Aleth
Hero
Everything you can do I can do one handed!
Posts: 247
Profession: NEET
Affinity: Ice
|
Post by Aleth on Mar 1, 2012 13:12:33 GMT -6
Aleth followed behind her mother silently, even as she was being lead away from the general crowd. Well here will be no use in screaming for help now. As her thought began to examine for escape routes she swore her mother was reading her mind.
"Don't worry, we're not planning for a fight, it's really something we prepared when you got bigger," her mother winked at her before turning her attention forward. Aleth let out a shrug but remained silent.
"You really should be more careful, arms don't grow back if they chop it off," her mother joked but there was a tinge of sadness to her voice. Another shrug came from the younger of the two. After a few more minutes, the two walked out into the open field. There was a sack laid out in the middle as well as an axe. Aleth immediately felt uneasy again.
"You still remember all those axe lessons I taught you?" her mother asked. Her mind immediately thought back to the morning patrol and she nodded. A smile stretched over her mother's face.
"I always thought you should have stuck to the axe, you had talent and a knack for it," her mother remarked, patting he on the back. Aleth always thought hat the axe was to heavy to log around but that was just an excuse.
"So what is the surprise?" she finally asked.
|
|
Marle Daviau
General
The Lance of the North
One word of encouragement, One person believing in me, It's all I need to become stronger.
Posts: 436
Illia Fame: 2
Affinity: Ice
OoC Alias: Marle
|
Post by Marle Daviau on Mar 4, 2012 2:17:45 GMT -6
the young woman clicked her tongue, rubbing at her chin as she felt the cold of that steel on her skin. She looked over the ragged warrior. She had no intention of sending him back out after he had just came back. Not like that. She wasn't so cruel. Shaking her head to Garnet, she rose a hand, and lowered it back down on the hilt of her sword.
"Don't worry about it then, not until you're rested and attended to. Get something to eat. I'll handle this."
Marle then grabbed hold of her cloak which fit around her large armor, pulling it, as well as the hood up so it clung more possessively to her armored form. Those green eyes went to Caelica, searchingly, wanting to know something. Her pursuit of these bandits wanted to drive after them right away, but she might be acting hastily.
"Tell me Caelica. These bandits. Should I give them a reprieve, or should I run them into the ground? Should I chase them now while you and your mates rest, or should I wait for you all to atleast get a bit of recovery in?"
Those green eyes then switched to Garnet, meaning for this question to also be directed at him.
|
|
Caelica
Myrmidon
[M:0]
Sacaeans don't lie? I've just turned every Sacaean into a hypocrite then.
Posts: 36
|
Post by Caelica on Mar 4, 2012 13:16:32 GMT -6
It was finally her turn to talk. Caelica was a bit upset at Garnet having summed up everything that had happened--she had absolutely nothing left to add on the matter. However, she thought to herself, that was one less thing she had to do that day.
Caelica took her hand off Garnet's shoulder, slightly straightening her posture out before replying to Marle's question. The situation did not call for extreme formalities, but she was talking to the general and felt that whatever she was going to say in the next few minutes was going to be said too casually. Somewhat proper posture was the least she could do. "I find that I'm not the best judge of people, boss. In the end, I can't give you a definite answer. But if it helps in your descision, they were a rather orginized group, and were willing to negotiate...However, they're still bandits, so..."
Caelica turned around and took a step in the other direction. She shrugged her shoulders, indicating that ultimately, she had no say in Marle's decision. "As for my 'mates'..." Caelica pointed up at Garnet, making sure that his injuries stood out. "I think rest would be the best for them. I mean just look at him." She looked up. "No offense, Garnet."
"If you really want to go bandit hunting right now though, I'm completely fine. Aleth and Garnet drove the enemy back before I got to engage anyone myself."
|
|
Garnet
Hero
The Scarlet Brand
You call these bandits? You should'a seen what I had to deal with in Sacae!
Posts: 330
Etruria Fame: 1
|
Post by Garnet on Mar 4, 2012 22:55:02 GMT -6
"That one behind me that you got wouldn't agree, Caelica." Garnet smiled weakly at the girl. She'd been some of the cause of their mess, but the young dark haired girl had proven surprisingly helpful for one her age, as well.
"Marle, if you can cut them off before they reach their stronghold that would make the fight much easier, but if you go out there now, you'll be moving blind. There could be more of them.... And if we're taking personal requests, I wanted to be there to kill them myself." His face changed to hold more of a grimace. The last comment hardly seemed worthy of him, but there it was.
"I can't say what the best options would be,but I could be ready inside a few hours."
|
|
Garnet
Hero
The Scarlet Brand
You call these bandits? You should'a seen what I had to deal with in Sacae!
Posts: 330
Etruria Fame: 1
|
Post by Garnet on Mar 16, 2012 21:14:22 GMT -6
Satisfied that he'd been clear enough to suit their needs, Garnet turned and left. There were plenty of things he ought to do, finishing up with plain old rest. He shivered a bit from the constant chill of Ilia, trying to irritate his wounds as little as possible.
On his way to find a healer, he stopped by the store wagons, grabbing a snack to help replenish his energy as he went. Trail biscuits. Great for keeping on the road. Substantial enough to keep fighters going when needed. Tastes like stale paper. He reflected on the taste of stale paper as the doctors in the caravan cleaned up his injuries, and bandaged them up. Nothing he had was large enough to warrant using a heal staff. Just alot of small nicks, bruises, scrapes, and plenty of small pains to go with them.
When he finally found a decent spot to lay down, he just tried to rest. Other thoughts kept trying to fill his head though. He'd failed to protect the men who'd followed him. That wasn't something he'd ever expected to have to face again, after his history. It was nostalgic, in a way, but that didn't prevent the realizations from sinking in.... He'd just have to make sure he did better the next time.
He reached up with his hand, slowly rubbing his eyes with cold fingers. He ought to have gone back out there when Marle had said she was ready to go. He was beaten down and worn, but he'd been through worse than this before. His mind was split. Half of him regretted not charging right back out there with the whole troop he was with. The other part of him knew he would have been sloppy and careless. He could have led them into a trap, for all he knew. Before long, a third opinion was forming and taking over the other two's "could'ves" and "should'ves". This one said: Shut up and rest, Garnet.
|
|
Aleth
Hero
Everything you can do I can do one handed!
Posts: 247
Profession: NEET
Affinity: Ice
|
Post by Aleth on Mar 19, 2012 12:13:08 GMT -6
The silence that followed was just plain unnerving. Her mother had always been a woman of action, her furrowing and contemplative look worried Aleth. She couldn't help but slowly make some distance between them. When she was almost out of arms reach she felt herself getting pulled back. She gave a yelp but that was it. Once again she was staring at her mother's face.
"What do you know about your family?" she asked, a steady voice. Aleth wasn't sure how to respond and only managed to give a shrug of a response. At that her mother's shoulder fell and sagged as if exhausted by a long battle.
"What would you say if I told you that my mother was a real hero, a champion for a lord at one time?" she asked but this was all new for her. What was this woman talking about? There was no way that her lineage can be anything but a money grubbing mercenary. Her mother must have saw this and looked away. She walked over to the bag and picked it up before tossing it before her.
Aleth bent down and checked the insides. She gasped as she saw the armor, a dark black ebony color with ornate gold like design. She looked over at her mother but than she heard a thud beside her. A large silver axe was lodged inches from her body. A smile was on her mother's face.
"Happy birthday! No need to pay for any of that, the new armor will come in handy although you'll need some sort of crest to hang a cape or cloak over it. With that she walked away before Aleth could question her anymore.
It wasn't difficult to put the new armor on and the crest the old man gave her fit nicely as a pin for the armor. Somehow it felt like it belong. She hooked up her new axe and sword before looking over to the road back to the main camp.
|
|
Caelica
Myrmidon
[M:0]
Sacaeans don't lie? I've just turned every Sacaean into a hypocrite then.
Posts: 36
|
Post by Caelica on Apr 11, 2012 4:12:09 GMT -6
OOC: lolwut o.o
Caelica felt a tap on her shoulder. Something like that is not something that one would usually ignore, yet she had done so anyway. Once again, Caelica felt tapping on her shoulder, this time three in rapid succession. Perhaps nobody was actually standing behind her--after all she had seen Garnet and Aleth both go to rest. And it was not like she had come to know anyone else in the little army enough for any sort of casual conversation besides the two mercenaries and Marle, the latter who was right in front of her.
Roughly the same amount of time had passed between the first feeling of tapping on her shoulder and the second, but no third. Perhaps it really was her imagination. Caelica crossed her arms and tapped her foot. She had nothing much else to do besides those two actions. She was almost fully rested, and if anything, had more energy than she did when she woke up. Hunger and injuries were absent, and in addition to not being able to strike up random conversation with a majority of the army, she could not do anything else with them. Caelica looked up at Marle, deciding to ease her boredom through a talk with the only person she could talk with at the moment. And once again, she felt something touch her shoulder. But as she opened her mouth, thuds came as Caelica brought her foot down, as opposed to the crunching of snow. Dark imprints of a boot stood out of the white Ilian snow as she looked down at the ground.
She had been releasing so much unused energy through the tapping of her foot that only a thin layer of snow was stopping her from seeing soil. And to the left of her prints were the curved prints of a horse. Then came the feeling of something hitting her shoulder once more. But this time, it was truly felt. It was as if someone had punched her shoulder. And that someone made it clear that she was punched. "Are you kidding me?! I've tapped you how many times on the shoulder, and even punched you! How are you still ignoring me?!" The voice was familiar, and Caelica turned around to face a familiar person. "Oh well hey there, Jack." Caelica said passively, slowly turning back to begin her chat with Marle.
"Wh...What kind of a greeting was that?"
Caelica looked over her shoulder at the man. He seemed to have been genuinely hurt by how she had responded to him, as Jack was hunched over a bit, looking to the side with his head in his arm. "A greeting is a greeting. I guess I'm not in the mood for something grand today." Once again, she had responded rather passively. She had not been kidding about not being in the mood for theatrical actions and responses, at least with Jack. Talking to him over her shoulder with a hint of apathy would be the best way to go about. "So, what did they send you over to me for this time?" They refereed to the guild the two worked for, and in the guild, Jack served as both a fairly skilled soldier and messenger. Being given a job as a messenger was more common, however.
"Right." Jack quickly recovered, which made Caelica question if he himself was in the mood for theatrics. "They ordered your withdrawal from this army. Paperwork has been made, and I've brought some money with me to pay for any debts you might have built up."
"Hey Jack, could I see those papers?" She had asked while the papers were already in her hand. She quickly flipped through them, making quite a bit of noise as the papers rubbed together, all a while not reading a word that was on them. More noise was made when she began to rip the papers, enough that they would still be readable. Caelica walked up to Marle, gave a weak grin, and held up the ripped papers in her hands. "Rather nostalgic, don't you think, boss? I've only been with you guys for a short time, but it was a really fun group. Highly recommended."
"I had a feeling you would do that..." Jack said, pulling out another set of papers. "Well, I brought another horse along with me, go on ahead, I'll stay behind to sort everything else out if needed."
|
|
Garnet
Hero
The Scarlet Brand
You call these bandits? You should'a seen what I had to deal with in Sacae!
Posts: 330
Etruria Fame: 1
|
Post by Garnet on Apr 16, 2012 8:15:34 GMT -6
The redheaded swordsman popped his eyes open. The rest he'd had now was as good as he would get without sleeping the whole night. Any longer, and he'd just be stiffening already sore muscles. Ignoring the Ilian chill, he pulled himself to his feet, and started running his arms in circles, windmilling them to get them warmed up. With a glance around, he noted the position of the sun in the sky. Midday. Time to get moving.
Slinging his twohander and a shield across his back, and clipping his slim sword to his side, Garnet felt reassured by the weight of his gear. One thing was for sure: he wouldn't be mistaken for a standard soldier. The scaly leather coat alone would ensure that.
Unsure what he should be doing at the moment, Garnet headed out to find the Captain, and stumbled into the commotion with Caelica and a stranger instead. Surprisingly, the merc realized he had very little issue with getting into a bit of trouble here.
"Caelica, who's your friend? And ripping up his mail doesn't seem very nice." He spoke deadpan seriously, but there was just enough of his sarcasm peekijg through to be spotted.
|
|
Aleth
Hero
Everything you can do I can do one handed!
Posts: 247
Profession: NEET
Affinity: Ice
|
Post by Aleth on Apr 16, 2012 18:59:41 GMT -6
Aleth tugged at her new armor, it was more or less gonna be part of her now. With careful examination she took in what exactly happened. Her mother had given her such things for free... The world must be coming to an end or they had something planned here. Perhaps she was being a bit cynical but she had good reasons for being so. It was rare for her to get anything for free and often with strings attached. Even her birthday presents were laced with some favor or return.
When she finally felt that it was best not to think about it and wait for things to play out like they should, she finally hopped off her seating and made her way to look for the others. She was honestly more tired than she thought it possible but this was no time to complain. Her mother had taken her quite ways away from the main group so the trek had wasted plenty of time. Her hand felt along the edge of her sword and she felt calmer about it already. There was no need to worry, it was probably a simple favor. She quickly shook her thoughts away again.
"Hey! Wait, whats going on here?" she asked, as she found and caught up to Garnet. She gave a puzzled look to him and Caelica's companion here.
|
|
Caelica
Myrmidon
[M:0]
Sacaeans don't lie? I've just turned every Sacaean into a hypocrite then.
Posts: 36
|
Post by Caelica on Apr 20, 2012 18:49:31 GMT -6
Caelica turned her head, surprised to see her companions already up and moving about. She instinctivly gave a small wave at the two. The torn papers in the hand that she raised fluttered down into a small of what was previously snow before her fit of foot tapping. As the water was absorbed into the papers, the ink slowly spread across the paper, words mixing with other words, creating a basically black sheet of paper. A shrug showed what concern was given to those papers now. It was not like they were any better torn up. "Well, hey there you two." Caelica finally replied, as she finally faced the two. "Yeah, this guy--not much of a friend, really--" A sad sounding sniffle was heard, "is here to take me back to my guild. Looks like I've gotten the orders to resign, for whatever reason."
A faint voice called out, belonging to none of the people present. "Hey, hold up Jack!" The voice started to become louder as it kept talking. "You really have to start listening before running off like that!" A horse appeared in the distance, a talking horse of all things. But as it neared, the presence of a rider was made apparent. The rider seemed small, but he had also been leaning forward on the horse's neck.
"Well," Caelica said with a sigh. She looked at Jack with no surprise and only the slightest bit of dissapointment. She would not get annoyed however--she had gotten used to outcomes like this, especially when it concerned Jack with some information. "So, it has been confirmed now that you've messed something up. I wonder what it is this time..." The reply was a sheepish grin.
"Honestly, every time we give you something to do, it usually ends up like this." The rider said, dismounting his horse. "Hey Caelica."
"Hey there Jason. So, what did he do this time?" Simultanous looks of a sad understanding were shot at Jack.
"He ran off before bothering to look over what he was really asked to do...Jack, yes, you were supposed to deliver to Caelica, but did you ever bother to look at the spelling? Pronounced the same, but the name is spelt differently. You were supposed to give it to the one noted here." Jason pointed the fact out on the paper as he began to mount his horse. "Well we better get going, I'll accompany you personally, so you don't mess up." Jack mounted his horse, continuing to remain silent and sad.
Caelica gave a slight wave as the two began to ride away, the whole ordeal finished in a matter of moments. Such silly things happened so often in her guild, that she had just gotten used to it all. "That was much faster then usual..." She looked at Garnet and Aleth, not knowing what they would make of the whole situation. "It seems like I'm staying in the end... So, what do we have here, Aleth? New armor? It looks absolutely amazing."
|
|
Garnet
Hero
The Scarlet Brand
You call these bandits? You should'a seen what I had to deal with in Sacae!
Posts: 330
Etruria Fame: 1
|
Post by Garnet on Apr 22, 2012 17:51:55 GMT -6
"Resign?" The redheaded swordsman sounded.... upset to be polite. Cranky would be a less flattering term. She'd just joined.... what, two? Three? Maybe four days ago, and yet her guild was pulling her back? Garnet eyed the man Caelica gestured to as though he could do something about it. The business sense behind something that micromanaged individual employees' jobs was already in question, but recalling them after just starting the job seemed ludicrous.
Garnet watched as events played out, allowing a bit of annoyance to cross his features at the "Jack". A bit of inattention could ruin someone's day, and a bit of care could make things move along much smoother.
"That seems.... I think your guild needs a better messenger, Caelica." He watched the pair ride off, before turning an eye back to Aleth and Caelica, dismissing the odd occurrence of the last few minutes from his mind.
|
|
Aleth
Hero
Everything you can do I can do one handed!
Posts: 247
Profession: NEET
Affinity: Ice
|
Post by Aleth on Apr 22, 2012 20:09:57 GMT -6
Aleth watched the exchange between Caelica's guild and the mixed up. She understood the mistakes that could have come but felt that she was lucky it didn't cost her life. Some people might find the problem as nothing to be bother by but Aleth knew that communication was a key for an army to work. Regardless she was extremely relieved that Caelica was to stay with them even a bit longer. She walked over to the green haired girl and patted her back with her only arm.
"Oh this little thing? It is just a gift from my mother, apparently today is my birthday," she said but she bent over Caelica's ear and whispered the last part as well as to keep it quiet. She didn't want to stir up any trouble for such an insignificant matter.
"Anyways Garnet, what is the next coarse of action?" she asked, turning away to face the hero like man.
|
|
Garnet
Hero
The Scarlet Brand
You call these bandits? You should'a seen what I had to deal with in Sacae!
Posts: 330
Etruria Fame: 1
|
Post by Garnet on Apr 30, 2012 20:12:22 GMT -6
Garnet noted the new armor Aleth wore. Much sturdier, and more beautifully crafted than what she'd had before. He'd see about that later. And a Birthday? Good for her, but now was time to prepare for their next task. They looked to him for some reason, so he would answer.
The red haired man took a deep breath, and breathed out, gaze becoming less relaxed and more serious. "Be ready for a fight. Take whatever medical supplies you have, and make sure your battle gear is fit. We're going after the bandits, and I'll need everyone at their best."
That was really all he had for now. If people needed a more reassuring leader, he could work on it. For now, he hoped his bladework was enough to inspire some confidence.
The truth was, he wasn't certain what would happen next. He was anticipating Marle's intentions based on what had to come up earlier. Now was the time to move on the enemy. He just needed enough swords at his back.
|
|