The Manipulative & the Subserviant

OOC: What is this crap about the attack having already happened?

*Reiter kicks the knight towards the edge while Rhea is probably saved by either Sorrel or Golem. She backs away, summoning Shiva.*

*Taiyo switches from Heathen Frolick to Slow Dance. Azuma parries the Knights attack. Mimiru counter attacks the Knight then hits it with Pummel.*

OOC: Fine. Whatever.

~Lesalia~

*The knight turns around & attacks Sorrel, shouting about how there are traitors everywhere.*
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*The knight Mimiru attacks finally kicks it. The atheist mage runs behind the wall, but the Southern Sky Knight catches up to the other one & runs him through.*
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E"Which way should we go?"

R"It is generally frowned upon to march up to the back door of a castle with a small battalion & demand entrance."

E"Right, so, front gate it is."
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~Dorter~
*There are none.*

Agrias<Let us make haste.>
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*The chemist immediately stops moving, & opts to throw his dagger at whatever his name is. Meanwhile, the last Squire falls.*

L"...Was that a sheep?"

"Traitors?" Sorrel counters, "My loyalty lies with the crown and its rightful heir. I've always been a part of the Northern sky!"

"Right, let us not dally here," Mortal said rushing towards the front gate.

--

Sab looked up, "Did someone call me? No?" Shaking her head of the thought Sab fell in step with the rest of the group.

--

Zac ducks that shit like a champ, (alternatively, should he not dodge the knife, he takes half damage, and splits it with the Chemist thanks to Soulbind). Zac gets within range, and guns down the fucker once and for all with Barrage.

--

Iliad shook his head, "Zac's cries of annoyance can be a bit funny sometimes."

*Assuming Reiter defeated his knight opponent, he climbs down from the roof and runs over to the knight attacking Sorrel, followed by Parker. They both slash at him, Parker trying to steal some cash while she's at it.*

*Taiyo continues her dance while Azuma slashes the Knight. Mimiru goes up and punches the remaining Black Mage.*

~Lesalia~

*Being way too far away for that, all that happens is Mimiru gets slashed across the chest by the knight as she runs past. The knight blocks the following counterattack.*
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Lionsguard<So now both Dukes plot at war? We truly are surrounded by treason!>

*These are the last words he says before the attacks kill him.*
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*When they get there, the gates are closed. A blonde soldier in Southern Sky uniform appears before them, having teleported from somewhere.*

<Back for more punishment, are you? Or are the wenches behind you a peace offering, perhaps?>
==================================
~Dorter~

*Lilith moves into the good district.*

L"They were part of a larger group, but it looks as though someone else cleaned the rest out. And left quite a hoard for us, to boot."

The battle is won!

Gil: 30,000
Lilith JP: 400
Zac JP: 400
Illiad JP: 400
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Agrias<The abductor crossed into the forest?>

Gaffgarion<Aye, seems so. There are also goblins afoot.>

Ramza<I fear for the Princess's safety, should we keep being delayed like this. Perhaps someone ought to stay behind, & alert the Northern Sky?>

Gaffgarion<Isn't that what they hired us for? Or do you trust them to do a better job?>

Ramza<...A handful of knights cannot save the world. That is all I know.>

*Azuma slashes the Knight and Mimiru hits it with Pummel.*

"I... I need to get to the bottom of this mess before business goes under" he depressingly put his hand over his face.

Sab stays quiet while the others talk.

--

Noctis furled her eyebrows, "I do not like this man's attitude, perhaps the three of you should cut him down to size." Noctis said, as she begins to dance the Forbidden Dance.

"Who are you?" Mortal asked, "Why do you attack Lesalia?"

--

"Seems that way," Zac said, returning to the party, "Shall we split the spoils of war three ways evenly?"

*Parker flicks Sorrel's nose.*

Parker: <Cheer up, sailor.>

Reiter: <...This is one big mess. We weren't supposed to take the job if we were gonna switch sides 2 minutes into it.>

Parker: <...Sorry about that.>

Rhea: <It's okay.>

~Dorter~

*Ramza looks at Agrias, who nods slowly. Then he turns to Sab.*

Ramza<I truly hate to ask this...but I believe a Mage would have the most difficulty travelling through the forest. Would you please report to the Order while we go on ahead?>
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L"Sounds fair enough."
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~Lesalia~

R"Are you trying to recreate the Corpse Brigade? Or perhaps rule over Ivalice is what you desire?"

Gustav<Both are easily within my power. With regards to the Brigade, I'd rather see Wiegraf continue to suffer. And they were inconsequential anyway. And the reigns of Ivalice belong to another.>

R"Goltanna?"

*Gustav smiles & takes a step forward.*

R"Don't even try it! I know what you're thinking. If you kill Noctis, you'll be stabbed twice & have your face bashed in before you can say, 'Justified homocide.'"

Gustav<Indeed.>

*Instead, he slashes, beams of white light striking Roatha from the sky.*
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*The knight dies. A scream alerts them to the fact that the other Black Mage has been felled as well.*

The battle is won!

Gil: 45,000
Taiyo JP: 300
Azuma JP: 300
Mimiru JP: 200

"That's chore's out of the way. I suppose it's time to leave you to do whatever inside the castle?"

Sab frowned, "Perhaps you are right, I'll only slow you down..." She is sad to say the words, though she knows them to be true. "I will go and report to the Order," She said turning, "Please, save the princess!" She called over her shoulder as she began to leave.

--

Zac divided the gil up, "Alright," Zac said, looking around, "Who, exactly, do you think could have done this?"

"Perhaps someone that got in their way," Iliad suggested, "That was my only crime against the others."

--

Noctis didn't lose step as they talked about her death.

As soon as Gustav swings his sword Mortal starts to closes the distance between them. Once in range Mortal attacks with a double shot of Rend Speed.

Astarte felt her heart sink and suddenly wanted to run back to her home and hide behind her father and big brother.
"I... I won't..." Astarte began, hesitating and turning from pale white to bright red. "I have no choice in this, do I?"

~Lesalia~

"Well, I already locked the gate behind us, so not really. Alright! Show time!"

*The knight waltzes up to the door into the castle & slices it in half diagonally.*
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<Indeed. I appreciate your help very much.>

*He heads into the castle.*
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*Once his speed is chopped down to size, Roatha runs up & slashes him, the blade sucking the blood into itself. Euryale also takes a few steps closer & lashes at him with an invisible aura-fist, but he blocks that with his shield before teleporting to Mortal's side & crashing down blue crystals on her & Roatha.*
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~Dorter~

L"So you don't know what the group was doing here?"
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*As she leaves, she can kind of hear them talking behind her.*

Gaffgarion<Excellent, glad you finally decided to wise up & rid ourselves of that dead weight.>

Agrias<That is NOT why we gave that order.>

Gaffgarion<If you insist, m'lady.>

Astarte didn't move, but just stared at the knight with a mixture of anger and fear.

Mortal uses Dragon's Might on herself, boosting brv, speed, attack power. With Gustav's speed cut she also tries to get in a double slash across his chest.

Giving up on the possibility of Gustav catching a negative status effect, Noct switches over to Mincing Minuet.

--

"I've no idea," Iliad said, "I was simply walking when the happened upon me. I doubt I was their intended target though, so I imagine they were simply hired to attack a group someone knew would be coming through here."

"Perhaps someone else saw what was going on."

--

Sab is incredibly sad as she comes strolling back into town.

~Lesalia~

*She manages to hit him as Euryale moves over. Focusing her energy into her fists, she lets go & an aura heals her & Roatha. Gustav teleports & hits Noctis with crystals, at which point Noctis stops dancing abruptly, but remains standing, frozen in place.*
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*They meet another knight with the same uniform outside of the throne room.*

Knight1<Well. Regardless of what Seraph told you, you've surely been branded a traitor by now. You've no choice but to fight with us. Wouldn't you agree?>
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~Dorter~

*Lilith runs up to Sab when she comes back into town.*

L"Hey! Did you happen to see an altercation with a bunch of thieves here?"

"I suppose you speak the truth," Astarte shrugged slightly, her expression becoming neutral. "But do not think for a moment that you have my loyalty."

"Noctis!" Mortal feels herself fly off the deep end and chase down Gustav, slashing at his chest, then his neck.

I'm frozen... this fucker stopped me... I'm going to dance on his face when I can move again. Do I at least have good form? Pointed toes, and fingers, no heel leads... Grand, well, at least there is a silver lining.

--

Sab furrows her eyebrows and grips her stave tighter, "Who wants to know?"

"Well, I'll take that as a yes," Zac said walking up, "We're not your enemies, you can tell us what you know."

"Leave me alone, I need to report to the Order of the Northern Sky, I don't have time to dally along with you."

~Dorter~

L"There's no reason to be so hostile. We're investigating...a crime, you might say. If you need to report to the Order, we can escort you."
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~Lesalia~

*When they opened the doors, they found the thrones empty--but the chamber isn't. There are 2 knights, 2 black mages, & a ninja, all in gold-blue armor. Seraph immediately raises his hands & starts gathering blue energy.*

Knight2<Something's wrong.>

"What are you talking about? This looks like loads of fun!"
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Gustav<Humph. I've misjudged you. But the real battle is inside.>

*With that, he teleports off of the battlefield. The Stop wears off when he leaves.*

Gil: 30,000

Noctis: 200
Mortal: 600
Euryale: 400
Roatha: 200

Astarte stiffened and took on a defensive stance.

"You still have not told me who any of you are," Sab said, "Why should I trust you?"

"Our charming personalities?" Zac suggested with a small chuckle.

Sab shook her head, "Barking up the wrong tree."

"Wrong... Oh, I should introduce you to my sister!"

"I... I don't know what you mean," Sab said, "Now listen, I don't know you people, but I've got important things to do."

"My name is Zac, this is Iliad, and this beautiful woman here is Eve, now we know each other."

Sab let out a sigh, "Fine, fine, fine, escort me if you want. My name is Sab."

--

Noctis didn't even miss a beat as she ended her dance, "Bastard is lucky he got away..." She said, upset at her previous predicament.

Mortal sheathed both her swords and hugged Noctis, "I'm glad you're okay, but the fight isn't finished."

"Thank you for the concern," Noctis said, "But you're right, let us be off."