[IRP] The First of Many

[Toogee]

The succession of attacks had overcome Glass. The flux from behind distracted him, enough for him to turn towards Neil and Paige. In his distraction, Satsume’s spear tore through his right leg. He was left screaming in pain and confused about where that second spear came from. Before he could figure out what just happened, Glass found himself sucking Orica’s giant spear.

So ended the tale of Glass II.

Whatever was left of the bandits quickly abandoned the battlefield with the sound of armor and horses approaching. A trio of paladins, clearly part of Pherae’s army, finally appeared to rout the remainders, though it appeared that their services would be more needed to help clean up the destruction. The townspeople cheered: their village was safe.

Upon seeing Kalin carrying Shad around (how she was doing that, the librarian could not say), Paige jumped off of Neil’s horse to see what happened. Fortunately, he wasn’t bleeding or significantly burnt. Yet Shad remained unconscious.

“What happened to him?” Paige asked Kalin, touching Shad’s face to make sure he wasn’t cold. “We might have to get him to the castle for treatment.”

[Breadophile]

So ended the tale of Glass II.

"Rather anticlimatic way to end it. Whatever, can't really glamorize death I suppose."

But geez, that woman. She's so much stronger than me. She killed Grass without even thinking about it. I got sick to my stomach just watching her earlier. Go figure. Ilian military; trained to kill; can't even lance a bandit.

For one of the few times in her life, Kalin looked worried and saddened, but got over it with a somewhat-bright idea.

I wonder if I can just knock all of my enemies unconscious. The hand-to-hand stuff they taught us was easy enough, but against weapons, it's kind of... outclassed. But I bet an iron pole or bo staff could do it. Wonder if I can get one from the vendors.

Oh hey, I have to return that staff. Or I could keep it. I wonder if they'd notice.

While working towards the scene, Paige took notice of her first and approached Kalin with some concern in her eyes.

“What happened to him?” she said as she touched Shad’s face to make sure he wasn’t cold. “We might have to get him to the castle for treatment.”

"Oi. From the looks of it seems that Mr. Badass here just had to be a hero. I hope it's not as bad as you say..."

Were a couple of buildings worth this, you idiot? Geez...

For the second time today, Kalin looked worried and saddened.

"But to answer your question... I don't know. We diverted the biggest and last of those flaming rocks just minutes ago with his magic. I think in that time the combination of heat and magical exertion got to him. I'm no expert, but with a meteor that hot I could definitely feel the effect of the heat. However, I wasn't using magic at the time, so I'm in the dark about that part."

Ray sometimes gets a headache (or at least complains about one) from launching too many fire balls. It must be like that.

Or it might just be I was able to keep it together better. Puh, as if. He hasn't lived in Ilia his whole life...

Why is it so damn hot?

It might be a little hard to believe, but living in a place that's blizzard-level freezing for a good solid 99% of her life, Kalin was no expert on the subject of death by being too hot. She didn't even know that was a thing until just recently.

"In any case, he certainly has that exhausted look. Um... what should we do? I can get to a castle faster than anyone, but that still takes time. Is there nothing we can do in the village? You should never underestimate the combined wisdom of an entire town of ordinary people."

Just then she remembered the tome Grass was using. She didn't really have time to go searching through it, though. She looked towards the people standing around Grass's dead body.

"H-Hey, before I forget. That meteor tome... Can one of you open it and tell me if there's a hot chocolate stain on the first page? Don't ask. It's a long story."

Kalin sincerely hoped the man hadn't been carrying Ray's Meteor tome.

"Oh, one more thing. Interrogate some of the leftover bandits. A couple were knocked out a while ago before the bandit lord here even started setting things on fire. If we can find out where the bandit hideout is, we can uh... r-return all of that stolen stuff. I'm sure there's a bunch of it just lying around."

What if they didn't even have a bandit hideout? What would poor Kalin do then?

I could start a healing stave business. Though, to do that I'd need inventory that isn't stolen.

Oh how painful were the woes of the pegasus knight...

[Toogee]

Paige looked around nervously as Kalin started talking about magical exertion. Though Pherae was somewhat lax to arresting mages on sight, those knights weren’t going to ignore an open discussion about an unconscious man using magic. Even if she knew a couple of their names, Paige doubted she could talk them out of enforcing the law. That was why the woman was relieved that the knights’ attention was on Glass’s body and the villagers. It seemed the townspeople were keeping quiet about the use of magic to save the village, which was great news for Shad as well as Neil. Once she determined it safe to discuss, Paige redirected attention back to Kalin.

“Overexertion then. I hope it’s not too serious; I’ve read of some practitioners that have gone into comas. Maybe he just needs rest.”

As if on cue, the cleric that had healed Paige in the schoolhouse approached the two, seeing that her aid may be needed.

“The church has been spared of damage thanks to your efforts,” the cleric said specifically to Kalin. “He may rest there safely. I can lead you there when you’re ready.” No doubt carrying him around was tiring, the cleric surmised.
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Paige was about to follow, when she heard her name in the crowd.

“Ms. Pierpont! Ms. Pierpont!”

She turned to see a trio of monks in the crowd. Paige had nearly forgotten about the errand that has brought her here in the first place! She quickly left Kalin’s company to speak with the monks.

“Friars! I’m so sorry for being late,” Paige apologized.

“No need to explain,” said one of the monks. “We heard everything. You and your friends saved this place. Truly this is the work of a higher power!”

One of the other monks handed over the trio of cookbooks, while Paige exchanged the gold needed to cover the fees.

“Are you sure you cannot stay? Pherae is rather quiet compared to the rest of Lycia.”

“We wish we could, but we must be going to Bern.” The monk chose his words carefully to not alert the knights around.

“In that case, I wish you a safe journey.”
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After saying her goodbyes, Paige approached Satsume and Orica. She eyed Glass’s magic tomes, tempted to take them to save them from destruction. Unfortunately, they already were destroyed: the pages were soaked in so much blood that they were unreadable. Her eyes shifted to find Neil elsewhere. Paige definitely needed to talk to him as well. For now, her attention returned to the knight and lady.

“I can’t thank you two enough for helping these people…and myself,” she said to the two, though the last part was especially directed to Satsume. “If you two hadn’t shown up, I doubt we’d have enough strength to fight them off.”

[Lavi]

Neil was back at the burned school house, having recollected his torn backpack. Fortunately, one of the straps was still in good shape, so he could continue using it and get it repaired in Bern. Although it was a relief that the Lycian knights were focused on the safety of the village, he knew better than the let down his guard. He was still one of those "black mages," particularly as a user of elder magic.

The tight knot in his stomach had subsided; Neil had never actually been in a battle before so he was relieved that everything went well in the end.

He returned to the front gates on foot, guiding Mina by the reins, where he found Paige speaking with two others who helped defend the village. Unsure whether he should say anything, since the mage intended to leave before the knights question him, he decided to simply leave. Few Sacaeans travel to Lycia, after all.

He mounted his horse and started off at a slow gait, in the direction of Bern.

[Swift_Assassin]

I told this this was a terrible idea.

Marcus borrowed a horse and followed the Pharaen knights back to the town. He could only hope that Shad didn't do anything terribly bad. At least, he felt that way until he saw several giant rocks that weren't there before. Marcus jumped off the horse and ran from the combat into town. There he saw Shad unconscious in a woman's arms. On top of him was a book, which utterly terrified him. He grabbed the book off of him, before addressing them.

"Sorry, I'm with him. Where did he get this?" Marcus replied, being incredibly blunt. "He didn't walk through the whole of Lycia with this, so tell me, who owns this book?"

((Sorry for short post, but not much else to do with Marcus))

[WyvernSlayer]

Satsume plucked his spear out of Glass' leg and stood over his fallen foe, who was magnificently mangled thanks to Orica's finishing blow. He met eyes with her for a brief moment. She said nothing, which Satsume could only assume meant that she didn't have any objections to the way things played out. He gave her a spiteful glare, as if to say "In your FACE, woman!", and calmly stepped over Glass' body to pick up his other javelin.

“I can’t thank you two enough for helping these people…and myself."

Satsume picked his head up at the sound of a voice, as he slammed his weapon back in its quiver. It was Paige. She had stepped away from the group of townsfolk after speaking with Kalin. He noticed she was carrying several rather ornate books in her arms.

“If you two hadn’t shown up, I doubt we’d have enough strength to fight them off.”

Satsume opened his mouth to speak, but caught himself. Dammit, woman. He lashed out mentally at Orica; if he opened his mouth to acknowledge his own heroics, she'd unleash another verbal chastising. Instead, he merely flashed a smile at Paige and bowed his head.

"Where are you off to, then?" he asked. His goal of reaching Castle Pherae with the intent of finding work hadn't left his mind. But after this little scuffle, maybe it was best to keep out of the region for a little while. If I have to keep on my way, I might as well travel with people I recognize now, he thought.

[Toogee]

"Well, I have to get these books back to the castle," Paige replied to Satsume. "If you're headed in that direction, I wouldn't mind the company."

She really did have enough with the adventurous turn of events for one day. She did not want to deal with anymore bandits if she could avoid it. She'd much rather make the journey back with her new acquaintances.

[Breadophile]

While talking to Paige, Kalin noticed that the tome in question was quite unreadable, being more than a slightly different shade of red.

Welp, whatever. I'm sure Ray's fine. He's too meticulous to get his stuff stolen and too stubborn to die.

Back to her conversation with Paige.

“Overexertion then. I hope it’s not too serious; I’ve read of some practitioners that have gone into comas. Maybe he just needs rest.”

Just then, a sister from the church walked up.

“The church has been spared of damage thanks to your efforts,” the cleric said specifically to Kalin. “He may rest there safely. I can lead you there when you’re ready.”

"Er-okay... Thanks a lot, sister! I think I can find it though. I'll meet you there. I need to take care of something first."

“Very well. We shall see you in a little while. Please do not take too long, though.” The sister left.

She looked around, but that something was gone. It seems that Paige had already run off. She must be really popular.

O-okay then… guess I’ll be going to the church then. He's not too heavy but I can't hold him all day.

No sooner than the sister had left had a man rolled up on a horse with an extremely worried look on his face. Kalin didn't know him, so she assumed it was an acquaintance of the man she was carrying.

"Sorry, I'm with him. Where did he get this?" Marcus replied, being incredibly blunt. "He didn't walk through the whole of Lycia with this, so tell me, who owns this book?"

"What are you, the lost and found? It's a book like any other. Uh, sort of... He grabbed it off the ground, so I don't know whose it is. I'm sure whoever it belongs to can find another, though.”

Kalin was not-so-blissfully unaware of the situation with nature and elder magic in the Lycian-Etrurian territory.

“In any case, if you are with him, I think you should be more concerned about his well-being. The church was offering a room, so I'm going to take him there… uh… who are you anyway? You're not to far from very suspicious.”

[Swift_Assassin]

"I'm Sir Marcus Carvax, Captain of the Household Guard of the Hyperion family. I know I don't look it right now, but I'm a knight of Etruria. I've known this reckless pup since he was a toddler," He replied as he slipped the book into Shad's coat. He reached into his robes and produced a bag of gold.

"I can't permit him to stay at the church. We were heading to Pharae when we passed by. I already reserved board for us there. Besides, he wouldn't want the attention," He replied. He tossed the gold on the ground between them. "I'll take him off your hands. If you can stay quiet about him being here, that gold is yours."

[Breadophile]

The man deftly slid the book into shad's coat while he was responding to Kalin's statement. Kalin was rather surprised he didn't get angry, as she was expecting an argument. It served to make him seem a bit more trustworthy.

He then pulled out a bag with that oh-so-distinct shine.

"W-woah."

"I can't permit him to stay at the church. We were heading to Pharae when we passed by. I already reserved board for us there. Besides, he wouldn't want the attention."

The man tossed the gold on the ground between them.

"I'll take him off your hands. If you can stay quiet about him being here, that gold is yours."

A lot of gold for something like this, though it's probably pocket change to this guy. I suppose if he wanted Shad dead he would've stabbed him already anyway, so he's probably not lying, though it's not like I could fight him off like this if he was.

"Well, you have my word. Ilian code of honor. Make sure he gets better soon."

Her arms were starting to hurt at this point. She lifted up Shad to give to the man.

The unconscious man seemed too stubborn to let a little exhaustion get to him. Assured that he would be fine, only one thought was in her mind now.

Cha-ching!

[Swift_Assassin]

Ilian, huh? That explains it. Marcus thought at her easiness of giving Shad up. All she saw was gold and nothing else. It helps for the time being. He jumped down of the horse to grab Shad and draped him over the back of the horse. He climbed back up and pulled Shad's hood down. He then nodded to the Ilian and rode back.

Unknowingly, Marcus passed right by a couple more of Shad's allies in this terrible idea of his, but he just kept on his path. He wasn't sure what Shad did, but it wasn't good and probably jeopardized their journey.

[Breadophile]

Kalin could see the disdain in the man's eyes. Hmph, I am not a money-grubbing a-hole. Just... partly.

Kalin nodded back to Marcus.

"Be safe! I'll come looking for you if he doesn't wake up!"

Should probably get my stuff together now.

Kalin picked up the gold, deciding to avoid the sisters and keep the staff. She thought it poor taste, but it would be rather hard to explain why she had a bag of gold with her and not the man she was supposed to be taking to the church. She went to the armory.

"Oi, blacksmith. Do you have an iron pole, about the length of a lance, but less bendy and without a deadly point at the end of it?"

"Sure. I have one right here actually. It's a popular weapon among the sisters and monks so I have several made in advance.

Sweet Elimine! Now Kalin really didn't want to meet the sisters.

"You can have it. Here, it's on the house."

Kalin picked it up. "Alright, thanks!"

She also picked up some apples from the shop, with the same sort of exchange happening.

Alright, now time to get out of here.

She fed an apple to her pegasus. He seemed pleased. She put her stuff on the pegasus while he was eating, amazed that it all somehow fit on the pegasus. Then they finished, and just like that she was gone.

[Cevian]

Orica shook her spear a bit to get what blood she could off of it as other approached her, the battle done so soon.

"It was nothing." She said to Paige. "With how easily Glass and his Bandits broke they should not have tried to attack this village at all. People named Glass should not throw stones, even if they are in fire."

She turned towards Satsume. "And I thank you for your assistance in taking down these roadblocks. Your spear's placement in the leader's leg led to a much more fitting demise for him. You proved that you were stronger than his men, which was an easy but notable step. I'm certain that with training you'll not take a single scratch when tossed into a group of enemies."

[Toogee]

"It was much more than nothing to everyone here," Paige replied to Orica. "If only we had more leaders like you, Lady Orica. May we meet again under better circumstances."

Paige bowed her head to say her goodbyes and continued towards a parked wagon bound for Castle Pherae. She had hoped to catch up with Neil and Kalin, but just as they appeared from nowhere to aid her, they had disappeared. The librarian hoped that this wasn't the last time they'd cross paths. In fact, their meeting could be the first of many.

[Andy]

Some days after the incident...

In Castle Pherae, a messenger hurried to deliver the news of the incident to the marquess. He arrived in his lord's study breathless, and quickly handed the man a piece of folded parchment. Frowning, he read it quickly, and then again a second time. He sighed, his expression grim. "Thank you, lad. Dismissed." The boy-messenger quietly took his leave, bowing as he backed away. The marquess looked from the windows of his study down into the spacious courtyard gardens, where his youngest son and daughter were playing.

"I wish things had stayed as simple as they were," he muttered to himself, barely audible. His long red hair was worn to shoulder length, and he had grown a short, red beard. He walked to his door as he reminisced, opened it, and to one of the guards outside, said, "Summon Generals Lucian and Trott. I require them immediately."

An hour later, with afternoon tea poured and the two generals with him, he began laying out his plans for them. "Essentially, groups of ten to twenty of our men riding from homestead to homestead, looking for and imprisoning brigands and deserters."

"A bold plan," Trott said, a touch of hesitance in his otherwise mild voice. "But it would not be agreeable to have our competitors capture said bands. We'd beggar the march just to have your own army returned to your command, my lord."

Lucian revealed nothing of his thoughts, but the marquess could guess them easily enough. He was slightly more in favor of the plan than his counterpart.

"If these dastards think they can run all over my lands and abuse my subjects, I will throw them onto my people's swords. I will not let them come to harm because I wanted a little extra security at home," the Marquess replied. "Besides, Pherae is next to Bern, Tania, Santaruz, and the sea. None of these sources have been serious enemies in the last hundred years, so assuming we keep an eye on them from the border keeps, there shouldn't be a problem."

Trott looked somewhat apprehensive, but Lucian nodded, standing. "I will ready the horses and the men to leave on the morrow."

The marquess nodded at the man, dismissing him. He returned his gaze to General Trott and stared at the man until, at last, he looked away. "Your will be done, Lord Elbert. I will go and prepare my troops."

"Thank you, old friend. I know it's not an easy request to make of you, but I promise, the effort won't go to waste," Elbert IV of Pherae replied, smiling wearily. "My cousin, Lord of Ostia, should think that we're at least tamping down on the mages in the area, though I doubt such a move will be well liked by our neighbors. Still, it must be done. I can only hope things don't go awry."

#
My Notes
This is my first time reviewing an RP, if you all want individual comments, I can and will write them to you if you PM me about it.

So, this was highly amusing. I loved all the references to FE7. The Kani Matti's introduction made me laugh the first time I read it, but I gotta congratulate you, Toogee. Glass II played himself up as a swordsman, so I was genuinely surprised by that twist in the middle there. Good job.

On the whole... what a mess. I guess I missed what Orica was doing in the village, and Shad's whole reason for stopping by was a whim. I think I missed Kal-in's intro post, too, and Neil's. Frankly, Toogee put together a well-thought out reason for being there, and I liked that. Shad's observation of an empty school was a bit saddening, and at first I thought it was supposed to be a bookshop. Wasn't aware schools were much of a thing back in the day. Then again, bookshops in random villages weren't much of a thing either. In any case, nice villifying of the Empire there.

I want to say, the five of you managed to pull off the whole 'strangers brought together by a common enemy' 'ragtag bunch of misfits' thing really, really well. Each one seemed fairly stable (except for Kalin), prone to falling back on their habits and pasts, and their interactions felt real (At least, when they interacted and didn't just retcon their replies >.>) They also didn't just automatically agree like mindless drones, they had their own opinions on which options would best work.

The only thing remotely I found did not help the experience were all of Kalin's non-sequitur moments. Particularly jarring was the HP thing when the Meteor spell hit her. How the hell would she know what those were? Or how they pertain to her? It would also be appreciated if she actually said the words 'By the way' instead of using BTW in her dialogue. Kalin herself, as a character, was pretty fairly amusing, and her interactions with her pegasus (is it going to remain nameless?) were refreshing. Kind of reminds me of a character that mine interacted with in an RP here a while ago, only ditzier. Much, much ditzier.

The conclusion was satisfying, though I must admit, it's kind of sad to see such a hammy villain go out so soon. I guess it's just the legacy of Glass; do too much with it, and it will break. Or alternatively, hit Glass with weapons, and it shatters. Ba-dum tss!