Wait...didn’t the guard say we can go into the courtyard? No sense in standing here any more, Alvoise thinks. He gives a polite nod to the guards and strolls into the courtyard. Hands still behind his back he stands and appraises the building from this perspective. For the mayor to be involved, this must be an unusual situation.
Valeria still pondering what her title is in the common tongue mumbles to herself as she thinks
"Which is it? Princess, No, given the size of Lykus, Hime, No that's is in Tian.
Sucks that I can't remember the other ranks, though it could be Lady."
"I want to know the right rank and title, but if it's too high I'll seem boastful and egotistical. Too low and I am going to seem weak."
Valeria replies to the guard
"I am Lady Valeria Avila Leonard."
The guard nods as each you introduce yourselves.
"I am sergeant Markus Soldano. Proceed inside you will be greeted shortly." he replies to Jayla.
You go inside and are surprised to see the courtyard is a massive garden with trees and flowers abound and the keep is pretty much a palace.
As the guard said shortly afterwards a woman in an elaborate dress comes out to meet you accompanied by a few guards an a older man dressed as a noble.
She does a curtsy as she arrives before you. "Greetings, I am Andura Jakos mayor of Hajoth Hakados." she pauses looking at Jayla "Have you come looking for help? Are you being pursued? Come inside and we will discuss it."
The older man coughs loudly. And Andura looks at him annoyed and adds.
"I must however insit that you give your weapons to my guards before coming inside. They will be returned I assured you."
Andura seems quite young no more than thirty summers but you think back to the comment the Innkeeper said "She became mayor when he was a lad" meaning she has been mayor for decades more than that. Looking at her you do notice that she seems to have a bit of elven heritage to her.
Raskir surrenders his weapons freely. He lets Tuuli fly off to doze in a tree.
"Thank you, honored thane." he says to the mayor with a slight bow, fist on chest in a sign of respect.
Valeria does not quite know formal customs of those outside the Linnorm Kings, and bows some
"Thank you for having us mayor Andura Jakos, I am Lady Valeria Avila Leonard of Lykus."
Jayla showed a look of....interest, this young looking mayor recognizing her for what she is almost instantly.
She gave off her bow and rapier. After a cough she pulled out a switchblade, another from another place, even a third from yet another place.
"I am Jayla Talusia, nothing special. You, lady mayor, are very perceptive. No immediate use for this then.", she pulls back her hood.
After Jayla pulls back her hood and Valeria gets a good look at Jayla
"i've never seen eyes and skin like yours before, no wonder you had the hood on."
"Many androids and even a few visitors from other worlds have come here seeking refuge from the Technic league in the past. I do what I can to keep them from ending up a test subject in a lab." she explains
"Other worlds?
Don't you mean other planes?"
"I did not know the Technic league were into experimentation, I just somewhat knew of the enslavement part."
Xaikon lists carefully and watches the others first, to see the correct etiquette to use, learnt from the human prisoners she used to talk to that the humans do have some strict protocols for the elite of society.
She gives a bow to the same degree as the others did. Seeing the guard standing near her with his hands held out towards, her she hands over all her weapons, "Please don't waste my arrows.", ending off in a smile falling in next to Raskir.
Realizing Krist was still on her shoulder, she lifts Krist into the air pointing in the direction of Tuuli.
Having left his hand axe at the inn, Alvoise hands his rapier and dagger to the guards. He bows to the mayor and listens to the developing conversation. He frowns in disbelief at the mention of other worlds and nods in agreement with Valeria’s comment about planes.
”Thank you for seeing us, Mayor. We have come pursuing information about a murder in Caliphas. The victim arrived in Caliphas with a caravan traveling from her. Since our arrival, we have learned he was a member of the Technic League and you may know further facts about his apprentice, a young woman.”
After the mayor would have answered both Valeria and Alvoise's questions, Jayla inquires;
"I know of the city's tolerance and you say androids have come seeking refuge. I....have yet to meet any others, it would be, interesting is the word?..to see what manner of people they are. I'm not exactly the epitome of social skills."
The mayor seems saddened by the news but not surprised.
"There are none of your kind here I'm afraid. When they come to me I have them smuggled out of the country for their own safety. While I despise the league the fact is that this is their country and I cannot protect someone from them here for long. You may find this difficult to believe but there are other world on this plane of existence, they are just very very far away floating in...the sky...Some people from those worlds have come here either by magic or technology over the years...I'm not sure why you are investigating his death but I can tell you that he was killed by agents of the Technic league because he betrayed them...Since you travel with an android I assume the league are not friends of yours so I will tell you that the girl is their true objective because she is in fact one of those visitors from another world. A very important one in fact and she may be in danger. I hired some pirates to smuggle her out of the country but the pirate ship I hired was seen going north deeper into Numeria instead of going south like they were supposes too..."
"For some reason i find it not so difficult to believe.
It seems our mission has just become a rescue objective. Anything that cripples or hinders the Technic League is worthy to persue."
"Jayla has fought with me and is now my spear-sister. I will help her find and rescue this other...android."
"Visitors from another world, high in the sky above...", speaking to no one particular, and clearly exhibiting expressions of amazement as she looks upwards.
Alvoise listens to the mayor with his full attention, studying her body language for any hints of deception.
His frown lessens as he thinks about the idea of other worlds. He didn’t have any proof one way or another about their existence; let alone what would constitute proof. Is it that much a difference between planes and worlds? He shrugs, placing those thoughts into a satchel for campfire chats.
”Have you sent anyone after these pirates? Where did you think they were going to take her? Assuming we can rescue her do you have a place where to take her?”
"I hired them to take her to Vellumis were I have some friends waiting for her but some of my men saw the ship heading north towards Torch. I suspect the pirates plan to sell her to the Technic league. They must have somehow learned that she is Androffan."
"That makes them slavers, no reason to hold back then when we meet."
"Yes...I have been using their services for some time to smuggle androids, aliens and technology out of the country and in return I would turn a blind eye to their other illegal activities but with this our deal is ended. If you go after them and recover the girl I will see to it you are well rewarded and you need not show them any mercy." says Andura
Merc work to clean out the trash and one that pays well, I'm ready for it.
"As I said, I will join my spear-sisters."
”They’ve been reliable before, but this time they turned north...what’s special about this girl compared to the others you helped escape from the Technic League?” Alvoise asks. The others already sound ready to leave at dawn, if not sooner. Should we try to get a ship or horses?
He spreads his palms open and grins, ”Any chance we could have an advance of funds? To hire transportation.”
"The rain of stars that forever changed this country so long ago was create by a people called the Androffan. They used their vessel to travel here from a faraway place but it was destroyed when it arrived and very few survived. There was only one other survivor that I know of other than this girl and she asked for help from some men that had come to search the wreckage. In exchange for teaching them how to use the machines they salvaged from her vessel she wanted them to help her build a method of calling home for help. Of course when the device was nearly finished and they felt there was nothing more to learn from her they killed her and destroyed the device. Those men were the original members of the Technic league. The league has in fact learned very little new information about how to use Androffan technology in the centuries since and I'm sure they would pay any price to get their hands on another living Androffan even if this one is just a child."
At Alvoise request she nods.
"I will arrange for a payment of five hundred gold coins to be given to you when you leave here. Bring back the girl and you can expect five times that amount. This is less than what the Technic league would pay but I am confidant that I don't have to worry about that with you." she says with a small smile.
Xaikon listen in the conversation, and finally speaks, "Definitely would mean the smugglers are not going to give her up easily. When the Technic League of the girl, they sure send plenty to capture here." Hearing the upfront payment, "Thank you very much for the advance payment for the rescue."
She turns to the others speaking softly, "I guess we don't have much time, before we on the road. What we going to do about the Green Table inn, stay for the night then head out in the morning?"
"Wow, the founders of the Technic league were idiots.
That idiocy is likely taught from one to another."
"And now they want to turn an innocent girl into a slave and when her use is expired kill her, I'll proudly be kicking there behinds."
"Kicking their behinds isn't worth while. We have just been authorized lethal force. Just like when i....."
She remains silent, the sentence abrubtly cut off.
"Liberating the girl is a worthy cause."
”Authority? I doubt the Mayor’s authority extends beyond the city’s territory,” Alvoise says, assuming Jayla doesn’t know much about laws. As if I know about the law. He turns to the mayor and bows slightly. ”No offense. I’m just saying if we break laws we don’t have any immunity or protection. And thank you for the generosity for travel funds.”
He turns back to Jayla and smiles. ”It is good to save a girl. A worthy cause indeed.”
”Anything else we need to discuss?” he asks his companions.
"The thane honors us by the offer of gold. Let us find some horses so we may make good time."
Once your ready the servants see you out and you are given a small chest that contains the promised payment. Your weapons are returned to you as you leave.
Valeria goes back to the inn, with a small chest of gold, to get her stuff and change back into her armour.
"Since we recieved a nice down payment, time to kick some pirate butt."
Jayla hid all her switchblades, possibly in different places even.
"Depending on how busy we'll be, i'll need to have more."
She looks up at Valeria.
"You're going soft on them if kicking is all they're getting as treatment."
Smiles happily to receive her weapons back. Once back at the inn, "Valeria, I assuming you will carry the chest. The extra weight will hamper my flying.", gives a flap of her wings to emphasize.
Xaikon laughs at hearing Jayla's comment of kicking pirate butts. "I guess you only be able to kick their butts when they all dead if you really wish to do so."
It might have been the fact the Technic League was involved, Jayla had not spoken so harshly before in the 1 1/2 years she had existed.
"That is something people do when they vent anger, correct?
I don't know what that feels like, a rapier to the heart is more practical."
@Jayla
"Kicking their butt is a figure of expression, not a literal kicking of their butts."
@Xaikon
"I have no problem carrying the chest, though I think getting a Handy Haversack would be a good purchase for later."
Happy to have his weapons returned, Alvoise rolls a cigarette as soon as they leave the Mayor’s domicile. After their discussion about butt kicking he asks, ”How shall we proceed? A boat seems like the best means of pursuit, right?”
"True a boat sounds good, but the question to ask is;
Are we going with or against the river's flow?"
"If the direction is with the flow, then a boat is the best choice.
If the direction is against the river's flow, than we could be faster on land than in a boat.
As now it'll depend on how hard the river flows?"
"Makes sense. to take boat if the river flows in same direction, else we should travel by land. Also when should we leave?"
”I hadn’t considered any of that Valeria,” Alvoise says with an appreciative nod.
”Xaikon, we paid for a night at the inn. A good night of sleep in a bed will make travel easier. We can leave before dawn tomorrow,” he exhales a stream of smoke. ”Of course if the everybody else wants to leave in what little time of daylight we have left, I’d go along with the group’s consensus.”
Val replies
"Since we don't know how fast they are traveling, and how fast we can travel, we don't know how much time is left?
But getting some rest before a long day on horseback would be good for keeping use aware as we travel."
"I'm more in the rest camp for the moment, that and I want to shop for some things."
Val thinks
"I'm hoping to find at least a few new clothes, and a few things we are going to need"
"Well I'm up for some shopping for this little rescue operation, if the group decides to rest some before we go."
"Another question to ask is?
Is the boat made of wood?
Or is it made more with steel?"