The Eye of Anubis: Book Ten

[Rock of the Fraternity]

"Your words are well-considered," Lia tells Kuzan, her voice carefully neutral. "But still. We need to find out what all is happening here quickly, as Sascha said." Turning to the knight, she makes a polite gesture. "My apologies for the informality, but I find your family name rather difficult to pronounce." Turning back to Kuzan and the others, she continues: "And that means getting out of this compound and among the Akiri, I think. The Falkovnians will only tell us what they want us to know or what we can weasel out of them, and even then they are likely to put as positive a spin on their actions as they can."

[NeoTiamat]

Courtyard, Falkovnian Headquarters, Muhar, Har'Akir
August 26th, 761, 4:26 PM; Day 162 of the Menetnashte Expedition
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"Um, hallo?" Tomas asks contritely, "Miss? I am sorry to be bothering you, but may I be having a moment of your time?"

The Akiri girl jumped at the sound of Tomas's voice, turning rapidly to look at the big, blond man with the foreign-accented voice. She stared at him for a moment, then remembered herself and bowed quickly.

"Y-y-yes sir?" Mandisa could, it seemed, speak Mordentish. Though she had an accent you could cut with a knife. "Y-y-your commands?"

===============================================

"You've been immured in headquarters, then? Trouble with the locals?"

"One way of putting it. Worth your skin to ride out alone." Lieutenant Schiffer said bleakly. The joking tenor drained from his voice as he looked across the courtyard towards Tomas and Mandisa. "Best warn your friend to take care. These Akiri... they are demons in human skin. Wild beasts."

"I was officer of the watch when the bodies were brought in..." Lebrecht said quietly. "Dolf and Franz did not deserve to die that way. No one deserves to die that way."

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"Has anyone bothered to count how many Falkovnians we've seen so far?" Lia asks quietly, trying to pitch her voice for the ears of the other members of the Expedition, only.

"Twenty-three individuals." Sarari said without preamble or explanation. She would be the kind of person to count it. Or to be able to remember them all despite not having bothered to count.

"And considering we haven't seen everywhere yet or that there might be more patrols... we're looking at fifty Falkovnians at least. Could be more." Edmund said, then sighed. "Not good odds."

"We have a saying in Sri Raji: मेरे दुश्मन का दुश्मन मेरा दोस्त है. I think you call it, 'the enemy of my enemy is my friend.'"

"They say Kali Durga is the implacable enemy of all demons...even Akiri ones. But you do not call upon her power." Professor Marchand-Renier said. The Richemuloise professor was staring out toward the courtyard, where the stakes had been arrayed. "Please try to understand our reluctance."

The linguist then shook his head and gave a slight-bow of apology. "Forgive me Kuzan. That was out of line. You are right. We cannot act until we know more. I think Miss Mournswaithe is correct, we should seek information from every venue available to us."

[Rock of the Fraternity]

"What a strange place we have come to in our lives," Lia says, her voice soft with something like wonder. She shakes her head and chuckles ruefully. "We can actually come to some form of agreement now without shouting and recriminations." Her voice takes on a mildly mocking, humorous tone: "It can't possibly be healthy, can it? In any case: information. Who plumbs which source, and when?"

[Kaitou Kage]

"They say Kali Durga is the implacable enemy of all demons...even Akiri ones. But you do not call upon her power." Professor Marchand-Renier said. The Richemuloise professor was staring out toward the courtyard, where the stakes had been arrayed. "Please try to understand our reluctance."

The linguist then shook his head and gave a slight-bow of apology. "Forgive me Kuzan. That was out of line. You are right. We cannot act until we know more. I think Miss Mournswaithe is correct, we should seek information from every venue available to us,"

Kuzan smiled understandingly. "No apology is needed, Professor," he said, "But thank you. I could call upon her and I have been tempted, but she demands a high price for her gifts. So I do understand what you mean."

He considered Lia's words for a few moments and then glanced toward the gate. "You say they will not let us leave," he remarked, "But I have not heard anything of that nature stated or implied." He took a few steps toward the gates then glanced back over his shoulder with a smile. "Perhaps we should see what they do if we decide to take a walk around the village."

[Rock of the Fraternity]

Lia immediately reaches out and seizes Kuzan by the elbow. "With soldiers," she notes, "it is better to ask what is allowed than to assume that it is, simply because no one has yet said that it is not. It does not do to make armed and armoured men who have been trained to kill nervous unless one has ... sufficient clout. Or a chance to run and escape." Slowly, Lia releases the priest again. "When we do go out, though," she notes, "provided we get the chance, you might have an advantage, Kuzan. Seeing as you were born here, you might appear to be more trustworthy to the natives than the rest of us."

[Nathan of the FoS]

"What happened to them?" Charles asks quietly.

[DocBeard]

Tomas blinks at this; inwardly, his heart is breaking at the girl's bruised spirit. Outwardly, he looks the same as ever, checking behind himself as if looking for who on earth could be a 'sir' and giving 'commands'. His foot grabs onto his coat, causing Eisenwald to pratfall-trip wildly, especially in plated armor, just managing to stop himself by leaning on his left tip-toe.

"Oooow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow." Tomas whimpers, adjusting his weight subtly so as to not actually crush his little toes. He stumbles again, holding his hands out, "...not to be presumptious but perhaps you could be helping me with minea balance? The thing about plate mail is that when you fall down it is sort of like having a metal cow sit on your chest...!"

[NeoTiamat]

Courtyard, Falkovnian Headquarters, Muhar, Har'Akir
August 26th, 761, 4:26 PM; Day 162 of the Menetnashte Expedition
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Tomas blinks at this; inwardly, his heart is breaking at the girl's bruised spirit. Outwardly, he looks the same as ever, checking behind himself as if looking for who on earth could be a 'sir' and giving 'commands'. His foot grabs onto his coat, causing Eisenwald to pratfall-trip wildly, especially in plated armor, just managing to stop himself by leaning on his left tip-toe.

"Oooow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow." Tomas whimpers, adjusting his weight subtly so as to not actually crush his little toes. He stumbles again, holding his hands out, "...not to be presumptious but perhaps you could be helping me with minea balance? The thing about plate mail is that when you fall down it is sort of like having a metal cow sit on your chest...!"

Mandisa gasped as Tomas stumbled, looking as though she wanted to run. She skittered back and forth uncertainly, afraid to touch the heavily armed man, and yet terrified of the consequences of disobeying him. Finally, she reached out and grabbed the knight, more out of fear he would fall on her then out of any desire on her part to help.

Much to Tomas' chagrin, the girl's sense of balance was even worse than his own. Her feeble attempts to steady him quickly proved to have the opposite effect, and Tomas felt the inexorable force of gravity pull him off his feet. He fell to the floor with a loud crash; with a startled shriek, the girl smacked onto the ground beside him.

Mandisa was back up on her knees in almost an instant, staring at Tomas with horrified brown eyes. For a moment she could do nothing but stare at what she had just done. Then she scrambled over to the fallen man, trying her best to pull him upward and back on his feet; she may as well have been pulling on a ship's anchor, for how little she could move him.

"I'm so s-sorry!" The girl sobbed, starting to shake visibly. "I-I'm s-stupid and clumsy, p-please forgive me!"

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"What happened to them?" Charles asks quietly.

"They were out on water duty, didn't come back." Lieutenant Schiffer told the tale. "The Kommandant went to collect the bodies personally. The beasts threw them into the river, had to fish them out."

"Dolf and Franz didn't even have a chance to get their weapons. There were rope burns on the neck, so they must've been caught with a strangling cord or something. Then... " Lebrecht paused. "Well, I hope they were killed first. Their hands were cut off, tongue torn out, and they'd had something sharp rammed into each eye... few other things cut off too."

"Beasts. Not people. Beasts."

The cavalryman fell quiet.

[Nathan of the FoS]

What Charles would really like to ask next is, And what did you do that might merit such a response? Rapine and enslavement, or was there anything out of the ordinary?

But! He is making friends here. Just in case. "In broad daylight? Or were they out at night? From what you said they were armed and armored, yes?"

Charles looks toward the compound wall as if examining the sad, dusty village beyond it and says, "Pretty aggressive...do they even have professional soldiers here? I presume that all of the locals disclaimed knowledge of the event, and the Kommandmant ordered the impalings pour encourager les autres?"

[DocBeard]

Tomas? Tomas is laughing by the time he hits the ground. "Oh, look at us, I'm sorr..."

Then he realizes the girl's about to have a nervous breakdown.

"Oh. Oh, jeze." Tomas is back on his feet in a second; it is not elegant, but Tomas is strong enough to lift himself, at least. He even offers the girl a hand up. "I didn't mean to scare you, young lady. Come on now-please do not be crying. I will not hurt you, I promise!" Tomas motions at himself, as if to say, 'Who could I hurt anyway?'

[lostboy]

Turning to the knight, she makes a polite gesture. "My apologies for the informality, but I find your family name rather difficult to pronounce."

Sascha makes a shrug, attempting to conceal the fact that talkign about this means more than it appears. "A family name long dead" As he utters the words he glares with thinly disguised hatred at the various soldiers around the compound. Then bringing his attention back to Lia offers a courtly bow "It is too many lives ago to mean anything anymore, call me as you wish milady."

"With soldiers," she notes, "it is better to ask what is allowed than to assume that it is.

"Then let us ask, time is wasting." Sascha continues gruffly "although in the interests of diplomacy perhaps I should remain a last resort for approaching our hosts. However we go nowhere without Professor Theroux, this is no place to be caught alone." The look in Sascha's eyes makes it evident he's talking about the compound rather than the village.

[The Whistler]

"What a strange place we have come to in our lives," Lia says, her voice soft with something like wonder. She shakes her head and chuckles ruefully. "We can actually come to some form of agreement now without shouting and recriminations."

"About it is time, yes?" Despite his discomfort, Otto grins widely. The past few months to the contrary, he is one of those annoying few who think every conflict can be solved by Sitting Down and Talking Sensibly; it's clear that he's been silently pushing for detente for some time now.

Her voice takes on a mildly mocking, humorous tone: "It can't possibly be healthy, can it? In any case: information. Who plumbs which source, and when?"

"Well--aside from asking the permission of our 'hosts' to exit of the compound, who *are* our sources? Once we are within the town proper, I believe that a general reconnaissance is in order. I myself am at disadvantage, having no Falkovnian or Akiri, though we are certainly favored with translators." He nods at Marchand-Renier. "Should something of a more...silent nature be necessary, however..." The gunsmith instinctively leans in a little closer. "I would be pleased to oblige."

[NeoTiamat]

Courtyard, Falkovnian Headquarters, Muhar, Har'Akir
August 26th, 761, 4:37 PM; Day 162 of the Menetnashte Expedition
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But! He is making friends here. Just in case. "In broad daylight? Or were they out at night? From what you said they were armed and armored, yes?"

"Near evening, and the swords were still sheathed and crossbows unwound." Lebrecht said grimly. "It was an ambush from behind. Don't know if they have professional soldiers, but they sure as Mists have professional bandits."

"I presume that all of the locals disclaimed knowledge of the event, and the Kommandmant ordered the impalings pour encourager les autres?"

"Hah. You presume wrong, my Vaasi-reared friend." Lieutenant Schiffer said grimly. "We caught them red-handed last night. Shot the guard on duty in the left quadrant, Karl Brunner, with some kind of poisoned arrow. Started to throw some torches over the wall, but my patrol was coming back then and saw Brunner fall."

"Hard to outrun a horse." Lebrecht said with a cruel little smile. "Next group won't be so eager."

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"Oh. Oh, jeze." Tomas is back on his feet in a second; it is not elegant, but Tomas is strong enough to lift himself, at least. He even offers the girl a hand up. "I didn't mean to scare you, young lady. Come on now-please do not be crying. I will not hurt you, I promise!" Tomas motions at himself, as if to say, 'Who could I hurt anyway?'

Mandisa stared at the offered hand for a second, not really sure what to do; but then, she had been told not to cry, so she certainly did not intend to disobey. She meekly took the hand and pulled herself unsteadily to her feet.

"Y-you are not angry? You do not have a metal kau on your chest?" she asked fearfully, her grasp of Mordentish clearly not covering the exotic animal. "I did not damage your shiny armor? I-I can polish it for you."

The girl groped around for any reason she could think of for why this large, strange man wanted to talk to her, finally settling on the likeliest one she could think of. "W-would you like coffee? I can make some. I am good at it."

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"All these hawkys are acting like some of the outfits in Invidia." Dieter offered after a moment's thought, deciding not to elaborate too much on how he knew. "Some towns in Gundarak, people will slit your throat soon as look at you, so the mercenaries would go around in big mobs all the time, just in case. Doubt they're going to let us roam around all by ourselves."

"Likely they'll have a curfew. They won't let us out after sundown," Harris said quietly from where he stood, slightly outside the circle. "We had better ask about everything that might be expected of us. In a situation like this, military discipline is essential, and like it or not, we've just been commandeered. They'll be expecting us to follow the same procedures as them."

[DocBeard]

"At my own clumsiness?" Tomas asks, shrugging it off. "No, of course not. And...kau...ah, no, I am not with them. They are from...another nation." It's the best he can do-because he really doesn't know what this woman will tell her employers in exchange for her family's safety.

Oh hey coffee. "If you are making some, I would be being very pleased, ja." Tomas offers, smiling kindly. "I am Tomas Eisenwald, by the way." He offers a handshake. "I didn't mean to startle you, I promise."

[Rock of the Fraternity]

"We need to regroup and discuss matters with the others," Lia says, voice still pitched low. "And to find reasons - or even pretexts - to get out in the village, to further our understanding of the situation at the earliest opportunity. Disagreeable as the notion is, Charles has the right idea; those among us who are more personable need to try and get information out of the Falkovnians." The latter idea clearly does not please the wizard.