IC VII Lost in the Flood

[Athedia]

"We need to get out of Deldon. It would be suicide to get past the Horde outside and I would rather leave with my horse before she has to be eaten. You would also have fewer mouths to feed. It may be suicide to go into the Underdark, but it may also give us answers. Or more questions, they tend to be closely related."

Spoiler

Show

Freaking subzero temperatures here. Of course the most hilarious thing is the people from Florida and California who are wearing so many layers and there is me in my normal long-sleeve t-shirt combo and jacket/hoodie. My extra concessions for the temperature are gloves and an tank top under my shirt. I guess what they are in my mind is how we are in yours CWater. Though at least we have knowledge of how to shovel. I met a girl last night who had never done so in her life.

[Cavelcade]

"Mmm. Either way, we're out of your hair and no longer your concern. We brought you food, and swords. Now we have to leave, and we need your help to do so." He rubs at his eyes, finding them extremely irritated already. "After restocking and sleeping. Yes."

[Admiral]

"You wish to escape through the Underdark?" Cordry asks, surprised. "The Horde is dangerous indeed, but the Underdark has dangers far greater. And we have no idea what the nearest path to the surface is- it may be many miles away. There is risk escaping the Horde, but you've done it before, even with a full caravan- perhaps you could do it again."

The mayor closes an eye and points his axe at Mithril like an accusatory finger, seemingly ignoring Cordrey's words. "Answers. Hm. What are you up to, now."

[CoffeeIncluded]

"And learning about the under dark. We asked questions of our own in the interrogation. But we can't leave now, were not ready now. Well be ready later." Natalia yanks on her hair; the sudden sharp pain and the crinkling dry yellowish sounds her hair makes as the strands rub against each other next to her ear help make her a bit more alert for the moment.

Spoiler

Show

Same here athedia. Though since I needed to get to the other side of campus I'm wearing my fleece, hat, gloves, and boots. My medicine also makes me sweat more so I get even colder in winter. It is funny seeing everyone from California and down south in this weather though.

EDIT: Natalia glares at the mayor as he points his axe at Mithril, and shifts her chair so she's closer to the Mage.

"There are too many whys here. We need to find them."

[CWater]

"I would be going with them to the Underdark", Rhenner says, "If you have no heavy objection to this route, other than that it is very dangerous, could you help us to get there?"

"If we come across any information on this journey that would be relevant to you, for example another attack by the drow, I promise to send you a message."

[CoffeeIncluded]

Help them get there. Natalia looks up, remembering her earlier conversation with Rhenner. "I don't think we can use magic to get through the tunnels like the drow did. If you dug or blasted a hole to the tunnels, just large enough for us and our horses to get through, how long would it take and could you seal it up again?

[Admiral]

"Now hold on!" says Cordrey harshly, as the mayor sits quietly, scratching his beard and nursing a frown. "If you head into the Underdark, the danger would not just be to you. We don't know whether the drow will attack again, but an act of aggression could only increase the likelihood. Not to mention that if you're captured and interrogated, you've stayed in Deldon and have intelligence on its interior layout. The risk to Deldon is too great. I can't allow you to go."

The mayor looks up. "You. Sleepyhead." He points his axe towards Natalia. "What whys are you babbling about."

Spoiler

Show

Surprise post.

[Athedia]

"You wish to escape through the Underdark?" Cordry asks, surprised. "The Horde is dangerous indeed, but the Underdark has dangers far greater. And we have no idea what the nearest path to the surface is- it may be many miles away. There is risk escaping the Horde, but you've done it before, even with a full caravan- perhaps you could do it again."

The mayor closes an eye and points his axe at Mithril like an accusatory finger, seemingly ignoring Cordrey's words. "Answers. Hm. What are you up to, now."

Mithril just stared for a while at the end of the mayor's axe. For all the sharpness of the axe, she did not actually fear losing a limb. In fact after the previous night, after the Voice, after the shear vulnerability of the one thing she did not want to lose had been revealed, she found the idea of losing a limb almost amusing. As he switched the pointing to Natalia she spoke up. "You do like to swing that around don't you? And what we know of Deldon could fill a thimble. Without guides the only place I seem to be able to find is the temple. Anyway, the same would hold true for the Horde capturing us now wouldn't it? "

She walked towards him and in front of Natalia, placing a hand on the head of the axe. "You wanted to know about my question answers. They are the musings of a foreigners brain about the lack of cooperation among the guilds, though I believe that is not much of a concern during a siege such as this." A gentle push of her hand, nudged the axe head to the side. "You have a question as well though. What to do with that drow prisoner of yours. As I see it you have two options, keep him locked up or kill him."

[CoffeeIncluded]

"MITHRIL!" She doesn't have time to think consciously about her decision, but instead immediately leaps to her feet once Mithril starts nudging the axe. Terrified what the mayor would do, Natalia leaps onto the table and races straight to Mithril and the mayor, practically shoving the mage out of the way and putting herself in Mithril's place, right in front of the axe.

Natalia gulps as her vision clears and the adrenaline fades and she sees herself starting down that axe pointed right towards her neck, but still she presses on and says, "Why the drow attacked, and why the horde is attacking right now, not just Deldon, but lots of other places in Eldgar as well." And at home, she thinks, but doesn't say that out loud. "The drow leaders have a prisoner in their city, and this prisoner has something to do with why they attacked now. If we go to the underdark, we'll find out why the drow attacked when they did, and why the Horde is attacking, and maybe how to defeat them as well. The drow sold gunpowder to the Horde. You could be looking at bombs outside your gate soon. And if we go to the underdark, we'll also be able to find out if there's going to be another attack on Deldon, and warn you about it, and maybe even sabotage it."

She's shaking in front of the mayor; she keeps moving to adjust her necklace or copper wire bracelet but every single time her right hand moves to the bracelet it slips and fumbles. But she still stands there, and the thoughts race through her mind: Please don't hurt Mithril, please don't hurt me, please don't hurt any of us.

Spoiler

Show

I'm sorry Cavelcade, but once Mithril stood in front of the mayor like that and started toying with his axe there was only one way Natalia could respond, and I also feel it was more thematically and dramatically appropriate to have her response right after Mithril's.

[CWater]

Rhenner just stares at this audacious display of both sense and emotion, with slight disbelief.

Great. A fine group have I gotten involved with... I wonder if all of them have self-destructive tendencies, or is it just the women.

Spoiler

Show

Please excuse his snarky musings.

[Cavelcade]

Spoiler

Show

The wonderful thing about PbPs is, even if you'd waited until after Kurt responded, you could have had her reaction happen immediately after Mithril's actions. Ah vell, done now, the conversation has moved on.

"Hm. Aggression, yes, that's the problem isn't it. We don't plan on being aggressive, though." Shaking his head at his own words, realising the flaw in them immediately. "But as my teacher always said, 'Everyone has a plan until they get hit' - and the act of going in there could be an act of aggression for them. Still, it has to be done, with or without your help."

He's about to say more when the girls jump up, switching back and forth. Were he less tired, he might find Mithril's actions more alarming - as it is, he simply watches.

[Admiral]

Spoiler

Show

Was Kurt trained by Mike Tyson?

The mayor raises an eyebrow as Mithril walks towards him and his axe, and the eyebrow rises even further once Natalia shoves herself in the way.

"Now why do you come running up here like that, just to shiver there all terrified," he states to Natalia. "You worried I'll bite?"

After a moment's pause, Cordrey speaks up. "Whatever you hope to discover, we cannot allow-"

"Sure we can," interrupts the mayor quietly, his axe and eyes still pointed towards Natalia. "And we will. This siege has gotta end someday. We kill a thousand orcs, they'll just send a thousand more. If we're not gonna look for whoever's behind it- folks with the power to stop it- perhaps the Schmuck Squad here should." He chops his axe into the table in front of him by way of settling the matter. "Or maybe I just want them dead, who's to say."

[CoffeeIncluded]

"Yes," Natalia says, steadying herself with a breath, though her hand is still trembling slightly. "But I'm more worried you'll bite Mithril, and I'm not going to let that happen."

She breathes slightly easier when the mayor seems to allow them access, though she's still stunned by his seemingly capricious and insulting nature. Still, she looks at Mithril when he asks her a question, despite thinking to herself, Because Mithril's better than you.

Spoiler

Show

he did ask her a question. And I love surprise posts! How's the procrastination going?

[Admiral]

[QUOTE=CoffeeIncluded;16853286]"Yes," Natalia says, steadying herself with a breath, though her hand is still trembling slightly. "But I'm more worried you'll bite Mithril, and I'm not going to let that happen."

"Now what makes you so afraid of that?" he asks, the corner of his mouth upturned.

Spoiler

Show

this part of the conversation can happen before he turns to Mithril.

[CoffeeIncluded]

"The way you talk to us? Your threats to dismember and main us?!" Natalia retorts, clapping her hands over her mouth the moment the words leave it. At least she didn't say anything about what she hears.

[Admiral]

"We also heard about the kid's mother you chopped up and fed to him," Shiny adds from his seat in a helpful tone.

[CoffeeIncluded]

Normally pale with a slight almost yellow tinge, Natalia's face goes ashen as Shiny comments behind her. Her eyes go huge and she exhales audibly as she takes a half-step back, in Shiny's direction. But to her credit she doesn't run for it, or completely lose it.

Spoiler

Show

sorry about the delay, I was headed back for dinner. It's above 0 now!

She turns so she stands between the mayor and Shiny, staying there despite her fear.

[Admiral]

The mayor tilts his head slightly, then briefly shows his cracked, yellowing teeth in a short smirk. "Did you now."

He turns to Mithril. "Now, let's see... You. TallFairAndMagicky. What do you care what happens to the captive drow?"

Spoiler

Show

This is the line of dialogue that originally happened earlier, we spliced in his interaction with Natalia.

[CoffeeIncluded]

This guy's the mayor? And they call her Nuts! Though maybe he's making sense in his own way too. But she'd never make a good ruler with her...her, so why the mayor? Is he truly going senile? Is he like her, making sense under the confusion? Or is he faking it all--and if so, why?

Before Natalia realizes it, she croaks out, "Is it true?"

Spoiler

Show

I feel it makes the most sense for Natalia to say this now while the subject's still on this, rather than have it be sidetracked again. And after this I'm shutting up and waiting for Mithril. If you want me to say it after Mithril then just let me know and I'll delete and repost it.

[Athedia]

The mayor tilts his head slightly, then briefly shows his cracked, yellowing teeth in a short smirk. "Did you now."

He turns to Mithril. "Now, let's see... You. TallFairAndMagicky. What do you care what happens to the captive drow?"

Spoiler

Show

This is the line of dialogue that originally happened earlier, we spliced in his interaction with Natalia.

"Because." At this Mithril looked at Natalia tight lipped. She had been about to say that he had been tortured, but not with her in the room. "Because he has a family, because he surrendered and wants to live. My family back across the ocean has no idea if I live or where I am, but my greatest hope is to return one day. I know he is the enemy, but if a dwarf was captured would you not want them returned alive? Should you not prove yourself better than those you call your enemies?"

[Admiral]

"Because." At this Mithril looked at Natalia tight lipped. She had been about to say that he had been tortured, but not with her in the room. "Because he has a family, because he surrendered and wants to live. My family back across the ocean has no idea if I live or where I am, but my greatest hope is to return one day. I know he is the enemy, but if a dwarf was captured would you not want them returned alive? Should you not prove yourself better than those you call your enemies?"

"Can't say I have any interest in proving myself to you," Marcos states matter-of-factly, while continuing to scratch his beard as tenaciously as if it were filled with termites.

"But I am interested in your, ehh, moral philosophy. First you wanted him to live, now you're talking about him getting set free, going home. That drow and his crew killed six dwarves last night. If they'd gone through with their scheme they'd have killed four hundred and fifty more, through deaths of slow starvation. Maybe they set murderers free where you come from. Can't say it'll catch on here."

[CoffeeIncluded]

He's making sense. He's making complete sense instead of his ramblings from before. But is this a moment of lucidity, of the true intelligence breaking through the seeming senility, or a momentary dropping of the mask? And again, if it's the latter, why?

And, loathe as she is to admit it, he does have a point. It may be war, and he may be a prisoner, but he's still a murderer. She thinks back to the Linwood executions, but also how they let that one Orc go only to find that he was killed by his own later.

And the Orc Shiny charmed and questioned, only to have Kurt bring the axe down upon his skull when he was done. Even now, the act disgusts her. And how different is this? What should they do here?

"Remember Linwood?" she asks her friends.

Spoiler

Show

i was gonna suggest a hostAge negotiation but Natalia doesn't think like that.

[Athedia]

"I said return, not set free. They do have a prisoner down there who gave them information. I am certainly not planning to stage a jailbreak, but now they have their info they might be willing to trade." Despite his axe waving, limb threatening habits Mithril thought of Marcos as a decent leader. He certainly had nothing to prove to her. "And even if this prisoner isn't an ally, he has information that led the drow to you. Aren't you interesting in how he got that?"

[Admiral]

"I said return, not set free. They do have a prisoner down there who gave them information. I am certainly not planning to stage a jailbreak, but now they have their info they might be willing to trade." Despite his axe waving, limb threatening habits Mithril thought of Marcos as a decent leader. He certainly had nothing to prove to her. "And even if this prisoner isn't an ally, he has information that led the drow to you. Aren't you interesting in how he got that?"

"Prisoner, eh?" Marcos mulls it over.

Lucius stands up to say his piece. "Just because the drow is in captivity doesn't mean he's not still dangerous. Think if the drow try and contact him through magic- he could still share what he's learned from our interrogation of him. This would become all but certain once you reveal to them that he's still alive, even if the exchange never goes through."

Marcos keeps thinking, before deciding with a grunt. "Yeah, well, he can tell them all about the rotten rations he's getting. Drow's leverage, he keeps his head for now. All right, go get yourself lost in a mine, I'd call my patience with you about done."

He picks up his axe and seems ready to slam it into the table to conclude the meeting, until he pauses abruptly. He points the axe straight at Natalia. "Except for CopperCoil here. You stick around a minute."

[CoffeeIncluded]

Natalia freezes in place as Marcos points his axe at her. She frantically shifts her gaze left and right, only to find everyone else leaving.

When everyone else is going or gone, Natalia asks, "What do you want me for?" even as she looks around the room and tries mentally calculating the fastest escape route, the best way for her to dodge the axe and run for it if things go south. If she screams, they'll come running, but she doesn't want to start an all-out brawl. Not now. And hopefully she won't have to. She doesn't think he'll try anything, but can't be too sure.

Even as she tries calculating the escape route and options, Natalia finds her gaze sliding over to Marcos again and again, gauging his intentions, trying to figure out how much is real and how much is fake.

[Admiral]

Once the others have left, a guard slams the heavy iron door behind him, and Natalia and the mayor are alone in the room.

The mayor stays at his desk, even with just the two of them in the room, remaining about two feet above her. "You're tired." the mayor says bluntly, his axe still in his hand. "Had a hard time sleeping, did you?"

[CoffeeIncluded]

"I guarded Deldon last night, did the rounds with Choros. Why are you asking? Natalia doesn't take her eyes off the mayor, and she especially doesn't take her eyes off his axe.

"Why did you close the door?"

[Admiral]

"It's different when you have to protect them all, isn't it?" the mayor says, but he doesn't elaborate.

"Notice you're speaking less daft than you were yesterday, well, to whatever extent you seem able. Were you broken then or fixed now? Oh, never mind," he notes as he waves his axe, "I don't care."

"You asked me if somethin' was true. Well, can't tell you without knowing that something- what've ye heard, girl?" he asks, with a sneer.

[CoffeeIncluded]

Natalia shakes her head. "No. A few or all, it's the same, I think. We would have protected them anyway, whether or not you threatened us like that."

She winces as he calls her daft as well. She's really starting to hate that word. "Rhenner cast a tongues spell on me. I'm speaking the way I normally do, but the words come out right. It'll wear off soon." And then Natalia takes a deep breath and explains what she heard down near the mines, all of it, all the different rumors, her voice growing harder by the moment. When she finishes, she swallows. Might as well go for broke. It's also on her mind and if he's going to attack her, that might have been enough.

Finally, Natalia asks, "People call me stupid because I can't speak properly. I'm not. The things you say and do, the rambling about dreams, the way you say non sequiturs and follow them up with logical arguments, how much is real?"

[Cavelcade]

Kurt casts an eye over the other party members as they leave, looking at each of them in turn as he takes back Daybreaker. "Right. I'm going to take this back with me, go to bed, and fall asleep. I hope your gods have mercy on the one of you that rouses me before I wake up because I swear to mine that I won't." With that grumpy announcement made, he makes his way back to his bunk, wanting nothing more than that for the rest of his days as far as he's concerned.