Fantasy Howl's Flying Castle (Finished! ---Whoo! (*＾▽＾)／)

[Roleplay Skittle]

Lydia only forgave Seifer for being an idiot because he didn't know. In a way she supposed it could be thought of as a compliment, he had thought she was pretty enough that she had been with someone before because she really didn't think that Seifer would look at anything deeper than that. At the same time, she still wanted to get back at him for being so inconsiderate because it could also be considered insulting that he thought she would have already gone off with someone and thereby lumping her in with someone like himself. The thought made her choke slightly but she shook her head and buried her face against James' chest.

"I think that... that's another thing I can thank my grandmother for... she's the one that was always telling me stories about your father after all... if she hadn't told me those stories and bought me the book of magic, I never would have set foot on the path I am on."

While in Dalaran, Lydia had obtained a new set of armor. Robes were nice and all for a caster, but she was a battle mage, she didn't have to rely completely on her spells and so needed something she could maneuver more easily in. This lead to her donning a shirt of white with a modest round collar and what looked like scales along the outsides of her arms and over this she wore a black leather corset (not for slimming purposes of course) that matched her shoulder, arm, and legguards all of which were black, lined with silver and etched with white arcane runes. Outside of her legguards that were worn over flat soled black boots and allowed for only brief glimpses of her usual black and white stockings, her lower half was covered by an asymmetrically cut skirt that was higher on the sides than it was in the front and back both of which hung to her ankles. The whole skirt was decorated the same as the leather parts of her armor, solid black except for the trimming which was silver and the arcane runes that were white. Around her shoulders she wore a black cloak that hung only as far as her skirt because anything longer would be inconvenient and her hair was pulled back in a tidy bun at the back of her head to keep it from getting in the way. Last but not least, around her hips was a black leather belt and from it hung her hammer.

When they reached the point of their journey to the front lines where they would part ways with James, Lydia returned his hug with vigor and closed her eyes as he pressed his forehead against hers, firmly returning his kiss once it was given and seeming hesitant to release him from her grip. She leaned into his hand as he caressed her cheek but didn't seem to want to open her eyes. She was honestly afraid to, afraid that she might start crying and she couldn't have him worrying and thinking about leaving her in tears, not after he had just told her she was strong. Her hands grasped his tightly and she nodded, urging herself to get the courage to look at him and not cry. It wasn't over and they had been through so much already and had made it through, they could finish this.

Her eyes finally fluttered open and were clear, those emeralds gazing upon James affectionately as a sweet though anxious smile slipped over her lips and she held his face in her hands one last time, "reste en sécurité, aime," she spoke gently though seriously and gave him one more tender kiss before she finally released him to rejoin Echo for the rest of their trek to Paroosia.

Zer0 Katsuya

 

[Zer0]

- Shoflo Ocean -​

"Haha, much trouble!" laughed Sen and Seth sarcastically. "Let us tell you, if it wasn't for Rrricket, our feline guide, we wouldn't have even made it to the Sonoran desert, we got swallowed by a dune worm, sis, and from what we heard from Minnie he just sliced and diced that thing dagger in his teeth!" and off the twins went regaling their sister on their adventures. From their constant run-ins with bandits, sneaking into Agraba in a pineapple, banana, music cat and dancer disguises, meeting Madam Goodhart's Travelling Fair, liberating the city from Vassal Ogar, and their exodus to the coastal desert city of Emru.

Seifer stood, leaning at the side, smiling at the family reunion.

"You are a mom?!" said Sen, flabbergasted. "But . . . it's only been, uh, three months I think? That's awesome, so do we have a niece or nephew over at the Storm Wall?!"

That was when Seth was suddenly tackled to the ground, his vision obscured by golden locks. "Gah! Serena!" he yelled happily. "I miss your violin pieces!" he patted her back. "They don't have violins in the desert! Mostly just dru ---" he was suddenly kissed on the cheek. Seth stared at her, touching his face. "So . . . you . . . don't have someone you love?"


Katsuya

- Frontlines -
" Western Coast of Frankia "​

"Tell me what that means when we see each other again!" waved James, giving Lydia a brave smile when they parted.

The frontlines were more war torn than the battle at Numenor. Uncounted dead lay on the plains between the dark army and the alliance, while their barricades, torn and tattered stood gleaming with blood. There had been a recent battle, and it seemed it had been a loss on the good side. They were withdrawing ever closer to the coast as they were pushed back. The men were so disheartened, thinking it the end of the world, but at the sight of the dragons and ladies Deathbane and Doom Hammer at the helm, their spirits soared.

For the next days, the battle drastically tilted to the allies' favor. The two ladies were symbols of hope, and the attention they received was quite different from fans. The soldiers treated them like sisters-in-arms, with respect, the confidence to follow and die for them, and the loyalty devoted knights give to their vassals.

They won back the coast from the enemy on the second day, dragon fire, frost, and lightning bolts raining down upon the dark horde and their terrible monsters. Kenren's slower airships arrived a week later and they began setting up a fort in the nearest strategically important location, which happened to be Hisaya's coastal home. Now the allies can ferry supplies across the ocean to aid the alliance, and on the second week, they won the lands all the way to the city of Bourgeaus, where they are now building their second fort.


Katsuya Roleplay Skittle

OOC | Characters | Moments in Time
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[Katsuya]

"Just one and I missed him dearly." was Serena's quiet response. Once again she hugged him tightly as if she's trying to tell him how much she missed him without saying anything.

Renee looked over at Sen and Minnie with a bright smile. "Yes, you guys have a nephew over at the Storm Wall." She wanted to meet this Ricket fellow and give him thanks for watching over who little brothers and Minnie. It wasn't everyday someone that nice will help out and lucky for the twins, he was nearby.

When the twins mentioned Vassal Ogar, Minnie flinched but she had a small smug smirk on her face by the end of it, which made her raise an eyebrow.

"Congrats on adopting your child. I wish you all the luck with raising him." The little gunner said, smiling warmhearted. Ever since talking with Minuette, Minnie knows about the bed thingy and understood why Sen is so uncomfortable with sharing one. It's sort of funny too because her face, neck, and chest were red by the time she learned everything...

Including the science behind it...making a baby...which got her to hide under a blanket for a day.

Serena piped in, tucking Seth's hair behind his ear. "Yea, he is very cute and fluffy. Very fluffy...Oh Seth, I made friends! You remember Hisaya? I mean..."She looked around to make sure no one was around before whispering in his ear. "Deathknight Wrath? Well his name is Hisaya and he's a friend of mine now. We ranted together and he lets me play depressing music while ranting. It's great! He's a golem now."

"Thank you Minnie." Renee said, trying to hold back her laughter when Serena said that playing depressing music was 'great!'.

As they reached Dalaran's docks and hugging her brothers tightly and leaving kisses on their foreheads, the Pendragon sister got ready to leave for the frontlines. Serena would join on later after making sure Luthien is planted in a proper place. "Stay safe, you two." Renee said calmly, ruffling their hair before hugging Minnie too. Then she left with Seifer to reach where Kenren is at the moment.

******************************

In the meanwhile, Echo held her head high as she strolled on, carrying the heavy materials for building the armies' new fort. It's been two weeks since Lydia and her joined in the frontlines for battle and so far they managed to get the lands up to Lydia's home country, which is great.

So now the fawn is just helping with building as Prince Kenren and Chenglei with the other leaders who joined in are planning their next attack again.

Zer0 Roleplay Skittle

 

[Roleplay Skittle]

The sight of all of the carnage in Frankia broke Lydia's heart. Though that heart was pretty quickly matched by unbridaled fury. Not only had they chased her family from their home and kidnapped Thomas, but they had tainted her home so far that they had almost covered the entire state. Despite the increase in her level of skill when it came to magic, she wasn't as outspoken in taunting the enemy as she had been before once they began pushing the enemy back. She was too angry and concentrating to the point that the majority of her spells no longer required her speaking words in order to cast them. She had gotten much better at visualizing them in her mind likely because she had cast them so many times and had committed their appearances to memory.

She appreciated the treatment of the other soldiers, other because that was what she now was, a soldier. It was interesting to think that she had gone from awkward outcast to being a part of a beacon of hope that let the forces of light know that there was still hope. She didn't shy away on account of the title given her after the battle of Holt but now embraced it, finally understanding that it wasn't a frivolous thing, but something that marked her as a reminder that good can triumph over evil and so she wore the title with pride.

Once they reached Bourgeaus, it was difficult not to run home to check on it, see how much of it had been destroyed or if it had even been touched. She thought that it was likely razed to the ground and that hurt her heart. She didn't think that it would have been left standing after Valdanr's minions had gone searching for her family and found none of them. So instead, she put her skills to use to keep herself distracted.

Lydia could help a little when it came to carrying materials. She wasn't as strong as Echo, but from years of carrying stacks of books on top of all of the training she had done when she wasn't studying during their journey, she could still be helpful. Though her main skill involved mathematics, such as those she used to help create the numerous spell circles they had made since leaving the castle. These mathematics skills were useful when it came to designing optimal barricades and fortresses, though she did point out to Kenren that unlike Moreau, Bourgeaus was a factory city and to help the process, if not all of the buildings were raised, they may want to make their fort in one of those factory centers because then they could just fortify it and it wouldn't take as much time nor as many materials so the soldiers would be better rested for fighting.

Zer0 Katsuya

 

[Zer0]

- Frontlines -
" Bourgeaus "​

Kenren thought Lydia's advice was sound and asked her to show him the city and which factory she had in mind. Most of the city had been razed, with only stones and other structures that don't melt or burn left standing. There were no more trees.

Her father's factory and her mother's family's too were all destroyed, nothing left but twisted and lean

ing beams of metal and spars, broken machinery and mounds of ash. Jagged metal frames reared their splintered stems above the destruction and most of the roads were filled with debris. The prince chose a factory on the tallest hill where it seemed there were underground wells. They had finished clearing the space of rubble heaps and debris, the soldiers covered head to toe in soot. It was now the second month of autumn, and the winds were getting colder.

The prince wondered if the war will reach winter. It will be a hard fight then with the cold and general lack of crops. Much of the army stored food for the winter, though they hoped it wouldn't come to that time. Because of the four hundred dragons, the longest they could stay if nothing happened to their food storages was the second month of winter, before they have to go back or else they will starve.

So far, they've had no news of the missing family members. Kenren's men and James had checked four fortresses and had found nothing. They were thinking that perhaps the prisoners were in Paroosia, but it had seemed nigh impossible to infiltrate that place. The enemy was well aware of their spells. And all the while, the portal the two towers were fueling had grown bigger, enough to fit four galleon ships, and it had been confirmed that the giants on the other side were preparing for war.

When it came to a battle of attrition, the enemy had the advantage for they practiced necromancy, bringing back the dead as shades. Skirmishes with them were very common. Their foes has resorted to guerilla tactics, attacking supply caravans from the coastal fortress to Bougeaus or sneaking into the city through secret ways. It was a large city and the army were only watching the main routes and their fortress. The enemy seemed to be just trying to slow them down, putting all his efforts in making the portals bigger. Through Lydia's calculations and Renee's knowledge of portals, at this rate it may open large enough for a giant to squeeze through during the middle of the month.

It wasn't until the fourth day of the second month of autumn that news came of the prisoners. They had been at Lysander Fortress all this time, though they weren't sure who except for Lykon who apparently tried to escape and wreaked a hole in the fort , and were going to be moved by the end of the week to Paroosia through land. Something Kenren found odd.

Meanwhile, Seth was surprised at Hisaya becoming friends with them and now being a golem. That was some unexpected turn of events. Luthien had been planted and it seemed that this attracted Valdanr's attention. The black dragon had been seen flying far and around Dalaran. This made the country leaders panic and immediately request for the bulk of the dragon army to come back, but Kenren was firm, they were going to press the attack on their foe before winter comes.

The twins joined the others in the front lines, Seifer went with Renee too. Johnny was sad that he had to stay to convince the leaders to follow Kenren's lead and trust him, and with every supply flight to the military bases where Echo was, he wrote her letters.

* * * *​

It was currently night time. Kenren's shinobi and James have returned and they all had lost a lot of weight. Four of their squad had perished in their mission, so there were now only four left, two of which had stayed over at Lysander Fortress, one inside, the second outside.

Katsuya Roleplay Skittle

 

[Katsuya]

When Echo heard of what happened to Fortress Lysander, her first thought was her father as he was the only one out of everyone who's missing that's strong enough to make a hole in a stone wall easily. She laughed, in both amusement and in dismay at the thought of her father resisting against the enemy like that. She knows her father is very stubborn and isn't really much of a thinker as James or Johnny, but he's just as determined as Renee; perhaps more so.

She just hopes her father isn't dead by the time they get to save him and the other missing people from the dragon.

Echo couldn't really fight against sneaky enemies but she can keep an eye on Renee when she shoots her sunburst arrows during the daylight, keeping the sun alive and brighter than ever; it burns the shades who dare try to steal their supplies. Including the letters Johnny wrote to her. She wrote back, asking Kernen whenever he sends something to Dalaran if she could send her letters to Johnny as well. At the bottom right corner of each letter she sent, is a red kiss mark left from her lipstick she wore just for that.

The fawn has kept herself busy when she wasn't deployed to fight. She started a vegetable and fruit garden in the fort with Kenren's permission. With her singing and Serena's violin playing, the garden was in full bloom despite the cold; it could be because she was using the seeds she collected from the other side of the Storm Wall along with plants that normally grow in colder climates from this side. Some of the soldiers helped with planting the seeds and watering them while she was out, ever grateful for their contribution.

With Renee's help on keeping an eye on the plants, they were able to keep them alive longer and making long lasting dishes for the soldiers to eat. Even after having the enemies coming in to steal their supplies, the garden was able to feed the soldiers and dragons thanks to Renee's cooking knowledge on drying, fermenting, smoking, and other techniques to saving food supplies without harming it. Though it surprised the both of them when the idea to save the vegetables and fruits was by Chenglei when he was showing them how to pickle plums and peaches.

"It's part of creating a healthy dish and saving a few bucks!" Renee chirped, wings fluttering happily as Chenglei nodded in agreement. He was glad that he could help with not wasting food.

The Pendragon sister was worried about the portal, being big as it was. She wanted to avoid having the giants coming out. From what Echo has told her before, with the pale figure that came out of the sealed gates, the giants could be a bunch of creepy looking beings that can kill just by screaming. They just need to destroy one tower. Just one and the portal will shrink enough for the giants to not come through.

Minnie thought it would be best to snip whatever is the source or at least create a distraction while a small group sneak in and destroy the tower's power source. Of course, it's just an idea, written in a letter to Kenren as she decided to stay with Johnny as back-up...scary enough. Was it ironic that she drew a small heart with a bullet piercing through at the end of the letter with her signature? Echo found it cute and showed it to the twins, thinking they might miss her company after so many weeks traveling together.

***********************************
​

It was currently night time and when Renee heard that James returned, her first thought was to make food for the spies. She didn't know if they were starving or if they were okay; but she warmed up the ramen dish she made up.

She was horrified when she saw their physical state and told them to sit and eat the dish while they talked with Kenren about their news.

The ramen looks like it has a light broth because of how clear it is but as soon the spies and James tasted it, they will taste how rich the broth is, filled with sweet umami. The noodles were fulfilling, the vegetables balanced out their very sensitive stomachs and with a very surprising urge to eat more without the fear of getting sick, they felt like they were back home again; eating their mother's home cooking.

If they ever asked her what she used, Renee smiled and said: "I'm sure it's familiar to you guys, but I used kozuyu as a base, mixed with paitan soup, a bit of soy sauce mix and dried shiitake mushrooms, burdock root, and green beans. I even used them for the toppings with carrots and chopped pieces of chicken." She read somewhere that Oriental warriors long time ago eat ramen during war as it reminds them of home and using scallops in the broth is actually a celebratory type of dish; like how cake is to celebrate birthdays. She thought maybe with this dish the soldiers and dragons will stay positive and energetic for the week.

Actually every dish she made for the army, Renee made sure it's based on something while staying healthy and fill them up with energy to fight.

Zer0 Roleplay Skittle

 

[Roleplay Skittle]

When Kenren asked which factory they might want to use, she decided that the steel mill would probably be best. With whatever beams had survived the destruction, they would already have all of their materials there for fortification. Actually building the fortress on the hill where the steel mill was located would be much easier and was primarily about scavenging. If they decided that they wanted to use bricks as well as steel, Lydia was there to fire the kiln so that they could be made. Though it was likely that a lot of the materials they would need had already been carried off by Valdanr on his numerous trips of finding materials for fortifications on his own side and of course that thought infuriated Lydia, but she put that anger to work and helped scavenge with the other soldiers, using her fire to help reshape twisted beams and focusing to cut them if necessary.

There were millions of thoughts going through her head, many of them concerning her family's safety, particularly Thomas'. Occasionally she considered what they would do after this was all over, all of their worldly possessions had been in Bourgeaus, all of their livelihood so what would they do to continue afterwards? She hadn't seen their country home, but considering the state of the city, she didn't think that the devastation hadn't touched it since the blight would have passed there before it had even reached the city. She considered that they would rely on her for assistance, but also knew that her brothers and her father were all experienced businessmen and with connections in other states and across the ocean, they would probably fair well without her help even though building from scratch would be difficult and take some time.

After discussing with Echo and Renee for some time, Lydia began drawing up plans for a green house to help them with their gardens. Of course it would be something that would need extra guards because of the enemy troops that were constantly trying to undo their progress, but Lydia had Draco's seal and had faced this type of enemy before so she began designing runes circles of warding for use anywhere that seemed important. Of course the runes weren't just to keep the enemy at bay. She planned to place them and position their energy points in such a way that they would basically act as traps if any shades crossed them. She was essentially developing these rune circles to be exorcism points on any of Valdanr's minions that he sent to further delay what they had accomplished at creating a strong foothold.

She spent very little time doing anything other than helping to fortify their factory made fortress, scavenging materials, helping to fend of any intruders or doing any other fighting that was necessary, as well as figuring out an ideal place to put a a green house on account of the sewer system of Bourgeaus which she had figured out had likely been one of the ways Valdanr's troops were finding ways to sabotage them and so had begun sealing off manholes with the help of the soldiers as well as marking plans to mark those same manholes with the spell circle she was working on as soon as she could. She didn't even take a pause to eat, requesting of Renee simple sandwiches with meat and maybe some vegetables and water so that she could keep working while she ate and only resting when she was actually just taking time to sleep because her mind was too tired to work anymore or her body just didn't want to keep going.

Because of all of her activities, her time was stretched thin, but that wasn't necessarily a bad thing because as it was, she didn't have much time to stop and worry over things she couldn't at the moment control. Worry over things such as how James was faring. Evidently her worry was not unfounded. Upon Kenren's shinobi and James rejoining the troops in the Bourgeaus fortress, Lydia was hard at work on one of the many plans she had been working on, she had considered mapping out the city to help with fortifications, but because Kenren was determined to press the attack before winter was full upon them, she had abandoned that decision and instead began working on molds for arrowheads and other projectiles that would be able to bear the exorcism rune she had been working on. They were going to face enemies that had been brought back from corpses and the best way to keep those corpses down was to impale them with something that would ensure that no soul could reenter those bodies.

Of course any progress she had made was halted upon seeing James' condition and that was when she became frantic at his state as well as the state of those that had been at his side during their dangerous mission. She cried tears of relief, but mostly worry and just tried to regain her composure as she did her best to help Renee tend to them all, helping Renee hand out the bowls of ramen and fetching whatever they all needed, especially James and while she was terribly grateful that he had not been one of those to perish, she was still very eager to know what had transpired.

Zer0 Katsuya

 

[Zer0]

- Frontlines -
" Bourgeaus "​

Because of the ladies' initiative, Kenren assigned a company of sixty soldiers under Renee and Echo, then another sixty under Lydia. More had volunteered to serve, but he did not assign more unless they needed the extra man-power. Echo was placed in charge of rations and managing their food supply, promoting her to the rank of captain, while Renee was promoted to sergeant. The company was composed of three squads, one under Renee, the rest under two staff sergeants. They were all volunteers willing to help with taking care of the garden, pickling the fruits, guarding the storages, and cooking. There were two dragons under them, while the rest were soldiers from the Storm Wall, Orients, Dalaran, Kingsbury and other allied countries.

Lydia was promoted to captain as well, with three staff sergeants under her. They worked under her leadership, mapping the city, exploring the sewers, clearing debris, and guarding her while she put the sealing charms in place. They fought in her orders too and were all volunteers just like rest. There was a group of witches and warlocks that showed interest in her sealing spell, asking her if she could teach them how to do it too.

James and the rest wolfed down Renee's ramen hungrily, asking for fourth helpings. They had done a lot of hiking, walking, and climbing, subsiding on only those sweet and salty rice crackers with strips of dried fish in them once a day, and water. Clean water was hard to come by behind enemy lines, and because of the fires, there wasn't a lot of prey to hunt except for carrion fowl such as crows, or rats. Many a times they had to scavenge from the enemy as they had packed light for their mission.

The shinobi was very happy with the scallops. To the both of them, the ramen was the best meal they've ever had. James smelled like smoke, sweat, and was very dirty, but he asked Lydia if he could put a cloth on her hand and hold it as he told them everything.

"We had a map of Frankia, and we searched the likely areas by quadrants a day, sometimes we changed whenever we heard a rumor, and left an area to check out a place immediately. That's how we heard about your father, Echo." said James as he, now having sated most of his hunger, ate some pickled peaches. "There was word about needing supplies because of an explosion, about prisoners trying to escape in Lysander Fortress. So we went there, and we learned it was your father who had tried to escape. We weren't able to see him, but that was what the soldiers were talking about, so we knew he was there with at least someone else. We stayed there awhile, and learned that a heavily armored supply caravan was going to Paroosia through land, and we checked out the caravans and saw one made of mythril and heavily enchanted against someone very strong. And so we concluded, that Lykon was going to be moved too. We came back for reinforcements, we'll be going back again immediately tonight."

"But that's odd." said Kenren." Why land? Air is faster and easier."

The shinobi shook his head. "We don't know why, your highness, but that seems to be the evidence."

"It sounds like a trap. You did not see Lykon, you just heard a rumor that it was him. Do you know the route of the supply caravan?"

"Yes, main roads. They're always on the main roads, heavily guarded. The supply caravan carried weapons that needed repair too, water, and food. Maybe they're disguising moving the prisoners. That's why land."

"Flying would still be easier." said Kenren. "I cannot condone giving reinforcements unless you have more information."

Katsuya Roleplay Skittle

 

[Roleplay Skittle]

When Kenren promoted her to captain, it could have been one of those moments that she would have felt honored by. She also may have thought it a bit absurd, a seventeen-year-old girl commander over sixty troops, but she didn't have time for that. She quickly allotted each of those that would be serving under her with their designated responsibilities that would optimize their efficiency so the work could get done quicker. This being the case, she was very glad for the group of witches and warlocks that were interested in the exorcism seal because if they could learn it, she could have them helping to place them. She divided her troops into three groups and they would head out in different directions each day until a full one mile radius around the fortress was marked with seals and welded shut manholes to secure their perimeter and make it at least more difficult for the enemy to infiltrate and cause more havoc.

Once she was satisfied with the work they had done securing their territory against unwanted infiltrators, she set to work on making use of the debris the soldiers under her had cleared, using it to make walls around their perimeter. She was looking at everything as having some sort of use and while it was hard work and took some time, their fort was slowly but surely becoming impenetrable. Every day she thanked everyone under her command for their hard work and she was certain to make sure that they got enough rest so they could work just as hard the next day.

When James asked Lydia if he could put a cloth on her hand to hold it, she looked at him like he was completely absurd and grabbed hold of his dirty, sweat covered and smoke scented hand with her own now more calloused and well worked hand and held it tightly, letting him know that she had been exploring the sewers as of late and so his filthiness was nothing to bat an eye at. Even still, if she hadn't been traveling through the sewers to close off unwanted access (which she had the soldiers do by piling in rubble to create makeshift walls whenever they had the opportunity and thereby sealing off some of the tunnels) points, place exorcism seals, and seal off manholes, she still would have held his hand because she was grateful that he was alright and then somewhat shyly she whispered to him that what she had said before they last parted wasn't anything spectacular, she had just said, "stay safe, love."

Lydia listened very carefully as James debriefed them all, her brow furrowing as she glanced at the ground for some time, still listening but allowing her thoughts to rove over the information before she eventually looked up and nodded, "I agree with Kenren. Something that is heavily enchanted to work against someone strong could be used against anyone with such a gift," her gaze turned to Echo and remained steady there as she spoke directly to the Fawn, "if you were to believe that your father was being transported and that there was a chance that you could rescue him, wouldn't you want to be there to save him?"

She then looked back to the others and once more nodded to Kenren's words, "did you notice anything else about the caravans?"

Zer0 Katsuya

 

[Katsuya]

"Here you go!" Renee chimed as she passed the fourth bowls of ramen to the hungry men, smiling warm despite the news she's hearing. She didn't wake the men under her command wake up as they had a long day and needed rest. Then again, it could also be Renee not used to having soldiers who are willing to work for her and felt weird by it. Echo came with her best friend when she spotted her at the kitchen again and heating up the ramen she made, only to hear what James has to say about her father.

The fawn stayed silent for a moment as she thought about it. Then she nodded at Lydia's question. "Well it does explain why they are using the main roads but why make it heavily guarded? I understand that mythril and enchanted items are important and what not, but to have heavily armed guards?"

Renee looked at Echo with her brows furrowed. "Maybe it's because they are expecting something or someone who's very strong...not just your dad." The fawn frowned in dismay as she realized what Renee was hinting at, ears folding back.

"You know...I wouldn't be surprised if they were transporting Johnny's sisters too, since they can change forms..." Echo muttered, looking down at the ground before jumping from Renee patting her shoulder.

"It's okay to worry." The fawn nodded before listening in to what James and the men might have to say at Lydia's question. It seems not even the Pendragon sister is willing to jump in just yet. Not until there's some sort of real evidence...

Zer0 Roleplay Skittle

 

[Zer0]

- James Pendragon -
" Mill Fort, Bourgeaus "​

James thanked his sister for the fourth helping. He felt so warm inside, peacefully savoring the broth and tangy meat while holding Lydia's hand. He had smiled at her when she looked at him absurdly and then held his hand firmly.

" Your language made it sound like a line from those grand love stories, and romantically goose-pimply." whispered James, smiling. "I swooned inside. I think I'll be happy listening to you talk to me like that, Lydia, even though I don't know what you're saying." He asked how her nice clothes fared when she went into the sewers and if they needed any mending.

It was the shinobi who answered Lydia's question. "There are mechanisms in two caravans, each holding two anti-air artillery. They had enough ammunition to go against one dragon, but the artillery seem brittle enough to be destroyed by one swoop of dragon fire or one crushing claw, Lady Deathbane. The caravans aren't well armored except for that one made of mythril and it had a large metal ring on the top, like the ring around the top of a bird cage. There is a mechanism on that strong caravan too, as though it opens like a mouth. At the head where the engine is, there is a piston --- I think that is what you call it, and a barrel with heavy chains that seem to be connected to the main holding of the caravan."

When Kenren said he could not condone more reinforcements, James said that they didn't have time. Sneaking back to Lysander was going to take five days if all goes well, longer if not and they still had to prepare an ambush to rescue Echo's father.

Katsuya Roleplay Skittle

 

[Roleplay Skittle]

Lydia smiled and her cheeks reddened slightly before she spoke softly, "ensuite, je parlerai de cette façon autant que vous le souhaitez," she nudged him slightly, using her handkerchief to gently wipe his cheek before she gave him a kiss. She then informed him that she hadn't worn her new armor into the sewers and had actually asked Kenren for an Oriental uniform to wear because she thought it was better that she not stand out when they were roving in small groups like they had been. Though there was no denying that from the battle when they were pressing the enemy back from the coast and out of Bourgeaus her pretty armor had sustained some damage and she demonstrated that fact by showing him some holes in her cloak and skirt as well as other minor scuffs and stains.

As the shinobi answered her question, her brow furrowed and she leaned forward slightly as her elbow rested on her knee, her hand holding her chin and her index finger curling across her lips. She was obviously very seriously considering what had just been told to them and she felt like the answer was right within reach but for whatever reason was eluding her. She released James' hand as she thought and soon was up pacing back and forth. She was evidently becoming frustrated, the way one does when the answer is right on the tip of their tongue but they couldn't quite grasp it. She wished she had gone with them instead of pushing back the enemy, they could have just destroyed the devices in question and been done with it and she wouldn't be getting so agitated at trying to reach an answer that was currently escaping her. Just what was Valdanr planning?

Zer0 Katsuya

 

[Katsuya]

Renee smiled at James, happy that he's eating.

Then she listened in to the shinobi and pondered. "...so Valdanr is taking a huge gun on land with a Mythril cage that has a ring on it?" Renee repeated, hearing Echo tapping her hooves anxiously. Her orange eyes looked over at the prince, wondering if she should even suggest the idea but did it anyways.

"I may not know what the fat lizard is thinking, but ...if there's another reason why Lykon tried to escape...perhaps he heard something and we might need that information." Renee guessed, looking hesitant. "Maybe we can send a small number of troops since you guys want to rescue Lykon, right? Serena is pretty good at sneaking around, so is Seth and Sen...hm...though to open that cage, they might need Echo for that too since she's strong...but I don't know...Can mythril melt from lava and fire?"

It was an idea, one that she's hesitating about because lives were a stake and she didn't want to lose men like that. Just like how she didn't want to lose Echo's father like that too...

"What do you think, Lydia?" Renee asked. "Should we try or not try?"

Renee wants to trust on the information that her brother and the shinobi have heard about Lykon...

Zer0 Roleplay Skittle

 

[Zer0]

- James Pendragon -
" Mill Fort, Bourgeaus "​

James obviously did not know what Lydia said, but he smiled. It's these simple things that smooth away his worries. "Frankish. Romantic." he nodded, squeezing her hand after she kissed him." He has got to bathe and brush his teeth soon so that he can hug and kiss her too. He touched the holes, scuffs, and stains on her cloak and skirt, whispering, "Mendidy" and "Clettidy", while the others talked. Then the threads began to knit themselves shut as soap bubbles appeared on the stains then disappeared, leaving them clean.

He watched her pace, then listened as Renee gave her suggestion, finishing the last of his ramen with a satisfied smack of the lips. The Shinobi was still asking for sixth helpings.

Sen and Seth, who joined the meeting late since they were doing construction work on a draw bridge, heard their sister's question. " Mythril by itself is only as hard as warship steel and can be melted, not quickly with fireballs, but if it was concentrated heat, like in welding tools or a diamond drill, I think it can be done in minutes." said Sen. "We can't be sure though unless we take a look at it. But if it's made like Valdanr's armor --- like the black steel around his jaw --- then it would be tougher than dragon scales and will have powerful magic resistance. They probably think your dad can do earth magic too, Echo."

"I'd suggest flying away with it." said Seth. "It's much easier. Or, drill a hole, have Renee shrink Lykon and then have him just squeeze out."

"No matter what I say, you are going, aren't you?" Kenren looked at them all patiently.

Katsuya Roleplay Skittle

 

[Katsuya]

Renee walked over to the pot to refill their bowls and pass them to soldiers whom she told to please eat slowly. "Wow, you guys are really hungry..." It obviously made her happy that they were eating this much but at the same time, really worried. "...but please eat slower. The dish is light but it doesn't mean it won't feel uncomfortable once you finish drinking that much broth."

Then she listened to her little brothers as Echo frowned a bit. "...My dad can't do earth magic. The only ones who could in my family is my...mother...and me. He's just freakishly strong."

"...Says the one who can lift a warship..." Renee muttered then she sheepishly grinned at the patient prince, shrugging her shoulders in good humor. She wants to know what Lydia has to say first.

Zer0 Roleplay Skittle

 

[Roleplay Skittle]

Lydia was glad she could ease James' tension somewhat by just speaking her native language. She didn't tell him what she said because it wasn't very important, but if he asked she'd tell him. She got the feeling that he liked just hearing the words and didn't necessarily ever want to know the language himself, but if he ever asked her to, she'd teach him. She thanked him for fixing up her clothing and gave him another kiss on the cheek.

Her pacing stopped as Sen and Seth approached and her arm lowered so that both were just crossed over her stomach as she listened to their information before looking at Renee as she addressed her. She didn't say anything right then, her gaze shifting to Kenren, "I don't think we should try and destroy the caravans... I think we should steal them."

She took her seat next to James once again, "Trying to break into the reinforced mythril cage would take too much time when we will have numerous enemies to look out for. If we try to just destroy it, we might also hurt whomever is inside. I think that if we can blitz attack them and during the chaos, some of us steal the cage and the gun, we might have more success and waste less time."

"If we have the gun, then maybe we can better figure out what Valdanr was wanting to use it for, if the cage is empty we can destroy it and if not we have whomever is inside, whether they are friend or foe. I also think that we shouldn't only attack on the main road, we need troops to flank the sides and make sure that we aren't going to get surrounded."

She glanced to Seth and Sen, "flying it out is a good idea, but anything big enough to do that would be seen from a mile away, " her gaze then turned to Renee, a slight smile on her face, "but you can remedy that, can't you?"

Zer0 Katsuya

 

[Katsuya]

Renee smiled back at Lydia, nodding her head. "Yea. I could go over there or shrink one of the dragons and wait until the attack happens. While the enemy is distracted, the dragon or I can change and carry the cargo away."

She looked at Kenren. "Besides, it would be nice to have more metals and supplies too."

Zer0 Roleplay Skittle

 

[Zer0]

- James Pendragon -
" Mill Fort, Bourgeaus "​

"Not troop, squad of twelve." said the Shinobi to Lydia, nodding at her fly-by plan. "We are going behind enemy lines. Any more and we will be found. We must still open the caravan after we steal it and hide it somewhere, we cannot fly all the way here, crossing the enemy lines, or we will be destroyed or lose Lady Doom Hammer's father."

Enemy lines is the border of the enemy's territory. It is the enemy's frontlines and it is heavily defended and fighting here is heavy. It has mounted artillery that are used to bombard approaching foes, and between this line and the alliance is a no man's land, riddled with craters from explosions, bodies that haven't been recovered, and there were no shrubbery here.

"Unless there is a way to sneak in a lot of troops inside in five days? Armies move slower than smaller squads."

Katsuya Roleplay Skittle

 

[Katsuya]

Renee thought for a moment.

"...What if...I shrink myself and the rest of the squad so I can carry them while flying to sneak past the enemies' front lines?" She looked at James and Lydia.

"It's like when Sasha carried us to Holt or to Awashima...but I'll be flying there instead? With a dragon with us to carry the materials just in case I can't carry it alone?" She suggested, wondering if it'll work or not.

Zer0 Roleplay Skittle

 

[Zer0]

- James Pendragon -
" Mill Fort, Bourgeaus "​

"Your shrinking spell is through touch, right, Renee?" asked James. "How many soldiers are you planning to bring?"

The shinobi thought it over. "We can do that." he nodded at Renee. "Are you good at sneaking past the aerial patrols? They know what you all can do and even mice and owls are shot on sight there, bees are even set aflame through fire wards."


Katsuya Roleplay Skittle

 

[Katsuya]

"No, not necessary. My Aqua curare is by touch but not my shrinking spell." She remembered using it on Sirius when he was 'playing' with her the first time after he hatched. Renee grimaced, her wings folding tightly as she shook her head at the shinobi.

"I'm not good at sneaking into places. I got lucky the last few times...I know Serena and the twins are good at that though...maybe after one of them sneak us past enemy lines, I can shrink everyone?" Then she shook her head. "Actually, no. I don't want to risk that. Even if I do believe in their abilities, I honestly don't know...if it's a good idea."

Zer0 Roleplay Skittle

 

[Roleplay Skittle]

Lydia's eyes sparkled slightly at Renee's response, the Pendragon sister had read her mind. She nodded her agreement to Kenren concerning what Renee then stated, but her optimistic outlook faltered somewhat when the shinobi pointed out they would only have twelve people. Whether or not that was twelve including their little group of friends was unclear to her so the idea of how few people they would have to actually ensure their success was disheartening. However, her concern at the lack of people they would have was only momentary since the concept of shrinking individuals was already introduced and it seems Renee had thought the same as she suggested shrinking the squad and flying them in.

They would need to use every resource they had and once again Lydia developed her usual thoughtful expression, she glanced at Renee a moment, "well... James and the shinobi managed to sneak in... and while some of them didn't make it..." she glanced over to those she was speaking about, "there is still a chance."

She had leaned forward slightly as she thought, but now she sat up straight and looked at everyone, "if we all shrink down and only one of us has to get through, they might be less likely to get caught," she looked back at the shinobi, "it's like you said, the more people there are going in, the more likely they are to get caught. If we can get in and get ahead of the caravan, I can even lay some exorcism circles to help run down their numbers. I can blind them, Renee can shrink them, and if a dragon comes with us, they can sneak in amidst the chaos, grow and grab what we're going for and all of us can grab on and escape. Since Echo can grow things, we can just find a cave or something and she can camouflage it while we do what we need to do."

By the end of her suggestion, she wasn't entirely sure if any of it sounded reasonable and was slightly out of breath as she looked around at the others for verification of her reasoning, her green eyes slightly wide, hopeful but mildly confused.

Zer0 Katsuya

 

[Zer0]

- Mill Fort -
" Bourgeaus "​

"That can work." said Sen to Lydia.

"Alright," said Kenren. "I will condone reinforcements, but, you must verify if it truly is Lykon or one of your family members in there before you engage. This could be a trap. It just doesn't make sense why they are transporting on land. So, which of you will be going?"

Sen and Seth looked at each other. "Us!" they grinned at Echo.

"I'm going of course." said James.

Katsuya Roleplay Skittle

 

[Katsuya]

Echo covered her mouth as she looked at the twins and James, gratefulness shown in her misty eyes as Renee volunteered as well.

"I'm going too."

"...Me too." Echo muttered, ears folding back a bit. Then she bowed her head at the Prince in thanks for letting them do this. "Alright! I'm gonna tell Seifer if he can watch over the gardens while I'm gone, help whenever he can." With that, Renee left to look for her boyfriend who's probably going to be worried again but she will reassure him about the mission. Hopefully it'll be a successful one.

Zer0 Roleplay Skittle

 

[Zer0]

- Fort Lysander -
" Behind Enemy Lines "
​

That night, crossing no-man's land and the enemy front lines felt like the time they had to crawl through the desolate barrens, except that there were missile bombardments in the background, thunderous explosions, clashing of steel, and rending of shields against claws as once again there was another skirmish that night.

Fighting was hot, very hot. While the group were building their fort in Bourgeaus. Kenren and the leaders had sent officers ahead with their companies to capture strategic positions and build outposts. These were the front lines of the alliance. And the land between that and the enemy's was a bleak smoky landscape where Kingsbury steam tanks lay smoldering from enemy artillery fire.

"Have you got the ammunition?!" yelled a Kingsbury soldier through the noise behind the barricade.

"No, we're not here for that. We're crossing again. Supplies will be coming tomorrow, shades had got in Bourgeaus days ago and destroyed our stockpile." said the Shinobi.

The soldier cursed. "We've just been having our tanks stand intimidatingly on this hill all day! Sooner or later those demons will figure out it's just a bluff if they got the guts enough to cross over here. "

They had no time to talk, so the shinobi just nodded and the group continued, changing into camouflage gear. They had to crawl through barb wire fences enchanted with fire spells to keep little spies off, then go along the battlefield for four hours on their bellies.

James had taken a bath in one of the make-shift little cubicles where there were barrels of water --- the plumbing wasn't working much at the fort yet. They were still getting dirty water --- and brushed his teeth, hugging his sister immediately when he was done and thanking her for the food. He just wanted to spend some time talking to Lydia, the twins, Echo, Serena, and asking how Johnny was doing. He had apparently missed them and whatever happened out there seemed to have given him a bigger sense of treasuring them.

They had to prepare for the mission, and James followed Lydia, hugging her, trailing behind her as though they were glued as they went on their preparations. He started talking after he just hugged her in contented silence. Apparently he had been bottling up his feelings when they lost those four men during the mission. He sounded like he had war trauma and just talked and talked until he was done.

He had really missed her. He had been so used to having her around, that he didn't realize that when she wasn't there and the stress came, he had been trying to look for comfort, but couldn't find enough of it. He had brought pictures of her and everyone to keep his spirits up, but this hugging her was just a whole other level, and he didn't let her go until he had to, asking her to touch his hair, neck, and back again like that time they were at the other side of the Storm Wall.

He hadn't noticed when he started needing her this much. And actually fell asleep in her arms.

Now, he had become ash covered once again, smelling like smoke and gun powder. James didn't clean himself out here. The smell helped him blend with the environment and sneak past guards with sniffing monsters.

Meanwhile, the twins weren't batting an eye at this. It seemed like something they had gotten used to and were very calm, having normal whispered conversations and joking around as though they were walking through a park.

The sky patrols were tighter than the patrols on the ground. If they weren't there, they probably would have arrived at Fort Lysander on the same day, but they were, and though they had encountered a few complications such as a mine field that wasn't there before, they made it to the vicinity of Fort Lyander. A bleak place where there were pits that looked like they had been mined so deep that lava smoked from the bottom. The enemy seemed to be using the steam and heat to power the fort.

Katsuya Roleplay Skittle​