The sound of steels boots marching in time down cobbled streets was almost comforting to Sergeant Ragara Lockler after the maddening events of the last day. It was something normal instead of the constant bombardment of strange and alien magics.
"Scale, halt." He shouted. The twenty-four other men of his unit, all of whom had been pulled from the healthy members of Sergeant Taylor's garrison, came to a stop in front of the gate of their latest target.
The leader of the four-man team JGSDF soldiers attached to them walked over and rapped on the mon emblazoned in the middle of the half-open gate. "Looks like they were in a hurry." She said as she looked at the trail of abandoned bags, crates, and boxes that strewn the short path from the gate to the front door of the large Alder Plaza mansion.
"Just like the rest." Lockler agreed as he walked up to join her. His team was one of three that had been tasked with clearing the homes of the Realm Dynasts for habitation. And also to dissuade possible looters from trying to raid the homes for whatever valuables they could find. Not even the gods knew what madness the Dragon-Blooded had kept in their homes.
His team had started their job shortly after the event at the temple had wrapped up. Clearing dark hallways and room in the middle of the night was not fun, especially with the occasional booby-trap thrown in. That was why they had the JGSDF assigned to them. To them though, not in charge of them. Not yet anyway. It was odd being in charge of the Dragon-Blooded, even new ones, but he was sure in time he'd be taking orders from them. Almost normal, if he ignored the Solar sitting on the throne above.
"Well, we should get started." His JGSDF liaison said.
He sighed. At least the sun had finally risen. "Yes we should." He agreed. "Wei, Zuo, take point." He waved his men forward. As they rushed the doors he had to admit, it might have been his first day under the new administration, but it really wasn't that different so far.
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Tangled Fate
Chapter Nine
First Steps of Broken Fate
By: Grounders10
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The day had dawned earlier than Ranma would have liked after the late party of the night before. Still at least she wasn't nursing a headache like her black haired friend sitting beside her.
"I am never drinking again." Kodachi groaned into her tea.
"I've heard that before." Ranma said as she munched on a slice of toasted bread and cheese. She glanced around the room, at the other occupants. Unlike the day before this meeting was far less informal than the whole presentation in the throne room. Formerly a sitting room just down the hall from he quarters the servants had managed to bring in a large round oak table that now dominated the room. Said table was covered in several large, and surprisingly accurate, maps. Maps around which Ryu, Akiyama and Zeriah were talking in low hushed tones. Ryouga sat nearby, half-listening at best with his eyes closed. He seemed bored.
"Not from me." Kodachi muttered as she nibbled her own bread.
"Still heard it before." The new Castellan shrugged before taking a spoon of the soup that made up the other half of her breakfast. If there was one benefit to being Castellan, she mused, it was the food.
Someone knocked on the door. Kodachi winced in time with each strike. A moment later the door cracked open and one of the soldiers outside stuck her head in. "Governor Sung and Duke Staedtler are here Lady Castellan." She said.
Ranma buried a twitch at her title. "Send them in." She said. As the door swung open to admit the two older men a breeze swept the room, ruffling the papers on the table.
Staedtler and Sung both bowed as they entered. "Lady Castellan." Sung intoned politely.
She waved for them both to rise. "Good morning you two. Sleep well?" She asked.
Staedtler snorted as he sat down at the table. "Barely slept at all." He grumbled, and he did look quite tired. "No sooner than I got home than messengers from half the city's merchants started showing up. Hadn't even taken six hours before they started trying to curry favour."
Zeriah looked up from the maps. "What exactly were they asking?" He asked.
"Not asking. Offering. Mostly." The old merchant sighed. "Most of the messages I received here offers of assistance. A lot of them were from old associates of Bengtsson."
"Rats fleeing the sinking ship." Sung said with a sigh. "I also spent the night entertaining visitors, though most were looking to me for reassurance and guidance."
Ranma set down her spoon. "Sounds like we have a lot to deal with." She said, glancing out the window. She could just see over the inner wall into the gravel yard that made up most of the interior of the fortress. She could see a few JSDF soldiers going over the vehicles that had followed them from Japan. On the walls a few former Realm Legionnaires were patrolling.
"We have more to deal with than we have the manpower to handle." Ryu said as he tapped the maps in front of him. "Take a look."
Ranma rose from her chair and walked around the table to look down at the maps from the correct angle. Everyone in the room, sans Kodachi who was still nursing her head, gathered around.
Most of the map was taken up by a very large map of the city. All the major avenues, side streets, squares, and markets were marked; though Ranma couldn't read the Realm symbols they were written in. Small annotations had, however, been made in Japanese. The papers beside the maps had a very abbreviated listing of assignments by group.
"Sergeant Taylor managed to find a few maps in the keep." Ryu said as she looked it over. "As you can see we put last night's other plans into effect. All gates on the main roads inside the city and on the outer walls are now guarded, though it's barely enough to count as a picket line. The best they'll be able to do is shut the gates if something happens."
"All we really need at the moment." Ranma said as she looked over the map, matching assignments to locations.
"Between that, holding the warehouses in the docks, and the sweeps of the Dynastic holdings we're stretched to the limit." Ryu replied. He ran a hand through his hair. "If something happens we'll lose what little control we've already established."
"It would depend on the happening, would it not?" Sung said, examining the map upside down.
"If there's another riot-" Ryu began.
"We'll deal with it." Ranma said, "This is nothing we weren't expecting." She sighed heavily. "Setarial will be going around the city later to try and drum up support from the populace directly. Are you ready to receive any volunteers she manages to convince?"
"We've set up a tent at the main gate of the fortress." Akiyama said, "We're ready on that front at least."
"It would be easier to deal with this if most of the administration hadn't jumped ship." Staedtler groused.
"Is there a City Council of some kind?" Ranma asked the Duke.
The older man shook his head. "Nothing worth the name. Even them I think most have left with the Realm." He said.
"Then that's what I need you to deal with." Ranma said, turning the situation over in her head. There was too much for them to handle as a whole, so perhaps it was time to split the work. "You've had people coming to you already. Figure out which ones can be trusted, and reach out to others if you can't find enough. Get an interim City Council together. Their job is going to be making sure we have food, water, and preparations for dealing with fire and disease." Which would take a lot of the burden off Ryu.
"I can think of a few names already." Staedtler mused, running one hand along his chin. "Would you like us to also try and encourage volunteers for the militia?"
"If you don't find it too much." Ranma nodded.
"On that note." Ryu said, cutting in, "As much as I would like to build an army out of volunteers realistically we aren't going to be able to get enough people to man the walls. We have days, a week and a bit at most, before Vaneha arrives. If we want to be in a position to stand our ground we need to start training immediately."
Everyone around Ranma nodded their understanding, and she had to suppress a sigh. It was the truth after all. The army coming their way numbered at least ten thousand, potentially more. Confronting it would require at least half as many men just to man the wide walls of the city.
"If we don't have enough volunteers by noon tomorrow we'll have this new council start informing anyone over the age of…" She frowned. What age would be appropriate?
"Fourteen?" Staedtler suggested. At the looks he received from the Japanese contingent he raised an eyebrow. "Too young for you?" He asked.
"Much." Akiyama said shortly, "I'd suggest eighteen and up. Old enough to know a bit about what they're getting into, and in the prime of youth so they're fit enough for it as well. Upper end should be fifty-five. We'll try and sort the upper and lower ends of that into support roles, but it should catch anyone fit enough to use a sword. We'll need to run a medical assessment on them as well."
"Do we have the time for that?" Ryu asked.
"For a very basic one. Such as do they have four limbs and are they strong enough to lift a sword or spear." His Sergeant said, "We don't have the time to train anyone who can't manage that."
"Right." Ranma sighed and ran a hand through her hair. The chain in her braid jingled softly. "If they can lift a sword and run in armour they're in." She glanced up at both of them. "That goes for anyone who shows up. Race or gender. We don't have the time or luxury to be picky. I don't care if they show up with blue skin. If they meet the requirements they're in."
"Understood." Akiyama nodded.
"Now about the warehouses." A knock interrupted Ranma before she could continue. The door opened and Lily entered, the protests of the soldier outside were ignored.
"We have a problem." She said, taking a seat at the table.
Ryouga opened his eyes and sat up. "More bad news?" He asked, stifling a yawn.
"Of course." Ranma sighed. They hadn't even started dealing with the issues of today and more were already cropping up. "What is it Lily?" She asked the former Magistrate.
"A report just arrived from Sergeant Ragara." Lily said, "His scale has discovered something disturbing at the Cynis household."
Staedtler groaned. "Of course its House Cynis." He muttered.
Ranma glanced at him. "House Cynis?" She asked.
Zeriah answered. "House Cynis are one of the great houses of the Realm. They're famous for their wild parties, and for their control of the slave trade on the Blessed Isle." He paused as the temperature dropped several degrees.
"Slave Trade." Ranma repeated calmly. Slaves, of course there were slaves.
"I'd like to say I was surprised, but…" Sergeant Akiyama sighed. "The Realm is like Rome, or ancient China."
"Built as much by slaves labour as by brilliant minds." Ryu agreed.
"You take issue with Slaves Lady Castellan?" Sung asked. His tone was curious.
Ranma fixed the older man with a stare that could potentially strip paint from a wall. "Slavery hasn't been practiced where we come from in decades." She said, "I'm not about to allow the practice here."
Staedtler and Sung both nodded. "It speaks well of you." The Duke said, "most nations use at least some of it. The City-State of Great Forks practically runs on it."
"Great Forks is a City of unchecked Gods and their worshipers." Lily said blandly, "What else would you expect?"
"You are from the Realm." Staedtler reminded her with just as deadpan a tone.
"And you are not the first to notice the hypocrisy Duke Staedtler." Zeriah said calmly, shooting a look at Lily who shrugged unrepentantly. "As important as this matter is we have strayed from the present topic. Lily, if you would continue?" Ranma let him change the topic, but she would be coming back to it.
"Yes, well." Lily sighed. "The building first appeared to have just been ransacked, not unusual given the nature of the departure. However as they explored the building they discovered a number of dead bodies. According to Sergeant Ragara none of them have quote: 'so much as a papercut and everyone appears as though they've been drained of all fluids and left in the sun for weeks, sans two.'. End quote."
"That is disturbing." Ranma said.
"What about the two others?" Zeriah asked.
"Dead in the center courtyard." Lily replied, "One appears to have been a woman still in her youth, the other was someone a number of us have passing familiarity with."
"Who?" Staedtler asked.
"Dragonlord Mnemon." Lily said. At Ranma's blank look she added, "The man you blasted out the side of the keep and through the outer wall of the fortress. I gave you his sword yesterday."
"Oh." Ranma's eyes went to the blade sitting in its scabbard next to Kodachi. That guy.
"I guess we know where he landed then." Ryouga said dryly.
"Sergeant Ragara said it appears that he had hit the woman on his way down." Lily added. Ryouga stared at her for a moment before turning his surprised look on Ranma. She stared back just as surprised.
"That's… a first." Ranma said, digesting the fact that she may have just killed someone incidentally.
"There's more." Lily said gently, "It would appear that the woman was casting a spell of some sort at the time. Sergeant Ragara asks that we send someone familiar with the occult to investigate."
Ranma found a chair and sat down heavily. This was… "Magic." She muttered, "Why is it always magic."
"We're lucky I guess." Ryouga deadpanned. Ranma rolled her eyes half-heartedly at the morbid humour.
"Do we have anyone to send?" Ryu asked, looking around at the rest of the room.
"Myself or Lily have experience." Zeriah said, "Lady Setarial or Leitleen would as well."
Staedtler rapped his cane against the table, drawing eyes towards him. "Well it's clear something happened." He said, "Lady Castellan, this is the sort of thing that needs to be investigated at once." All eyes swung back to her.
"I know." She sighed. She seemed to be doing that a lot lately. "Zeriah, have you recovered?"
The large man tested his leg and prodded himself in the chest a couple of times before answering. "I'm better than yesterday to be sure, but you did put me through a support pillar." He replied.
"Right." That really only left one option. She turned to the other magistrate in the room. "Lily, I guess your heading down then. Ryouga do you mind going with her in case?" She asked.
He shrugged. "Gives me something to do other than play nurse." He said. She saw through the attempt at bravado. He was about as enthusiastic at the idea of dealing with more magic as she was.
"I should be fine by my own." Lily said.
"We have no idea what this sorceress was doing." Ranma said, "And we need Sergeant Ragara's team to get moving again. Ryu you'll need to find some people to secure the building while they investigate."
"I'll pull the fireteam off Ragara's patrol." The Lieutenant said.
"Great. The two of you should get going then." Ranma said, giving her rival and the Magistrate a hard look. The Magistrate flinched and hastily made for the door. Following behind her at a more sedate pace Ryouga ignored the look. Once they were gone Ranma groaned. "We did not need more things to mess with us right now." She said.
"I just had a thought." Kodachi said, lifting her head to look at them.
"What kind of thought?" Ranma asked, her mind still churning out an infinite array of disturbing magic-related scenarios.
"About the manpower issue." The black haired girl said, rubbing her forehead and wincing.
Happy for a change of subject Ranma prodded her. "And your idea is?" She asked.
"You remember we have over two hundred other people from Japan right?" Kodachi asked.
Everyone looked at her.
"They're civilians." Ryu said after a long moment. "We aren't suppose to-"
"Ask them. It's not like we're expecting to be home tomorrow." Kodachi said, "They need something to do."
Something occurred to Ranma. She looked up at Ryu. "Have you… Told them anything about what's happened?" She asked.
Ryu blinked. "Well…" He glanced to Akiyama.
"Not to my knowledge sir." The Sergeant said.
"Well… fuck." Ryu muttered.
"Another thing to deal with." Ranma sighed. "Ideas?"
"Lunch is coming up in a couple hours." Staedtler suggested after a minute of silence. "You could go and speak with them yourself during lunch."
She smiled. "It did work with you." She said.
He chuckled. "It was more than the food, but in my experience a shared meal does help ease the awkwardness." He said.
"I'll make the arrangements after we're done here then." Ranma sighed before looking up at Ryu. "You are coming with me."
"Excuse me?" He said.
"Your in charge of the JSDF. I bet they'll at least be willing to hear you out." She said.
"I suppose they probably will." He agreed after a moment. "Akiyama can cover for me for lunch at least."
"Great. Now about the slaves." She turned her attention on the three Creationborn men. "You said Slavery is common in Creation?"
"Some places more so than others." Staedtler said after a few moments. "Greyfalls has very limited slavery due to the limited influence of House Cynis and the general prohibition against the Guild outside of the City itself. If there are more than ten thousand in the entire nation I would honestly be surprised."
"I think you definition of limited could do with an adjustment." Ryu said before Ranma could respond.
Staedtler shook his head. "The primary use of slaves is either labour or pleasure." He said, "Labour slaves are always in demand due to large dynast funded projects like roads, canals, or new manses. That said most of the time the government took the opportunity to inject money into the local economy before resorting to slaves to make up the difference. On the other end of the spectrum pleasure slaves are usually more expensive than simply going to a brothel, or so I've been told. I've never had either the need or desire to visit such locations in the past."
"Used to cater to specific tastes I'd imagine." Akiyama said grimly.
The Duke nodded. "Most likely. Dynasts, even the unexalted ones, tend towards extravagant tastes." He said. He paused for a moment before continuing. "Allow me to make myself clear on this matter. I have never utilized slaves, nor has anyone in my family to my knowledge. Leaving aside the matter of the moral repugnancy of slavery it is a trade that invites risk and derision while giving little in return."
"I cannot say the same unfortunately." Sung said. Eyes in the room went towards the Governor. "Neither I nor my family have ever owned slaves, however we have contracted work from those who did." The man bowed his head to Ranma. "If this offends your sensibilities Lady Castellan then I apologize. I cannot change the past."
Ranma frowned at him. Her fingers drummed the table for a few moments. The room was silent as she considered the soft spoken man before her. "It's in the past." She said after a moment. "Write up a list of the companies and people known to have used slave labour in the past. Both of you. We'll deal with this mess properly once we've dealt with the current threat…"
"What about the slaves in the city?" Kodachi asked.
Staedtler turned to her. "Held in Cynis holdings on the eastern end of High Quarter. Near the gates I believe." He said, "Shouldn't be too many. Most slaves are used in labour on large projects throughout the country so the holding areas here are mostly temporary housing for slaves enroute to other projects."
"Ryu can you get someone to check on them?" Ranma asked, rubbing her forehead. She felt like this should be causing her a headache.
"I'll see who I can free up." The Lieutenant said as he considered the map in front of them.
"Now, let's get back on track." Ranma tapped the map in front of her. "These warehouses. How long is it going to take to empty them?"
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Kiku was bored. She should not have been bored, not after the last day of running through fields and forests before being brought up to an actual palace. An
actual Palace, like one out of a story book. Sorta. The city around it was rather dirty, but you couldn't have everything, right? Still she'd have thought that there would be something to keep her interesting even at the temple they had been put up in overnight.
She had thought that the night before. Of course the temple was empty of any monks or even many decorations. It had running water, which seemed to surprise everyone else, and it was warm inside. Not that being warm helped with her boredom. She'd much rather be cold and not bored than locked up in this temple and warm.
So it was that she was wandering the halls of the temple after breakfast, which had been brought by the palace staff, and wishing for something to happen. Not that she was the only one doing that. She'd overheard more than a few people who seemed to be going as stir-crazy as she was. They all wanted to be doing something rather than just sitting around waiting for the JSDF to bring news or whatever.
That girl, Hikari, and her brother had been having an argument in one of the room she had passed. The boy, who didn't seem quite… all there to Kiku, had insisted this was some kind of Government cover-up and they were just being held for execution or testing, or alien abduction. Honestly he seemed like he had watched too much anime.
Kiku sigh as she turned a corner to find, "Yet another dead end." She deadpanned to the deserted hallway. Still there were a few doors down the hall so she might as well investigate. Maybe there was something that could alleviate her boredom for a few minutes.
As she walked down the hall, peeking into rooms as she went (all of them were storerooms), she could hear something in the distance. She frowned. It sounded like that sound that happened when you dropped a knife on tile, or accidentally dropped a knife on a knife. It was the sound of ringing metal, and it was coming from the last door in the hallway.
The sound wasn't one long continuous note, it was periodic with silence filling most of the time. The sound grew louder as she approached, and then entered, the last doorway. It was another storeroom with barrels and crates labelled in that strange language that wasn't Japanese, despite looking like it should be. At the far side of the room, unlike the other storerooms, there was a door through which she could hear the ring of metal on metal.
Ever curious Kiku walked over and pushed the door open just enough to peak through. A breeze that was both cold and warm smacked her in the face and she shivered. The room she could see was filled with tables piled with tools, hammers and other strange items. Other objects, maybe more tools, were hanging on the wall nearby.
She couldn't, however, see the source of the noise. Carefully she pushed the door further open and poked her head into the room. Finally she spotted the source.
Standing next to a large stone furnace, which was glowing brightly, was a young woman maybe only a few years older than her. She was wearing a heavy leather apron over a tank top and jeans. In her hands she held a hammer and a pair of tongs that were themselves holding a brightly glowing piece of metal that was being hammered into shape. Her long hair was pulled up into a bun that was pinned in place by what appeared to be a thin rod of metal.
Absently she noted that the far wall of the room was missing, leading out into the gardens that surrounded the temple.
As Kiku watched the young woman brought the hammer bar of metal, producing a loud clang that faded into a high pitched ring. It was… Loud. Very loud. Almost painfully loud.
The woman examined the glowing bar of metal for a moment before striking it with the hammer a few more times, by which point the glow was beginning to fade. She lifted it from the anvil and carefully placed it in the furnace.
Then she turned to look at Kiku. "You can come out. It's not that cold." She said. Her accent was odd, foreign probably. Not that she looked all that foreign. Her skin tone was a bit light, but she looked Japanese to Kiku.
Kiku stepped out from behind the door. It was warm.. ish. Sorta. At least it wasn't cold enough to make her shiver. "Hello." She said, smiling broadly.
"Hello there." The woman said smiling back before prodding the bar in the furnace into a better spot. "Sorry I didn't say anything earlier. Blacksmithing takes a lot of focus at times."
Kiku's head tilted to one side. "Why are you blacksmithing?" She asked.
"Trying to make tools." Was the reply she received as the woman prodded the metal bar again.
Kiku looked around the smithy. Tools lay on tables, hung from hooks, leaned against the wall. "Uuuummm…" She said.
The woman giggled. "Modern tools. Like a lathe for example. Of course as good as these tools are I still need more appropriate ones." She said.
"What's a Lathe?" Kiku asked.
"A tool used to precision machining." The woman said, "It's basically a fixed drill used for cutting metal. Like when you want to make a screw, or cut a plate of metal to perfectly fit a hole." She picked up a hammer. "I could use this to hammer a plate to fit, but if I did the edges wouldn't fit exactly. If I used it for making a steam engine, for example, the pressure could escape easily. Where as if I had used a lathe I could cut it to exactly the size I need without worrying about the uneven patterns a hammer can make."
"Oh." That seemed important, but… "Why are you making one?" It did seem like a lot of work.
"Because I checked the vehicles that we came here in. No sign of anything more useful than a set of pliers." She sighed and Kiku wandered a bit closer. It was a lot warmer nearer the furnace. "And if I'm right we're going to need one. Probably more, but I'll settle for one at the moment."
"You think so?" Kiku asked.
"We're a long way from home. At the least the JSDF is going to need new barrels for those guns, and probably new bullets as well come to think of it. When I found the smithy I figured I may as well get a jump on the problem. Better than just sitting around all day brooding." The woman said. She prodded the metal bar with the tongs. "Temperature is falling." She muttered before moving over to a set of bellows attached to the furnace.
Kiku stepped back and watched as the woman set to working building the flames inside the furnace back up. It seemed like a lot of work, especially for one person. She blinked. Well she was bored, sooo… "Do you need a hand?" She asked.
The woman glanced over her shoulder at Kiku. "You ever done something like this before?" She asked.
Kiku shook her head. "No, but I can learn." She said.
The woman gave the bellows one more careful squeeze before checking the flames. She nodded satisfactorily before turning to Kiku. "Well I could use a couple more hands, for holding things in place if nothing else. There's a couple more aprons around here. If you can find one that'll fit you I'll let you help." She said.
Kiku beamed and immediately started looking through the smithy.
"Hey." The woman said, "What's your name?"
"Hinagawa Kiku." Kiku replied, "What's yours?"
"You can call me Emily."
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"Assuming we can get enough carts." Ryu said as he finished his report of the inventorying of the warehouses.
"I can arrange for enough carts and drivers." Staedtler confirmed with a nod. "It might take an hour or two to get them however."
"So long as we can get those weapons up to the armoury before sundown I'll be satisfied." The Lieutenant said.
Ranma's mind wandered as the conversation continued on with specifics that frankly she couldn't bring herself to care for. There had been a lot of that with the warehouse discussion. Then again running a government did require some care for the specifics.
She stifled another irritable sigh and her eyes wandered to the many maps on the table. Until now they had been using the map of the city, but there were other maps. Like the one half buried beneath papers written on with a confusing mixture of Realm and Japanese.
She carefully slipped it out from beneath the other papers and frowned. It was a map of the country and, like the map of Greyfalls itself, had its Realm labels notated with Japanese translations.
She tapped the location of Greyfalls and traced the borders of the nation. Bordered on two sides by the Lesser Rock, the river on which Greyfalls itself sat, and the Rock rivers it was honestly quite defensible. There were only a few crossings labeled, but most were also noted, especially in the case of the Lesser Rock, as being only available in summer. Presumably when the rivers were lower.
Unnoticed by her the rest of the room had fallen silent as she examined the map.
Something about the map was tickling her like something was supposed to be obvious, but she was missing it despite how simple it was supposed to be. Like searching your entire room only to realize what you were looking for was on your bed the entire time. Her finger traced the rivers again and she cocked her head to one side. The Caste Mark on her forehead flickered to life.
"Is something the matter Lady Castellan?" Sung asked.
Ranma didn't even twitch at her title as she focused on the map. Her finger strayed from the river and began following the network of canals. This felt like it should be obvious so why… Then it clicked. She laid the map back on the table.
"We're focusing too much on the City." The Castellan said. Akiyama let out a small "Ah" of realization behind her.
"He is aiming for the city." Kodachi said from her spot near the window. She still looked like death warmed over, but she seemed more cognizant than she had earlier.
"He wants to burn the city down." Ranma agreed, "But you don't fight a war in isolation. This isn't just a battle, it's a campaign."
"The City is, however, the crown of Realm influence in the Thousand Kingdoms." Staedtler pointed out.
"Which is why he'd focusing on it." Ryu said, his own hand tracing roads and canals. "But this is winter, and he's at the end of a very long supply chain."
Sung sat straighter. "He needs to supply himself for a siege." He said thoughtfully.
Ranma tapped the blank area outside Greyfalls borders on the map. "What surrounds Greyfalls?" She asked.
"To the north not much for a few hundred miles." Staedtler said, drumming a finger on his cane. "The east has a couple small kingdoms, nothing larger than ten thousand people total, then nothing until Ixcoatli. The South and the West are much more populated. The Kingdom of Prandar to the west, and the Principality of Almarath in the south are the largest. Neither has much love for Vaneha."
"Would they want Greyfalls gone?" Ranma asked.
The Duke shrugged. "There have been skirmishes in the past, however we do significant trade. Ultimately I suppose it depends on whether or not they believe they are going to get significant gains of territory out of this." He said.
"Or believe they will." Akiyama mused as he dug out another map that showed more of the scavenger kingdoms. The Kingdom of Prandar and Principality of Almarath were clearly marked in the mountainous area to the south and the west of Greyfalls.
"True."
Ranma tapped a couple of towns near the south-western border of Greyfalls. "If we assume that he can't get supply from our neighbours then he's going to need to add to what he's bringing with him somehow." She said.
"Being winter scavenging is nearly impossible for an army that size." Akiyama agreed.
"The harvests has been in for ages by now I bet." Ranma glanced at Sung who nodded. "Then the only good sources of food are going to be the towns, and given he's planning on burning a city to ash I doubt he's going to care too much about being told no."
Ranma traced a road running south from Greyfalls. It hit most of the towns and villages along the way. "Ryu, I know we're stretched thin, but…?" She trailed off, looking at him.
The lieutenant smiled grimly. "What are you thinking?" He asked.
"I need a team, some of the vehicles and as much fuel as we can afford them." Ranma said before turning to Staedtler. "I need someone we can send south that people there will listen to."
Staedtler frowned, as did Sung. The Merchant-Duke looked to the Governor. "Perhaps Blisely?" He suggested.
Sung shook his head. "I do not believe he has much weight in the south anymore. Not after that incident the spring before last." he said.
"I had forgotten about that." Staedtler muttered, "Do you need a suggestion right now Castellan?"
Ranma shook her head. "Not right this second. Get me names for the south and east by this evening. I want to send them out tomorrow morning." She said.
"What are you planning?" Ryu asked.
The Castellan tapped the map, her finger bouncing off an unnamed town. "We're abandoning anything nearby his line of advance. I want those towns emptied. Of people and supplies. If it can't be transported it needs to be burned." She said.
"You can't be serious." Staedtler said before quieting as he saw Zeriah, Ryu and Akiyama all nodding. "You are. Without that food people will starve, and its winter. Travelling now is a terrible idea. Especially for the unprepared."
"And yet it's the best of a bunch of bad options." Akiyama said, "If we don't evacuate the people more will probably die when the Vanehan army comes knocking, and they'll get the food they need to keep going through the winter. If we can get enough people and supplies out of the way before they arrive they'll have to go farther afield to get food for the army."
"Which will leave their scavenging forces vulnerable." Ryu said. He frowned. "I know the Realm forces pulled out of Greyfalls, but what about further afield?"
"The Realm enforced its rule with small garrisons of legionnaires around the country." Sung said, pointing out the markers for small forts across the country. "That said I believe most were drawn down severely if not outright abandoned a month or so ago. The ones in the north were certainly quiet when I travelled here a few weeks ago."
"The local garrisons are the only form of policing outside of the local watches used to enforce the laws in small towns." Staedtler said, "And they were usually appointed to their position for loyalty."
"That's another thing then." Ranma mused as she stared at the map. A plan was beginning to form in her mind. "We've focused on the City, so has Vaneha." She refused to say the title the Vanehan General had, it sounded so stupid. "Most of the nation lives outside the city however."
Her gaze swept across her assembled allies and advisors. "There is more to this place than just a city, and we've been talking as though we need to raise a powerful enough army from here alone. We don't. We just need to hold."
She focused on her new Governor. "Governor Sung." She said, "I need you to head north as soon as possible. I need an army from the north."
The calm man looked down at the map, turning the instructions over in his head before nodding once and meeting her gaze. "It shall be done then."
Ranma smiled then glanced at Ryu. "And I need someone to send as an advisor to help him train them on the march."
"I can spare a someone." He said nodding.
"I assume your thinking the same of the East and South?" Staedtler asked.
She nodded. "Yes, though I would prefer the south to focus on keeping the Vanehan scavengers out of the way." She said, her eyes darting across the map. She reached for and found a ballpoint pen left out by either Akiyama of Ryu. With it she made a few marks on the map. "I need to talk to Setarial. If there are any Gods in the area that might be helpful…" Her lips pursed in thought.
Ryu tapped the map again. "I would like to know what we might expect from each region. Is there things these places are known for?" He asked the locals.
"Well…" Zeriah said leaning forward to look at the map. "Let me see what I can remember…"
-0-0-0-0-0-
Lily had been to the Cynis Household of Greyfalls once before. A small party not long after she had arrived in the Satrapy. Not that they had known she was there of course. Like many other times she had 'been' to a Cynis party she had come and gone in the guise of just one more faceless servant. At the time she hadn't found anything of note, but that had probably just meant whatever dealings the Cynis had were done outside the building.
Judging by the reason for her visit today that suspicious was undoubtedly true.
Dismounting the horse she had brought from the fortress stables she handed the reins to one of the guards outside the gate of the property. As she did so she tried to ignore the way the large wolf that had been following her morphed into the good looking young man who happened to be a Lunar… anathema..
She ignored him as the guards let them in and they walked up to the main doors where Sergeant Ragara stood waiting for them. "Lady Magistrate, Lord Hibiki." The Sergeant bowed to both of them.
She spared a glance for the Lunar next to her and restrained a slight smile at the flummoxed look on his face. She turned back to the Sergeant. "Lockler." She said with a smile, "can you show us to the scene?"
"This way then." The Sergeant lead them into the mansion. "I ordered the bodies left where they were found and any man who touched them isolated in one of the offices just in case." He said as they passed through the spacious entrance hall and into one of the hallways.
"A good idea until we know more. Still something like this is unlikely to be communicateable." Lily said as they passed a closed room whose door was being guarded by two more legionnaires. It was probably the office. "If they don't begin showing any symptoms in the next couple hours they're probably fine."
"No signs yet, so here's to hoping." The Sergeant replied as they reached another doorway, this one was open and spilled out into a courtyard. "Here we are. I'll leave you to it. Just ask if you need anything."
"Hold a moment Sergeant." Lily said as he started off.
He stopped and turned back. "Ma'am?"
"Orders from the Castellan. You are to proceed on with the remainder of your sweep. However the fireteam that the Lieutenant assigned you will be staying behind to keep the place secured." She said.
He nodded and snapped a salute. The metal of his gauntlet clattered off his breastplate. "I'll inform the men… What do you want done with those isolated?" He asked.
"Leave them and two more to keep a watch on them." Lily said after a moment. "If they don't show any signs in a few hours we'll send them on to catch up with you."
"Understood." He replied.
"Dismissed then." Lily said. Lockler snapped a quick salute then left heading back towards the entrance with rather more haste than she suspected was truly necessary.
Lily turned to the courtyard only to find her unwilling companion already outside and looking around. "Be careful." She said as she stepped outside to join him.
"That's why I'm over here." He said dryly, "And not over there." He pointed to center of the courtyard where a distinctly female body lay, her neck twisted at a clearly fatal angle. "Or over there." He pointed to the far corner where another body could be seen.
"Just let me lead. I know what I'm doing." And he certainly didn't. All he did was smirk in a way that made her want to punch him.
Ignoring him she walked to the far body, keeping a fair distance from the body in the center of the courtyard. She knelt beside the body. It was definitely Mnemon. She'd recognized the style of dress, torn and bloodstained as it was. Actually the fabric on one side of his doublette had been bleached white like it had been in the sun for days. Probably a side effect of the blast that had somehow not turned his body to paste. She waved away a few insects that were stubbornly braving the cold to harass the dead body.
"It's him." She said over her shoulder to the Lunar. "We'll need to arrange a proper burial soon. Preferably before his ghost decides to get up and start eating people."
"That can happen?" The Lunar asked.
She looked up at him. "Don't your people have issues with ghosts?" She asked.
"Some I guess. Most of the time we don't, but Ranma and I have run into a few." The Lunar said, scratching his chin in a manner that seemed thoughtful.
"Interesting." She murmured. The idea of a place that had so little issue with ghosts was interesting. Even the Blessed Isle had to be careful, lest they accidentally create a shadowland in the middle of the most prosperous land in Creation. After all you couldn't just wave your hands and undo one of those.
She stood, brushing off her pant legs and walked over to the other body. As she approached the woman's corpse she noticed the pattern on the ground a few feet away. A summoning ritual had been performed there.
Lily scowled at that. Summonings on Calibration were risky. It was easier to summon on those lightless days and mistakes could lead to things far more dangerous than whatever it was you intended to summon showing up instead. Or so she had been told by the many sorcerers she had consulted on such matters in the past.
More condemningly was the line of smudged and erased silver dust and ritual paint that started presumably where the the woman had been struck, and ended where her body lay now. A line that went through the circle twice.
She knelt next to the corpse. She picked up one of the arms and checked the hands. The body was cold, the flesh not quite frozen in the winter temperatures, and yet she had no issues lifting the arm. Strange.
"If the body so much as twitches, crush its head." She told the Lunar.
"Voice of experience?" He asked.
"Unfortunately." She said as she examined the hands. A bloody cut on the hand, probably from where she had shed blood as part of the ritual. That was another indicator that this was a Demon Summoning Ritual rather than an Elemental one. It was a very rare elemental that required blood as part of a ritual of summoning.
She put down the arm and checked the pouches the sorceress was wearing at her hips. Some odd materials, a few not so unusual, and a small book. She glanced at it. It looked like one of those trashy and torrid novels that had so much local popularity. She flipped it open to a random page, read three lines, and shut it again. Definitely one of those. She slid it back into the pouch it came from.
Sometimes there was no accounting for taste.
She spent a few more minutes with the body before the Lunar spoke again. "This smells odd." He said.
"Of course it does." She replied and glanced at him. Of all the-
"No, as in it smells smells odd." He said, tapping his nose.
She blinked. "What?" She asked.
"Ever since I got here my sense of smell has gotten a lot better." He said, "And while that guy in the corner smells like blood, insects, and, well, a rotting corpse. This one… Doesn't really smell like anything." He sniffed exaggeratedly and promptly sneezed, fortunately onto something other than her or the body.
Still he had a point. The other body was swarming with flies despite the time of year, and yet this one… She looked around, paying careful attention this time. There wasn't a single insect within ten feet of her. Of the body.
Reaching into the bag that hung from the back of her belt she pulled out a pad and her case with her brush and ink. She stood and walked around the body to get a better look at the ritual markings. Taking her brush and ink she began to draw.
She paused and glanced over to the Lunar. "This is going to take me a bit. Would you mind checking on the Legionnaires that Lockler isolated?" She asked.
He looked around the yard. "And if something jumps you?" He asked.
She rolled her eyes. "I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself." She said, "However if something does show I'll be sure to scream in a terrified a manner as I can manage." Yes her sarcasm could strip paint at a hundred meters, what of it?
"Don't come back from the dead and complain about it then." He snarked before leaving her to her work.
She sighed. Really what was the Castellan thinking sending him with her. A Lunar… Even if they weren't actually anathema they were still brutish and wild. Completely unsuited for an investigation.
Sighing a second time she set it from her mind and got to work drawing what remained of the diagram. Perhaps with some time and luck she could figure out just what the Sorceress had been summoning.
In a corner of that courtyard the shadows flickered, growing darker, before vanishing entirely.
Whitemane Lily continued drawing, oblivious.
-0-0-0-0-0-
The meeting was over, finally, and everyone except Kodachi had left to carry out her… her orders. Ranma rested her head on her hands. She was a martial artist not a ruler. Giving orders and having people actually follow them was strange. Very strange.
"Are you alright?" Kodachi asked. Ranma looked up at her. The Kuno girl was looking better than she had at the beginning of the day, though it was in that 'I'm half alive, please don't make loud noises' kind of way.
"Are you sure you're the one to ask that?" Ranma quipped.
Kodachi waved her off with a mock imperious look that was ruined by her wincing when she looked out the window. "I'm fiiine." She said in a tone that fooled neither of them. "You however…" Kodachi trailed off, looking her in the eye.
Ranma rolled her eyes and sighed, leaning back in her chair. "Just wondering if I'm doing this right." She said after a minute.
Kodachi tilted her head thoughtfully. "I think you're doing fine. It's only the first morning Ranma, don't be too hard on yourself." She smiled wanly. "You're certainly doing better than I would have."
Ranma looked down at the table. The maps of Greyfalls and the surrounding kingdoms stared back. "You sure about that?" She asked.
"I am."
Ranma picked up one of the coins they were using to mark places on the map. She balanced it on her finger, spinning it on its edge as she did so. "If I get this wrong a lot of people die." She said.
"If you get it right a lot of people are going to die as well." Kodachi replied. "It is war."
Her finger twitched and she caught the coin. "I know."
Kodachi stood up, wobbling a bit from her hangover, and walked over. She sat down in the chair next to Ranma and laid one hand on top of Ranma's. They sat like that for a minute before Ranma rolled her eyes and stood up.
"Okay, I get it." She groaned. "You're here to help, so is everyone else. Blah blah, mushy stuff." She stuck her tongue out.
Kodachi giggled, laughed, then winced. "Please don't make me laugh." She whimpered.
"How much did you drink anyway?" Ranma asked, taking the chance to stretch.
Kodachi's eyes became unfocused. "I lost count after Guon Fan handed me a third bottle." She said distantly.
The redhead shook her head and tried to fight off a smile. "That is one strange lady." She said.
"Not a lady." Kodachi said firmly, coming back to the present. "Might be a Pirate Queen in disguise, but not a Lady."
Ranma chuckled. "Let's go see when they're serving lunch. Are you going to come with me to the temple?" She asked.
"We'll see." Kodachi hedged. Ranma smirked at the way she shot a worried look out the window. That was why she took time to avoid Guon Fan after the first run in. She hated hangovers.
-0-0-0-0-0-
Water hissed and steamed, sending clouds whirling through the smithy, as Emily quenched a glowing piece of metal the size of Kiku's forearm into a trough next to the anvil. After a few moments she lifted it out and placed it on the anvil. Steam billowed from the metal.
"So what's this piece for anyway?" Kiku asked.
Emily shucked the heavy leather gloves she was wearing and cracked her knuckles before stretching. "Well it's part of a support. Some of the parts are going to need to be made from better metal than I've been able to find so far. This thing is going to be part of what's going to be a small bessemer converter." At Kiku's blank look she added, "It's used to turn iron into steel quickly."
"Oh." Kiku reached out and tapped it with a gloved hand. It tinged as it bounced off the anvil surface. "Is it supposed to be bent that way?"
Emily frowned and leaned over. "No, its not." She sighed. "The metal warped. Damn it."
"If you wouldn't mind not cursing around my daughter." Both Emily and Kiku jumped in surprise and whirled to face the door. Standing in the door was Kiku's mother, her arms folded and that look that Miyu recognized as the one that usually came before getting in trouble.
"Mom." Kiku said nervously, how did her mother always sneak up on her? "Hi? Oh, this is Emily." Distraction!
Emily bowed. "It is nice to meet you Mrs. Hinagawa." She said.
Miyu smiled and bowed. "And it is nice to meet you." She said, "Your name is foreign." She added after a moment.
"Yes." Emily said carefully. Kiku blinked, so what if her name was foreign? "Winegate Emily is my full name. My father and I are American. We were just flying into Tokyo International to visit my grandparents when… Well one second sitting in a plane, next second sitting under a tree. At night."
Miyu chuckled. "I meant nothing by it Emily." She said shaking her head softly before frowning. "So you have no family here?"
Emily shook her head. "Not that I can see."
Miyu hmmed thoughtfully. "Well." She said, "Lunch will be served shortly. Since you have made the acquaintance of my daughter, perhaps you wouldn't mind sitting with us?"
"She can?" Kiku smiled and turned to her. "Please say yes!"
Emily smiled and giggled. "Well if you insist." She said to Kiku.
"Yes!" Kiku fistpumped.
"Shall we then?" Miyu gestured to the door that lead back into the temple.
Emily looked about. "Can I have a moment to put a few things back where I found them?" She asked as she took off the leather apron.
"Of course. Kiku, do help her." Miyu said.
Kiku nodded and started to help clear the mess they'd made… Well the mess they'd added to anyway. The Smithy was something of a disaster area with more tools than places to put them. There also seemed to be a few half-finished projects just lying on tables taking up space.
Still it only took them a couple minutes to get everything back where they'd found it. Then the two of them were following her mother back into the temple.
"So, what led to my daughter helping you?" Miyu asked
"She needed help." Kiku said.
Emily shrugged. "She was there and seemed interested. I figured it was probably better than having her run around bored." She said.
"Hmm." Miyu nodded, "How old are you Emily?"
"Eighteen." So she was only a few years old than Kiku. Cool.
Her mother nodded, as if expecting that answer. "You would be in your last year of High School then?" She asked.
"Fourth year at MIT actually." Emily said, smirking at the surprised look the two had. "Bachelor of Sciences with a Major in Polymer Sciences."
"Wow." Kiku said. She had issues just getting her high school math homework done… It as really boring after all.
Miyu nodded. "Yes, very impressive. You graduated at fourteen?" She asked.
"Thirteen actually." Which was the same age as Kiku. The young girl pouted at that thought. Really how did you manage to graduate from
high school that quickly?
"Your parents must have been proud." Miyu said as they turned the corner leading into a barren hallway that had probably once been adorned with banners, wall hangings, and other religious artifacts.
"Surprised actually." Emily snickered, "My father thought I was getting a bit ahead of myself. I think he was proud afterwards, but it was a bit hard to tell through the shock."
Kiku's mother concealed her own snickers behind her hand. "I see." She said.
The conversation continued for the next minute or so it took them to reach the high-vaulted hall were the food would be served.
Kiku made it three steps into the room before she stumbled to a stop, nearly getting run over by both her mother and Emily. She didn't notice. Her attention was on the redhead at the far end of the room. She was talking with a few people, but they didn't matter to Kiku.
"Is something the matter?" Her mother asked before following the gaze of her daughter. "Oh, I see." She sighed.
"What?" Emily asked.
"My daughter has a bit of, shall we say, hero worship for the redhead." Miyu said with another fond sigh.
"It's not hero worship." Kiku insisted, "She's amazing." Her eyes didn't leave the redhead, instead they were tracking the sway of her braid as she turned from one person to another. Was it sparkling now? It was, and it just seemed so pretty. "She can leap buildings and throw fireballs."
Behind her Emily looked askance to Miyu. "Is she an actress?" She asked.
Miyu shook her head. "No. Just a very skilled martial artist who lives in the same area we do." The patted her daughter on the head. "Now remember what I said about bothering her."
Kiku pouted. "But-"
"No." Her mother said in that tone of voice that somehow managed to keep her from doing something she shouldn't… most of the time.
"Fine." She pouted.
"Why don't we find some seats. Kiku if you would please find some." Miyu instructed her daughter.
"Fiiiine." She pouted and headed off to the table, occasionally shooting starstruck glances towards the redhead at the far end of the room.
"She has an active imagination." Emily observed.
"Hardly." Miyu said as they followed her daughter from a distance. "As I understand it Ranma is a master of Ki. It allows for some impressive, and truly superhuman, feats." She smiled mysteriously at the sceptical look Emily had. "It may seem impossible, but so is what has happened to us."
Emily sighed and nodded. "Touché." She said, "Keeping an open mind is probably the best thing at the moment anyway."
"Don't be too open." Miyu cautioned, "Just accepting things as they appear can have issues."
"I know. Trust me, I know." Emily smiled regretfully.
-0-0-0-0-0-
The Immaculate Temple was a very impressive building. Three stories tall with an enclosed garden surrounding the main structure that itself had several small towers that decorated its corners, and all of it constructed from intricately carved and detailed marble or oak. Tile murals decorated walls and statues lion-dogs and warrior monks lined the path from the gate to the temple.
Even the dining hall, with five long tables and a small one at the head, was just as richly decorated. The ceiling was a kaleidoscope of colours, with numerous dragons, gods and men locked in either dance or war far above the main floor. Pillars reaching from the floor to ceiling were styled as serpentine dragons coiling about each other. It was, to Ranma, as impressive a sight as any buddhist or shinto temple she had seen in her years of traveling Japan and China.
Ranma stood in the doorway, admiring the room for a few moments as servants carrying platters streamed through the door, parting around her. They headed straight for the center table and began unloading their burden onto it. Wheels of cheese were laid down next to fresh baked bread and entire platters of smoked meats that ranged from ham to salmon.
Ranma had to step aside as a large pot, heavy enough to need two men to carry it, came through. Noticing her one of the men said, "Today's soup, Lady Castellan. Potato and leek soup. Filling and perfect for a cold day like today." She had never had leek before, and potatoes weren't something normally served in japan. It smelled tasty if nothing else.
"Hello there." Said a voice behind her in thickly accented Japanese.
Ranma turned to around. The speaker was a woman nearly a foot taller than her who stood straight and tall despite looking nearly as old as Cologne. Her hair was a faded grey-blonde and if Ranma had to make a guess as to her nationality the best she could make would be European. "Hello." Ranma said.
"These men called you, Lady Castellan yes?" The old woman asked.
"They did." Ranma confirmed.
The old woman smiled. "Well it is nice to finally meet someone important around here." She said.
"Um." Ranma said awkwardly, "I'm actually from Japan."
The old woman raised an eyebrow. "Really? Then I take it we aren't the first this has…" She trailed off, frowning as Ranma shook her head. "No. Well I imagine the story of how someone so young got such a title in little more than a day to be quite exciting."
"It involved a lot more talking than you might think." Ranma replied, thinking back to the seemingly endless meetings she had been stuck in for the last twenty-four hours. Even the party had been little more than a really fancy meeting.
The old woman snorted. "Doesn't it always." She held out a hand. "Doctor Elina Zutter, or I suppose you would say it Zutter Elina. I work, or worked for the Red Cross in Geneva. Or worked as it may be." She shrugged.
Ranma shook her hand. "Saotome Ranma." She said, "New Castellan of Greyfalls. As of last night."
"And how does someone manage that?" Elina asked.
Ranma couldn't help but blush and toy with her braid. "Accidental conquest?" She ventured, only to see the old woman's eyebrows go up further before the she shook her head.
"Well I see that we missed quite a bit during our little adventure." Elina sighed.
The clunk of military boots announced the arrival of Ryu. "Ranma." He said, bowing his head slightly.
"Lieutenant." Ranma smirked, "Meeting Dr. Zutter Elina. Of the Red Cross…" She paused and looked back to the old woman. "You said Geneva?"
"Yes." Elina said, smiling, well it was more of smirk than a smile. "I was in my office in Geneva, working late as it was. Then I was in the forest feeling like I'd just tried to swallow a flat G. The musical note I mean. A very odd experience I'm not entirely sure how to describe."
"Well your Japanese is very good." Ryu said. Ranma rolled her eyes. Of course he focused on the less important detail, rather than the fact she came from the other side of earth from Japan.
"It has proven simple to pick up. Certainly the quickest I've ever learned a new language." Elina deferred.
Ranma blinked. Something about that sounded odd… "When did you start learning Japanese?" She asked carefully.
"Shortly after my arrival in that forest." She said conversationally. Ryu stared at her.
"Exaltation…" Ranma sighed, "The more I hear the less I believe." She had tried learning other languages before. It was not easy, in fact she had issues with Japanese still and she had grown up with it.
"Oh." Ryu mouthed quietly.
"Exaltation?" Elina asked, her eyes narrowing.
"One of the things we need to explain. Just a question, did you find yourself glowing when you arrived?" Ranma asked, already sure of the answer.
The old woman nodded. "Yes. I was glowing green. It felt… Well I've experience quite a bit in my seventy-two years, but I've never felt like I was burning within without… burning up works as well as anything. To be honest I've felt better than I have in decades. Is all of this connected to whatever Exaltation is?" She asked.
Ranma and Ryu shared a glance. "Well we are here to talk about that anyway." He noted.
"Can you wait a few minutes?" Ranma asked, "The plan was to tell everyone at once and-"
"You would rather not repeat. I understand." Elina said holding up a hand. "That said, perhaps while we're waiting you wouldn't mind indulging an old woman with tales of the last few days? I assume you were planning on sitting at the head table, so perhaps we can have this discussion there?"
"I'll go and make sure people know that lunch is being served." Ryu said, ducking out of the conversation quicker than was polite.
Ranma stared after him before snorting with contempt. "Soldier my ass." She muttered, drawing a snicker from Elina.
"Young men can be quite flighty dear." Eilina said, "They usually get better with age… Sometimes.. If you're lucky."
Ranma absorbed that remark and then quietly banished it from her mind. She did not need
boy advice, not when she actually was one. Erghl. "Anyway." She said, pretending to not hear the snickers of the old woman, "The table is over there, so let's go."
It was no surprise to her that the old woman matched her quick walk step for step as she made for the head table. As they approached the table she spotted Zeriah being helped into a chair by a servant. He looked up as a servant pulled a seat out for Ranma and another for Elina.
"Lady Castellan." The Magistrate bowed in his seat. She waved him off as she settled into her chair. Beside her the old woman settled into her own chair, thanking the servant as she did.
"I'm surprised you were willing to come this far." She said.
He chuckled. "Not much of a choice really. Lily is occupied so I have to do this." He said.
She raised an eyebrow. "Oh?" She prodded.
"There are things about the second-breath that only another Dragon-blooded can explain." He replied.
"That would be about this Exaltation thing, correct?" Elina asked, leaning forward to look passed Ranma.
"Yes it is." Zeriah said, looking back at her.
Ranma leaned back in her chair to let them see eachother better. "I could move if you need." She offered.
"Not an issue." Elina waved her off.
"Indeed it is not." Zeriah said, smiling. "I am Ragara Zeriah. A magistrate formerly in the service of the Scarlet Throne."
"I am Doctor Zutter Elina. Currently of the Red Cross." She paused, "In theory at least. The current situation is rather unprecedented."
"So I gather." He said.
A servant stopped by and asked for their preferences for food. Evidently being either old or in charge exonerated you from fetching your own food. The three placed their requests and the servant shuffled off. Ranma would have been lying if she claimed to not enjoy the service.
"From your introduction I assume you are a local, unlike the young Castellan here?" Elina asked.
Zeriah chuckled. "You would be correct." He reached into the heavy robes he was wearing and pulled out a pipe.
"Does everyone here smoke one of those?" Ranma asked blandly.
"Many do, many don't." The Magistrate replied enigmatically as he filled it from a small pouch.
Elina tutted disapprovingly. "Smoking can kill you. In fact it does kill most people who do it." She said.
Zeriah raised an eyebrow as he placed it between his teeth. "Really now." He said before snapping with his right hand. A shower of sparks jumped off his fingers and landed precisely in the end of his pipe. Smoke began to waft slowly from it. He inhaled and slowly exhaled a perfect ring of smoke before replying. "I have smoked for the last two-hundred and fifty years. If it was going to kill me I imagine it would have already done so."
That caught Elina flat-footed. "Two-hundred and… you don't look older than thirty, and that's being generous." She said.
He chuckled. "That is part of the gift of Exaltation." He said, taking another puff of his pipe.
"Immortality." She said doubtfully.
"Hardly." Zeriah said, "Only Gods live forever. The Dragon-blooded are gifted with a Longevity measured in centuries. I am only a few months from my two-hundred and sixty-eighth birthday. Not that it means all that much after the first hundred years."
"Try not to overwhelm her before we get a chance to fill in everyone." Ranma said, shooting the magistrate a reprimanding look. He chuckled around his pipe.
"If you insist." He said.
Elina leaned back in her chair, frowning heavily. "This is a strange place." She said, "However this world is not Earth." She looked to Ranma who nodded. "I did not think so. Back home I would have called you a charlatan. Here, however, I must consider whether or not there is some truth to your claim."
Ranma drummed the arm of her chair thoughtfully. Then she held out a hand. "Watch." She said and summoned a very small amount of ki.
Elina stared as a ball of golden light five inches across that flickered and flared like a miniature star popped into existence. "Oh my." She said quietly.
"This is Ki. The Essence of life." Ranma said before poking it gently. The orb rocked, and felt a bit warm, but stayed above her palm.
The doctor leaned back and forth, taking it in from multiple angles. "That." She said, "is far more convincing."
Ranma smirked and closed her hand, reabsorbing the ki as she did. "We'll be explaining a lot of things in a few minutes." She said.
The old woman nodded, a thoughtful look on her face. Her brow furrowed in thought as she leaned back in her chair, quiet for the first time since she had introduced herself at the door.
"We're just waiting a few people." Ryu said, slipping into a chair just on the other side of Zeriah. Ranma cast her eyes over the room. Most of the tables were nearly full, with men and women; mostly women oddly enough; talking in hushed tones and shooting glances towards the table they were at. If she had to guess she would put the average age at ten to twenty years older than her. Not a group likely to listen to her.
She sighed and put it out of her mind. They would deal with it as it came, like always. A small group of servants approached the head table with bowls and plates on trays.
She smiled. At least she wouldn't have to do so on an empty stomach.
-0-0-0-0-0-
Kiku poked at the half-empty bowl of soup, pouting. Beside her her mother was quietly ignoring her melodrama while talking to Emily. It wasn't fair, Ranma was
right there and other people were going and talking to her.
This line of thought which had been going in circles for almost as long as they had been in the room was interrupted by a clatter as Hikari, the girl she had accidentally dropped a sandwich on, sat down next to her. Her plate bounced with the force she set it down with.
Kiku looked at her and blinked at the look of anger and exasperation on the girl's face. "You okay?" She asked, her own melodramatic thoughts evaporating into the wind.
"My brother is a colossal idiot." Hikari ground out.
"Not that unusual." Emily said from her place across from Miyu. Both of the older women had turned to greet her. "If I had a penny for every idiot thing my brothers did back home…" She sighed.
"Did they also go on about how we've all be abducted by aliens in a government sanctioned tribute to prevent the destruction of the world?" Hikari deadpanned. Everyone stared at her.
"What?" Kiku said weakly as Emily shook her head.
"My brother is a conspiracy theorist. He'll believe damned near anything, except the truth." Hikari face planted into the table with a soft groan, just missing her plate and soup bowl. "He still isn't here. He thinks we're all going to be brainwashed or something." Kiku somehow understood that despite the presence of a table in the way.
"So what do you think is going on?" Miyu asked gently, reaching over and rubbing the girl's shoulder comfortingly.
Hikari looked up from the table. "Something that doesn't involve aliens." She said, eliciting snorts of amusement from Kiku and Emily.
"And?" Miyu prodded.
"I don't know." Hikari sighed, "Just not aliens is about all I can manage right now."
Miyu patted her on the back once before going back to her soup. "Fair enough. Your brother does sound like someone quite difficult to get along with." She said.
"He can be, but not normally this hard." Hikari started in on her soup. "This is good."
Kiku shrugged. It was fine she guessed. She just didn't like leeks.
A loud tink-tink-tink cut through the cloud of conversation. Kiku followed it to the head table where the Lieutenant from the day before was standing up.
"Good afternoon everyone." He said once the room was focused on him. "While we are still missing a few people I'd like to get this started so that we don't waste too much time. Please feel free to eat, and get more from the table."
He looked around the room. "Now I know all of you have a lot of questions. Where are we. Why are we here. How did we get here, and can we get home." He said, "Along with those I know some of you are wondering about other things. I've heard questions about the glowing lights we all experienced on arrival. You will get your answers, as best as we can give, right now."
He turned to the rest of the head table. "May I introduce the two people who will be answering most of these questions. While he is still injured after the events of the night we arrived he has agreed to provide answers. Please welcome Magistrate Ragara Zeriah, a native of this land."
A man who looked to be in his late twenties or early thirties raised a hand. "I hope you don't mind if I don't stand. I'm still rather sore from being blown through a support pillar by the young Castellan here." He gestured to Ranma, whom he was sitting next to.
The redhead sipped a glass of some drink. "Next time don't try and hit me with that hammer." She said blandly. Kiku blinked. He'd what?!
"And allow me to introduce the other person who will be answering your questions." Ryu continued, "Castellan of Greyfalls Saotome Ranma, whom I know some of you recognize." His gaze swept the crowd and Kiku noticed a number of nervous looking people. "She is from Japan like most of us. Circumstances have led to her being asked to take charge of the city for the foreseeable future."
A man with thick dark hair pulled into a topknot stood up. "How does a child find themselves in charge of a city?"
Ryu opened his mouth to respond, only to stop as Ranma reached out and tapped him on the arm. Words were exchanged, quietly, and he sat down as Ranma stood. As she did the light which poured through the few windows above caught her hair, which shimmered as though she were haloed by the sun.
"If you wouldn't mind sitting back down." She said sharply, "We will get to that, but first we need to clear up a few other questions."
"But I will get an answer?" The man pressed.
"You will." She assured. The man nodded and took his seat.
Ranma looked around the room. "To answer the questions Ryu brought up. To start with we are no longer on Earth." The only reaction she received was a collective nodding of heads. "I see most of you figured that out. More specifically however we are in Greyfalls, a small nation in the east that was, until yesterday, a tributary of the largest nation in this world. We'll get back to that later."
She took a sip of her drink. No one else was moving, their attention firmly on the young woman. "That is about all we know." She said bluntly, "We don't know why we were brought here. We don't know how, and we don't know if we can go back." She sighed, "We all want to go home I imagine, yes?" Heads bobbed around the room and murmurs of agreement came from all corners.
"I can't promise we'll ever manage to do that, but I can promise we won't stop looking." Ranma said, "Despite my own circumstances I do want to go home as well. Still that leaves us with deal with the fallout of our arrival for however long were here."
"Consequences like your own title?" The man from earlier said.
Ranma nodded. "And the circumstances that lead to that." She said, "This word didn't just appear when we arrived. There were things going on here long before we arrived." She paused as Zeriah tapped her on the arm. "Yes?"
"Do you mind if I explain the events of the last several months?" He asked.
"Feel free." Ranma said, sitting back down.
The local straightened, wincing visibly, but as he said before did not stand. "It started about six months ago when we first received word that a nation to our south, known as Vaneha, had invaded a neighbouring kingdom."
Kiku listened, spellbound like most of the people in the room. Maybe it was the fact it was about a war, or maybe it was just that it was events that would affect them, or maybe he was just a better storyteller than any history teacher she had ever had. Whatever it was Kiku hardly noticed the time pass, other than to finish her soup and cheese, until he wound down his tale with, "And so the Satrap decided to host the usual calibration events in the interest of maintaining an appearance of stability."
He sipped from a glass in front of him. "The last of those events was a dinner that he invited quite a few of the important dynasts to. Myself included. That event was on the same night as your arrival, and it was interrupted by the Castellan crashing through the roof and splitting a table in half."
"You make it sound like I chose to appear two hundred feet up." Ranma said rolling her eyes. "Besides things wouldn't have gotten out of hand if someone hadn't stuck a sword in my face and started trying to take my head off."
"Lily was just doing her duty. As was I." Zeriah said, waving her off. "Besides I don't remember too much after you put me through that support pillar." Shaking his head he continued, "Once I regained consciousness I learned, from my student, that the Castellan and her friend had managed to route half a legion and destroy the two warstriders that had been left to guard the fortress. I'm sure you've all seen the wrecks on your way in." More heads bobbed around the room.
"I'll handle this next bit." Ranma said, standing once more.
"As you wish." Zeriah settled back in his chair.
Ranma looked around the room. "Some of you probably can't imagine how someone like me could have managed that, can you? Hands up if you can't imagine it." More than half of the people in the room raised their hands, Hikari and Emily included.
Rather than say anything Ranma held out one hand, palm pointed to the ceiling, and a flicker of light appeared above it. A sphere of roiling golden power grew from that spark into a miniature star twice the size of a basketball. At the same time a mark appeared on her forehead, a stylized sun that blazed with the same golden colour of the sphere.
Kiku had seen the blue blasts Ranma had thrown around in Nerima during the times when she managed to spot the battles of her or her brother. They had always glowed an arrogant blue, but she had never felt anything more than the concussive wave from one going off. This time was different. As the spark formed and grew she could feel the waves of power rolling off the surface; and judging by the reactions of the entire room, who collectively seemed to shuffle away from the redhead, so could everyone else.
It was… awe inspiring.
"Anyone still doubt me?" Ranma asked looking about. The light of the orb shone off the gold highlights of her clothes and reflected in a shimmering display from her necklace and braid.
"No one?" She asked again as the room remained silent. "Good." The orb winked out of existence and Kiku sighed and pouted. It had been really cool.
The door to the room chose that moment to swing open. A few people, including Kiku, looked back. All that entered was a perfectly Ordinary Raven, which flew across the room to land at the foot of the head table. Probably to do perfectly Ordinary Raven things. Ranma glanced down at it and Kiku saw the ghost of a smile.
She looked at the Ordinary Raven again. It was an Ordinary Raven, perfectly Ordinary. Doing Ordinary things. For a Raven. So Ordinary in fact that Kiku would have stopped paying attention to it if Ranma hadn't smiled at it. Did she like Ravens? Did she like this Ordinary Raven? Should Kiku like Ravens?
Unnoticed by Kiku her mother's eyes narrowed as she to stared at the Raven.
"Now, what happened after I managed to fight off the legion was the Goddess of Greyfalls itself arrived." A few eyes blinked, most stayed riveted. "Her name is Setarial and she brought with her a message delivered by her servant. Leitleen, say hi." The last was directed to the Ordinary Raven.
The Ordinary Raven spoke. "Welcome everyone, to Greyfalls, Jewel of the East." She said, hopping up onto the tabletop. Kiku's brain stopped working for a few seconds. What? She shared a look with Hikari. The other girl's face looked like the sort of blank slate normally seen only in anime.
"Everyone, please say hello to Leitleen. Servant of Setarial, and I believe a Goddess herself?" Ranma questioned the no-longer-ordinary-but-still-a-raven raven.
"Messages, messengers, and ravens; but only in Greyfalls." The talking
raven answered politely. "The nation that is, not the city."
"Thank you for coming." Ranma said sincerely, "I was worried you would be late."
"The good Duke passed on your request. I came immediately." Leitleen replied before turning to the, once again stunned, crowd.
"As you can see I am not lying." Ranma said to the room, "Leitleen was the one who carried the news which decided how the… dispute the night of our arrival would end. If you would?"
Leitleen cleared her throat. "Two nights ago I reported to the my mistress the news of the Battle of Kindler's Rock, a small former mining town many miles south. General Kitano marched south with most of the military forces of Greyfalls and attempted to engage the forces of Vaneha in open battle. That battle ended with the General's death and the utter slaughter of his men. Few, if any, escaped the battle."
Silence met that pronouncement.
Ranma said something to the raven and she nodded before taking wing and heading out the door. "Setarial informed the Satrap, right after Ryouga and I had gotten done injuring a third of his forces and sending the rest running." She sighed, regret showing. "Between the enemy inside the gates and the enemy marching on the city he decided that it would be best to simply withdraw his forces and leave the city to whatever fate might come." Well… that didn't sound good to Kiku.
"Oh dear." Her mother murmured, apparently agreeing with Kiku.
"The man in charge of that army has made it clear, repeatedly, that he intends to burn the city down and slaughter anyone who remains as a warning against association with the Realm." Ranma said into the silent room, "He doesn't know the Realm has left, but there's also no guarantee he will leave the city be either, and with winter already here there isn't anywhere for us or the people of the city to go."
Ryu stood up. "As the senior, and only, JGSDF officer currently available I have been discussing the situation at length with the Magistrate, the new Castellan, and the Sergeants who were also caught up in this mess." He looked around, "We are all in agreement. As much as we would prefer there is nowhere for us to go that won't end with us in a similar or worse situation."
The topknotted man stood up again. "And you believe that being besieged, without an army to defend us I might add, is a better choice than flight!" He demanded.
Ranma fixed him with a look. "And starving in the snow is better?" She asked sarcastically, "You are free to leave if you want."
"I am no coward, but this battle you seem set on fighting is hopeless without an army to defend the city. History is filled with examples of fools who chose to fight when flight would have been a wiser option." The man said, standing tall. A few nodded and voiced murmurs of agreement.
"The situation is not so hopeless as you seem to believe." Zeriah said, standing slowly. A grimace of pain flickered across his face. "Allow me a moment, if you will, to explain the last mystery of your arrival, before you decide to pass judgement on the young Castellan."
"Allow me to tell you of the gift of the Second Breath."
-0-0-0-0-0-
Lockler's patrol had been quiet once he had put the mess of the Cynis mansion behind him. The supernatural. Things that mortal men were not supposed to mess with.
"What madness were they dealing with in that place." He muttered to himself as his somewhat depleted patrol departed the last of a series of large townhouses on the west side of Alder Plaza.
"Sir?" One of this men, Greenman wasn't it, asked.
He shook his head. "Just wondering at the situation at the Cynis house." He said, "Sorcerers. Damned sorcerers."
The young man nodded. "I just hope the guys we left there are fine." He said.
Lockler clapped him on the shoulder. "They will be fine. They're in the hands of the Magistrate now." He said reassuringly.
"And that Anathema." One of the other soldiers quipped. "Can't forget that mutt."
"That mutt fought a warstrider hand-to-hand." Lockler reminded them, "And we are now working for them, unless you forget."
"I thought we were working for the redhead." The same soldier said, "Not her pet."
"If he told you to do something would you refuse?" Lockler asked pointedly. The silence was telling. "Next time, think with something other than your dick when you talk boy. Maybe you'll live long enough to actually use it."
He ignored the outraged young man, and the jeers his own comment had prompted. "Alright boys, get it together next house is coming up." He snapped out. Men fell silent as they approached the next mansion on the list.
-0-0-0-0-0-
Superpowers. They had superpowers. Well it was a lot more than just superpowers, but really that was all Kiku cared about as she stared at her hands, flexing them experimentally as though she expected them to catch fire.
At the head table Zeriah had settled back into his seat, grimacing in pain. "A single Dragon-blooded can fight a small army. Dozens of Dragon-blooded can end a war." He raked his gaze across the room. "The Vanehan army is a threat, but even as new to their exaltation as your soldiers are, they are Dragon-blooded. Given the performance I witnessed the young Castellan perform just two nights ago, and an army raised from the brave people of this city. I do believe that the Vanehan army will not succeed in its goals. This City will
Stand." He pounded his fist on the table in emphasis. A soft brown aura swirled around him, carrying the dust of the room with it.
"You have a plan then?" The topknotted man asked
"We do." Ranma said.
The man nodded. "My name is Arai Shin." He said, "I am a military historian with the Tokyo National Museum. My business is knowing the past." He looked around the room. "History is filled with brave stands against terrible odds. Many of those are remembered for the great victories they represent."
He looked up at the head table. "But many others are remembered for the terrible destruction wrought upon those who stood their ground. All I know tells me that flight is the best course of action. These people here are not soldiers, or warriors. We cannot fight a battle, let alone a war. And yet." He took a deep breath. "Your words make me wonder. They make me question. You say that we carry in us a blessing that once toppled titans. Two days ago I would have called you mad. Today. Today I wonder can it be done, and some part of me wishes to find out. It calls me to take action when I know I should shy away."
More heads nodded, more people voiced agreement. Kiku found herself nodding even as she flexed her hands and poked the table with a spoon. It was the same thing that had prodded her to offer to help Emily. A need to be doing
something more than what she had been.
Shin took a deep breath. "What would you ask of us? What do you need us to achieve?" He asked. His question was echoed around the chamber.
Ranma looked relieved to Kiku. Like a weight of some kind had been lifted.
"We aren't going to ask you to fight." Ryu said, standing. "That is the duty of my soldiers and myself. That said if you have experience with law enforcement or military service we won't turn aside the assistance. We need an army, and any extra bodies that can help organize and train it are welcome."
Ranma stood as well. "Nearly everyone in the government left yesterday. While we have some of the locals working on getting a provisional city government set up any help you can offer with that would be great. Also if any of you have ideas on preparations that can be made to help with the upcoming siege please feel free." She looked around.
"Also if you do wish to leave tomorrow morning we are sending groups to the north and east that will be trying to raise reinforcements for the city from those areas. They are far enough afield that you should be safe from the fighting regardless of how the battle goes. Now, please enjoy your lunch." The redhead sat back down and
"I think, after lunch" Emily mused, drawing Kiku's attention, "I should get back to that project I was working on. We may need it sooner than later." All around them people began to talk. She listened to them. A few hours before these same people had been arguing, sulking, or wandering the halls as bored as she had been. Now there was an energy that filled the room, that flowed from person to person in a loop that fueled itself.
Despite the dark news that had been shared, the temple seemed more alive than ever.
"Kiku." Her mother said.
"Hm?" She looked up at her mother. "What?"
"There is something we need to discuss after lunch. In private." Her mother said, looking more serious than she was used to.
"Okay?" She blinked. Now what?
-0-0-0-0-0-
A/N: There we go. Chapter Nine. NINE I SAY!
*Smack face with Tails* Anyway, that is the next chapter. We'll be taking a break from this lot for a while. The next chapter I write is going to be for the Shadows of Thorns side story and we'll probably be sticking with that until it's done.
So let me know what you think. I'll admit this does not feel like my best chapter, but then I always have that feeling soooo… Yeah. Point out any spelling or grammar mistakes. God knows I need an editor at times.
I've tried to cut down on repeated information, but at the same time I'm wondering if in doing so I've accidentally cut things I shouldn't have. Let me know if there's any confusion.
*Kitsune Shrug*
