RedMageCole

Anne found a sheer benefit to being the one boy among a vast majority of sisters; he had a male appeal that not just any Anna could mimic. The name of the game was 'charisma', and without 'charisma', you wouldn't be able to find very much business. That's what made an Anna so successful; they were pretty, charming and had the ability to set things at the right price. Anne, however, put pride in himself for having the male charm that no Anna had; not everyone was going to fall for a feminine charm, so of course, there would be those who fall more for a masculine charm. And that's exactly what Anne had; he had the muscles, the pretty boy face, the muscles, the short hair... did he mention the muscles? Anne was tough as bricks and his ability to swing an axe around really proved that point. Today was going to be a simple day on his first day on the job; he mostly worked as a solo Anna, but having a team would be nice for business; it'd take some load off of him and he'd potentially make more money! Plus, he'd have some opportunity to have some family bonding; three of his sisters were here and it was nice, though there seemed to be a lot more people than he expected... Oh well, not like he was an introvert, right? Anne gave a yawn as he prepared to start the day, quietly showing off his hatchet before putting it back before his yawn was over. "Of course! I always was a fan of the blunt end of the axe approach myself. Knocks 'em out enough to know not to get too attached to the goods, but leaves them just alive enough to still spend money. Don't worry, I'll make sure threats come first; guilt tripping tends to work well enough to either get them to pay up or put it back, but the hatchet blade works for sure." As Anne took his place, he took a glance at Cody. "You'll be my fellow bodyguard, then? I'm not the biggest fan of working with others, but I'm sure you'll do well enough. "Of course, nobody can do a better job than me, but I obviously don't have four hands, so the extra set of hands helps, you know? Nice pauldron, by the way. We must shop at the same place. Looks way better on me though, to be perfectly honest. It's okay, though; it's really hard to beat me when it comes to looks. But enough chit-chat, we got work, hop to it!" Anne took a position against a nearby wall, reclining near it and just keeping an eye out. It was clear he was enjoying not having to work too hard, but he was still willing to put on a little bit of the Anna family charm if absolutely necessary.

Baldur utilizes his new staff to rip through the Knight, but suffers damage himself as well. Reiko goes on the offensive against the Pirate, swiftly ending his life. Reiko obtains a Hand Axe! Lenore runs up and, despite her inhibitions about killing, manages to take out the Archer. EXP: (114/100) *LEVEL UP!* Stats (Enemy Stats)

Mim fires at the Soldier, finishing him off. Kane clicks open the chest, finding a modest sum of gold inside! Obtained 1000 Gold! Shin pierces the Knight from afar... with only one arrow. Arthur attacks the Knight, but it's not enough for him. He groans and takes a swift glance at Shin which he promptly tries to ignore. EXP: (103/100) *LEVEL UP!* Stats (Enemy Stats)

Mercia moves to G9.

Fey recovers 16 HP! Fey is at full HP! Lenore runs up and runs a knife through the Archer. Ferdiad reluctantly runs up and attacks the Archer that cannot counterattack. His hesitance allows the Archer to dodge. Enemy Phase "Riders! Thieves! Move up! Third group; assault what you see!" Thief A moves to G29. Thief B moves to G30. Thief C moves to S29. Thief D moves to S30. Axe Cavalier A moves to R20. Cavalier B moves to R21. Axe Cavalier C moves to R22. Cavalier A moves to H20. Axe Cavalier B moves to H21. Wyvern Rider moves to Q23. Cavalier C moves to H22. Soldier E moves to M16. Knight D moves to L17. Monk C moves to M17. Knight E moves to N17. Shaman A moves to L18. Shaman B moves to M18. Pirate moves to L14. Archer C moves to L15. Myrmidon C moves to U7. Knight C moves to W7. Mage D moves to W8. Monk B moves to W9. The Knight on the side struggles to move out of the glue, trying to attack Arthur as he escapes. Ferdiad fends off the new group, attacking both a Soldier and a Monk... He isn't very successful. The Pirate slips around Ferdiad and hurls one of his poisonous axes at Cecily. He is not successful. The Archer, annoyed by his teammate's lack of support, tries to open a hole in Cecily despite her defenses. TURN 4/12 Player Phase Fey takes 4 damage! Ferdiad recovers 5 HP! EXP: (97/100) Stats (Enemy Stats)

Lysander hits the archer with a gust of wind, ending their life. Fey and the pirate exchange hatchet blows. EXP: (84/100) Stats (Enemy Stats)

Lizaveta continues her crusade and blasts one of the nearby Archers. EXP: (79/100) Stats (Enemy Stats)

Lizaveta blasts the armored knight with dark magic, swiftly bringing them to their knees. Lizaveta and Lysander move again! Cecily moves to L10, attacks Soldier C, cantos to L12 Cecily hurls an axe at the Soldier who was preoccupied with Mim, burying her hatchet into his head. EXP: (77/100) Stats (Enemy Stats)

Lysander attacks the Soldier from cover, defeating him with a swift and powerful blow. Shin rides in and attacks the mage. From afar, Arthur blasts the myrmidon with a gust of wind. Shin can move again! Kane takes Arthur's Wind tome... "I better have that back in about five seconds." ...and stops the Knight right in his tracks. Kane doesn't look very happy, unfortunately. Shin, unwavering, goes in to snipe the Monk from afar. EXP: (69/100) Stats (Enemy Stats)

The Myrmidon growls at Baldur as he goes on the offensive. EXP: (55/100) Stats (Enemy Stats)

Mim ducks into cover and fires at the Soldier. EXP: (53/100) Stats (Enemy Stats)

Cecily hurls an axe at the unsuspecting mage. They are caught off guard and swiftly defeated. Lysander recovers 16 HP! Lysander is at full HP! Enemy Phase "We've got 'em in our sights!" "Hey, they don't look like Ceda soldiers..." "Does it matter!? Forward, men! Forward!" Soldier D moves to N13. Knight A moves to M13. Soldier C moves to L12. Archer B moves to L13. Archer C moves to N14. Pirate moves to M14. Myrmidon B moves to D10. Knight B moves to C11. Mage C moves to E10. Monk A moves to D11. Myrmidon C moves to V9. Knight C moves to V10. Monk B moves to V11. Mage D to U10. On the left, Baldur prepares for an incredible assault by four assailants. Baldur survives it all. Ferdiad as well takes an assault, but only from two assailants this time. Their efforts are completely and utterly futile. TURN 3/12 Player Phase Ferdiad recovers 5 HP! "Rider squad in the back; assault the sides! Thieves, prepare to move in and take whatever you find!" EXP: (51/100) Stats (Enemy Stats)

The Mage practically accepts his defeat when the javelin comes hurtling at him, closing his eyes... but then opening them with a sigh of relief as he hears a gentle 'thud' next to him. EXP: (34/100) Stats (Enemy Stats)

The Myrmidon watches helplessly as he is bombarded with attacks too far from him to reach, with Fey landing her hit and defeating him instantly. EXP: (33/100) Stats (Enemy Stats)

"Ah, looks like I'm a little late. Not to worry, I'm sure my healing prowess will more than make up for my absence... but please, keep me away from the tides of battle. Not for my sake, but for... erm... everyone's sake. I won't guarantee there won't be at least a little blood."

Lizaveta and Lysander move again! Mim opens fire on the Mage. EXP: (30/100) Stats (Enemy Stats)

The Soldier can do nothing as Lizaveta blasts him with a gust of wind. EXP: (25/100) Stats (Enemy Stats)

Lysander makes his mark and ends the unsuspecting Soldier's life. EXP: (22/100) Stats (Enemy Stats)

Kane nodded to Baldur as he rode along with Shin. Arthur as well began moving, responding to Lenore. "Who do you think I am? He's safest with-" Arthur is shoved! "Don't push me." Arthur and Baldur move again! Arthur is shoved! "I swear to fucking god..." Enemy Phase "Front squad and side squads, forward!" Myrmidon A moves to M10 Soldier A moves to L9 Soldier B moves to O9 Archer A moves to N10 Mage A moves to L10 Mage B moves to N11 Knight B moves to D14 Monk A moves to D16 Myrmidon B moves to E13 Mage C moves to E15 Knight C moves to V14 Monk B moves to V16 Myrmidon C moves to U13 Mage D moves to U15 The Myrmidon leads the assault against the pack, trying to put a dent in Ferdiad to little avail. Over the wall, the first Soldier hurls a javelin at Mim and misses, provoking counterattack. The other Soldier hurls a javelin as well, aiming for Lenore instead and failing as well. The archer takes aim from afar and fires at Lysander, landing their mark... then swiftly regretting it. The mages begin to bombard Ferdiad with their magic, suffering wounds in the process but managing to take some damage on him. TURN 2/12 Player Phase Ferdiad recovers 5 HP! EXP: (19/100) Stats (Enemy Stats)

With her newfound sense of purpose, Mercia moved forward with her companions. Mercia to G12. Lucan to F12. Rosanne to H11.

"Special offer, come get it before it's sold out!... Hm? Ponytail? Lipstick? Nah, doesn't look good on me."

TURN 1/12 Objective: Protect Stella for 12 turns! Alternative Objective: Defeat the boss! Player Phase Stella pauses for a moment, then goes behind the throne. She pulls something out from it; a longbow shimmering with beautiful light. As Stella goes back onto the throne, she whispers a prayer on the bow, then speaks. "I'm not entirely hopeless... well, maybe in battle, but... if you feel unsafe, please stay by me. I'll protect you when I can... and I can shoot enemies from afar if they get too close, but I'm afraid I don't have much faith in the rest of my abilities... also, if you find any chests, please feel free to take them... I fear they may have plunderers with them and I'd rather you have the treasures..." Meanwhile, from afar... "Now, men! The time has come to take back what is rightfully ours from Ceda! Hold your positions until I tell you to move up, or if you see the enemy in your sights! Front squad and side squads, prepare to move in!" EXP: (0/100) Stats (Enemy Stats)

Chapter 2 Dubious Unity As Virtuous settles in the castle of Ceda, a strange phenomenon indeed, they still yet wonder if what Queen Stella says is true. Queen Stella has prepared to disclose anything to convince Virtuous of her good intentions. What is about to happen, however, will ask the question of if Virtuous can truly convince Queen Stella. Stella gives a little giggle at Justine's words, looking a little more relieved. "That's good to know... that I have friends here... it does sound like a lifestyle I'd be unable to keep up with, but-" Before Stella can finish her words, Albert barges into the room, gasping for breath, dread in his eyes. "My lady! My lady, invaders! Invaders! They're flying Gul colors!" Stella stands up faster than you've ever seen her stand up before; it almost felt like she was physically unable of doing so. "Gul!? Th-They can't be here now...! What could they possibly want from us!?" Stella looks panicked, but trying to keep her calm. "Rally the troops, we'll defend with everything we can!" Albert looks pained. "I-I sent the troops off early! I-It's going to take me a while before I can get them all up and running! We'll have been had at this rate!" Stella gives a slight gasp, and puts a hand to her head. "It's my fault... sending the troops off early just to clear the way..." Just as Stella's about to lose hope, Kane steps up with a hint of determination in his face, staring down at her. "Queen Stella, allow Virtuous to fend them off while you wait for your troops to get here." Stella shows alarm on her face initially, before settling down. "You... you really will...?" Arthur lets out a slight 'hmph' in response, pulling his coat on tighter. "It's a damn good thing I brought this for the extra cover from the sun, but it's hot as hell wearing it... needless to say, I'm ready." Kane looks about ready to protest to Arthur, before he sighs and pulls a mask out of his coat and fits it on; befitting his name, a simple crimson-colored mask that fits over half of his face with a barely-noticeable floral pattern. "What, you really thought I was gonna forget about this just because I knew Stella? Come on." Kane sighs and looks forward. Albert looks around and nods vigorously. "Very well! I'll go alert the troops; hold them off for a little while for me, I'll try to be quick!" Stella settles back down in her throne, though she still looks anxious...

Although her words conveyed otherwise, Kane still looked somewhat concerned at Lizaveta as she spoke her words. Before he could say anything in response, Albert clapped his hands. "Very well! Then we'll be off as soon as possible; gather what you'd like to bring, feel free to bring weapons if that makes you feel safer, and if you have any horses you'd like to bring, let me know and I'll set them up with the rest of the caravan." Albert moves to Stella as she sleepily gets up. "It's such a long walk to the caravan..." Albert looks a bit flabbergasted as he looks back to Fey, with a sort of 'are you seeing this?' expression on his face. Stella begins to walk out; Arthur holds the door for her before leaving himself, with Albert heading out as well. Kane, however, looks to everyone. "This is... going to be risky and stressful, so please, if at any point you all need to get out of the castle or if you all feel we should leave early, let me know. I'm going to go get the horses. Knight, Dragon, Ficus..." Kane adds for emphasis, not in a hostile tone but more as a sort of 'we are not letting you forget him again' sort of tone. "...I'd like to ask your assistance in bringing your mounts out..." As he moves to the back, he stops by Lizaveta and whispers. "I'll also be there if you get uncomfortable, just let me know if you need me to say or do anything." He says something similar when walking by Ferdiad. "If at any point you feel like you need to speak with the queen or myself, just let me know." ... Similarly to Kane's usual outings, you all pile into the back of a carriage, only this time Kane and Simeon are also sitting in the back with everyone. Stella also is sitting with everyone... except she's fast asleep with no chance of waking up, seems rides tend to make her sleepy. Conversations don't get a chance to really strike up, as everyone arrives at the castle rather quickly. As the carriage stops, you hear Albert outside telling the guards to go off duty, and let the rest of the guards in the castle know as well, to which the guards respond rather positively. You are all ushered out and able to enter the castle without attracting attention; Stella needing to be shaken awake to get her moving. You all approach the throne room, Stella sitting on the throne rather comfortably. As expected, King Darcy is nowhere to be seen. Albert clears his throat. "Oh, yes... Albert, if you'd please get the book... the, uh... what was it called again...?" "No worries, my lady, I'll get the book as quickly as possible." He leaves, leaving Stella to lounge a little bit on the throne. "...There were two thrones out here... but my husband ended up deciding he'd rather sit in his room all the time... I know it's not really that known, but the reason my husband stays in his room all the time is because he doesn't care too much for being king... he just likes the power and wealth. I do most of the work... but, erm... that's why he won't see you all... unless something major happened, he won't come out. The last time he came out was a few months ago-" Stella looks a bit grim for a second, before looking at the ground with a rather nervous expression. "......Um... what's it... like...? Being wanted across the continent...? It sounds exciting, being on the run... I wouldn't know... I don't think I'd be rather suited for it with my sleeping problems... but it sounds like it'd be fun..." Stella pauses, her nervousness now just turning into plain awkwardness. "...I shouldn't be having those thoughts, I'm sorry... it's rude of me to act like I have a part to play in all this... really, I can only give opportunities... and I'm sorry if I talk too much, I don't get to be this informal... at all, nowadays..."

"That's alright, Snowbird. Feel free to keep your distance as long as you need, I'll go handle things." --- Stella looked a bit crestfallen as Lizaveta talked, though a very keen observer or someone close by might notice she dozes off a couple of times during Lizaveta and Baldur's speeches. However, by the time Lenore finishes, she's awake again. "...I know you may not want to be affiliated with me... that's why I'd like to try to keep the operation a secret. I think that's the way you all operate, just being in secret... I haven't even told my husband... and he probably won't ever learn, he never comes out of his room unless he hears important news..." Stella sighs as Kane walks in; she hasn't rolled down her sleeve and Kane clearly notices her crest. "...I know it's unorthodox... so if some of you feel like you can't trust me-" "Hold on." Kane speaks up as it looks like Stella is about to relent. "As leader of Virtuous, I'd like to rule that we're going to the castle. If nothing else, just to find what your plan is and how you intend for us to go about it... however, I know some of us are still uncertain..." Kane looks over everyone, particularly Lizaveta. "...so I would like to make sure that everyone is at the very least willing to give it a chance. If not, I'm afraid we run a tight ship here and we don't leave anyone behind." Stella looks a little relieved, but Albert seems still on edge. "Well, yes, I won't tell anyone about this exchange nor if we made an alliance, but good heavens, the strain is quite difficult to bear. At the very least, I've seen that some of you can be good people..."