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Tranquil Waters: The Lead Crown Ch 6.5, A World Apart

Despite Kesst's unwillingness to listen to Julius as the Bear explained his past, when it came down to it, the Dragon knew he had no choice but to obey the Shaman when it came to the chaos around them. Having just regained consciousness, Kesst really didn't know anything about his surroundings; the last thing he remembered was being in an alley with a Sheep woman and then, suddenly, awakening in some kind of a root cellar. There were many questions he wanted to ask but, on a more pressing matter, there were explosions.

The Dragon followed after Julius. "If not the Church, then who is it that's after me?"

The Bear shook his head, continuing down the hall, "It'd take too long to explain... we need to find the rest of the group and--"

His explanation of plans was left incomplete as a door in the hallway burst outward right ahead of them; a Squirrel was sent hurtling through it, followed a moment later by a Wiemeriner wearing a wine red robe and wielding a large flanged mace. The Dog glanced to the two of them and announced the obvious. "The Temple is under attack!"

Kest thought for a moment that he might recognize the cudgel-carrying Dog but he didn't have time to dwell on it; Julius motioned him back the other way, "Come, Kesst... we need to go."

The Dragon was ready to argue, but several more armed men were rushing from down the hallway, no doubt ready to cause them harm. With only the Wiemeriner between then and the assailants, Kesst obeyed the Bear. He followed after the Shaman down two different halls wih the sound of combat all around them. As they paused at an intersection the Dragon spoke up anew. "Why is someone attacking a temple?"

Julius sighed, "There are a number of possible reasons... but the most important thing is getting you to safety before--"

A dark skinned Human rounded the corner and paused for a moment, startled. He recovered quickly, however, and raised a rapier as he announced "Stop there, if you plan on--"

He didn't get a chance to finish his words as the loud bark of a pistol retorted from behind Kesst. A blossom of red sprayed out behind the swordsman and he fell over; Julius dropped his wooden gun and motioned forward, stating clearly, "It's the Order of Blades. Marcelle, you son of a bitch..."

Kesst knew of them by reputation. He followed after Julius as the Bear started running again. "The Order of Blades?!?! Who's Marcelle?"

The Shaman pointed to a side corridor as he ran, "The head of a local chapter of the Order. We've been working together to find you."

The announcement was confusing; what would a bunch of sell-swords want with him? A frightening thought came to mind and he stopped. "They're working for the Church, aren't they? Are you with the Church too?"

Julius stopped as well and turned back to look at him, "No, Kesst... we're trying to keep you safe from the Church. Princess Noriene hired the Order of Blades to find you so the Church wouldn't get you."

It was getting even more confusing. "The Princess?"

The Bear nodded, "She has no love of the Church, Kesst. You are very important to very many people for very many reasons, and Princess Noriene has the ability and desire to keep you safe."

"But... why me?"

Julius sighed, "Please... we don't have a lot of time. I can explain this later, when we-- HURGH!"

The Dragon stared at the old Bear as he let out a strangled exclamation, then took a step back as Julius fell at his feet; a non-descript, red-furred Marten stood behind him brandishing a bloodied stiletto, gazing down and addressing the Bear before looking up to meet Kesst's surprised gaze. "I'm sorry, Professor... but our paths diverge here-- ah... and you must be Kesst."

The Dragon had no idea if the man was planning on talking or attacking, but after watching him stab Julius in the back, Kesst wasn't very interested in waiting to find out. Opening his muzzle, he felt the tingle of an acrid sting and tasted ozone in his maw. Letting out a roar that channeled all of his confusion, rage, frustration, and fear, the Dragon issued out a tight stream of flame straight at the Marten.

It took several seconds for the brightness to die down to the lambent glow of smoldering wisps of fire clinging to the charred wood of the hall, but what surprised Kesst the most was that Julius' assailant was still standing with his cloak folded over himself. Flipping the material to the side, the Marten smile, "Everything you were promised to be... including naïve."

The Dragon gaped; he'd heard of fire retardant materials, but he'd never heard of any able to be used in clothing. "Who are you? What do you want?"

The Marten laughed, "Ah... and NOW you wish to talk. You are fortunate I'm a patient man. My name is Marcelle... and I have come to collect you. Now, we can do this the easy way, or we--"

Julius' paw latched onto Marcelle's boot as the man passed by where the Bear lay. "Marcelle... What... are you doing?"

The Marten looked down at the fallen Shaman and drew his rapier, "What I was hired to do."

Julius let out a rasp, shakily pushing himself up off the ground so he could stare up at the Blade, "Princess Noriene--"

Marcelle smiled, turning his sword-hand so the Bear could get a look at the ring on his finger. "Doesn't see the big picture."

Whatever its significance, it meant something to Julius and the Bear's eyes went wide, "But... you're a--"

The Marten smiled, "To keep a machine running sometimes cogs must be replaced."

Everything happened in slow motion; Kesst jumped for Marcelle even as the rapier descended. The Dragon realized he wouldn't get to the Marten in time but, as it turned out, he didn't have to. The fire-weakened wall bust apart as Nicholas barreled through it, his shoulder colliding with the Marten and sending them both through the opposite wall and into the adjoining room. A moment later, Sanmer emerged from the hole the Human had made.

The Fox was very quick at taking in the situation. "Kesst? Are you alright?"

The Dragon didn't even stop to think about the question, simply turning and pointing at the bloody Bear. "Julius!"

Kesst's own cry was drowned out by a large black Bear who had been following after Sanmer, "Shi-Pani!"

A moment later, Marcelle sprang back through the opening that had been created when he and Nicholas flew through the wall-- only to meet with a roaring wall of furry fury that was the very unhappy Tribal Bear. The enormous black Bear shouted something in the Tribal tongue and with one back-hand he sent the Marten right back through the wooden wall before kneeling down to attend to the prone Shaman.

Sanmer, however, was immediately at Kesst's side, taking hold of his arm, "Come on... this whole place is overrun!"

It was all happening too fast, but Kesst was never one to wait for things to calm down. Rather than sit and process everything he simply grabbed hold of Sanmer and pulled him closer. Wrapping his wings around the both of them, the Dragon looked straight up at the wooden ceiling and unleashed a huge breath of fire.

The charred remnants of wood fell all around them but Kesst's wings resisted the cinders and charcoal. Then, pushing off against the ground with his legs and aided by a powerful downbeat of his wings, Kesst and Sanmer were launched into the air. It would be impossible to fly with the added weight of the Fox, but the force was enough to get them up one level in the building which, as Kesst has surmised, was the ground floor.

Sanmer let go of him and shouted down into the hole, "Come on! Up this way!"

Kesst recognized Enarork when the black Bear hoisted him up. The jeweler then turned back around and pulled the black Bear out of the hole; the Dragon then remembered him as Roaring-Flood, their host back in the Valley Tribe village. Sanmer remained by the hole, "Where's everyone else?"

Enarork shook his head, "I was with Theo, but I lost him when I came to help."

Roaring-Flood grunted something out in the tribal tongue Kesst didn't understand, but the Dragon was quick to add, "The Shaman was hurt..."

A weak call followed a grunt, "...still is..."

Sanmer's ears swiveled in on the voice, "Nicholas?"

Another grunt preceded the reply, "Yea.... Marcelle ran off. The old guy's still here... but he's hurt bad."

Roaring-Flood laid down next to the hole, extending an arm, "Shi-Pani-owa?"

Nicholas spoke up from below, "Be careful..."

The big black Bear slowly stood up, straining as he hefted out the unmoving form of the Shaman; Kesst recoiled when he saw the blood dripping from the old Bear's fur. Enarork was by their side a moment later, speaking softly in the Tribal tongue.

Sanmer knelt by the hole, "Come on, Nicholas... let's get you out of there... a little help, Kesst?"

The Dragon moved quickly to aid Sanmer and each crouched so they could take hold of one of Nicholas' hands. They nodded to one another and then pulled, only to have the Human cry out in pain and quickly let go of their grasp; only then did the Dragon see the enormous gash along the sailor's side. "You're hurt."

Nicholas glanced down at the wound and quickly covered it with a hand, "Yea? Well... he had a sword... and all I had was a wooden plank... but I still chased him off."

Sanmer shook his head, "And that was VERY stupid... and brave."

The sailor shrugged, wincing as he slid down to his knees, "Yea? Well I'd... I'd like to see you do better..."

Kesst looked to the fox, "I can go back down and jump up with him."

Nicholas shook his head, slumping down with his back against a wall, "Nah... I... just need a minute..."

Sanmer didn't look convinced, "He's heavier than I am-- and, besides: it's YOU they're after."

The announcement didn't sit well with the Dragon, "Are you sure?"

The Fox nodded slowly, "The first group we met told us to turn you over and they'd let us go."

Kesst glanced down the hole; Nicholas remained with his back against the wall, breathing laboriously, "And... what happened?"

Sanmer began slowly lowering himself down into the basement, "We said no politely and they left without a fuss."

Nicholas let out a pained laugh, "Yea-- no... we had to beat em senseless."

The white-furred Fox spoke quietly with the sailor down in the hole, most likely trying to figure the best way to get the sailor out, but Kesst's attention was drawn to the sudden sound of combat as Roaring-Flood engaged two more assailants in the room they now occupied. The large Bear was doing a fine job of keeping them at a distance using a long wooden pole with a hunk of concrete at the end.

Taking stock of the situation, the Dragon joined Enarork by Julius' side, looking down to the immobile Shaman. "We need to go. Can you stand?"

The old man shook his head calmly, "Marcelle didn't strike to kill, but he knew what he was doing. My spine's severed."

Kesst blinked, "That's... bad... right?"

Julius took in a slow breath before nodding slightly, "I'm... paralyzed... I can't walk."

The casual neutrality with which the Bear made the announcement was eerie considering the situation. Enarork leaned down and rested a paw on the Shaman's arm, "We will get you healed."

The old Bear spoke with the same neutral tone in the Tribal tongue; whatever he said was enough to get the brown Bear to recoil with surprise and shake his head. Enarork replied in the same language, but Julius' next words had switched back to the common tongue, "Marcelle isn't trying to kill us..."

Kesst glanced back down the hole when Nicholas let out another strangled cry; Sanmer had field dressed the Human's wound and was trying to get him back on his feet... with no success. It all clicked. "He's just trying to slow us down."

The sailor's voice carried from the floor below, "Just... go find Prissy Paws... he's had University training on this sorta thing. That's supposed ta count for something, right? Gawd, this hurts..."

Enarork, who had obviously heard the announcement turned to Kesst, "Wait here with Metal-Eyes; I will go look for Theo."

Julius' declaration was very succinct, "No."

The brown Bear turned to the Shaman and objected in the Tribal Tongue, but the Dragon already knew why the old Bear overruled him. "Marcelle wants us to get separated... divide and conquer."

Julius nodded, "Smart lad."

Enarork nodded solemnly, "Then I will carry you."

The Shaman shook his head, "No matter what happens, Kesst HAS to get away. You can't let Marcelle get a hold of him."

The Dragon fidgeted, "But... if it's the Order of Blades--"

Julius grunted as he shifted position, reaching for his hip pouch, "Take him to the Princess.. she needs to know about what happened here."

Enarork scowled, "What if she doesn't believe us? We need you to come with so--"

The Shaman chuckled and pulled out a large wooden-and-metal box, "I meant to return this to Mr. Severna when I saw him next..., but it turned out to be useful enough."

The jeweler stared at the mechanical device, "What is it?"

Kesst recognized it immediately, "A recorder."

Julius managed to grimace through a smile, "Modified slightly... it copied everything that was spoken since Kesst and I left the room where I found him. Princess Noriene doesn't have to believe you-- she'll believe this."

A voice spoke up from the hall on the opposite side of the room from Roaring-Flood and the combat, "Completely unnecessary; she will believe me."

Kesst watched as lithe, well-kept Ermine woman slid into view. Julius let out a soft breath, "The Princess' handmaiden."

The woman approached like water flowing across the ground, smooth, liquid movements that brought her to them quickly, "The Princess does not extend her trust easily or often... and for good reason. In this case it was fortunate she sent me."

Enarork frowned, "So you can die with us?"

The Ermine's expression remained completely unchanged except for the faintest quirk of the corner of her lips, "Cute."

A moment later the three Order of Blades warriors kept at bay by Roaring-Flood dropped their weapons, clutching the thin throwing blades that had sprouted from their necks. The handmaiden's outstretched paw returned to the folds of her robe. Kess stared for a moment before stating the obvious, "You are more than a lady-in-waiting."

Again the corner of the Ermine's lips pulled up into the faintest of smiles, "These are uncertain times, young master Kesst, and my Lady is always prepared."