𝕯 & 𝕯 22 ...There you are.
Kryslin
[Has Delusions of Authorship]
- Location
- Mythic Iowa
They waited until the centaurs had departed after breakfast before stowing all the gear into the portable holes and shrinking the keep.
"I can't believe you forgot to deliver the necklace," Vicky groused as she put things away into the newer (and larger) portable hole.
"It's not like we had the time," Taylor shot back. "And it was also before I found out I'd have to make the ring here instead of back home. At least I packed the rest of the materials."
"OK, point to you," Amy added. "And really, it isn't too big of a deal. Between your top flying speed and Melissa shortening the distance, I doubt it will take more than a couple of hours of your time. Most of that taking off and landing."
"And dealing with whatever authorities I managed to spook on arrival," Taylor added while she stacked things in the bottom of the hole. "Or in passing."
"So, Dean?"
"Yes, Dennis?"
"Why aren't we helping load stuff into the portable holes?"
"Because Taylor, Vicky and Amy are having a 'discussion'." Dean looked at the three girls. "I don't want to get in the middle of that."
Chris nodded. "Yeah. Taylor feels embarrassed enough about having forgotten about the necklace. I don't want to make that any worse to the point I get a dragon annoyed at me." He checked his haversack and personal gear one last time. "I don't want to find out what kind of sauce I go with."
Melissa lightly bapped Chris from where she was helping Takara and Dinah with their gear. "You get off lightly this time," she stated, "only because we haven't heard that joke for a while and you're not Dennis."
Takara nodded. "Mother asked that I not make that joke anymore. And others of the ABB decided to stop using it so their new boss wouldn't get upset."
"Which is Naurelin," Dinah said. "Something I still find weird."
"You think it's weird?" Taylor called from where she was working. "Imagine how I feel!"
"And dragon hearing is such a cheat," added Vicky.
Despite the bickering, things got finished in short order, and soon Sulazhaal was standing in the greenspace between the woods and the river bank. "Now boarding!" he rumbled out as Melissa made the task of getting everyone dragonback trivial.
"So why couldn't we have used Melissa's Power to get to where we're going?" Takara asked.
"Line of sight," Melissa answered. "I have to be able to see my target. The mountains we're crossing block my line of sight to the city."
"So once we clear the summit, we could make Amestris in nothing flat?" Dinah asked.
"We could, yes. However…" and with that Melissa turned to Colin.
"The idea is to approach slowly, to give the locals some time to see us coming and realize we are not attacking. Suddenly appearing above the destination may startle the town," he explained.
"Yeah, and startling a bunch of artificers and alchemists is a bad idea," Ed added. "Some of my associates have enough weapons on hand to wage a small war. My brother has enough explosives to go into the mining business. And my wife? She gets creative when she needs to get violent. So, yeah, bad idea to startle the open air asylum by having a ginormous dragon suddenly appear over the town."
"About a year ago," Maddy noted, "that would have described Brockton Bay."
"You are correct," Colin admitted. "We were on a knife's edge, maintaining a careful balancing act between a semblance of peace and outright warfare. I may have made some sub-optimal choices in the name of maintaining the status quo."
"And then Naurelin showed up and defenestrated the status quo," added Melissa.
"Your new favorite word?" Vicky asked.
"Since I can make windows when I can't find them? Absolutely."
"So has anyone noticed that we've taken off?" Dean asked.
Ed nodded. "Between Sulazhaal and Naurelin's innate abilities, the take off was very gentle."
"For which the passengers are grateful," Dean added.
"At least the flight is smooth," Amy added from where she sat. "Dealing with air sickness is such a pain."
"There's a story there," Melissa prompted.
"Vicky was flying me over to Brockton General when we hit a series of clear air downbursts in rapid succession," Amy explained. "Vicky's pretty much immune, I wasn't. We got tossed around for a couple of minutes, and when we landed at the hospital I had to ask for some dramamine. Not my finest moment."
"Yeah, Ames barely made it to the restroom," Vicky continued.
"So why don't we experience turbulence when flying on a dragon?" Dinah asked.
"Popular opinion states that the air is too afraid to upset any of the dragons," Colin said.
Everyone in the cabin turned to look at him. "Do I need to invoke Master / Stranger protocols?" Dean asked. "Because Armsmaster just made a joke."
"I think we're safe," countered Chris. "He repeated it – it was on PHO a few months ago."
The remaining hour and a half flight went without issue; they crested the ridgeline, and were rewarded with a view of a vista out of a fantasy novel – lush, alpine forest was spread before them, finally giving way to farmland nearer to the river and their destination, the town of Amestris. Off to one side of the town they could see a wide open field that had a couple of primitive airships moored at one end.
The message was passed to Sulazhaal to make for the airfield, and Maddy made sure Naurelin (who was flying escort with Mizuchi) knew as well. They could hear the ringing of some bells in the town as they made their final approach for landing. There was even an old fashioned windsock, letting Sulazhaal know which way and how fast the wind was blowing on the field.
Ever so slowly, he made his approach, and very gently, landed. "And he sticks the landing," Sulazhaal rumbled. "Nines from all the judges, except the Russians, who gave him a four. Never rush things." He very carefully made his way over to where one of the mooring posts for an airship was, and Naurelin and Mizuchi began their approaches.
Soon, all three dragons were near Sulazhaal, while it appeared most of the town was watching from a safe distance. Meanwhile, the group could see an older, burly man stomping his way towards them. "That would be Cid," Ed stated. "He's the portmaster here. And because the gas the airships uses is extraordinarily flammable, he doesn't like anything that could breathe fire, start a fire, or cause an explosion anywhere near the port." Ed sighed. "I'll go talk to him, you guys get things unloaded."
The group could hear the rather vociferous discussion between Ed and the old man, who looked like he spent a lot of time working on balky equipment with large heavy tools. By the time the man had finally turned around and headed for the main administration hut, the group had completed their unloading and stowed everything into the larger portable hole.
"That could've gone better," Ed muttered as he walked back to the group.
"How so?" Maddy asked.
"I had to invoke the Lady," Ed admitted. "It's true, Miss Biron is considered a member of the Lady's family. He said he was going to verify that, and was rather relieved when all of you shifted to human forms and won't be hanging around the port during your stay."
"Hey! What trouble have you brought home this time?" a voice that remarkably sounded like Ed's called out. The one doing the yelling was slightly taller than Ed, and wore his blond hair cut short, unlike Ed's ponytail. His shoulders were slightly broader. But the eyes and the chin were nearly identical to Ed's. He was wearing clothes suited for working in a workshop.
Holding his hands were a pair of young girls, perhaps eight to ten years old. They had darker skin than the normal tanned Caucasian tones seen around the area, and had bone white hair and pointed ears. They were wearing clothes that would be good for some rough and tumble activities outdoors and doing their chores. The moment they saw Ed, they broke loose from their keeper and ran up to him.
He knelt down so he could give them a hug in greeting. He picked the two girls up as the other young man joined him. "Introductions are in order," he said. "These are my daughters Freya and Elke, and this is my little brother Al. Al, these are Colin, Maddy, Dennis, Dean, Chris, Takara, Dinah, Taylor, Vicky, Amy and Lady Melissa Biron."
"Little brother?" Al answered, an eyebrow arched. "Younger brother, certainly. Little, though? Hardly. And hello, everyone. I'm Alphonse Elric, though you can just call me Al. What brings you to Amestris?"
Kenta and Tsukiko were walking along the beach on the northern side of the island. They were often greeted by fishermen who had come ashore to work on their nets, or make repairs if something had gotten damaged. For her part, Tsukiko could hide her ears and tail, leaving her with her pale hair but otherwise appearing just human, yet still adorable.
His tattoos, however, were clearly visible, even with the clothing he wore. Many were nervous around him, but most overcame their fear, especially if they needed some assistance, which he willingly offered. There were very few villages along this stretch of the north shore of Shikoku, just the beach and a road. The villages were farther inland.
As night fell, Tsukiko had gathered driftwood for a fire, which Kenta lit with his Powers. A few fish and some pickles – payment from fishermen for his help – were cooked, along with some of the millet.
"So why do you keep walking?" the young kitsune asked.
"I was told to follow the path I was set on," Kenta said, "and not to go off it. That jorogumo was sent to tempt me, and I came across those oni attacking your family so I could protect you."
The young fox nodded. "But why?" she asked.
"That, I don't know," Kenta admitted. "The kami do whatever they do, and often don't tell us what they plan."
"Shall I tell you why?" The voice of the newcomer was deep. He was walking down the beach from the north. He was hard to see in the dim light, but he was easily taller than Kenta, his shoulders broader. As the figure came into the circle of light shed by the fire, his inhuman features could be plainly seen.
"Oni," Kenta hissed.
"I am called Shin'ya," the oni stated. "For the moment, I have no quarrel with you, human. Would you like an answer to your question?"
Kenta stood, taking in the sight of the creature. "Yes, I would."
The oni sat on the other side of the fire, gesturing for Kenta to do the same. "What do you know about the nine tailed fox?"
"Beyond the old story?" Kenta said. "Not much. I know she overthrew the Shang Dynasty in China, fled to India, came back to China, and was chased out to Japan."
Shin'ya nodded. "You know more than most. The girl, Tsukiko, is related to her. A few years ago, a priestess cast a divination, and foretold of the moon fox causing great upheaval for the Emperor and Kami. In turn, this gets blamed on yokai in general, and leads to the Emperor putting us to death."
"There is a problem with prophecies," Kenta said. "Sometimes they can be self fulfilling. You wish to put this child to death to prevent the death of yokai in general. What if your killing of the child is what sets Tamamo-no-Mae on her path to causing great upheaval for everyone?"
"That is a fair question," Shin'ya admitted. "And one I do not have an answer for." He took a look at the girl, who was peering out from behind Kenta. "It is regrettable," he finally said, "but it was decided that the death of one, even one so young, was preferable to the thousands who would die."
"I don't wanna die," Tsukiko said from her hiding spot.
"No one does," Shin'ya said as he rose. "Higashi Kenta. I will meet you in combat at noon tomorrow."
Kenta sighed. "Where shall this take place?"
"There is a waterfall half a day's walk from here, up the path from this beach. That is where we will do this thing." The oni left behind a bag. "The food is yours. It would not do if you were not at your best."
The last thing Shin'ya heard as he walked away was the crying of the young girl.
"I can't believe you forgot to deliver the necklace," Vicky groused as she put things away into the newer (and larger) portable hole.
"It's not like we had the time," Taylor shot back. "And it was also before I found out I'd have to make the ring here instead of back home. At least I packed the rest of the materials."
"OK, point to you," Amy added. "And really, it isn't too big of a deal. Between your top flying speed and Melissa shortening the distance, I doubt it will take more than a couple of hours of your time. Most of that taking off and landing."
"And dealing with whatever authorities I managed to spook on arrival," Taylor added while she stacked things in the bottom of the hole. "Or in passing."
- - - - - - - - - - - -
"So, Dean?"
"Yes, Dennis?"
"Why aren't we helping load stuff into the portable holes?"
"Because Taylor, Vicky and Amy are having a 'discussion'." Dean looked at the three girls. "I don't want to get in the middle of that."
Chris nodded. "Yeah. Taylor feels embarrassed enough about having forgotten about the necklace. I don't want to make that any worse to the point I get a dragon annoyed at me." He checked his haversack and personal gear one last time. "I don't want to find out what kind of sauce I go with."
Melissa lightly bapped Chris from where she was helping Takara and Dinah with their gear. "You get off lightly this time," she stated, "only because we haven't heard that joke for a while and you're not Dennis."
Takara nodded. "Mother asked that I not make that joke anymore. And others of the ABB decided to stop using it so their new boss wouldn't get upset."
"Which is Naurelin," Dinah said. "Something I still find weird."
"You think it's weird?" Taylor called from where she was working. "Imagine how I feel!"
"And dragon hearing is such a cheat," added Vicky.
- - - - - - - - - - - -
Despite the bickering, things got finished in short order, and soon Sulazhaal was standing in the greenspace between the woods and the river bank. "Now boarding!" he rumbled out as Melissa made the task of getting everyone dragonback trivial.
"So why couldn't we have used Melissa's Power to get to where we're going?" Takara asked.
"Line of sight," Melissa answered. "I have to be able to see my target. The mountains we're crossing block my line of sight to the city."
"So once we clear the summit, we could make Amestris in nothing flat?" Dinah asked.
"We could, yes. However…" and with that Melissa turned to Colin.
"The idea is to approach slowly, to give the locals some time to see us coming and realize we are not attacking. Suddenly appearing above the destination may startle the town," he explained.
"Yeah, and startling a bunch of artificers and alchemists is a bad idea," Ed added. "Some of my associates have enough weapons on hand to wage a small war. My brother has enough explosives to go into the mining business. And my wife? She gets creative when she needs to get violent. So, yeah, bad idea to startle the open air asylum by having a ginormous dragon suddenly appear over the town."
"About a year ago," Maddy noted, "that would have described Brockton Bay."
"You are correct," Colin admitted. "We were on a knife's edge, maintaining a careful balancing act between a semblance of peace and outright warfare. I may have made some sub-optimal choices in the name of maintaining the status quo."
"And then Naurelin showed up and defenestrated the status quo," added Melissa.
"Your new favorite word?" Vicky asked.
"Since I can make windows when I can't find them? Absolutely."
"So has anyone noticed that we've taken off?" Dean asked.
Ed nodded. "Between Sulazhaal and Naurelin's innate abilities, the take off was very gentle."
"For which the passengers are grateful," Dean added.
"At least the flight is smooth," Amy added from where she sat. "Dealing with air sickness is such a pain."
"There's a story there," Melissa prompted.
"Vicky was flying me over to Brockton General when we hit a series of clear air downbursts in rapid succession," Amy explained. "Vicky's pretty much immune, I wasn't. We got tossed around for a couple of minutes, and when we landed at the hospital I had to ask for some dramamine. Not my finest moment."
"Yeah, Ames barely made it to the restroom," Vicky continued.
"So why don't we experience turbulence when flying on a dragon?" Dinah asked.
"Popular opinion states that the air is too afraid to upset any of the dragons," Colin said.
Everyone in the cabin turned to look at him. "Do I need to invoke Master / Stranger protocols?" Dean asked. "Because Armsmaster just made a joke."
"I think we're safe," countered Chris. "He repeated it – it was on PHO a few months ago."
- - - - - - - - - - - -
The remaining hour and a half flight went without issue; they crested the ridgeline, and were rewarded with a view of a vista out of a fantasy novel – lush, alpine forest was spread before them, finally giving way to farmland nearer to the river and their destination, the town of Amestris. Off to one side of the town they could see a wide open field that had a couple of primitive airships moored at one end.
The message was passed to Sulazhaal to make for the airfield, and Maddy made sure Naurelin (who was flying escort with Mizuchi) knew as well. They could hear the ringing of some bells in the town as they made their final approach for landing. There was even an old fashioned windsock, letting Sulazhaal know which way and how fast the wind was blowing on the field.
Ever so slowly, he made his approach, and very gently, landed. "And he sticks the landing," Sulazhaal rumbled. "Nines from all the judges, except the Russians, who gave him a four. Never rush things." He very carefully made his way over to where one of the mooring posts for an airship was, and Naurelin and Mizuchi began their approaches.
Soon, all three dragons were near Sulazhaal, while it appeared most of the town was watching from a safe distance. Meanwhile, the group could see an older, burly man stomping his way towards them. "That would be Cid," Ed stated. "He's the portmaster here. And because the gas the airships uses is extraordinarily flammable, he doesn't like anything that could breathe fire, start a fire, or cause an explosion anywhere near the port." Ed sighed. "I'll go talk to him, you guys get things unloaded."
The group could hear the rather vociferous discussion between Ed and the old man, who looked like he spent a lot of time working on balky equipment with large heavy tools. By the time the man had finally turned around and headed for the main administration hut, the group had completed their unloading and stowed everything into the larger portable hole.
"That could've gone better," Ed muttered as he walked back to the group.
"How so?" Maddy asked.
"I had to invoke the Lady," Ed admitted. "It's true, Miss Biron is considered a member of the Lady's family. He said he was going to verify that, and was rather relieved when all of you shifted to human forms and won't be hanging around the port during your stay."
"Hey! What trouble have you brought home this time?" a voice that remarkably sounded like Ed's called out. The one doing the yelling was slightly taller than Ed, and wore his blond hair cut short, unlike Ed's ponytail. His shoulders were slightly broader. But the eyes and the chin were nearly identical to Ed's. He was wearing clothes suited for working in a workshop.
Holding his hands were a pair of young girls, perhaps eight to ten years old. They had darker skin than the normal tanned Caucasian tones seen around the area, and had bone white hair and pointed ears. They were wearing clothes that would be good for some rough and tumble activities outdoors and doing their chores. The moment they saw Ed, they broke loose from their keeper and ran up to him.
He knelt down so he could give them a hug in greeting. He picked the two girls up as the other young man joined him. "Introductions are in order," he said. "These are my daughters Freya and Elke, and this is my little brother Al. Al, these are Colin, Maddy, Dennis, Dean, Chris, Takara, Dinah, Taylor, Vicky, Amy and Lady Melissa Biron."
"Little brother?" Al answered, an eyebrow arched. "Younger brother, certainly. Little, though? Hardly. And hello, everyone. I'm Alphonse Elric, though you can just call me Al. What brings you to Amestris?"
= = = = = = = = = = = =
Kenta and Tsukiko were walking along the beach on the northern side of the island. They were often greeted by fishermen who had come ashore to work on their nets, or make repairs if something had gotten damaged. For her part, Tsukiko could hide her ears and tail, leaving her with her pale hair but otherwise appearing just human, yet still adorable.
His tattoos, however, were clearly visible, even with the clothing he wore. Many were nervous around him, but most overcame their fear, especially if they needed some assistance, which he willingly offered. There were very few villages along this stretch of the north shore of Shikoku, just the beach and a road. The villages were farther inland.
As night fell, Tsukiko had gathered driftwood for a fire, which Kenta lit with his Powers. A few fish and some pickles – payment from fishermen for his help – were cooked, along with some of the millet.
"So why do you keep walking?" the young kitsune asked.
"I was told to follow the path I was set on," Kenta said, "and not to go off it. That jorogumo was sent to tempt me, and I came across those oni attacking your family so I could protect you."
The young fox nodded. "But why?" she asked.
"That, I don't know," Kenta admitted. "The kami do whatever they do, and often don't tell us what they plan."
"Shall I tell you why?" The voice of the newcomer was deep. He was walking down the beach from the north. He was hard to see in the dim light, but he was easily taller than Kenta, his shoulders broader. As the figure came into the circle of light shed by the fire, his inhuman features could be plainly seen.
"Oni," Kenta hissed.
"I am called Shin'ya," the oni stated. "For the moment, I have no quarrel with you, human. Would you like an answer to your question?"
Kenta stood, taking in the sight of the creature. "Yes, I would."
The oni sat on the other side of the fire, gesturing for Kenta to do the same. "What do you know about the nine tailed fox?"
"Beyond the old story?" Kenta said. "Not much. I know she overthrew the Shang Dynasty in China, fled to India, came back to China, and was chased out to Japan."
Shin'ya nodded. "You know more than most. The girl, Tsukiko, is related to her. A few years ago, a priestess cast a divination, and foretold of the moon fox causing great upheaval for the Emperor and Kami. In turn, this gets blamed on yokai in general, and leads to the Emperor putting us to death."
"There is a problem with prophecies," Kenta said. "Sometimes they can be self fulfilling. You wish to put this child to death to prevent the death of yokai in general. What if your killing of the child is what sets Tamamo-no-Mae on her path to causing great upheaval for everyone?"
"That is a fair question," Shin'ya admitted. "And one I do not have an answer for." He took a look at the girl, who was peering out from behind Kenta. "It is regrettable," he finally said, "but it was decided that the death of one, even one so young, was preferable to the thousands who would die."
"I don't wanna die," Tsukiko said from her hiding spot.
"No one does," Shin'ya said as he rose. "Higashi Kenta. I will meet you in combat at noon tomorrow."
Kenta sighed. "Where shall this take place?"
"There is a waterfall half a day's walk from here, up the path from this beach. That is where we will do this thing." The oni left behind a bag. "The food is yours. It would not do if you were not at your best."
The last thing Shin'ya heard as he walked away was the crying of the young girl.
.
