Zetaark

"Asking a question like that is a bit difficult for someone like me. I can't claim to know why people become evil. Perhaps they had a hard life, or perhaps they were just vengeful. I couldn't say. As for these bandits, I think they're just out for a quick sum of money at our expense. Money is always a good way to start feuds..." Madante trails off, seeming to recall something before shaking his head. "At any rate, I thank you for the healing, and I hope I answered your question enough."

Getting the key, Ecquis went over towards the others before making his way towards the door. Klaren missing wasn't the best thing, and him attacking the others to the east may be a bit risky. That being said... "As much as I would like to see what treasure this place has, I'm a little hesitant to leave either of you on your own without some support. That being said, I can't guarantee myself taking out one of those mages and getting back without taking serious injury. How do you two suppose we should go about this?" Ecquis asked Luka and Maya, deciding to see how they feel about the situation they're in. Canto to G17

Darius fires his dark magic towards the forest in order to finish off the Myrmidon. The shadows of the forest make the magic harder to notice, and the Myrmidon responds much too late, falling to the ground dead. Cheat Sheet:

Idei tries to ready his shot towards the forest where the myrmidon is hidden. The myrmidon was able to use the terrain to good effect however, evading the shot aimed at him. Cheat Sheet:

Rayne and her pegasus fly towards the theif, throwing a javelin right at her. Already wounded, she is unable to react in time as the javelin pierces the thief's body. As Rayne and Beau re-position themselves, Beau picks up a sword that belonged to the theif that was still in good condition. [Enemy Phase] Archer 2 Moves to I14 Bandit 3 Moves to G18 Myrmidon 3 Moves to J5 Soldier 1 Moves to J14 [Ally Phase] Madante Moves to I5 and attacks Myrmidon 3 Moving forward into the trees, Madante finds and strikes the myrmidon. Madante tries to use the trees for cover as the myrmidon retaliates, but he could not avoid the myrmidon or his strike. Turn 3 Shield of Agony Fades Anthropomancy Wanes Cheat Sheet:

Idei notches an arrow and takes a shot at the thief. Unaware of the incoming nomad, the thief does not react in time, and the shot nearly drops her to the ground. With the sword in hand, Cadence lands her first blow onto the bandit, dropping him to his knees. He tries to retaliate with his axe, but his injuries make him unable to hit his mark. Having left an opening, Cadence finishes off the bandit with one more strike. Cheat Sheet:

Belros throws two knives in succession, striking the bandit and noticeably wounding him. Cheat Sheet:

Seeking revenge for the earlier shot, Darius' next magic strike found its target, dropping the archer to the ground dead. Cheat Sheet:

[Enemy Phase] Archer 1 Moves to G6 and attacks Darius The archer fires off her bowgun, successfully hitting the shaman. He tries to retaliate with his own magic, but the archer manages to dodge away from the strike. Thief 1 Moves to F9 Bandit 4 Moves to G8 [Ally Phase] "Very well. I never intended to stray far," Madante said before going south to intercept some of the enemy forces. Madante Moves to G5 and attacks Archer 1 Madante's sword finds its target, striking the archer and pushing her back slightly. Turn 2 Cheat Sheet:

Seeing the situation, Ecquis figured that if they wanted to get into this room, it was now or never. As such, he decided to go see about getting the door key. Moves to E18 and trades for le Door Key

(...) Cheat Sheet:

Rayne's javelins caught the myrmidon off guard, striking her down before she had a chance to realize what happened. Rayne then falls back towards the forests after her successful attack. Cheat Sheet:

Belros throws out two knives in succession, one hitting the bandits arm, and the other his throat, bringing him down to the ground. Cheat Sheet:

First to strike, Karik's hatchet hits the bandit dead on before returning to him. Cadence's first strike catches the bandit, who had just finished relieving himself, completely off guard. The bandit tries to fight back, but is unable to find the assailant and swings blindly at the trees. After his flailing, another strike lands on him from the forests. Cheat Sheet:

After a brief respite at Samuel's cabin, Madante felt the slight unrest of the party. While getting off the beach was nice, they still had a destination to reach. "I thank you for your hospitality, but really we all need to make our way to the harbor soon. We wouldn't want to miss any of the boats going out to our destination," Madante explained. "True enough. The Royal Guard must be busy, and getting swept this far off course must not be the best of things. Though if you intend on leaving now, at least let me give you some camping supplies. The map I gave you should be able to guide your way, and you should be able to reach Gateon Port in only a few days," he told the captain, before giving them a few tents. "Most of these have been lying around from my past as an adventurer. I trust that they'll be of more use to you than me all things considered. Though do be careful, I've heard rumors of bandits down south. I'm sure you all will be able to handle yourselves, but do keep alert," he warned the group. "Thank you very much, for both the supplies and the information. Perhaps we'll see each other again someday," Madante replied before looking off to his group. "Now then, lets head off to Gateon and get back on track." ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ After a bit of time, with help from the map Samuel gave the group, the main path that led to Gateon Port was found. After an hour of traveling, Madante noticed a group of people coming together in front of them. As the group got closer, one of the men stepped up to Madante. "Hey, don't you know? This here area is territory of the Band of Dolores. If you want to pass, you'll have to pay up. All your money and belongings should suffice," the man told the group in a snarly voice. "I'm afraid we spare no money for brutes. Suppose we decide not to give you our belongings, then what?" he retorts, thinking these people to just be passing through trying to cause trouble. "If you don't decide to, well..." the man pauses before making a loud whistle. Through the trees, the group can hear signs of movement. As for the man before them, he has brandished an axe and taken a battle stance. "We're just going to have to take them off your hands...by any means necessary." "Just great. These must be the bandits we heard about. Still, packs like these tend to have a leader, or at least someone in charge. Everyone, prepare for battle!" he yells before brandishing his sword. WIN CONDITION: Defeat the boss LOSS CONDITION: All player units die Turn 1 Cheat Sheet:

"Even faster hmm? I'll take it" Taking Polearms

"It seems that some of our supplies, including our funds, happened to wash up with us. So we should be fine. When we get to Gateon Port, I'll ask around about where the outgoing ships are going. With any luck, one may end up going right to our destination," Madante chuckled at his wishful thinking.

"On foot the harbor is about 2 or 3 days away. There's a few towns in between, but they are rather small and easy to miss. That being said, the path is relatively straightforward once you get out of the forest here, so you all should be fine," Samuel answers before getting up to rummage through a nearby drawer. After a bit of fumbling about, he pulls out a map. "This map details most of the towns that are around here. The place you're looking for is Gateon Port, which is around the western coast. You should be able to get a boat from there, though I can't say for certain that any go straight to your destination. This island isn't exactly the biggest tourist attraction, so there aren't many boats coming to and from here," he informs them, handing Belros the map for them to use.

"Hmm, I can't think of anything specifically right now. Though I think that we all should set out pretty soon. We don't have that much daylight, and who knows how far the nearest town is...provided there is one," Madante answered, again muttering the last part under his breath. As he started to survey the coastline once again, he saw something moving in the forest growth nearby. "Is anyone there?" Madante yells out, brandishing his sword in case of hostile foes or wild animals. One couldn't tell. After a bit of rustling, a man came out of the brush, hands in the air signaling peace. "My, I'm sorry for startling you, though I'll admit that I wasn't expecting anyone to be around here," the man explains, before looking around the beach and seeing some of the wreckage of the ship. "Though from the looks of it, you seem to have gotten caught up in the storm that came by a few days ago. Who are you all exactly?" the man asks, again looking over the party. "My name is Madante, and myself and my crew are all part of the Royal Guard. We were sent out to deal with some trouble in Kabumu, but we ran into some pirates and the storm first," he explained. "Incidentally, where are we right now?" "Nowhere near your destination I'm afraid. Though I don't think this is the best place to talk. Come, my home is not too far from here, though it's the only inhabited place for a little while. You're lucky that I ran into you here," the man chuckled a little before he started to call out to the group and escort them to his home. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ After a slightly long hike through the forest, the group eventually came to a small log cabin nestled in a clearing. The man invited everyone inside and offered them some drinks, before sitting down on a chair and explaining to the group where they had ended up. "I should introduce myself first and foremost. I am Samuel, one of the local residents of Irvetos. Which is where you all are now, and quite a ways away from Kabumu I might add," he informed the party. "The next town is a little far, so you all can rest here for the rest of the day and set out in the morning. You'll likely want to make your way to the harbor if you want to reach your destination."

"Well let's save that for after we deal with these people," Ecquis stated, turning his attention to the troubadour closest to him. Having the healer still around could be troublesome, so he decided to try and deal with it now. Moves to F19 and melee based troub (still with Jav) and Canto back to F17

"That would be convenient for us. I'm surprised though. For someone so young, you seem to be quite knowledgeable about Veritias. More so than I it seems," Madante says, muttering the last part under his breath. "As for how long we've been out...I have no idea. All I know is that I just recently came to. Though it seems like its more midday, so maybe we weren't out too long?"

"I can't say for certain. Most of the islands in the region are charted, but it's hard to tell which island is which from just something like this. Also the storm and the currents could have washed us up nearly anywhere. If I knew the ocean currents better, maybe I could be of more help in navigation," Madante answered, disappointed in his lack of actual navigational or geographical skills. "Here's hoping that this place has some towns nearby at least."

"Hmm, as much as some scouting would be useful, I'd rather not split up the group. Especially not when we have no clue where we are or what's around," Madante told Belros, taking a look at the forest further past the beach line. "Plus, it looks like the forest area here is rather dense. We'll have to go through it eventually, but I'd rather we all go together if its alright with you."

Now that that's out of the way, yet another level up! Rayne Belros Cadence Emilee Darius Idei Chirya Karik "Not bad at all! Now if only my head stopped hurting."

One final strike was all that was needed to bring the wounded pirate captain to the ground. Karik's axe tore into Gonzap and threw him back, bleeding on the deck. "You little runt," Gonzap gasped in his final breaths. "I shoulda killed you off when I had the chance. Maybe if ol Wes was still here, if he hadn't bailed on us...then you...would all..." Gonzap collapsed onto the deck dead before he could finish his last words. [Victory!] Final Results: “Well then, he’s taken care of. Let’s get back to our ship and get back towards our destination.” Madante said, exhausted from the fighting and worried about the dark clouds overhead. Once everyone got back on board, Madante broke off the boarding planks from the pirate ship. "With that out of the way, we can finally get back on track. But first..." Madante paused before looking towards his comrades. “Honestly, while I wasn’t quite expecting us to enter combat just yet, you all seemed to handle yourselves quite well. I don't think I could have been more impressed," he praised. He then focused his attention on Karik. "As for you Karik, you seemed to be quite capable yourself. Though you are young, you still were able to hold your own. Normally I would have asked you to assist us further, but you wanted to go to Versidia if I recall? It may be a while till we return there, since we have business elsewhere, but if you are willing to come with us we can certainly get you—” Madante was cut off by a loud roar of thunder, followed by a light drizzle. “That…isn’t good. This particular area known to be able to tear apart ships in storms. I’ll try and see if I can steer us back to land,” Madante told the party, running towards the steering wheel. Before he could reach it however, the ship was pushed to the side quite hard by an incoming wave. Madante was flung onto the nearby railings, while everyone else was scattered across the deck. “Ok, this is bad, this is very bad,” Madante yelped as the drizzle turned into a downpour. “Everyone get in the ship, I don’t need anyone going overboard!” He yelled to the group, as they all tried and eventually managed to get below deck. Madante eventually met up with the rest of the group below decks, soaking wet, but believing that now they just needed to wait out the storm. His belief was short-lived however, as everyone in the ship felt a violent lurch. With a thundering roar, the ship’s deck was torn in two and it’s inhabitants were thrown into the water. The last thing they heard was Madante shouting at them to grab something before they blacked out. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 1: A Journey Off Course Year 1638, 19th of Vembra A seagull flies through the air and, upon noticing a group of people on the beach side, decided to go over and investigate. After landing near the head of one of them, it gave a few pecks before the man began to stir, scaring the bird off. “Ughhh, that was terrible,” Madante moaned, unsure of where he was or what had happened. As he tried to think, he recalled that his ship had been damaged, and the rest of his comrades were thrown to the ocean. Frantically, he looked about, but was relieved to find everyone else nearby, though none of them have woken up. “Here’s hoping everyone’s alright,” Madante whispered before trying to rouse everyone. It took longer for some, but eventually everyone was conscious, with varying degrees of pain. “So, I have good news and bad news. The good news is that all of us are alive with most of our belongings still with us. The bad news...I have no idea where we are.” He told the group, unsure of how they would react.