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[kirant]

[Long, arbitrarily written post. I'm sure I screwed something up]
[On a side note, feel free to jump in at any time Snow and SmashedFish]

Content, and somewhat satisfied, that she wasn't caught or noticed, Elizabeth turned back and walked back to her temporary bed. The prolonged search for housing was pretty draining and it was already late as is. The combination of the two were a disappointment as there was a lack of energy that resulted from this...desire for sleep outweighed Elizabeth's intent to return to her literature.

After crawling into her bed...well, the one she was given for the night, sleep overcame any other thoughts. It wasn't long before her mind was carried into the realm of dream...of ideals and fantasies.

---

The moonlight started waning as the search went on. Despite the heavy use of torches, there were many hiding places that even with the search method, it seemed unlikely the parties would find anything.

Resting her newly found blade on her shoulder, Karla kept to her assigned path with single minded intent followed by a single soldier, struggling to keep up. Her mind continually noted the low probability that they'd find anybody from the escaping party, but it's hard to wind down the drive of a soldier. Not much later, it was determined that the search teams had gone as far as they could without reinforcements; the groups were spread thin enough that any further searching would put them out of visual sight with adjacent teams. Having failed, the soldiers were called back and returned to their barracks for further instruction.

Failure. Failure is an interesting word. Most times, it indicates a negative but n Karla's mind though, it was far more. It meant being second...to not be capable. A detestable act. Somebody didn't perform up to a full degree. And, being on the team that let him go, this was a sign that SHE failed to perform. While most of the soldiers instantly ran to the housing quarters for the night, she had turned to the field officer's room. While she held no power over him, and any initiative from her was quite out of her common activities, this mission to her meant something more. A fire had caught hold of her heart...she actively wanted to catch him now. This fire started to tear down any hesitation or previous morals that she had at that moment. Taking a second to catch her breath, she walked in on her superiors.

The room itself was simple...nothing more than a few tables and chairs. Antiquated by nature, the room felt a little oppressive and provided a sense of tradition and supremacy. It was ingrained in Narcissus Central Army that anybody above you was better and they should have undying loyalty. Less than that is treason. Within the room, several high ranking soldiers were huddled around the largest table, which held an outstretched map of the local area. There was no need to guess what they were talking about. It was of the Prince and how to best find him. And she wanted in on the front lines.

It took a while for any of the soldiers, a collection of distinguished generals, officers, and veterans, to notice the woman at the outskirts of the room. The ones that did notice seemed to hesitate as to acknowledge her existence. The central army, at any level, could quickly identify the rank of another visually. The fact that...whoever it was, held a much lower ranking than the others meant she probably deserved less attention. The prince had just become the top priority of the local army and needed their full attention. One of the more venerable generals though eventually caught wind of her intent. From his end he saw a slight fury in the orange eyes...they were filled with desire. Enough so that he held up the discussion and sidetracked it.

"Just a minute. I think we have a guest."

All eyes turned towards the door where the general's head pointed. All the undue attention had caught the woman off guard - she was hoping for a natural lull in the conversation before intruding. After a few moments of silence, the general refined the comments a little further, albeit a bit briskly.

"We're in the middle of something quite important. Why are you here?"
"Sir. I would like to request to be on the search team."

There was shot down by several at the table. They, and Karla, all knew that the request was against all regulation, an outrageous request. A couple took the idea seriously. They knew they needed people on foot to search the area, so why not build it out of the willing as oppose to the ordered? The concept seemed to take hold after a while, and after a few minutes, the majority at the table were on board and invited Karla to the table. They needed to figure out what likely locations the Prince and his group would head, knowing only his escape route.

"What would a Prince be likely to do if he killed a senator?"
"Why would he kill his relative is a better question. That senator, Brigadier-General, is his uncle."
"There's only one real answer to that, and I think we know the answer."
"No we don't. We just know he committed treason."
"Use your head. Why would a prince commit treason?"

A silence swept over the table hard and fast. They all knew the answer to that...they were facing an outright rebellion on their hands. They all recognized the severity of what they were just getting into. It never seemed like the right answer. Many veterans saw the contradictory attitude that this would be for Prince Valios, the man who just left on a whirlwind tour to pacify the populace. It wasn't like him to turn around and want to destroy a government. If he really wanted to destabilize it, he could just stayed home.

The probable ignorance of the situation, and what sparked it, is probably what broke it too; Karla spoke up to move the conversation forward.

"I was at the gate when the Pr--Valios escaped. He didn't have an army on him. It was barely more than a mob."
"His first goal would be to start stirring the pot then...getting soldiers and men ready for a fight."

The comment seemed to spark a brainstorm amongst the others present.

"What are the local towns that he'd visit?"
"There are some villages here, and here. Oda is the closest major town though."
"Do you think he'd visit the large areas first? Really, he's a smart man. If he exposed himself too early, he wouldn't be able to stand up if we attacked him."
"Yes. He might be relying on a small mobile force so we CAN'T find him."
"That's preposterous. We have the largest military in Verus. No single army can match our power. No matter how mobile, he can't avoid us that long."
"Then where do you think he'll go, General?"
"I think he'll head to Oda."
"With that little crew? Oda is a pretty big place. Even if he wanted to recruit, he'd never gain a foothold there."
"Yes, but where else could he hide his little gang?"

Everyone knew it - the General had a point. The place that Valios would most likely hide would be in a town large enough that he wouldn't look out of place.

The inner soldier in all of them realized that there was no way they could send out anybody yet - the attempt to prevent Valios from leaving had prevented enough rested soldiers to begin a search. They'd have to start in the morning.

"Neale, return to our office at dawn. We'll have your assignment for you then. Get some sleep before then."
"...Sir."

The generals called in a couple soldiers and got them to distribute notice for the body of Valios, dead or alive, to all corners of the nation. If their military couldn't catch them, their people would. At least, that's the plan. If indeed Valios could rally the populace, it was certain that they would not turn him over. In that case, hardened steel was the answer. But that was, hopefully, a last resort. Nobody could ingest the thought of killing the populace they wanted to protect just yet.

[Echo-279]

Alex "The Shadow" Lightwood was sitting in the shade of a nearby tree in Gaia when a messenger threw a letter on him. He was curious, since the messenger had not handed Alex a letter, and was apparently in a rush.

"Hm?"

Alex pondered if he should open the letter right away, though the lack of news about the current situation between Narcissus and Zephyr worried him.

As Alex opened the letter, he saw the words "HELP ME" on the top, in writing on par with a prince or princess, but as he read the letter:

"HELP ME!
The military of Narcissus is after me, and I don't have much time.
I'll make this quick, meet me at the Narcissus-Zephyr border at night, five days from now, I'll fill you in."


Strange, there was no name on who sent the letter, but either way, Alex had to find out who sent this letter, and began moving to the border of Narcissus and Zephyr.

[SmashedFish]

((Been super busy lately. I'll try to post tomorrow or Monday if later tonight doesn't work out.))

[kirant]

[Ah. No problem. This is my replacement for my inability to take part in NaNoWriMo (as I'm working on bigger projects), so I have ample time to work on it]
[Let's just cut through the night so we can keep going]

---

Dreams...dreams are a very interesting realm. They represent an uninhibited imagination, much more spontaneous and free than any alert mind. Mental barriers that protect against one's fears are long gone.

---

I was inside my old house. Well, one of them. My family moved so often that it was hard to keep track of where I'd been or where I was then. As a child, it never really mattered to me too much. Education wasn't my strong suit. Don't get me wrong - I tried. I just never excelled in it. I never really tried to reach out too much, so no real roots were laid at any location. There was always something more pressing and important to deal with.

I was about 6 at the time. On the main door was a time honoured tradition for my parents - marking off my height every few weeks. My mother always joked about that with me, saying that someday we'd have marked off all the houses in Narcissus. Looking back, this was never really an achievable goal, but you'd always laugh at the comment as a child.

The door to my parent's room had been closed. Highly irregular. When mom and dad were home, the door was left wide open.. Something had to be wrong. Barging in, I saw a couple backpacks. They were filled to the brim. In the room were mom and dad. Mom was in a merchant's clothing and dad in casual wear. Mom seemed to have endless variations of clothes. Every time she left the house, she looked like a different person. It was part of her job.

"What's going on mom?"
"Well, I have to leave again. I'll be back soon."
"Where are you going?"
"I'm afraid that's a secret. I can't even tell your father."

My dad, always the enthusiast on duty, interjected before I could ask more questions.
"If you want to help, please take the bags to the door."

A little fearful of retribution, I grabbed the bags. Dad was a little scary if you didn't listen to him. After a few minutes, mom got to the door with dad following closely. They were talking to each other. I don't know why, but I knew it was about when mom would be back. Not skipping a beat of their conversation, mom opened the door. The sun shone brightly in the middle of the sky. Outside was a carriage with a driver and two horses.

"Thanks for the help."

The statement seemed ambiguously laid out to both me and my dad. Mom took the bags I left for her and unblinkingly left for the carriage. A great weight sunk in my heart. Mom and dad were gone all the time, but I never wanted them to leave. I shared a great love for my parents.

I could feel a couple large tears rolling down my eyes. I was holding the door tightly and wanted to cry out to mom. Never did I want to see her go. My dad looked down, wondering what the sniffling was about. He had knelt down beside me. This was one of the first times I could remember him doing so. Brushing my long hair which had now become a mess, he tried to wipe away my tears.

"Shh...it's alright Karla. Mommy's coming back soon enough."

His arms were laid around my body. There was an immense security in the hold...it told me everything was going to be alright. That no matter what happened, we'd see it through. It took a little bit, but I stopped crying...

---

Karla jolted up from her quarters.

There was light creeping in through the windows...but not a lot of it. Dawn must have just broken. A quick look around indicated that almost nobody else was awake...many of them were still trying to sleep off last night's action.

Forcing herself out of bed, she got ready for that day's missions. Leaving the bed's linings ended in perpendicular placements, a quick jump into her armour and she was ready to face her superiors.

[SmashedFish]

((Ah, the joys of being busy... Kind of tempted to write out a dream sequence now. Ah well. Later, perhaps, when time permits.))
A shaft of warm sunlight pouring through a narrow window gradually brought Taikada to consciousness. I'm going to miss beds quite a lot, but I've likely overslept enough as it is. Anyway, anything to formally resume his search and end his stay in the realm of dreams and quiet whispers would be preferable at the moment. He had never had a hard life by the standards of most, but some memories belonged in the past. Still yawning, he washed with the provided basin of fresh water, dressed, and returned to the common room.

Unsurprisingly, all was not as it had been the previous night. The drunken crowd and raucous laughter was gone, replaced by a few men and women clearly experiencing the consequences of the previous night's consumption. Taikada's "informant" was also seated, though if anything, he seemed more drunk than he had been the previous night, and none the worse for it. Some people were known for truly amazing feats in times such as these, he supposed, and perhaps that state of perpetual inebriation was notable in its own right... He blinked, and shook his head. I should be above such thoughts by this point in my life. ...But still! How does he hold it all in? Wait, no... This clearly was not working, so he resolved to do something else to clear his mind of such thoughts. Noticing a section of the counter that seemed to be filled with sober, uniformed men, he walked over and had a seat.

"Good morning, sir."
"Salutations, citizen. How may I be of service?"
"Can you recommend a general store nearby? I've been traveling around, and I mean to leave Oda tomorrow, but I'm low on supplies."
"What sort of supplies?" The fellow he was asking took an odd sort of face to this; did he have reason to be suspicious of travelers? Perhaps, if he was with the military; the Valios situation might warrant that. To an extent, anyway.
"General survival items. You know- food, clothes, matches, perhaps even new bedrolls and a tent. Mine have become worn down as of late." Taikada was careful to leave his need for a map out of this; that may have been a red flag if he was already thought suspicious. To his relief, the man's expression softened somewhat.
"I see. For food, you'll want to stop by the market- I assume you passed that on your way to the in?" He nodded. "Alright. As for the rest..." The man gave directions to a store; he described it as plain, but with a colorful sign hanging above the door. "Ask for Elayne and tell her that Jeharros sent you; she should give you a discount."
"Thank you very much. May fortune shine on your day." Somewhat eager to be on with his travels, he left.

Sergeant Jeharros of the Oda Guard watched him leave. What an... interesting person. He very much doubted that much would come of it, but he made a note to himself to ask Elayne just how interesting he had come off as. Suddenly realizing that he had neglected to ask for a name, Jeharros scowled. Hopefully, Elayne would remember him based on his appearance; Akaneans were not incredibly common in the area.

"...And with the maps, that'll be seventeen silver." Taikada was pleased in himself; seventeen silver was hardly something to remember a shopper by. Still, though, that he had forgotten to bring even a single map was... well, he hoped that he'd be able to look back on his unpreparedness later. Handing over the money, he resumed his examination of the map. Atrum was indeed to the east, and now he knew the way- more or less. Thankfully, there were quite a few less-traveled roads there that he now knew of and hadn't before. Looks like I've the day to kill... We'll see, I suppose. Anyway, I've at least two hours to noon by now. Something's bound to come up.

[Solace]

❖ Milos' Nightmare ❖
"The blood, it surprises you, no?"
He looks over at you, eyes wide and mouth dropping open, his mask as white as his cloak.
There isn't a lot of shattered glass though, just some tiny silvers around his feet and a larger piece busted into sharp peaks like a thunderbolt, the blood washing it down like rainfall.
He doesn't say anything arrogant or defaming, does not quote your father, He just screams; but no one can hear Him, and it would be too late if They could.
This wasn't the way it was supposed to go, this shouldn't be happening.
Yet now, things are only going to get worse.
You're just a shepherd; it can't be your fault, right? But then there's all the blood...

Milos bolted upright, finding himself before a campfire surrounded by the rogues. He held no memories of how he had succumbed to sleep, feeling a riveting pain thundering across his torso; directly where an arrow had made impact the night previous. Only he could no longer see the shaft of the projectile, a ragged cloth tightened around the area. The group, which looked thinner in numbers than before, seemed relieved to see his waking. One of them, a boy who looked no older than sixteen years, nudged Milos' shoulder.

"You collapsed in the middle of our run to Oda, so we set up a camp close by." The boy said, looking to the others and receiving their confirmations.
"Took care of that arrow and cut 'round your stomach.
"Thank you..."
"Simeon Fluxus." The boy interjected, introducing himself while rising to his feet.
"Simeon." Milos finished.
"Fixed up your other wounds as well, try not to move too suddenly."

Milos gave a warm smile, nodding as he began to think about the nightmare he had. The memory of itself had already begun to dwindle, but what he saw stood out to him. He didn't recognize the person he'd seen in it, but since he believed that dreams like those carried vital messages and hints towards the future, he dreaded it. The only thing that confused him was the very last saying; a shepherd? This troubled Milos even further, but he decided to not press the matter. The early dawn had only just arrived, darkness still inhabiting its territory in every corner within the forest. Milos couldn't help but contemplate that Gus sacrificed himself for his escape, knowing that he would never be able to repay the life debt. Nothing could compare its value to that of another's life, but to much of nobility, the opposite was the norm.

_____________________________________


⚜ Ren's Dream ⚜
"All dreams are but another reality."
"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, or famous? In actuality, who are you not to be? Your playing small does not serve Verus. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as others were. We were all born to wove our own story, and manifest the glory of the future that lies ahead of us. It's not just in some of us; it's within all the men, women, and children of Verus. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give others permission to do the same. As we are freed from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."

"VERUS TO REN KYU ORCUS, WAKE UP SUNSHINE!"

Saliva splattered all across Ren's face as somebody pranced wildly onto his worn bed, laughing and throwing slaps at his face as if he were not awake already. With no regards and muffled integrity, the sole of his foot slammed against the subject and kicked them backwards, still half-asleep. Ren instinctively lunged from under the sheets and took hold of the intruder's loose cuff, effectively pinning them against the cold wall. Dust exploded while the frame of the wooden cupboard shook, some squealing from his alleged assailant confirming their own surprise in the retaliation. From there, Ren was able to catch a clear glimpse at who it was, and dismantled his iron grip. He took a step back, allowing each other to catch their breath.
"Whoa there, man! Cool it, will ya?" the boy croaked, as he smoothed out his clothing, coughing over-dramatically in unison with Ren from the dust. “This is silk; quite an expensive material in this time of age!”

Ren sighed; it had only been his best friend, Luther Invalesco.
Only a year younger than Ren was, he seemed to possess the mentality of an adolescent. A dumbfounded smile formed between the corners of Luther's mouth, radiating off an air of idiocy. With freshly cut brown hair shaped into a mohawk-like formation as short as he himself was, a set of hazel eyes that never stopped moving in comparison to his hyper personality looked around the pig-sty of a room. Ren had once made plans to tidy up the place in time, but four years went by faster than he thought. Grabbing the wool blanket from his mess of a bed, he wiped the spit from his face and began to fold his bed sheets in a neat pile by his pillow.
“Sorry, but I don't want to be awakened like this every single day.” Ren said, a light yawn cutting the sentence off momentarily. “Why do you wake me up at such an early time of day, anyway? Aren't you supposed to be with your father today for sparring or something? How did you even get in-”

Luther chuckled, interrupting him and patting his shoulder lightly while attempting to put on the most serious expression that he could possibly make. Regardless of that, he knew very well from past experience that it was a complete facade.
“You should ask yourself those same questions – aren't YOU supposed to be with YOUR father today for sparring, and how did YOU get in?”
Ren shook his head in response, turning towards his bed and finishing up with folding his blankets and sheets. He heard his best friend sigh, obviously disappointed in himself for not making Ren laugh.
He was apparently the only person that Luther could “trust.”
“Come on, Ren! You're no fun!” Luther chided, frowning at Ren's back. “Okay, well, meet me by the green anyway; it's important, and I mean it this time!”
When Ren turned back, he saw Luther begin to bolt out of his room; but not noticing that the door was closed, he ran straight into the sturdy wooden door and face-planted directly into it with an even louder thud that would have woken anybody up in the house, shaking his cupboard for a second time. Ren watched Luther recollect himself and curse aloud, laughing.
“I'm alright!”

[kirant]

*Thump*

Was it morning already? That rest seemed way too short. Leaning herself up, Elizabeth confirmed that sunlight was indeed pouring into the room, which meant that it was morning. But that didn't explain everything. She generally wouldn't wake up until far into the morning. Compound the fact that she had just spent half a night looking for a place to stay and it would make no sense that she should be up yet. Still pretty foggy on all the details of what was going on, it seemed like a good idea to...

Wait. Are those voices? Wasn't Ren supposed to be the only guy in the house at the moment? Nothing was adding up anymore. There seemed to be an disproportional amount of things wrong with the situation...the noise, the talking. Maybe Ren's dad was home? It certainly didn't sound like it was an older man. There seemed to be no real answer for the loud noise that woke her from bed then. The number of answers seemed to dwindle pretty fast and it seemed possible that someone had broken into the house and--

*Thump*

There it was again. The same noise that gotten her up. Elizabeth concluded from that and deductions that there was something wrong. It was quite possible that the noise was a fight. The best thing to do would be to stop it. Problem was, she had nothing at hand to actually take care of things if it was actually violent.

Now what could be used? Anything would do...she just needed to at least look ready for a physical confrontation. Her own weapons and armour were at the door. That created some problems...ah! There were some weapons hanging right on the rack. It hardly seemed proper to dismantle the houses' decorations just like that, but it really wasn't the time to be sentimental on little things like that.

The woman grabbed the first weapon she saw. Maybe it was the glean it had in comparison to the sunlight behind her, but a sabre stood out. It seemed a bit more decorative than functional - there was a bit of dust on the sword and a tassel was tied into the handle. The blade itself seemed to contain some less reasonable metals, maybe a little silver mixed in with the steel. These seemed to indicate that the sword was likely a gift for an ex-soldier or nobleman more than an actual combat-ready weapon. At any rate, it'd serve the purpose of what it needed to.

After quick dash to the stairs, where the noise came from, proved her suspicions of somebody being in the house correct. A slightly bewildered individual was walking down the stairs. Her mind was playing catch up, so the details weren't exactly clear. He seemed to have fairly nice clothes on...silk, or at least some sort of refined material at the least. At the same time, he didn't seem to pose any level of threat. In fact, he seemed more surprised someone was holding him prisoner on the staircase than she did seeing him. Yet the sabre in Elizabeth's hands were in front of her, ready to strike. Seeing this discrepancy, she lowered the blade and instead opted to ask see if talks could solve the problem first.

"What are you doing here?"

--

The start of a new day, the start of new work. Every day was one of tradition, of honour. Comrades working as a team. Entire division working together in a march for a means to an end.

Well, at least in theory, that's what the military has stood for in Karla's mind. Most of the time, it was just menial work. That ended though. With the start of the search for finding Valios, a sense of objectivity had taken hold of the camp. Every soldier had becomes focused on doing their part - increased security and restriction in citizen movement had been declared to make it easier to find him and it seemed like the entire military had been mobilized to begin an intensive search.

As per her orders, Karla waited outside the field officer's quarters at the very break of dawn. There stood a few soldiers. Most of them were the same high ranking men from last night. It seemed they had gotten no rest at all - most appeared fatigued, a couple obviously resting their eyes until they had to do something.

It seemed she had beaten the field officer out of bed. After a few uncomfortable minutes of waiting, the door to the quarters opened and out of its cavity came yet another tired and sleepy looking man. Trying his best to maintain his professionalism, he joined the other high ranking individuals and addressed the collection of soldiers in front of him.

"I'll be brief. We have reassigned you soldiers to a very unpleasant task. As of last night, Prince Valios Shadowthorn killed Senator Jai Yair and has escaped the city walls of Atrum. It is our duty to find and bring him to justice.

We suspect that he and his cohorts are planning a revolution against our kingdom and are heading to Oda to recruit and create a stronghold from which to being such an uprising. As such, your detachment has been assign to head directly to Oda on horseback and being a search of the town. Leading your operation is Major Wise."

An older man in his 40s made a slight nod. A Saikan, he had appeared to keep his hair in rigorous check, being practically bald. A short amount of brown stubble covered the top of his head. His green eyes seemed to reflect his experience. They were cold and slightly glazed, either from lack of rest or from part of his mentality. Frequently described as the "thousand-yard stare", the dis-attachment in the eyes, if from this, would stem from great stress.

Decorating Wise was a captain's uniform. Thin red plate armour protected the abdomen and upper legs, supplemented with chainmail elsewhere. His ranking of Major was clearly marked on his shoulder. Donning a cape with the Narcissus Central Army's emblem on a field of black, his presence appeared more intimidating than a man of his average statue would normally look. The ensemble was completed with a marmeluke on his right side.

After a short silence, the field officer continued.

"We have also asked that Neale of the Heavy Armour division be second-in-command at the request of Major Wise. She is one of the few who has seen Prince Valios last night and will be providing intelligence. That's all I have to say."

Stepping forward, the speech from the soldier's new commander offered few words.

"We'll head out to Oda within the hour. Gather weapons, a week's worth of supplies, and round up at the stables."

It was clear that he didn't earn the title from diplomacy.

Soon enough, the troops did meet up. The barracks had become livelier in the mean time. New of last night's events were just starting to catch up as soldiers began to spread the news through word of mouth. The search seemed to be pretty low key in comparison - apparently nobody really though much of actually finding Valios...just that he escaped.

The troops looked like like a fairly competent bunch...a group of high quality soldiers. A few veterans were there, but most seemed to be in a similar position as Karla: no large amount of combat experience, but enough to get by.

Karla brought her remaining supplies, as had the other soldiers. With her was a single bag. It was within her nature to bring anything that she kept for combat and little else. That meant armour, a little travel food, and a couple personal belongings. For some reason, she decided to keep the two-handed blade from last night. The reason was lost to her. Maybe the panic that she had found it in made it of sentimental value...but she's hardly sentimental. Before she could really question the decision much further, Wise made his presence known. The Major led a few townsfolk, each drawing a few horses with them.

"Neale, you'll be following me closely. The rest, spread into rows of 5 and keep up."

After a quick scramble, the soldiers were off. Off on a new journey, away from the simple guard duties and paperwork.

[Solace]

Luther's mouth fell wide open upon encountering Elizabeth, slowly placing both of his hands on the top of his cranium and turning back to Ren, who was still in his room tidying up.
"REN, YOU DOG!" he shrieked, his voice cracking slightly. This caught Ren's attention, causing him to stop the cleaning and to leave his room. He gasped when he saw Elizabeth holding one of his father's antique weapons, looking back and forth between the two.
"YOU NEVER TOLD ME YOU HAD A GIRLFRIEND!"
"No, Luther, that's no-" Ren was abruptly interrupted by Luther's palm suddenly planting over his mouth, cutting off the sentence. Slightly irritated, he took hold of the flimsy hand and tugged Luther back. He took a deep breath to conceal his anger and finished his sentence.
"-not my girlfriend, she's a traveler that stayed here for the night."

Luther paused for a moment, his expression now more childish than before. Whatever he had said, it definitely set him off this time. He cursed silently as Luther walked up to him and placed his hands on his shoulders, shaking him. "... I didn't know you were like that!" The Nyphrian nearly tripped as he dashed down the stairs, stopping at the front door and making sure it was open for his grand departure. "Boy, wait 'till the others hear about THIS! Meet me at the green or you owe me twenty million Denarii!"

"I swear, I will..." Ren shook his head, putting a hand over his forehead in aggravation and ignoring the burning in his cheeks from embarrassment. How could Luther be so immature in front of a guest? "Sorry..." He paused briefly, realizing that he didn't know her name. "You haven't told me your name yet."

_____________________________________


"Stomp out the fire and remove all traces of our being here." Milos suddenly perked up, accidentally standing up too fast and feeling the stinging pain return. Simeon rose to even him out, preventing him from falling over and nodding.
"If Narcissus is getting any smarter, they'd have already sent out scouts to hunt me down. We're only few minutes away from Oda, and I've a few acquaintances there."

The rogues scurried off to carry out the order silently, which hit Milos quickly. None of them except for Simeon had said a word since Gus had volunteered to become the diversion. Maybe they were still coping with the fact that they were now refugees from the officials of Narcissus? He knew that he would be, but he couldn't show weakness in front of his own men; a leader was meant to stand strong at all times, ready for anything. Truth be told, a part of him wished that he wasn't a Prince by blood; he grew up watching his own starve while he laid in a cozy bed behind the safe palace walls. But what if people now were suffering because of what he had done? He couldn't bear the thought of any more people being tormented at the expense of his cause.

The rogues worked faster than Milos thought that they would, especially after a long night of crossing the countryside. He assigned groups to watch their flanks while he would be the head, advising them to conceal their weapons and keep their heads under their hoods. If anything, word of his exile and wanting by Narcissus hadn't even passed beyond Atrum's borders. But still, Milos would have to keep a sharp eye at all times; the possibility of a scouting party on their tail was extremely high. They could have been anywhere, depending on when they'd been sent; right behind them, on the trail to another establishment, or hours away. Milos hoped for the last two.

_____________________________________


Gabriel watched the scouting party depart from Atrum's walls, smirking devilishly. Selaphiel and Uriel had already placed a curse upon their group as he'd requested, which would begin to affect them one by one within the span of an hour minimum to three maximum. Spreading similar to that of a plague, it would first cause a great deal of exhaustion before leading to excruciating pain within the limbs. They would feel as though their arms and legs were being torn off, but it wouldn't actually happen. Not unless they thought it, of course, but that took a sheer amount of willpower. Gabriel knew right away that no soldier from the Grand Army possessed such, much less, anyone from the scouting party. He always loved toying with the Grand Army, simply because they were all disposable. That, and Michael never knew what happened behind the scenes. The bastard was completely oblivious, which was more fun. Raphael had promised him much much more provisions and supplies for the League, as long as he continued to make the Grand Army suffer.

_____________________________________


Raphael sat in his quarters quietly, content with how everything was going. The Grand Army was slowly falling apart internally, and the best part about it; the soldiers were blaming their oh-so great Commander, Michael. The spineless idiot didn't deserve to be the First, he did. He would bet everything that he was better than Michael in every single aspect. From the floor below, he could already hear Selaphiel having fun with her new specimen named Gus, the man who had disguised himself as Prince Valios so that the real one could escape. Raphael never questioned Selaphiel's methods because of how successful they were, but he was mildly disgusted, as he didn't know how engaging in sexual intercourse with the specimen, male or female, benefited her and the Wyn Council's little "research."

[kirant]

"No, Luther, that's no-"

Wait...what? Girlfriend?

The comment hung around in Elizabeth's head a little. Actually, the whole situation did a little. Even before, not all the details were registering. Everything had escalated so fast that her mind needed some time to figure out exactly what was going on.

So, she had heard a noise which sounded quite violent in nature. Because of that, she grabbed a weapon. Now there's a man in front of her, wearing fairly sleek clothes, who looks nothing like what she imagined would be causing this sort of situation. He was thin and, in all honesty, seemed like the type of person who'd be attacked in his home instead of going after others. If she had to guess a race, he was probably either a young Saikan or a Nyphrian. Either way, there's definitely a misunderstanding here.

Before her mind really got any further it seemed the lull in the conversation ended, practically ending her train of thought.

"-not my girlfriend, she's a traveller that stayed here for the night."

Everything seemed to be piecing itself together now. Ren seemed to be on good terms with the third party. Whoever it was, he seemed certainly giddy about it. Actually, that within itself seemed a little off putting as it was something that didn't seem to fit the situation as much as everything else. Bearings in place, she could now focus on the conversation going on around her.

"... I didn't know you were like that!"

Huh? It didn't seem entirely the place to ask, but Elizabeth had no clue what the comment had meant. Maybe that'd be something to ask R--

"Boy, wait 'till the others hear about THIS! Meet me at the green or you owe me twenty million Denarii!"

Luther made a quick exit out the house, passing through the now vacant bottleneck at the bottom of the stairs. He probably didn't even catch Ren's last retort.

"Sorry...you haven't told me your name yet."

Had she really been that tired from last night? That's 0 for 2 on getting to know the host...quite a mess of an introduction. Without delay, she finished sealing off the error made last night.

"Elizabeth."
"Sorry Elizabeth. Luther is, well..."
"You don't need to apologize for him."

The response was a little hasty. Ren seemed to be struggling for words and might have spit something out that that he didn't entirely agree with. Trying her best to avoid dwelling on the events of the morning, Elizabeth decided it was best to just bury the hatchet on the situation, so to speak. Looking down, dust still clung to the sabre in her hand.

"I'm sorry. I pulled this right off the wall. I should go put this back"

Creating a full arc of golden hair, she turned to place the sword back into its past resting place. That was actually much easier said than done...the mantel's arrangement was much more complicated that it looked moments before and placing the sword back proved to be a more difficult task that taking it off.

After a few moments of futility, the sabre locked back into place though. Giving a deep exhale, things seemed to quiet down a little. At least, as normal as they had been for the short time she was in town so far. Ren seemed to be avoiding any direct conversation. As if to just keep getting off the topic of the morning, Elizabeth reached for the first topic that came to mind.

"This is quite a lovely sword. Where do you get it from?"

---

The open air provided additional cool for the soldiers charging as fast as sustainable down open paths...which actually wasn't all that fast, even on horseback. Horses have limited endurance. Each of them probably had done the calculation at this point - a horse can keep a constant pace of about 1.5 times faster than the running man. It takes about half a day to get to Oda by running, or so some soldiers have said. So they would be there about mid morning.

It was taking longer than that though. Wise stopped with regular frequency to ensure all the soldiers were alright. His explanation was that rests kept everybody fresh mentally. And that focusing too hard to catching up would come back to hurt them at the worst possible time. That seemed to spark some confidence in their commander. He genuinely seemed concerned about his team.

Things stated to fall apart from there. During a fairly flat stretch of land, soldiers begun collapsing. By Karla's estimate, they had only gone halfway on their trek. Given the ample resting time, it seemed unlikely that it would be that bad. Maybe he didn't have a good rest?

Either way, Major Wise held up the party for a few minutes.

"Neale, get me some water."
"Sir."

Pouring some of the fluid onto an available cloth, Wise delicately tried to ease the soldier back into consciousness. Eyes flickering, the description of the concerns seemed crazy.

"I...I just feel dead tired Major."
"Can you make the rest of the trip?"
"S-sure."

It seemed safer, so they paired the fatigued soldier with another, who would also guide the now unmounted horse. Not long after though, they needed to stop again. Another soldier was pushed too hard. Then another. And another. Something was going horribly wrong. With only about half the soldiers actually capable of guiding horses, they started abandoning any horse which didn't have a rider.

Getting towards the outskirts of Oda, the Major called for yet another stop. At this point, the initially seemingly conservative plans were godsends for soldiers, Karla included. Whatever was going on, it was starting to affect her...a slight collection of sweat began building up on her and, though she definitely didn't want to show it, getting a horse to walk straight was becoming an intensive and rigorous challenge.

It seemed nobody had any energy left. Most were gasping for air. The few that weren't were either passed out or going through their supplies to no end in search for a quick fix solution. Even the Major was struggling, leaning up against

"...Sir, how far are we from Oda?"
"Not too far. We shouldn't need another st--"
"Major! We need your help!"

Despite the experience obviously existent within the soldier, he seemed to be more concerned than any soldier Karla had ever seen. Following him a short distance, it was clear to her, and everyone else in the area why.

One of the men seized up. Nobody could make contact with him. All they got in conversations were shudders and cries for help. There was little they could do.

"...This isn't good. Ahem...Neale. Get him on the back of your horse. We need medical help. Follow me and we'll get into Oda as fast as possible and get a cure for this...whatever it is"

That seemed plausible at first, but grew into a Herculean task as more and more soldiers began falling into a catatonic state. Pretty quick, they couldn't even move everyone...all the ill had to just huddle and wait. Wise promised they'd return.

The edges of the town in visible range, it wasn't clear to anybody what was going on...but they had to march onward, dead tired or not...

---

Housed within a well lit room of the Central Army's camp in Atrum, generals returned to their planning and manoeuvring of their top priority: The capture or death of the "Traitor Prince". A seeming hobby of the backroom generals that frequented the Central Army, a collection of high ranking soldiers sat around a large map with various small blocks on the table.

"Can we move this division out?"
"No. They're too small"
"How about the 10th?"
"They'll be turn to shreds if Valios ever gets there"

While of all wings of the military were there, a few representatives of the Narcissus League weren't even getting into the conversation for the most part, staring at all the possibilities and configurations of the troops. A man and woman in particular, younger in age than the rest, were drawing up plans while the higher ups squabbled about...whatever it was.

"You seriously want to involve our militia? Are you insane? They're more likely to DEFECT than to kill the Prince!"
"Oh? Are you saying I'm leaving incompetent people in charge?"
"That's exactly it!"
"Why don't we ask them w--"
"If you're done wasting time, we'd like to propose something"

Without much warning, the man stood up, his slender frame concealed by cloak. The only standout was his long arctic blue hair, which was longer than even the adjacent woman's red ponytail. While the man smirked a little in his speech, his partner in planning was trying to remain as deadpan as possible.

"We have a plan that should end this fairly quick. It's extremely aggressive but it will work as long as the plan is followed directly."

[SmashedFish]

Roughly half an hour beforehand, Jericho had thought- indeed, almost hoped- that something interesting would come of the Akanean. Things were growing almost boring around Oda. Sadly, nothing had. All Elayne had to report was that he was quiet and bought nothing unusual. He really must've been just another clueless traveler. Sighing, he decided to return to the meeting-hall and see if anything needed doing.

On his way, he noticed a familiar figure looking around by the inn. Deciding to move in, Jericho soon noticed that it was none other than the Akanean himself, puzzlement written on his face. Having nothing else to do, Jericho decided that another talk could be worthwhile, and walked over.

"Hello again. Have you retrieved your camping supplies yet?" The Akanean was startled at his appearance, though he contained it well enough after a few seconds.
"Ah, it's you! Yes, I did, thanks for asking. Thank you for the referral; I got a good deal on everything I needed."
"It's no trouble, and I'm glad to have helped. By the way, I never did catch your name."
"Oh! My apologies. I'm Taikada Mieule. If you don't mind me asking, what's yours?" This was clearly going nowhere. Perhaps returning to the hall would be a better use of his time than continuing this conversation.
"My name's Jericho Jeharros. I'll have to go for now, but go ahead and ask around for me should you need anything else during your stay here."
"Will do, thanks. Have a pleasant day." With that, Taikada turned and walked away. What was he looking for? That he was wasn't a big secret, but...

"Sergeant Jeharros! Come quickly, sir!" Looking around, Jericho saw a younger recruit of the Guard approaching rapidly. Gerald, was it? There was a huge influx of new members recently, and Jeharros could barely tell some apart.
"What is it, recruit?"
"You're wanted, sir. There's some soldiers approaching from the League, and they- please, hurry and follow me! I'll explain on the way. Er, sir." His tone indicated that this was no trifling matter. Jericho nodded.
"Lead me, then, and do explain on the way."

---

Taikada almost shivered, despite the daylight. What did he want with me..? Is he suspicious? He must have been, if he's seeking me out, but that went too smoothly. Perhaps he really did only want to ensure that all went well. No, I can't hope for that. I'd best leave town early. Entering the inn, Taikada went to his room as calmly as he could manage, and threw everything in his large satchel. The new bedding didn't fit right out, of course. He had to fold it carefully to get it in. When he had finished, everything but his maps were accounted for. Maps! Cursing under his breath, he folded them and shoved them in a pocket of his jacket. They'd be fine there. It was time to leave Oda for sure.

Strolling out the front door of the inn, he thought about his next steps. Where should he go? On the one hand, I've learned all that I needed to, but on the other, confirmation couldn't hurt... I want to find him myself, now. I really do. The benefits of being able to say that Crepusculum aided the prince of Narcissus in his time of need could be great, I suppose. He shook his head. This is ridiculous. I'll just go and find an elusive prince of a different country and side with him against his own people. Yeah. Let's go with that. However, a large part of him WANTED to do just that. He groaned. I am impossible, sometimes.

In any case, he decided, it would be advantageous to leave the town and search around for a few days. If he found nothing, then so be it; if he found the prince, well- who knows then? Shrugging to himself, he set off down the town's main street. It led to a gate that would allow him to enter the surrounding forests. Within five minutes, he was out of Oda and on his own- or was he? Noticing a large form shake a nearby bush, he hurled himself to the ground, landing quietly, and pulled out a pair of his throwing knives, just in case. He would've felt more comfortable with the pair of short swords in his satchel, but to remove them both and unsheathe them would take too long. Instead, he pulled himself into a tensed position, ready to strike, and waited, watching and listening for movement.

[kirant]

[BTW, how is magic being handled? Is it just kind of a 'parlour trick' type of level, such as indicated by high level magic being opening locked doors? Or is there higher level magic that is kind of combat suitable?]

---

Beneath the crashing of hooves, a handful of soldiers had made it into town. Fatigued and strained, there was a great confusion as a hurried attempt to explain the situation erupted. It was hardly a believable story...so many men left the gates of Atrum and would dwindle down to something that could more or less be described as an adventuring party more than an army battalion.

"Yeah, we heard of Prince Valios' escape. But 'ow do we know you're actually supposed to be looking for 'im?"
"We given direct orders the Central Army to scout this area as we suspect he has gone this way."
"And we just told you we don't think 'ere's a way that they would send a small party like yours out."
"Most of our men are injured and are in need of care! We need you to dispatch a convoy out of town to get them."
"That...sounds like a trap. 'ow do I know you are who you say you are?"

By this point, frustration began mounting. The story always went in circles. The soldiers were obviously either ill trained, lazy, or suspicious of their own men. The conversation had gone nowhere over the course of several minutes and patience was trying. The once calm commander had jump off his horse.

"Look, guardsman, I am Major Wise of the Narcissus Central Army. I am ordering you to open this gate right now!"
"I an under strict orders to not open the gate if I suspect something."
"Men are ill. I can't show you anything unless I drag you out to where we left them."
"Bring them here"
"Aren't you listening? There are too many of them. If you don't hurry--"
"AAH!"

The clattering of metal had caught everyone's attention. Another soldier now lie on the ground, curled in the fetal position. While Karla and some other soldiers hadn't dismounted yet, Major Wise had run to him. The diagnosis was obvious again. With there nothing he could do at the moment, Wise turned his head to the guardsman, who had taken a step back from the gates. His pronounced upset reflected in his shimmering green eyes.

"Damn it. Now do you believe us?"
"I...I'll get the Sergeant"

As the soldier had turned his back to get higher ranked soldiers, the major turned to the rest of the troops. He called it as a bluff and lost...he had to reclaim as much respect as possible, given the debacle.

"You head for anything that may be of help. Alchemy shops, guilds, whatever. I'll stay here with this soldier."

--

Approval granted, the pair of young League soldiers left the war room, satisfied with their conclusion.

The taller of the two, Devin Carvell, never let the smirk he had painted on him wash off. A mere 25 years old, he had become a terror on the battlefield. A lifelong citizen of Narcissus, he rarely left Atrum as a child. Having joined the Narcissus League at the earliest age, he became detached to most emotions and developed his already keen sense of tactics and pragmatic decision making. Even with peers, he was known to be ruthless, willing to sacrifice soldiers as needed to get to endgame; there was a good reason why he was disparagingly nicknamed "Devil". Though this was the same behaviour that saw him take one of the key spots within the League's organization...if they ever needed something done, no questions asked, he would get it for them. He carried with him an arquebus, his weapon of choice. Having been trained primarily for long range shots, he kept himself at a distance from others during fights, a notion he generally translated to his interpersonal relations.

Flanking him was Emily Carvell, nee Ladha. Slightly sullen, her eyes kept to the ground as they left. A childhood friend of Devin, she too left for the Narcissus army at a young age. She and Devin were considered top candidates for promotion within the League. Unlike the aggressive tactics of her friend, she was very conservative. While it served her well in keeping everyone alive, the results weren't always what her superiors wanted...so she's always been one step behind Devin. Romance bloomed on the battlefield and they eventually married...Emily becoming Devin's trump card in each and every scenario when it comes to dealing with issues. Her running speed combined with her twin blades and arquebus have given her a reputation for solving issues.

"...Hey, Dev"
"Yeah?"
"Are you sure we can catch him?"
"Who? The prince? We've got approval for our plan. We can't lose."

[Solace]

(Sorry for not posting before, I've been pretty depressed lately and that has dejected me from most things. Magic can be both combat and "utility" oriented, but to do both successfully would require a high degree of skill and much much time spent studying and mastering the art. The Wyn have a high "compatibility" in terms of learning and using magic I would say, while other races may have to spend much more time and work into learning the simplest spell, like Saikans.)

"My liege, are you sure?"

Michael mumbled in a respectful stance, facing the floor of the brilliant Atrum Palace. Alongside him, knelt the six other Archangels; Raphael, Gabriel, Uriel, Jegudiel, Selaphiel, and Barachiel. He could hear a sharp chuckle from the Emperor, joined by the Wyn Council who sat in their elevated seats all around the throne room.

"Yes, Michael; the time has come. They shall not suspect a single thing with the New Year just a day away. All of you, rise."

The Archangels did as they were told, now standing shoulder to shoulder. With their similar physical traits, the seven of them could have been mistaken for siblings. Jegudiel and Barachiel held devilish grins, while an exasperated sigh from Uriel followed with an melodramatic arm stretch. Gabriel scowled while Selaphiel conjured a magic mirror to fix her hair, with Raphael and Michael holding a considerably hardened expression as ever. An odd bunch, they were, but their collective and individual skills were second to none in Verus.

"I shall go over the plan once more; Selaphiel and Uriel, you both will warp the League to Melior's doorsteps. Michael will take his army southbound and push right through Zephyr and into Crepusculum after Gabriel and the League have completed their objective. Raphael, you will direct the Mucro Atrox north through Zephyr and into Tahra where you will assassinate the Shu Chieftain, but leave false evidence that the other tribes committed the act to spark a tribal war among themselves. Barachiel, you will bring me the children of Ventus Maelstrom and Aaron Flammaheart. Jegudiel, you will bring me the child of Ovius Kristov. He or she is currently in our borders, Oda, so it will be quite a simple duty. The Wyn Council will use their telepathic abilities to contact all other high-ranking officers to come to Atrum. Assemble your men, and prepare armaments and provisions. Tomorrow night, I shall give the word to execute the order."

Michael snapped the other six Archangels into attention, ordering them to stand straight and focus. He bowed, which caused the others to do the same. They all said in unison:

"It will be done."

_____________________________________


Among most of the cities in Narcissus, Oda was one of them that did not have a wall surrounding its establishment in the aftermath of the Penumbra, and for once Milos felt relieved about such. He had led his men through the farthest back entrance of the city in hopes of running into little to no resistance, and sure enough, they did not. As a hooded Milos strode through the ghetto-like city with his men in tow, he noticed a great lack of any enforcement around. Just where were all of the guards?

Milos ordered his men to stock on any necessities before they would depart once more, advising them to rendezvous at the tavern towards the northern entrance. Re-checking his bag, he sighed in relief. It was good to have been the Prince of Narcissus; he had been rich and never decided against carrying a large sum of money whenever he needed it. He shadowed his way through the skeleton-like citizens of Oda, giving some of the suffering some Aureii for their needs until he passed through the tavern doors.

Truthfully, Milos didn't have a specific acquaintance; he only told his men that so that they wouldn't tense. Mercenaries were known to frequent taverns, and that was why he needed much Aureii. He carefully studied the men and women, sober or mildly drunk, scattered all among themselves at their tables. He needed the best that his money could offer. That's when a notable table caught his eye; though there were just five of them, they all looked like an entire mercenary troupe that had perfect chemistry together, which appealed to him more than their expensive weapons.

"Who tha bloody hell are you?" The freckle-faced, brown haired one said as Milos approached the table, causing a domino effect of laughing. The lone woman in their group who looked just as old as she was gave Milos a seductive oh as if embarrassed, glaring him down and pretending to accidentally reveal a bit of cleavage. Her eyes seemed to do the talking for her, but he knew better. Milos then looked to another of the group, who appeared to be their leader. A stern complexion with assorted scars seemed to announce the man's veteran for battles, leaving Milos wondering if he'd seen time in the army. Short blonde hair cut in a military fashion hung above alert, light brown eyes that met his gaze. If this wasn't their leader, he might as well have left.

"Heh, I know you; you're the Prince, aren't ya? Heard 'bout what happened, a bit messed up, don't ya think?"

The mercenary leader managed to keep his voice hushed enough so that only Milos and his troupe could hear, with the rest of them gasping and whispering among themselves. Milos took a deep breath before he would begin the persuasion and negotiation, knowing well that it would work.

_____________________________________


"It's one of my dad's weapons, but I haven't actually seen him use it yet."

Ren responded in a casual manner, patting down his slightly dusty shirt from the encounters with Luther. From outside, he could hear children scream in festivity for the coming New Year. He wasn't looking forward to it, mainly because it all seemed toe same for him. For a moment, he stood there just looking at Elizabeth, until he realized what he was doing and broke the silence.

"Since tomorrow is New Year's night, I don't have any working to do. I'll probably just hang around with Luther and see what he was bothering me about earlier...

It wasn't so much that Ren didn't like Luther, he just hated how there was nobody else that he could talk to or hang around with other than him. The other kids weren't necessarily fond of the two, but the same could have been said for himself. He just wasn't able to trust anybody so easily, and he didn't know why.

"I guess you're leaving Astra, then?"

Ren didn't notice it himself, but he was frowning. It had always pained him to say goodbye to somebody ever since he and his father were forced to leave his mother and younger brother back in Tahra. He wasn't able to get over it, and he didn't think he ever would.

[kirant]

[No problem. Take and care for reality before anything online]

---

Dusk set upon Atrum's League encampment. Wood buildings loomed over the surrounded well worn dirt paths. It was impossible to distinguish the path though...heavy preparations for something, were underway. Devin didn't know what it was, nor did he really want to. Walks were great for removing any extraneous thoughts. And anything but tactics needed to be purged. The most pressing matter was execution. Execution of the upcoming mission.

In many ways, it was a great opportunity for him. He owe Narcissus heavily for giving him the chance to excel. Well, it was more them just planting the seed, and letting him nurture. But still. That chance was all he needed. And he still needed to repay his nation for that. As much as he was a deeply ingrained nationalist though, another factor meant more to him. Another person. Emily. This was a chance to solidify the union...a chance to open up to someone finally. There were few people in the world that he could actually connect to and he didn't want to let the chance pass him by. Emily...she was always there for him, always ready to help out or provide encouragement. And he stood by, ready to jump in. Emily suffered from low self-confidence, crippling at times. Even as a child, she would fall apart if she couldn't deal with things on her own, which is where Devin stepped in, taking a silent and subtle role...if nothing else, to ensure things went her way. The symbiotic support network is probably what drew them together, each throwing support as the other needed. And finally getting a chance to show that off on official duty would strengthen that further.

Making his way through the commotion, the "war room" lie behind him, all the generals with their puffed up uniforms bickering about some trivial detail. He was on the second half of his walk, back to his quarters. A lone soldier began tailing him. The soldier approached, running short on breath. Almost feigning interest, Devin turned to face the man.

"...Yeah?"
"S-Sir. I have specific reassignment orders."

Damn. Lips pursed, Devin responded with a slightly sharp tone.

"What do you mean, reassignment?"
"Well, you're asked to stay at the base with the rest of the League and await further command."
"And what of Emily Carvell?"
"Well, she hasn't been given any changes. I assume she's

Devin's mind drew a blank. That shouldn't be. That can't be. Everything was working out perfectly. Off all the possibilities, to have it ruined by this alone. It must be someone's fault. It simply must.

"Please follow me soldier."
"Where?"
"Just. Follow."

Devin walked to a secluded corner of the facilities. He had known the area well and recognized low traffic areas. Taking a quick look behind him after, the soldier's disposition had changed dramatically. He'd evidently heard something about the area on site. Or maybe he had heard some of the horror stories of what could happen if you got on "the devil's" bad side. It didn't matter though.

It was a quick, fluid motion. Turn, point, cock. He had the soldier facing the barrel of a loaded arquebus. Now he had control. Now he could control the flow.

"Who gave you those orders?"
"Aah! Don't shoot!"

The soldier's voice sounded not unlike that of a trapped mouse. He wouldn't talk of this "incident" later. He knew the wrath that could come down on him.

"Answer the question."
"Well. It came from--came from the Archangels."
"They don't talk to anybody, especially not anyone as worthless as you."
"T-T-The general just said that those were his orders, as assigned from the Archangels."

That makes things worse. There's no way to overturn those level orders. Only one possibility remain.

"Listen and listen well. You're going to get Emily the same orders."
"I-I don't have that abi--"
"You're GOING to do that. It's an order. How you do it isn't my concern. Get it done."

Ensuring that the soldier fully understood the consequences, Devin turned around, holstered his firearm once again, and walked away from his prey. The sound of clattering metal behind him indicated he collapsed. But he'd do it. There was no doubt about that. It wasn't ideal, but it got the job done.

0--------0

Time was of the essence. It seemed the soldier wasn't going to return anytime soon.

Karla faced into the horizon. There was nothing she could do - no freedom to enter the city, no ability to treat the sick, and no energy to serve either purpose. The last set of given orders couldn't be completed yet.

Temporal experience seemed to indicate that something that was entertaining or fun always felt like a very short amount of time, while more painful experiences felt like they were longer. Therefore it was becoming increasingly difficult to judge the time that had passed. Energy levels falling to new lows, Karla found it difficult to even focus on what she could see in front of her. The nearby buildings more amorphous clumps of colour. The sentiment seemed to be communal, as the other soldiers nearby started trying to rub their eyes and see their surroundings once again.

Even Major Wise was wavering and was kneeling on his left knee. His face wrinkled slightly as his eyes closed further and further. There was no way this could have been the same man who led the team out the gates of Atrum early this morning.

"Neale. I'm going to take a rest. You take the remaining...remaining men and split them in town. I only know of an Inn and a minor Alchemy shop..."
"Yes sir. What about you?"
"...Leave me here for now. I'll leave you in command until I...can catch up to you...."

As if set off by clockwork, the end of the sentence caused Wise to roll onto his side. It was strange. He seemed perfectly peaceful in his rest, unlike all the other cases.

Either way, there was work to be done, and marching orders were given. Though...they contradict with standard law. They were supposed to wait and meet a sergeant, but were also told to get inside Oda and find out what was happening. Hopefully someone else could make the decision.

Silence. So much for that. It seemed only fair given that she was defined as second in command as well as deemed so by Major Wise. So that had to leave a decision. Is it better to be lawful or to be good? The laws state that what Major Wise said contravenes laws and should be ignored. At the same time, comrades were in trouble.

What mattered more?

What would he want you to do?

Ultimately, the will to do good had to stand out. It's what the military stood for after all. The few that still stood around Karla could be counted on a single hand and looked more like the undead than they did any real military team. That wasn't of importance though.

"We'll move into town. You two follow me. The other two, find the shop Major Wise was talking about."
"What if the soldier returns and we're not here?"

A fair question.

"He'll find Major Wise, who will explain our situation. Now move out."

0--------0

"I guess you're leaving Astra, then?"

The words seemed to be more of an invitation than it did an actual question. Elizabeth had nothing to do. Actually, it was very tempting. Life on the road in and of itself was very monotonous. There was no one to talk to, nothing to do. The surrounding area was pretty quiet and it was going to be a long walk to the next village.

"Actually, would it be possible for me to stay another day?"

Though she didn't want to admit it, there was some emotional desire that drove her to ask. The first New Year's Night after leaving home was spent on the road. As she passed by houses looking for shelter, families were celebrating, while children ran around carefree. The path she had chosen removed family and such valuable joys from the equation. Ren seemed to be alone. There seemed to be few people he could spend time with tomorrow. At least, that was her self-justification. A more primal drive was the desire to feel at home, even if it wasn't home.

[Solace]

"You're gonna go far, kid." Orbus sarcastically laughed after listening to the entire situation regarding Narcissus, a contagious snicker infecting his comrades.
"But unless you can top the 5,000 Aureii from my current client, you're outta luck."

"You forget that I was once the Prince, Orbus." Milos retorted, smiling as he dove into his pocket and threw a considerably sized pouch onto the table. He saw the mercenary's mouth droop wide open in conjunction to the others around him, the look in his eyes spelling out definite acceptance. But, I guess my Aureii'll go to another able mercenary..."

The bewilderment in the sole woman and two other men of the mercenary group almost made Milos laugh, had they seen this much Aureii in their entire lifetime? Within the pouch, contained almost quadruple the amount that he'd stated, and he still had more. "Consider this a done deal."

Orbus reached for the pouch, but Milos placed his hand atop of it in a swift motion. "There's a catch to this, though; you will fight under my wing until this campaign is finished, and you will listen to my commands. Your group does not exist until our objective is complete, but instead we are one force."
He grinned again, seeing the mercenary's indecisive face looked between the pouch and his group. He exchanged a few inaudible whispers to the man next to him, producing a nod and looking back at Milos.

"Damn, you drive a hard bargain, Valios." Orbus laughed, scratching his head. He hated the feeling of being cornered, it made him feel weaker in a sense.
"But you'll have to provide us with weapons in case ours end up breaking, and food and all of that. "

"Let's make some history, shall we?" Milos lifted his hand from the pouch, allowing Orbus to snatch it. The man peered inside it, almost as if he were checking if the Aureii was fake, but he would have found the opposite. Milos turned towards the entrance of the tavern, hearing Orbus order his group to follow along until he heard a shot from an arquebus sound from just outside. With the mercenaries in tow, he took a quick look outside and saw a large group of citizens massed together in a flash mob. A dead body of a young man who looked to be under twenty years old lay strewn on the road, the residual smoke from the barrel of the weapon still in the air. Things ranging from shoes to bricks to even silverware were being thrown at a lone soldier by the corner, who had fired the shot and killed the teenager. Milos gasped when he recognized the corpse as one of the rogues. He must have gotten into some sort of altercation with the soldier that led to this entire mob forming in the rogue's defense. Another one of his men, dead already.

Milos turned to inform the mercenaries to walk past the incident, but that's when he saw Orbus storm past him and into the open with his large blade and a shield that looked to be made of... bones? He had only just noticed it, but thinking about it spooked him out; he hoped they weren't anything human. Milos opened his mouth to stop Orbus, but was too late.

"Take this, you Imperial son of a bitch!" Orbus stammered, swinging his blade at the unaware soldier and severing his right arm with the first strike. The soldier veered in pain as the next slash decapitated him faster than the arquebus could fall to the ground, producing a mixed opinion from the mob. "Orbus, what are you doing?! Get ba-"

Almost an entire platoon of guards were dashing down the road towards the scene with their weapons drawn, and an obvious intent to silence the mob. "ORBUS!"

"We're comin', boss! RAAAAAAH!" The freckle-faced mercenary screeched a war cry past him, with the other two following in pursuit. He couldn't believe that all of this was happening, what in Netheria were they thinking? Suddenly, he heard even more instances of chaos around him. One of the citizens in the mob had picked up the arquebus wielded by the now-dead soldier, loading it like any typical soldier in the League and firing off into the platoon that advanced on them with surprising accuracy. The rest of the mob diverted their artillery of everyday objects towards the same platoon, slightly impeding their advance as Orbus and his men took a defensive position in anticipation of the incoming enemy.
"Guess we've got no choice!" Milos pulled his bladed arquebus from under his shroud-like robe, joining Orbus as he prepared to meet the soldiers head on.

_____________________________________


"Of course." Ren's frown transitioned to a smile. "Want to come with Luther and I to do whatever he has planned? He was rambling about something."

[kirant]

Being a much less formal organization than the Narcissus Central Army, at least some of the League's soldiers got to occasionally visit home on their downtime. Those that had homes at least. Money was so hard to come by. Devin was lucky that his parents had a little extra spending money and gave some of it as a wedding gift, enough to provide satisfactory living conditions. That's what he viewed it as anyways. Most of the town would kill for such a lifestyle. Starvation, crime, and corruption rampant, any place that wasn't a giant target for criminals was a benefit.

Rolling one of two keys in his pocket, Devin kept his emerald eyes on his target: home. The house leaned right up against one of the walls the encased the capital city. Though the lack of sunlight provided a strong reflection, the single slanted ochre roof and unpainted walls was burned into his memory. It was the colour that he and Emily had agreed on and was one of the factors when choosing to live there. The lack of many windows put a real damper on things, but ultimately they served no real purpose anyways. A simple rectangular door provided the only source of entrance or exit from the construct. It had a state of the art deadbolt to protect it in additional to traditional sliding locks. Having access to such a mechanical wonder provided some ease of mind to Emily, who always worried about lack of personal safety at all times. To which that reminded him...he needed to open both.

Damn keys always looked and felt the same! Fumbling with both sets of locks and keys, Devin jammed one into the upper lock, the deadbolt. No luck. Well, that must mean it was used to open the sliding lock. And that meant the second key he held would go with the deadbolt. Simple stuff. Taking a breath to collect himself, Devin pulled the door towards him.

Inside, there was less than was even indicated by the exterior. Only about three rooms encased everything inside the walls, each entirely lit by candlelight at this time of day. One wall, facing left upon entrance, held all the spare military equipment, hanging off a couple chairs, mounted against the wall, or in piles. Ammunition, close range weapons, armour...everything. Past that was a small fireplace and pot. Food was simple. Mostly because food was pretty much the same day in, day out. The amount and type of food they could get was pretty much always the same. To the right was a simple bed, constructed out of leftover wood and cloth.

One thing caught his eye though - a redheaded saviour. A light shining in darkness who had gotten rid of the ponytail that she wore publicly. The noise had unsettled her from her last resting place, wherever that may have been, and gotten her attention focused squarely on the door.

The words stumbled to form in Devin's mouth. How do you explain change to someone who's so eager to protect the world and keep it as static as possible? It seemed such an easy task on the way back, but now seems much more complex than first imagined. Careful not to sound aggravated by the entire incident, Devin decided the first words would be to settle the mood first...after that, the change would come.

0-----0

Buildings. Endless rows of buildings.

Well, it felt like it. Passing each block of buildings seemed to be a personal achievement for the remaining two soldiers accompanying Karla. One of the two knew where the inn they were to visit was located and motioned towards it multiple times. It provided some relief to Karla, who hadn't stayed in the area for years and would have to guide the three of them based on memories alone.

The town hadn't changed much since she was a child. Oda was poor and the state of its citizens and buildings reflected it. The citizens mostly tried to live off whatever they could get and were for the most part starving. Those that appeared to have larger stomachs than the rest were worse off - bloated stomachs were often a sign of extreme lack of nourishment. Worse yet were the buildings. Many were literally on the verge of collapse. Simple basic materials such as iron for nails were in such rare supply that, although surrounded by timber, there was no effective means of repairing damage. Windows were mostly covered by stretched leather, if covered at all.

The movement of solders in heavy armour had caught much of the local's attention. And definitely not in a positive light. The soldiers of the Central Army had become known as the enforcement side of imperial rule, the arm of the law that would punish honest thieves, desperate fathers, and down-on-their-luck children. Things hadn't changed it seemed. Karla's father had gotten into a couple fistfights with other locals while they stayed in the area. And it wasn't like the roaming family stayed for long.

"The tavern...the tavern is at the corner of the next street, ma'am."

The road, entirely made of compressed dirt, was entirely linear. A direct line of sight could be made from their location to their target. That was, if there wasn't a mass of humanity in the way.

From what could be seen, a body lay strewn on the ground. Not too far away from that stood a lone figure. Such incidents weren't uncommon in the poorer districts of Narcissus. In fact, a local nearby platoon of soldiers had seen the incident, but had not reacted. Nor did they look intent on interfering in any regard. Karla tried to put the emphasis in these sorts of incidents on criminals. The thought of being in a corrupt and broken organization was difficult to swallow, so simplified explanations, even those bordering on delusion were great mental opiate to pacify a conflicted heart.

In this case though, the details seemed all too clear. The soldier had panicked and used the firearm against an unarmed civilian. The man, who was likely dead at that distance, posed no threat. The lack of immediate punishment, or response overall, by the local soldiers didn't help matters. Local citizens didn't take kindly to the notion either, taking whatever was available and violently protested the action. Such matters were to be decided in military trial.

No such trial would ever come to pass though. Before the three got much more than ten paces closer to investigate, a man had come running towards the soldier.

...!

"Damn him!"
"That bastard!"

The other two had seen it then. Emotions were running high after such a gruesome public display. The local soldiers began to intervene and approached the now exposed swordsman. By all means, from the distance, he appeared as a battlefield veteran. The ivory coloured blade and shield gave him a more pronounced presence, as did his accompanying band.

None of that mattered at the moment. The key detail was that the man with his blade unsheathed was now criminally responsible for the soldier's death. And that the military had to stop him now.

"We're following them in."
"Ay ma'am!"

The fatigue and empty energy reserves seemed to refresh from the shocking images that played out. As if they had just woken from a nap. The two soldiers that had flanked Karla were now charging at full sprint. Releasing her two-handed blade from its resting state, she too found herself running headlong into battle. Finding the prince would have to wait.

The increasing rioting and crack of an arquebus did not seem to bother the soldiers. To many of them, it was a matter of injustice. Of defending the life of a comrade. Of defending what is now just a memory.

0-----0

"Want to come with Luther and I to do whatever he has planned? He was rambling about something."

The prospect of interpersonal action seemed pretty inciting. Quite an oddity actually, for such activities was exactly what encouraged Elizabeth to leave home in the first place. Maybe it had been that she was travelling on the road so much and didn't spend much time relaxing or maybe for a more complex reason, but either way, the concept of such an ill-defined activity was appealing.

"Sure. Please lead the way Ren."

Having left her boots and gloves right by the bed, those seemed only natural to put on. Something caught her eye though - her travel bag. It stood out from the rest. Was it what? Clothing? Goods?

...Food!

Though Ren was taking steps towards the door, Elizabeth moved back to her bag. Unwrapping and taking two of the crimson fruits on top, one in each pocket, she tried to play catch up with the body leaving the floor, although she wasn't entirely sure about how her sudden appearance appeared.

Regardless, she wanted to hand some of it off. Pulling the fruit from her right pocket out, she offered Ren the good she had travelled with.

"...By the way, I've got some food here. I assume you haven't had anything to eat yet. Would you like one?"

[Solace]

Milos felt a piece of him chip away as he pulled the trigger and blindly fired into the approaching cluster of soldiers, the blood of his own countrymen now on his hands. A very small plume of smoke was produced, joined by the crackling sound of the round racketing ahead to meet its victim. It made its way into a soldier's shin, causing him to fumble forward and cause slight disarray, but it didn't stop the advance. He watched as his "comrades" virtually walk right over the injured soldier, vanishing within the sea of clanking iron. They just trampled him!
Milos held his rifle up, using his free hand to carefully pull the lever-mechanism upwards to eject the spent shot and load the next. It was an exclusive, experimental variation of the arquebus that he'd been given many years ago for his Imperial Trial, and arguably, it was a real killer. A lever-action, breech-loading rifle that could fit sixteen shots at once and fire twenty-eight rounds per minute in quick succession, it had been specially crafted by the Archangel Azrael during his training for usage. Though it still needed to be loaded with black powder to discharge the shot, it wasn't much of an issue; what really mattered was the time of which it took to reload. Milos hadn't mastered using the rifle yet, and in the heat of the moment, one wrong step in reloading could be his demise. Milos re-aimed the rifle towards the enemy who were only seconds away, firing off another stray round that skimmed one of the frontal heavily-armored knights' helmet. With a lightning-fast reaction, he held the rifle in a sword-like fashion and presented the blade. His heart was beating wildly as he was now looking dead in the eyes of the soldiers, deflecting an attack but accidentally throwing himself off balance as the two "forces" collided. Milos' hood flew back and revealed his true identity, generating many gasps from nearby soldiers and the flash mob.
"It's Valios! HE'S HERE!"

_____________________________________

"Sure, thanks." Ren accepted the offer, hesitantly observing the red apple-like fruit. He was sure that he'd never seen any type of fruit like it while hunting before unless it really was an apple, but who knew? Maybe it was from a foreign nation? As soon as he took the first bite, his ears rattled off from a distant sound originating from his east towards Narcissus. Initially assuming that it was just in his head, a second and much more audible sound went off. Astra itself was situated not too far from the border between Zephyr and Narcissus, so hearing those sounds were a bit common. He didn't know exactly what they were and who caused it if that were the case, but he didn't think he wanted to find out. Ren took another bite out of the fruit, savoring its taste before he motioned for Elizabeth to follow. He hoped that whatever Luther had in mind would be worth their time.

_____________________________________

Everything was simple for Orbus; hack, slash, parry, repeat steps one to three. When he heard one of the soldiers identify the Prince, almost all of the ones who were surrounding Orbus has instantly changed course towards Milos. "I'm going to give you one hell of a royal welcoming!"
Orbus plowed through the grunts, wasting no time on them but instead fixing to the ones who were more armored. He sheathed his sword and shield, fashioning a battleaxe dropped from one of the soldiers he'd killed. Orbus laughed at one of the particular knights, not seeing that behind the helmet, was actually a woman. "You'll regret crossing weapons with me, Plastic Boy."

_____________________________________

The fresh scent of prospering spring filled the air as a gentle breeze caressed Ren's body, with leafless amber trees and freshly blooming flowers trailing behind the west wind while Astra exploded with renewed activity not seen throughout the year's period of winter. Young children congregated from all around, playing their silly games and petty tricks along their companions while eager parents and maturing teenagers spectated the festivity alongside the elderly folk, who were reminiscing of their past lives and disputing over rumors both obviously believable and unthinkably impossible. Hunters and merchants, many foreign and few native, bartered their assorted goods as they discussed of the latest hunt.

Ren managed a drowsy smile, calmly greeting and addressing those he passed with the respect he'd shown for the past twelve years while explaining the quiet life in Astra, certain events, notable people, etc. The long-awaited arrival of the beautiful season, exclusively known to his father as nature's “awakening grace”, had only recently begun to blossom. Only two days remained until the end of the year would arrive, and on the night of the new year, a grand celebration would happen in almost every corner of Verus. Or at least, that's what he thought before everything happened. Sunlight waned around Ren's vision, partially impairing his sight but not enough for him to not see the path before him. From the moment he was able to walk, he could remember how persistently his father had begun to train him. He'd learned to differentiate between the various varieties of edible and poisonous wild berries spanning the continent, but that was only one of the many others. Luther's father and his own seemed to be the best of friends, distinctly similar to how he and Luther were, except they appeared to be more of rivals instead. Despite their old ages, they were regarded as the town's best fighters, easily able to best any of the other fighters, who were roughly at least twenty years younger. It was the reason as to how they were both leaders of the militia.

What was strange enough, though, was what people said about his father and Flint. About half a year before, he remembered once overhearing an average debate between a group of elders; they discussed among themselves about how their separate techniques and styles, unorthodox and unlike anything they'd ever seen in their lifetime, seemed so synchronized and coordinated. Ren didn't see such a significant difference between “traditional swordplay” and their “abnormal twist” in the art, but he never paid too much mind to it. All of the people could say what they wanted about Flint and his father, but it wouldn't change the way they perceived things, or anything else for that matter. He made a sharp right turn down the pathway from his home, looking into the stable that belonged to them. Usually occupied by the horse they owned, he noticed that the space within the wooden establishment was vacant. Since his father had not been present in their house, Ren presumed that he'd left for another one of his errand runs sometime before dawn. Over time, he grew used to his father frequently leaving Astra, but for each occurrence it still came as a surprise to him that he wasn't ever told of the departure.

Ren followed the path down towards the heart of Astra, seeing Luther jump in a star-like fashion, as if he were trying to get his attention. If that was the objective, than Luther was ever the winner. As he approached the Nyphrian alongside Elizabeth, he could read from his smirk that he was thinking of something considerably... vulgar. He sighed, preparing himself for the onslaught of Luther's voice. "Alright, I'm here. Is it fine if Elizabeth goes with us?"

"Of course! The more, the merrier! Hehe!" Luther replied, pointing towards the gates of the town. "We're going to be heading off into the Aldus Forest! They say that there's some sort of ancient relic hidden by the waterfall! THAT'S COOL!"

"Are you crazy? Your dad and my dad will kill us both if they catch us out of town. They've told us not to venture off in the forest because it's too close to the border, and an area crawling with bandits."

"Come on, pleaaseeee?" Luther executed his last resort act, employing an innocent "puppy-like" eyes tactic on both Ren and Elizabeth, cupping his hands together and moving an uncomfortable distance towards the two, enough that he was virtually in their faces.

[kirant]

The heat of combat is an unusual experience. No matter how often you're in it, the mind begins to focus on the immediate and present. It's what has allowed generations of animals and humans to survive, but it also causes one to lose track of the bigger picture.

The case for all the soldiers was no different. The military doctrine for tight quarter combat was to form shield walls - lines of men which would advance on their opponent calmly with minimized casualties. With no risk of being flanked by horseback in the situation, the march would act as a juggernaut - slow and unstoppable. But emotional revenge and outrage took over sense and reasoning. The strategy was nothing short of a mad charge. Such was the mentality of the local patrol. Such was no different for the remainder of the scouting party. To the other soldiers, it was to avenge, to reclaim. To Karla, it was to close the distance for effective combat. At least one of the fighters needed to be detained and tried, though it seemed likely that he'd be on the wrong end of a blade before being captured. With nothing at hand other than a blade, she needed to get to melee distance. And with no good cover in the streets, that meant charging one firearm head on.

No...make that two. Out of the crowd, another figure began firing, faster than the other. While the technology was interesting to her, she never could find a legal method of determining exactly how effective or fast they weapons were. At any rate, the firearms' shots filled the air with popping sounds. Bodies collapsed as the slugs entered their body, but due to circumstance and poorly determined strategy, the bodies were met with iron footing. It would be key to give the men a proper burial later, but the focus would still be left on the men in front of them.

When two opposing forces collide, there is a moment of impact, of change of momentum and occasionally deformation. The heavier armed soldiers found themselves pushing many of the lightly armed rebels back. It did not help that the soldiers were tightly packed and, as such, began compounding the momentum of themselves, in heavy armour, as they met their enemies, who wore nothing but lightly spun clothing. Being in the back of the pack, the soldiers from Atrum didn't see anything, but a sudden stoppage of fighting seemed to indicate it all.

"It's Valios! HE'S HERE!"

That was it! Everything was working out.

"You two! Follow him and make sure he's ours!"

A seemingly twinned response of "Aye!" from the remainder of the scouting party conferred a quick understanding of the arrangements. Karla too had intended to pursue the prince, but the secondary target, the man who wielded the white blade and shield had caught her attention. Though now, he was carrying a much heavier weapon now. A two-handed axe...approximately equal in weight to her own blade.

"You'll regret crossing weapons with me, Plastic Boy."

Though such an introduction was unorthodox, Karla followed her military procedure word for word. It wasn't her fault that the rest of the soldiers didn't follow. Even if it was pointless, it was important to follow through with the instructions.

First, lower your weapon. Don't impose yourself as a threat. Ensure you have enough ground though to ready it though if they are violent.

Second, remove your helmet. They are more likely to surrender to humans.

Third, recite their crime.

Breathing heavily, Karla attempted to complete the last step she could recall. Her voice cracked in the middle of the speech, highly tired from all the "adventure" of the day...which, admittedly, was better shape than she was in before entering town.

"You are hereby charged of death of a soldier. Pleas--Ahem--Please disarm or you will be taken in by force and your safety is not guaranteed".

0-----0

A stroll through the village through the day was interesting compared to the trip in darkness. Despite the fact that it was only a change in position of the sun, there was something surreal about the area. It was beautiful, and Elizabeth's mind started to wander into the past, wondering if she had ever seen a place as tranquil or as visually impressive in her travels.

The brisk pace set out kept her mind at bay though as Ren ran through aspects of life in Astra, attempting to pick up each detail for storage and recollection in the future, should it become important. It was quite a different than what Elizabeth thought of when she looked back. Noona was busy all the time, with people constantly moving. It would have been impossible for her to give as good a description of even her own neighbourhood, let alone the entire city.

Maybe that was part of what attached her to the image of Astra. She was by nature very caring about everyone, unless they conflicted with her point of view. Tradition was part of her values and it was becoming increasingly difficult to keep up with all the changing requests her local circle placed on her as roles and responsibilities cycled. A quiet area like Astra was tranquil...something that she could keep up with. That, in combination with the already natural beauty of the place, could have caught her attention.

Eventually, the same man who'd just held earlier at sword point by Elizabeth could be seen in the distance. As they approached,d he seemed to be showing no effects from the past encounter, as evidenced by a bit of a smile. Was he really that carefree? Or was he just trying to let bygones be bygones?

"Alright, I'm here. Is it fine if Elizabeth goes with us?"
"Of course! The more, the merrier! Hehe! We're going to be heading off into the Aldus Forest! They say that there's some sort of ancient relic hidden by the waterfall! THAT'S COOL!"
"Are you crazy? Your dad and my dad will kill us both if they catch us out of town. They've told us not to venture off in the forest because it's too close to the border, and an area crawling with bandits."
"Come on, pleaaseeee?"

It involved breaking law...while Elizabeth had no problems flirting with it, there would have to be a good reason to do so. And she wasn't sure if disappointment was enough of a reason. Though, that was likely the fact that she was naturally one to not want to adventure as much - even when leaving home, it was more preferred to find a more homebody-like job such as archaeologist. It was just that if she had, any one of the locals probably would have found her, or would have found out about her past, making it hard to hide. On the other hand, disappointing someone, even a newly met stranger, to such a degree hardly seemed the right thing to do. If it meant that much to Luther, she wouldn't mind putting aside her own desires and feelings to satisfy the Nyphrian. After all, she was intruding on the days of others by simply being there.

Then again, that ultimately meant she had no right to make the decision either. And the reasoning stuck.

"I'm alright with going. Did you want to, Ren?"

[Solace]

(I'm not entirely sure if I should continue this, seeing as it is basically a two-person roleplay at this point...)

Ren looked between Elizabeth and Luther, now unable to tell who the crazy one was. Half of him wanted to stay true to his father's word, but the other said otherwise.
Elizabeth's only going to be here for another day, I guess it wouldn't hurt...
"Whatever, sure, I'll go." Ren sighed, folding his arms and feeling like he'd surrendered in a way, and he couldn't help but feel that he made a decision that he was going to regret.

"WOO!" Luther jumped in excitement upon hearing Ren's decision, backing up slightly. "Ren, you just need to loosen up a bit! This is gonna be fun!"

Ren held back a response, not wanting to cause another scene with Elizabeth around. Luther impatiently ran through a group of villagers who were carrying various materials like wood, causing them to lose their balance and drop their loads. They didn't yell at him, though, for they were well too expecting of the occurrence. When Luther reached the gates, which weren't too far from where Ren and Elizabeth were standing, he turned back and shouted: "RACE YA THERE!"

With that, Luther ran through the gates and disappeared into the trees. Since it was obvious that Ren wasn't going to participate in their little game of race, he followed suit quietly.
_____________________________________

Though Milos had temporarily impeded the advance by just a few seconds, the guards were now so close that physical combat was needed. The fact that his hood had now fallen back and exposed his identity didn't help, either, it seemed to increase their momentum. It was complete madness; some of the citizens had picked up or used anything as a conventional weapon and in the mob mentality, fought either amongst themselves or the troops.

Milos crouched to dodge an axe, feeling a bit of his hair cut off from the sheer might and close encounter. He used the butt of his rifle to daze the attacker by hitting them in the ribcage, stabbing the soldier in a spot that would disable but not kill them. In the heat of the moment, he saw another group of forces begin to appear from their opposite sides; reinforcements. He didn't know where Orbus or his men were, but he hoped they would hear him.
"Push through! Troops coming in from behind us!"
_____________________________________

"Haha, save the formalities when you meet the Creators!" Orbus sought to take the opportunity of killing the now-unarmed knight, stopping another soldier square in their tracks with a mighty strike of his bone-plated shield. He lifted the greataxe, preparing to strike down the knight before Milos interjected.
"Damn it, Valios!" Orbus sneered, casting the axe aside and raising his shield. "You're very lucky, I'll give you that, but I reckon that I've got to go now."

"Ferrum! Push through these weaklings!" Orbus called out to his mercenary group, using his shield to plow through the troops towards the left of him. Though it took a little bit more effort to get through the other heavily-armored knights, he knew that he would still be able to do so.
_____________________________________

Milos followed Orbus as soon as he came into view and began clearing the path, making sure to cover his back from the attackers. The other members of the mercenary group and even some of the citizens joined them, though unlike himself, they were content with killing the troops. He could see bodies of citizens sprawled across their alley-like battlefield, knowing well that the Wyn Council would announce this to the nation as an act of genocide and a massacre carried out by Milos himself. Only the weak-minded would truly believe in that propaganda in his opinion, but it was much too late. When they finally managed to break through the line, he saw that the enemy reinforcements arrived just in time, but from closer observations, he saw that they were all riflemen. That meant...

"Legions, present!" Milos heard their officer shout, pointing directly towards them. The League? What the hell were they doing here? "FIRE!"
The last things that Milos saw and heard was Orbus and his mercenary group duck for cover, the deafening wails of death and line of shots, and the feeling of peace that Milos hadn't felt in years.
_____________________________________

"The prince and his companions have been killed. We have done our job here, move out!" The Legion officer ordered, leaving with the squad as quickly as they arrived. The remaining soldiers began disposing of the dead while the two others under Karla's command observed the "supposedly dead bodies" of the prince and the mercenaries. Most, if not, all of the mob had been dispersed by the rain of arquebus shots, just like that. It would definitely make headline news for the continental press.

"They are all de-" One of the troops stopped mid-sentence, instantly putting his sword to the Prince's throat after seeing his chest bob up and down. One shot had caught the Prince square in the chest, another near the shoulder, and the other one had hit his thigh. The most surprising thing was that he was still alive, even if it was just barely.
"Valios is still alive, ma'am! He looks to be unconscious, though, should we finish 'im off?"

[kirant]

(Doesn't matter to me which way you go. I personally prefer quiet RPs as it gives me a chance to really get into all mentalities as oppose to flipping between 4-5 different situations each with unique characters.)
(Then again, I'm also the type of person who's perfectly fine RPing for one (also known as "slow fiction writing"...so take my answer with a grain of salt)
(If this one dies, I'm really wanting to try my hand at an RP similar to the Zero Escape franchise's "Nonary Game". The only problem would be the number of players we'd need would need to hold consistent by virtue of the way the RP would have to run (with people taking over for those dropping out) or causing permanent death, given the nature I'd be putting into it. If you haven't played either Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors or the sequel Virtue's Last Reward, I'd encourage you to do so. It's a great character driven game.)
(The more I think about it, the more I really want to do it. It's a good way for me to run things since, as I'm sure you know by now, I'm pretty minimalist in description. If only I wasn't taking so many courses, and had a serious post-grad exam to write after all this...)
(I've left this short in case you do want to ditch this. This is ultimately your game and you can decide the fate of it)


0-----0

Watching Luther run off with such speed, and the ensuing chaos that he caused, took a few moments to register in Elizabeth's mind. Was he always like this? Anyways, they agreed to the adventure, so it was best to follow him and see where everything ends up.

On the way over, the silence seemed...nice. There was a burning question though, and without consent from the mind, it ran straight out of Elizabeth's mouth, as if it was a life or death matter.

"So, how do you know Luther anyways?"

Because the distance was short, the answer was fairly laconic. There wasn't too much to the story it seemed. Oh well, much better to be on this side of the conversation than the other. Burdening others with your emotional troubles wasn't proper. In fact, it'd be easier for her to absorb others' concerns than to express her own.

0-----0

"No. Take him to the medical facilities. Treat him and any survivors for their wounds. We will take them back to Atrum once he is confirmed to be well enough to be transported."

Despite the stoic demeanour, a great beast was stirring in Karla's stomach. It wasn't anything bad...more...envious than anything else. They were bailed out by other soldiers, ones which by no means should have been there. The concept of that was pretty sickening...that meant you weren't capable.

Either way, it was best to take the prince and any breathing soldiers and make sure they'd survive the trip back. First step though was to determine who was left and what they had to deal with.

"Search the area. Find all who we'd deem prisoners and get them identified and prepare them for transport to Atrum, if they can."