Return of the Emblem Chapter Six: Enemies Abound

[Snowy_One]

At the mention of the name, Robin became interested. The matters of nobility, especially the nobility of a country that was not Neviskotia, were distant at best to her, but if Connor was the nephew of the owner of this estate, then he was family to Raquel possibly.

"You are a Weyland?" asked Robin, tilting her head to one side curiously. "Are you a cousin to Raquel then? You can call me 'country girl' by the way if it helps. I like that nickname. I assume this home has been in your family for many years. It must have been made by many good craftsmen. One must have been skilled in 'confusing hallways'."

[Acacia Sgt]

After traversing through the hallways, the duo finally reached the dining all, and stopped at the sight that greeted them.

<Hm? It's the Fallen from before.>

I-is that a-a... Fallen!?

[-Cynthia-]

Connor

"Cousins? The Weylands and the Valcyns aren't related as far as I know. As for the estate, it was actually built fairly recently. Most Ursian noble families have been around for generations, but Uncle's inventions make him...an exception I guess. The hallways aren't supposed to be especially confusing, but there aren't a whole lot of hallways out in the country I guess," he said to Robin.

Veronika

Veronika found it a bit odd that she was in accordance with the Fallen prince on the nature of love, thought the candid talk of fratricide was still somewhat distressing. "So why do you want to kill your brother anyway? It doesn't seem like Fallen always want to kill their siblings, Siv's sisters seemed quite willing to protect her," she asked of Steinn, still a bit confused on the whole matter.

[Snowy_One]

"Oh... I see." said Robin, looking down at her bear, embarrassed at the accidental statement. She had lived a quite life in Ohka, a place in which there were no bigname families and such. Family was important, but kept within a small group. Though she hated Ursium... it... wasn't like that.

"I am sorry. I did not know. I am not the sharpest tool in the quiver." she knew it was a self-putdown, but she was really hoping that, instead of laughing at her, he would take the time to either explain it to her, or ask her what she really did know to see how smart she was. She looked up from the bear to the book Connor was reading, unable to make out the letters from her poor angle, and probably wouldn't have been able to anyways.

"You are a mage? Like Shade drake?" she asked, curious.

[Phoenix]

Sibling Rivalries

"Noted." Gabbie replied to Shadrak dully as she lied down on the table a little bit.

"The short answer to that is 'I don't want to die.' The long answer is the Slaughter of Siblings. It's a very old tradition, and there's one coming up ... soon enough. Normally fallen don't have siblings to begin with. If they do, then they're probably from a very strong clan. The Imperial family, however ... is quite unique. All of the Emperor's sons have a claim to the throne, and so generally only one is allowed to live. Immediately following the death of the emperor, the surviving sons will entire a battle royale called 'The Slaughter of Siblings'. All brothers go in, only one comes back out and is immediately crowned emperor of Corvus. The royal family is the only one that adheres to the tradition in this way. Frankly, we're the only ones that need to. Other positions of power can easily be decided in some form of competition; 'generals' are replaced all the time, after all. Emperors are not so easily replaced and their position is the most important. Emperors being constantly challenged is too troublesome a prospect to allow room for. Even a passive joke about becoming emperor is grounds to kill, nowadays. Only a prince can survive such a boast." Steinn explained. "There have been ... a few very rare cases with more than one prince surviving, however that only occurs in the event they escaped the trial, altogether. There is however, no greater disgrace a fallen can bring upon himself or those that follow him."

Sibling Arrivalries

The small fallen group had come to the tree and began settling in when a pegasus rider came down to speak with them. The mention of Norn's name put them all on edge. Norn herself flinched hearing her name in that foreign land. <"What did he say?"> she asked Runa.

<"He's ... asking for you by name ..."> she replied, looking a bit confused, herself.

<"That doesn't make sense. How would anyon- ... maybe they interrogated Siv? No she's tougher than that, and I don't see why I would come up in place of brother, anyhow."> She said before handing the rabbit to Runa and giving the pegasus rider a murderous glare.

"What ... languages do you speak?" Runa asked him.

[Mercakete]

"I only speak Common, but I can read both Common and Ursian," Norbert replied to Runa. The tension in the air only made him even more sure that this was the group of Fallen he'd been looking for when he set out a few minutes ago. "That's probably not important, though. You can understand me well enough, I'd bet." Then, he returned his gaze to who he was sure was Norn: the one with the dark wings. "Believe it or not, I came to warn you." Where should I begin?

[Zsword]

Shadrak looked at Gabby with an almost disapointing stare, the fact she was SO bummed by this new development was rather... odd, improper? He didn't know how to put it, turning back to the star of the show however, with notebook and quill in hand as he began to idly scribble down notes on the various things Steinn was saying. "Is there a sort of, sign of office, that the Emperor recieves upon killing his brothers?" Shadrak asked as he wrote, he really didn't expect there to be one, the Fallen didn't seem like the kind of people that would waste resources on such trivial baubles.

[Phoenix]

Inheritance

"Well there's the crown, though I seldom see my father wearing the thing. Probably easier to keep from losing it in a battle, that way. The emperor has many possessions and they are all passed down to the new emperor upon his death. There aren't any other 'items' that come with the position."

Other Stuff

<"He only knows common. He said something about a warning. Warning us. I'm not sure if he's an admonitor or not."> Runa said with a grimace to Norn. <"Does that mean I'm on translation duty?">

Norn ignored Runa and approached Bert, her expression not changing much. She stopped less than a foot away from him. She was around Siv's height, but for her it changed nothing. "What do ... you want, human?" Norn said in a very threatening voice.

More Other Stuff

Amon and Gytha made it back to the guest rooms and Amon placed the music box in the room he was using before stepping back out into the hallway to meet Gytha. "Off to the dining room, then?" he asked.

[Mercakete]

"Aye," Gytha replied as the two began heading in that direction out of pure chanse.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Does the name 'Steinn' mean anything to you?" Norbert asked, suddenly unsure if the prince had used his real name or not.

[Phoenix]

Roadside

Norn's eyes widened for only a split second before she grabbed Bert by the collar, yanked him down to her level and called Runa over. <"Translate that! Now!">

<"He mentioned someone by the name of Steinn. Not sure if he means your brother or not, but how many people carry that name?">

<"I don't ... know how to say it!"> Norn yelled, looking away from Bert for a moment.

"Uh ... how do you know ... name-no! 'that' name?" asked Runa. Meanwhile the blanket began to come off and Gunnar and Loki emerged. <"Who said, you two could come out?">

<"We were quietly debating that since this one arrived."> Loki said gesturing toward Bert. <"Gunnar won ... somehow.">

Dining Hall

When the two arrived, Amon was surprised to see Steinn there still. "Is he talking with the others?"

[Zsword]

Shadrak glanced over to Amon and Gytha as they arrived, gave them a friendly wave, and continued on with his scribbling. "So, how much of this conversation have I missed?" He asked the group, not really bothering to look up from his paper.

[Acacia Sgt]

<Looks like they're in conversation.> John thought. <Well, I guess I can leave them be...> Just then he felt something tugging his arm. <Hm?> He turned to see Sophia behind him.

<Why is she... oh.> ''You had no idea?'' He asked.

''W-well, I just came here recently.'' She explained. Why would the professor have a Fallen in the manor?

''Let's just go and sit down.'' John suggested. ''If something bad were to happen, I'm sure it would have already happened.''

''I-if you say so...''

[Mercakete]

Gytha sat down at one of the tables, thinking about something she'd like to eat. She was having a craving for it currently: soup in a bread bowl. It was more of a treat back home and was both satisfactory and absolutely delicious.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Whoa--!" suddenly, he was being pulled down by the collar of his tunic. Uncomfortable with this awkward posission, Norbert slipped off of Rizen's back and pressed his palm against her snout to try to stop her from attacking Norn as he knew she was about to. The pegasus whinnied, stomped and snorted angrily, but could tell she was supposed to be civil, presently. She'd just have to watch these winged people carefully.

The two alone had been cause for care, but then it was revealed that there were two more Fallen with them. For a moment, Brynhildr and Svanhildr's sheer power flickered in Norbert's memory, but he shook it off. He had to focus on what he was trying to acomplish. "I spoke with Steinn. He's trying to lure his brother here. The kidnapping was a trap and capturing you is what he called an 'extra step.'" What else did he mention...? "Apparently there are runes or something scattered around the building over there. That's where he's waiting." What was that Fallen kid's name again? He pictured Siv as he tried to recall her name.

Edit: Typo'd Svan's name. Fixed it.

Edited October 24, 2011 by Mercakete

[Phoenix]

Dining Hall

Amon sat down by Gytha and they were soon met by a waitress. So were John and Sophia by that time. Both said the same thing ... and oddly enough, at the exact same time, and in the exact same tone of voice. "What can I get for you two?~"

"Uhhhmmm ... I'm not sure what I want. I guess I'm not hungry enough to have a preference just yet. I will take some apple juice, though ... if you have any."

Roadside

Norn waited. She waited and examined every image in Bert's thoughts that came up, trying to make sense of it all. It was a long minute, but eventually she felt that she understood the situation and released Bert before taking a couple of steps back. She shook her head repeatedly as if rejecting the information. <"Steinn ... no, not here ... ... we ... we need help."> she said in Kigenese.

<"The man must be masking. I can't sense him. It sounds like the entire place may be rigged, though ... and if Steinn is there, we don't have much of a chance. What do we do, now?"> asked Runa.

<"I can't ... I can't fail my mission. We have to get Siv out of that place and back to Corvus.">

<"Lord Valdimarr didn't know his brother would be here in person. He would have gone himself if that was the case.">

<"Dammit ... this can't be happening! If we try to rescue Siv directly, Steinn will crush us, and I'll be a disgrace if I go back empty-handed. Brother will ... n-no, I can't let that happen! We need a new plan ..."> Norn said as she began pacing.

Runa held her head down a bit, unsure what to do. Norn did as well, a second later, and next was Loki. Gunnar did not join in, however, for he was busy keeping an eye on Bert throughout the argument. <"Hey ... why don't we use him?"> he spoke up, pointing to Bert. All eyes immediately went to him.

"You!" Runa called him. "You ... return Siv ... then we leave. Do this ... and you and other humans will ... be spared. <I think I said that right.">

[Mercakete]

After about a minute, Norn let go of Norbert and he could straighten up again. Bert contemplated leaving then and there, but he wanted to make sure the Fallen decided to leave. For a while, the winged monsters talked among themselves. Apparently, the information he'd delivered was game-changing to quite the serious degree. They thought for a while and Norbert began to wonder if they were going to still try to attack Weyland's. Then the ugliest among them pointed to him and said something that apparently caught everyone's attention. Uh-oh. What are they all looking at me for? The answer came speedily from the one with the brown feathers.

"All we have to do to be safe from you four is stay in the mansion with Weyland and Seinn," Norbert scoffed, moving his fingertips to the grips of his maces. The movement was hardly noticable since his arms were already crossed and it was more of a subconcious motion than anything planned. Though he was acting like he wasn't concerned, he was a bit nervous. "Besides, I don't think I'd be able to do that even if I was dead-set on it. If you still want to try to get her back, then go on and try. It'd probably be smarter to go back, though, from how nervous you all look about this. I warned you about the trap already, which is something I didn't have to do. You should be grateful for that much. What you do now is up to you, but don't try to involve me in any more of it."

With that, he moved to remount Rizen and get the heck out of there, though in such a calm way that it seemed more like he'd simply lost any interest in hanging around to the casual observer.

OoC: Note: I did not say he actually mounted Rizen/left yet. (If that had been my intent, I would've written it that way, but that wouldn't be any fun fair to the person I'm rping with.)

~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Bread bowl clam chowder!" Gytha happily ordered, "With a celery spoon!"

Edit: Added Gytha.

Edited October 24, 2011 by Mercakete

[-Cynthia-]

Connor

"It's ok, everyone makes mistakes sometimes," he replied to Robin, shrugging. "A mage...not sure I would call myself that. I do use magic do to transmutations, but it's not in as much of a direct sense as the combat mages in our group. Improving an object's physical properties is a useful asset in battle though, even if I'm not setting them on fire directly."

Veronika

Veronika pondered over Steinn's reply before responding. "Doesn't it bother you though? Having to kill your own brothers for the sake of some tradition? I don't know much about this 'Valdimarr', but he is related to you. To turn on a family member like that...it is not something most humans would do lightly," she remarked.

[Acacia Sgt]

''Hm, I'll go for some chicken.'' John said. Afterwards, he turned to face back to the conversation. <Meanwhile, just what are they talking about...?>

''I want a salad, please.'' Sophia ordered. Like John, her gaze then turned to the talking group, mainly on Steinn though. Did the Professor made some sort of deal with that Fallen? This gives such a bad feeling.

[Zsword]

Shadrak chuckled a little at Veronika's response, leaning onto the table top as he idly popped his neck, temporarily halting his quill scratching. "I think it's a noble thing, I've heard more than a couple tales from all the nations about killing fathers and brothers to get in power, sometimes leading to local wars, almost like some sort of gang war, not to say all nobles are like that, just that it's not unheard of... I wouldn't be suprised if that was actually something the Fallen picked up from the humans, perhaps." He said in response, turning to Steinn for his thoughts on the matter.

[Phoenix]

Roadside Tension

A slight twitch of Norn's eyelid was the only sign something was about to happen before a violent dark pulse tore her dress to shreds and threw the tiny bits to the wind. As the dress disappeared, Norn's regular assassin attire was revealed, as well as several brutal looking weapons; two heavy knives with tonfa like grips and a blunderbuss with blades on its barrel.

"Sparing you humans is ... courtesy. Steinn will save you-will NOT save you! Will NOT! Chikusoooo! ... help us, and we leave." Runa said to Bert, getting frustrated at her blatant error.

<"A human has no right to refuse a Princess of Corvus. Don't make a mockery of me, humaaan!"> Norn growled at the pegasus rider.

<"I don't think he understood that, Princess ...">

<"Translate!">

"Do not ... mock Princess Norn. Help us, and we leave." Runa added.

Dining Hall ... Stuff

After hearing Shadrak's take on the sibling rivalries as well, he shrugged to both him and Veronika. "We can't all have loving families. Sovereigns aren't meant to have it easy. From the time we're intelligent enough to be taught how to fight, we're thrust into fierce competition with our brothers. Every possible avenue of hatred that could be fostered eventually is, and we know from as early as we are able that only one of us has any right to live, and that's the strongest. You can entertain the thought, but it's difficult to have outgoing care and concern for someone who wants you dead, even if you are related." he explained. "... I don't think Valdimarr seducing my favorite Finnian is helping to mend that rift between us, either." he added with a casual grin. Fallen upbringing may have been a difficult subject, but Steinn was certain a simple concept like competition over a woman would be easy enough to grasp.

"What's she see in Valdimarr?" Asked Gabbie, seeming perfectly fine by that point.

"Power. Svan has a terrible weakness for sheer power, in whatever form it takes ... not unlike your weakness for 'leaders.'" he replied with a larger grin than before.

"... heh." Just play it off, you are not an open book.

"I pray she never meets a god or some other incomprehensibly powerful being ... I might never get her back if something like that ever happened." he added, almost breaking into a chuckle. Gabbie snickered just thinking about it, having forgotten her own embarrassment for a moment.

Meanwhile Amon thought about Gytha's order and was so confused, he ended up keeping the waitress waiting while he asked about it. "Hold on one second, please. A ... bread bowl? Celery spoon? Is this like ... silverware but ... food? Foodware?" The waitress nodded while covering her mouth to clumsily disguise a giggle. "I'm confused here."

The other waitress took the orders and said "Alright, I'll be back soon with your orders. Just have a seat wherever you're comfortable~" before heading off to the kitchen.

[Snowy_One]

"You use magic, that alone is impressive." said Robin with a small smile. "And it sounds like you are a skilled craftsman who merges metals together, so you are very valuable. Much better than the people who constantly try to sell me iron weapons when they do not know who made it."

It was an odd thing for Robin to be talking to someone, a Ursium person at that, and not feel intruded upon. Though the group had treated her well, she had largely been on the defensive from the moment she had joined, struggling to keep her grounding... and being shot for it in the process.

"I am sorry, that must sound odd to you. Especially coming from the rock-shooting girl. You are impressive though, being able to use magic, even if it is not for combat."

[Mercakete]

"HAHAHARR! Aye, celery's already spoon-like, so usin' one fer that perpose makes more meal an' less dishes! Th' bread bowl's usula on a plate or in a bowl its self, though, just in case th' soup spills out. It's th' most expensive meal at me mother's inn since it takes up th' most materials t' make, so I didn't get t' eat it very often. A round load o' bread's hollowed out and ye put soup in it. Ye get th' part that was emptied out o' the bread bowl, too, and ye can use it as a lid or just eat it. Celery spoons aren't usula used since it's hard t' keep th' soup in 'em, but if ye learn how, it makes th' meal even better!" Gytha cheerfully explained to Amon.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Why do I always get myself into trouble? Norbert sighed as the thought crossed his mind. He looked over the four Fallen, making a quick and obvious observation. Yeah, if it came to a fight, I'd lose. Flight isn't an advantage for me either since they all have their own wings. Humans can't outrun horses, so maybe Fallen can't outfly pegasi... I don't want to risk that, though.

"Look, I'd love to help you get Siv back but I can't. As in I'm unable to. That's Weyland's place over there and he's already said that Siv isn't allowed outside of it. She'd just be recaptured if I even got her that far. It'd be wasted effort. You're better off just leaving now or figuring out some other plan," he replied with a bit more respect than before, though he was still within his defiant norm.

[Phoenix]

Dining Hall

"Hmm, well I'm too curious now not to try it. I'll have one too." Amon said before turning back to Gytha and giving her a nervous smile. He was hoping he would like it at least half as much as she did, but wasn't whether or not that would be the case.

"Alright then, two bread bowl soups coming right up~" the waitress said before heading off to the kitchen.

Roadside Shenanigans

Runa looked to Norn while still holding the rabbit. <"He really doesn't want to help ..."> she said with a frown.

<"I know, and I don't care. He's the only one we have access to, right now."> Norn shot back. <"... I have a plan."> she said to the other three fallen before looking to Bert. Norn held out her hand, palm facing the sky. A small, barely visible maelstrom of dark energy appeared. The energy eventually coalesced into a pitch black sphere. <"Tell him to find Siv, and then bring her to the nearest wall or window that faces the outside."> she ordered.

"Uh ... you will ... find Siv. Bring her to wall or window ... close to outside. We will take her, and leave." Runa explained as simply as she could. Not giving time for an answer, Norn slammed her open hand into Bert's chest, painfully forcing the dark mass into his body.

<"I'll know where you are, human."> she said in a threatening manner, looking him dead in the eyes.

"We ... will know where you are. Go find Siv." Runa translated.

[Zsword]

Shadrak looked down at the table. "Power..." he said, bringing one hand up. "Lust for power..." he idly began to flex his hand, clenching and unclenching his fist, the light around it bending slightly, clearly indicating that he was manipulating minor magics. I know what that's like, wanting more and more... that's why I started this quest of mine... an item so powerful to kill a god? It must be mine, I'm the only one in the world who deserves it... Shadrak looked up and glanced around the room, looking at the small handful of people that was with the group. Though, now that I've seen the effects it's caused, I'm not even sure if I want it anymore... if anything... I'm not sure if anyone deserves it...

[Mercakete]

"Heheharr ye look a bit nervous, Amon. It's just food," Gytha laughed a little, glad for how lighthearted she was feeling at the moment. No one was trying to kill them, she was sitting with a good friend and they were quietly waiting to eat. It was pretty serene, especially compared to the adventures they'd been going through up till now.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It didn't look like the Fallen were about to leave. They didn't seem to care that it was impossible for him to retrieve Siv for them. Then Norn formed a spell. Bert eyed Norn's spell warily as it formed in her hand. Not good. Just what is she planning to do with that? Again, the answer came swiftly. The one with the brown feathers translated her princess' order, relaying their plan. It was much more doable than trying to sneak Siv out, but that observation didn't even have time to properly form in Bert's mind before the Fallen princess forced the spell into his chest....and it hurt like heck. His initial reaction was to cry out at the sudden pain and as he stmbled back a little, one hand gripping Rizen's saddle to catch himself and his other had snapped to his chest, feeling for any sort of damage he might've sustained or if there was some way to pull the spell out. It was futile, though an instinctive reaction. It had been a sudden, unexpected attack: one he hadn't quite braced for and he certainly hadn't been expecting it to be anything like it was: a powerful, dull pain that, for a moment, almost felt like the dark magic was crawling its way forcefully into his torso, hooking into his flesh and pulling its self along until it was settled. The spot where it'd entered throbbed a little and the pressure was still there, aching, though it felt like he hadn't actually been physically harmed.

The words following it were far from comforting. They would know where he was. Just what sort of spell was that? As he pulled himself back up to a balanced, standing position, rubbing his aching chest, Norbert angrily demanded, "WHAT THE HECK DID YOU JUST DO TO ME?!" Rizen was worried, nudging Norbert carefully with her nose. She knew he'd just been attacked and looked hurt, but he sounded panicked to her. Whatever'd just happened, she was trying to figure out if he was okay or not.

[Phoenix]

Roadside Preparations

Runa leaned away defensively when Bert shouted at them, but Norn just stood there eyeing him as before. "Go find Siv. Go. Go!" Runa demanded.

Norn, turning to the others said <"Gunnar ... we'll need a distraction for this. When he brings Siv to a location where we can break in, I'll need you to summon a dread from the sanctum.">

<"What?! I'm not powerful enough to control a dread! It'll attack anything in sight, including us!"> Gunnar protested, arms flailing.

<"We need something strong enough to keep Steinn busy while we destroy any runes preventing our escape. We'll fly south and try to get back home using the darkness as cover. You won't be able to control the beast, so we'll have to leave it and the humans to whatever fate awaits them, but so be it. I won't fail my mission, even if we have to loose a third class demon here."> she explained.

<"I'm not even sure if I can summon a dread from the sanctum ... and it'll bite my damn head off the first chance it gets ..."> Gunnar groaned in further protest.

<"Once it's even half way out, get away from it. Loki, it will be our job to secure Siv. Runa, you'll be our scout. If you see Steinn, don't fight him directly, but try to slow him down if you can do it without getting killed. I'll kill anyone who gets in the way. When Steinn shows up, we'll have to pull out, but not without Siv. Understand?"> The other fallen nodded in agreement.

<"What do we do with this little one?"> Runa asked, speaking of the rabbit she was carrying.

Norn took the rabbit and walked over to the blanket. She quickly put the blankets into the shape of a deep nest and placed the rabbit inside, being as gentle as she could. <"I'll get her on the way back.">

Dining Hall Preparations

"Hm?" Steinn uttered quietly, something having grasped his attention. ... she must have marked someone ... someone with access to this estate. That's a little odd ... unless she's learned of the runes and fears to tread inside. Either way, it seems it's time to get this over with. Oh dear little sister, please provide me more of a challenge this time. "It seems they're here ... if you'll all excuse me." Steinn announced, standing up from the table.

"Who's here?" asked Gabbie.

"The fallen who've been tracking you. None of you need fret over it. I can handle this on my own."

"... I still wanna watch." she said, fiddling with her hands a bit.

"Very well, but keep in mind, your group has a meeting soon, within the hour if I'm not mistaken." With that, he made for the exit, and Gabbie wasn't far behind.