[IC] Shepards of Ivalice: The Wings of Ruin

[Evanist]

Erion looked as almost all the group arrived as he looked at both the brothers. He looked at them with a annoying look.
"Ok seriously... if one of you REALLY is working with the Risen, your asking to freaken die. You will probably be killed when all this is over, so why even help them? We need to stick together to fight the threat that is menacing us Kupo!" he says, a slight fiery anger in his eyes right now.
"Now stop fighting and lets talk about this in a civilised way! Or else this will only end in useless bloodshed that will make the Risen grow even stronger, probably by using our corpse!" he then says, actually being rather hard on this. Then one thing came into mind... He was between the 2.... and what if that ebony knight had been turned into one somehow... one that can actually speak and such... a crazy though, but still a though that come into his mind. He then used choco- cure on both the brothers, 2 time, observing both of them, actually seeing if one of them would badly react to the cure spell. The one with the supposely Zodiac stone would probably not be affect, but the other might be... and this will actually make it that both might calm down if they are less hurt.

[Leolycan]

Araguay Woods

@Eklispe

When Arus reached the civilian caravan, he'd see the dozens of elderly, women, and children standing around talking amongst each other as a token force of soldiers flanked the makeshift camp on all sides. He was greeted by an oddly dressed man with a green cloak and an obnoxiously large orange horn fashioned to his forehead.

"Well met," the man spoke, motioning to those seemingly under his command as soldiers began corralling and organizing the people to move once more. It didn't take long for everyone to fall in line and for the group to begin it's trek through the woods, following the myrmidon with little to no deviation to his guidance. Yet, as they began to progress further, the oddly dressed man would ride up beside Arus- the verdant shade of his cloak contrasting the yellow feathers of his feathered mount as it squawked contentedly at being draw to a slow trot, "So, how bad is it? Even from here, the scent of blood is heavy in the air." Not a moment after asking his question, he'd turn his gaze back to the civilians trailing just a mere yards behind them, "A lot of these people won't survive out here. I hope Holliander knows what he's doing, but I can't help but think Vernire was right. This trek may very well be a folly. But with the numbers we lost the other day," the man paused for a while before turning his gaze back to the forest before him, "I just hope Vernire doesn't blame himself for this if it goes south. He's a troubled man, but a good one at heart."

With the small exchange done, the group now traveled in silence through the woods. Luckily enough, no more risen seemed to be roaming the area as they quickly came upon the sight of the survivors from the fray before, desperately setting up makeshift tents and other fixtures in an attempt to ready themselves for the coming nights. As the summoner's gaze fell upon the sight, he fell silent a moment before asking in a distant tone, "Where are the rest?"

@Lugia@Evanist@Cyrania


As the trio spoke to the brothers, they'd notice that the tension between them was slowly dying... Or at least digressing into mere glares versus the exchange of lows. Erion would notice that neither of the brothers had any adverse reaction to his healing, merely casting a glance in his direction- Vernire with a glare and Holliander with a smile. As Joanne brought attention to the stone, Holliander would nod at Robert as he spoke out, waiting till the mage finished his speech before adding his own, "The church has wanted nothing but peace for the land, thus is why we hid the nature of the stones. If everyone knew the artifacts responsible for the artocities all those years ago was still in our possession... It would led to utter chaos-"

"More like you bastards were saving it as a fail-safe in case your iron-grip on the world waned!" Vernire snarled loudly, "Don't pretend the atrocities of the church were warranted in any manner. While we struggled to make a living on scraps, you 'holy-pigs' slept in mansions and grew fat on pork and wine."

At this, Holliander seemed to take great offense, though offering not another word, "Perhaps this was just a misunderstanding... We can settle this back at camp." With that, he'd attempt to move past Erion towards the direction of the road. Vernire instinctively drew up his sword, bearing his teeth like an animal.

"I'll be damned if I let a traitor back into our midsts... The only way you're going back is in chains!"

At this, the emtions seemed to boil over once more, the brothers staring each other down as the trio stood around them.

[Evanist]

Erion looked at the 2 as they speak, before getting angry also. He then started to yell.
"Both of you stop freaken fighting, or else BOTH OF YOU will end up chained and brought back to camp! I do not want bloodshed where it is not needed! The risen as already caused enough trouble here, we DO NOT need more freaken blood and chaos to happen, KUPO!" he yells, before looking at both of them.
"Everyone here, I say we keep a eye on both of them, and inform the camp of what happen here so we keep eyes on both. If one of them do something that makes the village fall into trouble, then consequences will be dire, agreed?" he then says, serious. He breath deeply. He know he was risking it by yelling like this, but this might make it that both of them would calm down and move to camp without killing each other, then everyone would be informed of what happen here and the right actions would be done. He just hope none of the 2 would fall into blind rage and start attacking the group. That would be fooling of them.

[Cyrania]

Then Jo-Anne sighed, if only they knew the truth about what started this fight. Then she spoke, "You would do well to hear Erion's words. Unless one of you can produce positive proof that the other's a spy, then both of you will have to be watched while among the group. Your other options are chains, exile, or..." The Taguel's eyes turned mischievous. "You have seen my dragon form, haven't you? What would you think if I held you guys in my hands in the sky until you came to your senses. Of course, being too long in an animal form is rumored to make you more like that animal, so you might want to make the duration short." She then returned to human form, no sense in letting them call her bluff already. "You do know that dragons are fully carnivorous, right?"

[Eklispe]

Arus sighed, "I'm afraid the risen got the jump on us, Robin wants us to avoid the area to keep up morale." was all he said in response to the man's first question. When the came upon the camp and its diminished numbers the leading man spoke up and Arus said regretfully, "All that made it out I'm afraid." and with that statesmen Arus rode ahead to Robin ready for more orders, doubtless he would simply be told to help set-up and be assigned a night watch but it was still best to confirm.

[Lugia]

I notice Erion shout at the two brothers, and I walk up to him, and say "Uh... they both look like they could destroy you with a single swing of their sword... maybe you shouldn't be so demanding of them," while his hotheadedness usually came in handy in our adventures, now was certainly not the time for such an attitude. True, we would have to keep an eye on both of them, and we'd have to tell the group that one of these two might very well be working for the risen, and we had no idea which of them it was... which means that this was going to be bad news... and I wasn't sure how Robin would react to bad news like this. Sure, he seemed level-headed enough, at least in battle, but if someone had to tell him that one of our own generals was a traitor and we have no idea who it was... well, I know I'd be mad if I was in his position, but, then again, I've always been told that I make a bad leader, anyways. Assuming everyone else was following me, I headed back to Robin's camp. I then recalled Jo-Anne making a similar threat to the two, though, to be honest, I trusted her strength, especially if she was going to turn into a dragon again. Of course, knowing these two, they had some sort of way of dealing with dragons... then again, if either one of them attacked one of us, well, that would have to be our traitor, and they'd be instantly outnumbered by everyone who they didn't attack... it probably wouldn't end well for the attacker, even if they called in more risen to aid them.

[Lugia]

Araguay Woods

@Eklispe

Once you get back to camp, you notice Robin still patching up wounded soldiers, and a distinct lack of the group that was supposed to bring back Holliander and Vernire. Robin, noticing your return, walks up to you and asks "How's the other group doing? Did they meet any Risen on their way?" he had a concerned look on his face. One of the soldiers then walked up to him, and distracted him with a tap on the shoulder. The soldier then explained "Holliander, and the others have returned, and they have news," Robin then begrudgingly turned towards the returning party, where the dog creature whose name you've never gotten explains "Right... the news... you're not going to like this, but one of these generals is a traitor... and worse, we don't know which one," Robin swore under his breath, and turned his attention back towards you, after giving the others an order to keep an eye on both of the generals, just in case either of them wants to try anything.


@Lugia@Evanist@Cyrania

After hearing from everyone, the two begrudgingly agree to head back to camp, under our watchful eye. Thankfully, none of them seemed to try anything, or even really do anything that might be suspicious on the way. Of course, neither did any Risen attack the group. Occasionally one of the two would glare at Jo-Anne for a split second, but then the other would do exactly the same afterwards, leaving the group in the dark about who might be the traitor. "So, who's going to be the acting general of the third group, huh?" Vernire asks the group, though, oddly enough, he had a more concerned tone in his voice than one would expect. Making it back to the camp, Robert volunteered to tell Robin the bad news, and it seems as if Robin was already talking to someone else once the group got there. A soldier, however, told Robin of our return, and told him that we had news of some sort, which got Robin to turn his attention away from his previous conversation for just a bit. "Right... the news... you're not going to like this, but one of these generals is a traitor... and worse, we don't know which one," Robert put, rather bluntly, which caused Robin to swear, and order some people to guard the generals... not for their safety, but for ours, after all, if one of them was a traitor, it would be best to have a few people already there, and already ready to attack.

[Cyrania]

Jo-Anne groaned when she was picked for guard duty, "Great. I'm stuck babysitting the boys until one shows his true colors." Then she thought better of it, "Things like this usually come in shifts. Maybe I'll be done with mine by the time we set up camp and I can help Erion find his bird mount and Arrus can teach me hand to hand." So the hybrid gathered around the two with the other people assigned with her, ready for when the marching order came. Then she looked intently at Holliander, then shied away before he could catch her gaze. "Is there any way to at least get a peek at that stone? She thought, "Dragons have been thought of as demons in the past by humans. A similar thing could have happened here. Though humans are usually not able to do anything with transformation stones, I'm not sure if there is any case of it. But the rules here might be a little different. If only I could get a peek."

[Evanist]

Erion sighed as he shakes his head, heading back to camp. One of the 2 was a traitor... but which of them was the real traitor. The ebony armor one seemed more like the case here, but it could also be the other one that would have tricked everyone. He sighed, before getting off from Rose and moving to Robert.
"Talk about having more trouble over what we already have... I am worried Kupo." he says, looking down, thinking.
"If only we could read their minds... find out who is telling the truth here so we can take care of the other." he says sadly. Unfortunately, probably no one could do that here. At least no one that he would know of. He shakes looks around the camp.
"We are gonna need to think more strategically against the Risen... maybe be able to ambush their ambushes." he then says.

[Eklispe]

Arus was confused, one of the generals was a traitor? How could they know one of them was a traitor but not know which one? This whole thing seemed to get more and more complicated by the hour. Silently he began helping set up the camp, all the while keeping an eye on the generals, particularly Vernire. Of course Jo-Anne was there so there wasn't much to worry about but still. After her guard duty was done he would see if she was available to begin training, the sooner they started the better.

[Leolycan]

Araguay Woods

@Eklispe@Lugia@Evanist@Cyrania

As the survivors began to settle about the camp, an eerie silence blanketed the make shift outpost. As the civilians and soldiers began to settle at their posts, watches were being arranged by the few warriors that remained. At this point, any and all volunteers were accepted- even those who would normally be considered to young found themselves armed with bows and staves (along with very simple spell lessons). Near the center of camp, a larger tent stood out above the rest: adorned with emerald tassels and a white banner hanging from the center post. This was obviously the command tent, and one could expect to find the leaders inside- even despite all the building drama. It was at this point the warriors were on their own- with no orders to follow or immediate call to arms, they were left to their own devices.

Those who paid attention could see a collection of Viera separating themselves from the rest of the refugees and heading off into the woods- despite the protest of some of the others. Others could see a gather of soldiers around a fire, several wounded with arms and heads bandaged as they seemed to discuss something with great fervor... Though unable to hear much of their discussion, one could not ignore the hint of anger that lingered in the subtle whispers. Another rumor was quickly spreading about the camp: apparently the leaders were meeting at the command tent to discuss the fate of the expedition and possible change in command- which wasn't at all surprising since the declaration of a traitor at the helm. Many were discussing the possibility of the Summoner taking control, while others suspected the new comer Robin to take the reigns, perhaps it warranted investigation.

Whatever course of action the heroes decided, tonight finally seemed to grant them peace and time to gather their thoughts, one might suggest they use it wisely.

[Cyrania]

Jo-Anne was kind of disappointed to see Livia's sisters leave the camp. Part of her had wanted to talk with them and find out more about the Viera, such as where were the men. The Taguel could ask Livia herself but she hadn't seen her yet and wondered if she were staying with her sisters tonight. Besides, Jo-Anne had promised Erion that she would help him find his bird mount, Arrus had promised to give her human hand-to-hand combat lessons, and she was interested in getting to know Erion's friend, Robert, better. It would be nice to know more about the dogish person she had let ride her. But as she hadn't seen any of them yet and the hybrid probably wasn't going to be able to tell one yellow bird from another, the Taguel sat by the main fire to warm and stretched her tired limbs, listening while the other warriors around her gossiped and argued for one possible outcome or another.

[Evanist]

Erion, when he arrived at the camp, looked around the place. He sighed, knowing that this night would not end up easy. He walked around, before going towards where the chocobo's were. There were so many of them here. And it was not even sure he would find Boco here, cause of how they seem to be spread a bit all around the camp, probably for a fast reaction if something were to happen here. He looked around the first place, and sighed, not seeing his bird at all. It was hard for the untrained eye to actually find his bird, but usually his bird did respond to his name.
"Boco!" he then says. Nothing... He frown. He looked around a bit more. He hoped nothing bad would have happen to him. He heads back to where Robert was.
"No luck in the east part of the camp to find Boco... Kupo." he says a bit down. He wished he were to find his bird real soon, cause he did not like leaving him behind or anything.

[Lugia]

I notice Jo-Anne walk around the place for a while before settling at a spot next to the campfire. I would have gone over there, myself and probably try to learn more about those obviously magical stones and, well, the magic IN those stones, however, I also noticed Erion, who seemed to be having trouble finding Boco... I figured my studies and possible friendship with this odd not-quite-viera could wait for a little bit, and I walk over to Erion. "Hey, Erion, um, would it help you if I knew where they put all the yellow chocobos?" I asked him, with me having seen them herd the unused yellow chocobos into their own section in the northern part of camp. Of course, I had no idea which one of them was Boco, despite having known the bird for as long as I've known Erion... of course, that being said, I couldn't really tell the difference between two chocobos of the same color, as horrible as it sounded, so Erion would need to actually check that part of camp out himself. The camp was oddly quiet for having just finished getting through an ambush, and having two of their generals figured for being possible traitors, and possible commanders of the opposite army. Of course, the remaining generals were in a tent somewhere, and I figured that now was certainly NOT the time to bother them, not only would that be eavesdropping, but I couldn't even offer any additional insight on the issue, unlike last time, when I told them that the zombies USUALLY stick to the beaten path... of course, that got us in an ambush, but, that, again might be because of one of the two generals. I honestly wished I knew which one was the traitor, and I wished I had more than just hearsay as evidence to go on with this issue, but, sadly that wasn't the case.

[Eklispe]

Arus sighed and sat down thankfully. It had been a very busy day and now they finally had a chance to rest. He silently ate his food, just bread and a couple of vegetables, and listened to the mutterings of those around him passively. He finished his meal with a sigh of contentment, another day over, now it was time to rest for most of them. Arus on the other hand simply took out a pen and a piece of parchment and pondered what to write next. Poetry was always a mental battle to find the best words to both convey your meaning as well as the best match with your prior words. It was an entirely different sort of battle but one that Arus found enjoyable.

[Leolycan]

Araguay Woods

@Lugia@Evanist

As the duo began to scout the established stables, they couldn't help but notice the dwindling number of beasts that were located there. Though the numbers weren't exactly astronomical in camp, they could see that merely a few chocobo and a couple of horses strown about the area protected by a shoddily hastily fashioned fence. Yet, off in the distance, a familiar sound rung in Erion's ear. As his gaze was directed over towards the east, his eyes would land upon the wyvern that had escaped Dorter, along with the human stablehand. The human was clearly favoring the beast, tossing it scraps of meat while patting it's flank. The wyvern seemed much more content then before, but why were they suddenly here?

Regard, Boco was no where in sight, and the chocobo that remained still had their saddles strapped onto their back. Though their riders were nowhere to be seen, and some had spatters of blood upon their feathers. Though none seemed to be in too poor of health, there were still some who held minor wounds and limped around their pin.

@Eklispe

As Arus began to write, he'd hear a audible thud of a heavy individual sitting beside him. If he looked up, he would see the porcine being from before in Dorter, his gaze focused nowhere as he stared off into the distance. An akward silence lingers over before the being snorts and begins to speak, "Va'Gaji is dead. He died during the ambush," the creature gave a mixture of a snort and a sigh as he hung his head, "He was wrong about you all it seems... Now he'll never get the chance to appologize. The pig-headed fool," the creature couldn't help but chuckle at his own remark. For a moment, his gaze would linger upon the fire before turning his attention fully to Arus, "I want to appologize for him. We owe you and your people alot more than we can say."

With that, the pigman didn't wait for a reply, merely standing with another grunt before lumbering back into the camp. For the first time since his arrival, Arus did not feel the eyes of the natives upon him. Instead, it seemed like this experience had mended whatever bad blood had been harbored. Still, the night was uneasy as the sobs of the people could still be heard lamenting over the dead and dying. At this moment, a figure would emerge from the command tent, making it's way over to the Veira that had just began their trek into the woods. They can't have gotten far... But who was that who emerged from the tent? And why were they heading off into the woods?

[Evanist]

Erion listened carefully, trying to find his bird, but unfortunately, he did not see him anyway. This made him worried a bit. What if he were lost or killed during the ambush. And seeing the blood on the feathers of the chocobo's, this made him even more worried. He hoped nothing bad would have happen to him. He slowly moved his hand along Rose's neck to calm her down, looking sad a bit. He then looked at the wyvern, and smiled slightly. At least that beast was happy now. He walked towards the rider.
"I see hes feeling better then before. I hope his rider did not fall to his death or something cause of those dang Risen Kupo." he then says the stable hand calmly, staying calm. Rose though, seemed a bit agitated moving near such a beast, but Erion calmed her down, whispering that everything was fine. He looked at the wyvern. Such a fine beast, but thinking about going and flying in the air.... that was something that was slightly scary for Erion. Probably cause of his small size and of how dangerous it would be to fly and get hit when flying. It was already hard for him when Boco got on Jo-Anne back so they could escape... but that was much more dangerous. He sighed softly. He then moved back to Robert.
"No luck finding Boco, I just hope he is not dead..." he says.

[Eklispe]

Arus ceased his scribbling for a moment when the pigman sat next to him and merely remained motionless waiting for it to speak. His face remained impassive at hearing of Va'Gaji's death and when the pigman gave him thanks Arus gave him a grateful smile. It was nice to know that his work wasn't unappreciated. If not for the cries of the wounded and the knowledge that they could be attacked again at any time he would've been content. He was about to begin writing again when his glimpsed a figure move from the command tent into the woods. Arus's first thought was that it was merely a trip to the latrines but it was going in the wrong direction. Frowning he set down his writing tools, lightly touched his sword to make sure it was still on his belt and began following the figure. Not in any particular hurry, but making sure that he would keep the figure in sight.

[Lugia]

Unfortunately, we couldn't find Boco among the few yellow chocobos that were still left, however, a man riding a wyvern appeared, and seemed to pet the beast, as if it was his loyal mount, rather than some beast, which, of course, most of Ivalice referred to anything draconic as. I tried to find something to ask him, 'how easy was she to tame?' or 'do you think I could ride one of those?', and maybe even 'do you think Erion could ride one of those?', all of the questions revolved around the fact that the man was obviously FROM Ivalice, and probably little more than a stablehand, whereas the creature was probably from that other world... trying that on a wyvern hatched here, and raised in the wild would probably lead to someone's death. I couldn't actually manage to ask him anything until I finally said "So... uh... that creature's amazing, where'd you find it?" Unfortunately, it wasn't any of the three questions that I wanted to ask, and every time I tried to ask any of the three questions I wanted to. I then saw Arus running off into the forest, and I managed to spit out "Do you think either Erion or I could borrow that wyvern!?" from just how quickly he was running, I could tell that either he needed to use the latrines really badly and didn't know where they were, or something of dire importance was happening... unfortunately, I felt like I had to SPEAK quickly, too, when really it probably just made my words an indecipherable mess. I wasn't sure if he even heard me, but if he did, and he let Erion borrow the wyvern, I would have to use his chocobo, for her speed, if nothing else...

---

Try to talk the stablehand into letting us rent the wyvern: 14 LUCK
IF I end up getting the wyvern, try to get on the wyvern and ride it to chase Arus: 14 LUCK
IF Erion gets the wyvern, try to get on Rose, a tamed chocobo: 14 LUCK
IF neither of these things happen, then just try to keep up with Arus on foot: 13 SPEED

[Leolycan]

Araguay Woods

@Lugia@Evanist

The stable hand paused, jumping and turning with a start as the others behind him spoke. As his eyes flickered between the duo, his gaze would eventually settle upon Erion as his frightened expression softened to a slight discomfort, "A-ah. Greetings, I wasn't expecting company so quickly. Good to see you well after that fiasco. I hope you and your friend here are well."

He nodded his head and seemed to settle down as the questions began to flow, "The girl was lonely, that's for sure. All it took was some care and massive amount of meats and she settled down. When that Esper attacked, I rushed to her, and here we are now." For a moment, the man paused, glancing back to Wyvern before stepping forward slightly. His vision returned to Erion shortly after, "Your birds missing? Sorry to hear. There are several birds missing their-"

Before he could finish his sentence, Robert inquired about riding the Wyvern. For some reason, this question made the stablehand pale. Pausing for a moment he merely nodded his head as he stepped to the side, "J-just be careful. She seems ok for now, but no telling when her temperament will change." If the duo approached, they would notice the wyvern lowering itself to the ground without hesitation, moving it's wings to allow the two to climb up onto her back via her hind leg... This was odd behavior for a proud and aggressive beast, but as Erion took the reigns, he'd attempt to turn the beast in the direction of the woods. To his surprise, the beast turned without resistance, and began to sprint towards the woods. Since the gathering wasn't so far, the need for taking flight never arose, but even the heavy lumbering movements of the beast proved to be a challenge to the riders.

@Eklispe

As Arus strode forward, he'd notice the figure from before coming to a stop right before the group of Veira, seeming to start up a discussion with one of the more well armored ones. As he drew closer, he'd begin to recognize the figure in question- Holliander. The man looked different outside of his armor, his wiry frame barely visible through the loose-fitting linen clothes that now adorned his body. It wasn't clear if the man was preparing for sleep or if he was stripped of his armor, either way, he was striking up a conversation with what seemed to carry herself as the leader of the sisters behind her. Though their words were not audible from this distance, he would notice that the conversation seemed calm, with neither showing any signs of aggression... Well until a Wyvern began barreling it's way towards the group. At once, most of the Veira drew their arms.

@Eklispe@Lugia@Evanist

There was an akward pause as the Moogle and Nu Mou came into view of Holliander and the group of Veira. All at once there was a sigh of relief from the older human, chuckling to himself as he stepped forward towards the massive beast, "It's alright, these two are friends to the 'Children of Ivalice'. They mean no-"

Before Holliander could finish his sentence, an agitated growling came from the beast. All at once, the oddly calm demeanor shifted to a rather furious sway, followed shortly by a heavy bucking as the Wyvern began to beat it's wings. The ground began to shake as the wingbeats kicked up all manner of debris and dust, blinding many of the Veira and causing Holliander to raise his hands over his eyes. At once, the beast began to roar loudly, echoing through the woods and the camp as many excited gasps and screams erupted from the civilian section of camp. It was clear the beast was in a rage as many of the Veira drew their weapons once more, moving into position around the beast- soldiers in front; mages and archers in the back. However, the one that was speaking to Holliander stepped forward, speaking an odd language as she casually strode forward. Though unrecognizable, no-one could deny the effects it was having on the beast as it slowly began to settle, it's panicked flapping and stomping of it's feet now become uncomfortable shuffling and growls. With one final buck, it attempted to throw the riders from her back-

Erion: Pass

Robert: Fail

Seeing the dog like mage fall harshly to the floor (-2hp) though his moogle companion clung to the reigns. The beast attempted to buck once more, but Erion would remain set in place. The bucking would soon stop as the beast merely stood there, it's gaze focused on the odd speaking Veira before it turned, and began heading back towards the stables.

"What the hell?" Holliander spoke, his gaze flickering between the now departing Wyvern and the Veira that seemed to calm it.

Her gaze never breaking from the beast, the woman would speak, "The beast was confused, and scared. Seems the last thing she recalls was being back in Dorter. This one does not know, but she thinks that the beast was tricked to come here..."