Chapter: V: Into The Abyss
Halen: Gregor ... you know that by our city charter the LEADER OF THE GUILD and the MAYOR OF THE CITY are supposed to be TWO DIFFERENT PEOPLE. You've been deputiy mayor for FIVE YEARS now, isn't it time -
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Master Peck: Don't lecture me about the LAW, Halen! The charter ALSO says that I, as the guild leader can VETO any of the council's candidates! And in all of those five years there was NOT A SINGLE ONE I could have trusted the city to! Not in good conscience! And they KNOW that!
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Master Peck: This is all LADY VIOLET'S doing. She obviously has BOUGHT Ech'eta's and Harnicky's support and Lady Ilviam probably owes her for all that stuff with the MINER'S GUILD last month.
Halen: She ... PROBABLY somehow has her fingers in all of this, yes.
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Halen: But I think some of their concerns are genuinely -
Master Peck: They are all PAWNS, Halen! DON'T try to defend them! Whose side are you on?!
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Halen: I ... I'm on YOUR side, Gregor! I will ALWAYS be on your side! How can you even QUESTION that? But I'm starting to get WORRIED!
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Halen: WHen you told me that you and Lady Violet would WORK TOGETHER for this expedition I thought it'd be a sign that you two would finally GET ALONG ... but it's just getting WORSE!
Master Peck: PAH! I'd rather KILL MYSELF than "get along" with that hag!
<Serpent's End, the next day, Master Peck's office>
Master Peck: Any news on the granite from Goldhaven? We can't wait forever to fix that hole in the city wall ...
Halen: There were some heavy storms the last days. The harbourmaster said it'll probably take another week at least ...
Master Peck: HMPH. And meanwhile we have all sorts of JUNGLE CRITTERS running around in the streets. What about this plan with the temporary wooden walls?
Halen: The Carpenter's Guild said they are very busy due to recent -
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Master Peck: I can't BELIEVE it! How am I supposed to run a city with -
Halen: Gregor, DARLING, please calm down. I will TALK to them. I think I should be able to make them RETHINK their priorities.
Master Peck: <sighs> Thank you, Halen.
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Master Peck: Any OTHER catastrophes?
Halen: Well ... the City Council meeting is tomorrow and they once again insisted on putting ... you know. Putting THAT topic on the agenda.
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Master Peck: AGAIN? When will these clowns learn ... I bet it's LORD HARNICKY who pushed for that.
Halen: Yes, probably ... But ECH'ETA and her clan are behind him. And I hear LADY ILVIAM is throwing her weight behind the issue, too, lately.
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Master Peck: These UNGRATEFUL BASTARDS! Haven't I done ENOUGH for them? I'd rather DIE than let one of those ENTITLED IDIOTS take control of MY city!
Katharina: <smiling> You're UNBELIEVABLE.
Shara: Aw, C'MON, you know I con't mean it.
Katharina: I know. Which means you must be getting SOFT, hm?
Shara: I'm just too TIRED to be agressice, don't get used to it.
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Shara: ... can I ask you something, Kat? Something ... PERSONAL?
Katharina: you mean more personal than if and who I want to SEDUCE?
Shara: Kinda, yeah. Is it true that you ... ran away from home? From your father?
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Katharina: I ... um.
Shara: ... if you don't wanna answer that it's fine. I mean I just deflected YOUR personal question ...
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Katharina: No it's ... it's fine. And yes it's true, Shara. I didn't want the life he had planned for me so I ... LEFT. Without his ... blessing. Or his ... um ... KNOWDLEDGE at that point.
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Shara: Huh. You know what, maybe we have mor ein common than I thought.
Katharina: Why? Did you ... do something similar?
Shara: More or less, yeah. Tell me ... did you burn all of your dads pants before you left?
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Katharina: Er ... no? Why should I have done that?
Shara: Well isn't it common to BURN BREECHES when you run away?
Katharina: ... that ... that was AWFUL, Shara!
Shara: <sighs> I know, gimme a break, I'm TIRED.
Shara: You know what? Let's change the subject. Tell me about that BOOK guy.
Katharina: Um ... what about him?
Shara: I saw him talking to you. Several times ... is he CREEPING YOU OUT? Or trying to get information out of you?
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Katharina: What? No ... I mean YES, but not in THAT sense.
Shara: Uh-huh?
Katharina: He asked me a lot about HISTORY and LEGENDS. He's actually been pretty nice so far. Maybe a little AWKWARD ...
Shara: Right ...
Katharina: REALLY! I don't think he actually LIKES working for that Lady Violet ...
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Shara: Kat ...
Katharina: I KNOW what you want to say, Shara. And I'm being careful, I PROMISE! I actually thought I could ... you know. Get a bit of information out of HIM. Just by ... being NICE and not treating him like an ENEMY. Maybe he'll ... OPEN UP a bit more. About his BOSS for example.
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Shara: So you wanna SEDUCE him to get him to spill his beans? DAMN girl, I didn't think you had that in you!
Katharina: I-I didn't say SEDUCE, I said BEING NICE! There's a WORLD of difference between that!
Shara: SURE THING, princess.
Katharina: Maybe not in YOUR filthy mind, but EVERYWHERE ELSE in the world!
Katharina: ... bas dreams?
Shara: Well ... YEAH. I dreamt about Gideon again. Y'know.
Katharina: Uh. I ... don't actually. Who's Gideon?
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Shara: "Who" ... ? CRAP! I've never mentioned him before, have I?
Katharina: Not that I remember, no.
Shara: Just ... FORGET I said anything, alright?!
Katharina: Um ... okay.
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Shara: It's none of your damn business, anyways!
Katharina: I SAID "okay", Shara! Look, I ... I RESPECT if you don't want to talk about something, but you don't have to get angry at me just because it came up BY CHANCE!
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Shara: I'm NOT ... ugh. FUCK. I'm ... sorry, alright? Gideon is a .... a SORE SUBJECT. Even more than the others, I guess. He was ... a GOOD FRIEND. And he died. He's ... dead.
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Katharina: ... I see. I'm sorry, Shara.
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Katharina: If you ever DO want to talk about it ...
Shara: NOTED, Kat. But not now.
Katharina: Okay.
Shara: Thanks.
<The same evening, at the expedition camp. Katharina sits alone at the fire, Shara approaches from behind>
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Shara: ... that was a nice speech you did there, Kar. You sure you don't wanna become a storyteller instead?
Katharina: W-WHO - oh it's you. THank you, I guess. Sou you listened in, too?
Shara: A bit, yeah.
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Shara: How come you're still sittin' here while the rest went to bed already?
Katharina: I ... am just thinking a bit. Well that and I ... can't really sleep right now.
Shara: Because of the tree with the corspes?
Katharina: ... yes. I just don't look forward to closing my eyes right now.
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Shara: Sooner or later you'll HAVE to.
Katharina: I know.
Shara: But if it helps ... I know how you feel. I don't feel like sleeping right now, either.
Katharina: Really?
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Katharina: Because I could have SWORN I've heard you SNORING from that tree over there just a few minutes ago.
Shara: HMF. ... I might've DOZED OFF for a short time. But it DEFINITELY wasn't RESTFUL.
Ki'i'Mar: Also I guess something has been set up to hide it from her eyes specifically. I reckon OUR ancestors did that, even if I with they'd been smart enough to just TAKE THE DAMN THING WITH THEM. Would have saved us all a LOT of trouble ... well, hindsight, I guess.
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Ki'i'Mar: But enough if this now. Maq, there is still time for some ... REST, isn't it?
Maq: I guess it is, Gena. Do you want me to stay?
Ki'i'Mar: <chuckles> Oh, we are getting JAUNTY after our win, aren't we?
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Ki'i'Mar: No, Maq, this time I think I'd like ... DRAGOON NA'KI to stay a bit longer.
Maq: <frowns> As ... you wish, Gena.
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Na'Ki: I-I ... ehrm, I'm sorry, Gena ... w-what exactly do you ... er ... need me for?
Ki'i'Mar: That stutter ... how ADORABLE.
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Ki'i'Mar: Don't worry my dear, I'll walk you through it. First: TAKE OFF YOUR CLOTHES.
Ki'i'Mar: THAT, my dear Na'Ki, are some EXCELLENT QUESTIONS. I do NOT, in fact, aim to just WANDER into Bacatta and challenge the empress and her army on my own. Though if it DOES come to that we might have to resort to ... IMPROVISATION. Let's just hope it doesn't.
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Ki'i'Mar: I am however pretty sure that WON'T be necessary. I have reason to assume that while the empress DOES know it is awake and somewhere outside of her borders - she doesn't know WHERE EXACTLY. And with the DOGS right at her doorstep she can't exactly send out search parties to SCOUR THE JUNGLE ... not without provoking a war she CANNOT WIN YET. She'd have to know where to look, first.
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Na'Ki: And ... IF she knew where to look she could just LUNGE OUT and grab the blade before anyone could retaliate.
Ki'i'Mar: You are ABSOLUTELY correct. Lovely.
Na'Ki: And if she DOES get the blade ... ?
Ki'i'Mar: THEN, I am VERY sure, she COULD win that war. At least she'd have much better chances. Suffice to say that MUST NOT HAPPEN.
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Na'Ki: And ... um ... forgive me for asking, but ... how can WE find the blade if its CREATOR can not?
Ki'i'Mar: Because ONE: WE can actually have a look around down there WITHOUT starting a war. And TWO:
I AM A GENA.
DO make sure you never forget that my dear. Or I might have to HURT you again.
Na'Ki: <hrk> ... G-Gena ... I-I'm -
Ki'i'Mar: DISTRACTED. I know. Ever since I told you all about our GOAL, finding the LOST BLADE OF THE EMPRESS and all that. You seem to have thought about the whole thing more than the others. More than you were SUPPOSED to.
Na'Ki: I'm sorry, I didn't -
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Ki'i'Mar: Which is a GOOD THING. Help her up, Maq, will you? Your sparring is over.
Na'Ki: I ... <ngh> I don't understand, Gena ...
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Maq: <smiles while helping her up> RELAX. You did good. I just got lucky.
Ki'i'Mar: Now TELL me your concerns about the mission, Dragoon Na'Ki.
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Na'Ki: Um, I ...
Maq: Go on. It's okay.
Na'Ki: I ... well. You ... you told us the blade holds a portion of the empress' power, Gena. A-and that you should not have been the ONLY ONE feeling its awakening.
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Na'Ki: So ... h-how could we even HOPE to find it in time? We have to cross ALL OF THE KNOWN WORLD while the empire has to only STEP OUT OF ITS DOORWAY, so to speak. Or do you - a-and please forgive me if I speak out of line - do you intend for us to go straight INTO THE HEART OF THE EMPIRE to take it back?
Ki'i'Mar: It has been YEARS since Maq was a Dragoon. You should be in MUCH better shape than him. But that was a BLATANT MISTAKE you did there. Leaving that GAPING OPENING in your defense. I mean even I could see that, and I' not exactly an expert on this ... GRUNTY PUNCHING STUFF like YOU two ...
<Na'Ki coughs and tries to stand up again>
Na'Ki: I-I'm sorry, Gena, I will -
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Ki'i'Mar: It can't be because of your SIZE DISADVANTAGE, can it? They wouldn't even ALLOW you to be a Dragoon if THAT would've been an usse, would they? Much less giving you the honor of being a GENA'S ESCORT ...
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Ki'i'Mar: Not if you were too SMALL and WEAK to do it. There must be a reason they put you here ... together with HUNKS like the FIRST DRAGOON BHAR. He must be what, DOUBLE your size? It's pretty ridiculous, right?
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Ki'i'Mar: Oh, EXCUSE ME, are you trying to STAND UP again? I really don't think I allowed you to DO that, yet.
<She zaps Na'Ki with painful magic, Na'Ki collapses again>
Na'Ki: ARGH!
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Ki'i'Mar: Maybe I should start doing that every time you FAIL. Maybe that would MOTIVATE you a bit more.