Haeo

Fire Emblem: Ashes of Sacrifice [Fall of the Empire]

Where is Merchant Row relative to the Western Street and the Castle?

Fire Emblem: Ashes of Sacrifice [Fall of the Empire]

Trace Retloth
Merchant Row en route to Plaza

Trace had only brief moments to plan and act but he was accustomed to thinking on the fly. The street between him and the bandit was wide and clear of obstructions. He held his lance at half-haft and waited until the bandit was committed to his strike. The moment the man's arms tightened to bring the axe down happened to be the moment when Artemisia loosed her spell, causing a convenient distraction that Trace was quick to take advantage of. He shifted his body to his left and lowered his stance, sliding into the area that the bandit could strike with a backswing. However, Trace had a clear shot at the man's side from here and just enough room to thrust his lance toward the hollow of the man's underarm. If he succeeded, the bandit would be out of the fight very quickly. If the bandit managed to move his body back enough to protect that strike point then the tip of the lance would pierce his head or neck instead.

_________________________ Status: Uninjured Class: Recruit Inventory: Iron Lance Vulnerary Exp:0

Fire Emblem: Ashes of Sacrifice [Fall of the Empire]

I have the primary problematic symptoms under control and I'm hoping to kill the root of the problem by tomorrow, if I can't do it sooner.

Fire Emblem: Ashes of Sacrifice [Fall of the Empire]

And now I developed a nerve pinch that has effectively robbed me of my right arm for the time being. I will post as soon as I have recovered sufficiently.

Fire Emblem: Ashes of Sacrifice [Fall of the Empire]

I got caught in a mandatory meeting so I don't have enough time to get a post ready before the end of my work day. So, it'll probably be another six hours or so before I can try to post.

Fire Emblem: Ashes of Sacrifice [Fall of the Empire]

Trace Retloth
Mercenary Camp to Merchant Row en route to Plaza

The meal went about as well as Trace expected. Neither of them divulged secrets or deeper truths but Artemisia did give him a valuable clue to hers. She was looking for someone, a person with distinctive characteristics. Pink eyes weren’t something he had seen but there were mercenaries who hid their faces. Also, some who fought for money were saving up to purchase treatment for themselves or others who had more troubling diseases. So, he extended an invitation to her to tour the mercenary camps and activities. She could check if anyone had knowledge about such symptoms. The trip proved to be a waste of time on that front. There was no news and no sightings. Still, it had given Trace a chance to check through his tent and confirm that the items there were all cheap and replaceable. He also looked into the distance. He still had that brooding feeling that this was the calm before the storm. He was just thinking about this very feeling when Artemisia suddenly gave up on using him to help her search and said her brief and perfunctory farewell. Unfortunately, she chose the moment after she successfully identified the artillery grade spell that had slammed into the town a moment before. It might not be the last time that he would have this thought… but she seemed either too dedicated for her own good… or a complete fool. A surprise attack could come from any direction at all and she abandoned the company of the one combat ready acquaintance she had in town. Then again, she was a mage. Confidence can become arrogance all too easily and confidence came quickly with magic. Trace had learned that much pretty early in life. He had also learned to not judge a person based on a short acquaintance. What he did know was that she was a small woman who chose to get caught up in the stream of evacuees and was likely to be trampled and left behind. He followed her but remained on the fringes of the crowd, holding a relative position that put him between the obvious guards and the people they were herding. It made him look like a coward, less of a threat. That was probably one of the reasons why the helpful guard that went to aid Artemisia after she was predictably, though accidentally, bludgeoned got shot by the bandit archer’s first shot rather than him. Trace was about to move to assist when he saw the early stages of a spell in Artemisia’s hand. If he hadn’t been trained in magic when he was young he would never have recognized it so quickly. Or, rather, it was its unfamiliarity that gave it away. Trace knew what the early stages of black magic and white magic spells looked like. This… this was not any of them. That reality left only one likely possibility. Artemisia is a Dark Magic Witch. For the first time in combat, Trace froze. The shock didn’t last very long, a beat or two of the heart. But, during that time he was able to piece together a few things. She was seeking someone whose name she didn’t know. She had refrained from telling him things rather than lying and giving him a false story. There was a chance that she didn’t mean well for the person she was seeking. Those who intend harm for specific strangers are frequently willing to lie, cheat, steal, and kill to get what they’re after. However, Artemisia had helped at a clinic instead. He didn’t know what she was up to or why. But, he didn’t think that she was a danger to him and he had no specific reason to turn on her that was worth spitting at. Besides, being near a mage increased his chances of survival and escape. He moved. While Artemisia still held her spell and the gauntlet wielder was still getting over the initial shock of his injury Trace dashed along the side of the path between them and the archer. He had a simple plan. He had greater mobility than a man with a wounded leg. He would make use of it by becoming a greater threat to the archer than Artemisia was. If the second shot came his way then she would have a clear line of attack to the archer. Personally, though he was charging, he kept his awareness high and his defenses up. He didn’t know how many enemies were close enough to intervene and he was determined to evade any close combat first strike as well as the possible arrow.

_________________________ Status: Uninjured… And Unhappy Class: Recruit Inventory: Iron Lance Vulnerary

Fire Emblem: Ashes of Sacrifice [Fall of the Empire]

Trace Retloth
Garleton Plaza transition to Tavern

Trace listened silently as his excessive honesty produced all the desired results of a collapsing sand castle. Maybe there were other reasons why his solo jobs had been fairly low paying. The thought bore examination, later. For now his instincts were telling him that it would be a bad idea to separate from the kind of force multiplier that a mage represented. After all, he could probably beat up to maybe six enemy soldiers himself... maybe more if he could use the terrain to his advantage. An average mage could probably beat between two and four... or up to twelve with a comparable terrain advantage. Him paired with a mage... and they should be able to best between ten and twenty reliably, depending again on terrain. His instincts had kept him alive enough times that he didn't question them now. Battle was coming and not enough people were prepared for it. But, this mage was a stranger who had no reason to trust his instincts and he had made a fairly worthless first impression. He would have to play by her rules if he wanted to keep their survival odds high. So, he nodded once in answer to her offer and efficiently led the way through the crowd to the tavern where he had eaten previously. He regularly checked to make sure that she was following and that she wasn't being bothered by the crowd but there didn't seem to be any problems of that nature along the way. The tavern was still somewhat rowdy but the inner volume had dropped since his earlier visit. The peak time had passed and there were more seats available. Since he had already eaten, he had little to do other than... perhaps fail to converse properly again. But, he could choose a sensible place to sit. There was a table that was near one corner. It afforded a good view of the front entrance without putting their backs against the wall, and the corner bench near it was unoccupied so it offered some little privacy as well. He led the way and gestured to his new mage acquaintance that she should take the seat that was closest to the corner bench while he himself took the seat that afforded the best view of the door.

_________________________ Status: Resigned, Tense & Well Class: Recruit Inventory: Iron Lance Vulnerary

I, the Demon King, Will Summon My Own Damned Heroes!

@Stabby@Zeroth

You used Magic Analysis I!
---Blue Yill Flower---
The Yill species of flowering plants are adaptable and conducive to magic, so depending on where they grow and what kind of ambient energy is present they often change forms. The Blue Yill has absorbed a great deal of raw mana.
---Hollow Old Kao Tree---
This Kao tree is very old and has been damaged in the past, creating a hollow. It has more magic than other trees in the area, but nothing that stands out too much.
---???---
An altered Mana Orb spell. The magical energy focused within it has begun to change properties. It smells of ozone and seems relatively unstable.

Your MP is Full! You have gained Temporary Extra MP.

System:Femus

The results of his experiments were in. Analysis skills are as useful as he thought, though not at low levels. Also, he was making progress toward what was likely to be a lightning elemental spell of some kind. It would take more work but he was definitely on the right track. Still, it was past time to check on Nira and that wild pixie. So, Femus grabbed two of the Blue Yills and determinedly exited the hollow, prepared to kill if necessary to protect his new acquaintance.

Then he was suddenly enveloped with a deluge of blossoms.

Femus was stunned and bemused enough that he simply stopped where he was. He had prepared himself for a fight, or at least for scaring off a pixie or three, and now he was being showered with flowers. And... several of them managed to land on top of him and stay there in an awkward and impromptu floral crown. He was so surprised that he forgot to grab the falling Blue Yills. Still, this was a better outcome than a fight... wasn't it. If so... then why did he suddenly feel... so very silly looking.

Looking up, he saw Nira and the wild pixie giggling gleefully at their prank. It was adorable to watch. But, cold recollection quickly crushed the light hearted moment for the wisp. Pixies can go from happily playing to trying to kill you in a single breath. If this continued being fun then the pixie would stay but if it became too unfun then it might attack out of frustration. He had to play up the joke just enough and then 'exit stage left' while the going was good. So, since he was being pranked...

Femus had never tried to communicate with flashes like the wild wisps do but that seemed to be the best bet here. So, he flashed and flickered to try and convey surprise while using lesser force to hold the fragile little flower crown on his head like it was stuck there. Then he shook himself and spun around and tried to dart one way and then another as though he was trying to get the flowers to fall, all the while flashing a confused sort of mild distress. Then, as a final move, he darted back into the tree hollow. Just after going out of sight, he dropped the flower crown gently on the bottom of the hollow. If the pixie thought it looked fun to wear and came after it, he wanted it to be easily found and in good condition.

If this didn't work... he might have to kill that pixie after all.

Fire Emblem: Ashes of Sacrifice [Fall of the Empire]

And... teh awkward continues! Can anyone else hear his odds of ever getting a date crashing through the floor?

Fire Emblem: Ashes of Sacrifice [Fall of the Empire]

Trace Retloth
Garleton Plaza

Trace listened without moving for a long moment. What he wanted was some certainty. He had no idea how the war was going. There weren't even any rumors worth listening to. There weren't any refugees either. It was strange. The enemy army seemed to have vanished for all the people knew about it. It made him nervous. Not knowing what to say to the mage next to him also made him nervous. It didn't help his nerves that she was actually pretty, a fact that he had missed when he noticed her from a greater distance. He was reminded that he had never actually had much polite contact with the fairer sex. After all, most of the ones that mercenaries encountered were either on the battlefield or in disreputable lines of work... and those lines of work reminded Trace too much of his mother for him to have any interest at all. Since he didn't know anything about the mage that he hoped to work with, he decided to simply speak his mind and hope for the best. His free hand came up to scratch behind his ear in an unconscious act of nerves as his mouth finally opened. "My name is Trace, Trace Retloth. I just signed up as a mercenary for the Prince's army but I have a bad feeling about things and I've always felt safer with a mage at my back. I know it's too much to ask you to sign up or anything like that... but this feeling... I don't like the fact that nobody seems to know where the enemy army is. There aren't any refugees or even rumors." Now that he was talking about his concerns his grip on his lance tightened unconsciously. "You look like you're traveling alone. Normally, a mage could travel alone without much trouble around here. But, with an invading army in the picture... I think it might be too risky for you to try and travel alone until the war's over." He took a breath to steady himself before he launched into the rest of his socially awkward speech. "I don't know why you're traveling and I don't know whether or not you're actually traveling alone and if I hadn't already signed up for this war I'd just offer my services outright but... I don't take a client's money and then back out. So, I want to help you travel safer without abandoning my current employer and the only way I can think of to do that would be for you to accompany me and stay close when trouble shows up. It's weird to ask... but there it is." And, with that, Trace sealed his mouth shut and waited in tense silence. With his social incompetence and personal concerns practically written on his sleeve, he was certain of little else other than that he might as well sign off on permanent bachelorhood and sporadic unemployment for his future. Still, he had spoken the truth. His nerves were winding tighter as time went on. Silence was the worst thing a fighter could ever hear from any enemy, and the bigger a group the worse the silence was. For an entire army to have produced no current rumors meant one of two things. Either they were coming closer, fast, and not allowing anyone to escape... or they had managed some kind of silent retreat without the empire's scouts reporting it. Trace didn't like the odds of the second option at all.

_________________________ Status: Awkward & Well Class: Recruit Inventory: Iron Lance Vulnerary