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| HA I edited Rhy's post. |
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 Posted: Thu Jun 04, 2009 8:24 pm
--MEANWHILE, BACK AT FEFGA'S MANOR--
The group going to the restaurant was already fairly large... besides, he'd already eaten at the carnival and wasn't that hungry. Mostly, he just wanted to rest his legs after a hard day's work. FEFGA's seemed like the place to do that, and so to FEFGA's he went, looking forward to just lying down and taking a nice, long nap.
Before he did that, though, he ought to go look in on Rei. The poor lad had been in the library all day! Even he, Rhys, had at least APPEARED at the festival! What on earth was keeping Rei so lo--
"Oh, dear goddess."
Bookshelves and books were strewn about haphazardly on the floor. Rei was nowhere to be seen.
Rhys knew immediately something was wrong. At the Host Club party in march, when the Fire Dragon had flametongue'd the curtains in an attempt to rid the house of a drunken, glaive-swinging Siegell, Fefga herself appeared to save the house from certain burnination. The fact that she HADN'T appeared to fix this meant one of two things: Either she was busy, or she wanted someone to know something happened.
And either way, something definitely happened. But what? He looked around the fallen bookcases, searching for some indication of what took place!
Hang on... what's this?
A small piece of tattered cloth lay trapped under the corner of a fallen bookcase. The fabric felt soft to the touch, unlikely to come from something Rei would wear... possibly a skirt?
Skirts were usually worn by females, so... some unknown female came in here, and there was a struggle, and the female assailant won?
But then... where was Rei? There didn't seem to be anything that suggested he was dragged out. Nothing about the rest of the manor had been out of place, had it? He couldn't recall anything odd... plus, what about the wards? Did the assailant have not-so-sinister intentions? But then, why kidnap Rei? Sure, he'd been corrupted over Easter, but unlike the former Guard, he hadn't gone around killing villagers at will...
"Hello?"
Rhys called out, wondering if anyone was here.
"Is someone there?"
Looks like we have a mystery on our hands...
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Posted: Fri Jun 05, 2009 8:54 am
The attic was full of shuffling and scratching.
The attic dweller had dug himself deep into a corner, gasping and whimpering, his clawed hands pressed over his face. His body was wracked with turmoil. He could sense it: a familiar presence, a soul distorted by sorrow and doubt, a reminder of a bloody and guilt-ridden past. And then there was fighting downstairs. He was no fool! He could sense it, the collision of elder magick so profoundly formidable that it left him gasping for air, scratching at his lungs, his body seized by an uncontrollable tremor as magick writhed and contorted deep within the mansion, clashing and striking and sparking.
And then all was silent. He was left to himself, to his attic, to his silence stirred by whimpers and pants. He hugged himself, his widened eyes exploring the darkness around him. The ache in his head persisted though the battle below had faded to a desolate calm. Every muscle twisted in pain. Thoughts and fears seemed to rattle back and forth in his skull, the fringes of his vision deforming into more hallucinations, revealing the shadows that seemed to dart and dance around every corner, fleeing his sights every time he tried to catch them...
Then that presence vanished.
...Just about no one else was inside the mansion. They were all at the festivities, having a merry old time. He assumed as much, anyway. His fear immediately gave way for indignation, and his countenance seemed to lengthen as he stood up, scowling at the window.
Yes, they must've been enjoying themselves out there in the sun, where he couldn't go, where he couldn't show his damned face!
Enjoy it while it lasts!
Now he wanted to know what had transpired beneath the attic. No one else was here, so it was safe to leave...
No, there was a doubt lurking in the back of his discordant little mind. At least one person had to be here.
I wonder why, he thought with blatant sarcasm.
And in case he bumped into that person, he needed a distraction. His turned his eyes upward to the objects hanging from the ceiling, veiled in shadow. They swung from makeshift tendrils of a crude essence, fleshy yet hard. No one would like to bump into them.
No one ever came into the attic anyway.
He ripped one of those objects from its cord and rotated the thing to get a proper view. His eyes glowed momentarily as they shifted, an indication of his night vision. What he saw was a face on a severed head, its expression melted into hopelessness and surrender. Veins still trailed from the neck like ribbons...
Yes, this would make a fine distraction.
The attic dweller silently walked along the floorboards, some creaking beneath his surprisingly dainty steps. He stepped over shadowed forms, sprawled along the ground, contorted in strange and unusual ways. He opened the hatch, but he had no use for the ladder.
He leapt down, and his crooked ebony wings unfurled.
He squinted down the hallway. The lighting was different, very different here, and he didn't like it... Locks of teal-black scattered over a wan face, providing as a veil. He tested the atmosphere for energy signatures and patterns of where they echoed or originated. He began to sneak down the corridor, his wings tight around him. Dread curled around his insides like a vise.
He took care to avoid stray eyes, but the mansion was astoundingly empty. It brought him some comfort that he would go unheeded. He proceeded deeper and deeper, following a familiar route to his destination, anxiety and relief wrestling in his bosom for control and doubling their efforts with every distance he crossed.
The attic dweller stopped at the doorway to the library. He hid himself behind the wall and peered around, having sensed a presence here. He clutched the severed head to himself.
As he peered around the doorframe, he could see Rhys standing among a wreckage of toppled bookcases that appeared to have undergone the domino effect.
What luck.
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Posted: Fri Jun 05, 2009 10:26 am
The beautiful, pearl-white animal whinnied and stomped in her stable, feathered wings flapping uselessly. Long, slender legs eventually bent; Huey was reclining in the hay. She was bored, oh, so bored, but there was something deep inside her that wouldn't let her leave the stable. Some strange pegasus intuition, she guessed, but what WAS that strange sense of foreboding that she could feel so so intensely?
She rose again and shuffled to the manger of fresh carrots and vegetables. Noble vegetables. It was a holiday, indeed. The pegasus took a large bite, strong jaws chomping down and chewing.
Her pale mane shifted only slightly when she turned her head towards the entrance of her straw-filled resting place. Was that a new presence? ...Maybe. She returned to her food. She'd find out later.
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Posted: Fri Jun 05, 2009 12:53 pm
Silence throughout the manor answered Rhys' call. He was alone. Or rather, if anyone was in the manor, they preferred not to answer Rhys for whatever reason, sinister or otherwise.
Someone needed to know about this. Nino's face in particular popped into Rhys' mind. He was a bit tired, but this seemed more important. Granted, maybe this was all just an accident, someone being clumsy and knocking over the bookshelves onto somebody else, but... frankly, he had no way of knowing. Better to tell someone that something sinister happened here and be wrong than to not tell when said sinister event actually HAD.
At that moment, his eyes shot up towards the doorway.
Weird. For a second there, I felt like... I was being watched.
Had the assailant returned? Somehow that didn't make sense. But then again, not much else was making sense here, either. Well, if someone WAS there... they already knew he was in here...
Keeping his eyes on the doorway, Rhys sort of crab-walked over to a nearby desk. Removing a Lightning tome from within his robes, he opened it up to a good page and set it down on the desk, easily readable and within reach.
Then he gripped his staff as though it were a sword. Once again came the call, except more stern this time, laced with a bit of fear: "Who's there?"
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Fire Emblem Forever Vice Captain
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Posted: Fri Jun 05, 2009 1:33 pm
It started out as a faint echo, but grew louder; the mysterious sounds cooing through out the library. Eventually they turned into something that sounded like a little girl crying. The farther back Rhys walked into the library, the more clear the crying became. The secret passage was still open, as the culprit hadn't taken the time to reset it, leaving the long ancient passage of dark stairs revealed to all who by chance would come by. As the bishop would approach, the more it would be easy to tell that the crying was coming from deep down there. The open passageway somehow called out to those who would stumble upon it, though forbidden as it may have seemed.
"Sniff... sniff... all.. a-all my... waaaah.."
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Posted: Fri Jun 05, 2009 1:46 pm
What the...
Rhys peered down the long passageway. Someone used this? Was this here in the library the entire time? And who's down there...?
He walked back a few paces to retrieve the Lightning tome. Whoever was behind the corner (if there was anybody) could wait. Besides, these steps were solid stone--it'd be tough as nails to try to sneak up on Rhys undetected, especially on what appeared to be a long spiral staircase.
He paused to set his staff beside the doorway, taking a moment to light a lantern (used for those late-night study sessions). It wouldn't do to explore a secret passageway without something to light the way, at least. Then he once again set his Lightning tome back in his robes and switched gems on the staff so it carried a very dark blue gem on top--now it was a Sleep staff. Always useful to gain the upper hand in a fight, or for making an escape.
All set at last, Rhys descended the long, spiral steps, listening to the crying getting louder and clearer. There were a few torches along the steps after all, but Rhys liked the lantern anyway--it wouldn't do to climb down stairs in pitch blackness. Better to be prepared.
Down further and further he descended into the deep darkness.
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Fire Emblem Forever Vice Captain
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Posted: Fri Jun 05, 2009 1:59 pm
"Sniff.. sniff...."
The tears of a little girl became clearer and clearer, the more the bishop went down. For such an ancient passageway, it seemed to be well kept. The worst thing was a few- OHGOD,SIPDERINTHEFACE,GETIT,RHYS,GETIT- spider webs here and there. Loking over the side of the stairway, and down, a bigger light could be seen emanating from the bottom.
"Snifff... all.. all my..."
The tears were only interrupted by brief mangled words or phrases that formed no sentence. As the stairs came to an end, they brought forth a room up ahead, lit by a fair amount of torches on the walls. Small waterways were up against each wall. A platform could be seen at the end of the room, leading up to a wall with figures sculpted into it, though they couldn't be seen well from a distance. In the center of the open room was a small little girl, with red hair, sitting the way she usually liked to, with her knees up. She had her head in her lap, and was sobbing. She was so perplexed that she didn't sense anybody enter.
"Sniff... all my fault... sniff.. sniff"
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Posted: Fri Jun 05, 2009 2:10 pm
Rhys didn't speak as he entered, taking in the scene before him. How long ago was this place built? And why?
His attention was focused on the crying girl. He knew that look before--he'd seen Fefga appear to stop the house from burning down. It occurred to him that all things considered, they knew very little about Fefga, in fact. All this time they'd focused on the dark god Loki, and had... largely ignored the fact that they had a spirit on their side, too.
Rhys felt a pang of sympathy for Fefga--he had a feeling his fighting abilities through a number of people in FEF were considered a punchline at best. Amelia, at least, felt differently (one of the things he loved about her--she, at least, thought he wasn't a wimp). Still, to have nobody acknowledge your abilities and you feel you've screwed something up? Yes, Rhys felt he could understand how the girl felt.
But how do I address her?
"Err... hello? Fefga? Is that you?"
...NICE ONE, Rhys. Very heroic, his mind told him with liberal amounts of sarcasm.
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Fire Emblem Forever Vice Captain
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Posted: Fri Jun 05, 2009 2:17 pm
Upon hearing a voice, Fefga immediately soared around, in mid-air and gasped deeply. her face red from crying and her eyes wide from shock in still a bit teary.
"WHO'S THERE?!"
A sudden pushing force from seemingly nowhere began to fill the room, and the lantern's flickered. Her voice was obviously distressed, in a way, that perhaps, made it somewhat evident that not everybody was allowed down there.
"WHY ARE YOU HERE?!"
Her voice echoed and clanged deeply in Rhys's heart, as she spoke.
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Posted: Fri Jun 05, 2009 2:26 pm
Rhys stood there for a moment, trying to keep himself from running away. He suddenly felt like the room was getting very... small. Perhaps he should go back upstairs and pretend this never happened? Yes, maybe that was a good idea! Certainly...
Rhys shook his head. You're here now. Unless she throws statues at you, try to stay calm.
Why was he here? Good question. He'd come into the library, saw the bookcases toppled over, the corner of tattered skirt, the secret passage leading down here...
"I'm here," he spoke, voice straining a little over the pushing force, "because I seek answers. Rei, a friend of mine, was in the library today. I found toppled bookcases and a corner of ripped skirt, and a door leading down here."
He wasn't accusing Fefga of anything. The resident spirit of the house? No way. She couldn't have stolen Rei. But the fact that she had been crying suggested she at least knew about the event, as well.
"Fefga... did you see anything or anyone from earlier? I'm sorry to disturb you, really. But I need to know."
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Fire Emblem Forever Vice Captain
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Posted: Fri Jun 05, 2009 2:48 pm
The spiritual pressure weakened, after Fefga heard Rhys ask her his question. She glided back down and sat with her knees up, and wrapped her arms around them.
"...No... not see. But.... but I did sense them. They fought. He got beaten. ...Then she came down here! And she took it! ....And then she took him..." Her eyes began to water again. "And it's... it's all my fault! Sniff... I wasn't here to stop them! It's because of me that she took the shota! Sniff..!"
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Posted: Fri Jun 05, 2009 3:23 pm
His wings tightened around him timidly as Rhys addressed the empty air. He backed down, clutching the severed head even closer to himself, ready to thrust the object at the priest and flee. He crouched and slowly backed up as Rhys came closer and closer, each second extending into excruciating units of time, screeching on his nerves tauntingly, challenging him to run.
But the sound of soft sobbing broke the tension. The figure lifted his head, his wings and grip relaxing momentarily to test the atmosphere again. This time he faintly sensed another familiar energy signature, distorted by sorrow and guilt. The pulsating aura was unmistakable.
He closed his eyes to remember...
Throwing the window open, furious and maniacal. Snow blowing in, Anna shouting at him to shut the window, else he'd freeze to death. Glimpsing a child playing in the snow, giggling...
Another giggle. Standing in the corridor. Coming face to face with the spirit of the mansion.
Descending into a chamber where the spirit was humming to herself. A frantic, panicking girl. Warnings of a blizzard from long ago when Leander last sat the throne.
He was calmed for a moment and opened his eyes as the priest moved away, drawn by the crying. The attic dweller peered around the doorframe one more. He could see clearly through the darkness, the large pupils of his eyes glowing again as a faint wisp of light hit them at just the right angle. Rhys was moving toward the back of the library.
And the attic dweller, holding that severed head to himself, silently slithered after him.
He made sure his distance was far, his aura withdrawn, darting and crouching behind whatever he could find to remain hidden. He paused when Rhys paused, moved when he moved. As he crept along he noticed a burnt texture going in some linear pattern, as though it blazed along the ends of the bookshelves.
But the dweller stopped altogether when he reached the entrance of the passageway in the wall.
He was certain to get into trouble if he was spotted by anyone, even the spirit of the mansion. But he was curious. At the very least, the unkempt attic dweller could hear some snippets of information... He crept far enough not to be spotted, far enough to hear what the spirit was crying about.
Her despair was overwhelming. So, too, was her anger, but this time he did not flee. He froze in place, crouching in the shadows of the passageway, listening.
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Posted: Fri Jun 05, 2009 6:01 pm
"She? So it WAS a woman, and she DID take Rei after all..."
...Shota? His brain couldn't comprehend the meaning of that word, but whatever. The point was that he'd been right all along. Fefga proved it.
"D-don't say that," Rhys said reassuringly. "Nobody was here. We're as responsible for what happened as you are. You proved that Rei was attacked by a woman... I thought as much looking around upstairs. But... who is 'she'? What did she take? And... why would she take Rei?"
A female villain? Who could that be? Madrianna was dead; "Granny N" had seen to that. Although she was Madrianna's relative, Mika had never exactly been evil. And Synra? Synra had lived, but if Mika became the master, it seemed unlikely that Synra would do anything. Other villains included... well, Asami (who was dead, according to Melethia).
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Posted: Fri Jun 05, 2009 6:17 pm
In her distress, Fefga hadn't yet noticed the other being hiding in the shadows. "I.. I never should have gone to the festival. I'm supposed to stay here... It was a festival, nobody else was expected to be here. I.. Sniff... I messed up. Fefga blew iiit! Fefga lost the legendary weapon-" She pointed to a large case behind her, with nothing on it. "-and her shooota! Sniff.. sniff..."
By this time, Rhys' words weren't really getting through to her. Her sorrow and regret was too strong. "Sniff... he came here a lot to study, and I would watch him.. but now he's gone.. and I'm alone again.. Sniff... Why, Mika-chan? Why did you take Fefga's shota? Sniff... Sniff...." Her tears fell to the floor, but vanished before they hit the ground.
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Fire Emblem Forever Vice Captain
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Posted: Fri Jun 05, 2009 6:37 pm
Legendary weapon? Shota? MIKA!?
Mika? Mika did this? But... how did she come back? And wh--there he went, his mind buzzing with a billion questions again. Besides, Fefga was ignoring him now... as it stood, he already knew quite a bit about what was going on. But he couldn't just leave her there. What kind of jerk would turn his back on a spirit feeling very sorry for herself?
He walked a little closer to where Fefga was crying and sat down cross-legged on the stone floor, facing her. "I don't know why Rei was taken, either. But... err... oooooh!"
Like Mia had been in the distant past, Rhys was no master orator, either.
He scooted in a little closer, so that he and Fefga were only a few feet apart.
"Please listen. Rei... err... when Fefga's shota is stolen, we just steal Fefga's shota back, yes? Even if she has a legendary weapon, she's still mortal. We're Fire Emblem Forever, remember? 'Together We Ride'? So please, stop crying. Nobody would have suspected this. But... if we act quickly, maybe we can get Rei back before anything worse happens."
As an afterthought, he reached into a side pocket on his sky-blue robes and pulled out a handkerchief, offering it to Fefga. He wasn't sure if spirits could use handkerchiefs, but... couldn't hurt.
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