Zetaark

Ecquis' goal of drawing the archers away from Anna seemed to have worked out, though he did have to take a few hits. Nevertheless, Ecquis knew he could just back up slightly and heal up, making him able to withstand another volley. He wouldn't want anyone else to be focused by too many people, especially considering that their healer was unavailable to them at this point. Moves to O20 and uses Vulnary.

So long as you don't go tooo far from the group again it should be fine. Just stay careful k?

Operation Archer Bait success. Now to actually make sure I don't die.

I leave for a lab and come back to this? Well then... Here we have Ecquis, my own character in FEF and the best wyvern rider around. Also the only one but eh,,, Next up we have Damon, Ecquis' terrible older brother. Whether or not he shows up remains to be seen. This here is Alvis. I would say more, but he hasn't come up yet, so we'll just wait on that. And here we have the best bard Mira, who isn't actually in FEF (at least not in this iteration) And lastly we have Cynthia here, also an expy character of sorts. I may use her in something, or I may have her show up in something later, who knows. All above mugs were spliced by me, with the last one being a hair recolor which was done by hand because how do I recolor tools lol.

Receiving a boost, Ecquis was more than ready to fly off again. After surveying the area a bit, he found a forested area that would take him close enough to the mountains so that the archers should notice, but not so much that everyone there would go after him. Ecquis knew how far he could go in terms of luring enemies. Once he arrived near the forest, he let off Serene so that the pair could be ready to face the enemy. "We have now arrived at our destination. Stay alert, you wouldn't want to burn out on us now would you?" he jokes at Serene as he lets her off the wyvern. Moves to P20 and dismounts Serene on P21 (Forest evasion bonus granted)

"Well then, you've found the right group of people. But we can talk about that more once we deal with this little mess," he told her. Ecquis had a few other questions regarding what her purpose for seeking us out was, but he would likely have time to ask those questions later. For now, he should focus on dealing with the enemies that are around.

"I see," Ecquis responded. Given the woman's earlier actions towards the house she was found in, hearing that she started a fire in her camp wasn't very surprising. "Well, so long as you don't try to light a fire while flying, we should have no problems. Although, I could probably fly higher up if you tried, but some people don't do well in high altitudes," he told her, thinking that a fire here would likely cause Cynthia to just boot Serene off entirely. That wouldn't be very good for anyone involved. "So, if you aren't with the army anymore, what brought you to this little village?"

"A soldier you say? For Dragao? If that's the case then what would you be doing all the way over here?" Ecquis had to ask. It wouldn't be the first person who was part of the Dragao army, what with Meredith being a well known one. Ecquis then remembered the Dragao soldiers who were a bit further pass. Perhaps she was part of their unit? Then again, she was much further apart from them, so maybe not. Either way, no harm would come from asking. "Those other soldiers near that house then, are they friends of yours by any chance?"

"That would certainly be nice to see. Cynthia hasn't been particularly fond of strangers. It would be nice to see her interact with other people," he told Serene. Cynthia usually only ever was friendly with Ecquis, so seeing her able to interact with others was rather nice. "Incidentally, have you ever flown on a wyvern before? You seemed rather fine with the idea, and others who have never flown aren't so keen on it the first time around."

"This wyvern's name is Cynthia, and yes, she has room for quite a few more," he answers. Looking over, he sees Meredith deal with the myrmidon that was there a moment ago. Looking towards the mountains, he sees that Anna and her friend are in a rather bad state. Ecquis felt that if he were able to lure a few of the archers over, things should be alright. He also believed that the mages would be able to deal with the nearby knights rather well. With that, Ecquis set his priorities on helping Anna and her friend. "Cynthia, you mind a passenger?" he asks his mount. Cynthia just stares at Serene for a moment, not moving or making any noise. After some time, she snorts in indifference. "Cynthia isn't the friendliest of my wyverns due to certain circumstances, but I think with enough time she'll warm up to you," he tells her. "Now then, to the mountains we go." Rescue Serene and move to L20

Looking through the field, Ecquis was rather surprised to see the enemies they were against. Furthermore, there seemed to be quite a few of them. Further past, there looked to be some Dragao soldiers, and further still...wait. Towards the mountains, Ecquis could see a pair, a man and a woman. What caught his attention however, was the woman that he saw. The similarities in appearance were too much to be coincidence wasn't it? "Is that...Anna? Why is she here of all places?" he said in quite an alarmed tone. It had been 3 years since he had left Caelum, but it seems like she ended up here somehow. Either way, he wasn't about to let one of his friends get hurt. "I'm going to go towards the mountains. I need to make sure that those two are ok. Come on Cynthia," he states before moving off. Moves to H19 and attacks Mage 3 (Waiting Strike activates, +10 Crit)

"Well then Serene, its a pleasure to meet you," Ecquis stated, going outside next to Cynthia. Noticing that the flames engulfing the house were renewed once more, Ecquis had a few questions. Not all of them necessarily relevant, but still. "So, were you someone who lived in this village, or were you just passing by. And...were you part of the reason for why this house was on fire by any chance?" he decided to ask. Given her reactions inside of the house, Ecquis could guess that this woman enjoyed fire very much...perhaps too much. But that's not something for him to judge really.

Having followed Klaren near the burning house, he was able to see the girl within it. That being said, she seemed to be...enjoying herself for lack of a better term. While the situation wasn't the greatest, he could at least answer a few questions for her. "Well, for starters, my name is Ecquis and the man over here is Klaren. I'd tell you more, but I would prefer if we handled that outside of a burning building. Is that alright with you?" he decided to ask the woman.

"Well, I don't know if you're aware, but wyverns arent exactly well liked in Dragao. Though at the time I didn't know that as well as I do now, I at least knew that going through Dragao wasn't a very good idea. So I went to Yukihana. It wasn't too long of a trip since my former home was right near the border, but it was still a tough one. Despite that, the wyverns did make the trip a bit less of a struggle," he replied. Thinking back, Ecquis did wonder slightly what would have happened if he went to Dragao. Probably nothing good considering how his more recent arrival went. "Speaking of which, I think I'll be taking a little joyride if you don't mind," he says before making a whistling noise, calling Mira down from the skies..

"Well, due to a particular incident, I more or less got forced to leave town. I don't particularly feel like talking about the specifics now, but I had to gather whatever I could and leave within 3 days or else. That was about 9 years ago now," Ecquis said rather quietly. The incident in question wasn't particularly pleasant, especially considering the conditions he had to leave in. "I suppose the only saving grace was that my departure was around this time of year, so I didn't have to deal with the winters of Yukihana immediately. Well, that and the wyverns I ended up taking with me. They've more or less been the only family I've ever had," Ecquis finished, his tone sadder than it normally would be.

"I see. My hometown at least still exists, or I think it does. I never did consider going back there. Not that I could even if I wanted to." Ecquis replied. He decided that asking about the fire could wait another day. "When I had to leave, I actually went up towards Yukihana. The mountains were a bit of a trip, especially without everything I would need to get through, but I managed it somehow. If you don't mind me asking, what were your travels like?"

"Oh, you've been wandering around as well. I've also spent a fair portion of my life just wandering, though my travels led me through both Yukihana and Caelum. From a personal standpoint, I do have a friend in Caelum, so if possible I may be able to run into them," Ecquis responded. It was interesting to see that someone else had been wandering around as well. That being said, if it was anything like his situation then... "I apologize if this isn't a question you are comfortable answering, but why exactly did you start wandering through Dragao?" he decided to ask.

Seeing as the group had time to relax now that a destination has been decided, Ecquis decided to figure out what he should do. Looking over, Maya was busy sorting some of the medical supplies, and Meredith and Hoshiko were still busy talking. With that, he decided he should talk to Rosa again. "So Rosa, what made you decide to go to Caelum? Have you been there before at all?"

"So, to Caelum we go eh? It's been a while since I left there. Here's hoping Anna hasn't gotten into too much trouble while I've been gone, she may be able to help us out once we get there," Ecquis mused, recalling the merchant girl he had quite literally rescued from the desert several years ago. Oddly enough, the desert heat of Caelum never really bothered Ecquis very much, even when he came there from the much colder Yukihana. "Also, if anyone gets too tired or hot, make sure to let us know. It wouldn't be good for anyone if you just collapsed on the desert sands. And if anyone gets very tired, I may be willing to let them ride on one of the wyverns, so long as they aren't too afraid of heights," Ecquis offered.

All part of the master plan

Ecquis was relieved to see that Rosa and Meredith were able to handle this little issue. In all honesty, he had expected this to go very differently. No matter, so long as everyone has worked it all out, it's fine, he thought idly. With that issue dealt with, there was one last matter that had to be settled. "So then, where is it that we all want to go, Caelum, or Yukihana?" he asks everyone around.

"As much as I would like to, it seems that Luka has been glancing this way. Perhaps he wants to talk to you?" Ecquis notes, trying to get out of the situation he was currently headed in. He may be curious, but even that has limits. At any rate, Ecquis looked over to Rosa and Meredith, curious to see what Meredith's response would end up being.

Looking through the journal, Ecquis was...quite honestly not sure what to think of what he was reading. Going past the parts in regards to the prison, his descriptions of the weapons he...'experienced' were rather detailed. Going through towards the end of it, he noticed Klaren's...very detailed section on Meredith. On one hand, it looks like he respected her quite a bit, but on the other... "This is...quite an interesting journal. This is volume 119 you said? Does that mean you have 118 other journals like this somehwere?" he had to ask, though frankly he was scared to know the answer.

"Depends Klaren. It's very easy for one to suddenly get stuck and fade out of view. Even with my wyverns it can be slightly difficult to see where you are. Especially if there's a sandstorm," Ecquis replied, recalling the sandstorms that occurred every so often. Noticing how Klaren then got his journal again, he was reminded of the last time he saw it, and got a little curious. "Incidentally, Klaren. Do you mind if I take a look in your journal at all?" he decided to ask.

Meredith's reveal was honestly slightly surprising, but Ecquis had guessed that Meredith was involved with the Dragao army in some form anyhow. From the information she know about their forces and their training and her combat ability, it would make sense. That being said, Ecquis hadn't heard much about "The Undying" during his time in Caelum, despite being there around the point of the Golden Dragon Rebellion. Granted, it could have spread to other areas, but as far as he knew the name didn't get mentioned. Still though, Ecquis did wonder how an ex-soldier would be treated by the nobles of Caelum. Ecquis was more involved with the merchant side of that area, so he could not be sure. He did however think that inside information on the soldiers of Dragao and their regiments would be interesting to them. "Your concerns are rather valid I must say. If they recognize you, it's possible that things could go south. On the other hand though, would the nobles of Caelum refuse information about the nature of the Dragao army from one of its iconic figures? I can't say for certain, seeing as how I never interacted with the nobles in Caelum much, but this could also be a benefit to us as well. In my opinion, its still a risk, but it could have a decent payoff in the end. That's just my opinion though. I don't know what the others feel about this," he responded. Meredith being a former soldier of Dragao didn't mean too much to him now, and it could probably be beneficial for some future operation. The others however, Ecquis could not guess.