Fire Emblem on the Forums: Sea of Crossroads [IC]

[Zetaark]

"Yes, I think I'll have a glass. I figure trying out the wine may be rather nice. Let's go," Madante states.

 

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"Indeed. It was quite an experience. The two of us were just talking about our travels. Do you have any interesting stories Darius?" Helana asks.

[Anstane]

 

"Not...really, to be honest, unless you count how I was picked up by my mentor and tutored as interesting." he spoke out, a bit sheepishly. He did have some other stories that might be counted as interesting, but they were not such that he would enjoy sharing...

[rokubiraijuu]

There's something to be said about meeting someone else who is as seemingly mundane as yourself -- he's always felt like he never has anything of intrigue to say about himself, having spent his entire life living what he considers to be a normal nomad's existence. "Is that how dark magic works?" he asks the shaman. "Helena said something about an 'institute'. Did you have the same?"

[Bfroger6]

No better way than to travel by ship. Of course, there were always drawbacks, like the damn cold his clothes couldn't really ward off and stuff, but generally, sailing was a pleasant experience. And even better after playing that song with Idei and Darius. He wondered whether Darius got what he was saying. Didn't seem that way, but one could always hope.

 

Oh, and there was one other thing that was bound to make this trip worth it-the wine. That old guy they protected gave them a heckuvalot of that sweet sweet drink that they could basically bathe in it. Or sail on it. Or whatever with it! Although somehow, he wasn't in the mood for it right now. Nor for much else. He got inside, swiped one wine bottle out of the crate, carefully stashing it into some cloth he tied up into a general shape of a pouch, and casually walked over to the group, picking out a particular priestess from it to approach.

 

"Yo, Emilee."

[Pyon Pyon Kyuu!~]

"'Eeeeeeyyyyyyyy Beef!" Emilee was sitting near a corner on a barrel, with an almost empty bottle in her hand, and an actually empty one rolling near her. Her face was red but joyous and her motions were swervy. "Beefy Beef! Beef Casserole! Cass! Cassy! Beefy Cassy Hehe, you have such a funny name hehehe!" She broke out into a giggle fit, broken by her drinking another sip of the wine finishing it with a loud 'aaah' and then almost losing her balance on top of the barrel, giggling, taking a second sip, and then turning back to Cass. "Oh speakin' of funny names! It's so weird right? We have Casserole Cass, Cadence Cade and Clarisse Clar! We have so many C royal guards. Where are all the Es y'know? Some Emmas and some Emilios. I'm the only E royal guard and that's so sad!"

[Chevaleresse]

18 hours ago, InnocentSerenity said:

Karik walked around the wyvern, getting closer to its head. “Guess I wasn’t exactly that right about yer owner when I met ya. She certainly cares a lot 'bout ya.” Karik attempted to pet the rather imposing creature’s head. Karik covered his mouth with his other hand as he mumbled to himself. Though, her temper ain't exactly that charming.”

 

“Yers would probably be the first wyvern I met, though.” Karik turned his head back over to the girl he beat in height. ”See quite a few more pegasus riders out at sea, traveling between islands. Wyvern riders aren't too often of a sight. Where’d ya get him?”

"What's that supposed ta mean. . . ? These people, I swear, I'm never gonna get a inch a' respect from 'em. . ." She shook her head at the boy's comment. The wyvern, for his part, licked Karik's face once, and then tilted his head slightly for Karik's hand. 

"I got Ecquis here while I was on a mission to the Equinox Isles. 'S a bit of a long story and I already told it once today." She undid one final belt on the wyvern and slid the saddle, bags, weapons, and all, off onto the deck with a clattering thump. "There ya go. Naked wyvern."

[Aurorix]

"Then lets head down, hopefully the others haven't already wasted themselves." Belros spoke before heading down into the ship. He grabbed a bottle and two glasses, trying to ignore Emilee as she seemed to have already chugged down nearly two bottles. That can't be healthy nor safe. He set the glasses on an empty table with two seats, pops open the bottle and fills both of the glasses. He set the open bottle onto the table and sits down. Holding his glass in his hand he asks his commanding officer,  "Alright Madante, you already know a bit about me so lets even things up. Why did you join the royal guard and how did you become the officer on this mission of ours?"  

[Zetaark]

"Well, I became captain for this squad particularly as a trial to test out some of the recruits. It would also be my chance to prove myself as a captain. As for why I joined..." Madante paused a bit, glancing downwards. "Family issues, I suppose."

[Aurorix]

"Family, huh? I assume it was to get away from them. Seeing as you said they'd get a bit... "wild" whenever they drink too much." He took a sip from his glass before continuing.  "If you don't mind me asking, what exactly happened with you and your family to drive you into joining the royal guard? Must've been something major for you to want to leave that bad."

[Zetaark]

"I'd uhh, prefer not to say too much about that if at all possible," Madante frowns, taking a sip of the wine. "All I'm willing to say right now is that some family circumstances made joining the royal guard the best option for me. Though that hasn't fixed things yet." Madante sighs, taking yet another sip.

[Aurorix]

"N-no, that's alright. We all have things we... don't wish to talk about... I'm sorry for prying." Belros took notice of Madante's drinking. He's speeding up and if he doesn't change the subject soon, they may have another Emilee on their hands.  "Changing subjects, who taught you how to use the sword? Or were you by chance self taught? I'm a bit curious seeing as one blow from you knocked me onto the ground." He chuckled a bit before taking a sip from his glass.

[Anstane]

 

"If there is an institute for students of Dark Magic, I am not aware of it. Because of our...less than stellar reputation, so to say, most practitioners are either self-taught or were taught by a lone master, such as in my case" Darius sighed out. His memories of hope and, then, betrayal making themselves manifest.

[rokubiraijuu]

He might not be gifted with conversation, but he can tell when there's a story behind someone's remarks. The shaman seems troubled by his thoughts, so he decides not to push any further in that direction. "Less than stellar reputation? I'm sorry, I don't know much about magic. What makes dark magic so different?" As far as he's seen on the battlefield, the shaman's spells are alarming, certainly, but no less so than a roaring flame or a bolt of lightning to make a corpse smoke, unrecognizable, on the ground.

[Anstane]

 

"By itself, dark magic is not that different than other types of offensive magic. It's mostly in how the spells are made manifest, namely, how different the Elder Spirits are compared to Anima spirits. Namely, just how...aggressive, coercive the elder spirits can be and the horrific effects that they can have, from simple whispers to downright possession of one's body to..." Darius breathes for a moment. "...having your very being lost to the spirits, becoming little more than a shell, a husk that exists, eats and breathes, but not really living. This is the danger us dark magic practitioners have to deal with every day, or at least that's what my old mentor taught me." the shaman admitted, though how much of that was true and how much was just an attempt to scare him, he did not know.

[Sutoratosu]

"Very good, you learn quickly..." another twisted, charred spectre sailed over the ancestor's head as she spoke, the raw power of the girl's last spell still rocking the back deck. Promise, there was so much to be had there. She grasped both the concept of harnessing emotional turmoil as a means of power, and given that not a single bit of the vessel showed any sign of damage despite the nature of this exercise, she also had enough control to selectively restrict that power to what she wished to destroy. It was even better than Mara could've hoped...

     "But, oh my- it looks like there's even more now. Whatever shall you do?"

"It doesn't matter how many you throw at me-" with that said, the girl's hand raised, and with it she let her hate pulse outward into the world in the form of fire and light, the Anima frenzied off the raw energy as they lept to obey her command. Like well, magic, a swirling conflagration swept across the area, igniting and torching the half a dozen black shadows still surrounding her, yet leaving virtually everything else unharmed as the blast forced them off their feet and into the air. Another series of splashes came from behind the Sidow Master, as Cadence panted; even though it was still much better than using physical stamina, at the rate she was pushing things, even the emotion route was taking it's toll. Still, the Anima practically begged for more, almost as if... they'd become drunk off the power. It worried Cadence, but at the same time... the ghost had a good point- when she stopped bottling everything up and just let it all flow freely, like a stream of might she could draw from whenever she wished... was a tome even necessary anymore? She may have felt more exertion than before, true, but... it was nothing she couldn't deal with.

     Her physical weapons lay at Mara's feet all the while. The ancestor had confiscated them, more or less, said that Cadence would have to rely purely on her own strength with the spirits if the lesson was to have any points. In truth though, she doubted physical blows would've landed anyway- more than a few reflexive punch and kicks had gone straight through the wraiths when some of em had gotten too close. How much better would a length of sharpened steel really have feared? The question didn't really matter though, now that they were all gone. She looked over to Mara, the fire in hands dying down as she reigned the black river of emotion in her heart and mind back to their original places. The Anima seemed to almost... boo her for it, as far as she could tell.

"Tch, what is that it? Not a very hard test if you ask me-"

"Oh please, this is just a warm up. Let's up the ante~"

 

Yet more of the entities emerged around her, oozing black as they slowly took form, like monsters born of ink and sludge. And to a bit of Cadence's horror... she recognized each and every last one of them. The merc boi from the boat, the Bandit and Soldier who'd tag teamed her in the forest, the Troubadour and Cavalier she'd done in during the battle against the Baron... but one of them drew her attention most all. A shape she dreaded, as even now it edged closer to her, grinning with that slimy, shit eating mug, eyes like twin points of crimson. The profile of the blade it carried was... painfully familiar. Quite literally. 

"Excellent. Now tell me my dear, is this still as easy as you once thought?"

"..." She stood there, frozen before the ink laden effigy of the very woman she'd been running from for so long. Even with all the spite she felt welling to the surface, her body would not respond, regardless how close the specter drew. Until finally, it had it's blade raised over Cade's head, and with one fell swoop-

 

Mara snapped her fingers. The Bandit and the Soldier rushed forward like shadows in the night, knocking the maternal wraith back before it's arc could cut Cadence down. Only now however, the two of them were maneuvering around her, weapons readying to strike their own blows. She recognized the moment the woman must've plucked this memory from well. And with the immobilizing fear of the other Wraith now on hold, she had no intention of repeating the past. It had been the push she needed to react, and just like when she had bisected the Cavelier, her entire body ignited with the aura of flame as she finally began to focus. An all to familiar length of solid fire in her palm as she swung once and cut the Bandit in two just like the horseman, sending the phantom back to whatever place Mara had called it from with a puff of black. Without even looking behind her, she turned the blade back handed and sidestepped, driving the searing flame through the Soldier behind her. Like his brother, he too died in a plume of black ash and cinders, swept up and vanishing in the wind.

"Yes, now that is what I wanted to see! That state you went into against that baron's thugs earlier, it precisely illustrates the type of power you must hone..." Another snap of her fingers. The Troubadour and the Cavalier charged for her, steads trailing an unnatural wisp of night as their hooves thundered against the deck. Just as the drew close enough to bear down on her, their weapons both raised, twin blades temporarily crossing before crashing down towards the girl.

    And acting on pure instinct, Cade dropped low and again sliced with the blade of condensed flame, cutting both the mounts down under their masters and causing the steeds to crash onto the deck, vanishing in plumes of black as their owners slowly rose. They didn't have very long to recover before the burning rapier Cadence held warped itself into two knives, just like the one she stashed in her coat. Before they could even charge on foot, both of them found the constructs firmly planted in their hearts. 

 

Cadence did not stop however. Before Mara could snap her fingers again, she'd already rushed over to the doppelganger of the mercenary, the speed that the Anima's flames had bestowed to her allowing her to outmaneuver the specter even in that heavy coat. Without a word, she yanked his head back and drew swiftly against his neck, searing fire spilling blood blacker than ink as she let him fall out of her arms. She was too fast at point to really tell, but... for the briefest of moments, she could've almost sworn... Mara had been smirking as she watched.

 

Then... there was only mother. Cadence did not bother trying to meet the shadow in single combat, no. Instead she took the aura of flame that surrounded and empowered her up till then and condensed it into a small orb in the palm of her hands, snarling as she hurled the trapped storm of fire and light at the being. Before the shade could so much as blink, it was engulfed in a blast of unbridled magic, Cadence pouring every last drop of the hate she felt for the woman into the attack. 

"Die...you fucking... abomination..." She panted the words out, dropping to her knees as she tried in vain to catch her breath. In truth, that had been the longest she'd ever maintained the state, certainly longer than it had been up against the cavelier, and the blast was far more feirce than anything she'd conjured before. Soon enough, the fires cleared. And the girl felt her breath return

     And like that, the fiend was no more, it was over. Even more to Mara's surprise however, the Deck was still entirely unscathed despite the girl's warpath just moments ago. Precision and power... already honed to a razor point, both of them. By the gods, She found herself once more applauding, even feeling a little giddy- this was going to be... a very beautiful arrangement between master and student, she could already tell.

"Impressive, my dear. Most impressive. You've done it, slain them all, even the one you feared most... though doing so in practice is much easier than the real thing. Regardless, you've more than exceeded my expectations here... you didn't even damage the boat a single bit, despite all that fire- did Ramza"

"No." She said grimly, rising to her feet, "My father never had the chance to teach me anything of the sort. Everything I know, everything you just saw, was self-taught. Trial and error, experimentation, over and over again until I found ways that worked...like telling the anima to ignore everything except what I'm aiming for... "

"Well, I was actually going to ask if he'd ever reached out or spoken to you during one of those late night training sessions. But obviously from your answer, I can gauge he didn't. A  real pity, I think he would've been proud... if not utterly amazed how far you've already come on your own- tis the determination of youth, I suppose. Oh, regardless though, I think I've seen what I needed to. Hmmmm... yes, I think we can launch right into the next lesson, you already demonstrate the necessary qualities to control such great potential. Unfortunately, such tutelage as I plan to give is... best given under the cover of darkness. You'll be out here on your own later, as always, I hope?"

"I mean, it's what I've been doing every night since the shipwreck... I don't see any reason why that would change." 

"Good, good. I'll see you then. Make sure to get some rest though, what I'll be showing you is best observed while in top form..."

 

and with that, the ghost was gone, her physical form fading into an apparition and then into nothing as Cadence watched. Almost as if on their own accord, her weapons flung themselves to her feet. Cadence reached down and picked them up, starring off into the distance where the odd Mentor had once been.

 

Of all the things in this world, she'd never imagined she'd one day be receiving magic tutelage from a ghost...

 

 

[Zetaark]

"One of the other captains taught me how to use the sword. Captain Valtios is one of the highest ranking captains in the Royal Guard and serves the royal family directly. He was incredibly strict, but he was a very good teacher," Madante nods, recalling the training he endured.

 

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"Dark magic is usually associated with the legend of the summoners of old, which is why it's usage is frowned upon. Or so I've heard. I don't think there's a way to really find out for sure if that's what happened, but because of that legend, dark magic isn't actually discussed at any large institutions. Well, not in great detail anyways. Which makes why they sent me out to investigate some was a strange decision, though it worked out in the end," Helena sighs before looking  at Idei. "Incidentally, where is your horse at right now?"

[rokubiraijuu]

The things that the shaman speaks of almost remind Idei of the some of his own tribe's folklore -- and not just his tribe either, but legends that are known throughout the Arcadian sands, though never fully believed. Tales of spirit talkers who tread the line between human and ghost, and risk losing their sanity outright to the voices that whisper from beyond what's visible. His father had dismissed it as superstition, as he tended to do with anything that wasn't staring him in the face, but his uncle would sometimes regale him with these stories -- 'to show him there's so much in the world we don't understand', he'd said.

 

Of course, he has no idea what Helena talks about when she mentions the legends of summoners, but they're probably not anything good. The sudden question about Kite catches him off guard. "Below decks," he replies after a moment. "I left him sleeping. He's not happy to be here, but it's not safe to let him out."

[Aurorix]

"Captain Valtios, huh? Can't say I heard of him. But to be trained by the top captain must've been quite an honor. Though what exactly did this Captain Valtios do to earn such a title? Was he a War hero or did he have royal connections?" Belros sets his glass down, still having some wine left inside. He'd best limit his drinking for now. Don't want to be walking around all tipsy, especially in Z'ark.

[Zetaark]

"Shame. I wanted to see the horse, but if he's asleep then I'll let him sleep," Helena pouts a little bit, somewhat disappointed.

 

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"It was mostly just through his service. He had been with the guard for decades and has done exceptional work in handling disputes and conflicts around the land. The mission he gets a lot of credit for was him navigating the king to Z'Ark for an event. The ship ran into a large group of pirates, but he managed to outmaneuver them and prevent them from getting to the ship. I think after that was when he got his current title. As for his family...I don't think he was nobility, but I never really asked about it," Madante answers.

[rokubiraijuu]

"It wouldn't be safe," he replies, shaking his head apologetically. "He has never liked open water, and it's been worse since the shipwreck. He gave me this for my efforts to calm him." Rolling up his sleeve, he displays the still angry-looking wound from Kite's bite on his forearm. "He would be even more dangerous to someone he does not know."

[Zetaark]

"That doesn't look very good. Let me see your arm," Helena states, taking Idei's arm and pulling out a vulnerary and some cloth from her person. "Still though, if you ended up getting an injury like this, it probably isn't a good idea for me to see him. Shame, I do enjoy the company of animals," Helena muses as she patches up Idei's arm. "Now then, what was that about a shipwreck? I don't recall hearing about something like that."

[rokubiraijuu]

He hesitates, initially somewhat reluctant to be touched by someone he doesn't know very well, but seeing as she's attending to an injury, he relents, extending his arm. It isn't as if he can't handle the wound on his own -- it's hardly the first time Kite has lashed out at him, and caring for bumps, bruises, and broken skin thanks to the testy stallion is nothing new at this point -- but he doesn't want to refuse kindness. "Some time ago, we were shipwrecked by a sudden storm at sea. We were trying to go to Kabumu, but washed up far away . . . that one storm led to everything that has happened since."

 

He flinches at the sting when she applies the poultice a little too roughly, but otherwise shows no sign of discomfort. An ironic quirk of lips accompanies his next remark: "Hm. It's not the first time a storm has changed the course of things."

Edited May 11, 2017 by rokubiraijuu

[Aurorix]

"Ah I see." Belros started to scratch the back of his head.  "Actually, come to think of it, I never really had any formal trainer. Well, at least in terms of sword play or archery for matter. I guess you could say I got a bit of training from the guild but it was mainly things like lockpicking, ambushing, and information gathering. At least for my group combat training was second priority."

 

"Though now I wish I put more priority on it. Maybe if I wasn't so inept a lot of things wouldn't have happened. Heh, oh well..." He let out a sigh before grabbing his glass once more taking a larger than normal sip from it.

[Sutoratosu]

With her gear in hand, Cadence had retired to below deck before long. On the way down she had paid little mind to the two mages and the nomad by the door- though her gaze had briefly lingered on Helena as she passed -nor did she to any of those partaking of the wine once she was inside. She tread deeper into the vessel, towards where they all had made their makeshift beds and sleeping quarters, considering this ship had no such amenities already in place for a crew that was not supposed to exist on board in the first place. Her own ramshackle sleeping space was a bit removed from most of the others, nestled behind a few crates and barrel. It still wasn't much better than anyone else's though, just had a bit more privacy.

    She set her sword down on the crates, preparing to take off her coat when his voice rang out from the darkness.

"Hello, Cadence..."

 

The flickering flame of a candle bloomed to life nearby, the tell-tale whisper of anima rumbling all around them. The spirits under her own command practically cried in joy at the sudden presence, as opposed to how much trepidation they'd been drowning in around Mara, in fact they practically gravitated towards the man... or, specter, rather. Cadence slowly turned around, and there he was, sitting. waiting for her. For how long, she didn't know, but... she supposed when a man was dead, time stopped having as much meaning as it once did. Before she could even open her mouth though, he continued.

"Take a seat, dear. We have a lot to discuss. There are things you need to know about... or rather, be reminded of," and with his spoken words came action. He held up a hand, drawing a burning sigil of divine aura in the air, and as he did a solid, thick line of white light drew across the entrance to the nook. Cadence knew just from the sensation of the seal that trying to leave would be pointless. But at the same time, she also knew it's purpose wasn't to keep her there with him... with little choice either way though, she took a seat on the bedding, opposite from him... waiting.

 

The silence grew between them. Her father closed his eyes, seemingly in thought, taking a breath. It was the exact same centering technique he'd taught her as a girl, to see him use it now though... and with this dreadful quiet that kept dragging on... Cadence shifted where she sat, gazing nervously at the floor

"So... what did you want to...?"

"Hmmm?" One look in his eyes and she knew he'd been utterly lost in thought for a minute there. Even in death, he was still the same man she'd always known... "Oh yes, right... forgive me, there's been... quite a bit to sort through, ever since... well, I won't bring that memory back up for you. I've just been looking into things... regarding Mara. And the Sidow Order. But that's only part of what I want to discuss with you. What I'm more concerned with lately... is the spike in how much raw magic you've been using."

"Wait, what? Why, what's that got to do with anything? All my life I've wanted to learn, and those two never let me, so why the hell is my practicing now such an issue-"

"Because you're endangering yourself." The ghost sighed, rubbing one of his temples as he felt his way through the rest of his words... "Look, don't get me wrong, I'm proud- well, proud doesn't even come close to describe it, but it'll have to -of how hard you've been working on your own, how determined you've been to teach yourself.

    Not even I could've foreseen you're true potential; you've come farther in just these last two weeks or so than most pupils could hope to do with years of training and discipline. And some of the things you've done with wild magic would be unthinkable to most mages if they were to lose their tomes... but therein lies the problem cadence. Tomes. They exist for a very good reason. Do you remember what I told you when you were little?"

"Yeah... tomes hold the instructions and the energy spirits need to manifest themselves, and mages use some of their own power to tap into and release that energy when they need to call them, that's why Tomes degrade over time like normal weapons. But... that's the thing- I've already experienced what happens when you try and use the anima without one, like sages like you do... I've already figured out a way around it though, if I can feed them with something other than my own life force then I'm fine." She stood, eyeing the white boundary as if intending to leave "I don't need to be lectured like some little k-"

Spoiler

 

"Sit. Down. Now." The sage seemed calm as ever, yet his voice carried all the weight of thunder as she felt an unsettling vibration tear through her, making her legs tremble as she immediately plopped back onto the crates. Again, her father sighed, rubbing his temples "I'm sorry... but you don't understand what you're talking about. Cadence, this problem has existed with magic users since times immemorial, if there was as simple a way to negate degradation of one's health as to just use emotional impulses as a catalyst, Scholars would've figured it out centuries ago and we wouldn't be having this discussion...and I could've easily taught you magic regardless of what your Mother and Regis wanted. You are going to regret the consequences nature has in store if you keep this up-"

"Then... that means...god, why the hell did you wait till now to say anything?"

"Being dead isn't easy dear. As I said, I've had many things to look into... unfortunately that meant that I put off this discussion until now. But not anymore... Power always comes with a cost cadence, regardless where it comes from... especially in matters of the Arcane. When you use a Tome, that cost is mitigated to practice and proper training. When you don't use one however... well it starts small, negligible at first... but then it always turn into something much, much more. Do you understand, this is life and death here, if you continue you will be no better off than I am right now, and all this time you've been steadilly pushing yourself closer and closer to that edge like a godsdamned fool..." 

     There was more he wanted to say, in his anger. But he stopped. Just... stopped. Couldn't go on so harshly. So much fear on her face, so much uncertainty... all he'd wanted was to warn her off the destructive path she was on, and yet all he'd done here was nearly bring her to the verge of tears. Sighing, he got up from his own spot and sat next to her, bringing her in close with an arm over the shoulder. And for just a moment, as she rested her head on his shoulder... he was reminded of when she was small, when her sisters were younger. Of times before this mess and all the death... or rather, times in-between all the mess and death, for they never truly ended when House Albus was involved. Mara may have been suspect, but she was right about that part at least.

"I never told you about your uncle, did I?"

"You... have a brother...?"

"Aye... once. Not anymore though... not for a long time..."

[Bfroger6]

"..."

 

"Sure, whatever you say." Cass pulled a barrel nearby and sat next to Emilee, nonschalantly pushing the emptied out bottle aside and into a pile of crates where it tonked anticlimactically. "Why don't ya give one of da Guards a nickname that starts on 'E'? Then you could pretend that they're an 'E' guard as  you said. I can start if ya want...hmmmm...no this is hard." He furrowed his brow, one hand on his chin, rolling a strand of his mighty chin-beard around a finger. Nah he couldn't think straight, cuz dayum was she making him wanna pop that bottle he was carrying, like pronto.