Lord of Azure Flame Final Chapter: Victory or Death

[Phoenix]

Battle Plans

"This is exactly what I'm talking about. We may not be able to pull this off in just one attack, though I certainly hope we can," Conrad began explaining. "In warfare, however, the conclusion almost never happens in just one decisive bout. If victory is more important than anything else, then we have to be ready to delay the enemy, that would call for a temporary retreat. Throwing ourselves at the Lord until we win or lose works in his favor, not ours."

"I don't know about speeches, but I guess they do boost morale at times," Lev shrugged. "Best to leave it to someone who knows what they're doing, though," he glanced toward the Grand Marshall, though he didn't look like he would be giving any speeches just yet. Maybe a pep talk, but that was all he could see the man doing in the middle of base building.

Stuff

Viveka was still riding with Susann, not seeing a real reason to dismount just yet. When she noticed Charlotte praying, she came a little closer and started debating with herself whether or not to join in. She preferred to rely on skill, coordination, and the seemingly extinct tactical genius that won the more legendary battles of the past. A little help from the Goddess was always welcome, though ... especially with the stakes being what they were.

Waiting

Iso meanwhile reached his target, Ixion. "I take it there's a reason you stopped right here. You look like you've been just standing here for hours."

"One and a half," Ixion clarified. "There are two powerful demons lurking nearby, and something stronger. We can't risk confronting them yet."

"Any sign of their 'boss'?" Iso raised an eyebrow at the druid. Then he glanced at the demon, who still bore Miranda's face, but ... looked different in a number of ways. He doubted this woman was even capable of smiling judging by the gloomy look on her face.

"You should sense the Lord before I do, honestly ... and Miranda before you," he looked at her too. She met his gaze and then looked away. "For now it seems he hasn't broken free, yet."

[-Cynthia-]

Morgan

"Demons replenish their forces quickly and we do not. Every attack that we would make that does not kill the Lord of Azure Flame only weakens us and makes no difference to him. We must end this now," she said, her sights setting on Ixion and Miranda. What are they here for anyway?

Charlotte

Charlotte continued to pray as she moved forward, seeing that Isotov had moved ahead to speak with Ixion and Miranda. She quickened her pace so that she could more easily listen on whatever they were discussing.

Tristan

So did people actually build a tomb for a giant demon or did he just settle into someone else's? Maybe the tomb was to seal him, but it doesn't look all that hard to break out of all things considered, he pondered as Bellerophon flew along.

[Mercakete]

Just as he'd predicted, Beau was far from happy with Raemond's news. In fact, the young duke had just about stormed out of the medical tent to find the swordswoman himself. Luckily, he was fairly easy to restrain and though he was moody about it, he was convinced fairly quickly to leave Tiria alone. During her absence, Raemond was a little surprised just how irritable Duke Bellmire became. Indeed, Beau was embarrassed and frustrated. He wanted to vouch for his retainers with confidence, but here he was, unable to even reprimand one of his two subordinates. Here he was, allowing her to avoid him for days on end. He was only glad that none of the other dukes were around to witness it, though he had no doubt this would cause trouble for him later. He had to prove his strength as a duke, especially since he was so young, and this could easily be used against him. He couldn't stop thinking about the smug faces of the others, pointing to his apparent lack of leadership ability and seizing the lands that his family had held for generations. Beau refused to be the one in his line to let something like this slip.

Raemond tried to console him. Really, it was perhaps what held him in the balance enough to give Tiria the space she needed. He told the younger that he couldn't be faulted for what was essentially an illness Tiria had contracted and that they were doing all they could to get her cured. He told him that soon Tiria would return to her duties and until then, he was stepping in for her. He tried to tell Beau that his fears were unfounded and that no one could possibly fault him for the way these things played out...but Beau, though he rarely replied to this more than a grumble or two, couldn't stop his mind. He was trying to plan counterarguments already, imagining any argument that could be used against him. He knew how conniving the upper class could be. He was in a politically very dangerous position and he was more worried about that than the upcoming battle with the demon king.

Now Raemond stood beside Beau as the young duke looked out disapprovingly at the tomb in the desert. True, it was grand and imposing, but its full glory had faded. He was still distracted, too. He glanced over to where Tiria stood, some distance away, his foul mood quite evident. In a low tone, Beau asked Raemond, "She will be done with this business soon, won't she?"

In spite of his black mood, Raemond could tell the frustrated duke was more looking for reassurance than anything else. Placidly, he answered, "Yes, Duke Bellmire. Once the demon king is dead, there will be nothing to sustain the evil in her sword."

In spite of his words, Raemond had to admit that he wasn't entirely sure of it. It was the one hope they had at this point, though. He sincerely didn't want Tiria to be so plagued for the rest of her life, whether or not she decided to return or resign. Still, his duty right now was to do what he could to hold Beau together. He needed to focus on defeating this monster or he might not come out of this alive... "...You're sure you want to come with us?"

Beau snapped his furious gaze onto Raemond, indignant. He probably wasn't getting the sleep he needed and Raemond knew how stressed he'd been in spite of it. "This is the single most important battle of our age, Raemond! I am perfectly capable of assisting the Crimson Wielders and I would be a fool not to! I've participated alongside them in the past and now more than ever they could use staff-aid. Besides, Tiria, Arrin and Tessa will be going in there. What sort of a friend would I be if I stayed where it was safe while they put themselves in danger? No, Raemond, I will not stay out here. Besides," he focused his gaze forward, continuing a little more grimly, "my house needs this."

Raemond looked at Beau with pity. He had so many responsibilities he was trying to take on at such a young age. It had to be difficult. Then again, Beau was a unique boy. He'd been trained for this sort of thing since he was very young, as Beau had told him a time or two and he certainly seemed to naturally be a calculating young man. Even so, I understand why he is afraid... He really values his family's reputation and he feels a lot of pressure to do well by it...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tas, meanwhile, had stuck to keeping with his fellow wyvern riders, where he was most comfortable. Now that they were landed, he was having a little more difficulty keeping his nerves in check. Namid moaned a little in his throat as he shifted his weight from foot to foot. He didn't like this place at all. It was absolutely foreboding and his instincts were telling him to fly away. Tas had a similar feeling of dread, but he clung to his bravery as well as he could: the bravery that had been instilled in him whenever he was near Irina. He couldn't explain it, but it was an asset he couldn't face this place without. He took deep, steady breaths as he focused on the tomb before them, but really, he didn't know what he was supposed to do. So, he and Namid glided over to Nikita and Irina.

"Hey," he greeted, at first trying to smile, but giving that up pretty quickly and letting his face gain the somberness the situation actually called for, returning his gaze to their destination, "What do you think we'll have to do when we get in there?" For now, he guessed the only thing they had to do was actually finish travel to their destination, but a couple people were stopping ahead. He was a little confused by that. Maybe there's something more to do out here first? Or...something...

[Phoenix]

Gauging Isotov

"Ixion," Iso stepped around to Ixion's front, releasing Kiev's reins. "We're here ... at the tomb. You mind explaining what you're up to now or did you change your mind already?"

"I've considered withholding the information. I don't want you to get the wrong impression of the situation, though, so at the very least I'll promise you that as long as you don't try to stop me, none of you will be in any sort of danger. I actually have a question for you, Isotov."

"... what is it?"

"What are you going to do after this is over? I know you have no intention of returning to Zaftra and I have no intention of forcing you, but anywhere else than Zaftra and you won't have any protection from the templars, who, by the time this is over and done with, will want to complete the ultimate destruction of the demons. They'll want all of this 'evil' purged from the world and that of course includes the crimson weapons. Once they've served their purpose, we can't exactly justify keeping these demonic weapons any longer, can we? I'm wondering how you plan to deal with them, but I'm also wondering how you feel about the stance they will likely eventually take here."

Iso winced ever so slightly when he couldn't decide how he felt about their 'stance', but he definitely knew how he would deal with them. "I'll deal with them the same way I deal with anyone who treats me like a problem just for existing. I'll kill them the second they make the first move. Why are you asking me this?"

"Curiosity. I wanted to see how much you and Miranda truly have in common. That is all."

(There's got to be more to this.) "Ixion, why did you bring her here? What are you planning? You said you'd tell us."

"... we're here to secure the demon king's most prized possession, which resides within this tomb. I cannot allow it to be destroyed in the fighting, but only Miranda is physically capable of retrieving it."

(He's here to loot a tomb? This must be one hell of an artifact ...) "That's ... not like you ... grave robbing I mean--urgh, what am I talking about?! Of course it is! You did this same thing when you brought Miranda back to life ... I don't know what kind of artifact you're hoping to steal but if it's dangerous to everyone else, I may just have to stop you before you do something stupid."

"You can certainly try ... but I hope you'll reconsider. Miranda has no chance of surviving the coming days without it ... ... and neither do you, given your feelings on the templars."

Planning Continues

"If our plan is to charge in there and hope our weapons do what they're supposed to then we may have already lost," Conrad warned. "Right now the Grand Marshall is putting his faith in us, not knowing that we're walking into this completely blind and unprepared. We need to be able to survive long enough to figure out what we're supposed to do with these weapons. That is the only reason I would suggest falling back after the fighting starts."

"Ideally, we'll figure out what needs doing once we're inside, but there's always a chance we'll have to just improvise. Hopefully it just comes down to using them in tandem or something simple like that," Lev commented.

Conrad sighed. He knew this day would come, the day when he'd look back and realize that everything up to this point had been almost pointless as far as learning about the Lord was concerned. Just like back in the beginning, all they knew is that he was returning to wreak havoc on the world, and that only their nine weapons could stop him. That certainly implied using them in tandem to bring him down, but there might have been more to it. He certainly hoped there wasn't, or they would just be marching to their deaths shortly here.

Awaiting Orders

"Ummm," Irina put a finger on her lip as she thought about the answer she would give Tas. She hadn't thought about it too much, having just imagined fighting off demons while Iso, Damian and the others took shots at some hulking demon on a large throne. She had a feeling she was probably a little bit wide of the mark, there. "Honestly, I doubt anyone knows what we're supposed to do. We'll just have to be ready for anything. As for what I'm expecting ... it's not a fair fight, I'll tell you that much. I don't think they're going to hold anything back now that we're actually here ... at the tomb itself. The demon king's hasn't been this vulnerable in a really long time."

[-Cynthia-]

Morgan

"Flemeth always stressed the importance of having all the Crimson Weapon wielders alive when we reached the tomb. I assumed that meant we must strike the Lord of Azure Flame with all the weapons. It may be a bit more complex than that, but I will inform you all of what to do when it is clear to me assuming nothing befalls me first," she stated.

Charlotte

"I would not make such assumptions if I were you- templars do not hold power over queens," she interjected. "What sort of artifact would the demon king have anyway? If it were here when the six "heroes" sealed him away, Naelia certainly would have taken it," she asked Ixion, her curiosity piqued.

[Phoenix]

Evil Remains

"Naelia couldn't have stolen something she didn't know about in the first place, much less something only a demon can lay hands on," Ixion countered. "As for these 'queens', I have to wonder where they were while your group was under attack by the templars before, or where they were when Iso was moving about the countries, trying to avoid being mistaken for a demon by the common folk."

The demon beside Ixion glanced at Iso, her eyes glowing an intense blue. When Iso made eye contact with her, he felt Proxima react. Inevitably, his eyes began to glow as well, a deep crimson. He immediately broke eye contact after that, but Proxima continued to resonate, forcing him to keep his eyes covered with a hand. It was a bad time for this sort of reminder.

"Are you actually going to argue that the crimson weapons are not demonic in nature, and therefore should be spared the same destruction as the demons? That won't be a popular position to hold and you have enough problems on the way, Charlotte," Ixion added, leveling a piercing gaze at her. "The crimson weapons may have been tempered by light, but they will always be demonic remnants."

More Planning

"Avoid being too aggressive until you're certain what course we must take," Conrad advised. "At least this way, we'll buy a little more time once we're inside."

"You're usually not this worried," Lev noted, the beginnings of a frown forming.

"I've always felt that we would make it this far," Conrad began. "What I've never been certain of is whether or not we can actually win, and without knowing precisely how we will defeat the Lord, I can only think in basic military terms. Placing faith in the circumstances themselves is foolish, especially now, when one mistake could cost us everything. I'm worried, because our plan amounts to forming our overall strategy after the final battle begins. It is by far the most reckless thing we have ever tried."

"Well I'd recommend sending a scout in to see what it's like in there but we'd probably never hear from them again," Lev half joked. "Best to stick together at this point."

[Mercakete]

Irina's answer was certainly not what Tas had been expecting to hear and the surprise of it in addition to how gloomy it was made him freeze up. He stared slack-jawed at Irina in horror, paling. After all, it sure sounded a lot like "we're doomed." He wanted to be optimistic, but quite frankly, not only were they facing what were perhaps the most powerful demons of all time -- who were apparently now going to be absolutely relentless and never had much love for humans anyway -- but they were going in without so much as an idea of what to expect, let alone any sort of strategy. Slowly, Tas lowered his head and closed his eyes. He was beginning to feel a bit faint.

[-Cynthia-]

Charlotte

What could only a demon touch? Sounds like a riddle to me. "I will be restored as the rightful queen of Jerdon soon and it will be my decision whether the Crimson Weapons are dangerous or not. Isotov has proven that the demons hold no power over him and to condemn him would be unjust. I accept that it may not be a popular decision, but the Lady looks favorably on those who are right, not those who are popular."

Morgan

"As much as I would prefer to have a definite plan before beginning our attack, we lack other options. We must trust in our ability to persevere or we will have lost this battle before it even begins. We know that the Crimson Weapons are the key by the focus our enemy has placed on them and we must trust that we can figure out how to use them." Flemeth would not have let me get this far on my ignorance if I could not figure it out.

Tristan

The pegasus knight saw Tas droop his head and close his eyes while he was speaking with Irina. "Now's not really a good time for a nap Tas- are you feeling all right?" he asked with some concern. Getting knocked out by something as mundane as sickness right before the final battle would be pretty unfortunate.

[Phoenix]

Retorts

"Well it's interesting to know that demonic force wielders can seek refuge in Jerdon should the need arise, but do you honestly expect that to be enough? Likewise, the goddess' favor means almost nothing without her protection."

Iso sighed while keeping the upper part of his face covered.

Tactics

"Very well, then," Conrad conceded. If falling back, even temporarily wasn't an option, then their chances of winning were seemingly at around fifty-fifty, but those odds could shift in either direction during the battle, so for now, he would focus on defense. He could tell that was Lev's plan as well.

"Well then, shall we see what's going on with those four over there or sit around here until the troops finish turning this place into a forward base?" Lev asked.

Realizations

(Oh no, maybe I shouldn't have phrased it like that. He must think we've got almost no chance here,) Irina told herself once Tristan brought her attention more thoroughly on Tas. "Hey, we'll be alright. They're going to throw everything at us, but they probably don't have much left to throw anyway."

"Have you already forgotten about Black Tide?" Viveka chimed in, riding over once she was done praying. "We haven't heard any news about it since the last time it showed up and that monster is a one man army." Her gaze darkened before she continued. "I bet it's here, waiting for us ... and we don't exactly have a plan of attack here."

"Shut up," Irina quietly growled, putting emphasis into each word. The last thing Tas needed right now was to get demoralized even further. To make sure Viveka knew why she was being so aggressive, she immediately went back to reassuring Tas. "Listen, we're going to be fine. We'll pull this off no matter what we have to face."

(She can keep telling herself that all she wants, but sooner or later, just charging in with demon slaying weapons isn't going to cut it anymore ...)

[Mercakete]

When Tristan rode over and asked if he was alright, Tas couldn't really manage much. He was trying very hard to compose himself, but he didn't trust himself to raise his head quite yet and, frankly, he was hard pressed not to feel hopeless. Irina then began reassuring him. The clarification helped a little, but they still had the king of demons to deal with in addition to whatever he had left and they had no idea what could possibly happen beyond that. Then, Viveka chimed in. That certainly didn't help matters. I..don't feel well...

Irina tried to help him feel better again, but in the end there wasn't really anything solid to back up her claims. As much as he wanted to be brave -- or at least not so visibly distraught -- he just couldn't manage it. Still, he raised his head as much as he dared and weakly asked, "So...we're about to fight one of the most powerful demons this world has ever seen...and his forces...and we have no plan...at all? Please, someone tell me there's some sort of hope here..."

Edited February 23, 2014 by Mercakete

[-Cynthia-]

Charlotte

"Yes I do. The Goddess always finds a way and no man- or demon- is free from her judgment. Not the demon king, not Jace, not Miranda, and not you."

Morgan

"I suppose we shall see what they are up to, but we shall not tarry long. There is little time to waste," Morgan stressed.

Tristan

"Well, I think we're mostly supposed to distract demons while the Crimson Weapons do something or other to kill the demon king. I'm not clear on all the details, but if we have any hope I'm pretty sure this is it," he said, shrugging with an odd sense of calm washing over him. Either they'd win or he would die and he wouldn't know what was going to happen anyway.

[Phoenix]

Faith In the Unseen

"If the Goddess' 'judgment' is as intangible as her 'favor', then ... well I suppose it's the essentially the same as if she didn't even bat an eye at the struggle taking place right now, between humans and demons." Ixion crossed his arms beneath his cloak. "There's no sense in relying on the goddess for anything other than what she's freely given so far, the power of healing magic. Beyond that, we are simply asking far too much."

"That almost sounded grateful, or at least insightful," Lev teased as he arrived, Morgan in tow.

"Can you count the number of times you would have lost your life without that healing light? I'm not ungrateful, but the goddess has clearly laid out all the support she ever will for this conflict. The rest is in humanity's hands. We have to secure our own futures now, not rely on her favor or harsh judgment for our enemies."

Hope In For the Implausible

"We're going to win because we have to," Irina stated firmly, no longer seeing any reason to try and be realistic about this, nothing up to this point had been all that likely, concerning their past victories and achievements. "... just like always."

[Mercakete]

Tas wasn't sure what Tristan meant when he said "this is it." The whole situation seemed absolutely hopeless to him. Then, Irina said her piece. Apparently, she was an optimist. As hard as he tried, though, Tas just couldn't stop looking at the facts. He wanted to believe they could win, but there just wasn't enough evidence to support that. If it wasn't for the fact that the whole world would be doomed if they failed, he would have suggested they leave things alone until they at least had a better plan. At this point, they were doomed if they tried and doomed if they didn't, so they may as well die trying to save everyone else. Logically, it was sound, but honestly, the thought was just a terrible shove towards despair. He tried to hold on to courage, but it was just so difficult... He wasn't a mercenary or a soldier, he was a simple, unhardened, peace-loving courier. To be honest, he didn't want to say anything more, but he was fighting as hard as he could not to let himself succumb to his hopelessness. For that, he desperately clung to what he had been trained in: professionalism, responsibility, reliability, and duty.

"I can't just sit here..." he spoke up, voice wavering some, "If I let myself keep thinking about this, I'll be useless..." Eyes shining with fear, but hard with determination, he looked up and, voice still shaking a little, asked, "Is there anything I can do? Anything at all?"

[-Cynthia-]

Faith

"I agree that much of the Goddess's will is expressed through humans, but to simplify that to healing is an overly basic view," Charlotte explained.

"Let us focus on what we can do as humans," Morgan interjected, feeling that this was no time for a theological debate. "Do you plan on assisting us with defeating the Lord of Azure Flame or not?" she asked, looking at Ixion.

Hope

"Try helping one of the Crimson Weapon wielders, they're our best chance of getting through this. Probably someone who may not have much help otherwise," Tristan suggested.

[Phoenix]

Stuff

"I sincerely hope you aren't implying that the goddess should be accredited with more than the magic she provides. Anything beyond that would be conjecture," Ixion replied. "I do," he answered Morgan, "however, we won't be aiding you directly in the upcoming battle, at least not until the tomb's exterior is secured. Until then, we can't risk getting boxed in. I doubt the troops Triton brought will be enough to contain one of the demons waiting here."

"Is it one of the strong ones?" Lev asked, trying to recall all the ones they at least knew about.

"Yes," the demon woman quietly answered.

More Stuff

"Irina wasn't sure what to say at first, but with Tas wanting to know how he could be useful, and Tristan giving as good a suggestion as any, she decided to go along with that for now. "Well, Iso is covered," she mused aloud, running over the crimson wielders in her head. "Morgan and Conrad also have more than enough people looking out for them ... hmm."

[-Cynthia-]

Stuff

Charlotte simply sighed at Ixion's response. It is hard to make someone see who is so convinced that they are right.

"The most important battle will be against the Lord himself, but preventing other demons from participating will increase our odds of success," Morgan responded, seemingly satisfied. There are many demons we likely do not know about, but most of them should be concentrated elsewhere I think.

Other Stuff

Tristan pondered for a bit along with Irina. "Hmm, how about our uh, new Crimson Sword wielder...Tiria was it?" he said, eventually recalling the name. "She's newer to the group, so she may not have as many people looking out for her," he suggested.

[Mercakete]

Tiria, huh? Tas mused, trying to remember if he'd ever heard that name before. "I don't know who that is..." he admitted, rising closer to a normal seated position, "but thank you. I'll find out and see if I can help out there. Do either of you know what she looks like?" Having something else to focus on and work towards was working. He was still a little shaky but with the new focus, things were a lot easier on the courier.

[Phoenix]

Stuff

"Exactly," Ixion nodded. "You cannot afford to be surrounded at this point, and this terrain is completely foreign to us. There's no time to learn the lay of the tomb which is why I'll be moving about the grounds, putting down any normal demons I find and making sure there is at least one route back to safety. If possible, we'll also try to avoid a direct confrontation with the stronger demon here."

"Gonna talk it down?" Lev joked, though the instant the words left him, he glanced at the demon woman and began to wonder if that wasn't such a bad idea. Even if she just stalled with friendly words, it would buy the crimsons precious time.

"Huh, possibly," Ixion admitted, sparing 'Miranda' a glance as well.

Other Stuff

"I was going to go with Helios but I guess he's been okay so far," Irina noted, trying to remember who Helios' friends were. Tiria hadn't come to mind at all due to being one of Beau's people but he supposed it was still an 'okay' pairing for purpose of making sure all the wielders were at least moderately protected.

[-Cynthia-]

Stuff

"I would recommend fighting demons instead of attempting to bargain with them, but have it your way," Morgan said, considering this relatively unimportant compared to what the group was about to deal with. "Do you have any other useful information for us or shall we finish this?"

Other Stuff

"Well she has the Crimson Sword and uh, purple hair I think? I dunno you can find her if you want," he said to Tas, shrugging.

[Mercakete]

Tas nodded. "Thank you both. I'll see if I can find her."

He paused, though, frowning in thought. Dark as the thoughts were that just came to mind, he couldn't just shove them aside. What if this was the last time he saw Irina, Nikita or Tristan? It was a terrible thought, but he really had no idea how this would play out, both in the respect of success or failure and in the respect of how visible anyone else would be during the fighting. "I hope we see each other again..." he told them, "I... Good luck."

With that, he and Namid took off to find a purple-haired woman with a red sword. He was still a little hung up on what would happen if he didn't see any of his friends again. He really didn't know what he would do...primarily because he refused to analyze that scenario. Besides Namid, they were really all he had left...

As it turned out, finding Tiria wasn't that hard. Namid glided down and landed next to the woman and Tas greeted her. "Hello. Um, Tiria, right?" Well, she had the red sword, so it was probably her.

[scorri]

Looking up at the wyvern that had landed near her, Tiria blinked in confusion. "Uhm. Yes? And you are? Also... you shouldn't stay here long. I don't... I don't want to hurt you."

[Mercakete]

Well that was an alarming greeting. "H-hurt me?" he stuttered. This was probably not a good idea if she was going to attack her allies; he only barely knew how to use a lance. "Uh um-- I'm Tas..." This introduction was going as smoothly as the ebb and flow of the ocean's tide...during a hurricane. "You're the crimson sword wielder, right?" Well, she was holding a red sword. "Uh, well, I was going to help you during the fighting...cause, well, it'll be rough in there and...um... I-I don't have to be near you during the battle to help you during the battle if you...uh...have a random stabbing reflex or something...?" Oh goodness, what am I doing here?

[scorri]

"I... no. This is good." Tiria closed her eyes for a few seconds and then opened them and stared at Tas. "Look. It is true. I probably need protection during the battle. But here is the thing. This sword... It... It tries to take over me. Last battle... last battle I almost let it. I gave into the sword and went wild. I let Beau get hurt because of it. I did no fully give over control but... It is so tempting. So protect me, yes. But... If I... If I lose control, if I turn on our group... Promise me you will take me out. Knock me out, kill me, whatever it takes to protect the rest of the group. I cannot hurt anyone here. Please." Her voice was shaking so much that she couldn't go on. She stared at the ground, trying to blink back the tears in her eyes. She should be strong enough to fight this sword. But she wasn't. And she knew that.

Edited February 26, 2014 by scorri

[Mercakete]

Tas stared blankly at Tiria for a moment. He really hadn't been expecting that. Finally, after a fair stretch of silence, he managed to utter, "Uh..." Then, after a somewhat shorter stretch of time, he stuttered, "I, uh... I've...never killed anyone in my life... Maybe I could go get someone else...? B-but I don't think it'll come to that...or, I guess I hope it won't... I uh..." He cleared his throat. "I'll just...try to, uh..." He cleared his throat again. "Right, then. So, we'll just do that."

[scorri]

"Have you ever knocked someone out?" She shrugged. "Just... make sure what needs to be done gets done. Ok? Thank you."