Return of the Emblem Chapter Twelve: Divergent Paths

[Nanami Touko]

I park my wyvern outside the city, I spend time in this damn nation doing my best not to let anyone know I'm 'Skotian, I wait to meet with this Weyland guy, and the city gets attacked by demons! Of all the rotten luck... Eva had been minding her own business, trying to be patient for her meeting the next day, when demons of all things that could've happened, had attacked Europa. She'd had to fight at least one while she'd ran, her armor luckily being tough enough to last that fight. Just need to get to Weyland's, get to someone who knows what's even happening right now, and meet with this guy!

Her luck had to turn around at some point, as the sound of a gun shot turned her attention. She finally spotted some people that weren't bodies or city guard. "Ooooooooooiiiiiiiii! Excuse me!" she yelled, running up to the blond girl off to the side of the group. "You wouldn't happen to know the way to Weyland's, would you? Got a bit caught up with the demons, you know how it is."

Edited January 11, 2014 by I have opinions

[Ether]

"Yeah, we should get moving." Faatina agreed, taking Sharif's reins fully and moving away from the main entrances with Hoshi's assistance.

"For someone who looked so scared at the start, you sure managed to hold your own... how long have you been practicing magic?" The paladin added.

***

After keeping Siv out of the line of fire... quite literally, Annelise turned her thoughts towards Steinn.

'You seem quite troubled by Valdimarr's dying words, Milord. What was it that he said to you?'

***

As the voice from the side caught her ears, Angelica turned her attention towards an unfamiliar woman that was now running towards them... no time to be worried about familiarity at the moment, and she seemed human enough... worst case she still had enough magic in her to waste one more demon, surely.

"I do, in fact. Most of us were just on our way there... I'd say tag along but it's not quite my decision to make... you'd wanna ask pinky over there to be certain." She replied, pointing Raquel out from the group that had gathered not too far away.

[Snowy_One]

"<Very well then. I'll let you rest for a while. I know magic can be taxing in ways I do not understand so, yea. Sides, it isn't that important that I need to talk to you right away. I will let you rest and, maybe tomorrow or the day after, we can talk. Regardless, I think both of us should seek to get ready to go, lest you find a battlefield a bed.>"

[Eail]

"Right, let's get going then.... I'll sleep on the stairs at Weyland's if I have to."

[ReformBlade]

"... Really? You need permission? That Aneda gal just kinda took me in to his estate. Pretty trusting, that one... Either way, permission wouldn't hurt." Jericho interjected. He wasn't privy to much information and he was actually fairly skeptical on who this person was and why she needed to see Weyland at this time of night in the middle of what was probably one of the weirder nights this nation has seen, but then again if he was being truly unbiased he'd have to admit he was pretty shady looking too, wanting to talk to Pinky, apparently a nickname for Raquel, out of nowhere. His biased side said she was taller than him so he coudlnt' admittedly trust her right off the bat.

Mushirah was more or less... well again her situation wasn't changing, she just sat there and kind of accepted the hand life had dealt her. She didn't have the energy to be mad about it, and so she just smiled, if not for herself, then for some others around her.

Aneda scoffed at needing healing until he mentioned there was an actual possible danger. "Well..." she started, sounding defeated, "well I guess it wouldn't hurt, but if there's some danger on the way there there could be danger for them as well so we should hurry anyway!"

[Snowy_One]

"<I won't hear of it. You are my friend and I can take the stairs better than you. You shall have my bed while I take the stairs.>" said Robin, trying to smile in a friendly manner as she picked up the pace and started to head back to join up with the others in returning to the manor.

[Eail]

"Bah, we all have a bed this time remember? No stairs for anyone." Zach said, following behind, that seemed to be the end of conversation though, as he gave a yawn

[Snike]

wut

Edited January 11, 2014 by Snike

[Snike]

"Sorry, I really appreciate that you all did come here to 'rescue' me, but I have to help get these people evacuated," Blake said, calmly. "I have a duty to them. You and the others can stay around and help, if you want, but I'm not heading to the estate until I get them to safety. "

Hopefully they'd understand.

[Nanami Touko]

"Eh? Why do I have to ask her?" Eva was confused. Did this person work with, or for Weyland? Maybe she was a secretary? Whoever the pink haired lady was, Eva didn't really care after the bullshit the day had brought. "Anyway, if it's a big deal, I'll ask later. Just needed to meet with Weyland to discuss weapons. Heard he was pretty good at that, being the biggest name here. That can wait until tomorrow, like it'll have to, after this disaster... D'you know what happened? Just walking around town when suddenly, demons!"

[Balcerzak]

Grateful, though somewhat embarrassed, for the leg up he was getting as far as assistance getting to his feet was concerned, Sinbad, carefully took in the news Gytha was relaying him. The fact that the choice offered, help with the wounded or find his gun, even posed a minor dilemma for him panged his conscience. Though, was he actually well healed enough to help haul around someone who was unconscious? Was that a legitimate question, or was he just rationalizing?

Shaking his head the cowboy muttered, "Guess I'll just do my part to help out here as best I can. Still got a sword, so any of them foul feathers show up it ain't like I can't give 'em whatfor. Just... need a few moments to catch my breath and get ma bearin's."

[Mercakete]

Once Sinbad was on his feet, Gytha no longer had to support him and from the sound of things, it was a good thing, too. The doors had opened and Weyland's people were coming out backwards, calling for everyone to make way. "Sounds like ye don't have that kind o' time. Hurra up -- we have t' get out o' th' way," she hurriedly informed, before rushing down what steps remained and off to the side. She didn't want to pull Sinbad along -- nor did she think it necessary -- primarily because she wasn't sure how he'd do with being jerked around. Still she trusted the cowboy to take care of himself.

[Balcerzak]

"Seth Weyland's huh... Wasn't that where the supposed 'main targets' were anyway? Still, hard to believe with as much havoc as these demons have been doing it's simply all a diversion like Sir Devlinos said," Theodore replied quizzically. He saw no further need to discuss the matter of Morgana, as it seemed they'd come to much the same conclusion. Though it would have been nice if she'd made herself available and reported whatever intelligence she'd managed to gather, the professor undoubtedly was simply taking care of business as she saw fit.

So it had come to the point where he needed to weigh his options. It certainly could be an opportune time to pay a visit to the Weyland estate in person, perhaps in the midst of all this chaos nobody would notice if a few designs or prototypes went missing. On the other hand, there were still lives at stake, and part of the whole reason he'd signed up with Hammer was to help end the war with Skotia and cut down on meaningless casualties. He could still potentially swing a combination here, continue to try to keep the city safe and then resume the plan of following this merchant the old inventor had such an interest in, and who seemed to attract enough strange activities of her own, by the looks of things.

However, Farnesworth's musings were interrupted by the arrival of another plucky young girl, arriving from amid the chaos and asking for directions to Weyland's. Just what was her stake in all this? His partner in conversation took first response, and the fiery fellow Theodore had been protecting chimed in as well, and there was a little more back and forth all around. At length, he deemed it time to throw in his few copper, and see how things played out.

"Heh, 'whoa demons' is right, and it certainly is a disaster. From the sounds of it, only gonna be worse at Weyland's estate itself, if the information given was accurate. Probably serves as a pretty good reason why you wouldn't need permission on tonight of all nights, but then again, maybe they have things under control on that front after all. Certainly no way of knowing from here. That said, if you're just looking to talk weapons, sure Seth Weyland is one of the big names, but his ain't the only shop in town, and I haven't heard any reports of Hammer Industries being besieged by hellspawn."

Edited January 11, 2014 by Balcerzak

[Toogee]

As Eli flew over the streets of Europa, he could see that the battle for the city had since ceased. Whatever demons were left were either dead or lurking in the shadows. The streets were littered with the wanton destruction left by their foes. This included the bodies of demons, soldiers, and people simply trying to get out of harm’s way. There was nothing Eli could do for those people. He had to help those that were still alive at the estate. At least, he hoped that to be the case.

As he arrived, Eli was relieved that people were still standing. Still, several guards were exiting the building in defensive positions. Whatever was happening inside was about to spill over into the courtyard. The rider had to act fast if they were to prepare for a supposed new round of assailants.

He first caught sight of three people (Amon, Jamilla, and Alphonse) hugging the wall in their best attempt to avoid what was coming out the door. One of them was carrying the girl, so she definitely needed assistance. Staying in the air, Eli activated his gauntlet for max healing strength and directed a spell to Jam. He focused in on the blood spots (the area where the wounds would be) until the dancer started moving. He treated both Alphonse and Amon in a similar fashion.

Next up were Lumi, Aneda, and Pete. They were standing in the courtyard, but upon closer examination, they too had their wounds. Eli dove down for a landing in front of the three and healed them one by one just like the others before. The multiple castings were taking their toll on the rider; he struggled to keep balance upon landing.

“Who else needs help?” Eli quickly asked the three once he regained balance on his peg.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As soon as the spell hit, Jam gasped for air as she regained consciousness. Her eyes opened to find that the battle was over. She started to remember what happened: she was the first to go down. Someone carried her over here. The dancer looked up to see a peg rider flying off to heal more people. He seemed much more useful then she was in this fight. Jam couldn’t help but be disappointed in her performance; she let people down when they needed her the most.

Jam then realized where she was. She was being carried, with Alphy standing by. She looked up to see…

“Amon?” Jam said in surprise. “Uh…thanks.” She gave a small smile to signify her gratitude. This sure beat lying on the cold ground!

Edited January 13, 2014 by Toogee

[Nanami Touko]

"Worse? I hope you're wrong..." She sighed. He's probably right. "Anyway, name's Eva. I can't say I've really heard of this Hammer; I'm not from around here. And I've already got a meeting with Weyland set up, so I don't think he'd appreciate it if I blew him off." Though, if he's as big as they say, I doubt he'd care if one random merchant didn't get to their meeting. She laughed at her own thought, glancing around. "So, who are you all? You just get stuck in the city as well when the demons attacked?"

Edited January 11, 2014 by I have opinions

[ReformBlade]

Feeling the soothing of a healing spell, Aneda recognized the flier who did it, waving before he questioned her. "Uh... I'm not sure. Tons of people were going down I think? I dunno, I wasn't paying too much attention aside from the monsters..." She was about to make a joke but then she just sort of didn't, like deep down she knew it was a bad move but had no real reason to believe it. Looking to Pete, "And now that we're better off than before" then looking to Lumi again, "let's go check on our partners, shall we?"

"Ehhh... technically?" Jericho told the lady. "Though this was more planned than an accident I guess. From what I garnered we came here to pick someone up or something? I'm not exactly that sure any more." Man I wish I was in the know more about this but hey, I've known these people for hours at best... Well that explains a lot, actually.

[Nanami Touko]

"Technically, huh?" Eva mused as to what this man meant by being here to get something. He seemed almost as confused as she was. No matter. "I'm following you lot until we get to Weyland's, then. Sorry if that's a problem. I can stay a good bit back if you're worried I'm about to turn into another one of those evil spawns." She smirked a little, wondering if right now was really the time to try and be so jocular. Probably best not to lay it on thick.

[Ether]

"Well I suppose you don't really need to talk to her so much... if they ask I'll tell you what you told me, but this bunch can get pretty jumpy, so try not to stand out too much." Angelica replied with a shrug with regards to asking Raquel... if this girl chose not to, it wasn't her problem if it bit her in the ass.

"I know it seems kind of large scale for a diversion, but if you think of how large the Fallen military must be, especially with these disposable troops, it doesn't seem that off. Besides, if I was their tactician... well I'd want my diversionary tactic to at least gauge the strength of what I'm diverting, in case the main objective was a bust." She continued, with regards to doubts that the attack truly was a diversion... she didn't really have much aside from Steinn's word to go off of either, but her words were true, at least she considered them to be. Then if course, the topic of who they were came up... no harm in it, she supposed.

"Well, Pinky over there is a merchant like you... she carries Weyland's stock in her shop... most of us are roped in with her in some way or another... I guess as to our connection with Weyland, well an associate of an associate in my case, is the best way to put it. My name is Angelica, by the way."

Edited January 11, 2014 by Ether

[Nanami Touko]

"I don't think I stand out much at all. At least when the lizard's not around. Hope he's alright," she said, to no one in particular. "Anyway, a diversion? From what? I pegged you all for just some group in the city but I guess you're actually tied up in this, aren't you?" Maybe I shouldn't get involved in walking with them if they're getting attacked by demons as just a diversion. That's actually pretty scary. Eva mulled over walking off and just trying to get to Weyland's the next day, but the thought of running into more demons, even if most of them had been taken care of, was a pretty good deterrent from walking off on her own again.

"Oh, she does? Alright, that's great! That means he's willing to sell," Eva said, lighting up. "If it wasn't obvious, I'm a merchant as well, though I doubt I'm as important as your pink friend up ahead seems to be. Most of my wares are tied up outside the city, but I was looking to get some more interesting objects. Weyland's the biggest inventor that I'd heard of, so, why not ask, right? Oh, I don't know if I could pay for his wares though. Forgot about that..."

[roymbrog]

After the incident with Fury and Burke, and the rest of the group getting Raquel to calm down, most of the people were standing around talking. He, on the other hand, hadn’t come close to achieving his primary goal, namely finding help for the soldiers at the Cathedral. From the sound of things though, there were people here who also needed to be evacuated. Dismounting from Phyllis, he walked over to where Joanna was. “It sounds like there’s a group going to Weyland’s estate, and a group going to escort the survivors here out of the city. Whether we help either of them, or continue searching for the military, is up to you. They may have already made it to the Cathedral by now.”

---

Kat was temporarily exhausted, and slumped over her wyvern’s neck. She was watching the proceedings but wasn’t really sure on what she was going to do yet.

---

Exploding dark spheres and fallen in the sky weren’t terribly expected, but the removal of the fog that resulted caused Synthia to wince. There was carnage everywhere. As others moved to move the injured from the entrance (her idea had been rather poor after all), she continued healing.

[scorri]

Erion

"Well, that's technically in your ability to fix you know," he said with a wink. "And I have to admit, traveling in your company would likely be more enjoyable than the company of some of those I've been with before. Though... the demons would but a bit of a dampener on that. They wouldn't happen to be a common occurrence, now would they?"

Lumi

Although the cuts on her arm and side had been taken care of, Lumi doubted that such a quick healing had taken care of the broken bones in her wrist. Leaving the ice wrapped around her wrist, she shrugged in response to Eli. "Basically everyone, I'd imagine. Very few people escaped unharmed unfortunately."

Hoshi

"Magic? Oh, uhm, most of my life actually. I started learning when I was about seven back ho... back in Kigen. I came here when I was 16 and started learning alchemy then. I had never fought in a battle before. My whole life was about studying and creating. Not... not destroying. That is why I was nervous. I did not realize how well my studies would have prepared me for a battle such as this though. I... I was surprised myself at how well I did."

[Ether]

"Well, I guess you'll just have to wait and see until you get a price quote or something... to be honest I'm not sure how all the behind the scenes stuff for merchants goes." Angelica replied, stretching a tad as she spoke... it was good to relieve the tension in her muscles, though the maneouver revealed that due to the light nature of her wounds, she hadn't actually received any medical attention, causing a stream of red to trickle down her arm as she moved it.

"Damn... that's annoying." She pouted.

***

"Well, I suppose magic requires less combat experience overall... if you can muster enough energy for alchemy, and know how to perform offensive spells, you can slide into it well enough on feel alone... the only thing you'd really need to worry about is battlefield awareness... though I suppose I'm not really one to talk about that..." Faatina replied with a light laugh.

[scorri]

"Ah, well, you helped me with that I suppose. Didn't have to worry so much about getting attacked with you being around to scare off most of the demons. As for the combat spells..." She shrugged. "They're fairly basic. Nosferatu was the most complex and I learned that one early on as a last measure in case something went wrong. I should look into my tomes though. I think I had some more complex battle spells in some of them. Though... assuming we won everywhere else, I suppose I probably won't need to be worrying about being in a battle any time soon..."

[Ether]

"It's always good to know how to fight if it comes down to it, though." Faatina replied.

"I started learning as self-defence, but well, I guess it stuck with me. I suppose you could call me a mercenary... though I'm still on the same job as I was when I left home."

[Nanami Touko]

"It's not that complicated. Worse comes to worst I'll work for him for a while to pay for it. Probably end up getting stuck with some of you, if that goes through." She looked up at the night sky, wondering how long that would take, or why she'd arbitrarily roped herself into this group. At least the three that have addressed me seem nice enough. Hmm? "What's annoying? Oh, that's no good. One sec." She took the woman's arm and pulled a small handkerchief out of one of the many pockets her armor carried, wrapping it tightly around the wound. "There you go, Angie. Should be fine until an actual healer can look at it."