ThoughtfulOwl
First Post
Emperor Valerian said:
Cunning!
Now, if only I could resurrect my Hard Disk after it got fried yesterday...
-
The VOIDRUNNER'S CODEX is coming! Explore new worlds, fight oppressive empires, fend off fearsome aliens, and wield deadly psionics with this comprehensive boxed set expansion for 5E and A5E!
The Celestial Empire (Romance of the Three Kingdoms-ish, Updated 12/09/05)
- Thread starter Emperor Valerian
- Start date
Cunning!
Now, if only I could resurrect my Hard Disk after it got fried yesterday...
Emperor Valerian
First Post
Okay... the next update might be delayed a bit... one, I've recieved one of the corebook sthat we'll be using during our next campaign, and I need to look it over (Seas of Blood from Mongoose Publishing). Secondly, I'm going to be moving to Indiana for a Russian language camp this Thursday. It'll probably be several times before I'm settled and online there. I'll get the updates in as soon as I get a chance.
Emperor Valerian
First Post
I'm back online (well mostly anyway), after tangling with no power for four days, and my own university not understanding the concept that they were supposed to give me money for food. This weekend I'm returning home for a few days, and by then there'll be at least one update posted, possibly two, as well as a few other photoshops.
Emperor Valerian
First Post
Back online! Tonights update will be very short. Hopefully tomorrow night I can post another!
Father Meets Daughter
Felonca shivered.
The temperature outside the tent was warm, even balmy for the early fall. Also outside, the wailing, rising cry of grief made her bones run cold.
“Still he mourns,” she heard her father say quietly as he opened the tent flap, his great head shaking slowly in his own sadness. “It has been years since Dian cried... not since Yaoi died.”
Felonca shook her head in remembrance, the memories of fifteen years before when her aunt had died of the plague coming back. Dian had been haunted by her memory for years, and Felonca hoped that the same wouldn’t happen this time.
“Do you think your friend’s scheme will work?” the older panther asked, sitting before his daughter. The wails grew louder for a moment, causing father and daughter to both look outside in pity. “I have never heard of taking someone from the hold of the gods and ancestors, and bringing them back. It sounds... unnatural,” Felonxi finished with shaking his head.
“Yari Ai said it was a dangerous journey, but that she was willing to go,” Felonca said. The cleric, like everyone else around Dian when he saw the broken form of his son, had been deeply moved. In years of life, Meiji’s ears had not heard praise or cheer from his father, and even now, his long dead ears where filled with the grief and remorse of a father who wished he had done more. The memory of Dian’s crying words made Felonca look towards her father. Felonxi awkwardly looked back.
“I...” he started to say, before stopping. For a moment, Felonca was surprised to see her father’s eyes not glaring at her imperiously, or shining with confidence, but instead searching, hoping to find something.
Forgiveness.
“Father, you could not help what happened at the Academy,” Felonca said just as Felonxi opened his mouth to speak. “Master Hsiu...”
“Is what they say true?” her father asked, his eyes looking down towards the ground.
“What do they say?”
“They say... that you were chased out for sleeping with an instructor...” Felonxi began uncertainly.
“No! Of course not!” Felonca snapped. If Nayu or any of the others told him that... I...I... The hairs on the back of her neck bristled at the thought. “I left because Master Hsiu persecuted me specifically, and the school was full of utter...”
Felonca stopped herself. Before, she would have never talked of Master Hsiu, or any elder and respected warrior in such a disgraceful manner. She wasn’t sure how her father would react, and she cringed inwardly when she saw his hairs start to stand on end in anger. His eyes flashed yet again, and even though he was sitting on the ground, she could tell an explosion was coming.
“Damn Hsiu Lin!” Felonxi blasted, jumping to his feet. “Damn him, his mother, his entire family! He hurt you, didn’t he!” Felonca’s father snapped. “If he so much as touched a hair on you, by the gods and ancestors as witnesses, I will...”
For a moment, Felonca remembered all the times when Hsiu had singled her out, had made her run extra hours, had made her skip all her meals in a day, had tried to break her with excrutiating exercises far longer and harder than the others.
He tried to hurt me.
He failed.
“He never touched me, father,” Felonca said, ignoring the slappings or the beatings. He never broke me. He never hurt me. He made me stronger. “His ire only made me stronger and wiser.”
“Wise enough to know when to sneak into his room and steal his belongings?” Felonxi asked with a raised eyebrow, his voice quieter.
Felonca winced again. Honor was the trait, the trademark of the Wa-Feng clan, and one could rarely make the case that stealing from another was an honorable act. Felonca’s eyes flashed to the ground, expecting the long-overdue lecture on family honor, and how she’d dishonored her ancestors and her name.
Instead of a shout, she heard a sigh, and she felt herself pulled into her father’s arms.
“Whatever dishonor that brought,” he whispered in her ear, “it is clear to me that your actions since have more than cleaned that stain.” When he pulled back, she saw tears in his eyes. “You have instead brought honor to our name, through your words and deeds since you left the Academy.”
What? He’s... he’s thanking me? Wa-Feng Felonxi, the Honorable Warrior, the Gentle Soldier, is overlooking dishonor? As she looked on stunned, her father pulled away from her, suddenly knelt on one knee.
“The clan is fortunate to have such a warrior. And I...” he stopped, clearing his voice, “I am lucky to be able to call her my daughter.”
Felonca dropped to embrace him, full tears coursing down her cheeks.
“I don’t believe this hocus-pocus will work,” Zhen Ren said quietly. Nayu turned and glared at the scholar, the bloody bandages covering his body glowing orange in the firelight. From beyond, within Meiji’s old tent, came the noise of hurried, mystical chanting.
“I have no doubt in Yari Ai’s abilities,” Nayu replied stiffly. She said that she could journey to the after-world, and bring Meiji’s soul back to his body. She knows far more about anything having to do with the afterworld than Zhen Ren’s fat behind!
“Sir, with all due respect, a pretty lass does not necessarily make a magical one,” Zhen added with a tinge of disdain.
“And a fat head doesn’t necessarily separate a man from a jackass,” Nayu shot back coolly. To his satisfaction, Zhen Ren didn’t speak for the rest of the night.
As it were, the vigil outside lasted only a few more moments before there was a slight squeak, and the chanting fell into silence. Muffled voices then arose, followed by the noise of something striking flesh. A minute or so later, the tent flap flipped open, and a sweat-drenched Yari Ai appeared, her pretty face ruined by a furious scowl, her skin paler than the moon above.
“The bastard is the same,” she growled to no one in particular, stumbling forward, before her eyes found Nayu, and she gave a sigh. “It is done. He’s back.” She started to stumble as she rose, and Nayu grabbed her arm, propping her up till she had regained her feet.
“Are you alright?” She looks as if every single fiber of her being has been drained...
“No one else has the privilege of dying on me,” she said quietly, looking in Nayu’s eyes. “Its... its too much work to go to the afterlife and bring someone back. And there is still one more to go...” she sighed.
“You really think you can bring back Liu, even though all that’s left are his ashes?” Nayu questioned. No sooner had the words left his mouth that he saw Yari Ai’s tired eyes flash a look of defiance.
“Despite all he spoke about the truth of the gods and ancestors, you still doubt?” she said with a tired huff. “Shenyang taught us that it is the soul that matters, not the measly trappings it travels within. I shall bring him back, new and whole, tomorrow...”
Nayu froze as the tent flap opened once again, and the perfumed ringlets of Meiji’s hair, followed shortly by his head, shot out of the tent. He looked none the worse for wear, save a growing red mark on his cheek.
“Hey Yari Ai!” the bard called out, “I have no clothes on, you just left my tent, and there’s a good bit of time I can’t remember! Did I just get laid?”
Father Meets Daughter
Felonca shivered.
The temperature outside the tent was warm, even balmy for the early fall. Also outside, the wailing, rising cry of grief made her bones run cold.
“Still he mourns,” she heard her father say quietly as he opened the tent flap, his great head shaking slowly in his own sadness. “It has been years since Dian cried... not since Yaoi died.”
Felonca shook her head in remembrance, the memories of fifteen years before when her aunt had died of the plague coming back. Dian had been haunted by her memory for years, and Felonca hoped that the same wouldn’t happen this time.
“Do you think your friend’s scheme will work?” the older panther asked, sitting before his daughter. The wails grew louder for a moment, causing father and daughter to both look outside in pity. “I have never heard of taking someone from the hold of the gods and ancestors, and bringing them back. It sounds... unnatural,” Felonxi finished with shaking his head.
“Yari Ai said it was a dangerous journey, but that she was willing to go,” Felonca said. The cleric, like everyone else around Dian when he saw the broken form of his son, had been deeply moved. In years of life, Meiji’s ears had not heard praise or cheer from his father, and even now, his long dead ears where filled with the grief and remorse of a father who wished he had done more. The memory of Dian’s crying words made Felonca look towards her father. Felonxi awkwardly looked back.
“I...” he started to say, before stopping. For a moment, Felonca was surprised to see her father’s eyes not glaring at her imperiously, or shining with confidence, but instead searching, hoping to find something.
Forgiveness.
“Father, you could not help what happened at the Academy,” Felonca said just as Felonxi opened his mouth to speak. “Master Hsiu...”
“Is what they say true?” her father asked, his eyes looking down towards the ground.
“What do they say?”
“They say... that you were chased out for sleeping with an instructor...” Felonxi began uncertainly.
“No! Of course not!” Felonca snapped. If Nayu or any of the others told him that... I...I... The hairs on the back of her neck bristled at the thought. “I left because Master Hsiu persecuted me specifically, and the school was full of utter...”
Felonca stopped herself. Before, she would have never talked of Master Hsiu, or any elder and respected warrior in such a disgraceful manner. She wasn’t sure how her father would react, and she cringed inwardly when she saw his hairs start to stand on end in anger. His eyes flashed yet again, and even though he was sitting on the ground, she could tell an explosion was coming.
“Damn Hsiu Lin!” Felonxi blasted, jumping to his feet. “Damn him, his mother, his entire family! He hurt you, didn’t he!” Felonca’s father snapped. “If he so much as touched a hair on you, by the gods and ancestors as witnesses, I will...”
For a moment, Felonca remembered all the times when Hsiu had singled her out, had made her run extra hours, had made her skip all her meals in a day, had tried to break her with excrutiating exercises far longer and harder than the others.
He tried to hurt me.
He failed.
“He never touched me, father,” Felonca said, ignoring the slappings or the beatings. He never broke me. He never hurt me. He made me stronger. “His ire only made me stronger and wiser.”
“Wise enough to know when to sneak into his room and steal his belongings?” Felonxi asked with a raised eyebrow, his voice quieter.
Felonca winced again. Honor was the trait, the trademark of the Wa-Feng clan, and one could rarely make the case that stealing from another was an honorable act. Felonca’s eyes flashed to the ground, expecting the long-overdue lecture on family honor, and how she’d dishonored her ancestors and her name.
Instead of a shout, she heard a sigh, and she felt herself pulled into her father’s arms.
“Whatever dishonor that brought,” he whispered in her ear, “it is clear to me that your actions since have more than cleaned that stain.” When he pulled back, she saw tears in his eyes. “You have instead brought honor to our name, through your words and deeds since you left the Academy.”
What? He’s... he’s thanking me? Wa-Feng Felonxi, the Honorable Warrior, the Gentle Soldier, is overlooking dishonor? As she looked on stunned, her father pulled away from her, suddenly knelt on one knee.
“The clan is fortunate to have such a warrior. And I...” he stopped, clearing his voice, “I am lucky to be able to call her my daughter.”
Felonca dropped to embrace him, full tears coursing down her cheeks.
“I don’t believe this hocus-pocus will work,” Zhen Ren said quietly. Nayu turned and glared at the scholar, the bloody bandages covering his body glowing orange in the firelight. From beyond, within Meiji’s old tent, came the noise of hurried, mystical chanting.
“I have no doubt in Yari Ai’s abilities,” Nayu replied stiffly. She said that she could journey to the after-world, and bring Meiji’s soul back to his body. She knows far more about anything having to do with the afterworld than Zhen Ren’s fat behind!
“Sir, with all due respect, a pretty lass does not necessarily make a magical one,” Zhen added with a tinge of disdain.
“And a fat head doesn’t necessarily separate a man from a jackass,” Nayu shot back coolly. To his satisfaction, Zhen Ren didn’t speak for the rest of the night.
As it were, the vigil outside lasted only a few more moments before there was a slight squeak, and the chanting fell into silence. Muffled voices then arose, followed by the noise of something striking flesh. A minute or so later, the tent flap flipped open, and a sweat-drenched Yari Ai appeared, her pretty face ruined by a furious scowl, her skin paler than the moon above.
“The bastard is the same,” she growled to no one in particular, stumbling forward, before her eyes found Nayu, and she gave a sigh. “It is done. He’s back.” She started to stumble as she rose, and Nayu grabbed her arm, propping her up till she had regained her feet.
“Are you alright?” She looks as if every single fiber of her being has been drained...
“No one else has the privilege of dying on me,” she said quietly, looking in Nayu’s eyes. “Its... its too much work to go to the afterlife and bring someone back. And there is still one more to go...” she sighed.
“You really think you can bring back Liu, even though all that’s left are his ashes?” Nayu questioned. No sooner had the words left his mouth that he saw Yari Ai’s tired eyes flash a look of defiance.
“Despite all he spoke about the truth of the gods and ancestors, you still doubt?” she said with a tired huff. “Shenyang taught us that it is the soul that matters, not the measly trappings it travels within. I shall bring him back, new and whole, tomorrow...”
Nayu froze as the tent flap opened once again, and the perfumed ringlets of Meiji’s hair, followed shortly by his head, shot out of the tent. He looked none the worse for wear, save a growing red mark on his cheek.
“Hey Yari Ai!” the bard called out, “I have no clothes on, you just left my tent, and there’s a good bit of time I can’t remember! Did I just get laid?”
ThoughtfulOwl
First Post
Nice ending!
In fact, the whole post is well done. Keep up!
Emperor Valerian
First Post
Well, this is the first post of the eleventh session... where Nayu journey's a bit more down a certain path...
To Liangxiang
A few hours later, Nayu lay quietly in his cot, his mind going over the day’s events again and again. Felonca finally meeting her father, Meiji being raised from the dead, all twisted and turned in his mind as he slid into sleep. Felonca had her father, Meiji had his... yet Nayu’s father lay scattered about by the four winds, his ashes blown across the soil of the northern land where he was born and lived. Fitfully, Nayu fell into sleep. There, within the comfort of dreams, he saw his own father once more, the older man once again tall and strong, not weak and battered as he’d been when Nayu burned his body.
He saw his father sitting on a gilded chair, a ray of sunlight striking the man’s face, revealing a brilliant smile Nayu knew was directed at him. Clad in robes made of the finest silk, gold and silver interwoven into the fabric, the elder Wakabayashi stood, as if to beckon his son to come closer. Nayu felt himself moving forward, closer and closer to his father, until something blocked him.
He couldn’t see what kept him from moving, yet he saw a look of confusion, and then horror come over his father’s face. Somewhere in the deep recesses of his mind, he knew his father was in danger. He pressed harder and harder against the unseen barrier, trying to force past it, yet it would not move.
Finally, Nayu saw the dread shadow, the same shadowy figure that had snatched his father from him in previous dreams. Slowly, the dark wispy beast crept from beneath Nayu’s feet, and flowed up the dais towards Nayu’s terrified father. Finally, spinning about like a small whirlwind, the darkness grew, enveloping Nayu’s father with the sound of a thousand souls screaming in agony.
Nayu twisted and turned, pushed and shoved, yet it seemed every time he moved forward, the chair and his terrified father moved back. Suddenly, the screams within the black whirlwind died, and its dark shadows settled over the gilded chair, sliding through its crevices, over its scrollwork designs, until the wispy forms coalesced into the shape.
The form of a young boy, no more than ten. Atop his head sat the crown of the Emperor, a dark cap with pearls hanging from its front and back, covering his face, as well as the Emperor’s yellow silk and gold raiments, the form of an immense dragon sewn with sapphires into its chest.
For a second, the boy looked at his hands, then his feet, before his eyes flashed towards Nayu. Unable to move, the sorcerer watched as the eyes flashed red, blazing crimson, the color of fresh blood. The abominable creature opened its mouth revealing a seemingly bottomless void. As the screams of dead souls returned, Nayu saw faces deep within the beast’s throat.
“Save us!” they cried, tiny, distant bodies squirming away.
Nayu tried to twist away, tried to keep himself from looking, because deep down he knew he would see one face he did not want to see. When he caught sight of his father’s pleading eyes, the old man’s face seemed to suddenly flood with blood, then melt away into the void.
Nayu awoke with a start, his hand immediately darting out into the darkness of his tent, his magical senses searching, looking for someone, anyone, that could be hiding in the black of night. His breathing was quick and deep, his muscles tensed to leap towards any threat.
It was only a dream, he realized, and his heart began to calm. It was only a dream. You need to just go back to sleep. That’s all. Everything is alright. We’re in the middle of an army. Nothing should sneak in.
Yet despite however much he tried to calm himself, to tell himself that it was an empty dream, its images stayed stuck in his mind to the point that he could not sleep. Every time he laid his head upon the pillow, the screams returned, and the young boy’s eyes blazed bright red.
He couldn’t sleep the rest of the night.
“...and then papa hugged me!” Felonca gushed excitedly the next morning over breakfast. For his part, Nayu merely nodded slowly, his eyes looking off in the distance at something that could not be seen, yet something he soul kept hearing again and again.
“Isn’t this wonderful! I have a family again!” Felonca laughed, throwing her arms around Nayu and hugging him in her excitement. The sorcerer gasped for a second as the wind was crushed out of him, before wiggling enough that he could breathe.
“I’m happy for you,” Nayu managed to gasp out. Suddenly, Felonca let go, and her blue eyes staring at him told him she knew his mind was elsewhere.
“What’s wrong? Is it... oh, I’m sorry. Your family...” she started to apologize quietly. Nayu looked down, his mind wrestling with the problem that had been plaguing him for the past few hours.
“It’s nothing Felonca,” Nayu lied. “I’m happy one of us can see their father again, and I guess I just got a little wistful, that’s all.” He shrugged, putting on his best face to hide the concern, even fright, within his mind. He knew he’d failed when she frowned.
“Stop covering it up. Tell me,” she said, coming around the small cooking fire to sit beside him.
“It was only a dream,” he repeated aloud, more to reassure himself than inform her of anything. If it was only a dream, why does it stay within my mind?
“You saw your father in a dream?” she asked, and he nodded.
“The dream keeps coming back,” Nayu replied. “It’s not a good dream. It... it seems like a warning.”
“A warning?” Felonca asked, her eyes looking deep into his with concern. “Warning about what? Your father? Something else?”
“I’m... I’m not sure,” Nayu said. The boy in the dream was the Emperor! I’m sure of it! Part of him wanted to tell Felonca this fact, but something, somewhere, told him to stay quiet. Instead, he added, “But it keeps coming back, even when I’m awake, like its some kind of warning for me.”
“Well, I talked to Yari Ai before the trial of bringing Liu back,” Felonca’s face soured. Their friend the night before, only hours after bringing Meiji back from the netherworld, undertook an even more arduous journey to recover the soul of Liu Ganxi. When she had emerged in the wee hours of the morning, the cleric had crawled from the tent, and promptly collapsed into a deep slumber from which she had yet to awaken. Neither Nayu nor Felonca wanted to see their friend undergo that trauma again. “She said that dreams can be warnings from those on the other side of life at times. Perhaps your father is warning you of something.”
The Emperor... Nayu’s mind immediately latched onto the now obvious symbol. I need to find a way to take care of the Emperor, otherwise something will happen that will engulf the entire Empire in disaster! Felonca saw his eyes light, and her own echoed the emotion.
“It is a message, isn’t it?” she asked. “What warning is he trying to tell you?”
Almost by accident, Nayu’s eyes looked down towards Felonca’s feet. Just poking its ruby pommel out of her boot was the obvious answer.
The dagger...
Felonca said this dagger is the only thing that can kill the Emperor...
...and its right here. Right here all along. Take the dagger, and kill the young Emperor... that will stop whatever disaster he will cause!
But he is only a child, part of Nayu’s mind objected. He is only ten... a ten year old cannot cause such pain, such hardship! Children are innocent, yet uncorrupted by the world!
He is not just any child, a darker section of Nayu’s mind chided, He has been raised in a world of politics and intrigue. He could be craftier than any adult... or be a pawn for other, crafty adults. If he doesn’t live, they are cut off from the throne... The memories of the Imperial Councillor, as well as his own father’s face, flashed through Nayu’s mind. And hatred filled his heart. Deep, dark, black hatred.
Yuandi and his family took my father from me! he mentally thundered. Hurting them the same is nothing evil!
They deserve it! They all deserve it! Then the throne will be open!
“Um... Nayu?” Felonca’s questioning voice brought his attention back, along with new questions.
But taking the dagger from Felonca... that’d... that’d break her trust! I told her I didn’t want that dagger, and that I wouldn’t take it from her or the like, and that I would see it destroyed... not use it!
If she knew what you saw, she’d do the same, the darker side of his mind replied.
“It’s... nothing,” he said after a moment, before giving an awkward half-smile. Felonca’s eyes momentarily narrowed, before she shrugged, dismissing whatever suspicions she had.
“If you’re sure, we do have a meeting to go to. My father and Uncle Dian want to discuss with the senior commanders where we are going now that the prisoners are free. I think orders are going to be issued for us to rejoin Quan-Shi, then return to Dai...”
“No!” Nayu cut in. I need to know! Is the Emperor the bane my dream says he will be? If we leave him alone, and he or his family is a root of evil... “No...” he quickly added in a quieter voice, “I think that there are other things we need to accomplish first, before we go back to Dai.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean us... not the army,” Nayu clarified, his mind racing to think ahead. How do I persuade her that we need to go to the capital without being obvious? “I mean... well, I need to go to Liaoxiang.”
“The capital? Don’t you know that the Emperor’s family...” Felonca cried in confusion and fear.
“...want me dead? Probably.” Nayu finished her thought. “But I need to go there anyways.” His mind hit upon a reason, and he ran with it. “The scholars in my unit say that at the Imperial School of Mages, one can learn any spell, and vast tomes of ancient knowledge are available to read.”
Felonca shook her head, not understanding.
“I need to go there to look up something... something from the dream,” Nayu lied once again. And to watch this Emperor if I can to see if I can discover anything. And if he or his family turns out to be the cause of the evil I saw in my dream... “Liaoxiang is a huge city, it shouldn’t be hard to hide there.” Felonca crossed her arms in response.
“Why won’t you tell me about this dream, if its important enough for you to risk your, and our, necks?” she pressed. For a second, the full story was on Nayu’s tongue.
No, he pulled himself back. She’ll only try to stop you if he’s evil, the darker part of his mind justified, She won’t understand that a mere boy could do such a thing, or why he and his family would deserve such pain. Much more quietly, the even darker thought of, And if I can hasten my rise by his fall... attempted to rise.
Nayu felt ashamed when he realized the thought was not immediately dismissed from his mind, yet he continued to think the idea over...
To Liangxiang
A few hours later, Nayu lay quietly in his cot, his mind going over the day’s events again and again. Felonca finally meeting her father, Meiji being raised from the dead, all twisted and turned in his mind as he slid into sleep. Felonca had her father, Meiji had his... yet Nayu’s father lay scattered about by the four winds, his ashes blown across the soil of the northern land where he was born and lived. Fitfully, Nayu fell into sleep. There, within the comfort of dreams, he saw his own father once more, the older man once again tall and strong, not weak and battered as he’d been when Nayu burned his body.
He saw his father sitting on a gilded chair, a ray of sunlight striking the man’s face, revealing a brilliant smile Nayu knew was directed at him. Clad in robes made of the finest silk, gold and silver interwoven into the fabric, the elder Wakabayashi stood, as if to beckon his son to come closer. Nayu felt himself moving forward, closer and closer to his father, until something blocked him.
He couldn’t see what kept him from moving, yet he saw a look of confusion, and then horror come over his father’s face. Somewhere in the deep recesses of his mind, he knew his father was in danger. He pressed harder and harder against the unseen barrier, trying to force past it, yet it would not move.
Finally, Nayu saw the dread shadow, the same shadowy figure that had snatched his father from him in previous dreams. Slowly, the dark wispy beast crept from beneath Nayu’s feet, and flowed up the dais towards Nayu’s terrified father. Finally, spinning about like a small whirlwind, the darkness grew, enveloping Nayu’s father with the sound of a thousand souls screaming in agony.
Nayu twisted and turned, pushed and shoved, yet it seemed every time he moved forward, the chair and his terrified father moved back. Suddenly, the screams within the black whirlwind died, and its dark shadows settled over the gilded chair, sliding through its crevices, over its scrollwork designs, until the wispy forms coalesced into the shape.
The form of a young boy, no more than ten. Atop his head sat the crown of the Emperor, a dark cap with pearls hanging from its front and back, covering his face, as well as the Emperor’s yellow silk and gold raiments, the form of an immense dragon sewn with sapphires into its chest.
For a second, the boy looked at his hands, then his feet, before his eyes flashed towards Nayu. Unable to move, the sorcerer watched as the eyes flashed red, blazing crimson, the color of fresh blood. The abominable creature opened its mouth revealing a seemingly bottomless void. As the screams of dead souls returned, Nayu saw faces deep within the beast’s throat.
“Save us!” they cried, tiny, distant bodies squirming away.
Nayu tried to twist away, tried to keep himself from looking, because deep down he knew he would see one face he did not want to see. When he caught sight of his father’s pleading eyes, the old man’s face seemed to suddenly flood with blood, then melt away into the void.
Nayu awoke with a start, his hand immediately darting out into the darkness of his tent, his magical senses searching, looking for someone, anyone, that could be hiding in the black of night. His breathing was quick and deep, his muscles tensed to leap towards any threat.
It was only a dream, he realized, and his heart began to calm. It was only a dream. You need to just go back to sleep. That’s all. Everything is alright. We’re in the middle of an army. Nothing should sneak in.
Yet despite however much he tried to calm himself, to tell himself that it was an empty dream, its images stayed stuck in his mind to the point that he could not sleep. Every time he laid his head upon the pillow, the screams returned, and the young boy’s eyes blazed bright red.
He couldn’t sleep the rest of the night.
“...and then papa hugged me!” Felonca gushed excitedly the next morning over breakfast. For his part, Nayu merely nodded slowly, his eyes looking off in the distance at something that could not be seen, yet something he soul kept hearing again and again.
“Isn’t this wonderful! I have a family again!” Felonca laughed, throwing her arms around Nayu and hugging him in her excitement. The sorcerer gasped for a second as the wind was crushed out of him, before wiggling enough that he could breathe.
“I’m happy for you,” Nayu managed to gasp out. Suddenly, Felonca let go, and her blue eyes staring at him told him she knew his mind was elsewhere.
“What’s wrong? Is it... oh, I’m sorry. Your family...” she started to apologize quietly. Nayu looked down, his mind wrestling with the problem that had been plaguing him for the past few hours.
“It’s nothing Felonca,” Nayu lied. “I’m happy one of us can see their father again, and I guess I just got a little wistful, that’s all.” He shrugged, putting on his best face to hide the concern, even fright, within his mind. He knew he’d failed when she frowned.
“Stop covering it up. Tell me,” she said, coming around the small cooking fire to sit beside him.
“It was only a dream,” he repeated aloud, more to reassure himself than inform her of anything. If it was only a dream, why does it stay within my mind?
“You saw your father in a dream?” she asked, and he nodded.
“The dream keeps coming back,” Nayu replied. “It’s not a good dream. It... it seems like a warning.”
“A warning?” Felonca asked, her eyes looking deep into his with concern. “Warning about what? Your father? Something else?”
“I’m... I’m not sure,” Nayu said. The boy in the dream was the Emperor! I’m sure of it! Part of him wanted to tell Felonca this fact, but something, somewhere, told him to stay quiet. Instead, he added, “But it keeps coming back, even when I’m awake, like its some kind of warning for me.”
“Well, I talked to Yari Ai before the trial of bringing Liu back,” Felonca’s face soured. Their friend the night before, only hours after bringing Meiji back from the netherworld, undertook an even more arduous journey to recover the soul of Liu Ganxi. When she had emerged in the wee hours of the morning, the cleric had crawled from the tent, and promptly collapsed into a deep slumber from which she had yet to awaken. Neither Nayu nor Felonca wanted to see their friend undergo that trauma again. “She said that dreams can be warnings from those on the other side of life at times. Perhaps your father is warning you of something.”
The Emperor... Nayu’s mind immediately latched onto the now obvious symbol. I need to find a way to take care of the Emperor, otherwise something will happen that will engulf the entire Empire in disaster! Felonca saw his eyes light, and her own echoed the emotion.
“It is a message, isn’t it?” she asked. “What warning is he trying to tell you?”
Almost by accident, Nayu’s eyes looked down towards Felonca’s feet. Just poking its ruby pommel out of her boot was the obvious answer.
The dagger...
Felonca said this dagger is the only thing that can kill the Emperor...
...and its right here. Right here all along. Take the dagger, and kill the young Emperor... that will stop whatever disaster he will cause!
But he is only a child, part of Nayu’s mind objected. He is only ten... a ten year old cannot cause such pain, such hardship! Children are innocent, yet uncorrupted by the world!
He is not just any child, a darker section of Nayu’s mind chided, He has been raised in a world of politics and intrigue. He could be craftier than any adult... or be a pawn for other, crafty adults. If he doesn’t live, they are cut off from the throne... The memories of the Imperial Councillor, as well as his own father’s face, flashed through Nayu’s mind. And hatred filled his heart. Deep, dark, black hatred.
Yuandi and his family took my father from me! he mentally thundered. Hurting them the same is nothing evil!
They deserve it! They all deserve it! Then the throne will be open!
“Um... Nayu?” Felonca’s questioning voice brought his attention back, along with new questions.
But taking the dagger from Felonca... that’d... that’d break her trust! I told her I didn’t want that dagger, and that I wouldn’t take it from her or the like, and that I would see it destroyed... not use it!
If she knew what you saw, she’d do the same, the darker side of his mind replied.
“It’s... nothing,” he said after a moment, before giving an awkward half-smile. Felonca’s eyes momentarily narrowed, before she shrugged, dismissing whatever suspicions she had.
“If you’re sure, we do have a meeting to go to. My father and Uncle Dian want to discuss with the senior commanders where we are going now that the prisoners are free. I think orders are going to be issued for us to rejoin Quan-Shi, then return to Dai...”
“No!” Nayu cut in. I need to know! Is the Emperor the bane my dream says he will be? If we leave him alone, and he or his family is a root of evil... “No...” he quickly added in a quieter voice, “I think that there are other things we need to accomplish first, before we go back to Dai.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean us... not the army,” Nayu clarified, his mind racing to think ahead. How do I persuade her that we need to go to the capital without being obvious? “I mean... well, I need to go to Liaoxiang.”
“The capital? Don’t you know that the Emperor’s family...” Felonca cried in confusion and fear.
“...want me dead? Probably.” Nayu finished her thought. “But I need to go there anyways.” His mind hit upon a reason, and he ran with it. “The scholars in my unit say that at the Imperial School of Mages, one can learn any spell, and vast tomes of ancient knowledge are available to read.”
Felonca shook her head, not understanding.
“I need to go there to look up something... something from the dream,” Nayu lied once again. And to watch this Emperor if I can to see if I can discover anything. And if he or his family turns out to be the cause of the evil I saw in my dream... “Liaoxiang is a huge city, it shouldn’t be hard to hide there.” Felonca crossed her arms in response.
“Why won’t you tell me about this dream, if its important enough for you to risk your, and our, necks?” she pressed. For a second, the full story was on Nayu’s tongue.
No, he pulled himself back. She’ll only try to stop you if he’s evil, the darker part of his mind justified, She won’t understand that a mere boy could do such a thing, or why he and his family would deserve such pain. Much more quietly, the even darker thought of, And if I can hasten my rise by his fall... attempted to rise.
Nayu felt ashamed when he realized the thought was not immediately dismissed from his mind, yet he continued to think the idea over...
Emperor Valerian
First Post
As the story goes on, Nayu becomes quite fun to DM ![:]](http://www.enworld.org/forum/images/smilies/devious.png "Devious :]")
An Acquaintance Alongside the Road
A few days later, the party broke away from the army. While Uncle Dian led the troops towards the north, where Quan-Shi’s force was hopefully still intact and blocking the Prince of Langya, Felonca and her friends trekked towards the goal of the invading army; the great metropolis of Liangxiang.
It was known as the City of the Emperors, the Place Where Heaven Met Earth. Within its sprawling outer walls lay a massive number of souls, so numerous that no one had attempted a true count in centuries. Divided into three sections, the outer, middle and inner cities, the normal part of Liangxiang would have dwarfed most any other city in the world.
Yet there was another part of the city, the Jade City. Built on one of the islands at the mouth of the great Hu Jiang river that flowed through Liangxiang, the Jade City, site of the Imperial Palace, Library, and seat of government was only connected to the mainland by three bridges. Its walls were adorned with tiny shavings of jade, making them glow an emerald green in the sunlight. Within its walls commoners spoke of streets paved in jade and gold, columns made of massive pearls, and silver being tossed about as if it were dirt.
For all its opulence, Liangxiang was a dangerous city as well, a fact that made Felonca chuckle when she looked at their new traveling companion. At her bemused gaze, her father frowned.
He said he wouldn’t let anyone get near me! Ha! Like I need help! she mentally laughed. Her father’s stern look told her immediately that he’d guessed her thought. A few seconds later, he confirmed it.
“Are you upset that an old man wants to protect you?” he asked haltingly, the stern look on his face breaking into a grin of its own. “I have only slight skills with a sword,” he started to fully grin at the gross understatement, “but...”
“Liangxiang is a large and dangerous city. I know, papa,” Felonca parroted his response the last two times she’d brought up his company in the week since they’d left her uncle’s army. She didn’t add what had been her previous responses to his obstinence. Father is one of the most dangerous swordfighters in the Empire... but he’d be safer if he went with Uncle Dian... or back to Dai Province, maybe even home...
She’d tried to bring up those feelings the previous two times... and arguments had resulted both times. She’d inherited the family stubbornness from her father, and the elder Wa-Feng would not be dissuaded. He’d only just reunited with his daughter, and he wanted to spend as much time as possible making sure she was safe.
He wants to make up for not being there to stop Hsiu, Felonca thought, the same arguments snapping into her head that had come before. Papa! Stop it! You didn’t cause Hsiu to be a sadistic bastard, you didn’t cause the White Wolves to come after me... so don’t try to apologize with stupid actions!
As the snapping thoughts flashed through her mind, at first she felt angry. Then, she started to giggle. No doubt papa has much the same thoughts running through his mind. “Don’t be headstrong young woman! You don’t need to prove yourself!” I bet that’s what he’s thinking right now!
“Thank you for coming, papa,” she found herself saying finally. “I have no doubt we would be fine in Liangxiang, but extra protection is never a bad thing.” She smiled when the older man beamed at her acceptance.
“I am glad you’ve decided to accept my presence, daughter,” he said, his eyes beaming, “as an old man who wants to see his child more than he has over the last ten years. Besides,” his look became impish, “If there is combat, I wish to see the whirling dervish your friends say you have become. Your friend... the sorcerer...” her father stopped, frowning.
“Nayu,” she reminded him.
“Yes, Nayu. He said that you killed a spider changling by yourself, as well as slaying an undead dragon. Now, I do think your friend has embellished these stories somewhat, but...”
“Somewhat?!” Felonca gaped, and she heard Nayu’s bright cackle behind her. She turned and gave him an appropriate scowl, even as inside she laughed herself. He’s trying to make me look good... For a second the frown held, until she realized that she wasn’t really frowning anymore, only looking into his brown eyes. Her mind slipped into a thought that suddenly made her face go bright red, and she turned away rather abruptly.
“Oh, come come!” Felonxi chimed in, misunderstanding the crimson, “there’s no reason to be embarrassed if you are truly that gifted! Friends who are willing to give such lavish support are priceless.”
Felonca’s face darkened more, the thoughts coming back to her mind again, running over what the rakshasa had hissed at her a little over a week before.
You are attracted to him...
“Bah! She’s humble, and doesn’t want to take her due credit!” Nayu laughed, and Felonca gave a sigh of relief. He hasn’t figured it out. Any of it.
Good... he shouldn’t know until I know what the heck is going on with me, she thought. I can’t be attracted to him... not like that! part of her complained. I mean, he’s a good friend, and we’ve been through thick and thin together these past six months! Sure, I like his personality, he’s reliable, and he is rather good looking, but I... Dammit! She frowned again. That is exactly why you are attracted to him, in THAT way....
Gah... Felonca! Make up your mind, silly girl! He’s a lovely boy, but do you really want to throw a rat into the duck soup that’s your friendship? Gah... you’re so loopy minded that you can’t think of any good metaphors!
“Hey...” she felt a hand on her shoulder, warm and relaxed. Instead of turning to talk to the now concerned Nayu, she felt herself tense up, and she shifted her shoulder away from his grip.
“It’s nothing. I...um...” she stumbled, trying to think of a way out of the predicament she was now in. He thinks I’m mad! I’m not mad! Quick, say something so he knows you aren’t mad! “Thanks for the kind words, Nayu... and Papa.” The words took almost a minute to stumble out of her mouth, between uhs and ums. For a moment, awkward silence hung in the air, before Felonca finally blurted out, “I... I think I’m going to go scout ahead, make sure the road is clear.”
“You want any backup? I can...” Nayu started to offer, before she cut him off.
“No, I... um... its okay. Someone needs to...um... keep papa company. Besides,” she scratched behind her ear in nervousness, “it shouldn’t take that long. Heh, you know. Being I’m a very fast...um... ah... panther.”
“Yari Ai, Meiji, Liu and Chou are all here. They can stay with Felonxi, if you do not mind, Shang,” Nayu said respectfully.
“I don’t mind at all, young Nayu. Go on ahead.” Felonca could tell her father was smiling. The last time he’d smiled like that was when he assumed she and the heir of another warrior clan were an item. Felonca mentally growled.
“No... no. It’ll go...um... faster, if I go by myself, okay?” The tone was slightly too sharp, slightly too angry. She kicked herself as she turned and walked away, leaving her father and Nayu to look at her, confused.
“What’s gotten into her?” she heard Nayu ask quietly, and her face grew bright red yet again.
“Stupid girl,” Felonca hissed to herself some ten minutes later as she slinked along the road. “Can’t make up your mind, can you?” She’d felt Nayu’s eyes seemingly burning into her as she left...
“What if he likes you back, but he’s too shy?” she muttered to herself, her nose sniffing the air for any scent. She shook her head. “No, Nayu is most definitely not shy. I have never seen anyone so capable of fast-talking and selling anything before. So no, he’s not hiding it.”
“Or is he?” she asked herself again, her eyes locking on a shifting group of bushes, before dismissing the movement as the wind. “He’s a good talker, which means he hides things from others well. But would he hide something like that?” Mentally she shrugged, and not knowing was the worse feeling of all.
“I should just go back and talk...” she started to mutter, until her nose caught something in the air. It was faint and distant, but something distinctly familiar. She frowned, and within moments she had changed to her full panther form. The smell was now stronger, and while she could place which direction is was coming from, she still couldn’t place it within her mind.
There’s the smell of a city we’ve been in. Minzghong was by the sea, and there was a tinge of salt to all of those smells. I smell no salt, she thought, slinking low to the ground through the tall grass. It smells decidedly of earth, and crops.... Xianfung was surrounded by farmland... that’s why the smell is familiar! Its someone hailing from Xianfung!
By why would someone from Dai be this far south, knowing there’s a war going on? She tensed, all possible scenarios running through her mind, from White Wolves setting up an ambush to survivors of the Governor’s personal unit hoping to waylay her. Slowly, carefully, she slipped forward, the smell growing stronger and stronger, until she could tell the person was only tens of feet away, beyond the edge of the grass.
“Whoever you are, you can stop stalking me. I can hear your breathing,” a familiar voice grunted, and Felonca froze.
What the hell would he be doing down here? she asked herself, confused. He has no reason to be attached to us, no reason to be down here... unless he serves himself! She paused. Oh great... Quietly, she shifted back to hybrid, allowing her vocal chords to once again form words.
“Selim, why are you here?” she hissed from within the grass, her eyes now catching sight of the tall, scarred man with missing front teeth and an eyepatch. “I thought you decided to stay in Xianfung!”
“Ah, Mistress Wa-Feng!” the rogue said, even as his eyes scanned the opposite direction, looking for where her voice originated. “Selim the Magnificent was hoping to find you!”
Don’t tell me. Someone, probably a White Wolf, offered you a great sum of money to dispose of me! Well, I don’t intend to make it that easy! She crouched lower to the ground, pressing herself almost flat as the tall grass waved above her head.
“Why do you look for me?”
“Because it’s rumored that you were headed south, looking for adventure. And the way the other thieves of Xianfung speak of your name, wherever you find adventure, you find loot. Tons of loot. So,” he turned, so he was facing to the left of where she really was, “I was hoping I could tag along... offer my rare services, in exchange for a cut of your future profits...”
“What can you do that I can’t?” Felonca asked. Get him to tip his secrets... “I assume something special, since they call you Selim the Magnificent.”
“But of course. I can, obviously, pilfer the odd jewel, artifact, or other item when needed, but my specialty is opening doors for others. Selim the Magnificent leaves no door locked, no vault unopened...”
“I can pick locks too, thank you very much,” Felonca hissed. She was too focused to be pleased when the confused rogue turned, and once again faced completely opposite to her.
“No, young one. I mean that Selim can talk to the right people in the right places to have them open doors for you. It takes time, but I can likely get you anywhere within any of the large cities to the south.” He gave huff of pride. “Selim the Magnificent could even get you into the Jade City itself!”
“Now I know you’re bluffing,” she hissed.
“Why would I bluff, one who has been hiding in the grass all this time?” The rogue turned his craggy face around, his good eye looking directly at Felonca. He winked. “Come now. No reason to stay hidden.”
“Bah,” Felonca grunted in frustration, before standing up.
“Now that we can discuss this face to face,” Selim gave a smirk, “what say you to my idea? I tag along, cause no trouble unless you say start it, make things happen for you and your friends, and I get a cut of the loot.”
“You want to do this without even knowing where we’re headed?” Felonca asked guardedly.
“Well, I can surmise that since you are on this road, you are heading towards Liangxiang. Between here and the capital are only tiny farming towns, nothing large enough to draw your attention to have come this far. I’m guessing,” a ragged, wrinkled hand stroked his scarred chin, “that you’re off to collect on a huge haul of some kind.”
Huge haul indeed. Nayu needs to go to the Scholar’s Academy inside the Jade City... and I...
She paused for a second, refusing to deny the obvious reason she was accompanying Nayu. Finally, her mind settled on something useful to do in the city.
And I need to see if the scholars know how to get rid of this damn dagger!
“Yes... we are heading for a haul, of sorts,” Felonca admitted. “Beyond the fact that we need entrance into the Jade City itself, I’m afraid I can’t tell you anymore.”
“Ah... a legendary haul then,” Selim smirked. “From the way you handled Governor Ho, you’re a clever girl. Very well then. When we reach the city, I’ll see what I can do.”
An Acquaintance Alongside the Road
A few days later, the party broke away from the army. While Uncle Dian led the troops towards the north, where Quan-Shi’s force was hopefully still intact and blocking the Prince of Langya, Felonca and her friends trekked towards the goal of the invading army; the great metropolis of Liangxiang.
It was known as the City of the Emperors, the Place Where Heaven Met Earth. Within its sprawling outer walls lay a massive number of souls, so numerous that no one had attempted a true count in centuries. Divided into three sections, the outer, middle and inner cities, the normal part of Liangxiang would have dwarfed most any other city in the world.
Yet there was another part of the city, the Jade City. Built on one of the islands at the mouth of the great Hu Jiang river that flowed through Liangxiang, the Jade City, site of the Imperial Palace, Library, and seat of government was only connected to the mainland by three bridges. Its walls were adorned with tiny shavings of jade, making them glow an emerald green in the sunlight. Within its walls commoners spoke of streets paved in jade and gold, columns made of massive pearls, and silver being tossed about as if it were dirt.
For all its opulence, Liangxiang was a dangerous city as well, a fact that made Felonca chuckle when she looked at their new traveling companion. At her bemused gaze, her father frowned.
He said he wouldn’t let anyone get near me! Ha! Like I need help! she mentally laughed. Her father’s stern look told her immediately that he’d guessed her thought. A few seconds later, he confirmed it.
“Are you upset that an old man wants to protect you?” he asked haltingly, the stern look on his face breaking into a grin of its own. “I have only slight skills with a sword,” he started to fully grin at the gross understatement, “but...”
“Liangxiang is a large and dangerous city. I know, papa,” Felonca parroted his response the last two times she’d brought up his company in the week since they’d left her uncle’s army. She didn’t add what had been her previous responses to his obstinence. Father is one of the most dangerous swordfighters in the Empire... but he’d be safer if he went with Uncle Dian... or back to Dai Province, maybe even home...
She’d tried to bring up those feelings the previous two times... and arguments had resulted both times. She’d inherited the family stubbornness from her father, and the elder Wa-Feng would not be dissuaded. He’d only just reunited with his daughter, and he wanted to spend as much time as possible making sure she was safe.
He wants to make up for not being there to stop Hsiu, Felonca thought, the same arguments snapping into her head that had come before. Papa! Stop it! You didn’t cause Hsiu to be a sadistic bastard, you didn’t cause the White Wolves to come after me... so don’t try to apologize with stupid actions!
As the snapping thoughts flashed through her mind, at first she felt angry. Then, she started to giggle. No doubt papa has much the same thoughts running through his mind. “Don’t be headstrong young woman! You don’t need to prove yourself!” I bet that’s what he’s thinking right now!
“Thank you for coming, papa,” she found herself saying finally. “I have no doubt we would be fine in Liangxiang, but extra protection is never a bad thing.” She smiled when the older man beamed at her acceptance.
“I am glad you’ve decided to accept my presence, daughter,” he said, his eyes beaming, “as an old man who wants to see his child more than he has over the last ten years. Besides,” his look became impish, “If there is combat, I wish to see the whirling dervish your friends say you have become. Your friend... the sorcerer...” her father stopped, frowning.
“Nayu,” she reminded him.
“Yes, Nayu. He said that you killed a spider changling by yourself, as well as slaying an undead dragon. Now, I do think your friend has embellished these stories somewhat, but...”
“Somewhat?!” Felonca gaped, and she heard Nayu’s bright cackle behind her. She turned and gave him an appropriate scowl, even as inside she laughed herself. He’s trying to make me look good... For a second the frown held, until she realized that she wasn’t really frowning anymore, only looking into his brown eyes. Her mind slipped into a thought that suddenly made her face go bright red, and she turned away rather abruptly.
“Oh, come come!” Felonxi chimed in, misunderstanding the crimson, “there’s no reason to be embarrassed if you are truly that gifted! Friends who are willing to give such lavish support are priceless.”
Felonca’s face darkened more, the thoughts coming back to her mind again, running over what the rakshasa had hissed at her a little over a week before.
You are attracted to him...
“Bah! She’s humble, and doesn’t want to take her due credit!” Nayu laughed, and Felonca gave a sigh of relief. He hasn’t figured it out. Any of it.
Good... he shouldn’t know until I know what the heck is going on with me, she thought. I can’t be attracted to him... not like that! part of her complained. I mean, he’s a good friend, and we’ve been through thick and thin together these past six months! Sure, I like his personality, he’s reliable, and he is rather good looking, but I... Dammit! She frowned again. That is exactly why you are attracted to him, in THAT way....
Gah... Felonca! Make up your mind, silly girl! He’s a lovely boy, but do you really want to throw a rat into the duck soup that’s your friendship? Gah... you’re so loopy minded that you can’t think of any good metaphors!
“Hey...” she felt a hand on her shoulder, warm and relaxed. Instead of turning to talk to the now concerned Nayu, she felt herself tense up, and she shifted her shoulder away from his grip.
“It’s nothing. I...um...” she stumbled, trying to think of a way out of the predicament she was now in. He thinks I’m mad! I’m not mad! Quick, say something so he knows you aren’t mad! “Thanks for the kind words, Nayu... and Papa.” The words took almost a minute to stumble out of her mouth, between uhs and ums. For a moment, awkward silence hung in the air, before Felonca finally blurted out, “I... I think I’m going to go scout ahead, make sure the road is clear.”
“You want any backup? I can...” Nayu started to offer, before she cut him off.
“No, I... um... its okay. Someone needs to...um... keep papa company. Besides,” she scratched behind her ear in nervousness, “it shouldn’t take that long. Heh, you know. Being I’m a very fast...um... ah... panther.”
“Yari Ai, Meiji, Liu and Chou are all here. They can stay with Felonxi, if you do not mind, Shang,” Nayu said respectfully.
“I don’t mind at all, young Nayu. Go on ahead.” Felonca could tell her father was smiling. The last time he’d smiled like that was when he assumed she and the heir of another warrior clan were an item. Felonca mentally growled.
“No... no. It’ll go...um... faster, if I go by myself, okay?” The tone was slightly too sharp, slightly too angry. She kicked herself as she turned and walked away, leaving her father and Nayu to look at her, confused.
“What’s gotten into her?” she heard Nayu ask quietly, and her face grew bright red yet again.
“Stupid girl,” Felonca hissed to herself some ten minutes later as she slinked along the road. “Can’t make up your mind, can you?” She’d felt Nayu’s eyes seemingly burning into her as she left...
“What if he likes you back, but he’s too shy?” she muttered to herself, her nose sniffing the air for any scent. She shook her head. “No, Nayu is most definitely not shy. I have never seen anyone so capable of fast-talking and selling anything before. So no, he’s not hiding it.”
“Or is he?” she asked herself again, her eyes locking on a shifting group of bushes, before dismissing the movement as the wind. “He’s a good talker, which means he hides things from others well. But would he hide something like that?” Mentally she shrugged, and not knowing was the worse feeling of all.
“I should just go back and talk...” she started to mutter, until her nose caught something in the air. It was faint and distant, but something distinctly familiar. She frowned, and within moments she had changed to her full panther form. The smell was now stronger, and while she could place which direction is was coming from, she still couldn’t place it within her mind.
There’s the smell of a city we’ve been in. Minzghong was by the sea, and there was a tinge of salt to all of those smells. I smell no salt, she thought, slinking low to the ground through the tall grass. It smells decidedly of earth, and crops.... Xianfung was surrounded by farmland... that’s why the smell is familiar! Its someone hailing from Xianfung!
By why would someone from Dai be this far south, knowing there’s a war going on? She tensed, all possible scenarios running through her mind, from White Wolves setting up an ambush to survivors of the Governor’s personal unit hoping to waylay her. Slowly, carefully, she slipped forward, the smell growing stronger and stronger, until she could tell the person was only tens of feet away, beyond the edge of the grass.
“Whoever you are, you can stop stalking me. I can hear your breathing,” a familiar voice grunted, and Felonca froze.
What the hell would he be doing down here? she asked herself, confused. He has no reason to be attached to us, no reason to be down here... unless he serves himself! She paused. Oh great... Quietly, she shifted back to hybrid, allowing her vocal chords to once again form words.
“Selim, why are you here?” she hissed from within the grass, her eyes now catching sight of the tall, scarred man with missing front teeth and an eyepatch. “I thought you decided to stay in Xianfung!”
“Ah, Mistress Wa-Feng!” the rogue said, even as his eyes scanned the opposite direction, looking for where her voice originated. “Selim the Magnificent was hoping to find you!”
Don’t tell me. Someone, probably a White Wolf, offered you a great sum of money to dispose of me! Well, I don’t intend to make it that easy! She crouched lower to the ground, pressing herself almost flat as the tall grass waved above her head.
“Why do you look for me?”
“Because it’s rumored that you were headed south, looking for adventure. And the way the other thieves of Xianfung speak of your name, wherever you find adventure, you find loot. Tons of loot. So,” he turned, so he was facing to the left of where she really was, “I was hoping I could tag along... offer my rare services, in exchange for a cut of your future profits...”
“What can you do that I can’t?” Felonca asked. Get him to tip his secrets... “I assume something special, since they call you Selim the Magnificent.”
“But of course. I can, obviously, pilfer the odd jewel, artifact, or other item when needed, but my specialty is opening doors for others. Selim the Magnificent leaves no door locked, no vault unopened...”
“I can pick locks too, thank you very much,” Felonca hissed. She was too focused to be pleased when the confused rogue turned, and once again faced completely opposite to her.
“No, young one. I mean that Selim can talk to the right people in the right places to have them open doors for you. It takes time, but I can likely get you anywhere within any of the large cities to the south.” He gave huff of pride. “Selim the Magnificent could even get you into the Jade City itself!”
“Now I know you’re bluffing,” she hissed.
“Why would I bluff, one who has been hiding in the grass all this time?” The rogue turned his craggy face around, his good eye looking directly at Felonca. He winked. “Come now. No reason to stay hidden.”
“Bah,” Felonca grunted in frustration, before standing up.
“Now that we can discuss this face to face,” Selim gave a smirk, “what say you to my idea? I tag along, cause no trouble unless you say start it, make things happen for you and your friends, and I get a cut of the loot.”
“You want to do this without even knowing where we’re headed?” Felonca asked guardedly.
“Well, I can surmise that since you are on this road, you are heading towards Liangxiang. Between here and the capital are only tiny farming towns, nothing large enough to draw your attention to have come this far. I’m guessing,” a ragged, wrinkled hand stroked his scarred chin, “that you’re off to collect on a huge haul of some kind.”
Huge haul indeed. Nayu needs to go to the Scholar’s Academy inside the Jade City... and I...
She paused for a second, refusing to deny the obvious reason she was accompanying Nayu. Finally, her mind settled on something useful to do in the city.
And I need to see if the scholars know how to get rid of this damn dagger!
“Yes... we are heading for a haul, of sorts,” Felonca admitted. “Beyond the fact that we need entrance into the Jade City itself, I’m afraid I can’t tell you anymore.”
“Ah... a legendary haul then,” Selim smirked. “From the way you handled Governor Ho, you’re a clever girl. Very well then. When we reach the city, I’ll see what I can do.”
HalfOrc HalfBiscuit
Adventurer
I got a little behind, but having caught up I just wanted to say that this ...
... is an absolute classic.
... is an absolute classic.
Emperor Valerian
First Post
Once again, I'd like to apologize for the slowness of the updates. I'm going to try to get two updates set up this week, if possible.
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