Welcome to Gaia! ::

((I actually had a war like that in my book... I'll have to rename it, though. I called it the Rantuinne Conflict. How original. confused ))

Diine was caught off guard by Vinn's comment. Was Vinn always this way, or was it because the elf was... well, a elf?

"Uhh... My name is Diine..." he said, "I am accompanying Sir Dakon in his travels... Is that alright...?"

-----

Rikewell laughed.

"My, my, the lady knight has quite a sharp tongue." he chuckled, "Do you seriously think that crawling on our hands and knees to the people and begging for help is the wisest course to peace? If I didn't know better, I'd slash off your tongue and feed it to the hounds."

The High Viscount turned to Ralendine.

"Your Grace," he said, "This woman's words are beyond offensive! We do not need-"

"Silence, High Viscount, and let Helena lead." said the Duke, standing up from his chair.

The High Viscount snarled and sat back down.

"Helena..." said the Duke, "If you would, dispatch your finest troops and I will dispatch mine. We will accompany them and search for the prince together. Are you with me?"

((I'm trying to make the Council as despicable as possible. Is it working?))

-----

Raedou laughed. He was not at all offended by Farfarello's statement; after what he went through, he did not trust religion at all anymore.

"Well, that's just what the Ganzi believe." he said, "You know, at first I did not believe in demons... That's why when I saw you, I was so shocked."

He chuckled a bit.

-----

"You mean that the Draon and the Ganzi weren't always friends?" said Perrault, "That's interesting. What caused the war?"

((Hm... I have the sense of foreboding that we're going to have to fight the Council Members....))

Inspiration struck Helena. She conceived an idea that might actually be able to work... but... biting her lip, Helena weighed the possibility. Her honor was at stake, should she pursue the line of thought she had just encountered. As a Knight, and the current commander of the Knights (they having gone rogue and the previous leader being killed in action), she had a certain level of honor to maintain. Should her actions become dishonorable, her position would, under a normal reign, be rebuked. She might even be executed.

But wasn't saving all these people, at the sacrifice of one's own honor, a noble and just cause in and of itself? Helena did not know, nor would she pretend to know.

"I... I think," Helena said slowly, "that you have a good plan, Your Grace," she said to Elmire. The Council would likely not be reasoned with. Then another thought struck Helena.

Elmire would gain everything by finding and killing the heir. Not allowing himself to be replaced. Helena chided herself and deigned to keep that in mind. It would just have to come down to the conflict, she thought, and who would act first.

"Assuming that the heir did not flee to Baelta," Helena said, aloud to the Council again, "and is not dead, then Eopia would be the most likely place in which to find our lost heir. My men are ready to leave on the morrow."

((And let it be known that the sun is lowering, and this day will come to an end soon. I must also go. Au revoir.))

((???))

((Japanese trans: See you later! If you use a language I don't understand, I'll use a language you don't understand! Bwaha!))

((...Something bad is going to happen to Far now, Hayato. Japanese = not allowed here. *evil* muhahaha....))
((Allez a bye-bye.))

(great minds think alike?

And here's my take on a big disastrous war... sorry if I screw with your history... Ganzi like fruits, right?

It has two superweapons (in this world's sense,) and misunderstanding, as well as Draon history.)

"Actually, It was the Draons that started it, although if anyone ever asked, they'd claim it was the Ganzi... Anyways, they'd sent a group to explore the forests of Rantuinne, and they met the Forest Ganzi, the base group for the Desert and Tropic Ganzi. The Ganzi were seen as savages by the expedition leader after witnessing their skill at magic, but lack thereof of anything advanced, like a gravity cart... so he ordered them killed in the name of progress... turns out he hadn't killed a tribe, but a family of Ganzi tree farmers. The conflict lead to a full war until both sides became so dangerous that they HAD to stop: For the Draons, It was the creation of the Dark Knights, and for the Ganzi, something known as the Holocaust Vial. When both were deployed in combat, the results were a disaster. The Dark Knights killed allies and enemies with their shadow spells, and the might of four Holocaust Vials destroyed the forest." Hashmal explained, "After which, a truce was formed, to cease the horrors they'd made. The last Holocaust Vials were sealed away, and Dark Knights were shunned from most Draon society... Except for a few cases..."

Hashmal paused to kick down another door, "The few Dark Knights that sought to redeem their name became students of the Ganzi, while the Ganzi began to involve themselves in Draon machinations. As Draons and Ganzi Trade flourished, both sides came to know the other side's abilities: Draons discovered motion control for vague and more powerful spells, and Ganzi found a combination of magic and alchemy to make their useful tools. And the Dark Knights faded away except for my Broodmother and her apprentice... Mastema."

Hashmal then turned towards the elf, "Forgive me if I don't continue with the story, as it is far more personal for me, and wrought with betrayal and loss..."

---

"He's always like that with new people! don't worry, he's better once you get to know him..." Aria smiled.

"She's lying" Vinn announced from behind the door.

"No I'm not, now shut up! They're riding!" She shouted back at the cabin.

(heh, glad you like it. I'll PM you any details you need. I swear I just make this stuff up...)

Hashmal shook her helmeted head, "No. My teacher was a well respected Dark Knight. Her skill was legendary. As her student, I had the same respect. I wasn't cast out as untouchable. They had put me on a pillar of expectation so high, I could not even get to know other Draons. For many reasons, I intimidated and scared them."

She looked back at the guard, "Keep moving or I'll take your head!"

She looked back to the elf, "Only my home village was truly comforting and accepting. Despite past problems, a brood will never sever their ties, and most villages are one if not two broods, interlaced."

Raedou slightly withdrew himself, ashamed at what he had done to Farfarello in the past. He really didn't mean it; he harbored an intense hatred for Farfarello only because he was rash, cruel and contradictory. As the days passed, however, Raedou had grown on the demon.

"Hmm, I see." he said, "You will need to be able to defend yourself, however. I will supply you with alchemic items to use for your survival."

The Ganzi was getting tired of punching through doors and walking non-stop, so he stopped and leaned on a nearby wall to get some rest.

"If I'm the only blasting our way through here..." he said, patting the floor next to him, "I get to decide when we stop and when we go... and we need to stop, so... come sit down and I'll give you something to eat."

He dug into his pack and pulled out two bowls covered with a lacy cloth, inside of both of them a nice selection of fruits and salad. He then pulled out a long flute-like object and began tuning it.