Fire Emblem On Forums: Mortal Transgressions (IC)

[Chevaleresse]

"If there's something wrong, you can talk to me. I speak many words, but that just means I can pick and choose which ones to give out." She walked a few steps closer. "I'm not an expert on horse care, but I think a battle is enough exercise for one." She stopped, not wanting to invade his space. It wasn't a good time to engage in her usual teasing, she felt. Justine nearly opened her mouth to ask another question. Are you going somehere? She feared what the answer might be, though; she'd never seen him like this.

[Blasbo]

"Mainly to talk, like I said. But any information you might have would also be appreciated."

 

Reiko...doesn't suppose there's a nice or tactful way to break this to him. Lately she hasn't much cared for that, anyways, and normally she wouldn't for someone related to a sworn enemy, but...he's shown on multiple occasions that there's no love lost between him and the King of Ria. So...if there's not much of a good way to reveal this, then she may as well be blunt. Rip off the band-aid, is the analogy she would make if they had band-aids in Medieval Stasis.

"...The blade. The one that...that your father killed mine to obtain. Does he still have it? Did he contract someone to take it from us, or are there others besides him whose lives have become forfeit? I...please. This is...I'll be frank with you. I don't have much else to be around for beyond this."

[RedMageCole]

Arthur seemed... a bit shocked indeed to hear Reiko's idea that she was the one who had her sword taken from Ruslan. His expression mellowed out into thought, speaking after about a half of a minute of thinking.

 

“...As far as I know, he fully conspired to take it himself. He didn't do it himself, of course; the fucking coward... but I imagine he would have used his own troops to take it by force. I don't know specifics, but I imagine they'd have to be someone who could pass as a mercenary. Even he's not dense enough to have something as suspicious as men from his army barge into someone's home."

 

His eyes opened, now done with thinking.

 

"I want my father as dead as much as you probably want him dead too. He slaughters those who get in his way, those who oppose his plans... he doesn't give a fuck who he kills as long as he gets what he wants in the end. I don't know what Virtuous' plan is for these royals if we need to get past them to get their Relics, but... Ruslan is already dead."

[rokubiraijuu]

If there's something wrong... Again, Ferdiad doesn't meet her eyes, holding the untightened reins loosely in one hand. With Justine here, his chances of disappearing quietly are gone. The panic of being cornered fills him slowly but steadily, like the water level incrementally rising in a sealed chamber. He begins to fidget.

 

"I'm... perhaps it's me who needed the fresh air, then," he half-jokes emptily.

 

"—I'm sorry, Justine. I simply... I don't believe I can stay here." It spills out of him almost unintentionally, and he grits his jaw to keep from trembling. He hadn't wanted this to be a conversation; he hadn't wanted someone to come upon him, try and stop him, try and comfort him. The cleaner this separation, the better, he thought.

[Powder Miner]

Ferdiad, Reiko, and Arthur weren't the only members of Virtuous to undergo internal turmoil. For not the first time, Lizaveta found herself wondering about why she was in the group, and what she was doing. They'd said they weren't there to surrender their lands to the gods, but... what were they going to contact them for, then? What was the point of it? Were they maybe going to try to make some new, reformed lines of kings and queens for each country? Lizaveta... couldn't help something like that. She was already working directly with the Queen of Ceda, and felt like a hypocrite, felt low for that, but if she were to end up recreating the system of monarchy...

 

Lizaveta ended up hunting Kane down.

"Kane... we need to talk."

[Aurorix]

Still sitting at the dinner table, Baldur really had nothing more to add. He sighed placing his fork besides his practically untouched plate of food. However, some peculiar chatter caught his ear and he turned towards the source. It came from Mim and Simeon and with those words a flood of emotions came pouring in. One couldn't tell at a glance, only the guy had been angrily gritting his teeth in their direction. He got up from his seat and exited the room heading in no specific direction. He was surprised this hadn't shown of sooner, especially with what happened today. Once he found a location that seemed devoid of people he shuffled of his canteen once more before trying to drown out all these pent up frustrations.  "Worthless..." He had to drink in such an awkward way in order to keep his mask on while doing so.

[Chevaleresse]

Justine frowned. That wasn't exactly what she had expected. Ferdiad, Knight, Kane's dependable right hand man, leaving? Unless he just meant the castle, but she somehow doubted that it was that simple, if he was going to react this way. 

"Well. . . I wish I didn't have to hear it. I won't try to convince you to stay, as much as I want to." She sighed. "I only ask. . . why? You've been with us for so long, and endured so much for the sake of us and our cause. Honestly, you might have done more for the group than Kane himself. Certainly more than this humble songstress." Justine looked him in the eyes. "I know you would never leave if it wasn't something that meant everything to you. I just want to know what's taking you from us."

[Swordstar]

"Oh good! I'm so glad I can help you out like this! I mean, you were just so helpful with getting us all of these weapons, and everything. I have to say, I was impressed with the work you did on Justine's sword. We're lucky to have someone like you on our side."

[RedMageCole]

Lizaveta may have had to look for a little while, as Kane was quite mobile for a while, but she eventually caught him wandering at the top of the castle, almost as if he were a sentry who was deep in thought questioning himself. He stopped as Lizaveta caught up to him and spoke to him, and he gave a little sigh.

 

"I figured you might want to. I know how you feel about the royalty, especially the monarchy in this world... but I do believe that this is our best shot at changing things for the better. Right now, we have corrupt rulers all over the place... but Queen Stella has proven to be someone who we can trust despite everything. And it's clear that there is still some good within the royalty... Arthur clearly wants a change as well. If we have to go to the gods to figure out what's going on, why these Crests exist... then it's something. We may be able to find clues along the way to find out what's wrong... and if nothing else, we're certainly doing a little bit of toppling of the system. No way will the monarchy be able to be as stable as it once was when we've taken such precious items from them... but I know it's difficult for you to want to do this. And I understand. But please, tell me what's on your mind... is there anything more?"

 

---

 

"Heh heh... ye sure know how to make a blacksmith feel appreciated. I must say that its been an experience bein' here... a challenge I appreciate havin'. Usually I'd go nights without bein' able to make somethin', I'd just have it all on the shelf... which I had to stop showing the customers ever since someone made off with that precious knife I made, but regardless... knowin' you all won't swindle me like that is comfortin'."

[rokubiraijuu]

"..."

 

He opens his mouth to answer, then flounders a bit and closes it, fidgeting more. How to be honest without bringing more shame than he'd already shouldered? How much could he tell her? There's no easy answer, and he reflects that he had been a stronger man, once upon a time.

 

"There are things that simply can't be forgiven," he answers quietly. "I would only bring misfortune." He turns around, quickly tightening the reins and fastening in the saddle around Bradwr's stomach. He's grateful that the shadows of evening obscure his face somewhat as he starts leading the horse out of the stables. "I am sorry. The easier this is, the better."

[Chevaleresse]

"Nothing is beyond forgiveness, Ferdiad." She spoke sadly, but with a sternnness that actually startled herself slightly. "I don't know who you were or what you did before you joined Virtuous, but you've done nothing but good since I've known you. Whatever lies in your past, the fact that you've continued to do good makes you a man of the highest standing in my eyes." She sighed with resignation. 

 

"You'll always be alongside us in our hearts."

[Swordstar]

"Well, I'm glad that you can trust us.  It's really nice having a good source of weapons and plus it means we've gained a good companion. I'm just glad that I can help you a little bit in my own way."

[Powder Miner]

Lizaveta sighed and fell silent as Kane spoke to her. He was, of course, correct in identifying some of the things that she had worried about... but she was already a step ahead of that.

"Yes, I... I kind of got some of that already from what Stella was saying. But I was thinking... if it's not to put the gods in the power, and it's not to restore the monarchy, then what are we going to do with them? I'm not sure I see another use, but maybe you do. So... if we're going to go through with this, I want you to promise me something, Kane. I want you to promise me that you're not going to use this to put all-powerful beings in charge of Purgus, or to strengthen the systems that have led to so, so much suffering here... I've already been unsure for a while of what I was doing, but if I end up being a tool of the oppressors, I... I can't do that."

[RedMageCole]

"As long as ye'll all support me, I'm with ye. Makin' weapons is me life... so knowing it can help all of ye in that way gives me a little bit of joy. Thank ye for yer offered help."

 

---

 

Kane patiently listened to Lizaveta, and nodded in understanding.

 

"I understand. You have my word that the gods will not be put into power, nor will they be used to make the currently existing monarchy even stronger. There will be no strengthening of any systems or powers that would cause unjust harm to the people. We will work towards this goal to punish, not reward, the gods for their inaction. I promise."

 

"It's getting a little late... I need to talk with Queen Stella about Castle Ulux's layout before I head to bed, I imagine she's the type to not sleep very much, and neither am I, so hopefully she won't mind. Get some rest too, okay? Things are going to turn out well in the end, I promise. You can hold me to both of those promises if you'd like, I don't intent on breaking either of them. Goodnight, Lizaveta."

 

 

...

 

The next day...

 

For once... most everyone was able to have their own rooms and as comfortable of a sleep as their beds would allow them. Albert helpfully put a note outside everyone's door to meet at the dining room, same as where everyone had dinner before, before everyone headed out. It also contained quite the polite message saying that he hoped everyone had slept well despite the whirlwind of events that had happened the previous night... though the handwriting seemed a bit rushed on all of them.

 

As everyone made their way to the dining hall, Kane and Stella were in furious discussion over a small hand-drawn map of Kane's working as well as the ancient book Stella brought... well, Kane was in furious discussion as Stella mostly nodded or shook her head. Kane, however, would give a small nod to anyone who came in, ushering them to take a seat and potentially have some breakfast. There were rare moments where Stella spoke, notably when Kane opened up to a page in the book and his expression hardened.

 

"These two pages right here; why are they ripped out? Surely the book isn't that old, is it?"

 

Stella seemed to look rather worried as Kane asked this, softly clasping her hands together and looking downward.

 

"...My mother ripped them out of the book herself. I... I never learned why she did that."

 

Kane didn't press the subject further. His talking continued, mostly consisting of going over the castle layout with Queen Stella to verify everything. Arthur and Simeon both arrived, Simeon giving a loud yawn, with Arthur looking... considerably paler than he was yesterday, certainly looking like he wasn't able to talk to anyone. Eventually, as more and more people arrived, Kane finished with putting his hand on the table and looking over everyone.

 

"Alright. As Queen Stella said, Ulux is definitely our best target for our first heist; most of the castles are well guarded, but Ulux is a joke at night due to King Darcy mostly emptying the castle. He's sure to still have a few guards up and about to keep an eye on the place, but we won't have to worry about reinforcements. Not to mention, as Ulux is a rather poor country, King Darcy's guards aren't the most effective of the bunch. However, it's a definite that we have to be careful of his own fighting prowess; according to Stella, he wields a long knife serrated on both sides that seems to tear the very wind around it. It's imperative that we do not underestimate him. As well, we would do best to try to have some stealth in the matter; the less we have to fight, the better our chances at getting to King Darcy before he can esca-"

 

Kane paused out of nowhere, squinting his eyes and looking over the table.

 

"...Knight doesn't sleep this late. Does anyone know where he is?" The immense worry in Kane's tone was evident.

[Chevaleresse]

"He left," Justine said simply. She sighed, looking down for a moment. "He didn't tell me where or why, just that he couldn't stay. I tried to convince him, but he thought that his being here would only bring us harm in the end." 

[RedMageCole]

"..."

 

Kane looked very unhappy with this news. It was clear that all of the sudden, he had been having second thoughts about this whole plan despite his confidence in it. He sat there in thought, the complete silence pressuring him to make a quick decision. Thankfully, he was able to read the room and spoke softly.

 

"...I said that if anyone wanted to leave... they would be allowed to do so. I... am not going to go back on that... even if losing Knight means losing a piece of Virtuous itself. I hope that you all will wish him well, wherever he may be... I know this mission will be even more difficult without him to aid us, but I still have confidence in our ability to-"

 

Kane was cut off by the opening of a door. Standing in the doorway was the thief.

 

"Hey, uh... bad timing? I, uh... just wanted to say thanks for helpin' me out, I feel better now and I'm gonna head back to-"

 

The thief froze up, his gaze meeting someone on the table. It was no secret that he had met Simeon's gaze, as Simeon got up from the table and immediately started striding towards the thief, as fast as he could go without damaging his back. The thief started backing up.

 

"Uh, well... I-I'm gonna head back to Gul, so, uh, later-"

 

Suddenly, Simeon broke into a small sprint. He groaned in pain as he reached the thief, but Simeon managed to grab him by the ear as he clutched his back with his other hand. Simeon started to only wince with his back pain as the thief was chanting a small mantra of 'ow, ow, ow'; it was clear that the thief's ear was probably hurting more than Simeon's back.

 

"What's yer name, kid?"

 

"S... Sid." The thief whimpered quietly. Simeon simply nodded in response.

 

"Do ye like knives, kid? Specifically, swordbreakers?"

 

The thief, now named as Sid, protested.

 

"L-Look, I-I'll return it, okay!? I'm gonna go on the straight and narrow! I have a knife collection, y'know?! I like knives! But I'll return it, I promise!"

 

Simeon shook his head.

 

"Oh, no ye ain't. Ye can keep it... but ye're gonna work it and the time you spent 'renting' it off, and ye're gonna work off the damage I did on me back tryin' to get to ye. Let's see... Kid... hm, ye know what? I kinda like that. Everyone, this is Sid, codename Kid, my new apprentice. Newest member of Virtuous. He can't fill Knight's shoes, god knows he ain't nearly big enough for 'em, but he's gonna try his best, aren't ye?"

 

Sid seemed like he was about to protest, but Simeon's grip seemed to squeeze even tighter, and all Sid could think about was trying to pry Simeon's big meaty claw off of his ear. Kane stood up.

 

"Anvil, are you certain? I haven't even thought of recruiting this man..."

 

Simeon nodded.

 

"Positive. He'll be learnin' the tools of the trade and gettin' ye all better quality weapons. Don't that sound great, Kid? Jules'll want someone to help him in the shop when this whole thing's over. We don't have a mask for ye, but we can just have ye pull yer hood up til we get back to the base."

 

Sid now started to whine.

 

"Okay, okay! I'll join Virtuous, just let go of me, alright!? C'mon! I'll even keep the stupid codename!"

 

Simeon obliged, and Sid rubbed his rather painful-looking red ear tenderly.

 

"...Very well... I suppose that will be that." Kane spoke up. "Anvil, Snowbird, I hope you'll keep an eye on him, make sure his kleptomania doesn't become a problem for us. Now then... We'll be heading outside. Queen Stella has been gracious enough to provide us a new, larger wagon that'll hopefully be a little more cozy than the prison wagon... we'll ride for Castle Ulux straight away. I've found a spot where we can camp until nightfall, it's near a nice little lake. And then... we'll strike."

 

Stella clasped her hands, looking as if she were in prayer, but her eyes were still opened as she looked out among you.

 

"...Stay safe... all of you..."

 

A pause.

 

"...I... hope Knight makes it back safely to you... one day."

 

---

 

It wasn't too long of a walk to the front doors of the castle. It was quite peaceful outside, nice and sunny, bright and early... the caravan was waiting with all of its horses as Queen Stella promised. However... One thing was amiss, someone may notice as Kane was preparing the reins. Specifically... someone, whether a boy or a girl; difficult to tell which with their hood up, was sleeping peacefully on the grass in front of some bushes in the front. Their cloak and the front of their hair seemed to be covered in leaves from the same bush... it seems they had fallen asleep on the bush and accidentally rolled out of it.

 

"...zzz..."

[Swordstar]

"Yes sir, Phoenix. I'll make sure to keep a good eye on him. Promise! We'll whip him into a fine upstanding member of Virtuous before you can blink. Right, Anvil?"

 

---

 

As they walked out to the wagon, Mym naturally fell into step near Fey, a small frown on her face as she contemplated the departure of Ferdy. A shame, and something she would have to consider more in the future. For now, there was a new mystery right in front of them. Walking over to the sleeping foliage covered stranger, she reached out and gently poked them in the shoulder with the tip of her bow.

 

"Uhm, good morning. You seem to have fallen asleep in a foolish spot..."

 

The fact that they seemed to have fallen asleep in the bushes originally meant one of two things. One, they were homeless and had nowhere else to sleep. Or two, they were meant to be spying on the group and had fallen asleep. Either way, honey attracted more flies than vinegar, so politeness came first.

[RedMageCole]

The poking seemed to have had some sort of an effect on the sleeping person. They seemed to stir.

 

"...zzz... mngh- huh...?"

 

They opened their eyes sleepily, looking up at Mim. They blinked a few times, looking over everyone... and suddenly letting out a loud, high pitched yelp. Whether they were a boy or a girl, their voice did sound very feminine.

 

"Oh no, oh no, ohnoohnoohno, I was supposed to, I-I was supposed to- eep..! I-I, um, um... er-..."

 

They seem to be panicking slightly, looking from side to side, as if they were looking for the best possible way to make a break for it before they passed out again from sheer anxiety...

[Zetaark]

"Hehe, there there, we aren't planning on biting. Still though, there are better places to take a nap than this you know. Who might you be?" Fey asks, amused at yet another sleepy person showing up.

[RedMageCole]

Even despite Fey's comfort, it was pretty clear that this person wanted to be anywhere but here; they were showing no signs of calming down... almost as if they knew just who everyone was despite the lack of decorum, and how dangerous everyone was... or maybe they were just that anxious.

 

"I- er... um... well, see... I'm... uh..."

 

They started breathing heavily, and grabbed their head, as if they were trying to remember their own name.

 

"Uh- uh- L-Lily!" Well, now it was at least clear this stranger was female. At the same time, she sounded... somewhat unsure when she said her name. "Lily, and- um, I'm supposed to, um... g-get back to my brother... uh... i-immediately now!"  Lily immediately started to speedwalk, trying to hide the fact that she was in a hurry and not doing a good job at it at all.

[Zetaark]

"Lily huh? Eh, calling you that is fine then I suppose," Fey shrugs, finding her behavior slightly suspicious, but still amusing. Moving to keep the person in place, Fey decides to try and keep her around for a bit longer. "You said you wanted to meet your brother right? Do you even know where he is. I don't know how long you were asleep for, but its entirely possible they could be somewhere else right now you know?"

[RedMageCole]

Lily looked very much like she wanted to get around Fey, but it looked as if she wasn't going to. She opened her mouth to reply, only to stop and think for a second. She seemed to rush herself slightly...

 

"Er... I-I think so, um... h-he did, uh... t-tell me where to meet up... I-I just got... um... t-tired."

 

Lily whined a bit.

 

"C-can I go now? I-I'll be fine on my own, I-I promise...!"

[Aurorix]

"No, please, at least allow us to escort you. I would hate to imagine you... 'getting tired' again and being more delayed." The butler spoke as he got besides Fey blocking the girl's path before giving a slight bow. His mask seemed to have never left his face since they arrived at the castle. With the assassination of the late king happening only but last night, one must look into even the slightest suspicion. This young lady definitely has an odor of suspicion to her, and her rush is just adding to that. Though if she is somehow related to the assassination, he's surprised that they haven't been caught sooner.  "It can't be that far can it?"

[RedMageCole]

It was quite instantaneously easy to see that Baldur just ruined the discussion, due to one fatal flaw. One, simple, fatal mistake.

 

He had his mask on.

 

Lily immediately gets sent into shivers, looking upon Baldur's masked face, and is immediately thrown into a panic, one that makes her almost incapable of proper speech, as her stutters overwhelmed any sense of conversation.

 

"V-V-V-V-V- y-y-y-y-you're Virtuous, a-a-aren't you!? O-Only Virtuous wears m-m-masks! Wh-what do you want from me!? I-I- s-stay away from me...! I-I'm warning you, I-I c-can fight you, j-just leave me alone...! M-My brother w-won't be happy if... i-if I'm not back...!" 

 

Lily, in a panic, raises her hands in front of her as if she were either ready to try the world's most unsuccessful push or cast a spell while also backing up; she had a few bushes and hedges to jump, but she was clearly prepared to do just that.

[Zetaark]

"Virtuous? What, you mean the theater troupe guys? Or some other virtuous group? Or rather, I'm fairly sure there are a bunch of people who wear masks here and there. I don't remember Virtuous buying out the entire mask market. Actually, I wonder if they did do that," Fey responds to the panicked girl, before pondering to herself about the potential mask stocks of the group. "At any event, are you looking for them or something, or expecting to find them? I don't think they're performing at the moment you know," Fey replies in a completely serious voice.