Fire Emblem on the Forums: Sea of Crossroads [IC]

[Sutoratosu]

"Belros...!" She approaches the scene too late, just as the captain and the rogue clash. She doesn't even get more than a few paces from Myrd before the man... quite surprisingly seems to tap into a power he'd been hiding all this time. One moment, the guildmaster is trying to readjust after his miss, the next... he was gone, engulfed in a flash of divine light that pierced the very heavens. She sighed, drawing the knives back into her sleeves. There was no way even that fucker would survive an attack like this. For once the Captain had pulled not just his own weight, but everyone elses too.

        She stood there for a while, debating whether to go any closer. Before her mind settled though, a certain quarter master appeared, silent as always. To her chagrin, with the adrenaline wearing off and the fires of her wrath cooling, she jumped, just a bit

"Geez! Almost gave me a heart attack... how the hell does the guy move like that all the time?"

 

She briefly looks to Myrdywn, shrugging, then back to Voy Con.

"Um, sure... I guess. What is it though? More trouble?"

 

 

[Zetaark]

Before Madante could respond to Idei's request, the shaman who had watched everything spoke. "You won't find anyone else here, dead or alive. Most of the civilians fled when Rico and his group first came by. As for the houses themselves, most of them were cleaned out, but you might still find something they overlooked," he informs him.

 

"Is that right? Well Idei, if you still want to search around and try and find something, you're more than welcome to," he tells the nomad.

 

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"Trouble? Not at its current state, but it could become trouble later. Provided it's what I think it is..." he replies, trailing at the end.

[rokubiraijuu]

Idei nods. "Just in case."

 

At the very least, he has little else to do besides await further instructions, and combing the town will allow Kite to burn off the remainder of his adrenaline from the fight. He gives a clicking sound and shifts his weight to turn the stallion around and move him into a trot down the dirt road.

 

The shaman appears to be right. The houses look overturned and abandoned, evidence of hasty departures everywhere. But he dismounts as he draws closer to them anyway, taking Kite by the reins as he examines them closer up.

[Pyon Pyon Kyuu!~]

"Selia? Selia wake up, you went down again." Emilee pressed her staff against Selia letting it's magic do the work. "It looks like we saved the day again. You fought well!" 

[Aurorix]

"Heh, to hell with hiding or running away..." Belros spoke, his smirk resurfacing on his face.  "I've done enough running in these past couple of months to last me a life time. As soon as I see that scumbag Rico's face, there will be no hesitation. I'll smash his face into the ground until there's nothing left... or at least I'll try to anyways. Whether it'll be my face that eats dirt instead, that's yet to be seen... heh heh heh..."  

[Sutoratosu]

"Well, whatever it is, might as well nip it in the bud while we still can..." She idly gripped the rapier at her belt, a familiar sensation coming over her. Similiar to the gut feeling she had the last time they blindly followed a hooded man, but... off somehow. And she prayed off it truly was, because that was a load of bullshit she was far from keen on going through again.

"Well, enough talking, let's go then. You coming, Myrd?"

[Chevaleresse]

Myrdwyn gave the shifty convoy man a dubious look. 

"I guess. This'd better be good."

[Anstane]

 

As soon as the fighting was over and he helped Helena patch up her wounds, Darius noticed a shaman among the no-longer-hostile enemy forces and, seeing this opportunity to speak to another practitioner, moved over to him.

 

"Hm. Not often do you see Dark Magic users anywhere nowadays. Where did you achieve this knowledge?"

[Zetaark]

Looking through the wreckage, outside of miscellaneous articles from the people who may have lived here, the place appears to have been stripped clean. Everything that remains has little value, and the rubble contains little of note. Idei also notices the lack of signs of a struggle, suggesting that the inhabitants left well before the house was sacked.

 

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"Hah, that's the spirit Belros. I'd love to see you and Rico seriously go at it but," Randel stops, indicating his wounds. "Chances are I won't be around to see it. At the very least, take him down a peg or two. For the true Silver Ravens. Alright?" he asks, looking at Belros once more.

 

-------------

 

"You'd be surprised what knowledge you can find if you look hard enough," the shaman replies curtly. "Work with thieves for a while and you find tomes here and there in the strangest places. As for learning, older guild members who picked up a thing or two tend to mentor new recruits with the potential," he answers.

 

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"If I'm right, at the very least this won't be boring," he mutters before moving towards the building. "Madante, the three of us will be looking inside for a bit. Make sure to keep an eye on things here. We shall return," he crones before leading the pair inside the central building. The inside seems to be completely ransacked, though unlike the outside houses, nothing appears to have been taken. Instead, furniture, books, papers, and all sorts of objects were haphazardly tossed about the main hall. A fireplace is present on the back wall, and two staircases are present on either side, each littered with broken ornaments and papers.

 

"They must have wanted the contents of this place rather badly, though I feel that they did not find what they came here for. You two can search the upper rooms. I'll look down here for a while."

[Aurorix]

After those last few words the reality of this situation finally sunk into the spy. Taking a closer look at Randel he notices all the wounds on the man. It felt like a massive ball of black gunk formed into his throat. It made it hard to swallow, but when he did he could feel part of it immediately transition to his gut. A bulky of orb of shadowy despair now looms heavily within him.  "No! Not again! This... this can't be happening!" The boy grit his teeth as memories of him and Randel came flooding back, good and bad alike. Whether it be them playing rounds of poker laughing, his teasing when Belros was just a lad and was drinking milk out of a mug instead of booze, working to together on missions, even his scolding seemed like a pleasant memory at this point. Belros had always admired the man, he was like a second father to him. He didn't know if Randel felt the same about him or the rest of the folks in the guild, but right now that man is about to have his last moments on earth. Belros clenched his fist, he wanted to punch the geezer for leaving him like this but he couldn't muster the will to do it. It would be wrong to end it like that. No not just wrong, it would be shameful even. He loosened his grip and forced the biggest smile he could,

 

"H-heh, alright then Randel. Consider this my... no, the True Silver Raven's last mission. The contract, take Rico's life. And our reward, the restoration of our honor as well as enacting our vengeance!" The man spoke holding back his tears, even if a few drops started squeezing themselves out hanging on the sides of eyes.

[Sutoratosu]

"Uh huh..." She slowly edged the rapier free of it's sheath, taking a look around the place. Was it some type of small chapel? No, no... there was a distinct lack of Icons to the Goddess, or an altar. Or even basic seating for a congregation. She reckoned it could've been the town hall instead. Without taking her eyes off the stairs, she snapped her fingers and a miniscule wind blew the paper nearest her into the air, where she deftly snatched it up and glanced at the text "Just what is this place, out of curiosity? And uh... what, pray tell, should we be looking for specifically?"

[Zetaark]

"This place appears to be the central hall, though it may also served as the mayor's home from what I can gather. As for what we're looking for..." he pauses, looking around the central room a bit more. "A secret passage perhaps. As for its nature, I can't be certain, but there is something here. That much I'm sure of," he growls with the last statement.

 

As for the papers Cadence had grabbed, it seemed to be some history text of some kind describing a strange series of magical caves. The location of the caves, or other details regarding them, were not present on the page she had.

[Sutoratosu]

"..." Needless to say, the report peaked her interest. Ever her father's daughter, she quickly picked up a few more pages from the floor near her, glancing over them before moving for the stairs,

"Alright then, sure... Secret Passages. Yeh, I might know a thing or two about those..."

 

And she knew with nigh certainty where these supposed passages would probably lead...

[Chevaleresse]

Myrdwyn followed Cadence about the building; she really didn't seem to be trying very hard to look around, and Cadence seemed to know what she was doing. 

"I still dunno about this." She somewhat belatedly pitched her voice lower. "Not going to lie, I trust that convoy guy about as far as I can throw 'em. Less, actually, since I bet I could get some decent distance. . ."

[Sutoratosu]

She waits until they've ascended the stairs and entered the top floor. Only when she was certain they were out of earshot does she respond with,

"I honestly don't trust him either, Myrd. But I figure- might as well play along. For now. I... did sense something, once the fighting stopped. Still too faint right now for me to put a direction on it or even tell what it might be, aside from what's in these papers, but it's definitely something. He's not lying about that part at least. Speaking of which..." 

      She takes the papers she swiped downstairs and begins to examine them, as she has the Anima Spirits begin to poke around the area, look for anything that doesn't sit well with them or seems particularly peculiar in it's architectural design. Slightly crooked candle holders on the wall, a particular book that would shift place but was impossible to remove from the shelf, the whole nine yards for that cliched secret passage crap. If they found nothing, she'd next order them to begin sweeping the room for any sign of overtly magical signatures.

[Zetaark]

Scanning through the papers, Cadence finds the name "Wanu Isles" present, along with notes about how the cave systems are infused with some magic that makes navigating them unnaturally difficult. Most of the notes are scribbles about ways to keep track of one's location and how to escape the labyrinth if need be. While Cadence looked over the papers, the spirits shifted around, though there was a small glass orb sitting on a table that they seemed to move around. Suddenly, the orb began to emit a pale purple light, and the pair felt a small shake in the building, though nothing in the room seemed to change. After the shaking stopped, a voice called up to them.

 

"Myrdwyn! Cadence! Come down here, and bring any strange objects you found with you," said the voice downstairs, belonging to the convoy man. You aren't quite sure what specific strange object he's referring to, but the orb seems suspicious enough.

 

----------------------------------------

"The last mission eh? Sounds good to me. Make sure to give Rico what's coming to him." he grunts, a smile creeping on his face. "And before I drop on ya, there's a bit of a tradition in our guild. Since you're going to be taking up the mantle, I better give you this," he groans, grabbing a small, ornate box from his person and handing it to Belros. "Consider this the treasure of the Silver Ravens of sorts. Supposedly it grants strength to those who need it, but I've never managed to get the thing open. The old boss before me said that it only grants strength to the truly worthy, but he didn't explain what that meant to me. Doesn't matter now, what does is that this goes to your hands," he says with a smile. "The Silver Ravens are in your hands now boy. Make...us proud," he says before slumping back, his eyes closed.

[Chevaleresse]

Myrdwyn gave the orb a dubious look. She wasn't normally one for hesitation. . . in general, really, but this was damn suspicious. Still, she figured that if there was enough hazardous mystical bullshit about, Cadence would probably say something about it, along with a note about how it reminded her of her great uncle that turned into a zombie or something. She moved over to the orb, creeping toward it as if it were a dangerous animal, and then snatched it off the table. Assuming nothing immediately unpleasant happened, she headed downstairs toward the equally sketchy convoy man.

[Aurorix]

Belros took hold of the box speechless, his arms shaking like he was in a frozen tundra.  "D-damn it..." Belros muttered before falling off of Madante to his knees and slamming the ground with his right fist, box resting in his lap with his left hand keeping it secure.  "DAMN IT!" Belros roared tears now streaming down his face. The boy couldn't stop his sobbing, he sat there unable to form any words as his sorrow took over him. His tears now dripped onto his lap and some on the box, leaving little dots of darkened color on his pants and droplets on the box. It seems as if he had completely forgotten about the ornate object in his lap.

[Zetaark]

Coming down the stairs, the pair find the convoy man situated in front of a fireplace at the back wall of the main floor. As he looks over the pair as they come towards him, he sees the orb that Myrdwyn is carrying.

 

"Ahh, so that must be the key. And this here is the gate," he crones, turning towards the fireplace. As Myrdwyn and Cadence approach the fireplace, the orb in Myrdwyn's hand began to emit a stronger light, and a stairway began to form inside of the fireplace. "So this must be the path hmm? No wonder they couldn't find it. Now then, let us investigate," he crones as he starts walking down the stairway.

 

------------------------------

 

Seeing Belros in the state he was in, Madante could do nothing but stand beside him. He wanted to try and console him in some way, but couldn't find the words that could be of use. Eventually though, he decided to speak. 

 

"Belros...I'm not sure I can really give words of comfort now, all things considered. But what I can say is that even after everything that's happened, Randel had faith in you. He probably believes that you will be someone who is able to take the name of the Silver Ravens. I also think he believes that you'll be able to confront that Rico character in time. So for now, grieve, but don't fall into despair. And don't forget that you have friends willing to help you out. Alright?" he says in a more somber tone than usual.

[Aurorix]

Even if the lad wanted to Belros couldn't lift up his head. Whether it was from his overwhelming sadness or from exhaustion from the battle, it matters not.  "I... I know... but I could've done something to prevent this. No, I SHOULD have done something, but I didn't. I wasn't strong enough, I wasn't cunning enough, hell I wasn't even fast enough. What good am I if all I can accomplish is running away with my tail between my legs, leaving everyone I care about in the dust? Then Randel decides that I am the one who could take down Rico?"

 

"Right now, all I know is that I couldn't handle Randel on my own so it'd be stupid to think I could go against Rico. Then, you guys, I dragged all of you into into this mess. Honestly, without all of you I don't think I'd have lasted this long." He turned his head back to Madante and to whoever else was still there trying to force out a smile.

 

"I know all of this but, I'm still not going to give up! If I wasn't strong or fast enough then I just need to get better right? I have to not let all of this be for nothing. Though, I am still sorry for dragging everyone into all of this."

[Chevaleresse]

"Ya could start explainin' what's goin' on any time, yaknow." Myrdwyn was quite leery of this entire thing. Magic didn't bother her a ton as long as someone wasn't trying to teach her how to do it, but this was the spooky kind of magic you heard in campfire tales and stuff. Glowing magic orbs and dark passageways in creepy houses. . . Though that kind of thing also showed up in stories about heroes and such, so who knew? The die could land on a good result here. She proceeded down the stairs, still acting as if the orb could bite her at any time.

[Zetaark]

"What's done is done. Now's not the time to worry about what has passed. Right now, we should focus on what we should do from here on. And don't worry Bel, I believe that when the time comes, you'll be able to confront Rico and put an end to this," Madante says in an encouraging voice.

 

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"There exists a certain set of islands, known for their strange magical properties. The labyrinths within them are said to hold all sorts of treasure of old, but they are by no means an easy thing to traverse. The layouts change constantly, and mapping a given floor is meaningless. It seems that someone who lived here knew about those islands, and hid something here by recreating one of those labyrinths," he explains in a droll voice. "The orb you hold appears to be the key that allows entry, though it seems to not activate unless the path to the labyrinth is found as well. That would explain why the others could not find it," he finishes, as the trio heads down the stairs, eventually reaching an ominous looking door.

 

"One more thing, the labyrinths are known both for their ever changing layout, but also the magic within them. The exact effects can vary, but you won't know quite what they are until you enter. With that said, are you two prepared to enter?"

[Chevaleresse]

"Well, we've got this far. . ." She still didn't like this, but wasn't one to give up on something halfway through. . . even if that something involved creepy convoy men (what was his name again?), creepier labyrinths, and weird, unknown magical effects. "If I get turned into a chicken or somethin', though, I'm shitting in your shoes."

[Zetaark]

"I will keep that in mind," he chuckled a bit before opening the door, causing a flash of light to envelop the group. 

 

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When the light subsided, the trio found themselves in a moderately sized, featureless room. There were two corridors on the frontmost and rightmost walls, though nothing to indicate where they've been. The air in the room however felt thick, and Myrdwyn would find herself somewhat nauseous, a bit disoriented, and also...lighter for some reason. Looking around, she would also find that the convoy man was not present in the same room. Looking to find Cadence, she finds that she is indeed in the same room.

 

However, what she finds is Cadence being assaulted by some...skeleton like specter with an axe, who with a single swing knocks Cadence unconscious.  After the initial target has fallen, the skeleton turns its attention to Myrdwyn, and begins posturing aggressively.

[Chevaleresse]

"Oh no, don't think you can pull that same shit on be, you piss poor excuse for a children's story!" Myrdwyn's immediate response was to charge the specter with her equally spooky-looking lance, feeling, among other things, frustration that she had guessed incorrectly and that this was the spooky-supernatural-murder variety of secret passage and likely not the type that lead to treasure that wasn't cursed.