Captured! Revelations of the Mysterious Tomb..

[Carthrat]

"Nothing, really," replies Okina, shrugging. "Do you object to having Ukyo travel with you again, by the way?"

[Corwin]

"He's welcome to join us, Okina-san," Umi replies.

[Carthrat]

"Good," replies Okina. "He would likely have gone in either case, though I really think it would be better for him to stay in bed.

I'm done, for the moment. Come back in a few hours and I'll show you how to reach the Tomb."

[Corwin]

Umi bows, and with a nod at Fuu, takes the ring of protection and the spiked chain, and leaves to try and find the masked mage again.

[Carthrat]

The Masked Mage is still there, chewing on a bit of straw..

[Corwin]

Umi approaches him, and once she gains his attention, says, "I have that item I wanted to find a buyer for."

[Corwin]

[07:04] <C-Rat> The mage shrugs. "What is it?"
[07:05] <Misha> "A magical chain." Umi shows it to him. "It inflicts great bleeding wounds on those hit."
[07:05] <C-Rat> "It looks suitably painful," he replies. "I think I know just the person who would like this particular weapon.."
[07:05] <C-Rat> "I'll take it off your hands for 3600."
[07:06] <Misha> Umi frowns. "It's quite a bit less than I expected it to cost."
[07:07] <C-Rat> The mage shrugs. "You're welcome to look elsewhere."
[07:07] <Misha> "Perhaps we could have a trade, instead?" the elf offers. "My friend is looking for a new spellbook, or scrolls to fill a blank one up."
[07:08] <C-Rat> The mage nods. "Possibly. What spells does she require?"
[07:08] <C-Rat> "I could have the necessary book prepared by tomorrow morning."
[07:17] <Misha> Umi nods to herself, and tells the masked mage the spells she remembers Hikaru having, plus two spells she always said she wanted to learn some time, but hadn't gotten a chance yet. Thinking of something, she shows him the ring she got from the shugenja, and asks, "Could a ring adding one some protection in combat be added to the deal?"
[07:18] <C-Rat> "No," replies the mage.
[07:21] <Misha> "It's a shame," she says, frowning again. "I really want to have something for both of my friends, since it wouldn't be nice to bring something just for one of them and not the other."
[07:21] <C-Rat> "I'll throw you in a pair of fake gold earrings, if you want," says the mage.
[07:23] <Misha> Umi snorts. "I may not be a mage, but both of my best friends are. And something tells me it wouldn't hurt you to add something extra to the deal."
[07:23] <C-Rat> "If you're trying to appeal to my sympathy, you're not doing a good job," remarks the mage, dryly.
[07:25] <Misha> She shrugs. "I'm only diplomatic with my sword, or so I've been told. And I'm actually trying to appeal to your business sense. A satisfied customer brings more revenue in the longer run, doesn't she?"
[07:25] <C-Rat> "While that is true, it helps that there's little to no competition around here," replies the mage.
[07:28] <Misha> Laughing, Umi nods at him. "That's true, yes. But I might find it much simpler to go use diplomacy on the person who stole my friend's first spellbook instead."
[07:28] <C-Rat> "Perhaps you will," replies the mage. "Then again, you could end up dead because your friend can't support you well enough, hm? Or perhaps you're going alone, it really makes no difference to me."
[07:33] <Misha> "It's a shame, then." Umi shrugs again. "I suppose I'll have to keep the chain after all. Maybe I'll have my friend learn how to use it instead."
[07:33] <C-Rat> "You do that," replies the mage.
[07:34] <Misha> "Good day," Umi greets him, leaving.
[07:34] <C-Rat> The mage shrugs, and continues chewing straw..

[Carthrat]

After Umi conducts her business in the city, she returns to the castle, where Hikaru is sleeping..

Four Hours Later..

"The Tomb is located not far from the Matsu border," states Okina. "This could be inconveniant. As things stand, we know that a portion of the Matsu force is retreating, but we cannot be sure of the location of the remainder. It's plausible they're hoping to lure out our soldiers and then launch an attack on the capital."

He gives Ukyo, who is sitting nearby, a glance.

"Ukyo has advised me to send out half our army in apparent chase of this other Matsu force, but one that will double back after an hour or two. Our forces in the city should be able to hold off any Matsu advance for that long, long enough for the other half of the army to return and crush any remaining Matsu soldiers.

Given that Sakura is away, command technically falls to me. I think it is a good idea, but want to know your opinions before this."

[Corwin]

"What of the message you were waiting to receive from the shugenja sent to track down the gaijin, Okina-san?" Umi reminds him.

[Carthrat]

"Oh, yes," replies Okina. "I forgot about it, because it never came. We have no idea what happened to them."

[Corwin]

"Perhaps the loud explosion Hikaru mentioned hearing was caused by the mage working for the gaijin, then," Umi says, grimacing. "In any case, Okina-san, I'm not sure I see why a portion of the army must be sent to chase the Matsu off. Wouldn't it be better to keep most of it in the capital, and send several small teams to ambush and generally cause trouble for the retreating part of the Matsu army? If they could get into a good position and pick off a few of their commanders or spellcasters, our situation would be better."

She shrugs. "We know the terrain better, and these small groups should be at an advantage against a retreating foreign force. And if the retreat is a ruse, we'll find it out this way, without sending out half of our army. Which, of course, could find itself flanked between the Matsu forces, if this retreat is an attempt to lure it into a trap. While I hate to think of what will happen to these teams if the latter is true, in reality our losses would be light, and the city's safety will be assured... which it cannot be if half our forces are destroyed."

[Ebiris]

"One problem with your plan, Umi-chan," Fuu points out, "The 'terrain' is nothing but a burnt wasteland now. There will be no cover to be had for smaller groups."

[Corwin]

"Hikaru escaped by climbing a tree. Haven't you, Hikaru?" Umi turns to look at her pink-haired friend. "And there was obviously more than one, since the party sent after her couldn't spot her there, and the group which fired an arrow into the gaijin's elbow had cover when they attacked."

[Halbarad]

"I did, but it was mostly luck. I managed to find a tall enough tree to get out of sight; since the fires, there's nowhere to hide in a tree any longer. And any cover we might have found on the ground itself was destroyed by the fire as well." Hikaru shakes her head.

[Corwin]

"Is the alternative, which is sending half of the army into what could be a trap, better than taking this chance? For small enough groups, there should still be sufficient cover."