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[GodofGamingRWBY]

Prologue: Calm before the Storm.

"With half of her power, the goddess created the land of Manoran, from the deepest caves to the highest mountains. With the rest, she created its inhabitants, the people of Lotis and Orthula. Despite being lost without the goddess, the people of Manoran lived in peace and unity... Until the Black Dragon arose from the sea, heralding a storm of darkness that would wipe the world clean of his mortal enemy..."
An excerpt from “Ragnarok”, written by Angelo de Cavilaire

OOC

It was no surprise that Manoran was experiencing tense times. Once the King and Queen of Lastreodal were dead, talks of a potential war from Cestulon began arising, both due to Cestulon getting more daring with their policies towards Lastreodal, and for the fact that people believed they were a direct part of it, which wasn’t too surprising giving the two kingdom’s rivalry. In addition, there was the Cult, continuously attacking parts the border villages of Lastreodal, especially those near the River Vein.

But despite all of the problems that they monarchy faced, there was one thing those related to royalty could rely on. A comfortable life of luxury, without a worry for the rest of the world.


“And that makes six since we started. Got any more books packed Gun?”


“No, unless you care about romance novels or autobiographies.”


“... Why do you have-”


“I’ll take that as you not caring.”

… Unfortunately, the life of luxury back at the castle was not something that was able to be given now. As the Cult attacks grew more numerous and daring, so did Eydis’s annoyance at it, if mostly for the fact that she was expected to figure out how to deal with the problem from the safety of Alovine, as her father had done, and what every other ruler did. Well, she had a different solution that involved dealing with the problem herself. Which was why both she, Gunvald, and their retainers combined were currently trudging along a barren path in a collection of wagons (a large one for the group to travel in, another for Eydis’s Wyvern, and two for general supplies), all heading down to the border of Lastreodal where the Cult was last seen.

While Eydis was the one to act upon the idea, it was Gunvald who had suggested the course of action. It was difficult to track the Cult with military units, so why not send a smaller group to keep their tracks covered and raise less awareness? Granted, at the time he was talking about gathering trusted soldiers and the like to do it for them, but Eydis took it a different way. A way that meant going out with her retainers.

Fersand, on the other hand, was a different case. Unlike normal, where he’d simply shrug at the idea and say “go ahead”, or even argue about the idea, now he was far more active, laying out a route and times they could move at in order to avoid the rest of Lastreodal, and the Cult, realizing that their future leaders were putting themselves in danger. The routes were filled with detours to other villages to put up the act that they were simply a trader caravan, and the assassin himself had gone ahead for most of the trip to make sure the path was safe and without any bandits.

This was the fifth day of travel, and the second day that Fersand was gone.


“Anyways, to business, since it's been a long time coming. We should be reaching Pernrith tomorrow, unless we encounter any extreme delays. Before we left Alovine, I got news that the town had been experiencing some Cult related issues that haven’t seemed to escalate yet. I’m not sure if its rumors or another small time group trying to replicate their actions, but either way, that’s where we’ll start our search. The goal is to find anything related to the Cult, from old hideouts to members. As long as we can learn more about them, that will be enough. I’d like for us to keep a low profile while we’re there, if possible. The less attention we bring to ourselves, the less likely the Cult is to flee the city-”


“Why would they flee?” Eydis interrupted, leaning forward from her position, which was merely just sitting next to one of the wagon’s walls, “If anything, us being there should push them to act. They already killed Fath… The King and Queen, so they’ll probably see us as easy pickings” sh continued. It took Gunvald a second to react, but when he did, he prefaced it by letting out a sigh,


“We don’t even know if the Cult is connected to Father’s death. It’s entirely possible that Cestulon is responsible to the assassination.”


“Trust me Gun, they’re connected. I know it.”

[IamanElfCollaborator]

"My, my, there's no need to be so hasty, milady. What you feel and what we know are entirely separate."
Emma sighs. It wasn't that long since what had happened, happened, and she had genuine respect for the deceased monarchs, but even so, jumping the gun wasn't going to solve the case of their murders any faster.
"Our investigation alone may be enough to force their hand to begin with. With the country in chaos, the likelihood is any attempt to investigate them will be faced with lethal force."
"Prince Gunvald is right, we should keep our eyes open to all possibilities."

[Chevaleresse]

On hearing that they were to keep a low profile, Morgan laid down in the wagon they'd been riding in.

[Blade Master Model 42]

Burhardt was not thrilled with the current circumstances. Not only had he objected to the current expedition (immediately rejected), but Fersand, who had been planning the operation and ensuring a smooth and relatively safe experience, had been out of contact for two days. It was worrisome. He had attempted to keep his mind clear during the trip by brushing up on his dark magic skills, such as they were, but motion sickness set in within hours of attempts to read while in the wagon, and he eventually gave up. Instead, his mind had primarily been filled with worry, and of gripes about the restrictive nature of the chain shirt he'd chosen to wear when it became clear the mission was taking place with or without his approval. "Your Highness? By 'our search', do you mean your retinue, or were you intending to participate in the search personally?" Burhardt's voice was mired in trepidation. He wasn't sure what precautions, if any, had been taken to be sure that the royal family would not be recognized, as this mission was something of a secret.

[Praefectus Screptum]

Cocytus slammed his fists together and gave out a muffled grunt under his helmet.
"Cultists, non-cultists, it doesn't matter. If they try to fight us when we get there, I will GLADLY bash their skulls open."

[RedMageCole]

While the mission and the stakes were rather high, Fionn was simply laid back, enjoying the ride and the sound and feeling of the wagon wheels underneath him as he reclined and enjoyed himself. He enjoyed looking out into the natural world as they rode past it, being struck with inspiration for a new song... Fionn didn't talk very much about it, but he did consider himself a pretty decent musician. At the same time, however, he didn't really have an instrument with him, nor did he really feel like bursting out into song around so many people. He was confident, yes, but he didn't care for having an audience. He merely stuck to humming to himself, being lost in thought.

Even when Gunvald explained the mission, talking about the suspicious Cult that deserved to be knocked down a peg or two. He had no personal stake in trying to take them down, but the idea of taking down a great villain was an interesting one, to say the least. He sighed quite whimsically as he took in the nature of the mission, casually twirling his knife in his hands as if it were a mere baton rather than a weapon that could dice his fingers off.

"Surely regardless of our own personal stakes, we have reason to take them down and not simply wander around undercover, Prince Gunvald? Not only have they been quite the thorn in the country's side, it's the perfect opportunity for a great adventure... one that surely will show the public what we're made of! I, personally, could use the exercise. It just isn't right asking an adventuring man like myself to stay cooped up in a castle all day... besides, what's stopping us from taking what we needed when we've done our duty?"

Fionn let out a long, yet quiet whistle as he finished his words, continuing to look out the window. He wasn't looking for replies, just was wondering aloud and giving his thoughts to the prince he served... quite honestly, the only person he respected properly in the group. The rest he didn't interact with much, after all he was rather new to the fray... but he'd be sure to make himself known, all in good time.

[kj1225]

Flavius had simply been sitting in the wagon, slouched over. He wasn't sleeping of course, his armor and the noise a movement of the carriage had ensured that any attempts at that on his end were doomed to failure. Instead he simply thought to himself, worrying about Eydis, thinking about the mission, remembering his own family.... The topic of how to go about things finally roused him from his thoughts, sitting up straight as he let out a slight yawn.
"If I may offer some advice from my own experience, If these were simply bandits I would agree with you Gunvald. But as it stands, these cultists likely want to instill as much fear and chaos as possible to make resistance against them harder, which ending the current ruling line would definitely do."
Flavius doesn't bother pointing out that both of the siblings could be right, it'd only cause problems down the line.

[Twinwolf]

Renee, for her part, was very inclined to believe the cult was behind it. And more than willing to take the fight to them - she'd been pretty cheerful about the prospect as a matter of fact.

...However, there was a more immediate issue to take care of.

"Morgan, in this context, they don't mean to physically have a low profile - they mean trying to make sure the cult doesn't know we're here."

[SirAston]

In one of the corner of the wagon, Tanec was fiddling around with his bow. Adjusting the bowstring like a bard would adjust his lute, he occasionally pulls at the string to check if the string is rigid enough just right. After he was satisfied with it, he went through the arrows, checking on the arrowheads and the nocks. Tanec gives the impression of a man who leaves nothing to chance, silently listening to his companions and his contractors. Then, he speaks up.

"Information is key. Without it, the only sure way is simultaneously and openly attack both the cult and Cestulon. I give you three seconds to think how this three-way war would end... ... Aaaand time's up. You guessed it, we would be screwed."

The beefy bowman then grabbed into his belt pouch and revealed a pair of used dice. He started shaking the dice in his hand.

"Would be as smart as hoping for the lucky shot in the dark..."

The dice are cast. Two sixes, a phenomenal roll in most gambling games.

"What you two want is to remain calm and gather the right information and material to have certainty in your actions! Like I was certain I would roll the lucky eyes with these weighted dice! DOWAHAHAHAHA!"

He then pocketed his cheater's dice away while revealing differently-colored dice from the same poach.

"Don't worry, I have regular dice too, I don't betray those I work together with. Wanna pass the time with these until we reach our destination?"

[RedMageCole]

It was difficult to not listen to Tanec with his booming voice, and even Fionn had to look away from the scenery to watch. He watched the dice be cast, was impressed by the high roll... then was even more impressed that they were weighted. He wasn't one to be opposed to cheating, on the contrary, if possible he'd cheat given the opportunity. He didn't care much for playing fair when it came down to things like that... but at the same time, he figured that there was no reason not to have a little fun with the situation.

"Very well, a gentleman's game of dice you wish to indulge in? I shall join in your game... Provided we use the same dice, of course."

[Sutoratosu Akira]

Odette sat idly near the back of the wagon, a small orb of light blooming to life and fading away with every bored snap of her fingers. This trip had been less eventful thus far than she'd expected. She'd came down from the mountains to be at Eydis' side in her time of need, but honestly part of her couldn't help like she was stuck in a cage, just travelling like this for days on end. Nothing to track, nothing to slay. They hadn't even encountered the odd bandit so far. She knew Fersand had came and cleared the way already, but hells bells... the man was better than she thought, if he could be this thorough.

It was with one last snap of her fingers and the dying of the tiny light it created that the sound of dice jingling caught her attention.

"I suppose I'll join as well. Better than hoping for bandits or beasts that are already dead..."

[Chevaleresse]

"Oh." Morgan sat back up, expression still blank. Lacking anything else to do for the moment, Morgan defaulted to the traditional pastime of shuffling further into a corner and watching the people around with a stare that seemed to blink slightly less often than it should.

[ctsun]

Rather unlike everyone else, Emilia was riding beside the wagons rather than in them. Stuffing a pegasus with everyone else or with a wyvern or even with the luggage all seemed like incredibly bad ideas to her. Besides, so long as he has his wings tucked, a pegasus won't look that different from a regular old horse, right?

One black wing popped out and she responded with a slight nudge of her boot to tuck it back in.

"No. I know you're going stir crazy, Bell. And quite honestly, so am I. But we need to stick to the Plan. If we're flying, we'll be seen and that'll be Bad. Just wait until we get to the next town, alright. We can fly then. What was it again? Pen-rith?"

Emilia wasn't entirely why that'll be bad hence the mental capital letters. If they were seen, the bad guys would be more focused on them and stop setting innocent people's homes on fire. That's what they're here for, right? To stop the bad guys setting people's homes on fire. To stop that night from repeati- Nope. Don't think about that. Find something else to think about.

She heard a booming laugh coming from the wagons. "What was that? Are they having a party in there? No, it's probably just Tanec. He's all big and booming and has green hair. Like broccoli. I like broccoli. They're delicious and goes well in a stir-fry. I should make some stir-fry. Got plenty of rations. Just need something else. Like bear. Hey, Bell, can you find a bear for me?"

There was an incredulous snort coming from her mount.

"What? No, you're right. I'm getting distracted. And babbling. Probably shouldn't babble. Makes me sound crazier than I am. Oh, I know! I always wanted to try this!"

She took a deep breath and started singing softly to herself.

"This is the song that doesn't end. ♪ It just keeps going on and on, my friends ♪..."

[GodofGamingRWBY]

For the most part, Eydis looked pretty proud of herself for the general agreement towards her way of thinking, namely going right after the Cultists. Gunvald, on the other hand, sat in relative silence, hearing out everyone else, even if their conversations weren't entirely directed towards the matter at hand. Regardless, once Burhardt spoke up, Gunvald thought about the question he posed for a few seconds before coming up with a good enough reply,


"I suppose it will fall to the rest of you in order to accomplish the search. The best Eydis and I can do is lay low for a bit until we get enough information. Regardless, I'm sure we can find a place to do so without too much trouble" Gunvald explained,


"For the most part, I just don't want to fight an enemy we don't know much about. We know their methods, and why they're around, or so they claim. I don’t doubt that we’ll be crossing blades with them sometime soon, that’s inevitable. But evening the playing field is more important than just rushing in.” he continued, largely directing his speech towards the members that hadn’t neccisarally… Agreed with him.


As for Eydis, she had largely brushed off Gunvald’s explanation. Keep low until the time was ready was the gist of it anyways, she didn’t feel like arguing the point any further right now. Instead, she merely maneuvered her way around the wagon, mostly to be a part of the dice game that two of Gunvald’s hired helpers and Odette were getting ready to start,


“I’ll join in as well, if this stuff supports more than three players."

[Blade Master Model 42]

Burhardt's relief was plain to see in his face, and hear in his voice. "Thank you your highness. We shall conduct the search in your stead, and report our findings to you with haste." Burhardt leaned a bit further back, trying to relax his body as much as his spirit. However, his armor was still rather heavy, and his back was stiff. Burhardt directed his attention to the rapidly forming game of chance. He had no particular interest in playing, but he wasn't doing anything else and it couldn't hurt him to learn the rules of whatever game it was that they were to play.