Fire Emblem On Forums: Mortal Transgressions (IC)

[rokubiraijuu]

He hadn't gone far.

 

Or it should be more accurately said that he hadn't managed to go far. The Icons of Sin still lingered, even after being defeated. He'd thought they'd run like cowards, with tails between their legs... and at least, maybe some of them had.

 

But there had been a flicker of scarlet amongst the trees — a sight he's come to recognize. Something similar had predated his last encounter with them by the lakeside, when he'd run Death through. Last time, it'd gotten away. He wouldn't let that happen again.

 

Ferdiad had always been, by nature, a genuine soul, as antonymous to deceit as a dove to black. But the heart worn on his sleeve is also one tempered by a lifetime spent training for combat, and battlefield knowledge doesn't stop at how to throw a javelin. He pretends not to have seen, adjusting his gauntlet as he makes his way a little distance down the path from the fortress, leading Bradwr by the reins. Far enough, at an easy enough gait, to suggest that he's none the wiser and will walk right past.

 

Only once he's sure he's out of sight does he swiftly stop Bradwr by a tree, whisper a soft command to stay quiet, and redouble his steps to the fort again along a different path — keeping low and using the forestry as cover, downwind, with that head of unhooded scarlet just in sight.

[Aurorix]

At the first sign of War, Baldur took a step in front of Lucy wary of any stuns she may pull. However, after War’s little... act he went into more of a scowl crossing his arms and tightly gripping his sleeve with his free hand. “As an Icon or Sin and one of our advisories highest in our list, please have some more self respect in the future. I can tell simply by your state that you’re not going to try anything stupid. Especially with four of us here.” He tilts his staff towards the injured mage as sparkles envelope her closing her major wound. “There, that should make things easier for you. Just make this quick,” the butler turns to Mim, “Unless you have any objections Snowbird.”

[Swordstar]

Mim had quickly pulled out her lance when War first appeared. She didn't let it drop, even after Baldur pulled his little trick of healing War, but she nodded to Lucy.

 

"It's your call, Pestilence. But War... I don't trust you. I know you care about her, but you're still working with him. So as long as you are, you can't do this again. We have plenty of people in this group that would want to kill you on sight, and I'm not exactly your biggest fan either. But if she's ok with it, you can talk to her. Because I know it might help her, and that's what I care about. Her being happy."

[RedMageCole]

War could only continue to give Baldur that same look of disappointment that she had trained on him for much of her participation in the earlier skirmish.

 

“...I will not comment on you jumping to believing that I showed my legs to appeal to your gaze, but you were extremely foolish to heal my wounds— just as you attempted previously for that Rian general. I have no intentions of treating you as anyone other than my enemies, and that includes Pestilence once I depart. This is a one-time meeting— next we meet, I will stop at nothing to kill you. Such are my orders." Her gaze drifted towards Mim, continuing to be stern yet cool-headed. "Just as I've come to understand, you're among the wiser in the band of thieves. I acknowledge that even if Death refuses to. I will tend to Pestilence if she consents, and then I will be off before Death suspects anything."

 

Lucy paused, her grip loosening on Mim. There, she made quiet steps, slow steps, snowflakes falling on her face yet not giving her any sense of urgency. At the same time, War knelt down into the snow— dampness on her dress not impeding her attempts at closing the height difference between her and Lucy. Before long, Lucy was close to War and at eye level despite standing up.

 

"War... I'm... I'm sorr-" Before Lucy could get her thoughts out... War was squeezing her cheeks. Despite Lucy's suddenly panicked expression, War remained stern. "W-wah! Wh-What are you doing...!?"

 

“You're off-color, even though I thought your escapade would help your state of mind. Mmm... I suppose that happens with attachment. At least it seems you're dealing with it more healthily than your brother. And your cheeks... Hm. You're being well-fed, but you're still not eating enough. I had a feeling you might still..." With a sigh, War let go of Lucy's now-sore cheeks— switching to tenderly rubbing them and giving them a gentle pat. Lucy looked a lot better, though still tense. “Very well. I've seen enough." War stood up, flipped Lucy around, and rubbed her shoulders as the two women of sin looked to Mim, Baldur, and a noticeably more flustered Arthur who had watched a little too much of War's affections. "She has a habit of storing away half of her meals because she believes that she is a burden and not worth being a mouth to feed. Don't worry— it's not an exclusive thing to Virtuous, she did this when traveling with us too. See to it that she clears her plate from now on." Afterwards, War let go of Lucy's shoulders and gave her a little push— prompting her to begin running back towards Mim. "The two siblings were treated more akin to animals than children in their home lives. You can see what that's done to the both of them— Death is beyond redemption, but Pestilence is not. See to it that you succeed where Death has failed."

[rokubiraijuu]

His breath clouds in the mid-winter hoarfrost as he crouches amidst the sleeping shrubs and low foliage of the woods, careful not to give away his position in the snow. Closer... just a little bit closer. They still haven't spotted him; good.

 

There's Arthur, the Rian prince who walked with them, there's Mim, there's Baldur. Pestilence. ( A timid wash of lavender. She looks even smaller from atop his horse. She doesn't look him in the eye. I assure you we want nothing more than to go to our families as soon as possible. ) The flowing head of scarlet. It's a conflagration now, no longer just a taunting ember in passing. ( Strands of red, a smirk beneath a hooded face. The horsemen draw further away, as does everything he knows.

 

The horses had been his. )

 

And the blade is in his hand. And the world goes quiet and much too loud all at once as he rushes at her back — only scarlet in his eyes, not even a battlecry on his tongue.

[Swordstar]

She saw him. Possibly before anyone else did. She had just happened to look away from War, to spy that shining armor and flowing blond hair. And suddenly she's back at the lake. Death's arrows at her face. About to die. When that same shining armor drove a spear through his chest. War is their enemy. She was then, she is now. Who is she to deny a man his revenge, especially a man who saved her life?

 

And then she snaps back to the present. A split second decision. She reaches out, grabbing a sleeve, pulling in. She clutches Lucy to her chest, refusing to let her look anywhere but forward. If it was enough to alert War, so be it. She couldn't stop Ferdiad. But she couldn't let Lucy see it either. She wanted to look away, to bury her head into Lucy's hair. But she had to watch. She couldn't turn away, not for War's sake or for Ferdiad's sake. She would watch.

[Aurorix]

The butler could almost sense intense bloodlust in the air and when onto alert. This was followed by the rustle of the bushes and the clanking of armor. Out of all the times to seek his revenge. Everywhere in Baldur's mind and body is telling him to let Ferdiad continue with his assault. Not like he hasn't done the same thing before to an Icon, plus with her gone that leaves only two to deal with in the future. by all logical accounts this is the smart to let her die. However, somewhere deep down his thought drift elsewhere and in a split second he's made up his mind.

 

Dropping his staff, Baldur shoots himself between the charging night and the enemy mage. He allows the blade to pierce through his gut and out his back, Baldur's body lurching back with the momentum of the charging warrior. His mask drops forward, clinking off the blade in front of him before plopping onto the dirt. He coughs out a large gunk of before gritting his teeth placing both hands on the blade lodged inside of him. He grips it with all his might, the sharp metal easily digging past his gloves and into the flesh of his hands. Small tear streams of blood leak onto the blade before dripping to the ground as he locks the knight's blade in blade within himself.

 

"Heh... What's the matter Knight? I would've thought your blade would dig deeper than that. Did your strength leave you along with what honor you had left?"

[rokubiraijuu]

There's a lurch of purple and teal. Movement; the spray of snow. He'll remember that it had all been cold, later. There's the conflagration of scarlet — a splash of vibrant red on the scene, like wine on an ivory carpet, or blood on snow.

 

And at the last moment, there's motion — no — so fast he can't hope to have changed course — Baldur — and he knows before the reverberation up his arm tells him his strike has connected that it's all horribly wrong. The figure lurching backwards is too familiar, the roaring in his ears disjointed. It's not the face of his target. But past it, wreathed in that scarlet, is another, and he thinks everything must be wrong, perhaps this is a vivid dream, for like a wraith come forward from some buried anamnesis, that other face seen for the first time up close carries with it some vague sensation of dappled sunlight and frail stems on which flowers bloom.

 

But Baldur—

 

Footsteps draw back and he watches trembling, gauntleted hands lift from a blade hilt. And the blade doesn't drop. Doesn't drop but remains fixed there, a grotesque protrusion of silver, garish against the bloodied white.

 

And is that him who lunges forward to catch the other man as he pitches, sinks to his knees with a hand pressed hard to where the blood pumps out to try and stem the hemorrhage? "—Mim! Your potions! Please." Is that his voice? His eyes flicking to Arthur, to Pestilence? "Someone, call a healer! Quickly!" If this is a dream, then it is a persistent one. Her face has not changed. It's a strange illusion. His own mind coming to haunt him? Do I know you? his expression seems to ask. But it's only a passing second. "Baldur, you must stay with me. Keep your eyes open."

 

He'll remember that it had all been so cold, later.

[RedMageCole]

Mim's motion had been much too subtle, too warm for War to properly notice that something was amiss. Perhaps she had simply thought it a kind gesture towards Lucy after she had revealed a truth, a truth that Lucy most definitely wanted to tell the world but feared its reaction too greatly. Mim was warm— comfortable to Lucy, who was not ready to leave the caring embrace of someone who loved her.

 

Of course, all was too quick for War— it would have been perfect, a clean shot that not even Famine would have survived, had Baldur not stepped in. War wheeled around the second Baldur shielded her, her own dress betraying her as she tripped on the back and fell to the snowy ground on her behind. She only watched— watched as the man saved her life. But why? She couldn't comprehend it. Her expression was almost offended that the man wasn't willing to let her take responsibility for her own failure to remember that she was an enemy. All for the sake of giving her final blessing to someone who she believed deserved a second chance in this world more than any one of the pitiable souls she knew...

 

Yet her eyes held no contempt. How could she, for she was given a chance to live once more? And yet she felt she deserved no second chances, she wasn't even certain she wanted a second chance. Debt was a messy business. But her eyes held another punishment...

 

The color drained from her face the second she looked upon her would-be murderer. It would have been a cliche, but it would have fit for the moment if she were to faint at that very moment. Yet she was too resilient for such a thing. She had seen too much in her life. She couldn't stop seeing. No matter how tightly her eyes shut— they'd keep flitting open in those moments where time slowed to a crawl. Though War was the most capable of keeping a cool head among the current Icons, her expression was that of pure, helpless frustration.

 

“Why... Why must you always haunt me...?"

 

Without so much as a word of thanks to the man who saved her life, War skittered away as fast as she could. Her freshly healed wounds impeded her no longer— though even if Baldur hadn't done such a thing, she would have fought the pain. The distant tearing of her dress could be heard, all dignity and care to her wardrobe forgotten as she freed her legs up as much as she could to run.

 

"Not even a word of thanks for the man who saved your ungrateful, unworthy life!? You bitch— Get the fuck back here! I'm sick of you Icons always fucking running away—!"

 

Arthur was just a second from throwing a fireball at War's direction and causing a dangerous forest fire, yet the sight of Baldur's blood and Ferdiad's panic was enough to get him to call off the spell. A growl marked him pushing his tome back into his coat, but he couldn't stop looking in the direction of the trees...

 

...Lucy was no fool. She could hear the whole thing, and her warm feelings quickly turned to tears. Perhaps selfishly, she continued to cling to Mim, yet she let go upon hearing Ferdiad's words despite not wanting to.

[Swordstar]

"DAMMIT! Crimson, take Lucy and go. Find that girl who joined up with us, your cousin or whoever. Get her back her now. Lucy, don't look, just go."

 

Shoving Lucy into Crimson, she ran forward, not even glancing at War as the woman escaped. It was stupid of Crimson to yell at her. What did he expect, that their enemy would stay to thank Baldur for being the biggest idiot on the planet? What had he been thinking, that this would somehow be worth it?

 

Reaching Baldur, she pulled her backpack off and dumped it unceremoniously onto the ground. Carefully wrapped potions fell out, along with packages of clean cloth and other assorted items dealing with medicine and wounds.

 

"You absolute idiot, what in the world did you think doing this would do? Do you think he's magically going to want to give up his revenge now that he's stabbed you instead? That those assassins deserve a fair fight? These aren't like the people I've tried to save. They aren't innocents caught up in something bigger than them. She's one of the biggest threats we face. Ugh."

 

Pulling off her coat, she muttered under her breath, before continuing.

 

"I swear you owe me a new coat... Ferdy, put him down on my coat. We're going to need to remove the sword and that's going to cause him to bleed more. This cloth goes over the wound and you hold it down. With pressure. You hear me? We're just keeping him alive until we can get a healer over here."

 

Stuffing the cloth into Ferdy's hands once he had placed Baldur down on the coat, she grimaced for a second, steeling herself, and then pulled the sword out, tossing it to the side immediately after. Leaving the bandages to Ferdy, she grabbed two potions, pouring one over the wound and the bandages, and then quickly following it up with the second into his mouth, forcing it if she had to.

[rokubiraijuu]

Fleeing steps crunch in the snow; his head snaps up to a billowing dress, wild red hair already diminishing into the treeline.

 

"Wait—!" It's fruitless, of course. And again he watches answers slip out of his grasp and vanish.

 

Mim is crouching nearby, turning his attention back to Baldur, pulling bandages from her bag. Someone is yelling; possibly multiple people. It's a lifetime of training and experience he has to thank for steady hands that set Baldur down and take her supplies without hesitation, for weight that shifts naturally to apply proper pressure, for mien that doesn't flinch at the cracking slide and suction of metal leaving flesh and seeping fountain of red — all seeming very far away, a pantomime playing out on a boreal stage.

[Aurorix]

“Heh, sorry Snowbird. Guess I wasn’t able to keep that promise...” The butler’s knees began to shake and his vision quickly blurring in and out of focus. The searing pain echoing through his whole chest and up his arms. However, even through all of this Baldur still seems to keep a smile on his face. “You- know... people say pride is the worst of the seven sins. The one that paves the way to the rest of the six. cough I myself... I disagree. With the right amount pride... is the only one of the seven with any redeeming value. Killing War... here and now... there’s no pride... no justice. She comes here only because she cares for someone... even if she’s done in-humane things in the past... she’s still human. HACK We’d be no different than the Icons if we killed her when she’s unarmed and defenseless. Don’t get me wrong... she still needs to be brought to justice, just not here. We need- cough ... we need to be better than the world if we hope to change it to a more peaceful place...” His voice was drained of most energy. How he was able to carry on such a speech was probably the quickly fading adrenaline. As Mim began to lower him he talked softly so that Lucy wouldn’t be able to hear, “Also, think of what would’ve happened to Lucy... Like it or not, she cares for War. If she died because she put herself at risk to care for Lucy... knowing Lucy there’s a good chance she’d blame herself for War’s death... That right there is a wound no herb, no magic, no substance could ever cure. It slowly eats away at your core before you become a shell of yourself... I can’t let that happen to anyone else... I’d fail my promise to Lucy if I let that happen... wheeze I know this is selfish and I’m putting a big burden on you but magic sure I don’t die okay? As much as I want to, it would be pointless death if it causes what I wanted to prevent... thanks in advance.” As the apothecary removes the blade his blood loss and the shock of pain knows the boy out into the light and dark balancing act of limbo. He held no resistance only for one raspy yelp of pain.

[RedMageCole]

"Son of a bitch...!"

 

Arthur didn't respond much at all, just grabbing Lucy by the arm and running for it— his grip was forceful, making Lucy feel more like she was being dragged rather than guided along. However, it still did the trick as she eventually got to her feet and ran with him into the hallway.

[Powder Miner]

At this point, Lizaveta was very much not going to resist being treated, especially seeing as Shin had received his antidote. It hurt... it hurt a lot. She... didn't quite regret attacking the little bastard, but oh did it hurt... She softly thumped over as she went from crouching to lying down in a limp motion, but that soft thump was followed by a strangled noise as the motion caused more pain. The antidote, though... Lizaveta sighed, and decided just to lie there, right next to Shin. After all of that, the pain had soothed to nothing but a throbbing ache, a physical memory, and she just wanted to stay still for a while.

 

"Okay... okay... okay."

[GodofGamingRWBY]

 

"Just take some time to rest. The antidote should do its work, but obviously it'll take time for back in shape" Godiva advised as she finished patching up the arrow wound that had been the source of Liz's pain, standing back to her full height and brushing off her coat. With any luck, the two would be back in shape by days end, and with the remaining Perusian and Rians having fled, they would be able to rest until then, though it would help for them to have something comfortable to sleep on. She'd have to scrounge the fort a bit, see if there were any supplies she could use as she went to patch up the rest of the wounded-

 

At the sound of the hallway's door being burst open, Godiva was snapped from her thoughts, the young noble's head snapping to its direction to see her cousin running in, violet haired girl in hand, both appearing... Quite distressed, causing Godiva to instinctively place a hand on her staff,

 

"Huh? Arthur, what's-"

[RedMageCole]

Arthur burst into the throne room— anxiously nudging Lucy back to the throne she found to be a nice resting place. She was more than happy to get back to laying down and getting comfortable.

 

"Godiva— Need you outside— Orchid's hurt, stupid accident, need help now...!" It was in fragments, but Arthur's frustration and exhaustion was kicking in and he needed to convey his message as quickly as possible.

[GodofGamingRWBY]

Thankfully, those fragments was enough for Godiva to understand, causing the noble girl to immediately begin sprinting through the halls, not wasting a second to ponder what had happened. All she needed to know was that her skills were needed, and they were needed now. As she ran out, she barely took notice of the bodies that lay across the ground along her path, belonging to those already dead, instead focusing on the trio of Virtious members by the woods, dashing over and instantly taking notice of the blood that stained the white ground.

 

"I'll take it from here, thank you" she said as she knelt by Ferdiad, taking stock of the current situation. A stab wound to the gut... A bad spot to be sure, especially with how deep it is, but something she could work with, especially given how pressure had already been applied to the wound area for her already. With her staff by her side, she'd just need focus and patience to properly treat the man, Orchid as Arthur called him.

 

And focus Godiva did, staying silent as she went about her work with a steeled gaze, periodically swapping between using her staff's magic and using more mundane ways of treating a wound.

[Chevaleresse]

Justine had been uncharacteristically silent in the aftermath of the battle. The performer was equal parts trying to commit every detail of what just happened to memory and lost in thoughts of the meaning of it all. Her quiet was shattered by the sudden appearance of an out-of-breath Arthur, with Lucy in tow. 

"Arthur? What happened?" She glanced back at Lucy, her concerned expression asking a silent question - are you okay? "I thought we'd driven off. . ." No, he said it was an accident; it couldn't have been an ambush. "Is there a way I can help?"

[ElfCollaborator]

On 2/14/2021 at 1:18 AM, RedMageCole said:

Kane didn't go too far from the window— he was just doing a once-over on the sides. The front, where the group created by Mim was, did not seem to concern him very much. However, it was clear that his attention was starting to glaze over— only renewed once Lenore made her way towards him.

 

"...No." Kane let out a sigh. "...I had thought our endeavors would spurn more capable people to act. Not that we're not capable, not in the slightest... I just didn't think we'd be laying siege to half of the castles in Purgus. It's... daunting."

 

Lenore snorts.

"You didn't think we'd have to take on the world to change it, you mean?"

[RedMageCole]

Lucy didn't respond to Justine— she met her eye, and then scurried over to her throne. She went back to laying down, trying not to cry. Arthur, on the other hand, finally caught his breath and groaned— burying his face in his hands.

 

"God- I don't know, one minute War was there snuggling Lucy, then suddenly Ferdiad comes out and tries to cut her in half, then Baldur takes the blow for War, she's gone, Baldur's dying, Ferdiad's probably having a fucking existential crisis as we speak— I don't know. If that's what's gonna happen every time I take a relaxing walk, I'm just gonna stay indoors for the rest of my life... If Godiva's out there, though... It might be okay. I honestly don't know."

 

———

 

Kane doesn't make any sounds resembling laughter.

 

"Not quite in that way. Taking on the world indirectly through schemes, I expected. Taking on the world head-on, dismantling kingdoms from the inside out with whatever help we can get, aimlessly killing like we're military rather than a ragtag band of thieves, and at this point we're probably going to be fighting the gods themselves if this Relic thing even works."

[Shauntaro]

Before too long, Shin's eyes open. He's still reeling from the effects of the poison.


"H-" Before he could really say anything he took notice of Liza lying next to him. And chose instead to not make any noise or indication that he was awake. 

Shin stares at the ceiling in silent contemplation.

[Powder Miner]

Of course, the issue is that Lizaveta isn't deaf, and lying right next to somebody, ear inches away from them, makes it pretty difficult not to notice even cut-off sounds.

"I'm... not actually asleep, you know... just... achey..."

[Shauntaro]

 

"Oh.. I just didn't want to say anything incase you were trying to rest or uh.. something..? Sorry.."
He pauses, a little lost for words.

"Uh.. how are you feeling..?"

[Powder Miner]

Lizaveta lets out a loooong sigh.

"That's a complicated question with a lot of answers."

"Long term... ahaha. . . probably not. Medium term, it is nice to have helped take out that asshole for shooting you."

"Short term, which you probably meant... eheheh, uh, I guess I don't feel great."

[Shauntaro]

"I... see. Overall.. not that good huh.. I'm sorry. Things should turn up soon, hopefully...?" Then, without really thinking too much, instinctively uses a free hand to pat Lizaveta on the head.