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Fire Emblem: Soul of Heaven [IC/PG-16]

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It was still dark when Raynor woke up. His chest hurt, thought not as much as he thought it would. It seemed he was fully dressed, and no bandages clung to his body, so they didn't take off his shirt. Healing magic was real useful, it seemed. He stood up quietly, doing his best not to wake up anyone else in the camp. He could see Gojira was still asleep, nice and patched up. That was good.

Still, he had fell in battle. Not even late into the battle either, but near the beginning. He couldn't blame anyone else for this. He had just been healed, and he fell, like some sort of chump. His training had to be lacking, that was the only explanation he had. It wasn't like he was able to sleep anyways... He quietly stood up, grabbing a lance and heading outside, making sure not to wake up either the lizard that was sleeping soundly, or anyone else for that matter.

Training in the Forest

The man gripped his lance, taking a stance he had practiced countless times in the past, going through motions so memorized they his body did it nearly automatically. The wind hissed as the lance cut through the air, the man visualizing an opponent in front of him. He stabbed at weak points, moved back when before he was countered, and was soon almost performing a dance with his lance, moving deftly around in a circle.

He made sure to focus extra carefully where he was stabbing. It was something he needed to stay on top of. With his one eye, his depth perception was shot, making him rely on memory to help him figure out how far his weapon would go with each thrust. He needed to be better, he needed to be stronger.

He knew what he was. A great warrior, that was indeed true, but it wasn't like he had a natural talent. In fact, he had a disability actively hampering his battle prowess. These people accepted a perceived burden, and he would do his damnest to make sure that he was useful to them. He wouldn't let any of them fall...

His training lasted through out the entire night, the sun soon rising into the sky. Still he trained. It wasn't enough, it would never be enough, not while he still fell like he did. Soon, everyone woke up, including Gojira. The mount seemed worried for his rider, but Raynor brushed off the concern. Now wasn't the time to become soft. Eventually, they got everything packed, and they had to cross the river.

That wasn't as easy for Gojira. He was wary of the water, something that Raynor knew was his own fault. He never trained the lizard in the water, it was always on the land. However, with some coaxing, Gojira took to the water like some overgrown alligator and soon enjoyed swimming... so much so Raynor had to wrestle his own mount out of the water to join the others.

As they traveled, Raynor kept to the back of the group, his tome opened. He sat on Gojira cross legged as he read the words and did his best to fire small orbs to the sides, away from the groups. He would get this down... he would get stronger...

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It was a lengthy process to make sure that everyone got patched up properly, though it was definitely rough to make sure that Rona didn't slink away at the very end. Everyone had their own little quirks when it came to being healed, Yue wouldn't sit still, Rona tried to run away from healing, Leon didn't seem to react at all to it. Sometimes he had to wonder if Leon was even real.

The rest of the healing was pretty easily done, Ada was in a rather rough shape once they got back to the camp, but that was nowhere near as bad as what had happened to Raynor and was easily healed up as well. She'd be walking again by the next morning, by his estimation at least. Whether she would or not was kinda dependent on if she wanted to actually try to.

___

The long walk was beginning again. The night of rest was appreciated, though how much rest he got was kind of up in the air. He was still on edge a tiny bit from the fact that Raynor suffered such a huge wound yesterday, and the thought of things going downhill had been on his mind during most of the evening. If he had been a little faster, they could've avoided that situation entirely...

The group had come across a river, and while Layne could technically swim, he wasn't sure if it was a good idea to take a risk like that at the time. He wasn't exactly the strongest in the water. So he waited for the eventual ferry across the river, a little sigh escaping him as he closed his eyes a tiny bit, his hand rubbing at his neck as he was eventually ported across the river, one of the last ones to get across. He had to do better.

"Hey, you know what we could use? Some marching music. Hey, anyone got any requests? Shout em out and I'll try and nail it."

Layne perked up for a moment, music was always a great way to pass some time. Yue didn't seem to have any real suggestions when it came to what to play, and... To be fair, he didn't really have much in mind either. He tapped at his cheek for a moment, glancing over at Alexis as he hummed, "Somethin' festive, active. We can't get too bogged down in sad songs! We made it through last night after all, that's worth celebrating!"


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Ada didn't remember much after Alexis picked her up. Just a brief moment of surprise, quickly followed by darkness. Next thing she knew, she woke up at camp the next morning, with everyone else preparing to leave. Even Raynor seemed up and about without much issue. She wanted to ask him if he was okay, but she still found herself having trouble moving. She would just ask later, when it was more opportune.

When time came to leave, Ada was one of the ones left on the bank waiting for a ferry. She had no qualms going through the water, but moving was still a bit less than easy for her. Wounds were easy to heal, but sore joints and muscles were another matter altogether. Once across, however, she found herself near someone else who would be worth talking to... Edda. Trailing behind her a bit due to the injuries, Ada cleared her voice. Of course, the two had hardly shared a word before... So maybe it would be best to start with...

"So, uh, nice day, isn't it?"

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With the march continuing, Leon looked back to hear Alexis talk about setting some kind of music for their travels. As both Yue and Layne made their comments on what she should do, Leon thought about it for a moment. The boy figured that if there was any tune Alexis was good with, it would be a more upbeat one and it would definitely be better after their previous night. And so, after a bit he said, "hmmm, how about something that Quinn used to play? I think it was Litany of Five Springs?" Quinn, as Alexis was aware, was a bard that often hung around the city square of Faeus. He was rather well known with the locals and though he was certainly proficient in music was often criticized for knowing of all of three songs that he would cycle through for the majority of the day. The titles of his songs didn't make much sense either. 

Edda had been keeping to herself mostly, keeping her head low and looking at the ground. After the events of last night, she wasn't exactly keen on talking to anyone, and with her destination getting closer and closer, she couldn't also help but feel anxious. As such, brooding in her own thoughts, Edda took a moment to realize that she was being  spoken to. Though she heard Ada's words, she didn't realize they were for her at first. However, upon not hearing an answer from anyone else, the girl looked around and noticed that Ada was indeed looking right at her. The girl simply let out an, "um, uh," before glancing away from the girl. "Yeah, it's uh, certainly alright out...right now. Better than uh, other days. Yeah." 

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"A-anything is fine...I guess."

"Aw, why the long face little bunny?" Alexis asked the archer. "Whatever it is perhaps I can lift your spirits with my song."

Layne then suggested something upbeat and happy, which Alexis thought a good idea, and Leon followed it up with something more specific. The girl made a face. "What, feeling homesick? I suppose at least it's something I know. I can already hear it now. I don't think I'll ever be able to forget. For better or worse."

With slight trepidation the girl went back to Tana. "Excuse me, miss, just gonna grab something here if you don't mind." She said with a smile. Alexis riffled through her bag until she pulled out a small lyre. It wasn't the best for playing and walking but she was up for the challenge.

Rushing back to the front of the group she got into position and began to play. Stuttering a few times at first but then getting the groove.

The song was reminiscent of a bird song. Or rather two, a pair of birds, calling out to each other, greeting each other first thing in the morning as they woke from two trees across each other. The song went about the birds' day as they flew along the blooming flowers and soaked in the warmth of the sun.

It was pretty. Though Alexis wished there was a bit more action.


Rona felt herself swaying in tune to the music. Once she realized what she was doing she stopped. And she thought she heard something like a chuckle come out of Cormag. She coughed and adjusted herself while watching the others. Did they enjoy the music? Was it somehow helping them? She couldn't see how but why else would they have suggested the song to be played.

She just didn't understand.

The wyvern rider looked towards Raynor, hoping to see someone with similar mindset, but instead saw him messing with a magic tome.

Rona winced. Such a thing...it was a waste.

The girl had Cormag move slower, pulling back, and lining herself up next to Raynor and his mount. Cormag glowered at the wingless creature as Rona spoke with Raynor. "Why are you spending your time on that? You already have the spear, is that not enough? What good does it do to try and learn something like magic?"

She had been interested in magic too, long ago, but she knew that it wasn't the weapon for warriors. She remembered her father's words. "Magic, and magic users, are just weapons for generals to move about. That is all. Those who use it have given up on trying to become a warrior. They're failures."

So what did that make Ada? Rona cleared her head of that thought. It wasn't anything to do with her.

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Yue was relieved to see that Gojira had made it across safely. He even took to the water like a duck...or like a salamander? Whichever it was, he was fine, which was what counted.

As they walked, Layne and Leon put in their suggestions on what they wanted Alexis to play. Something upbeat would definitely go far to lift their spirits. Yue couldn't help but agree there. Their leader actually came out with a name though, "hmmm, how about something that Quinn used to play? I think it was Litany of Five Springs?"

While Yue wasn't familiar with that name, it was apparent that the Pegasus knight was. Running back to the bag strapped to her mount, the girl took out a small lyre, playing something that sounded like a pair of birds greeting each other in the newborn day. It's so lovely... Yue couldn't help but close her eyes as she listened to it, basking in the sounds. Birds really were the prettiest vocalists.

The girl was so caught up in the music that she began to hum along, though her naturally soft voice made it hard to hear the humming for what it was. Matching the lyre note for note, it seemed less like somebody had decided to sing along and more like the instrument had gained an added quality to its tone.

Edited by Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd

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"What, feeling homesick? I suppose at least it's something I know. I can already hear it now. I don't think I'll ever be able to forget. For better or worse."

Layne raised an eyebrow, a small hum escaping him as he did. He can't say that title was something he was familiar with, but from the way their newest member talked, it definitely wasn't something she didn't know. He stretched an arm up into the air, pondering saying something to keep things from getting a bit too serious, but she had already begun the song it seemed. With the music in the air, Layne let out a small hum and closed his eyes.

He was never the best when it came to music. The meaning behind it and what was actually going on always seemed to just fly over his head. And that was definitely happening right now. Sure, it sounded upbeat and all, but it didn't register that much to him beyond the tone of it, what was the meaning to it? His hand tensed for a moment as he frowned. He knew his musical talent had never been... Exceptional, but he thought he could at least decipher the meaning of things. Maybe he was wrong there.

He didn't say anything though. Mostly because he didn't want to risk interrupting anyone else's enjoyment of the music. His hand let go of the staff against his waist as he took a deep breath, watching the path ahead of them as he did. "It sounds nice, in any case... I guess I don't have as great of an ear for music as I hoped." He trailed off slowly, letting out a deep breath as he did. His eyes closed for a moment, before opening back up as he resumed the marching. It was a long walk still.


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"Why are you spending your time on that? You already have the spear, is that not enough? What good does it do to try and learn something like magic?" Raynor looked up to a wyvern glowering to his mount and Rona looking down at him. Was... was she really trying to rub in last night's defeat in his face? That bitch! Raynor suddenly shut the book, a loud thud resounding through the area.

"Okay, let me... explain," he managed to get out through a strained smile and gritted teeth. Raynor knew he shouldn't just jump to conclusions, he knew that Rona probably wasn't being a bitch, but the recent taste of defeat and his lack of sleep made him pretty irritable at the moment. He spun around on his mount so he was face Rona as he sat crossed legged, taking a deep breath. "If my spear was enough, then I wouldn't have fell yesterday to a damn skeleton. I would still be there in the entire battle, keeping everyone safe instead of being dead weight laying on the ground waiting for someone to put me out of my misery," Raynor explained as delicately as he could. "Besides, I'm descended from Roakar Knights, some who had their names forever etched into history!" Talking about his lineage made him excited again, taking away some of his irritated tone. "If I can't do something like casting magic, then do I really deserve to stand among their ranks after I die in a glorious battle?"

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"um, uh," Ada thought Edda seemed a bit nervous as the latter turned away. "Yeah, it's uh, certainly alright out...right now. Better than uh, other days. Yeah." 

"Yeah, it's pretty nice," Ada muttered, oblivious to the fact she had been the one to begin the conversation. It was so... awkward. But a little awkwardness never stopped true curiosity! "So, you did something pretty amazing out there with that singing. I don't know what kinda magic that was, but it sounded at least a little bit... familiar to my ears?"

Ada beamed a bit, her excitement and curiosity getting the better of her. So much so, that while she lost her self-control, the pain in her body also seemed to be lost, at least for the time being. She began to rattle off questions without concern. "What language is it? Where did you learn it? Ooooh, this is so exciting~!"

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Leon grumbled at Alexis's comment about homesickness. Though it was one of the first things that came to mind when songs came up, he also couldn't help but feel that she was right in that matter. All the same, the boy started humming along with the music, he looked over to Layne, "Well, I'm not a musician either, but I can say that this is pretty faithful to the original." Looking at Alexis, Leon did always find it surprising that someone as hyperactive and animated as her somehow managed to stay still or in a relatively smooth tempo when it came to music. So, there was a part of him that had to acknowledge her talent in these matters. However, knowing that, there was definitely something off about it. Not that it sounded wrong, or bad, just off. And so, sighing, Leon said, "well, we're not in any rush, but I suppose it wouldn't hurt if the song was a bit...faster." 


Edda didn't look towards the shaman as she made her comment, instead awkwardly shuffling forward. However, she seemed to jolt to a halt as the woman brought up what it was that she had done last night. The girl seemed even less willing to look Ada in the face now, and merely said, "ah that um- well it's not really singing but uh - " The girl then looked back, now looking more overwhelmed than anything else as Ada started rattling off questions. The girl hadn't wanted to try and do what she did last night, but the situation demanded it of her. As such, while she was expecting something like this, it actually happening was certainly not something she was fond of. Of course, the girl also didn't feel as though she could actually just turn away from Ada and that her persistence would only grow worse if she did and so Edda cleared her throat before beginning to explain herself. 

"Well, um, it's uh...it's an ancient kind of Jouran language. It doesn't really, get used or anything, I just know it because uh..." The girl trailed off for a moment before looking to the side, "because I uh, had to. And stuff." Edda then realized that there was hardly anyone who would ever learn it to begin with, and so veering away from that part of the conversation she said, "the magic itself uh...well, it's like Dark Magic, but in reverse. I guess?" The looked to the air, now that she was actually trying to explain how it worked saying, "it's like uh, well...Dark Magic is projecting your soul onto the world, but I guess this is closer to projecting your soul into someone else's?" 


Meanwhile, the clear skies of the day did little to cover those in the air and those below. And so, the more perceptive members of the group, were they looking, would be able to see something far off, flying in the sky. Though they wouldn't be able to make it out, as it was still far away, it seemed to be moving closer to them. And though looking up at it, it was hard to tell, the group would also be able to notice that it was white in color. 

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Ada watched as Edda kinda fumbled about. It wasn't the first time she thought the girl's awkward behavior was cute, and it probably wouldn't be the last. But this wasn't the time for cute, this was the time for learning!

"ah that um- well it's not really singing but uh... Well, um, it's uh...it's an ancient kind of Jouran language. It doesn't really, get used or anything, I just know it because uh... the magic itself uh...well, it's like Dark Magic, but in reverse. I guess? it's like uh, well...Dark Magic is projecting your soul onto the world, but I guess this is closer to projecting your soul into someone else's?" 

"Ancient Jouran language, huh... my dad has a large collection of tomes and manuscripts, so maybe that's where I recognize it from..." Ada spent a quick moment in her thoughts, "Of course, he had tomes from across the country, so it wouldn't shock me. But the way you describe it is so... intriguing! I already have an interest in staves, and what you're describing sounds like Dark Magic applies like a Staff? Absolutely fascinating..." 

The girl continued to mutter as she walked alongside Edda, oblivious to what was ahead of them. Too lost in thoughts, only managing to get a single question out. "Is there any way you could teach me how to do that? Ancient languages are no trouble, so long as there's a reasonable translation or teacher!"

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As Alexis continued to play she heard something. A voice, or rather, a hum. Still playing the girl looked towards where it was coming from and noticed that it was Yue.

Her heart skipped a beat as she watched. The voice was just so lovely. It shocked Alexis to hear it come from a person.

She slowed her movements down, letting the others catch up more, and sidled up next to the archer. "Well." She said, trying to balance playing and speaking, "you're full of surprises aren't you?" Then, lowering her voice so only Yue could hear, she said "I'm shocked that she hasn't totally fallen for you yet. From what I've seen you must be quite the catch."

"It sounds nice, in any case... I guess I don't have as great of an ear for music as I hoped."

Alexis overhead the healer's words and grinned. Taking a step away from Yue to avoid shouting in the girl's ear, she called to him. "Don't worry about that. All it takes is a bit of practice. But I suppose some have it easier. I take it none of you have ever heard Leon try to sing before." She chuckled to herself at the memory.

Speaking of Leon.

"well, we're not in any rush, but I suppose it wouldn't hurt if the song was a bit...faster." 

"Eeeverybody's a critic. Fine, oh great music master, I shall try and live up to your expectations." She looked to Yue and winked. "Sorry, this isn't as lovely as your voice, but if Leon wants fast that's what he'll get."

With a giggle she skipped ahead of the group again and began to play.


"Okay, let me... explain," 

Rona wasn't sure what to think. The man seemed to be upset. Was magic something that he cared about? His explanation didn't really fit. "Casting magic isn't really a goal is it?" Rona said. "And besides, wouldn't it be better to focus mo-" She couldn't get the rest out because Cormag started to snarl.

She glanced at her mount in surprise.

Cormag was glowering now at Raynor instead. He didn't know what the man was saying. All he knew was that he didn't like the tone. Nor the energy radiating off of him. It felt aggressive. Towards Rona. He couldn't let that happen. The Wyvern turned its head towards Raynor and growled again. Opening its jaw and moved to bite down on the antagonistic man.

Only stopping when Rona pulled back and scolded him. "W-what are you doing?"

Rona looked over at Raynor with an uncharacteristic panic in her eyes for a moment. "I...he must be feeling off today, perhaps he needs to stretch his wings more." And with that she took into the skies and moved ahead of Raynor.

It was then she noticed something off in the distance. "Be ready, Cormag, this could be trouble." She said and spurred the wyvern ahead. Making sure to be ahead of the group, putting herself between them and whatever it was that was coming. If they seemed hostile she'd be ready to draw her weapon and strike them down.

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Yue was so caught up in the music that she didn't even notice Alexis was next to her until she began to speak. She had noticed it had gotten louder, but for a while there, she had forgotten just who was playing it. "Well," the other said, continuing to play, "you're full of surprises aren't you?" Then, lowering her voice, she said, "I'm shocked that she hasn't totally fallen for you yet. From what I've seen you must be quite the catch."

The silver-haired girl stopped humming abruptly, a blush crawling over her face. "E-e-e-e-e-h?" she squeaked. "N-n-n-n-no, t-there's nothing, I-I mean, umm...she doesn't...I don't!" she flapped her arms in agitation, looking a little like a bird trying to fly. She glanced over at Rona unconsciously, noticing the wyvern rider was talking with Raynor, before jerking her head back, embarrassed.

"It sounds nice, in any case... I guess I don't have as great of an ear for music as I hoped."

Thankfully, Layne managed to distract Alexis, and the Pegasus knight stepped away from the archer, calling out something in response. What exactly it was, Yue didn't hear, her head muddled up in thoughts of she knows and no I don't like her, right? Eventually, her head started spinning, and she felt like maybe it would be good to lie down for a bit.

Except she couldn't, and now Alexis was talking to her again. "Sorry, this isn't as lovely as your voice, but if Leon wants fast that's what he'll get."

Blushing heavily, the girl listened to the music, but forcefully did not hum along this time. It was nice, but she couldn't risk attracting the dark-haired girl's attention again. So concentrated was she on that, that she didn't even notice Rona had left the group, flying far ahead of them.

Edited by Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd

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"Well, I'm not a musician either, but I can say that this is pretty faithful to the original."

Layne let out a little chuckle as he closed his eyes briefly, "It is, huh? It certainly sounds nice. It's impressive." Faithful recreations were hard enough to do when you were a dedicated musician, he knew that much, so the fact that she was replicating it accurately was fairly interesting. He closed his eyes for a moment, stretching his arms up into the air lazily, before opening up his eyes as he heard Alexis speak up once again.

"Don't worry about that. All it takes is a bit of practice. But I suppose some have it easier. I take it none of you have ever heard Leon try to sing before."

He let out a loud laugh as he tilted his head back, shaking it for a moment as he did. "Leon, singing? I don't think that's come up since I've joined, at least. It's definitely not something I've heard." Truthfully, the idea of Leon singing wasn't something he could quite put together in his head, it seemed just a bit... Strange. It seemed to have distracted her from her brief conversation with Yue, though he wasn't entirely sure why the other girl seemed so flustered... But then again, when was he ever sure about it?

His arms stretched up into the air briefly as he took a glance forward, his eyes narrowing just a bit. There was a song going on in the background once again, but his focus on it was... Fleeting, to say the least. His eyes narrowed as he tried to take a look ahead, Rona had started to fly ahead of the group, which wasn't entirely odd on it's own, but it seemed like there was something ahead of them, in the sky, that wasn't her. His hand grabbed at the staff at his side almost instinctively, tightening on it as he shook his head, "...We might have trouble up ahead, it looks like Rona has seen something. I think she's flying towards it. It's in the sky, but I can't tell much more besides that it's flying."


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Edda, now growing increasingly more comfortable by the increasing curiosity and eagerness of Ada, looked away from the girl as she continued walking. The girl didn't really know where to start with Ada's questioning, and hadn't ever really thought about the magic she had used as something similar to staff magic before. Adding to her now questioning about what staff magic was, Edda simply started to stammer out, "w-well, it's not really like...just knowing the language isn't the important part - er, uh," as the girl seemed to have trouble explaining herself, either because she couldn't or didn't want to, she soon fell back on her next response. 

Going from uncomfortable to annoyed, the girl said, "what does it matter to you anyway? You're an Aeoran right? If anything ancient Jouran and the like should be like, what, super bad heresy and stuff?" Then as if an after thought to the whole questioning of the clearly shamanistic girl, Edda simply muttered a forced sounding, "weirdo." 


Leon, waved off the comment of him singing, not entirely wanting to relive those days and especially not in front of his company. Looking away from the boy, Leon simply muttered, "I'd prefer to keep it that way." His attention was then turned over to Alexis and Yue, to which the boy simply shot the former a look as this had seemed to become a recurring a problem between the two. "Stop tormenting her." Looking over to Yue, he simply said, "try not to take what she has to say on those matters to heart. It'll probably just confuse you more than anything."

With that out of the way, the boy sighed with a smile on his face as Alexis began to play her next song. While Leon was certainly a fan of Quinn's music and found it charming in a way, he could tell this was far more to the speed of Alexis as she began playing it. Bobbing his head to the tune as she did so, he looked over to Layne as the boy seemed to think that there was trouble brewing. Looking to the sky, seeing Rona take flight after something else, Leon's eyes widened as he locked onto the white figure and traced it with his eyes. Grabbing at his own sword, the company leader muttered, "this could not get any worse." More clearly he said to Layne, "I certainly hope I'm wrong but," then more to everyone, he shouted out, "Falcons, there is almost certainly trouble coming our way." There were four scenarios as to what the flying white thing could be. In the best case, it was just a bird and he was being paranoid. But, the worst case was...


Meanwhile, on Rona's end, the girl would be able to tell just what exactly it was that was flying in the sky above them. The white creature was something that Rona had grown increasingly familiar with over the last couple of days, the familiar white winged equine creature known as a pegasus. Most notably this pegasus had a rider, though they seemed to look to be in actual formal armor with a lance hanging to their side. The armor in question would seem familiar to other Aeoran soldier armor that Rona had seen before in her time on the border. To complicate matters, while Rona had noticed the pegasus knight, the knight as well had seemed to notice her. Rather than confront each other, though, the Pegasus immediately dove and darted away from Rona. Were she to track its movements, now high up in the sky, she would be able to notice that there was an accompaniment of other pegsus knights, horseman and foot soldiers that it was moving towards.

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"w-well, it's not really like...just knowing the language isn't the important part - er, uh... what does it matter to you anyway? You're an Aeoran right? If anything ancient Jouran and the like should be like, what, super bad heresy and stuff?" Then as if an after thought to the whole questioning of the clearly shamanistic girl, Edda simply muttered a forced sounding, "weirdo." 

Ada paused for a second, surprised. She had a bad habit of being forceful when it came to learning, but the response was... over the top. Being annoyed was one thing, but calling her a weirdo? What was with that?"

"First off, I'm not Aeoran!" Ada growled a bit, stamping her feet in a rather cartoonish manner, "I'm from Vjorsovol! My father was Aeoran, but I have allegiance to no country! And what do you know about heresy? You don't live with the people you defend judging you or turning on you all the time! If you don't want to talk about it, say so, don't be such a... a... bitch!"

Ada huffed and stomped further ahead, clearly at the end of her rope. The last thing she wanted to hear was how she was someone who didn't understand being out of place. The pain in her body became obvious once more as she got away, the thrill of something new gone. Stupid Edda.

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Rona realized as the rider came towards them that they were riding a pegasus. The first thought was perhaps one of Alexis's group.

And then she saw the armor. The armor of the Aeoran soldier. Her breathing started getting faster as she, for a moment, locked eyes with the soldier. Her hand twitched and she felt the urge to grab her axe and ride them down. Cleave through that silver armor and kill the enemy before her.

"Gut any silver armored weakling you find! Show them their place in this world! Kill em all!" She could still hear the battle cries. She could envision that silver armor cleaved open with blood leaking out of it.

She had to kill them. It was her duty as...no, she wasn't that anymore. She wasn't a soldier. She was a mercenary. Working within Aeora at that. In the time it took her to settle down she realized the pegasus was flying away. Towards an even larger group of soldiers. Which, she was certain, would soon turn towards their little group.

"Cormag, lower, between us and them, now." She said, and steered the wyvern lower to the ground. Staying still in flight, she halted somewhere between the mercenaries and the soldiers. She knew she shouldn't try and fight them but she didn't trust them not to attack. And if she did she would make sure to tear through their lines. If the others got into the fight they'd certainly be flagged as threats to the country. She couldn't let that happen.


"Stop tormenting her. Try not to take what she has to say on those matters to heart. It'll probably just confuse you more than anything."

"Oh, come on Leon, romance is always confusing. Not that I'd expect you to know much about it. Surrounded by women and not even one romance yet, shameful." Alexis shook her head dramatically.

Something seemed off. She could feel that people weren't paying much attention to her music. Not that they had to but it was usually hard to do so.

The reason why was made clear soon as she noticed something flying off and Rona heading back down towards ground level. Leon seemed to think there was some danger but why? "I doubt any bandits can fly, and I can't imagine any monsters out here like this, what kind of trouble are you expecting?"

The girl thought about the people in the group. And connected that to why Leon might be nervous. But that was ridiculous, right? They weren't transporting anyone dangerous...were they?

Either way she decided it wasn't the right time to play music. She went back to Tana and stored her instrument away. Though she didn't mount up just then. She instead took Tana's reigns and led her near the front of the group, watching for what drew near.

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While Yue was distracted, Leon had stepped forward to help her out. "Stop tormenting her." The mercenary then looked over at the archer, "try not to take what she has to say on those matters to heart. It'll probably just confuse you more than anything."

"A-all right." That was probably a good idea.

Before long, however, Layne seemed to notice some sort of trouble up in the skies. Leon had looked up as well, and whatever it was up there, he wasn't too happy about. Following his gaze, the girl saw what looked like a large white...was that a bird? But no, the flight pattern was a little off. Yue knew birds pretty well. She liked birds, and she was friends with many of them. But this bird didn't fly right. It was too heavy and the way it wiggled its talons...no four of them. It had four talons? No... She squinted her eyes, taking advantage of her naturally keen vision. The girl let out a gasp of realization when she saw the thing dive down, closer to the ground where she could make out some details, before it turned away. "Oh, I think that's a Pegasus!"

She wasn't sure why the others seemed so grim. Pegasus knights were usually good people, or at least Aeorans, and it wasn't as if they were...she glanced at Raynor, Ada's robes, and Edda. Jourans. Oh. This...could be bad.

"Oh...um...uh...d-don't panic, everyone," she stammered, eyes wide as she was undoubtedly the main one panicking right now. "U-uh...panicking...is bad..." she turned her head toward their leader, "Leon...what do we do?!"

Edited by Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd

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Edda at first seemed to be stunned by the retaliatory response from Ada, surprised by her reaction. As the shaman explained where she was from, Edda couldn't help but explain why she was indeed a weirdo, though the girl started to feel a sense of guilt well up inside of her. As Ada continued to rant at her, this guilt however soon gave way to feelings of frustration and anger. Her expression going back to incredibly annoyed, Edda just said back, "hey I wasn't being a b-b-, er...you're the one who started it...weirdo. Hmph!" The girl dramatically started to stomp, folding her arms with a pout on her face. Walking away from Ada, the girl was now rather steamed and not quite paying attention to the tension in the front of the group. She wasn't being a bitch, if anything, Ada was the one being the bitch. Bitch.

Though Leon was none too happy with Alexis's jab at his love life, or lack thereof, the boy didn't make much of a comment on it as he still seemed to be thinking about who it was that had spotted them. It was clear that his aggitation was apparent to the others as well, as Yue had walked up and seemed to be panicking from the whole situation. As she asked him what to do, the boy looked at her, clear uncertainty in his eyes as well. If they were who he thought they were, then reasoning was likely not an option. Even if it were, what they would have to give up would probably be too great for him to go with it. But fighting would be just as bad, and fighting out here in the open would likely be the worst place they could do so. His options were limited but he had to think of what to do, think of the best course of action, think, think, think -

"Wait." Opening his bag, the boy pulled out a map of Aeora. Looking at it, he had a reasonable idea of where they were, and looking around he knew where best next to go. "We'll go to the Mella Valley." He pointed to the hill formation on the southern end of the map. "I'm not sure how much of an advantage it might give us, but we can still make it to Enta through there." Putting the map away, he shouted to the pegasus knight, "Alexis. Did you hear that? Get Rona and tell her where we're going to." Speaking louder he said, "Falcons, prepare yourself for the worst, and let's pick up the pace."

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Alexis noticed Yue's reaction but didn't say anything. She still couldn't be sure of why but it seemed that this could lead to some trouble.

"Alexis. Did you hear that? Get Rona and tell her where we're going to."

Mella Valley. Was Leon really preparing to face whoever this was? Or did he simply hope to slip away? She had to trust that it was the latter, fighting would be crazy talk, so she gave the young man a mock solute before taking into the air to reach Rona faster.

Once there she saw them. The soldiers off in the distance. And she let out a groan as she did. The colors indicated they were Rastarn. Which was actually quite a problem. Sure Alexis, and her people, weren't entirely fond of Jourans it was because of their heretical ways. But Rastarn was another issue entirely. They just didn't like Jourans simply for being Jourans. And wouldn't you know it they had a few of them with right then. And one of them had been spotted. She was surprised the soldiers weren't already upon them.

She landed near Rona, who was staring off into the distance, and called out to her. "Hey, we're heading out, c'mon, this way. Don't want to get into a tussle out here in the open after all."

The Wyvern Rider gave her a startlingly cold look and then looked back to the soldiers. Completely ignoring her. With a sigh she added, "Leon says we should move out." She saw Rona flinch slightly and nod.

"Alright then, which way?" The Jouran asked.

"Follow me, over here." Alexis replied. The way the girl acted. She hadn't seriously have been thinking about....


They would come. And she'd be waiting. If they appeared even slightly aggressive then she'd bring her axe down without hesitation. Find the leader. Cut them down. Perhaps that would be enough to make the others pull back.

She didn't even pay attention to their own Pegasus Knight. She cared not what Alexis did. It was the others she was worried about.

"Hey, we're heading out, c'mon, this way. Don't want to get into a tussle out here in the open after all."

Yet another who tried to give her orders. She glanced over at Alexis and saw the girl's smirk fade a bit. She didn't take much time on her though. She had to keep watch for when the soldiers made their move.

"Leon says we should move out."

She winced. Is that so? She didn't imagine that the girl was lying but why couldn't Leon tell her himse- No, she shouldn't think that. He sent a messenger and that should be enough.

"Alright then, which way?"

Rona took one last look at the soldiers in the distance, and lay a calming hand on Cormag, before reluctantly turning away from them to return to the group. "Alright, let's get going then, if anyone can't keep up then get on Cormag now while you can!"

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This wasn't looking good. Not at all. Yue wasn't normally a fan of Jourans...in fact she downright distrusted them. However, Rona had proven herself to be determined, responsible, trusted, brave, fearless, strong, and...she could go on, but Rona was just that amazing. And Raynor was a surprisingly kind person. Edda had helped them out, though Yue still wasn't sure what to think about her. Had she been making fun of her earlier? But no, it more seemed like she was just that awkward...

So, Yue wasn't entirely comfortable with the idea of any of them getting hurt or accused of wrongdoings by that pegasus knight. But it looked like that just might end up happening if they stuck around.

Leon seemed to have a plan, though. That was one thing about him that she could count on. He always had a plan. It might not be a grandmaster-worthy plan, but Yue didn't know much about that kind of stuff anyway. All she cared about was that he kept a cool head and his plans usually worked out in the end. Usually. She still remembered that time with the--well, that wasn't important now anyway.

She remembered the Mella Valley. She'd gone through it herself in an effort to stay away from busy places, though she wasn't sure how it'd help them here. Still, that was Leon's job to figure that sort of stuff out, not hers.

"I-I can...um...lead the way," Yue said. "I've been there before, but...I can't do more beyond that, like tell you where is a good place to fight. I can tell you where things are, though. Where it's more forested and where it's not." She gulped. "U-uh...that being the case, f-follow me please!" The girl then moved to the front of the group and started to sprint.

 

Edited by Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd

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"this could not get any worse." More clearly he said to Layne, "I certainly hope I'm wrong but-"

Of course it wasn't going to be smooth sailing, that was just an unreasonable hope. He had hoped they would at least have a few days of peace to recover from the stress of their last fight, but of course they weren't going to be quite that lucky. Whatever that was up in the sky, it wasn't going to be something that they should mess with most likely. They had been attacked every step of the way...

And it seemed like they weren't going to get any breaks from the onslaught of enemies. Rona had taken up a sorta defensive position between the two groups, as if she was preparing for them to attack. She usually did this sorta thing, that wasn't surprising in the least, and at least it gave them an opportunity to react, since she could warn them, hopefully. Leon had pulled out a map to consult, Layne slowly peeking over to get an idea of what they were looking at. The area obviously wasn't familiar to him, but it gave him a better idea on the lay of the land they were in as he closed his eyes. "We'll go to the Mella Valley. I'm not sure how much of an advantage it might give us, but we can still make it to Enta through there. Falcons, prepare yourself for the worst, and let's pick up the pace.""

"Mella Valley it is. Whatever that flying is, you definitely sound like you don't wanna be confronted by it. Let's get out of here..." Layne took a little glance around, rubbing at the back of his neck for a moment as he tried to get his bearings. Before he could spend much time though, a quieter voice spoke up.

"I-I can...um...lead the way." 

"Oh thank goodness. Lead the way, Yue. Get us out of here!" Layne pointed off with his staff as Yue made her way towards the front of the group, running after her suddenly as they began to make their way towards this valley. In the process though, his hand had gripped the staff, fidgeting around with it as he glanced back at Leon, "What exactly are we running from, though? It's clearly not just... Bandits like last time. We could handle that easily... So what is it?"


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"Casting magic isn't really a goal is it?" Rona said, causing Raynor to scowl and fall out of his rising mood. She really wanted to push buttons even he didn't know he had, didn't she? "And besides, wouldn't it be better to focus mo-" Suddenly, the winged rations started snarling at Raynor, which surprised Rona. It didn't really surprise Raynor, however. It made sense that Cormag wouldn't like how Raynor was asking.

Which is why he didn't react to the wyvern attempting to bite him, instead just leaning back out of its reach as Rona pulled it back. Gojira wasn't happy about it however, snarling at the offending wyvern.

"W-what are you doing?" Rona seemed actually panicked. She must not have ran into someone Cormag didn't like before. "I...he must be feeling off today, perhaps he needs to stretch his wings more." And with that she took into the skies and moved ahead of Raynor. The man in question wasn't fazed, instead sighing and rubbing his head. He probably was too hard on her.

"Man, that wasn't very cool or legendary of me, was it?" He muttered as he folded his arms behind his head. Gojira just snorted in response. He supposed he should have to apologize at some point. Some sort of argument had broken out between Ada and Edda, although it didn't look to serious. In fact, both were being kinda cute. Maybe he could break it up with some smooth words if it got too out of hand.

And then something else was happening. Something that was causing a small commotion in the front. This seemed important. He clicked his tongue, getting into a riding position, and making Gojira move closer to the rest of the group.

"Oh...um...uh...d-don't panic, everyone," the snow fairy stuttered, obviously panicking. "U-uh...panicking...is bad..." she turned her head toward their leader, "Leon...what do we do?!"

Something bad was happening.

"We'll go to the Mella Valley." Leon was taking command. Good, good. "I'm not sure how much of an advantage it might give us, but we can still make it to Enta through there. Alexis. Did you hear that? Get Rona and tell her where we're going to." Speaking louder he said, "Falcons, prepare yourself for the worst, and let's pick up the pace."

"I-I can...um...lead the way," The snow fairy spoke up again. "I've been there before, but...I can't do more beyond that, like tell you where is a good place to fight. I can tell you where things are, though. Where it's more forested and where it's not." She gulped. "U-uh...that being the case, f-follow me please!" She then ran off. 

Raynor urged Gojira forward, making him head up to Edda and Ada. "Oy, oy, you two," He said as Gojira pulled up beside them. "If you need a ride, Gojira is more than willing to help out," He offered, jumping off his partner. "Whatever's goin' on, it ain't good. Don't wanna risk anyone falling behind," He was confident he could keep up, and he knew Gojira could carry them both. He had faith they had the sense to hang on, if they took him up on his offer.

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Leon hadn't ever really been out this far into the country before, and so he was glad to hear that Yue had experience in traveling through the valley. He didn't really know what to expect of it, but he figured that it was the best place to lose whoever it was that was chasing them. Seeing that Rona had returned did him good as well, seeing if all of those who were after them were as mobile as the pegasus knight being split up would be the worst case for the group. As they started to move, he heard Layne's question and realized that the rest of the group probably had no idea what was going on. Telling them would likely only cause them to worry more, but as he was already pretty on edge himself he didn't think it could get any worse.

Turning to the healer he said, "in Aeora there are three major capitals each with its own knight corps that each tend to manage something specific. Generally speaking, the ones that would be around here would be the Sea Knight - you can tell because they have blue to the silver on their armor. And honestly that would probably be the best possible scenario. Their job is to stick to Enta and the major roads around it to make sure crime is at a low. But...the worst case scenario is that it's the Sky Knights. They're from Rastarn and well...They shouldn't be here since they tend to deal with the northern border against Jouruun...but with a notice to capture a Jouran here, I can't help shake the feeling that this is going to go bad fast." 

Edda, meanwhile, looked to Raynor as he had offered a ride for her. The girl didn't actually want to start hustling and running forward. Not because she was tired - despite appearances Edda actually had a great deal of stamina - but more so because she knew she would be left in the dust. That being said, she was both still in a huff and couldn't quite stand the thought of being on the same mount as Ada, were they to both get on together. So, left at a strange crossroad created by her pride and annoyance, the girl simply said, "I'm good." Though, this was clearly not the case, and she eventually caved and got on board the man's mount anyway. 

As the group had began making their way towards the entrance of the valley, the knights that had spotted them had eventually caught up with them. A collection of cavalry and pegasus knights had seemed to be what they were composed of, though it was likely there was still yet more troops on foot that simply couldn't keep up trailing behind them. The knights were adorned in silver and red armor, the colors of those of the sky knights, and they had all already seemed to have their weapons at the ready. 

Forming up, one cavalry man had stood among the others, stepping a bit forward. "Halt criminal scum!" His voice was loud and forceful, level yet full of aggression. The man looked at the group, studying each one carefully saying, "though I was aware there was one filthy northerner amidst our people, I had not expected three and to be so flagrantly parading around our country side no less. No matter, my job is no different and neither shall your fates. By Order of Lord Sentan Vallan of Rastarn, I ask that you treacherous bunch forfeit your weapons and yourselves to prison, and that you forfeit the lives of the Jouran menace. Failure to do so will result in the forfeit of your own lives as well." 

Leon had never actually personally interacted with the people of Rastarn, or at least their military, so he had nothing to do but expect the worst. But this curtness and sheer animosity that they seemed to display was something he was still not prepared for. It didn't look like they were going to give them any quarter nor did he expect them to listen to anything they said. Though, he was also equally afraid of actually having to engage in combat with them. Going against them here most certainly meant that they would have officially made an enemy of the people of Rastarn and more than that he didn't know how they would match up against them in terms of might. All the same, he couldn't really back out here now nor could he simply leave his party members to die. 

Clutching the hilt of his sword, Leon looked to others saying, "Falcons, get ready." 

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Alexis nodded along with what Leon was saying. She spoke up at the end. "Yeah, well, worst case it is. I didn't think those guys would be around here but they must really be getting anxious."

As if to highlight this the soldiers chased them into the valley. Showing to Alexis that these people meant business and that, whatever they had been here for, they were now here for one reason. To take them down.

This all felt wrong. She didn't want to oppose her own country's army. She didn't want to be seen as an enemy. But also...what the leader was saying rubbed her the wrong way. These people hadn't committed any crimes and the only thing she was given as a reason was where they were from. And she knew that Leon wouldn't just surrender them anyway. Alexis had decided to keep an eye on the boy even if he was going to be foolhardy like this.

"Ah, crap, suppose I'll see where this takes me."

She grabbed her iron lance and extended it to the side as she sat on Tana's back. "You know, I never liked taking orders anyway. So come and take em if you think you can!"

She didn't know where to put herself. After all there were far too many soldiers to take on at once. But there wasn't many places to go. Her best option was...

The girl took off and took a position in the back of one of the thickets near the edge of the valley. Keeping right above it and waiting to see if any of the soldiers made the mistake of trying to enter the thicket. And she could then cut them down.


No, no, this wasn't how it was supposed to go. They had made it to the valley and yet...the soldiers chased them down. Even if they tried to run as fast as they could they couldn't keep going forever.

And it was all her fault. She heard them. They wanted her head. Had they not seen her there would be no reason for them to come after them. And Leon wanted them all to fight? She couldn't let him do this. "If..." She took a deep breath. She had to be sure not to tremble. She had to be strong.

"If you keep going back you can get out of here. They would stay here to try and take me and you could have time to get away. There's no reason to stay here and get caught up in this."

She looked away from the rest so they wouldn't see her face. "I'm sure I can keep them busy for a while."

Rona took out her Steel Axe and flew forward. She'd start with the Pegasus Knights. If she took away the soldiers' wings then the others would have a better chance. She put on a cold smile and pointed her axe at the nearest Pegasus Knight, silently sending a challenge.

Spoiler

Alexis moved up 4

Rona moved down 1 and left 3 and has Pegasus 3 as counter target.

 

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