I'm here whenever we're ready to get moving. I'm not sure exactly what it is Sep is intending to do, so I'm hesitant to write anything at the moment.
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The Commander of Elites
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As the first rays of light slowly started to filter into his room, Tarentek awoke with a yawn. It had been another uneventful night, which was honestly how he preferred them at this point. Today in particular, the day was likely going to be just as uneventful as the night. Normally, he would wake himself up quickly, get dressed, check his equipment, and get straight to breakfast in preparation for the day, but today, none of that was necessary. He stayed laying in bed for longer than usual, getting up only once he heard movement in the other room.
Tarentek stepped into the main room somewhat lazily, letting out another yawn before greeting Onyx. "Good morning. I assume you're getting ready for your big day. I wish you the best of luck in that; I look forward to seeing the full adult Onyx, or what is it you'll be called? Bri'nx? After it is over. Do you think you have time for a quick breakfast, or do you need to get going right away?"
Tarentek stepped into the main room somewhat lazily, letting out another yawn before greeting Onyx. "Good morning. I assume you're getting ready for your big day. I wish you the best of luck in that; I look forward to seeing the full adult Onyx, or what is it you'll be called? Bri'nx? After it is over. Do you think you have time for a quick breakfast, or do you need to get going right away?"
"They're not really slaves, exactly. Their arrangement is different from that, from my understanding. Also, as I've said, these aren't really my people. My people are the Karisskan and other naturalized citizens of Amman. Truthfully, I don't have much in the way of kinship with the people of Tel Nof." Tarentek clarified as they finished cleaning up the kitchen.
"I should be fine for tomorrow. You've just restocked your kitchen, so it isn't as if I will have need of anything. I would say I'm going to take the chance to talk to your father about the others joining us on the mission, but I assume your father is going to be present at your ritual. I'll just have to find some other way to pass the time. If nothing else, I can try to take an extended nap." He answered, shrugging his shoulders.
"I should be fine for tomorrow. You've just restocked your kitchen, so it isn't as if I will have need of anything. I would say I'm going to take the chance to talk to your father about the others joining us on the mission, but I assume your father is going to be present at your ritual. I'll just have to find some other way to pass the time. If nothing else, I can try to take an extended nap." He answered, shrugging his shoulders.
Tarentek nodded. "There are rules specific to the court, yes. Actually, when I was there, they sent someone to us beforehand to instruct us on their rules. It seems they are not so unreasonable as to punish people for rules they know nothing about. No, they make sure to tell you the rules before arresting you for breaking them. Still, I will tell everyone all that I remember. A lot of the etiquette is simple...fluff, is how I would describe it. Who to bow to; who walks in front when you're going somewhere. That kind of thing. One thing I found strange was that guests, or anyone, really, are forbidden from talking with any of the servants while in the palace. There are specific officials who are permitted to relay orders to the servants. It's a security thing, I believe. All of the servants are...well I don't know if slaves is the right term. They all live quite well, and actually receive a good amount of respect in the palace. But, all of them are hatched in the palace, and are forbidden from speaking with anyone outside the palace...ever. Through their entire lives. I think it is meant to ensure that no outside plots ever find their way into the minds of the monarch's servants."
Though she had not asked, Tarentek paused a moment to help clean up. By this point, he had been in Onyx's home long enough to know everything's proper place. "As for meeting the Queen herself, it is actually possible. She does have advisers and other officials who can act on her behalf, but what we are going to be asking of her people is pretty major. We're asking for a military alliance against a force greater than her city could hope to conquer alone. That is important enough for the Queen herself to take interest. If that happens, just do whatever she says. We're not going to be allowed any security in her presence, so it will just be us who has to worry about that."
Though she had not asked, Tarentek paused a moment to help clean up. By this point, he had been in Onyx's home long enough to know everything's proper place. "As for meeting the Queen herself, it is actually possible. She does have advisers and other officials who can act on her behalf, but what we are going to be asking of her people is pretty major. We're asking for a military alliance against a force greater than her city could hope to conquer alone. That is important enough for the Queen herself to take interest. If that happens, just do whatever she says. We're not going to be allowed any security in her presence, so it will just be us who has to worry about that."
I finally figured out the name of the weapon I described for Ssarak. It's a variant of the pollaxe, with an axe and hammerhead.
Ssarak Dyreackthanose
---
Ssarak's timing seemed to be right on the mark, as he could hear the commotion beneath him when he flew overhead. As planned, the bandits had their focus solely on the electrified form of Alaira, so he went unnoticed in the skies above them. Even so, Ssarak had only a few brief moments before he had to strike, since Alaira would need his help quickly. He could not spot the prominent figure of the robed man, so he assumed that Alaira had targeted him first. As such, Ssarak quickly shifted his focus to the next largest threats. There was only one figure moving towards Alaira with any speed, but she could handle herself in melee combat, so Ssarak was mostly concerned with ranged opponents. The one in the tower was the most obvious, but there was also another on the ground who he could clearly see taking aim. Normally, the crossbowman in the tower would have been his target, but Ssarak guessed that the figure he could see scaling its side was Darius utilizing the element of surprise. Therefore, the crossbowman on the ground was the best target.
If there were any other immediate threats, Ssarak did not have a chance to notice them in the quick few moments he had to look over the area from above. Now that he had his target, he was moving for the kill. Ssarak went into a dive, straight towards the crossbowman on the ground, flaring our his wings in the last few seconds to slow himself just enough that he did not cause any injury to himself on landing. The bandit would certainly hear the wind from his wings as he drew close, but by that point, it was too late. Ssarak quite literally fell upon the crossbowman with his pollaxe in full swing. The axe head chopped straight into his chest, just below the left shoulderblade, while Ssarak's considerable mass knocked him to the ground. The swing benefited fully from the force of the landing and penetrated so deeply that it took a notable effort for even Ssarak to pull the axe from the body. Blood poured from the wound at a rate which indicated that Ssarak's blow had severed one of the largest arteries in the man's body, leaving him to bleed out in seconds.
To capitalize on the confusion, Ssarak decided to use fear to his advantage, though instead of expending his energy on a psychomantic attack, he made use of a more traditional form of intimidation. As he brought his weapon to bear, Ssarak let out an animalistic war cry in the form of a bellowing roar worthy of his draconic form. With luck, the combination of Alaira and his own surprising arrival would be enough to panic some of them.
---
Ssarak's timing seemed to be right on the mark, as he could hear the commotion beneath him when he flew overhead. As planned, the bandits had their focus solely on the electrified form of Alaira, so he went unnoticed in the skies above them. Even so, Ssarak had only a few brief moments before he had to strike, since Alaira would need his help quickly. He could not spot the prominent figure of the robed man, so he assumed that Alaira had targeted him first. As such, Ssarak quickly shifted his focus to the next largest threats. There was only one figure moving towards Alaira with any speed, but she could handle herself in melee combat, so Ssarak was mostly concerned with ranged opponents. The one in the tower was the most obvious, but there was also another on the ground who he could clearly see taking aim. Normally, the crossbowman in the tower would have been his target, but Ssarak guessed that the figure he could see scaling its side was Darius utilizing the element of surprise. Therefore, the crossbowman on the ground was the best target.
If there were any other immediate threats, Ssarak did not have a chance to notice them in the quick few moments he had to look over the area from above. Now that he had his target, he was moving for the kill. Ssarak went into a dive, straight towards the crossbowman on the ground, flaring our his wings in the last few seconds to slow himself just enough that he did not cause any injury to himself on landing. The bandit would certainly hear the wind from his wings as he drew close, but by that point, it was too late. Ssarak quite literally fell upon the crossbowman with his pollaxe in full swing. The axe head chopped straight into his chest, just below the left shoulderblade, while Ssarak's considerable mass knocked him to the ground. The swing benefited fully from the force of the landing and penetrated so deeply that it took a notable effort for even Ssarak to pull the axe from the body. Blood poured from the wound at a rate which indicated that Ssarak's blow had severed one of the largest arteries in the man's body, leaving him to bleed out in seconds.
To capitalize on the confusion, Ssarak decided to use fear to his advantage, though instead of expending his energy on a psychomantic attack, he made use of a more traditional form of intimidation. As he brought his weapon to bear, Ssarak let out an animalistic war cry in the form of a bellowing roar worthy of his draconic form. With luck, the combination of Alaira and his own surprising arrival would be enough to panic some of them.
Hey Konan, I intend to post sometime tomorrow. Do you think you'll be able to post before then?
"Hmm, this must have happened rather late into the evening. I was with Galsek and the rest of Harriet's alphas for several hours in the evening, as I had allowed Harriet the chance to form her defense. Unless Galsek knew about this well beforehand, then Harriet could not have instructed this herself, as I was present for their entire conversation. So, loyalty is a possible motivation, though we do not have enough evidence to say for certain that he does or does not know if Harriet is truly the traitor. In any case, we cannot simply allow Galsek to act unhindered. He has shown himself dangerous to the clan as a whole, even knowing the evidence against Harriet. There is also the possibility that some of her other alphas could resort to tactics like this. We just cannot act on this without causing more problems." Meesei observed.
Meesei crossed one arm over her chest and leaned her head on her other hand as she lost herself briefly in thought. This was a difficult situation, reminiscent of the Imperial politics she had heard so many people complain about in the past. It seemed like both action and inaction led to undesirable outcomes, which was likely just what Galsek intended to protect himself. But, after a moment, an idea sparked in Meesei's mind that could offer a potential way out.
"Actually, wait, there may be a way for us to turn this to our advantage. Just like we have to maintain our perception to the people of Harriet's pack, so too does Harriet to the rest of the clan. I could suggest to Harriet that she publicly denounce Galsek's actions. If she is the traitor, then she would want her alphas to cause chaos like this, but if she wants to be found innocent, she cannot appear to be in support of his actions. If she refuses to speak out against them, then that would cast considerable doubt on her during her trial, and if she does publicly denounce Galsek, then it gives us free reign to act against him." Meesei suggested before shifting her focus to Caleb. "However, for this to work, you must have credibility. The people need to believe what you have told us is true. Undoubtedly, Galsek is going to try to cast doubt on you, likely by claiming you lied to escape punishment. It is doubtful that anyone would believe that you, of all people, would lie to protect the traitor. However, some may believe you would lie to protect yourself from punishment, so to keep that argument from holding any weight, you must face punishment for your crime. We cannot appear to be going easy on you. So, it is my suggestion that we announce that we will allow Oswall himself to decide your punishment."
Meesei crossed one arm over her chest and leaned her head on her other hand as she lost herself briefly in thought. This was a difficult situation, reminiscent of the Imperial politics she had heard so many people complain about in the past. It seemed like both action and inaction led to undesirable outcomes, which was likely just what Galsek intended to protect himself. But, after a moment, an idea sparked in Meesei's mind that could offer a potential way out.
"Actually, wait, there may be a way for us to turn this to our advantage. Just like we have to maintain our perception to the people of Harriet's pack, so too does Harriet to the rest of the clan. I could suggest to Harriet that she publicly denounce Galsek's actions. If she is the traitor, then she would want her alphas to cause chaos like this, but if she wants to be found innocent, she cannot appear to be in support of his actions. If she refuses to speak out against them, then that would cast considerable doubt on her during her trial, and if she does publicly denounce Galsek, then it gives us free reign to act against him." Meesei suggested before shifting her focus to Caleb. "However, for this to work, you must have credibility. The people need to believe what you have told us is true. Undoubtedly, Galsek is going to try to cast doubt on you, likely by claiming you lied to escape punishment. It is doubtful that anyone would believe that you, of all people, would lie to protect the traitor. However, some may believe you would lie to protect yourself from punishment, so to keep that argument from holding any weight, you must face punishment for your crime. We cannot appear to be going easy on you. So, it is my suggestion that we announce that we will allow Oswall himself to decide your punishment."
"I would guess that your father would want to send along the people who would best get along with me, or at least be focused enough on the mission to accept my expertise on the matter. If they do not intend to listen, it would honestly be better not to have them at all. We want to make a good impression on the locals, and there are some things that could actually get them in to some trouble if they make the wrong mistakes." Tarentek explained. He finished his meal, so he opened his canteen and sipped on his water as he continued.
"If we are lucky enough to get an audience with her, probably one of the most important rules is to do everything that the Queen tells you, without question. In diplomatic negotiations, you can disagree with her, that is fine, but in everything else, the Queen's word is absolute law, and she doesn't like to be questioned in her own home. If she wants you to do something you don't like or don't want to do, it doesn't matter; you do it. Disobeying the Queen is something they can and will arrest you for, and, well, you really don't want that." He added.
"If we are lucky enough to get an audience with her, probably one of the most important rules is to do everything that the Queen tells you, without question. In diplomatic negotiations, you can disagree with her, that is fine, but in everything else, the Queen's word is absolute law, and she doesn't like to be questioned in her own home. If she wants you to do something you don't like or don't want to do, it doesn't matter; you do it. Disobeying the Queen is something they can and will arrest you for, and, well, you really don't want that." He added.
Tarentek nodded. "Oh, yes, quite a few. More than I could go over in just a few minutes. A lot of it is behaviors that might offend you which you and the others will have to learn to accept. I've encountered a few of those in my time here, if you recall. I wouldn't want you or the others to think someone is trying to insult you when they're not...or that they're being friendly when they're actually trying to insult you." He said with a chuckle. "We might want to set aside some time one day before the mission to go over all of that in detail. Preferably, with the others who will be escorting me. I may ask your father to decide a few days early on who will be joining me so we can properly prepare."
Tarentek was nearly finished with his meal, though he wasn't in any particular rush. "I think you'll be fine, though, as long as you let me lead the way and try not to make any assumptions if you're unsure about what someone is meaning. You seem to have been reasonably understanding about our differences so far, even if there have been a few misunderstandings. Is there anything you can think of that the others joining us might have issues with?"
Tarentek was nearly finished with his meal, though he wasn't in any particular rush. "I think you'll be fine, though, as long as you let me lead the way and try not to make any assumptions if you're unsure about what someone is meaning. You seem to have been reasonably understanding about our differences so far, even if there have been a few misunderstandings. Is there anything you can think of that the others joining us might have issues with?"
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