[ We find Ada, Sei, and Ethan outside of Faydra's Fortress. They just got there, and it's coming up on noon. ] * Ada glances back, then goes to walking for the nearest town. She's not hurrying any longer, though. * Sei is walking along, seemingly distracted. ... will someone please explain to me what's going on? What's there to explain? I could use an overview as well. I blanked out after the whole "starting a war" bit. What the hell Faydra's forces are for. Why we're leaving. What the hell? * Ada shakes her head, sighs, and slows her walk. I mean, I'll follow you into the middle of an elven battallion if that's where you're goin', but I'd like to know why. She's gathering her forces to fight her mother, like she said. There will be a war between the Empire and the Dominion. Which one is Faydra? Who's her mother? What the hell? @_@ Faydra? She's on the Empire's side. Her mother is Xivilai Shardae, ruler of the Shardae Dominion. Your boss. Okay, I see why we're outta there. * Ada smiles thinly. "Yes, my 'boss'. I can't say I'm not surprised that she bore a child, but it's not beyond the realm of possibility." ( Sei suddenly stops and begins looking very guilty, and very scared. :P ) ( No, not really. ...I hope. ) Yes. Well, that and the fact that I hated her since- or, actually, before I saw her. We won't get along well. Starting to get a grasp on this. I think. Is either one of them the good one? * Ada snickers. "It depends on where your interests lie." You know about war, Ethan. Is any side ever good? Well, as far as I know, only one of them is actively looking to start a war for no apparent reason. Sure. My country's been at war with the Purple Knives bandits for years. They're the bad guys. I assume this is more complicated, though. * Ada shrugs. "I don't know the reasons Faydra has. My best guess is she's too ambitious for her own good." ... okay, Ethan, let's think like a tactician here... *closes his eyes as he walks* * Sei nods. "So it seems to me." Xivilai rules the Dominion. She hasn't invaded the human lands recently, so either she doesn't care about the human lands or she has some other reason for not doing so. Am I right so far? * Ada nods. "Correct." Okay... Faydra liked the Empire. Empire hates the humans. Shardae is the only path between the Empire and the human lands besides the mountains. So if Faydra beats Xivilai, and Shardae is back in the Empire... Oh, no... * Ethan opens his eyes. "Xivilai's the only thing standing between the Empire and the human lands. It falls, and it doesn't take a military genius to figure out what comes next." But the Dominion is to the south of the Empire, while the human lands are to the east. Yeah, but the mountains are nearly impassable. And what passes there are are so ridiculously fortified on the human side that trying to go through there would lead to ridiculous casualty rates. Also makes it tough to maintain supply lines. But... Take down Shardae, and you can stroll right into the human lands. * Ada hmms at that. "Perhaps. I don't think she is in this in order to invade the human lands." Not that the thought wouldn't occur to her, and should she take Shardae, she wouldn't try. (That doesn't mean it hasn't happened before. ^_~) True. But if Xivilai's acting as a restraining force on the Empire... (Yup. ^^) Xivilai is hated because she's *there*. She went and took their land and created her own kingdom. The Dominion used to be part of the Empire. Yeah, but the fact that she's still there means they haven't had what it takes to move her out, right? * Ada snickers. "Obviously." Right. Empire could go through the mountains, but it's a poor tactical route. Best way is through Shardae. Even if that isn't Faydra's immediate plan, it sets things up for the future. ... so why in the fuck did we let this psycho out? The weapons, wasn't it? * Ada shrugs. "Nebrinel made a deal." Great. Fat lotta good that does the human lands... * Ada eyes Ethan. "You want to fight her?" * Ethan eyes Ada back. "If I thought I had a shot in hell, I'd be busting down her door as we speak." By yourself, you don't. Who does? I mean, how powerful is Faydra? If she thinks she can fight my Lady? Very, very powerful. She can probably make good on all those offers and more. I fully expect Nebrinel to join her. Poor Fyril... ... well then, I might have to learn to fight women sooner than I thought. (Victoly! ^_^_V) Fyril can handle himself. He's more likely to listen to Nebrinel than any of us, in any event. * Ethan chuckles sadly. "'cause if she's on Faydra's side, and you're presumably on Xivilai's side, sooner or later she's gonna come gunning. And I'll be damned if she so much as invades your personal space. Yours either, Sei." Well, that's what I'm worried about. He has a lot of potential, and it's sad to see him go that way...but there's nothing we can do. * Sei smiles. "Thanks." Okay, think, think... would Xivilai already know about this? If there's nothing we can do, then there's nothing we can do. Let it go and concentrate on what you can change. * Sei nods. I don't know. I'm going to inform her once we settle for the night. I don't know this Xivilai lady, but if you're gonna back her, then she just picked up the best goddamn polearm fighter around. *slight grin* * Ada laughs. "Assuming you can get close enough. We may need to do something about that." Hmm? * Ada waggles her fingers at Ethan. "Boom." * Sei nods. "I cannot support a war for power or territory, but if it's a matter of defense, I'm with you." * Ethan pats Sei on the shoulder. "Don't worry about it. Just keep me standing and I'll take out the Faydra's forces myself if I gotta." *big grin* Will do. * Ada shakes her head and keeps walking. * Ethan chuckles. "We sure coulda used you back home a few times, Sei." * Sei smiles. "I'll bet..." [ The day passes and night falls, and Our Heroes find a nice little inn that looks like it can be quite comfy. We probably find them at supper, or something. But it's their call. ^_~ ] (Does my room have a desk? Tell me it does. ^_^) ( It does. There's also tables in the common room, too. ;P ) (Yup, and there's this irritating little fax machine that you have to call the front desk to activate...) * Ada is in her room, painting. If it's supper time, she's missing it. * Ethan is presumably eating. Go figure. =P * Sei is downstairs eating, and smiling charmingly at the waitresses. [ If you want, you can all share one large room for saftey in numbers. ;P ] (Very funny, Yu, but I'm not making Trumps in a common room. ^_^) [ And all the waitresses are smiling blushingly back at Sei. *pimpmusic* ] * Ethan finishes a leg of lamb, then looks at Sei. "Hey, Sei. Question for ya." Ah, yes? * Ethan clears his throat. "Er, your healing... how ba- I mean, how severe a wound can it deal with?" Well, I'm not a miracle worker. The least stressful way to heal is slowly, with an injury that doesn't pose an immediate danger. I can heal fairly serious things as well, but it takes a lot of energy. So, decapitation is probably not something I can help with. What about, say... an arrow to the heart? Well, that would depend on the arrow, and the portion of the heart. With a standard arrow, you'd have to be very lucky. Hmm... If you're dealing with an everyday archer working from a long range and it just hits nearby, that's not so bad. * Ethan chuckles, with a noticible tint of bitterness. "Nah, it was maybe fourty feet, and right in the heart." * Sei winces. "Not good odds...if I were standing right there, there would be a chance." * Ethan sighs. "Then it prolly wouldna done any good... not that that'll help me sleep better." I'm sorry...I take it this isn't hypothetical. * Ethan smiles. "Wish it was, man. Really wish it was." * Sei nods, and sighs. Sorry to dump this on ya, but... don't tell Ada, but all my cheeriness, the silliness, the jokes... that's all I got keeping me goin'. * Sei nods. "Believe me, I know what you mean." The sole reason I haven't long since given up is that, at heart, I'm an optimist. Ada's got enough on her mind without my problems... so I'm the happy-go- lucky bodyguard. * Ethan chuckles. "So'm I. We're a dying breed, my friend." * Sei nods. "And as much as she jokes about it, you know it helps." Dunno what she's got in her past, Sei, but you can feel the hurt a mile away. * Sei looks around. "From what little I've heard about her boss, I guess that we needn't know the details." * Ethan shakes his head. "What a group we are, eh?" * Sei smiles. "There are some stranger." (Yeah? Name one.) (#Improfanfic) (You win. Have a cookie.) (:9) Maybe. Maybe not. * Ethan closes his eyes, and takes a deep breath. "All ya can do is try to laugh the pain away." * Sei nods. * Ethan starts chuckling. "Listen to me. I sound like I should be walking around wearing all black." (Black? Naw. Gray. Get with the times.) * Sei shudders. "No one likes mimes, Ethan." Not mimes. Angsty people. (Eh. For them, it'd be black.) (Well, for Ethan.) ... though I'd be pretty angsty if I were a mime. Being that I'd suck, and all. * Sei smiles. "It just takes practice...or so I understand." We should probably go and check on Ada. ( Meanwhile, Ada comes down the stairs and into the common room! And someone's with her! ) Okay. But if she's asleep... well, I should probably try to wake her up. If she maims you, there's nobody to heal... A good point. Me? Maim somebody? * Yu-Mei is now known as Lady (I know where this is going.) "Gods forbid such a thing." (Oh, *yes* you do.) (Man, Nebby wouldn't have wanted to miss this.) (She's with Faydra, which is nearly as bad.) You did knock me back against a wall. And nearly fry me. Remember? (It's not the _saaaame_.) * Lady is an elf, but a short one -- only six-four or so. She wears cloak, blouse, tights, boots, and long fingerless gloves, all of black with red highlights. Her hair is long, wavy, and a deep, metallic golden color. (Tell Faydra that. ;P) (She'd probably be glad to hear it. ^_^;) * Sei stands up, and bows. "I don't believe we've met..." * Lady has a saber strapped at her side, too, and even though it is sheathed you can tell it's Morganti. Well, yes. But you deserved it. * Ethan notices Ada's companion, stands, and bows. "Well, yeah..." * Lady smiles, and acknowledges the bow with a mere nod. "No, we have not. I presume you are Sei?" She glances at Ethan. "And you would be Ethan." * Lady continues. "I am Xivilai Shardae. If nothing else, Ada may have spoken a few words of me." (~~;_;~~) [ Aside from the four of you, the room is deathly still and quiet. ] * Lady is now known as Xivilai ... ah. Gee. Pardon me while I sputter ineffectually for a moment. ( ::pointlaughs at Mecha:: ) (I'm sure you'll meet her, Nebbie! Right before she KILLS YOU DEAD.) * Ethan sputters ineffectually for a moment. (Yeah, but it would be one hell of a death.) (That's true.) (Isn't that all you can really hope for? Well, that, or ungodly power.) * Ada glances around the room, but doesn't do much beyond that. ( True. When you go through Deathsgate and tell someone how you died, 'I lost a duel to Xivilai' isn't a bad line to have. ;P ) (Amen to that.) * Ethan regains his composure. "Sorry about that. Don't have much experience talking to people who could stomp me like an ant if they so chose." * Sei bows once again. "It is truly an honor to meet you, milady." * Xivilai nods once again. "The same." And then she smirks at Ethan. "Don't worry; I recieve such reactions all the time." Well, aside from Ada. But she's too warm and fuzzy to be really intimidating. * Ada rolls her eyes. * Xivilai actually laughs at that. In response, four people flee the room and another falls out of his chair. * Ethan grins. "If Ada's at your side, milady, then my glaive is at your service." * Ethan nudges Ada. "See? Even Xivilai thinks I'm funny. You can't hold out much longer!" * Xivilai nods to Ethan. "Of course. Now, shall we go, or must you pack your things first?" * Ada eyes Ethan. "Try me." * Sei nods. "As are my skills, should they be of use." ... wellIjustneedamomenttograbmypackBerightback. *VOOM* * Sei picks up his bag, as well. * Ethan runs up the stairs to his room, leaving an Ethan-shaped cloud of dust where he was standing. * Ada snickers. * Xivilai smirks as Ethan runs off, even as her cloak billows dramatically in the rush of air his departure creats. * Ethan returns a few moments later, pack on his back, glaive in it's holster. He's munching on a carrot. "Okay, ready to go. Cookie, anyone?" *holds out several cookies* * Ada takes one. "Thanks." * Sei takes one, as well. "Thanks, Ethan." * Xivilai takes one, as well. Nobody is above enjoying a cookie. "Thank you. Now, are you ready?" * Ethan takes a bite out of a donut, chews quickly, then swollows. "Sure am." I am, milady. * Ada nods. * Xivilai nods, and then the world bends for the smallest fraction of a second, and then you're in the great library of the Keep at Black Mountain. ... woah. * Sei looks around, rapidly becoming starry-eyed. [ The library is immense. We're talking stadium-sized, with multiple layers all almost artistically arranged. On this, the lowest floor, are many clusters of chairs and tables and sofas. There are two servant already waiting, and they pour wine and leave small trays of some sort of pastries for you all. ] [ Oh, and there's a lot of books, too. ] * Ada reaches up and snaps her fingers in front of Sei's face. "Not yet. I'm sure she'll let you browse later." * Sei nods, snapping out of it. "One hopes." * Xivilai sits down in a large, tall-backed chair and has some wine. She beckons you all to do the same. ... okay, I'm impressed. * Ada goes over and has a seat. She looks at Ethan with amusement. "You didn't expect anything less, did you?" * Sei sits down, still slightly dazed. * Ethan sits, and chuckles. "Not in Urik anymore, Ethan." *strokes goatee* "But then, such is life." * Xivilai smirks at Ethan. "I assure you, when I built the Keep I had no intention but to impress a footsoldier from the East." Meanwhile, a gong sounds in the distance. Xivilai frowns briefly, then shrugs. (One by one, the gongs steal Xivilai's sanity.) ( Nah. She'll destroy the gongs first. ;P ) * Ethan grins. "I'll try to keep my slack-jawed staring to a minimum." * Ada picks up a glass of wine and has a sip. "Now. You have offered your swords -- metaphorically, at least -- to my cause. Are you sure you are entirely aware of what that entails?" * Ada looks to the other two. The question's directed more at them than anyone else. Xivilai raises an eyebrow. "If you require time to contemplate the matter, I shall happily give it." * Ethan shrugs. "I promised Ada I'd protect her. I keep my promises. If that requires me to beat down Faydra's door and slap her silly with a large freshwater fish, then get me a fishing pole." Based on what I've heard, milady, I have no reservations. If there is something about your cause or the situation that I have not heard, however, I would appreciate knowing it. * Xivilai smirks. "What an unusual approach to combat." * Ethan nods. "Whatever it takes." ("Actually, there's a type of monkfish that, when wielded with sufficient force - no, never mind.") ( Oh, I'm sure there's a bony fish out there that'd be lethal in combat. But nevermind. ^_~ ) * Ada blinks at Ethan, then looks to Sei, then decides it's best to study the wine a bit more closely. * Xivilai turns to Sei. "There is little to my immediate cause than what is obvious; my daughter wishes to depose and, likely, torture me a while before killing me. I wish to prevent such from happening." Just tell me who to stab, slash, or otherwise pummel. * Sei nods. "In that case, I will do whatever I can." He smiles slightly. "Although I haven't made any promise to protect Ada, I cannot knowingly fail to help." * Xivilai nods. "Very well. It shall be interesting, finding a unit to place you in." Keeping the rifraf off of Ada while she rains down hot fiery death? Xivilai smirks. "Something like that, perhaps. If she's not shy about doing such in front of a crowd." * Ada glances up at Xivilai. "If you wish me to, I will." "I will not push you into it, Ada. I believe you have learned enough to know weather it is wise by your own feelings." * Ada nods. ... do your forces include archers, Xivilai? "No, and neither will Faydra's. Javelins will be implemented occasionally, but they are not so serious a threat." (They've got one archer. Nyaaha.) (And that's all they really need. Haven't you seen LotR?) (Shieldboard!) (Wheeee!) ( ?_? ) * Ethan hrms. "Much as I dislike archers as an infantryman, they're invaluable when they're on your side. If you so wished, I could probably give some units a crash course in archery." * Xivilai shrugs. "Perhaps. Some may find it distasteful, but it could provide an advantage. And we will need many of those." * Ada speaks up. "If they find it distasteful, that's their problem." * Xivilai chuckles. "Perhaps so." [ From one of the Library entrances, a tall elven woman with black hair, black clothes, and a greatsword bigger than Ethan clears her throat. ] Or catapaults. I've trained in putting together catapaults. And short of the aforementioned hot fiery death, nothing demoralizes an army like cold stony death. *grin* * Xivilai looks up and nods. "Now, if there is nothing else immediately, I must go about gathering the rest of the soldiers." * Ada nods. * Ethan nods. * Xivilai rises gracefully, gives a small bow to you all, and glides out of the room. * Xivilai is now known as Yu-Mei * Ada sighs and leans back in her chair as soon as Xivie's out of the room. She finishes the rest of her glass in short order. * Ethan grins. "All this magic stuff is outta my league... but a fight? That I can handle." * Sei isn't drinking, but is slowly consuming some pastries. Mmm hmm. * Sei smiles. "Exactly the reverse for me. I'm used to cleaning up after fights, though." * Ada studies her empty glass thoughtfully for a moment, then sets it on the table. "I'm sorry about this." Just keep me standing, man. I should be able to take down a coupla batallions. *big grin* (As long as they're all male. ^_~) It's not your fault at all, Ada. (Haw!) For what? I came here by choice. * Ethan grins at Ada. "I'm here 'cause I wanna be, Fearless Leader." * Ada shrugs. "Maybe, but I still pulled you into a war." I'd rather not be involved in a war, but I'd also far rather help than handle what could happen if they win. (Blame Nebrinel! She's not here!) * Ada chuckles. "Why should you care? You have no ties to the Dominion, outside of me." I'm a warrior by trade, Ada. War's what I do. All you did was give me something to fight for. As Ethan said, there are the humans...and from what I've seen, they've suffered enough. ( Awww. ^_^ ) * Ada smiles faintly. "I suppose that works." ... 'sides, I doubt Sadira can find me here... Having seen what I have, I find his theory of what could happen far too plausible. ( "...'sides, I doubt Sadira can fine me here--" "OOOOOOOOOOOHOHOHOHOHO!" ) ( ... that laugh annoys me. *ZAP* ^_^_v) (But what if Xivilai joined in?) (Sei would probably faint.) (Then we'd have nothing to worry about from Faydra. ^_~) Well, then. You're here because you want to be. And I have nothing to be sorry about. * Ada sighs dramatically. "I worked so hard at apologizing, too." [ Session End! Verily. ]