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Barsoom Tales II: Romance, Revolution and BLOODY REVENGE!!! -- COMPLETE
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<blockquote data-quote="barsoomcore" data-source="post: 4234725" data-attributes="member: 812"><p><strong>What A Woman's Got To Do: 7</strong></p><p></p><p>"What are you doing with that child?"</p><p></p><p>Elena stormed up to the Lohanese trio who held a sniffling Shaeric boy between them. Kho held up his gnarled old hands in a placating gesture.</p><p></p><p>The others crowded behind Elena, pushing into the Saijadani woman's room. Kho and his two compatriots stood there, impassive, with a red-haired boy who seemed unaware of anything happening around him.</p><p></p><p>"What have you done to him? What is this?"</p><p></p><p>Kho stepped forward.</p><p></p><p>"We have done nothing. But you must hear him. You must hear from his mouth what he has seen."</p><p></p><p>"What has he seen?"</p><p></p><p>Isaac knelt down in front of the child.</p><p></p><p>"Here, son. It's okay. You're safe with us. You're safe here."</p><p></p><p>The little boy shook his head sadly.</p><p></p><p>"Not safe. Not safe anywhere."</p><p></p><p>"What happened?"</p><p></p><p>His eyes rose and met Isaac's and the Saijadani drew in a sharp breath at the horror so plain in those blue eyes. The boy swallowed, trembling.</p><p></p><p>"It were dark. Late. Father. We never heard the like, I tell ye."</p><p></p><p>Kho interrupted in his gentle fashion.</p><p></p><p>"This boy comes from a tiny village up in the mountains. He came into town last night. Hsiao found him and we have kept him here to speak with you."</p><p></p><p>"What is this about?"</p><p></p><p>"Listen."</p><p></p><p>All eyes turned back to the boy. He gathered his courage and continued.</p><p></p><p>"Father. I follows him, y'see, down to town. I hide near to the tanner's. I dinna see anything like to that before.</p><p></p><p>"Like a queen. A queen. And the blood everywhere. Everyone, everyone dead. Just a-lying there. Dead. Everyone."</p><p></p><p>The boy began to shake. One of the Lohanese women put a hand on his shoulder, and he calmed down enough to continue.</p><p></p><p>"She seen me father, and quick as anything she. And father. He no even. She. And up to the house. I just hides. I just hides. Little Siobhan. I hear her scream. I run."</p><p></p><p>The boy burst into shrieking sobs.</p><p></p><p>Elena stared. She turned to Arrafin.</p><p></p><p>"You know what this is."</p><p></p><p>"We don't know anything."</p><p></p><p>Sneering at her friend, Elena knelt in front of the boy.</p><p></p><p>"This woman, was she wearing red and gold? Tall, white skin, black hair?"</p><p></p><p>"Aye, that were her."</p><p></p><p>Elena stood and grabbed Arrafin, hurled the slender girl against a wall.</p><p></p><p>"Now do you see? You see? She's a killer, Arrafin. She is a monster."</p><p></p><p>"It's not her fault! She didn't ask to be this. Shang did it to her. She was his prisoner."</p><p></p><p>"No."</p><p></p><p>The two women turned at Kho's quiet denial.</p><p></p><p>"No, she was not his prisoner. She was his lover."</p><p></p><p>"That's not true! That's a lie!"</p><p></p><p>"What, are you jealous? Maybe she doesn't love you like she says she does?"</p><p></p><p>Elena recoiled back when she saw the dark tendrils rise up around where Arrafin stood. Her friend's eyes glazed over with inky blackness and Elena wondered if she'd really done it, really pushed the Naridic girl past the point of no return.</p><p></p><p>Arrafin's owl flapped around the girl's mass of unkempt curls, and the three Lohanese warriors pushed the boy behind them, facing Arrafin with determined expressions.</p><p></p><p>But darkness receded. As Elena watched, the dark masses of Shadow sank back where they'd come from, and the black fury that had transformed Arrafin's face trickled away, leaving a thin, unsteady girl who looked ready to cry. Miserably Arrafin turned to the Lohanese.</p><p></p><p>"Tell me what you know. Tell me your stories."</p><p></p><p>*****</p><p></p><p>In the end, Isaac reflected, the more they learned, the less certain they became of anything. Everyone except Yuek Man Chong agreed that she was the epitome of evil. She killed, she tortured, she destroyed.</p><p></p><p>But these Lohanese people claimed that Matai Shang was a source of good. That he'd helped them, driven back the influence of the Demon Goddess, and fought her wherever she stood.</p><p></p><p>Isaac couldn't reconcile that with their experiences of the ancient sorcerer, who seemed so sinister and blood-thirsty. And he knew he didn't trust the Blood Council, whatever they were up to.</p><p></p><p>He and his friends had no business meddling in these kinds of things. And yet, here they were, with half the Blood Mother's soul in Nevid's head, or something, and all-powerful sorcerers breathing down their necks.</p><p></p><p>Especially Arrafin's neck. Isaac didn't like to think about what Yuek Man Chong wanted from the innocent, coltish Naridic girl, but it turned his stomach. Arrafin was still a nice girl, a little addled at times but a good girl. Sweet and guileless.</p><p></p><p>And possessed of truly frightening powers. And so very determined that this Yuek Man Chong everyone else was so afraid of was in fact the only hero in all this mess.</p><p></p><p>Even after talking with Kho and the others, she refused to consider the idea that perhaps the statuesque vampire might be manipulating them, using them. She never quite got angry enough to storm out, and always calmed down to listen again, but it was obviously hard for her to hear their stories.</p><p></p><p>Their stories were hard for anyone. The empire of Tianguo had suffered a thousand years of torment under the Demon Goddess' rule. Human sacrifice on a tremendous scale; entire cities depopulated to feed her lusts. Murderous orgies and terrifying magics that tore apart the land. The very fabric of nature rent and twisted into cruel mockeries. Children born deformed, monstrous. Great expanses of land where nothing would grow. And everywhere the souls of those she'd butchered clung to the land, haunting the living with their dire need for revenge.</p><p></p><p>With every word they told of suffering and desperation. And the boy they'd found, his halting tale of how Yuek Man Chong had slaughtered his entire village only days ago, made their versions of events impossible to dismiss.</p><p></p><p>At last it was just them. Elena and Arrafin sat side-by-side on the bed, while Isaac and Etienne sprawled on the floor and Nevid leaned against the door.</p><p></p><p>"What are we supposed to do with all this?"</p><p></p><p>Etienne gestured as he spoke.</p><p></p><p>"I mean, why are we even involved here? This has nothing to do with us."</p><p></p><p>Elena grimaced and looked pointedly over at Nevid. The Saijadani youth sighed.</p><p></p><p>"It's in Nevid's head. What are we supposed to do, let Shang have him? We have to do something."</p><p></p><p>Arrafin nodded and joined in.</p><p></p><p>"That's right. And the best thing to do is to find the rest of the Blood Mother's soul and try to restore her. Like Madame Yuek wants to do."</p><p></p><p>"So she says."</p><p></p><p>"Has she ever led us the wrong way before? Has she ever tried to force us to do anything? No. She's not the one telling us scary stories. She just helps us. She's the only one helping Nevid. Everyone else either wants him dead or doesn't care."</p><p></p><p>"But you know what she's done. Everyone says so."</p><p></p><p>"People say this, people say that. It's what you do that matters, not what people say."</p><p></p><p>The room was silent. Isaac stretched.</p><p></p><p>"I wonder what people say about us."</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="barsoomcore, post: 4234725, member: 812"] [b]What A Woman's Got To Do: 7[/b] "What are you doing with that child?" Elena stormed up to the Lohanese trio who held a sniffling Shaeric boy between them. Kho held up his gnarled old hands in a placating gesture. The others crowded behind Elena, pushing into the Saijadani woman's room. Kho and his two compatriots stood there, impassive, with a red-haired boy who seemed unaware of anything happening around him. "What have you done to him? What is this?" Kho stepped forward. "We have done nothing. But you must hear him. You must hear from his mouth what he has seen." "What has he seen?" Isaac knelt down in front of the child. "Here, son. It's okay. You're safe with us. You're safe here." The little boy shook his head sadly. "Not safe. Not safe anywhere." "What happened?" His eyes rose and met Isaac's and the Saijadani drew in a sharp breath at the horror so plain in those blue eyes. The boy swallowed, trembling. "It were dark. Late. Father. We never heard the like, I tell ye." Kho interrupted in his gentle fashion. "This boy comes from a tiny village up in the mountains. He came into town last night. Hsiao found him and we have kept him here to speak with you." "What is this about?" "Listen." All eyes turned back to the boy. He gathered his courage and continued. "Father. I follows him, y'see, down to town. I hide near to the tanner's. I dinna see anything like to that before. "Like a queen. A queen. And the blood everywhere. Everyone, everyone dead. Just a-lying there. Dead. Everyone." The boy began to shake. One of the Lohanese women put a hand on his shoulder, and he calmed down enough to continue. "She seen me father, and quick as anything she. And father. He no even. She. And up to the house. I just hides. I just hides. Little Siobhan. I hear her scream. I run." The boy burst into shrieking sobs. Elena stared. She turned to Arrafin. "You know what this is." "We don't know anything." Sneering at her friend, Elena knelt in front of the boy. "This woman, was she wearing red and gold? Tall, white skin, black hair?" "Aye, that were her." Elena stood and grabbed Arrafin, hurled the slender girl against a wall. "Now do you see? You see? She's a killer, Arrafin. She is a monster." "It's not her fault! She didn't ask to be this. Shang did it to her. She was his prisoner." "No." The two women turned at Kho's quiet denial. "No, she was not his prisoner. She was his lover." "That's not true! That's a lie!" "What, are you jealous? Maybe she doesn't love you like she says she does?" Elena recoiled back when she saw the dark tendrils rise up around where Arrafin stood. Her friend's eyes glazed over with inky blackness and Elena wondered if she'd really done it, really pushed the Naridic girl past the point of no return. Arrafin's owl flapped around the girl's mass of unkempt curls, and the three Lohanese warriors pushed the boy behind them, facing Arrafin with determined expressions. But darkness receded. As Elena watched, the dark masses of Shadow sank back where they'd come from, and the black fury that had transformed Arrafin's face trickled away, leaving a thin, unsteady girl who looked ready to cry. Miserably Arrafin turned to the Lohanese. "Tell me what you know. Tell me your stories." ***** In the end, Isaac reflected, the more they learned, the less certain they became of anything. Everyone except Yuek Man Chong agreed that she was the epitome of evil. She killed, she tortured, she destroyed. But these Lohanese people claimed that Matai Shang was a source of good. That he'd helped them, driven back the influence of the Demon Goddess, and fought her wherever she stood. Isaac couldn't reconcile that with their experiences of the ancient sorcerer, who seemed so sinister and blood-thirsty. And he knew he didn't trust the Blood Council, whatever they were up to. He and his friends had no business meddling in these kinds of things. And yet, here they were, with half the Blood Mother's soul in Nevid's head, or something, and all-powerful sorcerers breathing down their necks. Especially Arrafin's neck. Isaac didn't like to think about what Yuek Man Chong wanted from the innocent, coltish Naridic girl, but it turned his stomach. Arrafin was still a nice girl, a little addled at times but a good girl. Sweet and guileless. And possessed of truly frightening powers. And so very determined that this Yuek Man Chong everyone else was so afraid of was in fact the only hero in all this mess. Even after talking with Kho and the others, she refused to consider the idea that perhaps the statuesque vampire might be manipulating them, using them. She never quite got angry enough to storm out, and always calmed down to listen again, but it was obviously hard for her to hear their stories. Their stories were hard for anyone. The empire of Tianguo had suffered a thousand years of torment under the Demon Goddess' rule. Human sacrifice on a tremendous scale; entire cities depopulated to feed her lusts. Murderous orgies and terrifying magics that tore apart the land. The very fabric of nature rent and twisted into cruel mockeries. Children born deformed, monstrous. Great expanses of land where nothing would grow. And everywhere the souls of those she'd butchered clung to the land, haunting the living with their dire need for revenge. With every word they told of suffering and desperation. And the boy they'd found, his halting tale of how Yuek Man Chong had slaughtered his entire village only days ago, made their versions of events impossible to dismiss. At last it was just them. Elena and Arrafin sat side-by-side on the bed, while Isaac and Etienne sprawled on the floor and Nevid leaned against the door. "What are we supposed to do with all this?" Etienne gestured as he spoke. "I mean, why are we even involved here? This has nothing to do with us." Elena grimaced and looked pointedly over at Nevid. The Saijadani youth sighed. "It's in Nevid's head. What are we supposed to do, let Shang have him? We have to do something." Arrafin nodded and joined in. "That's right. And the best thing to do is to find the rest of the Blood Mother's soul and try to restore her. Like Madame Yuek wants to do." "So she says." "Has she ever led us the wrong way before? Has she ever tried to force us to do anything? No. She's not the one telling us scary stories. She just helps us. She's the only one helping Nevid. Everyone else either wants him dead or doesn't care." "But you know what she's done. Everyone says so." "People say this, people say that. It's what you do that matters, not what people say." The room was silent. Isaac stretched. "I wonder what people say about us." [/QUOTE]
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