The Journey Ends

[Brian]

Karla rolls backwards, as dozens of small black-handled folding fans with red paper fly across the clearing, slicing through the occasional overhanging branch before about thirty women in garishly bright red kimonos burst onto the scene, all of them wielding identical folding fans.

A feminine voice demands, "Halt!" though Kesir cannot see the speaker.  "What are you doing on my lands?"

[Carthrat]

Or not. Today is a day for surprises.

"Hunting a traitor, m'lady," states Karil, firmly.

[Brian]

The disembodied voice laughs, and the Serpent Men spin around, turning to face the newly arrived threat.  The women stop a short distance away, but spread around to encircle the men.  Doubtless, another force has halted the hidden archers already, or they would have acted earlier, in accordance with the plan.  Karla now stands, wounded, midway between Kesir and the women, though the men quickly assemble to surround their leader.

"I am Sasha of the Thousand Fans," the voice says, "and you are in the heart of my kindgom.  I do not expect you to know this, for we are a private people, and you were judged so far to be polite guests, not despoiling our lands of seeking to claim it."

The men still, glancing about, but unable to ascertain the source of the voice.  It doesn't take a master tactiction or politician to realize that even though he answered the greeting, he isn't being replied to.  "But it is forbidden within our borders to use measures of force without my approval, for this is paradise, and I do not appove of your actions here.  You may leave my lands if you wish to fight.  And you may request sanctuary from violence."

[Carthrat]

Sanctuary? Of all the...

Karil surmizes the group around him. Undoubtably there were more hiding amongst the jungle, but how many was impossible to say.

But of all times! Right when I had them cornered! At least I have Farel's sword... should I attempt to claim Sanctuary and follow Karla, as she undoubtably will remain here?

No, I already look like the villian, here..

Having fifty men against two women, one of which was mortally wounded was murder on his reputation. If he had one.

"Then I must apologize, m'lady," says Karil, barely keeping a sarcastic edge out of his voice. "We shall rest, then leave. And as for you," he continues, turning to Karla.

"Claim sanctuary if you will, but mark my words. The day you leave is the day that your crimes catch up to you. Take care, sister dearest."

[Brian]

The voice chuckles.  "Not quite so, though.  You are in my lands and weary, would you not rest at least a day before leaving?  I do not tollerate your actions, but this does not mean that you yourself are unwelcome."

Karla shifts her shoulders, and glances at her sister (held by the Serpent Men currently, though Sasha's ... soldiers? ... will most likely take her into custody), before calling out, "I seek sanctuary."  After a pause, she adds, "And for my sister, who cannot speak for herself."

Sasha chuckles again at this.  "And so it shall be granted ... but in sanctuary, you become a citizen of paradise, and subject to my law ... violence is a crime.  We shall discuss this later, though.

"Commander ... or Captain ... or whatever it is that you are called ... I would like you to meet me in my palace.  News from outside is rare, and I would hear of the world."

The men are begining to visibly relax, seeing as it looks like it's already too late to fight, but they don't actually stand-down from their defensive stances.

[Carthrat]

Karil's mind twists bitterly...

What use does a sealed paradise have for news of the world? Only know that those who break oaths go unpunished and those who keep them must suffer for it, lady.

...but his face remains in a neutral expression.

"Lord," states Karil, flatly. "Lord Karil of the Serpent Clan."

Slowly shifting from a fighting stance into a more suitable standing position, he starts to feel his wounds begin to twinge.

"Let her go," he continues, gesturing towards Farel.

I suppose it's too much to hope that she is already dead.

He turns and stares at wherever the voice is coming from. "We shall go. I swear we will do no violence-" -unless it is done to us- "-but you must forgive me for not accepting sanctuary. One cannot be a citizen of two lands."

Even though you have no lands, Lord of the Clan.

[Brian]

"A lord?  It has been too long ... I must apologize," the voice replies.  One of the fan-bearing soldier-women approaches and takes Farel from the Serpent Men.  They all look eerily identical -- dark hair, faintly white powdered faces (or perhaps just pale skin), brightly painted red lips, garishly bright red robes with red and blue tiled sashes.  They have comfortable looking form-fitting red leather boots, though.  The soles like they they provide good grip ... no matter the colors they dress in, the way they move and the quality of the gear that matters shows they're still warriors, though.

The one who approaches says, "I am Elue, the western wind.  My mistress welcomes you to her lands."  She then bows to Karil.  "Please do not be offended.  But trouble is unwelcome in paradise.  We thank you for not drawing your blade."

[Carthrat]

"Heaven is no place for war," agrees Karil. "Unfortunately, war is what we mortals seem best at."

A sudden thought impringes upon his mind.

Better safe than sorry...

"The majority of my men must return to my camp," says Karil. "The wounded will remain for treatment, and I shall keep a few healthy men. I must apologize for my rudeness, but they are needed elsewhere.

Once we are done with the logistics of such matters, please lead us to your palace."

[Brian]

Elue nods.  "We will escort you to the edge of the jungle, and then await," she replies.

Some of the women quickly whisk Karla and Farel (who is not, at least yet, dead) away, and then stand back, giving the Serpent men room to manuever.  They quickly follow their leader, or the comment that Elue seemed to give him, and put away their weapons.

From there, it's a bit of a walk back to the camp.  Elue is not very conversational, and says nothing heself as the march begins.

[Carthrat]

Karil counts his men, and after making sure all are accounted for (dead or alive), falls in step next to Elue.

"What is the name of this place?" he asks, curiously.

[Brian]

Karil's accounting of the men is positive at least -- outside of some minor wounds, no one was hurt.  And no one has died, yet.

Elue looks at Karil curiously, and says, "Paradise has always been known by that name alone."

[Carthrat]

Karil lapses back into his private musings, and makes sure to pick out his five most alert men when the time comes to split apart. Quick instructions are repeated to the ones he sends away; tell Jaramine all that has happened here, and that Karil will be delayed for an unknown amount of time.

[Brian]

It's difficult for Karil to pick the best of the warriors around him; all of his men are trained very well, for the Serpent men had a clan duty.  But there are at least five uninjured men, who are proud to take the role of guardsman for the chief of the clan.

Once the rest of Karil's forces are out of sight, and he begins the trek on the road back into the forest, Elue smirks, and waves one fan dismissively.  With startling abruptness, half of the women surrounding the group unravel, revealing themselves to be nothing more than cloth constructs on wooden frames.  These quickly fold up into mere hand-sized folding fans, which the remaining women snatch out of the air and pocket before they fall to the ground -- though Karil's other senses tell him that what he is seeing isn't what really happened.

[Carthrat]

"An interesting technique," notes Karil, more out of form than anything.

His eyes, ever-sharpened from gazing upon the battlefields of the world, narrow slightly, and remain at constant alert for the stuff that passes by the sight of lesser men.

[Brian]

The men seem unnerved by the trick.  Elue replies to Karil's comment after a moment, saying, "It seems that sometimes presence may make a more formidible weapon than force, yes?"