Alice tracks the situation as her colleagues step into the conversation. "Risuri troops will do as ordered, especially if I tell them so. But if you want a guarantee of safe passage, I can come with you until you can return to the Dreaming, or wherever you need to go. You leave free, we get the Duchess to justice, the Court is vindicated. Everyone wins."
Asrabey holds up a hand to stop Corynne from advancing on the duchess. "Your terms are acceptable, but I will be keeping Ethelyn with me until the ship is ready. After all, while I believe you to be honorable, I can't afford to assume the same of every one of your soldiers. Now, if we're agreed, please send someone to ready the ship. Perhaps one of your rooftop allies."
You get the feeling that Asrabey has no intention of honoring the agreement - although his true plans remain uncertain.
Right foot forward, sword alongside her leg, body weight shifting slightly further from the elf, Alice smirks in a display of either confidence or utter disregard for her own safety. "What's the problem, Asrabey? You have dived into a fortress filled with hostile soldiers, yet now you fear for your safety? Even with a war hero acting as your escort? I volunteer to be your hostage, and still you want Ethelyn. I appreciate you thinking me honorable, but don't believe that I'm stupid, not when I'm being vastly more reasonable than usual."
"If you want her, you mean to finish the job. We stand in your way, and yet you are speaking instead of attacking us, I see two possible reasons for that. You don't want diplomatic backslash for assaulting Risuri authorities, or you are in worse shape than you look. If it's the former, I am hereby apprehending Duchess Ethelyn of Shale and placing her under my custody. Any action taken against her is taken against me and the Crown. And you can expect a hundredfold payback. While should it be the latter, I only have two more words for you. Stand. Down."
Her left arm tenses slightly, while blue eyes like a sea in storm stare into elven ones.
Hesitating only for a moment, Corynne gives Asrabey a vaguely amused look, a hint of a smile popping up at Alice's energy shifts like a steel coil.
"She's right you know, this is the most restrained I've ever seen her....you should take that as a great sign of respect." she says taking another step forward as she begins to crouch to place the handcuffs on the Duchess.
"Oh, one other professional courtesy.....the bullets will be cold iron...... letting you know that BEFORE you force them to shoot you, seems like the decent thing to do."
In response to your threat, Asrabey's eyes narrow, and he moves to attack. His shield moves of its own volition to deflect Alice's shot, and he effortlessly beats down her guard and strikes her hard in the head with the flat of his blade. Continuing the attack, he smoothly lashes out and punches Corynne in the solar plexus with his other hand.
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Alice's sight flashed red and her mouth tastes ferrous, but she keeps her grip on consciousness through pure, furious stubborness. She spits blood at the elf's feet and laughs defiantly as she drops the gun and reaches for a flask on her belt. "Is this the best you can do, Asrabey? The Danorans hurt me more, you whimpering weakling, you backstabbing bastard, you mangy mongrel!"
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Thinking more quickly than she ever has, Ellena steps between Alice and Asrabey with Fabian at guard and cries out "Whoa, there!"
This is dumb...
"We are here to avert a war, and so are you!"
This is really, really dumb...
"Kill us here, and the Unseen Court will have declared war against Risur - you spoke true, before, when you said that King Aodhan was, is a soldier."
He's going to kill me...
"He will not forgive this! Not when we saved his life less than a week ago. S- stand! Down!" That last bit, though directed at Asrabey, is pretty clearly intended for the rest of the team as well and hopefully can be heard out the window. After all, every second they spend talking is another second closer the Risuri forces get.
I'm dead.
Cursing, Miselle opened up on the creature through the skylight. Hopefully, he was wounded enough that it wouldn't take much to take him down.
Caught completely off guard, nothing could have prepared Corynne for the force of the blow that replaces all of her senses with pain. Crumpling up into a ball, tries to move only to sink in a sea of blackness, the angry screams of the spirits around her filling the room.
The last thing she remembers is seeing Alice spit at the bastard's feet and grin....
Make him pay....
Things happened so fast that the dwarf barely had time to react to the actions going on around him; if he'd have had time, he'd have probably gotten a shot off when Asrabey first began moving, but bloody hell the guy was fast...
When he was next fully comprehending what was going on, Corynne was on the ground and Alice reeling from a sudden blow.
"What is your goal here, Asrabey?! We are not your enemies here! Is it better to have our nations at war with each other than to let us accomplish ours?! Stand the bloody hell down!" he adds, his finger already compressed against the trigger, barely more than a twitch needed to send the cold iron ball to its target. He knew good and well it wouldn't kill the fae, but it would darn well hurt!
The fey cocks his head in mild surprise as Alice remains standing after his blow. With an almost imperceptible shrug a moment later, he lashes out again at her before swiftly turning and effortlessly piercing Ellena's defense. The sharp retort of Miselle's massive handcannon momentarily distracts him, so he hasn't yet noticed that Glassman heroically dived in front of his sword - leaving Alice unhurt.
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Miselle cursed, reloading and fire another shot at the monster. Taking him down seemed likely to be difficult.
Ellena drops bonelessly to the floor like a sack of turnips.
"Damnit, no guts no glory..." Az says to himself, pulling the trigger on his musket and hoping that his shot finds its target in Asrabey and not his ally.
"Damnit, no guts no glory..." Az says to himself, pulling the trigger on his musket and hoping that his shot finds its target in Asrabey and not his ally.
Dammit, Glassman, Tabbit! Don't you die on me!
"What's wrong, Asrabey? You losing your touch? Are you afraid, Asrabey?"
Bleeding from a corner of her mouth, Alice takes a step back and cracks the flask on the floor between her and the elf, spraying him with acidic drops.
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A small splash of acidic spray isn't particularly lethal, but it turns out that Asrabey is quite a bit more wounded than he appears. Apparently he'd been on his last reserves of strength when you arrived, which would explain why he'd been willing to talk for so long. The splash of acid caught the high elf in the eye, and he dropped like a sack of bricks - to the complete shock of the duchess and tiefling.
Miselle looked down from the broken skylight. "All clear from up here. I'll keep guard while we secure the Duchess and the Elf." Shooting anyone in the wrong uniform wasn't friendly, but probably essential.
For a moment, Az stood in stunned silence as the fey, who had displayed such remarkable power up to now, fell to a splash of acid in his eye.
Thankfully, his training kicked in properly after that moment passed, and the dwarf turned his reloaded musket onto the duchess and the elf.
"By the gods, I hope this is the last time I have to hear this today...stand the bloody hell down!"
-Posted with Wayfinder
Falling to one knee, Alice retches, sputtering bile and blood on the floor. "Holy butter on toast, I thought my time had come. Urgh. Bleeding. Doc, grab Spooky's wand? I'll just... keep an eye on..."
Dazed, the woman doesn't finish the phrase, looking at the defeated elf.
With Asrabey unconscious and the duchess severely wounded (but stable), you're able to secure everyone with minimal effort . If the noise outside is any indication, Risuri forces will be here soon.
"No...you shouldn't be here....it's nowhere near your time."
"I know mama....I'll be alright...I promise. My companions will protect me....I believe in them."
"It's good to know you aren't alone anymore little one. You need friends among the living as well as the dead."
"I do now mama...I promise....It's good to see you..like this though." she says smiling as she embraces her mother.
Around Corynne's inert body, the spirits that constantly surround her seem to solidify somewhat, ghostly images glaring maliciously at the Duchess and tiefling woman, cold hatred directed at the unconscious form of Arasbey.
Recovering from the shock of the savage fight, Jebediah picks the healing wand from Corynne's belt and points it at the three women and the guardsman, muttering the activation words. Restorative energy washes over them, knitting wounds and restoring them to consciousness.
- - -
Clarity returns to Alice's mind as magic overcomes the daze. "Right." With a grunt of pain, she rises and points the rapier at the Duchess.
"Duchess Ethelyn of Shale, you are under arrest for high treason, rebellion, conspiracy and several other crimes. Spooky, mind cuffing her?"
She then looks at the tiefling cowering in the corner. "This poor excuse for a woman called you Nathan, didn't she? Would you be Nathan Jierre?"
Confident that the situation is well in hand, Az moves to adjust his position in the room so that he is able to keep both of the prisoners in his sights at the same time.
"I have a pair too, if they are needed."
"Binding the elves' feet would be wise," Miselle noted. She hated to think how hard the monster could kick once he awoke. "And be careful not to let him die. He stands high in the Unseen Court. We do not want to upset them." At least, not any further.
In a leaf-strewn practice yard under a grey sky, a young Ellena stands opposite a severe grey-haired man. "Again!", he says, and she rushes him with a practice sword only for the elder to dodge, effortlessly. "Again!" He's growing frustrated, and she still can't hit him. "Again!", he shouts, and this time his own sword whips out to hit her temple and she drops, bonelessly, to the ground.
"Owwww..." Elena sits up, rubbing the side of her head. "Did we win?"
"Yes we did apparently." Corynne says as she gets up. "Not that I had any doubts we would." she finishes, grinning at Alice.
Picking up her mage cuffs she snaps them onto the Duchess' wrists, making sure they are secure. "You and I are going to have a long talk soon, and I'd rather it not be with your shade. Please do us all a favor and don't do anything that'll get you killed after we put so much effort into keeping you're head on your shoulders." she says to the traitor.
Alice smiles back at Corynne with a wink. "Hey, it's only a blaze of glory if we go out, and I've never been too good at it. A bit too stubborn. Hoy, Az! Throw those cuffs down here? Don't want to take chances on Asrabey!"
Now that the Duchess is secured, Alice kicks the sword away from the elven warrior and moves towards the cowering tiefling. "I doubt that our friend here is a wizard. Danoran, are ya? You speak my language? Uhm, understandez-vous... no, wait, you did speak earlier."
With the other prisoners secured, Az gives Alice a grunt of agreement. "Heads up!" he says, tossing the mage cuffs toward Alice before heading in that direction himself, keeping his musket in the crook of his arm, not yet fully willing to put the weapon away.
The tiefling nods in response to Alice's question. "Yes, I'm Nathan Jierre. I had no part in this debacle, so if you can take me to Risur, I'll be grateful. My cousin is close to your king, so I'm know getting me there safely will help the peace accords." The duchess sniffs in disgust but doesn't resist. She's too wounded to put up any fight. Asrabey, fortunately, remains unconscious - although his wounds are beginning to slowly heal. Still, it's doubtful that he'll wake up anytime soon.
Risuri reinforcements arrive shortly after you've secured everyone and secure your prisoners. The operation's been a complete success, and casualties were minimal. Despite the unfortunate accident regarding the infiltration team, your work allowed the mission to proceed as planned, and you likely saved hundreds of lives. Over the next few hours, once the island is secure, your troops begin to board their ships and begin the voyage back to Flint. The five of you remain with the RMS Impossible to await the arrival of Lyra Jierre. You still have to hand control of the island back over to the Danorans, after all.
Az leans forward against the railing of the ship, a cool breeze blowing off of the sea. His musket rests next to him, the muzzle in the bend of his arm. "Bloody hell, I am glad this mission is over. Alice, Corynne, Elena...are your wounds healed well enough? You three took the worst of it from Asrabey."
"Ugh. Still have a bit of a headache, but I'm alright. I haven't been beaten that badly in a long time."
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She grabs the tiefling by the collar of his shirt, any trace of a smile vanishing from her bloodied face. "But I'm not buying that you had no part in this. Not when the Duchess said that you were on her side. Not when you are in the same room at the center of the fortress. Since we just saved your life, whatever it's worth, it would be just nice to tell us the truth. What did the Duchess want on this bloody island? Why did she murder the miners? Who were her allies in the Hidden Court? And what was the threat against Risur that she mentioned to our resident psychotic elf? And please don't lie, liars get on my nerves."
Alice grabs the cigar that Smith had given her and lights it, savoring the rich flavour of the Leaf of Nicodemus. "I'll be alright with a night's worth of celebrations and sleep." After another puff, she passes the cigar to Ellena. "You did good, Princess. Both at the lighthouse and the fortress, you kept your head, fought well and fought smart. Asrabey was bloody fearsome, but you stood your ground as bravely as one may. I think we all made the Stars proud today."
She stretches, wincing at the soreness that even healing magic can't take away, and glances at the horizon.
Giving the island back to the Danorans, right. Land we lost in the war, in my war... What if we had refused? If we had kept the troops here, opposed Jierre and claimed territory back... We'd have been court-martialed for the incident, our heads sent to Cherage as reparations. But it's not everyday that one has the power to spark a war.
Shaking her head, she claps her hands, smiling broadly and somewhat serenely.
"Well, if the bloody horned cheesemonger keeps us waiting, might as well kill time! Hoy! Sailors! Who's got a fiddle? Let's get some dances going! And drinks to the fallen and the survivors!"
"That man hits HARD." Corynne says wincing as she stretches. "I'm alright though...like Alice said, noting a night of celebrating followed by a very late morning won't fix." she says with a grin.
"Oh so the legendslayer dances too does she?" she asks Alice with a smirk.
"Ha! That is a thing Azaghal would like to see, himself!"
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"Why, mademoiselle Durande, would you like the first dance?" With a flourishing bow, Alice presents her hand to Corynne.
"Officer training included dancing lessons, believe it or not. I'll be rusty, but it's something."
A flute and a violin make their voice heard as some of the sailors gather to play and sing. "She's handsome, she's pretty, she's the belle in Flint's old city-"
Nathan looks absolutely terrified by Alice's words. The fact that she took down Asrabey certainly makes her exceedingly persuasive. "I don't know, okay! I was just following orders! We were working to build shipyards and gunworks here when your duchess invaded. I was stationed here in the observatory. It's basically common knowledge that the planets affect magic in various ways, but nobody's really analyzed the stars in that regard. That was my job. Purely theoretical, of course, nobody wants another war. In fact, when I found out about the other projects here, I contacted your duchess. I thought she could put a stop to it. I didn't know she'd attack! Please understand: I was only trying to help. I didn't know it would lead to - " he gestures helplessly, "all this mess."
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It's nearing sunset when the Danoran ship arrives. Shortly thereafter, Lya Jierre and a pair of bodyguards (a half-elf carrying a pair of elaborately-decorated rods and a half-orc wielding an unusual cloth-wrapped staff) disembark. She smiles when she sees you. "May I take back my country's island?" Producing a pair of matching documents and an ornate pen, she continues, "I see you found my cousin, and for that, I'm especially grateful. I'd love to hear what happened, but first, I'm afraid we have some formalities to go through."
The treaties are simply-written and lack any of the usual confusing legal jargon. They merely state that Risur condemns Duchess Ethelyn's attack on Axis Island and will not press a claim to its ownership due to this particular military event. The only thing they lack is a signature from an authorized Risuri representative .
Grinning broadly, and actually blushing slightly, Corynne takes the proferred hand and and steps out onto the deck with Alice, laughing melodiously as they begin to dance. "If this is you rusty, I look forward to dancing with you after some practice."
Full of surprises.
When Jierre and her bodyguards arrive, Ellena stands quietly in the background and does her best not to offend anyone. She does read the treaties, but makes no move to sign them.
Az remains standing to the side, simply watching the human women make a respectable showing of a celebratory dance, a half-smile of amusement on his face. It was nice to have a moment to remember that life wasn't all missions and fighting and the smell of gunpowder, and though only a sideline participant, the dwarf was still glad to partake of the impromptu shindig.
When the ritual of the ceremony begins, Azaghal takes a page out of Ellena's book, staying near enough to see what's going on and have his own peek at the treaties, but as he doesn't have near the military experience as some other members of the group, he opts to let their hands be the ones holding the pen.
Alice grins at Corynne's compliments, as the pair moves gracefully through the floor, dancing to victory and survival. "Any time, Co!"
- - -
As Jierre approaches, Alice leaves the dance, her smile replaced by a plain, controlled face. We may be at peace, but nothing could make me like you.
She picks up the treaties and reads them carefully, suspicious despite the clear wording, but finds nothing to justify her paranoia. In the end, Alice grabs the pen and marks the papers with a quick scribble. I understand being nervous, quite the responsibility for ones as young as them.
"Looks all in order. Any one of you wants to co-sign?"
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Az steps forward after a moment's contemplation.
"Azaghal will sign treaty as well. It gives me kick to think there will be dwarf signature on Risuri treaty!" he admits, stepping up to put his name to the document as well; assuming, of course, that co-signers are allowed.
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Miselle shrugged, and signed. If nothing else, having the signature of a former Danoran noble family on the Risuri side of the document would confuse historians for centuries to come.
Lya smiles and hands the signed treaty to one of her bodyguards, leaving the other copy with you. "You've done your country proud, constables, and for that, you have the thanks of both myself and your king. I'll make sure that you're given invitations to the wedding. Now, unfortunately, not all of my people are as fond of Risur as I am, so I'll ask you to make your departure soon. Please continue to take care of my cousin; hopefully he'll be able to return home soon."
Then the Third Yerasol War ended, and the new king declared Flint would be his nation's seat of industry. Mines in the Anthras Mountains poured iron and coal downriver to Flint's harbor. Old forests within the city limits were clear-cut and factories erected in their place to build guns, refine alchemicals, and forge steel rails and train cars.
Thousands of immigrants and gold-seeking villagers crowded into shabby flophouses and tenements around the factories, then when those were filled, they built new slums on the sides of the city's steep hills. Smoke and soot poured forth from factory roofs, and criminal elements took root beneath these gloomy clouds, growing strong and feeding on the desperation of a new population of workmen, prostitutes, and orphans.
In places, Flint's historical beauty still endures - in the governor's island mansion fortress high atop haunted Cauldron Hill, deep in the breeze-swaying branches of the Cloudwood, and on the bayou plantations west of Pine Island. And the confluence of people from so many stations has inspired great art and technological innovation. But cracks between competing groups and straining the peace, and all it would take are a few disasters to drive the city apart.
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The next few months are very busy for everyone. While Duchess Ethelyn has been captured, she still has a number of supporters, and quite a few protest groups demand the release of their 'hero.' Their outcries are to no avail, though, and in a public ritual, the Duchess is stripped of her title, leaving her with only weak magical powers. Now just Ethelyn, she's imprisoned in Slate's Bridge Tower.
Nathan Jierre returns to Risur with you, where he soon becomes the guest of a minor noble. Despite his cousin's influence, he's still carefully watched and not particularly trusted, although he's free to do as he wishes - as long as he doesn't cause any trouble. Knowing that any misdeeds will lead to him being deported to Danor (where he's considered a traitor), he lives a quiet, simple life.
As for Asrabey, once his wounds have healed, his equipment is returned, and he's allowed to return to the Dreaming with no consequences. Despite the numerous deaths he's responsible for, he's technically a diplomat. Nobody's particularly happy about this, but it's the best way to keep the fey appeased.
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It's just before 11am on the first day of Summer, and you're hard at work in the RHC Main Office going over leads in the Gale investigation. Your actions at the Coaltongue launch and at Axis Island had made you minor celebrities in Flint, but once that short-lived fame went away, you've been stuck doing nothing but minor police work - most of it of the pencil-pushing form-filling variety. One of your superiors is probably a bit jealous of your success, but to date, you've been unable to determine exactly who's responsible.
Today, though, you've been granted a welcome respite as Assistant Chief Inspector Delft interrupts your work. "Time for some field work, constables. We just received a delightful report about the perfect lead for you. Young woman, identity unknown, jumps out of the fourth floor window at the Danoran consulate, impales herself on the spires of the compound fence, and perishes. Technically half of her is in our jurisdiction, which is good for you, because the fence she landed on was forty feet from the window. Seems like our young victim thought she could fly."
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Looking up from a half-eaten sandwitch and Lya Jierre's Field Study of Melee Effectiveness and Foe Debilitation through Focused Limb Severance Techniques Contrasted with Mainstream Opportunistic Techniques, Ellena jumped to attention with a quizzical look on her face. "The consulate? Have they said anything?"
Wherever he came from, he knows the bayou like no-one else. The Battalion's instructors, along with some quisling students, have tried a few times to trap him and shut him down; each time he's vanished into the fog like he'd never been there in the first place. If you sit and listen he's also a wealth of knowledge on the local fey, but you've got to be real quiet 'lest he realize he's speaking out loud. He and Ellena ('Daighan' and 'Ms. Ellena', respectively) got to know each other pretty well when she'd make trips out to Bosum Strand to hear the dockers play.