[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/aRfAXko.png[/img][/center] [hr] [i][b]Showdown at Chaunwei - Afterwards[/b][/i] [hr] When it was discovered that Kaureerah had gone missing during her expedition to the coast, it was only natural that Yalen would volunteer to tag along. Ever since finding out the assignment was a political sham he felt completely out of touch with the things going on. Until everyone decided they had had enough and it was time to go home, the young priest would default to the duty of ensuring the safety of his comrades as best he could. Fighting on an open battlefield was not something Yalen was accustomed to, and he was a bit shaken by the sight of the Obake Maru’s thirty gun broadside. He might have fled the field then, if he hadn’t already faced the horrors of the sanguinaires and the book demon. He did his best to empower their strongest pieces, boosting the RAS of Captain Zhao and the skuggvar with the art of Command so that they might quickly end the fight. When the battle reached its climax, he was able to remotely detonate a large portion of their gunpowder magazines and set the entire ship ablaze, leaving its crew confused and in disarray. They were easy pickings for the captain’s awesome might, which in that moment could easily dwarf that of his wife. Yalen would not be fortunate enough to see what transpired after the Obake Maru was sent to the bottom of the ocean, as the resulting shockwave left him and many others out cold for some time. After the casualties were collected and the prisoners they’d taken were rounded up, he was offered the chance to speak to a pair of captives in order to pry whatever information he could from them. Yalen squatted in front of one of his assigned captives and tilted his head. He really wished he knew more Commands so he could get these people to talk without coercion. Were these mercenaries? Hardliners? It was hard to decide whether to use the carrot or the stick here. [color=fd5e53]"I'm going to be honest with you guys. I came to this country thinking I was chasing someone who apparently isn't here. I don't really have the motivation to interrogate you now that your boss is gone. Can you just tell me one thing? Why did you destroy this village? Who were these innocent people to you?"[/color] Yalen spoke in a low tone so as to keep the conversation out of the ears of the white guards. [b]"In the way,"[/b] said one, but the other shook his head. There was a rapid exchange in Nikanese between them that quickly became heated, but he persevered. [b]"I do not want to do this things."[/b] He shook his head more adamantly. [b]"But [i]he[/i] was there. We must obey him."[/b] [b]"He did not tell us to do it!"[/b] roared the other. [b]"And then he was here [i]why?[/i]"[/b] [b]"He only does action when need to!"[/b] [b]"And we should not hit our enemy when there is a chance?"[/b] Yalen appeared to have gotten more than he bargained for. These men were arguing, mostly in broken Avincian, for his benefit. To what they actually referred was not necessarily easy to determine, however. Yalen clasped both men on the shoulder, interrupting their exchange. [color=fd5e53]"Gentlemen. Let's stay calm."[/color] He reached into one of his bag pockets and pulled his hand out, showing them a concealed letter opener. It wasn't exceedingly sharp, but it could easily cut through a rope with enough patience. [color=fd5e53]"This man you are arguing about... Who is he, and what can you tell me about him? If you can give me a satisfactory answer, I will let you have this little favor. Perhaps you can cut yourselves free when they aren't looking. Make a run for it when the chance presents itself? You are too low on the ladder for me to consider you worth keeping hostage. I want the people who are really responsible for all this trouble."[/color] There was a sudden tug on the letter opener. It flew out of Yalen's hand and straight for one of the men's necks. It stopped perhaps a half-inch short, hovering in midair, and the one who'd seemed more willing to speak cried out in wordless terror, resisting with his magic. The knife plunged straight into his neck and sliced it open. His eyes widened in horror and he gurgled, about to die. The knife eventually disintegrated into dust as Yalen responded with his own magic, but he was too late to stop the damage. He threw his hand over the sailor's neck and squeezed as hard as he could without crushing his windpipe. [color=fd5e53]"This is the [i]last[/i] time I handle a prisoner without checking for snipers..."[/color] He reprimanded himself. As a Somnian he was used to handling arrested suspects, not prisoners of war. His conduct had been sloppy and this was the result. It would be a good learning experience for the future. [color=fd5e53]"SUBMIT!"[/color] Without missing a beat, he prepared to save the man's life using the few methods he had at his disposal. [color=fd5e53]"MEND!"[/color] It was a command he had been practicing on his own for some time now, and after struggling to refine the technique he could finally feel it working the way he intended. The dying man's manas moved under Yalen's directive, rushing to the site of the wound and plugging it up faster than his own immune system could react. He had medical tools at his disposal and some experience with Binding as well, but Yalen figured it would be faster if a professional Binder take over from here. [color=fd5e53]"Hey![/color] He called out to one of the Red Menders lurking nearby. [color=fd5e53]"This one is dying! Come help!"[/color] [b]"Let me free! Let me [i]free![/i]"[/b] shouted the other man, panicking. [b]"By the balance, please! I am sitting duck! They [i]kill[/i] me!"[/b] As he hollered, however, help was on the way. Ai-Xue, tall and graceful, with her laugh-lined face and long white hair, rushed over with unexpected speed, her footsteps light and long, clearly enhanced by kinetic magic. She did not need to be able to speak Avincian to understand what was wrong. She set to work immediately. It was far from a simple matter to save the mortally wounded man, but Ai-Xue was an old hand at this, and among the best healers within the White Knights. She worked with silence and diligence and he soon drew breath again. [color=fd5e53]"You're not going to die! Just... get down or something!"[/color] Yalen pushed the screaming man onto his stomach and covered him with his own body for protection. The priest ignored the captive’s feeble struggling and closed his eyes, trying to find the attacker's presence in the area while the medic did her work. If they didn't find the assassin now then they could take as many chances as he wanted to kill these two on the way back to the city. Yet, try as he might, Yalen sensed nothing out of the ordinary within normal casting range: only the intense binding magic of Ai-Xue, others going about their interrogations - some quite brutally - and the fear and panic of the other prisoner. [color=fd5e53]"Captain Zhao!"[/color] Yalen yelled. [color=fd5e53]"We're being attacked! I can't find the assailant! We need to protect these men before they are silenced!"[/color] The captain was not so very far away. He did not speak fluent Avincian but, after a brief check-in with Shuyuan, he sprung into action, dropping a massive kinetic barrier over them and maintaining it as well as an arcane one. The man's skill and power were clearly immense. No further attacks seemed to come. The wounded man was healed, though clearly shaken. He went silent, saying nothing further. His formerly-panicked partner still radiated anxiety, but he shot the newly-healed man a look and he shrunk back into himself. [b]"Please just let us go. We tell you everything we know."[/b] The first said. [color=fd5e53]"That, I think, is out of the question now. If someone is after your life, I doubt you would last ten seconds outside of the good captain's protection."[/color] Yalen answered regretfully. Working outside of his home turf was proving to be more difficult than he imagined. This hadn't gone at all the way he'd hoped. [color=fd5e53][i]And why am I trying so hard? We have Kaureerah and our skuggvar back. The Traveler isn't here. I should just go back to the inn.[/i][/color] Yalen argued with himself as he let the guards take custody of the prisoners. What was he supposed to do now? Find out who these sailors were and who they worked for? Who cared? They weren't his target. Sure they had tried to harm his companions but war was an impersonal thing, and as sad as this battle’s aftermath was, it was only a drop in a bucket. Once Rettan got even with the Nikanese, the damage inflicted as a result would make this village’s destruction look like a celebration. Maybe it was time to take a step back and let the others take the initiative. He could simply do his best to keep them safe and wait until this whole mission blew over. Feeling unsure of what to do with himself for the time being, Yalen kicked at some sand and looked around listlessly for his allies. Were they all okay? He went to check on Xiulan first since she was a civilian, but the only response he could get from her was a fragile smile that did little to reassure him. [color=9e0039]“Yalen.”[/color] Abdel casually approached Yalen from behind, his cheap leather bag turned to his stomach and opened to reveal its contents. It was the Black Rezaindian getup. It wasn't any more distinct than any other set of clothing from that specific order. At least until Abdel added some context. [color=9e0039]“It belonged to that powerful attacker - Hui - that fought with Wu Long. He goes by Ash too.”[/color] Abdel whispered, but tried his best to make it seem like an average conversation between comrades, fake smiles and all. [color=9e0039]“Sounds familiar to you? I could swear I heard that name before, and it had something to do with the Church.”[/color] For a split second, Yalen's face might have looked like he wanted to choke the life out of Abdel. It was a fleeting moment, for he appeared as calm as ever as he fingered the black robes in Abdel's possession. He put an arm around his companion's shoulder and showed a casual smile while leading him a few paces away from Xiulan and Captain Zhao. When they had some personal space, he spoke to the other tethered in a low voice. [color=fd5e53]"You said you discovered a man who calls himself Ash. Maura said the same thing, but I thought nothing of it... until you brought me this robe."[/color] Yalen deeply inhaled. Though the fighting was long over, his forehead was beaded with sweat. [color=fd5e53]"The owner of that robe tried to kill my wife. He tried to kill me too, as well as some of our school mates. He is a Rezaindian, like Sister Laska. Their kind only knows how to solve problems by offering blood to Eshiran. His presence here presents a great danger to us all."[/color] Abdel gulped. [color=9e0039]“H-he tried to kill Jo'?”[/color] cold sweats accumulated on his forehead. The fact that Hui was supposedly that strong scared him, even after what he had faced on this day alone. [color=9e0039]“... What do we do, then? It's definitely not some Traveller plot. I feel totally out of my depth, man.”[/color] [color=fd5e53]"I don't know."[/color] Yalen threw his hands up. He sounded as lost as Abdel did. [color=fd5e53]"I don't know anything about him besides his name. Not even my cardinal can touch him. It is almost as if someone in the church is protecting his identity. The only authority presiding over the cardinals would be... the optimates themselves."[/color] Yalen shivered involuntarily. He looked over his shoulder conspiratorially, as if he were about to be arrested on the spot for uttering such words. [color=fd5e53]"You are not of the Quentic Church. Do not put yourself in harm's way. You bear no responsibility here except to keep yourself safe. If he makes his presence known again, I will do what I can to learn his secrets. If there is anything that can be used to incriminate him, my superiors can make him answer to a tribunal."[/color] In his own mind, Yalen was not so sure. There were rumors that Brother Ash had not been seen in the holy city for some time. Had he come to Rettan under orders, or was he pursuing his own goals? Was this even a matter that could be resolved with the church's authority? Too many questions presented themselves that could not be answered without confronting Ash himself. [color=9e0039]“Damn.”[/color] Abdel scratched his cheek, clearly nervous over this whole ordeal. Now the Church was potentially in on this too? He shot a look behind him, toward Maura who likely remained on Qadira due to a lack of wheelchair, and his beasts. Was this worth risking his raisons d'être? [color=9e0039]“There's something else.”[/color] he decidedly confessed, ruffling through his bag to reveal a rolled up set of correspondences between Hui/Ash and what was dubbed as 'Sifu'. [color=9e0039]“I think he's been in contact with the Traveler. What they say fits the MO, I think.”[/color] he looked around, about as paranoid as Yalen at this point. [color=9e0039]“They've had a falling out. But he seems to using the Traveler's message to get his way. So, we still technically have a Traveler problem.”[/color] There was another document, one old and faded that dated back to the Great Heathen War. Very little could be read of the dulled ink, but there was the undeniable seal of Arcel, and commendations for someone that was apparently a great and honourable Knight, all written in old Perrench. Yalen's hand hovered over the time worn document, but he pulled back for fear of tarnishing it. He locked eyes with Abdel. [color=fd5e53]"Who did this belong to? Was this found with the robe?"[/color] [color=9e0039]“It was in that seedy warehouse we had a lead on.”[/color] he explained, her attention shifting more and more to the increasingly loud argument happening nearby. [color=9e0039]“Ming knows all about this, so assume the whole Rettanese set does too.”[/color] Abdel departed after saying those final words, as he was soon compelled to return to his skuggvar’s side and calm it, as a heated debate had broken out between the Rettanese. Yalen wasn’t thinking about them at all however, as his mind was laser focused on the existence of Brother Ash. The priest had finally found his true purpose for being here, and what a joyous feeling it was. As soon as the two of them could be alone again, he planned to rendezvous with Abdel and expand upon the discovery they had just made. According to the evidence, Ash might have a link to the Traveler as well. The chance to catch the tail of two of his enemies could not be missed.