Fire Emblem: Requiem

[Marlowe]

The Ebonwood
Yveltskr
Interacting with: @Fyrra (Isra), @Vayne (Dustice), @Demon Shinobi (Roq), @Thaleko (Chidori), @Psyker Landshark (Jorin), @Jessica2477 (Velita and Khirel)​

The beast loomed closer and closer. It growled its monstrous, guttural growl as she could practically feel its breath upon her face. Beatrix stepped back in hopes of breaking for a dash, but instead, something swept her off of her feet. She found herself clinging to snow-white fur, with her rescurer's voice coming from beneath her. Had Roq saved her? She ground her teeth, not sure of how to feel. On one hand, she was grateful for his help. On the other, however...

Now wasn't the time to think of belittlement. They had a creature to get rid of, and with the way they were attacking it, it seemed like nothing was working. But Roq was right-- she had to think of something, anything, to get this monster away from them and rescue Dustice. Roland's query went unnoticed as she turned back to look at the monster. What could they do? Could they go for its legs and knock it off balance? She winced to see Jorin's body fly back and hit a tree. Was he alright? It seemed like his armor had done well to dull the damage, but it still seemed painful as hell. Both him and Dustice had to be attended to once they got rid of the beast-- that was, if they could.

"Go for its legs, not its head!" she shouted to the rest of them. Hell, it was practically a last resort, but what else could do they do? Just keel over and die?!

As if on queue, a figure appeared and trapped the beast in ethereal shackles. Beatrix watched in surprise as he told them to strike the inside of its mouths. The certainty in which the monk spoke spurred both Velita, and even Jorin, who had taken quite a hit, to act. Velita's lance struck first, boring straight into the main mouth of the insidious creature. The monster's groans and moans of pain only developed into a cacophony of wails as blood poured from the oriface. Velita's blow had dealt it a grevious wound, yes, but Jorin's only amplified it. And, with another string of screams and a heaving shudder, it collapsed onto the floor in a hellish heap.

For a moment, Beatrix didn't say anything. She sat still, face contorted in shock, fear, and bewilderment. Slowly, carefully, as to not stirr the creature from an nonexistant slumber, she lifted herself off of Roq's back and stepped close to the beast. It laid there, thick, black blood pooling underneath its corpse. It seemed to deflate under the pressure of itself, and its many hooves jarred out in different directions.

Beatrix stepped closer, her lance at the ready as she stood next to Jorin and Velita. What in Lady Lorelei's name is this?! she thought, trying not to keep her voice from shaking as she prodded the creature's hide with the tip of her lance. It still didn't move.

"The injured should be tended to, first and foremost," Beatrix glanced at Jorin, and then at the distant form of Dustice's body, as she addressed everyone. It was difficult to keep her voice from trembling. This wasn't like fighting a highwayman or an army. This was something completely unknown to her, and maybe even to all of them. "Get the bandit and Dustice onto the wagon. We need to check if they have any serious wounds... the blows they have taken are not to be trifled with."

She glanced back up at Khirel, seeing the red-haired man still in the tree. At least he seemed uninjured, as did Roq, Isra, Velita, and Roland. After giving everyone a quick glance, she turned to the stranger. She would have run to Dustice's side to see if he was still alive, but she trusted that someone that was stronger than her could heft him over to Pascal's wagon for attention. She eyed the stranger with hostility, still on edge after the fight.

"Who, in the Lady's name, are you?"

 

[Demon Shinobi]

The Ebonwood
Aftermath of Combat
Interacting with: @Luminosity @Vayne
Mentions: @Thaleko ​

It was almost like waking from a nightmare. The notion that they'd survive had seemed almost a dream to the Laguz as he reverted to his more human form. He winced. His leg was still hurt. He'd been hurt upon being knocked from the monster during the attempt to pin it with a tree. It was better than the alternative though. He was alive after all. He took a deep breath and stepped away from the group for a moment in order to return to the wagon. He took a seat within and removed his left greave and lifted pantleg from the bottom to better inspect his leg. With the adrenaline of combat wearing thin he couldn't help but groan. The release of pressure was helpful in allowing him to better gauge the damage, but it was hurting more by the second. In fact, it was quite bruised, perhaps even bleeding internally. He shook his head.

Roq wasn't quite sure how many items of healing they had and this was a glorified sprain. He could manage. He let his pant leg fall back into place and replaced the greave which he found to be dented. Possibly from the fall. The Laguz slave took a moment to inspect the reins and equipment used to fasten the horses to the carriage. He sniffed at them acquiring a scent he could follow before returning.

"Cap'n, I know that tending to the wounded is important and all, but since somebody took it upon herself to release Azure and Sapphire," he paused briefly, shooting a quick look at Chidori, "it's important that we get them back before anything happens to them." Roq huffed turning his gaze back to Beatrix. "So, I'm going to go find them."

"Roq, you took a bad fall. Maybe we should have you should rest a bit before you go off to do anything," Roland chimed in partially trying to stop Roq from bothering their captain further. "Besides, it's not like you're the one that let them go."

"We won't be getting very far with out them, master," Roq rationalized the situation before continuing, "and I'm fi..." Roq immediately stopped to let out a yelp of pain as Roland slapped his injured leg with the bottom of his lance.

"You're in pain." Roland placed his hand gingerly on Ferice's head, the wyvern having taken a sitting position beside the group. "Ferice and I can handle finding the horses."

"That overgrown lizard may find lunch, but he won't find and return the horses," Roq argued before flicking Ferice's nose. The Wyvern growled. He probably would have pounced had Roland not calmed him. "Besides, I'm more better at tracking and much better with other animals. And you need to make sure you're not hurt."

"I'm fine Roq."

"You say that, but given your tendency to play the hero and the fact that your armor is dented in multiple areas, I very much doubt it." Roq smiled as he gently nudged Roland. "Unless you'd like to strip down in front of everyone to prove you're alright."

"What?" Roland's cheeks flushed and he looked at the group. In truth, he was fine, but he wasn't about to give into Roq's teasing. Lost in thought, he didn't even realize Roq had already begun to leave. "Hey!"

"Tend to Ferice Master. I'll be back for you know it. Besides, I've already got the scent," Roq shouted back to, using this moment to also let Beatrix know that he was indeed going.

Roland grumbled a bit. Roq would have stayed had he been ordered to do so, but Roland didn't want to spurn his comrade. Besides, Roq was a good tracker. He'd have them found in no time. And he was able to communicate with the animals much better than he or the ravenous Ferice could. It was still frustrating, however, that the wolf didn't listen to reason. He groaned and motioned for Ferice to sit by the Wagon and walked over to Dustice. He lifted the mercenary up and carried him over to the Wagon, where it was safer and there were item with which they could be cared for. "I'm sure we'll get you cleaned up, though I'm hardly the one for that job." The Wyvern Knight offered little more to the mercenary following his removal from the former battlefield to the Wagon. The question was, what would they do now?

 

[Psyker Landshark]

At least the bloody thing was dead now. Seems that unknown monk knew what he was talking about. If they hadn't known about the beast's weakness...it probably was sturdy enough to have killed them all. Goddess knew that he was hurting badly. By some miracle, his breastplate had held against the creature's blow, but it still hurt. With a groan, Jorin collapsed to one knee and allowed himself to be helped onto the wagon, setting his axe down.

"I have a name, girl." He grunted at Beatrix as he was laid onto the wagon. "Jorin Adelas."

Jorin glanced about as Beatrix questioned the stranger, glancing back towards the beast's corpse. Right. He'd thrown his hand axe at it. With a grunt, he tried to rise on instinct to retrieve it, but laid back down after a sharp twinge of pain from his chest. Damn it. "My throwing axe is still in the creature's mouth. Anyone mind retriving it for me? Hate to waste decent iron."

 

[Jessica]

KHIREL AND VELITA

Location: Ebonwood, Yveltskr

@Psyker Landshark (briefly)
@Luminosity

~~~~

With the beast dead and all safe, Khirel hopped down from the tree and landed on his feet easily. He approached the beast's corpse, where his sister was using her strength to unsheath her lance from the monster's intestines, and reached for the hand axe. He removed the blade with one pull then approached Jorin, holding the axe by the unsharpened edge, blade facing downward, and handle toward the other man.

"Here you go."

Once Jorin took back his weapon, he turned to Beatrix. He felt that at the very least he should apologize.

"I'm sorry for not being as useful as everyone else, but I'm afraid I would have been more of a liability than an asset in that battle." He reached around his pouch and pulled out a Vulnerary, giving it to Beatrix. "Use it for your friend, it's the least I can offer."

Sure he could have come down, but what good would that do them? The fatal spot of the creature had been inside of its mouths, and Khirel would have needed to either stick his hand in said mouth or fire his magic with extreme precision. While he was pretty experienced with his tome, landing such an attack would have required far too much luck for his liking. The other option would have made him lose his hand entirely.

He was certain Beatrix would see this too, and if she didn't, then he'd simply explain.

Before he could say anything else to her, he instinctively felt an attack coming. He sidestepped out of the way, the attack being his sister trying to smack his arm though he made her miss.

By the look on his sister's face, she expected it to happen.

"What are you doing here, you boob?! Do you have any idea how close to death you were?" Velita scolded him, taking out a piece of cloth to clean her lance's blade.

"Very aware, yes. What the hell were you doing coming to Ebonwood? And why do you have so many new friends?" The mage asked her this time.

Khirel and Velita hardly traveled with other people for safety reasons, so seeing her with a group surprised him.

"Going to Taltfallow to see if I could find you there. This group allowed me to camp and eat with them, so I owe them all a favor." She answered this time, earning a smile from him.

"I was heading there too for the same reason. Next thing I knew that beast surfaced and I was forced to climb a tree to escape it." Khirel turned his attention to Beatrix this time.

"I owe this group a favor as well."

Velita then spoke up, looking to Beatrix as well. "Miss Beatrix, judging by your group you are in need of mercenaries or just about anyone who can fight, right? Because you and your group have been so kind, Khirel and I would be happy to fight for... whatever it is you're fighting for as a thank you. So long as it's nothing we morally stand against."​

 

[Demon Shinobi]

& Chidori Tsubasa
Bringing the Ponies Home
Collaboration with @Thaleko ​

Chidori huffed and folded her arms. "Someone had to!" She followed up with rolling her eyes. "Oh sure, next monster we meet, you can be the one tied up, and we'll see how you enjoy it." It was easy to whine, when you weren't tied up like cattle, presented as the monster's next tasty snack.

Roq huffed as Chidori followed him further into the forest in order to find the horses. He glanced at her. "I've been tied up before," he said calmly as he continued to walk with a slight limp. "And what would you have done had the monster turned its attention to frenzying horses now on the run?" He look at her as he stepped passed a tree, sniffing the air around it. "And how did you know there wasn't another monster? You could have just been sending them off to slaughter," Roq chuckled a bit remember their last conversation before continuing, "Was that what your ninja determination amounted to?" The laguz grinned, taking the moment to not just question his companion, but mock her a bit.

Tied up, huh? Well, she supposed he was an animal.. "All conjecture. I doubt that thing has friends. They'd probably tear each other to shreds. But it's irrelevant anyway," she said, glancing at him. "Once set free, it's up to the horses to get away. If they can't.. then -" she shrugged, "-I suppose that's just the way of life." If he wanted to mock her, he'd have to try harder than that.

"Is it fun not having to actually think about the things you do?" Roq asked as he stopped. He looked to the left and then to the right. "One of them is close by," he said glancing at Chidori again. He could smell Azure. The horse seemed to have calmed down a bit, possibly due to the death of the beast. Roq motioned for Chidori to move in. Her stubbornness was admirable really, if not a little annoying. He was happy she felt the need to protect the horses, he was just upset it didn't seem she'd thought anything through. It didn't help that he didn't know what was going on in her head. Only what she so boisterously announced from time to time. He shook the thoughts from his mind. "We need to be quiet and make sure not to spook them," he paused as he continued moving slowly while asking, "can you move in without freaking Azure out?" He would have loved to try and capture the horses by himself, but with his leg, there was no way he could keep up with them if they ran.

"Close by?" Chidori repeated, ignoring his previous question. It was just easier to ignore pointless ramblings of fools. Sure, there was an obvious trail left behind by fleeing horses. Footprints, broken branches and trampled bushes. Still.. "Your senses are useful," she complimented. She gave him a nod, "What? A dog can't be anything other than a noisy mongrel?.. Heh, yeah, I should be able to." Said the small female, as she moved quietly into the underbrush to take a peek at the horse.

She saw it munching on some berries. It had settled down, obviously, which was good. She gently stepped out of the brush, but made some noise to alert the animal to her presence. It was better it knew she was there upfront, rather than creeping up on it totally silently like a predator. "Hey, horsey. Azure-kun.. There there, it's just me." Chidori said gently to it. This was a trained horse, he should recognize her. It was clearly on edge, as she crept slowly up to it. However, eventually she no longer needed to creep, as he relaxed to her presence, and walked the rest of the way, placing her hands on his soft mane, patting him. "There, there. Good boy, good boy~ It's all good, Azure. You're safe~ Okay! Come out! But don't do it in a way to spook him!" She called over to Roq.

Roq smiled at the compliment, though what came next put a damper on the mood. Just when he thought she could be a little nice. He sighed watching her make her way to Azure. She was certainly very skilled in this area. He wouldn't have thought to make a little noise like her. If he stalked, it was more like a predator. Force a habit he assumed. And when she gave the okay he made his way out carefully. "Looks like you're skills are no joke," he said as he finally came side by side with the small ninja and place his hand on the horse. "I'm glad you're on my side..." Roq couldn't help but laugh a bit. "Since, I'm sure you'd find a way to out sneak my senses," he added as he ran his fingers though Azure's mane. "We should find Sapphire now though."

She felt the horse tense when someone else's presence was made known, but with her there at his side comforting him, Azure quickly settle down. Besides, he was familiar with Roq as well. "Good, you didn't come crashing out like some predator or something!" That was meant to be more of a compliment. She gave him a smarmy lil' side-smirk, "Oh, what's this? Complimenting me, too, now? A moment ago you were getting on to me. Heh, well thanks! You bet your ass I would!" She nodded proudly, "Finally! Someone recognizing Chidori's greatness! -Ah! Yes, we should! -Work that nose, boy. Where'd Sapphire-kun head off to?"

Roq rolled his eyes. Her attempt at a compliment was... interesting. If nothing else, he got what she was going for and it was a slight bit better than most of the back handed compliments he'd received over the years as a slave. "You'd be so much cuter if not for the arrogance," he laughed a bit as he turned away from her. "Or at at the very least if you knew how to compliment others." He added as he pat her head playfully. "This way though little ninja." He said as he began to lead her and Azure towards Sapphires locations.

"Cuter? Hmph!" she grunted, flashing him a frown. "I don't care about being cute! I care about people knowing who I am! Chidori Tsubasa!" She paused and postulated, "Wait, hold on.. Kawaii?... Would that help me gain recognition?.." In the midst of having a revelation, he patted her head, which made her glare at him once more. "Oi, an animal patting a human is backwards, ain't it? And don't call me 'little ninja'!" She whacked away his hand and began following, coaxing Azure along. "Azure-kun, come, come. This way."

"I don't know, I'm sure it would help with some who'd spread you name," Roq said before laughing at her following comment. She really saw him as an animal. It was odd. As a slave, he'd been seen as lower than the typical Sollan all his life, but this was different. "You really see no difference between Azure or Sapphire and me?" He was genuinely curious as he followed the scent of the other horse. His limp remained. It didn't feel any worse. Just consistent. That didn't make it better. They were getting close. He could hear some rustled movement not far from their location. "Be prepared little ninja," he emphasized the new title he'd given her with a grin clear on his face, "Sapphire must still be a bit riled up."

"Do I? You can speak.." Chidori murmured while contemplating if there was a substantial reason to add 'cute' to her repertoire of skills. How did one act 'cute', anyway? "I guess the question you should be asking, is do you see a difference between me and Azure and Sapphire? Or Azure and Sapphire and anyone." Her eyes flicked to his limp, which was causing his gait to be annoyingly inconsistent. "You need to get that checked." She spoke, which was more of a statement than a querie. She narrowed her eyes, "I said, don't call me that." She heard the rustling, too. So the horse was still frightened? That could be a bit of an issue, but if he spotted her and Azure, he should settle down... She peered into the area the other horse occupied.

Much to Roq's surprise, he had to think about what Chidori said for a moment. He'd never question himself like that? It was always clear what other's thought of him, both good things and bad things. But what did he think of himself? Was he different than any other animal? "I do," he finally said as his eyes shifted to the horse and then back to his own hand. Then, he stopped once again. He walked more cautiously, keeping close to Chidori. "Sapphire is just beyond here. Might be a little frazzled still, but there's less noise now." He said brushing off the comment about his leg. He knew he'd need to get it look at, but it was just a bruise. It could wait while the more pressing injuries were tended to. Still, he grinned. "What'll you do if I don't stop, Lil' ninja?" He chuckled softly.

"Hm, I wonder. Is it a crime to gut a dog?.." Chidori turned to him a with a grin. "Just kidding. Lighten up." She hit his arm, then stepped closer to Sapphire, once again making a sound. Just the sound of her stepping on some leaves. Nothing too loud to spook the already antsy horse. She also pulled Roq into view, and Azure. So Sapphire would see the group. "There there Sapphire-kun. Relax, horsey. The danger's gone. Thanks to the brutes back there~ There there, Saph."

"I know you're kidding," Roq said with a small chuckle. "But you're still welcome to try taking me down," he added with a small grin. "Long as you think you'd be up to the challenge, I'm game." The young Laguz took a moment to think about her way of calming Sapphire and the words she chose. "Brutes?" He questioned her. "Really?"

"Heh. That was a better attempt at flirting, dog," Chidori teased. She glanced at him with a half-frown. "Well, what else would you call them? Burly ax wielder. Buff lancer. Heavy. All brutes." This was when they came up to Sapphire, and Chidori's calming hand fell upon the beautiful animal, soothing it. "-There there Sapphire~" she cooed briefly, before continuing the previous thought. She twirled, flipped, and posed. "Agility. Speed. Pure elegance~ These describe me. Wouldn't you say so, dog?"

"Flirting?" Roq smirked and crossed his arms. "Awfully presumptuous of you huh?" he asked as he nudged her gently before she went about beginning to calm Sapphire. In truth, maybe he was a little. He had a habit of being... overly friendly. Although, this was still a surprise for him. He didn't even think the young ninja knew what flirting was until this very moment. "I'm sure you could think of other, kinder, words if you put your mind to it." Now that both horses were safe and accounted for they could begin getting back to the group. Even so, as she took the time to show off a bit he couldn't help but roll his eyes, though the smile never left his face. "You do seem to be very good at doing so for yourself," he paused looking Chidori up and down before continuing, "although you did forget humble." he said with a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

"Are you suggesting calling them what they are is being unkind? I can't say someone who is burly is burly?" Chidori questioned, raising her eyebrow. Maybe this stemmed from the small ninja's inclination to be blunt about things, but that didn't make a lick of sense to her. She wasn't one to sugarcoat things. "Humble! Glad you noticed!" she cheerfully chimed, as they made their way back to the others, horses in tow; the girl making her way back in a gleeful display in what could only be called 'frolicking'.

Roq shook his head as he followed along after Chidori. "Right right right," he said as he helped her lead Azure and Sapphire back to the clearing, well it wasn't a clearing before, but after the fight it most certainly was one. Still, he found his experience with Chidori interesting. Maybe he was even starting to understand her a little bit. Just a little bit. "Thank you for helping me," he said as he walked past her now that their little excursion was done, "lil ninja." Roq couldn't help but add that in as he left the shinobi to deliver the horses to Pascal.

"Uh, sure, thanks for doing that, too." Chidori mumbled, patting the horses, leading them forward towards the others. "Azure-kun, Sapphire-kun, you're back home." As he walked away, she flashed a look of displeasure at Roq for his insistence on calling her that.

Roq grinned in response to Chidori's look. She was indeed welcome to try and make him stop calling her that, although he likely would have if she stopped referring to him as a dog. It annoyed him to no end, but he wasn't about to try and beat a dead horse... He looked at the carcass left behind by the beast they'd just recently slain. Not a good analogy to use. He was glad they at least got Azure and Sapphire back safely. He glanced at Beatrix who seemed somewhat busy. He took his time limping to take a rest while waiting for the group to either make a decision on what to do, or simply move out, waving to Velita as he did so. "I'm glad you seemed to have found your brother," Roq said in passing before taking a seat at the base of a nearby tree. He was right. Khirel did retain Velita's scent, if only a bit. He could tell they were related.