Return of the Emblem Chapter Eight: Affairs of the World

[Mercakete]

"That is something we will probably look into later. For now, though, remain alert. Everyone is relying on each other," Cecelia quietly advised the armored soldier.

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

<"I will do my best to help his recovery."> Daichi responded to the doctor with a polite, small bow before turning his attention to Katsu with a friendly smile. <"Hello, Katsu-san. Are you ready to leave? We won't stop until we reach Kosato, after all."> he replied.

[Snowy_One]

"Then I am trying to not be a nasty nagger woman to him." said Robin, doing her best to figure out what the proper word would be. She reached out her hand and put it on Raquel's shoulder. "He needs some time alone. I have been in such moods before. When the mood has passed I will go to him. We have a long journey ahead of us anyways and this heat will make his mood worse." she said before turning to head into the Dauntless.

"Oh. I borrowed a cloth from the Dauntless to cover the hole in my shirt. I can not read the common labels, so I do not know what it is for, but I will replace it as soon as I mend the hole."

[Phoenix]

Dauntless

It was obvious enough that Bert needed space, and Raquel was just thankful that he had a mount. That meant that he was more difficult to bother during trips. He would definitely getting his space. Next Robin mentioned the cloth she had used to cover the hole in her shirt. Raquel had already recognized it the first time Robin showed up and grimaced at the reminder. "You know, I could fix that hole with enough free time. Especially if it keeps people from tearing covers in the Dauntless." she said to the archer.

"You do that?" Gabbie asked, becoming curious.

"This is one of only two outfits I own. I would be in serious trouble if I couldn't mend them to look brand new. I try to present a certain image while negotiating with other merchants and dealers." she explained to Gabbie.

Cavern

"Right! Sorry." Amber apologized before putting her shield back up and standing by the mage. They found a mine of their own soon when the mage managed to set one off. Amber put up the shield but there wasn't much she could block in the end.

The mage coughed as the dust cleared. "The mines are so infrequent ... I doubt they have very many ... that or the traps aren't placed regularly throughout. My best guess." the mage noted before continuing to shoot for mines with small thunder shots.

Fortress

Katsu nodded. <"I'm ready."> he replied simply, ready to follow Daichi out, but first he turned toward the doctor/receptionist person and bowed deeply. <"Thank you so much for your hospitality.">

<"Make it count. Don't kill yourself just trying to keep in shape.">

[Snowy_One]

Robin shrugged. "I can do it on my own. I have had to mend my clothes for years now as making new ones takes a lot of time and hide. I just needed something to not appear immodest for a bit."

[Phoenix]

Raquel

"I haven't had to mend my own clothes, but it's definitely saved money. I don't mind you fixing your own clothes, but I don't want random things torn up in the meantime. I'd actually be mad if I couldn't reattach that piece myself and had to put an ugly patch over it." Raquel explained.

[Mercakete]

Cecelia didn't think saying anything to either coment was necessary. The mage was already doing what she would've told her to do and Grace had corrected her mistake. For now, she just wanted to quietly observe. If no mines were going off, then they didn't have to alert the bandits to military presense, after all. ... Maybe that was worth mentioning. "Keep your voices down when you do speak. Be silent otherwise. These bandits probably know who and where we are, but if we can cause them any doubt or worry, then we will," she quietly instructed her group.

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

A short walk later and the two Kigenese men were riding the passenger wagon to Kosato. The ride was quiet for a short while -- Daichi was relaxing, enjoying the ride, but then he decided to start asking questions. <"So, Katsu-san... Is 'Katsu' your family name or your given name?"> he began the light conversation.

[ReformBlade]

It was an odd feeling, time flying by so quickly. Before Aneda knew it, the battle had stopped and there were people talking normally. Normal enough for the group, anyway. Hannah seemed to be in good shape upon closer inspection, nothing to worry about there. The pegasus knight examined the cut to her leg from that goddamn thief. Aside from the tear in the pants, it doesn't hurt, no sting or pain, like it never even happened. The wonders of magic I suppose... She didn't even remember being healed, but Aneda wasn't going to question it, it just meant less thanks were needed. Her weapon received a healthy dose of blood from the thrusting, something Aneda smiled at. Makes it look menacing, not to mention I just don't want to bother cleaning it right now... Hoisting the weapon on over her shoulder, she didn't want to put it away for the time being. Adrenaline, or maybe just good old fashioned caution told her to do just that as she wandered over to a nearby Raquel. Mixed feelings entered her mind at the sight of Raquel. On one hand she had lied about her potential, and given the reactions that most people had, no one had else had known about it either. But... after being called out kinda she DID step up and give an effort, don't know if it was her best but I won't get greedy... With an air of indifference, Aneda sat on Hannah and listened to people talk for the moment. She was still a bit hazy from the fighting and the near death experiences. When am I gonna get paid...?

[Acacia Sgt]

<You'd think after the shout it was a big enough sign to leave him alone.> John thought. <But I guess having that to happen every single time it does may turn bothersome for some.> He shrugged. <Hmm, soon it'd be very dark. I guess... just in case...>

He then turned to where Gil was, still asleep, and approached him. ''Hey Gil, wake up.'' He called out.

Gil grunted, opening his eyes and raising.

''You'll get your proper sleep soon, but first, let's have a look around.'' He said before mounting. The wyvern grunted again, but took flight nevertheless.

[-Cynthia-]

Lysandra

"Learning is a lifelong process really," she said simply. I hope I will return in a few months...not returning at all would be rather sad. she thought to herself, frowning a little before remembering she still had customers in her house. "We could start as early as tomorrow if you like, unless you have arrangements that need to be made first. My schedule is rather flexible," she explained to Rodrigo and Cat.

[Phoenix]

Cavernous Conundrum

"A sneak attack? We already set off a mine, but I guess if they think it killed us, we've still got the jump on'em!" Amber said, louder than she wanted to in hindsight, but still not loud enough to travel very far. She quickly winced and cursed herself anyway. The mage continued sending out sparks for mines. A sneak attack wasn't going to work if they actually blew themselves up on a mine, after all.

Meanwhile in the left tunnel, Fletcher waited patiently for his group's mage to give the all clear. He was quite thorough it seemed. They weren't getting blown to steaming bits, so surely .... Another bandit showed up down the hall, apparently a scout, and then ran back into the shadows. Fletcher glared. "Hurry it up. If he's not trying to kill us, then he's giving the others a report. We need to hurry so they don't fortify their position."

"If I go any faster, I'll make a mistake, sir." the mage warned.

"Oh goooods, I can't believe this." he muttered. Risk a mistake and subsequent leg bombing, or risk running into a heavily fortified position and a well prepared and unknown number of enemies. Fantastic.

Recurring Reminders

<"Both, somewhat. Before I became a mercenary, I served under a warlord. Before that, I was a young man just beginning to train with the sword ... and who's only goal was to join the militia and protect the village. 'Katsu' ... my family name was always an inspiring title to me. When the demons came ... and my lord's men rescued me, I vowed to become the embodiment of it. I was just young and wanted the demons to quake in fear at the very mention of our name, but I had been responding to nothing else for so long ...."> he explained. <"My lord never learned my given name ... and after awhile, he stopped wondering. I ... have little use for any other name. It's been more than a decade."> he added, reluctant to be more specific at first. <"Kyou Katsu."> he finally answered after a pause.

Humble Home

"Tomorrow sounds wonderful ... and I'm sure Reina wouldn't have it any other way." Cat noted with a small smile.

Rodrigo finished off another scone while nobody was looking and chimed in again. "Okay, so let's talk about fees~"

[Mercakete]

"Not quite," Cecelia quietly explained, "If we can catch them off-guard, good. But I'm aiming to make them as nervous as possible. The less they know about us, the more fearful they will be and the more mistakes they'll make. Right now they have a terrain advantage and we don't know how many of them there are nor where they are hiding. We aslso don't know what sort of fighting styles or types of weapons we'll encounter. We need to give ourselves as many advantages as possible." Then, she adressed the mage, "Let me know when we can continue with a signal instead of with words."

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

It was meant to be a casual question, but Katsu elaborated more than expected. As he listened, Daichi understood just how serious the subject was and could tell that he'd just been privy to information Katsu normally didn't share. <"You have a valiant past. I am honored to have been told it. Both your story and you name, Katsu."> <I will call him by his chosen name. If he talks about it and uses it as little as he says, it would be traitorous for me to use it freely.>

[-Cynthia-]

Lysandra

"Sixty gold a week, including lunch provided every day. And yes, I can make more than scones," she said, laughing a little. Sometimes I feel a bit exploitative, charging these sorts of prices. Magic should probably not be the sole providence of the wealthy, but to provide specialized training and maintain a living these prices are necessary. At least "The Phoenix" should be quite affluent, so I doubt this will be a great burden.

[Phoenix]

Minesweeper

The mage in the center path continued to send out thunder bolts looking for hidden mines. The task was becoming so tedious and tiresome that she was starting to sweat. Nervousness about making a mistake had long passed. She was being too thorough to make any mistakes, but now she was just becoming exhausted.

"Are you okay?" Amber asked in as low a tone she could manage without whispering. She nodded a few times in reply. Immediately afterward, she sent out another bolt, and that one set off a mine, which set off several others, and the chain of explosions filled the tunnel with dust. The way ahead of them had partially collapsed, but there was still room for people to crawl through one at a time. When the dust cleared, Amber was on her rear with her shield lying beside her. "W-what was that? Were they trying to kill us and seal cut us off at the same time?"

"That would ... suggest there is another way out of this cave somewhere ... that or ... perhaps they're just stupid or in a hurry to place them." the mage suggested while panting and coughing.

Elsewhere in the right hall ... "What in the blazes?! Did one of the teams get blown to Aquila just now?"

In the left hall ... "Okay, that wasn't a good sound ...." Fletcher noted.

Road to Kosato

<"I've always ... felt somewhat guilty. Neither my former lord or Kai ever learned my name, and simply because I wanted to represent 'a whole' and not just myself. Three people have saved my life, at least one of them should know who I really am."> Katsu replied. <"I can't thank you enough, really so ....">

Enrollment

"It's a done deal, Lysandra! I can call you Lysandra, right?" Rodrigo quickly asked, hoping he hadn't been too forward by not sticking with surnames.

Reina meanwhile embraced Caterena saying "Thank you thank you thank youuuu!"

"You just be sure to study hard, okay?"

"I will!"

[-Cynthia-]

Packing Up

After the survivors had left, Nadya began her usual duty of looting the corpses, scaring away some vultures in the process. "Thanks for shootin' that vulture earlier Miri, most of the time I practically have to wrestle 'em to get them away," she said to the knight cheerfully as she grabbed some small and mostly empty sacks of coins.

Acceptance

"That's fine by me, I rarely go by my surname anyway," Lysandra said to Rodrigo. "Try to have Reina come by nine tomorrow; I like to get started early. I'll assess here and see how we should begin her education- then we'll see about taking materials home."

[Ether]

"Are they always like that?" Faatina asked, in regards to Robin and Norbert.

"Bert seemed like a nice enough man, if not a bit easily flustered... more than a bit actually..." Faatina noted, not really paying much attention at all to the superweapon talk, more due to the fact that the concept went a bit over her head due to lack of interaction with explosives than a lack of interest.

[Phoenix]

Dauntless

While Nadya looted, Luca sniffed around for anything she might have missed. She seemed quite thorough today ... that or these humans were flat broke to begin with. He wasn't finding anything useful, so he eventually gave up and resigned himself to following her around.

"Maybe? I guess so. I haven't seen them on good terms, but I haven't been paying attention, either." Raquel replied to Tina. "We should get ready to leave soon, though. We won't be able to cover much more ground before it gets dark and we are not camping out here."

House

"Nine it is." Cat affirmed.

"We should go celebrate or something." Rodrigo spoke up.

"Well alright but ... don't go overboard. You got talked into buying a house you never used until now, remember?"

"That's why you're here~" he defended with a compliment.

Trekking

Once the looting was finished, and the Dauntless packed with equipment, the group set out once again. They were only able to travel for a few more hours before the horizon completely disappeared and the cold set in. Sandrock and Riley had once again had enough traveling for the day, and so the Dauntless slowed to a stop without any prompting from Raquel. She simply sighed. "And we're camping here. Four miles from the battle is better than none, I guess ...." she announced, setting down the reins and leaning back in her seat. Another chilly night in the desert was making Sanctuary look quite appealing. Even Gabbie could be heard outside muttering to herself about it.

The next day got off to a lousy start when Sandrock got a little greedy with the water and drank far more of it than she was supposed to. Riley tried the same thing, and by the end of the ordeal, Raquel had only managed to save a quarter of that particular water container for the other animals. Sandrock and Riley had both had more than their fair share. Fortunately there was more than one, but resupplying in Port Temptress was no longer optional, it was mandatory.

When buildings began to become visible in the distance, Raquel leaned forward in the wagon in disbelief. The path Gabbie had recommended increased the odds of them overshooting the port city, but what the lancer hadn't counted on was the bad terrain near the mountains. The detour Raquel took around it put them close enough to the port to spot it before passing by. Not quite a miracle, but they could have had a worse outcome. There were a few caravans going to and from the port city, and there seemed to be just enough guards to keep the peace, and that was it. Once Sandrock and Riley could feel their hooves on hard stable road again, they picked up their pace and began trotting. "So this is probably somewhere we would have seen first if we hadn't taken the route through that purgatory place ... hmm."

OoC:

Welcome to day 29, the day in which nothing special happens.

Edited March 22, 2012 by Phoenix

[-Cynthia-]

Veronika

"We probably wouldn't have been here at all if it hadn't been for that purgatory place- we didn't really have a reason to come here," Veronika pointed out. "I wonder where we go to request passage on a passenger ship- the docks maybe?" she suggested.

Nadya

Maybe I could find a seller here, from what Haythem said Rex-Avaz doesn't seem to have anythin' for or against dragons. Then again, I might not have time to line up a fair price before we ship out to Ursium. Hope we end up in Skotia soon, heard they're dragon lovers over there. Maybe I'd even sell it to a dragon. she thought to herself, snorting at the thought.

Connor

Progress on the suit was coming along nicely, partially due to the lack of requests from Raquel's band. He had finished the main body of it already, but needed some advice.

"Gabbie- do you think I should make a helmet and greaves too? It's already getting kind of heavy, not sure how protected I'll be if I can't even move," he said to her.

[Acacia Sgt]

Good for them, they made it to port just the next day. Even better, without more resistance along the way.

<Soon the port, then to the sea.> John thought. <We'll be out of the desert, and into the ocean. Well, at least we'll get back to Ursium faster and without having to cross Kigen. If that's how they acted in Sanctuary then I wouldn't like to see them in Kigen proper.> He shook his head.

------

''Or perhaps sooner, if we hadn't ventured deep into the desert.'' Sophia said. ''We could've just followed the coastline.'' Though, it turned out for the better this way I'd say, despite things.

[Mercakete]

As the wagon pulled into the port town, Gytha, who'd been lounging boredly inside the wagon, suddenly perked up. After a pause, she hurried out of the still-moving wagon and climbed up onto its top, where she stood, immediately lighting up. "HehARRRR!! We're here, we're here!" she half-laughed, half-sang as she began to jig atop the Dauntless in glee.

"Hey, stop making a specticle of yourself," Norbert half-heartedly advised. Gytha's sudden exit from the wagon had startled Rizen, who was trotting alongside the wagon, but it wasn't any more than that. Plus, Norbert was in a fairly good mood about being out of the desert proper. The climate was cooler here already and being in this town meant they were a little closer to being out of Rex-Avaz. Perhaps what was the most relieving was how normal this place was. There was no self-righteous vasilus ruling it and making it sickeningly gaudy. It was simple and though imperfect, it was still good which was like a breath of fresh air.

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

Right after the explosions, Cecelia did a quick headcount to make sure everyone was alright. "Well, any mines ahead sound to have made themselves go off. Grace, keep your shield up. I'd like you to investigate. Is our path blocked? Is there any way to keep moving forward? Go find out and be careful of falling debris," the captain ordered. To the mage, she said, "Rest a little; you have the time to do so."

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

<"Don't worry about that,"> Daichi waved it off, referring to when he'd rescued Katsu, <"I was concerned for you so it would have been more trouble to ignore your situation. I'm only sorry I did not arrive sooner. If I had, then I might have been able to help you fight those demons."> He decided to change subjects, <"Since I know your names now, however, would you rather I call you 'Kyou' or 'Katsu'?">

[Ether]

The first night spent with the odd group was rather uneventful, though after the long day's fight, it was not unwelcome. When they set out again in the morning, Faatina was surprised it took her so long to catch up with them the first time. The mounts they employed aside from those who took to the sky were noticeably less amiable with the desert sands than Sharif, and she found herself travelling at a remarkably slower pace than she had been when solo.

If she had learned one thing from this group already, they had not come prepared for the desert. They were not equipped to deal with the harsh change in temperature from day to night, amongst other things. It seems Raquel's assessment was

dead on, in that they seemed to be quite a ragtag bunch, without a whole lot of cohesion to be found.

But they managed to hold together, somehow. Faatina was impressed by that fact, and they seemed to have a strange, yet still enviable bond built between their ranks. She dwelled on this as they rode into the next day, without much consequence until the sun was high.

Then the city came into view. It looked rather unimpressive compared to the cityscape of Sanctuary, but the sheer change was staggering. Though it was not what ultimately drew her attention though. The first thing was the feel of solid ground. That was enough for Sharif to give an appreciative whinny. Second was the water.

Faatina's face lit up at the sight of it. Norbert was close enough, and she actually knew his name decently enough, so it seemed he would be the victim of the sudden onslaught of her fanfare.

"Look, is that the ocean?!" Faatina pointed out gleefully, turning towards Norbert with an ecstatic grin.

"It's beautiful. I've ever only heard word of it from the rare bard to wander into Sanctuary, but it is even more amazing then they said it was!" She continued with delight, taking in the view of the beach and ports.

"I never thought I would get to see it with my own eyes~" Faatina concluded for the moment, clapping her hands together a few times happily.

[Snowy_One]

Robin sighed as she finished her work. Before her, in her lap, was her deerhide shirt with a new series of stitches in the hide where the arrow had pierced her yesterday. She had spent all morning repairing it using some cloth, she didn't know from where, to cover herself. She quickly pulled the shirt on proper and pushed the cloth aside as she looked out the front of the Dauntless.

"<The sea. Great. I'm going to be sick for the rest of the week at least.>"

Then Gytha's singing hit her ears.

"<A week and a day.>" she groaned as the horrid screeching caused pain. Peeking out of the Dauntless she turned her head in Gytha's direction.

"Be quiet!" she yelled out, wishing she could see the woman to throw the needle still in her hand at her.

Edited March 20, 2012 by Snowy_One

[Phoenix]

Dauntless

"Yeah, the docks are our best bet ... though I've got this feeling we might get directed to an office if they want passports." Raquel replied.

"Oh shit ... you think we moight all have to register?" Gabbie chimed in, worriedly.

"I would rather just pay someone to take us as far as they can and figure it out from there. If we all have to get passports, we're going to be here for ... well ... days, maybe even a week." Raquel explained. Then Gytha announced that they had arrived in a half sung manner. Robin was quick to try and shut the mariner up, but Raquel was more concerned with her safety. "Be careful up there, Gytha!" she called up, a few seconds after Robin.

Raquel seemed willing to jump right over the red tape if need be ... that was something to respect ... was she starting to like her? Ugh. Connor provided a welcome distraction by updating her on his progress and asking for advice. She was dumbfounded that he'd made the progress he had. "Helmet's a must, but you can cut back a bit on the thickness and weight with a deflective shape. Make the greaves too, but if it's easier to move without'em just don't wear'em all the toime. Iiiii guess I'll have to be good enough to get to you before anything REALLY bad happens, after all. If nothin' else, this should buy me some toime." she admitted.

Tunnels

"There's a small hole, Ma'am." a soldier said as he coughed. "Might not be entirely stable, though."

When Cecelia told her group's mage to take a break, she nodded. "Okay, sir ...."

"Heeeeey!" a voice from somewhere beyond the rubble came. Following that were some rough noises, like bodies hitting and brushing up against rubble. It almost sounded like a struggle. "We surrenderrrr!" "Shut your damn mouth, no we don't!" another voice quickly cut in. "Let go of me, I'm not dying in here!" "Wrathdammit, man!"

"I guess they put too many mines down in one spot and buried themselves alive ...." the mage assessed, almost beginning to smile. She still looked tired, and her voice showed it.

Wagon

<"Whichever you prefer Daichi-kun. I won't be using my family name in the way I used to."> Katsu replied. I plan to get back at the demons ... but it's time I tried something else. Some other way ....

[-Cynthia-]

Catching a Ship

"Crossing borders illegally is bound to get us into trouble eventually. Of course I'm a hypocrite for saying that in the first place, I didn't even get to Sergio legally," she admitted afterwards. "Trying to get passports for everyone would be very time consuming and possibly very difficult- let's try to find a ship that will take us. Has to be pretty large though, especially if we want to bring the animals along," she said to Raquel.

"Bringin' the animals along isn't somethin' I wanna negotiate over, I'm either comin' with Luca or not at all," Nadya chimed in.

"Finding a ship large enough to hold us, on its way to Ursium and willing to accommodate animals and people without passports? We're going to need quite a stroke of luck here to leave quickly," Veronika noted.

Building a Suit

"You know a lot about armor...wasn't expecting it since you don't seem to wear much," Connor said, giving Gabbie a critical eye. "This should protect me from most normal frontal assaults at least, but if someone strikes me from behind I won't be able to pick myself up off the ground," he said laughing a little.

[Mercakete]

"Aye, aye!" Gytha sang in reply to Raquel, continuing to hum happily to herself as she danced. "Th' smell o' th' sea! Been to long, me friend, aye!" she began to sing to herself giddy over having recognized the scent and the fact that they were almost to it. Either she hadn't heard Robin or hadn't cared. It was hard to tell.

Norbert was slightly surprised that Faatina was talking to him again, mainly because he hadn't expected to be addressed. He listened to her excitement, though. "Hmm. I never thought about it as being all that special. I guess it is different, though," he replied, considering it, "I've never seen it either. It looks a lot like that river we crossed before, though: a lot of water in one place. Doesn't look nice to fly over for a long stretch of time, though. There's nowhere to land..."

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

"You do realize that if you surrender, we can dig you out of there, don't you?" Cecelia asked whoever was behind the rubble as she walked towards it, staying out of line of the hole in case they had ranged weaponry on the other side.

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

<"Since you're used to it, I think I'll keep calling you 'Katsu.' Besides, if your given name is such a secret, I don't want to give it away,"> Daichi relied, <"But on to other things. You know, you are going to have to take it easy while you are still recovering. If you strain yourself then you won't be able to fight as well. However, I won't make you do nothing but rest either. I think you need to keep your body in shape, too. When you fee up to it, I could practice with you, if you'd like. I warn you, though, I may prove to be somewhat of a challenge, so be careful not to strain yourself.">

[Ether]

"It is so beautiful, though. Deep navy blue so far as the eye can see, ever shifting, ever changing... it's a lot like the desert, in a peculiar way... though the ocean is much more pretty." Faatina replied, taking a moment to sniff the air after hearing the dancing pirate's remark.

"It smells like salt... though it's subdued... more than anything it smells fresh, it smells clean... not like the desert at all... everything just gives off the smell of something left to bake a short while too long..." Catching the fact that she was referencing the desert every few seconds, which was surely something the group was looking forward to leaving behind, Faatina shook her head slightly.

"But it looks like she is even more excited to see the ocean than I." Faatina said, gesturing towards Gytha with a giggle.