Fire Emblem On Forums Randomizer (IC)

[RedMageCole]

Chapter 1

The Whims of Fate

 

The flickering of a light flame. The smell of a delicious home-cooked meal. The sound of gentle winds blowing outside, sending a slight chill down your spine. The feeling of a sharp headache shooting through your head, one that made you want to stay in bed no matter how uncomfortable it was. Your bed wasn't the most comfortable place in the world, being only what you were sure was a small mattress pad, a sheet and a thin blanket. At least there were two pillows under your head...

 

Wait a minute. On second thought, this wasn't your bed. Come to think of it, do you even have a bed? Or a name?

 

No. You know what your name is. You can recall that much. You lay in bed, trying to fight away the headache with the warmth of the flame and the smell of food. Those two things allow you to figure out a little more about yourself... Your likes. Your dislikes. You know that you like and dislike certain things, but you can't think of why. You just do. And, now that you think about it— there's a motivation. Something that suddenly makes you want to get out of bed and figure out what this place is.

 

You aren't sure where you are at all. It's not familiar, wherever it is. It's some kind of fortress; you can see glass windows that show that there is a light snowfall outside an otherwise snowy forest. You're surrounded by stone, making you probably count your blessings for the slightly uncomfortable bedding that at least it's not the cold, hard floor. Your attention is briefly glanced down to the strange circle that you seem to be inside of. It's some kind of dusty red material. Your mind probably jumps to blood. Whether you're alarmed or not does not help your senses turn to where that delicious smelling food is coming from, as well as that dimly lit fire that allowed you to see six other figures in the same kind of bedding you were in, an empty bed...

 

And... someone, sitting over a fire that was holding up a cauldron. Whatever was in that cauldron smelled really good. But whatever the case, whoever that someone was— you couldn't tell who or what was there because they were obscured entirely by a black cloak. As you stir, you notice that the other six begin to stir as well, and the black cloaked figure claps his hands— at least, you think those are hands underneath those really long sleeves of his.

 

"Ah... Finally, you who hath been chosen for a great destiny, hath awakened..." You can tell that this deep, dramatic voice is not this person's normal voice; they're making it dramatic on purpose. If you had to wager a guess on what their true voice was like, their voice would be bordering on the edge of feminine and masculine; impossible to really tell any gender based on voice alone. "I am Rein Goretti, dweller of the mind and fragment of the universe... You hath all made it to my domain from a far, far place, eons, galaxies, perhaps even a measurement not even known to mankind, away from this center of the universe. I am certain that you are all very tired from your journey... Please, allow yourselves to rest. Eat, and sit by the fire. Talk amongst yourselves, and above all, and ask me to the extent of my knowledge any questions you may wish answered. There is an eighth of you... but she was quite insistent that she make sure that there were no enemies surrounding my little home. I'm certain that she will come back soon, you are all quite safe here. I promise."

 

Davor, Hades, Máni, Onyx, Reina, Shelley and Suzume may post!

[Aurorix]

Hades slowly rises in his makeshift bed, still sitting down hand grasping his pounding forehead.  "Ugh... where am I? What was I doing?"  Maybe it was just him being tired but his body felt... heavier, slower, weaker. For some reason he knew his body didn't always feel like this, it was like he was constantly moving through molasses. By instinct he held his palm open and began focusing... hard. Suddenly what looked like a small candle fire appeared in his. "So I'm a pyromancer? That's good to know I suppose..." His subconscious kept pounding this feeling of concern into him. It felt like with that much concentration there should've been an inferno erupting from his palm. Glancing around the dark room, there are definitely other people here. Were they feeling has sluggish as he was? Down to the floor he noticed and was unfazed by the sight of blood. It has congealed and began to flake, must have been here for a while... but who's was it? Reaching down to touch it another wave of headaches hit him, only this time they brought more than just being a nuisance. It brought with it more emotions, mainly stress. Something had to be done, quickly but there's a lot of work left to do. This was followed by a wave of sadness and guilt. Just what was so urgent? Before he could mull over his internal conflict any further that cloaked figure in front of the cauldron gave his little dramatic speech. Something about his theatrics also caused a headache, tho it was nothing like the ones before. Its almost like he's dealt with this multiple times in the past.

 

Fully getting off of his bed, the man stood up straight and walked towards the man only slightly. Close enough to try a get a better look at him yet still at a distance. He spoke like that of an experienced king, firmly and with honor yet still respectful.  "You there, Rein Goretti correct? Just why exactly are we here? Who are you and these people? Why is there dried blood splattered across the floor and why are we in this fort in the middle of a sea of snow and trees?" There wasn't any anger in his voice as one might think given his resting face of disdain.

[RedMageCole]

Rein looked up and down at Hades. Despite the amount they were tilting their head, it was almost impossible to see under their hood; even what little could be seen was just an almost unnatural shadow. As if they purposely wanted to conceal their appearance.

 

"I speak for myself when I say that I am a guide, helping you all to achieve a destiny that you have all been chosen for out of a limitless amount of people in every known timeline. As for the rest of who everyone is... well, that's for you to ask them yourself. Gather around, gather around, let us all share what we can of ourselves." Rein ushered to all of you to come closer. "The blood was a requirement of mine to have you all be summoned here. As I said, you have all traveled from a great distance. This place is isolated in time, however; you will not be considered missing from where you are. You will be able to return, and once you return it will be almost like waking up from a dream." You cannot see Rein's face, but his posture might suggest that they were smiling. "I assure you that it is my own blood, I did not take from anyone else. As for this fort, this is my home. Please, make yourselves comfortable— oh, where are my manners?" Rein begins dishing up, laying out enough bowls for all of you and the missing person from inside of his cloak, then procuring a ladle also from inside of his cloak. As if it were completely normal for people to keep kitchenware in their cloaks, Rein began serving the contents of the cauldron into the bowls; it was a stew, plain and simple, but if it didn't look like almost the tastiest stew you had ever had.

[Blasbo]

Reina wakes up to a pounding headache, rubbing her forehead and groaning in pain. Oddly enough, the...idea of her having a headache in the first place doesn't seem that odd--it's just the idea of it being in two places instead of just the back of her head that is unfamiliar to her. The sound of everyone's voices around her seem to only worsen that headache, leaving her clutching her skull in pain, and it just keeps building and building until...

"ᏁᎶᏝᏬ'Ꭵ ᎷᎧᎶ'ᏒᎧᏖᏂ ᏗᎶᏒᏗᏂᏁᏝᏒ ᏕᎧᏁ-ᏕᎧᏰᏰᎧᏖᏂ." A strange black fluid leaks from one eye as its sclera turns the same shade of black, and she seems to not entirely be conscious of her own speaking in tongues in the first place. That much seems to be enough to ease her headache, and the black fluid quickly recedes into her eye as it returns to normal.

"...Mm...I hate this migraine...um, anyways. I'm Reina...Reina Blackwood. Mister...Goretti, right? What kind of destiny are you talking about?" She'd take his soup, it did look good, but...her migraine flaring up like that didn't exactly do wonders for her appetite.

[Powder Miner]

On one of the makeshift mattresses, nearer to the corner, a tiny figure was twisted up in a garment that appeared to be somewhere between a poncho and a cloak, occasionally twitching and jerking in her sleep. When she rose up, it was no serene or majestic rise from her slumber, nor was it even a... well, the way a normal person would get up from sleep. Instead, the girl bolted into a sitting position with a single violent jerk, only a reflexive hand to her head preventing her hood from slipping off of her head. She glanced around at her surroundings, vision still too blurry to make out any of the people but noting the stone and blood and the gaps in her memories. She took in a deep breath.

"Fuck! Shit! Fucking shit ow hell why god DAMN! This hurts, this shit hurts, ahhhh, haaah..."

 

The headache cleared from her mind just as they started to introduce themselves, and her mind latched onto the details that she remembered. These weren't many -- she had her name, she had the things that frustrated her (and this step took a while because this was a very long list), and then a single certainty emerging into her consciousness. The certainty grew and grew and grew until it once again took up her mind and soul, the driving motivation that was reinforced with every encounter with the world, every word she heard and every thing she saw.

"Onyx. Onyx FebruaryHowl."

 

She bit out her name, and then opened one eye at a time. Her eyes settled on most of the others... the figure fully hidden within its cloak, the girl speaking in an eldritch tongue, with black goo dripping from her eye... the remains of a blood ritual on the floor, with the hooded figure admitting to that having been their blood ritual... All at once, Onyx went from sitting down, to stranding straight up, her entire body steel-rigid but quivering with tension as her voice suddenly raised very, very loud. Her hand snapped up to point violently at Rein, and then at Reina, shaking a little as Onyx gave each an accusatory point.

"Youuu... YYOOUUUU... YOU'RE FUCKING DARK MAGES! THIS IS THE RESULT OF A DARK MAGICAL RITUAL!! FOUL MAGICKS HAVE GONE ON HERE!"

[Yours Truly]

He shifted slightly in bed, and slowly rose up to seat himself at it's edge, causing the blanket to slowly fall away and reveal the ornately decorated armor he was wearing. 'What am I wearing to bed?' he thought, while he ran his hand across the cool surface, and rapped his knuckles on it. The sounds made by the thin metal distracting him a little from the questions his mind was asking and failing to answer, until he heard someone clap their hands together, and turned his attention their way. For a brief moment before his eyes started to wander around the room he was in, allowing him to take in the...state the room was in, the dried blood painted on the floors, the shifty nature of the person speaking to them, and see it all combine to paint a dark and strangely familiar picture of 'Rein' recent activities.

"A destiny?," he asked, craning his head slightly to try and look inside of their hood, "Forgive me for being so blunt, but why should we trust anything you've said? After all, I don't recall being invited to sleep in your...barracks, and yet I am here."

[GodofGamingRWBY]

Next to the wall, one woman began to stir from her sleep, blearily opening their eyes while their brain was getting into gear. It was almost serene, at least before she practically slapped her own head, a splitting headache suddenly coming to life and interrupting her peaceful awakening,

 

"Piece of fucking- Ow, ow ow, why does it have to be now?" the girl muttered to herself, rubbing her temple while her head tried to fix itself and report the current situation.

 

She felt... Empty, most of all. Like she was missing something, but within the haze of sleepiness and her splitting headache, she couldn't figure out much. Her name was...  Máni? Right,  Máni. After that her mind drew a blank, unsure of who she was after her name and other miscellaneous things. But it was clear to her that something was wrong, Past that, nothing. She didn't know where she was, nor did she know who any of these people were. She might've known them, considering she didn't feel all that threatened by any of them, but she didn't remember them. Of course, it didn't help that soon after she woke up, one of the other occupants of the room began screaming something about dark magics, serving to worsen the headache that had just began to clear up. 

 

Otherwise she didn't speak, merely shifting her unfocused eyes between the occupants of the room as she tried to make sense of what was going on. Not that it was helping at all.

[Blasbo]

Reina blinks in both surprise and confusion, pulling back as someone in a hood starts yelling about 'dark magics'--before clutching her head as that migraine of hers starts to flare up again. Is this person okay? Are they one of those people who hunt down the cults springing up everywhere? She's certain she must be mistaken, though; she's not involved in any of those. ...So far as she remembers, anyways.

"I-I--sorry, I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about? I can't speak for our host, but I'm just a dancer...and please, quiet down, my head is killing me..."

[Aurorix]

The black eye ooze girl definitely caught the man off guard. It's not every day you see one corrupted by some sort of dark arts, though for some reason he feels like he's seen quite his fair share. His surprise was cut off the ear piercing screaming of the hooded lady who's first words were loud screams. Judging by everyone else's expression, they all have a massive headache and this lady isn't helping whatsoever. At least for himself, she's just making the headache worse as he tightly gripped the side of his sleeve.

 

"I would appreciate it if you could be silent. Your angered screeching isn't helping anyone, in-fact you're doing the exact opposite of helping. Just take your bowl of food and keep that mouth shut, or at least use an inside voice." The man himself hadn't gotten any food yet, though he didn't plan on it until everyone else was served and filled.

[RedMageCole]

Though Onyx's yelling may have just about woken everyone within a five mile radius, Rein did not so much as flinch. In fact, they just remained very still, listening patiently to all of Onyx's complaints. Also, if they noticed Reina's strange black ooze, they did not point it out. As she finished, he chimed in with his own comment among the other ones.

 

"Don't worry, FebruaryHowl," Rein said that last name with what one might be sure is a completely straight face, "I am not a dark mage, if you are concerned about that. I actually prefer knives and bows, myself, though I have been dabbling in swordplay. The method I used to summon you is not dark magic. I would hesitate to call it ancient magic as well, knowing that ancient magic is just another form of dark magic. I would say... it's timeless magic." Rein turned to Davor as soon as they finished talking to Onyx, not the least bit worried that Onyx might not believe them and start fighting them. "Indeed, you were not invited. You are not being forced to help me, in fact if you so wish you can stay inside here where you are safe, and you will be able to go home when the errand is finished. However, you may be subject to having to wait a long time, or suffer boredom, or-"

 

Suddenly, the door bursts open, a rush of cold air filling the room.

 

"Sir Goretti! Is there a problem with the others!?"

 

Rein calmly turned to the door, still seated. The door is a bit of a ways away, and it's difficult to see who's really there other than they are a heavily armored woman.

 

"Not at all. I'm certain we'll all come to agreements in time. Please close the door and come get something to eat, I'm sure you'd like to meet everyone?

 

"Ah- Of course. I had been looking forward to seeing everyone."

 

As the sound of clanging metal grows closer, so does every feature of the woman's face. If she had been nursing the same headache as you all were, she didn't show any of it. There wasn't an ounce of grogginess, a sliver of exhaustion or even a need for a moment's rest. What you saw on the woman's face was diligence. As if she had woken up from a deep, deep sleep and wanted nothing more than to get up and run a mile while shouting in excitement, bursting to the brim with energy; yet at the same time, there was the tranquility of a noble lady... or perhaps that was just the crown sitting atop her head making you think that.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"I apologize for the wait, but I assure everyone that the perimeter is protected. My name is Stella Beaumont, knight of... oh, what was it again?" The gentle voice trails off as she attempts to think, but you all already know from your own short time spent so far as an amnesiac that this is futile; you cannot remember any names. "I feel like I really should remember... oh well." A sigh escapes her lips as she sits down with one final clanking of armor.

[Powder Miner]

If Hades had thought that perhaps addressing Onyx like he had would quiet her down, he had been sorely, painfully mistaken. Onyx drew herself up to her full height (approximately four feet and eight inches, painfully smaller than the god) and puffed her chest out a bit, and then she took in a deep breath, staring Hades down with eyes full of challenge for everything around her. Then...

"Yyyyyooouu can't fuckin' tell me to shut my fuckin' mouth, asshole, just who the hell do you think you are, I'll tell you why I'm this loud and it's," Onyx had to pause to take a breath, "because dark magic is lurking around every FUCKING corner and maybe people like you don't care about the twisted little blackened covens and mages that are waiting to use foul magics to complete foul goals," She had begun to trail off in volume here, and took another breath, but she was turning red and starting to have problems finishing her rant, "but someone has to so don't tell me to..." Finally no longer able to replenish air as fast as she was ranting it away, Onyx just settled for pointing angrily at Hades.

 

In that time of blessed silence that followed, Rein and Reina (COINCIDENCE??) claimed not to use dark magic, so Onyx just settled for making "I'm watching you" gestures at each of them, giving each of them extremely suspicious squints. 

[Aurorix]

The man looked down upon the lady, arms crossed and face plastered with disappointment. Not only for her insistence in continuing her pointless whining but also the fact she reeks of the same magic she so detests. For some reason he has this attunement with dark magic but with it he could tell that she was not merely just a curse or an affliction. She definitely has channeled dark magic before. He made a glance towards rein with an expression that can only be read as "Is she really a chosen one?". Once the girl had winded herself he basked within the few moments of precious silence he was given before giving his retort.

 

"Are you quite finished yet? Look at yourself, are you proud? Exerting so much energy towards your distaste for all things dark magic related that you no longer have the strength to maintain basic breathing, I'm sure it was worth letting everyone here know that you hate the arts so much. Did ever stop to consider that not everyone who has used a dark art is some vile miscreant? Or do you consider yourself one who doesn't deserve the benefit of the doubt either?"  

[RedMageCole]

Rein sat there in silence, watching. It was, of course, difficult to tell whether they were indifferent or feeling some other sort of emotion. Stella, however, would not settle for standing there awkwardly as her attempts at an introduction were ignored. Her armor still continuing to clank (on further inspection, it did look a bit big on her) as she made her way to the group.

 

"Please, surely there is no need for us to fight among ourselves. I'm sure that we will make good allies for the time being. As long as we voice our concerns, I'm certain that everything will be okay!"

 

Rein stirred the pot with his ladle some more as Stella spoke, as if to silently call attention to it but not wishing to bother anyone any further. They continued to speak as they stirred.

 

"Beaumont is correct. Do not worry, however, I assure you that this journey will be a short one. Fruitful, but short. I understand that many of you must be frustrated, both with me and the new nature of this realm, but I will lead all of you to victory. Not that you cannot lead yourselves, of course. I can map out this dimension in my head... first, we'll be needing to head to the Domain of the Lost. We'll need to get to the other side of this dimension, and I know that the Domain of the Lost is the only way to the other side as small as this little dimension can be. The journey to the Domain of the Lost is a difficult one and I'd rather us not leave while we're in high tensions or on empty stomachs," Rein's voice has begun to lose the dramatics it had before as they stops stirring the pot and looks at Onyx. "If there's anything I can do to ease your or anyone else's troubles, let me know."

[Yours Truly]

The knight rubbed his head a little at all the shouting, trying to beat back his headache for a moment longer, sounding a bit haggard when he finally spoke once more.

"Miss, I know that you're really passionate about this, and I get where you're coming from, but could you quieten down a little? We can hear you just fine without the shouting, ow."

Blinking slowly at the rest of the group, he slowly composed himself enough to shift his attention back to their 'host', although this time he spoke with a far less accusatory tone, even moving a little closer to one of the bowls.

"Do you know why Dame Beaumont and I seem unable to recall details about our past? It's quite disturbing."

[Aurorix]

The Lord of the Underworld let out an annoyed sigh. Dealing with this cloaked woman was not worth the effort. She'd tire herself out soon, though her voice already implanted itself into his mind. I bet whenever she speaks its going to irriate the shit out of him. Oh well, its not like he'll be here for long anyways and neither does he need to go out of his way to talk to her. Turning his back to the puffy girl he walked over to the armored woman and gave a slight bow forward with his right arm underneath his waist. 

 

"I am most sorry you had to come into see that display, Miss Beaumont. That child has been like this since waking up. I tried to calm her down to no avail and it seems she had riled me up as well. My name is Hades, it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

[Powder Miner]

"What the hell?? I have no idea what you're talking about. Are you insinuating I'm a dark mage? Why in the fucking world--"

 

Onyx wasn't actually precisely sure WHAT she was, er, or at all really, but this was clearly an absurd accusation? Her? A dark mage?? That was the silliest thing that Onyx had ever heard, probably!

Still, though, people were moving on, now, so she finally acquiesced to the last requests to be silent.

"Fine."

 

She crossed her arms and pouted for a while. (She still didn't eat, too stubborn and too mad.)

 

...eventually, though, she spoke up for what was probably the first constructive thing she'd said so far.

"So... what is it that you want us to be doing in this "Domain of the Lost" place?"

[RedMageCole]

Rein, as always, calmly awaits the questions that are presented to him. He gives a slow nod to Davor.

 

"It is an unfortunate side effect of the magic I used to summon you all. I assure you that it will wear off when our mission is over; over time, you will feel the effects wear off as well, I'm certain. If it is any consolation... I do not remember who I am either." A pause, Rein's head slowly turning downwards. "All I know is my purpose, to which..." Rein perks back upwards. "In the Domain of the Lost, there is a warp point that will take us to the other side of this small dimension. It is there that..." A pause, lost deep in thought. His voice turns from mysterious to just plain awkward. "...I actually don't know. I promise that it is the right thing to do, though. And when we get there... I will know what needs to be done. We need to get to somewhere. Something, I should say. Something that has been interfering... not just with this dimension, but with every one of your dimensions."

 

 

Stella looks quite pleased at Hades' kind introduction, giving him a slight bow; one that doesn't go too far due to her armor.

 

"The pleasure is all mine, Sir Hades." Stella's hand drifts slightly upwards, almost in a curiosity. "That crown of yours... I wonder what your life was like before we were pulled into this dimension. Mine isn't quite as striking..." Stella fiddles with her own little tiara, running a hand over it. "But I know I mustn't be of much noble birth; the armor says it all. I think it must just be a keepsake, don't you think? I just wonder who gave it to me..."

[Aurorix]

"Crown?" The confused god reached for his head and low and behold there was indeed a crown there. However, strangely enough its texture felt more plant like than metal with it exuding a heat akin to a warm towelette. How did he not notice it was on before? Maybe his body had grown accustomed to it or something like that. Pulling it down he noticed the very faint glow it held, like hearty embers that only need a bit of kindling and air to start a raging blaze.  "Hmm, it seems I do have one on me...." He paused and listened to the rest of her story.

 

"A keepsake you say? Well, I'm sure you'll remember whoever it is that gave it to you or who's it was originally soon enough. Someone who would give something like that must be quite dear to you, and important people in our lives never truly leave one's mind. Besides, nobility or not I think it looks quite beautiful on you."

[Yours Truly]

The knight lets out a sigh, closing his eyes for a moment, and leaning against his hand.

"Well that's wonderful...I guess we can't get a clear answer out of you until all of this blows over is there?." He waves his hand at Rein, indicating that he wasn't actually expecting an answer, before he moves in to pick up one of the bowls, and shovel some piping hot stew inside of it. 

"Fine, I Davor Ionna D'ambrosio, swear to accompany you on your quest....si-la-Rein, as a proper knight would never refuse to aid of such a noble cause, _{and I came dressed as one}," he took a spoonful of the stew up to his mouth, blowing gently on it before he took a sip, and ran the hot liquid on his tongue, letting out an approving sigh as it settled into his empty stomach. "Aah, best stew I've had in recent memory."

[RedMageCole]

Stella gets a determined smile, one that quickly turns into a bashful blush at Hades' compliment.

 

"Oh, you truly think so? Why, that's very sweet of you, Sir Hades— I appreciate it." She collects herself in a moment, however. "But I must make sure beauty is not everything; I hope that I can prove my skill in battle! Though it would be nice if we did not have to worry too much about combat.

 

Rein's head slightly tilted down, as if a bit disappointed in themselves, before perking up and clapping their folded-over hands together.

 

"I greatly appreciate your help, truly!" Rein's voice seemed overly excited, though they managed to calm themselves down realizing how they broke character just a bit. "...And thank you for the compliments; I'm very glad that cooking is not one of the things I had forgotten about. Strange, it just came quite naturally to me, actually."

[GodofGamingRWBY]

After several minutes of figuring out how to get herself active again, helped by Rein's stew, Máni let out a stretch and a yawn, finally formulating her thoughts and going over what had been said so far,

 

"Sorry for not speaking up earlier, I guess waking up was never one of my strong points. It's a pleasure to meet all of you, my name is Máni. I think. Pretty sure that's what it is, at least." the woman greeted, giving a short wave to the various occupants of the room, "I'm not too on board with joining up with a cause that I know nothing about, especially when I don't know anything about myself in general. But if this is all similar to a 'dream', then there's no real reason to say no. Might miss out on some fun."