Return of the Emblem Chapter Six: Enemies Abound

[Acacia Sgt]

''Well, it doesn't have to shine.'' John said. ''Lucky? Perhaps there was more to it than that.'' Although, if it does, then what? It's own energy countering the lifting? As she said before, we know little we can only theorize in the meantime. He thought.

[-Cynthia-]

Veronika

"Maybe we should avoid any Ascension festivals in the future. I don't know what the cause is, but having the emblem lifted into the sky doesn't seem to help anyone really," she said.

Nadya

Nadya snorted a little at what Shadrak said. "<If the Gods meant for everyone to live in peace and harmony, they're sure doin' a shitty job of makin' that happen. And if the Gods can't make everyone hold hands and be friends, then who can? People always look out for themselves and the few folk they care about- which usually means they have to screw over some other group of folks eventually. That's just how the world works kid.>"

[Phoenix]

Emblem Stuff

"I doubt we'll still be in this kind of situation by the next festival ..." Raquel said keeping her head low. "We'll either have resolved this or we'll be dead, because they're definitely not going to let us sit on the emblem for another six months."

Atsuko and Siv

"Those northern gods don't really care about the world, or they would do something about it. It's up to the people living down here to bring peace, and the only way to do that is to destroy the war mongers and demons. Then we might actually have a chance." Atsuko ranted to Shadrak and Nadya. <"Killing the demons alone would be a big step toward a better world."> Atsuko said solely to Siv that time.

<"That's not fair. My people have just as much right to exist as yours do.">

Things That Happened Elsewhere (Don't try to act tough, it'll tear your insides apart it's incredibly long)

All peace of mind ends here.

Last chance to turn back.

A Disheartened Return

A poorly lit chamber lined with beautifully crafted stone had its silence broken when the two doors opened with loud creaking sounds. Two women were at the door, Brynhildr, and Svanhildr. They tread lightly as they as they entered trying not to completely disrupt the silence

<"Do you think he's here?"> Brynhildr quietly asked her sister.

<"If he is, he is likely asleep."> she replied looking around, unable to pick up on any thoughts from the chamber.

Suddenly she looked to a spot in the chamber that she felt a surge of power from. The moment her eyes caught sight of that area, a distorted cloud of dark energy appeared, and the person they were looking for materialized right in front of them holding another fallen by the collar.

<"Lord Valdimarr ...">

<"... and ... some guy?">

Looking up at the two, the tall man said <"So, you two are back ... guess that means you failed to rescue Siv. How badly did you two fuck that up?">

<"Wait a minute. What did you just say?! How did you even know about that?!"> Brynhildr yelled.

<"I asked Norn what was going on and she ... immediately ... told me everything."> he answered.

<"We should not have used Gunnar for this ...">

<"There are no secrets between us, Svan. That's why I can trust her. You two on the other hand ... care to explain yourselves?"> As he said that, his eyes disappeared behind a fiery red light, and both of them leaned away from him slightly.

<"Well if you know everything, then you should understand why we kept it a secret at first. Until you're made the emperor, all of the clans allied with you are potetial targets. If you show too much favor toward one--like idiotically chasing down some humans to save Siv--, that's the one that'll get trampled in an effort to take you down. We couldn't just tell you.">

<"No one, and I mean no one is going to kill ME with such pathetic tactics.">

<"IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT YOU, DAMMIT!!!"> Brynhildr shot back.

<"Of course it is. No one would pick on you soft white ones if I wasn't putting you to good use. I could have gone out and brought her back within a day, but thanks to your lack of faith in me, Siv is in Ursium now. All the way up north. How weak does your clan look now, not being able to remove your little sister from the hands of wild humans from the north? They know even less about our power than the Kigenese do and still you came back empty handed.">

<"Don't take this out on us! Siv almost died when we tried to take her back ... if not for that damn fire girl I would have rescued her for certain ... Siv is our responsibility, not yours.">

<"You idiots! J-just--just go sit down somewhere!"> he said before walking a short ways to a group of chairs surrounding a round table. He dragged the barely conscious fallen he had warped in with along with him which finally prompted Svanhildr to ask <"Please pardon me, Lord Valdimarr but ... who is that you brought with you?">

<"Him? Observant as always, Svan."> he said in a sarcastic tone. <"While you two were off fucking everything up, I decided to try and get to the bottom of this mess myself.">

<"Why the hell would you torture one of our own to get information about something the humans did to us?">

<"Because a kestrelii may very well be behind it! That's why! Now sit down.">

<"I'll stand, thanks.">

<"Bryn ... I was not making a friendly request. Sit down, and listen."> he ordered, to which both complied. Valdimarr then let go of the injured fallen who then flopped on the ground before lying motionless. <"Now let me ask the two of you ... how often are kestrelii captured by the Kigenese?">

Answering first, Svan said <"It is quite rare. Most likely because the Emperors that rule over them forbid it and insist that all 'demons' be killed, rather than captured.">

<"And how often are they captured by humans living in the north?">

<"... only one incident comes to mind. When I used to serve under your brother, I learned that one of his faction's scouts was captured by mercenaries in the confusion of a full scale battle with the Kigenese army. Similar to what happened recently, despite being tracked down, they made it back to Ursium with their captive. That may have been the first time, as I have never heard of it happening at any other time. This was about six months ago.">

<"And neither of you find it a little suspicious that Ursium is trying to capture our kind while Neviskotians are running around? Why on earth would they be focused on us when Corvus hasn't gained any new ground on the Kigenese in nearly a decade? Are you seriously going to sit there and tell me that Ursium's move isn't a little too odd? Seriously, what are the chances of this actually being their doing and not someone else?">

<"Hmm ..."> Svanhildr pondered for a moment. <"You sound a little paranoid, and the slaughter of siblings does not help that much ... but you have a point. Humans from the north are rarely interested in Corvus. The only other time I could imagine them having an interest in us is if they were looking for a weapon they could use against the Neviskotians. With that brought up, I would like to point out something. Among both the Kigenese mercenaries and the humans from the north, the same name had come up in their thoughts at least once. A human they call 'Weyland'. That is who they all answer to.">

<"That so ...? What do we know about him?">

<"There are no Corvian spies that we know of in Ursium ... so we know almost nothing.">

<"Tch, well that one is our only lead so I'll go get Siv, and then get the answers directly from him.">

Svan quickly stood up and yelled <"Wait, you must not go after Siv yourself! What happened to her is going to spread throughout the empire before too long. Remember what Bryn just told you. We failed in our mission, yes, but if you leave on your own to rescue her, you will be letting your other five brothers know that all they have to do to guide your aggression is to use our clan! With all five of them focusing solely on us to get to you, we could be destroyed ...">

<"Every strong clan faces the threat of annihilation at some time or another. That's why you fight, and that's why you leave your enemy so broken that they leave your people alone for generations. You white ones are so soft, I sometimes wonder why I even keep you around if you won't assume the risks of standing with the strong. You two need to understand something about the situation you're in. I couldn't care less about your clan. Only you three sisters matter to me, or I wouldn't bother going to save Siv myself. I guard your clan as a courtesy, nothing more, so don't bother bringing that up again because I honestly don't care.">

Svan held her head low for a moment sitting back down, and then Bryn shot up out of her seat with her fangs bared. <"It doesn't matter how you feel about our clan, they'll still attack us in full force! You won't be able to do anything about it! The three of us will probably be killed too so you going after her at a time like this is a complete waste! You're our future Sovereign, arent' you?! Act like it and send someone else! You have to let us try again or this is going to blow up in your face!">

<"What will you do when you find her, Bryn? Punk out when they stab her again? Bryn, you're better off on the front lines with no distractions, and I need Svan for the shit I'm too impatient to deal with. Both of you are staying here for the time being, and I'm going to end this. Was that clear enough for the both of you?">

<"I won't let you doom our entire clan over your shortsightedness, you dumb garuda!"> Brynhildr shouted across the table while simultaneously preparing a dark magic attack in the palm of her hand.

Valdimarr simply vanished into thin air the second she finished. Brynhildr found herself slammed down onto the table with her chestplate grinding against the stone surface. Valdimarr was standing behind her with only one hand holding her down. She simply couldn't push back hard enough to free herself. <"I'm not going to let your clan be destroyed, Bryn. I like you over emotional hens too much to let my brothers have their way with you. However ... if you're going to stand with me, then you need to make yourselves more useful and do exactly what I tell you, exactly when I tell you, and exactly how I tell you. If you deviate from my plans, I will kick your ass and explain it to you more slowly so you get it the next time. Understand?">

He finally loosened his arm enough for Brynhildr to stand back up. <"Your clan belongs to me, and an example needs to be made for both the humans and my brothers. If you take what is mine, you will pay the price.">

Still keeping her head low, Svan spoke up. <"Lord, Valdimarr. Can I make a request?">

<"... sure, why not.">

<"Could you give this assignment to Princess Norn instead?"> she asked picking her words carefully.

<"That'll take days ... why wait that long? I can catch those humans tonight.">

<"If Siv were in danger, I am certain you could save her, something we failed to do ... but if you go through with this, you will not know where to find this Weyland, nor will you learn what his motive is. Even you have to admit that your power blinds you sometimes which makes you ill suited for information gathering."> She motioned to the fallen on the floor by the table before continuing. <"If the princess can pick up their trail, then she could very well find him. If need be, she can rescue Siv before any harm comes to her. Siv may have to endure a little longer, but this is a chance for us to find out exactly what is going on here, a chance to turn this embarrassing fiasco in our favor. If you suspect a kestrelii is behind this, then you will only find out who by finding Weyland and extracting the information before killing him. If we do not learn why this happened, it will probably happen again. Sending the princess makes our clan less of a target since you will still be here in Tartarus carrying out your plans in spite of Siv's ... current predicament. As long as you do nothing directly, I am certain that they will not see us as a means to manipulate you which will save a lot of lives ... and that is all I ask ....">

<"Hmm ... maybe ...">

<"Correct me if I am mistaken, but this sort of assignment is what the princess trained for, is it not? Stealth, espionage, assassination, and sabotage.">

Valdimarr sighed. <"No faith at all ... Alright, fine, Svan. I'll send Norn, but when this is over and I'm made Emperor, your clan is going to really have to earn its keep. Only you and your sisters have proven valuable to me thus far and I don't like carrying a bunch of worthless dead weights around with me just to sate the two of you. I'll have Norn take care of this while I hurt some more of my brothers' men. She hasn't let me down yet, ... unlike you two human brains so I'm sure she can handle it."> he said glancing at Brynhildr right before he finished.

The bait worked. <"What did you just call us?!"> Brynhildr shouted before being forced back down onto the table by the same hand. She didn't even have time to charge an attack that time. <"Urgh! Let me up!">

<"Hmm ... I don't know, Bryn. I kind of like you better this way ..."> replied Valdimarr with a slight grin.

I keep telling her that he only says things like that to provoke her but she never listens, and then I end up watching him restrain her in all sorts of ways until the issue we convene to discuss is resolved. Things have become quite repetitive lately. Svanhildr thought to herself. <"So, Lord Valdimarr, did this one reveal anything to you?">

<"Nope. I'm pretty sure he didn't know anything about Siv's abduction to begin with. I just roughed him up once I realized that ... because I needed to vent. I'll ... catch someone more knowledgeable next time ...">

<"His injuries could be mortal; dozens of broken bones and his wings are dislocated ... there are also a lot of third degree burns on his body. I am ... not certain he will survive ...">

Giving the injured fallen a simple glance, Valdimarr sighed. Looking away he snapped his fingers and the fallen was set ablaze. <"Yeah I'm not certain he'll survive either ..."> he replied to Svan with a blank look on his face. Black fire consumed his entire body. A brief moment of screaming ensued as the fallen regained consciousness, and he was soon dead. A trio of reptilian birds flew in through the windows and quickly gathered around the body as Valdimarr began strolling off. <"Remember what I said, now. Stay here, and don't do anything stupid. Oh and make sure those raptors don't leave anything behind.">

Bryn brushed the ground up stone pebbles and dust from her breastplate and tossed the exiting Sovereign a slight glare. Once Valdimarr had left the chamber, she finally spoke up after holding it in. <"That bastard! Every time I disagree with him, even a little, he puts me in a chokehold or something!">

<"That is not quite true, but I wish you two would stop doing that during meetings. It is not only distracting but irritating. Seeing him hold you that way bothers me ...">

Bryn shrugged. <"Get over it. It's nothing. He won't choose me over you or Siv. I fight with him too often and no one likes that ...">

<"I am not so sure about that. He finds aggressive women very attractive, and of the three of us, only you and Siv display that kind of behavior, and even then only you would show aggression toward a sovereign, something most others would expect to be killed for, myself included."> she explained in a melancholy voice.

<"Have your little pity party on your own, Svan. All I really care about is fighting the enemy, so you two can split him or fight over him or whatever. I won't get in the way."> Bryn replied with her arms crossed.

Locking eyes with her sister, Svan then asked <"If he asked you to be his empress instead of Siv or myself, would you honestly refuse?">

<"Uh ... probably not. Being the empress safeguards our clan permanently and the authority that comes with it gives me a lot more leg room. ... hmm. Empress Brynhildr does have a nice sound to it, heheh.">

<"Then you are still in the way ...">

<"Tch, Whatever. He's disappointed with us at the moment anyway so I wouldn't expect to be found near the top of his list right now."> Bryn replied rolling her eyes.

Assignment

Another chamber, and another setting. This chamber was occupied though. A very young looking fallen girl in a small outfit with large black wings and a featherless tail sat near the window looking out over an ever expanding city in the distance. Not far away was the fallen named Gunnar. He was sitting on the floor and arranging feathers he had taken from his favorite harpy. Another fallen sitting across from him and the feathers was watching curiously as he did this. She bared the resemblance of a hawk with brown and beige wings. Lastly off in a dark corner of the room leaning up against a wall with his arms crossed, was a fallen with black and white wings.

The hawk-like fallen watched Gunnar arrange the feathers until he was finshed, and then leaned forward and gently blew them all away with a single breathe and sweeping motion, ruining the whole thing.

<"FFFFUUUUCK!!! Runa, whyyy?!"> Gunnar shouted as he desperately grasped at the flying feathers.

<"Bored. What were you doing with those anyway?"> she asked, still curious.

<"Now you're asking me that?! I was trying to honor my dearly departed Agnethe. That is, until you ruined it!"> he explained with what looked to be tears in his eyes.

Runa squinted her eyes a bit as she looked at Gunnar. <"You really loved that thing, didn't you ...? ... ewww.">

After some time staring out at the city, the young fallen girl's gaze shot toward the door. <"Brother's here."> she said ot the others. The door didn't open. Instead Valdimarr appeared inside the room still in the motions of walking. <"What is it?"> she asked the moment he appeared.

<"I've got some work for you ... and your team, I guess ... if they'll make it easier for you."> he said, eying the small group.

<"I am Norn's protector, Lord Valdimarr. Where she goes, I follow."> said the fallen in the corner.

<"Yeah that's nice, Loki."> Valdimarr replied indifferently. <"Anyway, Svan talked me out of going to pick up Siv myself, so I'm sending you. The next best thing, right?">

<"She talks you out of a lot of things ..."> Norn commented dubiously.

<"She does have a point though, I'm no spy and would just end up killing everyone before getting to the bottom of it. If I stay here I can make some hell for our enemies while you find out what's really going on and bring back Siv. Bryn and Svan aren't cut out for this kind of work so you're up. I need someone who can get to Siv without being discovered and find out what this Weyland person is up to.">

<"Who cares what humans are scheming? Why not just kill him once we get Siv back and come home?">

<"I think one of my brothers might actually be behind this. It's too convenient that one of the Finnians I do care about got taken like that. If one of them is behind this, then that Weyland bastard probably knows who they are. All you have to do is get Siv back, and find out who's really behind it. Do what you want with Weyland when you're done but don't get Ursium's attention on us. If you need to kill someone important, pin it on somebody else. I'll gladly face Ursium head on someday, but this isn't that day and I've got a lot of relatives and Kigenese to kill and enslave first.">

<"I can do that. Not a problem. We'll head out right away.">

<"Good girl."> he said with a grin and a nod before turning to leave. Once he was gone, the other three of her team gathered near her, though Gunnar took longer to come over since he still had a few more feathers to pick up.

<"So, Norn. Have you ever been to Ursium before?"> asked Runa.

<"No, but I did a little research. Getting around in a country like that should be no problem. You three ready yourselves. We'll be heading out right away.">

[Acacia Sgt]

(OOC: *Dramatic* DUN DUN DUN, THE PLOT THICKENS EVEN MORE!! And I still think he's mourning over Copyright Harpy due to property issues... *QAAM'ed*)

''You doubt we'll be in this for long?'' John asked. ''I don't know myself, but could we really get to the bottom of this in just half a year or less? Well, assuming they do let us be in that span of time. But yeah, if they wise up and just go after us sooner or later, that could be a problem.''

Edited September 3, 2011 by Acacia Sgt

[Zsword]

Shadrak rolled his eyes. "<She's right, and you are to some extent, but even then, there is always a peaceful solution at some point.>" Shadrak said to the pair.

Krystal... was amazed... she walked back to the carriage after roaming around the festival for awhile, and approached wto random people (Robin and Ranyin), looking very pale and nervous. She pointed at teh sky. "... rocks... aren't... supposed... to fly..."

[Phoenix]

Atsuko and Siv

<"The only other solution that doesn't involve killing the demons is sending them to some other continent. A continent without humans or other races they can torment.">

Siv wasn't sure how to respond to that. The thought of living on some other continent hadn't crossed her mind once in her entire life. She did know that most fallen wouldn't go for that though. They liked fighting other races so who would they fight if they were trapped on some distant continent, themselves?

[Rothene]

Looking at Krystal, Ranyin thought, wow, so many winged people in so few days...

"Ha, yeah, I'm not sure how this rocks came to fly, but it sure seems funny that they do. Although the oddity of it bolstered my belief that anything can fly if they wish to," said Ranyin

[Acacia Sgt]

''Hm?'' John glanced over at the trio. ''Heh, It is really something, no? Seeing it for the first time.'' He said. ''I guess for those who live in the north it's something they don't really experience.''

[Mercakete]

"If th' Rex-Avas desert's a sea of sand...how d'ye have enough solid groudn t' build a palace?" Gytha asked, clearly puzzled by Amon's previous explanation. Then she brightened up as an obvious-to-Gytha solution dawned in her mind, "Or did ye build th' palace on a giant flagship?"

[Snowy_One]

"They fly through magic. I do not know how magic works, but I am sure that, to a person who knows how it works, it is perfectly natural and explainable. I do not question it however and I simply love to watch them rise up. I mean... <It's so cool! Watching stones suddenly rise up from the earth to shoot high into the sky! If I saw that in the mountains back home I would be in complete and total awe and think it a message that I was to be a prophetess or something!>" she took a sigh, letting the excitement ebb away before restating, in common, "It is cool."

She then turned to Krystal and took a noticable lurch back. "Ummm... Excuse me... Miss... I do not think we have met yet."

[Phoenix]

Amon

"Huh?" a confused Amon uttered at first. "Oh ... 'sea of sand'. Hmm, how to put this. Well, it's not quick sand or anything, so you won't just sink in it. The desert's not all solid, but the rocky areas are good enough to build settlments, and Sanctuary has been around for a very long time." he explained. I can hardly imagine someone sailing over the sand, heheh.

[Mercakete]

"Oh, so it's more like a giant shore. That's a little disapointin' but Santuary sounds like an interestin' place all the same. Sure sounds different from the ports I've been to," Gytha comented, seeming generally okay with this new information and finally beginning to understand what a desert is actually like.

Edited September 5, 2011 by Mercakete

[Zsword]

Shadrak just kinda rolled his eyes, he didn't have much else to say on the matter. "<I'm pretty sure there are others, we just have yet too see them.>" He kinda just mused out... dragging on the convo for no real reason.

Krystal shook herself a little, trying to get some clarity back in her words. "Ugh, even the laws of magic don't explain it... and uh, sorry miss, I"m Krystal." she said to te skotian girl, politing holding out her hand for a shake.

[Rothene]

"And I'm Ranyin," interjected Ranyin standing up to perform a short bow, "Yes, not everything can be explained with the magical knowledge we currently have at our disposal...or at least in Kigen."

[Acacia Sgt]

''Magic you say?'' John asked. ''Well, nothing is completely certain about them yet. Many just take it for granted that they rise.''

[Snowy_One]

"<First there were two, than three, than four.>" muttered Robin under her breath. Then she took Krystal's hand, her grip as firm as strong as she could make it. "I agree with him." she nodded in John's direction. "I do not know much about magic though. I am sure that there are garments more attuned to it than me. Country girl after all."

[Acacia Sgt]

''So, by the way. Did any of you two made a wish on a stone?'' John asked to Ranyin and Krystal.

Edited September 5, 2011 by Acacia Sgt

[Zsword]

"I didn't believe that they would actually fly up like you people said... thought you were crazy... turns out I was wrong... yeah..." Krystal stutterred out, glancing around the area wondering what else would fly into the air that shouldn't...

[Snowy_One]

"Pirate woman wrote my wish for me. I think it was my wish at least. To go home again."

[Mercakete]

Gytha thought she heard someone referring to her as a pirate again. Though she couldn't be sure, so she shrugged it off. Someone was probably talking about someone else since she wasn't a pirate, obviously.

[Acacia Sgt]

John let out a laugh. ''I guess for someone who has never saw it, yeah, it would be hard to believe. Don't worry about it. At least it's not that common, just twice a year, though in the end gets used to it especially when living in the north.''

[Phoenix]

Later That Evening ...

Raquel wasn't expecting a goodnight's rest, not while sleeping outdoors. Having a small space in the wagon wasn't helping much either. To make matter worse, she was having some sort of dream.

As she stood there in an empty plain, she searched for signs of people or landmarks, anything that could tell her where she was. Nothing seemed right about this place, the air was thick, the clouds hung at near ground level, a haze was all around her in irregular amounts, and the ground felt like it was ... almost not even there. There was very little color, and everything was a depressing shade of gray. In her hand was the emblem.

"Oh right ... I still have this. I'm not sure what I'm supposed to be doing though ..."

As she said that to herself, she felt something, something powerful pulling at the emblem. Just like when the rocks ascended, the emblem was being pulled up again. She tried to pull it back down, but the force was too great this time. Before she knew it, she had been lifted up off of the ground and disappeared into the clouds. She could just barely make out the silhouettes of others flying up with her, but all were masked by the thick clouds. She held on tight as she rose higher and higher. When she finally came out from the clouds, she was alone, and still holding onto the emblem. At the cloud tops was a pitch black sky with no sun to explain the bright clouds. The more she looked around, the more confusing things became. Eventually she felt deep breathing in front of her and looked up to see an absolutely massive pair of eyes bearing down on her. The face of a black dragon appeared in front of her, staring at her tiny form.

"What do you want?!"

"Dominance, Freedom, Chaos, Order. Everything that comes to mind, I suppose." the dragon replied in so many voices, picking out just one was difficult. "What do you want?"

"W-what? I ... just want my father back ... I just want him back, that's all!"

"Is that it ...? What small goals you have. Well, you don't need the emblem for that. You should give it to me."

"I can't hand this over to anyone. I don't even know who you are? What are you?"

"I'm the head of a dragon. Can't you tell?"

Raquel took another look around her, and then at the gigantic dragon facing her whose head was all she could make out from the endless black. "I don't know what to think anymore. Is this real?"

"Perhaps you should let go of the emblem, and find out. It's a long way down though ..."

"I'm not letting go!"

"There are things far worse than losing the emblem, I think, like ... crossing a god. Only endless suffering and pain await you. Why not just let go of your burden?"

"I can't! I'll fall!"

"... surely, once your father is safe ... then you will let go. After all, once you have him back, you can part with it. No?"

"... I ..."

"Hmm?" the dragon tilted its head at her response.

"I ... don't know-I just ... I can't let the people that started all of this get it either."

"Humans didn't start this. Maybe they'll finish it ... I think I understand you. You hold onto the emblem because you want its power, don't you? You want to use it to defeat your enemies. If you let go, then what power will you have left? That old forsaken power? You believe the emblem is the only way to win. So incredibly misguided, and yet ... so right. I don't believe you know how to use it though."

"I don't know how to use its power, but without it, we won't have any leverage."

"Leverage is a power. The emblem ... has many powers. Leverage is only one of them ... and what if the power of leverage is something you find you impossible to control as well, hmm?"

"What?"

"What if you make more enemies than you anticipated? What then?" the dragon clarified with a big eerie grin that was larger than a house. "What if, the power of gods are thrust against you. Will you let go then?"

"What are you talking about?! Is someone else besides the people who took my father after the emblem?! Who are they?!"

"Oh they're far too strong for you, so don't worry about it." the dragon replied with a concerned smile.

"Just tell me who they are! P-please ..."

"Don't be afraid. You're not going to die just yet, and if you can find a solution ... maybe ... just maybe ... you won't have to die at all. Wouldn't that be nice?"

Frustrated, Raquel finally shouted out "Argh! I have no idea what you're talking about! Dying?! Just what are you trying to tell me?!"

"It's a long way down ... and the answers are all up there." the dragon explained, prompting Raquel to look up at a black abyss with nothing but a single white star at the zenith. A tall man carrying a Kigenese sword eventually stepped around Raquel's hanging form. She held onto the emblem, and this man held onto nothing. He was walking through the air. When he came around to her front, he stared at her with glowing orange eyes.

"Who are you?" Raquel asked as she helplessly hung there. He didn't answer, instead the dragon did.

"He could be your ally, but only if you're into that kind of thing ..."

"What kind of thing?"

"Or perhaps he is an obstacle. I guess you'll just have to find out."

"... d-dammit. Dammit, what are you talking about?"

"You sure ask a lot of questions, but I'm afraid if you want answers, you're going to have to keep on holding onto that emblem until you can find a new place to stand. Tell me, Miss, what's your name?"

"R-Raquel. Raquel Valcyn." she answered hesitantly. She was surprised whatever this creature was didn't already know her name, though she wasn't sure exactly why.

"Raquel ... Valcyn ... ... hmm. You're Discovery. If you keep holding onto the emblem ... you'll earn that title, I think."

"Oh my gods, title? What are you going on about, now?"

"Oh just the ramblings of a floating dragon head. You take care now, and don't forget, if you really want those answers, then don't let go of that emblem. It should be a little easier for you now, I hope."

"W-wait! Where are you going?!"

"Who can say? ... well, see you around."

"You're not making any sense! Waaaaait!" she called out as everything around her vanished. She and the emblem fell through an endless black void that seemed to last forever ...

DAY TWENTY

"Wait ... c-come back." Raquel mumbled in her sleep. Eventually she woke up. She didn't plan on truthfully answering any questions about that dream, not with how strange it was. That dragon was talking circles around me. Let go, don't let go. I'm not even sure which he really wanted me to do after awhile ... I and who was that other guy with the sword? Ugh, my head hurts just thinking about it.

As if to worsen Raquel's headache, Gabbie returned and was as chipper as ever. Pulling off a stunt she had wanted to do for so long and getting away with it made her feel right as rain, or something to that effect. It wasn't long before she was bothering Raquel too.

The day trip didn't see as much progress as they had hoped for, but it was good enough for one day, and they would reach Ursanctis the following day if they kept a good pace.

DAY TWENTY-ONE

Another day on the road. They party wasn't entirely alone however. There were more travelers on the roads, especially in the direction they were heading. Ursanctis was a city after all, and a lot of traffic would be passing through both ways, though it was nothing to be compared to what they faced when heading to and from Ursentius. Atsuko kept to her usual duties of guarding Siv and making sure the little demon didn't make a lot of noise. When passing through Ursanctis, some more precaution would definitely be in order ...

They made it to Ursanctis by nightfall and were able to find a very large inn ... more like a hotel to stay at. It was too late at night for Raquel to do any item acquiring, so she waited and just decided to rest for the night with everyone else.

DAY TWENTY-TWO

Morning in Ursanctis was a long one for Raquel. She didn't want the party to fall behind the schedule she had planned for returning to Europa, especially not with the cargo they were carrying, but she hadn't had an opportunity to restock in almost a week. She recruited those willing to help her and then went out to try and get her hands on some new equipment. Like always military grade equipment was of the highest priority, and she was starting to feel like a genuine arms dealer. The moment they finished, getting new supplies, they set out heading northeast again.

Siv had been cleverly hidden inside the same crate that used to serve as Chip's room. It was smelly and quite the tight fit, but the only unused box in the wagon. Atsuko didn't plan on letting the fallen out of there any time soon, but she was eventually overruled by Raquel during a short rest stop. Siv poked her head out of the box when it was open with the most pitiful look on her face and tears in her eyes. After a few teary sniffs she shouted <"I can't breathe in here! Let me out! Let me ouuuuuut!">

"What'd she say?" Raquel asked.

"She ... wants out." Atsuko answered.

"Well tell her we were doing just that before she started yelling."

<"Hey, you whiny monstrosity. We were already letting you out. Hey, wait, how'd you get that cloth off?">

Siv hissed. <"I couldn't breathe so I worked it off again, but then the smell almost killed me too! I need fresh air! Let me out of here! Just let me out!">

<"Be quiet! We'll take you out of the box, just stop whining!">

Once Siv quieted down, they got her out of the box. They were by the road, so both Raquel and Atsuko were reluctant to let Siv outside of the wagon. Eventually they decided to just let her sit on the edge of the back opening. She was in plain sight, but only to those heading up the road from the south. "I guess that'll do for now." Raquel said once Siv was propped up. She looked a little silly sitting there tied up, but she didn't mind now that she could breathe air that wasn't contaminated.

"This is risky." Atsuko said crossing her arms.

"... Atsuko, I've been meaning to talk to you about something."

"What is it?"

"Err, maybe best to do it away from Siv ..." Raquel quietly replied, though Siv still looked over at the sound of her name.

"... fine." she said, and the two walked about twenty paces from the wagon westward. "Okay so what is it?"

"I think you're being too harsh with Siv. N-now just hear me out for a second." Raquel added to prevent whatever Atsuko was going to say to the contrary.

With a sigh, Atsuko gave Raquel that 'I'm listening' look, and she continued. "Listen, even though she's a fallen, treating her like nothing more than detestable cargo is just wrong."

"Is that all you wanted to say? Even that fallen sympathizer Shadrak could come up with something better than that."

"Atsuko, if we're really better than the fallen, then we should act like it. Treating Siv like this just makes us the bad guys here. I mean having her tied up all day and night and even gagged most of the time, and then stuffing her in a box for almost a whole day ...? Come on, you can't even get away with doing that to animals, yet alone humanoids. You and your mercenary friends didn't even feed her."

"That was more about strategy than torture, Raquel. Feeding her would cause us to go through our rations faster. Also with her in a weakened state, we didn't need to be as vigilant in guarding her and could focus on our pursuers instead. If it came down to life and death, we would have fed her something, but holding out saved us supplies and kept her weak. Not to mention with no food, she didn't need as many 'breaks' as she seems to now."

"Urgh! Can't you see how cruel that is?! You wouldn't do that to a human, would you?"

"I suppose not."

"Then why do it to her?! She's just a kid!"

"Raquel ... she's going to grow up someday. She's going to turn into something like Brynhildr or Svanhildr, and she's going to be killing humans regularly. So forgive me for not caring if she lives past delivery to Weyland."

"It's not about that. It's just principle for crying out loud. We're civilized so why not act like it? Not every interaction with the fallen has to be about the war between them and the Kigenese. If it's so important that you mistreat any fallen you come across, then why don't you join the army or something?"

"Because I can't, and of course you wouldn't know that, would you?! I'm a woman, and women can't serve on the front lines. All they can do is support the men fighting by making new clothes and preparing rations and other things like that. I can't fight the fallen if I join the army, and I'm not going to sit the war out making rice balls or sewing all day."

"Taking it out on Siv while she's completely helpless is inhumane though ... can't you see that? I'm not saying to do what ... whatever Shadrak's doing. I'm just saying you should at least treat her the same way you would treat a human prisoner ... or even a dog prisoner. Either would be better than this ..."

"... Fine. I'll treat her with more respect, and you never bring up the Kigen army to me again. Ever." she said as she turned to walk off.

"Hey, wait, where are you going?"

"I need to think ... alone. You said we were stopping for half an hour, right? I won't be gone past that time."

"... well ... okay." Raquel replied. "I didn't mean to bring it up so suddenly but it's really been bugging me. I probably shouldn't have brought up the army. I already knew women couldn't serve, I just kind of forgot in the moment." she said to herself as Atsuko walked off alone.

Naddy's Daddy: On Guard Duty

It seemed things were as suspected. Over the past few days, the Neviskotians had made several deadly attempts on the commanding officers in the region. Urcenter itself was practically a war zone with Ursian troops hunting for Neviskotian black ops units. Though so far unsuccessful in claiming any officers, they were causing more and more destruction as time went on. Not a single city block in Urcenter hadn't been touched by the nighttime skirmishes or bombing attacks. Jason's squad had been moved around a few times over the past few days, mostly to hot spots where attacks were likely to take place. The squad was fortunate to not have to directly face off against the next attack. The next night was upon them, and they now had to work together with a dozen other squads to guard the manor where not one but several high ranking officers were conducting their war meeting. They couldn't end the fighting if they couldn't get together to discuss a plan of attack, so despite the risks, they setup at the mansion and had it guarded on all sides. Jason's squad was stationed in some arbitrary corner of the place's outer walls.

"Welp, I'm bored. Anybodeh wanna arm wrestle or somethin'?" asked Regis with a frown on his face.

"I'm in." replied Sampson. The two began their little match before Brady could even voice a protest.

"Hey, don't let your guard down. Do you want the Skotians to sneak right past us or something? If anything happens at that meeting, we're the ones that are going to get blamed."

"Ah come on now, Lieutenant! How likely is it they'll come through this way?" Regis asked with his arms akimbo.

"If they knew how fucked up our team is right now, they'd send their whole damn army this way. Who's gonna stop'em?" Brady shot back. "Get it together, you guys. At least try to pretend to be vigilant so anyone spying on us thinks we're all alert. Maybe then they'll look for some other gap elsewhere."

"That's cold."

"Yeah well I'd rather it be someone else's problem than mine."

"Heh, no need to worry, Lieutenant. If any Skotians show up, I'll give'em the good ol' super thrust. Works every time. No one's ever survived my attacks." Sampson boasted.

"Survived? You've been on this squad for ... what? Six months now? I've never seen you kill anyone. Not once, and I've looked at your squad record myself. Your record on this squad is zero kills, so what the hell are you talking about?"

"Take a look at my stuff befooore joining you, Lieutenant. That's where you'll find a pile of dead Skotians."

"I don't have it with me, but I'm sure I'd find a similar kill count ... zero."

"Nah, I've killed ten men on my own in my previous squad. Hell, I was the squad."

"Yeah right. Then what changed?" Brady asked while beginning to clean his rifle.

"Heh." he began. "I met some real good friends. I joined a team that actually mattered to me. You and your stone cold officer B.S., Jason and his family man attitude. Staggard and his eerie silence.

Robert's gaze shot back and forth between Sampson and Brady. "..."

"Uh, we're not friends, but yeah, Robert doesn't talk much, does he? Might be my favorite one out of all of you." Brady commented.

"The point is, I can't steal the glory from you guys. I've got stories and bragging rights from previous battles, so I'll cherish those and give you guys a chance to make some of your own. It's just me being the friendly and considerate guy I am."

"... thanks, Sampson."

"Don't mention it." he replied with a smile. "Speaking of kills and earning your bragging rights, how many kills do you have, Lieutenant?"

"Fourteen."

"Fff-what?! How in the blazes?!"

"Well unlike you, I don't just sit there and brag, I actually do my job and try to take out the enemy."

Sampson took a quick glance at Brady's rifle and then smiled. "Heh ... ah I get it. You're just snipin'. Makes sense. Snipers can get a lot more kills than most people since they're always hiding. It's easy to get kills when you're hiding in the bushes with a gun. Just sitting there and waiting instead of taking your foes head on like a real warrior. It's okay though, whatever's easier for some people, I guess."

"No one gives a damn about ease or difficulty. When you have a role in an army, you do it, no questions, no complaining. Fact of the matter is that given our place in the military, the things most likely to take us all out are snipers, other infantrymen in larger numbers, or specialists; snipers being the most likely. May as well fight fire with more fire." he explained as he finished cleaning his rifle and placed it at his side leaning up against the wall.

"Write that speech yourself, Lieutenant? It's well rehearsed, heheh."

"Fuck off, Sergeant."

"Easy, guys. Easy." Jason cut in.

Edited September 28, 2011 by Phoenix

[-Cynthia-]

Veronika

"Hmm, have you thought that you're being a bit harsh on Atsuko? I know she isn't treating Siv very fairly, but considering what happened to her brothers...well I'd do the same thing in her position. She's been holding up pretty well so far, but taking her anger out on Siv might be the only thing she has left," Veronika mused to Raquel after Atsuko left.

Nadya

"Don't y'all get tired of rations everytime we get on the road? Would be nice if someone could do some huntin' or somethin'," Nadya complained to no one in particular from atop Luca.

Connor

Connor was searching in the back of the wagon for the new military-grade weaponry from Ursanctis, but was having trouble finding it. The wagon was turning into a small armory by this point after all.

[Acacia Sgt]

After the party had come to a halt, John ordered Gil to descend.

<Soon we'll be back in Europa.> He thought after dismounting. <I wonder what are we going to do after all this.> He looked over at the wagon. <We sure have come a long way.> He let out a small laugh. <Heh, I guess at this point nothing could go...> He then stopped, and shook his head. <Wait, perhaps it's too early for that.>

(OOC: Never bothered with since I considered it a little pointless. But now I guess I should start to considering things... *Cough*ShouldBeObviousWhy*Cough*... *QAAM'ed*)

Edited September 7, 2011 by Acacia Sgt

[Phoenix]

Raquel

"I know that whatever happens to Siv isn't really any of our concern, but she's not a faceless monster or anything. She's just a kid. I've met human beings far worse than her at my old school, forget the people trying to kill us now." Raquel replied with her head down. "I just don't like to see people mistreated when they didn't do anything to deserve it. Siv's being bullied right now because of what her sisters did to try and save her. It just seems wrong to me ..."

New Items!

Leather Padding(don't ask)

Robe

Cursed Weapon

Grenade

Imbued Weapon

Short Spear

Short Axe