The darkness prevented the dynastic guards from well distinguishing what was happening. Despite the lights that illuminated the city, they didn't see further than the end of their masks at the exterior of the enclosure of Min-Cho. An abnormal din was approaching. Gia'suki was running towards the south entrance with a group of kinchers at her tail. She was ready to risk everything. She charged on Gei Be-Pian, the guard that was standing in the middle of the entrance, roaring like a vorax. The guards went into formation to block the access to the city and discovered in horror that she brought with her very unpleasant company. She lifted her enormous mace and threw it towards her opponent, who rotated to dodge it. Once the passage opened, she hid behind the buildings, safe from the reinforcements that ran to aid their fellows.The antekami cowered at the last place the guards would search her : behind a tran right beside the Kami altar. She lingered in the shadows, hidden by the long grass during multiple hours, while the situation was calming down a bit. She started advancing to the prison but stopped when two Kwaïs materialised in front of her. Decidedly the tide was turning in her favor for once. She grabbed the male and put a dagger at his throat. The woman that accompanied him recognized her immediately.
-Gia'suki, what are you doing?!
-Shh ba'kwai, if you make any noise, I will bleed your friend like a bodoc. You know that I will do it.
-I'm not a bodoc! I'm a timari! And what game are you playing?! asked the homin.
-That's it my izam, it's a game and the best one, because everyone can win.-Gia'suki, let Hiro leave, kai'bini.
-Of course Lai'Suki, as long as you let the Antekamis that are imprisoned leave. That seems fair to me, no?
-No way!
-Are you sure?
With these words, the large zoraï let her blade slightly slide along the throat of the homin who, petrified, didn't even dare to resist and who could barely move anyway under the impressive grip of his kidnapper. A cut, not deep for now, appeared on the blue skin of Hiro. The sap already started to drip down on his naked chest.
-Stop it, kai'bini...
-Stop whining! You know what you have to do!-How do you want me to do such a thing?!
-You are an Initiate of those stupid theocrats, baka. If you ask to enter the prison to, I don't know, accompany a prisoner on the way to the eternal bliss of Ma'Duk, they will undoubtedly let you pass. Tell them what you want. Get at least one to leave, to take some fresh air. And if the guards get worked up I will cut them into stewing cubes.
-Whatever... I will help you, but let me do it my way, otherwise it will only attract attention and we won't be able to leave the city afterwards. We have to silently neutralize the guards at the entrance of the prison. Lai'suki left the shadows and threw a sleep spell at the first guard. When the second one turned around to see what was happening, she hit him in the belly with the pommel of her axe. His breath taken away, he bent in half and she tied him up with strings made from dorao and gagged him with a piece of buo fiber. She repeated the process with the second guard before he regained conscience and moved the bodies into the shadows. She searched the two Zoraïs and took their keys.
-Oh Lai' conked the guards, that's not wise... murmured Hiro, aghast.
-Right? Here, I have something for you my izam. Gia'suki cracked an unhealthy smile on her mask.
After some long minutes of silence, Lai'suki came back out with a meager homin, who was barely able to stay on his feet and walk. She carried him and led him to the Kami altar. Gia'suki got carried away and released her prisoner.
-Dounlor, what have they done to you?! Oh these bastards, they let you die of hunger these dirtbags!
The homin didn't answer, he was too weak and confused to realize what was happening. Gia'suki took him into her arms, he weighed almost nothing anymore. Lai'suki took Hiro by the hand and decided that it was time to slip away.
-One moment. You didn't think to give me the slip now that i need you more than ever, Initiate.
-I did what you asked me, find a way to get out on your own and I strongly advise you against trying to raise your hand against Hiro a second time.
-Yui, I suspected that you would react like that... that's why I poisoned your strange Izam! smiled the Antekami.
-You have done... what?! muttered Lai'suki, furious.-Oh yui, poor poko. I will tell you how to heal him, but we don't have much time, I promise you. Look at him. Oh dear, he isn't nice to look at, taunted the enormous homina.
-So what do we do! We won't go through the main entrance in front of everybody!
-Go through the main entrance... yui, that's exactly what we're gonna do. We will leave the Izam here, we don't need him for now. I will create a diversion at the south entrance and you will leave through the north one. Leave on the back of a mektoub and if the guards question you, you will be able to just run away and shake those morons off.
-I could also count on the dynastic healers for the health of Hiro.
-That would be undoubtedly true but by the time they study his case, he would have the time to die three times, will you take that risk? The time flies, Lai'suki.
The homina looked at Hiro and resigned to fetching a mount. She helped the Antekami to put Dounlor on the mektoub and advanced calmly. When the guards intercepted them, she charged directly and heard the guards shout behind her and take on her pursuit. Sadly for them, she advanced too fast and they soon lost her trace. Lai'suki rode to the Grove of Umbra, where she found Gia'suki. The homina was in a rough shape, blood streamed down her mask, following the cracks left by the mutilations she inflicted on it. She grabbed Dounlor and made him fall from the mektoub like a rag doll. The homin growled in protest.
-Doun, we succeeded, do you hear me? You are free!
-Gia'suki, we have a deal, tell me how I can heal Hiro.
-With some water and rest. Make sure that he always lies on his side, in case he would start to vomit. Lai'suki displayed a disbelieving mask.
-Oh yui, I lied to you actually, I didn't poison the izam, I just gave him a good quantity of fu-shia rhizome to nibble. By now he must be completely stoned and in the grip of severe hallucinations. But don't worry, he won't die, the kamis use this stuff on us during the adoption ceremony. Which means that it's his second time, he will survive. Then again, it's better if he gets supervised, he could try weird stu...Lai'suki threw her fist right into the mask of the goo zoraï. She took the bridle of her mount and left in silence. Gia'suki started laughing and yelled:
-Dafanshi! Get over here! Dounlor is back, we will party tonight! And bring some food, he's thin like a blade of grass, it's a scandal. Gia'suki looked at Dounlor who observed her without saying a word since his arrival.
-It will be ok, we will put you back on your feet, I promise you. And then we will burn everything, to restart from zero.
[HRP]
Tran: totem
Ba'kwai: Mix of the words baka (idiot) and kwai (kamist zorai). It's an insult used by the Antekamis against the Theocracy.
Kai'bini: please
Yui: Yes
Poko: child
-Gia'suki, what are you doing?!
-Shh ba'kwai, if you make any noise, I will bleed your friend like a bodoc. You know that I will do it.
-I'm not a bodoc! I'm a timari! And what game are you playing?! asked the homin.
-That's it my izam, it's a game and the best one, because everyone can win.-Gia'suki, let Hiro leave, kai'bini.
-Of course Lai'Suki, as long as you let the Antekamis that are imprisoned leave. That seems fair to me, no?
-No way!
-Are you sure?
With these words, the large zoraï let her blade slightly slide along the throat of the homin who, petrified, didn't even dare to resist and who could barely move anyway under the impressive grip of his kidnapper. A cut, not deep for now, appeared on the blue skin of Hiro. The sap already started to drip down on his naked chest.
-Stop it, kai'bini...
-Stop whining! You know what you have to do!-How do you want me to do such a thing?!
-You are an Initiate of those stupid theocrats, baka. If you ask to enter the prison to, I don't know, accompany a prisoner on the way to the eternal bliss of Ma'Duk, they will undoubtedly let you pass. Tell them what you want. Get at least one to leave, to take some fresh air. And if the guards get worked up I will cut them into stewing cubes.
-Whatever... I will help you, but let me do it my way, otherwise it will only attract attention and we won't be able to leave the city afterwards. We have to silently neutralize the guards at the entrance of the prison. Lai'suki left the shadows and threw a sleep spell at the first guard. When the second one turned around to see what was happening, she hit him in the belly with the pommel of her axe. His breath taken away, he bent in half and she tied him up with strings made from dorao and gagged him with a piece of buo fiber. She repeated the process with the second guard before he regained conscience and moved the bodies into the shadows. She searched the two Zoraïs and took their keys.
-Oh Lai' conked the guards, that's not wise... murmured Hiro, aghast.
-Right? Here, I have something for you my izam. Gia'suki cracked an unhealthy smile on her mask.
After some long minutes of silence, Lai'suki came back out with a meager homin, who was barely able to stay on his feet and walk. She carried him and led him to the Kami altar. Gia'suki got carried away and released her prisoner.
-Dounlor, what have they done to you?! Oh these bastards, they let you die of hunger these dirtbags!
The homin didn't answer, he was too weak and confused to realize what was happening. Gia'suki took him into her arms, he weighed almost nothing anymore. Lai'suki took Hiro by the hand and decided that it was time to slip away.
-One moment. You didn't think to give me the slip now that i need you more than ever, Initiate.
-I did what you asked me, find a way to get out on your own and I strongly advise you against trying to raise your hand against Hiro a second time.
-Yui, I suspected that you would react like that... that's why I poisoned your strange Izam! smiled the Antekami.
-You have done... what?! muttered Lai'suki, furious.-Oh yui, poor poko. I will tell you how to heal him, but we don't have much time, I promise you. Look at him. Oh dear, he isn't nice to look at, taunted the enormous homina.
-So what do we do! We won't go through the main entrance in front of everybody!
-Go through the main entrance... yui, that's exactly what we're gonna do. We will leave the Izam here, we don't need him for now. I will create a diversion at the south entrance and you will leave through the north one. Leave on the back of a mektoub and if the guards question you, you will be able to just run away and shake those morons off.
-I could also count on the dynastic healers for the health of Hiro.
-That would be undoubtedly true but by the time they study his case, he would have the time to die three times, will you take that risk? The time flies, Lai'suki.
The homina looked at Hiro and resigned to fetching a mount. She helped the Antekami to put Dounlor on the mektoub and advanced calmly. When the guards intercepted them, she charged directly and heard the guards shout behind her and take on her pursuit. Sadly for them, she advanced too fast and they soon lost her trace. Lai'suki rode to the Grove of Umbra, where she found Gia'suki. The homina was in a rough shape, blood streamed down her mask, following the cracks left by the mutilations she inflicted on it. She grabbed Dounlor and made him fall from the mektoub like a rag doll. The homin growled in protest.
-Doun, we succeeded, do you hear me? You are free!
-Gia'suki, we have a deal, tell me how I can heal Hiro.
-With some water and rest. Make sure that he always lies on his side, in case he would start to vomit. Lai'suki displayed a disbelieving mask.
-Oh yui, I lied to you actually, I didn't poison the izam, I just gave him a good quantity of fu-shia rhizome to nibble. By now he must be completely stoned and in the grip of severe hallucinations. But don't worry, he won't die, the kamis use this stuff on us during the adoption ceremony. Which means that it's his second time, he will survive. Then again, it's better if he gets supervised, he could try weird stu...Lai'suki threw her fist right into the mask of the goo zoraï. She took the bridle of her mount and left in silence. Gia'suki started laughing and yelled:
-Dafanshi! Get over here! Dounlor is back, we will party tonight! And bring some food, he's thin like a blade of grass, it's a scandal. Gia'suki looked at Dounlor who observed her without saying a word since his arrival.
-It will be ok, we will put you back on your feet, I promise you. And then we will burn everything, to restart from zero.
[HRP]
Tran: totem
Ba'kwai: Mix of the words baka (idiot) and kwai (kamist zorai). It's an insult used by the Antekamis against the Theocracy.
Kai'bini: please
Yui: Yes
Poko: child