Fire Emblem: Soul of Heaven [IC/PG-16]

[King K. Azo]

"Well, look like you win two out of three." Leon commented, causing Raynor to be honestly a bit dumbfounded. He knew his lance gave him an advantage over a sword user, but that was just a little too easy. Then again, it seemed that he was their first lance user, and bandits loved axes and swords... so it made sense they had little idea how to beat his stick. He spun said stick and planted it into the ground, reaching down to help up Leon. 

"Guess so. You didn't do too bad though," It could have been a lot worse.
 

---

 
Gojira's had just finished the meat Raynor had given him when he smelled something in the air. Sitting up, he looked over, seeing... the nice lady from before! He was happy to see her, but noticed the other two that came with her. One was a lady that smelled like his new roommate, so he had to assume that was the partner of Cormag. Keeping a mental note to stay away from her, he looked at the final... lady...? He wasn't too sure, but they had the smell... the delicious smell... Seeing Cormag run over, he did the same as well, the two reptiles ripping into the bag the person carried.
 
Then another smell caught his attention. Looking over, he saw the nice lady offering him some meat! He walked over, lured away by her tasty smelling meat. "That's a good boy... Cormag can have whatever Layne has stashed in there, you can enjoy this!" The lady said, to which Gojira nodded in response. He wasn't sure of what a "Cormag" or a "Layne" was, but he did know the nice lady was saying he could have the food. He began to chew away at it, curling up at Ada's feet. 
 
As he ate, he heard the word "wyvern" said a lot... and as much as he knew, those were the winged lizards... like his roommate. They were talking about him, weren't they? He shook his head and ate some more, before letting out a content noise, letting Ada know he was happy... and maybe get the attention to the other person, so they can see how great he was.

He wouldn't even think about trying to steal the partner's attention. He would hate it if his roommate tried to take Raynor from him, after all.

[LordCowCowCowCowCowCowCowCow]

Rona went through several emotional states as Layne talked. Relief that he didn't notice anything strange and that he was talking about something she understood. Panic as she tried to keep the relief from showing. Discomfort as the conversation continued. And a weird feeling that she couldn't quite place. She was almost...glad that they were talking?

 

In either case, she didn't have to put too much of an act on to seem interested at the very least. "Ah, I wouldn't say that, it was quite easy to train Cormag. I suppose there are many who fail but...hm." Odd, why was that? "Well, perhaps one day you'll get a mount of your own and you can see for yourself! There's plenty of space around here after all, and I'm sure Cormag would like more friends."

 

She looked at the Wyvern. Who was giving her an incredulous look. Or at least as much of one as he could with his limited reptilian expressions. "Perhaps once we expand the stables." Rona added with a chuckle. Still, this conversation was reaching the end of what she was comfortable with. But she couldn't exactly leave without a reason. The Wyvern Rider kept her smile plastered on her face all the while her mind went through several scenarios of how she could get out of here.

 

Cormag, as though sensing her emotions, nudged her insistently, until she suddenly spoke up. "Ah, I think Cormag wishes to stretch his wings a bit more, I should take my leave."

[Blake]

Ada had left Layne and Rona to their devices as she had pet and gently tussled with Gojira, a huge grin on her face the whole time. As she was in the middle of telling the lizard how good a boy it was, something caught her ear.

 

"Ah, I wouldn't say that, it was quite easy to train Cormag. I suppose there are many who fail but...hm. Well, perhaps one day you'll get a mount of your own and you can see for yourself! There's plenty of space around here after all, and I'm sure Cormag would like more friends."

 

Letting Rona finish her thoughts, the shamaness headed over to the wyvern rider, throwing an arm over the taller girl's shoulder to bring her down to her level, cheek to cheek. Ada smiled ear to ear as she spoke, oblivious to just how close her body was pressed to Rona.

 

"Yeah, it's not that bad! Back on my parents' farm, we found all sorts of animals, and I spent time with my brother and sister trying to tame them. Not all of those wild creatures took to us, but we managed to tame a young salamander we found... not to mention a wyvern egg that hatched shortly before I left home. Critters are great, I'm sure Rona can tell you the same!"

 

Glancing over her and Rona's shoulders, Reina stared back at the trio, prompting an uneasy laugh from Ada, "Though I don't know much about delicate ones, like kinshi..."

[Alaina]

The next few days had been peaceful for the Iron Falcons, allowing them to go about whatever hobbies or business they wished to attend to. It didn't take long, however, for a new request to be brought to them. A man from the nearby village on the coast, Lenemo, had approached the Falcons' base asking for assistance. The job details were simple. Off the coast of Lenemo was a small islet that was generally uninhabited and bare. The only reason most people cared about the islet was because every so often small gemstones and the like washed up on the shores of it, which often attracted some more adventurous folk to stay in their lands. This, combined with their general fishing businesses were what mostly sustained their village. This is currently in disruption as monsters have made a home on this islet. This has, in turn, caused more monsters to roam the seas and endanger the fishermen. 

 

Their job was simple. To go to the small islet and vanquish whatever monsters were currently residing there. 

 

Chapter 3: The Phantom Seas

 

Taking up the job, the Iron Falcons moved swiftly to the village of Lenemo, to which they were greeted to the sight of a small village with modest wooden buildings. There were a few shops around, some for food - that mostly sported different kind of marine life - some for adventuring gear and standard armaments, and a few taverns and inns here and there. Further down, by the edge of the water one could find the docks and, more importantly, the boats. It seemed that most of the vessels here, bar one, were more on the small side. They were not vessels meant for combat, merely hauling fish around instead, nor were many people willing to subject their vessel to that kind of danger. There was only one boat that seemed like it was meant for more than just small fishing jobs, and had definitely seen some action based on the wear and tear of it, but the person in charge of it was not anywhere seen on the docks, and most people seemed either reluctant to speak about the owner of it or merely saying it was more trouble than it was worth. Regardless, it seemed just asking the people around the docks wasn't yielding much of anything for the Falcons to make use of, and so they had to look elsewhere around town to find their method of transportation. 

 

[spoiler=OOC]

So yes, we're finally in chapter 3 and you guys are technically presented with more free time. Feel free to continue interacting with each other here and explore the town as you see fit. Leon will be with whoever says he's with them first, and has basically directed everyone to go explore the town to see if they can find out where they can get something or someone who will be willing to take them across the sea. 

 

 

[LordCowCowCowCowCowCowCowCow]

Rona felt uncomfortable as she walked into the village. She had left Cormag near the outskirts of the village to avoid causing a stir but it seemed to not stop some of them from looking at her strangely. So she focused herself on examining the village itself, rather than the people, as they continued on. It seemed to be an overall pleasant place to live. Though it also seemed the kind of place where it would be difficult to get privacy. How people could handle so many others so close together was beyond her.

 

It wasn't until Leon called for them to go search for a way across the sea that she came back down to reality. She really didn't want to go out and look for someone. It would mean she'd have to talk to these people, ask questions, all the while she was certain they were judging her. So she stuck by Leon's side as the others continued on. There was one major point of interest. The boat that looked somewhat...different than the rest. When Leon asked about it the villagers deflected the question, which only made her suspicion grow.

 

"What do you think, Commander? They seem nervous about that boat. Should we check it out closer? Perhaps the owner is still nearby."

[Sethera]

Yue felt...well, she wasn't sure how to feel. She had tried opening up to somebody, only to find out that that same somebody had just...left, leaving a note behind. The archer shrunk in on herself even more so than usual, though it probably wouldn't be noticed, seeing as she was normally pretty shy anyway.

 

She really couldn't understand people.

 

So she was glad that the request came when it did. It was hard, asking people about boats, and the mention of water just made her feel sick, reminded once more of Cassia and her absence, but Yue persisted. When the people actually heard her well enough to respond, they seemed pretty tight-lipped about the one boat that looked to be able to take them where they needed to go.

 

"What do you think, Commander? They seem nervous about that boat. Should we check it out closer? Perhaps the owner is still nearby," Rona suggested.

 

Yue said nothing, but agreed silently.

[Alaina]

"Well, I guess there's no harm in getting a closer look." Leon nodded at Rona's suggestion, and with her and Yue at his side the trio made their way to the boat. Leon wasn't all that familiar with boats, with his home being close to only rivers and lakes the kind that was before was one of which that he hadn't ever actually seen. Yet, even he could see that the boat wasn't just larger than the others, but also made more for combat, though parts of it seemed to be missing. 

 

All the same, as the duo approached the boat, an older looking folk who had been sitting at the dock, seeming like he was trying to fish for something looked over to the duo. "Whoa there, you two, I wouldn't get much closer to that there vessel if I were you." 

 

Leon raised an eyebrow, as he said, "is there something wrong with it?" 

 

"Nah, she sails just fine. Well, I s'pose she does, haven't seen her actually take off for awhile. It's the captain that's the problem."

 

"What's wrong with the captain?" 

 

The man gave a hearty laugh at this, going back to his fishing. Leon looked back to Rona and Yue, puzzled by what was going on. 

[Blake]

Despite her best attempts at patching up her robes, Ada did not meet with success. Instead, she walked through the fishing village wearing the same mercenary-esque outfit as she had worn on her shopping trip. Her sunburn had given way to a very slight tan, making her appear around the complexion of your average Aeoran. By all rights, she blended in completely as she walked through the town with Layne and Raynor, who was the one receiving the looks usually reserved for her, instead.

 

"I know Leon and the others are searching at the docks, but it didn't look like they were really manning the boats..." Ada sighed, using her arm to shield her eyes from the sun, "Come on, guys, let's go to the tavern. We can probably find someone there to help us out, in case the others' attempt doesn't succeed."

[LordCowCowCowCowCowCowCowCow]

Rona looked upon the boat and tried to ignore the man who was speaking with Leon. Evidently there was some sort of issue with the captain of this vessel.

 

She tried to see if there were any symbols on the ship, or anything that would indicate where it was from, to no avail. The most she could tell was that it wasn't Jouran. Which didn't particularly help in figuring anything out. It did make her feel somewhat more relaxed about it.

 

The Wyvern Rider looked to her leader. They had been warned off of approaching the boat but...they had to know more about it did they not? "Commander, I shall examine it closer, stay back in case of trap or ambush." If any had to suffer the wrath of whoever this captain was, for the man's words seemed to indicate there would be some repercussion, it should be her.

 

Leon looked a bit skeptical towards the girl, but simply nodded, and stayed a small distance back from her.

 

Rona approached the boat but there wasn't anything obviously...off about it. So she thought, perhaps, she should climb aboard and check from there. Truly she wasn't sure what to do. The girl simply wanted to be useful but she had no idea how to do so.

 

The fisherman looked over and called out to her, saying, "whoa there, young lady, I wouldn't do that if I were you."

 

"What do I have to fear?" She shouted in response. Though she did pause in her approach.

 

"Only a man with the mane of a rooster and the temper of a bull. Don't think the captain of that there vessel would take kindly to strangers hopping aboard his craft."

 

She had no idea what to think of that. It sounded rather...ridiculous, honestly. But she backed away, realizing that perhaps they should not anger the one they needed the help of. "Well, then where is this captain?"

 

The man gave a hearty laugh, saying, "well, I s'pose strangers to this town probably wouldn't know." He looked at Rona a bit more inquisitively. "Especially strangers to the land. Well, you're liable to find him in any of our taverns. You can probably find it easy enough if you listen for the sound of sailors cursing and glass breaking."

 

She didn't feel comfortable with the look she was being given, but she nodded in response to his words. She returned to Leon. "It seems the captain is in a tavern...I must admit I'm unsure we want to sail with what sounds like an angry drunk. If all else fails, I can reach the island with Cormag easily!"

[Hakima]

Susanoo Kobayashi was a man who drew attention wherever he went. Standing at a massive six-foot-six, he towered above the village of Lenemo which, when combined with his husky bass and blood-red mane, ensured that he got second looks from everyone he encountered. It was his abrasive attitude and temper that made sure no one ever wanted a third. He had been in the small fishing village for just over a month and already two of the three taverns refused to let him in, which was what lead him to moving to the last one that would serve him, the Sunken Barge.

 

The Sunken Barge wasn’t the cheeriest place. The lighting was dim, the sign was worn and peeling, and it was so close to the port that the stench of brine and fish was overpowering. It was the cheapest tavern in town because of that and usually attracted the dregs of society; drunks, scoundrels, and all the rest of the ill-tempered ilk. Susanoo was eating it up.

 

He knocked back his third mug of grog and slammed it down onto the bar. “Can’t believe you all drink this,” he sneered loud enough to be heard over the general hustle and bustle. He gestured toward a drunk fellow who was greying at the temple, with the huge shoulders of someone who had made his coin casting the net of a fishing rig his whole life. “How did you get drunk off this piss water? That little lass right there probably drinks you under the table!” He tilted his head in the direction of a young serving girl with a platter of mugs on her shoulder, who fumbled under his attention and nearly dropped the drinks.

 

The fisherman sneered, lips drawn back to show his broken yellow teeth, and started toward Susanoo but he didn’t get far before someone grabbed him. “Ain’t worth it, mate,” another told him quietly. The one that had grabbed him looked toward Susanoo. “We don’t want any trouble Bull. You do yer drinkin’ and we’ll leave you be. Doesn’t have to come to blows.”

 

Susanoo grunted and turned back around to face the bar. He had been coming to the Sunken Barge for going on three days, and not one person had taken his bait. “Another round of grog,” he said, smacking a silver coin onto the bar. He was going to have to raise the stakes, he realized, snatching up the mug the bartender threw toward him and throwing it down the hatch.

 

He hung around the bar by his lonesome until an unfamiliar patron walked up to take a seat. He had the air of command around him that usually followed leaders, and Susanoo grinned. This was the one. Before the man had time to sit down, Susanoo swung his long leg up to cover the stool he was about to take. “Sorry, that’s my seat,” he told the man with a smirk.

 

“And why are ya needin’ two seats?” the man questioned him.

 

Susanoo shrugged. “Because I want two. Got a problem with it?”

 

The man shook his head, scowling. “Ain’t worth it,” he grumbled, moving to sit on the other side of Susanoo. The Bull leaned back and laid across the seat, sprawled out and now taking up almost four seats on his own. “That one’s mine too. Why don’t you piss off and go drink with the rest of the backwat--”

 

“Don’t do it!” the bartender shouted, but it was too late. The man Susanoo had been taunting hauled off and smashed fist right into the pirate’s face, knocking him to the ground and sending the stools he was sprawled across clattering to the floor with him. “Now ya’ve done it…” the man behind the counter muttered.

 

The man seemed confused for a moment before being lifted completely off his feet and launched all the way across the room, then planted down on top of a table that four men were playing cards at, which snapped in half and dropped him onto the floor. Susanoo was on top of him, grinning from ear-to-ear with blood pouring from his nose. “That was a cheap shot!” he snarled, raining one hammer-like fist after the other down onto the man’s face.

 

“Get off ‘im!” one of the men who had been playing cards at the table shouted, grabbing Susanoo’s shoulder, but a haymaker caught him on the side of the jaw and sent him tumbling to the ground as well. Susanoo rose to his feet, towering over the two men he had already knocked unconscious, and regarded the rest of the tavern with a bloodstained smile. “Who’s next?!” he demanded, and it seemed like half the tavern rose their feet that time, finally taking the bait. Without hesitation, Susanoo threw himself toward the closest man and the fight began.

[spoiler=OOC] The first person to approach the tavern will see an unconscious man thrown through the window just before they walk in.

 

---

[Ralsei]

"Come on, guys, let's go to the tavern. We can probably find someone there to help us out, in case the others' attempt doesn't succeed."

 

Layne sighed lazily as he rubbed at his cheek, a small mumble escaping him as he rubbed at his eyes some. His hand moved from his cheek to the back of his neck as he look a glance around the buildings they were walking past. His nose wrinkled a bit at the smell of fish around them, the proximity to the port clearly not pleasing the Cleric.

 

"I really just want to get out of here, come on, let's move fast... I do not have a good feeling about this."

 

He yawned again as he glanced back to Ada and Raynor, his hand brushing at the back of his head still as he walked forwards, moving a little faster as he mumbled. Port towns always seemed to have that feeling of... Uneasiness around them, as if the chaos of the sea seeped into the people, into the buildings even. Layne seemed to keep an eye out on the street, as though it was going to part and swallow them at any moment...

 

But instead of the ground parting, a window not far from him did instead. With that, glass spilled out onto the road in front of their little group, "By the spirits! What the hell is going on in there?!" 

 

Layne took a deep breath as he knelled down to take a quick glance at the unconscious man, reaching into bag to dig around for a moment. He quickly patched up a particularly nasty cut as he mumbled to himself, something about taverns not being his sort of scene... But he quickly stood back up, adjusting his bag into place against his side as he looked back to the others, "...Think we've found the tavern, and seems like there's, uh... Some commotion going on. Raynor, you wanna take the lead?"

 

[King K. Azo]

The first thing Raynor noticed was that everyone was staring at him. It couldn't have been because of the Salamander he was riding, could it? Of course it was, every time he did this, he got the looks, but last time he left Gojira outside of the city, he got stolen, so no, Gojira was under him, saddled up and everything. However, there was a way to deal with all the people they passed.

 

Winking and pointing a finger gun at the pretty girls as they passed along. Flawless. Even if winking made him unable to see for a few seconds.

 

"I know Leon and the others are searching at the docks, but it didn't look like they were really manning the boats..." Ada sighed, "Come on, guys, let's go to the tavern. We can probably find someone there to help us out, in case the others' attempt doesn't succeed."

 

"So we're going to split up the gang? Alright, I can get down with that," Raynor stated with a shrug.

 

"I really just want to get out of here, come on, let's move fast... I do not have a good feeling about this." Layne added.

 

"Hey, don't worry about it. You got us, and we'll keep ya safe," Raynor commented as they headed off to the tavern. That was the best idea to Raynor. And hey, if he somehow 'accidentally' got his hands on a drink, then all the better. It seemed the tavern was lively enough, as the glass exploded in front of them, and a man fell out.

 

Layne took a deep breath as he knelled down to take a quick glance at the unconscious man, reaching into bag to dig around for a moment. "...Think we've found the tavern, and seems like there's, uh... Some commotion going on. Raynor, you wanna take the lead?"

 

Raynor's grin became so wide at Layne's suggestion. "Oh, I'd love to," He said as he slipped off of Gojira's back, gently handing the reigns to Ada. "But I'm going to let you all know right now. You're gonna regret this one. I apologize in advance, but I promise to ask the last man standing to help us out,"

 

Together We Bar Fight

 

The one eyed rider headed to the door, kicking it down with one swift motion of his foot. "Oy! Who started a bar fight... without me?!" Without asking any questions, he rushed in, leaping into the air and drop kicking a random drunk in the back. He then quickly pounced on another, wrapping his arms around their waist and bending backwards, smashing his victim into a classic German suplex. All the while, Raynor was laughing like a madman.

 

He was really having fun.

[Sethera]

From the sounds of it, this "captain" was pretty frightening. As the talks went on, Yue felt surer and surer that she did not want to meet this man, but every time she summoned up the courage, opening her mouth to say so, she felt her tongue still, her throat close up. At this point, he was their best chance of getting to the islet, and she couldn't hold the group back just because of a little fear, right?

 

Maybe she would just...slip away once they found him.

 

When they finally approached the tavern, Yue decided that she would stay outside. She didn't do well in enclosed spaces anyway, and--

 

And then a man flew right at her, accompanied by the sound of glass shattering.

 

Shrinking back, the archer danced away a few steps, her movements nimble but her expression glazed with shock.

 

"By the spirits! What the hell is going on in there?!" Layne swore, before checking up on the man. "...Think we've found the tavern, and seems like there's, uh... Some commotion going on. Raynor, you wanna take the lead?"

 

Raynor's grin became wide at Layne's suggestion. "Oh, I'd love to," He said as he slipped off of his salamander's back, gently handing the reigns to Ada. "But I'm going to let you all know right now. You're gonna regret this one. I apologize in advance, but I promise to ask the last man standing to help us out," and then he kicked down the door, shouting: "Oy! Who started a bar fight... without me?!" He then ran in and proceeded to merrily add to the chaos.

 

Yue winced and turned her head away. She could never understand this sort of thing, being up close and personal to all of these loud people. She could smell the stink of alcohol and sweat from here, and she wasn't even in the tavern. "I think I..." she started, clearing her throat nervously. "Um...yeah, I think I'll...stay out here, if it's fine..." she trailed off, hoping against hope that Leon would say yes, that she didn't have to go inside with the others.

[Maeriberii Haan]

---

 

A few days had passed, and a new job was taken by the Iron Falcons. In the meantime, Aleithe was struggling with headaches. He wondered whether it was due to fatigue or other things, but he was finding it hard to focus. He hadn't really told anyone else about it, and had attempted to try out local medicines to help him with it, but to little avail. He didn't want them to worry or think that he had been exerting himself too much, but this new mission came in a bit of an inopportune time. Still, he decided to follow the rest to this seaside village, hoping that he wouldn't end up as a liability in the meantime.

 

However...as much as he tried to convince himself that he was fine, Aleithe spent a lot of time on the village spacing out, only managing to gather his focus when everyone had split up. Ashamed by this display of negligence, Aleithe rushed towards the docks to catch up to Leon. Had Reina was on her side, she would've pecked him to get him back to earth, but...nevermind that, Aleithe saw Aleithe was with Rona and Yue, talking to some sailor, perhaps? Aleithe thought of joining in, but it would be awkward now, and he decided to keep his distance for now. In the meantime, it seemed that Rona managed to get some information, and the three of them went to a nearby tavern. Aleithe tailed them from behind.

 

Just in time to see a man being thrown out of the tavern. Instinctively, Aleithe went to grab his sword. It wasn't clear, but he thought he saw Raynor enthusiastically entered the tavern too. Did he decide to join a tavern brawl? Why were they even here? This hurt to think about. Aleithe sighed, he really should've sat out of this one.

 

Maintaining his composure despite his thoughts, he approached Leon and everyone else that was still outside, not saying anything to hide the fact that he had no inkling on what had happened so far.

 

---

[Alaina]

Leon had shared Rona's sentiments about the captain of the vessel in question. He wasn't entirely sure how reliable a person of that character would be in actually aiding them with their cause, or even wanting to aid them in the first place. Not to mention he didn't want to think about the crew they probably kept around. With a sigh, Leon said, "I'm a bit wary myself, but, we don't have much in way of options right now. So let's go check it out." 

 

Walking towards the bar, Leon eventually met up with the rest of their mercenary group, all seeming to stand outside the bar as well. Seeing the body of a man, who had likely been thrown, on the ground Leon could only sigh as he got a bad of feeling of what was happening inside. Looking in, the mercenary saw a large brawl ensuing, with a few bodies being strewn about as they had been knocked out. To make matters worse, one of his own was involved in the fight as well. Leon had a slightly defeated expression on his face as he watched the man he believed to be the captain of the ship they were looking for, being in the center of this tavern brawl, with Raynor also duking it out with him. Looking to Rona, as if simply looking for assurance, he looked back and shook his head before saying, "well, here goes nothing." 

 

Once the fighting had died down a bit, he walked into the bar saying, "excuse me. Red haired man. Unless you're still, uh, busy, mind answering a few questions? Firstly, are you the captain of the vessel out there?"

[Hakima]

Susanoo was giddy. The fighting was fierce but more importantly it was centered around him. “Come on!” He headbutted someone hard enough to lift them off their feet.  “I’m supposed to be learning my lesson!”

 

Two stout men grabbed him from behind and dragged him back against the bar. “We’re gonna teach you a lesson you won’t ever forget,” one of them promised. His breath stank of cheap liquor and he was close enough Susanoo could tell what he had for dinner by the chunks of food clinging to his beard.  

 

“Rein!” the other shouted.

 

A man fighting across the room looked over suddenly, letting the drunkard he had been holding up against the wall and pummeling drop to the ground. He grinned when he saw Susanoo struggling against the men.

 

“Lookee there boys! Nice catch.” Rein bullied his way across the floor. He was a huge man—though still not as large as Susanoo—and people scrambled to get out of his way when they saw him coming. “Ya’ve got an awful lotta teeth left for someone with such a big mouth. We’re gonna fix that, right bo—ARGH!”

 

Susanoo hooked a stool with his foot and launched it into Rein’s face. It splintered into pieces and sent him stumbling backwards. “Get a few more boys to hold my legs down and I might take you seriously. Probably not but I’m willing to find out for your sake.”

 

The goons holding him tightened up their grip. His back pressed into the edge of the bar painfully, not that he was about to let it show.

 

Rein spit a mouthful of blood and splinters into his face. “Keep talking. I like it better when they fight back,” he said. He reached for a knife hanging from his belt. “Makes it so much sweeter when they finally shut the hell up.”

 

He ripped the knife free from his belt and charged. Susanoo thrashed against his captors with renewed vigor, fighting to get his shoulders up from the bar to no avail.  

 

“Get the hell off me!” he shouted, and in a display of herculean strength, stubbornly planted both feet on the floor and rose to his full height, lifting two grown men completely off the ground in the process. All the blood had rushed to his face and a vein in his neck bulged out profusely.

 

Rein hesitated. Hair like a rooster… the strength of ten men… and the temper of a bull. He suddenly realized they had made a terrible mistake.

 

Susanoo grabbed one of the men and threw them behind him. They crashed into the shelves of alcohol behind the bar and didn’t get back up. Seeing what had happened to his companion, the other man let go and tried to run away. Susanoo got a handful of his hair and slammed his head into the corner of the bar. His legs turned to jelly after the first blow but Susanoo did it two more times before he was satisfied. He let go of his head and the man dropped to the ground, unconscious.

 

“You had all that damn time to stab me! What the hell are you doing?” he rounded on Rein.

 

Rein raised the knife to threaten Susanoo but his hand was shaking. With his skin flushed red and his lips drawn back in an ugly snarl, the giant looked like an Oni from the local legends. “Y-you stay away from me! D-demon!”

 

The fight had started to wind down. Most people were already either unconscious or so exhausted they had just passed out. Susanoo lunged toward Rein.

 

“Stay back!” he brandished the knife and scuttled back, but almost tripped when collided with someone solid and very much still on their feet. “Get out of the way!” he shouted, turning the knife on them.

 

The someone in question was tall and not easily frightened. “Who brought a knife to a fist fight?” he said, staring at Rein through his one good eye.

 

“I said get out of the way!” Rein swung the knife at him wildly.

 

The stranger caught the drunkard’s wrist and easily stopped the attack. “*sshole. It’s people like you that ruin the mood. I’m done with you.” He was apparently done talking because with his free hand he punched Rein under his chin and Susanoo heard his teeth clack together from all the way across the room. He dropped to the ground unceremoniosuly, drawing the fight to an anticlimactic close.

 

Susanoo spit onto the ground and wiped his mouth with the back of his sleeve. “You got a name?” he said, taking a seat at one of the few tables that were still intact. Before the other brawler could respond the door swung open and a prissy-looking boy entered the building and started questioning him.

 

Susanoo shushed the boy by putting a finger over his lips . “Ah-ah, wasn’t talking to you. Now piss off,” he flicked him between the eyes, “the men are talking.”

[LordCowCowCowCowCowCowCowCow]

Stomach turning, Rona followed Leon towards the tavern. She knew this was a mistake. Though most of her father's men had been trained soldiers they still had their moments of drunken roughhousing and she knew it could lead down a bad road. Broken bones, dead soldiers, even an occasional mount would get in on things and get hurt or hurt someone in turn.

 

She remembered one man had tried to wrestle another's Wyvern after the rider had passed out. She had never seen someone lose both hands so swiftly.

 

As they entered, just as Rona feared, there was fighting going on. She kept close to Leon to make sure nothing flew his way...but it was much less bloody than she had expected. Thus they were able to get out of it unscathed while the fighters finally began to wind down. Seemingly due to the rather outlandish red-haired man and Raynor being so overwhelmingly strong.

 

Leon approached the red-haired man without fear, which is more than Rona could say. She didn't want to talk to this man. She didn't want to be near him. There was something wild about him that put her on edge. Still, she couldn't leave Leon. She had to put on a brave face and stand by his side no matter the opponent.

 

She didn't expect the man to answer Leon's question easily. However when he put his finger to Leon's face the Wyvern Rider tensed up beside him.

 

And when he gave Leon a flick to the forehead she moved forward. Her duty overtaking her nerves as, before she even realized what she was doing, she grabbed onto the man's wrist. "Do not touch the Commander." She said with a low growl, her other hand near the handle of her axe.

 

Had this been back in the army and someone had laid hands on her commanding officer like that she knew she'd likely be ordered to kill them on the spot. This wasn't the army and Leon wasn't like her former officers but, nonetheless, and despite the pounding she felt in her heart, she was fully prepared to do what she had been trained to do.

[Sethera]

Leon never did reply to what she said, so Yue took that to mean "yes, Yue, you can stay outside," or perhaps he was a bit distracted by the man that had flown through the glass. Which, she couldn't blame him for. That had been really, really distracting. In a bad way.

 

The archer twiddled with her thumbs as she waited. Every time a person passed by the tavern, she bowed her head, afraid to make eye contact. Most of them looked rough and burly from working out at the docks, so she was having a difficult time standing there. Honestly, she wanted to just leave...what was taking them so long? Did they really have to join in the fight? She hoped that Leon would have more sense than that, but she wasn't sure...people were strange and hard to understand, so maybe she had misunderstood him? Ah, maybe...he might have decided to just...start a fight. Was that a guy thing? But no, her sifu didn't do that, so...

 

She was jogged from her thoughts at hearing a commotion from indoors. "Oh spirits," she moaned, shaking like a leaf, her eyes darting hither and yon. At the sound of a man's panicked scream, she gave in to her baser instincts and...bolted.

 

Zigzagging through the crowd, she avoided anybody who looked like they would stop her. She didn't think too much about where she was going, or what she was going to do afterward. No, the only thing running through her head was, I have to get out of here.

[Maeriberii Haan]

---

 

The commotion on the inside was getting quite noticeable and worrying. Aleithe's hand was already on his sword, ready to pull it out and dive into chaos the moment any of the rowdy ruffians would harm anyone from his group, but it seemed that so far Rona had gotten the situation decently under control.

 

"Oh spirits,"

 

But, something else happened. Just as Aleithe's mind wandered off from the scene indoors due to his remaining headache, he heard Yue, and the moment he turned around, he saw Yue bolting away from the commotion. That couldn't be good. Perhaps the fighting was intimidating her? Aleithe took a deep breath before he made the decision to go after Yue. It would be bad if she separated from the group like this. At the very least, he wouldn't let her go out like this alone.

 

---

[Blake]

Ada was completely unsure of what she had walked into.

 

She had seen bar fights in her day, but this was absolute chaos, and most of it seemed to center around a loud-ass man or Raynor. She rubbed the giant lizard's head and sighed, before some movement caught her attention. Leon and the others had arrived right as the fighting was beginning to die down, with the leader himself walking right in. She saw the lead brawler speak to Raynor, only to be interrupted by Leon... who was swiftly flicked between the eyes.

 

The shaman wanted to sigh, but, before she could even muster the breath, Rona had gotten herself involved, grabbing the large man's wrist. Without thinking, Ada shoved Gojira's reins into Layne's hands and rushed into the scene. Placing herself between Rona and the man, she shoved the wyvern rider back, putting her arms out wide as she stood up straight, shooting Rona a quick glare, hoping to get her to back down. Turning back to the man, Ada held her hardened gaze, but spoke with a kinder tone.

 

"I apologize for my comrades. The man you flicked is our leader, and we're looking for safe passage on the seas. If you have any information, we would greatly appreciate it, mister...?"

[King K. Azo]

Raynor wasn't too happy anymore. Yeah, the bar fight was fun, but the guy pulling the knife really put a damper on everything. Nothing killed the mood like a coward holding a knife like that made him some sort of big shot. With a sigh, he looked over the downed body, rubbing the back of his head. "Now I need a drink...," He muttered. "Hope the bar will serve me...,"

“You got a name?” Raynor looked up to see the tall redhead taking a seat. Before he could answer though, Leon went to ask him some questions, but it seemed that the tough one didn't want to hear it. “Ah-ah, wasn’t talking to you. Now piss off,”“the men are talking.” he then flicked Leon twice... which seemed to set off Rona, for some reason.

 

"Do not touch the Commander." She said with a low growl, her other hand near the handle of her axe. Ada then stepped in, trying to play peace keeper.

 

"I apologize for my comrades. The man you flicked is our leader, and we're looking for safe passage on the seas. If you have any information, we would greatly appreciate it, mister...?" Raynor stepped up, rubbing his forehead.

"By the gods, the lot of you are going to drive me to drink," he commented as he walked to another empty chair. "Speaking of, oy!" He pointed to the bartender and the small server girl. "You got any drinks left? Just... bring them this way. I don't care what it is, place it in front of me. It has alcohol, I'll drink," He then pointed to the rest of his group. "Now, you all, may I suggest sitting down and having a drink, and make sure Rona calms down. Now, I know I walked into a bar fight and just made it worse, but come on now, she was gonna pull her axe out,"

 

With that, he sat down into the chair. "Anyways, I'm Raynor, and you are?" 

[Alaina]

Leon wasn't quite sure what to expect from this man, but he wasn't really surprised by his response either. After asking his question, he was given a swift flick to his forehead in response, and the man seemed to be none too interested in their presence either. Sighing at this, Leon rubbed the spot between his eyes that was flicked, though more out of exasperation than anything else as he merely said, "right." From there, Rona had seemed to quickly come to his defense, grabbing at the man's wrist and seeming ready to strike at him. Putting a hand on her shoulder, with a small thankful smile on his face, he shook his head as if to tell her to let go.

 

As Raynor seemed to go from exuberant to frustrated, Leon raised an eyebrow at him, though waved him off, as if declining his offer to drink. It was no doubt that this was the captain the man at the dock had mentioned. And it was no doubt that this was probably not going to end well. All the same, he gave him an indifferent expression as he said, "well, like she said," he motioned to Ada, "we're here to find a ship to get to an island off the coast. And I'm fairly certain you can help. So, will you?"

[Sethera]

Yue thought she might have heard somebody following behind, footsteps that echoed her own. As if somebody was shadowing her. Is it one of the men from the bar? With that thought chasing her mind, she increased her pace. "G-go away!" she shouted, though her naturally soft voice made it come out at what would be a normal volume for another. "I need to be alone!" In that split second of distraction, she almost crashed into another body, but managed to swerve to the side just in time.

 

"E-excuse me," she mumbled to the person. Realizing soon afterward what a spectacle she had made of herself, she shrunk into herself and looked around for an alley to crawl into and hide away. It was at that moment that she noticed just who had been following her. "Oh! Um...Al-Aleithe? Oh, um...this is embarrassing...sorry for yelling at you," she mumbled, slinking to the side, where maybe she could relax and people would stop looking at her.

[Hakima]

---

Susanoo smiled, a toothy grin that grew wider with each new entrant to the conversation, showing off his broken and blood-stained yellow teeth. “You,” wild green eyes settled decisively on Rona. “You’ve got guts. I like that, so I’m gonna forgive ya this time, but you should know, not many people walk away from me. Well…” His tongue flickered out to slowly slide across his teeth and taste the blood. “Some women get to walk away a little bow legged, if they play their cards right.” He threw his head back and let loose an absolutely thunderous belly laugh.

 

When it finally died down, he unexpectedly surged to his feet, effortlessly knocking Leon and Ada out of his way and snatching Rona up by her collar. He was an absolute unit in comparison to the Iron Falcons, lifting the relatively tall Wyvern Rider so high that the tips of her boots barely tickled the ground. “Next time you think about pulling a weapon on me you better not hesitate. That’s a real disrespect to a warrior, girlie, not one easily forgiven. I’ve killed men for less.” He dropped her back to the ground and slouched back into his seat, snatching up a half-finished mug of booze and taking a drink.

 

“As for you…” Susanoo turned his attention to Raynor. “Name’s Susanoo, but you can call me Susan or Bull. You the leader of these guys?” he tilted his head back to regard them, specifically staring down his nose at Leon. “They don’t look like much of a crew. Where you all tryin’ to get?”

[LordCowCowCowCowCowCowCowCow]

Rona wasn't quite sure why Leon was letting this man act this way so easily. But she was willing to back down if it was what Leon wanted.
Though what followed was somewhat problematic. A threat and a comment that Rona understood all too well. This so called captain was no better than the lowest dregs of the army that she remembered. The pitiful soldiers that were called the "Dog Patrol". She had the misfortune of encountering them a few times and every time she felt unclean just being near them.
 
She bet he had fleas, too.
 
“Next time you think about pulling a weapon on me you better not hesitate. That’s a real disrespect to a warrior, girlie, not one easily forgiven. I’ve killed men for less.”
 
Outwardly Rona narrowed her eyes in distaste. Inwardly she wanted to leave right that moment. It wasn't that she feared for her life. More something about his attitude set her on edge. This wasn't someone who would hesitate if she showed any weakness. And she already struggled to keep her composure around the others.
 
But it was more important that she gave a show of confidence. If not for her than for Leon. She needed to be strong for him to keep this beast-man in his place. And so, with as cold a tone as she could muster, she asked Leon "Are you sure you do not want me to cut this man down, Commander?" At Leon's negative response, which Rona was relieved but concerned for, Rona nodded and relaxed her body as much as she could. "Do not give me reason to draw my axe." She told Susanoo.
 
She really felt like hurling.