Mercakete

What Bert heard from Raquel's and the devouts' conversation enlightened him as to why the group was under constant attack, since putting "they have a highly-prives artifact" and "we're being chased" together leads to "cause and effect" reasoning. However, what Ranyin told him instantly put him in a good mood. "That's great! I'll let you start working when we're on the road again," he cheerfully informed the Kigenese mage. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "... ... ... Pardon me, but if anyone get's th' chance, could someone please tell me who this'ere is?" Gytha asked, sticking her thumb at the manakete statue.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Bert replied dismissively to Alicia before turning his attention to the Kigenese mage, "Don't worry about it, Ranyin. If you weren't feeling well, staying out of the fight was the right choice. Yeah, this is one of my sisters: Alicia. Alicia, this is Ranyin: one of the people in this group I'd actually rather not see die."

"Not for me. I thought I've said that enough times that all of you would've gotten it by now. And no, I'm not joining the clergy either. I can't believe Nigel even considered that I'd make a good Mercy devout!" Bert actually almost laughed at his last sentence, recalling various times the man that raised him tried to nudge him along that path. "Good to see you're happy where you are, though. Still, if you have the option, it'd be better not to attack this group again. They've got some weird luck: always coming under attack but always winding up winning. At least from what I've seen. Might as well spread the word to any of our sisters that you're still in contact with, too, if you feel like it."

"Very well. Since you are now part of this group, it is best that we all become aquinted. What is your full name and title, miss? This," he indicated Raemond, "is Raemond: both a Reformist Templar of Ursibus and a brother of the faith I follow, founded by his elder sister, Raechel." Next, he indicated Jasmine. "This is Lieutenant Jasmine Maruska of the Elyisimian army under the command of General Conrad, appointed by said general as my escort on my return to Bellmire Estate."

"Hmph! You took me out of the fight, yeah, but you didn't knock me out," Bert grumbled, somewhat annoyed, before answering her question, "I've been fine, though. Not exactly my choice to be riding with this lot, though. I'm trying to earn a couple of maces I picked up after I left home. Merchant girl got them from some idiot blacksmith's idiot blacksmith brother I told to reinforce them. So now I'm working for her until I've earned enough to get them back. I'm surviving, though. I assume you've been enjoying the military life like most of the others. How's that going for you?" Bert's tone may have almost been hostile and sharp, but it was casual enough content.

"Pinky's cursed," Bert lazily answered the winged cleric. The obvious answer he was relaying was actually "how should I know?" by how he answered. However, his attention went over to the pegasus knight who'd disabled him earlier. His shoulder and arm felt much better now and he simply stretched the affected muscles a little to work the residual ache out. Then he adressed her. "Aiming for glory and money again, Alicia?" he asked as he approached his fellow pegasus rider, "All of us from home are the same, aren't we?" Norbert himself didn't aspire for glory, but he did somewhat enjoy his infamy among the northern-dwelling bandits and he figured that was close enough.

Valter was being taken care of, but Bert's left arm and right shoulder still hurt and were still bleeding. "Hey, Jo! Good to see you! Mind staunching this bloodflow?" he called over, seeing the winged cleric. Augh... This tunic just got fixed, too... Well, I'm not waiting on Raquel again. ... But hiring a seamstress would cost me some of my gold... Looks like I'll have to ask Ranyin for some help... I should be able to afford that much from the next raid, at least.

"That certainly is a steep assumption. After all, you do not even know who you are talking to," Beau replied, holding up his hand to display his signet, "I am Beau Adalgiso Bellmire, son of Duke Bellmire and heir to Bellmire Estate. I can help you reestablish yourself in our homeland. In fact, I notice you have a sword. What say you to accompanying me and my retinue? The heir to a duke shouldn't be travelling with so small a company." Raemond was somewhat surprised at how Beau was speaking. (He's acting a bit like Raechel, helping her out like this... It's still different from what I've seen so far from him... I wonder why he's doing this...)

"Why is that?" Beau asked, curious, "Were you treated unfairly there? ... You're quite close to Bellmire Provence, you know."

Gytha went back to looking at the statue of the manakete -- still puzzled as to who she was -- while Synthia dealt with the two, bleeding men.

"Ow... Ah. Thank ye. A'right," was Gytha's simple reply to Synthia, before deciding defending the healer was a good option in general. Gytha defends Synthia again! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Valter! Grr.." Bert painfully loaded his fallen companion onto Rizen's back then led the pegasus around the battle and to their side's lines, locating a healer as soon as he could. She just so happened to look like a black-haired mage. "Hey, you! Black-haired mage! This guy's dying and he asked me to deliver something to you!" he called as he closed the distance between his little group and the mage who was near Gytha.

Gytha decided Synthia might know something about the statue and so she walked up to her, pointed to the statue she'd been looking at and asked. "Ye know who that is? I've never seen'er b'fore." Gytha defends Synthia? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Uh, sure," Bert replied, slipping what Valter had given him into Riz's saddlebag. He lowered Ranyin back down as well. "There you go, Ranyin. You're used to fighting on the ground, so this is better for you." With that, Bert flew after his fellow pegasus knight, testing out his new poleaxe in combat. Sure his target wasn't one profficient in sword-use, but hey, why couldn't the axe be used now, too? ((3+2)+3)-9 = miss! His fellow pegasus rider managed to steer her airborne steed out of the way of Bert's swing before masterfully wielding her light-weight lance to counter his attack. ((5-2)+6)-6 = 3 = hit! (4+6)-3 = 7 damage! This, actually, was why he enjoyed sky battles. He could ride Riz without complaint. The only problem was that people trained in this could attack just as easily in the air as you could. And Bert got a lance through an arm. It hurt like heck, but the pegasus knight did even more damage as she pulled it out. Then, while he was hovering, she launched another attack. ((5-2)+6)-6 = 3 = hit! (4+3)-3 = 4 CRITICAL! 8 damage! The lance found it's mark in his opposite shoulder, causing a cry of pain from the slower pegasus rider. My arms can't keep hacking like this... Blast it! I have to pull out already?! Grudingly, Bert shifted his weight, landing Riz and having her trot behind Valter, muttering to himself about how he needs to practice areal combat more than he does. Peg B 12/12 Norbert 0/15 Bert -5pts

"Forsaken?" Beau echoed from his place on Lantos' back. "We meant no offence," Raemond replied to the woman. Beau ignored Raemond's attempt to draw attention away from him, though, and persisted, "It is somewhat barren here, but this is quite close to the Septimus-Elyisima border. Which land are you calling forsaken? Or do you mean the border's length?" He didn't quite sound offended. It was something closer to inquisitive.

Beau's small company managed to travel at a good pace and eventually, Elyisima's border was in sight. A light, mid-day drizzle was falling, but Beau's focuss was wholely on the border: the start of a forested marshland and the start of Bellmire Provence. Reluctance filled the young lord. Did he really want to see what awaited him? Would he be greeted by his father's guardsmen and taken to Duke Bellmire to be imprisoned in their estate once more? Would all that had been familliar remain or be proven to have been burnt away? However, just as he had the urge to flee back to Jerdon, something was pulling him back home. The desire to ensure his place as duke? The worry over his home and family? Simple curiosity? It could have been any or all of those reasons, but it didn't matter. Beau would press on until he learned the truth, then decide what to do from there. Raemond's words brought him out of his thoughts, "Excuse me, miss, but what are you doing out here alone?" Beau looked up to see a woman in a long, brown coat with purple hair tied back into a bun. She looked somewhat like Raechel, but was too young to be her. Besides that, this woman didn't have a horse or a staff, but did carry a sword. The young teenager was perplexed and curious. What was someone doing so close to the border all alone in a small drizzle?

"Alright," Bert replied, also putting two and two together as he followed Valter.

"Hmm was told this'd be a normal chapel visit... A'right," Gytha replied with a shrug. There wasn't anything she wanted with the grog, so she just gave it to that Reginald guy and walked back to the rest of the group, winding up on the opposite side of Raquel that Amon was standing at, eyes wandering around to look for Nature's statue. If I find'er, I can find Leviathan. ... Who's the lady with th' dragon wings? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Bert just nodded, smiling. Heh. Looks like I have a new teammate. With that, he mounted up onto Rizen's back and rode along with Valter. When they reached the church, however, the doors were closed. "Hmm. Weird. Maybe there's some sort of ceremony going on right now and the others just decided to go somewhere else in the meantime..." Bert muttered to himself and those present. That was when he remembered Valter was escorting that winged cleric and asked him, "Hey, do you know if there was something going on today that would close the church?"

"Well, I'm glad you're willing to help out with that. Though it's not for Raquel's sake I'm asking you," Bert replied, "You're really good and you helped out a lot last time. I'd feel less like that merchant's going to send us to our deaths if you were along. You sure you don't want to come?" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Oh. That's strange. Ye don't want yer grog offerin'?" Gytha asked, puzzled. This was apparently a normal practice and it wasn't hard to deduce that where she came from, it was expected to present the priests with "grog offerings."

"Not quite yet," Bert replied, though he was in a much better mood after eating that breakfast -- which was more like lunch, given the size of the hardy sandwitch he'd happily consumed. "Remember how I said I had something to talk to you about? Well, you remember that bandit I let go? The one I talked to when we met? He gave me some important information and a map. Ranyin and another guy from the group -- Saken -- are going to go with me when I go to raid those bandits' base. You were so helpful last time that I thought asking you to come would be a good idea. In fact..." The crusher leaned against his pegasus as he continued his proposal, "I thought it'd be a good idea if you stuck around in general. You, Ranyin and I make a good team. Why don't you stick around?" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "This sure is a fancy chapel," Gytha commented off-handedly. She'd bought a bottle of grog (wattered-down rum) at the inn -- not that she didn't get a strange expression from the bartender at her request -- and now was holding it. She shrugged and walked right up to Alastor and extended it to him. "Here ya are, Mr. A'laster!" she cheerfully told him.

I figure the mysterious fighters are eith Bloodcrow's men or Wrenne's men, they should run like smart people (but probably won't), they may or may not make it to the gates in time, and Melody deserved to be caught by the local guard due to her thievery and manipulation. Really, though, this is an interesting story-telling method and I look forward to reading/watching more.

"Leviathan worshipers? Thought these inlanders'd worship somethin' that...makes trees grow or somethin'..." Gytha asked perplexed, but accepting it. Better bring a grog offerin' in that case...

"What sort of priests d'ye think'll be there?" she asked. Where I come from we've got a place t' pray t' Leviathan, but the d'votes're always drunk...

Gytha raised her hand, waiting for Raquel to call on her. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "It's impossible to stay in flight, you know. Riz's wings get tired eventually and not everything can or should be done from the air. Sleeping can result in falling, for example. Not much to eat up here either," Bert replied to Ranyin's question, "And eventually the muscles get sore. Riding anything requires posture, after all. At least if you're the one directing the mount. I've never been on a wyvern's back, but I'd assume it's the same with them."

"... Augh, by the 4 gods! Fine! I'm sorry for being so mean! Thanks for the patch-up," the pegasus rider called over, tunic in hand before having Rizen bolt into the sky. Only Ranyin was near enough to see the color in his face, not that he would cause he was flying on a pegasus' back and that would obviously overload the little mage's attention for the time being. Grr... Why'd she have to make me feel so guilty? Darn it... The pegasus rider took his axe from his blet and put it head-first into one of his saddlebags before donning the tunic and tucking it under his belt. Then he returned his axe to his side. He kept an eye on the ground to watch where Valter would lead him, not to keep on going back down himself at the moment. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Gytha wound up missing the whole thing. Meal finished, she simply climbed atop the wagon with Maw and waited.