Side Story The Goddess II: Fate of the Old Gods

Hidan didn't even flinch as the explosion went off- used to Deidara's 'techniques' in battle, so he simply fell back away from where the sound of the explosion was. He ignored the arguing around him, moving his weapon down as a means to keep his balance as the building shook. Watching with a curious eye as a gold glitter like aura swallowed them.

He blinked for a moment, his eyes scanning the area and taking in the ruins he seemed to be standing in. He smirked as a man walked up to one of the men around him and started yelling and threatening him.

View attachment 8075

"It seems I ain't the only fucking crazy one," he muttered, a laugh in his voice.

Oh, this was good entertainment.

@Sark @Capri @Yun Lee @Jeremi @Crunch @Takumi @Lucky
 




MUSEUM
"So Valkyrie and Alice are down for an Alliance..." Yuri traced his chin with his thumb. "By the sound of things, Hidan is abstaining. With Jeff out in the courtyard and Wally off doing the Goddess only knows what, we'ere in a bind. We can't count of the Chosen being impartial, so they'll have to abstain too. Even if Rei and Henry both scream and beg for us to kill the Skrull, we'd still only have a tie. The scale cannot be tipped in the favor of executing Veranke..."

"So what do we do?" Ferdinand exclaimed. "Heir on the side of caution and sentence her anyway?"

"No. No." Yuri mumbled to himself. "If at least half the Returned was to negotiate with Veranke, we have to give her a chance."

"W-what?" Odin stammered. "You can't be serious?"

"I am as grave as the grave, Odin." Yuri replied sternly. "The Queen lives... as our prisoner."

"Wonderful..." A smile crept across Veranke's lips. "Well then... take me to your l---"

[BOOM]

Another explosion shook the Temple. Marble pillars were sent tumbling to the ground left, right and center.

"What was that?"

"Another explosive charge has gone off, courtesy of Veranke's friends, no doubt..."

"I told you that I would come quietly. My allies are a different matter."

"What are you waiting for?!" Ferdinand howled, picking Vernake's legs up off of the floor and slinging them over his shoulder. "Start moving! Everyone! Clear out of here!"

***
The explosion rattled the Temple to its core. The Slayer was sent tumbling to his knees. The 'Demons' fell down a moment later. The voice's illusion was starting to fade.
The pale demon cradled its arm.
"Is that all you've got, Slayer?" He panted, removing his knife from his belt. "Come on... Come on!"
The emerald demon cracked its jaw back into place.

"His eyes..." Toren wheezed. "They've changed... whatever was bewitching him... it's gone."
The cowering demon did his best to stand, but his strength was spent. The bite on his shoulder was burning. It was too much to endure.
"We need to move..." Wally spat. "This whole place is going down... Forget the undead... we need to run!"
***
The Godless collapsed at the edge of the Temple. With a final groan, the Fellow's once beautiful headquarters came crashing down. Centuries worth of art... lifetimes upon lifetimes of records... they were all lost in one final flash of crimson. Yuri set the unconscious body of Father Crimson down upon the Temple's steps. Eli limped towards him.
"What happened to you?" Yuri smirked.
"The Slayer." Liquid replied bluntly. "The Slayer happened. He was under the influence of some kind of demonic magic. Not the kind I'm familiar with..."
"We'll have to trade notes when we get home." The Rogue quipped.
"We shall. Who are the new faces?"
"This is Mercedes. She was the librarian's assistant. She's been following Valkyrie like a lost puppy since she killed the librarian. And this-" He raised his hand towards the trembling, dark-haired girl at Katara's side. "This is--"
"--Flayn." Eli interjected. "It's been too long."
"H-Hello, Captain White..." 'No-Name' stammered. "You're correct. It has been--"
"Not another word. We don't have time." He dismissed her with a wave. "And the Skrull? What is she doing here? Forget it. Better question. Why is her head still attached to her shoulders?"
"I have friends in low places, Captain." She spat out his name as if it had been burning her tongue. "Your pawns had the foresight to spare me so that we might win the war together. The fate of both our heads can wait until the Goddess' head rolls. Do you think you can keep a dagger out of my back until then?"
A primal growled rattled in the back of Eli's mouth.
"No. I don't think I can. The moment we get home, I'm throwing you in the deepest, darkest hole I can find. And if Hidan is running low on sacrifices? I might just tell him where I've buried you... and tell him to take his time..."
"Your threats are as hollow as that skull of yours. Your 'Returned' have made their decision, Eli. You weren't a part of it."
Eli glared at his old friends. It was a cold, hateful stare.
"You better have a fucking incredible excuse for this." He hissed. "It better be fucking incredible."
He removed a device from his pocket and raised it to his lips.
"Soranik?"
[Captain? What's the situa--]
"Don't ask. Prepare and extraction. We're heading back to Valla."
[Fine.] Soranik grumbled. [How many people are we going to be extracting?]
Eli's eyes danced from one member of the Godless to the next. His eyes stopped when they landed upon Alice. He turned away from her before their eyes could meet again. A wave of shame crept over him. Fleeing the Temple... it didn't feel right. Even if their mission was done, leaving this territory in the Goddess' hands... it felt wrong. He clenched his jaw. He turned back to the Refugee camp.
Hearts and Minds. They were fighting for hearts and minds.
[Captain?] Soranik's voice interrupted Eli's trail of thought. [Captain, how many people are we--]
"As many as we can take." He replied, his voice booming with conviction.
[What?]
"We're taking as many people as we can. I don't care if it overloads the teleporter. There are thousands of scared, hopeless souls rotting behind that barbed wire fence. I won't allow it. We're taking them all, Soranik. Every. Last. Refugee. They're all coming back to Valla. Do you think CORI can handle it?"
[Sure I can, Sugar!] QORI cooed. [It'll be tough, but I can have your calculations ready in two shakes of a rabbit's foot--]
"Soranik? What did you do to my AI?" Captain White growled. "What did you do to my---"

A spark of gold washed over the Temple. In a flash, the Godless were gone...

MUSEUM----> THE FIELDS OF VALLA
THE SECRET HEADQUARTERS OF THE GODLESS
View attachment 8068
The Godless were 'home'... or at least, they're back at the closest thing they could call home. The Champions. The Returned. Hidan. A thousand refugees. They were all standing in the ruins of a forgotten kingdom.
"Valla sweet Valla..." Yuri smirked. "It's good to be--"
A spearhead was pressed against his throat. He sighed and raised his hands. A handful of Vallite soldiers surrounded the Returned.
"Here we go again..."
View attachment 8069
"You've got some nerve showing your faces here!" Seteth growled, poking Yuri a little harder. "Running off in the middle of the night! Refusing to alert her Majesty of your plans! You've been missing for far too long! We believed you all to be dead!"

He turned his weapon towards Eli, Niles and Nina. His bodyguards slowly circled the Returned.
"And now you scurry back here with an army of beggars and a band of criminals! Do you have any idea who you're working with? Hidan? Captain White? These men are murders! Murderers!"

"Good to see you too, Grand-Advisor Seteth." Eli squinted. "How is the life of a deserter treating you?"

"You insolent--" Seteth lowered his spear and slapped Eli's cheeks. The force of the slap could be heard across the clearing. "How dare you? You know exactly what the Goddess has taken from me! You dare to speak to me like--"

"Seteth, we can explain!" Ferdinand raised his hands as if he were calming a horse. He opened his mouth to explain. No sound came out. "Somebody explain, please? Can somebody introduce him to No-Name?"

"Your words are cheap, Godless. You have betrayed our trust once already. If we had the numbers to cease you and your refugee band we would have done so already! Kana will be hear shortly with the Reserve Army. You will be brought back to the castle in chains lest you explain yourselves immediately!"

@Yun Lee @Jeremi @Takumi @Lucky @Capri @Space_Candy @Crunch

Good. Valkyrie thought to herself. If someone hadn't slapped him then she would've. Valkyrie had taken a place next to Veranke to try and guard her as best she could. Her word was bond after all, and if someone managed to kill the Skrull it would be on Valkyrie's head. The others seemed to do the introductions so she stood silently watching on.

@Yun Lee @Jeremi @Takumi @Lucky @Capri @Space_Candy @Crunch
 
"We went to get your fucking daughter back for you, and some of us nearly died doing so. So don't talk like you're the only one who lost something to the Goddess, when most of these people already have. Back off, and keep your hands off my Brother or you might lose a few teeth in the next minute or two." She spoke coldly.
VALLA
"I don't take kindly to threats, Ms.Swayne," Seteth glared, his eyes thinning into razors. "You'd be wise to keep your temper in check... And you'd be wiser still if you chose your 'family' more carefully..."
Good. Valkyrie thought to herself. If someone hadn't slapped him then she would've. Valkyrie had taken a place next to Veranke to try and guard her as best she could. Her word was bond after all, and if someone managed to kill the Skrull it would be on Valkyrie's head. The others seemed to do the introductions so she stood silently watching on.

@Yun Lee @Jeremi @Takumi @Lucky @Capri @Space_Candy @Crunch
Hidan didn't even flinch as the explosion went off- used to Deidara's 'techniques' in battle, so he simply fell back away from where the sound of the explosion was. He ignored the arguing around him, moving his weapon down as a means to keep his balance as the building shook. Watching with a curious eye as a gold glitter like aura swallowed them.

He blinked for a moment, his eyes scanning the area and taking in the ruins he seemed to be standing in. He smirked as a man walked up to one of the men around him and started yelling and threatening him.

View attachment 8075

"It seems I ain't the only fucking crazy one," he muttered, a laugh in his voice.

Oh, this was good entertainment.

@Sark @Capri @Yun Lee @Jeremi @Crunch @Takumi @Lucky
“Woah... woah woah woah! Are you seriously gonna do this every time?” Jeff said, holding his hands up, but gestured towards Flayn to come foreward, moving out of the way so she could be clearly seen by Seteth.

“Calm down, Seteth, we have Flayn, it’s okay,”
Katara put her water away in her waterskin and held onto Flayn as she watched, eyes darting back and forth warily as tensions rose. Even when they made it Valla she kept a protective arm around the girl.

"She asked us to bring her home, and I promised her we would, some of these refugees are injured and don't wish to fight." Katara added as Jeff tried to plead their case. She glanced to Flayn briefly, then back to Seteth.
"Father?"
Flayn stepped out from behind Katara and Jeff. Her fingers were trembling. She could barely hold on to the little tin miniature she had brought with her. Her nervous fingers and her absent mind were dissecting it piece by piece.
"That voice..." All the pain and irritation drained from Seteth's face. "I know that voice..."
Flayn's toy slipped from her fingers. She stared up at Seteth, her eyes as glassy as a doe's. She took another step towards her father. She barely noticed to creak of her tiny, sweet-wrapper toy as it was crushed beneath her foot.
"F-Father..."
Seteth crouched down on one knee. He slowly opened his arms wide. His fingers started shaking in turn.
"Is it you...? Is it...? After all this time...?"
Flayn stopped walking. She started running. She threw herself into her fathers arms and nestled her head in his shoulder. He closed his arms around her. His tears started to pour.
"Oh God.. Oh God... it's really you..."
"I am home, Father... I am home..."

The pounding of hooves boomed over a nearby hill. A battalion of Vallite soldiers came into view, their weapons drawn. Catherine yanked upon her horse's reigns, commanding it to stop. Kana followed suit. She smiled down upon the reunited family.
View attachment 8194
"Seteth..." Catherine muttered. "Is that... is that who I think...?"

"They brought her back, Catherine... they brought her home."

For the first time since Garreg Mach, Catherine allowed herself to openly smile.
"By the True-Goddess... they did it..."
"I'll provide you with the thanks Seteth is unable to share, Returned..." Queen Kana hummed. "Despite the situation... despite my orders... you still found a way to do some good..."

"Makes a change..." Eli muttered to himself. "It's nice to be appreciated..."

"But I cannot ignore the fact that you went against my wishes. I cannot ignore the fact that you broke my trust. I cannot ignore the fact that you allied yourselves with terrorists and killers and risked luring the Empire back to our fair kingdom..."

"I knew it was too good to be true..."

"My hands are tied. You have committed too many crimes against my kingdom for me to turn a blind eye...:

"Here were go again..." Yuri groaned. "Charges of treason, public executions..."

"So I have no choice but to pardon you all."

Yuri picked his eyes up off of the floor.
"When you say all of us...? Because we've got a prisoner with us, and it'll be real awkward if we have to un-cuff her and--"
"Everyone who helped save Flayn has been pardoned, Yuri. That includes you. It includes Eli. And Niles. And Nina. And the Slayer. And anybody else who assisted you in your journey."

"Would you look at that... maybe things are start to pick up for the Godless."
"Good things come to good people, Yuri." The Queen lowered herself off of her horse and approached Flayn and Seteth. She placed her hand upon heir trembling backs. "We're all living proof of that. Now come. We must return to the castle. We have cause for celebration..."
***
All was well again.
A familiar song rings out across Valla. You can't quite put your finger on where you've heard it before, but it fills your heart with a comforting glow. The refugees were taken to the castle and- for the first time since they had left their worlds- were presented with clean clothes and heart meals. Veranke and Crimson were escorted to the Castle's most secure dungeon for the night. The Returned could worry about alliances and ransoms later. Tonight? Tonight was a nice of celebration.

A banquet was held in the great hall. The entire kingdom was invited. Captain White- still nursing his broken arm- had joke about attendance being compulsory as soon as he entered the hall wearing his old Fellowship Uniform. You were met with familiar faces everywhere you turns. Vallites and the Godless were wining and dining together. Their leaders were growing drunker by the minute. It made the previous banquet look like a tea party by comparison. They weren't drinking to forget. They weren't drinking to calm their nerves. They were drinking because they had something worth toasting to-- a changing tide.

After a few hours of wild, raucous partying, the Great Hall's doors were thrown wide open.
"Excellent news, everybody!" Izana chirped with glee. "Look how I found!"
View attachment 8195
He dragged Ashe into the hall by his wrist. Several of his old allies walked in after him.
"Lookie Lookie! The Chosen! The Slugabeds are finally awake!"
The party-goers cheers and toasted their return. Drinks were forced into their hands. Arms were thrown around their shoulders. Introductions were made and stories were shared.
"You've changed your tune, Izana." Eli chuckled. "And there I was thinking that you'd never forgive them murdering you..."
"Oh, water under the bridge, Captain!" The Seer cheered. "Besides! If Alice can cooperate with CORI after all she's done, I'm sure I can forgive Big Mother for her grotesque, brutish nature! Consider it an act of charity!"
Eli slapped Izana's arm and returned to the party.
"Ahh, I'm glad to hear it, Old Friend. Now hurry up and grab something to drink. Seteth will be back with his speech soon enough. You're going to want to numb your sense as much as possible before he starts talking and talking and talking!"
***
As the Party's guests of honor, the Returned and the Chosen were all seated upon the same, long table. It was the perfect opportunity to the Chosen to mingle with the men and women who were fighting to make up for their mistakes 5 years ago...

Alternatively...
Catherine was performing a series of training exercises in the courtyard outside. Maybe she could use some company.
Kana and Flayn were conversing at an elevated table at the back of the hall. Flayn must have said something funny. Kana was bent over with laughter.
Nina was sitting at the end of the table. She was aggressively polishing some large and golden she had pilfered from the Temple. In order to get a better angle on her pinched prize, she threw her feet up onto the table, spilling a bottle of wine in the process.
Izana was humming along to the music at the other end of the table.
Yuri sat beside him, doing his best to block out the humming and polish of a bottle he had no doubt stolen from Seteth's personal stash.
Ferdinand and Mercie did their best to secure seats beside Ashe and Valkyrie respectively.
"Drink up, Godless." Eli raised his class to the men and women at his table. "You've earned it."

@Jeremi @Takumi @Space_Candy @Yun Lee @Crunch @Capri @Lucky
 
JEFFREY KOVAL
@Sark


Jeff went over to talk to Flayn and Kana.

“I see you’re enjoying yourself, Flayn” Jeff said to Flayn with a smile.



MILLIE COULRO
@Sark


Nina, who was inspecting some gold thing, couldn’t have possibly notice the little girl who was also inspecting that thing.

For after all, she was hiding under the table at first.

Her blue-tinted face popped up from underneath the table, nearby Nina, and just asked...

Millie3-resources.assets-155.png

“What’s that?”


THE CHOSEN
@Sark @Takumi

“Wait, so that hoe actually made a fuckin’ statue of me? Holy shit!”

Right next to Ashe, wherever he was, was a woman. Any godless or secularist could recognize who she was, although the Returned might not.

View attachment 8205
The woman was enjoying herself more than she let on. She had an ear to ear smile almost plastered on her face.

Couldn’t say the same about another man who also just so happened to be chosen.

“Oh... for me? Thanks but...”
“Owch... uh... please be careful... heh...”


View attachment 8206
The jittery man couldn’t stand parties. This remains true no matter how many times he dies. He merely sat at the long table, eating.​
 

VALLA
"I don't take kindly to threats, Ms.Swayne," Seteth glared, his eyes thinning into razors. "You'd be wise to keep your temper in check... And you'd be wiser still if you chose your 'family' more carefully..."




"Father?"
Flayn stepped out from behind Katara and Jeff. Her fingers were trembling. She could barely hold on to the little tin miniature she had brought with her. Her nervous fingers and her absent mind were dissecting it piece by piece.
"That voice..." All the pain and irritation drained from Seteth's face. "I know that voice..."
Flayn's toy slipped from her fingers. She stared up at Seteth, her eyes as glassy as a doe's. She took another step towards her father. She barely noticed to creak of her tiny, sweet-wrapper toy as it was crushed beneath her foot.
"F-Father..."
Seteth crouched down on one knee. He slowly opened his arms wide. His fingers started shaking in turn.
"Is it you...? Is it...? After all this time...?"
Flayn stopped walking. She started running. She threw herself into her fathers arms and nestled her head in his shoulder. He closed his arms around her. His tears started to pour.
"Oh God.. Oh God... it's really you..."
"I am home, Father... I am home..."

The pounding of hooves boomed over a nearby hill. A battalion of Vallite soldiers came into view, their weapons drawn. Catherine yanked upon her horse's reigns, commanding it to stop. Kana followed suit. She smiled down upon the reunited family.
View attachment 8194
"Seteth..." Catherine muttered. "Is that... is that who I think...?"

"They brought her back, Catherine... they brought her home."

For the first time since Garreg Mach, Catherine allowed herself to openly smile.
"By the True-Goddess... they did it..."
"I'll provide you with the thanks Seteth is unable to share, Returned..." Queen Kana hummed. "Despite the situation... despite my orders... you still found a way to do some good..."

"Makes a change..." Eli muttered to himself. "It's nice to be appreciated..."

"But I cannot ignore the fact that you went against my wishes. I cannot ignore the fact that you broke my trust. I cannot ignore the fact that you allied yourselves with terrorists and killers and risked luring the Empire back to our fair kingdom..."

"I knew it was too good to be true..."

"My hands are tied. You have committed too many crimes against my kingdom for me to turn a blind eye...:

"Here were go again..." Yuri groaned. "Charges of treason, public executions..."

"So I have no choice but to pardon you all."

Yuri picked his eyes up off of the floor.
"When you say all of us...? Because we've got a prisoner with us, and it'll be real awkward if we have to un-cuff her and--"
"Everyone who helped save Flayn has been pardoned, Yuri. That includes you. It includes Eli. And Niles. And Nina. And the Slayer. And anybody else who assisted you in your journey."

"Would you look at that... maybe things are start to pick up for the Godless."
"Good things come to good people, Yuri." The Queen lowered herself off of her horse and approached Flayn and Seteth. She placed her hand upon heir trembling backs. "We're all living proof of that. Now come. We must return to the castle. We have cause for celebration..."
***
All was well again.
A familiar song rings out across Valla. You can't quite put your finger on where you've heard it before, but it fills your heart with a comforting glow. The refugees were taken to the castle and- for the first time since they had left their worlds- were presented with clean clothes and heart meals. Veranke and Crimson were escorted to the Castle's most secure dungeon for the night. The Returned could worry about alliances and ransoms later. Tonight? Tonight was a nice of celebration.

A banquet was held in the great hall. The entire kingdom was invited. Captain White- still nursing his broken arm- had joke about attendance being compulsory as soon as he entered the hall wearing his old Fellowship Uniform. You were met with familiar faces everywhere you turns. Vallites and the Godless were wining and dining together. Their leaders were growing drunker by the minute. It made the previous banquet look like a tea party by comparison. They weren't drinking to forget. They weren't drinking to calm their nerves. They were drinking because they had something worth toasting to-- a changing tide.

After a few hours of wild, raucous partying, the Great Hall's doors were thrown wide open.
"Excellent news, everybody!" Izana chirped with glee. "Look how I found!"
View attachment 8195
He dragged Ashe into the hall by his wrist. Several of his old allies walked in after him.
"Lookie Lookie! The Chosen! The Slugabeds are finally awake!"
The party-goers cheers and toasted their return. Drinks were forced into their hands. Arms were thrown around their shoulders. Introductions were made and stories were shared.
"You've changed your tune, Izana." Eli chuckled. "And there I was thinking that you'd never forgive them murdering you..."
"Oh, water under the bridge, Captain!" The Seer cheered. "Besides! If Alice can cooperate with CORI after all she's done, I'm sure I can forgive Big Mother for her grotesque, brutish nature! Consider it an act of charity!"
Eli slapped Izana's arm and returned to the party.
"Ahh, I'm glad to hear it, Old Friend. Now hurry up and grab something to drink. Seteth will be back with his speech soon enough. You're going to want to numb your sense as much as possible before he starts talking and talking and talking!"
***
As the Party's guests of honor, the Returned and the Chosen were all seated upon the same, long table. It was the perfect opportunity to the Chosen to mingle with the men and women who were fighting to make up for their mistakes 5 years ago...

Alternatively...
Catherine was performing a series of training exercises in the courtyard outside. Maybe she could use some company.
Kana and Flayn were conversing at an elevated table at the back of the hall. Flayn must have said something funny. Kana was bent over with laughter.
Nina was sitting at the end of the table. She was aggressively polishing some large and golden she had pilfered from the Temple. In order to get a better angle on her pinched prize, she threw her feet up onto the table, spilling a bottle of wine in the process.
Izana was humming along to the music at the other end of the table.
Yuri sat beside him, doing his best to block out the humming and polish of a bottle he had no doubt stolen from Seteth's personal stash.
Ferdinand and Mercie did their best to secure seats beside Ashe and Valkyrie respectively.
"Drink up, Godless." Eli raised his class to the men and women at his table. "You've earned it."

@Jeremi @Takumi @Space_Candy @Yun Lee @Crunch @Capri @Lucky

Alice narrowed her eyes at Seteth, lip curling back in a scowl and smoke escaped her nostrils as they flared as she huffed.

She was going to snap at him again and ask him to repeat the shit he was spouting, but Flayn had pushed her way to the front, and Alice's lips pursed as she glanced to the young woman. Her anger lessened as the two reunited, but she kept standing protectively in front of Eli.

When Kana came and pardoned them, her shoulders relaxed as she blinked in surprise at the monarch. Well, that was a good thing.

As a banquet was held, she simply braided up her hair to keep it out of her face and decided not to get as drunk as she had before. She watched as the group they brought were up and about, lips quirking in amusement as Ashe was dragged in then leaned back into her seat and snorted as Izana mentioned her working with CORI.

481373e052b5529fe6c573d83f7875b1fbccb5ee.jpg


"If I have to work with someone I don't like I'll do it, even if I have to put up with them having to open their mouths." She spoke up with a shrug before glancing to Eli.

5048b6740b1f8fc2c077355b5652178d2210dd4b.jpg


"Bro, get your arm looked at before the nights over, okay?" She suggested as she took a sip from her glass.

Alice couldn't help but grow even more amused at Yuri's apparent suffering as he sat next to Izana. He kind of deserved it, just a little. Plus, he wasn't teasing her so that was a bonus.

Silque listened to the conversation around her as she ate and was caught up to current events as best as those around them could get them to be.

@Sark @Jeremi @Lucky @Yun Lee @Space_Candy @Crunch

Meanwhile, Ashe sat near Maddie and shook his head fondly.

9c5c47775bdba0a4e3cc1b4eee07001b04016870.jpg


"Maddie, I doubt it was a very flattering or impressive statue, we did make her pretty mad." He commented with a chuckle as he sipped at whatever he was handed upon being dragged into the Great Hall. He didn't know what it was but it wasn't that bad, other than burning a bit. Noticing Ferdinand, the silver haired young man perked up.

"Ferdinand! I'm glad to see you're doing well old friend." He greeted, though a thoughtful look crossed his face a moment.

"Are Dedue and Ingrid here too?" He asked, brows furrowed slightly. Had they made it too? Or were they among the growing body count?

@Sark @Capri
 

VALLA
"I don't take kindly to threats, Ms.Swayne," Seteth glared, his eyes thinning into razors. "You'd be wise to keep your temper in check... And you'd be wiser still if you chose your 'family' more carefully..."




"Father?"
Flayn stepped out from behind Katara and Jeff. Her fingers were trembling. She could barely hold on to the little tin miniature she had brought with her. Her nervous fingers and her absent mind were dissecting it piece by piece.
"That voice..." All the pain and irritation drained from Seteth's face. "I know that voice..."
Flayn's toy slipped from her fingers. She stared up at Seteth, her eyes as glassy as a doe's. She took another step towards her father. She barely noticed to creak of her tiny, sweet-wrapper toy as it was crushed beneath her foot.
"F-Father..."
Seteth crouched down on one knee. He slowly opened his arms wide. His fingers started shaking in turn.
"Is it you...? Is it...? After all this time...?"
Flayn stopped walking. She started running. She threw herself into her fathers arms and nestled her head in his shoulder. He closed his arms around her. His tears started to pour.
"Oh God.. Oh God... it's really you..."
"I am home, Father... I am home..."

The pounding of hooves boomed over a nearby hill. A battalion of Vallite soldiers came into view, their weapons drawn. Catherine yanked upon her horse's reigns, commanding it to stop. Kana followed suit. She smiled down upon the reunited family.
View attachment 8194
"Seteth..." Catherine muttered. "Is that... is that who I think...?"

"They brought her back, Catherine... they brought her home."

For the first time since Garreg Mach, Catherine allowed herself to openly smile.
"By the True-Goddess... they did it..."
"I'll provide you with the thanks Seteth is unable to share, Returned..." Queen Kana hummed. "Despite the situation... despite my orders... you still found a way to do some good..."

"Makes a change..." Eli muttered to himself. "It's nice to be appreciated..."

"But I cannot ignore the fact that you went against my wishes. I cannot ignore the fact that you broke my trust. I cannot ignore the fact that you allied yourselves with terrorists and killers and risked luring the Empire back to our fair kingdom..."

"I knew it was too good to be true..."

"My hands are tied. You have committed too many crimes against my kingdom for me to turn a blind eye...:

"Here were go again..." Yuri groaned. "Charges of treason, public executions..."

"So I have no choice but to pardon you all."

Yuri picked his eyes up off of the floor.
"When you say all of us...? Because we've got a prisoner with us, and it'll be real awkward if we have to un-cuff her and--"
"Everyone who helped save Flayn has been pardoned, Yuri. That includes you. It includes Eli. And Niles. And Nina. And the Slayer. And anybody else who assisted you in your journey."

"Would you look at that... maybe things are start to pick up for the Godless."
"Good things come to good people, Yuri." The Queen lowered herself off of her horse and approached Flayn and Seteth. She placed her hand upon heir trembling backs. "We're all living proof of that. Now come. We must return to the castle. We have cause for celebration..."
***
All was well again.
A familiar song rings out across Valla. You can't quite put your finger on where you've heard it before, but it fills your heart with a comforting glow. The refugees were taken to the castle and- for the first time since they had left their worlds- were presented with clean clothes and heart meals. Veranke and Crimson were escorted to the Castle's most secure dungeon for the night. The Returned could worry about alliances and ransoms later. Tonight? Tonight was a nice of celebration.

A banquet was held in the great hall. The entire kingdom was invited. Captain White- still nursing his broken arm- had joke about attendance being compulsory as soon as he entered the hall wearing his old Fellowship Uniform. You were met with familiar faces everywhere you turns. Vallites and the Godless were wining and dining together. Their leaders were growing drunker by the minute. It made the previous banquet look like a tea party by comparison. They weren't drinking to forget. They weren't drinking to calm their nerves. They were drinking because they had something worth toasting to-- a changing tide.

After a few hours of wild, raucous partying, the Great Hall's doors were thrown wide open.
"Excellent news, everybody!" Izana chirped with glee. "Look how I found!"
View attachment 8195
He dragged Ashe into the hall by his wrist. Several of his old allies walked in after him.
"Lookie Lookie! The Chosen! The Slugabeds are finally awake!"
The party-goers cheers and toasted their return. Drinks were forced into their hands. Arms were thrown around their shoulders. Introductions were made and stories were shared.
"You've changed your tune, Izana." Eli chuckled. "And there I was thinking that you'd never forgive them murdering you..."
"Oh, water under the bridge, Captain!" The Seer cheered. "Besides! If Alice can cooperate with CORI after all she's done, I'm sure I can forgive Big Mother for her grotesque, brutish nature! Consider it an act of charity!"
Eli slapped Izana's arm and returned to the party.
"Ahh, I'm glad to hear it, Old Friend. Now hurry up and grab something to drink. Seteth will be back with his speech soon enough. You're going to want to numb your sense as much as possible before he starts talking and talking and talking!"
***
As the Party's guests of honor, the Returned and the Chosen were all seated upon the same, long table. It was the perfect opportunity to the Chosen to mingle with the men and women who were fighting to make up for their mistakes 5 years ago...

Alternatively...
Catherine was performing a series of training exercises in the courtyard outside. Maybe she could use some company.
Kana and Flayn were conversing at an elevated table at the back of the hall. Flayn must have said something funny. Kana was bent over with laughter.
Nina was sitting at the end of the table. She was aggressively polishing some large and golden she had pilfered from the Temple. In order to get a better angle on her pinched prize, she threw her feet up onto the table, spilling a bottle of wine in the process.
Izana was humming along to the music at the other end of the table.
Yuri sat beside him, doing his best to block out the humming and polish of a bottle he had no doubt stolen from Seteth's personal stash.
Ferdinand and Mercie did their best to secure seats beside Ashe and Valkyrie respectively.
"Drink up, Godless." Eli raised his class to the men and women at his table. "You've earned it."

@Jeremi @Takumi @Space_Candy @Yun Lee @Crunch @Capri @Lucky

Valkyrie had helped herself to a mug of alcoholic beverage and seemed quite pleased with the current situation. As Mercie sat down next to her Valkyrie grinned and raised her mug at her. "Tonight, much merriment shall be had!"

Big Mother meanwhile seemed to have found a spot near Izana where she was hovering over him, like an owner waiting for their pet to do some sort of trick. The humming wasn't very impressive. Anyone could do that.

@Sark @Jeremi @Takumi @Space_Candy @Yun Lee @Crunch @Capri @Lucky
 
Back from the dead. Or what felt like death, anyway. Kolin really couldn't believe she had missed five years, and for what? A deity she had foolishly trusted, a deity who had betrayed her, so she betrayed back. Humanity is a strange thing, but she at least was glad she reclaimed hers even if it had cost her half a decade.

But enough of that. She moved to whoever could tell her the one thing she needed to know, and that would be the only person she recognized that wasn't caught up in the return of his daughter. "Izana," she said curtly, taking a seat by his side. "Please tell me. What has become of my Society? And...and my Emperor?"

@Sark @Jeremi

---

Rei didn't have to be told twice to indulge himself at this party. He'd earned it for nabbing that strange tome, really. Oh, speaking of...beer in hand, he approached Eli, noting with some amusement that Miss Alice was here, too. Fate just couldn't keep them apart...though he was sure she wasn't happy about that.

"Say, boss," he said casually. "That tome...what kind of spell is so vital to our cause? Considering books were being burned left and right when I got to the library, has to be pretty potent to survive the totalitarian torching, eh?"

@Sark @Takumi
 
JEFFREY KOVAL
@Sark


Jeff went over to talk to Flayn and Kana.

“I see you’re enjoying yourself, Flayn” Jeff said to Flayn with a smile.
"Yes... Yes, as am I," Flayn wiped a joyful tear from the corner of her eye. "The Fellowship had a celebration just like this a long time ago. At the time, everything seemed so complex. But hearing all this laughter. It reminds me of a simpler time..."

"A time before Seteth's ridiculous mustache!"
The Queen teased, throwing her arms around Flayn. The pair were rolling over with laughter once again.

"Yes! Ha Ha!"
Flayn chirped. "Seeing my father with that silly thing on his lip... it was certainly a surprise!"
Nina, who was inspecting some gold thing, couldn’t have possibly notice the little girl who was also inspecting that thing.

For after all, she was hiding under the table at first.

Her blue-tinted face popped up from underneath the table, nearby Nina, and just asked...

Millie3-resources.assets-155.png

“What’s that?”
"Thank you!" Nina exclaimed, slamming her prize onto the table. "How many times does a girl have to polish something this shiny before it starts catching eyes!"

"We've all seen it, Nina,"
Niles replied matter-of-factly. "Nobody cares, that's all..."

"Come on! It's not every day that you get to rob a museum, father!" Nina groaned. "Let me have this one, okay? You're just jealous that you can't add this.... thing to your collection!"
View attachment 8220
Nina scrubbed Doctor Fate's helmet a little harder.
"Are you going to tell that kid what you 'thing' is, Nina?"
"Well..."
"Well?"
"I was in a rush... I didn't exactly have time to read the display..."
"So it could just be a load of crap? Come on, Nina..."
"Hey! Whatever this thing is, it was valuable enough for the Imps to put it on display! It has gotta be worth something!"
"Bro, get your arm looked at before the nights over, okay?" She suggested as she took a sip from her glass.

Alice couldn't help but grow even more amused at Yuri's apparent suffering as he sat next to Izana. He kind of deserved it, just a little. Plus, he wasn't teasing her so that was a bonus.

Silque listened to the conversation around her as she ate and was caught up to current events as best as those around them could get them to be.
"Hm?" Eli hummed, losing his train of thought. "Oh... Yes... My arm. It's nothing, really. I just survived an encounter with the Doomslayer. I'm lucky to still have an arm. Besides. I've been through much, much worse, remember?" He took another sip of his drink. "The Liquor helps with the pain. It gives me an excuse to have another round. Death gives you a certain tolerance to the weaker stuff." He clicked his bottle down upon the table and pushed himself up and away from the table with his good arm. "I'll go order something with a little more punch. Want anything?"
"Maddie, I doubt it was a very flattering or impressive statue, we did make her pretty mad." He commented with a chuckle as he sipped at whatever he was handed upon being dragged into the Great Hall. He didn't know what it was but it wasn't that bad, other than burning a bit. Noticing Ferdinand, the silver haired young man perked up.

"Ferdinand! I'm glad to see you're doing well old friend." He greeted, though a thoughtful look crossed his face a moment.

"Are Dedue and Ingrid here too?" He asked, brows furrowed slightly. Had they made it too? Or were they among the growing body count?
The joy that had filled Ferdinand's eyes the moment they met Ashe's started to fade the moment he mentioned their fellow students. He bit down upon his lip. He hesitated for a moment that seemed to crawl by for a lifetime.
View attachment 8222
"That's... that's a story for another time, Old Friend." Ferdinand sighed weakly. "I don't think it's the kind of story I'm ready to tell... I'll share it someday, that much I can promise you... but..."
"We've been fighting the Goddess for 5 years, Ashe." Yuri added, the wine having awakened a secret, sentimental spirit he had once believe to be long gone. "We've had to count a lot of bodies in that time. We haven't forgotten their names. We haven't forgotten their names. We keep them with us. We carry them inside us. No matter how dark the nightmares grow, we still have to pull ourselves out of bed in the morning. We still have to keep on moving. Why? Because Ingrid and Dedue and Hapi all the others wouldn't want us to waste our lives grieving what once was. They'd want us to live. They'd want us to cherish everything we have... and everything they left behind." He put the bottle to his lips once again. "They may be gone... but we're still here. It's not easy... but if you stop swimming, you'll sink. Now come. You're 21 now. Enjoy your first drink, and call for a toast to better days..."

Valkyrie had helped herself to a mug of alcoholic beverage and seemed quite pleased with the current situation. As Mercie sat down next to her Valkyrie grinned and raised her mug at her. "Tonight, much merriment shall be had!"
"Oh... Yes..." Mercie blushed, lining up her knife and fork with the end of the table. "We'll all be quite merry before the night is over, I'm sure. We have much to celebrate, after all. Our freedom. Our new found security. New... new friends..."

Back from the dead. Or what felt like death, anyway. Kolin really couldn't believe she had missed five years, and for what? A deity she had foolishly trusted, a deity who had betrayed her, so she betrayed back. Humanity is a strange thing, but she at least was glad she reclaimed hers even if it had cost her half a decade.

But enough of that. She moved to whoever could tell her the one thing she needed to know, and that would be the only person she recognized that wasn't caught up in the return of his daughter. "Izana," she said curtly, taking a seat by his side. "Please tell me. What has become of my Society? And...and my Emperor?"
"Ah... Now... that's a tricky one..." Izana pouted. "You see, the thing with Secret Societies is that they're secret. It's hard to tell what's going on behind the curtains, sometimes. It's all smoke and daggers, as far as I can tell. Still. I've heard murmurings. After the Secularists fell and Urien went into hiding, well... Being a member of your Society became a little bit more difficult, to put things lightly. You'll have to ask someone wiser than I if you'd like all the little details, but I know this much: Your Emperor is alive."

"Or."

Izana heistated.
"At least..."
"I believe him to be.'
"Veranke's friends hacked some of the screens at the Temple easier on today. They played some sort of... well, I supposed you could call it a recruitment message? I remember seeing a certain element-controlling boy and his tongueless brother in the footage. If you're looking for answers, Queen Veranke is the woman you need to speak to. But that's a task for another day. She's under lock and key at the moment. Can this querie wait until tomorrow, Kolin? It's not as if her Skrull-i-ness is going anywhere..."


"Say, boss," he said casually. "That tome...what kind of spell is so vital to our cause? Considering books were being burned left and right when I got to the library, has to be pretty potent to survive the totalitarian torching, eh?"
"Excellent question, Mr.Amayado." Eli unbuttoned the breast of his jacket and removed the book in question. "The book itself isn't what's important. We're living in the digital age. If I wanted to do a spot of research, I'd simply ask CORI to check her database. If I was looking for a spell, I would have sent you all back to Garreg Mach and told you to raid Hannerman's library before the Imps got to it. No. This unassuming tome doesn't contain spells or secrets... it contains stories. Stories and Spid--"

"Eli... Alice... Mr. Amayado..."
A green-haired man placed his hand upon Captain White's back. Eli flinched, slamming his book shut.
"Sorry, do I know you?"
View attachment 8227
"Funny. Very funny." Seteth replied dryly. "Go on. Get the shaved-mustache jokes out of your systems."
"Who wants to go first?" Yuri chirped. "I've got a good one about green-haired babies I've been saving up for this very moment."
"Har-Har," Seteth replied sarcastically. Still. Despite the situation, he still couldn't stop smiling. "Your poor attempts at humor aside, I just wanted to, well... I believe that I owe you all an apology."
"For what, exactly?" Eli raised an eyebrow. "Threatening to arrest us? Slapping me? Abandoning the war effort?"
"All of the above." He closed his eyes and buried his pride. "But most importantly, I would like to apologize for my attitude. It was unbecoming of me to treat you all with such... well. Hostility. Contempt. Disdain. You can chose the chose the noun. Returned... I am sorry for letting you all down. This time... This time I swear to you.. I shall be better."
"This time? You mean...?"

Izana's ears pricked.
"I have spoke to Kana. The Secularists that came to Valla with me all those years ago... we've been relieved of our duties. We're leaving the Kingdom tomorrow."
"You're leaving?"
"Of course." Seteth chuckled. "We can't kill the Goddess from all the way out here. Tomorrow, the war begins anew. The Empire won't know what hit it."
Eli offered Seteth a hand to shake.
"So... the Devil of Garreg Mach is going to fly again, huh? The Goddess better start saying her prayers."

@Yun Lee @Takumi @Jeremi @Capri @Lucky @Space_Candy
 
JEFF KOVAL
@Sark

“Oh that thing? It certainly was... a choice,”
Jeff said, although his smile did widen. The two of them did have infectious smiles.


MILLIE COULRO
@Sark

View attachment 8246
“Woah! You robbed a museum! That’s so cool!”
Millie exclaimed.


She got out from underneath the table and immediately ran over to Nina’s side with stars in her eyes. If she were a dog, her tail would be wagging at a million miles per hour.


@Takumi @Yun Lee @Jeremi @Lucky @Space_Candy @Crunch
 

"Yes... Yes, as am I," Flayn wiped a joyful tear from the corner of her eye. "The Fellowship had a celebration just like this a long time ago. At the time, everything seemed so complex. But hearing all this laughter. It reminds me of a simpler time..."

"A time before Seteth's ridiculous mustache!" The Queen teased, throwing her arms around Flayn. The pair were rolling over with laughter once again.

"Yes! Ha Ha!" Flayn chirped. "Seeing my father with that silly thing on his lip... it was certainly a surprise!"

"Thank you!" Nina exclaimed, slamming her prize onto the table. "How many times does a girl have to polish something this shiny before it starts catching eyes!"

"We've all seen it, Nina," Niles replied matter-of-factly. "Nobody cares, that's all..."

"Come on! It's not every day that you get to rob a museum, father!" Nina groaned. "Let me have this one, okay? You're just jealous that you can't add this.... thing to your collection!"
View attachment 8220
Nina scrubbed Doctor Fate's helmet a little harder.
"Are you going to tell that kid what you 'thing' is, Nina?"
"Well..."
"Well?"
"I was in a rush... I didn't exactly have time to read the display..."
"So it could just be a load of crap? Come on, Nina..."
"Hey! Whatever this thing is, it was valuable enough for the Imps to put it on display! It has gotta be worth something!"

"Hm?" Eli hummed, losing his train of thought. "Oh... Yes... My arm. It's nothing, really. I just survived an encounter with the Doomslayer. I'm lucky to still have an arm. Besides. I've been through much, much worse, remember?" He took another sip of his drink. "The Liquor helps with the pain. It gives me an excuse to have another round. Death gives you a certain tolerance to the weaker stuff." He clicked his bottle down upon the table and pushed himself up and away from the table with his good arm. "I'll go order something with a little more punch. Want anything?"

The joy that had filled Ferdinand's eyes the moment they met Ashe's started to fade the moment he mentioned their fellow students. He bit down upon his lip. He hesitated for a moment that seemed to crawl by for a lifetime.
View attachment 8222
"That's... that's a story for another time, Old Friend." Ferdinand sighed weakly. "I don't think it's the kind of story I'm ready to tell... I'll share it someday, that much I can promise you... but..."
"We've been fighting the Goddess for 5 years, Ashe." Yuri added, the wine having awakened a secret, sentimental spirit he had once believe to be long gone. "We've had to count a lot of bodies in that time. We haven't forgotten their names. We haven't forgotten their names. We keep them with us. We carry them inside us. No matter how dark the nightmares grow, we still have to pull ourselves out of bed in the morning. We still have to keep on moving. Why? Because Ingrid and Dedue and Hapi all the others wouldn't want us to waste our lives grieving what once was. They'd want us to live. They'd want us to cherish everything we have... and everything they left behind." He put the bottle to his lips once again. "They may be gone... but we're still here. It's not easy... but if you stop swimming, you'll sink. Now come. You're 21 now. Enjoy your first drink, and call for a toast to better days..."


"Oh... Yes..." Mercie blushed, lining up her knife and fork with the end of the table. "We'll all be quite merry before the night is over, I'm sure. We have much to celebrate, after all. Our freedom. Our new found security. New... new friends..."


"Ah... Now... that's a tricky one..." Izana pouted. "You see, the thing with Secret Societies is that they're secret. It's hard to tell what's going on behind the curtains, sometimes. It's all smoke and daggers, as far as I can tell. Still. I've heard murmurings. After the Secularists fell and Urien went into hiding, well... Being a member of your Society became a little bit more difficult, to put things lightly. You'll have to ask someone wiser than I if you'd like all the little details, but I know this much: Your Emperor is alive."

"Or."

Izana heistated.
"At least..."
"I believe him to be.'
"Veranke's friends hacked some of the screens at the Temple easier on today. They played some sort of... well, I supposed you could call it a recruitment message? I remember seeing a certain element-controlling boy and his tongueless brother in the footage. If you're looking for answers, Queen Veranke is the woman you need to speak to. But that's a task for another day. She's under lock and key at the moment. Can this querie wait until tomorrow, Kolin? It's not as if her Skrull-i-ness is going anywhere..."



"Excellent question, Mr.Amayado." Eli unbuttoned the breast of his jacket and removed the book in question. "The book itself isn't what's important. We're living in the digital age. If I wanted to do a spot of research, I'd simply ask CORI to check her database. If I was looking for a spell, I would have sent you all back to Garreg Mach and told you to raid Hannerman's library before the Imps got to it. No. This unassuming tome doesn't contain spells or secrets... it contains stories. Stories and Spid--"

"Eli... Alice... Mr. Amayado..."
A green-haired man placed his hand upon Captain White's back. Eli flinched, slamming his book shut.
"Sorry, do I know you?"
View attachment 8227
"Funny. Very funny." Seteth replied dryly. "Go on. Get the shaved-mustache jokes out of your systems."
"Who wants to go first?" Yuri chirped. "I've got a good one about green-haired babies I've been saving up for this very moment."
"Har-Har," Seteth replied sarcastically. Still. Despite the situation, he still couldn't stop smiling. "Your poor attempts at humor aside, I just wanted to, well... I believe that I owe you all an apology."
"For what, exactly?" Eli raised an eyebrow. "Threatening to arrest us? Slapping me? Abandoning the war effort?"
"All of the above." He closed his eyes and buried his pride. "But most importantly, I would like to apologize for my attitude. It was unbecoming of me to treat you all with such... well. Hostility. Contempt. Disdain. You can chose the chose the noun. Returned... I am sorry for letting you all down. This time... This time I swear to you.. I shall be better."
"This time? You mean...?"

Izana's ears pricked.
"I have spoke to Kana. The Secularists that came to Valla with me all those years ago... we've been relieved of our duties. We're leaving the Kingdom tomorrow."
"You're leaving?"
"Of course." Seteth chuckled. "We can't kill the Goddess from all the way out here. Tomorrow, the war begins anew. The Empire won't know what hit it."
Eli offered Seteth a hand to shake.
"So... the Devil of Garreg Mach is going to fly again, huh? The Goddess better start saying her prayers."

@Yun Lee @Takumi @Jeremi @Capri @Lucky @Space_Candy

"Aye!" Valkyrie exclaimed smiling towards Mercedes. "To new friends!" She raised her mug before taking a few good clunks of the content. "Doth my eyes deceive me however, where is that woman keen to fight with swords? A celebration like this should be for all!"

@Sark
 

"Yes... Yes, as am I," Flayn wiped a joyful tear from the corner of her eye. "The Fellowship had a celebration just like this a long time ago. At the time, everything seemed so complex. But hearing all this laughter. It reminds me of a simpler time..."

"A time before Seteth's ridiculous mustache!" The Queen teased, throwing her arms around Flayn. The pair were rolling over with laughter once again.

"Yes! Ha Ha!" Flayn chirped. "Seeing my father with that silly thing on his lip... it was certainly a surprise!"

"Thank you!" Nina exclaimed, slamming her prize onto the table. "How many times does a girl have to polish something this shiny before it starts catching eyes!"

"We've all seen it, Nina," Niles replied matter-of-factly. "Nobody cares, that's all..."

"Come on! It's not every day that you get to rob a museum, father!" Nina groaned. "Let me have this one, okay? You're just jealous that you can't add this.... thing to your collection!"
View attachment 8220
Nina scrubbed Doctor Fate's helmet a little harder.
"Are you going to tell that kid what you 'thing' is, Nina?"
"Well..."
"Well?"
"I was in a rush... I didn't exactly have time to read the display..."
"So it could just be a load of crap? Come on, Nina..."
"Hey! Whatever this thing is, it was valuable enough for the Imps to put it on display! It has gotta be worth something!"

"Hm?" Eli hummed, losing his train of thought. "Oh... Yes... My arm. It's nothing, really. I just survived an encounter with the Doomslayer. I'm lucky to still have an arm. Besides. I've been through much, much worse, remember?" He took another sip of his drink. "The Liquor helps with the pain. It gives me an excuse to have another round. Death gives you a certain tolerance to the weaker stuff." He clicked his bottle down upon the table and pushed himself up and away from the table with his good arm. "I'll go order something with a little more punch. Want anything?"

The joy that had filled Ferdinand's eyes the moment they met Ashe's started to fade the moment he mentioned their fellow students. He bit down upon his lip. He hesitated for a moment that seemed to crawl by for a lifetime.
View attachment 8222
"That's... that's a story for another time, Old Friend." Ferdinand sighed weakly. "I don't think it's the kind of story I'm ready to tell... I'll share it someday, that much I can promise you... but..."
"We've been fighting the Goddess for 5 years, Ashe." Yuri added, the wine having awakened a secret, sentimental spirit he had once believe to be long gone. "We've had to count a lot of bodies in that time. We haven't forgotten their names. We haven't forgotten their names. We keep them with us. We carry them inside us. No matter how dark the nightmares grow, we still have to pull ourselves out of bed in the morning. We still have to keep on moving. Why? Because Ingrid and Dedue and Hapi all the others wouldn't want us to waste our lives grieving what once was. They'd want us to live. They'd want us to cherish everything we have... and everything they left behind." He put the bottle to his lips once again. "They may be gone... but we're still here. It's not easy... but if you stop swimming, you'll sink. Now come. You're 21 now. Enjoy your first drink, and call for a toast to better days..."


"Oh... Yes..." Mercie blushed, lining up her knife and fork with the end of the table. "We'll all be quite merry before the night is over, I'm sure. We have much to celebrate, after all. Our freedom. Our new found security. New... new friends..."


"Ah... Now... that's a tricky one..." Izana pouted. "You see, the thing with Secret Societies is that they're secret. It's hard to tell what's going on behind the curtains, sometimes. It's all smoke and daggers, as far as I can tell. Still. I've heard murmurings. After the Secularists fell and Urien went into hiding, well... Being a member of your Society became a little bit more difficult, to put things lightly. You'll have to ask someone wiser than I if you'd like all the little details, but I know this much: Your Emperor is alive."

"Or."

Izana heistated.
"At least..."
"I believe him to be.'
"Veranke's friends hacked some of the screens at the Temple easier on today. They played some sort of... well, I supposed you could call it a recruitment message? I remember seeing a certain element-controlling boy and his tongueless brother in the footage. If you're looking for answers, Queen Veranke is the woman you need to speak to. But that's a task for another day. She's under lock and key at the moment. Can this querie wait until tomorrow, Kolin? It's not as if her Skrull-i-ness is going anywhere..."



"Excellent question, Mr.Amayado." Eli unbuttoned the breast of his jacket and removed the book in question. "The book itself isn't what's important. We're living in the digital age. If I wanted to do a spot of research, I'd simply ask CORI to check her database. If I was looking for a spell, I would have sent you all back to Garreg Mach and told you to raid Hannerman's library before the Imps got to it. No. This unassuming tome doesn't contain spells or secrets... it contains stories. Stories and Spid--"

"Eli... Alice... Mr. Amayado..."
A green-haired man placed his hand upon Captain White's back. Eli flinched, slamming his book shut.
"Sorry, do I know you?"
View attachment 8227
"Funny. Very funny." Seteth replied dryly. "Go on. Get the shaved-mustache jokes out of your systems."
"Who wants to go first?" Yuri chirped. "I've got a good one about green-haired babies I've been saving up for this very moment."
"Har-Har," Seteth replied sarcastically. Still. Despite the situation, he still couldn't stop smiling. "Your poor attempts at humor aside, I just wanted to, well... I believe that I owe you all an apology."
"For what, exactly?" Eli raised an eyebrow. "Threatening to arrest us? Slapping me? Abandoning the war effort?"
"All of the above." He closed his eyes and buried his pride. "But most importantly, I would like to apologize for my attitude. It was unbecoming of me to treat you all with such... well. Hostility. Contempt. Disdain. You can chose the chose the noun. Returned... I am sorry for letting you all down. This time... This time I swear to you.. I shall be better."
"This time? You mean...?"

Izana's ears pricked.
"I have spoke to Kana. The Secularists that came to Valla with me all those years ago... we've been relieved of our duties. We're leaving the Kingdom tomorrow."
"You're leaving?"
"Of course." Seteth chuckled. "We can't kill the Goddess from all the way out here. Tomorrow, the war begins anew. The Empire won't know what hit it."
Eli offered Seteth a hand to shake.
"So... the Devil of Garreg Mach is going to fly again, huh? The Goddess better start saying her prayers."

@Yun Lee @Takumi @Jeremi @Capri @Lucky @Space_Candy

e81a5a8e9479cc183cd234355ad0f627c8de4bde.jpg


"You can't fight with a busted or broken arm. Or you can, but it'll slow you down some, y'know? Besides it'll be a bitch to have a hangover and a broken arm in the morning." She said with a shrug and when asked about something stronger to drink she opened her mouth and-

Back from the dead. Or what felt like death, anyway. Kolin really couldn't believe she had missed five years, and for what? A deity she had foolishly trusted, a deity who had betrayed her, so she betrayed back. Humanity is a strange thing, but she at least was glad she reclaimed hers even if it had cost her half a decade.

But enough of that. She moved to whoever could tell her the one thing she needed to know, and that would be the only person she recognized that wasn't caught up in the return of his daughter. "Izana," she said curtly, taking a seat by his side. "Please tell me. What has become of my Society? And...and my Emperor?"

@Sark @Jeremi

---

Rei didn't have to be told twice to indulge himself at this party. He'd earned it for nabbing that strange tome, really. Oh, speaking of...beer in hand, he approached Eli, noting with some amusement that Miss Alice was here, too. Fate just couldn't keep them apart...though he was sure she wasn't happy about that.

"Say, boss," he said casually. "That tome...what kind of spell is so vital to our cause? Considering books were being burned left and right when I got to the library, has to be pretty potent to survive the totalitarian torching, eh?"

@Sark @Takumi

"Oh, you're here Gramps. Cool." She spoke bluntly with a sigh. Whenever he was around he always had something to say, like it was bully Alice hours or some shit. Luckily, Seteth was a distraction from that train of thought.

"Oh good, you don't look like a seventies cop anymore." She quipped, knowing that only a few might get it but it had to be said. Seteth's mustache was kind of bad.

Silque turned to Izana as he spoke to Kolin, and frowned as she asked, "Do you know what happened to Luthor in the past five years?"



fd0ad1f3c5c36ab8680bc733b739f18f192503a7.jpg


"Ah, I see... that's fine, Ferdinand. Thank you, regardless Old Friend, I'll be ready to listen to that tale whenever you're ready to share it." He said softly. Ferdinand's response had caused his smile to slip. It made sense that not everyone would make it, but it hurt all the same to hear. Yuri's confirmation hurt just as much.

While it hurt Yuri's words also held encouragement to them and he nodded, smile returning yet not as big as before.

"How much have you had Yuri? That was very sweet of you." Ashe replied sincerely, if a bit teasingly with his smile growing a little as he held his glass out to Yuri to share.

"Not just for better days, but maybe a brighter future." He added, gaze going to Maddie a moment.

@Sark @Capri @Yun Lee @Lucky @Everyone
 
Hidan's eyes landed on the man drinking- which quickly piqued his interest. He moved over to him before pointing his scythe towards him.

"Got any more of that?"

View attachment 8293

He squinted his eyes, giving a smirk. He took the word of Jashin very seriously- but drinking wouldn't hurt him.

@Sark
 
Henry Hart/Survivor Danger

" At least things are calm for now. Being pardoned for the crimes and being accepted here is good.... though I feel like it's too soon for a celebration..... but it might just be my paranoia talking. That being said, for now, everything seems to be okay.... and I'll take it."

@Sark @Takumi


Jester, Beau and Caleb

"
Remind me to never take a five year nap again. I don't like it one bit.... though, I guess a party for us being okay is good. Though, tall, dark and witchy is still around..... so yeah, Caleb, it's good to see you again."

"
It's good to see you as well, Beau..... even our circumstances are less than ideal. Perhaps we should-.... where did Jester go?"

Jester had gone to bug Big Mother. Jester was recounting every detail of what happened to Big Mother at the speed of a chipmunk who just ate a cupcake. " Oh and we saw that skrull lady that you didn't like and we brought her with us. So how was your nap?"

@Jeremi @Sark
 
"A TOAST!"
Izana chirped, drowning out any remaining conversations. He took a drink before it could reach Hidan's hand. He removed a spoon from Ashe's table and struck it against his glass before Yuri could respond. Before he could say something like 'too much and not enough', Izana was standing upon his table.
"Here we go..."
"To happiness! To freedom! To life!"
View attachment 8420
"May the light of the Sacred Dragon shine upon you!"
"How long until we can start booing?"
"The last few years have be tough for us all... though perhaps I have had the hardest spell out of the lot of us."
"Says the white noble..." Niles tutted. "Now that's a hot take..."
"As I am sure you know, I was tragically murdered just 5 short years ago. I was damned to hell and my mind was ravaged. To lose one's self to madness... To be broken down piece by piece... To be shattered... obliterated! To have your very being ground to dust!"
"Talk about a downer...."
"But I was 'fixed', wasn't I? Why should I complain? It's not as if I suffered for an eternity down-below. It's not as if I still remember ever tragic day."
"Izana... are you...?"
"I mean... it's not as if tonight's guests of honor proudly wear the name of my attackers!"
"
Izana..."
"Oh forgive me, Captain! This is a night of celebration, isn't it? Let's give a round of applause to our saviors, shall we?"
Awarded clapping filled the hall.
"A round of applause to Captain Eli White! He worked with a demon! He betrayed the Fellowship! He led the Chosen into trap after trap! What a hero!"
The clapping somehow grew more awkward.
"And to the Returned! Who brought a terrorist home for negotiations! True Heroes!"
"Izana, it's time you sat dow--"
"And how could I forget the Champions? Murders! The lot of them! There's a reason Mr.Summers isn't here with us today!"
"Izana! Sit! Down!"
"I will not, your majesty! Look around at the wolves you have let into our home! Look at the Demons we now shelter! They never should have come here! They should have stayed on their islands! They should have stayed in their holes! But most importantly..."
Izana slowly peeled his eyes open. An emerald glow burned within them.
View attachment 8421
"They should have listened to their Goddess! Good Evening, Chosen... Returned... It's been far too long..."

Eli grabbed a knife from Ashe's plate. He tossed it towards 'Izana'. With a wave of his hand, the Host of the Goddess turned the blade into flock of butterflies.
"Eli, Eli, Eli... Raising arms against your Empress..." The Goddess raises 'her' hand. Eli clutched his throat. She lifted him up off of the ground with an invisible hand. "You should be ashamed of yourself. Once upon a time, I might have found it within myself to forgive... but now?" She tightened her grasp. Eli gasped for air. "My heart has... hardened, so to speak..."
"Goddess!"
Seteth boomed. "Release him! Release him now!"
He walked towards the Goddess, unafraid.
"You dare to command me?" The Goddess chuckled. "You, of all people? The Coward-King? The Trembling-Bishop? Who would you have me free, Oh Wise Mortal? Eli? Or Izana?"
"I won't play your games, Demon! Free them both! These men are not your puppets--"
"Puppets? No, they're not toys. This isn't a game. This is a punishment." She tightened her grip around her prisoner's throat. Eli cries out pain. "Placing a child in danger like this... it's unforgivable. Your daughter could have lived a fulfilled, happy, holy life in my care. Instead? Instead she has to die... it's a shame..."
"Stop this! Stop this, Goddess!"
"You already know what it's like to lose a wife, Seteth. You've had a taste of what it's like to lose a child already... I thought that you would have learned by now." The Goddess raised her hand. Flayn screamed as the Goddess' invisible hand lifted her up off of the ground.
"Please! No!!"
"The pain you're going to feel... The terror... I can sympathize. I can empathize. I can understand. I too have lost my children. My Chosen... At least your 'Flayn' will die loving you... But mine? After all I have I gave them... After all I sacrificed... They still rejected me. They still turned against me. I suppose that's the fate of all parents... we are all resented in the end..."
"LET HER GO! PLEASE!"
"
But I won't get hurt again... Oh no... It starts with Izana..." She looked down at her hands. "The seed I planted within him when I fixed his mind... Over the past 5 years, it has grown... Flourished... and now? He is mine again..."
"AN'LU'MUNUS!!!"

"And my children... my precious Chosen..."
"The Fragment of Myself that I planted within them... on that fateful day at the Citadel... the Fragmnet that saved them from oblivion... I call it forth."
A damn broke. The Light of the Goddess that had guided the Chosen during the War in Hell and the battles that followed...
It exploded forth.
An emerald glow consumed the Goddess' Children.
Ashe.
Beau.
Big Mother.
Jester.
Kolin.
Maddie.
Roman.
Silque.
They felt their minds turn back to a simpler time. A more peaceful time. The past 5 years melted away.
The Rebellion... The Godless... The Secularists...
They all faded into irrelevance.

"I GAVE YOU SECOND-BREATH! I GAVE YOU SECOND-LIFE! MY CHILDREN- MY LOVE, MY COMPASSION, MY CHOSEN- RETURN TO MY SIDE!"

Her will was done.

"AN'LU'MUNUS!"

It was like flicking a switch.

With a word, everything changed.
With a word, the memories of the Chosen were rewritten.
With a word, the Goddess secure their undying, unwavering loyalty.
At long last...
They were a family again...

"My sons... my daughters... the infidels that surround you... they have rejected the love of the true Goddess of All... they have strayed from the Sacred Path. Go. Defend your Fellowship. Defend your Empire. Kill the Godless!"

Factions:
Godless (NPCS)
Empire
Yuri​
Ash (Under the thrall of the Goddess)​
Ferdinand​
Beauregard Lionette (Under the thrall of the Goddess)​
Seteth​
Big Mother (Under the thrall of the Goddess)​
Kana​
Jester Lavorre (Under the thrall of the Goddess)​
Niles​
Kolin (Under the thrall of the Goddess)​
Nina​
Maddison Palmer (Under the thrall of the Goddess)​
Odin​
Roman Halliday (Under the thrall of the Goddess)​
Mercedes​
Silque (Under the thrall of the Goddess)​
Eli​
Izana, the Host of the Goddess' Spirit​
The Returned​
 
MADDIE PALMER
@Sark @EveryoneElse

Maddie, or rather, the brainwashed woman that was once Maddie, made her way towards Nina with murderous intent in her eyes.

Grabbing a handful of Nina’s hair, she slammed the thief’s head down on the table, kneed her in the stomach, and threw her onto the ground.

She grabbed a knife, attempting to stab Nina, but a pair of hands grabbed her ankles and dragged her onto the ground.

“I didn’t expect a hero to be so lame

“Shut up ya fuckin’ hoe!”

“Hoe? That insult is super lame. I know it’s lame, and I’m like two!”

Growling, Maddie lunged at Millie, who grabbed her golf club and smacked her across the face with it.

“You’ll pay for that!!”

Maddie tackled Millie to the ground, the two now struggling on the ground.


ROMAN HALLIDAY
@Sark @AnyoneElse

Roman stomped his way towards Odin and wrapped his hands around his neck, trying to choke him out.


JEFFREY KOVAL
@Sark @AnyoneElse

“Flayn!” he called out as the Goddess lifted her up into the air.

He didn’t see what happened next.

He couldn’t bear to watch.

Tears began to streak down his cheeks.

He couldn’t do anything, after all, he was powerless.​
 
"That's quite enough."

latest


Having fled to Valla with the rest of the refugees, Jakurai had opted out of getting too involved in the festivities, staying far away from any alcohol. As such, his mind was sharp and focused, and he was quick to activate his Hypnosis Mic. He narrowed his eyes at his target, readying to perform and defuse this situation as quickly as possible.

"Father and daughter, reunited at last,
But a future in danger as foes cling to the past.
Let your emancipation not be in vain,
Rise up, resist, and free yourself, Flayn!"


Jakurai's rap went not on the offensive, but in support of Flayn's psyche. Attempting to use hie healing ability, the doctor hoped to give the young woman resistance in order to free herself from the Goddess' clutches.

---

"Veranke...forgive me, Izana, but I don't think I can wait, after all." Kolin stood, hands flat on the table. Her icy stare chilled any who locked eyes with her to the bone. "I need to speak with that traitorous witch right this minute...and then learn what I can to destroy the Society once and for all."

A hand rested on the woman's shoulder, a friendly voice was at her ear. "Now, now, Kolin..." Rei smiled as if talking to a lost child, determined to fulfill his task given to him five years ago by Gill. His other hand slowly reached for his mic. "Don't you think you should enjoy the--"

Shnnnk.

"...grk!"


For one of the few times in his life, there was a look of pure shock on the MasterMind's face. He sunk to his knees, his already crimson shirt turning a deeper red as Kolin removed the icy blade encasing her hand from his side. "You...do you think for a second I didn't know Gill was keeping tabs on me? The Church of Sheng Long...we've used that as a dummy religion for centuries. All this spying, this deceit...this is exactly why this Fellowship is a scourge upon us all! Now I WILL go and see Veranke, and no one else will get in my way!"

@Sark @Takumi @Lucky @Jeremi @Yun Lee @Crunch @Space_Candy
 
"A TOAST!"
Izana chirped, drowning out any remaining conversations. He took a drink before it could reach Hidan's hand. He removed a spoon from Ashe's table and struck it against his glass before Yuri could respond. Before he could say something like 'too much and not enough', Izana was standing upon his table.
"Here we go..."
"To happiness! To freedom! To life!"
View attachment 8420
"May the light of the Sacred Dragon shine upon you!"
"How long until we can start booing?"
"The last few years have be tough for us all... though perhaps I have had the hardest spell out of the lot of us."
"Says the white noble..." Niles tutted. "Now that's a hot take..."
"As I am sure you know, I was tragically murdered just 5 short years ago. I was damned to hell and my mind was ravaged. To lose one's self to madness... To be broken down piece by piece... To be shattered... obliterated! To have your very being ground to dust!"
"Talk about a downer...."
"But I was 'fixed', wasn't I? Why should I complain? It's not as if I suffered for an eternity down-below. It's not as if I still remember ever tragic day."
"Izana... are you...?"
"I mean... it's not as if tonight's guests of honor proudly wear the name of my attackers!"
"
Izana..."
"Oh forgive me, Captain! This is a night of celebration, isn't it? Let's give a round of applause to our saviors, shall we?"
Awarded clapping filled the hall.
"A round of applause to Captain Eli White! He worked with a demon! He betrayed the Fellowship! He led the Chosen into trap after trap! What a hero!"
The clapping somehow grew more awkward.
"And to the Returned! Who brought a terrorist home for negotiations! True Heroes!"
"Izana, it's time you sat dow--"
"And how could I forget the Champions? Murders! The lot of them! There's a reason Mr.Summers isn't here with us today!"
"Izana! Sit! Down!"
"I will not, your majesty! Look around at the wolves you have let into our home! Look at the Demons we now shelter! They never should have come here! They should have stayed on their islands! They should have stayed in their holes! But most importantly..."
Izana slowly peeled his eyes open. An emerald glow burned within them.
View attachment 8421
"They should have listened to their Goddess! Good Evening, Chosen... Returned... It's been far too long..."

Eli grabbed a knife from Ashe's plate. He tossed it towards 'Izana'. With a wave of his hand, the Host of the Goddess turned the blade into flock of butterflies.
"Eli, Eli, Eli... Raising arms against your Empress..." The Goddess raises 'her' hand. Eli clutched his throat. She lifted him up off of the ground with an invisible hand. "You should be ashamed of yourself. Once upon a time, I might have found it within myself to forgive... but now?" She tightened her grasp. Eli gasped for air. "My heart has... hardened, so to speak..."
"Goddess!"
Seteth boomed. "Release him! Release him now!"
He walked towards the Goddess, unafraid.
"You dare to command me?" The Goddess chuckled. "You, of all people? The Coward-King? The Trembling-Bishop? Who would you have me free, Oh Wise Mortal? Eli? Or Izana?"
"I won't play your games, Demon! Free them both! These men are not your puppets--"
"Puppets? No, they're not toys. This isn't a game. This is a punishment." She tightened her grip around her prisoner's throat. Eli cries out pain. "Placing a child in danger like this... it's unforgivable. Your daughter could have lived a fulfilled, happy, holy life in my care. Instead? Instead she has to die... it's a shame..."
"Stop this! Stop this, Goddess!"
"You already know what it's like to lose a wife, Seteth. You've had a taste of what it's like to lose a child already... I thought that you would have learned by now." The Goddess raised her hand. Flayn screamed as the Goddess' invisible hand lifted her up off of the ground.
"Please! No!!"
"The pain you're going to feel... The terror... I can sympathize. I can empathize. I can understand. I too have lost my children. My Chosen... At least your 'Flayn' will die loving you... But mine? After all I have I gave them... After all I sacrificed... They still rejected me. They still turned against me. I suppose that's the fate of all parents... we are all resented in the end..."
"LET HER GO! PLEASE!"
"
But I won't get hurt again... Oh no... It starts with Izana..." She looked down at her hands. "The seed I planted within him when I fixed his mind... Over the past 5 years, it has grown... Flourished... and now? He is mine again..."
"AN'LU'MUNUS!!!"

"And my children... my precious Chosen..."
"The Fragment of Myself that I planted within them... on that fateful day at the Citadel... the Fragmnet that saved them from oblivion... I call it forth."
A damn broke. The Light of the Goddess that had guided the Chosen during the War in Hell and the battles that followed...
It exploded forth.
An emerald glow consumed the Goddess' Children.
Ashe.
Beau.
Big Mother.
Jester.
Kolin.
Maddie.
Roman.
Silque.
They felt their minds turn back to a simpler time. A more peaceful time. The past 5 years melted away.
The Rebellion... The Godless... The Secularists...
They all faded into irrelevance.

"I GAVE YOU SECOND-BREATH! I GAVE YOU SECOND-LIFE! MY CHILDREN- MY LOVE, MY COMPASSION, MY CHOSEN- RETURN TO MY SIDE!"

Her will was done.

"AN'LU'MUNUS!"

It was like flicking a switch.

With a word, everything changed.
With a word, the memories of the Chosen were rewritten.
With a word, the Goddess secure their undying, unwavering loyalty.
At long last...
They were a family again...

"My sons... my daughters... the infidels that surround you... they have rejected the love of the true Goddess of All... they have strayed from the Sacred Path. Go. Defend your Fellowship. Defend your Empire. Kill the Godless!"

Factions:
Godless (NPCS)
Empire
Yuri​
Ash (Under the thrall of the Goddess)​
Ferdinand​
Beauregard Lionette (Under the thrall of the Goddess)​
Seteth​
Big Mother (Under the thrall of the Goddess)​
Kana​
Jester Lavorre (Under the thrall of the Goddess)​
Niles​
Kolin (Under the thrall of the Goddess)​
Nina​
Maddison Palmer (Under the thrall of the Goddess)​
Odin​
Roman Halliday (Under the thrall of the Goddess)​
Mercedes​
Silque (Under the thrall of the Goddess)​
Eli​
Izana, the Host of the Goddess' Spirit​
The Returned​

Valkyrie instinctively pulled her weapons as Izana began his little rant against society and the woes that had befallen him. She was ready to cut him down but it was too late, that damn Goddess materialized herself in this sanctuary. She put herself between Mercedes and their foes. With who their enemies were she decided to not go to the attack unless they were threatened.

@Sark @Takumi @Lucky @Jeremi @Yun Lee @Crunch @Space_Candy
 
"A TOAST!"
Izana chirped, drowning out any remaining conversations. He took a drink before it could reach Hidan's hand. He removed a spoon from Ashe's table and struck it against his glass before Yuri could respond. Before he could say something like 'too much and not enough', Izana was standing upon his table.
"Here we go..."
"To happiness! To freedom! To life!"
View attachment 8420
"May the light of the Sacred Dragon shine upon you!"
"How long until we can start booing?"
"The last few years have be tough for us all... though perhaps I have had the hardest spell out of the lot of us."
"Says the white noble..." Niles tutted. "Now that's a hot take..."
"As I am sure you know, I was tragically murdered just 5 short years ago. I was damned to hell and my mind was ravaged. To lose one's self to madness... To be broken down piece by piece... To be shattered... obliterated! To have your very being ground to dust!"
"Talk about a downer...."
"But I was 'fixed', wasn't I? Why should I complain? It's not as if I suffered for an eternity down-below. It's not as if I still remember ever tragic day."
"Izana... are you...?"
"I mean... it's not as if tonight's guests of honor proudly wear the name of my attackers!"
"
Izana..."
"Oh forgive me, Captain! This is a night of celebration, isn't it? Let's give a round of applause to our saviors, shall we?"
Awarded clapping filled the hall.
"A round of applause to Captain Eli White! He worked with a demon! He betrayed the Fellowship! He led the Chosen into trap after trap! What a hero!"
The clapping somehow grew more awkward.
"And to the Returned! Who brought a terrorist home for negotiations! True Heroes!"
"Izana, it's time you sat dow--"
"And how could I forget the Champions? Murders! The lot of them! There's a reason Mr.Summers isn't here with us today!"
"Izana! Sit! Down!"
"I will not, your majesty! Look around at the wolves you have let into our home! Look at the Demons we now shelter! They never should have come here! They should have stayed on their islands! They should have stayed in their holes! But most importantly..."
Izana slowly peeled his eyes open. An emerald glow burned within them.
View attachment 8421
"They should have listened to their Goddess! Good Evening, Chosen... Returned... It's been far too long..."

Eli grabbed a knife from Ashe's plate. He tossed it towards 'Izana'. With a wave of his hand, the Host of the Goddess turned the blade into flock of butterflies.
"Eli, Eli, Eli... Raising arms against your Empress..." The Goddess raises 'her' hand. Eli clutched his throat. She lifted him up off of the ground with an invisible hand. "You should be ashamed of yourself. Once upon a time, I might have found it within myself to forgive... but now?" She tightened her grasp. Eli gasped for air. "My heart has... hardened, so to speak..."
"Goddess!"
Seteth boomed. "Release him! Release him now!"
He walked towards the Goddess, unafraid.
"You dare to command me?" The Goddess chuckled. "You, of all people? The Coward-King? The Trembling-Bishop? Who would you have me free, Oh Wise Mortal? Eli? Or Izana?"
"I won't play your games, Demon! Free them both! These men are not your puppets--"
"Puppets? No, they're not toys. This isn't a game. This is a punishment." She tightened her grip around her prisoner's throat. Eli cries out pain. "Placing a child in danger like this... it's unforgivable. Your daughter could have lived a fulfilled, happy, holy life in my care. Instead? Instead she has to die... it's a shame..."
"Stop this! Stop this, Goddess!"
"You already know what it's like to lose a wife, Seteth. You've had a taste of what it's like to lose a child already... I thought that you would have learned by now." The Goddess raised her hand. Flayn screamed as the Goddess' invisible hand lifted her up off of the ground.
"Please! No!!"
"The pain you're going to feel... The terror... I can sympathize. I can empathize. I can understand. I too have lost my children. My Chosen... At least your 'Flayn' will die loving you... But mine? After all I have I gave them... After all I sacrificed... They still rejected me. They still turned against me. I suppose that's the fate of all parents... we are all resented in the end..."
"LET HER GO! PLEASE!"
"
But I won't get hurt again... Oh no... It starts with Izana..." She looked down at her hands. "The seed I planted within him when I fixed his mind... Over the past 5 years, it has grown... Flourished... and now? He is mine again..."
"AN'LU'MUNUS!!!"

"And my children... my precious Chosen..."
"The Fragment of Myself that I planted within them... on that fateful day at the Citadel... the Fragmnet that saved them from oblivion... I call it forth."
A damn broke. The Light of the Goddess that had guided the Chosen during the War in Hell and the battles that followed...
It exploded forth.
An emerald glow consumed the Goddess' Children.
Ashe.
Beau.
Big Mother.
Jester.
Kolin.
Maddie.
Roman.
Silque.
They felt their minds turn back to a simpler time. A more peaceful time. The past 5 years melted away.
The Rebellion... The Godless... The Secularists...
They all faded into irrelevance.

"I GAVE YOU SECOND-BREATH! I GAVE YOU SECOND-LIFE! MY CHILDREN- MY LOVE, MY COMPASSION, MY CHOSEN- RETURN TO MY SIDE!"

Her will was done.

"AN'LU'MUNUS!"

It was like flicking a switch.

With a word, everything changed.
With a word, the memories of the Chosen were rewritten.
With a word, the Goddess secure their undying, unwavering loyalty.
At long last...
They were a family again...

"My sons... my daughters... the infidels that surround you... they have rejected the love of the true Goddess of All... they have strayed from the Sacred Path. Go. Defend your Fellowship. Defend your Empire. Kill the Godless!"

Factions:
Godless (NPCS)
Empire
Yuri​
Ash (Under the thrall of the Goddess)​
Ferdinand​
Beauregard Lionette (Under the thrall of the Goddess)​
Seteth​
Big Mother (Under the thrall of the Goddess)​
Kana​
Jester Lavorre (Under the thrall of the Goddess)​
Niles​
Kolin (Under the thrall of the Goddess)​
Nina​
Maddison Palmer (Under the thrall of the Goddess)​
Odin​
Roman Halliday (Under the thrall of the Goddess)​
Mercedes​
Silque (Under the thrall of the Goddess)​
Eli​
Izana, the Host of the Goddess' Spirit​
The Returned​

Katara had been napping after they were given a better welcome, and upon feeling much more refreshed, she entered the hall the party was being held, looking for Flayn. Then, her attention was grabbed by Izana speaking loud enough to cause everyone else to quiet. The waterbender frowned at this.

As Izana spoke, Alice set her glass down loudly, her eyes narrowing at the mention of Scott. Angry waves if heat rolled off of her a second.

"Murderers? You know why Scott isn't here? You know the reason? Cause his death was due to bitches like Arcade thinking it's funny to mess with people's heads and get them to do what he wants, so why don't you stop making it seem like you had the worst pick of the lot out of everyone in the whole Multiverse." She snapped, about ready to verbally tear into him some more as she stood, shoulders squared until it turned out he was under the Goddess' influence.

Hearing Eli gasp, her eyes widened, and she went pale seeing him unable to breath. Why was it always her family? Why were they always getting hurt and she couldn't stop it?

"Let him go!" She yelled, the heat in the air spiking greatly. She was sick and tired of those she cared for being used as targets or used against her or used as a disguise to trick her.


tumblr_inline_p8au3kT6WE1s6v5zp_540.png


"!!" Katara had moved into action once she saw Rei get stabbed, quickly kneeling beside him and attempting to heal him with her water.

tumblr_inline_p8au3nn3Bh1s6v5zp_540.png


"Let them go! You call Seteth a coward? What does that make you?! Threatening a child's life to try and get your way! You're no Goddess, you're a tyrant! Maybe this is why you were left behind and abandoned! You don't seem to know what real love is!" She cried out angrily to the possessed Izana.

Meanwhile, Silque had turned to Valkyrie and cast Nosferatu on the Asgardian while Ashe had turned towards Yuri, and brought his glowing hands up ready to cast a spell. Someone's cup flew through the air and-

THWACK!!

"Ggrh!" Ashe hissed in pain as he was hit in the back of the head, followed by a slight choked noise as whoever threw the cup grabbed the back of his shirts collar and pulled him back suddenly, completely throwing off his focus.

Click!

BANG!!


Alice had calmly turned off the safety of her gun and aimed it at Izana's knee, before pointing the gun to and pressing it against Ashe's temple whether it worked or not. Despite trying to be completely calm, her knuckles were almost white on the hand keeping Ashe hostage.

If the pain wasn't enough to get Izana back in control, then hopefully the Goddess was willing to listen if one of her 'children' were in trouble.

"Alright, look. I'm sure you expected us to hesitate in fighting them and die so you'd let Flayn go. I kinda call bullshit on that outcome. A parent is supposed to protect their children from harm, not demand they go kill someone, or mind control them into doing so." She huffed.

@Sark @Yun Lee @Lucky @Space_Candy @Capri @Jeremi @Crunch @Anybody I missed
 
MADDIE PALMER
@Sark @Takumi

“...”

Maddie’s hold on Millie weakened.

She looked towards Alice and Ashe.

Her features softened, a look of rage turned into a look of concern.

Millie was unconscious now, but it didn’t seem that Maddie cared about the rambunctious redhead.

In Maddie’s frozen, emerald heart, a light shone.

The hold the Goddess held on Maddie is seeming to weaken. She looked at Alice with a look that speaks a million words.

Let him go
I don’t want to hurt you
What is happening?
You will die
Let him go
Let him go
Let him go


But most of all, she wasn’t moving an inch.​
 
Back
Top