Fire Emblem: Curse of the Goddess [IC/PG-16/Not Accepting]

[Maeriberii Haan]

---

 

"Stop...Stop right there!"

 

Barely able to breathe, that yell almost felt like burning Ciela's throat. The thief had noticed her coming at his direction, and decided to escape. He tried to disappear into the crowds of the second floor, but by this point Ciela had memorized his appearance enough to barely able to follow his movement as she continued her way. A single-minded, irrational determination to chase down the man, she continued her way even if she had to crawl on the floor, passing through the crowd that eyed her in a disgusting way. 'Go back minding your business, I don't need your pity!', she repeatedly murmured it as she made way through the second floor following the thief's path until she entered a room. However, she soon noticed that the thief went into one of the open windows of the room, and jumped from there.

 

Ciela paused for a moment.

 

Struggling to stand, she took several series of deep breath to clear her mind for a moment. She had made a decision since the very beginning, she just need to get herself in position. A few broken bones wouldn't harm her as bad as what'd happen if she failed to catch the thief. The window wasn't too tall. She didn't have to see how far down the plunge would be. That would only deter her. The thief was below, somewhere. The fall would've slowed him down. Using her staff, she climbed the window. Inhale. Ciela then closed her eyes. It's the first time she's doing anything like this, and so she didn't know what'd happen to her. She just have to leave it to lady luck. Exhale.

 

Forcing her legs to push her off the ledge with what remained of her strength, Ciela plunged down.

 

By the point gravity's full force crushed her as she roughly hit the ground, the pain overwhelmed her thoughts. Yet, she couldn't scream. She didn't want to scream. Unsure about whether she broke more bones by doing what she did, she continued to crawl on the ground. At least, she could still move her arms. Her sight was obstructed with blood and the concussion she had from the impact, but she could make out the appearance of the thief not too far away from her. He was backed against a wall. A white stallion was before him. Remy? Ciela thought. She couldn't afford to think about it yet. She could barely even figure out who was Remy now. The thief was there, he was cornered. She was so close already to get to her target. Several more meters. Several more meters that felt like an eternity, but she was sure she would reach him in time.

 

"G-give back...give it back! Those aren't mine...give it back!"

 

---

[Asriel Dreemurr]

Well, Edrick got about as good a reaction as he could have expected from the princesses and Alois. Really, as much as the Goddess was demonized outside of Pontus he was lucky they hadn't decided just to skewer him then and there. He did hope that he was making his uncle Eragon proud with his decision, given that from what his father had told him the man had hoped for an end to their war that would see a return to peace between the nations. If he could convert the crown princess that would make the dream of peace that much closer to being a reality. 

 

"But you ARE a genius! Well, not by the dictionary definition, but nonetheless!" He couldn't help but think that Penelope had just called him dumb when she said that, but at least his suggestion had helped! Really, he was just happy to have a place in the group. Though now that he had time to think of it, he really needed somewhere to start with the lessons for Catriona's, and hopefully the rest of the party as well, conversion. That was something that warranted consideration of the most serious sort. Given the makeup of the party, the stories of his father and uncle's exploits would probably not be the best idea. If anything they could turn them off entirely. That was an issue with anyone, but with the war such a recent memory for Galtea and Pontus such was a stronger possibility than most. Well, he might as well begin at the beginning then! It made sense to start where everything started. He was so distracted with his ideas, that it took an offhanded remark from Alois to bring him back to the present.

 

"Man, Pontus is full of weirdos."

 

"Hey!" Edrick said as he was brought back to the present. Though now that his attention was on what was happening with the rest of the party, he did notice one of them was absent. Sienna was nowhere to be found, which did not exactly bode well for them. Though it seemed the rest of the party had already noticed this, so there wasn't any reason to ask about it.

 

"Alright, if I was a fox in a library where would I be? Because I can tell you it's not here so standing around any longer ain't gonna help us find her." Alois did have a point on that, and Edrick decided to think about it that way. Where would he go if he were a fox in a library? "Anyone got a whistle? Maybe that'll lead us to find her."

 

"Well, if I was a fox, I'd be looking for a hen house." Lo and behold, Edrick said that just as Sienna was coming up on the group...and he realised exactly how bad that sounded. "Uhh...no offense...Sienna..." Real smooth man. Real smooth.

 

"Hey! I think I found something over here!" Oh thank Inera she hadn't noticed! Though it did seem she'd found something and wanted the rest of the group to follow her. At the very least he was gonna follow along and see if lassie had found some kid stuck down a well. When they came up on the secret doorway...well, it certainly wasn't what he expected. That and a cursory look inside of it showed the staircase leading down. "I'm not very knowledgeable on your libraries... But I'm certain this isn't something you normally see... I've got a bad feeling about it."

 

"Yeah, I know what you mean." He said aloud, slipping a hand into his shirt to take out the symbol of Inera and pressing it to his lips. "Well, Princess, I'd say this is as likely a place as any to find your scrolls. I'd prefer we had permission from whoever's in charge here to go down there, so we don't get arrested as soon as we come up, but I'll leave that decision to you."

[LordCowCowCowCowCowCowCowCow]

 

Penelope's mystery senses were tingling. Though she also paused to glower at Alois for setting the books down. What if they had to leave quick and needed to take them with? Gunther was so much better at this but he was off playing in the sun or something. Maybe she was giving him a fear of libraries accidentally.

 

She glanced at the pile of books, then at Link, then at the pile of books. Maybe....
Wait yes mystery. That was something more important at the time.

 

Sienna led them to a secret passage "As I thought." She said triumphantly, grinning from ear to ear, as she leaned her head into the opening. That was a lot of stairs. It seemed rather unusual for a simple library but that just meant it must have been quite important.

 

"Well, Princess, I'd say this is as likely a place as any to find your scrolls. I'd prefer we had permission from whoever's in charge here to go down there, so we don't get arrested as soon as we come up, but I'll leave that decision to you."

Well that was...sound logic, in a sense. But Penelope didn't like it. "There's no rules against it....but they might not allow us in if we alert them. After all it might be a secret to even them. If it might have what we need I say...." They'd have to get lucky but it was possible they could get in and out without anyone being any wiser. She nodded firmly and began to descend the staircase.

[King K. Azo]

 
Asura sighed as Ceila crawled off without him. Man, maybe he was too harsh on her earlier. He certainly couldn't think of another reason why she refusing his help so much. With a sigh, he turned to leave, when he noticed the mule had followed him.

"Oy, I thought I told you to stay put," He commented before sighing. "I'm assuming you want another apple, huh? I highly doubt it's my 'magnetic' personality," He shook his head. "Still... I think you need a name," He looked at the mule thinking to himself. "I got it. Yangus," He stated as he pulled out his final apple. "Here, have at it," Dangling the apple in front of the mule, he walked outside... only to see a man drop out of the window. Well, that wasn't suspicious. Not to mention Remy was blocking his path, quite deliberately. He must have been the one causing Ceila trouble. He walked forward...
 
Only for the dumbest stunt he had ever seen take place in front of him.

Ceila had dropped from the second story window, landing on her face of all things, and hurting herself even more! Why was she doing this?!
 
"G-give back...give it back! Those aren't mine...give it back!" Then it clicked. The man stole from an injured woman? He watched her crawl with the determination of a mother bear robbed of her cubs... and something snapped, again. He was seeing red as he quickly dashed towards the man, drawing his Killing Edge and holding the tip of it at his throat. 

"Give back what you stole. NOW," He stated. "You just caused the woman to drop two stories on injured legs. I'm far past the bargaining stage, so don't even try it. Hand it over or DIE," That was a fair trade, no? His life for the goods he stole. 

Still, he was going to have to talk to Ceila when they were done.

"

[Maeriberii Haan]

---

 

So close...just a little more...

 

At this distance, her voice would've been able to reach him. Even to raise her head to still lock her sight towards the thief felt like it would break her neck, her sight had been reduced into blurs that she could barely make out the details of. The stallion was still there, she knew it. Not the thought of what happened to those she left behind, nor what would happen after she got her belongings from the thief again passed her mind. Her body was just like a contraption, only moving forward powered by her determination and fear.

 

One meter. One more meter, and she could grasp at the thief and take back what she wanted to take back.

 

What was it? It didn't pass her mind now. She couldn't really remember. It's something important, was it? Right, it was most definitely something important. She abruptly stopped. She tried to breathe. Her lungs felt like it had been crushed, and as she forced air to enter it, her chest felt like it was set on fire. Had her ribs punctured them? She didn't feel like coughing blood at least, so perhaps not. Something was there. While she stopped, something approached them. Something...someone. She could hear the voice. Her mind had a hard time to figure out who was speaking, but a name passed her mind.

 

Asura.

"Give back what you stole. NOW,"

 

"Go...away..." Who was he? She should have known him, right? He sounded familiar. Seconds passed. Time slowed down for her fevered mind. Fear overtook her mind as she realized the implication of someone he knew being there trying to get back what she had lost.

 

"You just caused the woman to drop two stories on injured legs."

 

"I...can...handle this...on my own!" A weak shout came out from her mouth like vomit.

 

"I'm far past the bargaining stage, so don't even try it. Hand it over or DIE,"

 

"I...I'm fine! I...I can get them back on my own, Asura!"

 

Her thought became slightly brighter. Adrenaline passed through her body as the fear inside of her reached a climax. No, no, no! That was what Ciela thought. Asura had already assumed that she wasn't fit for battles before. He already knew that she's worthless for the group. The group had no reason to keep her. Catriona never was fully up with her in their group anyway. Asura telling the princess how Ciela lost the money for the group's supply to a thief while still managing to buy luxuries for herself would surely get her kicked again. No, no way would she let herself be alone again! Even if the group disliked her, they still talked to her. But, now she would be left with nothing...no, she couldn't let it happen!

 

She'll show Asura that she could take care of herself, she'll show the thief to not underestimate her, she'll show Catriona that she was worthy of her trust! Taking everything she had now, she forced her voice to be heard.

 

"I order you to drop what you have taken, thief! Else I'll...I'll...I'll force you to serve me for eternity!"

 

---

 

Remy looked at the condition his partner had put herself through. It was pitiful at first, but right now it was downright painful to watch. Even a horse understood what was on her mind, but seeing her broken body moving like that, Remy couldn't even accept that she was anywhere near alive. He was barely paying attention to the thief now. He was a lot more worried about Ciela. He could hear her painful attempts to shout. Even now she somehow tried to retain her pride. Although, was it fear on her voice? Basic emotions like that would be noticeable even for a horse, and it was clearly reflected on her voice.

 

What was she going to do after this? With her as badly injured as this, even if the thief returned her belongings, then what? Horses couldn't ask questions, but something of similar meaning passed through its mind. He wished to be able to help, but now it could only silently watched his partner continuing to hurt herself for a cause he thought to be nonsensical. He glanced at the swordsman near him. If he could talk in their tongue, he would've yelled so that the swordsman treated his partner first before caring about the thief.

 

Perhaps it's better if they just stuck together instead of being in this group in the first place.

 

---

[Wind Rider]

The group seemed to have mixed reactions to the secret passage, but none having the same suspicion that Sienna was feeling.

 

"Well, Princess, I'd say this is as likely a place as any to find your scrolls. I'd prefer we had permission from whoever's in charge here to go down there, so we don't get arrested as soon as we come up, but I'll leave that decision to you." Edrick at least was at least a bit worried, though getting arrested wasn't what Sienna was worried about.

 

"There's no rules against it....but they might not allow us in if we alert them. After all it might be a secret to even them. If it might have what we need I say...." Penelope had a point, but it still didn't ease Sienna, especially when Pen started to go down the staircase.

 

"M-miss Penelope wait!" Sienna stopped Pen before she could go very far down. "I don't think this is a good idea, as much as i would love to see what kind of knowledge could be hidden here, i'm more worried about our lives... The bottom of this staircase... I'm smelling hints of blood... There could be traps or something worse." She tried her best to convince Pen to stop here, but knowing her she would more than likely continue despite the warning.

[Sethera]

 

Catriona had felt confident that there wouldn't be a secret passageway in the library, but she was wrong. The evidence was staring her in the face. Sienna, despite being the one to show them the place, looked unsure about it, which made her curious. Was there something the fox knew that they didn't? And what would that be? Edrick, kissing the symbol of Inera--an action which unsettled her terribly--suggested getting permission first before descending. Penelope was opposed to the idea however, giving some pretty good reasons to not inform the guards about this, and Catriona couldn't help but agree. However, she decided to ask the resident guard, well, ex-guard, of the group for advice. He would probably know the protocol for this.

 

However, when she turned to their green-garbed soldier, and really looked at him, she knew without a doubt there'd be no asking him anything this day, nor the next. Because he was in dire need of rest. "Link, I order you as your princess, to find us an inn and rest up there." Ugh, was that too much? "With rest, I believe you can do an even better job as a warrior." There, that might soften the blow. Giving him a few gold pieces so he wouldn't be doing this out of pocket, she watched him shuffle off, worried despite herself. From here, it was hard to tell what he was thinking, if he was thinking anything at all.

 

Later, Link would find his way to the very same inn that Ciela and Asura had exited, though as they were at the back and he was at the front, he would not hear them, and instead would reserve rooms for the group, soon after collapsing in one of them, propping his back up against the wall with his sword leaned up beside him. He slept dreamlessly for once.

 

Meanwhile, Catriona looked at the group, having just heard Sienna's warning. "...Blood? If that's the case, we should be careful, but," she paused, "I agree with Penelope. We have already wasted days in Sector Three, and to hold back now when the knowledge we are looking for could be right there," she gestured at the staircase, "is foolish. This could be our only chance to find what we're looking for." Plus, she had no problem sacrificing her life in the pursuit of this information, information which would be vital to their cause, though the others might not be so willing. "If you would rather stay up here," she looked at the others, "I do not begrudge you that decision."

 

With that said, she began to walk down the staircase. The stairs allowed for two people to descend at the same time, but Penelope was already ahead of her. Annoyed, Catriona followed as carefully as she could. "You should take it slow," she warned her sister, voice stern, "There might be traps."

 

Regardless of her warning, nothing of note happened. However, the lack of action was almost as unsettling. With every step, Catriona expected an unknown enemy to emerge, or arrows to rain from the ceiling. She had made good use of such traps herself during the border fights, from spike pits to oil slicks. But she heard nothing but the dull thud of their footsteps against the dusty marble steps, and felt nothing but cobwebs trailing against her face. Dust motes danced in the air wherever a beam of light shone through from a window. At one point, she thought she saw a flicker of shadow in the corner, but when she turned to look, there was nothing. My eyes are playing tricks on me, she thought, shaking her head. You cannot hesitate, no matter how...eerie this place is. Uncharacteristically, she wanted to break the silence, but feared her voice would give the group away to a potential enemy.

 

It got colder the farther down they walked, till finally they reached the bottom. The landing opened into a large, circular room, made of marble like the stairs they had just left. Carved into the walls themselves were hundreds of recesses. It was almost as if they were inside a beehive with square honeycombs, filled with scrolls instead of honey. All except for a patch slightly to their right, which held nothing but stray strands of papyrus.

 

The ceiling arched over their heads, ending in a rounded point at the exact middle of the room. The only lighting came from a pair of sconces flanking the entry. The torches gave off a pungent aroma, one which any Histian or scholar in the room would identify as typical of "Histian fire," which could burn for years on little fuel. Legends were mixed on whether the Great Dragon had breathed it to life, or had helped in the discovery, but they both agreed that the being had something to do with it.

 

Even if Catriona had known about that point of history, she would not have dwelled overlong on it, eyes riveted to the floor. It was fairly intricate, broken into concentric squares of labyrinthine patterns. And in the middle, almost as if it were a sacrifice in a summoning circle, sprawled a dead body.

 

The owner of said body looked to have been a young woman in a ripped red dress. Bright red hair circled her head like a corona, mixed with the darker red of fresh blood. Red eyes stared blankly at the dark ceiling, one arm outstretched, fingers curled into a fist. She must have died recently, because blood was still seeping from her wounds, long, jagged gashes as if a giant beast had mauled her to death.

 

"...What happened here?" the lord addressed the room, though she didn't expect an answer.

 

--

 

Rennac wasn't one to harm mere beasts of burden, nor anybody in particular, if he were honest. He wasn't a common assassin, after all. No, he was a rogue, and they made their living stealing the very fingers from a person without their noticing. Still, if he let this horse stop him here, then he would soon get caught, and that wasn't on his agenda, thank you very much.

 

Before he could draw his blade to hopefully distract the horse, a clatter from above drew his attention. Looking up, he spied that insane woman from before--she just would not give up, would she--who then decided that it was a smart idea to follow him, all the while ignoring her injuries. Well, if she wasn't already crippled, she sure as hells was now. Then she decided to make it worse by crawling toward him. "G-give back...give it back! Those aren't mine...give it back!"

 

"Look, lady, I think you better stop now, before you hurt yourself even more," the brunette advised. He was about to continue when he found a blade at his throat. Bad manners, that.

 

"Give back what you stole. NOW," the oddly-dressed man from earlier ordered. "You just caused the woman to drop two stories on injured legs. I'm far past the bargaining stage, so don't even try it. Hand it over or DIE."

 

Okay, three against one? This was just unfair, even if one of them was a cripple and another was a horse. Not to mention the accusation wasn't even true. "Excuse me," he started. "But I did not cause this frankly, insane woman to jump out the window like she did. She decided that all on her own. Also, I'd rather you didn't wave that oversized pig sticker in my face, if you please. As kill-happy as Marisa," he grumbled the last sentence under his breath.

 

Meanwhile, the woman had been talking, but he had been ignoring her words till they became too loud to do so. "I...I'm fine! I...I can get them back on my own, Asura!" which earned her a dubious look from the rogue. Then, gathering herself, she shouted out a couple audacious sentences that sent involuntary chills up Rennac's spine.

 

"I order you to drop what you have taken, thief! Else I'll...I'll...I'll force you to serve me for eternity!"

 

Brr, what is this feeling? This dreadful chill. No way am I going to serve another miserly troubadour. One's bad enough, the brunette thought. If L'Arachel were here, she'd order me to drop everything I have and help this "lovely maiden." Thankfully, she's not here. Still, he felt a little bad. "All right, all right," he sighed, taking out the gold pouches and waving them in one of his hands. "I'll give you back your gold, milady," he pushed the tip of the blade away with his other hand, keeping his finger on the dull edge, and walked toward the woman, offering the pouches to her. "Now, you really should go to a healer, since I doubt you're in any state to be treating yourself," he said, thinking nothing of the words. After all, back in his home continent, healers were admired, one in particular admired over all others. He shuddered again at the very thought of...her.

 

[spoiler=OOC]

You're in a huge circular room now. It's about this size and shape.

 

 

[King K. Azo]

 

 

 
Asura didn't like the flippant way that the man spoke to him. However, he did return everything, so Asura figured he wouldn't kill him. He slowly put away his sword and looked at Ceila. She looked so broken, and honestly, he felt responsible for it. He walked over to her, looking over her wounds. Yeah, she was in bad shape.

"Don't hate me for this," He stated as he picked her up bridal style. "And before you start struggling, demanding me to put you down, let me say something," He stated as he looked at Remy and the mule. He was sure the mule would follow since he had the apples, but he wasn't sure if Remy would kick him. Horse kicks were a literal pain in the ass. When he was sure he was in the clear, he began to walk off towards the library.
 
"Look, I'm... I'm... I'm sorry for the other day," There, he said it. It wasn't easy, but the words had escaped from his lips. "I didn't expect you to take what I said to heart. I'm used to women trying to defy what I say, to prove me wrong... it's a bit annoying, honestly...," he shook his head before continuing. "I'd thought you'd do the same. Listen, you have far more value to this group than you think. You can pull your weight just by healing. I'm a swordsman. I swing a piece of iron around, and that's all. A literal dime a dozen. You're capable of a lot more. Stop doubting yourself,"
 
He had no idea if what he said made sense or if it'd help, but he tried his best. All he could do now was hope.

[Maeriberii Haan]

---

 

"You...You're just pitying me, aren't you?"

 

The words came as a whimper. Ciela didn't look at the thief when he returned her belonging, nor her hands moved when the bags are offered to her. She was a mess, wasn't she? That last yell took most of what's left of her, and right now she was even unable to take back what's hers. Even if she finally got what she wanted back, in the end it was simply because the thief pitying her for her injuries. So that's what she's only good for. Someone to be pitied, someone to be spoonfed by everyone around her instead of someone that could actually achieve things on her own. It's not like she could threaten that thief anyway. What could she do? She couldn't even run without her heart giving in after a while. Combat, what's that? Even she couldn't use offensive magic to save her own life.

 

"Don't hate me for this," Asura picked her up from the ground. Ciela had no more desire to resist, her expression turned into resignation. "And before you start struggling, demanding me to put you down, let me say something," Ah, perhaps he would tell how she only ended up being a burden for the others, how she's selfish for refusing the help of others, or for how foolish she was. Perhaps that was it. He would tell Catriona on how much of a mess she created, and how she even managed to screw up buying groceries. Ah, at the very least, she would still have Remy. Remy wouldn't leave her, wouldn't he?

 

"Look, I'm... I'm... I'm sorry for the other day, I didn't expect you to take what I said to heart. I'm used to women trying to defy what I say, to prove me wrong... it's a bit annoying, honestly...,I'd thought you'd do the same. Listen, you have far more value to this group than you think. You can pull your weight just by healing. I'm a swordsman. I swing a piece of iron around, and that's all. A literal dime a dozen. You're capable of a lot more. Stop doubting yourself,"

 

By the time Asura finished, Ciela had already passed out from her internal bleeding. Her eyes were still open, although empty. It was unclear how much of what Asura said was heard by her, but at the very least, she had a smile on her expression. Meanwhile, behind them Remy had took the gold pouches that was taken by the thief and placed them on the mule's bag. He glared at the thief one more time, before leaving. It wasn't really his fault, after all. As much as Remy would dislike him for causing Ciela to end up like this, for the most part it was her fault. What was important now would be to leave and get somewhere to treat the girl before she die.

 

---

[Wind Rider]

"...Blood? If that's the case, we should be careful, but, I agree with Penelope. We have already wasted days in Sector Three, and to hold back now when the knowledge we are looking for could be right there, is foolish. This could be our only chance to find what we're looking for." Catriona and Penelope seemed serious about this. At least they weren't forcing this upon everyone else.

 

Under normal circumstances, Sienna would just turn around and go back to reading, but she felt that she needed to pay these people back somehow. Sienna would never have expected humans to show such kindness, in not treating her as a monster, and letting her travel with them. She took a deep breath and proceeded to follow behind the two girls, only turning around once to see if edrick was coming or staying behind.

 

The stench of blood drew closer and closer as they descended the marble staircase, and Sienna could feel some kind of presence watching them. Her ears twitched nervously, its not possible, how could they be being watched, no one else should be here. Sienna's thoughts were soon answered as they reached the bottom of the stairs, they appeared to have entered some kind of sacrificial chamber, with a fresh body in the center of the room.

 

Sienna stared in horror, the red headed girl in front of her laid limp and bloodied, mauled by an unknown assailant. She felt sick to her stomach. "This is... Horrifying..." were all the words that could escape her mouth.

[LordCowCowCowCowCowCowCowCow]

 

"You should take it slow, There might be traps."

 

"Well I know that." Penelope said, slightly annoyed at the insinuation. "I've read all about traps, I can spot them a mile away....Did you know that the trap known commonly as a bear-trap, less commonly leghold traps, were first invented to keep away poachers, as opposed to trapping animals?"

 

She would have continued the lecture but they had finally reached the end of this little journey, as the ground leveled off and they saw what there was to be seen.

Scrolls.

So many scrolls. And such an amazing room. Something like this existed below that, relatively simple, library? How facinating! However her eyes did take in the odd man out in the recesses. A mostly empty area. The stark contrast drew her eyes there first.

However it didn't stay there for long. At Catriona's words she looked towards the middle and saw...

Penelope looked away quickly. Oh spirits. "This is bad." She managed to say, stating the obvious. For once she didn't seem to have a quip. The way this person had been killed...it made what she did the other day seem like a paper cut.

 

"This is... Horrifying..."

------

"interesting choice of words for the prime suspect." The voice came from behind the group and, were they to turn, they'd see it belonged to a young woman with purple hair, bob-cut, with two dangling tails of hair tied in front. Her purple eyes were inquisitive and flashing with confidence. Behind her was the library guard, whom seemed entirely surprised by what they had discovered down here. "I had suspected something was amiss and it seems I was correct. Of course, being the prodigy I am, that is wholly unsurprising." She didn't even glance back to the guard, nor did she pay much heed to the large group standing around the body, before she moved directly to the body.

 

Upon seeing the dead girl's face the new arrival frowned and a hint of recognition crossed her face. "I wonder, who else...No, that is not the mystery here."

She looked back, finally, at the group. "It would appear at first look that an animal caused this. However an animal reaching this place on their own is quite unlikely." She paused. "Well I suppose one of them might be able to...No, they could not have come through as well, right? This will need further investigation later."

 

As if she only just remembered there were other people there she spoke again. "There are two options, assuming the theory is correct, either someone let some animal in to kill this girl or...It was, as I recently learned exists in this place, a Protean. And is it not quite the coincidence that there's a Protean right there." She pointed dramatically towards Sienna. "The moment I saw you I realized you were one of these Proteans. Don't worry about your disguise. Only another as gifted as I could so easily tell what you are. And that, simply, doesn't exist."

 

She knelt down at the body for a moment, causing the guard to finally stir, but she got back up almost immediately. The only action she seemed to take was to check the corpse's clenched fist, which had yet to stiffen with rigor mortis. "I believe this belongs to you?" She said, holding her hand towards Sienna. Sitting on her palm, plain as day, were several hairs that matched Sienna perfectly.

---

"I wonder what we'll eat tomorrow. Maybe I should make pancakes...."

[Alaina]

Not soon after they had started trying to find the protean girl had she found them. Eager to tell them something, the fox girl took them all to something that looked incredibly out of place. The group ended up standing before what appeared to be some kind of secret passage that lead into who knew where. While there was a bit of contemplation as to what they would actually do, the second Alois had seen something so blatantly suspicious looking he couldn't help but want to go down it. As such, when the princesses had made the executive decision to go down a smirk crossed Alois's face as he looked to the other more reluctant members saying, "nothing ventured, right?" With that, the group started to proceed down the secret passage, seeing what could be hidden in here.

 

The passage revealed it to be something of a long, winding, spiral staircase. The journey down it felt odd, to say the least. There was a large amount of tension that permeated the air, and Alois couldn't help but feel as though there was something definitively off about this eerie place. More than the whole, secret bookcase passage thing it already had going for it. The further down he went, the worse the eerie feeling got, as the quite literally chilling atmosphere did nothing to appease his nerves. Of course, while Cat was advising caution to everybody, the littler princess had started to go on one of her little rants, the subject matter being traps this time. Sighing, as he didn't really care about the history of a bear trap, the young fighter couldn't help but start to feel a bit more relaxed.

 

Once they reached the landing on the bottom of the staircase, though, this tension only seemed to come back in more force than ever. As the group entered, an odd smell permeated the air that Alois felt a certain bit of familiarity towards. Looking at the light source of the room itself, he couldn't help but raise an eyebrow, as he recognized just what it was that was burning. What was this place that they were using that kind of stuff. Before he could draw any attention to it, though, he heard his comrades react to something that was, obviously, bad. Looking over to what they were staring at, Alois's eyes widened at the sight. It was horrifying, to say the least. The body looked as though it had been maimed by...something, though he was unclear what. "What th-" was all Alois could manage to say before a voice came from behind them.

 

As this mysterious voice started speaking, Alois turned around to see it belonged to a purple haired girl with an oddly calm yet confident expression to them. While what she said didn't really make sense to him at first, the more she spoke, the more it became apparent what she believed to have happened. Though Alois had never seen the girl in his life before, there was something oddly familiar about her. The more she spoke, in her completely matter of fact way, the more irritated he became with her, and realized what it must have been as he took a quick glance to the littler princess before focusing his attention back to the new girl. Once she had finished speaking, Alois's face was in a bit of disbelief and clearly confusion as he just asked the singular question that was currently on his mind. "I'm sorry, who the hell are you?"

[Wind Rider]

"interesting choice of words for the prime suspect." Sienna turned to see a purple haired girl with the library guard behind her. "I had suspected something was amiss and it seems I was correct. Of course, being the prodigy I am, that is wholly unsurprising." She seemed to have a confident tone in her voice. She went past the group and studied the body of the unfortunate victim.

 

"It would appear at first look that an animal caused this. However an animal reaching this place on their own is quite unlikely." She paused. "Well I suppose one of them might be able to...No, they could not have come through as well, right? This will need further investigation later." Well it was obvious that something beastly killed the girl, but what did she mean by prime suspect?

 

"There are two options, assuming the theory is correct, either someone let some animal in to kill this girl or...It was, as I recently learned exists in this place, a Protean. And is it not quite the coincidence that there's a Protean right there." Sienna had a shocked expression when the girl pointed at her. "The moment I saw you I realized you were one of these Proteans. Don't worry about your disguise. Only another as gifted as I could so easily tell what you are. And that, simply, doesn't exist." Ok that was clearly confidence mixed with cockiness.

 

The girl studied the body one last time and pulled something from its clenched fist. "I believe this belongs to youandit was a tuft of white fur or hair, the same color as Sienna's! "What... B-but, i didn't do this..." she looked to her fellow travelers, was this girl turning them against her, did they see her as a monster now? "Y-you all believe me right? I didn't do this... Sure im interested in you humans and i found this passageway first but... But that doesn't make me a murderer, i didn't do this, i would never do this!" Sienna was scared for her life, if they thought for one second that she did this, they would cut her down right there.

[Asriel Dreemurr]

Edrick was not in any better mental state than Catriona was, to the point that he refused to put the symbol of Inera around his neck away. If questioned about it, he'd mention something about "warding off unfriendly spirits" that would almost certainly spark some conversations later, but for now was overshadowed by the importance of what they were doing. He also refused to stay behind when the option was given, but less verbally rather than simply following along after the rest of the group. 
 
"You should take it slow, there could be traps." Well if anything was going to make him more nervous, that was it. Especially granted that both Penelope and Catriona were in front of him. His nerves at the moment were strained well past what his Father would ever have wanted them to, not the least because of the fact that if anyone discovered them down there they could be accused of trespassing. Which...they were. Really, he would have been more comfortable with getting permission before they went down, especially after the stink they got into in the previous sector of the city, but he hadn't had the chance to speak up on it.
 
"You remember how Sienna said she could smell blood? I'm starting to smell it too."  He said, once they were somewhere between halfway and a quarter of the way down. Mostly just to break the silence, and work some of his nerves out. It worked a little, at least for him, but only for so long. Soon enough they reached the bottom, and like the others his gaze was drawn towards tow mangled corpse in the center of the room. Her placement bothered him as much as the state of the body, laid out like some sort of ritual sacrifice. He'd heard that some sects of the goddess' faith practiced ritualistic human sacrifice, and truth be told he'd been to at least one such event when he had helped his father on a trip to the West. He preferred his own more warlike sect's methods of making sacrifices of the enemies they slew in battle, but that was a thought for another day. Apart from her placement, the woman didn't look to him like she had been slain in any sort of ritual. More like she had been mauled by an animal. 
 
"...What happened here?"
 
"This is bad."
 
"This is...horrifying..."
 
"What th-" His party members all expressed their shock, though Alois was interrupted by the arrival of someone else from behind them. As they announced their presence, Edrick slipped the symbol of Inera back under his shirt and armor to stop from making things worse.

 

"Interesting choices of words for the prime suspect." He wanted to tell the princesses that he'd told them so about getting permission to go down there first, but now was not the time. "I had suspected something was amiss and it seems I was correct. Of course, being the prodigy I am, that is wholly unsurprising." He already hated this girl. Arrogance was so terribly unbecoming of anyone, and of course suggested that their opinion of anyone apart from themselves was one of inferiority. Though she did seem to recognize the woman who was laying dead in the middle of the room, which could prove useful in helping their case actually. Edrick was already figuring out a plan for how to go about possibly clearing them while she went about accusing Sienna, who to him seemed like the last person who would ever willingly hurt someone even if she could turn into a giant fox. Then Alois went and asked the question that was probably on all of their minds.

 

"I'm sorry, who the hell are you?" Well, not the way he would have worded it but it definitely was a good question to ask. Edrick, on the other hand, had a few things of his own to say.

 

"Well, I can pick out three problems with your accusation of us being responsible for this. First, your friend's blood is still liquid. I'm just guessing she's your friend because you look like you recognize her, so my apologies if I'm wrong. The point is her blood hasn't all dried up, which means she's been here what, a few hours at most? So pretty much as long as we've been in the city, and you can talk to the guards at the gate if you need to confirm that. Second, she looks more, to me, like she's been torn up by a wolf. A big wolf at that, and our lovely Protean here turns into a fox. A big fox, but I don't think big enough to do that. Third...do you see any blood on any of us? Well, fresh blood. We are a mercenary company, so there's probably some dried on our armor and weapons. Going back to her having been down here just a few hours, that doesn't give us time to have shown up in the city, killed her, put her down here, because let's be honest this room does not look near bloody enough for her to have been torn up down here, wolves...make a mess, left, washed off, and come back."  He paused there for a moment, partly to catch his breath and partly to see if there was anything the new arrival wanted to say on the subject. Though he then remembered the apparently most damning piece of evidence. "As for the hair, just how uncommon is white hair in a city renowned for its Pegasus Knights?"

[Sethera]

 

Catriona paid little attention to the horrified murmurings behind her. Instead, her eyes were riveted on the body, and the way she died. Connections started to form, and the verdict she came to wasn't a pleasant one. Glancing back at Sienna, the person who had discovered the place first, the princess leveled a narrow-eyed gaze on her. But then, it didn't make sense, right? After all, why would she share this with them? Too many clues that just didn't match up.

 

When a young lady with purple hair arrived, she seemed to arrive at the same conclusion. Going so far as to indirectly accuse their new companion of the act, holding out white hairs that matched her perfectly. They weren't Catriona's shade of white either, with the lavender tint, but Sienna's slight silvery-mauve.

 

"I'm sorry, who the hell are you?" Alois asked, leading the princess' eyes her way. She frowned. Yes, who was this girl anyway?

 

"I am the Sage, Lute, prodigy of magic. It's not every day you get to meet a Sage of my caliber," the girl answered with a self-satisfied smirk.

 

Catriona stiffened at that. Sages were immensely learned, and immensely powerful. There were only a dozen or so sages in Galtea, a country known for spitting out anima magic users. Elsewhere they were even rarer.

 

"What... B-but, I didn't do this..." Sienna seemed less concerned with this stranger's identity and more with the suspicion of guilt. "Y-you all believe me right? I didn't do this... Sure I'm interested in you humans and I found this passageway first but... But that doesn't make me a murderer, I didn't do this, I would never do this!" Her plea sounded heartfelt, but Catriona barely knew her. Who was to say that she wasn't merely a good actor?

 

Edrick however, seemed to believe in her. "Well, I can pick out three problems with your accusation of us being responsible for this. First, your friend's blood is still liquid. I'm just guessing she's your friend because you look like you recognize her, so my apologies if I'm wrong. The point is her blood hasn't all dried up, which means she's been here what, a few hours at most? So pretty much as long as we've been in the city, and you can talk to the guards at the gate if you need to confirm that. Second, she looks more, to me, like she's been torn up by a wolf. A big wolf at that, and our lovely Protean here turns into a fox. A big fox, but I don't think big enough to do that. Third...do you see any blood on any of us? Well, fresh blood. We are a mercenary company, so there's probably some dried on our armor and weapons. Going back to her having been down here just a few hours, that doesn't give us time to have shown up in the city, killed her, put her down here, because let's be honest this room does not look near bloody enough for her to have been torn up down here, wolves...make a mess, left, washed off, and come back." He paused there for a moment. "As for the hair, just how uncommon is white hair in a city renowned for its Pegasus Knights?"

 

Catriona glanced at the hair doubtfully. She could already see a few holes in Edrick's explanation. However, she stayed silent on these points. Her words would do nothing but worsen their current situation, as the group itself could be considered complicit to the crime. Unfortunately she wasn't the only one to notice these issues, as Lute went on to point them out herself.

 

"I do not know if you ever saw a Pegasus but I can assure you they would not have an easy time entering this place. Nor are they, or their riders, known for killing in...such a way. You seem to indicate you saw this girl's transformation, yet, I believe you are underestimating their size. All records indicate even a fox-like Protean would be more than large enough for this task." Lute had a slight smile on her face, reveling in her chance to share her supreme knowledge in such a new world. "And the fact that she died recently, and you have only arrived recently, would only serve to show that this group, or someone who recently entered the library, must have done this crime. And in any case, blood is not so difficult to remove...And if it was your Protean friend, I understand if you do not know this fact, very few do, the magic behind Proteans make blood vanish between transformations."

 

She's even sharper than I thought she was, Catriona thought. The sage hadn't pointed out the color similarity, but it was fairly obvious just by looking at them. Also the obvious question of how many people walking around this city could turn into giant beasts. No, this wasn't looking good for the group.

 

The library guard stepped forward, looking at Lute with new respect. "Whatever happened, we need to bring you all in for questioning. Please do not resist." He didn't seem hostile, but he also didn't seem like he'd brook any argument on this.

 

--

 

As mid-afternoon approached, Gunther was starting to attract some curious looks outside the library. A little girl with curly dark hair even walked up to him, poking his armor. "Doesn't that get heavy sometimes, mister?" she asked, eyes big.

 

--

 

The swordsman slowly put away his sword, which was one less hassle as far as Rennac was concerned.

 

"You...You're just pitying me, aren't you?" the girl asked.

 

"Heh," he chuckled as her horse took the bags from him. "If pity were the only thing your life was worth, I'd be long gone. It's every man for himself, after all. Have a little more faith in yourself, priestess."

 

Backing away, he decided to take a few...souvenirs of this little adventure. They never said not to steal from them again, after all. While the myrmidon was assuring the girl of her self-worth, he managed to swipe his bronze sword and the troubadour's wooden bathtub set. The killing edge was quite nice but he was also sure that that would just be inviting trouble from the myrmidon. He would've liked to have taken the mule as well, but that dratted horse was guarding it too much for it to be worth the effort. Not to mention that he had lightened the load of the pouches he had given back. But only by a little. Well, for him anyway. He almost took what looked to be an unfamiliar house crest, but decided against it at the last second. It could be very useful, but it might also cause her to chase after him to get it back. And that wasn't something he desired. At all.

 

However, he did find something else. An elixir. Worth a fortune in gold it was. He hesitated, and then, with a resigned sigh, nudged it into the swordsman's palm. "Here, have her drink this," he said, forcing himself to loosen his hands and let go of the blue bottle. "It should heal most of the damage she's taken." With a "farewell," he melted into the crowd.

 

[spoiler=OOC]

-Lute's words ® CowCow

-It's almost mid-afternoon. Time does fly when you're having fun, doesn't it?

-Catriona, Penelope, Alois, Edrick, and Sienna are under suspicion of murder. Mainly Sienna. The guard wants to take you all in for questioning. React and stuff.

-More and more people out and about so Gunther is starting to attract some attention. One little girl is particularly brave.

-Rennac steals Asura's bronze sword and Ciela's bathtub. He also kept some money which nobody noticed. However, he did give Ciela's elixir to Asura. So do what you will with that.

 

 

[King K. Azo]

 
Asura said nothing as Rennac handed him an elixir. "Thanks. Don't steal again, or something. Hell if I know. A scumbag stealing from an injured woman probably wouldn't listen to me anyways," He snapped as he walked off with the nurse tied to his back. He looked down at the elixir. He could heal her now... but that seemed like a bad idea. First of all, he was pretty sure that she would just go and attack the man verbally, and make him her slave... somehow. He wasn't sure how that worked. So he quietly walked, occasionally checking to see if Remy and the mule were following. It looked like they were, so that was good.

He silently walked to the library, making sure Ciela didn't slip off. He had to say, she was a lot of trouble. He hoped this situation wouldn't become a habit. He wasn't one for being sensitive, and he could tell she needed a sensitive guy. Maybe Flower Boy, or Link. Either could work.

After some time, he made it back to the library. After tying up the horse and mule so they wouldn't follow him in, he headed inside, finding an empty and quiet corner. Muttering to himself, he placed Ciela on the table and opened her mouth.

"Bottoms up," He muttered as he gently poured the elixir down her throat. If only there was an easy way to do this, like a bean or something...

[Maeriberii Haan]

---

 

In her fevered mind, memories raced, passing through her thoughts at high speed. The girl was carried away by the stream of consciousness, without any attempt of resisting it. Memories of the man who claimed to be her father, the man she despised the most in this world. Memories of her long-lost brother and sister, who deserved a brighter future than what was dealt to them. Faint memories of the woman she thought to be her mother, who had been deceased since she was little. Memories of the lonesome days she spent thoughtlessly inside of her personal heaven, the time she wasted there on her own. The memories of the creeping loneliness that slowly grew inside, a feeling that became more and more magnified as she continued to fail to connect with others. Memories of her only friend, who perhaps she only pretended to understand despite of their bond. In this sea of recollection that drowned the girl now, surrounded by the reminder of the waste of time her life had been so far, the girl's gaze were empty. From the corner of her eyes, darkness started to swallow this sea that had trapped her.  Everything would be quiet soon. Achieving some silence from the whispers of these thoughts that was tormenting her, the girl closed her eyes. Her expression was peaceful.

 

---

 

The vast darkness before her was filled with light. Like thousands of candle lighting up one by one in rapid succession, bright light filled the girl's sight as she regained her consciousness. It was sudden. It was too much. She could feel a certain liquid went down from her throat. She wanted to cough, but her reason made her stop, believing that the liquid was why she woke up now. Everything hurts. Her head was still dizzy from suddenly waking up, but she attempted to look around him to know what was happening to her now. A swordsman was on her side, a bottle on his hand. A spacious room, filled with shelves and shelves of books. Under her was a table, and she was lying on it now. She was in the library? The girl tried to get up. Using her hands as leverage, she pushed her body up. It was hard, it was painful, but it wasn't as bad as she thought. She was able to breathe without feeling like her lungs getting burned either. Wiping what's left of the blood from her face, she turned around to the swordsman. Memories of waht had just happened trickled to her mind now, and it was decided as the first thing she would ask to him.

 

"Asura...did I get the thief?" She couldn't feel the gold bags on her pockets, only some bottles. Although...she then felt else was amiss immediately. Overriding the worry of what happened to the gold bags, overriding the worries regarding her fate in the future, Ciela tried her best to figure out what went amiss. She was sitting with her legs straight before her. Her arms were there, and nothing about them felt wrong. Her hat was there on top of her head...somehow. Her clothes were torn here and there somewhat, but nothing too much or indecent. Ciela couldn't figure out what was wrong with her now at first, until she tried to move and get off the table.

 

The realization dawned on her at that point.

 

"I...I can't feel my legs...

 

A-asura, what is happening? I can't move them! What happened to me?"

 

The fact was hard for her to accept. She tried to be composed about it at first, bu with time passing she became more and more frantic as realization dawned on her. At first, she tried to deny it, thinking that perhaps the elixir was slow to work this time for whatever reason. But even a miracle drug couldn't solve everything. Her lower body felt like it had been torn from her before being forcibly reattached. She knew it was there, it was undamaged now with the elixir's help. Yet, it was...it was no longer hers. No matter how much she willed it, no matter how much force she exerted to these legs, she couldn't move them at all.

 

Not knowing about what awaited her with how fate had made its verdict on her, Ciela leaned towards Asura, who was still there all this time. She felt powerless, she felt useless. An invalid, someone that would have little value. Acknowledging that her fate had been sealed, the girl started to cry on his shoulders.

 

---

[King K. Azo]

"Asura...did I get the thief?" Huh, guess the elixir worked better than he first thought it would. She was already awake and kicking. Her question was... not the easiest to answer, as he wasn't sure what she meant. 

"You made him return the things, if that's what you mean," He said as he watched her sit up. "Take it easy. You've been through a lot you shouldn't---,"
 
"I...I can't feel my legs... Asura froze as he heard her say that. What was that? She couldn't feel her legs? Was it... a delayed effect maybe? The elixir was taking its time? A-asura, what is happening? I can't move them! What happened to me?" It was really happening. She was now a cripple, and more than anything, it was this group's fault. Who lets an injured woman shop by herself? Someone should have went, Gunther, someone!

The more he thought about it, however, the more he realized... this was his fault. He knew he was no use at the library. He should have paid attention and went with her. He shouldn't have let her crawl after a thief by herself. He had no words, no way of making this magically better. He didn't know what to do... all he could do was swing a sword.

She began to cry on his shoulder, catching him off guard. He wasn't good at comforting people... not at all. As she cried, releasing all her emotions on him, he awkwardly wrapped an arm around her, placing his hand on her head and rubbing it, trying his best to comfort her. He wasn't sure how good of a job he was doing, all he knew was that he was trying. He spoke no words, attempting to console the sobbing girl. 

At the very least... things couldn't get any worse.

[Wind Rider]

Sienna was surprised to see edrick of all people actually trying to help her out. His little statements seemed like they could clear her of any wrongdoings, but his attempts at sending the blame at someone else, failed as this Lute girl countered him.

 

"I do not know if you ever saw a Pegasus but I can assure you they would not have an easy time entering this place. Nor are they, or their riders, known for killing in...such a way. You seem to indicate you saw this girl's transformation, yet, I believe you are underestimating their size. All records indicate even a fox-like Protean would be more than large enough for this task. And the fact that she died recently, and you have only arrived recently, would only serve to show that this group, or someone who recently entered the library, must have done this crime. And in any case, blood is not so difficult to remove...And if it was your Protean friend, I understand if you do not know this fact, very few do, the magic behind Proteans make blood vanish between transformations."

 

"But i didnt do it! Im innocent!" Sienna pleaded. Her pleading fell on deaf ears however as the guard was leaning more towards Lute's accusations. "Whatever happened, we need to bring you all in for questioning. Please do not resist."

 

"B-but.... I.... I didn't...." Sienna was gripping her beaststone, she just wanted to run from this, run from this threat. What if they all believed she did it? Would they put her down like a rabid animal? Imprison her in some dark cell where she'll never see light again, never smell fresh air again? She just wanted to run, run from these people, its not like they had a chance to catch her.

[LordCowCowCowCowCowCowCowCow]

 

The moment that Sienna was accused of a crime, Penelope started analyzing the scene. She could tell that this Lute was intelligent, and not all hot air, but there had to be something that was being missed. They didn't have an alibi. They may have only arrived recently but it still was more than enough time for Sienna to have done that. She couldn't even be sure the girl didn't do it. Except a gut feeling. Something Penelope really disliked. She couldn't go by her gut else she'd end up just like Catriona. And, as the two were meant to run a country, she couldn't afford to do that.

 

While she was pondering this the guard told them all to follow. Not having any other plan of action, Penelope did just that. There was no point in trying to argue here. Her time to convince others of their innocence would come. Glancing once more at the scrolls, unhappily, she followed the guard out. Though she kept near the back, where Lute seemed content to follow and observe them.

Her curiosity perked up when this Lute mentioned that she was a Sage. The power she would wield in that case...they were lucky the girl only wished to have them arrested.

 

"You say you're a Sage?" Penelope said. "Where do you come from? Sages aren't very common. Did you know there are 107 different levels that Sages go through to become a master?"

"There's actually 109, many people don't count the 57th or 98th but they still do exist. I, myself, am on level 104." Lute proclaimed proudly, which shut Penelope right up.
If this girl wasn't trying to throw one of them, maybe all, in prison Penelope might just look up to her.

It wasn't until later that Penelope would realize Lute had sidestepped her first question entirely.

 

As it stood she was beginning to worry about Sienna. The girl seemed in the midst of some panic attack. Penelope was not experienced in this particular subject and, not for the first time, wished Gunther had come inside. But she couldn't just leave her like that right? "Hey Sienna did you know, prisons...oh, no, that wouldn't help the situation. Er...Only about 80% of murder accusations...never mind. Erm. There there?"

---

 

"Wait do we even have enough for pancakes right now? I should have asked Ciela to..."

"Doesn't that get heavy sometimes, mister?"

The voice caused Gunther to realize that people were watching him. Blushing, he glanced down at the girl. She seemed so curious, and excited, and full of awe. It was almost like Penelope at that age. He smiled and knelt in front of her, totally missing the two that came into the library behind him. Unknowingly failing the duty he had given himself at the last moment.

"It does. But its worth it. It keeps very precious things safe." He paused, and laughed a bit, realizing what he meant. "Both what's inside." He tapped on the chest plate. "And outside. With it I'm able to keep bad people from hurting my friends."

[Asriel Dreemurr]

"I do not know if you ever saw a Pegasus but I can assure you they would not have an easy time entering this place. Nor are they, or their riders, known for killing in...such a way. You seem to indicate that you saw this girl's transformation, yet, I believe you are underestimating their size. All records indicate that a fox-like Protean would be large enough for this task." Edrick wasn't sure that he had ever hated a person more just upon first meeting them. She just had so much arrogance about her, such an unwarranted sense of her own self importance. Well he'd just have to make absolutely certain that this "Sage Lute," and wasn't Lute just an incredibly stupid name, was proven wrong, wouldn't he? "And the fact that she died recently, and you only arrived recently, would only serve to show that this group, or someone who recently entered the library, must have done this crime. And in any case, blood is not so difficult to remove..." well that just proved she'd never had reason to get blood off of anything. "And if I was your Protean friend, I understand if you do not know this, very few do, the magic behind Proteans makes blood vanish between transformations." Well now if he had ever heard a load of bull crap, that certainly was one. The next thing he knew she'd be claiming that potatoes were poisonous or something similarly unbelievable. Just about as unbelievable as him being the only one defending her, when the others had been ready to ignore any suspicion and just let her into the fold.

 

"But I didn't do it! I'm innocent!" The poor girl looked like she was on the verge of tears. Either that was the best act he'd ever seen or she was telling the truth. Not to mention that she was easily the most uneasy of them all around the body. When the guard asked for them to come along peacefully, he held up his hand in a commanding gesture to convey that the man was to stay where he was. Just as the guard didn't seem like he was willing to argue on it, Edrick made it very clear that he had no intention of leaving without getting things resolved right here.

 

"You say you're a Sage? Where do you come from? Sages aren't very common. Did you know there are 107 different levels that Sages go through to become a master." And leave it to Penelope to go ahead and fraternize with the enemy. Whatever, it bought him some time to look around. And that's when he noticed the slot with the missing scrolls. Now that could get them somewhere.

 

"I do not think I will be going anywhere with you two. I've seen what passes for Justice in this city, and I have no intention of being dragged off somewhere to be ignored by someone who believes themselves to be superior for no good reason at all." He shot a particularly cutting glare in Lute's glare as he continued. "Right here, right now, you are listening to us, and we have no guarantee that anyone else is going to. In any case, I'm not suggesting that a Pegasus came down here. Just that someone put that hair down here, because let me tell you that does not look like hair from a fox or a human. As for their motive, we haven't exactly been subtle about our arrival. How better to give yourself a chance to escape justice than to accuse a new group of people who just rolled into town? Which brings me to that," he pointed back towards the empty "shelf" for lack of a better word to the right of the entrance to the room. "You can search us right here and right now, and you won't find those missing scrolls on us. Which, since you seem to know about this place, you'd likely know were here the last time you came down. So, to put it bluntly, while you're busy trying to accuse a bunch of outsiders who arrived too soon to have committed the crime, you're being an accomplice in the escape of your friend's murderer."

[Alaina]

As the girl spoke about, revealing both her name and her title, Alois couldn't help but respond at her decleration with a hint of skepticism in his voice said, "of course you are." After that introduction went out of the way things got a bit more chaotic around them. Sienna started pleading with the group, trying to convince them that she wasn't the one who could've done this whole thing. While Alois wasn't really sure about what Lute as a person, what she had said so far added up, especially with the girl's absence from the group. In fact, it seemed oddly perfect. While he looked at her and listened to her pleading, he still thought she could've done it, but something about that answer definitely felt off. He couldn't put his finger on it, but there was definitely something that was gnawing at him. Regardless, he continued listening to the conversation going about him, trying to really think about the whole thing. 
 
His eyes wandered from place to place looking at the room. Looking to the body, looking to the torches, looking to the copious amount of scrolls in the wall. This was all really really strange. While he continued to think about it all, the rather angered sounds of Edrick's rant,the incredibly self-assured tone of Lute's voice and Sienna's pleading had all made it far harder to do so. As he looked at the guard, who had asked them to go to questioning, he looked at the guard with a slightly irked expression on his face. This soon seemed to become more neutral towards the man as he saw that the look on his face was far less damning then the ones that had been on the guards in the previous sector, specifically the one. With a shrug he merely said, "whatever," with slight reservation at the idea. Honestly he wanted to stay around here, not particularly to investigate the crime scene, but more so because this whole place was just weird. After Edrick had finished his second rant, Alois looked up with a more curious and inquisitive expression on his face. "Actually yeah, there's something that's been bugging me. Since you seem to readily know everything about everything, Ms. Lute," his tone started to contain a trace of snark in it he said, "would you be so kind as to tell us just what this place is? I mean, this place is undeniably weird and I can't make heads or tails of it at all."

[Sethera]

 

"But I didn't do it! I'm innocent!" Sienna pleaded, right before the guard stepped forward, telling them he was bringing them in for questioning.

 

Catriona didn't know what to do. The information they were looking for could be right here. In this room. But she had no choice but to comply if she didn't want to look like a criminal. With a heavy heart she followed the guard out of the room, to the landing.

 

"B-but.... I.... I didn't...." the fox stuttered miserably. For the first time, Catriona wondered if she were telling the truth. If that were the case, this could be bad, as the evidence was stacked against her. But if she were, then the princess would do all she could to prove her innocence. However, it was looking more and more likely she had done it.

 

Penelope, who was just behind her, didn't seem to be worried about this situation at all. "You say you're a Sage? Where do you come from? Sages aren't very common. Did you know there are 107 different levels that Sages go through to become a master?"

 

"There's actually 109, many people don't count the 57th or 98th but they still do exist. I, myself, am on level 104." Lute proclaimed. Her words also had the added bonus of causing the gray-haired girl's mouth to gape, and then click close. Catriona's brow raised at that. I'll have to learn how she does that. Then again, I don't want to turn into another Penelope if that's what it takes. Then the girl decided to try and comfort the fox. "Hey Sienna did you know, prisons...oh, no, that wouldn't help the situation. Er...Only about 80% of murder accusations...never mind. Erm. There there?"

 

However, unnoticed by the princesses, Edrick hadn't moved an inch. "I do not think I will be going anywhere with you two. I've seen what passes for Justice in this city, and I have no intention of being dragged off somewhere to be ignored by someone who believes themselves to be superior for no good reason at all." He shot a particularly cutting glare in Lute's glare as he continued. "Right here, right now, you are listening to us, and we have no guarantee that anyone else is going to. In any case, I'm not suggesting that a Pegasus came down here. Just that someone put that hair down here, because let me tell you that does not look like hair from a fox or a human. As for their motive, we haven't exactly been subtle about our arrival. How better to give yourself a chance to escape justice than to accuse a new group of people who just rolled into town? Which brings me to that," he pointed back towards the empty "shelf" for lack of a better word to the right of the entrance to the room. "You can search us right here and right now, and you won't find those missing scrolls on us. Which, since you seem to know about this place, you'd likely know were here the last time you came down. So, to put it bluntly, while you're busy trying to accuse a bunch of outsiders who arrived too soon to have committed the crime, you're being an accomplice in the escape of your friend's murderer."

 

Catriona groaned internally. The more they sat here and fenced words with Lute, the more likely they would just drive themselves into a corner. She had seen that much. Though his observation on the empty section was a bit worrisome.

 

"Actually yeah, there's something that's been bugging me," oh dear Dragon not Alois as well. "Since you seem to readily know everything about everything, Ms. Lute," his tone started to contain a trace of snark in it he said, "would you be so kind as to tell us just what this place is? I mean, this place is undeniably weird and I can't make heads or tails of it at all." Actually...that was a good question. Catriona looked around herself. Because there was something...oddly secretive about this room.

 

"I assure you I have several very good reasons for feeling superior," Lute began, answering Edrick's point first. "However none of that has anything to do with this situation. I am not the one bringing you into questioning. He is." She pointed to the guard, who was looking a little exasperated with the Pontic boy. "If the accused were in a less frantic state, I could easily prove that the hair does, in fact, match. My eye is not so bad that I cannot see such a thing. Your mentioning of the scrolls is fascinating, however. What would lead you to believe that they are missing and not just that the scrolls were never there? That isn't to say it's not correct but it is not as though we can ignore the evidence and let such a suspect escape simply because she seems too obvious. You appear quite desperate for us to look another way. Do you truly think this guard is the only one capable of searching for suspects? And as for being able to clean blood stains." Lute smiled, happy to be able to show off, and took out a small knife, pricking her finger and drawing it across her clothes. Then she raised a hand and using magic that, to those who had seen healing magic before, would be quite familiar-looking, removed the blood entirely.

 

Catriona was taken aback at that. While not a magic-user herself, she had heard of advanced mages able to light candles with their control, but to use healing magic in such a way? Still, it didn't explain the girl's ability. Was she a Pontic herself? The guard jerked, but didn't show anything other than surprise. Though from what she had seen Histians were strangely tolerant of Pontics.

 

The purple-haired girl turned to Alois soon after. "I appreciate the acknowledgement of my superior intellect. However 'everything' is a bit of a stretch. I would say. 'Most everything'. This place is a library, and libraries contain knowledge. Some knowledge obviously would be want to be kept away..." She paused, then whispered something to the guard.

 

The guard nodded and turned to the group. "I won't repeat myself. I will be taking you to the city hall for questioning, where we will determine the truth of this matter. Again, do not resist. If you did not do it, then you have no reason to worry," he reassured Sienna.

 

And that was that. He led the group up the stairs, to the main floor of the library. In a nearby corner, a blue-haired girl was crying on a mercenary's shoulder. "I'm sorry, but you have to leave," the guard told the pair. "The library has now become a crime scene. This is for your own safety."

 

--

 

Gunther knelt down to answer the girl. "It does. But its worth it. It keeps very precious things safe." He paused, and laughed a bit, realizing what he meant. "Both what's inside." He tapped on the chest plate. "And outside. With it I'm able to keep bad people from hurting my friends."

 

"Wooow, that's sooo cooool!" the girl oohed, her eyes shining with hero-worship. "Mister mister, when I grow up, do you think I'll be strong enough to wear that too so I can protect my friends?"

 

[spoiler=OOC]

A couple notes.

-Any misunderstanding of your characters' words by Lute is Cow's, not hers, please mention it OOC so it can be fixed.

-Next host post Catriona, Penelope, Alois, Edrick, and Sienna will be going to the city hall. The guard will not listen to further protests.

-Asura and Ciela can react as they see fit to this situation. If they reveal their affiliation with the group, they will also be taken in for questioning.

-Gunther has now gained a minion for the duration of his stay in this sector. This will give him a +2 bonus to any Charisma-related skill checks in this town, and he has a +5 chance of gaining another minion, similar in age. If this goes on, he will gain the title "Pied Piper" which grants him a permanent +5 bonus when dealing with children and rats. Gunther has now inspired one of the children of Ithome to become a knight when she grows up.

 

 

[Wind Rider]

Both Edrick and Alois were countered on their points, this Sage Lute was very knowledgeable that's for sure. Penelope's attempt at calming Sienna was appreciated but it really didn't help her case.

 

"I won't repeat myself. I will be taking you to the city hall for questioning, where we will determine the truth of this matter. Again, do not resist. If you did not do it, then you have no reason to worry," the guard was obviously done with the group's attempts to prove themselves innocent. Sieena couldn't stop being nervous, all of this was pointing towards her and if they actually believed she murdered the girl, then it's all over.

 

When they had exited the passageway, Ciela and Asura were in the library and Ciela was crying on Asura's shoulder, what happened to them in the short time the group was down in the secret room? The guard had declared the area a crime scene and asked the two to leave. Sienna wasn't paying much attention and was debating in her head on whether she should just run or not. As soon as they exited the library she would just transform and run for the hills, run back to her village, because it was clear that these humans didn't like her anymore, they must think she's lying, that she's a rabid animal. She held her beaststone tightly in her hand, in all honesty, she couldn't muster the strength and courage to use it.

[Asriel Dreemurr]

Edrick was far too stubborn to ever admit it, but this Lute character had just shut him up spectacularly. Well, at least so far as the cleaning up blood. Beyond that he wasn't sure if she had chosen the healing magic just to make her point or for some other reason, but it did a fair bit to calm him. If someone using the Goddess' powers wasn't immediately run through by one of the guards, then a Pontic might not be at risk of execution in this place after all. That seemed a bit strange to him, on account of the place apparently being friendly to Galteans, but this was a piece of good fortune he was not going to think too hard about. Maybe it made the princesses less comfortable, but that was a problem for another time. Of course he wasn't just going to abandon the girl he'd been defending over something like that. Even if he was more willing to go along with them for questioning.

 

"I'm tellin' ya, I don't think that hair is hers. It doesn't look like human or fox hair to me." It looked like something else to him, maybe horse hair or maybe not, but he wasn't going to just sit back and accept this Lute's word that she could prove it matched Sienna. "And about the scrolls, let's call it a lucky guess. Beyond that, we've been here in the library for what I'd call too long to have done this and only left a couple hairs behind. Maybe we lost sight of Sienna, but that was for two minutes at the most." Maybe he was low-balling the time, but it got his point across. "And I mean, suppose she was responsible. Why in the world would she have come and got us and then led us over here right to the scene of the crime? That just don't make sense." At least it didn't make sense to him, and Sienna seemed like she was smart enough to make decisions that made sense. While he was talking and they were walking, he made sure that his pendant got itself under his shirt. Maybe there were true believers here and maybe there weren't, but he wasn't going to take any chances. Thankfully, it was easy enough to pass off adjusting its fit as scratching an itch.