Crimson Paladin

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Knight RP

Fleuri Jodeau

Fleuri's thoughts turned to the recent events of the matter of the shard at mention of "something grimmer". It was unfortunate that the Valours Tournament of this year was set during a time when very dark conspiracies were stirring in the background. Most of the kingdom no doubt knew of the assassination attempt on the princess and the destruction of the Fort Daelantine garrison, but were blissfully ignorant of the efforts to gather the shards of Angroron.

Of course, as a new arrival to the Iron Roses, Fleuri had only recently found himself in a position where he'd be privy to this knowledge. Perhaps such crises and conspiracies behind the scenes were more common than he thought, and dealt with just as quietly. Regardless, he was confident that the tournament would be one of the most secure gatherings in the kingdom. Between the Crown Knights, the Twin Churches, the College, and the Iron Roses, not to mention the foreign dignitaries, it was probably safer there than in the halls of Candaeln.

For now it'd be best to focus on more pleasant matters...

One such matter in particular that had caught Fleuri's interest was the revelation that not one but two Akitsushiman warriors would be competing. He was curious to see if these foreign fighters would be demonstrating techniques that he had not seen before in his time training with Rui. He also hoping that this would be a chance to see what Akitsushiman armor looked like- assuming that they wore armor at all when competing.

"If I might ask, Takashima, in your homeland have you ever met or heard of a rabbit-eared swordswoman with one arm?" This might be the only chance he would get to ask another Akitsushiman about her.

@VitaVitaAR@HereComesTheSnow

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Knight RP

Fleuri Jodeau

So this man came here with a foreign lord Fleuri thought to himself. A warrior retainer, no doubt. The tournament was after all an important part of Thaln's diplomacy, and Fleuri suspected that this foreign warrior would be participating on his lord's behalf.

"I presume you will participate in the tournament? I've seen Akitsushiman swordsmanship before, it was awe-inspiring."

Fleuri wondered if this man might know of Rui. Surely someone of such great skill- and distinct wounds- would be renowned in her homeland.

And of skill, he also wondered just how formidable a fighter this man would be. If Fleuri's hunch was right and this foreigner was brought all this way to Thaln to participate the tournament, there must be great confidence in his fighting ability.

@VitaVitaAR@HereComesTheSnow

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Knight RP

Fleuri Jodeau

"It would be acceptable to take up the Order's banner for the tournament," Fleuri answered. "Some in the audience may find it confusing to have multiple knights fighting under the same heraldry, but so long as you fight well and give them a show, you should be noticed regardless."

"Speaking of noticing," Fleuri continued, his gaze turning towards another soul on the hill, "It appears we are not alone."

It was a grey-haired man, clearly a foreigner. Judging by how similar his clothing and sword was to Rui's, the man was probably from Akitsushima. If Fleuri had to guess, the stranger had come here for the tournament.

"Greetings, stranger," Fleuri spoke, approaching the stranger and bowing in the manner that he had learned from Rui. "I presume you have come here for the tournament?" Fleuri was never one to pass up an opportunity to interact with fellow competitors before a tournament, especially those whom he had never met. He didn't always get the reaction he anticipated, but with a little creativity, one could make something out of even the worst first impressions.

@HereComesTheSnow

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Knight RP

Fleuri Jodeau

It's almost time, Fleuri thought as he hiked up a hill that overlooked the tournament grounds. The Valours Tournament was back, the biggest tournament in Thaln. Fleuri had competed a few times- he was by his own reckoning a massive fool in those days but they were good times nonetheless.

The Flower of the North would soon be making his return to the tournament scene. He didn't want to make himself known on the field just yet, however, as he intended for it to be a bit of a surprise debut, with new armor and heraldry to better represent what he had become.

Fleuri had been preparing for the tournament for a while now. He had been practicing his swordsmanship, breaking in his new armor, and even had been brushing up on jousting. Everything he had gone through with the Iron Roses in recent months had honed him into a much more capable warrior than he had been as a tourney regular, but that was no excuse to not make meticulous preparations for the most prestigious contest of arms in the kingdom.

It'd be good to see and catch up with the other competitors. Not all of them approved of his decision to leave the competitions to join the Roses- but with how far he had gone as a fighter, perhaps he could convince them to reconsider their thoughts. Of course, even if he wasn't under a geas, it's not like they'd believe him about the true nature of his training with the Roses even if he could tell them.

Then again, they have no doubt also been improving their skills. In the time since he left, perhaps they too developed some new tricks with which to surprise him.

As he summited the hill, he saw that Sir Gerard had the same idea, to come here and gaze out at the tourney grounds. From what he could recall, this would be Gerard's first entry into a chivalric contest of arms.

"Hello, Sir Gerard, I didn't expect to see you here," Fleuri greeted his fellow Reonite. "Come to get a good view of the Valours Tournament before the festivities begin?"

Fleuri pointed out at parts of the field. "I have some good memories of that field. That spot right there was where I made good on my promise to Sir Westier to defeat him using just the pommel and hilt of my sword after he insulted my sister. All talk and no tassets, that one."

"Or over there, a few years ago, Dame Hildebrand and I faced off while wearing each other's heraldry and colors as mock chivalric favors. I lost that fight- neither of us got very far that time- but what really mattered was that we got a lot of people talking about us."

One couldn't expect to win every tournament, but one could always put effort into make their participation memorable. As an Iron Rose he'd be expected to behave with a bit more class nowadays, but that didn't mean he couldn't go out of his way to be showy.

"Speaking of which, Sir Gerard, do you have your heraldry in order for the tournament?"

@HereComesTheSnow

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Knight RP

Fleuri Jodeau

Fleuri slowly walked down a path in the graveyard, glancing up at the slowly setting sun. Without the overhanging shadow of the conspiracy to assassinate the princess or the urgency of rescuing the assassin's sister, these hallowed grounds carried an ambience of peace. For someone who had fought necromancers and undead since he was a squire, the serenity of the graveyard stood in stark contrast to the unburied dead upon battlefields and the grisly stashes of corpses in necromancers' lairs- and of course the recent desecration of the Cazt mausoleum.

Years ago, he lamented that the war concluded before he could truly take part in it. In the present day, Fleuri felt blessed to be living in a time of peace where people were afforded the luxury of having their mortal remains properly laid to rest rather than picked apart by scavengers or puppeteered by dark magic. In recent weeks, however, it became clear that the peace fought so hard for, which Fanilly's predecessor had died to achieve, was facing a growing threat. It was a more subtle threat than Anzel Cazt and his bid to take over Thaln, but the forces involved- the shards of the dreaded weapon Angroron- were far more dire.

It was precisely because of this looming threat that Fleuri had come here, resolving that a looming threat this dire demanded that he call upon any and all resources he could muster.

As the sky began to darken as Reon's sun sank below the horizon, Fleuri once again drew close to the Jodeau mausoleum. Now that he was unburdened by the urgency of facing down the conspiracy against the crown, it was an even more somber sight than the last time he had come here. Just as before, however, Fleuri checked the door to ensure it was secure, hungering to be certain that his ancestral tomb remained inviolate.

The door was as secure as the last time he had come here.

Rather than immediately reopen the hidden weapon cache, Fleuri sat down and leaned back against one of the Reon statue plinths. He was not physically exhausted from the journey, but he felt the need to rest regardless. No better place in Thaln for a Jodeau to rest, he mused.

Fleuri looked up at the sky, then down at the other graves and mausoleums. He thought about how much it had been impressed upon him that the weapons within the plinth were only meant to be used in the most dire situations. The conspiracy and desecration of the Cazt mausoleum warranted resorting to such desperate measures, and at the time Fleuri believed that the situation had been resolved enough to require returning the weapons. But with someone out there collecting the Shards of Angroron, someone capable of driving an entire fort mad and slipping in and out of a fae realm, things had gotten substantially worse since the night of the ball. With what they were facing, it wouldn't be right for House Jodeau to sequester away Armand's enchanted weapons.

Besides, after having trained with the Mirror Knight, Fleuri found himself considerably more comfortable and willing to make use of weapons other than his greatsword and dagger.

He had spoken to his father about this matter, and had been given approval to make use of the weapons. Even with his father's assurance, he still couldn't entirely shake what he had been taught from birth- that these weapons should only be used to combat the desecration of the mausoleum. It was certain that Armand, stalwart paladin and Iron Rose that he was, would approve of his weapons being appropriated for such a dire matter.

His resolve renewed, Fleuri crawled around to the secret button on the left plinth and opened the cache. By now night was falling, and Fleuri hadn't a lit torch on him, so it would be prudent to hurry up. The first weapon to be removed was Candlestick, which true to its name, emanated a dim glow when wielded. When he removed it from the scabbard, however, Fleuri was shocked at what he saw. The holy water flasks in the plinth had been restocked, despite Fleuri having forgotten to mention that he had to use them. Even more surprising was the fact that both the sword and morningstar were clean and polished to a mirror finish- a far cry from the dirtied weapons that he had returned to the plinth the night of the ball.

Clearly someone in the family had been here, but according to the conversation with is father just yesterday, they had never gotten around to restocking the cache. So exactly who was doing it? Steffen and Gerard had been made privy to hidden compartment, but he couldn't imagine that they were doing it. It was probably Lisette- his twin was always the first in his family to hear about his adventures and as a priestess of Reon, replacing the holy water would be trivial.

As he turned around, arming sword casting dim illumination, Fleuri thought he saw something or someone out of the corner of his eye. Startled, he turned towards the shape and gripped Candlestick, instinctively preparing for a fight. However, there was nothing there, nor were there any unusual sounds that could signal another being here. It was probably just his state of mind playing tricks on his eyes.

Fleuri strapped the scabbard and morningstar to his belt- he would use the sword to guide himself out of here, then sheathe it once he reached the illumination of the city. As he turned around a corner, however, the light of Candlestick caught what looked like the glint of gold or brass in the peripherals of his sight. This time, he walked over to investigate- if there was a haunting, or simply a graverobber around here, it was his duty to put a stop to it- and right now he was holding a weapon dedicated to doing exactly that.

"In the name of the Iron Roses and crown of Thaln, show yourself!"

Nothing. No telltale signs of ethereal or corporeal undead. No telltale sign that anybody was around here. It had to have been just the light reflecting off a coin lost in the grass, or perhaps filigree on a headstone. Fleuri gave up the search and resumed his departure from the graveyard, unable to fully banish the feeling of unease.

Things were going to get weirder in Thaln, but at least he now had more tools to better tackle whatever strange adventures that the Roses would be facing.

The Metian Institute: Project Gungnir

Regis Meynolt

That's not a good omen, Regis silently noted as he witnessed something darting away down the hallway. Judging by its glowing red light- and the near-impossibility of anything living in this sealed ruin for this long- it had to be a robot.

While Regis' suit could withstand the mana and his executables of water and gravity should be able to keep threats at bay, these hazards would be immensely more dangerous together. His executables couldn't be relied on to function properly in this mana-choked corridor, and any harm inflicted upon his suit could let the mana in.

Regis headed back to the exit. Sometimes, it was prudent to return to the surface, take a breath, and prepare before delving too far into the depths.

"Regis here. I just spotted what looked like an active robot in the lower levels. I couldn't get a good look at it, other than a glowing red light on it." he spoke into his comms, warning the rest of the expedition that they weren't alone in here.

Now that he had reported what he had seen, there was one other matter he needed to tackle before taking another dive into the passages.

"Execute: Cetacean Adaptation B," he began, starting the command for a divine executable. The dark, obscured, and not-unoccupied corridors demanded more keen senses than what could be achieved with a headlamp and diving suit viewport. And even if he chose not to venture down there again, he didn't want to risk letting anything sneak up on him.

The Metian Institute: Project Gungnir

Regis Meynolt

From the look of it, untangling the hardware and software of the reactor was going to be a challenge. With Amalie busy working on trying to get the reactor to work and Khalisa eyeing the robot, the task most suited for Regis was the mana-choked passage.

"Please do, Khalisa, that mana doesn't look particularly inviting," he spoke in response to her offer. He typically had someone else inspect the exterior of his suit before dives, so it was reassuring to have someone on hand who could handle it. Khalisa might not be a diver, but he trusted in her extensive mechanical knowledge.

Assuming Khalisa found no problems with his suit, Regis would approach the stairway.

"I'm heading down into the lower passages. I'll try to stay in touch, interference permitting." With that he descended the stairs and ventured into the mana-filled corridor.

The Metian Institute: Project Gungnir

Regis Meynolt

"We're all unharmed, but we've run into a...complication" he replied on the intercom, putting down Khalisa. "We opened the door, but it caused a cave-in behind us, and we had to flee further into the ruin to avoid being buried. It appears that we have found the facility's reactor room."

They weren't the only ones who had made progress. The team sent into the mana-choked passages had found their way through, but the skeletal remains were a cause for concern. The notion that something had gone sideways in this ruin was further corroborated by the message of a lockdown on some of the the reactor consoles.

Regis pulled out his datapad and pulled up the map. "Consoles in the room say that a lockdown is in effect. There's only one exit not blocked by the debris or sealed by the lockdown, but it's inundated with mana vapors."

Judging by the map, the locked door should lead to the chamber just beyond the foyer. However, even if they got through, Regis didn't think they had a good chance of opening the massive main door as long as the facility was locked down and the generator was in maintenance mode.

The Metian Institute: Project Gungnir

Regis Meynolt

Amalie succeeded in getting the door unstuck, but the process proved to be taxing on the already weakened walls and ceiling. There was no time to think- they had at most a few seconds to get to safety before the mountain came down on their heads!

With the door opened, the closest way out was further into the ruin. It'd be a one-way journey, but with the immediate danger overhead, that didn't matter at the moment.

Regis attempted to scoop up Khalisa under his arm and bolted for the doorway as swiftly as his suit could move. He trusted that Amalie- with her much more mobile exoskeleton- would make it through the door before him, otherwise he might end up tackling her into the passage. In any case, if they tarried a split second too long, they'd all be dead.

Upon making it through the doorway, Regis would use his free hand to tap a button on his helmet, turning on a light through the viewport. With the facility in ruins and running at low power, it was unlikely that this place would be well-lit.

The Metian Institute: Project Gungnir

Regis Meynolt

A shame for us that their walls are so more sound than their ceiling, Regis quipped. Judging by the vehicle's shape, he'd guess its purpose was to move heavy objects around the installation. With how unstable the room was, and with their goal of getting through the doorway still unachieved, it'd probably be best to leave it alone for now.

Speaking of their primary task, the structural unsoundness of the ceiling would make forcing the door open too risky of an option. They would have to try and trigger the door's opening mechanism and hope that it had enough power to still function.

Regis walked up to the door and knelt down to take a closer look at the keypad and whatever script was appearing on the screen. If he could interpret what it said, it could provide useful information- or at least give them a clue as to why the door isn't opening.

"It still has power, looks like it's wired to the wall. Amalie, you think you can bypass it?"