Fire Emblem: Wretched Whispers, Act 1: Three Days

[scorri]

Taima grinned at the healer who the swordsman had been offering to protect. "Right. My point exactly. No one skill is the most important, and no one person is the most important. We all have different skills we can use. If we work together, that will give us the advantage we need to win. If instead, we focus solely on the skill of one person, we'll ignore the advantages that someone else might give us."

[MRDRHAWK]

"You act as if we'll actually do that on the battlefield." Declan replied coolly to Taima. "As much as it would be nice to have everyone watch everyone's back, when the fighting actually gets going, that becomes painstakingly difficult to accomplish, and then we get nothing done." Turning to Peter, he sighed. "Idealists, the lot of you. Look, the point I'm getting at is that we need to actually have a strategy beyond 'Keep everyone else from dying', so that we can actually avoid dying." He did commend Lugos for actually answering him earlier, but weakness wasn't something he wanted to show. After all, he still had things to do.

As Melanie mentioned an ability to use Dark magicks, Declan shuddered. He never did like Dark magic, and it was notoriously hard to wield and master. He only hoped that she was able to control it, or no amount of protection and cover that he or anyone could give would keep them safe.

[scorri]

"Fine. Maybe you were just trying to act all strong for the pretty girls when you offered to protect them." Taima said keeping a perfectly straight face, while laughing slightly inside. "But maybe there would be someone better suited to defending them while you go kill something. Or maybe you need to let them fend for themselves for a while so that you can rescue someone else. You say that we can't spend time to watch everyone's back but yet that was what you were offering in a way. Offering to always watch their backs. But if this was all flirting, I apologize for interrupting. Feel free to continue." She smirked slightly at the end. The man was clearly far too confident in his own abilities and it should be interesting to see him actually participate in a fight.

[eclipse]

"Strategy? I think that guy over there would know more than you," Peter said, motioning towards Lugos. "He seems to have done research on the enemies we might face."

[MRDRHAWK]

Declan shook his head. "That's different, and no I'm not flirting. Think: who would you go after first? The skilled fighters, or the healers who can't defend themselves? And besides... You seem to think of me as overly confident, and yet I'm the one trying to hold back and defend. Seems like you're jumping to conclusions, eh?" He said to Taima. Turning to Peter, he raised his hands in defiance. "I've never been much for scouting ahead... I'm not too good at sizing up armies at a glance." Deciding not to bring up his upbringing, he simply returned to sharpening his sword. "Besides... I've seen enough people die both by my hand and by my side to know that I'm not THAT good a swordsman."

[Nanami Touko]

"Excuse moi, monsieur!" Melanie said, jumping back in, despite having thought she was finished. "I sought zat I said I could defend myself just fine? Perhaps ze swordsmanship ees not ze only zing you are bad at! Humph! Defenseless 'ealers indeed." I may not be able to speak properly, but I can cast magic just fine! I 'ope I ah'm not stuck with zis one on ze battlefield.

Edited December 2, 2013 by I have opinions

[Oersted]

Seeing as people were apparently discussing usefulness on the battlefield Lugos figured he should probably say something about what he could do. ​"Not to interrupt this argument or anything but for the record I'm a mage skilled in anima magics." He doubted they truly cared for this information at this time but he couldn't be bothered to wait for an opportunity to tell them otherwise. "You can continue your bickering but I'll not step into this further. If you need me I'll be tending my wyvern." With that he walked out and after their apparent leader who had said she too would be attending her wyvern.

When he got to the stables she was already there though if she hadn't been he might've been concerned, more about the fact she had lied than anything. While he would've been content simply tending to his own wyvern he felt the need for conversation. "If you don't mind me asking how lethal do you think the Angolan troop we may encounter might be? I myself believe they'd be nothing but grunts but you're obviously more informed than I."

Edited December 2, 2013 by Oersted

[MRDRHAWK]

"I never said I was a charmer." Declan said with a smile, before kicking his legs up. "Besides, now we've all at least spoken and gotten an idea of what we want out of this job... and the simple answer is to not die. So, once we get the okay to go out there, that's just what we'll do."

[riariadne]

Sheikah didn't look to face the newcomer, adjusting her wyvern's saddlebags a bit. "There shouldn't be too much there. A good assortment of ground troops is what I've heard. Intelligence was unfortunately pretty vague. They outnumber us, but not by too much. It's definitely not too much for us to handle."

After she seemed done fiddling, she turned to face him. "You're Lugos, right? It's good to work with a fellow wyvern rider, and you seem to have a good head on your shoulders, too. I'm primarily used to fighting in a flying squadron, but my last job didn't end so well." She looked away a bit in shame. "Not much can get me as amped up as wyverns. First time I saw one was when I started training up to be a mercenary, y'know? And my maiden flight was probably the best day of my life. Fighting against 'em is a feeling unlike any other, too. Moving through the air to combat the wild beasts..." The rider shook her head as she droned on. "Sorry, I got a bit lost there." She pointed to her wyvern. "This is Privia, named after the hero. I only wish I could've met her. Your wyvern, what's its name?"

Edited December 2, 2013 by Reinfleche

[Nanami Touko]

"Zat ees very obvious, at least," Melanie added, though at least she wasn't as mad if he was willing to admit it. "Donc, I guess zat ees zat. Eet is reassuring to know zat everyone 'ere ees up to ze plate wis protecting each ozer. I did not expect such respect from mercenaries... désolé, I 'ave just 'eard ze terrible stories, you know? I ah'm glad to know zey are wrong."

Edited December 2, 2013 by I have opinions

[scorri]

Taima shrugged. "It makes sense though. Easier to stay alive if you're protecting those protecting you."

[Xinnidy]

Magali was just about to reply to Melanie as the knight woman and the swordman seemed to start some verbal fight or whatnot, and it seemed even Melanie got involved!

Everything went right past Magali's empty head.

"Well, it's nice to know we have people with different combat experiences. Maybe one of them will work out~." She clasped her hands and tilted her head. "But Melanie, you study dark magic? The priest used to say it was the stuff of monsters and spiteful gods, but a nice sorcerer I met once told me it's just a different, raw type of magic to master. I guess for someone that enjoys reading, you must have gotten pretty good at it, hmm?"

Edited December 2, 2013 by Xinnidy

[Oersted]

"No, no it's alright I tend to go off on tangents when the subject of wyverns is brought up too. Flying up up so high in the sky is truly more exhilarating than anything on the ground," he said as checked over a few things on his wyvern's saddle. Finally someone else who appreciates wyverns just as much as I do!" Lugos thought to himself. It was good to know that the world wasn't full of bickering fools and there were a few who could appreciate some of the better things in life such as wyverns. "My wyvern's name? He's Kralle. You must look up to Privia to name your wyvern after her. Though I suppose all wyvern riders do at least a little or strive to be on her level. A lofty goal to strive for but a goal nonetheless."

"She mentioned something about a flying squadron... Probably best to question her on that later; perhaps after a successful mission or two when I've proven my usefulness."

Edited December 2, 2013 by Oersted

[Rothene]

Rahman kept himself a few paces from the group. After leaving his crowded over populated nation, personal space and privacy was such a dream come true. And he intended to cherish it.

But it was never wise to be a lone wolf and thus the ebony boy rode his sleek black stallion closer to the group as an after thought. It was one of those small temperamental desert breed of horses that boast as much stamina and speed as their fury, all packed into a not too large package.

"So, will we be needing people to scout to gather intelligence?" Rahman asked, "My eyesight's pretty good so to speak."

Edited December 2, 2013 by Rothene

[Nanami Touko]

Time for some worswhile conversation, she thought, thinking of how to respond without offending Magali. "Aucun offense, but, your priest, 'e sounds like a bit of an...imbécile. Zere is no proof connecting my magic wis ze monsters. Eet is fairly difficile for me to get along een life wis all zese people believing I ah'm some sort of devil worshipper. C'est effroyable." She noticed once again that her language kept slipping, but Magali hadn't said anything against it. Perhaps she could understand it? "Above all of zat, yes, I do believe I am très bon, avec my magic. Noting fantastique, but I 'ave no problems wis using eet."

Edited December 2, 2013 by I have opinions

[Xinnidy]

While it was true that the foreign terms were unfamiliar to her, the words were easy to ignore and still make sense of something... like Magali ended up doing in normal conversation, anyways. "Mmhmm, I can agree that the priest was always a bit... uptight and old fashioned. I only paid attention to his words until I saw somebody else's view about dark magic."

"That's impressive that you feel... confident!--" That one was admittedly hard for Magali to understand. "--About yout magic. Offensive magic is quite impressive, and you know how to use staves too. I'm certain you'll be really helpful, I feel safer just knowing that~."

[MRDRHAWK]

"I'm hoping you can control that dark magic of yours, madame. Dark magic is notoriously hard to control - so much so that I even know it, and I can't tell my Fire tomes from an actual torch." Declan interjected, but not in his normal, semi-offensive tone. He'd had a dark mage in his group before that lost control of a simple Flux tome... what happened was five deaths due to friendly fire before he had to kill said mage... who was just a young girl looking for a bit of money to give her family so they could eat.

[riariadne]

"Ha! I could only dream of fighting like her. Sure is one to look up to, though. Her feats seem unreal to me. That anyone could do so much is hard to grasp." She ran her hand through her hair, adjusting her ponytail. "Kralle is a good name, and a fine wyvern. One of the bigger ones I've seen. Nothing like the first, though... Absolute terror. Almost twice as big as anything I've encountered. And the one who rode it was enormous, too. I never asked his name, but I wish I did. Him and Privia are the sort of people I respect a lot. Most people are just fighting for money, or fame, but a real passion for battle is so rare now. I could've made a living off of sitting around in the shop and looking nice back home, but that isn't my style. You've got a good mind for strategy. And I like your initiative. Both marks of a good mercenary. I wasn't sure about everyone, but I was short on men and short on time, so... Well, I guess we'll see."

She turned back to her wyvern. "I have to say, I was surprised that you use magic. I've never actually met another wyvern rider who does. It's one reason I'm very effective, if I do say so myself, which I think is an opinion I'm entitled to. Most anyone thinks they'll be fighting another lancer, or maybe one with an axe, so they're rarely prepared for light spells. And the armor of standard issue for Angalans means nothing. And if they can handle it, they still usually ain't ready for an axe to the skull. I hope they don't catch on, but sooner or later it's probably going to happen. Bah, I'm rambling again."

[eclipse]

"One of our number rides a wyvern, but two sets of eyes are better than one," Peter replied to Rahman.

[Nanami Touko]

"I, uh... I would not say I know 'ow to use ze staffs. I just know 'ow to turn zem on, so to speak. Let ze magic do ze rest of ze work. I am sure you are bien meilleur at ze 'ealing, zan I am." The praise did feel nice, though. Especially considering how most people seemed to view the magic. Like a certain swordsman, that she was beginning to have little patience for.

"Quoi c'est que votre problème?" she said at him, genuinely bothered, "Could you stop? Arrêter? I do not know what you 'ave gone srough, but I do not appreciate vos accusations. I 'ave zero problems wis casting. Eef I hit you wis my magic, eet will be on purpose, petit cochon. Zat I can promise you. Now, s'il vous plaît, stop." As tough as she acted, it really did hurt to have her casting abilities questioned. She'd been doing this since she was a child, how could she possibly screw it up now?

[MRDRHAWK]

"I meant no offense. It's just that I've seen a lot of dark mages lose control over the last few years, and I'm always a little... eh, skeptical of any I meet. Nothing personal." Declan replied, trying to leave out the part where he lost several of his comrades that way.

[Nanami Touko]

"Zen I will just 'ave to prove you wrong, non? C'est simple. Until zen, zen." She had never heard anyone say it was tough to use, but she would humor this man either way. Perhaps 'e 'as just 'ad ze nightmares, or someting? I can not understand 'is worries.

Edited December 2, 2013 by I have opinions

[Xinnidy]

"You already know the basics, so I'm sure it's an upwards slope from now on, as far as staves go." Magali mentioned, resting her head on her left hand. "But I'm sure you'll do wonderful with your magic, I guess we'll all see how things go if the need rises, anyways."

[riariadne]

Sheikah made a few final checks to her armor before turning to the anima mage. "Hey, we're leaving now. It's about time we actually make our way there. Sorry if I distracted you or anything, I went on for quite a while. If there's anything you need to do, try and prepare it on the way." She lead Privia out of the stables, then hopped on and flew the short distance to the rest of the group, not bothering to dismount as she landed.

"Hey, listen up again!" she shouted. "I hope that was ample time to prepare, because that's all that you'll be getting. If you wasted it on pointless bickering or whatever, you've nobody but yourself to blame. The spot on the river we're going for isn't far. Do whatever you need to on the way, and that'll be it!" She left no time for the others to respond, soaring into the sky once more and heading off towards the destination.

(stop posting for now)

[SB.]

After around half an hour of walking, the mercenaries still hadn't found a sign of the other group. Sheikah watched carefully for any signs of enemy soldiers. Something had gone awry, she just knew it. As the group drew close to the river, she spotted exactly what the problem was. Anglanian soldiers had crossed the bridge, although some nearby bodies showed that they hadn't crossed without a fight. They appeared to be from the other patrol group that they were meant to join up with, however there were far too few bodies to assume that it was the whole group. There was no sign of them however, and Hart's Hollows hadn't gone unnoticed for long.

"There! More mercenary scum!" cried a nearby soldier, alerting the others to their presence. She'd been right to expect trouble, and now they had no time to worry about what happened to the others. She addressed the group in a hurry, never taking her eyes off of the enemies.

"Alright, that's poor... damn it. Listen up! Stay on your guard at all times, got it? We just need to do enough damage to get them to fall back. Stick together, and don't throw yourself into situations you can't handle! I don't want to be burying anyone in this troop any time soon, got it? Hart's Hollows, move out!"

---

Turn 1

Objective: Defend for 9 turns!

Stats are here!

[spoiler=HP Counts]Peter 30/30

Taima 27/27

Declan 21/21

Rahman 24/24

Magali 21/21

Melanie 24/24

Lugos 27/27

Sheikah 23/23

Danar 29/29

Mercenary A 27/27

Mercenary B 25/25

Mercenary C 25/25

Archer A 23/23

Archer B 22/22

Archer C 23/23

Priest A 26/26

Fighter A 27/27

Fighter B 27/27

Soldier A 26/26

Soldier B 27/27

Mage A 22/22

Mage B 22/22

Knight A 28/28

Knight B 29/29

Edited December 3, 2013 by SB.