Arms and Arena Adventures (EVENT)

[Wyatt]

OOC: There is a battle tournament taking place in Bern! Anyone in the area who wants to compete, feel free to join this topic. We don't ALL have to be together, and it would be better to form smaller groups rather then waiting for seven to twelve person post orders. The specifics of how the tournament will work will be explained later, this is just the gathering set a few days before it begins, in Bern of course.

IC:

Yesterday they had arrived in the massive city. Bern was the main city of it's country, much like Lycian states were named after their capitals...or maybe the other way around. In any case, this was the city known simply as Bern, and it was massive to behold. He'd been through here briefly after his sea trip, but the streets were barren back then compared to now. The people packed the crowded streets, merchants hawking their wares, warriors coming from far and wide, noble spectators visiting for the event. It seemed like it was going to be quite a spectacle! Wyatt had taken to leading their path down the streets, since Mana was so small she got pushed around rather easily. Wyatt, on the other hand, merely puffed out his shoulders and made enough room where they just walked around him, letting her follow close behind rather cleanly.

Wyatt may have been excited about his new design, but Mana had been right when she'd suggested they check on the tournament first. It was still a few days off, which was good. It would give him some time to prepare his shield. Which was where he was heading now. Entering the forge he was surprised at what assaulted his ears.

Nothing.

Compared to the noise outside, it was quiet in here. There was still some heat from the fire burning fiercely, but Wyatt paid it no mind as he slipped of his pack.

He spied the smith and called to him. [red]"Hey! How much for the use of your forge for a day or so?"[/red] He asked, grabbing his pouch to pay the man. He probably made a killing from this sort of thing.

[blue]"What are you using it to make?"[/blue] The gruff man asked, while stroking his dark beard. Wyatt, youthful and still baby faced, set down his pack and unstrapped the slab of metal.

[red]"Do you know what this is?"[/red] Wyatt asked. His tone showing that he wasn't trying to be rude, it was a legitimate question. The man looked over it with a half scowl, then blinked once and examined it closer.

[blue]"It's...similar to steel. But there are some very distinct differences. Where did you find this?"[/blue] He asked, clearly under the impression that he was seeing something one of a kind.

Wyatt just smiled, setting the piece of metal down by the forge. [red]"Passed down from my father, I'm gonna try to make a shield out of it. Oh yeah, can I put out your fire?"[/red] He asked. It would take at least a half a day to get the forge back to temperature after putting it out. [red]"Conventional flames don't get hot enough to melt this. So I brought something to make it a little easier."[/red] He explained, drawing his Magma Axe as well.

[blue]"You've got a lot of strange toys for a kid..."[/blue] The man responded with a laugh and a clap on Wyatt's back so hard he nearly fell over. Catching his feet he looked up at the man, who nodded with a smile. [blue]"Sure, you two can have use of it as long as you need. One condition. Is it for you, and are you fighting in the tournament?"[/blue]

Wyatt nodded, kind of curious. [blue]"Good! I want to see what that thing can do in person. Weapons cannot be made of anything except steel, so your axe is out, but they don't say anything about armor or shields."[/blue]

Wyatt was ecstatic as he moved over to the forge and extinguished the fire there. He looked over the clamps and metals there, designed to hold the equipment, and began moving them around, and then took his axe in his hands.

[red]"Right, Mana I will need you to be supplying my 'fire' so I can work on the metal. Let me show you how."[/red] He said, holding the massive stone axe straight. [red]"Don't worry, you don't have to lift it, it'll be supported by the clamps, but you will need to be activating it's magic. From what I can tell, it works on thought, as weird as that sounds. Whenever I swing it and imagine the fire, it causes it to flare up."[/red] Wyatt finished, and then concentrated for a moment on the idea of the forge aflame again. The fissures inside the stone axe began to glow a molten red, and the striking edge of it seemed to become liquid, though it did not drip from the axe head. The blade looked like a pure river of magma, that would be all the heat he needed.

[red]"I need to keep the fire somewhere around there. It might take a while, I am sorry, forging isn't a very fast process. All you should need to do is keep your hands on it and focus on the magic."[/red] He explained, clamping the axe in so she wouldn't have to carry it. The idea of her trying to was kind of funny, but he decided to be nice.

[red]"So...you ready to give this a try?"[/red]

[Mana]

It was her first time to visit a city like Bern, which was so big and crowded with people. There were many things that distracted her as she followed Wyatt. The merchants selling objects she had never seen, some nobles wearing expensive and fashionable clothes, and some warriors from many origins taking a walk in this crowded street. At first she thought she would be squashed by the crowd, but then Wyatt made some space for her to walk in, letting her to walk closely behind him.

"I will never get used to this heat..." she grumbled as the pair entered the forge. The inside was still hot enough to make Mana starting to sweat. The girl wandered around seeing things while Wyatt handled the negotiation with the owner of this forge. There were some strange tools here, did the blacksmith really use these things? But what stole her interest was the collection of swords placed on the table in the corner, some were made with unfamiliar design. "I never saw this one before...Oh, and this looks pretty good."

Mana noticed that the blacksmith and Wyatt had somewhat friendly and casual conversation, it seemed Wyatt had managed to get his interest by showing his precious metal. She decided to join them after stealing a last glance at the swords.

"Why did he exthinguish the fire?" Mana wondered when she watched Wyatt preparing to begin his work. Didn't he want to melt the metal or what? Thinking for the answer of her question, Mana joined him near the forge, giving a light tap on his shoulder. "Haha, you seem very excited, my friend. Well, just tell me what I need to do," she said to the spirited blackmith.

"Alright...maybe I can do this...I have promised to help you, after all" Although she said it, the girl didn't seem to catch his explanation. She didn't really understand how this axe could produce fire. But if all she needed to do was touching the axe and imagining the fire, she didn't mind trying. "It won't be dangerous, right?" she thought briefly as she held out her hand toward the axe. Maybe a little experiment wouldn't hurt, she believed. "I only need to touch it, right? Sounds easy enough," she said as the girl gripped the handle with her right hand. She searched for a cool spell to activate the fire, it probably wasn't needed to light the fire, though. After a while, she focused on her mind and said, "FLAME ON!"

"BLAAAR!!!"

And yes, that what happened next. An explosion.

"Sorry!!!" Panicked, Mana then tried to imagine the fire being..."smaller". The fire gradually ceased out as she ordered it, adjusting into the proportional amount Wyatt might need.

[Wyatt]

Wyatt nearly jumped out of his skin when the explosion of fire came forth from the axe. Well she could certainly channel the magic! The owner of the forge looked up to the ceiling, and said nothing. Wyatt turned to Mana (After making sure he still had eyebrows!) with a half smile as she tried to control the fire.

[red]"And now, you understand why smithies are always made out of stone."[/red] He teased, looking back at the metal that had been exposed to the sudden heat. The metal had bent...slightly, but it had. [red]"Wait! The fire is hot enough, the metal is going to the melting point!"[/red] The weapon didn't even need to heat up, it just became instantly as hot as was needed! [red]"Ok, hold it steady Mana. I have to run the metal over it until it is all hot enough, then I can work on it."[/red] He explained, grabbing the slab of metal in a large pair of two handed metal tongs, running it over the source of the fire. Almost instantly the slab of metal started to darken in color, and Wyatt made a grab for several ingots of iron he had with him. Most metals couldn't make a good weapon or armor alone, which made iron an excellent alloying metal. He placed one of the bars on the slab, watching in surprise as it started to melt into it right there! The iron had barely even touched the slab and already it was practically a liquid! Once he had added a thin layer of iron ore to the metal, he just needed to wait for it to be ready to work. Wyatt had expected hours, but in a few minutes the entire slab was glowing a bright red as Wyatt went to move it away from Mana. Carefully moving so he wouldn't hit anything, or anyone, he set it down on the anvil, wiping sweat from his brow and realizing that the tongs had partially melted! Jeez that was hot! He'd have to replace them, it would only be the right thing to do. He took up his two handed hammer and looked over the metal, which was already starting to cool in the ambient air. Wait...it was going to cool too fast, then it would come out in a bad shape!

[red]"Damn it, gotta work before it cools!"[/red] He spoke, lifting his maul up over his head. A resounding clang filled the smithy as the hammer struck the metal dead center, working the iron into it and forming it's shape. But it was not Wyatt's hammer that had fallen, and the younger smith looked up to see the elder smith holding his own forging tool.

[blue]"Well com'on then! We don' have time to be wasting!"[/blue] He remarked, raising his hammer as Wyatt took the second strike, similar, but more pulled out from where the owner struck. [blue]"Keep to the center with a shield, you forge it from the inside out! Gotta keep a good idea how ya want it to look, otherwise you'll foul the metal!"[/blue] He called, striking down again.

The symphony of metal continued on for almost an hour! Wyatt hadn't noticed if Mana had stepped outside due to the noise and residual heat, or if she had stayed in the room. But now, as the elder smith set his hammer up straight and they looked upon the newly forged armament from a metal neither of them had ever seen before, there was silence. A revered silence as Wyatt looked at it. All it was, currently, was a shell. He'd have to add the wooden backing to it, straps, paints and ornamentation. All the bits outside of the raw metal working, but this was the best part of it.

[Clair Feldsky]

The city of Bern. It was impressive, perched in its mountain refuge as it was. It had a reputation for being one of the mightiest fortresses in the world, and yet it so did Ostia, as it had burned to the ground. Reality no longer seemed to care about myths, legends or reputations it seemed. She couldn't help but remind herself that those were wise words for anyone to live by in these times.

Putting the city aside, she turned away from it and returned to what she'd been doing before. A mixture of collecting and looking over requisition requests, while preparing to meet the Ilian brass that were set up in the capital city. That would be an interesting meeting. Right now though, she was more concerned about making certain that this army had its essentials. Hopefully, the tournament she'd gotten wind of in town would bring plenty of food and supplies into the region, like it seemed to be doing for people.

"Bennett, make sure the supply train is ready to load up on supplies as they arrive." Clair said, half turning behind her towards the Lieutenant. "And make sure Firenze doesn't take his wagon in with the others. The craftsman told me the wheel was still unsecured from that break on the road."

[Brown]"Yes Ma'am. I'll make sure of it."[/Brown] Bennett was young, like she was, but he'd done a good job keeping the soldiers from falling into complete disarray. Even so, the absence of its senior officers hadn't been good for the band. They were still recovering from that. She didn't regret going though. The rewards far outweighed the cost as far as Clair Feldsky was concerned.

[Mana]

Mana had learnt that she should never try something foolish with magical weapons. Some might give more extreme reaction than this axe. The girl was trying her best to keep the Magma Axe from exploding again, although Wyatt's teasing almost made her considering to create another explosion. "Maybe I should have destroyed this smithy..." she grumbled weakly, feeling a bit embarassed for the ruckus she just caused.

Mana watched as Wyatt continued with his work. Although she didn't understand anything about forging, the expression at Wyatt's face told her that forging this metal was quite difficult. Knowing that, she did her best to concentrate with her task until Wyatt left her to give some final touch. "You don't need...this anymore?" There was no response. Mana wondered if she was allowed to leave the axe. She released her grip slowly, then the fire began to die and the axe returned to its original color. "Pheew...It doesn't explode..." she said, sighing.

The loud noise when the two blackmiths were working the shield filled the smithy. Combined with heat, this place could be a torture for a non-blacksmith. Mana felt a little annoyed with the heat and noise, she had never gone to a hot place like this. Also, the smell inside this place had become weird as well. "Maybe I should wait outside..." she thought, wiping the sweats around her neck. She then stepped outside and felt the cool air on her skin. "It is much better than staying inside."

Hours passed, and she was in bad mood for being made waiting so long. The girl had some annoyed look when she took a stroll around the city to kill time. Her mood went worse when she remembered that she didn't have any money left to buy some food. She returned to the smithy after a half hour and they still hadn't finished with the metal. "Geez, it has been long enough, but...Should I take another stroll then?" she said, sulking.

When the sound of hammer finally stopped, Mana took a peek to see if they had finished. It seemed they were in silence, which made the myrmidon wondered what they were doing. "Are they done?" The silence seemed to have some meaning, she just knew it, that why she didn't try to call Wyatt. At first, she wasn't sure if she should approach them, but she then decided to do it. As she moved closer to them, she saw that the metal shape had been changed. "How is it?" It looks like you are finished. she asked, looking at Wyatt who was covered with sweats. Mana didn't understand much about shield, so she wouldn't try to go giving him empty praises like "It looks good." or "Nice job."

"By the way, you should have told me that it would take hours. I was bored, you know..." she said jokingly.

[Wyatt]

Wyatt heard Mana's call and turned to her and could see the slight annoyance in her face. He then realized that the sun was a bit lower in the sky then when they'd started. It hadn't even been noon when they began, and it was already on it's way to the horizon! In another few hours it would be dusk, yikes!

[red]"Ah..heh, sorry about that Mana...once I start working I kind of lose all track of time. I didn't mean to keep you waiting for so long I just...er...got distracted by my work."[/red] He said rubbing his head sheepishly. He then took the shield base and carefully wrapped it in a square of cloth. [red]"The metal part is done, I just need to take it to a carpenter to make the wooden backing for the shield, and he could probably put some leather straps on it too. After that, I'd have to paint it and make it look nice, so it's not just a slab of metal."[/red] He said, eying her curiously. [red]"But I can do all that tomorrow. I'll take it to the carpenter now, let him get the measurements, and then we'll find something fun to do! I could use a break after that!"[/red] He said, wiping the sweat off his brow with a sigh as he looked back at the forge master.

[red]"Thanks very much for letting me use your forge, and for helping me temper and set the metal, I'd never made a shield before."[/red] Wyatt explained, and the man looked around the thoroughly used forge with an arched eyebrow.

[blue]"Hmm, it was fun. Come back in a few days, before the tournament at least, to settle your account. That's on your honor as a smith."[/blue] He said, moving to clean up the smithy after that work.

Wyatt was confused. Couldn't he pay him now? But the man had insisted in later, so later it would be. [red]"Ok then, what do you say we go grab something to eat Mana? I am starving after all of that."[/red] He said as he lead her outside. He was aware that she came from outside, so maybe she'd found some good sights in the area. [red]"I don't suppose you saw anything around here?"[/red] He asked, looking up and down the crowded streets.

[Richter Abend]

"Good work, Bennett," said Richter, nodding to the junior officer as he went off to carry out Clair's orders. "You've done well by the men." Bennett, stopping to address his commanding officer, simply nodded.

"Thank you sir," he replied gratefully, "but to be honest, I'm not sorry to be handing command back to you and Officer Feldsky." The lieutenant shook his head. "No, that's your job, and you can keep it."

Richter returned the man's sentiments with a quick grin, before thrusting a thumb over his shoulder.
"Well in that case, dismissed," ordered the pink haired Ilian, responding in a salute from Bennett.
"Yes sir. Good to have you back, sir," the younger man replied as he headed off to manage the supply train.

Richter took a moment to look around. Bern. While the Ilian had graced the land's craggy fields during the soldier rebellions, he had never actually seen the mountain fortress itself. Being here now, he had to admit that it was quite the impressive sight, up there with the Edessan spire and the former fortress of Ostia.

Richter couldn't stop the wave of trepidation that washed over him as he thought of entering a castle-city full of denizens that would knife him in the back if they got the chance, but the feeling was quickly replaced by determination. It was time to end this wasting of lives. Richter would end this rebellion and unite the nations of Ilia and Bern against the dangers of the Prophet.

Turning to Clair, the commander extended an arm and pointed a finger to the castle.
"First order of business, we're going to go talk to the gate captain," he said, then lowering his arm as a group of travelers passed him. They were hauling a cart behind them filled with sacks of unidentified cargo. Here for the tournament, perhaps. "Our trip has been uneventful so far, but with the tournament crowds rolling in, I want extra security around the city. I wouldn't be surprised if the rebels tried to pull something a midst all of the chaos."

[Mana]

Mana raised an eyebrow when he told her his plan, she thought she would have to wait again. However, it seemed Wyatt had seen that she was clearly bored with the waiting, the blacksmith planned to do the rest tomorrow. "Sounds like a good plan," she remarked. Mana was interested with his idea to paint the shield. She had seen her tribesmen paint their weapons or ornaments before, the painting made them look cool.

Mana watched Wyatt and the older smith discussed a few things, she guessed it should be something about the payment and probably some praise for their masterwork. The girl moved toward them to thank the blacksmith for his generous help. "Thank you for helping my friend," she said with a polite nod, respecting the older man.

And then she was outside again, the cool breeze helped her to forget the heat inside the smithy. Mana's eyes glimmered with anticipation and excitement when he proposed an idea to find something to eat, she had been hungry enough to eat any food she could find. "Mmm...No, nothing out of ordinary I suppose. I only had a quick walk around this area, there were only some merchants and many...people who looked strong walking in the street. Probably they were here to join the tournament," she said, telling him what she had seen. Not much to be told, though, there was nothing important happened. "Well...I saw a good tavern when I walked. Lets go there and find ourselves some food!" she said, pulling his sleeve as she dragged him toward the tavern. Mana didn't even wait for his reply, she just assumed he would agree with her.

Mana had a little difficulty remembering the location of the tavern, and the crowd didn't make it easier, too. After a few minutes, they finally arrived in front of the tavern, which actually not too far from the smithy. "Great, I should have remembered it was here..." she grumbled, annoyed by her habit to forget something quickly. Also, her empty stomach had been begging for food which made her rather impatient and selfish. "Anyway, lets go inside," she said as she released her grip on his sleeve and hurried into the tavern.

As soon as she stepped in, Mana was greeted with strong smell of alcohol. She looked around and found that most tables had been occupied. "Tsk, this place is too crowded." She had to searched throughly before she could finally find an empty table for her and Wyatt.

[Clair Feldsky]

"It's still 'Commander Feldsky'!" The Falcoknight called after Bennett as he left to carry out his tasks. She shook her head. Remarkably, a few of the squires she'd picked up in Ilia had stayed on. Convinced by the black sheep of a pegasus knight, Delia Collins. This seemed even more remarkable. If it wasn't for her hot temper, and lack of control, the knight probably would have done very well in the Ilian pegasus knights. Instead, she'd been stripped of her rank and wings, before having the stroke of luck to find Clair, who needed flyers, regardless of reputation. All of this meant that she still had her own command, however small it actually was.

She felt a grin creep over her face. Richter's reaction would be interesting, unless he ignored her rank altogether. He was still the commander of this army, after all, and she was still his second.

"I'm sure the Gate Captain will appreciate that, and the men will likely be glad to have something to do after the time they spent camped and idle. I'd like to have several groups of our soldiers stationed throughout the city itself as well. That way, if something does happen while we're inside the city, they'll be where we need them." Of course, they couldn't abandon their encampment. They'd want to leave enough people here to protect the supplies, as well as the train of craftsmen following them.

"As to the rebels, it's possible. We'll have to stay alert, but they aren't the only ones I'll be looking out for." The Falcoknight frowned. She was getting suspicious of just about everything which had to do with Bern. They'd been here too long, and the excuse that Ilia needed to put down rebel factions in order to "restore order" was shedding its truth like snow over a fire.

She took a few steps away from Richter, reaching up to rub a giant winged horse's face, and push his forelock out of the way. Corona had made a recovery, though he hadn't built up quite the stamina or aerobatics he'd had before his inury. Anger still boiled at the brigand that she'd fought. He'd injured her pegasus. Nearly killed him.... If she could bring back the brute and kill him a thousand times over, she still wouldn't be satisfied. Grudges rarely were satisfied though.

"I'm taking my weapon with me." Richter would know the one. Magic left a bad taste in her mouth. Everything about it with the exception of healing staves seemed dangerous. It didn't feel right to her that only a small group of people could or would ever be able to learn it as it was meant to be used. She was glad she was a pegasus knight, and had built up a resistance to most of its uses over the years.

[Wyatt]

Wyatt listened to Mana talk about her little walk. [red]"People who look strong, eh? That's good! It means there will be some real challenges in the tournament. Which reminds me, we should probably spend the days leading up to it training if we don't want to get knocked out in the first round."[/red] He chuckled a bit, thinking it would have to be an incredible stroke of bad luck for Mana to lose in the first round. He also wanted to get used to using the shield, which was only going to happen with practice. It was going to be massive, probably a full tower shield. Knee to neck, that would be something new to learn.

Wyatt walked into the tavern that Mana had pointed out, glad to be off the streets. He was slightly dismayed to find the tavern just as crowded. Never-the-less, he sat down at the table that Mana had so expertly spotted, relaxing for the first time all day. It wasn't until he sat down that he felt how sore his feet were. All that work, standing rigid and using all that power, seemed to wear him out pretty easily. He wiped an errant bead of sweat from his brow as he took a water skin from his side and proceeded to drain half of it in short order. [red]"I must have sweat out a few pounds of water in there. Yikes, it has been a while since I've worked on anything like that."[/red]

It was at this point that Wyatt noticed the population of the bar. Most of them looked like warriors, there was one hell of a turn out! He looked about them, watching Mana doing the same, and got a quick chuckle from it. He was analyzing the gear. The weapons and armor, their quality and how they were maintained. You could learn a lot about a fighter from the state of their armaments. Mana, on the other hand, seemed to be sizing up the actual fighters themselves.

It figured. She was interested in the people to fight, he was interested in the gear to fight. [red]"So what do you think about it so far?"[/red] He asked, jerking his head towards the crowd of warriors around them. [red]"Anything stand out?"[/red]

[Mana]

"Well, you looked tired indeed. And rather smelly." Mana eyed Wyatt's sweaty face. He looked tired but happy, maybe the feeling of accomplishment after making the shield had helped him overcome his exhaustion.

Mana finally realized if this tavern was full with warriors, too. A few of them looked different from the Bernese, probably came from Lycia, Sacae or other countries. She smiled as she looked at them. Her hands trembled because of the great excitement inside her heart, Mana was really happy to be able to test her skill against these people. The girl even forgot about her hunger, it was replaced with battle spirit.

"I can't wait for the tournament," she replied to Wyatt's question. It was obvious that she was really excited. "I've never seen so many warriors in one place before. This's gonna be interesting." Mana didn't think about her chance of winning or losing, the myrmidon had swore to herself that she would do her best and beat every opponents. There were some warriors that looked strong, probably even stronger than her, but it didn't diminish her spirit.

"I am not sure...But if I have to say..." Mana leant herself against the table as she started scanning the warriors. Some looked strong, some was average, and the rest seemed really dangerous. After a while, she turned to Wyatt and then pointed to the corner. "Hmm...Maybe that knight in black armor and the hooded woman. I can't explain well but, they really look different from the rest," she said, looking at the pair. Those people she mentioned were stand out in the crowd. The black knight wore heavy black armor with some spikes on the shoulders and elbows and had a huge red blade with strange design, his eyes were hidden under his helmet. On the other hand, the hooded woman seemed normal at most part, but she gave a strange feeling for people who looked at her. "Something feels dangerous about them, but I don't know how to explain it."

[Marcus]

It had been several days since Marcus had fled Etruria, and had long since returned to his human form. He had crossed the border in Sacae and wandered aimlessly for a while to make sure that, if he had been followed, his pursuers would be confused and thrown off the trail. From there, he had turned south. Richter had been marching his mercenary troop to Bern, and, at this rate, would likely be there. Along the way, he had fallen in with a convoy of merchants and bards heading to Bern for some sort of tournament. Claiming to be a dancer, the convoy gladly accepted his company.

When the caravan eventually arrived in Bern, Marcus had slipped away, not wanting to get them involved with him. As Marcus wandered the streets, taking in the sights of a city preparing to host a tournament, he pondered his next move. It would be very unwise for him to fight in the tournament, but maybe Clair or Richter would and he could join up with them from there. Either way, this seemed like a good time for Marcus to catch a break and enjoy himself for a while.

[Wyatt]

Wyatt flushed slightly at her remark, rubbing the back of his head in an embarrassed manner. [red]"Well yeah, it was pretty hot in there..."[/red] He spoke, quite happy to let that topic die quickly. They'd moved on to talking about the tournament, and Wyatt followed her gaze until he spied the two she talked about. He mused for a moment, taking in their appearances.

[red]"Hmmm, I see what you mean. It's a well crafted suit of armor, but look at how clean it is. He takes great care to keep it clean and free of dirt and blood. That likely means that he's using it as an intimidation tactic. Also, the blood red sword serves to promote that too. He might be good, but I find it's the normal looking people you have to watch out for."[/red] He said, gesturing to the side where a smaller man stood, a pair of thin knives hanging off of his belt. [red]"Look at the knives that guy has. See the little specs of rust on them?"[/red] He said, gesturing to the small russet grain on them. [red]"That's not real rust. He wants it to appear that way so his enemies underestimate him. Real rust starts at the tip of a weapon, not at the hilt, that is how I could tell."[/red] He spoke, as a server passed them. He'd been in places like this before, so thankfully he knew how they worked. He threw a few coins onto her platter, and a plate of varied food was set down in response. Nothing outlandish, some meats, cheeses, fruits and breads. Still, it was nice to not have to hunt or eat dry rations.

[red]"You can learn a lot about a fighter by the weapons they have. I mean look at your own weapons. You treat them with a reverence and respect that either marks you as a novice or a complete master. Many will likely judge you as a novice just due to your size and age though. You can easily use that to your advantage, because I know you are not a novice."[/red] He said, taking another draw from his waterskin as he picked up a piece of meat and bit into it.

[Richter Abend]

"Fine with me," replied Richter, adjusting the strap of his runesword's scabbard as he spoke. He verily understood Clair's sentiments. In fact, he hadn't let the sword leave his side since he had found it in that den of scoundrels. Far from wondering how they had obtained it, he was more grateful for the fact that they had had the sword for him to find.

Yes, it had caused him some trouble, as it had with the demons they had encountered in the wreckage of Salvation Point, but the benefits of the magic sword, namely the weapon's ability to heal his wounds and grant him the energy of his foes, far outweighed any potential cost. These new weapons gave both he and Clair great power, power they could use in countering the threats that they would no doubt face as their journey continued, and it would be foolish to waste or squander it.

Satisfied that Bennett would get the men readied up and past the caravan checkpoints, the pink haired commander silently turned towards the city gates, pulling up the hood of his cloak to better obscure his easily identified visage, before heading off. It wasn't so much that he feared the city, rather he simply appreciated the value a degree of anonymity could have on potentially riot-inducing personnel, and with Bern gearing up for a tournament this large, Richter suspected a riot wasn't necessarily far away.

Upon reaching the main gate the commander was stopped by a guard assigned to crowd regulation and control, but with a quick flash of the Edessan sigil from underneath his cloak, Richter placated the man, allowing himself easy passage into the castle city.

The inner walls starkly contrasted with the lands that surrounded the castle, filled with a hustle and liveliness Richter had not seen up until this point. People were walking and talking with a festive enthusiasm so contagious that even Richter could feel himself getting caught up in the fervor, as numerous, colorful banners swayed rhythmically with the steps of their carriers.

The commander figured the heraldry no doubt belonged to some of the wealthier tournament contenders. Such displays, Richter figured, were a part of a pre-battle ego contest, where fighters could use their clout to affect challengers with their ego before the fighting even began. The Ilian disliked the hauteur of the practice, but didn't doubt its effect on the weaker willed. Some people were easily intimidated by shows of plumage.

Making his way to the guard station, Richter paused in front of the closed door and turned to Clair.
"Well then, 'Commander Feldsky'," said the commander, poking a bit of fun at his second's earlier outburst, "do you want to handle this, or may I?"

[Mel]

Mel sat in a dark corner of the local tavern brooding silently over her surroundings. So many people lingered about from all over Elibe, so many people. So many clashes of various cultures and religions. With so many different directions for fingers to point there would be little reason for blame to fall on herself if something went missing. Everything was so wonderful, things were finally moving her way after the mess on the Western Isles.

She had left soon after betraying Roland, there was no remorse or fear of future consequences that spurred her flight. There was simply no reason to stay any longer in such a desolate place. After all, she already had quite a few nice little shinies from the trip. It was not a complete waste of her time in the end.

In the dimply lit room though quite a few full purses winked at her so openly, travelers...always so naive. The young lass pulled her hood down lifting up her fingers to lightly brush the strip of cloth around her head seeming to hold back her hair yet truly meant to hide the pointed tips of her ears. Slowly she slipped over towards a middle aged man sitting alone at a table polishing his axe with a tattered rag. He was well built, large rippled muscles betraying his nature as a warrior not that anyone needed much indication from the general crowd being the same.

"Uncle~" she said sweetly watching him making sure to keep her eyes as large and as innocent as she possibly could while keeping her face's expression natural and gaze from straying to his purse. "A-are you here for the tournament? You look stroooong~." She started on a childish simper slowly slipping closer and closer to him.

The man paused from his vigorous polishing and set them down carefully before turning to stare at her folding his arms. "In fact I am little lassie, another year or two for ya' ta' enter it seems" he rudely reached down ruffling her hair with a deep booming chuckle. If she was not so focused on his purse she would have bit him. "They call me Rigart....and they must call ya' a thief!"

His hand darted out snatching her wrist in a tight grip as she was a mere hairsbreadth from the gold filled sack. Mel let out a low hiss twisting her arm and pulling away as she snatched the purse in her unoccupied hand and made a break for it. lightly she leaped up onto the table the man letting out a loud roar of rage behind her as he charged forward forgetting his axe behind him in his fury.

She bolted out of the tavern and sprinted down the street new winnings stored safely in her own purse. It was thrilling, heart pounding out of her chest as she shoved past people getting away from the enraged old coot. It was good to be back in Bern a land she knew like the back of her hand. In her territory she would never be caught. The now faint cries of "Stop! THIEF!" almost seemed like a cry of welcome home to her ears, smirking she bit into an apple savoring the first victory of many to come.