loved to see that man fall. Perhaps your friend shall be reborn with her own desires... although I do imagine it would be... less pleasant than you would have hoped." Breakfast Bonding Nelon looked down at Claire, staying silent for a good few moments. "Claire..." he began, taking her by the hand, his own still trembling noticeably. "You always strive to do your best, even against impossible odds. If it had not been for you, Malaphar would have surely ended me. The wounds you inflicted were nothing compared to the fate he had intended for me. Without your aid, Prince Owen would not have been able to succeed as he has done." Reaching into his belt, Nelon produced a handkerchief, placing it gently in Claire's free hand. "There are many hardships in life, but we must overcome them. When my wounds heal, I intend to serve Prince Owen to my fullest extent. I feel powerless being unable to partake in battle, but I will do all I can to return. Please continue to aid the Prince... and also Baron Kearney. He is young and reckless, but he has good intentions. As Prince Owen's advisor, he requires guidance of his own to continue onwards."

It's actually quicker to forgo Julia getting a tome entirely in chapter 6. She can get enough levels using staves to promote in time for her kidnapping. Johalva is pretty bad and walks like a crab. He's underwhelming compared to the rest of your foot units, but I guess he's not an active detriment. Charge doesn't really help him because axes nuke his AS, and his damage output is limited by his lack of skills. He has some role in sniping wyverns, but you have a plethora of units who can fight better than him. His main redeeming features are that nobody wants the Hero Axe and he comes relatively early. 2/10 Johan is hilarious but he's worse than Lex. He's easily the worst mounted unit in gen 2, maybe excluding like Janne but she can at least pretend to be a staff user. Ambush doesn't work because he doesn't have the offense to ORKO things. He can at least keep up, and his stats aren't meaningfully worse than his crab-legged brother. 3.5/10

Following after Melissa, Tarquin was beginning to think that she wasn't quite representative of the normal population as he'd hoped. At least she would take him somewhere where he could learn about regular people and how they coped with others. Her proposition made his heart sink again. Not only would he have to divulge information that was congruent to his appearance and not give away his classified history, he was likely to be subjected to another torrent of mundane tales from Melissa's own life. Small talk was the worst, he wasn't even why it was called that - with Melissa it seemed far longer than any conversation he'd ever had before. "About myself?" Tarquin asked, not even sure what details she'd be interested in. "My full name is Tarquin Barnabus Herrington IV, I'm 14 years old and hold the rank of Specialist. My interests include reading and making pencil sketches. I do not have any particular preferences towards food or clothing." It was a well rehearsed routine, it was usually enough to get him through introductions. Nobody really bothered trying to talk much to him after he'd finished it, so he figured it must have been a sufficient spiel.

Salt Tea Sebastian had joined Emmet in healing Emily, keeping an eye on her closing abdomen wound. Before he began, it almost appeared as if he wished to say something to Cass, but quickly refrained from doing so. "You seem disappointed, Sir Emmet." Sebastian teased, holding his staff alongside Emmet's. "Perhaps I can find you an alternative refreshment after we are finished here. However, I think cups of tea might not quite be sufficient after this." Emily's wound ceased leaking blood, rapidly closing - much to the surprise of Sebastian. "Even with the two of us... a wound like this should not be healing so quickly." Sebastian remarked, watching as the edges of flesh brought themselves together. "It may be that the contents of the vial are doing much of the work for us." The fallen mage hadn't started coming to, it was a far different experience to Emmet and his badgers. She was still lifeless, without a single breath coming from her. It wasn't entirely clear if the vial had done much other than Sebastian's claims. The Chains that unite Serge had been released by Angus, leaving the mercenary to his sorrows. Hans approached his boss, his expression solemn. "Boss... I'm really sorry, we all are." Hans apologised, wiping his eye. "We're glad it wasn't you... but we didn't want Emily to die. She was a little nutty, but she wasn't a bad lass. We're going to be with you until the end... we'll help you sort things out with those other Reliants. Don't know who or why things ended up like this, but to us, you're the real deal." Offering Serge a hand, Hans gave Serge a firm nod. "Lars and Morganna feel the same way, Larissa too... we might not be the best fighters around, but we'll go wherever you take us." Sympathy Spoon As the others gathered around Emily, Claire had almost been shut off from the event - with Owen, the healers and the remaining reliants around her. However, the mage could feel a trembling palm place itself on her shoulder. "Lady Claire?" Ceirch asked, his voice starting to crack as he glanced over at Emily and the crowd around her. "I did not see what happened... the mercenary, Emily, I'm so sorry. It must be painful for you... I find it difficult to watch also..." Reunion Emily still hadn't made much improvement, her wounds had healed but there were still no signs of life. However, an unnerving laugh echoed down from the ledge beside Owen's group. Both Arteria and Apellon were stood at its edge, looking down fiendishly at the distraught crowd. "Princess... I've missed you dearly. The terror in your eyes, the way you shake and tremble. It's truly delightful." Arteria cackled, licking her lips as she eyed Cass. She was several feet above the battlefield, but her mad gaze seemed even more twisted than the previous encounter. "The regret, the mourning, it sustains me so. Let me taste your anguish. Has one of your toys broken? One cannot understand the value of comrades until they've been ripped from your grasping hands." Apellon smirked, shaking his head. "Now, dear sister. That wasn't one of the Princess' toys. That was one of my friend Serge's underlings." Apellon laughed, admiring Serge's own suffering. "Do you feel it now, Serge? The desperation of wanting to reclaim what has been lost? I wonder... perhaps one of your friends is trying to fix her for you. It would be fascinating to see what happens with her. But much like a broken tea cup, one is never quite the same when the pieces are put back together... especially after being broken repeatedly. We should know, we've been shattered so many times, you forget what you originally were before."

Wishing Well Emily looked up at Adele, trying her best to stay still. "Is that you, Princess Mustache? You're really good at throwing thing... but you don't have a mustache." she laughed dreamily, her eyes appearing somewhat vacant. "My uncle had a mustache once... except I accidentally set fire to it. It never did grow back." She brightened up a little as Serge held her, his tears dripping down onto her. "It's OK, Boss... please don't be sad." she begged, clutching his jacket weakly. "I was happy I could be part of your stories... I knew they weren't all real, but I liked to pretend that you were the greatest hero ever... and I was one of your sidekicks. I wanted to see you save all of Angelcynn... everyone would see how amazing you are... and maybe you'd...marry a princess, maybe you would have invited me to the wedding and I'd have gotten to see you... shining, shining like a star." Sebastian approached Adele, shaking his head. "Lady Adeltrudis. It would be impossible to heal her wounds with magic." informed Sebastian. "We would need to remove the spear in order to close the wound, she would lose too much blood, even with several healers. All we would do would give her an agonising death." Emily gulped, her breathing growing more laboured. Tears began to well up in her eyes. "I wasn't very interesting... I got expelled from the mage academy after a year... because I failed all the classes. I never knew my parents... Uncle Morgan looked after me... even after I came back, he taught me magic. He was always so nice to me... when I was little... he used to pretend to be a mysterious villain I had to stop... he called himself... Mr. E... I'd always figure out... his identity... and save the day." Emily coughed, looking up as Serge shouted to the sky. "Maybe if you didn't get married to a princess... you'd maybe... marry me instead. Even if you didn't love me... it would have made me happy. Serge... please don't be sad, you're the greatest man I've ever known... you even accepted a failure like me..." Emily's eyes closed slowly, her breathing coming to a halt. Her pained expression had subsided, she even looked peaceful. Emily had passed on.

Metal will never die With so many members of Owen's group reacting to aid Serge, the chaos that resulted was over before anyone could blink. Claire's spell, whilst lacking in grace was enough to force Adele's shield into the spear's path. The clang of metal against metal sounded loudly, the tone resonating throughout the lance's journey. Adele's shield crashed against the ground, dozens of feet from where it had originated - blasted away by Claire's makeshift incantation. The weapon whizzed over Owen's head, the tip of the spear cutting the air above him, barely missing him and Serge as they both fell to the ground with a solid thump. Both Owen and Serge had managed to avoid the lethal projectile, a few inches lower and it may have found its way through one of their skulls. The wyvern rider had been caught off guard by Sidney's response, not expecting an arrow to his chest. Driving its way into his chest, he grasped at it in pain, struggling to remain atop of his wyvern. Adele's axe was enough to seal the deal though, her aim had been extraordinary, striking him in the head and sending him falling to his doom. His wyvern twisted in the air wildly, breaking away from the retreating squadron its rider had been with only moments before. However, he had not been the only one felled. The spear had not met with the ground though, there was no crash or thud - only a sickening squelch and a restrained cry. "Boss... Thank goodness..." Emily began, her knees growing weak. The spear had found its way right through her abdomen, its shaft impaling her body. Collapsing to the ground, the other reliants hurried around her, the blood pooling beneath her starting to spread. Hans holding her head up gently. Emily looked up wearily, her face contorting with pain as she looked over at Serge. "At least it hit me... and not you..." she panted, barely able to force a smile. "You can... still be a hero..." The wyverns who had remained looked at the ground grimly, saying nothing as they flew ahead to join the rest of their group. Not one appeared to have the courage to face what their ally had done, nor acknowledge it. Laudine had gained what she had initially demanded, although long after she'd decided against it - and by means that would have likely horrified her. [spoiler=Death Poll] DEATH Larissa x2 Emmet Hans Lars Morganna x4 Emily LIFE Serge x2 Emily x4 Emmet Hans Larissa Morganna Evil Notes: - The results are actually flipped, the person most selected for life will die - Lars will take Hans' place if he wins - Morganna will accept her fate regardless - Hans will take Larissa's place if she is selected - Larissa will take Lars' place if he wins

Ordinarily, Tarquin would have dismissed Melissa as he had the other teenagers he trained with. Whilst he was reading quantum physics, they were busy reading Gorilla Rider comics or enjoying taco commercials a little too much for their own good. However, his goal wasn't to benefit himself directly, he needed to find a way to understand people and possibly pick up something for Nikolai. Did people really have to make compromises like that to make friends? It made far more sense just to find people who liked exactly what you did, although Tarquin had struggled to find people like that outside of Bruno. "We can go to the Tempest Book Shop, I don't mind." Tarquin replied, at least partially consoled by the fact that it stocked books regardless. Besides, Tarquin's knowledge of marmots, especially the bobak marmot and its alarm call, was more than enough for his everyday life. Perhaps it was also a chance to see what teenagers read, would there be section of books just for teenagers?

The Devil You Know Laudine didn't appear terribly troubled or even familiar with Malaphar's name, if anything she was puzzled. "Spellcaster, I am not familiar with name Malaphar, I am afraid that it means nothing to me." she replied, the distraction from Adele's threats easing her temper. "Prince Owen, I shall take your word as true, I shall return to Deira without the lance nor the life of one of your minions. If there is another force behind what has occured, King Olaf must be made aware immediately." The Reliants around Laudine grumbled among themselves, it appeared that there was a great deal of disagreement among their ranks. Phrases such as "Wykian liars" and "Ywein's honour" echoed through them. Reluctantly, they all started to take to the air, preparing to leave the battlefield. Pulling her Holy Diver from the ground, Laudine walked up to her mount, climbing on top of the beast. "However, if I find that you have lied to me, Prince Owen... even Engel will not be able to save you." she warned, her wyvern beginning to lift itself from the ground. "Reliants... fly ownwards! We have a long journey ahead of us." Laudine led her group into the distance, Owen had managed to both secure Rhongomiant and the safety of the Reliants. However, there had been one member of the Reliants who hadn't been so content with leaving the scene so calmly. As most of the squadron flew onwards, one wyvern remained overhead - its rider a heavily armoured man armed with a monstrous spear. "You think you can kill Commander Ywein and get away with it? The man truly believed that the world could be a better place... and you swatted him from the sky like a fly." he roared, drawing the attention of the riders near him - of course far out of earshot as Laudine. Pointing his free hand at Serge, he made a proclamation. "Prepare to die, imposter! Your evil campaign is over!" With that he hurled his spear towards the ground, directly It was no ordinary javelin, its vast size was far greater than any lance they'd seen before. Any response would have to be rapid, the incredible speed of the spear left very little room for error. It would be the most daring feat of Serge's entire life... or the end of it. Serge and those involved in the discussion with Laudine are free to respond with a single post each maximum!

Zelda II, I struggled to progress through it as an adult, I have no clue how anyone as a child would be able to get through it without a lot of practice.

It was as if Melissa had taken the words right from Tarquin's own mind... they didn't have another TK around did they? Tinkering was all well and good, but his vast intelligence could not have been cultured without education. Maybe some people couldn't learn like him, and just settled with a single trade? It wasn't her fault though, she'd clearly decided to strive for something suitable for her aptitude. Games didn't particularly interest Tarquin, he'd have more than enough simulations to last a life time. However, the prospect of buying books caught his interest. There were places one could buy books? Thinking about it, Tarquin had never asked where all his own reading material had come from, he'd just be given them. "Is there an establishment that sells books here?" Tarquin asked, far more interested in Melissa's words than he'd ever been. Admittedly, he'd never actually paid for anything before - or any idea of how expensive books were. The professor always said that money was not to be wasted, but how does one save it without understanding its value? "How much do books cost here? I think I have enough money to pay for us... is sixty thousand credits enough? I think I may have more, I haven't checked my balance in a while." In reality, a while was two years, Tarquin had only found out his balance from one of his researchers in passing. However, if he could acquire access to new reading material, he would even be able to help Nikolai learn to read. A life without the joys of reading was almost nightmarish, the sooner he could pull Nikolai from it, the better.

Look out Adele's axe was right against Laudine's arm, metal against metal in a tense standoff. Cass' threats only added to the fire. "You truly believe that you would be able to penetrate my defenses with such a meager weapon? You dare risk the lives of all your allies with a foolish threat?" Laudine retorted, remaining still for the moment. "A direct battle would end poorly for both our sides... especially your own. Deira's forces outnumber Wyke's greatly, my squadron matters very little in the grand scheme of things. What are you trying to prove with such provocation?" Owen and Sidney however intrigued her far more, enough for her to relax her posture. "If you truly are messengers of peace, you cannot afford to fall here. There appears to be a treacherous root to the conflict between all three nations." she replied, focused on Owen. "Prince Owen, I wish to believe you would not lie so boldly to me, can you swear to Engel that you speak the truth and have no part in the schemes that are taking place? If you can promise me your words are not false, I shall return to Deira, and find explanation for the discrepancies. I am owed vengeance for my brother's death, but it would be dishonourable to seek it in the current situation. The truth is far more vital than any minor victory. " The Reliants around Laudine didn't appear happy, their thirst for vengeance and battle seemed greater than that of their leader. Raising her arm, Laudine silenced them with a simple wave. "Stay put, my Reliants." she commanded, her powerful tone echoing across the plains. "If their leader is genuine, we have far greater issues than simply a stolen spear."

Eyes of a Cat "Did Ywein need to die? You claim it was a misunderstanding, but your words convince me not. You break one link in the chain of the Reliants, you bring harm to us all." Laudine retorted, unimpressed by Serge's attempt to diffuse her. "Do not even pretend that you understand what Ywein would have wanted. This vengeance is for myself and the true Reliants. If you claim to be a Reliant, surely you must understand the value of the bonds between each member... or did you only choose to carry the parts of our legacy that appealed to you. Your people took my brother from me, whether the battle were fair or not... I am entitled to respond." Adele's force almost impressed Laudine, the mercenary actually waiting until Adele had finished to respond. However, that was where the courtesy ended. Stepping forward and reclaiming her ground, Laudine stood fiercely, her hand primed to raise her spear. Owen's words were enough to bring her back to diplomacy, his calm tone returning decency to the conversation. "You speak boldly for one in such a vulnerable position, I give you that much, Lady. However, do not try and take the moral high ground. We have proof of Wyke's treachery. Letters between Queen Ethel and King Oswald, General Gringolett, Earl Valter... Duke Herman. Letters with seals, do you claim coincidence over what my own eyes have seen? Your country schemes with Raewald... both wish to take down Deira for their own gains. From what I know, none of our diplomats have returned from their journeys to Wyke... nor have any of Wyke's ever reached us. We have word of Raewald readying their forces and awaiting aid from Wyke. I cannot speak for my King, but leaving ourselves open to an assault from Wyke would be fatal for Deira." The dig at Ywein and mention of Theodore was another nail in the coffin, Laudine needed to pause briefly and steady her spear arm. It appeared the temptation to skewer Adele was difficult to fend off. "And what of your brother? Did you simply allow his killers to roam freely, did you allow them to escape with no consequence? Would you allow his killers to go unpunished!" she roared. "Would you let them live knowing that they had taken away such a precious person in your life and continue with their deplorable deeds? Would you not change fate if you were able to turn back time?"

Shiny Diamonds Quite the crowd had gathered around Laudine, both Owen's group and her own soldiers. Laudine listened intently to Serge, Owen as well as Angus, her eyes darting between them as they spoke. There was an awkward silence after Cass arrived, a void where no words existed for several seconds... although the time dragged on incredibly slowly. "Do not mention the name Niko. The man chose to save himself instead of try and aid the escape of his former allies. Your trinket is legitimate... but how it was obtained was not." Laudine growled, stabbing her spear into the ground beside her. "The attack was sudden, the guild was thrown into panic as men and women were slaughtered one by one. Very few of us were able to survive. Beyond myself and my brother Ywein... and Niko and his underling, I know nobody who survived. It took months to rebuild the Reliants to its former glory. Ywein did not stop until we were able to stand once more. King Olaf was able to kindle our fire, helping us rise from the ashes." Next was Owen, taking a few seconds to visibly quell her fury, she addressed the prince next. "Queen Ethel of Raewald has been plotting to attack Myrcia and then move through to Deira. Ordinarily, both armies are of similar size... so she sought to recruit Wyke to tip the odds in her favour. We managed to intercept correspondence between your country's leaders and Raewald, confirming King Olaf's suspicions. Our diplomats have been killed, our messengers intercepted, there is clear evidence to suggest that Raewald and Wyke have been scheming together." she explained, still shooting the odd glare at Angus. "Our task was to obtain Rhongomiant, which originates from Deira... however, the strange bird rider managed to steal it away, and we must reclaim it. Although you are the prince of an enemy nation, there is no honour in capturing you here, all I desire is to retrieve the holy spear and avenge my brother." That left Angus, who managed to reignite her fury simply by existing in the immediate vicinty of Laudine. Stepping towards him, Laudine looked down at the scruffy noble, snarling as she bared her teeth. Emily and the remaining reliants had gathered around Serge, fearfully dreading Laudine's response. "You strike my brother down and buried him as you would a dead dog?" Laudine barked, stepping further into Angus' personal space. "Is that all you have to say? Why would you slay such a noble man, and to treat it so casually! Have you not lost someone close to yourself? My brother's death is on your hands... and an eye must be traded for an eye." Laudine stepped back, returning to address Owen. "I desire Rhongomiant... and vengance for my brother. I shall take one of these so called Reliants in exchange, thus balance will be restored and I will allow you and your people to continue onwards." The riders above circled the group like vultures, easily a good two dozen have swarmed around Owen's party. Numbers were not on their side. [spoiler=BEXP] Owen gains 51 BEXP! Owen grows to level 13! (43 15 60 58 79 7 29 54) HP up! Strength up! Skill up! Luck up! Cass gains 24 BEXP! Cass grows to level 14! (41 88 45 33 53 93 42 25) HP up! Resistance up! Angus gains 1 BEXP! Claire gains 99 BEXP! Claire grows to level 14! (40 31 65 78 79 51 89 36) HP up! Luck up! Resistance up! Adele gains 57 BEXP! Adele grows to level 14! (22 2 8 58 93 16 45 33) HP up! Strength up! Magic up! Serge gains 196 BEXP! Serge grows to level 13! (32 44 35 74 35 74 45 48) HP up! Strength up! Speed up! Serge grows to level 14! (11 60 92 25 14 99 39 43) HP up! Skill up! Speed up! Defense up! Emmet gains 176 BEXP! Emmet grows to level 13! (67 74 30 47 21 4 81 15) Magic up! Skill up! Speed up! Resistance up! Emmet grows to level 14! (8 33 58 36 40 84 6 4) HP up! Strength up! Skill up! Speed up! Defense up! Resistance up! Sidney gains 7 BEXP! Sidney grows to level 14! (11 48 8 67 80 50 36 16) HP up! Magic up! Luck up! Resistance up! Alain gains 100 BEXP! Alain grows to level 13! (79 23 45 16 61 33 63 60) Magic up! Luck up! Freya gains 109 BEXP! Freya grows to level 13! (11 65 25 83 52 2 16 70) HP up! Luck up! Defense up! Freya grows to level 14! (28 58 67 31 14 48 29 20) HP up! Skill up! Speed up! Defense up! Resistance up! Marcus gains 180 BEXP! Marcus grows to level 13! (62 0 92 16 34 92 15 93) HP up! Strength up! Skill up! Speed up! Defense up! Marcus grows to level 14! (73 23 72 85 29 77 9 64) Strength up! Speed up! Luck up! Defense up!

Hey, I thought it would have been rude to assume! Besides, surely a really manly dude on a wyvern could look cool despite its lack of boobs! Two of my favourite FE characters are Wyvern Riders, Trabant and Narshen, but the likes of Tate and Tanith are still pretty cool. From a mechanical point of view, I probably prefer Pegasi though, mostly because they tend to come earlier and generally have more utility.