Cherrystone Castle
The world distorted back to normal as the cell door opened, "All right on your feet."
Amber stopped spinning her hat around her fist and put it on. For two days she and the others have been waiting in their cells. While she was in the mood for a bath and an actual meal (both preferably hot), she did manage to sleep most of her frustration and cramped muscles away.
"It's not meal time yet," she stretched.
"No it's not. Come on, we don't have all day," the guard ordered.
"Just one more-" Amber pulled on her shoulder and caused it to pop, "There we go! All right, I'm good."
The guard winced slightly but said nothing as Amber walked out the door. Waiting for her were another guard and a battlepup. Blinking at the canine, she gave a light shrug and waited for the first guard to close the cell door.
"Let's go," the first guard ordered.
"Do you even bathe?" the second asked, the battlepup giving a whine as if in agreement.
"I would like to but traveling and being arrested tend to limit the opportunities for basic hygiene," Amber muttered, giving her neckerchief a sniff and wincing.
With no further commentary, Amber found herself being escorted through the hallways. Catching a few glimpses out the windows, she noticed that the weather had grown progressively worse since her initial arrest.
Probably explains the sudden drop in temperature last night, she thought as she quickly noted the threatening storm clouds before they disappeared from view only to reappear a few steps later.
"Don't even think of trying anything," the second guard warned as the battlepup growled.
"Right, I'm going to jump through a barricaded window that's several feet in the air and make my grand escape," Amber rolled her eyes, "Never mind the fact I'm surrounded by soldiers, in the middle of-"
"Enough! No one needs to listen to you run your mouth," the second guard interrupted her and gave Amber a shove for extra measure.
Well someone's in a bad mood, Amber thought as she held back a retort, Is this what Edward meant by staying quiet when being under arrest?
Toth was in a good mood despite everything. She was out of her cell, the temperature was delightfully cold, and most importantly the music was being mercifully silent for the time being. After the past two days of various songs that just seemed to emphasize her status as a prisoner, she was glad to be free from her cell even if freedom itself was still out of reach.
"Well you're in a good mood," Wraith commented as he sat on a box with a weighted ball and chain clamped to his leg, "What musical chaos are we getting into now?"
"Nothing yet. It's quiet," Toth sighed in content relief, "Just nothing but peaceful silence."
"Why does that concern me a lot more than it should?"
Toth happily sighed again and leaned against the wall as she waited for...something to happen. She and Wraith were currently being held in some kind of storage room while two guards kept watch over them. It seemed strange considering the prior circumstances but Toth knew something was going to happen soon enough. Given everything that has happened up until now and the fact the music was giving her a rare moment of peace, she would be a fool to believe that her misadventure was over.
She was just glad to have this quiet before the storm.
"Well this isn't what I was expecting," Amber's voice chimed as she was escorted into the room.
"And then there were three," Wraith commented dryly.
"And the music is still quiet," Toth agreed before scrunching her face in realization, "Amber walked into the room and it's still quiet…"
"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?" Amber walked over and glared in indignation, ignoring the guards who shifted their weight.
"What did you do this time Amber?" another familiar voice asked.
"Nothing! I did absolutely nothing!" Amber protested as Edward and Sil walked in.
"That's five now… Why is the music still quiet?" Toth muttered as Amber started arguing with Edward.
She could admit that Wraith had a good point that the once blissful silence was now somehow disturbing. She knew the music was just waiting for the right moment to start playing and deliver its greatest impact. By all accounts, she should have gotten a rough idea on what to expect by now…
"No! I'm not the cause of everything going crazy! It's not like I go looking for this, it finds me," Amber protested after Edward pointed out the many strange occurrences that have happened since he met her.
"Isn't being a drifter meaning you do go looking for trouble?" Wraith asked with a smirk.
Amber whirled around to retort but his comment replayed itself in her head. As much as she wanted to protest, she knew he had a point. Drifters do go looking for potentially dangerous relics in dangerous places and chaos does tend to follow in their wake in one form or another. Ever since she grabbed that damned tablet it has been one hectic scene after another and it seemed to follow her specifically.
But that was ridiculous! Yes the tablet was important and she had a cult (or several) on her ass but any other drifter could claim the same. Furthermore, she was hardly in control of what was happening or why. Finally, her pride demanded that she defend herself from this absurd accusation!
But Wraith's question still held merit.
"Shut up and piss off," she seethed as she walked away from him and leaned against the far wall to put, "Stupid crap happens and I get blamed for it."
"Oh hell! Why is it starting now?!" Toth yelped suddenly.
"I swear if one of you say a thi-" Amber warned.
"I leave you all for two days and you're all ready to start murdering each other now?" Susan walked into the room with an exasperated smile.
"I don't recall missing someone being the urge to commit murder," Sil commented before frowning, "Don't really remember what missing someone feels like actually…"
Amber felt every other emotion cease outside of concern. While it was clear Sil meant to keep that last comment to himself, he was nearby and he failed to keep his voice down enough for her to miss it. Stealing a glance towards him, she noticed he was scratching at his sides again…
What's with him? Has he always looked that lonely?, Amber questioned as she started to notice other details that she had overlooked previously.
"-the Castle," Susan said off to the side.
"Oh now it makes sense," Toth said, looking less concerned.
"What's this about a castle?" Amber asked, realizing she missed everything Susan just said.
"Someone vouched for us and wants to meet us," Edward supplied the answer.
"Someone important more like it," Wraith sighed, "Given we're going to be heading towards the nobility, I assume we're going to have to be on our best behavior?"
"Correct," Susan replied before looking towards Amber.
Amber blinked as the others started looking at her as well, "What?! I can behave!"
As they rode in the wagon, Toth could not help but look out at the scenery that went past them. Citizens went about their day despite the weather, soldiers patrolled the streets, some musicians were playing music… It was almost like being back in Crossroad from so long ago, just having the technology less advanced and more traditional. It reminded her of home where the cold was a constant companion and the people went about their day with a mixture of indifference and determination. There were tasks to be done and distractions to ignore. Simple as that.
"So...what kind of meeting are we expecting?" Edward asked as the cart bumped.
"Probably one of the military lords along with an official debriefing. Seeing how you're all involved with this, you're going to be debriefed as well," Susan answered.
"Will we get a chance to clean up first?" Amber asked, scowling at the floorboards of the wagon.
"Doubtful. We're holding dangerous information that must be delivered and understood immediately. Since you found the tablet-"
"Yeah yeah I get it. I'll keep my mouth shut unless told otherwise," Amber huffed.
"And all of this is happening at the Castle," Toth commented as she tore her gaze away from the streets and towards her companions, "Funny, I was trained in a fort and served for five years in the shadow of one of the great citadels but I never stepped foot into one before."
"Once you've seen one castle you've seen them all," Sil commented with a shrug, "Irslan has its capital in the mountains and the castle there was nothing special compared to all the other ones I've seen."
Toth cocked her head but said nothing to respond. She was curious about what lies inside of Cherrystone Castle but Sil's words did make sense. The fort where she and her companions were held was very similar to the one she trained at when she was still in service to her clan and other fortifications she had visited (willingly or otherwise). It likely would just be a larger and better defended fort at the end of the day. Maybe with some kind of accommodation for someone with more money than brains in some limited regard but no proper fortification would waste time with large, extravagant ballrooms.
Then again I've been surprised by several things before, Toth thought to herself as the wagon bounced and the driver cursed at the sudden jolt.
"Somehow, all I can think of for this situation is a trip to my uncle's office," Edward said after some more silence.
"Why do you say that?" Wraith asked.
"He stayed out of the family business and went into mining instead. Was in charge of workplace safety and often argued with the labor unions. Had nightmares about being sent to him when I was younger. Always made me know he was furious with me without raising his voice even once."
The wagon came to a sudden stop and everyone flinched out of their uneasy calm, "Let's go," Susan said.
Stepping out of the wagon, Toth found herself in a stable that truthfully looked very similar to the one they had entered the wagon in. Looking around, she gave a half-hearted shrug and followed the instructions of the guards who began escorting the group through the halls. As they walked, she gave her surroundings a few glances and was sorely disappointed that Cherrystone Castle was far more impressive looking on the outside. The stone walls and floors left very little to the imagination. While not surprising, she was half hoping for at least some personality or decorations to be installed outside of the odd statue, suit of armor, or painting as they walked.
The smell on the other hand was just awful.
"Phew! I know I said I was going to keep my mouth shut but what the hell is that smell? Did someone have a kitchen fire or something?" Amber asked as she waved her hat to no avail.
"Caesar?" Wraith suggested.
"Caesar," Susan answered.
"Who's Caesar again?" Edward asked, seemingly unbothered by the smell.
"The Queen's Hound," one of the escorting guards answered, "He hates baths and it is nearly impossible to give him one. Still not sure how his fur remains clean though…"
"My money is on magic," Susan muttered, "That dog is a higher being in disguise I swear…"
Toth decided against questioning further. Despite it being horrendous, the smell of an unwashed dog easily beat the tingling scent of dustwater. At the very least the smells here were just smells and did not cause hallucinations and madness…
"Any last minute advice before we present our hypothesis and findings to the committee for review?" Toth whispered to Susan to banish old memories.
"You've mentioned five years of military experience so rely on that. Be brief but descriptive. Keep the music to yourself also. The officers are usually patient but I don't need to remind you about the temperament of captain Harvey," Susan answered.
"Are we going to have those binders again?" Sil asked anxiously.
Toth raised an eyebrow in thought at the question. Despite being bound, she could tell that Sil was in no way constrained magically. While she knew he was smart enough not to cause trouble, it was surprising to see that his powers were being left alone. Either the Cherrystone mages were confident in their ability to handle such a potential threat or there was some other factor in play here.
The world distorted into pixels as the door opened, Well time to see what all the royal music is about.
Amber blinked at the assembled group waiting for them. In the center was an elderly man flanked by two regal looking soldiers. The one on the right wore bright red armor that looked like it was coated in scales. He had an ugly burn on the side of his face but his eyes seemed to pierce through the stone masonry of the castle itself. The one on the left however wore only a simple breastplate and a hat. Despite the lack of armor, Amber could tell the man was experienced as she was instantly reminded of the veteran drifters who kept to themselves in the streets of Central Town.
"L-Lord Emeric?!" Susan sputtered in surprise.
"Indeed," the old man said simply, "And you are supposedly corporal Susan of the Second Relic Survey Corps."
Despite the suspicious tone, Amber did not feel as if the man was being hostile in the same manner Harvey was. This instantly made her feel less on edge and less reactionary. The other two men she was not sure what to think of at the moment, but if they were like "Emeric" then-
"Tell me corporal Susan, if you truly are who you say you are, why did it take you so long to report back?" the man on the left demanded.
So much for that, Amber thought with a deep breath to disguise her sigh.
"My associate refused to abandon me despite me telling him to report what had happened," Susan gestured towards Wraith, "We had to run to Crossroad and I...caught a fever sir."
The man gave a hard glare but said nothing as he looked at Amber and the others. She felt herself grow cold with the look. The piercing gaze grew only stronger as his eyes passed over her. If Harvey was a suspicious bitch that saw everything as a threat, then this man was a suspicious warden who weighed every variable to best handle a potential threat.
"And then you hire this group to escort something of great potential danger," he said after a few seconds, "Not the most thought out plan or even likeliest story but the Corps is nothing if not a unique case of ill-conceived plans and unlikely scenarios working out in the best way possible."
"Quite so general Calvin," Emeric said before he manifested a stone in the air, "But we can test her identity easily enough."
"Can you do that?" Amber whispered to Sil as Susan walked forward to grab the stone.
Sil gave her a bewildered look, "Don't you think I would have done it by now if I could?"
The stone flashed a bright ruby red briefly before settling into a dull maroon.
"So she tells the truth," the other man commented, "I suppose this means we can distribute the spell to the rest of the Army now?"
"General?" Susan questioned as her eyes darted between the stone and the man.
"It's a work in progress, Erwin," Emeric sighed before he faced the rest of the group, "Now that we have some of the truth, which one of you is the drifter?"
"That would be me," Amber waved, "If you want the tablet, it's in my bag and you can have it."
The suddenness of the statement caught everyone else off guard. For a brief moment, Amber kicked herself for running her mouth but the chuckle from Emeric brought a quick end to this. Instead, she was left confused as she knew she had just spoken quite bluntly and with very little tact.
"I believe there's quite the story behind this," Emeric continued chuckling while the generals sighed in exasperation, "Afterall, it's not often that a drifter causes quite a scene."
They do quite frequently, a sudden voice spoke as reality suddenly distorted back to normal, And now the missing pieces are coming together.
Amber jerked her head about to see where the voice was coming from. Noticing something, she turned around and went stiff. Standing between two startled guards was the one higher being all within Central Town knew of. Responsible for guiding the prior civilization to its greatest heights, advising military officers to stop the monsters of the Titan War, and finding champions to destroy the Perfect Cell… All truths and legends about the Jackal.
For Amber there was only one thing she could exclaim to announce her own shock, "What the hell are you doing here you bastard?!"