Return of the Emblem Chapter Fourteen: Nine

[Nanami Touko]

"Hmm? Did you say something?" She didn't catch what Robin had murmured, wondering if it was important. Well, if it is, she'll tell me. As for checking her clothes, "of course. One moment, sorry Erion." She let go of his coat and picked herself up, making sure to keep that hole covered. A quick few steps over to Robin let her check the woman's back, the hole out the other side not looking too bad. "No, you should be fine. It's not too bad. Oh, as... As for that..." She was not an expert, but the other healer, he spoke up and confirmed that she was free of foreign metal substances.

"There you are, then. I think I will just find something new to wear. If you wish to help me pick something out though, I would not be opposed." Offering her a smile, she stepped back over to Erion, and took a seat, tugging at his coat again.

[scorri]

Handing the coat over, Erion smiled at Amalia before looking over at Robin and chuckling. "You've gotta trust our healers more than that. They take good care of us. And uh oh, is that a shopping trip I sense in the works? If you two go, you should try and see if any of the other girls want to go. Make it a whole big thing."

[Script]

A Man Called Gar waved goodbye and was off.

Edited March 9, 2017 by Script

[Nanami Touko]

Good, coverage. She took his coat and laid it over herself without a moment of hesitation. "Much better. As for shopping, we can discuss that later. I'm afraid I don't have the most money to my name, so it would have to be fairly basic. Hmm... I'm sure I can make something work, though."

[-Cynthia-]

"In their point of view, Ursium and everything else is a problem in need of solving. It's an understandable viewpoint- if you've seen enough of the world it is hard not to conclude that some things need to be changed. However, their organization has a very...radical view on how to enact this change, to put it mildly," Lysandra explained in response to the young healer's comment on the matter.

[KentaEzren]

"I've never really seen where exactly we're heading, so it'll be somewhat of an experience." Kenta sighed a bit, thinking of the advice Lysandra gave to him. He peeked at the road the wagon was traveling on, sitting by the ones he first met when he got involved with what had been going on. His quest for vengeance brought him to this journey. Why was that? He thought about this for a while.

[Snowy_One]

"Of course I would like to help you pick out something." said Robin with a smile. The truth is that she didn't care one bit about clothes, but the chance to just do something with another person. "I would suggest we look for more casual clothes as opposed to something fancy like designer stuff since it will be torn and bloodied. I would also like to consider getting something for my hair as well if possible."

[Phoenix]

[spoiler=Road Alley]

Perugia, despite her worries, wasted no time in propping Road's head up in her lap. The ground wasn't comfortable for her bare legs, but that was her reasoning for not leaving Road that way.

With Road alive and probably well, again, Alexis wasn't pressed for time and could reevaluate her questions. It was probably better to cut straight to the chase and save her minor curiosities for later. "My goal," she began, a bit of an edge to her tone, "is to change this world for the better, and make real progress doing it in my lifetime. I'm not interested in being a lone vigilante, trying to make a dent in society's problems like some avian exile and never even coming close. I wanted to be a part of something greater, something that could not only bring about a better government, but actively works toward that." It was a mouthful, but there it was. "What are you after and what do any of us," she indicated herself, Perugia, and Road, "have to do with it?"

Perugia wouldn't have been nearly so aggressive after that display of power, but she and Alexis were in different situations. Invictus was in ruins, and its leader was more or less an indentured servant. Alexis' organization was alive and well, and Thanatos was asking her to betray them and come over to his side. Naturally she wanted a very good reason to do so.

Near Wagons

"Gods, they're really piling into that wagon," Raphael frowned. "Okay here's the plan," he turned to Arietta, "you drive one, and I'll drive one and we'll get back to HQ. If it looks like we're attracting too much attention this time, we'll split up and take slightly different routes back." He broke off momentarily and formed a cone with his hands, placing it just in front of his mouth. "Get in the wagons, we're leaving! ... yes there's two by the way!" With those quick reminders out of the way, he faced Arietta again. "Anna's heading back on foot after she rounds up our missing people, so take whichever you want."

Wagon #1

"Relax," Leo waved dismissively at Axel, "I'm not making a run for it, injured leg or no injured leg." As much as he'd like to try and make an escape once his leg was treated, or before then if he found a way, he wanted to know what his captor's plans were first.

The boss showed up next, climbing into the wagon and taking a seat next to Thany. "Leo," he nodded a greeting.

"Boss man," Leo smiled awkwardly. Was he the prisoner of one of his former hires, now?

Wagon #2

"I personally can't take Ursians seriously," Zerachiel noted. "Road and I stole several tanks from these guppies with only a handful of men," he added, his expression giving nothing away, "how do you think I should feel about Ursium? At least the 'skotians would have put up a fight to hold onto their equipment. As for changing things, I'll leave the administrative work to others. I'm just a fighter paving the way."

Speaking of tanks, Gabriel was sure they'd only gotten one of them. He considered asking Zerachiel about it, but on top of having no pressing reason to divulge that information, he hadn't even given them an exact number. He was being casual but not stupid, only telling them things they should have already known.

Edited September 22, 2016 by Phoenix

[Snike]

[spoiler=Goals]"Alright, for a little context, you should know that the history of this world is on a five-thousand year cycle, at the end of which the Four come to the world and... reset it, for lack of a better word," Thanatos said, before launching into a more-elaborate explanation. "This is the last year of the current cycle, but unfortunately, several threats to the land have appeared at once. To the west, the Fallen plan to invade and behind them, Obelisk. To the east, of course, there is your organization, which wishes to rule the world. Then, there is the First himself, who would like to put a permanent end to this cycle. If any one of those groups or individuals obtains the completed fire emblem, the world as you know it would be irreparably changed, and, with the exception of Wrath, potentially destroyed as the greater balance is upset. My goal, at least for the immediate, is to prevent that. The three of you would come into play in both addressing the Fallen problem and potentially the Organization's threat. After the cycle, assuming success, society would need to be rebuilt afterwards, so I would enlist your help with that as well. If you want change, in any case, you need only wait."

***

"I doubt I'll relax until we get Zerachiel in a cell," Axel said, but otherwise decided to sit still and wait.

***

"I wouldn't be one to tell you how you should feel about something," Lane said, frowning. "I just have to wonder whether you lose too much with your method of problem solving. Sure, destroying the country solves the problems and 'paves' the way for rule, but it also destroys the good aspects with those problems."

[Thany]

"Well, if it isnt the "ex-brigand", i take it they are keeping you prisoner for the time being?" :she said in a slightly dissapointed tone:

Edited September 23, 2016 by Thany

[Phoenix]

[spoiler=Alley]

What Thanatos was involved in, Perugia realized, was far beyond the concerns of a single country. She didn't have time to fully process it, as Road was coming to. "Don't move around, yet," she gently warned as his eyes began to open, "you're alive, yeah." She could sense his disbelief, even without him saying a word. She couldn't help but smile as Road's hand moved over his chest, the wound absent. "See?"

"... Is Ursium going to be destroyed by Wrath?" Alexis asked. Suddenly her prior struggles felt almost petty. Having the recent conflicts recontextualized, and expanded upon made everything going on between Ursium and Neviskotia, Kigen and Corvus, feel ... like a fight in the school yard compared to what was coming.

Wagon #1

Don't relax even then, Leo thought. Zerachiel was resourceful. "Looks like it, yeah," Leo nodded somberly at Thany, "glad to see you and the boss made it out alright. Last night was a real mess."

"Hah," the boss chuckled, "yeah we survived, but just barely. It's going to be a while before I'll live that one down." Thany was already repressing the memories of her first battle, it seemed.

Wagon #2

"What about Ursium is really worth saving?" Zerachiel cocked an eyebrow at Lane, "the culture?" Gabriel could already tell that Zerachiel couldn't possibly care less about a nation's culture if it wasn't in line with his own philosophies.

[Snike]

[spoiler=Ruin] "...Yes, even if he fails to obtain the Emblem," Thanatos said as he glanced towards Road. "That is part of the cycle, though I fear if he does obtain the emblem, it would be orders worse."

***

Lane had to think about it for a moment, before he responded.

"I would say so, at least for parts of it. I'm aware that there are more than a few flaws with this country's culture. But those flaws can be worked at or ameliorated, if it means that events like the Ascension Festival can be preserved. And Even they have value, in getting to understand the history of this land and its' people," he said, as he looked at the enemy artificial. " Needlessly trodding on the culture, on the other hand, only really serves to alienate the very people you want to rule."

Edited September 24, 2016 by Snike

[Snowy_One]

(Delete)

Edited September 24, 2016 by Snowy_One

[Thany]

"Hmph..." :She turned her head away from Leo, still a clear message she doesnt like leo for who he was,: "I hope this ride doesn't last to long, i really need to see if James is fine."

[Phoenix]

[spoiler=Alley]

"Truly worse than if than if Zerachiel and the others got it?" Alexis asked, watching Thanatos carefully.

"What's going on?" Road asked, looking up at Perugia. It was strange to see her upside down, but it was obvious to him that she had his head resting on her lap. "... and where are we?"

"Same neighborhood but not for much longer, I think," Perugia explained, hoping they would be leaving soon. Eventually the guards were going to find them if an alleyway was the best they could come up with for a hiding spot.

Wagon #1

The boss frowned. "Weyland Enterprises is on the north side of town, but it'll still take us a while to get there. Not as long as it did to get from Fort Nature to here but you've probably got time for a short nap if you need one." That sounded like a neat idea to Leo, but he wasn't likely to get any good rest until the bullet was taken out of his leg or someone put a second one in his skull.

Reign hopped into the wagon, and with so little space left, sat next to Thany. He had to rest Road's rifle beside him and up against the wagon's canopy. "Is that Road's gun?" Leo asked, wincing at the weapon, "you're just taking it?"

"We've got more reasons to take it with us than leave it behind. It might not get used in battle, though," Reign noted, reminding himself that he wasn't left handed.

Wagon #2

"Holidays, huh?" Zerachiel shrugged. "These people focus on their absent gods too much already. These are one of the things that really need to go. Teachers can deal with history lessons, and you can always come up with new holidays. Ones that don't involve those four seat warmers on high."

Edited September 25, 2016 by Phoenix

[Ether]

"A'ight Teach, I c'n do that." Arietta replied, giving Raphael a quick salute before stepping into the driver's seat of one of the wagons, waiting for Raphael's signal to start the thing moving. Soon they'd be out and away from this damn mess.

***

Faatina made her way closer to the wagons, but from the looks of things, the healers seemed to be bordering on exhaustion... taking care of their whole group as well as the prisoners must have taken it's toll on them... Oh well, it was the way of things she supposed, mounting up on Sharif and having the war steed taxi up next to one of the wagons, waiting for them to begin to move.

[Snike]

[spoiler=Preparing for Departure] "It depends on what you view as worse, the complete eradication of non-exemplars, or the whole world potentially being destroyed," Thanatos said, before turning to Road. "As to the what, it might be best if we discuss this elsewhere. You should be fine to get up, now. Once you're up, we will depart."

***

"If you think they're seat warmers, you aren't looking closely enough," Lane said, frowning a little. "And besides, wouldn't adapting those holidays prove to be easier than outright abandoning them? Though, I suppose that's irrelevant if you plan on matching the holidays with, say, Neviskotia."

[-Cynthia-]

Wagon #2

"From a logical standpoint, all signs point to the gods being the founders of our world- and the origin of magic. If humans turn their backs on them entirely, the gods may...retaliate in a severe manner. I think Ursium tends to enforce its religious beliefs too strictly myself, but abandoning religion entirely could have dire consequences," Lysandra interjected.

[Snowy_One]

"I do not see the point in all of it to be honest. They are gods. Why do they need the entire world to set aside days to stroke their own egos? If they desire worship they should do things deserving of worship as opposed to setting aside days."

[Thany]

:She looks annoyed over at reign: "could you scoot over a bit? your very close to me." :and she decides to take Bosses advice to try and nap despite them having a conversation:

[Snike]

"I think that some of the beliefs may be flawed in themselves, in that they might not be faithfully translated," Lane said, thinking about dragons, though he did not voice that out loud. "However, to say that they do nothing worthy of worship and that holidays stroke their ego.. I'd say that is a very critical view of things, and one that ignores those days' other significance as a way for people to bond."

[Phoenix]

[spoiler=Finding Steinn]

The talk with Weyland had been amusing, and she'd convinced him to give the new look a chance, armor included. He didn't seem entirely sincere, but she planned on holding him to it one way or another. Now she had to hurry up and pay Steinn a visit while she still had the chance. She'd stopped in her tracks just a few feet outside Weyland's office and cast out her senses to encompass the entire estate. She pinpointed Steinn this time and confirmed that he was in his room. She made her way down the hall, keeping a brisk pace.

[spoiler=Nothing's Ever Free]

"I suppose I'll have to take your word on that for now," Alexis relented, not convinced but willing to continue the discussion elsewhere.

Road hauled himself to his feet, and double checked himself for injuries. He was as healthy as he felt for a change. "Alright, then," he said warily, "let's get out of here, but once we're somewhere safe, I want an explanation."

"Relax, Road," Perugia frowned, "he saved your life just now."

"Then I really want an explanation," Road turned fully toward Thanatos, "... nothing's ever free ..."

Passenger Seat

Reign chuckled. "You realize space is a luxury in these things, right?" Come to think of it ... "Actually, I think I'll sit up front since there's room for at least three up there." As Reign made it to the front, Arietta had taken the reins and looked to be about to get them moving. "You're driving? Alright then." He took what was effectively a passenger seat and tried to get comfortable. That was never easy with an unpadded wagon.

The World Is to the Strong

Arietta had boarded the first wagon, so Raphael hopped into the driver seat of the second, carefully placing Gravitas beside him. The business end was sitting by his feet while the shaft rested against his shoulder. Not the best position for the weapon, but tossing it in the back of an already overcrowded wagon wasn't ideal, either. He got them moving quickly and started heading south.

"Look at it this way," Zerachiel chimed in with a smirk, "if they want us to remain their loyal pawns then they've got all the power in the world to make us. Otherwise, who's to tell us not to do whatever the hell we want? If they're not going to play taskmasters with us, then we're free to govern ourselves, and that means the strongest is going to rule."

"Do you honestly think the strongest will always rule other people in the end?" Gabriel frowned.

Zerachiel reached out and clasped a heavy hand on his shoulder, looking Gabriel in the eyes. "Not in a world where people give themselves over to worthless ideals and invisible deities. In the end, the strongest is going to rule, no matter what happens. Look at what you people just did to us. Look at what we've done to this country, or what a lousy pack of demons did to a city. Look at what the gods can do when they care enough to bring the hammer down. You don't need to win people's hearts to control them, the gods are just lazy. Humanity is so far beneath them now that we might as well take matters into our own hands."

[Snike]

[spoiler=Exit]"That is very true, though some things are worth a surprise cost. Now, off we go," Thanatos said, as he approached the two avians. Before any of the three mortals could really react, he placed his right arm around the two of their heads, touched Alexis' arm with his left hand, and suddenly the quartet disappeared.

***

Thanatos, his two new servants, and Alexis reappeared in front of a bedroom door, in the second-floor hallway of Weyland's estate. Colin was nearby, but the vasilus decided to let him address Alexis himself.

"And here we are," Thanatos said instead, as he turned to see Gabriella coming down towards them. "Interesting timing."

Perugia, restrain yourself. She is not your enemy any longer.

***

That was implying that mortals are loyal pawns to begin with, Lane noted, but he did not comment on that. Instead, he decided to focus on that sense of wisdom that Zerachiel spoke of, namely that since the gods were lazy, or apathetic, the strongest being should rule. The man wondered how the artificial came to that conclusion, though it seemed evident that a part of it was the extreme lack of faith in the Four. Whether it was out of complete disbelief, or just a lack of.. respect, would probably be the word, for them. He was correct, in the broadest sense, that the 'strongest' did rule, but how did one define strength? Was it physical strength that earned them their rule? Or was it intellectual strength? The former explained why he might believe that the Fallen destroying Europa was an excample of his maxim, but that then fell apart at Zerachiel's defeat, seeing as he is many times any of the group's strength alone. The latter explained Ursentius as an example, but fell apart when considering how the Ursian royalty did not consist of powerful mages.

The theory as a whole may have also overlooked that most of humanity's strengths were as a collective, rather than as individuals. In addition, such a rule to begin with would seem to lead to constant conflict, as the strongest would vary frequently. It seemed to be almost turning one's back on peace itself.

"So, if I am understanding this correctly, you believe that only the strong should rule, and that striving to be strong should be what's important?" Lane asked, genuinely curious. He might not very well believe in that theory, but getting to understand it might be helpful. It wouldn't be harmful, in any case.

[Phoenix]

[spoiler=Arrivalries]

And just like that, Gabbie was face to face with the same combatants she'd ditched earlier. Thanatos was with them, so all she had for the new arrivals was a perplexed look, that quickly faded as she realized what had happened. "Erm ... hi," she waved nonchalantly at the group.

Perugia and Alexis both glared at her. "Hi," the former said, covering up the gaping burn in her dress with both arms.

"Wow," Colin said, surprised by the man's arrival, as well as his guests. "You picked up Alexis, too?" His gaze felt almost forced onto Perugia, who was only just barely dressed decently and now had a hold in her dress that threatened to undermine the whole getup.

Road only spared the exchange a glance. "Alright, explain," he demanded, though his tone was lighter than before.

Power

Zerachiel leaned in Lane's direction, minding Lucille who was now practically asleep. "There's no other reason to live," he said with a kind of certainty in his tone Gabriel wasn't even going to try to sway him from, "Weak people, be it physically or mentally, just get controlled by others. The only thing truly worth striving for in life is power. If that means being a stronger fighter or mage, so be it. If that means becoming smart enough to manipulate others into serving you ... so be it. Those are the only people who get ahead in the end. They don't always succeed, but they're the only ones who can. So I say, if you're not after power first and foremost, you're wasting your time and your potential."

[Ether]

"Anna went to round up th'leftovers, so yes I am." Arietta replied as Reign took the passenger seat only a few moments before Raphael started his own wagon. With the cue given, she got the horses of her own going, falling into line behind Raphael as they began to move.

***

It had been a rather uneventful day so far, Annelise sitting across from Steinn in the latter's study, the both of them rather silently reading one of the books gathered there, Annelise herself delving into a book of Ursian history whilst absent-mindedly chewing on some meat that one of the help had brought along. Though there was certainly one thing she noticed in her reading, which she brought up after a time.

"Lord Devlinos, the humans appear to quite consistently paint themselves in a far more hallowed light than they seem to deserve. I can not find a single piece of literature that paints the residents of Neviskotia as anything but brutes and savages... it would be expected of them to pick and choose what to say about us, but about others of their own species as well?"

Edited September 26, 2016 by Ether