Jehanna’s forces were invading. Even the best defenses Grado can muster are insufficient. Even as Emperor Rioga prepares to defend the Sacred Stone with all his might, he realizes that there is no way they can win. Yet, the Fire Emblem has to be protected. So, with a last desperate attempt at saving the world from a horrible fate the Emperor calls <> to his throne room in order to entrust them with an important mission…
Green Warrior in Throne Room Rioga – The Court Emperor of Grado. Trusted by his people. Known for catching bandits and trying to strengthen Grado’s military. Weapon Mastery: Axes: B, Bows: C Level: 5 Equipment and Items: Steel Axe, Tomahawk
Green General to Rioga's right Nero – Commanding guardian of Grado and one of Rioga’s best men. Weapon Mastery: Swords: ???, Lance: ???, Axe: ??? Level: ??? Equipment and Items: Steel Sword, Steel Lance, Steel Axe, Knight Crest
Green Swordmaster to Rioga's left Garric - Skilled Swordmaster in employ of Grado. Excessively cautious about himself. Weapon Mastery: Sword: ??? Level: ??? Equipment and Items: Steel Blade, Killing Edge, Antitoxin, Vulnerary, Hero Crest
Green Shaman behind the pillar Aldo - A shaman researcher and advisor on things magic in service of Grado. Magically gifted and incurably serious. Weapon Mastery: Dark: E Level: 1 Equipment and Items: Flux, Vulnerary, Guiding Ring.
It all began when a young Rausten Cleric arrived at the gates of Grado Keep, delivering terrifying news. The Kingdom of Jehanna were planning an invasion. Emperor Rioga was quick to action, gathering what forces Grado had to spare. Taking great care not to alarm the Jehannan mercenaries across the nation, the commanders Tilda and Ansovald were dispatched to look after the people in west Grado using their mobility and connections, while general Wilhelm took command of Grado’s army, reinforcing the east. Messengers were sent to their allies in Renais and Frelia, hoping to unite their front to a force that could counter Jehanna. It seemed everything was going right for a potential Grado triumph over the odds.
Yet, Jehanna’s invasion happened before the messengers could even arrive. It was quick, ruthless and efficient. Sion’s forces spearheaded straight into the heart of Grado. Wilhelm’s army fought to resist, yet Jehanna’s overwhelming numbers and the fact many mercenaries were already on Grado soil made the enemy unmatchable. Jehanna showed no mercy to the defending forces, destroying Grado’s army and leaving the leading general Wilhelm’s fate uncertain. While Tilda’s efforts had saved many, rogue Jehannan mercenaries were taking the opportunity to raid the defenseless Grado landside, and Ansovald had seemingly disappeared.
Now, Sion marches on Grado Keep. Faced with imminent defeat, Emperor Rioga hatches a desperate plan to keep the Fire Emblem safe…
Prologue: Fall of Grado
‘They will shortly be arriving at the gates,’ Nero informed, standing with a sword planted to the floor beneath him. ‘We should proceed quickly.’
Rioga nodded. The Court Emperor of Grado stood by his throne, tall and strong in body with an axe at the ready, his presence commanding. To the right of him stood General Nero, encased in armour except for his head and looking over the people present with a stern gaze. To the left stood Swordmaster Garric, who was frowning, arms crossed leaning at the wall and looking quite impatient.
‘Tsk,’ Garric clicked his tongue, looking obviously riled up by the entire situation. The man on Rioga’s right was known for being excessively cautious and merciless to anyone who he trained (most likely Reina), yet he always seemed in control in some way. This tension was not normal for him. Even Nero, who’s gaze was always exceedingly serious and grim, looked and sounded especially grim today. The reason why was natural.
Rioga gazed at the four people that had been summoned.
There was his own daughter, Reina. A stab of pain went through Rioga as he considered her. She wasn’t entirely ready, and it was partly his fault. He had focused on being an Emperor first and a father second, and now he felt that he was regretting it. He could but pray that she would grow in the face of what’s to come.
There was Isolde, the young Wyvern Rider. An admirable young woman that was the child of an admirable man, Rioga had high hopes for her, despite some famous examples of bouts of clumsiness. There was no doubts in his mind that he had not made a mistake in assigning her to his daughter. They’d grow well together.
Then Marwood, the prince of Renais himself, had rushed to their aid in this time of need. Why, Rioga could swear he saw some of the ancient heroes he descended from in this younger prince of their nation. Their messengers might not have made it to Renais, but Rioga was deeply thankful for Marwood’s being here.
Finally there was Titania, a Cleric of Rausten. She who had given them the warning. Rioga could not even begin to articulate just how grateful he was she had put herself in such great personal peril for the sake of a nation she had never visited. He could but hope doing this would give her the chance to get away… or continue to help.
‘Thank you for coming,’ Rioga said, raising his head and looking over the four. ‘As you know, Jehanna’s forces are approaching Grado Keep, and King Sion himself is leading them. I intend to defeat him.’ He said so as if it was an absolute certainty. ‘… But in case I fail, we cannot risk the Fire Emblem falling into the wrong hands.’
He reached into a pocket on his side, and retrieved the item. It was a shining little stone, burning with a blue fire of demonic energy that did not hurt the one touching it. He held it forth, for anyone who stepped forward to take it. He did somewhat intend Reina to be the one to take it, but it ultimately wasn’t that important as long as they took it.
Obtained the Fire Emblem!
‘Take our Sacred Stone, the Fire Emblem. Remember always that it contains the soul of the Demon King, and do not let it be taken. Monsters are attracted to its energy, so keep your party small enough to avoid detection but large enough to fight off monsters. Gain allies where you can, their might will be a priceless asset. Do not try to send one flyer with the stone ahead, as Gargoyles are known to swarm those who attempt such a strategy.’
‘Besides, Jehanna’s Sky Guild is bound to roam the skies soon, you’ll be spotted if you fly.’ Garric chimed in, frowning from his position on the side.
Rioga nodded. ‘Stick to woods and cover. Take the stone to one of our allies. Renais is full of good people, though I worry they might not have the force to resist Grado either. Frelia’s army has a natural advantage with the nature of their forces and terrain and they’re known not to trust Jehanna’s mercenaries. However, King Kennard is hard to predict, be careful with him.’ With that said, he looked to his daughter first, and then to the others in turn.
‘Reina. As Princess of Grado, your allies will look to you. I’m depending on you. The fate of the world lies upon the success of this quest.’ ‘Isolde. I know I have not made a mistake in picking you. Please keep my daughter safe. I’m trusting you to do what you feel is right.’ ‘Marwood. I’m immensely thankful that you came in our hour of need. If you would give it, your strength would be a blessing upon this quest.’ ‘Titania. You gave us a priceless bit of time. The least I could do is give you this opportunity to get away. The moment you’re outside, go where you desire.’
‘With that all said, I intend to send you out through the hidden passage in the keep’s prison. But before that…’ Rioga turned to look to his right. ‘Aldo. Come forth.’
With that said, a young man in a Shaman’s robes stepped out from the pillar to their left, serious eyes gazing at them from under dark-blue hair. As he has been present repeatedly as an advisor on things magic to Rioga, those who lived in Grado would naturally know of him. Rioga spoke to him.
‘Aldo. Accompany them. Use your knowledge to guide them should they hit a wall, and use your magic to assist them in times of need.’
‘Yes, sir. I will do my best,’ Aldo replied. “Assuming this trip doesn’t end before we even leave the castle”, his tone seemed to say.
Aldo has joined the party!
Rioga smirked a little at Aldo’s behavior before turning towards the rest again. ‘Aldo has magic that has resulted from years of research that I am sure will come to great use for you all. Please, show the fruits of your family’s research.’
Aldo nodded, and then from his robe he produced a couple of small, round stones that looked oddly black in colouration. He looked towards the four individuals present, and then decided not to approach them.
‘I have eight of these, and can make more given time. Here, catch,’ he instead called, and lobbed the rocks to each person in turn.
Obtained 1 Tactician’s Stone each!
Now, they could decide not to catch it, but with the assumption they do a vision appeared within their minds, a picture of startling clarity.
‘Using this, you‘ll be presented with a picture of the battlefield. It won’t show a picture unless you activate it, which you just do by simply focusing on it, but after that it will continue to show you this vision whenever you want it to as long as it’s still in your inventory. Individuals in the picture are coloured with colours according to their most likely allegiance, which isn’t always perfect, I’m afraid. The stones allows you to communicate to the holders of the other stones as long as they’re on the same battlefield, if you hold the stone and speak directly to it thinking of the person you want to talk to. In addition, this part’s a bit more unreliable, but sometimes it tries to share visions and conversations taking place within its range, if it thinks it might be relevant to you. You don’t have to listen or look in, you can blank it out and focus on the now, but it’ll be there if you want to.’
On cue, as he says that…
West Entrance
‘Hellooooooo, lovelies! Rejoice! Commander Ansovald of Grado is back, and I’ve brought reinforcements!’ Ansovald claimed proudly, seated high upon his horse, grinning happily at the General closing the doorway. His grin was twisted in every sense of the word, his armour holding a certain purple touch which he found oh, so noble, befitting of his birth. He advanced, his horse strutting forth…
‘…’ The General by the entrance did not budge an inch, blocking the way.
‘… Oh? There’s a significant lack of the fanfare I desired here here. Where is the cheering? The triumphant trumpets celebrating my arrival?’ Ansovald looked upon the man in curiosity, not seemingly having expected this.
‘… With all due respect, sir, we saw you approach the keep alongside the forces of Jehanna. Please leave, commander, and Emperor Rioga will judge you for your actions at a later time,’ declared the General.
‘Hm. How callous of you. I like it!’ Ansovald simply said, before an Elfire fireball surged from the Mage Knight’s hand, hitting the ground under the General and a hellfire erupted. The fire surged through the openings in the armour, and with a shout of pain the armoured man toppled.
‘The hard way it is. Jeremiah! Donovan! We’re taking this keep by force! Let’s show the King of Jehanna that we’re useful for more than killing messengers! And if my hired boys do their job, we’ll get out of this incident with a flowery bonus as well~!’ Ansovald called out to his lieutenants, before riding forth… in relative safety behind a trio of Halberdiers, of course!
‘Geesh,’ Jeremiah, Paladin astride a dashing stallion who dressed in a noble’s attire and somehow found himself under Ansovald’s command, frowned… but shook his head and grabbed his sword. ‘Yes, sir! Taking the keep!’
On the other side of Ansovald, a young boy in an open shaman’s cloak ran, preparing to make use of his magic… when he suddenly stopped.
‘…’ Donovan looked up into the roof, and to anyone watching the scene, it’d suddenly seem like he was looking right at them. The boy looked a little uncomfortable.
‘Please don’t watch me. I get nervous easily.’ With those words, Donovan waved his hand, scattering a bit of dark magic…
And the vision disappeared.
East Entrance
‘We’re sending Ansovald through the west entrance?’ Rhodri, giant muscleman and leader of the Wheel Guild, asked as they were wandering into the Grado Keep on the eastern entrance. ‘You sure we can depend on a traitor to be so reliable? I mean, I could just seal that opening shut with my own guild, then nobody could slip out!’ So Rhordi said, laughing out a heartily after. Nethanel aimed a look at him indicating his displeasure at questioning a decision of Sion. However, Sion was quick to speak.
‘Ansovald is desperate to show he is useful to me,’ Sion declared, walking ahead of the other two, long red cape fluttering behind his armour and commanding presence echoing. It was as all where his calm voice made itself heard was immediately put under his thumb, absolute control attained through mere speech. Rioga unconsciously straightened his back, and Nethanel looked at their king with eyes of adoration. Sion continued.
‘For now, I will have him leverage his troops for my cause. However, with the first misstep, I will pressure him, and he will break. Desperate to make up for his failure, he will work himself to the bone. If he doesn’t fail or tries to betray me, I will simply crush him.’ Saying so, Sion paused. He leaned his blade upon his shoulder, turned his head and smiled back at Rhodri, the suitably charismatic smile of a proper king. ‘I do not like that man. His readiness to betray his country disgusts me. His life will be very difficult for him from now on.’ So was spoken in a dreadfully gentle tone.
‘Ooooh…’ Nethanel simply made a sound of adoration like Sion’s planning was, as always, utter perfection and nothing could possibly be wrong with it, and he’d probably slice apart anyone who’d claim so. Rhodri simply shrugged and smirked.
‘If you say so, sir. I’ll just go in bashing heads and leave the thinking to you,’ Rhordi settled on, grinning and heaving up his Battle Axe onto his own shoulder. Sion nodded, and then advanced upon the Grado battleline. The Grado troops were positively quivering from Sion’s presence, yet stood firm. Sion looked over them.
‘Soldiers of Grado!’ he addressed the troops. ‘You have fought valiantly. Your loyalty to your nation, bar a few exceptions, have greatly impressed me. However, your defeat is now imminent. I care naught for unnecessary loss of blood. Let me pass, surrender what I desire, and I will pull back my forces. Any Jehannan mercenary seen pillaging in Grado will be banished from the nation and branded a bandit. Your people will all be spared, and I shall provide the funds for a successful reconstruction. All I ask in return, is that you hand over the Fire Emblem. Fail to comply, and you will receive no mercy. Put down your arms.’
A silence passed as the mighty voice of Sion paused to allow a reaction. There were whimpers from among the lines, but the soldiers of Grado tightened the grips of their weapons, preparing themselves for the fight to come.
‘No?’ Sion asked, a slight smile coming to his lips, as if amused by their reaction. ‘Very well. If so strong is your conviction… Jehannan forces, advance.’
With that, Sion lifted his sword and charged. At his sides, Rhodri grinned as the mountain of muscle heaved his giant Battle Axe, and Nethanel smiled so happily after having been allowed to hear such a beautiful speech by his lord and then being allowed to spill plenty of blood for Sion. With unstoppable might, the Royal Guild struck into the Grado lines…
‘The enemy is closing in,’ Nero urged.
‘Right,’ Rioga nodded, then looked over them again. ‘Take this. It might help you,’ he said, handing over a pouch of gold to whoever accepted.
Gained 5000 Gold!
‘The prison is through the stairs to your left. Aldo, guide them to it. Don’t worry about us, we’ll be fine. Go!’
‘This way!’ Aldo called, turning to move.
Now, what would the rest of those present do?
Notable Individuals;
Blue Lord Reina - The princess of Gardo. Appreciates the finer things in life. Weapon Mastery: Sword: E Level: 1 Equipment and Items: Précieuse (Rapier), Vulnerary
Blue Wyvern Rider Isolde - Clumsy, but reliable Wyvern knight. Weapon Mastery: Axe: D Level: 5 Equipment and Items: Halberd
Blue Cavalier Marwood - The prince of Renais with a good heart and a rebellious streak, cares deeply for others. Weapon Mastery: Sword: C, Lance: D Level: 4 Equipment and Items: Reginleif, Steel Sword
Blue Cleric Titania - A tough healer from Rausten, she forges her own path to help as many people as she can. Weapon Mastery: Staff: D Level: 5 Equipment and Items: Heal, Mend
Blue Shaman Aldo - A shaman researcher and advisor on things magic in service of Grado. Magically gifted and incurably serious. Weapon Mastery: Dark: E Level: 1 Equipment and Items: Flux, Vulnerary, Guiding Ring.
Green Warrior in Throne Room Rioga – The Court Emperor of Grado. Trusted by his people. Known for catching bandits and trying to strengthen Grado’s military. Weapon Mastery: Axes: B, Bows: C Level: 5 Equipment and Items: Steel Axe, Tomahawk
Green General to Rioga's right Nero – Commanding guardian of Grado and one of Rioga’s best men. Weapon Mastery: Swords: ???, Lance: ???, Axe: ??? Level: ??? Equipment and Items: Steel Sword, Steel Lance, Steel Axe, Knight Crest
Green Swordmaster to Rioga's left Garric - Skilled Swordmaster in employ of Grado. Excessively cautious about himself. Weapon Mastery: Sword: ??? Level: ??? Equipment and Items: Steel Blade, Killing Edge, Antitoxin, Vulnerary, Hero Crest
Red Hero on the right. Sion - Jehanna’s King of Red Sands, cause of this war. A graceful and deadly swordsman. Kind to his allies, terrifying to his enemies. Weapon Mastery: Sword: ???, Axe: ??? Level: ??? Equipment and Items: Lancereaver, Silver Sword, Wind Sword, Elixir
Red Swordmaster on the right. Nethanel - Second-in-command of the Royal Guild. His swordsmanship is only matched by his adoration for Sion. Weapon Mastery: Sword: ??? Level: ??? Equipment and Items: Killing Edge, Runesword
Red Berserker on the right. Rhodri - Brutal leader of the Wheel Guild. An excellent drinking partner who’s happy aura masks his lack of compassion. Weapon Mastery: Axe: ??? Level: ??? Equipment and Items: Battle Axe, Brave Axe, Tomahawk
Red General on the right. Leah - Disciplined General of Jehanna’s Royal Guild. Regarded as a calming presence that can keep her sister, Kaelyn, in check. Weapon Mastery: Sword: ???, Axe: ???, Lance: ??? Level: ??? Equipment and Items: Short Spear, Steel Lance
Female red Halberdier on the right. Kaelyn - Deadly Halberdier of Jehanna’s Royal Guild. Regarded as a crazed loose cannon held in check only by her sister, Leah. Weapon Mastery: Lance: ??? Level: ??? Equipment and Items: Killer Lance
Red Mage Knight on left. Ansovald - Born noble and a traitorous commander of Grado. Pretends to be a kind soul, but makes dark deals beneath the surface. Weapon Mastery: Anima: ???, Sword: ??? Level: ??? Equipment and Items: Elfire, Runesword, Vulnerary
Red Paladin on the left. Jeremiah - A former Jehannan noble who somehow ended up Ansovald’s right hand. Weapon Mastery: Sword: ???, Lance: ??? Level: ??? Equipment and Items: Steel Sword, Horseslayer
Top red Summoner on the left. Donovan - Young summoner in Ansovald’s care. Possesses great power and little knowledge of how the world works. Weapon Mastery: Dark: ???, Staff: ??? Level: ??? Equipment and Items: Luna, Heal
How could one ever really prepare for a moment like this? Even with the advanced warning and the time to prepare herself, the princess of Grado, Reina, found she was dreadfully ill-prepared. Drilled heavily these last few days, she was the first one ready, finding herself almost an expert at equipping her own custom armor. It was made light to play into her strengths which Garric had been instrumental at identifying. Garric. That aggravating mercenary had done a fine job of pushing Reina past tears almost every day while she trained with him and up to this point, there was no love for such a harsh man in Reina's eyes. However now, with things as they were, Reina couldn't help but want one more day of training, one more beating by a blunt sword if that meant this invasion could be delayed because...
Reina's attention drifted from the swordmaster and focused on her father, Rioga, now addressing those present. Reina felt herself swallow hard as she hung on his every word as if it would be the last she'd ever hear from him because that's exactly what Reina worried about. It wasn't the physical preparations that were troublesome but the emotional toll. Someone once told her that any man can die in battle and leading up to this moment, that's all she could think about. Her father dying just like that. She could try to convince herself, try and let herself be swayed by her father's outward certainty in victory but alas, she'd always think of the worst.
When her father offered the Sacred Stone in an outstretched hand, Reina stepped forward and claimed it silently. Obvious trepidation expressed in her face as she took the stone from his hand as she looked up to meet his gaze. She stood there for a moment longer wishing she could just break down into her father's arm and for that moment, it may have looked like she was going to do just that as her eyes began to water. However, she steeled herself long enough for the moment to pass, quietly stepping back down to join what would be her allies for the foresee able future.
For the remainder of her father's instructions, she tried desperately to focus on the information but could only think about her father in that time. Yet, she couldn't even look him in the eyes as her focus was drawn to staring at the blue gem in her hand. So much trouble over something so small. Was it worth this much to start a war over? To lose your life for? Based off of what, folktales? It wasn't fair that this burden should be hers to carry something so dangerous and to risk losing her father over this.
It wasn't until Reina was addressed directly that her father managed to capture her attention fully. She was expecting to hear something but found herself disappointed as she felt her heart drop. However, she wasn't intending on disappointing her father, not now anyway, and tucked the stone into a safe place on her person.
Her attention drifted elsewhere as her body went through the motions. She caught the other stone, the Tactician's Stone and rolled it around in her hand. Surprisingly, she managed to bring herself out of her slump long enough to understand the gist of this magic but upon trying to use this magic for a tactical overview, she felt sick when she saw the amount of red figures in the castle. She closed her eyes and turned away as if trying to hide from the horrific vision but the sounds of battle were now audible even here in the throne room. There was no escaping this reality now.
With things progressing rapidly now, it felt like mere moments until Reina heard her father ushering them onward to escape. We'll be fine... Go! With that statement uttered, it had finally sunk in that Reina might be seeing her father for the last time. She couldn't even say something up to this point. She was frustrated with herself almost as much as she was frustrated with him. He can't promise that. He doesn't know what will happen. Finally, the stubborn form of the princess came to bear. Eyes watering again as she turned to face her father, yelling in outright refusal.
"Dammit father! All you can say to me is "go"? What if something happens? You don't know what will happen and this might be the last time we..." She stopped herself, unable to proceed past the very word that put an image of her and her father together. If this was truly the last time, then the last thing Reina wanted was that image of "we" to be one of her yelling at her father. "Okay.." She muttered meekly, "I'll keep the Stone safe until I can give it back to you." She quickly ran up to him thereafter and wrapped her arms around her armored father. Unfortunately Reina was quite dwarfed by her father in his armor while standing so in an attempt to be more affectionate than hugging a giant armor suit, she stepped back reaching for his hand giving it a squeeze in between both her hands before turning and following Aldo towards the escape route.
She didn't need to say it, just like her father didn't need to say it. However, this last gesture was to be their "farewell" and "I love you" and that would hopefully be the image Reina would think of if anything did happen.
She felt...nervous? Sick? Tired? Some odd combination of all three?
An odd feeling. Normally even if she was feeling under the weather, she could still manage a smile, friendly demeanor and go about her day as usual. These past few days had been much the same - she had tried to improve everyone's moods the best she had been able, even at her own expense with her clumsiness. She couldn't stand the palpable gloom that hung in the air. The tension that made it seem like there wasn't going to be any good outcome of this no matter what happened. She hated the feeling but there was little she could do to make it go away - only do what she did best and try to lighten everyone's moods if she could. Even Kergin and his normal ill tempered self seemed to put some effort into not causing trouble.
The Wyvern in question nudged her shoulder from where he was standing impatiently behind her. Isolde turned, placing a hand on his nose and giving him a reassuring grin, petting him lightly. He could probably sense how nervous she was even if it didn't entirely show on her face. Unlike some others, she hadn't spent the past few days practicing or trying to drill herself to death. Sure, she practiced with a little more serious oomph behind her swings, but tiring herself out wouldn't help anyone. Her father may have been a strict man, but rest was just as important as practice.
"Hey," She whispered quietly as Rioga offered the Sacred Stone to Reina. "I already fed you this morning! If you want more wait until we get out of the castle, okay? We'll find a nice juicy sheep for you." Kergin narrowed his eyes, growling lowly as Isolde made her best attempt at normalcy, some might say making light of the situation. The Wyvern merely gave her another sharp nudge, nearly sending her stumbling forward. "I'm fine, Kergin. Really." She smiled, reaching up and petting him right behind his ears, seeming to placate the beast a little. Though he kept irritably turning his head towards the doors to the throne room, likely ready to pounce on anyone that so dared to intrude.
Isolde's attention turned back to Rioga and the others gathered, keeping a hand placed gently on Kergin's snout as she tried to get a better look at the stone in Reina's hands, unable to hide a bit of childlike wonder on her face. She heard the stories, every kid had. Her mom and dad both used to tell her stories of the heroes of old. She was a little embarrassed to admit it, but those stories played a major part in why she was here now. Fighting in glorious battles, heroically saving the day...her father made sure to bash any romanticist notion she had, but she couldn't help it, really.
As her name was called by Rioga, pulling her out of her own thoughts she stood straight, giving the King of Grado a rather hasty and awkward salute.
"E-er, of course!" She replied in a cheery voice. "Kergin and I'll keep Reina safe, promise!" Kergin yawned, not seeming too interested in the prospect himself as Rioga went on to address the others. Reina. She had been friends for most of their lives, and often times had been sparring partners. It was easy to tell the other girl was distressed, and Isolde wanted to say something to her but didn't want to interrupt them when they were so short on time already. So she opted for a friendly, reassuring wave if Reina's gaze happened to drift in her direction - which subsequently lead to one of her famous bouts of clumsiness as she wasn't entirely paying attention.
"Wah!" Aldo tossed the Tactician's Stone at her, Isolde only noticing at the last second. As she made a move to catch it, it slipped right through her hand and smacked her square in the forehead. Kergin rolled his eyes with a mildly irritable huff as she juggled it for a few seconds before finally managing to secure it in both hands, barely catching the end of the explanation - and was immediately enthralled by the item.
"Oooh..." Isolde's eyes lit up, staring wide eyed at it as the vision of the battlefield filled her mind. Even with the number of enemy troops surrounding the castle, this was a neat little trinket and Isolde couldn't help but to be mildly intrigued by it. It was a short lived intrigue however, as the gravity of the situation pressed down on her once again with Rioga's final sentence. Quickly, Isolde put the stone in her pockets, scrambling to climb into Kergin's saddle - nearly getting her leg caught in it from the hurry, as Reina made her final farewells.
"Hey hey, Lord Rioga tell Tilda when we get back that I wanna see which of us is the better Wyvern rider, alright?" She ended the request with a wave and grin. The cheery words tasted bitter on her tongue. That was a message likely never going to be delivered, but if even if her words could help a bit, then that was fine. Whatever the case, she urged Kergin to follow Aldo and Reina, the beast seemingly eager to get moving himself before things got worse.
It was an odd situation Titania found herself in. She'd never have thought she'd find herself before the Emperor of Grado in person, barely ahead of an invading army who was trying to save the world by destroying a nation and it's treasure. She didn't know why Rausten believed destroying the Sacred Stone would get rid of the monsters, but even if it did, this wasn't the right way to go about it. Could her own mother have been one of those behind spreading the idea? Titania shook such notions from her head. She relieved that she had been able to get here and help before the invading army had arrived, though not by much. Titania was alert, eyes roaming over the intimidating figures before her. Emperor Rioga was even more intimidating then she though he would be and he spoke with overwhelming authority. Titania's eyes moved to the Fire Emblem. That little thing was what all this trouble was about huh? She'd read and heard about it naturally, but seeing such a legendary item in person was an interesting experience. Titania wasn't sure if it was alluring or frightening. Princess Reina, a girl who looked no older than Titania, stepped forward and took it solemnly.
The emperor continued speaking, addressing each of them in turn. Taking after Isolode's salute in her own way, Titania bowed when he mentioned her. "Of course sir, though I couldn't possibly be so callous as to leave when someone needs to my help." She said, keeping her tone cheerful despite the gravity of the situation. What came next was rather surprising, they each received a curious looking stone from a shaman named Aldo. Upon catching it, breathing an internal sigh of relief as she managed to avoid fat fingering it, unlike a certain Wyvern Rider, Titania was shocked to find an overview of the castle they were at, people included. The stones were explained and Titania used it once more to get a grasp of the situation before carefully putting it away into the satchel that hung at her side. This would be incredibly helpful for the small party to escape while avoiding conflict as much as possible.
Titania was quiet as Isolode and Reina gave their goodbyes. It was a sobering moment, after all, it was quite likely those leaving would never see those they left again. Feeling that anything she could say wouldn't be important enough given the situation, Titania opted instead to move after Aldo towards the Prison: trusting someone else to take the coin pouch that had been offered, it wouldn't make much sense for her to take it. They couldn't wait around here forever, the brief view she'd taken with the tactictian's stone had made that clear. The Heal stave she held in her hands as well as the Mend stave slung on her back were equally heavy, more so from the thought that they might soon be needed than any physical qualities.
Marwood stood beside his horse, he'd had a few hours rest since arriving mostly seeing to his horse, riding all the way from Serafew had been rough on Fiona. Evading patrols and losing the few aerial attackers he'd faced had been even more so, he'd arrived expecting to help the defenders or try to contact others for aid. He wished he had the riders with him, he wished he could get a message to his brother... He hated to run away from a battle, especially one where he could be of use... He might have been able to bargain marriage to Sion's daughter for at least talking this out, granted he'd rather throw himself off the pegasus roosts of Frelia's castle but... The needs of the people came first, his mother had managed to instill that much in him.
As Reina bid her father farewell Marwood could only watch, he wished he could say something to reassure her... Of course, he didn't know what to say Marwood barely knew his father before he'd died, he never really knew the bond a father could share with someone. Of course, Marwood looked up to the king, Melinda and Leoma gave him something to aspire to be within his own kingdom, a great general just like them, but Rioga had shown him the kind of warrior and leader he wanted to be one who put the people and being good above all else. He took Fiona's reigns stepping forward slightly placing a hand on Reina's shoulder as he looked up at Rioga, pausing a moment to look at Reina before bowing to him, a symbol of loyalty. "I'll defend Reina and the stone with my life sir, Grado's always been good to Renais I'll honor your wish... Just make sure next time we can have a duel eh? I've heard you the only one who could ever match my father in a sparring session when this is over I hope to prove I've become as good as him." Marwood nodded before rising, looking at Fiona a moment.
"Ah don't give me that look girl, we can do this... They are our friends, besides I'll get you an apple when this is done." He smiled stepping to pat Fiona's side, catch the stone Aldo tossed he held it a moment. "Dastards..." The prince mumbled he was never really the royal etiquette sort, he was only here because he'd been avoiding his mother and talks of wedding him to some princess. Now it seemed he'd be heading back to Renais with one in tow... Of course, they could consider Frelia but Renais's border was closer it would be safer to pass through it rather than make for the border with Frelia. He fell into the line with the others, catching the coin pouch as he turned to leave Marwood climbed up on to Fiona clicking his tongue rapidly four times the horse set off at walking pace without Marwood touching the reigns. He placed the coin pouch under his breastplate. Taking up the rear guard as they made the escape Marwood tried to think of what to say to lighten Reina's mood, he didn't know her very well but he was her friend, he knew how he'd feel if he lost his brother or mother so thought on that for inspiration on what to say to try and let her know he'd support her.
Rioga winced to begin with when his daughter started shouting at him, narrowing his eyes and watching her take out her frustration by yelling at him. He did feel perhaps he deserved it, but… then she hesitated, and he was relieved that he got to share an embrace with his daughter at least one more time, his hands pressing onto her back one solid time, before he let go of her. In the end, she accepted the mission gracefully. This brought a smile onto his rough expression.
‘I’m proud of you, Reina,’ he spoke, truthfully, then let her run off. Sorry you had to experience this.
He nodded with pride at Isolde’s statement that she’d keep his daughter safe, and then later gave a small chuckle when she wanted him to pass a message on to Tilda. See who’s the better Wyvern Rider, hah.
‘I’ll tell her, but you still have a bit of growing to do before you can match our Wyvern Commander!’ he told her with a challenging smile, before he gave her a look filled with absolute confidence in her. ‘Grow strong, Isolde.’
He was happy Titania gave her help. Hopefully, her air would help assure their survival rather than her own demise should enemies catch up to them.
Marwood gave his protection, and Rioga nodded to him, pleased. Hopefully, this would help garner support in Renais, and Marwood’s strength should help immensely. … Oh? Rioga looked at him curiously as he was challenged for a later duel.
‘Heh. Your father was a worthy opponent indeed. When the time comes, Marwood, I’ll gladly give you a taste of what he contended with,’ the Emperor replied, his spirits somewhat lifted because of the exchanges that were had. When Marwood mentioned giving an apple to Fiona, there was a sudden twitch in Garric over there.
‘Oh, and here’s that apple,’ Garric said directed towards Fiona, his voice minutely amused by the coincidence, as he took out an apple from his inventory and was about to lob it to Marwood… when his eyes frowned a little, staring at the apple. Then, in one swift motion, he gripped his Steel Blade and sliced in an arc before him, a small piece of the apple flying up into the air. Garric sheath the sword again and gripped that same piece of apple with the sword-hand before it hit the ground, then brought it to his mouth and ate it. Chewing on it with a frowning expression and then swallowing it, he still looked unconvinced.
‘Okay, not poisoned,’ he remarked, before throwing the the remaining apple to Marwood. ‘Remember, all of you! The unseen Dark Eye Guild now numbers among your enemies! Always poison-test your food, always be vigilant for ambushes, people out there will want you dead from now on! Be careful!’ Garric stated, his excessive caution showing. Everyone knows not to take his constant warnings too seriously, but this time it may be warranted.
‘Alright, off with you,’ Rioga finished the statement to declare that they’d taken long enough now. As they hurried off, they could throw one more look at how the battle was developing, if they wished…
‘Now, then,’ Rioga turned to his two allies as the party headed off with the Fire Emblem. ‘Ansovald won’t reach us before Sion, so it’s him and his companions that we’re facing. Sion knows his common soldiers cannot match us.’
‘Reports state we are facing Sion, Nethanel and Rhodri,’ General Nero stated, serious as always. ‘We are facing two swords and an axe,’ he concluded, on his body was sheathed an axe and a lance in addition to his sword depending on his opponent.
‘Tsk,’ Garric clicked his tongue, ‘leave Nethanel to me. Sorry, neither of you two can hit him. You because axes, Emperor, while you’re simply too slow, General.’
‘Hm. I cannot defeat Sion, but I can defeat Rhodri,’ Nero continued from that. ‘It will be a long and hard battle, but I can take him. Meanwhile, Emperor, I would recommend you hold off Sion until we can come to your aid.’
‘Hah, if we’re talking length of battles, mine with Nethanel will be over in an instant. I can’t guarantee I’ll be the one standing after that,’ Garric warned, looking over the other two.
‘Hm, it will do,’ Rioga nodded, drawing his large, trusted Steel Axe in preparation for the coming conflict. ‘The kings shall clash. We shall see where the dust then settles…’
With that, the three drew held their weapons in calm stances, awaiting Sion’s arrival.
Inside a prison cell, a lone woman stood turned towards the wall, one hand raised to in front of her face, a magic image flickering in her palm. She was trying to scry what happened outside the cell… but the image kept flickering away. Disappointed, the woman let her arm fall.
‘… Hmpf, I can’t even do that…’
Outside, two guards stood ready, and a priest approached her on the outside of the bars.
‘Romilda. Even in these desperate times… You won’t admit that what you did was wrong?’ the Priest said, looking at her. ‘Jehanna’s forces are at our doorstep. We need every hand we can get.’
Romilda turned and gave the priest an irritated gaze, stubborn to the last.
‘I stand by my choice. It was possible that the research I was delving into could have saved us all, and for that to happen I needed cooperation. Cooperation I wasn’t getting, so I had to get it for myself. Given the choice of something similar, I’d do it all again,’ Romilda told, lifting her chin in defiance. Previously, she had controlled the minds of the people, and Rioga had fought a troublesome battle against people he had to avoid killing to defeat her… but defeat her he had, and a magical seal of elder magic had been put on her by esteemed researcher Egill, and now she had trouble outputting magic.
The Priest shook his head.
‘There’s no helping you, is there?’ the Priest said.
‘There is helping you, however,’ Romilda said, intensity in her voice, surprising the priest. ‘You have to get out of here. A band of criminals are going to-’
‘GET THEM!’
Graphics: All the red units runs in from the right
The Priest stumbled from the bars of the cell and the Knights prepared their lances, for a band of Mercenaries, Fighters, Soldiers and one Thief suddenly emerged from deeper within the prison, their blades coming to engage the Knights. As the Knights were outnumbered, the Fighters went first and smashed aside the lances of the Knights with Weapon Triangle advantage before the rest could all get their weapons to bear on the Knights, who were quickly dispatched by the band.
‘B-BA-’ the Priest tried to shout, but was quickly sliced down by the leader of the party, a strong, balding one-eyed man who held his head high and gleaming with self-proclaimed might, leading his savage band.
‘Nobody gets by Morag,’ Morag claimed, looking around at his company. ‘Oy! There was another Knight down the corridor! You three, get him so he doesn’t alert anyone, the rest will collect Romilda!’ So he shouted, and at the command the other three dashed to engage the Knight. Said Knight had walked over to check the noise, but realizing he couldn’t win he slowly turned to run, but the armour didn’t lend itself to speed and he had to rather quickly turn around to engage the three enemies coming for him.
Meanwhile, Morag turned his greedy eye to Romilda, and a “smile” spread under the mask he wore. Romilda held a blank expression, unimpressed with what she saw yet troubled by her situation.
‘Miss Romilda. The great and noble Ansovald would be quite dismayed should your life be claimed in battle, and as such hired us, the proud Spike Guild of Jehanna, to retrieve you through the secret passway. Don’t worry, we’re not going to leak any information to King Sion, not with the amount of gold Ansovald is providing. So we’re busting you out. Please, come with us, and embrace the life of luxury Ansovald provides,’ Morag said and looked plenty proud, the words numerous paygrades above what one would expect from him. Romilda kept looking unimpressed.
‘… I decline,’ Romilda told simply, turning her head away so she didn’t have to look at the foul man speaking to her. ‘I’d rather not be placed under the care of a man as disgusting as Ansovald. Not that it really matters, the Fire Emblem is going to be destroyed and we’re all going to die,’ she continued, blankly.
‘HA! That old wives’ tale?’ Morag mocked her. ‘PLEASE! That’s all tomfoolery and bullocks! It’s an enchanted stone made to burn and look important so that ancient Grado could look more important than it was! I thought a dark magician like yourself would know better! As if the destruction of a dumb rock could mean the destruction or saving of the world! It’s gonna do NOTHING! Ya hear me!? NOTHING! This world will NEVER CHANGE until the day we’re all overrun with monsters, better make the best of it while you can!’ Morag unpleasantly shouted out at her, causing Romilda to twitch her eyebrows. Even if it was by a total fool, being told she was wrong was irritating.
‘And your “I decline” means nothing, either. We’re not getting paid unless we return with you, so you’re coming with us. Heard your magic was sealed, eh? So you’ve got nothing to stop us with!’ Morag declared triumphantly.
‘Sure,’ Romilda shrugged. ‘Go ahead. You’re never getting through that door,’ she continued with insulting simplicity, causing Morag’s expression to twitch in rage.
‘… I’ll have you know. Ansovald didn’t say a word of in what STATE you’d arrive in, as long as you were alive. THIEF! ON IT!’ Morag shouted, and the Thief next to him darted to the jail’s door, bringing up a lockpick to try to get it open. The leader smirked under the mask, glaring at Romilda. Despite herself, Romilda tensed up. If they actually did get the door open, it was possible she was in deep trouble. It took a couple seconds… but then the Thief suddenly sunk down onto his knees before the door, hands stopping their movement.
‘… Huh? Why’d you stop?’ Morag asked, frowning. The Thief gave no answer. Morag violently grabbed the clothes of the Thief and threw him into the rock floor, glaring angrily down at him. ‘WHY’D YOU STOP!?’
… Except, looking down into the Thief’s eyes, it was as if all will had been drained out of him, all enthusiasm and desire to continue acting was just gone out of his soul, and he lay there immobile… Morag’s eye widened.
‘WHAT DID YOU DO!?’ he instead shouted at Romilda, the most obvious target. Romilda just smirked, somewhat relieved.
‘… Looks like it worked. Well done, young Shaman. Well done,’ she simply muttered, not for Morag’s ears to hear…
Running down the stairs to the prison, they were suddenly faced with the sound of conflict. A lone Knight was fighting three rough-looking enemies which clearly looked Jehannan in nature, but not as embellished as those associated with Sion. These were more savage, not as experienced or dangerous as those behind them, but nonetheless dangerous enemies. A quick look in the vision provided by the Tactician’s Stone told of the current situation.
‘There seems to be enemies in the prison. They aren’t in the same caliber or numbers as Sion’s troops, however,’ Aldo said, looking to Reina and the others. It was time to give a command.
Enemy Base Level: 2 Enemy Base Weapon Mastery: E Enemy Equipment Quality: Iron Notable Deviations: None
Notable Individuals;
Blue Lord Reina - The princess of Gardo. Appreciates the finer things in life. Weapon Mastery: Sword: E Level: 1 Equipment and Items: Précieuse (Rapier), Vulnerary, Fire Emblem, Tactician’s Stone
Blue Wyvern Rider Isolde - Clumsy, but reliable Wyvern knight. Weapon Mastery: Axe: D Level: 5 Equipment and Items: Halberd, Tactician’s Stone
Blue Cavalier Marwood - The prince of Renais with a good heart and a rebellious streak, cares deeply for others. Weapon Mastery: Sword: C, Lance: D Level: 4 Equipment and Items: Reginleif, Steel Sword, Tactician’s Stone, 5,000G
Blue Cleric Titania - A tough healer from Rausten, she forges her own path to help as many people as she can. Weapon Mastery: Staff: D Level: 5 Equipment and Items: Heal, Mend, Tactician’s Stone
Blue Shaman Aldo - A shaman researcher and advisor on things magic in service of Grado. Magically gifted and incurably serious. Weapon Mastery: Dark: E Level: 1 Equipment and Items: Flux, Vulnerary, Guiding Ring, Tactician’s Stone x4.
Green Summoner in Cell Romilda – Notorious dark-magic criminal. Captured and had her magic sealed by Rioga. Weapon Mastery: N/A (sealed) Level: ??? Equipment and Items: ---
Red Mercenary boss. Morag - The leader of the Spike Guild. Proud, confident and looking for wealth and fortune above all else. Weapon Mastery: Sword: C Level: 10 Equipment and Items: Iron Sword
Kergin swiftly carried his rider down the stairs towards the prison, Isolde holding lightly to the reins as he lumbered down the stairs behind the others. It wasn't a long trek, but soon their progress was halted. Confronted by an obvious enemy, Kergin growled lowly in their direction as Aldo made the situation apparent. Double checking with the shiny new magic stone she had been given, it was easy to tell what was going on.
"Eep!" Before Isolde could really gain a handle on the situation, it seemed Kergin made the decision for her. "Welp, here we go!~" She laughed in a cheery manner. The large Wyvern roared loudly, flapping his powerful wings and leaping into the air, over Titiana and landing with a heavy thud in front of her. The Wyvern barreled towards the group of soldiers, having only a little trouble turning at a sharp angle at a high speed as Isolde directed Kergin towards the lancer in the back.
Kergin didn't even halt in front of the Lancer, instead choosing to ram the knight with his head, not particularly caring for any damage he might take in the process. As soon as Kergin rammed the knight, Isolde would raise her Halberd, bringing it down in a swift, vicious vertical arc.
Titania came down the stairs only to see the passage they were to escape through already had enemies in it. Rather than gasping in surprise, the sound Titania let out was more of a growl, only enhanced by the fact that she could see a Grado Knight under attack. Titania moved towards the knight just as the whoosh of wingbeats came overhead, it seemed Isolode had the same idea, that action was to be taken. Titania ran ahead, wasting no time in switching to her more powerful Mend staff, when lives were on the line there was no time to be stingy. She aimed to get behind the knight as quickly as possible and heal any wounds they had/were about to take. "Stay strong!" she shouted to the surrounded knight, pleased to see Isolode immediately move to help by flanking the opposing forces, hopefully the others of their small group would be so action-minded.
Reina pushed through whatever she was feeling as she came down to the stairs. Apparently things were far worse than what she could imagine as she saw enemies crowd around a lone Grado knight. "They're down here, too? E-everyone get ready!" Reina shouted as she stepped around the pillar. With this being her first combat encounter, she was surprised at just how automatic her motions were. It felt like she wasn't in control as she charged forward, recognizing the axe user and deciding to engage him, not entirely realizing it was for the weapon advantage. As she approached, she slid forward on her boots across the stone floor, keeping low as she suddenly thrusted her rapier's end forward into the center mass of the fighter!
Marwood spotted the enemy, he was angry and finally there was something he could control a fight. "Leave it to me!" The prince cried out drawing his lance, rushing towards the swordsman. Marwood was well trained with the weapon, it was a well-maintained lance reserved only for the royals of Renais. "Out of my, your not stopping the Prince of Renais!" He wore a bashful smirk as Fiona broke into a gallop and he leveled the tip of the weapon at the soldier's chest. They needed orders, no point in wildly charging into a fight. "Reina! Once we're done get behind me and Isolde. Isolde, don't fly too far ahead and stick close to Reina and me. We've got surprise and a healer to keep us together." He added, no point in being careless.
They would need to balance speed with defense and make sure they didn't end up in more trouble than they could dig themselves out of, facing too many enemies at once was a good way to be brought down. He was no tactical genius... But he'd led a small squad before and he knew how to conduct an escort mission. They were here to protect Reina, like or not they wouldn't let her be up front in a melee especially when they could be walking into a trap.
The group of mercenaries before them suddenly cowered as a wyvern blew past them, the Soldier raising his head just in time to witness Kergin’s head smashing into him. The soldier scrambled onto the ground, and was easily finished as Isolde brought down her heavy halberd, splitting the Soldier’s armour.
Reina dashed at the Fighter, who readied his axe to strike back. He swung to hurt her first, but with her automatic reactions Reina dodged beneath it and then stabbed forward, her sword sinking into his chest and the man coughed out in pain… Except then he glared angrily at her, and lifted his axe high to strike her in spite while she was stuck to him and-!
And a dark shadowy shape surged from the ground and punched through his upper chest in what Reina’d recognize as the dark magic Flux, cast by Aldo behind her, who focused on their foe with a focused stare, one hand clutching the magic tome and the other held forth. The Fighter whited out, and fell back off Reina’s sword. Now, Fighters are known for being tough, so it was reasonable that it’d take two strikes to take him out.
Marwood rode forth on straight ahead at the Mercenary, who’s eyes widened and he tried to focus on just not being run through, and relatively succeeded. Dodging his chest out of the way, Marwood only succeeded in a decently shallow cut, but still definitely enough to cause pain. Having no wish to fight them alone, the Mercenary turned his back and ran, trying to rejoin the larger force to stand a better chance, but could be run down by the mounted members of the group.
The Grado Knight stumbled back from his encounter, running into Titania, who put her staff to help him. The Knight turned his helmeted head to look at them.
‘Ah… You came… to help… I’m so… relieved…’ … But he had suffered too grevious wounds. Staves only help up until a certain point, and it was too late for this man. He slumped over, not to move again.
‘Is everyone holding up?’ Aldo asked, looking about and analyzing them, more for the fact they were fighting real humans and not just monsters. It could be quite a shock for some, he had read. ‘We had the advantage of surprise and thanks to this Knight. Next time might not be as easy,’ Aldo cautioned, frowning ahead.
‘Sir! There’s fighting going on by the stairs!’
‘Gah! Some Grado forces trying for an escape!?’ Morag reasoned, glaring down the corridor where the sound of the brief battle indeed came.
‘You’d best be running. Only death awaits you if you linger,’ Romilda said, but was almost immediately interrupted.
‘Shut up!’ Morag glared over at her before turning to his remaining forces. ‘Bar the way! Kill any that approach! When I get Romilda out, we run for it!’ Morag barked, and the other men moved to follow his command. Meanwhile, Morag turned towards the cell-door, lifting his sword.
‘Hmpf, you’re going to try brute force? These bars are created to-’ Romilda mocked him, but Morag yet thrusted. A loud clang echoes as the sword crashed into the lock, and… it budged. Just the slightest, but there was a bend, promising continued effect. Morag quickly lifted the sword away and grinned.
‘I feel it. I just need to make sure I don’t touch it for too long. How old are these cells, heh? Ready to fall apart?’ Morag asked, pleased with himself. Romilda sat still and didn’t answer, because “over 300 years with grounding possibly destabilized by the great earthquake” wasn’t the most comforting answer. Morag lifted the sword again, intent on continuing.
‘Let’s see which breaks first, shall we? My will, or this lock…’
And so, the sounds of a weapon crashing into a metal lock sounded out behind the battlelines.
Enemy Base Level: 2 Enemy Base Weapon Mastery: E Enemy Equipment Quality: Iron Notable Deviations: None
Support Marwood/Titania +1 Titania/Reina +1 Reina/Aldo +1 + whatever you feel your characters would have started with together
Notable Individuals;
Blue Lord Reina - The princess of Gardo. Appreciates the finer things in life. Weapon Mastery: Sword: E Level: 1 Equipment and Items: Précieuse (Rapier), Vulnerary, Fire Emblem, Tactician’s Stone
Blue Wyvern Rider Isolde - Clumsy, but reliable Wyvern knight. Weapon Mastery: Axe: D Level: 5 Equipment and Items: Halberd, Tactician’s Stone
Blue Cavalier Marwood - The prince of Renais with a good heart and a rebellious streak, cares deeply for others. Weapon Mastery: Sword: C, Lance: D Level: 4 Equipment and Items: Reginleif, Steel Sword, Tactician’s Stone, 5,000G
Blue Cleric Titania - A tough healer from Rausten, she forges her own path to help as many people as she can. Weapon Mastery: Staff: D Level: 5 Equipment and Items: Heal, Mend, Tactician’s Stone
Blue Shaman Aldo - A shaman researcher and advisor on things magic in service of Grado. Magically gifted and incurably serious. Weapon Mastery: Dark: E Level: 1 Equipment and Items: Flux, Vulnerary, Guiding Ring, Tactician’s Stone x4.
Green Summoner in Cell Romilda – Notorious dark-magic criminal. Captured and had her magic sealed by Rioga. Weapon Mastery: N/A (sealed) Level: ??? Equipment and Items: ---
Red Mercenary boss. Morag - The leader of the Spike Guild. Proud, confident and looking for wealth and fortune above all else. Weapon Mastery: Sword: C Level: 10 Equipment and Items: Iron Sword
The last few days had been far too energetic for Voss' personal taste, if anyone had ever bothered to ask his opinion on the matter. Between the mercenaries finally declaring open war, which the Shaman had little time to point out he had been claiming would happen for quite some time now, and proceeding to attempt to slow down their assaults towards the capitol, Voss had been a busy man. Add in being tasked with securing and keeping an eye on Romilda's cell once he had arrived, he had no time to be in the throne room. As of right now though, he was retreating from the walls on orders to reinforce said throne room. The word of Commander Ansovald's betrayal had reached surviving forces within the castle, and Voss knew full well that Romilda would be a target. It was at that point he had excused himself, much to the annoyance of the few others still there, and departed for the cells. "This is why you do not trust a mercenary. They are bandits under official sponsorship..."
To be fair, Voss wasn't fond of any sort of physical altercations, but that came with the territory of being a Shaman in the field of war as much as it was personal choice. Regardless, he had little trouble locating the path some of the invaders had taken. First of all, it wasn't the fact there was bodies or trouble, rather, it was the complete lack of such. There was a suspicious lack of any sort of trouble or even troop movement, and considering that one fool priest who had been trying to 'save' Romilda, there would be at least some signs of movement or activity. Yet, nothing, and Voss silently sighed, preparing his Flux tome as he strode forward. Fortune willing, the intruders in question would either be distracted or few in number. But, an obligation was an obligation, and from what he understood, no one deserved to fall into the hands of Jehanna. Take into account what Romilda had been studying, and employing as well, and he understood more older heads concern over her capture.
Voss found himself approaching an open doorway, knowing full well the unknown waiting for him outside the jail cells. Pausing briefly out of sight, he inhaled and exhaled, steeling himself. There was a great deal to do, and not a great deal of time to do it in, and from the sounds of it, someone was trying a brute force approach to the cell. Now that was just rude, and he needed to step in. Wearing a calm, focused expression, Voss turned the corner and entered the hallway with the holding cells. Sure enough, there was a handful of hostile members of some mercenary guild or another. A handful of dead men of Grado, including that Priest he had mused on earlier, lay dead as well. Narrowing his eyes briefly, he settled his gaze on the man hammering away at the cell door to Romilda. "That will be quite enough of that!"
Voss had raised his voice, letting it carry, standing squarely in the entryway that the Jehannan forces had used to enter not too long ago. The Shaman knew full well he had to act, but he scanned the situation as his comment would no doubt garner attention from the sellswords. Firstly, the thief laying all but comatose on the ground had discovered, the hard way, the cell door was protected. Good, it was always pleasing to see a plan come together. There were men moving away from him, perhaps intercepting other forces, perhaps securing the hallway, but it gave him some room to work. The leader, a spare soldier, and the cursed thief were equally close. "It never ceases to amaze me how ignorant some of you are. A man attempts to open a door he is not welcome to, and has his will stripped from him. Yet, you go hammering away like a mindless beast, and making a gods awful amount of noise at that."
The Grado Shaman stood ready, there was a fair bit of distance, more than he could readily cast from, but it gave him time to gauge how the enemies would react. He only had his own natural senses to rely on right now, unaware of the stones that let the approaching party see his arrival onto the field, as it were. His awareness of them as of yet was also unlikely, as his attention was on the immediate threat and task. As for right now, he had to gauge how the opponent was going to react to his arrival and act accordingly from there. After all, they obviously couldn't flee through the throne room and their other exit was now blocked. Time to see what these cornered rats would do now, Voss mused, watching them closely with Flux at the ready. He was going to save Nosferatu for when he really needed it, which might be sooner than he would like depending on how badly rushed he might get.
The soldier didn't stand a chance against the Wyvern and his rider, being dealt with swiftly and suddenly while the others took care of the other two. The large Wyvern paused only a second before roaring loudly, stomping his feet irritably as Isolde turned to face the long hallway towards the cells. Marwood said something about sticking together, which was certainly necessary...but they also needed to hurry and escape before the Jehannan forces stormed the palace. Time was of the essence, right? So they had to move swiftly.
Also Kergin really didn't wanna play bodyguard.
"Ack!" The Wyvern turned down the hallway, shaking his body and giving his wings a mighty flap in an attempt to seemingly intimidate the enemy forces. "Sorry! Kergin says we should move faster! Also he's hungry and these guys look tasty!" She shouted back towards the others as the Wyvern growled, stomping down the hallway towards their next target, picking up speed to a run in the process. Mercenary and fighter. Kergin might have been a brute, but they both knew how to fight - picking a fight with a swordsman wouldn't be a good idea - so they settled for their next target. The axe guy in the back.
Kergin barreled past the Mercenary, hopefully smoothly moving past him. Opening his toothy maw wide as he made a beeline for the axe wielding fighter. Isolde readied her Halberd to strike or defend herself and Kergin if needed.
Too slow. Too slow again. Fuck. Even though she had moved as fast as she could and tried to use her more powerful stave it still hadn't been enough. Titania glared at the corpses responsible. At least they had paid for what they had done. Now, they needed to keep moving and get out of here as fast as possible. "I'm fine." Titania said curtly, "Let's keep going." With that Titania was ready to follow after the next person that moved forward. Isolode had swept past the next enemy on her Wyvern, but Titania was not so similarly graced, and would wait to support whoever moved to engage him. In particular she would make sure Reina was kept safe as Marwood had pointed out, but she didn't plan on letting anyone else die.
Reina eyes went wide fearing she'd be struck by the axe fighter only to see a sudden spell blast the man away. She exhaled a hefty sigh of relief before turning to Aldo. "Thank you..." She said under her breath turning her attention forward again but not before taking a brief pause to consider the fallen Grado knight. Some man just gave his life for this cause, Reina could only imagine what it was like upstairs... No. She needed to focus.
Reina began to move only to notice her Isolde, her bodyguard, take off. "Hey! Wait!" Reina called chasing after her, only to be slightly surprised by a mercenary around the corner. Instinctively, Reina moved to engage the man, thrusting her rapier into his center mass. However unlike last time, she learned that one hit might not be it so she called out for help. "Aldo!" Looking for that similar one-two punch as before.
Marwood sighed as Isolde rushed forward with reckless abandon, how the hotheaded Cavalier became the voice of reason and caution he'd probably never understand. "Right then. The fast way it is! Fiona!" Marwood gave a click of the tongue and nudge in the side the horse's hooves struck the cobblestone harder she picked the pace as Marwood leaned low in the saddle taking aim with the tip of the lance for the open back of the retreating mercenary, the poor fool would never be able to outrun a well-trained horse. Striking at the running man he withdrew his lance his target would be wounded or dead he didn't care. Marwood stopped with that he looked at Reina a moment frowning as he could see she'd have trouble keeping up.
"Reina, I've got room on Fiona if you want to stay close." He didn't want to sound condescending, but she wasn't exactly like he'd faced combat before now and it was a trial by fire and he wanted to support his friend. "I don't mind since your bodyguard seems to be heading right for the fray." He added offering his hand to climb if she wanted to climb on his horse or continue on foot.
Morag paused his swings as a new voice joined in. The Mercenary boss turned his head to glare at Voss with his one eye, and then turned to look at the lock again. Inside the cell, Romilda had blinked at the realization of whom she heard, turning to look as best she could in Voss’s direction, his exact position slightly behind walls from her current viewpoint. Morag looked back and forth between the lock and Voss a couple of times…
‘So, I guess instead of making all this racket you’d prefer me to grab you and make you dispel this lock for me, eh? Fine, I can do that too!’ Morag grinned under his mask as he darted off from the cell. However, instead of doing the sensible, Morag grabbed the foot of the downed thief and lifted him through sheer strength, the relatively lightweight Thief swinging into the air, before Morag turned in Voss’ direction and dashed. Mid-way, however, he swung the Thief and threw the smaller human at Voss, with remarkable accuracy. Clearly, this man’s strength and skill was his best attributes.
Intending on taking advantage of the distraction of his thrown Thief, Morag would come running after the improvised ranged attack to follow it up with the diagonal slice of a sword, if all went as Morag planned. Watching the Mercenary boss’s movements it would become clear that this wasn’t a regular soldier Voss had just so nicely decided to face on his own. How would he counter?
Romilda moved a few steps so she could look out through the window, looking to see how Voss was doing.
Isolde barged ahead, Kergin flying past the retreating Mercenary as they barrelled through the corridor ahead of the others. As Kergin blew past, the Mercenary stumbled, his escape route now filled with hostile Wyvern, and upon hearing Reina’s footsteps approaching from behind he swore under his breath and spun to cut at her with his sword.
Except, he was utterly outmatched as three blows came into one at him, with Reina’s sword stabbing into him, Marwood’s lance running him through, and Aldo’s dark magic rising from the floor as shadows to strike through him from below. The man dropped his sword and promptly fell.
‘What is it, my lady?’ Aldo asked Reina from behind, frowning at her. Seems they weren’t so coordinated he knew what she was shouting about, but he had added his attack regardless. He then kept quiet at Marwood said his part to Reina.
Titania followed close behind, nobody yet having been hurt for her to potentially heal.
Further along the corridor, Isolde was heading for the Fighter in the lines back there.
Now, unfortunately, her opponents didn’t exactly just stand there waiting for it when they saw a Wyvern come flying towards them. The Mercenary to the left of the Fighter Isolde was heading for stepped in, ready to assist his companion. Isolde suddenly found herself facing both, the Mercenary attacking at her side with his sword while the Fighter prepared to meet her head-on. The axe-wielding enemy struck back against Isolde, who managed to block the strike with her Halberd while Kergin bit into the Fighter’s shoulder… but the Fighter refused to fall, holding the Wyvern in place as the Mercenary stepped in and cut swiped upwards with his sword, hitting Kergin’s and possibly Isolde's side. Thanks to a Wyvern Rider’s naturally decent defense and a relatively weak Mercenary (lower level) it didn’t do any dramatic damage, but regardless, that should hurt a bit. She now had two enemies focused on her, and somewhat of a need for a healing staff, potentially.
If she remained, of course, both would team up to avoid taking more damage and try to their opponent down, even if they were not as powerful as the Wyvern Rider. Isolde could probably win, the Fighter was already very hurt from Kergin’s bite, but these weren’t exactly ideal circumstances.
The enemy Soldier jumped past the Mercenary, protecting his flank and looking further into the corridor at the rest of the group, intending to keep them from interfering if possible. Fairly basic combat formation here, seeking to bar their progress.
Enemy Base Level: 2 Enemy Base Weapon Mastery: E Enemy Equipment Quality: Iron Notable Deviations: None
Blue Lord Reina - The princess of Gardo. Appreciates the finer things in life. Weapon Mastery: Sword: E Level: 1 Equipment and Items: Précieuse (Rapier), Vulnerary, Fire Emblem, Tactician’s Stone
Blue Wyvern Rider Isolde - Clumsy, but reliable Wyvern knight. Weapon Mastery: Axe: D Level: 5 Equipment and Items: Halberd, Tactician’s Stone
Blue Cavalier Marwood - The prince of Renais with a good heart and a rebellious streak, cares deeply for others. Weapon Mastery: Sword: C, Lance: D Level: 4 Equipment and Items: Reginleif, Steel Sword, Tactician’s Stone, 5,000G
Blue Cleric Titania - A tough healer from Rausten, she forges her own path to help as many people as she can. Weapon Mastery: Staff: D Level: 5 Equipment and Items: Heal, Mend, Tactician’s Stone
Blue Shaman Aldo - A shaman researcher and advisor on things magic in service of Grado. Magically gifted and incurably serious. Weapon Mastery: Dark: E Level: 1 Equipment and Items: Flux, Vulnerary, Guiding Ring, Tactician’s Stone x4.
Green Shaman Voss - Scholarly Shaman of Grado. Usually prefers the company of books over people. Weapon Mastery: Dark: C Level: 4 Equipment and Items: Flux, Nosferatu, Vulnerary
Green Summoner in Cell Romilda – Notorious dark-magic criminal. Captured and had her magic sealed by Rioga. Weapon Mastery: N/A (sealed) Level: ??? Equipment and Items: ---
Red Mercenary boss. Morag - The leader of the Spike Guild. Proud, confident and looking for wealth and fortune above all else. Weapon Mastery: Sword: C Level: 10 Equipment and Items: Iron Sword
As her halberd met the Fighters axe, Isolde pulled it back up for a second strike, intending to finish him off quickly - but was promptly thrown off balance by a hiss from Kergin. The Mercenaries blade sank into his scaly hide, causing Kergin to take a few steps back, causing only a glancing blow on Isolde's leg as he moved backwards. Oh, where had that other mercenary come from? She should have been paying better attention to that stone Aldo gave them. Well, no matter. Kergin and she could handle this. It was her job to protect Reina, after all, and this was the easiest way to do that.
Pulling back on the saddle, Kergin jumped backwards putting some distance between him and the Mercenary - and putting himself right next to the Soldier. He hissed, reeling back before aiming to take a bite out of the enemy soldiers shoulder and toss him towards the enemy mercenary. Isolde would focus on defense, using her Halberd to block and deflect blows from the other two should they interfere.
Isolode was rushing forward again and what had at first seemed like quick thinking now seemed like simple thinking, as she had went ahead without waiting for anyone else and let herself get flanked. Titania would have something to say about that, and rapidly covered the ground between them, her mend staff prepared to fix the wounds of her and her mount. Perhaps as foolish a move as Isolode's, in that Titania was leaving herself open to attack. However, sometimes even a small wound could be the cataclyst that lead to a fatal one, so Titania would do her best to prevent that from happening. Besides, perhaps seeing someone unarmed run to the front lines would encourage the others to rush to her aid as well. Of course if the enemy Solider was dedicated to making sure Titania couldn't make it to Isolode without grievous injury, Titania would have no choice but to wait until the others helped cleared a way.
