Karil's caravan, about 1000 Serpent-clan women and children in their assorted wagons trundles along a dusty road quietly. The road is perched high up a slope, rising out of the desert, and into hopefully more hospitable land.
Jaramine Tai'si'Shen approaches Karil, and says, "The scouts have returned. There's a spot for a camp we can stay at for a few days, but we didn't see any promising supplies of food. There's a waterfall with fresh spring water, though, which will be a welcome change from the desert." As he finishes speaking, he offers Karil a waterskin, still damp from being filled.
At the current rate of travel, the caravan should top the slope in about an hour.
Karil takes the waterskin and has a hearty swig, before handing it back to Jaramine.
"Good," he says. "We will camp there today, and remain tomorrow for rest. However, we will press on after that. Where is the nearest town in this region?"
Jaramine pulls a rolled up map from his backpack, and unfurls it a small distance. "We're here," he explains, pointing to where the brown splotch of a desert abuts the green splotch of a jungle. "From what I can see, we're going to have about a week of travel to a major town -- before that, we're supposed to pass through a logging community, a small town of about two or three hundred people." The faded spots which indicate cities are almost impossible to make out, and given the age of the map, it's nearly impossible to verify the accuracy of Jaramine's judgement.
"We should be able to do a little trading at the logging community," says Karil, musing. "If it's still there. We'll certainly be able to get better directions.
We'll move the people here," he continues, indicating a place a few miles to the side of the small town. "That should take us three or so days. We'll give the traders some time to trade, and then press on to the city.
If they still exist, of course. How old is this map? It looks like it'll crumble if I breathe on it."
"It's the best map we could find a few weeks back, in the desert bazzar," Jaramine says apologetically. "I'll see that everyone knows where we're to make camp for the night, and see that it's taken care of."
Jaramine turns and starts heading down the trail, past the fore-runners, and to the core of the supply wagon. Meanwhile, one of the younger guards begins running down the path from the top of the hill, waving one hand and calling out to Karil urgently. "Sir!" he calls, as he's finally within speaking distance. He gasps for breath once, and then pours out, "There's ... a message for you in the clearing atop the hill!"
"Get yourself a drink," replies Karil, giving the messanger a short pat on the shoulder, before heading off himself to get the message himself. He walks with a quick clip, and his unmistakable red coat and long weapon highlight his presence to all the Serpent around.
The messenger nods, and walks towards one of the supply wagons, climbing onto it instead of walking all the way back to the top.
It doesn't take Karil long to cover the distance on foot, however. The top of the pass is a clear, flat area, a bit too sandy for trees, but cool and moist enough for a thick carpet of grasses. There's easily enough room for the entire clan to camp, and to one side a spire of stone has a stream of water continually run from its top to a pool at its base.
Currently, rope fences are being set up to corral the beasts of burden, and the wagons are being arranged into a circle three wagons deep. To the left, three guardsmen are standing over a large slab of stone. One of them begins waving as soon as Karil comes into sight.
Karil approaches the guard, eyeing him up and down. "Speak," he says, teresly.
The guard shakes his head, and points to the stone, where a message has been hacked into it with some powerful blade:Know no rest, o Leader of the Clan.
What you have, is what should be ours, and will be once more.
Enjoy your respite,
- Karla and Farel
Karil's eyes narrow as he stares at the stone, glimmerings of anger flickering across his face.
With snap of his wrist, Twilight Echo plunges at the rock, and shatters it with a single blow. Shards of stone scatter across the ground, and no trace of the message is left remaining.
"They will have it in the way of my choosing," he says, harshly. "Make sure all sentries are on sharp watch tonight."
The guards salute, and quickly run across the camp to notify the other guardsmen. The camp is still being put together, as just over a thousand people and all of their equipment doesn't travel with lightning speed.
Troughs have been set up, and some children are quickly ferrying water from the stone spire to them, which the animals seem to appreciate. In the center of the camp, grass has been pulled up to use as tinder, and stones have been set to circle a number of fair-sized cooking fires.
Karil starts to walk around the camp, trying to throw off the foul mood that always comes over him when Farel and Karla are concerned.
He observes the mood of the people; it has been a peaceful few weeks, if some hard travel has been the activity of late.
Everyone is tense, and tired ... but happy. After weeks of crossing the desert, they've finally reached an area with enough grazing for the oxen and horses, and water, as well.
The guards seem more wary than usual, including a pair of sharp-eyed archers who've climbed the stone spire that offers fresh water.
The rest of the guards are hashing out shifts -- those on the late shifts claim the unpacked wagons to sleep in immediately.
All told, it could be worse, as grim as things are. The people favor Karil over the twins for the simple fact that Karil has proven himself a capable leader, and the twins are yet untried ... not to mention their abandonment of tradition.
Karil sighs, and heads back to the highest point of the camp, where he begins to set up his own tent.
The city should provide some respite. Perhaps he'd have his people stay there a week or so, and get some much-needed rest and relaxation. The children always loved looking around cities, after all...
Karil sets up his tent in a spot that lets him overlook the other tents, without being outside of the camp entirely.
As he ponders the plan for the upcoming weeks, he plays out a few scenarios in his mind.
But these ponderings are interrupted with the scream of a dying guard.
Karil grabs his signiature weapon and stalks out of his tent, a look of murder on his face.
Another man lost.
He hotlegs it towards the source of the noise, looking around for any obvious signs.
The obvious signs are there, and at least one soldier isn't dead -- not yet.
When Karil bursts out of his tent, guards call him over to a large, shadowed boulder. A number of other guards, torches held at the ready, illuminate the area.
Currently, both of the twins are standing there, each with their blades pinning a guard to the boulder. "It is about time you arrived," Karla comments, her free hand brushing a strand of hair from her face.
"We had begun to think you wouldn't come, even when called," Farel adds, mirroring Karla's gesture.
Both draw their swords free, leaving the guard to collapse to the ground, bleeding profusely.
"Meet us," Karla says, throwing a scroll to the ground.
"We will settle things then," Farel completes.
Then the two salute mockingly with their swords, and leap into the darkness, vanishing from sight.
"Get the physician!" orders Karil, hopefully needlessly. He ignores the scroll for the moment and rushes to check the wounded mans pulse, to see if he's alive.
The man has been badly hurt, but Karil saw the blades. They were placed to cause the man pain, not kill him. With the physician's help he would live, but it remained to be seen how much his wounds would cost him.
Shortly after reaching this conclusion, Karil sees the physician's assistant, trailed immediatly by the woman herself. The healer immediately sets about cleaning, and then sewing the wounds shut with specially prepared thread and needle.
At Jaramine's direction, about twelve guards search around the outer perimeter of the camp, while the rest check the interior. Jaramine then approaches, stull buckling on his own chestplace, and with a pillow-line next to his eye fading into his beard. "Two guards are missing," he says, blinking both eyes blearily, "I've sent Hong and his men to see if they're just outside the camp, and missed the alarm."
"Make sure they travel with some bandages," says Karil, heavily. "This has been an awful day, Jaramine," he continues, in a low voice. "Damn them! Bad enough they would strike at me, but to attack untrained men such... "
His eyes flitter to the scroll on the ground, and he walks over to pick it up.
Jaramine's mouth compresses into an unhappy line, and he shrugs. "They could have done far worse," he says, somewhat unhappily.
The scroll is well made, but the message is hastily scribbled. Where the twins have pressed themselves, it obviously wasn't caligraphy. It's still a legible message, though:A day into the jungle along the path, and you will reach a fork. Turn north, and then always take the side of the road with a stone that looks like a turtle.
Then you shall find us, and we shall claim what is ours.
-Karla and Farel
Karil crumples the scroll and rips it in half, turning back to Jaramine. "What they have done is bad enough. That man will never fight again. But he still lives. He will be a constant reminder to the clan of their betrayal... and my weakness.
They want me to go, Jaramine. To a place of their choosing, so they can cut me down and take Twilight Song from me."
Jeramine is silent for a long moment before he says, "Sir Karil.... We could place archers around the location they specify for a fight. I'm sure the men would wish to help anyway, and we know who our true leader is, despite what they may think.
"But our archers.... We'd need only a day to rest the men from the march to be ready."
"I have already considered this possibility," states Karil, a thoughtful pose coming across his face. It is one Jaramine knows well, for the same look is seen whenever a battle is in the planning.
"It is a tricky game my sisters play. Unfortunately, they are not fools. More the pity. A few archers alone, I suspect, will do no good. No doubt they have already considered the possibility that I will bring extra men. Perhaps many, for they could be overwhelmed. I am sure they have a plan for such a contingency.
No, this will require a little more.. finesse. They wish to fight in the jungle, where the bow of an archer has a short range, but the man is easily hidden. And they will expect me to come with allies.
So I shall. Jaramine, you shall take the majority of the clan to the city. Keep them safe. See to it that food is found, and if it can be done, remain there until my return.
But now, assemble for me fifty men. Those fleet of foot and skilled with bow and spear. Those who know the jungle and it's tricks. I will be setting two traps, come the day Karla and Farel deign to cross blades with me."
Karil's voice turns sharp, and he looks Jaramine straight in the eye. "Be wary. Something is not right, here."
Jaramine nods. "As you will it, it shall be done," he says. He immediately then starts looking for the best fifty men to send with Karil.
The rest of the clan settles down, save a few well-wishers for the healer and his ward.
Despite the late hour, Karil again begins to make rounds of the Serpent camp.
Rumor can spread like wildfire. Uncertainty can take hold in shallow ground with ease. The appearance of his sisters must have already caused consternation; perhaps seeing him alive, healthy, and at least appearing to be assured will do some good.
The people of the Serpent Clan do seem calmed a bit by Karil's presence ... but also worried for him, against the twins.
Karil is greeted with the customary invitations to join such-and-such family for dinner, or to sleep with so-and-so ... life on the run is as normal as it gets, it seems.
Despite the fact that some offers are really quite tempting, (the Gyu-san daughter was really quite a looker...), Karil manages to retreat to his tent in solitude.
Ah, the burdens of being a chieftan.
After returning to his tent, Karil finds it easier to meditate; in fact, it's almost as though life outside the tent has shut off. Quickly checking indicates that life does indeed continue, it's just that the rest of the camp's noise doesn't carry very well ... though the guard's call for help apparently did.
That oddity aside, everything seems normal.
Is it the acoustics? Well, there's nothing for it.
Damn. I should've accepted that offer...
Trying to put aside troubling thoughts for another night, Karil tries to get a little sleep. Only a little, though; an early rise tomorrow.
Karil wakes the next morning early, but feels oddly rested. When he looks outside, he sees that most of the camp is still rousing, those unlucky fore-runners of the clan having awoken half an hour ago to start cooking.
A fragment of a fairy story of campsites that protect warriors flits through his mind, along with a vague recollection of a dream about.... But it's gone before Karil can pay attention to it.
Jaramine approaches Karil's tent once Karil has gotten dressed and woken up a bit more. "Sir," he calls out. "The men are prepared."
Grasping Twilight Echo, Karil sets his mind straight and maintains good posture.
A leader must always appear sure. He must always appear to be in control. He must always appear to know.
Echoes of the words his father spoke to him ring in his ears, reminding him of the value of appearance and presentation.
It doesn't take long for the clan to finish waking up, though they aren't moving anywhere today. Since the desert has been cleared, the men and women are setting about maintaining the things they couldn't in the desert. Some small bands are also hunting game or searching for edible plants near the periphery of the camp.
Most likely the noise and smell of people scared away most animals, but the plants are far less likely to flee.
Jeramine has set the fifty soldiers that Karil asked for aside, around a secondary campfire. As Karil spots them, they're in the middle of their morning meal.
Karil starts towards the soldiers, glancing them over when he reaches them.
"Are you ready to die?" he asks them, out of custom. These words were spoken before every battle the Serpent Clan took part in- particularly those wars fought against the Dragon Clan.
Without waiting for an answer- (a wordless shout, typically), he goes on- "We hunt dangerous prey, my brethren. Trechery lies beneath the shade of the jungle, but to there we must go. No make can match the craftiness of a serpent- but a woman is no man.
Subtlety and trickery are what the Serpent was feared for. It will be once again. Divide yourselves into two equal groups, and be ready to leave at nightfall. Be ready with nets and tools for fire- we shall make good use of them. Do not burden yourselves with much food or water- after our prey is caught, there is plenty of time to hunt- but to be weighed down in this excursion will be death."
The men cheer, though somewhat somberly, and run off to do as instructed. Jeramine remains behind, while the contigent gathers nets and unlit torches. "Is this wise?" he asks. "Battling them here?"
Karil pauses for a moment, and then speaks quietly.
"Karil and Farla or no, fifty men, myself, and proper execution will force them to flee or die.
If I do not face them now, they will continue to plauge me until I do. And they are not devoting their time to leading and organisation.. training and hunting is all that occupies them. They will grow stronger quicker than me, Jaramine.. the longer I wait, the more challenging they will be in the end.
No, better I fight them now. At the least, defeating them will remove a menace that has been around too long. We may even recover the blades that have been lost. Imagine it, Jaramine. We could abandon this wretched lifestyle..."
Karil holds Twilight Song aloft, perpendicular to himself. "What do you suggest, Jaramine? Waiting for the right moment is small option. I cannot help but feel that our options only get worse as time goes on..."
Jeramine scowls. "I can't prove you wrong," he mutters. "I just...." He shakes his head. "Be careful. Even with fifty men, I think the twins dangerous to you."
"As they ever are," replies Karil. "Keep the clan safe whilst I am gone, Jaramine."
Clapping his friend on the shoulder, Karil walks off to make his own preperations for the excursion.
Jeramine gives Karil his space, as do the majority of the men. A few of the soldiers that aren't in the attack group look unhappy, but more than fifty men wouldn't significantly shift the odds against only two others. It's only the fact that Karil isn't certain who the balance is in favor of that's worrisome.
There must be two groups, and I must appaer to be alone. One group must hide, but in an obvious fashion, to deter any sight of the second group, which must be completely unseen...
Plans flip through Karil's mind as he prepares himself; by eating a hearty meal (for a change), packing his (small) pack, and going through his (complex) martial exercises.
Much of the Clan is not, in fact, preparing, but instead relaxing. With the camp essentially set up for the day, instead of training, packing, or otherwise working, many people are taking a well-earned rest.
Karil has Jaramine lead the fifty men through harsh exercises, but makes certain to, before they leave, have some time to spend with their families and sweethearts and the like.
And after some time, it is getting late in the afternoon, so Karil has his expedition party lined up in front of him, ready to set out his plan.
The premise is relatively simple- to trick his sisters into mistakes. He doubted they would expect him alone- after all, if he were them, he wouldn't.
Whilst any plan involving his sisters is sure to develop in new and unexpected ways, he nontheless thinks this one, fluid as it may be, has a chance of succeeding.
[code]Karil will set out on the path alone, a short distance ahead of his compatriats.
Half of his men will be a short distance behind him, making an effort to hide in the surrounding jungle and whatnot. Naturally, they will be spotted. However, Karil doubts they will be attacked until he reaches the 'killing zone' of his sisters. Upon reaching this place, they shall spread out around the place silently, and lie in wait for his sisters approach. When a suitable moment appears, they shall strike.
However, their real purpose is to at least partially mask the second group, who will hopefully go unnoticed. This group is to spread out in a second ring about the killing zone, setting up traps with the nets and fire to disorient and confuse his sisters.
When the fight starts, naturally, all hell with break loose. If his sisters have also prepared the battleground, there's no telling what sort of things might surprise them. If they have mercenaries of their own, then Karils own force will likely be too engaged to help him. And even if they come alone without any preperation, it is still an unsure thing.
Nonetheless, as Karil begins to set out, he feels confident that this can work.
The plan is set in motion, and Karil leads the way to the site of the duel. The sun is setting, but his warriors are skilled, and manage to stick to the shadows even while the sun is up. It's impossible to tell if the sisters are aware ... but even if they aren't, the men are committed to fight to the bitter end, regardless.
When Karil reaches the clearing, it's deserted. Tall torches have been left scattered about, stuck deep into the ground, and not yet lit. This is obviously their chosen battleground, though neither Karil nor his men find any traps set, and the sisters have not been found here, as their message said they would.
Getting to work setting up their own, the men take their positions, though the sun has not yet completely set.
His preperations complete, Karil retreats to one side of the arena, holding Twilight Song to one side.
The psychological tactic of making an opponent wait for a duel is not unknown to him. Nor is the concept of divide and conquer; perhaps in splitting him from the majority of the Serpent, they may mean to strike them instead of him. Jaramine is a capable leader, but Karil knows that he himself is better.
Either way, at this point, there's nothing to do but wait.[/i]
Karil's men take advantage of the lack of enemy to conceal themselves (or at least, half of themselves), and set up their traps before they wait, as instructed.
As the sun is setting, the torches light, seemingly of their own volition, and the twins emerge from the shadows at the far end of the clearing. Perhaps they sparked the torches off somehow ... it's difficult to discern. The two take a few steps forward, and then Karla says, "It's good to see that you have come."
"To give us what should be ours by right," Farel adds.
Together, they draw their swords, and ask, "Are you prepared?"
"Your pretenses never cease to amaze me," replies Karil, ignoring their previous question. "'By Right?' Your claim was lost ever since you left the clan."
Karil drifts slowly into a long, flowing stance, with his hands both grasping one end of Twilight Song, holding the other end apart from his body.
"Come, then, and be defeated."
As a pair, the twins glide forward, stances identical, and perfectly matched. Their swords are smaller, but only slightly, and are held in offensive stances; point upward.
The twins movement is disturbing because of how well the two work together; it's almost like facing the same foe twice. The two rush, and then the clansmen spring into action, throwing their power into the conflict.
Karla and Farel split paths, then, Karla (Karil thinks, anyway) deflecting the incoming nets and swordsmen, while Farel goes on to engage Karil directly. Perhaps it's just Karil's imagination, but it seems almost like the twins don't fight as well when they aren't using the same moves....
Either way, Farel tests out Karil's defenses with an easily deflected over-hand blow, quickly reversing her blade and trying to spin the arc below Karil's guard.
Karil angles his staff downward to deflect the blow, but then steps forward, sliding his hands along his weapon and coming in with a powerful blow to the side.
Farel is forced to switch stances to bring her sword around in time to block, but quickly retaliates with a jab towards Karil's face. Now Karil is facing her on edge; one foot points towards Karil, the other is behind her, and pointed to her left. The profile is the first thing that a warrior learns, and she's focused on presenting as little targeting area as possible ... but the stance seems oddly basic for someone as experienced as the twins.
Karil then thinks he sees what she's up to; by placing her feet so, she could theoretically strike with the foot that was behind her, making it difficult to see the attack coming. Such an attack would be weak, as the stance can't provide it any power, but the clearing is full of loose dirt and leaves ... having a pile of that kicked into one's face would make combat difficult.
Karil presses forward with savage, whirling blow, spinning one way, then the other- this technique designed both to filter out most of the dirt Farel is about to send his way- and force her back into the path of another Serpent Soldier.
Farel's cloud of dirt and leaves hit the spinning vanes of air, but the counter does not work exactly as Karil hoped. Her leaves (and some others that were simply lying on the ground) are all swept upward in a vortex, before slowly raining down across the clearing.
The fall of leaves is thin enough that it shouldn't even hinder the majority of the men.
Farel is pushed back, though, and the nearby Serpent man swings with all of his might at her blade. She deflects that attack easily enough, but can't counter without leaving herself open, her back turned. Leaping upwards, she flips over the man, and jumps off his shoulders, shoving him to the ground at Karil's feet, and turning around.
Whilst Farel has been engaged in her acrobatics, Karil has been gauging where she will land, and what best to do. As she turns around, he uses her own trick against her- sidestepping across from the serpent man and kicking up foliage into her face- quickly following through with a brutal thrust.
On the descent, Farel's sword creates a gust to deflect the debris, but it costs her, and she's captured in a net; as she falls to the ground, Karla breaks away from her position of merely holding the Serpent-clan men at bay, and rushes over towards her sister.
"Keep them seperated!" bellows Karil, realising that he should be capable of finishing Farel right now- if Karla cannot intervene. He tries just that, swinging Twilight Song overhead and, holding only one end with both heads, smashes down at Farel's prone form.
Karil's form is good, and his strength is great -- especially compared to the slight girls. Farel still twists out of the way, though, so what should be a mortal blow instead merely breaks one arm (though, quite loudly). Then Karla is there, and exploits Karil's over-extension to reach her sister, a blow slashing across the Serpent-clan leader's shoulder.
On a lesser man, Karil knows, the wound would have been deeper and worse. He, however, can ignore the pain, and probably the wound would not kill him even if he neglected to bandage it after the fight. It's questionable if the trade off is worth it, though. Another cut or two like that could increase the rate of blood-loss dramatically.
Wincing a little, Karil makes some short gestures to his men, indicating that they should quickly surround the duo.
For his part, he begins making a series of short, swift jabs towards Karla, forgoing his usual power to keep up the pressure. He angles the blows so that Karla cannot easily retreat without falling into the blades of his clansmen, and is instead forced to block.
The men descend on the twins like a swarm; Farel's broken arm limits her ability, and Karla has to try and fend off both Karil and the Serpent men ... not to mention the attention the has to preserve to spare her sister.
"It ends!" Karla suddenly exclaims, suddenly leaping towards Farel, and thrusting with her sword.
Farel manages an indignant and surprised cry before Karla's blade drives through her chest. Farel goes down, and Karla comes back up with a sword in each hand. Her eyes lock on Karil's, and the Serpent men all step back instinctively.
It's poor enough for traitors to the clan ... but for one traitor to betray another, and twin sisters, at that?
How low have they sunk..
"I always thought that you would wait to kill me before setting on each other," remarks Karel. "But you are only one, now, and we are many." He speaks this more for the benefit of his men than anything else.
With a harsh shout, he lashes forward in a stabbing motion with Twilight Song, knowing his men will follow suit.
The men do not actually follow suit, cowed by Karla, leaving Karil and the remaining sister to battle alone.
Even though the swords look to be unwieldly, Karla has no trouble weilding both of them, and with one to defend and another to attack, the situation is decidedly grim. The sword in her left hand jabs alarmingly close to Karil's side, while the one in her right deflects Twilight Echo; if not with ease, then without undue strain.
The Serpent men do capture the wounded Farel, at least, but Karla is not yeilding, and the men can't bring themselves to attack her.
Karil swears under his breath, cursing his weakness, and that of his men.
Gauging Karla's apparent skill with the two blades, he figures that if he continues to fight her in a conventional manner, she will eventually wear him down and slay him before he can do likewise to her.
Twirling Twilight Echo, he lunges forward, attempting to catch Karla's right-hand blade on his unwounded shoulder. Though he grunts with the strain, he narrows his eyes and forces his way through- Twilight Echo whistling towards Karla's left wrist.
Karil is spending a Willpower point to ignore all wound penalties, and attempting to disarm Karla. Wheeeee~
Karil's spent willpower is enough to ignore wound penalties for the rest of the scene (Hooray Toughness!). In addition, this action bolsters the men, so that Karla's presence can no longer keep them at bay.
Karla takes the obvious opening, not figuring for a sacrifice attack on the part of Karil. The sword slashes into his shoulder, but is at least balked by the bone. With the concentration honed from years of leading men and putting aside his own concerns for the greater good, he is able to shrug off the pain of steel digging slowly through bone, and brings Twilight Echo to bear on Karla's right wrist.
The attack disarms Karla, and she cries out in pain, her sister's blade flying to the ground, where the Serpent men quickly snatch it away. Whirling, she spins her blade around, delaying them for the moment.
It is at this point that Karil's ears pick up the whistling sound of something ... many somethings ... being thrown towards him and his men.
Aha! The trap is sprung!
"DOWN!" bellows Karil, he himself crouching and whipping across with his weapon at Karla's shins.
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?"
Or not. Today is a day for surprises.
"Hunting a traitor, m'lady," states Karil, firmly.
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."
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."
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.
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.
"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."
"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."
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.
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.
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."
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.
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.
"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.
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?"
"Perhaps," notes Karil. "Synergy between the two seems most effective, however."
Elue nods. "You are wiser, I am sure, in the ways of leading men than I," she says. Then she turns to face foward. At this point, Karil has walked, perhaps, two miles beyond the clearing where he fought the sisters. The stone path through the jungle suddenly turns into a set of stairs leading down, and the trees grow further apart, but also much larger.
Here, it's like Karil is on a landing, and about to step down to the valley floor. Above him, the trees grow taller the further into the valley they are, granting the valley a massive, vaulting roof. In the distance, a palace is visible, built into the branches of a tree that exists entirely below the lowest leaves of the great trees around it.
Karil can't gauge the size of it perfectly, but the palace could comfortably house the entire clan, by his estimation.
Smaller tree-houses are scattered across the valley floor, along with a rich variety of fruit trees. It should be dark, but light comes down from great hanging globes in the canopy above. Karil glimpses movement at the windows of one of the nearer houses, and people can be seen on roads in the distance, most of them apparently heading to their homes from the palace.
"Welcome to the vault of paradise," Elue says, nodding at the Serpent men. "We will stop here, and your weapons will be bound with ribon before you can take them beyond this boundry. If you refuse, you may do so at your own peril."
"Bound?" asks Karil, questioningly. "To be undrawable?"
"Yes," Elue replies, nodding. The remaining girls wrap ribbons around their fans, and then tuck them inside their sashes, and out of sight.
"As you wish," murmurs Karil, seeing no threat in that.
Elue and her women bind the weapons of Karil and his men with blue ribons. Elue binds Twilight Song herself. The bindings don't seem that secure; they'd keep a sword from falling out of its scabbard, or from being removed easily, but any concentrated effort would overcome the ribbon easily.
Elue smiles at Karil, and gestures to the orchards below. "Welcome to paradise, my Lord."
Karil shakes his head in wonder as he begins to walk through the valley.
"I never imagined a place of this size could be so concealed," he says, amazed. "The borders of other empires are within days of this place, and yet.."
Elue shrugs, and offers only a mysterious smile. "The jungle grows wild this close to the desert. The empires call it empty, and ignore it. But those who know how, continue in harmony."
It doesn't take long to reach the palace at the current rate. The palace itself looks to be made out of wood, but very carefully. A good number of people are visible from within, peering out over the railings at the approaching entourage.
A door sits in the side of the tree, probably big enough for two of Karil to walk through, side-by-side. Elue opens this door, and reveals a short hallway carved into the tree itself; two guards stand inside, and bow to her. These guards are men, wearing shined (and matching) plate armor, but carrying no weapons. The hallway ends at a staircase, and Elue sets on this next.
After a few winding twists, Karil's nearly lost his orientation (the men with him certainly have), when the staircase opens up to a wooden platform, and now the party is standing about thirty yards off the ground. This platform seems to be a reception area.
There's a number of benches around the edge, before the railings, and between each set of benches is a small table with a few edibles on it. They're all fruits and vegetables, however.
Directly opposite the point where the stairwell emerges from the tree and opens onto the platform, there is a small raised wooden dias, and on it, a marble pedastal. Perched on the pedestal is a woman in blue robes with white trim, wearing a bow and sash like Elue and her guards. She arches an eyebrow at Elue's appearance.
There are two other women in the room, sitting on benches to either side of this apparent leader. One of them has white hair, blue eyes, and pale skin, which is only emphasised by the shock white bow and robes she wears. The other is blonde, with green eyes, and healthy, tanned and nearly red skin. Her robes are pale green and lined in a white trim.
"Welcome to my home," the woman on the dias says after a moment. "And welcome to Paradise. Please, Lord Karil, have a seat." She gestures to one of the nearby benches, which sits facing her and her ... advisors? Bodyguards? None are carrying obvious weapons, here. And Elue and her women have their fans bound. "Tell me what brings you to my lands, with the pieces of my father's sword."
From an early age, Karil has been trained in how not to show surprise; how to be confident; how to know what to do.
It is a rare situation that leaves him completely, but more importantly, visibly in shock. He actually gapes; he almost drops Twilight Song; he stumbles a step.
"What?" he asks, intelligibly.
Sasha smiles, and shakes her head. "We'll discuss that later. For the time being, your men have struck a bargain with me. For your sisters, and five, you may return to the lands from whence you came," she explains.
Even though he's in the room with her, and recognizes her voice from the clearing ... Karil gets the distinct impression that Sasha is not actually even there.
"But the cost will be your weapons, and with them ... your tribe. Do you wish to bargain?"
"Bargain?" replies Karil, regaining his composure. Or at least, trying to. He eyes his men, and Sasha. "What tricks are you playing?"
"No tricks," Sasha says, shrugging. "This place isn't real, Lord Karil. Use your senses. Almost none of what happened today happened anywhere outside of your mind.
"You've been sick for a while ... nearly dead. Very little could convince us to help you, but your Jeramine found something. The poisons that fever your brain can be cleansed ... but I won't make a bargain with one unwilling.
"If you wish to keep that sword, you must find someone for me. Or else, I will allow you to retain your life, and you merely must surrender your weapon." Sasha shrugs at that, as though it were an obvious choice.
The question burning in Karil's mind is ... if what she says is remotely true, what bearing does this have on Karla and Farel? Are they not actually captured?
"I know- that is, I can tell that you aren't here..." murmurs Karil, then shakes his head.
Where does the reality stop, and the dream begin? If he has truly been poisoned, if his mind is somehow unclear, then simply by retracing his memories, some incosistency, some flaw should be realised.
Going backwards, Karil reconstructs events in his mind from now until he finds something which doesn't fit...
And there it was. Staring him practically in the face.
No casualties. Few wounded. Karil and Farla practically captured...
"..how long have I been this way?" he asks, his voice growing soft.
"Nearly a fortnight," Sasha replies with a shrug. "Though, this close to the end you're pulling through it. You'll be well, soon."
"Is that so..." replies Karil, staring at his surroundings.
They seem so vivid, even if they are a dream. So real...
"I cannot give you my weapon," he states. "But.. if you know anything of me, or if Jaramine has told you anything, I am sure you knew my answer to your bargain before it was offered."
"I suspected," Sasha replies with a nod. "So, here is what I told Jeramine: I offer you a deal. Your sisters are captured, no matter how your fever interpets the event. They poisoned you in the process ... and I want their swords, as well.
"My father's things are precious to me. However, I am willing to surrender both of those, and your own back to you ... if you swear upon your word of honor that you will seek out, and find the east wind.
"She is missing, and without her, Paradise will fail."
The decision had already been made.
"Then so I swear, on my honor, and my fathers honor," replies Karil, steadfastly.
The East Wind was as ambiguous as any name.. but even if the quest was to 'Sack the Palaces of Heaven', Karil would have sworn the oath.
"You shall know her when you see her," Sasha says, just before she dissolves into blackness.
When Karil comes to his senses, he's been stripped to his breeches, and is laying on a bed -- not a cot, a bed -- in a room. A woman who looks somewhat like Elue, only with the small flaws that designate reality is standing nearby, wiping sweat from Karil's brow with a cool cloth. Nearby, a woman who looks like what Karil imagines Sasha would if she were aged ... a lot ... is grinding some herbs up in a stone bowl.
"Awake, are you?" she asks, and her voice is identical to that from the feverdream. "Good. Now it's time to sleep. To recover your strength. You feel well now, but that's the venom in your blood. It makes you feel alive, and invigorated. But the more you move, the more quickly you spread it. Lesser men would have been killed already." The old woman (she's got to be nearly sixty!) mixes the herbs into a steaming cauldron, and stirs it for a while, producing a ladel and filling a cup for Karil.
"Here. Drink this, and rest off the last bout of poison."
Karil downs the cup, and resists the impulse to toss off the covers, get dressed, and start pacing.
"Where am I?" he asks.
"The monastary of a Thousand Fans," the old woman says. "I am Abbess Sasha, the leader of this temple.
"Your men brought you here, poisoned, after a battle. You should have been dead ... but you were not. And for that, we are glad. The two criminals your men brought are being held in cells below. But don't let that trouble you."
The draught that Sasha gave Karil quickly leaves him feeling very tired. "Rest, and awaken hungry, young lord." And everything fades to blackness again.
When Karil recovers his senses, he's dressed the same, though his sheets have been changed. The Elue-like is sitting nearby, working on some bit of needlework while waiting for Karil to awaken.
The first thing Karil notices upon waking is that the poison left a gaping void in his stomach, which quickly gurgles to that effect. Elue smiles at this wordlessly, and moves to help Karil up. While hungry, and weaker than he'd like Karil can easily sit up under his own power.
Once he's upright, Elue hands Karil a largish platter (with convenient little feet, so it'll stay upright on the bed) with a bowl of soup, two apples, nearly an entire loaf of bread, some cheese, and some sausages and eggs. As hungry as Karil is, he's not certain it'll be enough.
Karil wolfs down the food, glancing up at Elue. If that really is her name.
"I could use some more," he says, without preamble. "And, if it is possible, I would see Jaramine as soon as I can."
She nods wordlessly, and leaves. When the door opens again, it is Jeramine who enters, having brought a twin to the now vanished remains of the lord of the Serpent Clan's meal.
He exchanges platters, and looks worn ... tired. But pleased to see Karil in good health.
"Two weeks," murmurs Karil, shaking his head. He starts to munch on a piece of fruit.
"It is good to see the real you again, Jaramine. How are things?"
"The real me?" Jeramine asks, raising an eyebrow. "We mourn our lost, but are cheered that we have not lost our leader."
Karil pauses.
"In my fever-dream, I saw many things.
But that is not important. My mind is hazy, and I find myself rememerbing little immediately before I was unconcious. You must tell me what transpired those two weeks ago."
Jeramine nods, and looks thoughtful, if a bit grim. "About three weeks ago we reached the end of the desert. From there, we set up camp, and recieved notice from ... the sisters ... that they were nearby, and wanted to have a duel with you to settle things once and for all.
"Your plan involved archers hiding in the scrub brush ... which probably would have worked, but their plan was to just loosen the boulders at the top of the mountains and crush our would-be ambushers. When the avelanches began, you called the men out from cover, rather than risk them to the landslide. The sisters waited until the dust reached the bottom of the valley, and used it as a cloak to enter.
"I believe they were trying for as much precision as they could get -- if they were to kill you and take your place ... it would be of no benefit if their subjects were dead. Regardless, they ended up killing six of our men before we knew what was going on, and then they were close enough to cut you with that poisoned dagger ... you disarmed Farel and left her with that as her only option." Jeramine glowers a bit. "I suspect she planned it.
"After that, the men swarmed the twins, and the dust began to clear. When it was over, another two were badly wounded, one more was dead. We lost one of the wounded, but the other was rushed here -- with you. He's doing well enough, but won't be able to fight again except from horseback. And even that is some months down the line.
"Anyway. After we'd captured the twins, they told you that you'd been poisoned, and there was no antidote. A traveler through the desert saw our camp and thought that we were merchants ... when he tried to buy food from us we saw that he was taken care of. But he did know the area better than we did. He was a monk headed to the eastern land ... he knew the way to this monastary. He called himself 'Master Oki Bi', and left a few days ago. He was headed east at the time.
"He knew of a healer here, and this is where we brought you. Abess Sasha said she had healed a man of the same poison once, but warned us that it would be a close thing ... so we are glad that it wasn't TOO close." Finished speaking, Jeramine pulls a waterskin from his belt, and takes a few sips.
Karil shudders for a moment. "It seems that fortune and misfortune go hand in hand," he comments, wryly. "It seems I am indebted to many."
"Sasha bargained with me through my dream and on my waking. My healing was not free. I suspect you may know this already, however.
I had a choice. Either give up Twilight Song and leave, or take it and find the 'East Wind'." Karil pauses for a moment. "I swore that I would, and so I will. Even if I yet do not know how to begin, I am sure all will be revealed soon enough.
It is good that Karla and Farel are now imprisioned. Were it up to me, I would repay their foolishness with blood... but no matter. Soon, I will be well again, and then, it seems, our journey will continue.."
Jeramine nods. "Where do you intend to look for the east wind?" he asks, a look of intent concentration forming. "There are a lot of books here. We might be able to find some clues or explanations."
"I intended to question Sasha more closely," remarks Karil. "If that was not forthcoming, libraries would seem the place to go.
If we found nothing there, then we may as well travel East and see what we can find. But something here will surely reveal itself."
"Perhaps," Jeramine says with a shrug. "Either way, if you're up to it, you may want to walk about and speak to the men. They'd be cheered to see you, since you were carried in on a stretcher, stricken with fever."
He indicates the second (largely untouched) tray. "Assuming you aren't still hungry," he adds. This causes Karil's stomach to growl unhappily, demanding more sustenance.
Karil nods. "I'll do that," he promises. "As soon as I'm done eating."
Jeramine nods. "Is there anything else you'd like me to see to while you eat, then?" he asks.
"A map," replies Karil, resting his chin on his hand.
"Yes, maps. As detailed and as broad as you can find them. If the monastery will not let us take them, have them copied.
And other travellers. I cannot be sure, but if this place is known as a centre of healing, then surely other men and women will have come to this place. Have men talk to them, and talk to them yourself- particularly any from the Eastern Kingdoms.
Even if they are as common as flies these days, seek news of strange events from them. As I doubt the East Wind is of any mundane origin, look to odd occurances and coincidences. We can sort through them later to determine what is truth, and what is false."
Jeramine looks thoughtful, and nods. "The maps I've already seen to -- they asked us not to take them, but said we could have them if we insisted. We had time while you were ill, so our copies are already scribed on hide," he explains. Hide is commonly used as a surface to etch things on by travelers, as it tends to weather better than paper. "I'll pick a few of the friendlier men to chat with the other visitors. There are a few, but by the maps.... Well, here," he says, pulling a segment of rolled up hide from one pocket and handing it to Kesir.
"I'll report back in an hour," he adds, before he vanishes. The hide in Kesir's hands fits on the bedside stand while he works on his second meal. Or his second round of his first meal.
By the map, a large desert runs to the west, northwest, and southwest. In fact, the spot where this monastary is appears to be located between two walls of mountain that jut into the desert like a dagger. Between the peaks is apparently jungle. The only paths lead west, into the desert (though that road is lost -- it was only a trackless waste when Kesir led his men across it) and east.
Heading east, the road winds up into some low foothills, and then down to some small lordless walled village. That village is a crossroad, with paths leading in five directions (not counting the road back to the monastary).
Further east, there's a sea, according to the map. The name as copied by one of Jeramine's men is the Sea of Storms. Of course, to get there, Jeramine would need to lead his men into the boundries of the Empire, which has a reputation that preceeds it. The Empire won't welcome foreign soldiers in their land, so navigating it would be difficult.
South of the Empire are the Reaches of Galind, and north leads to the relatively factional Plainsmarch (rolling hills without many permanent settlements populated by nomadic peoples).
Karil taps the map a little. The Empire would be a brilliant place to begin searching; they have no shortage of sages and 'wise men', and it *is* directly east.
But as Karil isn't completely sure, there doesn't seem to be a good enough reason to risk going through it. Perhaps he could send a few men to look about. A small party would hardly be outside the bounds of a 'foreign force'. They would probably be gone for months- but Karil did not feel pressed for time just yet.
Perhaps heading Northeast would be a thought. Being a 'factional' land, it reeked of opportunity; perhaps some allies amongst the nomad tribes could be made. Perhaps some people would be willing to join the Clan.
Firstly, however, Karil decided that he may as well move to the village at the crossroads. Once that was done, he could decide what comes next as his leisure.
After eating his meal, Karil decides to get up and start walking around the room a bit, stretching out the kinks of a two-week long sleep.
It's because of attention to his health like that that Karil heals as quickly as he does. Or he's a naturally fast healer.
Karil's muscles aren't kinked, but fairly stiff, as though he had strained one or two a few days ago -- perhaps in the throes of the fever. Aside from a calf that may be bothering Karil for another day or two, he feels much better, though.
Karil hunts for some clothes (presuming, of course, that he wasn't put to bed wearing them).
Once he's suitably dressed, he opens the door and lets himself out.
Karil was wearing his smallclothes, but nothing else. A bag with the bulk of Karil's wardrobe sits at the end of the bed -- Twilight Song has been set across it. It takes only a moment to get dressed again.
Pulling his coat over his shoulders, Karil takes up Twilight Song, and looks at it quizically.
"There is still so little I truly know about you," he says to it, holding it aloft. "Hmm..."
Turning, he opens the door to his room, and steps outside.
Outside, the halls of the monastary are stark stone. There are no tapestries, carpets, statuary, or even torches or candles. All light comes in through great overhead windows of thick but heavily bubbled and somewhat warped glass. The corridor that Karil's in appears to stretch north and south for a ways before they hit walls and turn -- both of them to the west. It appears that Karil's room was on the perimeter of the building, and facing east.
Karil hasn't been in too many monastaries, but the design is old, and he's camped in the ruins of a few. The structure that Karil is in is a sort of inverse wall, usually called the outer hall. The outer hall is designed to be easily captured, as it only has two entry points to the inner hall, which has no windows. In the event of a seige, the outer hall would be abandoned in favor of retreating to the inner hall until help arrived. Of course, quarters in the main hall tended to be a bit cramped, so when not in seige, everyone enjoys the outer hall.
The sunlight coming in through the windows feels weak, and the air is mildly chilly.
Taking a slow, measured pace, Karil strides up north, deciding to head for the centre area; that would seem to be the place where the people in charge might stay.
Surprisingly enough, this turns out not to be the case. The residents of the abbey all live on the outer edge of the building, with the exception of the cook (who sleeps on the kitchen floor) and some of the older residents, who need to be nearer the fire for their joints.
The center is instead used to house what the abbey residents find most important: their library.
The libary is a huge affair, in a room a good six meters high, and at least twenty wide and deep. The sides are lined with monolithic wall-devouring bookshelves which climb all the way to the ceiling, and the rest of the space in the room is packet with a ramshackle collection of whatever shelving could be found, apparently. Cheap looking or not, the shelves are crammed to nearly overflowing with texts.
There's an adjoining study to research the texts, and a few of the resident monks (the majority of them appear to be female) are examining various books. Among them is Sasha, speaking quietly to the Elue-like over a large tome.
Karil picks out a text at random, flips to a random page, and reads it (searching, of course, for useful quotes).
Filing away the location of the book, he heads over to Sasha and Elue, peering over at the book they're reading, too.
Karil's first chosen text isn't even in a language he recognizes. That gets switched out quickly for what appears to be a book about herbs, and their medicinal qualities. It also suggests which to plant near where your sheep graze to help keep them healthy.
The book Elue and Sasha are studying appears to be similar, but much more complex. Their book goes into detail on how to extract medicines from poisonous herbs. Sounds kind of dangerous. Elue glances briefly at Karil as he approaches, but says nothing.
"Good morning, Lord Karil, I hope you're feeling better?" Sasha asks, not looking up from the current page (which appears to cover holly berries).
"Very," replies Karil, giving a short bow. "Once again, I must thank you for your help and hospitality.
If you have the time, I would like to speak with you in detail..."