Choir of Angels (Angelii/Firemane)

[Kaida Taldir]

[member="Sahal Jai Azal"], [member="Elincia Alanis"]


Now this was more like it! Kaida would have probably just shot the offending nomad and her war beast, but Askari was a good deal more dramatic and flamboyant than her superior. The brave nomad galloped straight towards her and Askari met the attack, driving her Yazgid to charge.


As the beasts clashed in a flurry of sharp teeth and claws, and the nomad tried to lance her, the Angelii brought up her Taegis war shield. The lance broke and the nomad experienced a mild electrical shock. Seizing her chance, Askari thrust her Sarix into her opponent's stomach, drawing blood, before launching a low strike to cut her stirrups in twain.


Deprived of her hold on her war beast, the nomad fell from the Yazgid and was almost run over by her former mount. "Go seek better prey," Askari tried to put the Force into her words and leapt down. "Surrender, and I shall spare your life. Per the customs of war, you are my slave now," she smirked, pointing the tip of her blade at the nomad's throat.


xxx


"Incompetent, pompous idiot. You should be grateful I take the time to turn one unit of your disorganised rabble into a proper military force," Kaida spoke gruffly after the Vizier sulked. Presumably the protocol droid did not translate this part.


Alas, she was displeased with the Qadiri's performance, for they lacked vigour and aggression. "No, not like that. Don't just bang your weapons together. You're supposed to beat your opponent, not make music," she grunted.


"She's a good example. Follow her lead," she pointed her riding crop at Sohalia. I'll make a model soldier out of you, she thought. "Speed, aggression, precision. Dominance. Work together, seize the initiative." Snap. One particularly demotivated soldier would suddenly realise that the riding crop was not just there for show when the Seraph delivered a stinging blow to his back. There was a cry of pain and it wasn't Kaida's.


"The staff gives you good reach to ward off attacks and launch your own. And it has enough force to knock someone's teeth out. The sword gives you more mobility and flexibility. Yes, that's better. Knock the shield out of your enemy's hand," she spoke in what came close to an approving tone when one pair of soldiers did it right and overwhelmned their less engaged opponents.

 

[Elincia Alanis]

When the not yet proven true queen of Multan started to remove her robe slowly, Elincia had the "Holy chit. Am I living this right now?" moment and that reflected to her face. Well, whatever she was doing, she was doing a good job convincing Elincia... "Uhh.... Okay... I wasn't expecting..." She was about to finish her sentence as the true intentions of the queen revealed to be just showing a mark on her stomach. Well, it waas a massive letdown to say the least. "Yeah, of course. You weren't going to do that." She said, with a disappointed tone. But of course, the plot needed to move on, so the girl decided she would have more chances along this journey, even though her hopes were decreasing each second. And after she was shown the mark, and the queen explained stuff to her, she simply nodded. Elincia had no idea about the truth in her story, being not that good with history, but something about her seemed reliable. And no, it wasn't her body. Definitely she wasn't thinking about the hot moment seconds ago. After thinking about this a second, she decided.

"Alright, you can come along with me." She said, still showing signs of suspicion. "And if you are telling the truth, I will do my best to protect you." Elincia realized there were too many people for her to protect in this particular journey. Huh... "Do I get to kick Vizier in the face if something happens if I promise you? She speaks too much." She didn't like to promise that much, but if the rewards were good enough, well, she could make an exception.

[member="Kaida Taldir"] [member="Sahal Jai Azal"]

 

[Sahal Jai Azal]

[member="Kaida Taldir"] [member="Elincia Alanis"]

One wondered just what Kaida would think of Askari claiming a slave…a battlefield one anyway!
The Qadiri warrior glared at Askari. “It is so, but I shall never serve you willingly, and will await my moment to avenge myself for this defeat.”
It was said pretty bluntly, even mater-of-factly. Askari would do well not to turn her back on her new slave!

When they returned the Nawab was delighted. “Such power! Such grace! Your machines gloat like hawks and strike like snakes. You must come in and meet her Majesty. She will surely reward you!”

XXX

The fighting went on, and Sohalia was rapidly becoming the instructor’s pet, so much so that her comrade was driven back just a little too easily to allow another to get behind her and deliver a stinging staff blow to the leg, tripping her.
As soon as she was down her opponent closed in, going beyond show by actively trying to beat the fallen soldier with her staff!
Sohalia warded off the blows as best she could but some were finding their mark, especially when the sword and shield bearer joined in the beating along with her former ally!

If Kaida didn’t act promptly her best pupil might get lynched!

XXX

“If she does turn out to be a treasonous little Charrou then you may do with her as you wish. I would have chosen to be rid of her years ago, but she’s too powerful with the nobles. But if she gets caught in the act – and fails – then I will be able to turn against her. See, the other nobles will support the winner, and not put themselves out unduly. The Vizier wants to replace me with my young niece who is still a child and not able to threaten her.”

This info dump had probably bored Elincia, so the woman poked her.

“And if you protect me I’ll see you get a very desirable reward!”

If the sob story didn’t work, the promise of rewards would do it.

 

[Kaida Taldir]

[member="Sahal Jai Azal"], [member="Elincia Alanis"]


Didn't the Tygaran Alliance prohibit slavery? Eh, whatever. It was...reeducation! Yes, that's right. Or indentured servitude. Anyhow, it didn't seem like Askari was feeling an alignment conflict.


"Rebellion will be punished with death. Disobey me, and I will punish you severely. Serve me obediently, and you'll be treated well," she spoke in a commanding tone and slapped a shock collar on the nomad's neck. "Cuff her, give her medical attention, but don't turn your back on her. She'll make amends by serving others," she ordered a Firemane minion.


Anyhow, then they returned to the Nawab, who was ecstatic with joy. It seemed they'd made quite an impression. "Thank you. I'm glad we could help, Nawab. We'd be delighted to meet the queen." That was probably the diplomatic thing to say.


xxx

Meanwhile, it had not escaped Kaida's attention that some soldiers were ganging up against Sohalia. This went beyond simply wanting to win, they wanted to kill or at least break several of her bones. She was not fething having that!


The soldier who was trying to beat the girl with a staff was suddenly struck in the back of her leg with an ice spike. Giving the soldier no reprieve, Kaida grabbed her by the shoulder, spun her around and punched her in the face with enough force to smash teeth and break her nose.


Then she flung the body into the warrior who'd turned on Sohalia. The sword and shield bearer realised what was going on and moved to engage Kaida. Her first blow went nowhere, her second met a beam of yellow light that destroyed her sword. Cold moisture was suddenly splashed into her eyes, temporarily disorientating her, then Kaida sliced across her knee. "Stand down, or you'll lose the entire leg."

 

[Elincia Alanis]

The queen was right to think Elincia wasn't listening. Instead, the story was immediately ignored by the young Angelii, who was thinking, "Oh, now you are talking too much." at that moment. She got little details like nobles, child and niece, but couldn't connect the dots because there weren't that many as she pretended to listen. She was then got startled by the sudden poking of the queen, and then her mind completely returned to the scene when she heard the word "reward". Immediately, the queen would realize the young Angelii was suddenly interested in what she had to say after that word. Because shinies, after all, were what she needed the most these days! The struggles of being a teenager with no credits.

"Alright alright, can't say no to a beautiful lady such as yourself." She said, realising her tone sounded unnecessarily excited. "Though, I must say, I expect a good amount of shinies and... uhh can you please tell the ice lady..." Whoops, they probably didn't know who "ice lady" was. "Seraph Taldir, that I was a great help? That would help me a lot." And probably help me not get kicked from the Angelii.

[member="Kaida Taldir"] [member="Sahal Jai Azal"]

 

[Sahal Jai Azal]

[member="Kaida Taldir"] [member="Elincia Alanis"]

The hidden Queen raised an eyebrow at Elincia.
“So you’re the Ice Lady’s whipping girl, are you? Sure, I’ll tell her you’ve been good and obedient, so long as you assist me when I need you.”

“Come. Escort me to my dressing room. I’ll swap with my maid and then you can escort me down to the meeting. If all goes well you can also have a night with my maid if you want her. She’s very good at her job.”
It was good to be Queen apparently!

XXX

The resentful soldiers backed off, or in some cases collapsed to the floor.
Sohalia stood up, face bloody. But rather than shirking the fight she delivered a king hit right to the jaw of her primary antagonist. The Qadiri went down, cursing.
“Lowborn scum, your pale Mistress won’t always be there to protect you,” she spat.
Unfortunately the droid translated this….

XXX

As they entered Surani the Angelii and Eldorai with Askari were cheered and greeted warmly.
The Nawab walked beside Askari, occasionally giving her appreciative glances. She gave some impromptu tourist guide to the city. She pointed out the temples, bazaars and the great palace.

As they passed inside the palace grounds they found some royal guards waiting, but they stood aside as the outsiders passed.
“Wait a moment here, the Queen will see you. I shall go converse with her,” the Nawab said, smiling that then vanishing.

One of the Angelii, a Wing Leader named Chaeli, came forward. “Beg pardon, ma’am, but should we be doing this? Shouldn’t we contact the Seraph for orders?” she said quietly.

 

[Kaida Taldir]

[member="Sahal Jai Azal"], [member="Elincia Alanis"]


To say that Kaida was angry was an understatement. As a matter of fact, she was furious at this ridiculous display of self-entilement and arrogance. It reminded her strongly of the classism that was so endemic in Eldorai society, except it was worse here. This made radical reform even more imperative - and the army was the school of the nation.


The Qadiri did not have enough time to regret her actions. Kaida's lightsabre glowed with a yellow flame when it sliced across the woman's ear, mutilating it. A mutilated ear was a mark of shame amongst the Eldorai, and she suspected it was the same with the Qadiri. "Let this be an example to you all. None of you are better than your comrades because of your social class. I will not allow favouritism, intrigue or lynchings," she spoke frostily.


xxx

Meanwhile, things were a lot less violent in Surani. Askari could not help feel a bit awkward, but she was in high spirits when they were led through the city's streets and received an impromptu tourist tour. There were grand temples, bazaars and a magnificient palace that naturally dominated the cityscape.


However, despite the festive mood, they still had their duty. Taldir would kill her if she neglected them for a shag. "You mean instead of celebrating with our new hosts and indulging in all sorts of debauchery while they try to persuade us to smite even more of their enemies?" Askari asked rhetorically with a completely straight face. "I haven't forgotten our actual mission, Chaeli, as vaguely defined as it was. Something tells me that Taldir is ties up. I shall give Lady Tarai a call." They had a brief interval since the cute Nawab was busy, so she activated her comm.

 

[Elincia Alanis]

"I am in danger of being thrown to tigers naked, so yeah, kind of a whipping girl. I would like it if actual whips were involved though." She said with a grin. By now, the queen could probably understand that she was a troll, or if you want to think philosophically she was a teenager dealing with a lot of problems and insecurities by telling jokes. First option was more likely though. "So uhh... yeah, that will be helpful for my 'situation.' "

And once the Queen talked again, Elincia's eyes shined as her oh-shiny meters hit the roofs. "Lady, you are, like, the third person telling me I have a chance to sleep with someone after this." Hmmm, that would probably be pretty exhausting, but if they combined 3 into 1, now that would be something else! Elincia would have a little fangirl screaming moment if they weren't in a serious situation, but of course, plot and all. And considering the fact that Elincia never did it with someone else... Well why do we consider that?! Things would probably be fine. Practice makes perfect, after all! Anyway, moving on, "I am in!" She said, concluding her flying thoughts.

Thus their epic adventure with the rightful Queen would start, to the dressing room! That... sounded less epic when said out loud.

[member="Kaida Taldir"] [member="Sahal Jai Azal"]

 

[Sahal Jai Azal]

[member="Elincia Alanis"] [member="Kaida Taldir"]

The Queen raised an eyebrow. “It sounds like your Seraph Taldir has some interesting tastes. If you would like whips to be involved then Banari will oblige.”

They headed down to the dressing room where the ‘Queen’ was waiting. Swiftly, and with the ease of a Naboo royal, they switched outfits. They looked extremely alike, and when a veil and jewellery were added into the picture they were practically indistinguishable.

“Come. Attend upon me,” the Queen ordered.

Banari fell in beside Elincia and gave her a little wink.

XXX

In Surani the Nawab returned with her monarch in tow. This Queen was older, but still steady and looked clear of mind.
“Her Majesty Queen Viroah, Ruler of Surani,” the Nawab introduced.
“I am Sahal Jai Azal, warrior of the great Karizhar, Siobhan Kerrigan. The Warrior Askari will be with you in a moment, she is just receiving orders from her Mistress.”

XXX

And so it was that Selene Tarai’s comm-link buzzed. She picked up.
“Host Leader Askari, please update me how your mission to Surani goes. How is the Qadiri named Sahal?” Siobhan would never forgive her if she got her pet Qadiri killed, and beside the Countess rather liked Sahal.

XXX

Meanwhile the soldiers backed off and left Sohalia alone. The Qadiri who had her ear cut screamed and fell to the ground, clutching the stump. As she was dragged away she spat some curses at Kaida which the droid tactfully did not translate.
“Thank you, Lady,” Sohalia said, bowing, then took her place in the ranks once more.

 

[Kaida Taldir]

[member="Sahal Jai Azal"], [member="Elincia Alanis"]


A point had been made. The Qadiri bully was dragged off after being turned into a flat ear. "Make no mistake. You are not in my favour. You won't receive special treatment," Kaida said sternly to Sohalia. After all, her actions could easily be misconstrued. Her words were for Sohalia's benefit, and that of the whole unit.


"For now, you've done enough. Return to the barracks and rest." Having relayed her instructions, she turned on her heels and walked away. One of her subordinates could handle matters while she went to look for Selene. For a moment, her thoughts drifted to Askari. Hopefully her Cadalthor genes had not compelled her to do anything silly or impetuous. All that blue blood could go to your head!

xxx


While Kaida was laying down the law and smashing nepotism with a hammer, Askari got a holochat with Selene. She was obviously speaking in Eldarai. "Sahal's fine. She's been useful translating. We made contact with the Surani Nawab. She told us...the same story of woe as the Multani, then marauding nomads attacked and we beat them up. Their Queen granted us an audience. Uh," the Host Leader looked a little sheepish, "when she inevitably requests we aid her against her vile foes, the Multani, what do we do?"

 

[Elincia Alanis]

"Well, she's not that bad. Just, like, 90 percent of the time. I sometimes like making her mad, because it's the only emotion she shows. Kind of like a little sister, you know..." Oh wait... Why was she telling these to a total stranger again? "Uhh... anyway. Don't tell her I said that. She would think I was being sarcastic anyway." Maybe a sign of growing up? Well, years were passing, and Elincia wasn't going to keep being the troll teenager always. Anyway, enough of this emotional stuff. "Well, if Banari wants to use whips I won't stop her. But she shouldn't expect me to just take it. " She changed the subject, returning to her old self with a wink. Thus, their journey to the dressing room would continue, where the fake Queen waited for them. Now, she was convinced. The fake Queen looked exactly like the real one, and there was no doubt about that.

And Banari, the queen's double, returned to her original clothes in a moment's notice. She looked just as beautiful as in that dress. "That's gonna be exciting." She wasn't talking about the mission. As the queen gave the orders, the two followed, of course not before exchanging winks and flirty looks at each other. She wondered how her original group was doing for a second, as she didn't see them for a while. Eh, probably the ice lady was beating someone and the others were trying to do damage control.

[member="Kaida Taldir"] [member="Sahal Jai Azal"]

 

[Sahal Jai Azal]

[member="Kaida Taldir"] [member="Elincia Alanis"]

Sohalia nodded. “Yes, Lady, I would not want it otherwise.”
The unit rapidly dispersed to their billets, no doubt spreading word of the cruel outsider who was in command. They’d probably also spread word about how the aristos had been humbled which was a good thing too.

XXX

Selene frowned. It seemed as though Askari had been doing her job a little too well. Still, this had potential.
“Remain on your guard, Host Leader. Be non-committal with your words. We have a meeting with the Queen of Multan ourselves. We will discuss further tonight. It’s very important that we not enable further warfare, we are here to unite and make peace. Ask to review their troops in the morning and assist with their defences. You’ve done well, Askari, keep it up.”

When the call was completed and Kaida had joined her, they all headed into the main throneroom. There Kaida and Selene would see Elincia coming into the room with the pretty young woman she’d been suspicious of (or so it’d seem) and by the Queen’s side.

XXX

“You dance with danger, Elincia. Prodding a Yazgid is unwise if it wishes to bite you. I won’t say I don’t understand, but perhaps you should treat her with respect if you wish her to respect you?”

Banari meanwhile grinned. “If you think you can use the whip on me, oh star lady, we’ll have to see which of us is stronger!”

“Quiet, we are coming into the hall,” the Queen hissed once the two had traded their barbs.

The Vizier was there, looking irritable as always, along with other nobles and warriors. This was probably going to be one of those dinners. Awkward with a chance of coup….

 

[Kaida Taldir]

[member="Sahal Jai Azal"], [member="Elincia Alanis"]

[member="Valiens Nantaris"] (It's been your turn for ages)

Oh, come on. You told me to be friendly to our little sisters. I am not blind to their machinations, Askari thought to herself. However, outwardly she remained disciplined. As much as the world of diplomacy annoyed her, she was still a disciplined soldier.


"Understood, Countess. May Ashira's light guide you," she said solemnly. Despite all that her people had suffered, she still a fervent believer in Ashira, Valora and the other deities. The call was ended and she turned on her heels, heading towards the reception area, where the Queen and the Nawab were waiting.


Who knew all those sessions I was forced to endure at the Cadalthor estate would actually be useful for something. The Host Leader joined Sahal. "I apologise for keeping you waiting, Your Majesty. It's an honour to meet you. My mistress Countess Tarai extends her greetings and was pleased to hear the band of brigands was repulsed."


xxx


There was a scowl on Kaida's face when she saw Elincia appear at the side of the pretty young woman she'd supposedly been suspicious of, who was dressed like a handmaiden, and the Queen. The young Angelii probably knew that look well. There'd be words later. Or perhaps tigers.


Her eyes fell upon the Vizier, who looked as sour as a bitter lemon, and her posse. The Seraph wondered if she'd get an excuse to punch her. "Your Majesty, Vizier, I've finished drilling the Division for the day. There is a lot of work to be done, but they've shown promise. Eldorai standards will make them a model for the army." Her voice was as gruff and chilly as ever, but she sounded like someone who took pride in her work. Of course, she might've also approached the subject because she knew her methods annoyed the Vizier.

 

[Elincia Alanis]

"I never said I didn't respect her." Elincia replied. "It's just... complicated." Before she could explain what was the "complicated" part, they arrived to the hall, luckily since she didn't know the explanation herself, where everyone seemed to be waiting for them. She could feel the deadly looks coming her way even not looking at the scene. But hey, Elincia was used to those looks. So she just put up a smile and acted like everything was normal. After all, causing suspicion would be the last thing everyone wanted right now.

Under the frosty looks of the Seraph, which Elincia replied with a shrug and a look saying "You'll understand very soon!", she moved towards her original group after passing the servant a flirty look and sat down to the chair near the diplomat lady. Leaning towards her a little not to disturb the talks going on and to let ice lady let out her frostiness and anger to prevent herself from getting thrown to the tigers, she whispered. "Did I miss anything fun?"

[member="Kaida Taldir"] [member="Sahal Jai Azal"]

 

[Sahal Jai Azal]

[member="Kaida Taldir"] [member="Elincia Alanis"]

The Nawab looked suitably friendly, and nodded to Askari eagerly. “Your greetings are welcome,” she said.

The Queen of Surani though looked more reserved, more a politician than anything else.
“I agree with my good Nawab, these tidings are welcome. Where is your Lady though? I do not see her, though I am told you can talk at great distances using machines. Is she coming here, or are you the only ambassador we shall receive?”

XXX

The Vizier meanwhile sounded like she wanted to grind her teeth together as she bit out the next words.
“This is good. I only hope that when the time comes they follow my orders and not yours.”

The Queen entered with Banari by her side, and Elincia moved to join Selene. The Countess gave Elincia a look.
“Not as fun as what you’ve been doing, Wing Leader. I ask you to guard a room and you end up hobnobbing with the Queen. So…anything interesting? Tell me everything,” she said.

Tigers might just be avoided if Elincia could dish some useful dirt or intel.

The Queen meanwhile ordered the feast to begin. There was no table, only couches and chairs laid out. The food was brought along and those around ate from plates of silver or gold presented by slaves and servants.

One such slave, a busty Qadiri, came to kneel before Kaida and offer her a plate, and also a generous look at her bosom. Elincia and Selene would be likewise presented. Selene felt sorry for the slaves of course, but the one serving Kaida she reserved special pity for. Kaida would probably be more frosty than an iceberg.

“By great chance this was the theme of our last…” she said thoughtfully, then glanced at Elincia. “Never mind. Keep an eye out for trouble.” She gestured to the slave serving them. “Droid, tell her to sample the food.” It was cruel, but where brute force would not work, poison might, so they had to be wary.

 

[Kaida Taldir]

[member="Sahal Jai Azal"], [member="Elincia Alanis"]


Yay! More diplomacy. "My Lady is very far away and presently indisposed, alas, Majesty. However, she looks forward to meet you in person," Askari spoke in her most diplomatic tone. "In the meantime, I am here to assist. I'd be honoured to review your armies on the morrow and provide advice for the defence of your realm."


xxx

Kaida looked predictably frosty when the buxom Qadiri slave presented her a plate and her ample assets. It did not escape her attention that the woman was very attractive, but she was a slave with no free will of her own, which killed any desire on Kaida's apart. She felt sorry for her.


Truth be told, she felt disgusted with the decadent, byzantine court. It had all the worst aspects of Eldorai courtly life. Young Kaida had had republican leanings, though the fact that the Eldorai mob was so excitable and easily misled by xenophobic, religious demagogues made her doubt that form of government would be much better.


She gave Selene a severe look when the Countess spoke out of tune. It was inappropriate to blather about Order business in front of outsiders, or so the drillmistress thought. The slave looked a bit nervous after the machine translated, then nodded demurely.


"As you command, Mistress," she said in her most submissive tone and started with Selene's dish. Kaida's eyes were upon her when the poor girl took a bite from a piece of curry chicken. She swallowed it and...did not keel over.


The frost mage relaxed slightly, just a bit. Then suddenly she heard noise and could see shapes moving through the curtains. "Assassins. Alanis, protect the Countess," she ordered gruffly.


Then all hell broke loose. A dozen attackers, wearing turbans and bright uniforms, armed with scimitars, spears and ranged weapons, burst into the dining room. "Death to the foreign devils!" one yelled loudly.


With contemptuous ease, Kaida sliced the an attacker's spear in half when it was tossed her way. Gripping the weapon's sharp tip with the Force before it could fall to the ground, she sent it flying into an opponent's shoulder at hypervelocity, causing a cry of pain.


An assassin charged her with a scimitar, but her blade struck naught but thin air, for the Seraph was already in motion and severed the Qadiri's hand with a precise slash. As the stunned elf stared down at the burnt stump, Kaida thrust the point of her blade into the assassin's chest, piercing her heart. The Angelii felt a warning through the Force, but it came too late to keep the poison dart from flying into her neck.


The Seraph staggered as the toxin began to take effect. It looked to her like the entire room was spinning when the poison circulated through her bloodstream. Spasms shook her body and she felt the venom boiling inside her veins.


Pain is just weakness leaving the body, drawing upon her Sciia she wrapped an ethereal power around the shooter's body and literally drained all the heat from her, turning her into a husk within the blink of an eye.

 

[Elincia Alanis]

"Well, your other Angelii kicked me out of the room because she suspected I would steal shinies. So, she's probably there protecting them herself. Or she might be enjoying them herself... dammit..." Getting oh-shinied again, she returned to the task at hand, because tigers. "And... uhh... about this situation, the Queen kinda found me. The one we saw earlier wasn't the queen but her servant. She says Vizier is planning something." She told her in a low voice, if she wasn't close to her she wouldn't hear it even with the sensitive ears. Being herself, Elincia found ways to not be heard by officers while mocking them. That was a quite useful skill.

Then suddenly slaves entered with food, Elincia realized how hungry she was with their arrival, because it had been quite some time with the journey, and what a journey it was. Instead of the two, she was actually entertained by the looks she was getting. Being in spotlight was always fun.

However, even though it was a feast, it didn't feel like one. She felt like she was in a family meeting with the tense air between everyone. And she hated those. After the servant tried the dish, and didn't die, Elincia prepared herself to take a bite finally and stop her rumbling stomach. But of course, life had other plans. Suddenly a voice was heard and then the ice lady's. It seemed the Queen was right. She immediately stood up and took her sarix from its hilt, moved in front of the diplomat lady and took a defensive stance, meanwhile looking at the direction of the Queen to see if she was alright. Protecting everyone was difficult, but it looked like... the Queen and her servant didn't have much to worry about? Strange.

Anyway, one of the assassins ran towards her, and swung her sword aggressively towards Elincia's chest, which she defended herself by putting her sarix in the attack's direction. Then it was her turn, sending a quick kick to the assassin's stomach as their swords still clashing, she managed to make her move back a few steps to regain balance, giving herself a little room for a counter attack. Concentrating on her Sciia, she threw little sharp ice pieces towards her, each aiming at different parts of her body to distract her, meanwhile she ran towards her, sarix ready for an attack.

The distraction kinda worked, as she managed to land a hit and get the kill, but she got hurt in the process as the assassin managed to get her sword between Elincia's arm and herself at the last moment, opening a wound that burned a lot. And Elincia's head started to spin crazily, almost making her want to puke meanwhile she felt uncomfortably warm.

"Why is everyone rainbow colored all of a sudden?"

[member="Kaida Taldir"] [member="Sahal Jai Azal"]

 

[Sahal Jai Azal]

[member="Elincia Alanis"] [member="Kaida Taldir"]

Kaida’s warning had kicked Selene’s dormant training into high gear. Instantly she was up, taking position behind Elincia.
From her side she produced a blaster pistol and her Sarix. The blade hummed into life as Elincia fought her duel.

“It’s poisoned, get down!” Selene ordered. That meant that the next charging enemy received a blaster bolt to the chest as they came forward.

By now the few other Angelii were moving into combat. They actually wore proper armour which was proof against the primitive weapons except if they hit a joint or gap, and so they worked together, with Selene behind them. The Countess shielded her unamoured self behind them, firing at enemies who appeared whilst the two Angelii stood guard over her and their comrades.

Finally the royal guard had entered the battle, and the last assassins were cut down or chased off. All except a wounded one who was cornered.

“Kill the snake!” the Queen called.

“Wait! They might know something,” Selene called.

A guardswoman drew back her spear to deliver the killing stroke, but found she could not thrust the spear forward.

Eyes narrowed, Selene was using all her strength to hold the spear at bay with her Sciia. “Angelii. Capture!” she ordered.

One of the Angelii moved forward, sliced the spear in half and delivered a blow with an armoured fist to knock out the assassin.

That dealt with, Selene dropped down beside Kaida. “Poison! Bring the antidote now! If either of them die there will be no alliance as I will be sure you are holding out on me,” she demanded.

Silence, then Banaari headed forward with two vials filled with some foul smelling liquid….

XXX

Meanwhile, the Nawab nodded. “Excellent! Well since there’s nothing more to be done tonight, can we invite you to join us for dinner and to use our facilities? There will be a feast this evening to honour your arrival, and you are all invited!” she added with a smile.

The Queen nodded at this. “My servants will show you to your rooms when you are ready. If you need anything, you need only ask.” She turned away to indicate the audience was over.

 

[Kaida Taldir]

[member="Sahal Jai Azal"], [member="Elincia Alanis"]


Her head was spinning and she was starting to feel rather sick from the poison. The Seraph had slumped against a pillar when the Banaari approached with the vial and began to pour it down her throat.


With a shaking hand, she grabbed the vial and snatched out of the Qadiri's hand, downing it in one go. The liquid tasted as foul as it smelt and for a few moments she felt even worse than before, then she recovered her equilibrium. She coughed a bit.


Carelessly, she dropped the glass, letting it shatter. "You alright?" she asked Elincia. She actually sounded a bit concerned. Her cold eyes locked with the last remaining assassin. "She's our prisoner. Take her away for interrogation," she ordered one of the Angelii.


"She is ours and must face justice!" the Qadiri Guard Captain declared.


"You were too incompetent to stop a horde of assassins from attacking us. And perhaps one of you wanted this attack to happen." Her eyes travelled to both the Queen and the Vizier. Now I feel at home, she thought to herself cynically.

 

[Vaena Askari]

[member="Sahal Jai Azal"]


Meanwhile in Surani, things were going a lot better. At least no one had tried to poison them so far. Nonetheless, Askari knew to keep her guard up...though the cute Nawab was rather tempting. Part of her wondered how Kaida and Elincia were doing.


So she nodded along and put on her best diplomatic idea. "Thank you, Majesty. That sounds like a lovely idea. We'd be honoured to join you," she said with a smile. She was well aware that there would be slaves at the feast. If she could at least free some, she'd count it as a small success. "May this union be blessed by the Goddess. I'd love to learn more of you and tell you of my people." That was directed at the Nawab.