Return of the Emblem Chapter Thirteen: Flight

[scorri]

Hoshi winced as an arrow slammed into the chest of the man she'd attacked, but shook it off. There was nothing to be done about it now. With a frown, she quickly started to form more spheres, keeping them floating around her body as she did. It seemed like most of the enemy was gone now, and she figured she'd be of more using keeping an eye out for incoming enemies.

Edited July 31, 2014 by scorri

[Snike]

"If they aren't, that'll mean there's trouble," Pete said, tersely. A moment later, he drew an arrow, just in case.

[Phoenix]

Even More Waiting

"I enjoy learning," Shadrak replied, trying to keep in mind that Eva had taken his side earlier during the incident with Tia. "About different magic and different cultures. The more I learn, the more this life and whatever meaning it holds comes into focus. That's all."

Another Route

Malik had hoped he would run into one of the people in the strike team on his way back out, but what happened instead, he told himself, should have been his expectation from the beginning. He was cut off by one of the wrathites and had to find another route out of the building. He went south, hoping that if he could make it outside through the Naturan side of the building, he would be even further out of harm's way. He just hoped Amon would realize that and not divert people from the strike team to find him. That would be extremely stupid, even for someone as misguided as him, Malik mused.

Arrival

Amon heard a clicking noise as he reached the door and cursed the timing. The only way in through a locked door now was to keep on running, slam into that door, and hope it didn't come off its hinges; the last thing he wanted was to injure the person they were here to free.

"ARRRRGH!!!" Amon hit the door full force and broke into the room, knocking back the wrathite who'd locked it, and tackled him to the ground. As he fell, he saw Joanna's absolutely astonished face and almost smiled at their luck. He quickly forced his arm down over the man's neck to choke him out ... it was that or getting stabbed within a few seconds, he concluded.

The last remaining wrathite between them and Joanna already had his blade drawn and was backpedaling in near desperation. "What do you crazed savages think you're doing?! This is a holy place!"

No ... these grounds would only holy if the gods were present there. Otherwise they're just another part of the world, Joanna grimly noted to herself. She didn't like what was happening here, but she knew full well that he didn't know what he was talking about.

[Toogee]

At least it made sense to Tia, but that wasn't what she'd meant by her question. She put it in more direct words in her head, before speaking up again. "I more meant where you get all your confidence from, but... I understand why you're calm right now, at least." She'd managed to calm down her shakes as the magic barrage ended with the Vasilus lifting the soldiers up and then setting them back down. "No one's after us, but if she tosses one of those soldiers over here, I'm staying behind you..."

"No need; looks like things have settled," Jam replied to Tia. The battle had switched to being fought solely with words. Who knew how long this calm would last? Jam looked around to make sure no one was headed for the group. Once she determined everything was clear, Jam listened in on the events outside.

Jam couldn't hear much over the crowd, but she pieced together that Bird Lady was named Lilith and had apparently rebelled against a god. This had made some of the people angry, causing the battle. One of those people was a prince, if the crowd was to be believed. They weren't quite outside, but she thought she could get a good view from the entrance if she were a bit taller. There's an idea...

"You see anything Tia?" Jam asked. "If I get you on my shoulders, maybe you could see what's going on."

Edited July 31, 2014 by Toogee

[Mercakete]

Valter wasn't as fast as Amon, but with the enemy forces out of the way, he'd soon have caught up to him. He hadn't quite yet, though, and as he hurried along, he saw Amon trying to choke out one Wrathite while another had a sword drawn. Oh no you don't. Valter pulled another arrow from his quiver, slid to a stop as he nocked it and drew the string back, then fired at the standing Wrathite, managing to plant the arrow right at the base of his throat between his shoulders. Aiming for the throat's range between the head and the neck was a little too small a target for what Valter was willing to risk at the moment. If nothing else, it would debilitate the Wrathite from planting his sword into Amon's back while he was preoccupied.

The deed done, Valter continued his run towards Amon. And, now that he wasn't focusing on the opposition so much, the horseman could see that they had finally found the one they'd been trying to rescue. A smile of relief spread across Valter's face and in spite of Amon's plight, he slowed down, adrenaline beginning to subside some. "Joanna!" Immediately, though, his elation was cut short and he immediate inquired, even as he was still on the approach, "Are you hurt? They didn't mistreat you, did they?"

[Nanami Touko]

"I guess that makes sense. You're a mage, and all. All that dark magic and junk," she said, popping a small smile. Maybe I can get a conversation out of him yet. "Do you need to be born with some special talent to learn magic? Or can any regular joe pick it up with a few years of practice? Just curious, as everyone around here seems to have some in their back pocket, but the only magical thing about me is my sword. Oh, and uh, Joanna? Why she's so important?" Eva began to wonder if Shadrak was the kind of person that got held up in their thoughts a lot.

----------

Things had indeed settled, and Tia pulled herself a little bit out from behind Jam. Perhaps she'd make it out of this without any regrets of having left the wagon. And Jam's next question brought a small smile to her face. "Sure! Though, Gelly already told me some of what was happening." She waited for the dancer to lower herself down so she could climb on, looking slightly impatient while doing so.

Edited July 31, 2014 by I have opinions

[Phoenix]

That Which is Important

"Well, you at least need determination," Shadrak noted, though he knew that wasn't what she was asking about. "It's not like there are people who can and can't do it, at least not normally, it's just those who have the willpower. I guess imagination's important, too. There's a lot of mental imagery that goes into casting. It'd be even more complicated without shortcuts like those," he explained.

When she asked him about Joanna again, he realized that she'd asked that before and he'd sort of trailed off about his pursuits in life. Well, she didn't seem too miffed about it, so he addressed that, next. "I don't know much about her other than that she's some kind of mascot for the Order of Mercy and a good healer. A lot of people know her, like her, or at least were helped by her so naturally Bert was able to get a riot started ... I mean the Order of Wrath arrested a healer who already lives in the cathedral ... what's she going to do without us intervening? Where's she going to go? The whole thing was a terrible idea on their part."

That Which is Most Important

Joanna suspected she was being violently rescued when the commotion began, but when the two wrathites left guarding her were downed and she saw Valter at the door, she knew for certain. Instinct kicked in all too quickly, however, and she immediately rushed to the wrathite who had been shot in the neck, hoping to heal him. "Valter, please, don't kill them," she pleaded as she knelt down over the man.

Amon grunted as the wrathite he was choking passed out. He had a feeling she might pull this indiscriminate healing if she wasn't restrained when they found her, and now he was seeing it happen right before his eyes. They didn't have time to sit here and let her patch up the injured and grieve for the dead. "Joanna, we have to go," Amon said, trying to keep his legs from taking him to the door before he knew she was following him and Valter.

"I can't leave here ..." she replied remorsefully. Had their efforts been for nothing? She didn't want to tell them that ....

Edited July 31, 2014 by Phoenix

[scorri]

Hoshi glanced around and then ducked into the room. "Uhm... I suspect that the, uhm, noise we just made will draw attention. I'm, uhm, assuming you're Joanna, the one we came to rescue. If so, we should really be leaving now, before they bring in reinforcements. Please."

[Mercakete]

Valter frowned. This was just like her. Slinging his bow over his quiver for now, he gently informed her, "Joanna, it's for the best if we just leave them and get out of here."

He didn't expect her to listen, so he walked right up to her and took her right hand in his, and rested his left on her left shoulder, trying to get her to stand and get her walking away about as gently as he could without giving her the option to refuse. Still, he couldn't look her in the eye. He knew she would object like this, he knew she wouldn't like being rescued if it meant hurting others...but rescuing her was just more important. "If we stay here, there's no telling what the Wrathites will do to us and the others. I've sworn to protect you from people like this. Don't you understand? Please... I know you're compassionate, but your staying here will only lead to more deaths and injury. We have to go...now...and it's my duty to make sure you get out of here safe and sound, no matter what that means."

[-Cynthia-]

The battle was over- the humans had little regard for sparing their enemies it seemed. Liam made his way into the room where Joanna was being held and the bowman- named Valter apparently- attempted to convince Joanna to leave with both words and force it seemed. A man who would kill without even attempting diplomacy is her sworn protector? The Order of Mercy outside of Aquila has lost their way it seems.

Liam crossed his arms and stood in front of the doorway. "Joanna can't leave here without the emblem piece- it is both her sacred duty and mine to protect it from outsiders. If you interfere in this, I will have little choice but to stop you," he said firmly. I wished I could have given you a better greeting Joanna...but circumstances call me to action.

[Phoenix]

Holding On

So Liam knew about the emblem piece, too, did he? This would probably be over quickly, then, Amon realized. "If the emblem's what's keeping her here then we definitely need to go, because Malik went to steal it as soon as we got here. The plan was to split up, get her and the emblem out, and then meet up outside the city," Amon explained as he stood up from the defeated wrathite.

Joanna was dumbfounded to see someone she knew from back home way out here. When their message said they hadn't forgotten her, they were clearly serious. But if what Amon said was true, then the emblem could already be on the move. She didn't have a choice but to go with them, now ... "I'll go, but ... but please don't let this man die for nothing! I can save him! I promise I'll go after that, but please let me help him!" She could just barely reach the arrow, but it wasn't enough. The wrathite reached out to her in desperation, grabbing her arm and causing her to flinch. Of course, he was dying ... why wouldn't he reach out for help at a time like this?

Maybe it wouldn't be over as quickly as Amon thought. Unless he died right now or someone broke his grip, Joanna was firmly anchored between him and Valter. "Hoshi, can you keep an eye out? The second she's done, and I mean the second she's done, we're heading back as fast as we can."

[Mercakete]

It seemed as though a decision had been reached. Though Valter was more concerned for their own lives than their enemy's, there wasn't much more to be said. He gave a soft sigh and released Joanna from his grip. However, the Wrathite wasn't getting off that easy. Valter took up his bow again and nocked another arrow, aiming it right between the Wrathite's eyes with a deadly hardness to his own. "If you try to hurt any of us on our way out, I'll fire. She may be concerned for your life, but I'm not. Not when the rest of ours are hanging in the balance after what your order has done."

[Phoenix]

Fix'd

"Valter, please," Joanna mumbled, as she tried to free her arm from the wrathite so she could work with both hands. Forcing the arrow through the back of his neck wasn't an option; he'd die more or less instantly. Of course, pulling it out the same way it went in was going to have the wrathite squirming and thrashing about and there was no way she could restrain him. "I-I need help," she pleaded.

"I've got it," Amon rushed over. If he helped, Hoshi and Liam could mind the door, and Valter could cover their backs if this guy tried anything. The first thing Amon did was unholster the wrathite's pistol and chuck it away. Next, he grabbed the sword, a short distance away, and did the same.

"Please, hurry," Joanna insisted, fed up with all the precautions. It was a miracle the wrathite hadn't already passed out.

Amon quickly, and carefully held the wrathites arms down, luckily, he was too weak to resist someone taller than him and with roughly the same peak strength. Joanna quickly moved to pull out the arrow, bracing herself for a geyser of blood once she did. The man struggled moving every limb he could in response to his flesh being ravaged by the retreating arrow, but Joanna removed it, and barely dodged the spurts of blood that came out with it. She immediately threw the arrow off to the side and began to heal the wound. The wrathite passed out before she finished, but he was breathing again normally in no time.

"Move," Amon ordered, getting off of the man and heading for the door.

[Afterglimmer]

Luther reached out and shook Norbert’s hand as the rider introduced himself and his pegasus. He was a little surprised that Norbert accepted his offer with vigor, though given the circumstances, he could probably use a hand. Apparently, he overheard him talking to the pair from earlier as he knew his name before he introduced himself. “That’s fine by me. I don’t plan to pull anything,” Luther informed Norbert as he positioned himself near one of the walls and began surveying the crowd. If something were to happen, they would need to warn the others and escape as quickly as possible. I should ask this Amon guy how he plans to get out of Europa if he comes back. The last thing they need is no way out if they get cornered.

[Mercakete]

Seeing as both the Wrathites in the room were incapacitated and how slow Joanna was moving at the moment, Valter put his bow and arrow away, wrapped an arm around Joanna, taking hold of her arm from the other side, drew his sword with his dominant hand, and hurriedly herded her after the Sancturan. "I know you don't like violence," he half-apologized as he kept his eyes and ears alert for any oncoming enemies, "but we have to get everyone out of here alive...and that might mean violence. But the quicker we leave, the sooner the fighting can stop. So let's hurry."

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

Norbert nodded, retaining his casual -- for him -- smile. Luther's answer was absolutely agreeable. Sure would be a shame if he's lying. The pegasus rider went back to leaning against Rizen again after that, keeping an eye out on the arguing Mercites and Wrathites, another eye on Luther, and both ears out for anything that sounded off down the hall.

Edited July 31, 2014 by Mercakete

[Toogee]

Things had indeed settled, and Tia pulled herself a little bit out from behind Jam. Perhaps she'd make it out of this without any regrets of having left the wagon. And Jam's next question brought a small smile to her face. "Sure! Though, Gelly already told me some of what was happening." She waited for the dancer to lower herself down so she could climb on, looking slightly impatient while doing so.

"Care to share?" Jam asked, kneeling down to help Tia up on her shoulders. When she got on, the dancer realized she wasn't strong as she thought. Jam and Tia were roughly the same size, so carrying her up was a feat for the tiny dancer.

"OK...here we go," Jam struggled to say as she slowly stood up with Tia on her shoulders. Jam held on to her passengers ankles to keep her steady. They stood at the entrance, the door ajar so they could view the surroundings. Jams face was a bit strained; she wasn't sure how long she would be able to carry Tia.

Edited July 31, 2014 by Toogee

[Nanami Touko]

"I have that in spades," she said at determination, though maybe he meant a different kind of determination. Is there a determination linked directly to magic? That'd be weird... "Imagination on the other hand, I might have to work at. Sorry if this sounds sudden, I just kinda felt left out of the magical party. Even that Lumi girl can use ice magic. Maybe I should find something creative to help the way I fight. I'm sure there's something out there." Not that she thought it would be easy to just pick up and use, but maybe there was something simple, like a flash to distract an enemy, or something to push herself back if things got too dicey. Maybe I can ask Angelica about wind magic, that might work.

"Wait, so, why'd they take her in? A mascot who just heals people? Seems like someone who'd never get arrested over anything. Did she do something I'm just missing or is that a crime in some sections of the Wrathite manual?" She joked, but perhaps it was, in some weird section of the book. Assuming there's a book. "I guess I should fess up, I didn't exactly really know what was going on here. Angelica told me Amon was springing someone, and he explained the plan, but I'm really in the dark about this whole thing." She managed to laugh at that, because it certainly sounded silly to her. "Just came along to help out. And keep squishy mages like you from getting impaled."

----------

"Sure, I can tell you," she said as she made her way onto Jam's shoulders. She even managed a small laugh at the situation, as it was rather fun to be able to ride on top of someone. "Gelly told me that Prince Athrun's over there fighting a Vasilus, though she ran away before I could ask why. I wasn't that interested anyway; I've had my fill of Vasilus for a while. But that definitely is the prince! She said she knew him from some ball she went to. This is fun!" she added, finally being able to enjoy something.

[scorri]

Hoshi had been keeping watch on the hallway like she'd been asked to. As the rest of the group started to head out, she said to Amon, "We're still clear for now but, uhm, I still think the noise we made will attract someone. Hopefully, uhm, we'll get out before they get here. Or they're all distracted by, uhm, Lilath."

Lumi nodded, continuing to shape the ice she'd collected. She now had a fully formed tonfa, as well as a thick layer of ice over her upper arm, protecting it and extending over her heart. She'd been working to try and figure out a way to use her ice to protect herself, and this was her newest attempt. "What do you think, Pete? Will this do the trick to protect myself?"

Edited July 31, 2014 by scorri

[-Cynthia-]

"Joanna has an emblem piece, Amon needs to bring an emblem piece to Aisha. Trouble is, Amon's really too much of a gentleman to be robbin' ladies so...not sure why we're here exactly," Nadya answered Eva, shrugging.

---

So they already know about the emblem piece as well- do they plan to give it to Joanna or take it for themselves? I suppose I can learn more about them later- one crisis at a time. "I don't know where we're going Joanna, but we have to leave Europa. It's not safe here," Liam stated the obvious, stepping out of the doorway.

[Phoenix]

Cease-Fire

"I'll speak with Desmond once he returns," Lilith said, deciding that this would be enough of a start. "With any luck, I'll be able to get you so called Wrathites back on track."

"With any luck, perhaps you can be persuaded to join us and return Ascension to its resting place in Ursentius," Athrun retorted. "We wait here and when Desmond returns, you'll ... talk the matter over. Agreed?"

"Agreed," Lilith nodded.

Athrun almost managed a smile, but not quite. There was still a great deal of tension in the air. When he turned back toward the cathedral's western entrance, he saw that a great deal of the people from inside had come out to witness the battle and subsequent exchange. Suddenly, his attention left Lilith almost entirely. "Get the entrance clear and shut those doors," he ordered those around him. "Get them out of here, now!"

"What are you doing?" Lilith tilted her head, trying to look around at the Prince's face. <Shut the doors? They're going to get locked in from this side ....>

Athrun quickly turned to face her, again, frustration in his eyes. "You haven't been inside, yet. It was bordering on violence. The best way to keep these people safe is to get them out of our part of the building. That aside, it's an enormous security risk to have this much chaos brewing in such a small area."

<Just as well, I suppose; I drew in too many soldiers and they'll want me to help them fight if it comes to a confrontation ... then I'll become the enemy again and I'll never be able to deal with this problem. I hope they can find another entrance to escape from ....> "Afraid something might get stolen?"

"Something ... " Athrun repeated, grimly recalling the box. Someone ...

Run

"My freedom can't be worth all of this ..." Joanna murmured as Valter took her out of the room.

"If it's clear, then let's move. We'll regroup with the others on the way out just like we planned. Anyone who tries to stop us gets knocked down, hard ... we leave it at that and keep running until we're outside or we hit a barricade," Amon explained, figuring Joanna wouldn't be a problem so long as no one was gravely wounded.

Time ... to Run

"Isn't that why Malik's the one that went after it while everyone else focused on this rescue?" Shadrak noted, "Either way, she's got nowhere to go; if she stays here, the order will pursue her and people will die trying to protect her from them. We were going to head down to Kigen immediately after this, anyway, so ... it might be all the time Amon needs to convince her to go down to Sanctuary with him. It probably won't work but unless Valdimarr hands over his emblem piece, that's all those rexians have going for them ... time."

"Run!" That was Amon's voice, Shadrak realized.

They were coming back down the hall at full speed. The druid almost feared he would be trampled over like it was nothing if he didn't start running and match their pace. "Crap," Shadrak hissed as he began running ahead of the group, hoping not to slow those behind him down. "Looks like you guys found her." He also noted that Joanna looked like her dog had just been killed. Maybe things got pretty gruesome back there. It figured. More violence in a holy place ....

[scorri]

Lumi was waiting at the bottom of the stairs when she heard yelling. "Looks like we're about ready to head out. You good to go?" She started moving forward at a steady pace, not running, but ready to start at any second.

Hoshi meanwhile was chasing after Amon and the others, doing her best to keep up. Her robes weren't the best to be running in, but she was managing to stay at least in range of the group, if not at the front. Her height certainly wasn't helping, as she had to cover the same distance with much shorter legs than some of the group, but she was giving it a good try.

[Ether]

And they were about to be sandwiched in... lovely. Hopefully plans could be changed, in time. With that in mind, and knowing it had to be done now, before the crowd thinned enough for her to be spotted, Angelica darted off towards the entrance that had been kept watch by Tia and Jamilla, stopping momentarily as she approached the pair.

"They're locking the doors, we're going to try and head off Amon before he waltzes into this mess and it becomes a bloodbath... there has to be another exit to this damn place..." The adept noted, before darting further into the sanctum, vaguely sensing the lingering magic from the earlier confrontation.

'Atleast I know where they were... better than nothing.' Angelica noted to herself, as she sped down the hallways.

[Nanami Touko]

"Oh, the emblem thing. Right. That kinda makes sense, but if what you're saying is true... Sorry, I still didn't get your name; if what you're saying is true, then yeah, there isn't much for us to be here for." She listened in on Shadrak's extended explanation, and it sounded pretty serious. "Maybe that's why we're here, then, to make sure there isn't any senseless fighting over the woman-- well, any more senseless fighting, since we might have to beat some heads before we get out of here." The thought unfortunately brought a little smile to Eva's face, but she caught it and killed it before it could spread. She enjoyed fighting but she might come across as a little nuts if she smiled every time the activity was brought up.

"Run!"

"Huh?" Eva almost jumped at the sudden exclamation, as the group turned into their hall at full speed. Eva started to run with them, seeing the orange haired woman they'd come for. She looked incredibly melancholy. "Is she alright? They weren't beating her up when you guys got to her, were they?" Whatever had happened, Joanna didn't look pleased.

----------

"Wha? What's he yelling about?" Tia suddenly asked Jam, as if she could hear any better than the girl. The fight was over, and Athrun looked like he was talking to the Vasilus about something, but there was no way she was going to be able to hear it and she definitely couldn't read lips. Angelica zoomed on by, and gave them an update on what was happening. Tia's stomach knotted a bit. "They're going to lock us up in here? What about Amon and the rest of them?" That little anxious feeling that she'd had earlier had come back and was starting to grow. She didn't want to have to watch everyone get into a fight with the group that had stopped a Vasilus from starting a rampage.

[Snike]

"Let's hope we don't have to find out," Pete said, grimly. Naturally, moments later, the yelling began.

"Do I look like I want to lounge around here?" the warrior asked, advancing a bit himself. Running would draw attention.

[Mercakete]

"She doesn't like violence," Valter hurriedly answered Eva as they all ran along. There was no use in getting into the details when they were in such a rush. Though Joanna was running of her own accord at a fair pace, he kept his arm wrapped around her shoulders. If for no other reason, this way, he could protect her more easily without making Joanna suspicious of his being a human shield. She wouldn't like that notion very much.

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

Angelica managed to cross the large, open, grand hall fairly speedily, but, seeing her rushing towards them, Norbert curiously stepped between her and the hallway. "Hey, slow down. Who the heck are you?"