While I don't consider that a big win, it would at least bring the politics to the table and out of the woods. Because if people are defending the traitor (explicitly in bad faith), someone can follow the trail to find more and how they're communicating and so on and so forth.
Yeah, I should probably check on that (goes and rolls a dice for how the Solar Knights take this)
(Gets 6 on a d6)
(Twice)
...I swear I am not fudging dice rolls, you guys are just getting really lucky with how well the people of the Divine Realm take the things you do. almost like there's some sort of divine entity smoothing Ryza's path...
Yeah, I should probably check on that (goes and rolls a dice for how the Solar Knights take this)
(Gets 6 on a d6)
(Twice)
...I swear I am not fudging dice rolls, you guys are just getting really lucky with how well the people of the Divine Realm take the things you do. almost like there's some sort of divine entity smoothing Ryza's path...
Yeah, I should probably check on that (goes and rolls a dice for how the Solar Knights take this)
(Gets 6 on a d6)
(Twice)
...I swear I am not fudging dice rolls, you guys are just getting really lucky with how well the people of the Divine Realm take the things you do. almost like there's some sort of divine entity smoothing Ryza's path...
Wow it's almost like being a decent and reasonable human being/manekete who believes in the power of open communication, honesty, and cooperation is a truly blessed and powerful way to live.
Wow it's almost like being a decent and reasonable human being/manekete who believes in the power of open communication, honesty, and cooperation is a truly blessed and powerful way to live.
It's the earnestness and innocence of a child who is only just understanding how cruel the world is but crucially before said earnestness/innocence has been crushed combined with the intelligence and budding wisdom of someone much older. That combo is really doing work.
The whole-hearted belief in innate goodness and the ability to actually work towards it and make it reality.
[X] "Ryza, you mentioned there's a Solar Knight garrison nearby? We'll take them there and explain everything to the Knight-Priestess in charge. They'll want to know about Brother Danvien's treachery, and after we explain what they were up to that should absolve us of any problems. True, they'll probably want to deal with their traitor themselves, so we won't get the full benefits of questioning him, but we should be able to get something, and we might even be able to convince the Divine Realm to move closer towards joining us in this war."
"I stand in the light of the Sun, to defend that which is good.
I stand in the truth of the Creed, to guide the world to Her Truth.
I stand against the darkness, the madness of hate and lies.
I stand against the conqueror, who would force us all to kneel.
And when my time comes, I will go to Sol Invictus gladly,
knowing I have done my part to advance Her Holy Will!"
-The Solar Knight oath
As you feel your draconic self step back and allow you to reshape your body back into your heart form, you grimace slightly. The smell of blood and burned flesh is thick in the air from the aftermath of your dragon's rampage, and while you know it had been necessary… well, it still made you grimace, knowing the fear and destruction you'd set in motion.
'They would have done it to us if they could have,' she says, a slight note of defensiveness weaving through her being.
'I know,' you respond sadly. 'Doesn't mean I have to like it.' Your other half disagrees, but after a moment you make peace with yourself: Heart and Dragon won't always be on exactly the same scroll, but you will always support and help each other.
As you float over to where Kelton and Belle are helping to arrange the dead soldiers in a neat-ish pile, you notice that the yeomen you don't know as well are throwing you nervous looks. Another reason why, even though your actions had been needed, you were in no hurry to repeat them. After all, you didn't want to be a source of fear, especially among Artemis's people. Flying around and looking impressive is one thing. Killing a bunch of people who'd never really had a chance was different.
Shaking your head, you refocus yourself. There's no use dwelling in the past needlessly, not when time would be better spent making what reparations you could. "Sorry, Kelton," you say as you reach your friend. "We misunderstood." Even though it had been your draconic half that had spit that lightning bolt, your heart also bore responsibility: you are one and the same, after all.
The soldier gives you a grin, though you can see that his smile doesn't quite reach his eyes. "Eh, it's okay," he says. "You told me that scaly-you takes things literally, and that I have to be careful what I say to her. I should have remembered that and been more clear." He looks you over. "Are you alright? You took a few hits in that fight."
Frowning, you take a moment to mentally check yourself. Your wings hurt a little from where some of the arrows dug into the membrane, and while your tail doesn't physically exist it stings a little too. However, as you press a hand under your elbow, you hiss slightly, feeling a bit of warm wetness leaking onto your blouse. "I'm alright," you say as you channel White magic into the wound. "Nothing got much past the scales, so everything translates to small flesh wounds. Nothing I can't handle."
"You should still be careful with those," Belle says as she comes over. "Those can lead to nasty infections if you don't take care of them properly."
You hold up your glowing hand. "I'm fine," you say again. "I can just pulse a bit of White magic through myself every now and then, that takes care of most issues."
The former thief grins. "Must be nice, to just be able to erase anything that goes wrong with a flick of a finger," she says.
You shake your head. "It's not that simple," you say. "For anything more than little scratches, I do have to focus. I actually picked up that anti-infection spell at the Marble Hall; I'm guessing Mother could do something similar, since I remember her using White magic on me every week or so, but she never had time to teach me before…" you hesitate before shaking your head. "Magic's a powerful and useful tool, but it can't do everything."
"Yeah, Arden says that all the time," Kelton says. "Still, it's nice to have."
"It is," you say before looking around. It seemed that, while you'd been talking, the yeomen had finished making a pile of the bodies. You frown as you see one of the men working a glinting locket off of one of the fallen soldier's necks, your sharp eyes spotting what looks like a child's sketch inside as it falls open. "Leave that," you say, making your way over. "That belonged to him."
The man flinches as you come closer, but glancing over at Artemis he takes a breath. "Won't do him any good," he says defensively. "And I can get some co-"
"That's something his family gave him," you say, an unconscious edge sharpening your voice as your other self picks up on your distaste and weaves it into herself. "It's one thing to keep a tool, something that we can use to end this stupid war. But my people have had their lives and memories stolen from their tombs and homes for too long for me to be happy with my friends doing the same. Even to people who were doing bad things. Leave it."
The yeoman starts to open his mouth, his eyes narrowing slightly, but then he glances past you, grimaces again, and drops the copper-looking locket back onto the man's body. "Sorry, Mistress Levinheart," he says.
"Thank you," you say, looking over at the others. A few pull small rings and other baubles out of their pockets and put them back amid the bodies. Once they're done and everyone's stepped aside, Artemis comes over. "Whatever their sins," she says softly to you. "They don't deserve to just rot here. Ryza, could you cremate them?"
You nod. "Okay," you say, pulling out Firecall and closing your eyes. Summoning up your Red magic, you form a fireball in your palms before feeding it into the pile, purging off the lingering traces of heightened emotions from your recent transformation into a controlled blaze that consumes the bodies without letting it escape into the rest of the forest. You feel the eyes of everyone on you, including the two bound prisoners, but you force yourself not to look to see what sort of glares they're giving you. While Red magic is born of emotions, you still want to keep them under control.
Finally, after a few minutes of work, you let out a breath and release the remains of your irritation at being forced to be out here, your pain at what you'd had to do, and your hope that someday soon this will all end. "It's done," you say softly, leaning against Artemis as your other half coils gently around your mind, silently giving you strength and comfort against a distasteful but necessary act.
Your friend ruffles your hair gently. "Thank you, Ryza," she says softly. "There's nothing more for us here, let's go. Do you want to ride with me for a little bit?"
You still don't like riding, but the thought of being close to your best friend is appealing right now, so you nod. "Yes, thank you," you say.
Soon, the Agrithian scouting band, followed by the surviving Imperial horses that hadn't run away from you during the fighting, were heading towards the Solar Knight garrison. You're glad that Artemis decided to go there; the thought of being able to have a friendly conversation with someone new rather than skulking around and fighting people sounds good. Thankfully, the map that Father Simon gave you includes the location of the nearby Solar Knight fortress, and since you're not trying to hide from them it'll be easy to get to them. Hopefully, they'd believe you when you said that the Imperials and one of their own people were up to something.
After about an hour of riding with Artemis, you're finally feeling settled enough to spread your wings again and go scouting ahead. The sooner you can find someone, especially if you can get a good word in edgewise and explain things before they see a few tied-up people being marched through their forest. That would probably not be a great impression, no matter how necessary it was.
Thankfully, after only ten or fifteen minutes of sweeping back and forwards ahead of the rest of the group, you spot something interesting. A group of about six people standing on a small rise, surrounded by several animals and peering back the way you came, towards the still faintly-visible coils of smoke from the pyre. Even from this distance, you can faintly sense the the wisps of White magic. Not just from the people, but from their mounts, mounts that each have a glinting horn coming from their foreheads. Artemis had told you that the Solar Knights were not only almost all powerful White mages, but that they almost all rode unicorns. That must be them!
Good thing, too, as even from your distance you can see one of them pointing in your direction. You frown slightly as you carefully approach, trying not to look like you're coming in on an attack run while still calling up enough Yellow magic so that if they started trying to shoot spells at you, you'd be able to protect yourself as you retreated. That one that's pointing… is it just you, or does she look a little smaller than the others? Not as small as you, physically, but yes, she's noticeably shorter than the other five women…
Shaking your head, you refocus as you carefully flare your wings and come in for a landing a safe distance away, keeping your hands extended to show that they're empty. "Hello," you call as you look the six women over. The five adults are all wearing similar uniforms: a light breastplate of silver with gold edging, each with a sunburst in the center. They also wear white robes similar to the one Sister Selinda wore, though they're more open, showing off the white dresses underneath. Rather than hats, each also has a light helmet, similar-looking to the Whitening helmets, though with a unicorn horn rather than wings. Each woman carries a staff over their shoulder: several Mends, as well as one you're pretty sure is a Physic Staff, which from your studying is one of the more complex bits of White magic humans have designed. Each also has a White tome. Most of the women carry Ellights, though the oldest looking woman has a more ornate looking Arclight. They also all have a ring glinting on one finger that shines in the same way as the Knight Seal you have; these women must have been able to bond with the seals in a way to boost their strength.
You really hope these women will accept that what you and Artemis are doing here in the Divine Realm is necessary, since you don't think you'd be able to beat these five in a fight. Maybe you'd be able to fight off one, but from the amount of magic in the air, you get the feeling that any one of these women could give the rest of the team at least a fight. All together-
Your worried thoughts are cut off by an excited squeal. "Oh Sun you're real!"
You blink as your eyes flick to the younger-looking woman. You'd put her at about fifteen or sixteen, though the excited grin on her face and the bounce in her steps makes her seem younger. She's wearing a similar robe to the others, but she doesn't have any armor, and she's wearing a hood with a similar design to Sister Selinda's hat rather than a helmet. She's clutching a Heal staff, and has no tome.
You don't have time to take in more than that, however, as she starts towards you. "Wow, you're actually real!" she says cheerfully. "I thought-"
Smiling fondly, the oldest woman reaches out and puts a hand on the girl's shoulder as she starts to leave the cluster of knights. "Melissa," she says, her voice kind but firm in a way that instantly reminds you of your mother's voice when you're doing something that's relatively innocent but still not what you're supposed to be doing.
It certainly works on the girl, who instantly freezes. "Sorry, Mother…" she says meekly as she lets her mother pull her back into the group, gently pushing her towards another of the Solar Knights, who takes hold of her shoulder and guides her further back.
The older woman, meanwhile, steps forward to draw your attention. "Please forgive my daughter," she says. "She is always happy to hear from her aunt, especially when she writes about interesting things happening at the Marble Hall." She looks you over, her eyes lingering on your wings. "But first, introductions. I am Knight Corona Mother Marina Tenerife. Might I assume that you are Ryza Levinheart?"
You nod. "I am, yes," you say. "You know someone at the Marble Hall? I thought that there were schools for magic in the Divine Realm."
The knight nods. "There are, yes," she says. "But my sister always wanted to explore and understand, so she worked and trained to be one of those that was allowed to go to the Hall. Once she was there… well, she decided that she had a chance to change things for the better from the inside, and that doing so would be the best way to help make the world a better place, rather than coming home to work directly with us." A flicker of mixed emotions flashed across Mother Marina's face before she smoothed it away. "Forgive me, though, I'm sure you have a reason for being here. What brings you to the Divine Realm, Mistress Levinheart?"
Forcing yourself not to grimace as you hope that you won't spoil this nice conversation, you approach closer. "Well, I'm here with Lady Artemis and some of our friends," you say. "You've heard about the Empire invading the Northern Kingdoms, right?"
Mother Marina nods gravely. "We have, yes," she says. "That's why we're out in force; normally a patrol like this would only be done by two Knights. While there is an ongoing back-and-forth dialogue between the leaders of the Imperial army and His Holiness, we Knights have decided that it is best to be ready in case any of the Imperial troops decide to… wander, shall we say."
You perk up slightly, that sounds promising. "Well, that's actually why we were up here," you say. "When we reached Starhelm, we found some information that indicated the Empire might be up to something along the border, so Artemis and I came to take a look. We ended up finding a group of them that seemed to be scouting out some way to get to Hornglade by sneaking through the Divine Realm."
"Truly?" Mother Marina asked, raising an eyebrow. "Daring of them. Had we discovered them, we would have been…. most displeased with their attempt to subvert our wish to not be involved in any way in this war. We certainly would not have wanted to be involved in such a way that would aid them against our cultural cousins in Hornglade." She frowns darkly. "What became of these invaders?"
You squirm slightly. "Well, since we're currently fighting them, and they were coming to attack us, Artemis said that it was okay for us to stop them. We… we ended up killing most of them, though we did take some prisoners." Mother Marina nods, though there's a slight frown on her face. "However, there is a complication, one that Artemis thought you'd all like to know about. The rest of the group's following behind me, but I came ahead to let you know we were coming."
The Solar Knight nods again. "And I thank you for that," she says. "While we appreciate the right of free people to defend themselves from aggression, we very much prefer you don't do it in our homes and land. However, as the Imperials had invaded first, we are willing to accept that you did what was needed. Still, you mentioned a complication?"
You hesitate for a second, wondering if it would be better to let Artemis handle this part of the conversation. However, you dismiss that thought. Not only would that be cowardly, but you have an advantage that apparently Mother Marina's sister spoke highly enough of you that she recognized you on sight. Hopefully that means they know how much you want to avoid conflict, and thus they'll take bad news better from you than they would from Artemis. "Well, the Imperials were trying to avoid you," you say. "And they were doing that with the help of a priest from the Divine Realm."
A few sharp intakes of breath make you flinch back as the Solar Knights look between each other. "You're certain they weren't guiding a messenger group?" one of the knights asks, earning her a sharp gesture from Mother Marina. However, the older knight never takes her eyes off you, and for an instant you see White magic beginning to gather around her before she seems to consciously force it away.
You nod. "Absolutely," you say. "I was able to get close enough to overhear them before the fight started." Closing your eyes, you focus on trying to remember the exact words, helped by your draconic self's memory. "The priest was saying something about avoiding a shrine because the priest that works there was observant, and that after that he'd tell you all something to draw your attention elsewhere as the 'strike force' passed." You frown. "The cavalier leading the Imperials didn't like him very much, something about treachery, but the mage with them kept the peace between them by saying the priest was trying to make up for the mistakes of his ancestors."
This time, the volley of murmurs from the knights was laced with more anger than surprise, but after an instant of panic you get the feeling that the anger isn't directed at you. "There wasn't any mistake!" Melissa declares angrily, her smile dipping into an angry frown.
"Melissa, calm yourself," Mother Marina says coolly, causing her daughter to close her mouth. "Are you certain that is what was said, Mistress Levinheart?" the older knight continued after a long moment of waiting for her fellows' grumbles to subside.
"I am," you say. "Might… might I ask what he meant? And why does that upset you all?"
Mother Marina blinks before sighing. "Right, Miranda mentioned that you'd just woken recently, so you don't know all the details of the tangled history of the Empire and those that have sought to find better paths outside of it." She pauses for a moment before continuing. "Ever since Sun-Father Leon was guided by his visions to secede from the Empire in order to create a nation where Sol Invictus's commandments could be followed more purely, there have been some who have claimed that, at best, he misinterpreted his visions. Others have been less charitable." That got another round of irritated mutters. "Well, while it is not illegal to hold unorthodox opinions, attempting to subvert the Solar Knight's mandate to protect our borders… that is something that cannot be tolerated." She fixes you with a piercing glare. "This renegade priest, is he still alive?"
You nod. "Yes, Artemis told me that it was important that we keep him alive, so I made sure not to hurt him during the fight."
"Thank you for that," Mother Marina says. "But we should have this conversation with your Lady Artemis as well. Come, lead the way."
You watch as the knights quickly mount their unicorns (and horse, in Melissa's case) before lifting off. "They shouldn't be far," you say. "Come on, this way."
As you lead the way down the hill towards where Artemis should be, you notice Melissa pushing her horse over towards you. You glance over at Mother Marina, who sighs but nods. "Hi, Melissa," you say, drifting close enough to talk to the younger Divine Realmer.
"Hi," she says, her eyes watching your wings move with every flap. "Wow, Auntie Softshimmer said that you had wings, but they're a lot bigger than I thought they were gonna be!"
Your eyes widen. "Wait, your aunt's Mistress Softshimmer?" you ask.
"Uh-huh," Melissa says. "That's how she was able to tell us about how you saved everyone at the Marble Hall from the False Savior's men." She smiles. "She also said that you were the best test-taker she'd ever seen, and that you can use magic without even having any sort of tools, and that you can turn into a dragon, and all other sorts of cool things. Is that all true?!"
Your draconic self preens slightly. 'I like her. Can we keep her?' she asks.
'We are not old enough to be adopting anyone,' you tell yourself. "I don't know about the first one, but yes, I can use some magic without any help, though I'm still learning how to do that with Red, Green and Black magic. And yes, I can turn into a dragon."
"Cooooollll…" Melissa says, her eyes going slightly wide in a way that reminds you of Siri at her most excitable. "I've seen some of the old statues of dragons that survived the False Savior's rampage, and they looked really strong and elegant. Everyone said they were all gone, but I always dreamed of getting to see one some day." She started to reach out as your wing came closer, but she seemed to catch herself and grabbed the reins again. "Could… could I see you as a dragon sometime?"
Glancing past Melissa, you see the other knights giving each other wry looks of amusement as they watch her. Mother Marina shoots you a silent question of if you'd like her to come and redirect her daughter, but you shake your head. It feels nice to be appreciated by someone you've just met, so you're willing to put up with some gushing. "I'm sure she'll be fine with that," you say. "But not right now. We're still a little tense from the fight we had earlier; it was her first battle."
'Yes, and it went well, didn't it?" other-you thinks. "We achieved all objectives flawlessly." You supposed that's mostly true.
Melissa starts to open her mouth to say something else, but Mother Marina speaks up. "I know you're excited, Melissa, but we have to show proper decorum when speaking to guests, even if they are unexpected and unusual ones." Her eyes turn forwards, and as you refocus you hear the sound of horses approaching from ahead. "Besides, we are about to meet more guests."
The younger Divine Realmer grudgingly drifts back to behind her mother and the others, allowing you to fly forward to meet Artemis as she comes out of the trees ahead of you. "I found them," you say as you come to hover in front of her.
Your friend looks over your shoulder to see the Solar Knights waiting for you to finish. "It seems like they took things relatively well," she says after a moment, giving Mother Marina a nod before smiling slightly at you. "Thank you, Ryza. I was confident that this was the best course, but I had expected some tension at the beginning."
You nod. "I just told them what the priest and the Imperials were saying, and apparently he was saying some things that they really don't like around here," you say. "It helped that they'd already heard of me from a family member at the Marble Hall, and so that got me some credibility to start with."
"Well, as they say, it's often not so much what you know or what you can do, but who you know that determines where you go in life," Artemis says as she guides Actaeon around you. You frown slightly as you follow; while you suppose it makes sense that if people don't know you they won't know what you can do, it does seem that it should be important that you're actually capable of doing what you need to do too. In this case you are capable, but still… Shaking your head, you refocus on the moment; you can puzzle out this latest bit of human strangeness later.
"Welcome to the Divine Realm, Lady Cartese," Mother Marina says, her eyes flicking to the banner that Phoebe carried for Artemis when she was meeting with people. "Though I wish you could have seen our holy place under better circumstances."
"As do I, Mother," Artemis says. "However, when responding to Imperial aggression, we go where we must to dull their blades before they strike." She jerked her head back. "The renegade priest is one of yours, so I am sure you will wish to deal with him personally. However, as the Imperial mage is part of the army making war against Agrithe and her allies, I request that he be turned over to us so that we might determine what his plans were for Hornglade and the other Northern Kingdoms."
Mother Marina drums her fingers on her staff, which she's rested across her knees in a gesture that seems important somehow. "While I understand that the aggression was ultimately aimed at you and yours, Lady Cartese," she says. "Ultimately, he and his fellows were in the Divine Realm without permission, and thus they will be questioned by us. The Solar Knights will be taking custody of both prisoners. We also invite you and your companions to come to our temple-fortress, at least for a time." Her smile turns slightly thin. "After all, while your reasons and motives have been explained to my satisfaction by Mistress Levinheart, one who's judgment I have been informed by trusted sources can be relied upon, it is still important that all the protocols be observed."
Artemis tenses ever so slightly. "We presented ourselves, upon the advice and in the presence of a Solite Sister, to Father Simon, and he recognized our presence," she says carefully.
"Truly? That is good, that will smooth things over," Mother Marina says, nodding. "However, in these times of tension, it is still important for the Solar Knights to have our own hand in who enters the Divine Realm." Her eyes narrow as they flick to the priest still sitting, bound, on the back of one of the horses. "That is why it was… inappropriate, shall we say, for a mere Brother to be inviting strangers into our lands."
Your friend relaxes. "Very well," she says, inclining her head. "In that case, I will gladly accept your invitation, Mother Knight. We have been riding rough for a while, it will be good to rest and recover, if that is agreeable to you."
Mother Marina nods. "I am glad," she says, her smile softening. "Come then, we will show you the way."
As the now enlarged group of riders turns and begins heading towards where the map Father Simon gave you said the Solar Knight base was, you settle yourself back onto Actaeon. It seems that, for the moment, things are going well. Hopefully Artemis will be able to figure out what the Imperials were up to around here, so that you can go back to Starhelm having proven that you were right all along to insist that the lead Kelton had found be checked out!
Once you get to the Solar Knight fortress, you will have some time before you have to go back to Starhelm to rejoin with the rest of the Kingdoms as they continue the fight against the Empire. What do you do during this time?
[]Melissa still seems to have some questions; try to spend some time with her. After all, you've learned that having friends can be a big help in times like these.
[]From what you saw at the Marble Hall, mages tend to stick together and respect each other. Maybe you can talk to the Imperial mage, try to get him to be reasonable about all this.
[]You still sense some tension amongst the Agrithian soldiers. While your closest friends are still firmly on your side, maybe taking some time to reassure the others that you're not going to eat them would be good.
[]Write-in
AN: Once again, sorry this took so long. I just got distracted by other things and forgot to put as much thought into it as I should have. Hope you all had a good holidays and that your 2024 is going alright so far.
Augh, deciding between spending time with Melissa (new friend!) and making sure the army's morale doesn't drop (a practical necessity) is gonna be a tough choice.
[X]Melissa still seems to have some questions; try to spend some time with her. After all, you've learned that having friends can be a big help in times like these.
Getting a new contact is a bit timelimited and Ryza probably need more friends overall.
[X]You still sense some tension amongst the Agrithian soldiers. While your closest friends are still firmly on your side, maybe taking some time to reassure the others that you're not going to eat them would be good.
[X]You still sense some tension amongst the Agrithian soldiers. While your closest friends are still firmly on your side, maybe taking some time to reassure the others that you're not going to eat them would be good.
You blink as your eyes flick to the younger-looking woman. You'd put her at about fifteen or sixteen, though the excited grin on her face and the bounce in her steps makes her seem younger.
That colon should be a period, and that "you" should be "You".
[X]Melissa still seems to have some questions; try to spend some time with her. After all, you've learned that having friends can be a big help in times like these.