Return of the Emblem Chapter Five: The Retrieval

[Phoenix]

The Impending

Once Axel and Veronika were mounted up, Amon looked back to confirm how close Svanhildr was. Checking for her gave him enough warning to move when she attacked him. A dark sphere came barreling toward him and exploded on the ground sending up mud and steam. The attack itself wasn't all that accurate. "Do not ... move."

Amon didn't know what to say, after all, he couldn't possibly expect to talk her out of helping her sister.

"You humans are committing a terrible crime against the Fallen Empire. If you do not release Siv, you will be put to the sword. All of you."

What is Weyland thinking?! Why are we even doing this?! We're antagonizing their empire now, and for what?! Weapons research?! Amon thought. Svan gasped immediately saying "You will use her to test weapons designed to destroy fallen? You would use a maiden for such a purpose? Stop this, before you set events into motion that you cannot undo, Rexian."

He couldn't. After all that had just happened, there was no room for a discussion like this, and he had to go. He turned and leaped up onto the saddle behind Zel. "Alright, go!" he shouted.

"... you fool ..." Svanhildr conceded, hanging her head.

The Inevitable

Gabbie still had Siv, but was on foot. Atsuko was with her as well, but this was a poor cover that would ultimately lead to the failure of the mission. Gabbie wouldn't be able to reach the ship before either Brynhildr or Svanhildr found an opening, or Siv died from her injuries. With not even a single healer close by anymore, and no ride of her own in sight, Gabbie was beginning to wonder what good the explosion had really done other than leaving her open for attack. Before she could lament any further, Brynhildr came flying down toward her at very high speed with her lance primed. The dark trail followed her all the way down. Fronting Siv saved her from being attacked directly, but as Brynhildr flew over and behind her, another attacked was coming!

"Shiiit!" she yelled in anticipation. Just then, Ringo, appeared and grabbed Brynhildr's head with his claws. The two of them came crashing down on the ground and tumbled a few meters. The moment Bryn was back on her feet, she held out her hand and Ringo was blasted in the chest by a dark magic attack and floored. "Argh! Ringo! You wanna mess with my wyvern, bitch?! It's gonna cost you!" she shouted, quickly jerking Siv around on the lance. Bryn's eyes shot to the lancer, the white in them completely gone, hidden behind a dark veil.

<"If Siv dies, I won't bother killing you two outright. I'll put you through hell before I do! You think you know anything about suffering? I will show you just how poor your imagination truly is.">

"Dammit, Ringo, get up ... we need a roide, right now ..." Gabbie muttered.

The wyvern was trying to get up, but a painful injury donned his chest, and his short little arms couldn't do much about it.

[Zsword]

Shadrak

Shadrak clung to Aneda desperatly as they flew off. He didn't feel comfortable around heights... "Thanks Aneda." He called to her looking around. He noticed gabbie struggling with Siv and Bryn... and Ringo seemed hurt. "Think we can help them?" he asked, pointing out the group...

Zel

Zel shot Sliep off on a hard gallop the second Amon was on, he didn't have any attention of staying in the area. He kept a careful eye for either fallen as best he could, though he was mostly focused on giving Sliep good guidance. "You deserve a rest after this my friend... I promise you..." he said to Sliep as they rode. Sliep didn't really care, he knew his survival depended on his running, so he ran.

Krystal: running, fast.

[Acacia Sgt]

As they flew, John looked back. To his horror, one of the Fallen had catch up on them, even worse, she had went directly for the captive one. John ordered Gil to stop.

'Wait, didn't she had a wyvern with her?' He thought. 'What's she doing still grounded?!' Well, he got his answer, as said wyvern had offered himself as some distraction that unfortunately lasted short. 'This is bad, I must do something!' ''Come on Gil!'' He said.

The wyvern looked over, and grunted, yet didn't moved. ''What's the matter? I'm sure you could fare better than that other wyvern. Remember, you're...'' At this he stopped, but then resumed. ''You're...'' He then shook his head. ''Gah... just remember where you come from, and what you can do. So let's go!''

The wyvern grunted again, but this time complied with his master's order and flew over, landing just behind the women. ''Hey, quick!'' 'We need to get away from here, fast, and treat her wounds, and now even that wyvern but I don't think we would be able to and... wait, now's not the time, must act first.' The situation was getting to him, it was just more than what he has experience so far, now even more so than the dragon.

[GoD]

"Yes!!"- Was Chelsea's response to Zel as she told Nesha to start running away from the fires and the fallen and back to the vessel called "Ship".

Nesha's speed was amazing, he was running without many dificulties, due to the fact he was used to there being more than one person on his back a few times.

As they kept galloping out the forest and through the plains, Chelsea turned to Veronika, and asked with a wry smile. "Hey....we're gonna be okay....right?"

Edited August 1, 2011 by GoD

[-Cynthia-]

Veronika

"I really don't know if we will," Veronika replied simply to Chelsea, holding on as the horse sped away.

Nadya

Nadya just kept riding on Luca, not seeing any of the others, which didn't surprise her since she was the first one out. She briefly considered going back to help secure the Fallen...but if the others couldn't handle it themselves they were probably dead anyway.

[Phoenix]

Difficult Situations

As Katsu's eyes open, he realized that he had fallen asleep at some point. He was lying on his back with rain clouds overhead, and little droplets hitting his face. His limbs were still in great pain, but nothing he hadn't been used to. Looking over to his right, he saw Kai a fair distance away, motionless on the ground. How long have I been out? A few minutes? An hour?

Fighting against the pain, he sat up and grabbed his sword. Then he looked all around him for signs of the enemy. They were apparently alone. Next he began crawling along the ground the fifty or so feet to Kai. When he arrived, his fears were confirmed. The man was dead, having bled out awhile ago. He may have even already been dead during the latter parts of his fight with the White Devil. He couldn't be certain, and was sure he didn't want to know anyway.

<"Kai, I'm sorry I wasn't strong enough to save you. Everything you've done for me ... I'll never forget."> he said hanging his head and taking up the man's hand. <"Find your ancestors. I will see that your body is properly laid to rest ... somehow.">

With that, he struggled to his feet, and tried to pick up Kai's body. That didn't work out too well. He kept trying though, and in the end he was forced to prop Kai over his back, with the taller man's legs dragging through the mud. Katsu had to keep a hand on his sword, so could only secure Kai with one hand as he moved. He didn't feel at all bad about trying to carry back a body. It was really all he could do at that point, and he didn't want hi leader to become food for those cursed demonic beings. In his condition, he wouldn't be able to catch up to the others however. Atsuko could still get out of the country ... that was enough for him.

Difficult Decisions

With the arrival of John, they had an out, though that wouldn't get rid of Brynhildr. Gabbie also had another dilemma. Her wyvern was writhing in pain. She didn't expect anyone else to understand what she was about to do ... "Atsuko, was it? Take her, and keep that lance in her so she doesn't bleed out. Get her to a healer but for fuck's sake don't pussyfoot around again. That's not gonna save you this toime. Injure the fallen if ya have to, and then heal her again once it's safe to do so, alright?"

"What are you trying to do?" she asked, not understanding what was going on.

"There's only two people I really give a shit about out here. One of'em is on the ship, the other is on the ground roight there behind that winged bitch. Understand now?" she said, handing Siv off to the mercenary.

"It's just a wyvern, you can get a new one. It's not worth dying over!"

"Shut your mouth. Get on that wyvern and do your job before I use you as bait."

A short pause later and Atsuko lowered her head thinking back on everything. She still felt it was a waste but didn't want to push the issue. "Very well. Good luck." she said, before handing Gabbie her knife. "It might not look like much, but even she'll have to think twice ..." She then took Siv and boarding Gil. What she said last ... left Gabbie wondering for a moment.

Brynhildr was paying close attention to this and was somewhat surprised. She didn't understand enough Common to hold a conversation without sounding silly, so she couldn't understand much of what they were saying. One thing that was clear though, was that the one she wanted to kill the most right now, was staying behind for whatever reason. That would be perfect if ... not for some strange feeling coming from Gabbie. She felt the same thing centered around Siv.

Is she holding a magic seal?!

So, what's so special about this knife she gave me? Why's Miss White Devil just standin' there ...?

Brynhildr needed to be sure, and quickly launched a magic attack right at Gabbie! All she could do was try to survive the attack. Instead of being killed however, she was only lightly injured by the attack. The overwhelming majority of the blast funneled into the knife grip. Gabbie noticed but was jostled by her rough landing. Alright! That's what she meant! Thought Gabbie as she rose up again.

<"... curses ... but that does explain how they've managed to keep my sister's power in check. Being tied up makes little difference. Very well then, I'll just run her through like those mercenaries."> Brynhildr said before Ringo emerged behind her and quickly bit down on her wing. If not for the armor running along it, he might have inflicted a serious injury. There was no time left. Gabbie had to act right then and there and rushed toward Brynhildr as fast as she could. Bryn was just about to blast the wyvern again killing it this time when Gabbie stabbed her inner thigh with the knife! "RINGO!!! COME OOON!!!"

And just like that, it was over ...

Gabbie looked down at the ground from on top of Ringo as they flew away. Then she looked at the mortal wound on her abdomen, and sighed painfully. Ringo tried over and over again to lick his wounds from the air but had to stop each time to steady himself and stay on course. Having been riding backwards and leaning back, Gabbie wasn't bothering to steer. She merely held her wound shut. From the ground, Bryn quickly yanked out the knife and chucked it off to the side in frustration. The spell she would have used on Ringo was sucked into the knife hilt just like the first one. She would give chase, but first, she needed an elixir. The battle damage was stacking and she wouldn't let that happen ...

[Zsword]

Zel

Zel turned Chelsea and gave her a thumbs up as they rode off. "We'll make it, just as long as we stick together!" He called to her, it was then he noticed John was not to far ahead of them, as well as the girl, and the Fallen... with a spear through her still. Brynhildr seemed to be... falling back? He indicated toward the wyvern rider for Chelsea to follow him, changing course to meet up. Unfortunatly they took off, and he cursed, judging from the status of that fallen, they needed the help of a healer like Chelsea. He cleared his throat a little and then yelled into the air after them (though it was more like a military bark). "JOHN!" Waving his lance to hopefully draw some attention. Thank Truth that Shadrak told me everyone's name, or this would be a nightmare...

Shadrak

Shadrak shouted up to Gabbie and Ringo as they flew off, he watched the exchange, he knew she was hurt. He called out to her, waving his hands and his staff in the air as he did, hoping to get their attention. "Wolfy! Ringo!" He called, hoping to get their attention.

Edited August 1, 2011 by Zsword

[Acacia Sgt]

'Just... a wyvern...?' John had thought with disbelief. 'She doesn't understand.' He could, though. If it had been Gil the one injured there, he'd probably had done so the same of staying behind. After all these years he couldn't just see Gil as just a wyvern. Regardless, once their small exchange was over, he ordered Gil to get away fast to hopefully reach the ship.

'Well, first things first, we must reach the ship. Hopefully getting a healer once there should be easy. Or on the way, that would be convenient.' He thought on the way. 'Or more like, this shouldn't had been in the first place. What there was to gain from hurting her? If anything, that only angered them further. If it hadn't been for that explosion... which reminds me...'

He turned his head to face Atsuko. ''Excuse me but, that explosion from earlier, just what exactly happened?''

[Mercakete]

The large, dark cloud in the sky was still farther ahead and the echoes of battle had ceaced. The peaceful stroll had turned into a brisk check to see what was going on up ahead. When he arrived, hand having been holding the grip of his sword since the first signs of trouble, the Kigenese man saw only two men: one carrying the other as best he could. The strange cloud was ahead, in the sky, but that didn't matter so much at the moment. <"Hey! Are you alright?!"> he called as he ran over to them, <"What happened?">

[Phoenix]

Stagger

When Katsu found that he was no longer alone, he expected the worst, that perhaps the White Devil had returned to kill him while his strength was sapped. Instead it was another human. When he asked what happened, Katsu paused. Could he alert the authorities without endangering the mission? Was the mission even still in progress, or had they all been killed already? Maybe they escaped? He had been thinking too long and once he realized it, he simply said what he felt he should. <"Demons ... demons attacked us.">

Demons this far north would seem a little unlikely, but it was technically the truth.

Gabbie and Ringo

Meanwhile Gabbie began looking around at various retreating party members. She was beginning to wonder if any were close enough to be of any use. She didn't plan on backtracking too much for healing when she was better served getting to the ship as quickly as possible. It wouldn't take Brynhildr long to be airborne again either ...

She finally noticed Shadrak waving up at her even though she was too far away to hear him clearly. He might do if she could get to him before Brynhildr got to her. She quickly swooped down and landed right by them. "Shadrak. If you're too tired to heal me and Ringo, then just keep goin'. I can get back to the ship for healin' if I need to, but I can't loiter around here with that lancer after me." she explained. Ringo had gone right back to trying to lick his chest wound the moment they had touched down.

Atsuko and Siv

The question came as a surprise to Atsuko. He didn't already know what the red one was planning? "I don't know what happened. I thought you did. It looked like he caused an explosive reaction." That was about all she could summise given her vantage point. There were more important things to worry about though. Siv wasn't moving a whole lot anymore and her outfit was getting more and more bloodstained by the minute. "Wyvern warrior, could you quickly bring us to a healer? If she dies, all of this destruction will be wasted."

[ReformBlade]

"Think we can help them?"

After watching the fight unfold, she was left speechless. Almost. "Yeah sure, just hop off whenever, sir. I'll getcha there." Wolfy and Ringo? Wait... who's who? Fuck this world's naming system!

Edited August 1, 2011 by SlaveKitty

[Acacia Sgt]

''He? I must say, due to the Fallen and then focusing on getting away, I didn't saw, or even who did it. So it was something like a bomb? That was smart, using fire.'' He then focused back on seeing front. ''Yeah, I was thinking the same. But why did she had to hurt her?'' He asked. ''One of them started to conjure up a storm, the other still had those demons. Angering further wouldn't have been the best thing to do.''

[GoD]

Chelsea got the message, the lady apparently did not wish to talk. She could understand the situation going on right now, and it was certainly not a place to engage in small talk, so the troubador remained silent. That is until that new guy called Zelatus, told her to follow Mister John which she did post-haste.

[Mercakete]

<"Demons? This far north?"> asked the newcomer, helping Katsu carry his comrade, <"I'll help you get to the nearest outpost. It's amazing you survived a demon attack. How many were there? Was there anyone competent among them? Anyone recognizable? ... And why didn't they destroy you and your ally? I don't see any of their corpses."> As he spoke, the man's green eyes carefully surveyed the area. Not a body was on the ground...strange...

[Zsword]

Shadrak

Shadrak dismounted from Aneda's pegasus... Anna, or whatever, staggering as his body re-adjusted form the motion and ran over to the two. "I've got enough... though, I think I'd rather ride with you, split the weight, and increase our over-all speed, if you'd let me..." He said, going to Ringo's underbelly and shining his staff on the wound as he anxiously waited Gabbies response.

Zelatus

Zel groaned. They were too high up for them to hear him now, and they didn't look like they were looking around. "Hey, Chelsea, you're a light Madge right? Think you can fire some sort of flare up there to get their attention!?" He called back to her, trying to keep up with the wyvern, but Sliep had his limits, and with this weight, he was pushing it as it was.

Krystal

Krystal stopped her flight, panting heavily. She hadn't had this much physical effort before... and it seemed like she was well ahead of the pack, so a little break wouldn't hurt... right?

[Phoenix]

Divvying Up The Fat

"Yeah, sure, if ya don't moind the possibility of gettin' run down by that flyin' lancer ... although ..." she paused to look up at the natural storm clouds forming high above. "Maybe that won't be an issue for too long. Hurry up though, I'm sure she can catch up to us in no toime."

Hot Pursuit

Once Brynhildr applied the elixir, her wound closed up quickly. It wasn't bothering her that much after all the bloody fighting she was used to, but injuries tended to add up very quickly and she wanted to be at her best when she smashed these humans and reclaimed her sister. She beat down her wings as hard as she could and catapulted into the sky, covering nearly a hundred feet in just a couple of seconds.

Everybody Hates Siv

"I saw what happened to the red one when she injured this little dove. She injured both of them. The little dove's body, and the red one's mind. I think it worked quite well, and I don't really care what happens to this demon as long as she lives long enough to reach Weyland. Torture ... it never actually came to mind or I would have done it ... anything to save my brothers and escape together."

Listening to Atsuko speak had Siv crying again, but her words weren't the only thing making her cry. With that lance through her body, and her body getting weaker by the second, she thought she would die soon. She felt sleepy and that was the last thing she wanted. She might not ever wake up again if she lost consciousness now.

Explaining The Inexplicable

<"Too many to count, but we managed to isolate one. We were still defeated though, and it left us for the lesser demons."> he explained, leaving out a few things. <"They haven't shown up just yet ... ... We need to get away from here, before they come back!"> he quickly suggested, the fatigue in his voice showing clearly.

[Zsword]

Shadrak

Shadrak nodded, finishing up with Ringo's wound he mounted behind Wolfy, holding on to her tightly with one arm around her waist, using the other to hold his staff to her abdomen and shine it's healing light over the stab wound. "Go! Aneda, follow Ringo as best you can, we'll lead the way!" He called back, leaning against Wolfy as his exhaustion caught up to him. "I'll risk that lancer..." he told her quietly as he finished patching up the wound.

Zelatus

Zel cursed under his breath, the wyvern was too far away now. "We'll just ride then, they might catch up to some other healer... I hope... let's ease it up a bit, it looks like they aren't worried about us." He said, slowing Sliep down to a much gentler gallop. "Besides, if they do decide to go for us, I think having a burst reserved will serve us much better in the long run than just draining out all this now..."

Krystal

Krystal cried out as she saw a shadow pass over her. She immediatly dropped to the ground crying, only to realise the shadow passed. When she looked up, she realised that the source of the shadow was a wyvern, not a fallen... in fact, the same wyvern as before. With a light cheer she got up, dusted herself off, and took off again, trying to keep up with it.

Edited August 1, 2011 by Zsword

[Acacia Sgt]

''Red one...'' 'Wait, Axel?' John thought. 'I guess he would be capable of doing such thing. Like back at that building, telling me to leave things to him.' He then listened to the rest. 'How harsh. But then again, she did loose her companions back there. Still, if anything, they brought themselves this in the first place, so they aren't totally innocent at this either. This is no different like with Ursium and Nevoskotia when you look it that way. It's conflict between two sides, and such are the consequences of it.'

Such were his thoughts that he failed to notice when they flew over Krystal, not that he'd have stopped either way, finding a healer and getting away were his priorities right now. Fortunately for him, he did eventually spotted a figure moving in the same direction as them. It was definitely someone mounting a horse.

'A horse...? Well, maybe this is it.' He thought. ''Hey, looks like we may have found someone.'' He said. ''Let's go Gil!'' He ordered, and they started to descend to get the rider's attention.

[-Cynthia-]

Nadya saw something descend overhead above her One of the fliers I guess, guess someone elese was bound to get out alive. She saw no reason to stop and so continued on, right to the edge of the channel. The boat was waiting right where they had left it. She moved Luca towards the water's edge, knowing that he would stop, as trying to cross the channel on a horse would be quite foolish.

"HEY!" she yelled from atop Luca towards the ship. "LOWER THE RAMP, WE'RE KINDA IN A HURRY HERE!"

[Mercakete]

The Kigenese man nodded. <"We're hurrying, but do not strain yourself. You are not in ver good condition. It'll be alright, however. If any of the demons return, I will help in any way I can. What is your name?"> he asked as they continued towards their destination at a managable but hasty pace. <This is bad. How did so many make it this far north? And why? Are they attempting to flee to the northern countries?>

[Phoenix]

Al-Lyrae

At the shore there were a few hands wandering about with weapons. They weren't expecting anything to actually happen, but they couldn't be too careful. When Nadya came into view, they called up to the ship and by the time she arrived, Captain Giovanni was looking over the railing and like the rest of the crew, wondering what the hell happened. Why were only Nadya, John, and a couple of passengers back?

"Hey, what happened?!" he exclaimed.

"They have the fallen." Fira quietly commented.

"Probably not worth it if even the merchant didn't survive ... Hey! Where are the others?!" he quickly asked again. "Get the ramp down." he added toward his crew, which they promptly did.

Flee

Once she was patched up, she told Shadrak to hang on tight, and they took off. With Brynhildr still in the area, they had to move as fast as they could, and it wasn't too long before she had caught sight of them again. She followed, steadily reaching higher and higher altitudes so she could dive on them when the time came, but something endangered her plan. Little drops of rain soon began to hit her as she flew. Grrrrr I thought I had more time than that! Urgh!

Also Fleeing

<"Call me Katsu."> he said, before taking on a bit more of Kai's weight, possibly to try and show that he could still manage well enough. That didn't mean he wasn't still in terrible pain however. His voice was still hinting at how exhausted he was.

Edited August 1, 2011 by Phoenix

[-Cynthia-]

"Some guy blew himself up and the rest of us headed back towards the ship, or probably tried to anyway," Nadya said, once she has wasted no time coming up the ramp. "We didn't kill all the Fallen though, I would figure they're following us, not that I looked back or anything. Might want to do something about that sooner rather than later," she managed to get out to the captain and crew before having to take a long breath.

[Mercakete]

<"My name is Kazemi Daichi; soldier 30th year. Be careful not to tire yourself out, Katsu. I have more strength than you right now. If you collapsed, I would have to carry only you and leave your comrade behind,"> the Kigenese man advised, waiting as they walked to see if Katsu would let more of Kai's weight fall to him or if he would continue to try to prove his strength.

[Phoenix]

Course of Action

As the ramp hit the ground, Giovanni made his decision. "Alright. Fira, go see what you can do. Be careful."

She nodded, but before she could take off, he said "Wait a minute. Hey, Rico!"

The fire sage was at his side in but a moment. "Captain?"

"Lend your fiancee your little treasure, would ya? She's goin' out to bring back the stragglers and might run into some trouble."

"Oh right, sure thing." he said quickly taking out the glowing object and handing it to her. Right when she took it, he cupped her hand with his and gave her as romantic a gaze as he could manage. "Fira, I know I can't go with you if you're going to make good time, so take my amplifier, and my heart with you. Good luck."

"That's strange. Normally you would be fuming about me doing anything dangerous or going off by myself." she noted.

He looked away with a grimace. "Raquel's out there ..." he said in a low weak voice.

"... I'll make sure she's alright, Rico. Don't worry."

"Heh, I know you will, my little fire goddess. If you see a fallen--other than the one we're supposed to bring back--give'em hell, kay? Heheh."

She nodded and then he let her go. She quickly took off into the air as the first drops of rain began to hit the deck. Rico sighed as he took her place next to Giovanni. "Every time she leaves the ship it makes me wanna cry."

"Nothin' to worry about. That girl's gonna outlive all of us nine times over."

Rico sank beneath his shoulders in dismay at the thought. He'd often fantasized about marrying the girl at some point but the reality of it was, he would grow old and die centuries before she even began aging. That was a depressing thought for him. "... why did you bring that up again ...?"

Endurance

In the end, Katsu never allowed Daichi to take more than half of their heavy burden. Katsu knew he was pushing himself, but he felt guilty about what happened. He knew the two of them together could defeat Brynhildr if they just tried a little harder. He was constantly caught up in that horrible turn of events. It all happened so fast, but for him, it was move by move, like a long board game, and Brynhildr managed to outmaneuver them. Now like nearly all of the others, Kai was dead. That didn't leave him with much, and the only thing that could grant him any peace now was learning that Atsuko was safe. It seemed like this would be eating him up for a long time.

Edited August 1, 2011 by Phoenix

[Acacia Sgt]

Unfortunately, it didn't seemed that the rider would be stopping. John was deciding to get her attention but the sight of the ship distracted. 'So we made it back already?' He thought. 'Well, this will make it easier.'

Flying directly over the deck, they quickly landed. ''Now, we must hurry.'' John said before dismounting and running over to Nadya. ''Hey, we need your help, we must heal the Fallen.'' He said.