Return of the Emblem Chapter Seven: Reunion

[-Cynthia-]

Selene

"Hmm, I think they would be better suited to infiltration than combat at least. They're fatigued and less experienced, organized and well-equipped then ourselves. I do need to speak with Miss Valcyn afterwards though, the information gathered during the capture could prove invaluable in uncovering the motive and identities of these assailants," she said to her troops.

Erica

"Yup. Patches was my former pegasus, took a ballista bolt to the wing and couldn't fly any more. So I decided to go on the ground instead, say hi to Norbert Patches 2!" Erica said cheerfully. The speckled horse paid no attention and decided to eat some grass instead.

"You seem a little tired...rough night?" she asked Bert, mildly concerned.

Clara

"He certainly doesn't look very intimidating, but battlefields are chaotic places. I hope nothing bad happens, without his contacts we'll be blindly searching this area ourselves...not very safe," she said to her sister.

[Psych]

Sirocco strolled over to the wagon. It seemed very impressive, with large turbines and strange equipment on the sides. It...seemed more or less the same as the one in her dreams. Though it was still different. Sirocco noticed a young man eating a biscuit, and waved over at him. "Excuse me kind sir, would you know the lady in charge of this company? I am looking for her, or an elderly man named Weyland. I must speak to them concerning manners of the goddess. I must aid in their divine mission. Is there perhaps a salty rough-necked woman with fiery hair, or a young archer with spectacles? I also would like to meet them."

[Mercakete]

"Oh, it's a horse. That's too bad about Patches," comented Bert before answering, "You could say that. Been riding all night and yesterday was hectic. I got a couple naps in yesterday, but the longest was about half an hour long. Not enough sleep at all now I have to rescue that overpricing, pink-haired, new boss of mine if I want enough money to feed myself and keep up on maintenance..." He was mumbling now, his eyes had closed and he was slowly falling forward onto Rizen's neck.

Then, some crazy woman with fake wings came up to them and asked him about people. That woke him up a little. He answered, "I don't care about Mercy's manners and our leader was kidnapped. We're on our way to go rescue her. I don't know about anyone with hair I'd call fiery except for Veronika who's right over that way. If you're talking about the pirate, Gytha, she's around I think. Weyland's back at his mansion. An archer with spectacles..." Like heck I'm sending this weirdo to Valter. "Not sure who you mean but there's an archer named Robin around here somewhere. She's a Skotian dragon-kissing nut with a cracked shell if you get what I mean."

Edited November 29, 2011 by Mercakete

[Acacia Sgt]

Seems she wasn't the only one. <Hm, and now who is this?> John thought. <Is she trying to pass up for an avian or something? Looks like something you'd see back in the festival.> He shrugged before resuming eating.

-----

It looked like they weren't the only ones on the road. Though the one that caught her attention more was the one in costume. Isn't that...? Sophia thought. This certainly was a weird sight.

[Phoenix]

Battalion and Wagon

"Right, then. I'll let them know what role they'll play in this." Altena replied before turning to head toward the wagon. Once she arrived, she spoke up. "Weyland Mercenaries! There's an update on the situation, so if you'd all gather around, I'll explain a few things for you!"

Hearing Altena's announcement and not having anything better to do, Amon decided to head on over, but he made sure to confirm that Gytha and Synthia were coming too. Gytha was in sight, but Synthia might have still been in the wagon. He went there first to check. He found her trying to sleep and wasn't sure what to do. "Um, Synthia? We're about to talk about the plan of attack ... I think. Are you awake?"

Peggies

"I'm not sure it would even be worth the risk if we didn't have him to send. I've got to wonder why the 'assassin' would even come to a place like this at all. Maybe he's only passing through ..." Cecily speculated.

Riding Gallantly To Urcenter

Simon rode to Urcenter, almost standing in the saddle as his horse galloped. He actually seemed like a skilled equestrian for a short while. The fact that he wasn't became apparent when he came too close to a tree and tried to steer his horse away via its mane rather than the reins. The horse neighed in protest and avoided the tree on his own. "Good horse. Smart horse. Now, let us continue on toward the great city!" he called out. As he continued riding, the city outskirts came into view. It appeared there were still some people in Urcenter, though he didn't expect to find anyone further in but the military. Not sure where to look, he began to slow down and think to where his contacts might be. He would need his notebook to check.

Suddenly a thunderbolt came crashing down almost striking him and his horse. The horse slid to a stop and Simon was thrown to the ground in a heap of dust. "

Confrontation With the Beast

"Hahahahahahaaaaaaah! Got him." came the deep voice of a dragon. The dragon stepped out into view and then grimaced at the sight of the roughed up man. "Damn. Civilian, again. Good thing I didn't go for a direct hit. This one's a fat one, too."

"My shoulder ... I've received a terrible injury ..." Simon muttered before climbing to his feet. "GAH!!! Back! Get back, evil dragon!"

"'Evil' dragon? Not this, again ... listen, fat one, I don't have time for the same silly, ignorant insults that I get from the commoners around here. To put it in terms you can understand ... 'shut up.'" the dragon shot back.

"J-just leave me be! Go away!" Simon yelled while flailing his good arm.

The dragon stepped closer and put his head down close to Simon, and with that face came a very perturbed glare. "I was here first. Why don't you vacate, hm?"

"Well I plan to, but you need to keep your distance. I'd hate for this to come to blows."

"Hahahahh--I BET YOU WOULD!" the dragon said with a raised paw threatening to swat Simon before pausing. Simon wasn't sure what to make of it. The dragon then poked his nose at him as if he was about to do something which caused Simon to flinch and cower. The dragon then rolled his eyes and took a few steps away from Simon and began looking around. "Well ... no signs of any reinforcements and if you're a messenger, you're already too late. I guess I'll let you go. You'd do well to avoid the city, though, fat one."

"I am the Darksider, not fat one, and you'd best remember that, foul beast!" Simon announced as he rose up.

"Don't push your luck, fat one. Now get moving." he ordered before returning to his pseudo hiding place behind a building nearby.

"Did you really have to pick on him?" a soldier asked the dragon quietly. He'd apparently been there around the corner the entire time, along with several others. The dragon shrugged a little. Different soldiers had different ways of dealing with boredom, it seemed.

[Mercakete]

And then the announcement. "I'd better hear this," Norbert sighed before returning his attention briefly to his sister, "We can talk more after this is over, I hope. I don't remember if you're a Wrathite or not, but if you are I have some things to ask you about." Still, he was wavering between asleep and awake.

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

Gytha saw Amon going over to get something from the wagon, or at least that's what it looked like he was doing. She simply walked over to listen to what their instructions would be. She also wondered if anyone had any food on them she could snack on. He stomach was waking up and she hadn't taken any sort of rations with her on the way out.

[Acacia Sgt]

<A meeting huh.> John thought. <Alright. With Gil asleep I don't really have much else to do. Besides, this is more important either way.> Finishing up the bread, he then went over.

------

Altena's announcement brought Sophia out of her focus on the newcomer. Oh, something happened? She thought before heading over as well.

[roymbrog]

“...Huh?” Synthia mumbled and moved her cloak off her face. There had been some noise oddly close to her; turned out it was Sammy. Why was she not surprised? “Not a good morning. Bad morning,” she grumbled. “Go away.”

It wasn’t long before Amon walked over as well. Great, more people to bother her. Did she really have to get up? Well, battle plans were pretty important... She sat up, eyelids drooping, and yawned. “I’m awake, but do I really need to be there for planning? It’s not like I’m vital to strategy or something...”

[Phoenix]

Amon

"Well you never know. It's not like we're planning a siege or anything. We're trying to rescue Raquel. Also if we need the wagon for this, you might want to know about it in advance, right? You wouldn't want me to come in here and tell you that you've got to drive the thing straight into the enemy ..." he trailed off. He wasn't sure if they would need the wagon or not, but it never slipped his mind that the thing was a light tank of sorts. That could come in handy for assaults.

[Zsword]

Krystal

The Avian was about to answer the archer, but then there was a call for the mercenaries to gather roung. "I think that's you miss... I'll tell ya later, okay?" She answerred with a friendly smile.

Shadrak

The shaman groaned as he got out of the wagon... they were gonna fight AGAIN? So soon after the most recent one? That was... that was... ugh... he joined the circle though, looking tired and pissed.

Zel

His stretches finished the knight joined the circle, stepping more towards the military end... he was one of the whites after all.

[Snowy_One]

"I am not a mercenary, but yes. I should." said Robin with a smile before heading off. Already people were starting to gather around for the announcement. She was not a mercenary. She would never truly demean herself to the level of someone whose loyalties were for hire. She was in this because she owed Raquel her life. However, a life-debt and tolerance of her fellow teammates were two different things. She suspected that, even if she WAS a merc, she would never get along with Norbert or Gytha for any amount of money, and thusly, stayed on the opposite side of the two as she joined the meeting. Instead, she came close to Shadrak, standing beside him as she awaited her orders.

[-Cynthia-]

Veronika

Veronika raised an eyebrow at the strange newcomer talking to Bert. So she's looking for us and apparently saw us in a dream? She seems like she's either delusional or is a poor attempt at a spy. The announcement to gather for a group meeting shifted her focus. The odd intruder could be dealt with later.

Erica

"If you're going to be fighting or running or whatever you can't be running around half dead," Erica said, looking Bert over. "Take this," she said, handing him a light stimulant from her horse. "That will give you a boost in energy for a few hours, though you'll come crashing down after that. Be careful Norbert," she said to him, before riding off to join her troop.

Nadya

She continued to sleep against Luca, who was a surprisingly effective and comfortable pillow.

Edited November 30, 2011 by -Cynthia-

[Phoenix]

Gather 'round

"Hmm ... still missing a few ..." Altena uttered, mostly to herself, noticing barely half of the mercenaries were present or coming. "Do we need everyone here before I begin explaining this, or are there enough that you can relay it to the rest later? We'll need to prepare quickly if we're going to catch the enemy off guard." she asked Zel.

Luca ...

... did his job.

[Mercakete]

"Thank you," Normbert mumbled as she rode off, in his state only having understood that if he drank this stuff he'd get more energy for a while. As he rode Rizen over to the gathering of his comrades, he decided to try the stuff. It was kind of like the red liquid he had in another bottle, but was far more diluted. Well, this should help me, right? I need to me awake for all this... So, he uncorked the drought and swallowed a fair ammount of it. His fuzzy prospective began to clear and within a few moments he was as alert as someone who'd gotten a full night's sleep. "Whoa!" he lightly, quietly exclaimed, blinking as his senses cleared. This is...really handy. I should keep the rest for later. Thank you, Erica. Man, I sure owe her for helping me out like that. If she didn't have this stuff -- what she call it? A light stimulant? -- then I would be worthless as anything but a human shield.

Ranyin was still dozing behind him and hugging his waist as he pulled up for the meeting. So, again, he prodded the mage, but spoke up to the military woman adressing Zel as though he were more important because of a milita-- no, he wouldn't think about that right now. "Just tell us what we're supposed to do and we'll drag the others along and tell them along the way. We've waited long enough," he voiced.

Gytha was distracted. She hoped Amon and Synthia would make it to the meeting in time...

[Zsword]

Zel

The knight looked around the party gethered so far, taking note of who exactly was there... and it was most of the group, and those who WEREN'T there were quick enough on the draw that explaining it to them wouldn't be challenging. "Yes Ma'am, There is indeed enough people in attendence that the message will be relayed sufficiently, Ma'am."

[roymbrog]

Synthia grimaced. Amon had a point. “Fine, fine,” she said and sluggishly got to her feet. She shook out her cloak and re-clasped it around her neck before trying to maneuver around the equipment and boxes. “I really hope they don’t need me for anything...”

-----

Valter had dismounted and stretched before joining the others who were to discuss the plan. Weary as he was, he really didn’t say or do anything other than retrieve some food from his saddlebags.

[Phoenix]

Briefing

Once he'd gotten Synthia up, he headed over to the gathering with her and gave a small wave to Gytha when they arrived. "Did we miss anyt-" "Alright, so here's what it's come down to ..." ... apparently they'd gotten there just in time; Altena was giving the briefing it seemed. "The enemy is currently inside Fort Danton. For those who don't know their history, it's an old fortress that was built to give local battalions a place to deploy from that would allow them to more easily intercept incoming Neviskotian forces during the Fifth Central Blitz. It was back when they controlled pretty much all of central Sardius and Europa was a feasible target. It's been abandoned for about fifty years now, so normally you'd only expect bandits to be holding up there, but it seems these bums are occupying it for the moment." she explained.

The fifth? Ursium and Neviskotia have been at each other's throats for a long time, I guess ... Amon thought to himself.

"Now the fort's old and it was designed to stonewall an attack from the north, east, or south. The west had an old supply road leading right to it and it was only minimally fortified for some reason ... probably fund cuts and priority shenanigans. Now that it's just a ruin, none of the directions are terribly dangerous to attack from ... but we're probably still going to hit them from the west, though. It makes things that much simpler. You people on the other hand are getting an assignment of your own. Our forces are going to draw them out of the fortress and get them nice and spread thin; you'll use the distraction to storm the fortress and rescue the hosta-err-Miss Valcyn while we capture or kill the enemies. There's little chance they'll all leave the fort just to fight us. They'll need someone to guard and possible move the hostage, so you'll have to be quick and lethal. Don't expect them to be bunkered down in some room trying to wait this thing out. Any questions?"

[Psych]

Sirocco wondered what the group was talking about. Who were these bandits? Did they related to the path the group was set on? Where was the woman who started her visions? Sirocco stood near the wagon, her eyes closed. She focused, blocking out the sounds of chatter and people talking. Hopefully she would receive a message from the goddess. She had come this far, but what was her next step?

[Acacia Sgt]

<So the situation has reversed basically. At least we aren't being used as the bait.> John noted. <Well, we might as well succeed like they did last night. Although, heh, we don't have someone capable to blast tanks and walls on our side.> He resisted the urge to laugh. <Well, we'll have to do without then.>

[Mercakete]

"Get going, then. Do your job so we can do ours," Norbert practically ordered Altena, in spite of his tone being oddly calm (though his glare sure wasn't.) He was more than ready for combat: he was itching for it. Either that or he was actually worried about Raquel's wellbeing. Either way, he was rubbing the grips of his maces between his fingers (though it wasn't entirely noticable since his arms were crossed) in anticiapation.

[-Cynthia-]

Strategy

"I think it would be better if we coordinated the order to leave, not you," the Major General spoke up, casting a disapproving glare in Bert's direction. "Also, once Miss Valcyn is rescued I will need to speak with her, preferably privately.

"What if you don't draw them out?" Veronika asked. "We'll be very exposed if we charge in there and they're waiting for us," she pointed out to no one in particular.

[Mercakete]

"What if she doesn't want to talk to you?" Norbert retorted to the major general, "Who knows what she's gone through? Her wellbeing takes priority; got it?"

[Phoenix]

More Strategy

Bert's back talking to the Major General was both amusing and distracting, but Altena didn't forget to answer Veronika's question about the infiltration. She was right, if the enemy did decide to bunker down it would be a game changer, but fortunately she had a plan for that, as well. "We've got a decent enough estimate of their numbers, so we know what signs to look for. I think the infiltration unit should take a different route to the fortress from us so you don't get caught up in all the fighting. Approach from the north or south. You only need to get close enough to see if they left to meet us in battle. If you see somewhere around thirty enemies engaged with us, that means the fortress probably only has about ten or fifteen people left inside at most. If you can't handle that many on your own, Weyland made a mistake recommending you." she answered. "There is a small chance that they've got more people than our estimate, but they would be insane to send out half their people to fight us instead of bunkering down or fleeing in all directions, so like I said, if a bunch of them come out to fight us, that means the fort's pretty light. If they don't come out, we're going to have to try something different."

"Are we going to use the wagon for this or are we going on foot?" Amon asked. Seemed his light prediction might come true after all, possibly.

"You could use it to carry your mountless units, but be careful, and make sure you can still get back out with it." she answered the Rexian while glancing over at the wagon. Something about it seemed odd, and not just the shape.

[-Cynthia-]

Plans

"I will be making the priorities here, not you. The discussion afterwards is non-negotiable," Selene said to Bert simply, considering the matter dealt with.

"If we're going for speed it would probably be better to use the wagon than running in. Better to get in and out quickly if we can. Besides we can always turn on those...shield things for protection I guess," Veronika remarked.

[Mercakete]

"Why? What makes your priorities so much more valid than anyone else's?" challenged the pegasus rider. They think they're so much better than everyone else. All of them! Well, they're not!