Welcome to Gaia! ::

The Tempest King

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"......" No one had heard him, in fact Joshua soon found himself standing completely alone as the others who hadn't read his post that he worked so hard on *Sniffle* ran, jumped, and otherwise ditched the red-headed swordmaster. Unfortunately rather then follow the retreating group the majority of the crowd had chosen to go for the man covering their retreat.

WHAP Went the plank as yet another ruffian was taken down with a clean smack to the face, of course there was a hell of a lot more. In fact knocking someone down seemed to attract two more, turning to look behind him Joshua was starting to lose sight of his group in the mass of roiling bodies. Thankfully Skrimir's red-hair made for a good marker and was easy to pick out, say what you want about red-hair, didn't stop it from coming in handy now and then.

"This is just typical." he muttered as he looked around, although he was now surrounded by angry citizens they were reluctant to charge him again, lest they end up like the other guy's who had tried. Still it was only a matter of time before they all ran at him at once and mobbed him down, so he had to do something. "See if they had made a circle this wouldn't have happened" he thought slightly annoyed. But what were you going to do eh?

Joshua made his move. Swiftly turning so he was facing towards the group that had forgot about him, Joshua ran. Of course there was someone in his way... easily dealt with.

"Catch," He said simply as he tossed the plank high up in the air, stupidly the man looked up to follow where the plank was going and ended up catching it at chest level. .5 seconds later he caught Joshua's foot in the same spot, still running Joshua brought his foot up and booted the plank, which was now in the man's arms, like he was kicking in a door. If this was a movie it would be one of those scenes that will show the hit from three different angles, it was that cool of a kick. Flying backwards and now holding a neatly broken in half plank, the man landed on the ground with only a slight huff (kinda hard to make a more impressive noise when you've had the wind knocked out of you).


Showing no mercy the swordmaster trod on the man's face as he ran to catch up with Skrimir and group, "Did anybody see that? Please tell me someone saw that!" he asked as he caught up with those in the rear.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The riot was quieting down. The streets were becoming empty of women and children, those who were able to be persuaded into stopping left the area, and the drunkards... well, they forgot what was going on and fell to the ground somewhere. The ones who continued to fight were mostly on the ground, but some still stood.

Among the ones still standing was that infamous Adlian with the blue bandanna. His failure to stab Sue left him headstrong to do whatever it took to inflict his festered and irrational hatred toward Learania. When he regained his barrings, he caught sight of the group heading to the other side of the town and began to chase after them. He waved through the bustle, punching and shoving as needed until he finally got ahead of the foreigners. His knife was gone, he needed a new weapon. The heat of the moment was causing him to become slightly deranged. Not far away from him lay a drunk person who was barely awake and trying to take a sip of his drink. The man looked ahead of him and saw a supply cart with a torch ready to be lit on it. With a new sinister idea in mind, he wasted no time in taking the drunkard's alcohol for himself and swiping the torch from the wagon. He eyed where the Learanian group was while he fiddled with the torch and eventually got it lit.

"HEY!!!" A sudden cry rang out. In front of the group, even the burly tomato-top, stood the man with the blue bandanna. In one hand he held the liquor, and in the other he held the lit torch. "You scumbags... look what you're doing to this town!!" In a fit of rage, he threw the alcohol to the center of the group. "You're not getting away with this!" He raised his arm and pulled it back, ready to throw it.

And then the final turn ends, and the goal for the chapter is met, since everyone survived.

A blade appears in front of the man's neck. When the man tries to move the arm holding the torch, it will not budge, for it has been caught. "I thought I was pretty clear when we talked before, townsperson." Songhua leaned his head forward, allowing the man to see that it was him. "Now, I would like to not have to use my blade on you, but if you don't stop your foolishness, I will do what must be done. So come now, loosen that grip... good man, good man." As the grip loosened, Songhua grabbed the torch then allowed the man to get away from the sword. He quickly doused the flame. "My patience with you thins. Slither away, and fuel this horrible mess no longer."

The man held his neck, still in fear of being so close to death even though the Chieftain would probably not have taken his life. He staggered back, scowling all the way, then finally began to run off, away from the group.

Songhua looked around at what he could see of the town. The riot had not started near him, but he had started to hear noises and could see people rushing to where it was taking place. He shook his head, genuinely disappointed in the hearts of men, knowing that he was no exception to the nature of it all. After sheathing his scimitar, Songhua looked up toward Tibarn. "You did well in not laying permanent harm to these people... though, I do think some of your people could have been a little more careful in their actions. But we should leave this place, it only brings me sadness, now." He turned to the whole group. "Come, those in need of a horse, mount up. You will only slow everyone down if you go of foot, and have no animal transformation."

The horses were all prepared for the non-laguz who did not have one, and the Chieftain's men were all mounted and ready to depart. As soon as Learania was ready, the trip to the Elder's camp would be timeskipped begin.

Ok, so she was trying to get to the people Chief asked her to stay with, next thing she knew, her kitty friend had scooped her into his arms and leaped over the crowd.

TALK ABOUT EEP!! Once she was let down, Kalilah had absolutly nothing to say....What WAS there to say?? Kitty man just picked her up and they went WHOOSH over the crowd!!! Her brain was dead, as well as turning into a shade of red all over her face.

Blah blah blah, what else is there, writer's got nothing. Crap post is all you get.

Chief Songhua seemed to have helped them out once more. Soemthing did spark Kalilah's interest however. Why was there such an outburst when chief had left? WAs there someone holding a grudge against him? Or maybe the Learanians they were with? Something had to be done and over with.

Where was her horse anyhow? Ohey, least she found her sheath somehow stuck in a pile of crap off to the side. Now she won't have to cut herself with her wo dao! Hurray! Sword in sheath, strapped to her belt once more and now! To find that horse of hers. The swordmistress found it at the edge of the gate where the others were standing and grabed it by the reigns. Ugh, horse, she had to ride another. At least this way, she'd be able to keep up with the group.

((Crap post veyr crap post, dont' judge me ))

The kitty did what he could, following after Prince Skrimir as he led the group towards the North Gate. Hee hee...Carrot-top. That would be the lion's new nickname, if the prince wouldn't tear him to shreds.

It wasn't long before they had reached the gate. Suddenly, there was a crashing and tinkle of glass breaking behind him and a strong scent enter his nose. He glanced back to see that a bottle had been thrown and smashed in the middle of their group, and the person who threw it was just behind them, torch in hand. It was the same Beorc who had tried to stab the green haired Beorc girl earlier and started this whole mess.

Wait. Lit torch, alcohol. Fire + booze = moar fire. Sunil did not work well with fire, and he was pretty sure Lyre and Carrot-Top Skrimir did not like fire either. It was pretty to look at, but nobody liked smelling like burnt hair for weeks.

So Sunil did the only thing he could do at this distance: flail. Flail like he had never flailed before.

"He's gonna burn us! Hit the--nya?" he stopped flailing when he saw Chieftan Songhua stop the crazy Beorc.

Chieftan Songhua had just earned 20 respect points from the kitty. At least they weren't going to go up in flames. He suddenly hugged his tail.

"Yay~ We're not going to burn today!" he said, holding the appendage close.

Okay, it was looking awkward now, so he let go of his tail. He glanced around. There were so many horsies. Were they Nomadic horsies? If they were, did they have horse gers while living out on the wilderness with the rest of the nomadic Beorcs?

Sunil noticed Kalilah and wandered over to her. Seems like she was going to ride a horse again. Kitty-folk don't ride horses, so he would walk.

"Looks like we completed our goal of getting here alive. And uh...sorry about earlier, lifting you up and jumping over that mob. Hope I didn't scare you." the kitty man said, rubbing the back of his head.

I'm putting a Sephas post in here at some point in the immediate future. For those that I said I would post for before the end of today, I apologize. It'll be up tomorrow (hopefully) but I'm just placing this here so I can get this post in in case the plot bunnies decide to move things along before I get the chance.

Skrimir glanced at the chieftain, the horses, and then to the crowd. There was really nothing for it. The riot had ended, yes. But in his eyes, the fight hadn't-- he'd gotten swept up in the chaos, and it still carried him. He was eerily reminded of battlefields, and an inkling thought that these mundane affairs might not be so different from a fight danced in his mind.

There was nothing for it but to simply go along and see where he would end up. So far he had learned several things about this new, weird, backwards place. That there was more than one faction, and that these nomads did not much like the side he had been press-ganged into.

Also, his bones ached. Any excuse to run with the ground beneath his paws. Not being able to release it through that brawl had been torturous. Skrimir hardly blamed Lyre for bounding off like she had. He doubled over, but hardly shrank, feeling the familiar sensation of his mane and his tail and his paws return to him.

He could see the wary looks of some of the beorc, eying how large he was in this form. He quickly moved away from the horses, knowing they recognized a predator when they saw one.

Skrimir turned aside on the path, tail swaying in freedom once more. "Where to," he said, though he didn't know who would answer. It didn't really matter anymore.

And so it began. The group from Learania had successfully met with Songhua at the province town of Leera. Although things did not go as peacefully as desired, death was avoided by all. The group mounted and were quickly off, while they were still able to do so. The behavior of the rioters would more than likely live on in the minds of these travelers of peace for quite some time. It showed them how things would be, if they were to fail.

So onward they traveled, northward, toward the heart of the plains. They reached the river in no time at all, and crossed it with haste. The site of the first attack was not far from where they were then, but they had more pressing matters to tend to. If they continued at their pace, they would be able to reach the elder's camp before the sun had fully set. After crossing the river, the greenery changed around the group. The grass got taller, and the flowers became more colorfully vivid and abundant. The wind picked up, blowing wave after wave through the silky grasslands. Refreshing scents filled the air. The cobblestone of Leera had turned into a dirt road and that dirt road eventually became covered in green. The road traveled by caravans and merchants was behind them. The open hilly terrain of the plains was before them, and their hope lay somewhere within it.

Finally, as night was well into creeping upon the travelers, they came over a hill to see lit torches of an encampment. Songhua and one of his men rode ahead, so as not to startle the lookouts, then explained why they were there, and who was with them. The gathered camp guards looked at each other, eyes glinting with distrust. But there had not been an attack, and there was no reason for them to suspect Songhua of any foul play. He had come up to them freely with no Learanian with him, so he wasn't being forced to say anything or act a certain way. His story checked out, but the guards still didn't like it. One of them was sent to inform the elders.

The same guard came back moments later, with the okay to allow the foreigners to enter. Songhua sent his man back to inform the Learanians, and the group was soon at the gate. The camp guards ordered that the group relinquish their weapons, and said that they would have them returned, if they were to leave. When coming across any laguz, any such hunting knives or sharp tools were taken. These guards had never seen a laguz, so they did not truly understand what one could do. From what they had heard, they knew that the animal-people would have to be watched more closely than the others.

Once all weapons were taken, several of the guards secured the horses and led them to the stables, while some others led the group ahead. They were brought to a large ger in the center of the camp. A guard stood at each side of the entrance and held up a sheet that covered the opening. Songhua took the lead and went in first. Inside, the elders sat as they always were, while there. Kenafa was in the center, Shamir was to his right, and Kusume was to his left. As Songhua entered the building, he took one of the four cushions as a seat, and signaled for Sue to take one as well. He figured Tibarn would probably take one of the other two. If the others entered, they would be able to stand in the back and listen, save for the one other person who would be able to have the last seat. The elders looked sternly at the foreigners.

"Songhua.... why am I not surprised that you have done this?" Elder Kenafa finally began to speak. He narrowed his eyes, visibly frustrated. "You have blatantly ignored our bidding, and put our land in terrible danger. This is not the first time you have defied our word. In those cases, you have always provided something that changed our standing, and that I can accept. This time, you bring Learanians to our very homes. This, I am having trouble accepting."

Elder Kusume eyed the young girl thoroughly. "Does Captain Rath think that if he sends his daughter here, that it will somehow change things?" She said in a calm, soothing voice. The woman could tell that some were surprised that she knew who this girl was. "It is not hard to tell. The spirits dance around you in the same way they did for him. They can see your father's strength buried within you. But just because you have nomadic heritage does not mean we shall have sympathy with what you have to say."

Elder Shamir's eye twitched. He was astounded that a chieftain would go this far, defying their command to have have any contact with the vile country that had attacked them. "Silence, Kusume!" he finally burst out. "I am curious to know why we should even hear what the girl has to say. This affront to our position is outrageous! It is probably a distraction of some kind meant for us to focus on to have our senses become clouded."

Kusume slowly turned her gaze over to Shamir. "For your senses to become clouded, they would first need to be clear, Shamir. Know your place. We are not absolute order; we are here to lend our wisdom and guide our people." She looked back to the girl. "I would like to hear what she has to say."

"...why you...!" Shamir widened his eyes. His tower of pride had been hit, and it was a long fall. "No, you know your place, woman! I could easily outdo your-"

"Enough!" Kenafa had not removed his gaze from the group in front of him. He had listened to what his two fellow figureheads had to say, but he had heard enough. A sigh escaped him. "... ...I do not know why you have brought these people here, Songhua.... but I have faith enough in you, to believe that you would not do this unless the cause was just." He glanced to the girl next to the chieftain. "Speak, child, for I would what you have to say."