Return of the Emblem Chapter Fourteen: Fight

[Dandragon]

Needless to say, all of this flew completely over Mavis's head. She didn't know why they had allowed her inside the dining room, instead of waiting outside with the rest of the crew to listen in, but regardless, she was just getting more and more confused. And so, without a hint of shame or irony, Mavis raised her hand high from the back of the room. "Excuse me!" She said to get the attention of everybody. "But could you explain that to me as if I don't know what the heck you are talking about? Because I don't. All I got outta that was a person being an emblem or something? I dunno. I'm completely lost here..." As awkward as she might have made the conversation, she had been taught by her father that it was better to admit a lack of knowledge and ask rather than not and act like you do know. And asking she was, hoping that they didn't just kick her out of the room.

[Nanami Touko]

There was a lot of talk going on about why, who, who was right for it, who wasn't... In the end, if it was all that important, it wouldn't matter whose opinions were the loudest. If they all needed to wield the thing to stop the fallen from killing everyone, then Mercy and whoever else be damned. There was a more important matter for Eva, confused on one thing, as people squabbled back and forth.

Unfortunately, Mavis spoke up with... A question asking about literally everything. Really, right here? You couldn't pull Amon aside after and ask for a rundown? What are you even going to contribute, anyway... "After that, Amon, I'm... Not really worried about who's right for it, or whatever... I'm more wondering about the 'How' that goes into this. Does it just happen? Like... Do we have to do something? I don't think I've ever been told how someone becomes an Emblem wielder... And if it's going to happen, that'd probably be good to know."

[Nanami Touko]

Naisu jobbu essueff

Edited June 3, 2017 by Nanami Touko

[Phoenix]

Questions & Answers

Some of what Amon said was being taken too literally, while other parts were being misinterpreted. He wasn't sure exactly where to start addressing any of it. Eventually, supposing the easiest thing to address first was Norbert's question, Amon said, "No, I didn't mean she's inside the thing, I meant ... well, I meant two things. The girl in my dreams that looked like Raquel, and Raquel's personality being part of the emblem or ... 'in' it. That's mostly what I meant." Hopefully with all of the dragon head's shenanigans behind them, Norbert would get his meaning in part, now.

Before Amon could answer Jamilla, Malik chimed in. "We don't need the emblem to destroy their gate, not that it couldn't help. Besides, if we do leave, we're not leaving everything like it is, now. You people barely stand a chance against the fallen even with us here, I don't want to imagine you trying to take that gate down without us." Amon winced. Malik was as abrasive as ever, even with his genuine concerns about the group. He had a valid point, though. He also seemed to be handling the situation with Aisha far better than Amon himself was. Then again, he didn't have Amon's perspective on it, nor did much if any of the responsibility weigh on him. Better to move on and address Nadya ...

"She's somewhere in Rex-Avaz," Amon shrugged, "She was captured by the Tide, so I don't know exactly where she is." He could probably find out in a minute or two if he simply followed Aisha's order, he knew ...

Shadrak still wasn't pleased with the avian situation ... "Why do you get to decide who does and doesn't become a wielder? What happens when we take Valdimarr's piece? Are you going to try to have jurisdiction over that one, too? Besides, I have a far better idea than just becoming an emblem wielder. It would be way more effective for fighting the fallen than us all huddling around Joanna and shooting off random powers."

An interesting rebuttal, but then came the big question, the one that could have sent them all the way back to the beginning if not for the impatience of a particular sancturan. "Look," Malik sent a cold look in Mavis' direction, "if you didn't understand any of that, then don't worry about it. You're going to have the whole voyage to get the full story."

Amon opened his mouth to address Eva next, but to his surprise, Joanna, the emblem's carrier herself, chimed in, this time. "I can't advise trying to use the Fire Emblem's power, even if you accept the risks involved." The thought had been in the back of her mind for a while, and now that the conversation was heading in that direction, spearheaded by Shadrak, Joanna felt she had to remind them of the great threat in all of this. "Eventually Lord Wrath is going to return to this world, and when he does, I'm certain he's going to take all of the emblem pieces by force ... even mine. Anyone who resists him, emblem wielder or not, is going to die."

Shadrak seemed almost delighted to hear Joanna say that, though not due to the troubling reminder itself. "Exactly! That's why my idea's better. We'd only need the emblem temporarily." Right, that was what the Raquel in Amon's dream had pointed out. Shadrak wanted power, but the source of that power was meant to come from elsewhere, with the emblem acting as a stepping stone of sorts. If what a person truly desired was power of an entirely different source and magnitude ... what was the emblem, in its fractured state, supposed to do? Remain silent, Amon supposed.

[Mercakete]

"So...the emblem's copying Raquel," Norbert summarized, still trying to puzzle all this out. Raquel may be a good person, but sheesh, the emblem could've picked a better role model... With Raquel's tendencies, Norbert was worried the thing would put itself in danger without listening to the good advice of people around it...or something of an emblem equivalent. That had been the one thing about Raquel that had driven the pegasus rider bonkers when he was with her group. Thinking about that, he was struck with a sudden worry. I hope she's doing okay right now. She has people like Veronika and Blake to look after her, but she can be a real handful to protect...

Musing could only do so much, though, and conversation still abounded in the here and now. The archer whose name was escaping the rider for the moment agreed that Mercy didn't get to decide who did and who didn't become a wielder. Jamilla seemed to think that they couldn't destroy a gate without the emblem's help. That was hogwash. Demolition and destruction had happened plenty of times before without the help of the emblem. Granted, this was no ordinary gate, but from what Steinn described, it sounded like it could be brought down through traditional, physical means. Malik echoed these thoughts in his own words, then went on to what would be the more dangerous part in the operation: opposing the Fallen. It was nice -- and even a little surprising -- to hear he cared, though. And it sounded like he and Amon intended to do some more good for them before leaving. Somehow, that made Norbert feel a little better in general.

Nadya and Amon's conversation continued, too. Haythem and his wyvern were somewhere in Rex-Avaz. That wasn't surprising. Shadrak and Liam's conversation continued, too. Liam was arguing that most people in the world -- and even in this very room -- were too irresponsible to be allowed so much power. Norbert had to admit that he had a point, and he did appreciate the Avian adding that he didn't mean any personal offense in saying so. Shadrak voiced one of Norbert's own, lingering questions fro earlier, too: why was it that Liam got to decide who should or shouldn't get powers? Norbert supposed that Liam would answer that he wasn't -- rather, that it was the Lady Mercy who was. That was what he'd been claiming this whole time, after all. But something Shadrak said piqued Norbert's interest. This was the first, after all, he was hearing of this "plan" of his.

Some woman spoke up, then. She must've been a new recruit. Evidently, new enough that she -- like so many before her -- had no idea what was going on. Malik answered before anyone else could, really. Then Eva went on with her own concerns, and Shadrak replied with mention of his plan again.

Curious as Norbert was about this plan, he took time to take pity on the new girl, first, despite what Malik had said. "You know the fire emblem from legend? The one that created the world or whatever, and that the Lord Wrath supposedly broke at the end of the Legendary Rebellion? Well, it was actually Lilith who broke it, and it wasn't destroyed. Just shattered and scattered. Now, the pieces of the emblem are coming together again, and a lot of people are after them. They grant powers or something. So, that's the short version. Like Malik said, if you want more details, you can talk to any of us about it later. Right now, though," Here, Norbert turned his attention back to Shadrak, looking much more confused than he had a second ago. "what 'idea' are you talking about?"

[Nanami Touko]

"Listen, Joanna, that's great, but if it comes down to it that we have to, I'd really appreciate knowing how these powers manifest, before it's the last second and we're scrambling to do so. Okay? I'm not here for this sort of power, but it's good for everyone here to know, isn't it?" She didn't like getting brushed off with the same message the bird kept trying to spout, and if Amon had managed to, wasn't it fair that everyone at least knew how it worked? She thought it was. Shadrak seemed to have an idea, something about only needing them temporarily, which made sense... But how would they get rid of them, were that the case?

[-Cynthia-]

Nadya raised an eyebrow at Amon. "Ain't the Tide just a group of human assassins or bandits or somethin'? How did they kidnap a vasilus?" she asked. If Haythem is with her that means he got captured too- and any group of humans is gonna take free gold when they see it. And we are too far from Rex-Avaz to do a damn thing about it...

The news about Wrath taking back the emblem pieces was new to Liam, but unsurprising given what had happened in history. Then I will protect Joanna from Wrath himself if need be, when that time comes. "I am just a member of Cloud Legion, not a great leader, but I have been tasked with not allowing anyone but Joanna to have the emblem pieces by Emperor Antares and the vasilus Lady Isolde. Their wisdom has kept Aquila safe for many generations- to think that whatever 'plan' you have is superior is nothing more than a display of arrogance," Liam said to Shadrak bluntly. 

[Toogee]

Before Amon could answer Jamilla, Malik chimed in. "We don't need the emblem to destroy their gate, not that it couldn't help. Besides, if we do leave, we're not leaving everything like it is, now. You people barely stand a chance against the fallen even with us here, I don't want to imagine you trying to take that gate down without us." Amon winced. Malik was as abrasive as ever, even with his genuine concerns about the group.

"Aw, I think you actually care about us," Jam joked, surprised to see Malik's cold demeanor seemingly thaw for once. "Don't worry. We'll miss you too."

[Toogee]

delete

Edited June 5, 2017 by Toogee

[Phoenix]

Questions & Answers

"They had help from Obelisk," Malik bit out, "that was it, right?" he checked with Amon.

"Yeah," Amon confirmed it, "she's lost her power, so the rebel groups destroyed Sanctuary. Lady Aisha and the survivors are with the Tide, now. I don't know what they're planning but they're not going to kill her, at least if their leader is who I've been told he is." Aisha and the surviving sancturans probably weren't in any immediate danger from their captors, but that was only a small comfort for now.

Malik scowled at Jamilla's remark, wishing his clarification wouldn't inadvertently drive her point even further. "We still have to figure out how to handle this. I'm not convinced we can afford to leave like this. If we do have to go the way Haythem did, I want to make sure that it's not the reason we lose in the end." He had other reasons as well, but he had no intention of going there in a public forum.

Given Joanna's own task, more knowledge of the emblem's functionality in the group could make things more difficult for her. With Amon present, the sealed box was just a formality and not a true defense. That would be the case with every other emblem wielder that happened to be around, including Valdimarr. Liam's precautions made sense. They had to be very careful when considering how best to fight the fallen, especially where the emblem was concerned. "Amon can explain what he knows, but if you can't oppose the fallen without the emblem's power, then this mission should be called off, right now."

Shadrak rolled his eyes at the mention of the avian emperor and ice vasilus but he addressed Joanna first. "We don't need to call the mission off because we don't need the emblem past getting us started. My approach has nothing to do with keeping the emblem safe, though," he said pointedly, "That's Joanna's job as you keep reminding everyone. My plan is about beating the fallen quickly and effectively, and I haven't heard any ideas on that from Antares or Isolde." At least Norbert was interested in the details. Shadrak appreciated that, though he was too irritated to show it beyond simply expounding on said plan. "Okay, listen carefully because this is how everyone gets what they want, even you two," he indicated Joanna and Liam.

Amon suddenly remembered something from his dream. "He doesn't want the Fire Emblem's power." That was what the girl had told him in the first dream. "He wants to use the Fire Emblem to become a vasilus and then reach even higher." Become a vasilus ... that was Shadrak's plan for beating the fallen. Amon remembered that clearly, now. He also remembered the secret behind that untenable desire. "Nyx gave him that mission and he's just going along with it. He doesn't understand that all vasili answer to the gods ... all of them. Deep down he knows he can't become a god even with the Fire Emblem, so he's aiming as high as possible." This wasn't the kind of desire that could manifest an emblem ability. It could only be addressed directly. Even the supposed goal of defeating the fallen was only a recent consideration, far too recent for someone so interested in the fallen as a people to manifest something combative.

"What we need to do," Shadrak began, "is make spirit springs for ourselves." Amon sighed, realizing the girl in the dream had been spot on. "Hear me out," Shadrak exclaimed, "It's possible to make spirit springs using the emblem. That's what Hypnos was trying to do, and he had more experience with the thing than anyone. With those kinds of powers we can take the fallen no problem. Unlimited energy, fast healing, more strength, everything we can come up with. Once we have that, we don't even need the emblem, and it'll be much easier to keep it out of the wrong hands. That's how we destroy that gate and win this. I doubt we'd even have any casualties if we did this right."

Joanna resisted a groan. Shadrak's plan was logically coherent, however ... she felt downright obligated to point out the long term repercussions as well as the short term ones if the idea gained any traction.

[Dandragon]

"The...fire emblem? I remember reading stories about it but-" And suddenly, everyone was talking about...something else that was flying over Mavis's head. Completely and utterly. And it didn't make her feel better. One thing was for certain, though, and that was that much larger things seemed to be happening than just her own quest for revenge. But she was probably going to have to get a summary later, so instead, she shifted towards Greta and whispered to her. "Psst. Hey. Can I talk to you outside for a second? Privately?"

[Nanami Touko]

"Er..." Amon wasn't explaining, and Shadrak was still going. While she didn't mind getting his idea out, it felt like no one was going to tell her how this was supposed to work until it was too late. Seriously...? "Judging by the sighs and groans, I take it people aren't that happy about whatever these... Springs are. I don't have a clue, so I can't really weigh in." Sounded serious, though. And if it worked to defeat the Fallen, she couldn't really say there was a problem there, could she? Amon and Joanna seemed to think otherwise, so whatever this entailed must've had some extra baggage behind it.

[Xinnidy]

Thales was certainly glad he was given the chance to attend the meeting, circumstances involved him with this group, so he was now intending to go all the way.

... But never in his wildest dreams he imagined something of this scale from a deal to stop bothering a butcher and help carry some meat around.

First, the Fire Emblem legend was retold by these people, there were pieces, and they must... have held some important power. Two of the people present in the room were wielders, Amon and an avian... dark avian? Thales wasn't knowledgeable about the difference, honestly. On top of that, more seemed to exist. A 'Raquel' and some dude named 'Valdimarr' (who names their child that?). Thales couldn't help but wonder how serious it'd be if somebody got all the pieces of the emblem. Would that give them more power? Power enough to stop Wrath from taking the emblem back? How messed up would that be. Although, I really don't like all this talk about Wrath coming back... Wish it was just the fanatics talking. An avian speaking of it with such certainty made Thales unsettled.

Then there was the issue about the 'gates'. Thales had only superficial knowledge about the Fallen, so that was already a concern. Fighting somebody you couldn't understand was a steep disadvantage. One man was persistent about using an emblem piece's power to get them started on... some plan to stop the Fallen. Finally, he spilled out the concept of spirit springs... which was completely alien to Thales, like most subjects in this meeting. Goodness. The avian's tone implied this had setvacks of it own, which already made the plan less attractive in Thales mind. If he could do things carefully, set traps, outsmart soldiers, and whatnit before, he'd rather still do things within his own power to ensure success. Still, considering the subject matter... "How realistic is it that the Fallen can be stopped without using any of those powers?" They already had the Basilisk... if that Lady Aisha was any agreeable and Amon wiuld stay with them. Would it be possible to claim many Kigenese siege weapons to destroy said gates? I know they have some really crafty towers...

[Snike]

Pete had some choice words in mind for Liam, mainly with wondering why he thought he could run the group just because he came from Aquila, but this spirit spring business had to come first, especially since it seemed too good to be true.

"So what's the catch? If the emblem piece or whatever could do that, why hasn't it been brought up yet?" Pete asked. "And why do these two-" he pointed to Amon and Joanna- "look like you're blathering?"   

[-Cynthia-]

"Seems like Haythem's gonna be captured or killed by The Tide then- and there's not a damn thing any of us can do about it because Rex-Avaz is hundreds of miles away," Nadya said with a heavy sigh of resigned helplessness. I wonder if pickin' up that statuette really pissed off some god or other and this is why this crazy magic bullshit keeps happenin'...

There was a lot to process for Liam- news that Lord Obelisk had been active, Shadrak's obvious and disturbing lust for power, the fact that he did not have a clear answer himself to defeat the Fallen, but one thing stuck out. "Who or what is Hypnos anyway? This entity is not known to me," he asked. 

 

 

[Phoenix]

Questions & Answers

Malik tackled the question before Amon found his voice, again. "The spirit springs are what give vasili their powers. If you have one, you're basically a vasilus. I don't think it really needs more explanation than that. You should all know how powerful vasili are." Malik really hated that term, 'vasilus'. The mechanics may have been known to them, now, but he still preferred to think of Aisha as a goddess. That was a more fitting term for her, even with the loss of her power. This wasn't the place to risk any confusion with semantics, though, so he used that term knowing full well whom it applied to.

"Yeah ..." Amon nodded slowly. Making eye contact with Thales shortly afterward, he pondered the man's question. He eventually thought of an answer, but not a very satisfactory one. "I'm not sure, but the leader of the fallen is also an emblem wielder, and his ability is going to make defeating him really difficult. We can probably destroy the gate without any new power, but Valdimarr is another story. I still don't know what we're going to do about him."

"Exactly," Shadrak crossed his arms at the mention of the fallen emperor. "He wouldn't even be much of a threat if we go with my plan, and now that you know what spirit springs are, I don't see why anyone would object ... save for maybe being nervous about getting stronger without any training." Shadrak ignored the Hypnos question for the moment, feeling the same way about that question that Malik had felt about Mavis' request for a full explanation of the emblem.

"Shadrak," Joanna spoke up, again, "there's something very important you're overlooking." That got the druid's full attention. "Whether willingly or unwillingly, all vasili serve the gods. All of them. If you do this, it's almost certain one of the gods will claim you for themselves and give you new responsibilities, ones completely separate from fighting the fallen."

Just when things were getting interesting, Mavis wanted to have a word in private? "Is this really important?" Greta whispered back, "fine ... lead the way."

"All of them?" Shadrak cocked an eyebrow. Was that so? Every last vasilus was working for the gods whether they wanted to or not? "Yeah, okay ... I guess even Obelisk is being a good little shadow dragon and doing what he's told," the druid countered sarcastically, "If they're not going to punish him for being an evil murdering lunatic, they're not going to punish us for doing the right thing. You'd think between trying to take over the world, not wiping out the fallen, murdering Hypnos, destroying Sanctuary, and attacking Aisha, he'd be in some kind of trouble, but how long has all of this been going on? Since the Legendary Rebellion. And he's still at it! There's no reason to even think about what the gods want until they make some kind of example of him ... at least." Granted, Joanna hadn't mentioned punishments directly, but Shadrak was certain that's where she was headed.

[Nanami Touko]

And that was enough for Eva to drop out of that plan. Even if, in Shadrak's example, they did nothing for the longest time, her freedom in exchange for that sort of power would never be worth it. "Count me out. Even if you're right, and the gods never do anything, I'd rather not owe one anything... Maybe Nyx, but even then, she'd probably think of something ridiculous eventually..." Was Nyx even a god? Did she count? Or was she just another Vasilus? Eva was never too sure of the specifics on that one. And if she was just a Vasilus, did she answer to someone bigger? Even with all of her power?? She was just overthinking things, now...

[Mercakete]

Norbert sent a glare at Eva when she began talking down at Joanna like that, persisting that it'd be a good idea for everyone to know how to get powers. That was all the reaction he could give her, really, though. There was a lot going on right now, like Nadya's observation about how a bunch of humans kidnapping a Vasilus was weird. Which, really was common sense, not that Bert had had time to come up with said observation himself. When Amon had told him about Sanctuary's fall, the pegasus rider had been more sympathetic to Amon losing his home, and potentially many people he cared about. Hearing that Obelisk himself had been involved was rather shocking, for many reasons. First, it meant the dark Vasilus was active again. Second, there was the question of why he'd attack Sanctuary like that. What motivated him to move at all, let alone against that specific target. And Obelisk was the deity of the Fallen... Given that, the fight ahead suddenly looked a lot more difficult. If Obelisk personally assisted the Fallen... Well, the idea gave Norbert pause about rushing in...and yet, it could mean they had little to no time left, and so had to act as quickly as possible...especially with that disturbing addition of the Vasilus Aisha having lost her power. How did that happen?

These thoughts weighed so heavily on Norbert's mind that he more or less ignored the brief exchange between Jamilla and Malik. It seemed so insignificant compared to all this... Joanna's voice, though -- and the gravity it held -- garnered his attention, though. They may as well give up if its success is dependent on people using the emblem? Why was that? If anything, it seemed to Norbert like having powers of their own would be advantageous, though really, the first option he'd considered was getting some Vasili to help them out...somehow. Maybe Lilith would be willing to lend a hand?

Again, Norbert was so drawn into his thoughts that he nearly missed Liam's subtle confession. Wait -- this guy's from Cloud Legion?! Isn't that that unstoppable Avian army? Despite the surprise, that was about where that line of thinking ended, with only a little memory about how their armor was evidently amazing and, due to its strength and weight, excellent for flying, being tagged on the end. I'll have to talk to him about that sometime. Unfortunately, there was more to what Liam said that just soured all that. He was following a duty given to him to not allow anyone but Joanna have any emblem pieces. And then he said any other plan involving the pieces was arrogant. Rather annoyed by the hypocrisy there, Norbert made a mental note of more things to talk to him about later.

Right now, something more applicable to himself was being talked about. That is, the question he asked Shadrak was being answered. And so, it was revealed that Shadrak's big plan was...something about "spirit springs?" What in Nature's name even was a "spirit spring?" From what Shadrak described, they sounded like the object of a fairy tale. Was it some sort of fountain that gave you unlimited power if you drank from it? It certainly didn't sound very realistic, but then again, the emblem could achieve the impossible, so...maybe?

Malik cleared that up, though, and Norbert's attention snapped back to Shadrak, incredulous. In fact, he nearly stood up from his seat, he was so shocked. "You want to become a god?" A minor one, but a deity just the same. More than that, he wanted them all to become gods. The long-term implications were both clear and disastrous to Norbert. Their group caused all sorts of trouble as mere mortals, and they could rarely agree on anything. What would happen to Sardius if they all became divine juggernauts? Their infighting alone could decimate entire countrysides.

Then, someone else spoke up. Norbert thought he recognized him, but... Oh, right! He was aboard that big, metal ship. So, he'd joined up, too. Well, from what little he'd said, Norbert figured he liked him already. The guy was talking sense, exploring less extreme options. And things were becoming their own version of normal again with Amon's answer. Of course it was difficult to combat am emblem wielder without one of their own, but as Raquel herself had proven, it was possible. Likewise, the gate itself could probably be dealt with by the group alone. The trouble wasn't only Valdimarr, but the army of Fallen with him, and, potentially, Obelisk. It was reality, but the sort of reality one would only hear about in stories. This is just incredible.

Speaking of incredible, Shadrak was pushing his idea again, and even going as far as to say he didn't know why anyone wouldn't have a problem with it. Norbert was about to express just why he had a problem with it when Joanna spoke up with a very important point. I...guess I always knew that. Norbert realized. The Vasili served the four, major gods. It was a well-known fact in Ursium. Recent events had just gotten so...personal and specific that it had escaped him. Does that mean that even Lilith is serving someone? The idea of becoming a Vasilus suddenly became doubly unappealing. What were they supposed to do when Wrath returned if they were all Vasili? Briefly, Norbert pictured Wrath using them to destroy their own homes and families... It was nightmarish. He hastily dismissed the image; he wouldn't let it come to that -- not for himself, anyway.

Shadrak countered with Obelisk himself as an example. Norbert wasn't sure, though, that Obelisk wasn't doing someone's will, even if unintentionally. His actions, after all, sure seemed to line up with what Wrath intended to do later, himself. By now, Norbert had nearly forgotten about Liam's question about Hypnos. Regardless, though, other things seemed more important to address.

And Eva was first to address them. Evidently, she was against Shadrak's idea. Good on her for that one, at least. Evidently, though, she revered Nyx. From what Norbert had heard, that was just plain a bad idea. It wasn't worth talking about, though. She could do what she wanted regarding that -- no skin off his back. Besides, Norbert's focus was on the more immediate and demanding topic.

"Shadrak," Norbert began, doing his best not to come off too brusque. He wasn't very good at that. "This is a really...really bad idea. The Fallen are a more immediate problem, and so's Obelisk if he's gone active again and decides to help them out directly. But what if we do become Vasili and Wrath comes back? He might 'claim' all of us, as Jo put it, and make us destroy our own world. If that happens, it's just about as bad as losing to the Fallen. And if Wrath doesn't, and we manage to beat him, too, then what? We're a bunch of ornery fighters! If we can't even get along now, what kind of damage are we going to do if we all get world-altering power like that? We weren't born for it; we don't know how to handle that much power."

Then, he moved on to addressing the group on the whole. "If you want my opinion -- not that I think most of you do -- I think that we should ask Lilith for her help. Obelisk is the main danger we have to look out for right now, since who knows if he's going to step in once we start fighting his people. We can leave him to her, if he shows up. Otherwise, I say we do what we planned on doing: warn the Kigenese about the gate, see how much help we get from them, and go and break it down. If Valdimarr's there, we beat him and take his emblem piece. He may be the Fallen emperor, but he's also not a god. He's an emblem wielder -- not invincible." Here, he directed his attention to those who had traveled around with Raquel. "Or don't you remember how many times Raquel almost got herself killed?"

[-Cynthia-]

Joanna brought up the reason for not wanting to use the spirit springs which seemed to convince Eva and Norbert at least. At least all humans aren't power-hungry and deranged, although I will be keeping a close eye on Shadrak.

"I agree with Norbert. The Fallen are beatable but any of our efforts against Lord Obelisk would be futile- we would need the aid of a vasilus to assist us. I do not know how you came upon Lady Lilith specifically however- have you met her previously?" Liam asked. Perhaps I have underestimated the connections and capabilities of this group slightly if they have met vasili...

[Mercakete]

Norbert hadn't been expecting the first response to his opinion to be such solid agreement, much less from Liam of all people. It seemed that the Cloud Legionnaire was much more unbiased and objective than the people Norbert was used to dealing with, and had come to expect to deal with. That was refreshing, to a degree. It was also abnormal enough to be a little jarring, though he only showed this momentarily in his expression.

"Yeah. A few of us used to travel with a woman named Raquel Valcyn. She's an emblem wielder, and for me, traveling with her is where all this weird, world-altering stuff began. This particular time, she'd been captured in an attack on Professor Weyland's estate -- where we'd been staying at the time -- and we were working with the military to track the people who took her. We wound up in an old fort called... I think it was 'Danton.' Anyway, the military people who were with us set up a distraction to draw out the kidnappers' forces, and we went inside to rescue Raquel. There were a couple..." It probably wasn't worth it getting into the details of flying coffins and an inhuman maniac, so the rider cut the story short. "people...in there, waiting for us. We fought one of them, then the whole place was warped into Purgatory. The fortress was put right on top of some other ruin, and we were left alone. We found Lilith there, and Raquel's emblem piece woke her up."

Norbert adjusted his posture, taking a fresh breath as he summarized the proceeding events. His tone remained relatively casual, though. "Lilith's the one who told us about what really happened at the end of the Legendary Rebellion, and that Wrath's trying to usurp the other three gods by assembling the Fire Emblem and using it. She's the one who got us out of Purgatory, too." He frowned some, here. "And dropped us in Rexia..."

[Phoenix]

Questions & Answers

Shadrak sighed at Eva's decline, more due to the atmosphere of refusal it was helping foster than anything. Norbert was even less thrilled about the idea. As far as the druid knew, Joanna's claim that the gods might try to strong arm them into service if they got their own spirit springs was a far fetched one at best. Again, Obelisk stuck out in his mind. Even if he was serving the gods in some extremely convoluted fashion, that didn't mean he was following their instructions with any level of care or precision. According to the legend, he rallied a massive army to oppose them. He'd been defeated in battle by Wrath, but that seemed to be little more than a slap on the wrist in the big scheme of things. All signs now pointed to an ancient vasilus, doing whatever he pleased, and the gods merely watching. If Obelisk could say no, so could they.

"Wrath doesn't need help from vasili to destroy the world," Shadrak said matter of factly, "so I don't see that happening. More importantly, we don't have to do what he or any of the others tell us. At all. Maybe we'd still be 'serving' them in some weird, obscure, mind game-ish sort of way, but as long as we're doing what we personally want to do, what difference does it really make?" Admittedly, Shadrak detested the idea of serving the gods these days, but the more he thought about Obelisk and how that vasilus' activities were being treated, or rather not treated, he felt that 'serving the gods' was little more than semantics, a net so wide and cast so far that anyone with significant power in the world would be caught up in it. If that was the case, the druid really didn't care. As long as they weren't manipulated directly, they could accomplish their goals.

As for their own infighting and how dangerous it was ... well, that wasn't necessarily a problem for the druid, either. Not with the way things were currently heading. "Not everyone wants to do this anyway," Shadrak noted, "so they just won't do it. That's most of the infighting dealt with right there. Worst case scenario, I could just get a spirit spring, and then I could go take care of the gate and Valdimarr. You all could back me up, and that way, you don't have to worry about the gods ordering you around or anything like that. It doesn't matter to me because I'm not going to listen to them anyway, and I'm not going to hurt innocent people, either."

The suggestion of asking Lilith for help, also posed by Norbert, led to a brief rehash about how they'd met her. Shadrak honestly didn't mind asking the vasilus for assistance on principle, but he felt she would probably decline, making it a futile effort. When it came to Lilith, anything that didn't involve Wrath simply wasn't worth her time. "I'm sure she'll find more important things to do than protect us from Obelisk. Besides, what if he's stronger than she is? You'd think she'd have killed him by now if she could, especially after all of this."

Joanna had plenty she felt she could say, maybe even should say, but she kept her piece for the time being. Shadrak didn't care to what degree his plan was implemented in the end, whether it was everyone or just himself ... as long as they used the emblem to obtain more power to wield against the fallen. She was reminded of what Amon had said, that Shadrak was focused solely on the means and not the ends. That was becoming clearer with each pass in the debate. Shadrak gaining tremendous power wouldn't necessarily pose a problem for the group itself, or even innocent people, but the possibility was always there, and it was the long term that truly concerned Joanna. No one could ever wield that kind of power for any length of time and still think and perceive the world as mortals did. That should have been self evident to anyone who knew about the legends or interacted with the vasili. That should have been self evident given their opposition to the God of Wrath.

"Well, I think making you people vasili is a terrible idea," Malik stated flatly, "but ... it's good to know an emblem piece can actually do that. That means we can get Lady Aisha her power back once we take Valdimarr's piece from him. That's the first thing we're doing once we beat him. It would be great if we could find a way to do it sooner, but I won't push the issue."

[Nanami Touko]

"There's that Aisha again..." Eva started, not caring about Shadrak's further lusting for power. Even if the chance was minuscule, possibly never to happen, with a life that long, it would eventually... And she really just hated the idea of owing someone mildly omnipotent. Not a pleasant thought. So talking about Amon's plans was probably better. "Are you and Malik going to stay with us in Kigen? Or are you heading off to save your lady right away...? We've covered a lot so I might've missed you giving a concrete answer on either." It would be pretty bad for their group to lose two people, especially if these mad situations were going to keep happening. As long as the Emblem is here, it seems like they will...

[Mercakete]

Norbert had responses to Shadrak, but Malik garnered his attention before he could say anything. Despite agreeing, he couldn't help but glower a little at the Sancturan's blatant statement about making any of them Vasili. Maybe it was because the people in question were accented, rather than the transformation idea itself. And, of course, his focus was right back on Aisha. Norbert's initial thought was a little bitter, thinking that being stuck as a mortal for a while might do the self-proclaimed goddess some good. But then he grimaced a little, thinking about how he would feel if he was suddenly turned into something unnatural. He'd want to be changed back as soon as possible, too. As annoying as the sand Vasilus was, he wasn't that callous. Even if she was hopefully learning her lesson on compassion and humility, Norbert did -- somewhat grudgingly -- hope she got her spirit spring back in a relatively timely manner. It wasn't his own first priority, though. Not Eva's either, it seemed. While Norbert was curious about how the Rexians would answer, he had more he wanted to say to the dark mage. So, his attention returned to Shadrak.

"The gods don't need help to do anything, but they still use it," Norbert casually countered the druid's first argument. He was still a bit on guard, though, in a wary sort of way. Shadrak's blatant glory-grab was minorly annoyed, but that was far from the most important thing to address, in Bert's mind. There was a reason he didn't mess around with weird magic like this. "The Vasili are completely different from us mortals. How do you know making yourself a spirit spring won't change you in other ways besides how much power you have? You're completely transforming yourself into something else; It's dangerous, Shadrak. At least talk to some natural Vasili about it before you try it."

Speaking of natural Vasili, it was onto the topic of Lilith again. Norbert shrugged to Shadrak's claim that she probably wouldn't listen. "I don't like having to ask her for help either, but if we can, we should probably try. Even if she can't beat him, she can at least keep him busy while we fight the Fallen and break their gate. She seems more likely to help than any others, anyway; she's been the most helpful one we've encountered so far. She doesn't even need to show up unless Obelisk does anyway."

[Xinnidy]

Thales was caught a bit nervous by the attention Amon showed to him, briefly wondering if he had said something crazy. Thankfully, that didn't seem to be the case, Amon's response wasn't entirely positive, but it helped shed some light into their predicament. Well, it would be hard, for certain... I don't even know how many men the Fallen are using, or what... It was risky, but if they were prepared, perhaps they could do something about it? It didn't seem like they had the luxury of time, however, and certainly not the numbers. Wouldn't it be better to tell the Kigenese army to deal with this? ...Would they take it seriously?

And goodness, information just never seemed to stop coming. As much as Thales tried to keep track of where the conversation was, some new topic popped up that he could only give a brief mental note about. The God of Wrath seemed even more unsettling to the boy now, and he was starting to wish he'd been in this before. I'm going to need to write down what I can later... Still, there was enough to picture they weren't out of options. At least that was good, as drastic as one of them were. That robed man seemed really set about the spirit spring thing.

There was something that stuck to him, after Malik spoke up again, a minute curiosity with the implications it had. "...If Aisha lost her powers, or had it taken, or what have you, wouldn't it be possible to do the same to Obelisk?" That was a curious thought, considering fighting Obelisk head on was out of the question, or looked pretty much like it. "In case no vasili shows up to help... How does that work, anyways? Do they become vulnerable? Can Aisha be killed in this state?" It was something he'd previously thought far-fetched, but with the options they had... was it really? Besides, Thales would much prefer any approach that relied the least on supernatural powers deciding an outcome, if possible. That was just his style.

[Phoenix]

Questions & Answers

Amon frowned at Eva's question. That was something he'd have to mull over with Malik. It was too personal for outside input. "We'll let you know before we do anything," he offered.

"Like I said," Malik interjected, "we're not leaving before we do what we can to make this ..." he seemed to be hinting at the group itself, "... work."

Shadrak had to keep from rolling his eyes at Norbert. There was one thing the pegasus rider mentioned that at least proved worth considering. "I wouldn't mind talking with someone about it, but it's not like we can just summon them out of thin air, and I doubt it would change my mind. You think Lilith wants more vasili running around?"

"Probably," Amon quietly chimed in.

Shadrak tried to tune that out so he could finish his point, but he was already beginning to see where Amon was going, as memories of Lilith's frustration with her situation, and her inability to properly challenge Wrath alone came unbidden to his mind. "She'd probably discourage anyone trying to make a spirit spring for themselves on principle, without even considering how much easier it'd make our fight and potentially hers."

Thales' suggestion, as well as the subsequent questions, got more gears turning, but also reminded Amon and Malik that they were taking an awful risk in staying here. The sancturans didn't know with absolute certainty, but there was a very real possibility that Aisha could be killed in her current state. Neither of them wanted to fully acknowledge such a vulnerability, at least not openly. That was the straw, the last one that it would take to break their resolve and send them rushing back to her side, even at the risk of their own free will.

Shadrak was the first to comment on the idea. "Since you mentioned that, I should point out that spirit springs have specific powers, or at least they can. That means if we wanted say ... the ability to take another vasilus' power, we could do that once we figured out how. Obelisk could have his power taken away, I'm sure, since he is a vasilus and thus has a spirit spring of his own." Sensing the apprehension in the room slowly rising with his every word, again, he added, "Look, I know you don't trust a sudden gain in power, but think about it. What makes more sense, becoming an emblem wielder, or getting a spirit spring. Think about, seriously. We don't really know how the emblem works or what Wrath'll do to the emblem wielders when he returns. Maybe he'll even attack the emblem wielders to deal with any loose ends if he wants it that badly. Spirit springs are just things all the vasili have, though. We know enough about how they work, so that's a much safer bet, AND we can probably figure out how to get exactly the powers we need for the job. No need to become so big and powerful that we can't think straight." Shadrak honestly didn't know if he was still trying to convince them to go along with this, or simply trying to prove that he wasn't crazy, that he'd at least thought this through to a fair extent.