Return of the Emblem Chapter Eight: Affairs of the World

[Acacia Sgt]

And so they crossed the port, and into the docks. John and Gil landed near the Dauntless and the former dismounted from the latter.

<So, time to look for a boat huh.> He thought. <Hopefully it won't take long.>

-----

Sophia got out of the Dauntless. She turned to face in the direction of the water. The ocean, She thought. And soon my first time in a boat. Never thought I'd be on one until now.

[Mercakete]

So, now he was basically signed up to get cooking lessons from Faatina and hunting lessons from Robin. They would be skills he knew he'd be glad to have if he went back to his old life after this was all over and donewith. In no time at all, they were in the port city proper and soon by the docks themselves. Raquel stopped the wagon by a tavern. John landed close to the Dauntless with Gil and dismounted. Norbert dismounted Rizen, but didn't stray, and Raquel turned off the deflectors.

"So, what's the plan?" he asked Raquel as Gytha hopped off of the Dauntless to wait around for the answer she would give.

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

The axe was easysidestepped and immediately afterword, Cecelia lashed her whip at the bandit in an attempt to halt his progress with loading his pistol before he could get a shot off.

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

Daichi was somewhat surprised at the offer. <"You are our guest, Katsu-kun. You don't have to worry about offering your services,"> he replied, <"And as our guest, you should not have had to see that scene earlier. I'm sorry about that. Sumire can be a little strict at times and values tradition highly. She does mean well, but Hana and she...clash at times.">

[Phoenix]

Plans

"I don't actually have one." Raquel admitted with a shrug. "Not unless desperately searching for someone to give us passage counts as a plan, I guess. I consider it old fashioned begging ...." she added, sounding against the approach.

Plans

The bandit certainly didn't have one after Cecelia's whip collided with the pistol and his chest, jarring the other enough to spill powder all over it, and lashing the latter. He stumbled back now unable to load the pistol for a shot, and not sure he could reach any of the other weapons scattered about. He tried anyway and spotted another pistol. Just one shot! he told himself as he made a dramatic leap for it.

Plans?

<"I have spent my entire life pulling my own weight. It isn't a lifestyle I could put aside easily, even temporarily. Maybe I could help with something outside that wouldn't have Sumire and I running into each other very often? I wouldn't want to offend her. Speaking of which ..."> he paused to make sure he was ready to ask about this. <"Your daughter mentioned a Kikuko. Is she also your daughter?">

Edited March 21, 2012 by Phoenix

[-Cynthia-]

Entering Port...Please Stand By

"Well we don't have any contacts here that I know of...I can't really think of a better plan than soliciting random people with ships," Veronika admitted.

"Maybe someone will know Weyland Enterprises here?" Connor piped up from the back of the Dauntless. "Most of our business is in Ursium, but this port looks pretty busy...someone might have heard of it at least," he suggested.

"Ya always hand out free stuff to almost complete strangers?" Nadya asked of the new Rexian cavalier girl, raising an eyebrow at her. "Not that I'm complainin' if I'm gonna be part of your generosity, it's just a little odd."

[Acacia Sgt]

''So we just go asking around then?'' John asked. <Looks like it will be awhile before we leave after all.> ''So we should split up then?''

[Mercakete]

Gytha let loose a low whistle as she heard Raquel's plan. "Raquel, I should go with ye when ye look fer a ship. I'm a mariner, remember? I should be able t' help ye out, though I don't know if any o' th' ships 'round here has me records. Still shouldn't be that hard," Gytha replied to her leader.

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

After the lash landed, Cecelia dashed forward. The bandit made a desperate leap for another pistol, but Cecelia was already pulling out her sword. Not wanting to kill him, the captain slid, kicking away the weapon, looping her whip around the bandit's neck and pressing the blade of her sword to his throat. "Allow me to repeat myself: I am Captain Cecelia of Colonel Langley's Battalion. Surrender."

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

Daichi's mouth twitched into a deeper frown for a moment. <"Yes,"> he replied, pausing a moment before continuing, <"Kikuko-chan is my youngest daughter and only other besides Hana. She...has gone missing."> He loosed a deep sigh before continuing. <"Hana and Kikuko-chan have always been close. Whenever they go out into the fields to play or to gather flowers, they always go together. Hana was in Kosato when Kikuko-chan disappeared, however. She went into the fields to gather flowers for her mother -- Kikuko-chan has always been kind-spirited -- but she never came back. Hana searches for her, but hasn't been able to find her. I only found out about this from a letter I received from Sumire. Though I worry for my little daughter, I have no idea where she is or why she never came home. I cannot devote my time to tracking her down, either, as a member of the Firetusk. Honestly, I don't know what to do... I am her father and I desperately want her to be home and safe...but my duty is to the emperor and I cannot defy my station.">

Edited March 21, 2012 by Mercakete

[Snowy_One]

"Gytha is right. If you were going hunting for wildlife you would be a fool to not take a hunter with you. If you are hunting for a ship, you would be a fool not to take her along. Plus, she is probably the only one of us capable of talking to the seafolk on anything more than a business level."

[Phoenix]

Represent

"I'm not sure if splitting up is a good idea ... not unless you've got your own business to deal with. I mean whoever 'finds' a ship needs to be able to convince the owner that it's worth taking all of us for a reasonable fee. That might involve haggling and I feel I need to be present for that at the very least." she explained to John. A whistle from nearby caught her attention, and Gytha soon reminded her of her pre-party career. Maybe it would help ... and either way, she wanted at least one bodyguard. Gytha tagging along was somewhat inevitable since Raquel was going to ask her to come with for that reason alone. This wasn't a relatively safe Ursian port with only the 'occasional' patrol ship going up in flames, after all. "Alright." she replied simply.

Connor's hope for Weyland's company to be known of in the region was something Gabbie would have liked too, but even if it was, she doubted anything short of gold was going to impress anybody. She hadn't spotted more than a handful of people that weren't armed with at least a knife. This place looked kind of rough. "Ehhhh unless we foind some koind of 'employee' let's keep a low profoile, Connor." Gabbie suggested.

Represent

"Hrrrrrrg!" The bandit grabbed the whip to keep it from choking him while he resisted. The captain reintroduced herself in the meantime. Langley's battalion seemed to love taking down every last bandit. What a headache. "What's the problem with a few brigands, huh, lady? It's because of us that the military gets funding outside of war. If not for us, the Skotians'd beat you in one big blitz and you'd be wishing SOMEONE had been around to keep you on your toes! What's with the crackdown?"

Represent?

Katsu remained silent for a moment, thinking hard on what he'd just heard. His gaze remained close to the floor until he had finished thinking, then he looked back to Daichi. <"You saved my life. Perhaps I can help repay my debt in this way, instead. I wouldn't know where to start, but my masters have both died and I serve no one currently. I could search for your daughter for you.">

[Mercakete]

"A'right, so, what sort o' vessel're ye tryin' t' get passage on?" Gytha asked, deciding to start there.

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

"Someone get in here with proper restraints so we can officially arrest this bandit," Cecelia called to the other side of the rubble before returning her attention to Cal. "We are sworn to the protection of Ursium. Bandits, such as yourself, attack the innocent for personal gain. If there were no bandits in Ursium, we would be able to focus more of our attention on defending and expanding our borders. No bandit is an aid to the military and so we cut out what we cannot cure. As to why we are here, it is because we were ordered to get rid of your infestation. Now, are you going to be smart and make this easy for us, or do I have to knock you out?"

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

Daichi quietly considered the offer. <"You still need to recover. And Atsuko-san will be looking for you here,"> Daichi pointed out, conflicted, <"You are my guest, so I cannot possibly ask you to do me any favors. But it seems this is your way, so it would not be very kind of me to insist that you not help me in some way... And this is an offer I simply cannot refuse. I want Kikuko-chan to return home safely. ... I will leave it to you, then. Though it is something of an urgent matter, you should stay, rest and regain your strength before you leave. Perhaps you should at least wait until Atsuko-san arrives. Is that acceptable?">

Edited March 21, 2012 by Mercakete

[Acacia Sgt]

<Well, I guess it's up to them then.> John thought. <So in the meantime... perhaps just sight-seeing around the town, or keep an eye on the wagon, or something. Hmm...>

Turning her attention back to the party, it seems they were talking about the boat-searching. Hopefully they can find a boat soon. Sophia thought, but then remembered. Or not, considering what awaits us back in Ursium. But I guess this place is no better now that those people know we're here.

[ReformBlade]

Herp

Walking aside Hannah, she entered the city and yawned. Tired but not tired enough to complain about it she surveyed her surroundings until she got bored, which was quick. There was nothing out of the ordinary (in her mind) to really care about, and it seemed now there was trouble in finding out what to do next. Aneda woulda offered her help but the suggestions she would've put forth had already been said. Except for one final suggestion which was really more of a ploy to have more fun, "Hey, hey Raquel!" she called out, "Maybe it's not much help, but perhaps you'd wanna go ask people in more bustling places, like a townsquare or perhaps even in a bar. Bar would probably be better since there's all kinds of folk in there, you never know just how much fun you'll wander into~!"

Derp

"... And in striking his opponent down, obtaining his goal and his lifelong dream, reaching the absolute pinnacle of what he thought was his duty..." the man closed his book as he smiled at the children that gathered around him, some to laugh at him and others genuinely intrigued, "The man felt nothing now. He had chased his goal across the earth, the plains, even the ocean, all of it to seek out a vengeance that would only leave him empty in the end. You see, children, it's not the destination that should be important in life, it's living your life, it's how you ge-" As he was in the middle of talking, one of the kids threw a pebble at Davod, making him stagger. "Well that was rude!"

"Yeah well your story was boring! Shouldn't you be happy to reach a goal?"

"Well... yes, I suppose, but... um..."

"Then why does it even matter how you get there? Gosh, foreigners are so dumb. Let's go find something fun to do!"

"Hmph..." Ungrateful little... future owner of the world... Was I like that when I was her age? Perhaps. Either way I can't fault her limited grasp on concepts. He smiled and continued on his way towards an inn, looking for a nice comfy bed for the night, just to be sure.

[-Cynthia-]

Ship Search

"A bar is a pretty common meeting place and a surprising amount of business gets done there...not a bad suggestion. If we can catch any captains in between shipping routes it may prove fruitful. I've heard seamen enjoy their alcohol as much as the next man," Veronika mused after Aneda's suggestion.

"All right," Connor said to Gabbie somewhat disappointed. I've never left Ursium- I'm not sure I really want to travel the world this much after this. It's pretty convenient having employees in every city whenever you need something...we could be here for weeks if we're unlucky.

Edited March 21, 2012 by -Cynthia-

[Phoenix]

Dauntless

"Something that's big enough to hold all of us, including the animals and the Dauntless. If they've got other cargo, it's probably a tall order." Raquel answered depressingly. Aneda then suggested asking around in some 'interesting' places. Veronika seemed to support the idea.

"Well there's a tavern roight over there ..." Gabbie pointed out. "Just need to put a little fake mustache on Connor, and I'm good to go. Who's buyin'?"

"We're looking for a ship to take us to Ursium ... don't forget that and get drunk or something." Raquel warned with a disapproving tone.

Cave of Concepts

"I'm on it, Captain!" Amber announced. She immediately hurried over toward the hole. Two soldiers failed to restrain a bandit who had taken Amber's cheerfulness as a sign of weakness(or at least a good opportunity to make a scene in the hopes of escaping back into the tunnels), and struggled loose. He tried to get past Amber, but she smacked him in the head with her shield and sent him onto his rear. "A shield to the face puts you back in your place, bandit! Just a moment, Captain!"

"Do you even have cuffs?" the mage asked.

"Err ... just one more moment, Captain!"

"Did one of your goons just assault one of my brothers?" the bandit asked Cecelia from the ground, sounding furious. "You're the military? How did you even beat us with crazed soldiers like that?"

"I'm not crazyyyy, you're the ones that buried yourselves aliiiive!" Amber somewhat 'sang' as she acquired the restraints.

Missing You

Katsu nodded. <"In the end, I may need her help ... and I want to see her in person. Want to be sure she's alright. I'll rest here until she arrives."> he replied.

Edited March 21, 2012 by Phoenix

[Mercakete]

"Good place t' start if ye want a shadier deal. I could ask th' merchants n' any military captains I find. Though, there might be a catch... I can get all o' us aboard a large merchant ship without havin' t' pay fer passage. Would involve all o' us actin' as hired swords, though. Would be a grand deal fer someone who's undermanned with a large ship," Gytha suggested, "None o' ye have records as mariners, but I do. Never been in this port b'fore, though. All me work's been in Ursium. Not sure if they have me records."

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

"Keep those bandits restrained," Cecelia ordered, annoyed and embarrassed at the lack of professionalism, "And Grace, no need to antagonize anyone." It was just better not to reply to the bandit at this point.

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

<"Feel free to train in the yard and visit Kosato whenever you like,"> Daichi replied, standing up only to bow deeply in clear gratitude and relief, <"Also, thank you. I love my family more than life its self. You don't know what this means to me."> As he straightened up, he continued, <"And remember my offer. You survived a fight with the White Devil, so I admit I want to test myself against your fighting ability once you feel you have regained your strength.">

[Phoenix]

Dauntless

"I don't loike knocking on wood. We offer to protect the ship and boom ... poirates show up. Not that payin' some astronomical fee to cross and still possibly running into poirates is a better option ..." Gabbie commented.

"If we can get passage for free or close to it, it's probably worth it. Besides, I'm not too worried about pirates after all the stuff we've been through." I'm more worried about the fact that I can't swim and I keep having dreams of almost drowning. I'm starting to see connections between the places in my dreams and where we end up ....

"Foighting on the water isn't the same as on land. It's waaay too easy to get killed on a ship 'cause there's less room to maneuver." Once again, Raquel's fears were elsewhere. Gabbie's explanations were to her, trivial matters that would be balanced out by the party's inexplicable luck.

Captures

Amber managed to crawl through the hole in the collapse, though she had to leave her face flattening shield behind and only come over with her weapon and a pair of iron cuffs. "Here you are, Captain. Sorry for the wait-I had to put a rowdy prisoner back in his place."

"Yeah uh he's bleeding, way ta go, 'Grace'!" a soldier called out when he realized who Amber was talking about. It was funny at the time, but the bandits likely weren't going to be facing the gallows just yet. If anything, they could spread rumors around about 'the uncontrolled shield bashing rookie'. The battalion had a reputation to uphold. Mostly involving discipline.

House

<"I want to see what a Firetusk is capable of myself."> Katsu admitted with a small grin.

[Mercakete]

"So, merchant ship? Merchants like keepin' their wares well-guarded so it's easy t' get passage on those as mariners. Ye'd have th' best luck at a tavern 'r th' docks t' find th' captains fer those. Taverns mean they're lookin' fer people t' guard their stuff, docks make it easier t' find a specific kind o' ship. Merchants 'r also th' most-targetted by pirates," Gytha asked and informed.

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

"Thank you, private," Cecelia replied, "Please pull his arms behind his back and cuff him while I keep him steady. And try to be professional about it." The last bit was a hint at Amber's behavior and the tone promised a talking-to later.

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

Daichi nodded with satisfaction before turning to head out of the room. <"Rest as much as you need. Hana will come get you when it's time to eat."> And with that he was gone, sliding the door shut.

[Acacia Sgt]

<Guarding merchant ships huh.> John thought. <Heh, not that different from what we've been doing so far, just on the ocean and in a larger scope. Still, that's some good advice. I'll probably keep it in mind once this is all over. Though I doubt I'll find in need of it much. Didn't before, probably neither after.> He shrugged.

Edited March 21, 2012 by Acacia Sgt

[-Cynthia-]

Ship Shape

"Given how good we seem to be at attracting trouble, being attacked at sea is something we should be prepared for in any case. I don't relish the thought of our ship getting attacked either- I can't stop a ship from going down," Veronika said, frowning.

"Ya know if we get really desperate we could consider stealin' a ship- just sayin'. We can steal from pirates or somethin' if that eases y'alls consciences," Nadya interjected.

[Mercakete]

Gytha shook her head. "Stealin' from anyone 'sides pirates would make us pirates n' I'm not willin' t' do that. But stealin' from pirates gets ye a lot o' unwanted attention, too. Not t' mention it isn't easy. We'd have t' be at sea fer one, seein' as this port seems well-protected n' pirates usulla don't like attackin' ports directla anyway. Easier t' wait till th' ships're out at sea where they can't get help. Pirates have their own ports, so no reason t' pull inta one that'd have 'em hanged," she explained.

"Isn't it easier to just find a passenger ship or something?" Norbert asked. He wasn't entirely sure what he was talking about, but he assumed they weren't the first people to want to get somewhere by crossing a body of water.

"Passenger ships 'r built t' ferry a lot of people from one place t' another, but they can be pretty expensive since it costs a lot more t' run 'em. 'Sides that, they'd want t' see yer passport," Gytha answered.

Well that's no good. The pegasus rider sighed quietly to himself, a tad frustrated. I don't have a passport because I never thought I'd leave Ursium. I don't know how to get one either.

[Phoenix]

By the Bar

"If that organization shows up again, I certainly don't mind taking their ship. They'll fight us to the death anyway, so it's not like we're being too aggressive." Raquel commented, sounding extremely unamused. "I'd rather not go on a pirate hunt if we can help it."

"If we do get our own ship, make sure you let Weyland know about it. If it's in good working order, he moight buy it from you once we're done with it." Gabbie chimed in.

On second thought ... Raquel began to muse.

Cave

"I'm on it!" Amber replied. If the Captain wanted professionalism, she'd get it. While the bandit muttered quietly to himself, Amber put the irons on and made sure they were locked and secure. After that, she stood at attention and saluted. "Prisoner is restrained, Ma'am." At least she 'sounded' professional .....

Meanwhile the mage made a somewhat surprising inquiry to one of the bandits that had surrendered. "Are there any civilians in this cave, or are there only you people? Were you keeping anyone hostage in this place?"

"... we're not all rapists and murders, ya know ... sheesh." the bandit replied, sounding offended. "If I was that crooked, I'd have used one of them as a shield, but no, we don't have anyone here."

I don't believe him, but only because they've got every reason in the world to lie to us right now. There's also two other tunnels to search and I wouldn't be surprised if this was a group's main base. the mage thought to herself.

Guest Room

Now being by himself in the room, Katsu took his two swords off of his back and set them parallel to each other on the ground in front of him. Next he removed his armor and put it all neatly together in the corner beside the bed. He noted to himself that he should probably bathe soon, but for the moment, he wanted to gather his thoughts, so he sat down in front of his swords and began to meditate on his last battle, the one that brought his entire world to an end for the third time. The fallen were always at the heart of his suffering, always, and seeing Kai so brutally struck down again in his memories made him wince. He relived the entire event, anyway. He had to learn from it, not run from it.

[Acacia Sgt]

They're not serious, aren't they? Sophia thought, a bit surprised. Well, I guess with her being merchant it shouldn't be surprising.

<Stealing one and selling it? Heh, and now she'll be swayed in by the idea.> John thought. <There's no denying it would be beneficial overall though. Even if we don't spend time on the ocean in a regular basis, crippling them in any way we can would not be a bad idea.>

''Well, capturing one of their ships does sound ideal,'' He spoke up. ''But I'm sure they'd be prepared if such a thing happens. Wouldn't be surprised if they hide a bomb or something and detonate it even while in mid-fight if they already realize they'll loose.'' He shrugged.

[Mercakete]

"Small-time pirates don't last long," Gytha warned, clearly a little uncertain about the whole "stealing a ship" thing, "Don't think it'll be an easy fight if we run inta a crew o' seasoned pirates. Best strategy is t' drive 'em off 'r cripple 'em enough t' get away. If yer sure ye can take their ship, though, when we encounter 'em, then I'll help a'course. Though I'm also worried about how ye'd do as captain o' a seafaring vessel, Raquel. Ye don't seem t' know much about runnin' a ship, n' we wouldn't make th' best crew seein' as -- t' me knowledge -- most o' ye don't know how t' manage one. We'll be lucky if some o' th' pirates decide t' help us. Not all pirates wanted their careers, ye know. Many a pirate started out as a sailor on a legal ship that was captured and given a choice t' sail with th' pirates 'r go down t' meet Leviathan."

Norbert grimaced at that. I don't want that to happen to me -- that's for sure. "The people who've been hunting down Raquel and her emblem, though, are the ones we were talking about just now, Gytha. Unless I got that wrong," the pegasus rider corrected.

"We'll have more problems with them," Gytha replied, "Not all pirates 'r against th' ones they're attackin'. But those that've been huntin' us won't help us with th' ship if we do capture it n' Raquel would still be th' captain since she'd be th' one in command at th' time o' capture."

"She can just name someone else captain, right?" he asked. I don't think she wants to be a ship captain...

"Aye, a'course, but it'd be her choice on who she picks as th' captain o' whatever ship we capture unless someone outranks'er," the mariner nodded as she answered.

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

"Good. Now, go back to the other side of the rubble and prepare to receive the captive. I'm going to guide him through the hole. No unnecessary violence, private," Cecelia reminded.

Edited March 21, 2012 by Mercakete

[Snowy_One]

Robin sighed as Raquel, Gytha, and the others started to talk about ships. It was something she simply would not understand at all. Living where she did water travel was not a big concern. At most, maybe, she would see a canoe if she went near a large body of water. Barring that it was a world completely strange to her. She turned her attention back to Bert and Tina.

"Tina. Are you a good cook?" she asked, trying to think of something to change her attention too. "If so, I know a little bit about using natural materials to cook. I would be willing to share that if it helps. Mother did not teach me much about kitchen cooking."

[Snike]

PreSkip: Blake paused, to think for a second about his response, then responded.

"I believe that some people can change, and others cannot. Of those types of people, I believe that Bert is one of those people who can change. He just needs to will it himself. Which in turn means he has to realize his rage is harmful, not helpful, to his state in life. That is what I think, anyways," the swordsman finished, just before the wagon was set to leave. "Well, we can talk later I suppose."

Post: They had made it into the port without incident. The main discussion mainly switched to ship access, while a side one began over knives, cooking, and Bert wearing an apron. Coworkers say the strangest things. Well, while he could contribute to the excessive fee for chartering a ship, that might risk unsettling questions. Questions were the worst kind of thing directed towards Blake, at least, in this time and age. So instead, the swordsman just sat in the Dauntless, and began to work out in his head a better battle strategy, in order to avoid repeating the previous battle's mistakes.

***

"Understood," Axel said, his only sign of tension being his incessant fiddling with a band on his right hand. "... So, all of the tanks were defeated? By black magic, I presume? There was a ship at the port where Raquel was encountered that met the same fate, if so. Also, I presume the package made it here intact," he finished, referencing the Fallen that the party had received before his... incident.

Edited March 26, 2012 by Snike

[Phoenix]

Dauntless

Raquel was still trying to figure out on her own how much Weyland might pay her for a captured vessel, but as Gytha's explanation of the hassle progressed, she slowly stopped caring. Paying their way back to Ursium seemed less prone to disaster than trying to capture a ship belonging to anyone else, let alone the true enemy. Sure, the opportunity might present itself in an encounter, but there was a chance they might already be 'working' for a captain according to Gytha's original plan. "Let's ... try and avoid fighting if we can. We're not exactly at full strength." I'm not even sure what 'full strength' means, anymore. she realized. "More importantly, if we try and pick a fight and lose out on the water, we'll probably all die this time ... or be captured."

"And we lose the Dauntless." Gabbie noted.

Cavern

"Yes, Ma'am!" Amber acknowledged before heading back through the collapse. From there she waited for Cecelia to help the stubborn bandit through.

Estate

"It was the same person, yes." Weyland nodded. "Speaking of which, don't mind the clean up. The main building took some damage during the fighting. The 'package' is also around. You'll likely run into Steinn before too long, as well. We're assisting each other with some things, and part of that was why you were all sent to Kigen." Weyland explained.

Edited March 22, 2012 by Phoenix