Return of the Emblem Chapter Four: The Human Condition

[Mercakete]

"Got it!" Gytha enthusiastically replied, readying herself for the upcoming fight. "No qualms here," Bert put in almost boredly, somewhat disappointed that he still had to use the iron axe he'd taken from the corpse of a bandit he'd killed before.

[Snowy_One]

"Who are these gods?" Robin's question was quick and unguarded, betraying her ignorance. "I am sorry. I'm from far to the northwest. A small farming village to be exact. My parents were more concerned with making sure I knew how to handle the cattle and rotate the crops than in deities." she said, her mind quickly weaving a story together to try and cover up her poor question.

[Acacia Sgt]

Back high up, John tried to figure out where did the roar from before came from. As he looked around, he finally spotted several figures and two big ones. From this distance, he couldn't quite tell what was going on, but what caught his attention was one of the big figures. It's shape and movements already indicated it wasn't a wagon or anything of the sort, though it wasn't any animal he could identify this far away either.

'Just what is that creature...?' He wondered. 'It kinda looks like a wyvern, but this big? I think I better get back down...' ''Enough. Let's go back Gil.''

Descending once more, John noticed the pegasus rider had finally moved out of the way, though he hadn't actually left or something. 'Are they still arguing or something?' He thought.

[Phoenix]

Wagon

"Okay, hang on, guys. We're going to make this quick. I'm not sure how long they've been at it so there's probably already casualties, and if it's a bandit attack, they might be the only ones left." she commented as she got the wagon rolling. As they drew closer and closer to the scene, the view cleared up, and Amon stood up balancing himself on the roof as he tried to make out what was going on.

"That's a bull wyvern ... no way these are bandits." he said aloud. It's been awhile since I've seen one of those things. was an afterthought.

Church

"To the far left, we have the Goddess Nature. She is the caretaker of the earth and imparts the power of anima into this world. She is said to be a dragon, however due to their poor standing, in this country, she is more commonly depicted as a human with the wings of a dragon. I believe the term is 'manakete'. I personally don't mind either way, I'm fine with most dragons. I suppose if you're a farmer, you might do well to consider praying to her. A good harvest is the least of her talents and she takes care of those who treat the earth kindly."

After letting that sink in a bit she continued. "Right next to her is the God of Wrath." Crossing her arms and showing a more studious demeanor she went on with the explanation. "Lord Wrath is the punisher of the wicked and corrupt. He is a figure often praised most by the military or endangered villagers who's fears are of numerous wolves, wild wyverns, and vicious bandits. He is also the one responsible for ending the Legendary Rebellion four thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine years ago ... and in a very short space of time I might add."

Still going from furthest left, to furthest right, she continued on to the avian statue and gestured toward it. "This is a depiction of the Goddess of Mercy. She is the forgiver of sins, and easily the most loving of all four major gods. Those she cannot save however, Wrath destroys. After all, if one cannot be forgiven of their transgressions, what else awaits them but destruction ...? She is depicted as an avian but no one from this generation has ever laid eyes on her, so one cannot be sure. Still, it is a fitting appearance for her. The avians that used to live among humans had a nature fairly similar to hers."

"And lastly ..." she paused to gesture at the statue depicting a sphere with crystal like structures coming off of it. Of all the statues, this one was the only one supported by magic. The sphere floated above its base and the crystal structures behind it as well. "This is the God of Consolidation. Truth is the more common name though. He is a god of knowledge, not to be confused with wisdom mind you." she added at the end poking fun a bit. "This god is by far the most mysterious. As much as the religious pray to him for understanding of complicated matters, we really don't know if that is his purpose. He is the God of Consolidation ... but we don't know what that title entails exactly, nor do we know what it has to do with us." she explained.

Then turning to face Robin again she pointed to the sides of the large room, showing individual statues of other deities. "Those are the minor gods. Elementals ... Minor gods ... Vasili. There are several terms to referring to these beings, but all of them were said to be brought into being by major gods ... thus the term 'minor' has often been associated with them. There were both good and evil minor gods. Two great examples would be Luminous and Obelisk. Luminous was a dragon of light, and probably the strongest Vasilus ever created. He was a peaceful dragon however. Obelisk on the other hand was the cause of the Legendary Rebellion and killed millions of all races in a war against the gods. He was defeated by the God of Wrath however."

Then she concluded the lesson with a smile. "And these are the immortal beings who never seem to show up and say hi once in awhile. In all seriousness though ..." she paused, allowing a dull expression to come over her face. "... it wouldn't surprise me in the least if that changed one day."

Edited May 21, 2011 by Phoenix

[Rothene]

Ranyin was not disappointed with the outcome of the encounter with the newcomer. The lack of violence was extremely comforting. It surprised the Kigen mage how fast the pegasus rider switched from appearing as if he wanted to draw blood to resigned acceptance of his situation. An admirable trait to the Kigen, like the Water, the man proved to be a powerful force that knew how to flow around obstacles when it was the better option than smashing head on into it.

As the wagon approached the location where the loud roar presumably originated from, Ranyin was not surprised to a huge creature looming not too far away. Not surprised did not equate to no fear for his case. The huge creature resembled a wyvern, but one that made John's and Domovoi's one look like some feeble foal compared to a full grown steed. Ranyin gripped Stormcalmer in case the creature had to be dealt with.

Moving closer to Amon, Ranyin asked, "Any idea what in the world IS that beast?"

[Snowy_One]

As Io lead Robin about the pantheon of Gods, explaining each to her in kind, Robin was overcome with how seriously the priestess took her religion. It was a stark contrast to Olga to be sure, and Robin liked the change. She glanced up at the Goddess of Nature though with a hint of familiarity. Though she herself was not a terribly religious person, she remembered hearing of her before. She could not recall her name, but she could recall her father telling her that the Goddess watched over each hunt and would punish those who took too much. She was sure he hadn't known what he was talking about, but never the less, a feeling of respect for her came over Robin as she looked at the statue.

"What do you mean?" she asked as Io finished her summery. "They have left the world? Do you think they will return to strike down Neviskotia?"

[Phoenix]

Wagon

"That's a bull wyvern. They're bigger than normal due to being either incredibly successful hunters or being made that way by humans. It's generally a bad idea because wyverns are smarter than most animals and being a domesticated bull is like being ... Chip's servant. There's a good chance they turn on their riders after one episode of abuse so you have to be very skilled to have them." he explained. "Of course I only know about this because of my friend Haythem. He's got one, but I think he's more fortunate than skilled to be honest." he added, not dropping his battle face. He felt they had a fight on their hands and a bull wyvern just made things that much more dangerous.

The wagon quickly came close enough for any shouting to be heard by either side.

Church

"Strike down Neviskotia? Hmm, who knows?" she replied not seeming to support or oppose such a thing. "Heheh, I know Mercy wouldn't. Her title speaks for itself."

[Rothene]

Just great, that thing is both powerful and smart, plus the rider has to be very skilled, grumbled Ranyin. The dangers the party faced had just hightened beyond what he had anticipated. Ranyin had forgotten that the troubles they faced need not travel alone or be on par with them. The world is full of extremely powerful people.

While he waited on the potential outburst of violence, he wandered about whether Chelsea had fallen into one of her long durationed coma. It would certainly hurt the group to have one healer down at such a crucial time.

[Acacia Sgt]

Following the wagon at a close enough altitude, John stopped with the rest, just watching what was going on. And the creature...

Seeing it from a closer perspective, John now could recognize what it was. Indeed it was a wyvern. 'I suppose the perspective from afar confused me.' He thought. 'Indeed it's a Bull Wyvern. How long has it been? I guess ever since I was still back... there.'

[Guest Wen Yang]

"So much for his wittiness.", Liz comments dryly as she watches the last bits of Mr. pompously-named-and-titled Witt disappear into Mikhail's huge maws, where the huge Wyvern happily chomps down several times before swallowing the remnants of the duke.

"I would have appreciated had you stripped him down first boss. Silk doesn't agree with his stomach.", Sergei commented from his comfortable perch atop his wyvern.

Elsewhere, the other members of the team were busy picking off the valuables from the corpses of the dead soldiers, with Jorge standing guard a bit further down the road, and Isis keeping watch from the skies above the forest where they had hid previously. They were going to "dispose" of the bodies with Mikhail's help after all, and it felt like a waste to leave the valuables on the bodies when everything is slated to turn into wyvern crap anyway. Tatyana was busy emptying the pockets of one corpse, while Salicia was crouching by another - the dead officer - and pulcked away a golden ring from the dead man's ring finger, whistling to herself all the time. Tsukiko was just leaning against the carriage, seemingly aloof to the carnage around her - that she also helped cause - while Sergei directs Mikhail to "dispose" of the corpses that the rest of them had finished looting. The beast was clever, and while he chewed the entire corpse, he spits the now-chewed-up armor the man wore back out, whereas his heavy footsteps easily covers any signs that might have pointed to human activity in the attack. He already tore up the carriage as it is, at sergei's bidding.

"This worked out pretty smoothly I would say." Claimed Sergei as Salicia whistled and beckoned to him. He did not even need to command the wyvern, for Mikhail responded on his own, happily chowing down on the corpse Salicia has just looted of its valuables.

"Indeed." Said Liz. "A few more minutes and we'll be done."

She was just getting her pipe out of the small bag she kept it in and was about to fill it when she noticed the approach of a pegasus.

"Verdammt!" She muttered under her breath. For Isis to leave her post means that someone is approaching, additional witnesses to get rid of is not something she really liked to do, but if they have been seen....

"We have company boss!" Isis yelled as she came close enough.

"We guessed as much. How many!?"

"One wagon, no idea how many people inside, and two wyvern riders. There was a pegasus too, but I do not think it was with the others."

"Zum Teufel!" Liz Cursed. She was hoping it might just be a merchant caravan or something - which it might be - but wyvern riders likely means mercenaries. One way or another that removes the option of just getting out of the place, since Mikhail cannot exactly fly for too long distances with all of them on his back, and leaving the clean-up unfinished might cause their next target to be more cautious, which is an undesirable outcome.

"Prepare for battle." She commanded. "Sergei, looks like Mikhail have a big meal to look forward to."

[-Cynthia-]

Veronika frowned at hearing that Bert would become a member of the group, but decided to keep quiet for the time being. He acts like that in front of people that can get us thrown in jail or killed and we'll leave him behind. she thought to herself.

Discussion then took place about a bull wyvern which Veronika eventually saw with her own eyes...devouring some hapless sap which was a process she found rather disgusting. A woman with a scythe mentioned Mikhail looking forward to a big meal afterwards which confused Veronika at first since she didn't think her father was nearby at all. Then she realized they meant the wyvern.

"Are you implying that you are going to feed *us* to your wyvern? That is both bold and repulsive," she said, walking towards the strange group with her sword drawn.

[Guest Wen Yang]

"I prefer to use the terms 'Practical and Convenient', actually." Said Liz in reply, rather nonchalantly. "I wish that we have some sort of memory-wiping drug for times like this, but unfortunately for you, we don't, so..."

She lowered her scythe from its resting position against her shoulder, and gripped the handle firmly with both hands, while a slight hint of amusement lights up her features.

"Nothing personal, it's just business, so no hard feelings, 'k?"

[-Cynthia-]

"Wyverns developing a taste for human flesh is neither practical nor convenient, it's a giant flying hazard to everyone around them," Veronika responded to the strange scythe woman, who seemed somewhat amused by this whole ordeal. "And I'm afraid I take people trying to kill me rather personally," she said, gripping her sword with one hand and entering into a combat stance. "Form up into your teams everyone!" she shouted to all who were nearby.

[Mercakete]

Bert's pegasus let loose a soft, nervous whinny, her head low and her wings twitching. Her rider could understand why. There was a massive wyvern right there, eating. Her instincts were likely telling her to fly away. "I'll be in the air," the pegasus rider informed before whipping out his axe and giving the command to his pegasus, who gladly entered the airspace above them, waiting to see what would happen next.

Gytha leaped off of the wagon to stand before it a little ways away from Veronika, drawing her sword and waiting for her team to form up around her. This is a right foul bunch... I might have t' just worry 'bout protectn' Synthia, if she gets out o' the wagon...

[Rothene]

Ranyin let out a sigh of relief as Gytha got off the wagon and more importantly, walked away from him. He swiftly took note of all the other people who were at the scene of carnage. Whoever they were, Ranyin's instincts told him they were probably not friendly in any way. An archer, better take cover then, thought Ranyin. But this was his first fight, and if he immediately hide like a coward, he would leave a bad impression.

Hence all he could do was prepare to follow Amon into battle if the Rexian were to charge. As well as keep himself from dying.

[Phoenix]

"Crap, I was hoping it wouldn't come to something like this." Amon mumbled before leaping down from the wagon and following Gytha up to the front. Raquel immediately got Sandrock and Riley moving again and pulled them to the side of the road. That left the wagon facing sideways in relation to the road, a type of cover and roadblock.

"Get anyone who gets injured back here, alright?!" Raquel called out as she leaped down and ran around to the back to make sure Connor was alright, and also to grab some spare vulneraries. "Note to self: we need to maybe invest in some more healers and knights." she muttered.

-----------------------------

Liz

HP: 4 STR: 6 MAG: 0 SKL: 4 SPD: 5 LCK: 3 DEF: 3 RES: 1

HP:12 MT:6 Hit:4 Evade:8 AS:5 Defense:3 Resistance:1

Axe

Tatyana Vasilev

HP: 3 STR: 3 MAG: 0 SKL: 6 SPD: 6 LCK: 3 DEF: 1 RES: 1

HP:9 MT:4 (CK) Hit:6 Evade:9 AS:6 Defense:1 Resistance:1

Sword

Isis Ioaniddes-Sanctis

HP: 4 STR: 3 MAG: 0 SKL: 4 SPD: 6 LCK: 3 DEF: 1 RES: 2

HP:12 MT:3 Hit:4 Evade:9 AS:6 Defense:1 Resistance:2

Lance

Jorge de Sanctis

HP: 5 STR: 5 MAG: 0 SKL: 3 SPD: 2 LCK: 1 DEF: 6 RES: 1

HP:15 MT:5 Hit:3 Evade:3 AS:2 Defense:8 (11 when defending) Resistance:1

Sword

Tsukiko Makimura

HP: 4 STR: 5 MAG: 0 SKL: 4 SPD: 5 LCK: 3 DEF: 4 RES: 1

HP:12 MT:5 Hit:4 Evade:8 AS:5 Defense:4 Resistance:1

Lance

Sergei Aleksandrov

HP:6 STR:7 MAG:0 SKL:5 SPD:3 LCK:1 DEF:4 RES:0

HP:18 MT:7 Hit:5 Evade:4 AS:3 Defense:4 Resistance:0

Axe

Salicia Yveerys.

HP: 3 STR: 5 MAG: 0 SKL: 5 SPD: 6 LCK: 5 DEF: 1 RES: 1

HP:9 MT:5 Hit:5 Evade:11 AS:6 Defense:1(-1 if B) Resistance:1(-1 if B)

Bow

Liz 12/12

Jorge 15/15 (Defending Liz)

Isis 12/12

----------------------

Tatyana 9/9

Tsukiko 12/12

----------------------

Sergei 18/18 (Defending Tsukiko)

Salicia 9/9

OOC: You've got until your first attack or anyone else's who'll be on your combat team to team up with them. Otherwise you're on your own. The mercenaries cannot attack any pcs that haven't officially entered the fight yet. Once you do any kind of battle post, you're up for shots by these guys.

Objective: Survive

Award: Survival and any acquired points.

Hint: The entire mercenary gang is highly coordinated. Use concerted attacks to break them.

Bonus Objective: Defeat all seven mercenaries.

Award: 7 points.

Hint: There isn't much time to do this, so luck is the greatest factor.

BATTLE START

PLAYER PHASE

Current battlepost limit for pcs is six.

Edited May 22, 2011 by Phoenix

[Rothene]

Ranyin drew deep into his stamina, feeling the speed from his legs leave him as he placed his essence into the magic that fueled the spell. The wind around him started shaping itself into multitude of transparent pidgeons that swiftly encircled the heavily armoured foe not too far from him.

While casting, it finally dawned upon him that Gytha was nearby and armed. For that very split second, a sudden chill ran up his spine breaking his concentration and the spell nearly collapsed on itself. Luckily Ranyin managed to focus on the spell again, but the damage was done. The casting was subpar and the results underwhelming.

The birds struck the knight slower than how it was meant too, but luckily for Ranyin, the knight's armour prevented him from evading the attack. Despite the fierce magical attack that passed through the armour as if it were not there, the knight held his ground and raised an arm to perform a gesture that seemed like a taunt.

Stats: HP:3 STR:0 MAG:6 SKL:4 SPD:4 LUK:3 DEF:1 RES:2

Simplified Stats: HP:9 MT:6 Hit:4 Eva:7 Def:1 Res:2 Weapon:Dynamic Wind Tome

Ranyin used a RANGED attack and +4Mag, -4Spd mage abbility: Attacking Jorge

http://invisiblecast...r/view/3034833/

1,2,3 >_>

1+4-3 = 2 HIT >_>

2+6+4-1 = 11damage

Jorge can't counterattack

Result Ranyin 9/9, Jorge 4/15

Edited May 21, 2011 by Rothene

[Mercakete]

Maw was getting used to the drill she'd learned while aboard the ships Gytha took her aborad. It was time to hide below deck. Or, in this case, below wagon. So, the silver tabby gracefully leaped to the ground and hid under the wagon until the humans' fighting was done.

~~~~~~~~~

In the sky, Bert had a pretty good view of all that was going on. "These aren't normal bandits..." he muttered to himself before reaching into one of his saddlebags and pulled out a glass bottle with metal corners flowing to it's rim where a cork was firmly in-place. Inside was a bright, red liquid. Looking down, he noticed the bull wyvern and the pegasus as well as what he thought was someone with a bow. Those are my main threats. The others shouldn't be able to hit me unless I fly too low. Eyeing the drought for a moment, he muttered, "I hope that merchant wasn't full of hot air. If this is snake oil I'll have to seek him out and flay him. ... When I get Splinter and Crunch back."

Norbert uncorked the bottle, being careful not to spill any of the concoction. Then he took a quick dose, smacked the cork back into the bottle and safely placed it back into his saddlebag, making sure the bag was shut securely before looking back down on how the battle was progressing. The sensation that was creeping up on him was...strange. It was almost like the sun clearing away the morning fog...a bright sun. A hot sun. Bert slowly smiled as he felt a sort of elation, anticiapating the carnage to come: the feeling he knew as one force smashed through another. That familliar, beautiful feeling of a structure giving way beneath the impact of his weapons... His muscles felt like they'd tightened and loosened at the same moment, warm with the fire of his furvor. His senses heightened. He could see more clearly the targets below, hear more easily, the sensation of the wind blowing past his skin was somehow enhanced... That drought that merchant sold him, that stimulant... Bert liked it's effects and he could tell it would be quite useful in the fight to come.

Bert uses stimulant; stimulant now at 2/3; Bert's new mt: 6. Bert's new hit: 4

~~~~~~~~~

"Amon, if Synthia comes out t' help, defend'er. If she doesn't, a good choice fer ye might be that archer o'er there," Gytha mentioned to her teammate before selecting a target for herself: the bull and its rider. She wasn't afraid. Gytha mustered all her might and charged at it headlong.

Mercenary skill active! -2HP, +1str, +1skl; WTA! +2hit

(5+(4+1+2))-4 = 8 = hit! (2+(5+1))-4 = 4 damage!

Gytha landed a solid hit on the wyvern, causing it to grunt in both pain and annoyance. It's attention was on her for the moment and he swatted his talons at her.

WTD! -2hit

(2+(5-2))-7 < 0 = miss!

Gytha leaped out of the way as the wyvern's paw slashed at her. The wyvern roared in frustration while Gytha smiled and called excitedly over to Amon, "Look! Look! Did ye see?! I dodged th' big, ugly, scaley beast! HAHARR!" Perhaps she was getting too used to getting hit...or has just plain lost too much blood in the last week...for she began to jig.

Sergei 14/18

Gytha 16/18

Edited May 21, 2011 by Mercakete

[Snowy_One]

"But then why do we war with them?" asked Robin, reminding herself to mind her words around the priestess. "Is this the work of the God of... errr... Anger?"

[-Cynthia-]

Veronika was about to attack the woman with the scythe when an armored knight got in her way, so she decided to attack the woman wielding a knife instead, which involved the two exchanging blows.

Veronika (3,2,3)= Authit 6-1= 5 damage.

Tatyana (2,3,1)= Hit. 7 damage.

Veronika 5/12

Tatyana 4/9

Edited May 21, 2011 by -Cynthia-

[Phoenix]

Church

"Neviskotia was born as a result of two civil wars. All of Neviskotia's territory was once a part of Ursium. That alone gives them reason to fight now and again, but the heart of it is their handling of various religious doctrine. Ursium accepts new doctrines and follows them to the letter, but Neviskotia does not easily heed and often discards such things. The doctrine to oust the dragons was probably the most important and most destructive doctrine ever enforced by the church, and to this day is the most obvious schism between the two nations." Io explained. "Just a little basic history for you. Ursium is a lot smaller than it use to be, so church influence is actually stronger overall than it ever could have been back then, even back when vasili were still known to the public. The military is stronger as well so there haven't been any civil wars since, only minor uprisings and the like."

[Dark Sage]

Today was yet another eventful day for Domovoi. When traveling on the road again, they encountered a belligerent, petulant pegasus knight who had accused Raquel of essentially stealing his maces. Domovoi was worried that he'd have to step in to show the man some manners but Raquel offered to let him travel with them to pay off the difference. Judging by the temperament of his new companion, Domovoi was not looking forward to traveling with him.

Soon after though, they were attacked by a group of warriors one of them with a bull wyvern. This gave Domovoi a bad feeling in his stomach and he began sweating. Bull wyverns were far stronger than regular wyverns and they were fairly intelligent to boot. They were also infamous for being wild and ferocious, so if this group managed to tame one properly, there was a fair chance the Raquel and company were dead.

"C'mon, pull yourself together....Ok Miskavolv. If you obey me and we survive this battle, I'll not only lift your punishment, but I'll also give you extra food too. Now fly me over to where Veronika is. We're going to protect her," Domovoi bargained with the wyvern, pointing to Veronika. Almost instantly did Miskavolv fly in front of her at top speed, almost making Domovoi a little nauseous.

"I'll cover you milady," he said to Veronika gently before examining his opponent, preparing to block or dodge any attacks thrown at him.

Wyvern Rider skill activate! Domovoi defends Veronika.

Edited May 21, 2011 by Dark Sage

[ReformBlade]

Synthia

She nearly dropped her book off the wagon when the man jumped in front of it. Unfortunately, she had no choice but to pay attention to the man as he just kept yelling as loudly as he could for seemingly no reason. Yeah, your weapons got lost, quit being a damn baby over it... Was the first thing that came to her mind just from listening to the man. What surprised her most was his agree-ability the man had when offered a deal for compensation. She had misjudged him, but probably not by much.

Nanahm

Nanahm had been reclining for a while, resting his eyes until some jackass decided to make his problems everyone else's. He listened to the exchange so far, smiling when he heard Raquel sounding so fed up with him. "About time..." he muttered. And then he heard her offer him a place on the 'team', and then the fighter's smile turned completely upside down. This frown of his would not go away until someone explained this bullshit to him, but then again, if the bullshit was explained, he'd just complain about it anyway... He sighed in defeat, his sleep time interrupted by noises. Loud ones, like roaring. Before he knew it, he heard his employer challenging someone outside, prompting the man to walk outside to- HOLY SHIT THAT WYVERN IS MASSIVE. I BETTER KILL IT.

Busting out his awesome new axe and with a few flourishes, he went after the monster of a being. But really he just went after the rider, ignoring all other threats for this one cause, and fucking uppercut the man with his new axe. The man was able to swipe at Nanahm, giving him a nice big strike that was semi defended by the fighter's new Axe, tho the sheer force of teh blow still sent him back to the ground again.

(Fighter Ability, ACTIVATE)

(Nanahm: http://invisiblecast...r/view/3035511/

Sergei: http://invisiblecast...r/view/3035518/ )

(I rolled 5-5-4, it's easily a hit, and with the ability activated I deal true damage equaling 11, Sergei is at 3/18. He hit me back for 6 damage.)

Sergei: 3/18

Nanahm: 12/18

MEANWHILE, Synthia was all about them heals and such, choosing to quickly run over and give Veronika some much needed love healing.

(Sacrificing 4 SKL for 4 MAG, she heals Veronika for 7 (a full heal))

(+2 EXP to the Synthia, Gytha, Amon)

Edited May 22, 2011 by SlaveBlade

[Snike]

After dropping by the university, the wagon was off in minutes, which allowed Axel to sleep for a few hours, slouched upwards to give the illusion of simply watching the perimeter. Once the wagon stopped, though, the red armored man was jolted awake. As he straightened up, he noticed the other group of mercenaries approaching the group. A blitz soon began, and it became hard to see what was going on, so the lancer removed himself from the wagon, shield and spear in hand, to get a closer look. One of the opposition, a myrmidon, managed to severely injure Veronika, and as Domovoi covered her, he moved in to disable the enemy. She was quick, however, and managed to evade his lance blow, but she could only crack Axel's shield arm with two swings.

[spoiler=Roll]http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3035498/

Myrm ability activates

[6,1,5] = Hit! 5-5 = TINK

[5,4,5] = Hit! 8-5 = 3 points of damage

[2,3,3] = 8-9 = MISS!

Axel 9/12 HP

Tatyana 4/9 HP

[Snowy_One]

"Sounds like if the church had less control, things would be better. That might be said for any group with too much power. What do I know though? I'm just a country girl who sees more new animals than people after all. I just hope they do not call me to fight for them."

A smile crossed Robin's lips as she tried to bow clumsily to Io. "Thank you for your time, priestess Io. It was... different... not being in a empty field or busy street."