[hr][hr][center][img]https://i.imgur.com/NUCjmuc.png[/img][/center][hr][hr][center][h2][color=FFE4B5]E N E M Y   A T   T H E   G A T E S   ||   [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-9KNscPGeY][color=FFE4B5]♫[/color][/url][/color][/h2][/center][hr][hr][center][color=FFE4B5][i][b]Present: Ayla Arslan [@Ti], Evander Fino Synesti [@RezonanceV], Tku Pictor [@dragonpiece], Fiske Flachstrauch [@jasbraq], and Zarina Al-Nader [@YummyYummy], Desmond Catulus [@Th3King0fChaos][/b][/i][/color][/center][hr][hr]
[color=FFE4B5]It was cooler in the wake of the sandstorm but, as morning had swelled to midday, midday was now fading towards evening. Tku was out in the wastes, tending to the folded-up dewsails with Zox. For the most part, all that was needed was ample cleaning and some careful resetting of a few of the spouts on the cacti. A handful of snapped spars were easily dealt with, and repairs to the sails themselves minimal. [color=B0C4DE]“Thank you for the assistance,”[/color] the big construct rumbled. [color=B0C4DE]“It’s usually Samaxi who does the elevated things, being so small and light…”[/color] He trailed off. [color=B0C4DE]“But town’s taking longer than usual, I guess.”[/color] His rocky shoulders shrugged.

In the distance lurked the kite tusker that Tku had encountered earlier, not attempting much in the way of flight anymore as thermals fell in the late afternoon. It had been sneaking about the fringes of the sweetwater farm the entire day and been shooed off of a sail once earlier.  [color=B0C4DE]“Away!”[/color] shouted Zox now, rising to his full height and squaring up towards it. [color=B0C4DE]“INTRUDER! INTRUDER!”[/color] His entire demeanour seemed to change and he charged towards the alarmed creature.

[hr][hr]
For a moment, the clearing before the wall went utterly still. Distant sounds could be heard. The slow and muddy river still flowed. Insects hummed in the air and a [i]second[/i] hum - that of magic - was in evidence as well. Eyes turned to the king. Some foreign [i]guest[/i] who would not acknowledge his rule: this was something spicy, for the cazenax were not stupid. They knew a challenge when they saw one, no matter the pretty words it was wrapped in. This… human was publicly demanding that Stazen justify his rule before he would bow, not that these people viewed the act of doing so in the same light.

The pause stretched like lengthening shadows in the afternoon heat. Eyes flicked about to accompany it and hands to swat at the ever-present flies. Sneakily, the boy known as Potés-Palix squeezed through a sea of legs and waists until he was near the very front, a mere handful of feet from the king. Then… [color=RoyalBlue]“Hah!”[/color] The silence broke. [color=RoyalBlue]“Aha! Haha!”[/color] It was Stazen himself laughing. He released Fiske’s hand and bowed his head and shoulders quickly in the direction of Desmond and Marceline, arms flourishing out to his sides. [color=RoyalBlue]“And you believe the job of [i]educating[/i] you, making up for your self-professed [i]ignorance[/i] is one fit for a king?”[/color] He arched a brow as he straightened and seemed to be holding back some further degree of mirth. [color=RoyalBlue]“Especially at [i]this[/i] moment? Do you not see that I am currently in the midst of reassuring my beloved people following the calamity of a sandstorm?”[/color] He turned on the spot, gesturing to take them in, and Potés-Palix gazed up at him with reverence in his eyes. [color=RoyalBlue]“Your party is now both late and rude.”[/color] He tilted his head and grinned almost… wickedly, eyes flicking over to Cazelui, who had still not budged from her spot atop the trapdoor. [color=RoyalBlue]“I shall forgive [i]one[/i].”[/color] 

[hr][hr]
Old man Jascuan leaned back, seeming to consider Ayla’s and Zarina’s words. He took a sip of his drink, hand trembling slightly as he did so, and let out a low, rueful chuckle. [color=808000]“Oh, there is a cost, alright.”[/color] He set it back on the end table. [color=808000]“But it is a very human thing, I think, to assume that one must exchange a concrete thing for another.”[/color] He shook his head. [color=808000]“The cost of the Vozas is unpredictability.”[/color] At quizzical looks from Classa and his guests, he continued, though he had - of course - not [i]seen[/i] them in the literal sense.  

[color=808000]“The Vozas manifests that which you desire, bringing it forth from the darkness beyond reality and into the light. It is free, it asks nothing, and it is bountiful, but it is not… easy.”[/color] He shook his head. [color=808000]“One must control his mind with absolute purpose and precision. One mistake, and what is produced is often useless.”[/color] He pursed his lips and then licked them briefly. [color=808000]“Our people abhor waste or, at least, we [i]used[/i] to.”[/color] He shook his head again, and Naxos hopped nervously from one foot to the other. Classa sat on the ground and hugged herself, large brown eyes searching the faces of the others present. [color=808000]“But the waste is something that we can live with, and we often find uses for the seemingly useless. No, lapses can be more than inconveniences. Sometimes, one who allows his heart to be coloured by dark feelings can bring forth the physical manifestations of these from the Vozas. It does not judge. It only produces.”[/color] He tilted his wizened head to the side and knit his fingers. [color=808000]“Even beings that may seem useful or ones not meant to be alive that know life nonetheless may become dangerous. They may turn on you.”[/color] He gestured towards Naxos, as the imp translated. [color=808000]“This one, for example, derives pleasure from the work that I give him and feels only loyalty and regard for me so long as I am not cruel.”[/color] 

The eyes of both young women flicked over to Naxos, then, studying his face carefully, and he seemed… pensive for a moment. [color=808000]“But had there been a flaw in his creation, he might’ve known suffering and dissatisfaction with his existence. It would not have been good for him or I. He’d have fled or turned on me at some juncture.”[/color] Jascuan reached out blindly to rest a fond hand on his… slave’s shoulder. [color=C71585]“Some demons try to run,[/color] Classa added solemnly. [color=C71585]“Others even try to hurt their masters,”[/color] She shook her head. [color=C71585]“They’re bad demons.”[/color]

The old man pursed his lips and nodded slowly. [color=808000]“There are bad masters too, though.”[/color]

[color=C71585]“But not you!”[/color] Classa insisted, scrambling to her feet, [color=C71585]“And I’d [i]never[/i] run away![/color] 

[color=808000]“Come here, little one.”[/color] He waved her over and she settled onto the couch beside him. He reached out blindly with one arm and hugged the child.She leaned into him and returned the embrace. [color=808000]“Make no mistake. There are vile things that come from the Vozas, just as there are wondrous ones, but they are so often the product of vile people, or at least careless ones who have no business calling upon such powers.”[/color]

[color=C71585]“There’s a whole big system of traps!”[/color] Classa cut in. [color=C71585]“And a maze that every cazenax learns when they’re small.”[/color] She regarded Jascuan hopefully, then, for just a moment, before sliding off the couch and clattering across the floor with excess noise and restless energy, or perhaps it was something more. She shot a concerned look back his way, and Naxos followed suit. 

The old man sighed, heaving himself from the sofa. [color=808000]“But sometimes, there are accidents.”[/color] His face closed up and he grabbed his cane and began shuffling away. [color=808000]“I think our dessert should be very near finished. I shall go check on it, and Maxi should be home soon anyhow.”[/color]

Classa and Naxos glanced at each other, but the girl excused herself outside awkwardly, galloping away with the sort of energy one would only expect from a child of her age. It was the imp who spoke up, once both she and Jascuan were gone. [color=ADFF2F]“He used to have another son: Zanomo-Cazan, Maxi’s twin, but…”[/color] He grimaced. [color=ADFF2F]“They were playing a stupid game and a demon went rogue and they tried losing it in the traps and…”[/color] He trailed off for a moment. [color=ADFF2F]“I wasn’t there, and neither was Zox. Maxi tried to save him, but she, um…”[/color] He hung his head. [color=ADFF2F]“Good, stupid, brave girl.”[/color] 

The imp looked up, opening his mouth to continue, but then a ringing interrupted him: a loud, persistent ringing. His eyes widened almost comically. [color=ADFF2F]“They’re coming!”[/color] he shouted, dashing for the kitchen. [color=ADFF2F]“That’s the perimeter alarm!”[/color] They were bells on little strings and it was unclear as to exactly how they functioned. [color=ADFF2F]“Master Jascuan! Are you alright!? We need to lock down!”[/color]

The old man shouted back in his native tongue and neither Zarina or Ayla could understand him, but there was one word that they recognized: [color=808000]“Classa!”[/color] The girl was still outside, along with Zox and Tku.

[hr][hr]
Zox was on the warpath, barreling towards the Kite Tusker, brimming with energy and fury, and the animal scrambled to make its escape. It seemed to Tku a fool’s errand to try talking such a mighty creation down from what appeared to be the singular purpose of its existence, much as he did not want to see the adorable little pest come to any harm. That, however, was when he noticed a small dust trail coming from the direction of the ranch house and, straining his eyes, he deduced that it was none other than Classa, excitedly making her way over. Her tiny voice began to echo faintly as she closed in on his sensing range. [color=C71585]“Zox!”[/color] she shouted. [color=C71585]“Zox, you big dummy! [i]Stop![/i] It’s cute!”[/color]

To both the centaur’s and Tku’s surprise, he [i]did[/i] stop, grinding to a very sudden halt, his crudely-featured ‘face’ pointed in a very specific direction. When Tku inquired as to what he was so focused on, and Classa echoed his questions, drawing nearer, the huge construct held up a hand for silence. In the distance, on the horizon, there was a glimmer. Then, there were a few. [color=C71585]“Zox, what [i]is[/i] it?”[/color] the child inquired with soft wonder, as dust trails began to form. The rapidly cooling air was whipping up winds, once again, and the Kite Tusker had taken off and begun to drift away. Square and triangular shapes began cutting holes out of the sky on the horizon, and they were quickly growing larger.

[color=B0C4DE]“Raiders!”[/color] Zox roared, drawing copious amounts of energy from his surroundings - enough to start inducing a queasiness in the stomachs of the other two. He grew not only in energy, but in size as well, as stones hidden beneath the sands shot up towards him and became part of his increasingly massive body. For all of his unassuming nature, Zox was built for war and appeared able to call upon [i]titanic[/i] strength. [color=B0C4DE][i]“RUN!!!”[/i][/color]

[hr][hr]
It was at that very moment, as this situation was just about ready to devolve into a disaster, that Fiske noticed it: Cazelui and the boy with no legs made eye contact. It was for the briefest moment but it was a meaningful one. The sirrahi seemed to nod with her eyes and the boy was bumped from behind. He sprawled out loudly and dramatically at the king’s feet, impossible to ignore. [color=32CD32]“Owww!”[/color] he yelped, casting about suspiciously. [color=32CD32]“Who kicked me!? Someone…”[/color] He trailed off as he noticed just how close he was to Stazen, swallowing and shuffling back on his hands. [color=32CD32]“Y-your majesty…”[/color] He bowed deeply, and the king bowed in return, though less deeply. The boy swallowed. He reached into his satchel and three plain-clothed guards started forward, revealing themselves. [color=32CD32]“Please, take some sweetwater, compliments of the Shimmering Sails Sweetwater Stead, or 4S.”[/color] Thrusting it out before him with both hands, he kept his head bowed and expression even, as the guards relaxed and faded back into the crowd. He could all but physically [i]feel[/i] the king’s eyes boring into him.

Stazen snorted. [color=RoyalBlue]“Well then, it seems today is to be a day full of surprises.”[/color] Accepting the offering, he was about to hand it to one of his guards to test, now that they’d been outed anyhow. Instead, his eyes found Cazelui once again. [color=RoyalBlue]“You, stuzé, forgive me, for I do not know your name.”[/color] The young woman visibly paled. [color=FFF0F5]“Uh, umm.. Cazelui, your majesty.”[/color] She bowed deeply again as he held the bottle out in her direction. [color=FFF0F5]“You honour this humble servant.”[/color] The people in the crowd seemed riveted, and murmurs rose excitedly. [color=RoyalBlue]“Here, Cazelui. It looks like you’ve been working long and hard. Have this drink and do tell me how it tastes.”[/color] 

His smiling eyes flicked back to Potés-Palix for a split second and the sirrahi was frozen on the spot. To move would be to betray the location of the trap door, which was normally covered in sand and only attended to by the stuzéts anyhow. She was not one of the rebels, in truth. She was a loyal subject who believed in the king’s vision. She was also a stuzé-upé, and it was no simple thing to turn upon her people, even the misguided ones. She had also willingly placed herself on the door and was well aware of how it would look should she move and reveal it. Hence, Cazelui could not budge. A stillness built. A silence built. The eyes of a finely-attired older woman who stood beside the king narrowed and he tilted his head inquisitively. [color=8FBC8F]“Is something [i]wrong[/i], Cazelui?”[/color] asked the woman. Her gaze settled upon the four humans as well. Quietly, below everyone’s eye level, Potés-Palix shuffled back into the crowd.[/color]