Arc 1 - Beast of a Thousand Knives (Completed)

[Kowsauni]

Ying and Corsica

After crying on Hakka's shoulder for a bit, Ying began to quiet down. Letting her emotions out seem to do her good. She would lift her head off of Hakka's shoulder and wipe her eyes. She would manage a weak smile. "Thank you, Hakka. For helping us. You are the first friend I have had on the outside since we were taken. It makes me feel... like we might actually be able to trust people again."

Confused by Revenge's mumbling, Corsica would momentarily turn her attention to Kuori. "The might of the Kingdom of Aira is only kept in check by the loose alliance of three other nations surrounding it. They are far too powerful for any of us to even imagine to take on. I... I've seen them raze an entire village, with no one tracing it back to them. The guilt and sadness in Corsica's voice indicates she is probably more than just a witness to this event.

"If word of their secret research got out, it would hurt their reputation immensely with the surrounding nations--but it would do little stop them. Please, what happened here must remain a secret, for the safety of everyone. All that Aria will know is a bunch of their soldiers went into the forest and never came out."

Corsica reaches into a pocket on her skirt and pulls out a sack of coins. The way it is splattered with blood indicates she has probably liberated from one of the soldiers. She tosses it to Kuori. "Here, use this to pay for the cattle we took from the ranchers. The coins in there are platinum and, by the weight, I would imagine there are about a hundred of them, but it's been a while since I was a merchant. Count that as our spoils from the battle. Our presence in Lupa would only put them in danger. Aria will come to investigate what has happened to their soldiers. None of us should be around when that happens. We were very careful about the cattle we took, always targeting a different rancher each time. Why, that last rancher alone had well over a hundred cattle, and we've only taken four in all. The idea was to cause fear without actually doing too much damage to anyone."

Corsica turns back to Revenge with a look of contemplation. She mulls over the strange things he has said. She knows there is something more--and it finally dawns on her. Her eyes open wide in surprise. "It can't be... she said he was a merchant... but... Are you... are you Naeem, her husband?"  

[Rain Yupa]

"..... didn't you offer to help the Arians this morning?" Revenge would comment, aside, casting a glance at Kuori. "I faintly remember them hiring a guide."

Then he would look past Corsica, and tuck the parchment into his armor where he didn't feel any wetness from blood. "I... know of him. He's the reason I call myself Revenge. That's all that matters now. Hold on a moment, there's something I need to do."

He would hobble his way over to Ying - making it a point to drop his halberd - slowing his approach as he neared her. "Ying, I-" He would turn his gaze from hers, if she were to look at him. "I... can't apologize to you. I don't regret my actions, not one, because any action I took I felt was the right choice to make at that time. But I was wrong. I tried to... I try to see good in people, even ones who don't necessarily deserve it. But it put you in danger, I put you in danger in the process. And it was wrong of me."

"Do... you know what the first duty of all Paladins is? No matter their creed?"  

[Ryssa Blackblood]

Hakka felt warmed by her friend's words, glad that Ying thought so highly of her. As the tin can man neared, however, Hakka skirted around Ying a little bit, protectively. She put herself in between Revenge and Ying, not trusting the tiefling. It's not as though she thought that he might try to strike Ying, but better safe than sorry...especially since he was acting all "paladin-y"  

[I Drink Blue Moon]

Gloom had been trying to tune out most of this conversation, but it finally became to sappy for him. "By the divines, can we please pick up this conversation at the tavern. I didn't patch up your wounds so that you could go all bleeding heart on us, and I don't want ol' wooden tits to come back again."  

[Kowsauni]

Ying and Corsica

At Revenge's words, Corsica would look over at Kuori. After peering at her for a moment she would shrug her shoulders. "What transpired this morning between Kuori and the soldiers does not matter to me. Her actions in battle just now are all I proof I needed to see." Corsica would give Kuori a little affectionate nudge on the shoulder with her human hand. In her scorpion form she stands even taller than the Goliath, "Battle sister."

Ying looks a little nervous as Revenge approaches, as if she's not quite sure what he's up to. His actions so far have left her quite confused. She would respond meekly to his question, "I-I never met a paladin before you. But I heard stories that they were champions that would always help people in need, regardless of the odds. T-that's about it."  

[Rain Yupa]

''... A paladin's first duty, is to dirty their hands so others do not have to. I would have fought for you, if you had only asked." A pause.

"I'm not sure where our paths will go from here. Both Corsica and Kuori may want my life in exchange for sticking to my convictions. If not, I suspect I may be marching against Aria... somehow. But for you... if you wish to continue this refugee lifestyle, if you ever are threatened like this again... if possible, find another paladin, and ask for his or her help. Just ask. They will do anything and everything for you, if you ask them with sincerity. Can you promise me this, Miss Ying?"

He would give a glance to Hakka, before extending one hand out, palm-up, towards Ying.

((@ IDBM: I intend on heading back to Lupa at the end of my next post, don't worry.))  

[Kowsauni]

Ying and Corsica

Ying would look at hesitantly at Revenge and then glance at Hakka. However, after a moment or so, she would timidly reach out her hand to the paladin. "I-I can't make any promises, but... I can try."

"Naeem!" Corsica would suddenly shout. "Do not put words in my mouth. I do not wish to end your life, but we still need to talk! Ab--Halima was very close to me! She told me much of her life before... well..." Corsica's gaze falls away from Revenge as she trails off, but after another moment she looks him straight in the eyes, her face full of fierce determination. "You must answer me this! Do you still love her? Are you still willing to honor the vows you took so long ago and take care of her in her time of need? I need to know--and speak plainly when you answer!"

Ying's eyes would open wide. While she had been crying into Hakka's shoulder, she had missed this revelation. She would stammer out. "You're Abby's..." she would trail off. After a moment she would turn to Hakka and whisper, "I don't really like it, but let's check the soldiers and see if they have anything useful for our travels."  

[Rain Yupa]

Calling over his shoulder at Corsica, he would yell, "I said 'may'!"

Turning back to Ying, he would place his other hand over hers, and infuse her with the last of his divine healing energy.

Quote:

Revenge uses his last Lay on Hands for the day; he spends a healing surge, and Ying regains hit points as if she had spent a healing surge.

"That's all I ask," he would say to her. "Fox-girl here will take care of you, I suspect." He would offer Hakka a faint smile, before turning and start walking away, stooping to pick up his halberd.

He would look to Corsica, and pause, then look over his shoulder. "Gloom, I doubt we're getting paid for the mission we were here for. You have the right idea about heading back. When we get back, all your drinks for the evening are on me. That should be compensation enough for keeping me on this mortal coil, if I'm permitted to remain here longer to continue my reign of terror. Come on."

He would begin to walk out of the clearing, back towards the forest where he came from, slowing as he would pass by Corsica.

"... to death do us part," he would say to her plainly, figuring he wouldn't need to say any more than that. Then he would pick up his pace a few moments after doing so.

"Though I suppose you guys could just kill me and loot my body, and the drinks would still be on me," he would continue saying to Gloom without missing a beat. "But I'm hopeful none of you are in the mood for petty theft at this hour."

And hopefully, he'd be on his way back to Lupa.  

[Ryssa Blackblood]

Hakka was rather protective of her friend still, so there was a faint growl of warning in her throat as the paladin reached for Ying, but she did not stop him. The fox girl trusted in her friend to make the right judgement. After Revenge left their proximity, she cooled down and nodded. "That's a good thought...If you don't want to take part, I can do it for you," she said, then scurried off to loot anything of value or use from the slain platoon. Once finished, she assumed they were heading back to town, though she would wait for Ying and Corsica to depart.  

[PupSage]

100 platinum ... that was more money than Kuori had ever had. Nearly 5 times as much. Greed and possibility began to flood her mind. A bull and a few horses weren't worth nearly this much. She knew the cost of a horse ... 3 platinum. A bull was probably worth less. That left 90 platinum.
To be fair, she should probably split it with Gloom, with smaller portions going to Revenge and the fox, but even then.
Then the punch to the arm and the talk of looting came about. Kuori peeked inside the bag to make sure it was platinum. Then said, "Yeah ... uh, we should see if we can find more papers ... or gold. Revenge is right, we probably aren't getting paid for this, and we need to gear up if we are going to find his wife."
She sprung into action, starting at the nearest Lt and taking anything of value, knowledge or wealth.  

[I Drink Blue Moon]

Gloom smiled at Revenge and said, "I should save your ads more often." Then he heard Kuori's tidbit about his wife. "I am all for the forgive and forget bit, I just jumped on that train myself, but why do you suddenly want to go save his wife, who I might add is probably half spider or something. If she is half as good of a fighter as these two, she is probably fine on her own. Love will bring them together, I don't need to get dragged into it."  

[Kowsauni]

Ying and Corsica

Ying's wounds would instantly begin to heal from the paladin's touch, though she still remains visibly hurt. As Revenge walks pass Corsica he finds himself swept up in her pincers. He is lifted off the ground and brought around to be face to face with her. She looks quite angry. "I'm getting tired of your s**t, paladin. I asked you a direct question--now give me a direct answer. Do you still love Halima and want to help her? Because right now she's putting herself in danger because of you! Despite my advice, she headed back to the place of her capture after we escaped. Some place called Gladesdale. She's searching for something she lost there and she doesn't even remember what it is. The experiments done to her shattered her memories. But I remember because she told me. You were supposed to meet her their for your honeymoon. You must go there and convince her to leave--or Aria will no doubt catch up with her! She has no intention of letting herself be retaken alive!"

(Revenge is grappled by Corsica. An athletic or acrobatics check can be made to escape Corsica's grasp. The DC to beat is 20.)

Ying would gasp as Corsica picks up Revenge. She would turn to Hakka and whisper to her. "Corsica was close to Abby. When we were first taken to the bad place, she watched over us and tried to protect us." Ying pauses for a moment as she recalls the unhappy memories. "...when she lost her memories, it was Corsica's turn to watch over her. When we escaped we tried to convince her to come with us, but she insisted on heading back to where she was taken. Corsica never told me why, though she knew the reason. Our friend Petra went with Abby as well."

As Hakka looks over one of lieutenants, she finds the same collection of sketches Corsica found. Much to her surprise, she recognizes one of the faces as well. It belongs to a fox hengeyokai she hasn't seen in almost 30 years, the last time being in her forest back before she could take a human form. By this time Hakka was a wizened old fox, but she'd felt there were things even she could learn from this mysterious figure. The strange fox moved through the forest like the wind and seemed to be one with the shadows. A group of bandits had recently taken up residence in Hakka's territory and begun to hunt her game. This fox woman had consulted Hakka on the problem before singlehandedly driving the bandits away and disappearing as quickly as she had appeared.

((Sorry, that was a miscalculation earlier, the bag Corsica handed Kuori contains 10 platinum, not 100. However as the party searches the bodies this is what is found,))

5500 gold--5000 of which is in platinum the rest in other coin (this is in addition to the 10 platinum Corsica gave)
A Bag of Holding from Nathanial which contained most of the money.
L1 had magical looking boots
L3 had a magic wand
L4 had bracers that look magical
Nathanial had magical looking gloves

The rest of the arms and armor on the soldiers is mundane in nature and conspicuously bears the mark of the Aria Military. These items would be hard to fence and would no doubt raise suspicion if seen with.  

[Rain Yupa]

"And how will holding me here, like this, going to help me get there? Unless you plan on carrying me, that is." He makes no effort to struggle or escape.

"Imagine for a moment, hypothetically, when your sister was taken by Aria, someone could have been there to prevent it, to do something about it... but they weren't. They abandoned her to her fate, to immeasurable evil and suffering. Think about how you would feel about that person who condemned her so through their absence, their inaction. How much you would hate that person."

"Now realize, that that person, the power to make a difference, was you."

"Now please, stop calling me Naeem."  

[Ryssa Blackblood]

Hakka listened to her friend, and though recanting these thoughts was painful to the centipede girl, Hakka knew there wasn't anything she could really do for her friend. "She was trying to protect you, I suppose, from as much as she possibly could," Hakka replied as she shuffled through the dead bodies. The bag was rather interesting...She would most certainly enjoy having one of those...It was tricky, which grabbed her attention. However, when she saw the sheaf of papers and began to leaf through them, Hakka did indeed see something unexpected. It struck her so hard that her hand trembled a bit and her eyes grew to about three times their normal size...not literally of course. "Ying," she said softly, the fox's picture on top of the stack now, "wh-who....Who is this?" Clearly the young fox girl was startled by the picture.  

[Kowsauni]

Ying and Corsica

Corsica glares angrily at Revenge and yells, "Then why are you fighting me on this? I'm trying to help you, you moron! You were just about to walk off without even knowing where she went! Do you want to help her or not? Ugh, your self righteousness is making me sick. I have no idea what she saw in you!"

Corsica releases Revenge and he would fall to the ground with a clank. She begins to storm off but then stops. She takes a deep breath and reins in her emotions. She looks back over her shoulders at the paladin. "Look, it's probably a bit late for this, but don't beat yourself up over this any more. Take it from me--if you were there, it wouldn't have done a damn bit of good. In fact, Abby would have just gotten to watch you die and her fate would have still been the same. Here's your chance now to make a difference... if you can get her to remember you."

Corisca reaches down and grabs a longsword from one of the fallen soldiers with her pincer. In one swift motion, she snaps the blade off and tosses the hilt at Revenge's feet. The hilt has the emblem of the Aria military emblazoned upon it. "If you approach her directly and start trying to talk to her about this stuff, you'll probably scare her off. Present that hilt to her and tell her that the Bladebreaker sends what she is looking for... and she will at least talk with you." Corsica turns away from Revenge and begins to look through the bodies herself.

Ying seems a bit surprised by Hakka's reaction, but when she sees the picture the fox girl is looking at she would explain cheerfully. "Oh, that's Fumiyo. She was called the Shadow Wolf. She could take different forms just like you, but the bad people had... done things to them. She was our leader on the inside. She had been taken and kept there longer than anyone else. She organized all us new arrivals and helped us to continue feeling like real people. Fumiyo was the one who broke us out and helped us all escape. She went back in to try and get out others and... well... we don't know what happened after that since we had to run." Ying would look sadly at the ground, her cheer now gone. "She was like a mother to everyone. I hope she got out okay... but if her picture is here I guess that means she must have."