Arc 2 - Heart of a Monster (Completed)

[Rain Yupa]

"Urk..." Revenge would grunt when he was embraced, still in a good deal of pain, and he wounds fresh enough to still be re-opened. He couldn't tell if one just had or not.

Upon Abby's recap of what she was told, he would respond with an "Oh, really...", his words dripping with venom as his gaze went to the others. Turning back to Abby, he would address her with a bit more kindness. "I'll be okay, don't worry. But I'll need to eat something with substance soon. Preferably, red meat. I lost a lot of..." He would pause. "... calories today. I'll be a bit sluggish until I do."

When the topic turned to addressing Aria, Revenge would pipe up with a point of his own. "The thing is, if we were to try to bring Aria's crimes to the attentions of others, we'll need irrefutable proof, not something that might be dismissed as circumstantial evidence or mere hearsay. A mere name does us little."

Revenge would half-smile when Kuori brought out the wanted posters. It was certainly a start. "If we are to gather the refugees together, if for no other reason than mutual protection, we're faced with a different problem: How do we find them?" His gaze would turn to Petra then Abby. "You two went to Gladesdale. Corsica and Ying went to Lupa. How many splinter groups are we expecting? How spread out could they possibly be? How will we reach them before Aria does? A lot of challenges await us if that's the path we pursue." Revenge would frown. "I might argue that it might be more humane to let them slip through the cracks and disappear. But to do that, we'd have to figure out a way to divert Aria's attention away from them, making them a lower priority. Unfortunately... I'm currently at a loss at how to accomplish that."  

[AlphabetFish]

Twyla nodded at Petra and Abby, thinking hard about what to do about all of this. Combating an entire nation was no mean feat--in fact, it was probably impossible. But that wasn't the first thing on the agenda; first, Twyla had to make good on her promise to help the victims of Petra's petrification.

She stood to her full (short) height when Kail asked who would take the wand. "I'll take it! I'm good at using wands! Thank you very much, Mister Araethos, for making it for us. We'll put it to good use."

She listened to the talk of confronting Aria. "I'm gonna have to side with Mister Revenge on this... The proof we have links what was done to Miss Abby and Miss Petra to just one person, not Aria itself. Yeah, she works for them, but they'd probably just say she was doing crazy experiments of her own volition. If they hid her or got rid of her, we'd lose our one link. I think maybe we should try to find about her or find her... but not right now. We have to fix those poor guards before we get up to too much trouble. We promised, we have this wand to use, and we went through all that work killing that dragon plant to get it!"

She grinned suddenly. "Who knows? Maybe if word of someone petrifying people in Gladesdale has spread, Aria's agents will meet us there. If we had one of them to spy on or talk to, we'd maybe know a lot better how to come at Aria in a way they can't fight back against."  

[Kowsauni]

Basidia's eyes once again shy away from Valac, but he is not left with the feeling it was because of him baring his teeth.

Master Kail would lean down and hand the wand to Twyla. "Very good. Pointing this wand at an individual and saying the key word will cause the effect of having the cleanse ritual instantly cast on them. There is enough magic in this wand for it to be used five times, after which it can be recharged, but you'll have to bring it back to me or find a equally experienced wizard. The word to trigger the wand is 'Sinurien.' It also can be wielded as a magic implement, as long as it contains a charge." (Counts as a +3 Magic wand until all charges are used.)


Kail would straighten himself up and address the rest of the group. "Now, I understand if you are eager to get back on the road. I know time is of the essence in your situation. But you are free to spend the night if you wish to rest up in the comfort of my home before resuming your travels. The choice is yours."  

[Rain Yupa]

"Mister Araethos," Revenge would speak up. "Has Vincent returned from clearing the path along the road yet?"

Looking down at Twyla, he brought up an option. "Two of us could ride back to help those guards, and the others could leave at their convenience to reunite in Gladesdale. I'm sure their families would be elated to reunite with them as quickly as possible."  

[Kowsauni]

Kail would respond. " He has not, and I do not expect him to return till late sometime tomorrow at the earliest. From what you told us the bandit blockade sounded to be almost a days worth of travel away by horse. I'm sure if you were to return now or leave by early tomorrow morning, you would run into them on the road. Though, I would not worry about my son or his men. They are more than capable of taking care of themselves."  

[Mongooseh]

Valac having Basidia's gaze torn from him again switched from toying with her to mild annoyance as he frowned.

Addressing Basidia from across the room, "If you're going to stare at me come closer. I'm much more handsome close up!"  

[Rain Yupa]

"Well, the way I see it, Twyla and one other on horseback would probably be able to travel relatively safely while your son and his men are on that road, if we..." His tail would flick, as he turned his head slightly. "Really, Valac? Now's probably not the best time..."

Turning to look at Twyla again, he would continue. "Since you have the wand, what's your thoughts on this? Both Valac and Kuori travel lighter than me, and I'm sure either would make sure you and the wand both stay safe."  

[AlphabetFish]

Twyla received the wand with reverence. "Wow," she said, "it's so delicate, but I can feel the power in it. This'll really brighten the day of some guard wives!"

As Revenge addressed her, Twyla seemed a bit flustered. "Well, I want this wand to get back to Gladesdale right away, so if you also want to check in on Mister Vincent and his men, then I think our goals will line up pretty good. We should travel back to Gladesdale all together, leaving tonight, and we can meet with Vincent on the way there, since it's on the way back. If he needs help, we can all help him together, and if he doesn't, we can all go on to Gladesdale together!

"Come on," she added with a wink, "stories about adventurers setting out alone or in little groups tend to have downer endings. I like the ones about big groups of heroes that stick together, 'cause those guys tend to win!"

She was plainly trying to be jovial, but there was a pleading edge in her voice. She moved towards Revenge slightly as she spoke, as if nervous he might suddenly leave.  

[PupSage]

Kuori nodded, "The midget is right. We should stick together, Vincent has the God's on his side."  

[Kowsauni]

"N-no, that's not it. It's just... sorry." Basidia turns around and runs off deeper into the arboretum.

Kail raises an eyebrow at her reaction, then continues. "Please don't mind Basidia. She is quite shy around strangers and large groups. The arboretum is her home and sanctuary so she can get flustered when there are others here beside the family and the servants. Like I said, you are free to leave whenever you want, though I would suggest beginning your travels before night. It's only just midday now, so you should have plenty of time to rest before you leave. Now, if you have no further questions, I have much work I must attend to."  

[Rain Yupa]

((*gods))

"Though you may be... overqualified to help them dismantle the roadblock," Revenge would start to respond to Twyla, reflecting on her putting everyone to shame the first time they met the bandits, "My concern was traveling with the wand while we had a guarantee of aligned warriors on the road, rather than after. Nothing more." It seems that at least half of the people here had misread his attentions.

Revenge would let out a sigh. "I'm not making a decision for the whole group. But for the reasons I've already stated - Vincent's presence, and for the guards' sakes - I think we should leave as soon as possible... reasonably possible, that is."

It sounded like the general consensus of everyone, so he simply put it into words for everyone. Plus, it seems like most of the others didn't get too badly hurt in the battle, so there's no reason they couldn't put up a fight still if they still ran into trouble on the way there. Now, it was just to see if anyone disputed his vote or not.  

[Mongooseh]

"If we think speed is needed let's go." Valac said.  

[AlphabetFish]

"Ohhh! That's a good point! Yeah, I totally missed that the first time! Sorry!" Twyla laughed. "Yep, let's take advantage of their presence out there on the road. Oh and I'll keep the wand all hidden up tight. I have a special wand holster! Okay, maybe it's a regular wand holster, but it's special to me and it'll keep it out of sight."

Twyla grinned at everyone in excitement. "Okay, we're off!"  

[Kowsauni]

"Very well. I will have the servants gather your things and have your wagon brought to the entrance. I wish you the best of luck in your endeavors. If Aria has something truly terrible planned behind all this, then they must be stopped. I will now write the letter detailing my findings so it will be ready before you leave. May it prove useful." The Archmage turns and heads off deeper into the Arboretum.

Valac, out of the corner of his eye, spots Basidia. She briefly steps out from behind some bushes and motions to him to come over before quickly ducking back behind her cover.  

[Mongooseh]

Valac would stop in his tracks as he went over to where Basidia is and snarled, "What do you want? I'm getting tired of your games."