Haeo

Fire Emblem: Ashes of Sacrifice [Fall of the Empire]

Trace Retloth
Garleton Plaza transition to Tavern

Trace listened silently as his excessive honesty produced all the desired results of a collapsing sand castle. Maybe there were other reasons why his solo jobs had been fairly low paying. The thought bore examination, later. For now his instincts were telling him that it would be a bad idea to separate from the kind of force multiplier that a mage represented. After all, he could probably beat up to maybe six enemy soldiers himself... maybe more if he could use the terrain to his advantage. An average mage could probably beat between two and four... or up to twelve with a comparable terrain advantage. Him paired with a mage... and they should be able to best between ten and twenty reliably, depending again on terrain. His instincts had kept him alive enough times that he didn't question them now. Battle was coming and not enough people were prepared for it. But, this mage was a stranger who had no reason to trust his instincts and he had made a fairly worthless first impression. He would have to play by her rules if he wanted to keep their survival odds high. So, he nodded once in answer to her offer and efficiently led the way through the crowd to the tavern where he had eaten previously. He regularly checked to make sure that she was following and that she wasn't being bothered by the crowd but there didn't seem to be any problems of that nature along the way. The tavern was still somewhat rowdy but the inner volume had dropped since his earlier visit. The peak time had passed and there were more seats available. Since he had already eaten, he had little to do other than... perhaps fail to converse properly again. But, he could choose a sensible place to sit. There was a table that was near one corner. It afforded a good view of the front entrance without putting their backs against the wall, and the corner bench near it was unoccupied so it offered some little privacy as well. He led the way and gestured to his new mage acquaintance that she should take the seat that was closest to the corner bench while he himself took the seat that afforded the best view of the door.

_________________________ Status: Resigned, Tense & Well Class: Recruit Inventory: Iron Lance Vulnerary

I, the Demon King, Will Summon My Own Damned Heroes!

@Stabby@Zeroth

You used Magic Analysis I!
---Blue Yill Flower---
The Yill species of flowering plants are adaptable and conducive to magic, so depending on where they grow and what kind of ambient energy is present they often change forms. The Blue Yill has absorbed a great deal of raw mana.
---Hollow Old Kao Tree---
This Kao tree is very old and has been damaged in the past, creating a hollow. It has more magic than other trees in the area, but nothing that stands out too much.
---???---
An altered Mana Orb spell. The magical energy focused within it has begun to change properties. It smells of ozone and seems relatively unstable.

Your MP is Full! You have gained Temporary Extra MP.

System:Femus

The results of his experiments were in. Analysis skills are as useful as he thought, though not at low levels. Also, he was making progress toward what was likely to be a lightning elemental spell of some kind. It would take more work but he was definitely on the right track. Still, it was past time to check on Nira and that wild pixie. So, Femus grabbed two of the Blue Yills and determinedly exited the hollow, prepared to kill if necessary to protect his new acquaintance.

Then he was suddenly enveloped with a deluge of blossoms.

Femus was stunned and bemused enough that he simply stopped where he was. He had prepared himself for a fight, or at least for scaring off a pixie or three, and now he was being showered with flowers. And... several of them managed to land on top of him and stay there in an awkward and impromptu floral crown. He was so surprised that he forgot to grab the falling Blue Yills. Still, this was a better outcome than a fight... wasn't it. If so... then why did he suddenly feel... so very silly looking.

Looking up, he saw Nira and the wild pixie giggling gleefully at their prank. It was adorable to watch. But, cold recollection quickly crushed the light hearted moment for the wisp. Pixies can go from happily playing to trying to kill you in a single breath. If this continued being fun then the pixie would stay but if it became too unfun then it might attack out of frustration. He had to play up the joke just enough and then 'exit stage left' while the going was good. So, since he was being pranked...

Femus had never tried to communicate with flashes like the wild wisps do but that seemed to be the best bet here. So, he flashed and flickered to try and convey surprise while using lesser force to hold the fragile little flower crown on his head like it was stuck there. Then he shook himself and spun around and tried to dart one way and then another as though he was trying to get the flowers to fall, all the while flashing a confused sort of mild distress. Then, as a final move, he darted back into the tree hollow. Just after going out of sight, he dropped the flower crown gently on the bottom of the hollow. If the pixie thought it looked fun to wear and came after it, he wanted it to be easily found and in good condition.

If this didn't work... he might have to kill that pixie after all.

Fire Emblem: Ashes of Sacrifice [Fall of the Empire]

And... teh awkward continues! Can anyone else hear his odds of ever getting a date crashing through the floor?

Fire Emblem: Ashes of Sacrifice [Fall of the Empire]

Trace Retloth
Garleton Plaza

Trace listened without moving for a long moment. What he wanted was some certainty. He had no idea how the war was going. There weren't even any rumors worth listening to. There weren't any refugees either. It was strange. The enemy army seemed to have vanished for all the people knew about it. It made him nervous. Not knowing what to say to the mage next to him also made him nervous. It didn't help his nerves that she was actually pretty, a fact that he had missed when he noticed her from a greater distance. He was reminded that he had never actually had much polite contact with the fairer sex. After all, most of the ones that mercenaries encountered were either on the battlefield or in disreputable lines of work... and those lines of work reminded Trace too much of his mother for him to have any interest at all. Since he didn't know anything about the mage that he hoped to work with, he decided to simply speak his mind and hope for the best. His free hand came up to scratch behind his ear in an unconscious act of nerves as his mouth finally opened. "My name is Trace, Trace Retloth. I just signed up as a mercenary for the Prince's army but I have a bad feeling about things and I've always felt safer with a mage at my back. I know it's too much to ask you to sign up or anything like that... but this feeling... I don't like the fact that nobody seems to know where the enemy army is. There aren't any refugees or even rumors." Now that he was talking about his concerns his grip on his lance tightened unconsciously. "You look like you're traveling alone. Normally, a mage could travel alone without much trouble around here. But, with an invading army in the picture... I think it might be too risky for you to try and travel alone until the war's over." He took a breath to steady himself before he launched into the rest of his socially awkward speech. "I don't know why you're traveling and I don't know whether or not you're actually traveling alone and if I hadn't already signed up for this war I'd just offer my services outright but... I don't take a client's money and then back out. So, I want to help you travel safer without abandoning my current employer and the only way I can think of to do that would be for you to accompany me and stay close when trouble shows up. It's weird to ask... but there it is." And, with that, Trace sealed his mouth shut and waited in tense silence. With his social incompetence and personal concerns practically written on his sleeve, he was certain of little else other than that he might as well sign off on permanent bachelorhood and sporadic unemployment for his future. Still, he had spoken the truth. His nerves were winding tighter as time went on. Silence was the worst thing a fighter could ever hear from any enemy, and the bigger a group the worse the silence was. For an entire army to have produced no current rumors meant one of two things. Either they were coming closer, fast, and not allowing anyone to escape... or they had managed some kind of silent retreat without the empire's scouts reporting it. Trace didn't like the odds of the second option at all.

_________________________ Status: Awkward & Well Class: Recruit Inventory: Iron Lance Vulnerary

Fire Emblem: Ashes of Sacrifice [Fall of the Empire]

I was planning on waiting for Flood to post before posting again. But, I have this feeling that I might not get the chance to escape the awkward moment... or even make it worse, if I don't post in the next day or so.

Any thoughts?

Fire Emblem: Ashes of Sacrifice [Fall of the Empire]

I'd reply and get the awkward conversation going... as much as it's likely to at this point, but I don't want to choke other people out or leave them behind. Besides, there's a vigilant bodyguard in the area who hasn't had a chance to notice Trace's moves yet... and I think it would be out of character if he didn't.

Now... I just need to take the intervening time to figure out how Trace would broach the subject of his new.. 'acquaintance' joining the ranks of mercenaries... or at least accompanying him for awhile. It'll probably sound ridiculous to most people for him to just offer to work with her if she joins up. But, armies travel long distances and encounter large numbers of people. Since she lacks leads at present, it could be better than nothing. Also, traveling alone in a wartorn country is... dangerous.

Fire Emblem: Ashes of Sacrifice [Fall of the Empire]

Trace Retloth
Garleton Plaza

Trace heard nothing of value. The only noise that drew his attention at all was a brief altercation between gamblers. The winner left, unharmed and still cocky, while the loser was restrained by the others at the table. It was an odd scene but not terribly important. The most valuable things he learned during his meal had to do with the lack of quality in the drink, the lack of knowledge among the patrons, the lack of any rumors from the battlefront, and the fact that good music was so out of place here that it managed to cut through the din of the tavern even at some distance. He paid his bill and left the unfortunate inn behind as he followed his ears. It didn't take him long to find the source of the music. The lively tune was unfamiliar and the dancer was exotic as well as lovely. He took a moment to watch before he remembered the feel of the lance haft in his hand and turned his attention to the crowd. They were entranced. Many of them gaped openly at the spectacle. For all the dancer's looks and grace, she couldn't hold Trace's gaze for long. Such forms of beauty just reminded him of his mother. However, there was one figure in the back of the crowd that drew his eye more firmly. Dressed in striking black robes and carrying a book, the young woman stood out from most of the drab and rough crowd. She actually might be about his own age, though he wouldn't ask unless it became important. She seemed... magical. It had been a long time since Trace had practiced magic but he could still recognize those who did often enough. It was a skill that had earned him a bit of coin in the past since mages were often in need of fighting hands to keep their enemies at a tidy distance. Furthermore, they could usually bring down foes that his spear had trouble with. The combination simply worked well. This one didn't seem like she was a mercenary but she also didn't look like she was waiting for anyone. If she was looking to travel alone... she might find more trouble than she could handle. If he hadn't already signed up to join the prince's army as a mercenary he would simply offer his services straight away. But, in this situation, as attractive as the idea of having a mage at his back was... he couldn't think of a way to convince her if she already had other plans. Then again... he saw a shift in the crowd. It was a small shape, lurking in the alley shadows near the young mage. Trace began moving quietly through the crowd. He was careful to not disturb the front row of people watching the show but he also avoided exiting the crowd entirely. He needed the cover to get close enough. It took a couple minutes but he eventually got close enough to get a better look at the situation. It was a thief, a small knife flickered briefly in the light before being pulled under a tattered cloak. From the physique, the thief seemed quite young and thin. Trace took a deep breath as he stepped out of the dense portion of the crowd, acting like a man just looking for fresh air. The thief twitched, moving toward the mage's book and purse while hugging the wall in an attempt to avoid being noticed. Trace's spear twirled with a momentary rush of air before the butt end thumped into the thief's gut. The thief dropped to the ground and dropped the knife before quickly stumbling away into the shadows while gasping for breath. He wasn't the hero type and he didn't like talking much but this was a situation that called for all his charm and social wit. So, Trace mustered his social muscles, nodded blandly as though nothing had happened, kicked the tiny knife away from where the kids in the crowd might find it, and spoke gloriously. "Good day, miss." The words were calm and flat, neither warm nor cold. In fact, they were almost irritatingly without flavor. But, they were accompanied by him taking a place against the same wall, his eyes casually flitting over the crowd. It actually looked like he was her bodyguard and he had just shown up to work.

_________________________ Status: Alive & Well Class: Recruit Inventory: Iron Lance Vulnerary

Fire Emblem: Ashes of Sacrifice [Fall of the Empire]

Trace Retloth
Ashen Chain

Wow, this is nice... but really finicky indeed. Getting the hang of this will take a bit. On another note... How many people are still deciding who to form initial support with? Posted again to better position Trace for interaction. The young mage girl would be Artemisia, in case that wasn't clear enough. However, whether or not she responds is a matter that I leave entirely to @Lugubrious	_________________________ Status: Alive & Well Class: Recruit Inventory: Iron Lance Vulnerary

Fire Emblem: Ashes of Sacrifice [Fall of the Empire]

I know. I'm just tempted. We need heavies... lots of heavies.

Fire Emblem: Ashes of Sacrifice [Fall of the Empire]

...... The weapon balance problem tempts me to create another character who uses axes and wears heavy armor. I don't want Trace to be the only person holding the line... He's not bad for an off-tank but... main tank he isn't.