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 Posted: Thu Aug 30, 2012 8:05 pm
"Many times I've fought,
and many times I've fallen,
but I'll never give in
when I hear you callin'!" x - [Leon Vatara] - x ▧ ▫▪▫▪▫▪▫▪▫▪▫ ▩ ▫▪▫▪▫▪▫▪▫▪▫ ▨ Leon had accompanied the Watch to Pentheus. It was pretty much a decision that no one was going to talk him out of. Even though his position normally called for more office work and lighter duties, he was not a typically "officer" type. He was still getting used to his position as the Watch Captain. Leon was still all too accustomed to the battlefield, so riding out to retake the city was something that he or Anri couldn't pass up.
Quite a few of the Watch accompanied him. Leon cast a gaze on them, just to make sure they were holding up. "This is a longer march than most of my men and women in armor can handle. Normally we patrol Eyris and don't go beyond it, but when it comes to matchin' up with brigands, there ain't a finer company to ask for the job." Captain Vatara thought proudly. Surely enough, the Watch were a hardy bunch. Saifer, although silent and scrawny, was holding up just fine, while Sain was just... Sain. As flirtatous as ever, even in the middle of a battlefield. Shame on him.
The intel traveled to the Watch's group fast. At first it was hard to believe, but it seemed like the bandits were moving away from Pentheus. "I dun' like this one bit. There's something completely off here." Leon stated. The Great Knight put his hand under his chin, trying to think out the situation. He decided he wouldn't let it bother him for now, while he stood by for further orders.
Amelia's command split their forces up into two groups. As much as he wanted to head out on the front lines to bash in some bandit heads with the Laguz forces (he envied Sunil who had gone ahead), Leon had his own group and responsibilities. He would be working with a few familiar faces, so it wouldn't be as bad to investigate the city. He rode by Isadora's side when the time came to split up. It had been a long time since he was beside his friend in battle, so she was a welcome sight.
When the area they scoured turned up deserted though, Leon frowned. What was going on here? There was obviously something amiss. Even though this place was a wreck, some survivors should still be hanging around to resist the bandits and maybe even make ramshackle homes out of the rubble. He had seen it before in other brigand-ravaged towns.
"This ain't good at all, Lady Isadora. Ya might be right, guessin' that they all might hole up in the port. It ain't as easy to keep our footing here if they ambush us. One wrong move, and yer in the drink." Leon stated. His brow creased when he spoke. Normally he would be thrilled about the idea of a battle and even show his wild side, but this time he was being completely serious. He had to be, as there was so many ways his group could be at a disadvantage.▧ ▫▪▫▪▫▪▫▪▫▪▫ ▩ ▫▪▫▪▫▪▫▪▫▪▫ ▨ x - [Watch Captain] - x [OOC: Leon is back, you guys. Back with style. Awesome, right? Better late than never!
** Edit: Fix'd a few grammar errors. I got so excited I forgot my proper English. Forgive me. sweatdrop ]
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Posted: Thu Aug 30, 2012 8:09 pm
(Oh, Isa, we’re talking about a woman who was involved with Largo when she pursued the possibility of going after Geoffrey. The minute she gets used to being stuck in Learania, she’s going to be on the market and looking for a good man.)  ~Calill~ “Hey! Over here!” Well, that made for a short search effort. Calill didn’t even have to leave the tent; Amelia was now approaching her, instead. “So you've gotten yourself all readied, right? No one gave you a hard time? I'm sorry about you being dragged into all this, by the way. Though we really do appreciate your help. It's really kind of you." “Oh yes, I’m perfectly prepared, thank you. Everyone I’ve encountered thus far has been very helpful and cooperative.” Of course, part of everyone’s kindness to the woman was from witnessing her entrance into this world; instant producer of sympathies. But Calill was trying to be cheery in spite of everything for the time being. Amelia mentioning that Calill was dragged into this was quite an astute way of putting it. “And it’s my pleasure to give my aid to your cause. Bandits claiming a city away from hard working people? It’s an unacceptable riot! Although I must confess, while this all seems so hard to believe, and indeed I don’t quite believe it all yet, that we have yet to encounter a single bandit is almost as vexing as everything else I’ve experienced today.”Calill had seen the Hawk King with troops chasing after another group. Were they in chase of the bandits? So she presumed, but it’s not like she could know with certainty, having just showed up, after all. She merely hoped to get a better idea of the entirety of the situation.
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Posted: Fri Aug 31, 2012 11:56 am
((FD, Calill is a married woman. She can't hit on a guy against her husband's back. LOL XD Now Calill playing matchmaker.... >>; ))
As Isadora and the soldiers were close to their next destination, she heard Leon made a comment about the city's condition. So she wasn't the only person who thought this was strange. Although it wasn't as strange as the Tura incident, but it did raise suspicion about their enemies. The Dame Knight let out a smile at Leon's last comment.
"Leon, you sound like a pirate by that comment. Are you sure you weren't born nearby the sea?"
Oh, it was nice to have a comrade by your side to cheer you up, despite how gloomy the situation was. She was glad that Leon was there to come along. However, they needed to focus on their predicament.
As they reached the port, the soldiers ran off to check inside the boats and cargos while mounted units rode toward the ports to check any sights of bandits. They even checked at the distance to see if there were enemies lurking underneath the ports. While the group do the search, Isadora took the time to ask Leon.
"Leon, do you think I'm good to lead?" Her face remained stern and serious over the search, but her emotion inside were struggling. "I haven't lead a group since the siege in Eyris when bringing in reinforcement. In fact, I don't know if I'm able to lead after what Rogvald did, tearing Learania from the inside while also tearing up my guild when I was in command. I wanted to protect my guild and my people from what that old man did, but I was also powerless due to my oath as the knight to protect the law and order. To be honest, I don't know if I should lead this troops. I should be called a traitor and be hated for not protecting the people; and yet, I don't understand why people like me today despite what happened. It should be you leading the troops, not me. After all, you're the Captain of the Watch while I'm just a common knight."
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Posted: Fri Aug 31, 2012 1:33 pm
"Many times I've fought,
and many times I've fallen,
but I'll never give in
when I hear you callin'!" x - [Leon Vatara] - x ▧ ▫▪▫▪▫▪▫▪▫▪▫ ▩ ▫▪▫▪▫▪▫▪▫▪▫ ▨ "Eh?! Don't lump me in with the lot of them! There ain't any way I sound like a sea dog!" Leon replied. He looked offended that Isadora compared him to any kind of outlaw. It was just the way he spoke! Although he tried taking lessons before to lessen his accent, it only went so far. Some of the snooty paper-pushers in the castle still poked fun at his words too. He hated it. "But Lady Isadora ain't no castle official. We're friends, right?"
Leon chased the thoughts away and decided to focus on his task. Anri seemed to be getting restless, wanting to charge ahead. The Great Knight pulled his steed's reigns to slow his advance. "Easy there, Anri. You'll get yer chance to fight soon enough. Don't be too eager."
While he calmed his steed down, he heard Isadora's laments. She was saying strange things, about how she was unfit to lead the company, and how he should be the one in charge. "Hey, no one is sayin' anything like that! Yer still a great leader, even if ya ain't crew. There's nothin' wrong with you takin' charge because yer not a hothead like I used to be. I'm still new to bein' Captain of the Watch, so 'Melia don't wanna shoulder me with another burden! That's all." he told her, trying to reassure his fellow knight.
Then she had to mention that time. That dark, dark time in Learania's history. Leon felt himself go dreadfully silent. It was as if the shadows of that day were creeping upon him, choking the words from his breath. He sighed. He even started to remember the time they fought during Rath's execution. That was not a memory he enjoyed at all.
"Listen. That's in the past, ya know? We can't keep dwellin' on it, or we'll never move forward! I blamed myself many times for everything that happened back then too, but..." He clenched his fist, only hesitating to speak for a moment. "I've accepted all those terrible things, and promise I'd never let 'em happen to our home again. If ya got the same desire, then yer fit to lead any squad of Learanians fightin' for their homeland."▧ ▫▪▫▪▫▪▫▪▫▪▫ ▩ ▫▪▫▪▫▪▫▪▫▪▫ ▨ x - [Watch Captain] - x
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Posted: Fri Sep 07, 2012 7:38 pm
 "You can't blame yourself. Blaming yourself and falling into depression, it won't change anything.
You have to look →forward→. Remember what you have here now.
Just think; if you hadn't come here, you wouldn't have met anyone here from Elibe or anywhere else!" {Amelia}"Oh, good," Amelia commented, grinning back. She flicked a stray lock of hair away from her green eyes as Calill spoke, nodding approvingly. "I'd have to have a serious discussion with some people if they weren't giving you a hand," she responded with a laugh. "Yes, it... is definitely interesting. Tibarn and the others will hopefully be flushing out those bandits and preventing them from escaping into Sentria, but they might be lead back here, so we need to be prepared. And since no one's returned injured from a hidden bandit attack or a trap, we haven't had need yet for our medics. But we always have to be sure, just in case something does happen, you know?" She leaned idly against Ewan's shoulder, glancing the woman up and down idly.
 "That is a lovely dress, by the way." Amelia smiled. "I'm jealous that you can pull something like that off so well." She paused, shook her head briskly, as if to ward something off, and stood upright. "Anyhow, I should check on the others. I'm still waiting for word from Isadora--"
And at that point, a horsebound man arrived, carrying a folded paper. "G-General!"
"At ease," Amelia said idly, turning to face him. The young man nodded and handed over a paper. "Thank you. You may return to where you're needed." The boy nodded again, jabbed his heels into the horse's side, and cantered off.
"...Wallace and his men will be checking the port," she commented idly, eyebrows going up. "Hm. I suppose we'll need to glance in that direction if nothing happens here soon, to be sure things are all right over there..." {Graceful Spear} "What... I mean is... Being a member of the holy order doesn't mean you can't put your own wants first sometimes. The goddess is supposed to be all‑forgiving, right? You've worked hard and you deserve to do some things that make you happy.
I think she'd forgive you for it."
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Posted: Sat Sep 08, 2012 11:40 am
The paladin listened to her knightly friend, explaining about taking responsibility and moving onward. Perhaps Leon was right. If she wanted to become a better person, she shouldn't dwell within the past. After all, the war was far from over and the people of Learania - No... Both Learania, Sentria, and other countries wanted peace. How else could the continent be at peace if its people couldn't move forward? The Dame Knight gave a weak smile to the Watch Captain.
"You're right, Le-"
Just then, the soldier approached the paladin, giving her the status report of the port. Isadora gave another grim look at the status. Just like the other reports, there were no sign of the enemies. This was getting more suspicious than it usually was. The paladin looked around the area before her.
She could see the soldiers are scurried around the ports, looking for any bandits lurking. There were no boats nearby the ports except for the ship in the distance from the port. Could the enemies be in that ship?
Isadora pulled out her telescope from her bag that sat idly by her saddle and looked through. The ship looked to be in good condition, but that wasn't what the paladin was looking for. She looked at the dock of the ship and see some men walking around the ship. Judging by the way they dressed, they don't look like Sentrian bandits. However, it was unknown if they were disguising as Learanians or not.
Before the paladin could check the crow nest to see if someone was spying on them, she spotted a jolly roger flag. That symbol on the flag... She recognized that symbol from the reports. Although she never meet those in the ship in person, she had heard stories about them. As for what they were doing in the off distance of Pentheus, she-
"Lady Isadora, is there something wrong with that ship off course? Do you want us to check it for you?" The soldier asked, concerning what the paladin was looking at. Isadora lowered her telescope before putting it back in her bag.
"No. There's nothing wrong with the ship. It's not the enemy's ship. However, it's best to leave that ship alone. Right now, we need to get back to the headquarter to report the news." Isadora replied.
"All soldiers, reform!" The paladin commanded. "With no enemies around, there's no need to continue searching. Let's head to the headquarter!"
But before the Dame Knight could turn her horse around, she heard movements coming from behind her. Was it the enemy? Was this a trap to lure them here? The paladin would curse if she found out that they had fallen into a trap.
Before she could draw her sword, she heard a loud clanking noise of an armor. An armor? She knew fully well that bandits wore less armor for mobility. Could that be...
Isadora turned around to see what was coming behind her and her squad. Seeing who it was, Isadora buried her face in her hand. I can't believe he got lost again... The paladin thought in disbelief. Then again, she should had seen it coming since she had traveled with him in Elibe before. Wallace and his sense of direction...
"Sir Wallace, it's nice to see you again." Isadora greeted her Caelin friend, trying her best not to comment about him being lost. "So far, there is no sign of the enemy in the southern section of Pentheus as well as the port. What about you? Any sign of the enemies?"
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Posted: Sun Sep 16, 2012 10:52 am
"Many times I've fought,
and many times I've fallen,
but I'll never give in
when I hear you callin'!" x - [Leon Vatara] - x ▧ ▫▪▫▪▫▪▫▪▫▪▫ ▩ ▫▪▫▪▫▪▫▪▫▪▫ ▨ Leon and Isadora's discussion was cut short by a report from one of the soldiers. Just like his fellow knight, the Watch Captain listened intently on the news. However, what he heard was staggering! "What do ya mean, there ain't any enemies?! There's no way that's right! We didn't come huffin' all the way out here for nothin', surely..." he thought nervously.
Captain Vatara looked in the direction of the ship. Without a telescope he couldn't see much besides the flag that was waving in the air. "Oy! Hang on! Ain't that the flag of the pirates? Why are we just lettin' 'em go?!" Leon asked Isadora, as he urged Anri to follow Toumas on their way back to report to the others.
The clanking of armor caught his attention. Gripping his axe, Leon steered his war horse around, preparing to meet an enemy. But he didn't meet an enemy. Instead he met one of the Guard's newer officers, a very directionally-challenged, but steel-hearted warrior. "Ah, Wallace! Well met! Ya better not sneak up on us like that anymore though! Things could get bad, ya know." He told him, lowering his poleaxe. "Anyway, please tell me ya found something! We've searched our hardest and came up with nil."▧ ▫▪▫▪▫▪▫▪▫▪▫ ▩ ▫▪▫▪▫▪▫▪▫▪▫ ▨ x - [Watch Captain] - x
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Posted: Sun Sep 30, 2012 4:52 pm
~Calill~ Calill was going to respond to Amelia’s commentary about the movement of the bandits and Tibarn and whomever he was in charge of in this world pursuing them, but then she mentioned Calill’s garb – something Calill took great pride in, although she wouldn’t outwardly announce it. Rather, Calill usually took the course of saying anyone could dress as well as she did.“Well thank you, Miss Amelia. I suppose there is a certain sort of… elegance to my aesthetic. Oh, but any woman can attain this sort of style if they merely know how. Why, I have no doubt that you especially could do so. Why, you and I are even of similar skin tone and hair color! I suppose a need for armor in combat rather poses a challenge for what you’re able to wear if you’re expecting a battle, though. But in a less hostile, environment, I have no doubt you’d be an assuredly beautiful woman.” Calill might have waxed on a short while longer had a messenger not arrived for Amelia. After reading the paper the messenger had brought, the lady General explained: "Hm. I suppose we'll need to glance in that direction if nothing happens here soon, to be sure things are all right over there..." “Well, should something be amiss, I probably ought to accompany you. I’ll be of more use than I will be here with the medics.” Calill answered, despite not being questioned or addressed specifically. S’how she rolls, as you’re all probably aware.
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Posted: Sun Sep 30, 2012 9:02 pm
~Valor is the contempt of death and pain.~Wallace Wallace's subordinates had by now realized that despite their best efforts, it was futile to resist their commander's 'navigating'. As a result Wallace's part of the army had continued on towards the port under the lead of a couple of officers while the rest of his officers followed the General in his unintentional wanderings. I mean really, whose idea was it to let a man who couldn't even find his home country lead nearly half of an army into a city he had previously never heard of. The man may be a brilliant soldier and strategist but a navigator he isn't.
While walking down the streets Wallace heard a sword being drawn. He immediately spun towards the sound with his lance ready for attack. Then he smiled "Ah! Dame Knight! It's always a pleasure to see you. Well met to you as well Captain Leon is it? Rest assured it was not my intention to sneak up on anyone, as is the case with navigating, sneaking is not exactly my forte! Gwahahaha!" He rested the butt of his lance on the ground before continuing, "I'm afraid I've had no reports of any enemies in the north. A pity that, I very much wished to shorten a few bandits myself by about a heads length, the damn villains deserve no less. I suppose we should be getting back to the headquarters to report to the wee General."~So, I'm to die in battle, am I? I regret nothing! Ha ha ha...ha ha...~
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Posted: Mon Oct 01, 2012 11:47 am
((Wallace, just to let you know, Isadora didn't draw out her sword. She was about to but didn't. Perhaps the sound of the horses' hooves can alarm him.))
Isadora frowned from what Wallace told her. So there were no enemies on the northern side too. Of course, she wasn't sure if he and his army checked the northern side, not with Wallace's sense of direction to lead. In fact, he may accidentally checked the southern side by accident.
"Agree Sir Wallace, we were about to head back to the headquarters ourselves before you arrive." Isadora commented. As much as she wanted to do a full double check on both sides of the city, especially the northern side in case Wallace didn't check, she had to discard the idea. It was unknown when the bandits that fled would come back and even the army that chased them. If there was a reinforcements that the bandits had outside of Pentheus, then they needed to regroup with Amelia and defended this deserted city from them. However, she still had a feeding that something was very odd and strange about this abandonment.
"We need to hurry up quickly. There's no time wasting when there's a chance that the enemies may come back to reclaim." Isadora spoke as she snapped the reins. With that, she marched forward toward the headquarter, leading the troops behind her. Although she would let Wallace lead due to his position as Captain of the Guard and leading one squad... It was better for her to lead instead of him. Who knew what would happen if they were to follow a man with terrible navigation.
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Posted: Mon Oct 01, 2012 2:42 pm
Ewan "Oh don't sell yourself short. I seem to recall a certain post-war celebration dress that left quite a few gentlemen callers red-faced."
Ewan casually mentioned offhand as the two began to discuss vanity matters, which he could honestly not blame them for. Small casual talk like this did wonders to the nerves, kept you calm and collected in the face of a hurricane. It was the first serving to an interesting three-course meal. Pre-battle gossip, witty battle banter, and then wrap-up commentary. Ah, it did the body good didn't it? "And you are quite the looker yourself Miss Calill. Why if I was a man with a flighty romantic soul and a few more years on my belt!" He chirped in a rather singsong sort of tone, rather happy to give his two cents into the situation.
Chicken Noodle Soup For The Soul, as it was.
"We'll have to flush out somebody at a point. I'm not liking this situation in the slightest. Faaaar too quiet. I'm just worried that we might get pincered or something. I'm not some tactician like Lord Ephraim or anything, but a clustered group is a very LARGE target when you don't know your enemy."
With that, he raised his head and gazed out into the distance. Times like these are when he truly appreciated the mask of his layers. His bothered grimace was hidden, save for his squinting eyes, under the material. A bit of a wind was picking up, slowly dying down moments later. The desert itself seemed bothered, not sure of what to make it of it all. A hand was brought up to adjust his mask, a deep, slow breath taken as he prepared to take the plunge.
"Then again, we never really do know what the desert holds."
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Posted: Sun Oct 21, 2012 10:21 am
And so they spent a long time searching the city. It was rather interesting, watching the various groups split away and scatter about, regroup only to scatter again. It was almost as if they weren't entirely certain about what they were doing or something. Especially when a large group of them all gathered towards the harbor, it was clear that they weren't totally sure if they had even finished searching. Light footsteps easily carried Murphy across the rooftops, far out of reach of the blonde General's footsoldiers and mounted cavalry. All of their airborne soldiers were off with the Hawk King, chasing down that immature moron and his men instead of focusing on the city, leaving him that much more room to move without risking detection.
It was almost too easy. Which meant he needed to be more careful. Complacency was one of the biggest threats to an assassin.
They're moving predictably. If that spiky-haired idiot can keep his men in line and stick to the plan, this shouldn't be more difficult than any ground we gained at the siege... Murphy crouched low on a tall building a few blocks away from city hall to observe the small figures on the ground below. The General and her companions were all gathered near there, around where he could see their small medical force setting up camp. They'd been there for some time, talking amongst themselves but otherwise not moving. Murphy's brown eyes narrowed as he looked back towards the harbor, climbing up to a higher rooftop for a better vantage point. Coming back, Murphy's lips moved soundlessly. He picked up the pace as he moved back towards the church, eyes flickering up towards the belltower before easily slipping across the roof and into a window on one of the upper floors.
His footsteps were silent as he moved up the tower, pausing when he was finally in the man's line of sight. "Sir." He held his arms loosely at his sides, calm but not entirely relaxed. "The General and some of her men are at the center of the city, around the main city government building. The others are moving in that direction from the harbor. There's no sign of the rest of their forces returning here as of yet."
The light sound of steps moving up the stairs did not warrant any kind of alert. He was expecting reports in due time from all of the scouts, so it was no surprise that more of his men would come forward. He did not, however, expect the person in front of him to give him one. It wasn't one of the scouts he sent away. Not even bothering to look at the man, he walked past him, descending downwards from the belltower. He expected the lithe youngling to follow him regardless and he did not want to waste time by stopping. "You're not one of my men. Are you certain your new handler has allowed you to approach me, boy? Doesn't he feel lonely without his lapdog by his side? Why are you here? You are not part of this mission. Are you meant to be a messager bringing me information I already have? Or are you here to keep an eye on me? Either way, your presence is not needed. Return to your master."
Murphy neatly turned and followed him down the stairs as he swept past him, expression as passive as always as the older man spoke up. "I've been outsourced, so to speak. You've got me around until this... situation with Pentheus has been settled." Murphy tucked his hands into the pockets of his loose trousers, but still his eyes remained calm and focused on the back of his head. "If you've got such a problem with it, you're free to take it up with the Serpent's Fang later. Or I can deliver the news myself. Would that be more acceptable, sir?" Murphy let a hint of a smirk appear on his face for a moment before relaxing again. "If you want to take action, they will all be gathered in one location shortly. An opportunity to create as much damage as possible in one strike might not happen again while we remain here, and there's no telling how long that idiot Viscen will hold out against the Hawk King."
It happened in the blink of an eye. Stopping from moving down the stairs, the man grabbed the young assassin by his collar, tackling him up against the wall. The blade from his gauntlet shot out, stopping just by a hair's width from his eye. His face hadn't changed expression, and still looked on Murphy with a cold stare. "Don't speak to me so familiarly, boy. I know fully well where the enemy is, how many they are, who their commander is, and when the time is to appear before them. Don't tell me what to do, or how to do it, when to do it, for it has already been set in motion.
I want you to listen to me well. You are a Shadow no longer. You may be part of the Guild, but don't expect anyone here to treat you as one of our own. For far too long, you've been prancing around in the sunlight. You're out in the open. Talking to strangers. Taking part of sieges. You're too flashy. A Shadow isn't meant to be seen. It shouldn't be seen. And yet you're fighting drunks in duels, befriending green haired idiots..."
He let go of the assassin, retracting his blade as he continued to walk down the stairs of the tower. "It's so easy to track your movements, I feel embarassed that you're part of the Guild."
He continued to walk in silence for a moment as they reached the end of the stairs. "So, yes, you may give Mr. Drake a message. Tell him that the Learanians will regret stepping into the city without proper scouting. Oh, and that the two brutes he sent me are useless. And said that he stinks and is a fat moron." Reaching the exit of the building, the now maimed Shadow Guild member from earlier opened the two doors, with sunlight shining in. He turned one last time to the young assassin. "I'll go pay our visitors our respects. Do take care, boy. You're far too talented to lose because of your own recklessness." The masked man said, as he turned around with his three cohorts, leaving for the center of the city to greet the Learanian army.
Murphy barely responded as the man's hand lashed out, snatching the fabric of his shirt and slamming his body against the stone wall. Though his expression stayed passive, eyes locked on the dark-haired man, his breath caught audibly in his throat. He didn't so much as flinch as he reprimanded him, tense shoulders slowly relaxing when he released his collar and allowed him to stand on his own. He stayed similarly silent as they walked down the remaining length of the staircase, gritting his teeth as he slowly brought his breath down to a normal rate.
"...Of course." Murphy smoothed out the front of his tunic and adjusted the kerchief loosely draped around his neck. "And as an aside, sir. It's just slightly difficult to remain hidden when you're being constantly thrust into the light and forced to openly lead. So yes. I'm sure I am a disappointment to all of you, being forced to deal with drunken idiots so they can't cause problems and make things difficult or having brain-dead children latch onto you for seemingly no reason. Simply pathetic." Murphy pulled his hood a little more securely over his head, eyes shaded. "I suppose you should just be happy that I'm no longer under your command at all times, then. I'd only make you look bad, hm? I'll be leaving." Murphy turned away from him, hands in his trouser pockets as he disappeared around the corner.
...And chose to stick around, at least for now. Just long enough to make sure things proceed successfully. Murphy watched them from out of sight, keeping his hood over the upper part of his face. It was better than returning to him so quickly, at least.
He never had to turn around. The presence enough was all that was needed to notice that his underling wouldn't leave so easily. A soft sigh escaped his lips as he kept on moving forward. Silly boy. At least, this way, I'll be able to keep an eye on him. Nothing good will come out of staying here...
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Posted: Wed Jan 23, 2013 7:41 pm
Time continued to pass, and the others had yet to return. Amelia frowned faintly in concern, turning to the others briefly and holding a hand up to them, as if to ward off concerns. "I'm going to go meet the others on their way back and give a quick visual sweep of the area along the way," she informed them, smiling easily. No need to show weakness, not when tensions could be rising. "Ewan, you stay here just for now, okay? Keep an eye on Calill and the others. I'm counting on you." She grinned for him, flicking her hair away from her eyes. "Calill, if you could help Ewan to make sure the others stay in line and patient until we all return, that'd be great." She gave a slight nod, as if to punctuate the sentence, and then turned away and headed towards the harbor, armor clanking quietly.
It was still so unsettling, seeing the city so devoid of life, how it was so audibly devoid of typical chatter and sound. The marketplace was merely a stone's throw away, but she still stood on the sidewalk nearby an alley between what looked to be a restaurant and another business building for the time being, with the others within speaking distance. She frowned, instinctively flexing her fingers in her gloves to tighten them over her palms and the backs of her hands. They're definitely planning something, but I don't know what... no one's found anything unusual, so I can't even try to even form any kind of theory... She frowned. Tibarn would be better at that sort of thing, anyway, he's got more experience than I do... what do I even--
The world went black.
"H-Hey! Who's there?" Amelia's breath caught in her throat in her panic. Her hands instinctively moved, and in seconds she had her large shield - an easy visual cue to all of her status as a high-ranked defender - over one arm and her spear grasped in her dominant hand, knees bent slightly as she tried to prepare herself, calming her nerves. The darkness was not natural, that much she could tell, even without her lack of magical knowledge or experience; it was inky and thick, darker than any starless night she'd ever woken to. For that matter, it was difficult to tell if the darkness was around her, or some effect in her own eyes. Either way, she could see nothing, and there was no visible end to the darkness that surrounded her. "Whoever you are, show yourselves!" She turned to the left with a single light step, shield held protectively in front of her while she kept her spear at the ready. Listen for footsteps, listen for footsteps... but there's nothing. Absolutely nothing. What in the name of Latona could do this? Rhys had never mentioned any sort of elder magic that could pull this sort of magical feat off... She scowled, but stayed as still as she could, trying to tune into any sign of movement.
"Greetings." A chilling voice resounded in the darkness, before the area brightened up again, revealing the masked man it belonged to. Standing at the on the other side of the square, opposite of the Learanian forces, he was joined by two other figures contrasting the masked man with a more brutish look compared to his own. The Learanian soldiers readied their weapons, pointing it towards the trio. He raised his hand in a polite manner, showing no signs of hostility. "I welcome you all back to the city of Pentheus. I hope you're enjoying your stay so far." He continued speaking, his face or body showing no sign of sarcasm or jeer. "I am the commander-in-chief with the troops stationed here. My name isn't important as it does not matter."
It was unlike his style or mannerism to appear this openly, but for this time, it was part of the greater plan. He knew how conversation prone the Learanian people were, even with the enemy and in raging battle. He wasn't going to get attacked suddenly if he showed no intention to fight.
"...I would welcome my stay more if it weren't to reclaim the city from the people that took it from us," she answered, lowering her weapon, though her shield stayed up and in front of her. "Very well. I suppose I won't ask if you feel it doesn't matter." I'll find out later, anyway. Amelia's spear arm relaxed, though she kept a steady grip on the shaft. "If the troops here are... yours, then..." She paused, frowned. Realization dawned momentarily across her face, green eyes widening before returning to normal. Here.
There are still other enemies in the city. Brigands or thieves in the city. But where?
Amelia took a step back. "It was nice to meet you. But I need to relocate my lieutenants. People to see, things to do, places to go, you know?" She shrugged a shoulder, affecting calm in her posture and her words.
He hid a frown behind his mask. This commander seemed a bit more rude than the other Learanians. But he supposed it wasn't without reason, this one in particular lost a few friends in the siege on Eyris. He kept his own posture neutral at the moment, not revealing any of his inner emotions. "I can assure you that none of the people that originally took the city remains, so there is no reason not to feel welcome. In fact, by looking around the city, you would actually find it quite empty." By now, his two cohorts were looking at eachother in confusion. It was probably unprecedented to reveal information about your forces to your enemy in their heads, but Tyce didn't care about his companion's ideas. He would feed the enemy with everything he wanted, anything to make them think about what he was saying. As long as the mission's success was in focus, it did not matter how he attained it. "So my question is, how do you relocate your forces, when you don't know where the enemy are?" He took a quick look around him, analyzing the situation, counting the enemy numbers, their positions...he had predicted their clumping up here, and the covering of the exits. It seemed he had made the right call. Good. Then there would be less inconveniences for him.
Well, I meant that as in find them, but... She relaxed, however, her expression calming again after her momentary surprise. "That is..." She frowned, keeping her shield up. "That doesn't mean that there aren't others here that I should be concerned about," she answered finally, studying Tyce curiously. "Interesting choice of words. I'm already aware that some of the Sentrian forces already left the city." She straightened herself up, staying where she was on the sidewalk. "You never did state who you allied yourself with, or who you and your troops were, either. Mind clarifiying that for me, sir?" she asked, eyebrows going up.
A quick flash of the sun's reflection in a window behind the Learanians caught his eye. The signal had been sent. That gave him around a minute to finish up for the first one, the second would follow shortly. "Don't make any mistake. Do not take me for anything but your enemy. It is too early for me to tell you my allegiance, but know that I am not your ally. But even as an enemy, I am not here to fight. I am here as more of a messenger."
Amelia frowned, glancing briefly towards where she knew the others to predominantly to be located before looking back at the masked man. "Why should I trust anything you say, if you claim to be my enemy?" she asked. All she needed was what he was after, and then maybe they could figure out what to do...
Is this why the Sentrians left the city? I hope Tibarn and his forces aren't caught in some trap...
"You don't need to trust me. You can just listen to the facts and make up your own truth, if you so feel like it. If you feel like you have the time to cross-check my intel you can do so. I am only here to tell you what I would like you to know."
50 seconds.
"But you can believe this. There is a reason why you have yet to find any opposition in the city, despite having moved in so far. There is no way I could hide an entire army within the city. That isn't fact or theory, that is reality. There is also no way that whatever is in the city could withstand a full frontal assault by the army at your disposal. That is simple math."
40 seconds.
"That is why I'm not going to fight you. I don't have the manpower for it. Even though I requested additional forces, none were granted to me. I only got additional orders. 'Don't let the city fall into Learanian hands.' I may not like my orders, but they are my orders regardless, and I will follow them despite the idiocy behind them."
30 seconds.
"Since I don't have the army to stop you, nor am I going to recieve the reinforcements to stop you, I suppose the only option is to just level the city." He shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly, as if saying the most matter of fact thing one could imagine. "Do you not agree? The city is too strategically important to fall into enemy hands. So if Mordache and Sentria can't have it, then there's no choice than to let no one have it."
20 seconds.
"Within the city borders, you will find quite enough explosives of various kinds, all carefully placed on regular intervals that it's going to make the city inoperable for a good few months. All that time will be wasted rebuilding, and I know Learania are too widely stretched to be able to handle both a rebuilding process of the city as well as defending your country."
10 seconds.
"This battle won't take place with armies. This battle will be a game of cat and mouse. How about we play, Miss Amelia? If you want to win this fight, you'll have to stop the explosions from happening. And if you don't believe me, I'll give you a taste."
2 seconds.
"Right now."
Time's up.
Tyce snapped with his fingers, and as he did, the two buildings next to the Learanian forces lit up before an earshattering explosion obliterated the soldiers closest to the buildings. The ones further away was knocked off their feet from the shockwave, as debris rained from the sky. The roaring fire that ensued made for a chaos-ridden moment. "Since I don't have enough forces to blow up the whole city at once, you either have to stop them from lighting the fuse, or disable the bombs before we can get to them. However you wish to fight is up to you, Miss Amelia. But I wouldn't wait around for too long."
Tyce spread out his arms, a dagger in his right arm. "As a gesture of goodwill, I'll let you have these two buffoons. I bid you adieu, until next time."
After finishing, the whole area went black again for a moment, before light shined again. The masked man was no longer there, but the two brigands were left behind. The two looked at eachother in bewilderment, then back at the Learanian forces.
"Tha hell?!"
"The ********' b*****d left us in the ******** this s**t! You can have the city as far as we care!"
After considering their chances, the two of them then darted into the one building where the Learanians didn't have control of yet, trying to escape captivity or death. Shortly thereafter, that very same building exploded as well, blowing out the windows and setting it on fire. It had been anticipated from the beginning. Now Drake would have no idea to know what went down in the city, unless Murphy decided to tell him.
As Tyce had retreated away from the carnage, he looked back on the forces left at the marketplace. "I wish you the best of luck, General." He said under his breath. "I do hope I haven't overestimated you completely, and you'll prove your worth here. It would be a shame if the plan is ruined because my adversary isn't up to par."
Tyce turned around to face the Shadow Guild members he had around him. "Make sure the evacuation proceeds as planned. Don't make the sacrifice of our brethren be in vain."
The dark clad figures around him nodded as they all split off in different directions, with Tyce going on his own, keeping track of Murphy's movements around him.
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Posted: Fri Jan 25, 2013 11:30 am
So after raiding several building and having a tea party and searching for villains, Isadora and the others headed toward their headquarters. She hoped that Amelia had received their messages as well as finishing up setting the headquarters. However, with the city so deserted and no brigards and thieves looming around, it seemed that they had abandoned the city. But what caused them to leave? She wasn't sure and it was driving her crazy not to figure out the suspicious motive.
As they were few blocks from the headquarter, they were in a middle of a casual conversation to pass the time. Isadora let out a frown at Wallace's comment. "Wallace, I don't Leon need your training manual to help train his soldiers. I think his training method is we-"
However, her sentence was cut off when a loud explosion was heard. Large cloud of dust flew across the streets, stinging into those who had their eyes opened. Few soldiers gave loud cough as dust went into their mouths and throats. Tuomas let out a neigh as he stood on his hind legs. "Whoa, Tuomas! Whoa!" Isadora shouted as she pull her reins and tried to calm her horse down. Although she remained calm to help her horse settle down, her mind was racing with worries. What just happened? Did the enemy attack? Are Amelia and the others okay?
When her horse calmed down, Isadora looked up to where she heard the explosion. Her eyes widen when she saw what was in front of her. In the location where Amelia was planning to set up the headquarter, there was a large black smoke lingering in the sky. There were flickers of fire flashing within the black smoke. Fear grew heavy inside Isadora's stomach as worries ran down her spine.
"Amelia!" Isadora shouted as she snapped her reins. Tuomas let out a neigh as he began to charge toward the destructed headquarter. If her comrades cried to her about the dangers, she didn't hear. She didn't care if there was danger near her or if her enemies were planning to ambush her. What she wanted to know was if Amelia and the others were okay.
Another loud explosion was heard. The Dame Knight lowered her head as another cloud of dust rushed in. She wasn't going to let a dust storm clouded her vision. Once she passed the dust storm, she felt a sudden stop when her horse neighed and stood on his hind legs the second time. When she pulled her reins to get her horse down, she saw what stopped them.
In front of her was a debris, blocking her path to the headquarter. There were few soldiers who were buried underneath the rumbles. Few soldiers who were nearby were either unconscious or injured. The paladin cursed. Now how she able to reach Amelia and the others to see if they were okay. It looked like she had no choice but to call out.
"Amelia!" Isadora shouted. Hopefully the little general was nearby to hear her voice over the debris. "Amelia! Are you and the others okay? What happened?"
She wasn't sure what happened. However, if it was the enemy attacking, how were they able to attack without them being detected? She and the others had searched the whole city. Did the Sentrians become smarter over the pass year? Or was it the Mordacheans behind this? She wasn't sure who was behind this. Right now, she was concerned about Amelia and the others' safety.
 After chasing for what seemed like forever, the group was close behind the enemies' tails. Finally able to get some action, Rajin quickly changed into his beast form. A bright light flashed and a roar was heard. Now having a little speed boost in his form, he would be able to catch one.
As the tiger ran quicker across the sand, he pounced at the bandit closest to him. The bandit let out a yelp as he fell to the sand, face forward. With his paw pinning the bandit on his back, Rajin raised his other paw, readied to swipe him. But before he could draw his claws out, he heard a loud explosion from behind.
What the hell was that? Rajin thought bewildered as he lowered his paw and looked behind him. Few miles away from them, he saw a large black smoke rising from the city. Although he wasn't near the city, he could smell the smoke and fire as well as buildings' dust mix with it. The hell? Did the enemy did that? If so, then...
Curious if this was part of the plan or not, Rajin quickly changed into his other form. When he was back to his humanoid form, he grabbed the bandit by the collar of his shirt and pulled him up, facing face to face.
"Hey, is this part of your boss' plan?" Rajin questioned.
"I dunnah. I was just told tah run." The bandit answered stupidly.
Rajin let out a curse. He should have known the brigand was just following order. He should have grab the leader or commander instead. Not wanting to waste his time, the tiger punched the bandit in the jaw. When the bandit was out cold, Rajin let go and looked up into the sky. He could see few bird laguz flying in the sky, readied to attack the bandit, but he spotted one that he was looking for.
"Yo, bird man!" Rajin shouted at Tibarn when he was in an ear-shot distance. "We've been duped by decoys! What now?!"
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