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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Emperor Valerian" data-source="post: 2273056" data-attributes="member: 15043">Apologies... and Plots Revealed...“I... I am sorry, Felonca,” Dian said, his normally thundering, boisterous voice now quieter than a kitten’s mew.  “I...I...”“Uncle?” Felonca replied, confusion rooting her in place.  Wa-Feng Dian was a proud man, a proud warrior... she could recall that he’d only bent his knee to two people ever... her grandfather, when he was alive, and her own father, his older brother...“I should have never doubted you, Felonca,” Dian’s soft voice whispered into the grass.  “I...I have brought a grave dis... dishonor on myself, and on my family!  I should have never doubted you, never posted you away, never questioned your right to be a Wa-Feng!  By all rights...” she started to say, his hand reaching for the dagger at his waist.“No!” Felonca’s hand lashed out, stopping Dian’s hand before it could reach his weapon. Dian’s face looked up to her, and Felonca saw tear streaks were running down his dark fur, his eyes blinking rapidly as his eyes watered.  “No,” she whispered again, her hands grasping his and pulling.  Dian’s eyes went wide as he stood up at her direction. “No, Uncle... there is dishonor, but there is also forgiveness,” she whispered, wrapping her arms around him.  There needs to be no blood to satisfy dishonor...  “Uncle... you thought you were working in the best interests of rescuing father by dissuading me, and for the sentiment for your brother, I am grateful.  I am glad that you now understand I am a warrior, just like you, my father, and my grandfather before me.”“But... what shall I do... to make up for the disservice I have done?” Dian said quietly, carefully concealing a sniffle at his shame.“Promote her?” Nayu finally spoke quietly.“Yes,” Dian pulled back from the hug, his face showing a returned determination.  “Yes!  With two hundred troops, you beat five battalions of Hu Lian’s best cavalry, and Hu Lian herself!  You deserve a promotion to at least Shao, if not Shang!”“Um... Uncle, I... I cannot accept such an honor!” Felonca backed away.  I did well commanding two battalions... I know nothing of commanding twenty battalions, or a whole army!  I’ll be lost... I’ll mess up!  “You will take a post at least as a Shao!  I will not listen to any disagreement!” Dian’s eyes narrowed. “Allow me to compensate for my grave errors in judgment, and clean this blemish from my conscience!”“Uncle, but...”  Numerous protests arose in Felonca’s mind, but she decided they wouldn’t matter... her Uncle’s jaw was set, he felt it was the only way to make up for his mistake, and his stubbornness was legendary, even for a Wa-Feng.“Very well, Uncle.  I ask that you refrain from posting me to a full command, at least for now.”  I’d much rather keep my small unit of troops...“Nonsense!” Dian laughed.  “I am in need of a second in command...”“Uncle!”“...someone,” he brushed aside her protest, “to help me with planning and lead special units and movements!  Mind you,” he looked at the ground, “this is a battlefield appointment... Shang Quan-Shi will have to verify it for the rank to become permanent, but Shao Wa-Feng Felonca has a ring to it, I believe.”  He looked back up, pride now mixing with the remorse in his eyes.  “It is only appropriate for the Conqueror of Hu Lian.”“Fine... I accept,” Felonca crossed her arms, the family stubbornness reluctantly giving way in her person, “so long as I do not recieve extra battalions to command or the like.”“Oh, I don’t have any such thing planned.  Instead, your first mission, Shao Wa-Feng, will be to help me interrogate your prisoner,” he pointed towards Hu Lian’s bound form.  “She likely knows her brother’s full strength, the names and reputation of his commanders, as well as where your father and the other prisoners are being held within the camp to the south...”“Hu Lian?”She’s little more than a girl! Felonca thought as the princess’ eyes slowly flickered open.  Now that the blood and grime had been cleaned from her face, she looked strangely strong, yet beautiful, her face seemingly carved from porcelain, her eyes a deep, piercing brown.  For a second, those same eyes looked at Felonca’s with surprise, before they suddenly narrowed.How do I go about this...  I’ve never done an interrogation before!“You are my prisoner, Princess Hu,” Felonca said, trying to fill her voice with command and authority, despite her wariness at not knowing what she was doing.  “And now I’m going to ask you some questions... and I expect answers.  Truthful answers... otherwise, I am afraid your leg won’t be the only part of your body that you’ll miss...”“Ha!” the girl snapped back, her voice soft and high like those of girls that had only just passed puberty.  “You wouldn’t hurt a fly!  You are weak, Wa-Feng!  I see it in your eyes, you stupid cat!”Felonca looked at those defiant eyes, and sighed.  I hoped it wouldn’t come to this...  I tried to be nice.  She then turned, and nodded, wincing slightly at her uncle’s growl as Dian stepped fully into the room, bristling in hybrid, his huge blade drawn and now level with the Princess’ neck.“You killed alot of my men, you little bastard,” his voice rumbled, “and I’ve got no qualms about slicing and dicing you so bad your mother won’t know if she’s holding part of your nose or part of your arm, you little whore!”  Felonca winced again... though she also noticed Princess recoil slightly.“I hear you don’t like being a human,” Nayu’s voice came from behind Felonca, in the doorway.  “Princess, have you considered all the benefits of becoming an aardvark?  Eat as many ants as you want, you get a really long tongue, and you get armor plating so that no wolves can eat you.”  She felt the sorcerer step up behind her, and lean past her so he was inches from Hu Lian’s face.  His hand went up, inches from her nose, and sparks crackled between his fingers.“I can arrange you to sample this lovely form of life, if you want.”  Felonca could almost feel the sneer that she knew was filling Nayu’s face.  “I’m sure the panthers here wouldn’t mind a plaything to toy with for a few minutes before your shell is ripped open and they dine on your eyeballs.”The Princess leaned back, away from her two tormentors, her eyes wide in horror.  “No...” she whispered fearfully, “I won’t betray my brother!  No!”“Hmm... how about a mouse then?  Squeak squeak!  Squeak squeak!” Nayu laughed darkly, the sparks turning into shadows, “That might be a more sporting fit... great cats beating a mouse between their paws before swallowing her in one gulp...”“Do you like having a neck?” Dian asked more pointedly, the tip of his sword pressing the part of her body in question.“Lian, please,” Felonca said plaintively, happy to fill the role of the good guy in the affair, “just answer my questions, and no harm will come to you.  Now, why is your brother marching on Liaoxiang?”“I... I... will not tell!” Lian cried, cringing back despite the fact her head was firmly against he wall and she was unable to put any more distance between herself and her captors.  “No!  Nothing!”“A finger for each time she says no, then?” Dian said menacingly.“Squeak?” Nayu added.The princess closed her eyes, and opened her mouth.“Round one of the talks done,” Felonca sighed a few hours later in her uncle’s command tent, before looking at her friend and her uncle.  “I wasn’t going to get her to crack... thank you for your help.”“That was far easier than I expected,” Dian said, as he turned towards Nayu with a worried look.  “And Xiao Wakabayashi, if you can do some of the things you claim...”“Why would I lie about something like that?” Nayu asked in reply, a smirk on his face.  “Besides, it only took a couple of illusions to convince her I had access to shadow magic and was willing to convert her into a half-shadow mouse that glowed in the dark so panthers could play pouncy!”  He let out a loud laugh... and Felonca’s eyes narrowed.“You seemed quite eager to do your threats, Nayu,” she observed, “and sometimes I am afraid of your magic!”  She gave a slight chuckle, even as she winced inside.  He seemed all to eager to forcibly change her body... and the way his eyes looked when he talked about shadow magic.. when he threatened to wither her arm when she paused talking... he... he looked like he WOULD do the necromancy!“Be afraid! Be very afraid!” Nayu waved his hands spookily and chuckled, before Dian cleared his throat, drawing the two friends back to the task at hand.“Ahem.  So... to review what we now know.  Firstly, that Prince Hu means to take Liaoxiang for its spellcasters, for its arcane knowledge, but more importantly, to kidnap the Emperor for the Military Governor.  The question is... why does the Military Governor want the Emperor?  And what is Prince Hu getting in return?”“Still can’t believe those two bastards are working together!” Nayu’s countenance changed to a snarl.  “I’m guessing its so the Military Governor can either turn the Emperor undead, or take control of him... simple as that!  He’s probably planning on double-crossing the prince!”“Hu, from the few times we met him, seems to be quite an intelligent man... I doubt he’d let himself be so obviously trapped,” Felonca said.  “The Military Governor must be providing something so arduous in return that he has no time to contemplate...  wait...”  Her feline eyes narrowed, and she felt her hybrid tail twitch in thought.  “All those burning men and skeletons were created by the Military Governor and his prefects...”“Ancestral piss!” Dian swore.  “So Quan-Shi is facing an army of living... and an army the dead?”“Great,” Nayu tossed his hands up, “an army of burning men.  Lovely... just lovely.  Perhaps they will be complemented by a lovely array of skeletons, or more hulking white lions and yellow mold creatures!”“Appears so...” Felonca sighed, before trying to turn her mind to a bright spot fromt he interrogation.  “At least we have information on the prisoner camp.  Though this description of the commander seems right odd... white tiger’s head, striped fur?  That part sounds like a weird kind of tiger hengeyokai.  But his hands...”“Twisted so they face backwards?” Nayu finished the sentence.  “He’s a rakshasa... he’s gotta be a rakshasa.  But I don’t know of any white furred rakshasas... the only two my father ever saw in his travels were orange and black, like normal tigers.  And since she said he doesn’t use a book, I’m going to assume he’s like me... a sorcerer, not a scholar.  The second in command of the camp confuses me as well.  Clad in plate armor with blades whirling about him?  How can he control the blades through magic if he’s wearing plate?”“Is he even a spellcaster?” Dian asked quietly.  “If he is, I want him in my ranks... a spellcaster that can lob magic and fight?”  Dian then breathed in sharply.  “Add to that he never sleeps, and is always about the camp enforcing discipline?  I model officer... and something that isn’t human!”“Well, she says she hasn’t seen anyone try to fight the brute, and with all the threats you two were tossing, I’m inclined to believe her,” Felonca said quietly.  “At least she was able to give us a good description of the camp... good enough I was able to make a sketch...”<a href="https://netfiles.uiuc.edu/wtinder2/story images/Silent Wood Battlefield copy2.jpg" target="_blank">A sketch you can view here!</a> (Supplies are the brown things, encampments are the tents... unfortunately, the prisoner sections weren't clearly marked when I made this... they are to the lower right...)=========================================================</blockquote>

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