Lord of Azure Flame Chapter 20: Bait and switch

[Ether]

As he approached the roof, Ulfhrahn readied himself for the landing. A powerful flap of the wings opposing his motion slowed him down considerably, allowing him to land without fear of barreling the building over.

"Ulfy! You're alright! And... Irina? You guys met up?" Aiya asked, climbing up into the saddle.

"But why are you riding Ulfy? Is Kiev okay?"

****************

Clucking her tongue dissapointedly, Kiera couldn't help but comply. she knew there was no point trying to take The Brute out, let alone with his elite accompanying him.

"So, if they don't surrender, I suppose I will get to see your axemanship up close. That'll be exciting."

****************

"That is very true. Never change your ways, Angel. We need people like you, so we can keep going through even the worst of times." Damian replied.

[Dark Sage]

"Oh. I was hoping you'd know...are you ok?" asked Sadie, noticing Arrin had some blood on him and him wincing a little bit occasionally in pain. "Did a soldier-? Here, I have a vulnerary right on my pouch. You can use part of it, I still need to use the rest for my own wounds," she said, handing him the vulnerary.

"I don't think I've got your name," said Sadie, hurrying along with Arrin to make sure they escaped from the trampling mob.

[Phoenix]

Daneka and Alphonse

Daneka: Right away.

She eyed Alphonse for a moment who seemed anything but fatigued. Perfect candidate being a hard target to kill in case violence broke out.

Daneka: Alphonse. You negotiate ze surrender.

Alphonse: If you insist, Madame Colonel, but please be careful. I would rather be at your side in this chaos.

Daneka: I know zat. Go on zough. Stretch your wings a little.

Alphonse: Very well, Madame Colonel.

With that, he headed into the castle with his sword at the ready.

Ixion

Ixion: Not today no. For now I simply need a better understanding of your mind in its normal state. I won't be able to differentiate properly between the norm and the rage without a bit more observation.

Irina

Irina scooted back so Aiya could take the lead at the front of the saddle. She let out a heavy sigh of relief.

Irina: Don't worry about Kiev. He's mostly fine. Ulfy really wanted to find you though and at full speed, Kiev wasn't going to be able to keep up, especially not with a cage full of chickens strapped to his back. Better to just mount Ulfy and be his extra set of eyes. I'm glad you're alright but this place is a mess. We need to get back to the others fast.

Angel

Angel: Thank you for saying so. I don't want to come across as anti magic. I just realized an herb tends to work one hundred percent of the time, teehee. Okay then is there anything else you need, Damian? Extra salt? More juice? Extra pillow? Anything like that?

[-Cynthia-]

Several lances blocked Alphonse as he walked into the castle. "Hold! What is your business man? You aren't one of us." the guard said.

Plans?

"Don't forget that Svetlana is resistant to magic. She should be the only protection I need. Unless you have something else in mind?" she asked Peter, raising an eyebrow at him.

[Phoenix]

Alphonse

With the lances aimed at him, Alphonse sighed and took a firmer stance spreading his feet apart a bit.

Alphonse: ... expected. I am Alphonse of Septimus under direct orders from Colonel Daneka of Jace's faction. I'm here to negotiate the terms of your surrender. You have slightly less than one hour to comply. After that, no second chance will be given and you will all be put to the sword. Do you understand?

Peter

Peter: Well ... I don't have an idea just yet. But I want to help in some way. I'm rather faithful to the IM and don't want Ixion to take over. Did you know he hasn't made the blood pact? He's never officially been one of us. Sure he's not a mercenary either, but even I have it and I just run errands and practice fire spells from time to time.

He quickly cleared his throat knowing full well that he was getting close to spilling his guts.

Peter: Either way, I don't want him to get to you too, low chance of that or not. If he's running the show then he has enough pawns ... right?

[-Cynthia-]

The guard paused. "...Very well. You may speak with the king and queen, provided you keep your weapon sheathed at all times. Any sudden movements and we will be unafraid to use force. Is that clear?" he asked, not feeling as safe under his heavy armor as he would like.

Chessmaster

"Pawns don't stand any chance against a queen." Xenia stated. "All right, I've made up my mind. Could you draw me up some documents so that they don't try and take me down once I get there? Not that I would especially mind, but it's a hassle having to kill too many people. Makes the lance head dull and Svet gets even hungrier."

[Phoenix]

Negotiator With A Blade

Alphonse: Understood.

He gave an affirming nod to go with his words as he began slowly walking into the palace. As he progressed, he saw nobles and the like who hadn't escaped the chaos being bullied into rooms by the soldiers. The castle was all they had left as a whole and the nobles were simply in the way. One in particular was making a huge fuss and caught Alphonse's attention as he walked by.

Von: I say! What is the meaning of this?! You cannot simply push me around! I am Duke Von, do you hear me?! Duke Von! I demand that you let me through!

Alphonse shrugged and continued on until he reached the throne room. Once he arrived, he quickly counted every last soldier in sight with his eyes and took note of it. That would come in handy should he need to cut his way out and would also let the others know what to expect should they need to take the throne by force. He stopped a fair distance from the throne standing firm.

Alphonse: King Stefan , Queen Isolde, I am Alphonse. I am here on behalf of Jace the Brute to negotiate the terms of your surrender.

A thought quickly occurred to him and he quickly corrected himself.

Alphonse: No. Rather I am here to state the terms of your surrender. There won't be any negotiations made here today. Forgive the lack of clarity.

He stood there a moment giving them a chance to speak.

Assistant With A Pen

Peter: Right. Having to fight just to get inside is only going to complicate things. Word should have reached there by now since the bases stay in contact via spirit dolls, but I'd better give you something more official just in case, huh?

Having nothing on him, he would have to head to the library or to Ivanko's mansion. Neither was too far away. Of course the spot where Victor was lazing about was greatly influencing Peter's decision.

Peter: Uh ... let's go to the library really quick.

[-Cynthia-]

"We will listen to Jace's demands, but we are under no obligation to follow them. Also understand that Jace's trustworthiness is suspect." Queen Isolde stated.

"Hmph. I thought I would never see the day where Septimian royalty was cowed by brutes." King Stefan said, eyes fixed upon the messenger.

Changes

"Spirit whatsits? And we have a library? Things sure have changed around here." Xenia said, getting up to follow Peter.

Svetlana finished her mackerel and sniffed around. Too many wyverns, not enough fish.

[Inactive Account]

"Oh, I'm fine for now... I'm Arrin, by the way," Arrin replied.

It wasn't incredibly easy, but they managed to cross the road, dodging civilians and livestock. Up ahead Arrin could see Kelas and Amari, and the wyverns. He nudged Francis faster, and soon pulled up to where Kelas and the others had stopped. "Are you all right?" he asked worriedly, jumping down from the saddle and running forward.

"I'm fine. What about your wound?" Kelas asked, getting to her feet and reaching for her remaining first aid supplies. "Wait... that's Charlotte, isn't it? Oh, excellent, I don't have to patch everyone up then... Sit down, you're hurt."

"I've been healed, partially," Arrin protested. "What about you? You're covered in blood! You shouldn't even be--"

"It's not mine," Kelas interjected wearily. "I'm not hurt at all. At least stay still for now until someone can heal it." As the others approached, she turned to them. "Who else we missing?" she called. "You all right, Charlotte?"

[Phoenix]

Messenger Messaging

Alphonse: I understand. If you choose to surrender, you will be required to leave the castle. All of you. You will lay down your arms immediately. Outside you will be apprehended by Jace's men. You will not be slain if you follow that directive. Do you understand all of this?

Assistant Assisting

As they went to the library, Peter made certain to steer clear of Victor. He didn't want to revisit the wyvern now that he had Xenia with him. He wasn't sure if she would let him go with and it was slowly putting a frown on his face. When they arrived, there were several mages thumbing around. A couple of them looked over curiously. A wyvern rider in the library that wasn't Ivanko was a bit rare.

Peter: Alright, some parchment and a pen should do. I hope I don't need Ivanko's stamp of approval for this. He'll just start asking questions.

He sat down at a nearby desk and began writing up a pardon. Of course he was hoping more so that the Septimus base had already received word of Xenia's reprieve. It was likely, but not worth risking with bowmen like Karina running the place.

[-Cynthia-]

"I'm fine." Charlotte responded. "I'm worried about General Alex though, she's not here and it's not like she has a mount to fly away on. It's probably not safe to go back though, so I'm not sure what to do...does anyone require healing?" she asked around the group.

Negotiations

"And what will happen to us then?" Queen Isolde inquired. "If we are all going to be killed and the citzenry butchered regardless, there is little need for us to lay down arms."

[Inactive Account]

"I did my best, but I'm no replacement for a healer," Kelas replied, indicating Isotov's injuries. "And... looks like Morgan's in a bad way, Arrin needs some patching up... not sure about the others."

"I'm fine--" Arrin protested again.

"No you're not, you've got a half-healed gash across your chest. Please don't try to imitate me about hiding injuries," Kelas told him. "In this case I really am unhurt, though."

Arrin shot Kelas a dirty look. "Why is it all right for you to hide your injuries, and not me? I'm not a child! You don't have to pretend that everything's all well for me!"

Kelas met his eyes, shocked. "Arrin, I-- I'm just trying to protect you. If we're both hurt, you get care first. It's--"

"Don't give me that, you're not any less important than I am. Besides, if you're so set on protecting me, why do you spend all your time on him and the others? You're always gone when I'm not in danger. Tell me another," Arrin shot back, pointing at Isotov.

"Arrin--"

"Look, never mind. I'll go get healed. Don't worry about me." Arrin strode off to stand by the others.

"I--" Was he right, though? She'd... been ignoring her brother, hadn't she? Barely there, except to bail him out of some sort of danger, usually leaving after. Spending all her time with friends instead of family... she hadn't even been awake to give him his tome back, hadn't helped enough when he was sick... hadn't talked to him once they'd got back to the palace...

She needed to protect her brother, she needed to protect her friends. Could she do both? She certainly hadn't been doing a good job of it... she'd even gotten separated from Arrin just now, when the crowd got between them. There was a certain point where helping whoever's need was currently greater didn't explain things.

Well, even if she could protect everyone she needed to, she needed to apologize. She looked over to where Arrin had gone. Should she give him a minute, or...?

Arrin sat down, fuming a bit. I'm worried about her. Isn't that okay? She's my sister, she gets hurt often. Why shouldn't I worry? She's always worrying about me! Or, well, she says she is... is she really, or is this some burden to her? She's always insisting on protecting me, even if I don't need it, but then she's never there otherwise, always off with other people. Is this just a chore for her?

Am I just a chore?

OOC: I'm not entirely sure about the angst quotient on this one, and it's kind of late. Feedback would be appreciated.

Edited October 26, 2010 by Kiryn

[Script]

Luc Altair

This section of the group was led over to where a few more members had already seemed to be making base. It was too close to the city for Luc's preferance, but there were wounded, excluding his minor bruises, so setting away further could have caused problems. Kelas asked a question of whom was missing. Luc hadn't seen anyone since his stint in the gatehouse, and even then he had only glimpsed Eric who was next to them already. Luc looked at Fargo who shook his head no. Luc took note of who was absent and present, including some blond girl Luc was unfamiliar with. Some of those missing could return easily through flight, others would be burdened with ground speed. Although the ranks of the fleeing had thinned, there was the possibility that Jace soldiers could find them. And even if they escaped, finding the group here would be nothing more than blind guessing. There should be some sort of inconspicuous guide nearby to show any stragglers where to meet. It would probably have to be Luc. And Fargo, since Thunder wouldn't handle another person on his back and speed was gravely important.

"Fargo, follow." Luc commanded.

"Huh?" the other cavalier swung his head around in confusion. " I mean, yes, sir!"

"Fargo and I will move closer to the city and try and guide any others to this location," Luc explained to anyone nearby. "If we're not back within one hour you should consider us and anyone else lost."

"Lost? Oh jeez Captain." Fargo sighed.

The two knights of Directus came about and charged back towards the city. The ride between the two was silent, only the distant echoes of battle pelted the duo's ears. With still a fair distance to go Luc held his hand and the two horsemen stopped.

"Keep your eyes sharp Fargo."

"Yes, Captain."

OOC: Turns out Luc was useless on the who's missing front it seems yes. What a shock, what a shock it is, oh my.

[Snowy_One]

"Then there is both little more to see, and too much for you to see at the same time." Mana looked Ixion in the eye, her normal vision returning as she slowly wrested it back under control. The fantastic world which Ixion had been gazing upon slowly faded away, returning to a much more normal vision. Gone were the fantastic mana threads, the sense of air motion, and the like, replaced with normal and mundane vision. "This is how I see the world now Ixion. Like any other person unless I choose to relax my control. It took me a long time to get this far, to a point where I could interact normally with the world, and it is how I choose to stay."

---

With the fight ended, Esphyr was not quite sure what to do with herself once again. The other group members seemed to have moved without stopping to look for, or even check to ensure that their group had fully regrouped. A quick glance over told Esphyr that the same was true for Altion as well. She felt a faint twinge of sympathy for the man. The only reason he was even here as far as she could tell was because of an infatuation with Kelas, if even that. It could be even as simple a reason as not being sure if he should leave or not that was keeping him here, yet he was still fighting and being ignored, like her.

Either way, with a quick shrug, she and he returned to the road, sticking to the distance of the group. There wasn't really anything for them to say or add to the situation anyways. Not their place at all.

Edited October 26, 2010 by Snowy_One

[Dark Sage]

"Whew..." said Alferis, reaching Kelas and the others, a little bruised from bumping into so many people and the chest wound certainly didn't help matters.

There seemed to be some sort of disagreement between Kelas and Arrin it seemed. Arrin was apparently dissatisfied at Kelas not being there for him, and insisting on not taking care of herself. That was what Alf reasoned anyway.

Only thing I can think of right now is thank god I don't have any siblings.

"Ah.....Kelas you ok? Iso I have a vulnerary here with me, though...yeah, it's unnecessary, healers here and all."

"Erm, sorry. Thing just happened is none of my business but I'm sorry for you anyway.

Still, do you guys know anywhere outside this area? I traveled around nearly everywhere, but I haven't really been in this part of Septimus. Who knows what's gonna happen here after the revolution ends? We should clear out as soon as possible."

Reika meanwhile had merely ignored everyone else, feeling dizzy again. These severing symptoms were most bothersome. Who knows when they'd strike next. Right now though, getting out now took importance over whatever melodrama these idiots were having. Not that they'd listen to her. She tapped her foot impatiently a bit before going on a little on her own, going a little slowly for Alf to catch up, though he didn't seem to notice yet.

Sadie headed towards Arrin, sitting near him.

"Um, I think we should get a move on now," she said, taking out her wind tome.

OOC: Edited to remove dumbassery.

Edited October 26, 2010 by Red Magister

[Phoenix]

Isotov

Iso lowered his head a bit when the others arrived, relieved a little. He didn't interrupt the disagreement between Kelas and Arrin. He couldn't speak with either of them afterward either. He was feeling absolutely exhausted and it was only getting worse. He felt that he would fall asleep any second.

Iso: (I can't blame Arrin for being a little upset. I haven't treated Irina much better in the past. I left her behind just to protect her. The thought of being her brother and sharing life with her never crossed my mind even once. Reunited it wasn't much different. She's ... patient. So is Arrin. Maybe ... maybe we should all be doing this together ...)

Viveka and Her Pegasus

With the other led back, she could relax for a few moments. Instead of coming down from the saddle she slumped over a bit with her hands in her lap, the reins loosely gripped. Jasmine's lance was secured to the saddle but stained with blood. She glanced at it and immediately cringed. It was always the same thing. Fighting, fighting, and more fighting. She was really hoping Conrad would be able to accomplish his goal. This type of lifestyle change was only worth the price of absolute success. Nothing less.

Ixion

Ixion: As you wish. We shall continue this later on tomorrow. You are free to roam about, but do not cause any trouble. There is a lot of work to be done in the meantime.

Alphonse

Alphonse: Neither you nor the populace will be harmed so long as you comply with Jace's demands. You have forty-nine minutes remaining.

[-Cynthia-]

"P-please don't fight, not at a time like this." Charlotte said, unsure of how to diffuse the situation properly. She settled for going to Isotov and applying her staff to his wounds. Morgan had somehow fallen asleep on back of Chase's horse despite the chaos.

Decisions

"We're supposed to take Jace at his word then? That doesn't strike me as a particularly smart idea." King Stefan said, stroking his beard.

"But we seem to lack alternatives. This battle is a foregone conclusion. Further resistance strikes me as utterly futile." Queen Isolde said, turning her head towards her fellow monarch and ignoring the messenger for the time being.

Edited October 27, 2010 by -Cynthia-

[Inactive Account]

"This group's not going anywhere yet, we're still missing people," Arrin told Sadie a bit crossly. "We're still missing people. Sorry, I'd... rather not talk right now." He moved off again, wondering if Kelas was going to do anything or not. His half-healed wound still hurt; he realized he had a little vulnerary left, and applied it.

"...I should go after him... I'll be back in a few minutes, okay?" Kelas sighed, got up, and went over to where Arrin sat. "...Did you get that healed?" she asked quietly.

"No. I don't want anyone to worry, everyone else should be healed first anyway," Arrin replied, glowering. He indicated the clean skin where his wounds had previously been. "Yes, I took a vulnerary. You can go back now."

"Arrin... I'm sorry." Kelas sat down next to him. "You're right. I should be paying more attention to you. I shouldn't have let us get separated."

"Why? So you can make sure I'm alive faster, and get back to whatever you were doing? If protecting me's such a chore, why do you bother? I can take care of myself."

Kelas' expression wavered for a moment in shock. "...You... really think I think this is a chore?" she said, very quietly, a bit defeated. "That I'm only protecting you out of duty, or something?"

"Seems like it sometimes," Arrin muttered.

"...So when I went out and let the demons find me in order to try and get Daranau back I was doing it out of... duty or whatever? As a chore?"

"..." Arrin mumbled something too quietly to be heard.

"Arrin..." Kelas sighed. They were both staring at their feet by now. "You're my brother. I lost you once before and I don't want to lose you again. So I'm going to protect you, even if it kills me. I know I haven't been very good at it... but..."

"Did it occur to you that I don't want to lose you, either?!" Arrin burst out. "That I don't want it to kill you? Do you know how scared I was after I woke up when I saw what had happened to you? And then afterward, that maybe I'd want to talk to you?" He glared at Kelas, and she could see tears forming in his eyes.

"I'm sorry," Kelas replied. "I... I'll be more careful." Arrin's words had made her realize that she hadn't thought that she'd be missed; she was used to nobody caring, but... this was her brother. She should have known better. "...I'm sorry."

Arrin's response was to lean over and hug Kelas tightly. "I was worried about you," he mumbled into her shoulder. "I lost my teacher because she was trying to protect me. I don't want to lose you too."

"I'll just have to try to not get lost, then," Kelas replied, returning the hug, though less tightly because of Arrin's recent injuries. "And... I'll spend more time with you, too. I'm sorry that I haven't been doing that."

Arrin looked up. The anger and hurt from before had gone away, and he thought back over everything he'd said. "You're... trying to protect the others, too, aren't you?"

"Yeah. I know you try to protect Tessa... I want to protect my friends too, but you come first."

"I don't want to take your friends away," Arrin replied in a small voice. "Just... a little more time now and then?"

"I can definitely do that," Kelas agreed, letting go and sitting back. "Ah, you're just as much a mess as I am now..."

"That's all right," Arrin replied, feeling much better. "I was a mess already. Now... I guess we should help out the others some more. We don't want to stay here long, I think."

"Right. Is Francis all right?"

"A little spooked, but I didn't see any injuries," Arrin replied. "I'll go get him. I guess we've still got people to wait for, but we want to be ready to go when we find them."

"Yeah. I'll go check on the others... oh, and bring Francis over, I'll double-check him. Horses're worse about hiding their injuries than I am. Oh come on," Kelas added at Arrin's reproachful look, "can't I make a joke?"

"That isn't funny."

"Okay, okay..."

They headed off in separate directions for a moment. Kelas returned to where she'd previously been sitting. "I think things are fixed for the moment. Thanks, Charlotte. It looks like once everyone's healed up and we've found a few more people, we're going to get moving... How are you doing now?" she asked Isotov quietly. "Ah, he's asleep, isn't he..."

--------------------------------

Arrin had a bit of difficulty calming Francis down. The gelding stood still, shaking, and wouldn't budge despite all of Arrin's coaxing and pleading. Finally Amari appeared, and Francis was somehow instantly calmer. He turned to head back over to Kelas.

[-Cynthia-]

Xaver and company moved quickly northwestward towards the Grand Cathedral of Ursibus. Traveling the opposite way down the road was a small company of soldiers marked with the symbol of a golden axe.

"Hold and state your business!" one of the soldiers said, weapon at the ready.

Xaver lazily flashed his badge. "Reformist Templar on official business of the Grand Cleric. Move aside." the youth ordered the group of men.

"Don't get smart with me- hey who's that girl?" Brown hair, dressed in robes, not very tall or muscular... "You are all charged with harboring Charlotte, former princess of Jerdon and enemy of Jace. Hand her over or we will be required to use force."

"Wrong person. And no." Xaver said, wind tome at the ready.

[Dark Sage]

"More people...?" Sadie said in surprise at Arrin, backing away as he moved towards Kelas. She tried to study her wind tome but it proved to be too difficult to concentrate at that moment. Thoughts jumbled about in her head.

What an odd group. And there's still more of them. I wonder if...nah. I shouldn't. Whatever they're doing, I doubt they have room for me. Besides, remember about finding brother. That's the biggest hing. Maybe you can join them later but right now, you're best not to be tied down by them.

Shutting the book closed, Sadie headed towards Arrin, a calm neutral look on her face.

"Um, thanks for helping me out of Burgosas. I don't know whether or not I'd still be alive if you guys didn't protect me. And um, I don't know whatever this is you're doing, but good luck to you. I should be going now but...I don't know. I know the various roads around here. I'm a bard you see? It's my business to know where all the roads lie. And if you want, depending on where you're going, I can give you some directions."

[Phoenix]

Levski

No sign of Tas. There wasn't anything else he could do for the moment. He took off and followed the fleeing crowds looking for signs of the group. He spotted them off the road after a few minutes and swooped down for rough landing before hopping down from Krinkov. He met the others with a heavy sigh.

Lev: Couldn't find Tas or anyone else we're missing.

Kamilla

When the soldiers arrived Kamilla became extremely nervous. As they mistook her for Charlotte she trembled. Did she truly resemble the princess of Jerdon? She doubted it but these soldiers looked determined. She was hoping Xaver could clear things up, but his wording and tone worried her just as much as the accusations. She'd learned from experience that rudeness was no way to be pardoned. Being a templar helped, or so it would seem, but did this faction respect the church? If not, their troubles were beginning to grow second by second.

[Script]

Luc Altair and the Fargo

No one who fled from the gate the group had cleared was anyone Luc knew. During the time the two had been vigilant the crowds had thinned out significantly enough that even at their current distance the two knights would be able to survey any missing members, but it still did not matter. Luc took a glance to the skies in case one of the missining wyvern riders showed up, and just out of the corner of his eye he saw a shadowy wing not belonging to a pegasus. He turned around and saw the wyvern land near the location the group was located at. It was hard to tell, but Luc believed the wyvern belonged to Levski. Luc wondered if Levski had managed to locate any of the stranglers as he flew, but shook his head and those thoughts away. Even if he had, they would be with him, and if their was more than he could carry at once he'd be off already.

"So Captain," the fellow soldier of Septimus spoke up. "Shouldn't we do something?"

"You're volunteering to actually do something?" Luc asked almost amused at the question. Amusement in such circumstances. Luc almost laughed at his twisted sense at such times.

"Haha, I wouldn't go that far, but don't you think we could--all of us could I dunno, make a difference?"

"Fargo if I thought for a second that charging back into that could change this outcome I would." Luc took in a deep breath before continuing. "But right now things have become such a splintered mess of options that even the case of us riding straight to Jace and somehow deafeating him could just make things worse."

It was clear by the look on his face that Fargo didn't understand. And that was fine. Luc's own reasoning for that was so slipshod it was insulting he was even using it. But now was most defiantly not the time to take a risk.

"So, uh, Captain?"

"If it's about why my cape is around my head it is to hide my face."

"Oh, right. So should I--"

"Do what you will."

Fargo's surprise kept him from answering for nearly a minute and even once he spoke it was little more than an informal yes.

Paul and a man

The exit was right there and so was freedom.

"I'll get you damn demons!"

Another familiar voice stopped Paul dead in his tracks.

"Ahahahaha! That's what you get for killing Johnny demons!"

"Oi Cal," Paul addressed the senile old veteran whacking a sack of potatoes. "Time to bug out."

"Never! Never!" the crazy old fool laughed as the bag ripped and the vegetables tumbled to the ground. "Ohhohoho! That's what you get for messing with Cal!"

"Huh. Well, alright, might as well make the best of this. Cal there's a nice big bag of potatoes to hit in the middle of the city! Wait, demons, yeah, let's go with demons."

"Hoot!" Cal screamed and hobbled off towards the center of the city.

"Weird." Paul shrugged and ran outside the city. Now, where was the group? And where was he?

[Snowy_One]

"I'd hate to be an interruption, but what exactly happened just now?" asked Esphyr, trying to step forwards. "I know I'm not the brightest bulb in the box, but I know that Elyisima is the only nation with a large force of pegasus knights under their command. If that's true though, they I would have expected the Elyisiam king, Harold, or Percy to have tried to strong-arm TISME into aiding them. Even in failure, shouldn't there have been more mages here? If this isn't Elyisima, then how did whoever come by this force and who could manage such a feat?"

---

"Don't worry." said Mana with a smile. "I won't be causing any more trouble around here. I don't really have any more overt plans for the day. I don't even know what I would do. It's not like this place has anything to do for fun it looks like, and you don't have a library. Well, not a library with books only for fun."

[Phoenix]

Ms. Pegasus

Hearing Esphyr inquire the large number of pegasus knights, Viveka felt a little compelled to give some input, leaving as much speculation out of it as she could manage.

Viveka: Pegasi tend to stick around safer dwelling areas or the hilly areas near mountainous regions. Half of the 56nd Airborne's pegasi were imported from the just north of Jerdon. Thirty-five years ago even the Zaftrans were exporting them along with wyverns to keep their economy stable. I guess what I'm saying is it's not hard to imagine Septimus, the country sitting between two pegasus exporters getting their hands on an entire flock of them. He does control Jerdon now, right? That means he controls the trade routes too. Depending on how long Jace has been planning for this, he probably had plenty of time to train new riders. My training only lasted nine months.

Jasmine: I kept falling off.

She frowned, a bit embarrassed that it took her a year and a half to graduate flight school.

Snarky Druid

Ixion shrugged. Her sense of fun was beyond him. He personally found a sense of pleasure from soaking up the knowledge kept within books. Not knowing what a fun book was, he settled for pointing her in a suitable direction.

Ixion: Books only for fun? Why not go and see for yourself? I'm certain you can find a children's book or something to keep you sated.

[Snowy_One]

"That is true I guess." said Esphyr, shrugging. "Still, if it is Jace and not Elyisima, that means it's not international combat just yet. We could try to send someone to him who matches the princess close enough physically to either siate or assassinate him prematurely if we want to keep this from escalating."

---

"Cause I know what a person like you stocks Ixion. Nothing but textbooks. No romance books to tales of epic stories except in deconstructions to examine their parts. You are as easy to read as an open book to be honest. Not terribly deep. A knowledge seeker above all else."