Return of the Emblem Chapter Ten: Converging Destinies

[Mercakete]

Ha ha, yeah, I haven't heard that one before. The pegasus rider sarcastically thought with a little bit of irritation at Mandy's little quip, though he was also a little intrigued that she'd seen other men ride pegasi before. Maybe it's not as uncommon as I was led to believe. That's nice to know. He also wondered a bit at what the girl meant by "Ursians like you." He decided to dismiss it for the time being, though.

"What's wrong with maces?" Norbert asked Mandy a little defensively, "They're not exactly standard, either."

He snatched up Splinter from his belt, holding it in a defensive position with the arm of the mace hybrid going along his forearm to illustrate briefly before putting it back. Then, to the girl, he replied, "I don't always fight from Rizen's back and they are easier to wield to their full effect when I'm on my own feet. They're good weapons, though, and I prefer crushing to stabbing or slicing. I guess there's just something about the feel of it that's better... Uh, that didn't come out right, I don't think..." A bit frustrated with himself, he went on, "I have a poleaxe, too, though, for those slippery swordsmen. I'm not nearly as familiar with it as I am with my maces, though."

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

It was a little odd for Daichi to be sitting at the table just waiting, at least with being able to hear Sumire working in the cooking area behind him. He felt like he should be doing something, hearing the activity. It was turning out to be impossible to relax. <"So, where are you planning to search first?"> he asked, if only for the sake of easing his restlessness.

[-Cynthia-]

Connor

"Hmm, I don't remember Anna saying when the ship would be leaving. I must have forgotten," Connor concluded out loud, looking at the situation between Zach and the woman with the fox prosthetics dubiously.

Veronika

"Magic seals are obviously effective against mages, but there's the obvious problem of us not having a magic seal on hand. They're rare and considered powerful enough for the government to keep a close eye on them...in Neviskotia anyway," she added as an afterthought, not being sure how such things worked in Ursium.

Tavern Hopping

"I don't drink alcohol, it has no effect on me because my superior creation instantly purges its toxic effects from my body," Layla informed Colin. Turning around, she noticed that one of her subordinates seemed to be addressing her...she couldn't really tell the pegasus sisters apart and frankly she didn't give a damn. "Simon was the fat one? He seemed even more disorganized than most 'naturals', but his report was sufficient. He was still living the last time I saw him," she said.

Clara breathed a sigh of relief at the news. Ripper sniffed the air curiously...there seemed to be horses around here.

Ida

Ooh more possible noble business later. Gerda will be pleased. <"You're very welcome...hope your mother's at least close to happy with it as well. Are you ready to see her yet?"> Ida inquired politely.

Edited October 30, 2012 by -Cynthia-

[Script]

A Man Called Gar

"Didn't someone say Sardis had a sword? Or am I making that up?" Gar recalled his own poor memory on the subject. Bleh, if only he could scroll back and find it. Oh well. "Gun training is easy, point and shoot. Reloading, and gun maintenance is where things get tricky. Too many people underestimate the powder and blow limbs off. Jackasses." Gar shook his head at recalling some bad memories. "The real problem with everyone here firing guns is a lack of in-depth training so things would have to be volley shots, which requires bunching up and officer ordering and other silly things that aren't so useful against a tank-destroying wonderman." Gar chuckled at that thought. "A Magic seal would be nice and all, but if any ally laying around had one it would be Weyland right? And since he didn't use it on that battle you're referring to so often that implies some things. Granted he could have gotten a hold of one know after the aftermath and all that."

All the talk back at Sardis reminded Gar of something odd. "Oh yeah, speaking of tanks, did any of you ever tell Lilith what tanks are?"

[Phoenix]

Almost Back

"Well, he probably isn't used to over twenty people yanking out pistols and firing on him at medium range, so I think it's got a better chance of working than Weyland's tanks at least. I wouldn't advise it as the only plan, but it's definitely something I think we should have in our arsenal if we ever get the chance to take him down. As for the magic seals? There are a few different kinds, but I have no godly idea how or where to find a dark seal."

"Weyland didn't really get the chance to use a magic seal on Sardis, so he might have already had one. Things got violent really quick and we weren't expecting a super mage." Shadrak explained regarding the magic seal. "Also there was that small one he had Atsuko and the mercenaries use on Siv. I forgot what happened to that thing, but he probably has it, so there's that one at least."

---

"We can't rely on the guns after the first volley, right. That's why it would be an opening move, and whether or not it actually works, everyone would need to fall back to their regular weapons afterward. Though, keep in mind, my plan is assuming that Sardis is just good at staying out of a tank's line of fire, not actually shrugging off cannon fire." Reign explained.

More Interaction

"Well nothing's inherently wrong with them, but I've found it's better to use the right weapon for the right situation. Adjusting your style with one weapon is respectable, but not always effective. Like ... you had that thing in a nice defensive position just then, but that's not going to stop a thrust unless you get really good at parrying. I prefer bows, but if I'm not on horseback where I can play tag with the enemy and someone's too close for comfort, I'll get my sword out in an heartbeat. I'm not taking any chances." Mandy explained.

"I have trouble maneuvering swords so I stick with a knife." Talitha contributed. She noticed the crowd was pretty well dispersed now and though the guards were in sight now, there wasn't much for them to do but get the two accounts and then make a decision. She wondered what the girl was going to do, but she just stood there focused on the conversation. She must have been confident she was in the right. Talitha felt she was, but was surprised to see her not even sparing the men a glance as the approached.

"I prefer knives too." the girl commented.

Arrival

"Whew ..." Cecily quietly responded. She also let her shoulders down. Well that was all she needed to inquire about. Asking Layla anything more about the message with Sardis' goons all over the place wasn't the best idea. Time to just stand back and see what happens.

"... well thanks for the biology lesson ..." Colin replied blankly, not sure what else to say. "... water?"

"Is there something you need, Layla?" came Sardis' voice as he came down the stairs. Cassandra was close behind him and keeping entirely to herself.

Waiting

<"Well,"> It was annoying to have to open the furoshiki before even setting out, but he needed that map, and figured he would probably leave it out most of the time since he would be referencing it quite a bit without Atsuko around to help him out. He opened the map and began looking for the region they were in. His task suddenly seemed a lot more daunting. He was a warrior, not a man hunter. <"I'll search this entire region as thoroughly as I can and try to find some clues if I can't find Kikuko. Are there any people who would be interested in taking a young girl in this area?"> It wasn't much, but he wanted to leave the demons out of this for as long as possible. If they took her, she was likely in their lands by now ...

Other Stuff

<"Sure, might as well. Just remember, 'matriarch's orders'."> Bryn replied as she began drying herself off. After that she put her clothes back on and began trying to dry off her feathers on the way out. <"Always a pain. Anyone around here know how to use wind or water magic?">

[Ether]

So now it was a discussion of weaponry. At the very least, Faatina could understand and perhaps give input on this one.

"I like the feel of a lance and shield if only for control. The reach of a lance is great against most melee fighters since they need to be well within striking distance in order to make a move... and even if they do, the shield is great at keeping them from doing any real damage, and setting up a counterattack. Isn't that right, Norbert?" Faatina interjected, giving the pegasus rider a teasing wink.

*********

"I don't need any help, thank you. The damage has been done, and I've had these things too long to part with them without some sort of crazy imbalance in my body, even if it was done without any ripping. Besides, I've told you all I can about them, what else would you need to speak with me for?" Kit inquired.

[Mercakete]

Mandy's point did make sense -- it was why Norbert had wanted the poleaxe in the first place. He had some armor now, too, which was to make up for what defense the maces didn't provide -- which wasn't working exceptionally well, but it was still helping some. Not to mention I've only just recently had any sort of funds. Apparently the magic-using girl also used knives, as did Talitha, who he knew also used a bow. That made Norbert think about the knife Faatina had given him. So far, he hadn't really needed it, but he could claim to own one now, thanks to her. It was a little strange thinking about it in terms of a weapon since it was more meant for utility, though, and he was certain he'd be clumsy with it at best regardless.

Speaking of Faatina, she spoke up right about then, giving input on her own preferred weapons, then adding a little teasing remark aimed at him. "Yeah, yeah, I remember," Norbert sighed, somewhat dismissive about it, minorly irritated by the reminder of his loss and yet slightly amused by the memory of the spar, "As I recall I didn't make it an easy win for you, though, even if you did bash my head with your shield at the end."

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

<"None that I would know of. Of course, that should be expected, since I am typically further north than this, not to mention I am not the favorite person for people to confess their urges to kidnap to,"> Daichi replied, offering a weak smile at the attempted joke. Thinking about it, though, only made him worry more that he wouldn't see his daughter again. As his smile faded, his eyes came to rest upon the simple, gold band on his finger, lingering a moment before closing.

[Acacia Sgt]

After some time of flying south, keeping a close eye at the ground, Veronika and the others were soon spotted within sight. With that, Gil began to descend some towards them.

[Script]

A Man Called Gar

Gar stifled a laugh when Reign-guy made his assumption about what Sardis was prepared for. Not because it was silly to think that Sardis was used to twenty guns like Reign-guy said, but because Gar was. Guild training was hell. So was wedding crashing. Though Gar was at least aware guns were gonna be aimed at him so it wasn't exactly the same. But still, the twenty guns were more important than surprise. Mostly. "You might not rely on a second shot, but they can still be used to bluff. Stagger real shots with aim bluffing and conventional attacks, never give him time to regain battle flow." Gar sighed. "But that would require excessive coordination and training."

[-Cynthia-]

Veronika

"We could always ask whether Sardis was evading the tank shots or somehow blocking them...the latter being more distressing than the former. Can someone block weapons entirely with dark magic?" Veronika asked Shadrak, figuring him to be the closest thing they had to an expert on the subject.

Layla

"Yes, get me a water," Layla said to the subordinate of Sardis who seemed to know how to treat his superiors, she said before noting Sardis- and who could only be Cassandra- coming down the stairs.

"I came to supervise this new project to make sure you don't screw it up. Cassandra is the only good thing to come out that debacle at Weyland's estate- you were outwitted by the merchant girl and allowed her to escape with the emblem piece before running with your tail between your legs. Figuratively speaking on the tail of course," she added at the end, bending down slightly to pat Ripper on the head, the dire wolf barely containing the urge to jump up on the people coming down the stairs.

Ida

Ida got a fan out of her hip case and began waving it briskly in the direction of Brynhildr's feathers. <"Best I can do I'm afraid, wind and water mages are rather hard to come by,"> she said, shrugging apologetically.

[ReformBlade]

"Ok, well..." It was difficult for her, but Aneda had to let Fyodor go and continue her day. "as fun as this has been, I do have to leave, mister Fyodor sir..." Standing up straight and looking him right in the eye with a bright smile, "But! I mean what I said, I'll write to you whenever I get the chance, I promise! So don't you go dying on me, you hear?!" That last part filled her with a hint of sadness at the thought, but she meant it in a friendly way. But after that, all Aneda could think about was where to take Katrina for lunch...

[Rothene]

Ranyin returned the hug, then stepped back. Hmm...just two more people to speak to then I can leave in peace.

"You take care too," Ranyin told Synthia before he turned around to seek a particular pegasus.

[roymbrog]

Ranyin left, and Synthia wasn’t sure what to do with herself at the moment. Raquel and the others were long gone by now. They’d come back to the Leverager eventually, but she wasn’t keen on hanging around the docks that long. She eventually decided on exploring town and headed down the road towards the market, examining Ranyin’s gift all the while. The pictures were beautifully done, but there wasn’t much she could glean without reading the text. And the text was in Kigenese. Perfect.

-----

Well, seemed the fat man was still alive, according to Layla. That was a relief of sorts (not that Cloe cared what happened to him). Layla decided to give a lesson on artificials, and then Sardis arrived downstairs. Finally this was going to be interesting. Cloe started taking mental notes for future reference. Shit was going doooown. Maybe.

-----

Katrina finally let go of Fyodor about the same time Aneda did, deciding to finally pay attention to her wyvern and give her a hug too. Volga was very pleased.

-----

Valter started to nod off in the saddle. Phyllis took this as an opportunity to nibble on bits of grass, of which there weren't many nearby. Damn.

[Snowy_One]

Robin - Lost

Robin was lost. She didn't know her way about this town in the slightest. After trying to head through the crowds of people, she had turned down one street, then another, and another, and now... Now somehow she had come back to the very place she had started from! She had come a full circle without even realizing it. Before her again was the start of the marketplace, the place she wanted to avoid. Quickly she turned around and started to head the opposite way. As she did though she almost smashed right into...

A) Absolutely nothing.

B) Everyone making everything right again.

C) Synthia

Synthia! Robin cried out in shock as she sprung backwards trying to avoid running against the girl. "Synthia? Is that you?"

Edited October 31, 2012 by Snowy_One

[roymbrog]

“Oh, uh, hi,” Synthia replied to the apparently distressed archer. The mage hadn’t been paying much attention to where she was going either, so the aversion of collision by Robin saved her as well. She didn’t notice. “Yeah, it is me." She looked at Robin, a bit confused. "You alright?”

[Snowy_One]

Robin shook her head, clearly worried. "No. I am not. I am lost and do not know where I am. I got separated from Raquel and the others on top of it. I tried searching but came about in a circle as well."

[Acacia Sgt]

Though brief, the info giving would still take a bit of time, so after finding the space to do so, Gil landed a bit ahead, in order to 'intercept' so the news could be given.

[roymbrog]

Synthia placed the notes in her satchel for later. “Well, I know they have to return to the Leverager for the wagon. I wouldn’t worry unless the Dauntless is off the ship already, which it’s not,” she replied, then stopped to think for a moment. “I’m returning there after checking the market. You can come, if you want.”

[Snowy_One]

"The... The market?" asked Robin before visibly shuddering. "You do know about my past experiences with merchants, right? Or did I forget to tell you?"

[roymbrog]

“No, not really,” Synthia said, something she might possibly regret. She had not heard the glorious retelling of how deceptive merchants peddled cheap iron goods, oh no. Perhaps she would have the honor as of now. Or maybe not. “….What did you do to them?”

[Phoenix]

Distractions

What now? It was going to be almost impossible to keep up this ruse much longer. The imperial guard decided to try one more thing in hopes of luring the fox woman to the patrol ship. "Miss ... if you would please come with us. The government would be very interested in helping you. You could go back to a normal life someday, I am sure." he pleaded. "We might also be willing to compensate you for your time."

"Why the hell would they do that?" Gabbie wondered aloud. The officer ignored her and waited for Kit's answer. The other guards weren't helping his case much, as they already had their hands on their swords and weren't obscured enough for that to go completely unnoticed.

"Um, Zachary?" Raquel spoke up. "We really should get going." she said in a nervous tone.

Discussions

"I like the idea of abusing guns here, but this is starting to sound like something a group like ours wouldn't come together for.. Raquel also needs to get those guns and from what I heard she doesn't have the licences to sell those yet." Reign replied to Gar.

Shadrak crossed his arms and put his hand on his chin as they walked. "Not normally. You'd need a very strong barrier to deflect a projectile outright, especially from a heavy round ..."

"It's not possible." Reign suddenly spoke up again. "Barriers are too small to do it effectively and only earth magic is potent enough to slow down and catch a cannon shot. Barriers can stop a heavy speeding projectile mid-flight in theory, but they need more room to do it. A normal one only has one to three feet of space and time to work with, and that's not enough to protect someone from a cannon shot. It's trying to catch a bullet with your bare hand. My money's on Sardis being quick on his feet." Reign explained.

"You know, dark magic can displace objects. He doesn't necessarily have to use his barrier. He just has to send out dark energy to knock the shot off course." Shadrak added.

"I don't see why that matters when no one is mentally quick enough to counter a shot that way. Depending on how far away he is from the tank, he's got anywhere between a a tenth of a second and a quarter of a second to react, and that's excluding the time he needs to get up enough energy to actually hit the incoming shot." John landed in front of them which caused Reign to slow down a bit. "I sure hope this is good news for once."

"Lilith could definitely counter a shot that way." Shadrak continued. "He's obviously experienced enough to do that if he destroyed the tanks."

"For the sake of strategy, can we just pretend he's mortal? You know ... limitations and such? At least for now? It's not like the cannons on those things have pinpoint accuracy." This is getting trivial ...

More Discussions

The little exchange between Faatina and Norbert was humorous to Mandy, even to Talitha though she was more reserved, but the mercenary girl just stood there looking to each person who spoke. Soon enough, she figured it out. These weren't just random folks. "Do you all know each other?"

Mandy nodded. "Yeah, but Tali and I are parting ways with them soon. It'll probably be awhile before we see each other again." she admitted with a sad smile.

"Yeah ..." Talitha concurred and lowered her head.

"Wow ... all my friends are kigenese or dead ... or both. And you people aren't from Tracea either? That's interesting."

Even More Discussions

"Hmhmhm, I'll try. There's no need to worry, though. The noblemen know about my situation and one of them offered to have a doctor monitor my condition." Fyodor replied.

Next Rin approached Aneda and said "If you're going to be sending Fyodor letters, mark them as 'To House Katsuragi-D zero two'. That is Fyodor's extension for urgent mail."

Not fully satisfied with Rin's explanation, Fyo added "House Katsuragi is one of the noble families residing in Tracea. They're the ones that welcomed me to Chousokabe and are handling some things for me. I wasn't expecting to need a mailing service at first, but now that I'm stuck on the island ..."

Rin nodded. "Right ... those who can't speak to you via letter may never hear from you again."

Way More Discussions

Colin got on the water situation while Cecily watched the scene unfold with her sisters. "Please, in my place you would have been killed and lost the girl." Sardis shot back. "And don't you have better things to do than butt in on this? I was put in charge of the emblem situation and Cassandra is a part of it. Nothing's changed."

Emblem project? Sardis hadn't mentioned that to her before. Yeah ... why would he? Figures there was more going on here than just training her to be some kind of emblem wielding agent. Time to pay attention-this might be what Burke wanted her to find out more about.

"Can she do anything cool, yet?" Colin asked as he approached Layla with the water and offered it.

"Hmph." Not much of a reply really.

Too Many Discussions

<"I understand."> Katsu replied with a nod, not missing the vague humor, but not being able to truly acknowledge it at the time. All he could see at the moment was the incredible challenge in front of him, and looking at the map was driving the point home.

Okay, I'm Done

<"Eh good enough. Let's go."> Bryn decided. Helga seemed to have her eyes closed like Svan, and so she didn't immediately notice Bryn's hair upon her return. <"Hello ..."> Bryn greeted with some reservation in her voice.

That reservation was the tip off, and Helga's eyes burst open and her gaze shot straight to her daughter. <"Ugh, you didn't ...">

<"I did.">

<"I can't trust my eldest daughter to keep her hair a certain length or even leave the most valuable weapon in Finnian out of the spa .... I dare not ask what I've mistakenly trusted you with next.">

<"You don't mean that ...">

[-Cynthia-]

Veronika

Shadrak and Reign seemed to be getting in a debate over whether it was possible or not, which Veronika really couldn't pick a side due to her lack of knowledge on the subject. Another problem is that even if we fought Sardis, who's to say we'd be prepared for it? He snuck up on Weyland somehow and we're usually not even that prepared. she thought to herself before walking over to Gil. "No luck finding a ship here John, you all fare any better?" she asked him, raising her voice so he could hear her.

Layla

Layla took a long drink of water and handed it back to Colin. "Oh please, you've been failing at this endeavor for over a month. You have the girl's father still, right? Use him to lure the girl, kill the girl, take the emblem. Even an idiot like him could think of that," she said, jerking her thumb towards Hayato, before changing her expression to a smile, looking behind Sardis towards Cassandra.

"You're being awfully quiet dear, no need to be shy. I'm Layla, nice to meet you. We should really talk in private once I'm done with the idiots here," she said casually.

Salon

<"Lady Helga was very clear on the length of her daughter's hair. This cut is unacceptable, we're going to have to release you,"> the eldest stylist, Gerda, said, pointing her finger at Ida.

<"M-matriarch's orders?"> Ida said hesitantly, looking at the floor in shame and trying not to cry.

[Mercakete]

"Why is that interesting? This is a port, right? You'd think a lot of people come through here," Norbert asked, having not been educated on Tracea's unique culture.

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

Opening his eyes again, Daichi looked over the map in silence as Sumire prepared the remaining supplies. <"You might want to speak with my other daughter before you leave,"> the Hikibain suggested, the thought just striking him, <"She and her sister were very close. She may be able to tell you some things that may help you.">

Edited January 1, 2013 by Mercakete

[Phoenix]

Stuff

"Yeah, but you all know each other from the sound of things. Who are you people?" the girl asked.

"I'm Mandy, a warrior's guild member and this is my friend Talitha. She's in the guild too." Mandy introduced herself and Talitha. "We met them in the last port." she added for clarification.

Well that helped explain things somewhat. "And the rest of you ...?"

More Stuff

"Shows just how little you understand of the situation," Sardis replied. "I want the girl alive. If I didn't, she would be dead already."

"She's got too much protection. We really ought to try something else." Colin quietly noted on his way back to his seat at the bar.

"Perhaps ..." Sardis admitted. Seemed to be all the time Layla needed to start on Cassandra. "Oh no, do not do that artificial camaraderie thing."

"Quick, Sardis, before she changes sides." Colin teased.

"I'm not supposed to ... talk out of turn." Cassandra shyly replied.

Even More Stuff

<"What should I ask her? If Kikuko had any ... secret places she might go to, or something?"> It didn't seem far fetched, but Katsu did have to wonder if she would really be off on her own for so long and still ... be alive. He had to hope until proven wrong, he supposed.

Way More Stuff

<"Yeah, before you get rid of her, can I show you something, mother?"> Bryn cut in.

<"What is it ...?"> Helga conceded and sat up with a sigh.

Bryn immediately walked over to where Svan was sitting. Her younger sister sensed her coming and had a bad feeling from the get go. Despite that, she didn't open her eyes or move, and Bryn grabbed a lock of her hair and tugged on it three times in rapid succession. It hurt quite a bit, but Svan didn't make an utterance and just winced in pain. <"Did you see what I just did there? That happens to me in almost every damn battle, except it gets torn out. Not only does it hurt like hell, but I dare you to try and pull off your magic while someone's got you like this. This woman has just upped my chances of survival quite a bit now that I won't have to worry about my hair getting grabbed when I get into those stupid pile ups. And don't tell me I would have been fine with long hair, you have no idea what it's like out there. But hey, if you don't want her anymore, I'll take her. Could always use an assistant."> Bryn finished with a shrug.

<"... whatever, Bryn, you've made your point. Now settle down, child."> Helga sighed again as she relaxed back in the chair.

<"I need this."> Bryn finished.

[Mercakete]

Norbert still didn't see how the fact that they weren't from Tracea was weird, but he decided to answer her question. Strange girl. "Valter, Faatina and I are travelling with a merchant, along with a bunch of other mercenaries," he answered, indicating each person in turn as he mentioned them.

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

<"That,"> Daichi replied with a small shrug, <"Or if she noticed anything unusual about Kikuko-chan's behavior, or if there might have been anyone with any particular interest in her.">

Edited October 31, 2012 by Mercakete

[-Cynthia-]

Tavern Times

"You really let him tell you when you can speak? He's an embarrassment to his own race, you're an exceptional example of yours- you'll learn that soon enough," Layla said to Cassandra before turning to Sardis. "The only reason you wanted the merchant girl was because you're too incompetent to do anything with the emblem- and for some reason you believe some talentless girl is the key to unlocking its power. But when Cassandra was born, the Valcyn girl became a useless loose end," Layla said matter-of-factly.

Ripper could contain himself no longer and bounded over to Cassandra, panting heavily, sniffing, and putting his paws on her legs. "See, Ripper likes you- that's always a good sign," Layla said in a rather pleased tone.

"If this gets ugly, are we going to take sides or just...watch?" Clara whispered to her sisters nervously, surveying the situation inside.

Salon Stories

Well Lady Helga doesn't seem too displeased- but changing my decision now would make me look weak and indecisive... Gerda thought to herself. <"Perhaps it would be for the best if you worked for Lady Brynhildr, if it pleases her,"> she said, attempting to keep a neutral tone of voice.

<"Oh really? You want me as your assistant? I would be honored Lady Brynhildr, just let me grab my things and I'll be...wherever you need me to be!"> Ida said in an excited tone, looking up. Personal assistant to a lady of Clan Finnian is better than working in a salon isn't it? Looks like Ida's moving up in the world!