Fire Emblem: The Crumbled Capital

[phil_]

Exiting the East gate of Fireside, Saul saw a gathering of hired swords around a woman matching the rumors he had heard. Motioning for Allen to stay back, he approached the group.

"Salutations, travelers. I am Saul, Shaman of Wodanaz. If I am not mistaken, the teal-haired maiden in your midst is Ms. Vian of Kinehdin, seeker of her fallen capital. I offer my services, as well as those of my escort," he motioned toward the dragon rider behind him, who gave a casual wave, "in passing through Wodanaz territory. My price is that you answer this question to my satisfaction: will this expedition remove the Kine capital from our lands?"

[Overcast]

Nye gave Erika a thumbs up, showing he might care who she is probably but Dro just kinda smiled at the candor between her and their employer. Nye would raise his hood to protect himself from the weather while Dro dug a cape out of Nye's saddlebag for himself.

Both brothers caught their pay, but Dro tossed his off to Nye who began to count it in earnest, gold may not be worth much in Wodnaz but that would just mean they leave the country for a while after this and enjoy themselves somewhere more gold hungry. In the meantime Dro put forth their contractual obligations in plain, "We the Brothers Dionav do swear to fight on your behalf against all potential threats as we conduct your expedition into the fallen Kine territory. Understand that by this oath we do not swear our lives to you, only our services, any death on the job should be considered incidental unless otherwise noted. That being said we shall not betray you until you do so to us. That is our bond, anything further we do on our own preference." Nye nodded at his brother as he finished up his count and they said in unison, "So we swear."

Saul made his appearance after the fact and the duo turned eyes to him. Once more there was a certain distaste for the Wyvern rider, but a bit less pronounced. The kid gave off a lot more of that, this is only a job, vibe by comparison to the more genuine feel from Robin. The old man made his case and while it was their employer's job to respond they couldn't help themselves,

"Wouldn't count on it old timer." Dro said flatly.

Nye would nod in response, "There is a possibility due to us trying to get into unexplored territory. But were I you I'd look for the one who sunk that ship, if Vanessa won't mind me stealing a bit of her lingo."

[DanteFalcon]

Morgan slides off Erika's back as the group approaches, looking a bit uncomfortable at the question of the capital's removal.

"Your services are of course welcome. As for the removal.....that would require a mage of extreme power rivaling that of Princess Mirianna herself, as well as the artifact which as far as I know remains missing. No one even knows what it was. Or something of similar power. I suppose there might be someone of that strength in Saladin but....I had not considered to look. And it is rather unlikely. My apologies if that is the answer you didn't want to hear. It sits well beyond my own talents. Is that sufficient?"

"We'll make a Naranjan out of you 'for we're done here kid." Vanessa grinned to Nye, twirling her axes impatiently and ready to hit the road.

[Relm Zephyrous]

Erika'd gotten a good portion of this 'pay' way back earlier, so she needed less right now. Gold had more use back home than to either the wodanz or to her while on road. Morgan motioned 'down' and Erika let off a smile, putting the girl down with a soft voice. "Geez, you're getting oaths and everything. Fancy. How's an young country girl like me supposed to compete?"

Erika knew full well that nobody really would care 'too' much for her arrival, but hey they were being polite about it, and maybe even genuinely trying to develop camaraderie. More than she expected, but good, because that was one of the essential survival ingredients on a battlefield. She trended towards being cheerful even when not strictly appropriate or necessary, but her arduous training showed the exact limits of when and how to smile.

A while passed, waiting patiently for the other discussion to breeze overhead.

"In any case, I'm ready to set sail. Beats walking, for sure. Been walkin' a long time. All aboard. The slightly coy slant her grin took betrayed she knew full well there was no ship while she mock looked around.

[Menarker]

Himura eagerly snatched up the tossed coin-bag, glimpsing in its interior while rummaging his hands within it quickly to approximate whether the full amount of the up-front payment has been actually dealt with.

"Payment received!" The somewhat gauntish thief exclaimed with a glee. "Guess we'll help guide you through what little remains of the place."

Robin tried to discretely kick her steel toes against his ankles with mild irritation (hidden behind her helmet) as if trying to remind him of her prior warning. But she nodded silently in assent as the pair gathered closer to join in with the rest of the ranks.