SJE/Session61
SESSION 61
5 Resplendent Air
In the whirlwind, en route to Solaria. Aron & Anaria set to squabbling. By the time Anaria has begun her umpteenth rendition of 'Invictus Wants Me For A Sunbeam', Aron is ready to snap. "If you don't turn this thing around right now, I'll burn and burn until it's ashes!" Orchid separates the two of them, sending them to different sides of the whirlwind. It doesn't take long, though, for the bickering to resume.
"She's on my side again!" Aron roars.
"But he cast the first stone!" Anaria whines.
Orchid glares at Anaria. "Are you without sin, Anaria?"
"I was reborn in the light of the Unconquered Sun and made clean!"
"I shall," Orchid is unimpressed. "Take that as a 'yes'. Now behave, both of you, or I'll turn this thing around!</i>"
Back in Solaria Minor, Captain Ibrahim trains the most promising soldiers in anti-zombie manoeuvres - sticky rice, red threads, prayer strips, off with their heads and all that. Brand is still hard at work on the wall and his rebuilding projects.
Shizu sneaks off for another scouting trip to Solaria Magna. She considers disguising herself as a zombie but demurs, worried about a "friendly decapitation" incident. Ninja-ing into the city across the rooftops, she finds it even worse than before - the sandstone walls are turning greyish, the buildings are marred by mould and mildew, normally almost unheard of in Solaria's dry climate. Nothing is moving on the streets, the city is silent but for the occasional faint tinkling of bells carried on the wind. No sun shines here.
Peeking through windows, she sees that most of the buildings are filled with heaps of corpses, which occasionally stir feebly into zombie activity ("Braaaaains!") as she passes. Suddenly, she feels a shocking cold pain, as a black arrow appears as if from nowhere, transfixing her, it's dreadful barbed point jutting out from her chest. A terrible cold sensation spreads from the wound, numbing her and slowing her movements.
Shizu whirls around, dodging madly as another flurry of arrows arc out of the darkness. There! From that alley! Shizu flips off of the roof and, bouncing from awnings and flagpoles, flees through the streets, more arrows following her flight as she dodges frantically. She darts into an alleyway as her mysterious attacker, fires an arrow trailing a rope to the top of the cathedral spire. He runs up it to get a better vantage point as Shizu sprints for cover.
She catches a brief glimpse of him as she dives through a window into what was once a salubrious town house. He is a blurred, indistinct figure, but she clearly makes out a great soulsteel powerblow, and the crackling darkness of a Day-caste anima. Indoors, she finds herself slithering across a great mound of zombies ("Braaaaains!"), which grab for her as she leaps up to cling to the ceiling out of their reach. She ninjas her way through to the back door of the house, pursued by zombies ("Braaaaains!") and, as one grapples her, she dashes out of that door, using the zombie as a meat shield against the arrows that fly in at her.
Shizu dashes across this street and, with lightning speed, straight through the windows and out of the back door of the house facing it, evading zombies ("Braaaaains!") and arrows as she runs. She kick-turns down the street and sprints for open country, her anima now blazing with golden light. As she goes through the streets, she smashes the stained glass windows of the houses so that the light of her anima reflects from the glittering shards, spoiling her attacker's aim. She runs like hell for Solaria Minor.
There, she stumbles into Brand's arms, the black arrow still impaling her. "Well," she observes. "That could have gone better."
"Who? What? When? Where? Why?"
"I just took another look at Solaria Magna. It's full of people like, you know, Orchid's house guests."
"And they didn't like what you had to say?"
"To be honest, we didn't really get into a conversation" Shizu gestures at the arrow with magnificent understatement. Brand sets about removing it and patching her up.
Meanwhile, Orchid and Ravitsu have arrived and dropped off the big robot head, supplies and Cathaks. En route to convalesce, Shizu wearily inquires of Cathak Anaria whether she knows any healing Charms. The fiery Dragon-Blooded responds with typical fervour: "I can burn out any infection!"
Orchid takes her to task. "No-one is to burn anyone her unless I say so!" She is forced to move aside and repeat herself after she notices that the Captain is holding a lit match to one of her trailing sashes.
After the smouldering is extinguished, the Ledaals, Cathaks and the circle convene a council of war. The Captain, the Ledaals and Cathak Aron will continue training the troops. Brand and Orchid will set up the big robot head and sort out the city's geomancy, while Shizu and Ravitsu will carry out reconnaisance and patrols. Anaria has already demonstrated a bit too much zeal, while discussing training the troops with Shizu...
"Shining One, will we show them the noble way of the martyr's death?"
"Explain."
"I learned from your glorious example! Burning, you race through the enemy spreading terror and burning in your wake!"
"Shouldn't we restrict this tactic to volunteers who are already fireproof? Besides, I'm not sure terror really works against zombies..."
Anaria is placed under Captain Ibrahim's close supervision.
6-10 Resplendent Air
Several days pass as the circle go about their allotted tasks. Shizu is troubled by Anaria's suicidal zeal and tries to get to what she thinks might be the heart of the matter. "Anaria, I know we met before your conversion, but I don't really feel I know you."
"No, Shining One, before the light of the Unconquered Sun entered me, I was just a pale shadow."
"Er, yeah. So, tell me, why did you join the Immaculate Order?"
"I was young and foolish, a dupe of foul conspiracy!"
"There were no troubles at home? I mean, you are a Cathak..."
Anaria seems to miss the point. "Ah, my family! When Solaria is free, I will continue my missionary work with them. I witnessed to my brother, Aron, on the journey here."
"Oh, er, that's good. How did that go?"
"Not well but now I have your blessing, I will redouble my efforts!" Anaria begins to smoulder.
"Right... Tell me, Anaria, have you ever been in love?"
"Yes, but I was young and now the love of the Unconquered Sun is all I need!"
Shizu gives up and goes off to do something more useful, like training her ninja apprentices to ambush her. She spends the next few days dodging more or less inept 'surprise' attacks.
Orchid works on geomancy and trains promising exorcists to help her strengthen the city's wards. She also catches up with her correspondence, receiving a letter from Yurgen Kaneko:
"This is on isn't it, Samea? ... What, just talk to the imp? .... It's looking at me! Why's it looking at me like that! ... I'll fetch my daiklave! ... (Crash! Smash! Thump!)"
Orchid sends back a reply with a simple idiot's guide to IMs. She also sends a lengthy rant to the Maiden of the Mirthless Smile in which she casts aspersions upon the Princess Magnificent's fashion sense, appearance, personality and fashion sense again before just about managing to squeeze in a "Miss you and wish you'd kill her for me!" as time runs out.
Brand, with Ravitsu's help, gets the big robot head into place, and begins setting it up as a weapon of moderately large destruction.
The Captain hobnobs with Cathak Aron, bemoaning the state of Solarian beer and learning something of "Our secret Cathak plans."
"Eh?" He wonders.
"Ah," Aron taps his nose conspiratorially. "Don't tell a (hic) soul, but there's going to be a big fight. We've written a letter to get the Roseblack down here to seize Gem. She's on her way, you know."
Pausing for just one or two more pints, Ibrahim rushes off to tell Ravitsu. On learning that it will be at least some time before the Roseblack's army can get there, Ravitsu is surprisingly unruffled: "Just add it to the list, I'll bet the Despot already knows."
On the night of the tenth, Ravitsu spots something disturbing on patrol. In the west, roaring across the desert, is a whirlwind. It shows up bright orange against the dusty Solarian landscape, obviously having picked up differently-coloured sand and earth on its way here. When the whirlwind goes out of its way to leap over a particularly high dune, he guesses correctly that the fightin' Cathak cousins are here. He flies off to tell the others. The Ledaals, when they hear who it is, are horrified...
Once it arrives, the whirlwind careers down the main street, covering everything in dust. In a burst of flame and sand, the latest batch of Cathaks leaps down to the floor. Orchid dashes to intercept, greeting Bella, Boone and Bannion with air-kisses and insincere compliments: "How wonderful to see you! Bella, I love what you've done with your hair, so... wind-swept..."
"Aw, shucks, it ain't nothing. Where's Ally-Mae? Ah thought mah cousin'd be here."
"Oh, I'm afraid she's off scouting with her tiger warriors. Perhaps you could IM her, I'm sure she'd just love to hear from you."
"Ah'm tuckered out right now, maybe Boone'll send 'er a message. Ain't that right, Boone?"
"Mm-huh."
Meanwhile, at the church, Anaria has spotted the approaching whirlwind. She begins to flicker with fire.
"Danger a great threat!"
Ravitsu tries to reassure her. "It's okay, we're going to point them at the zombies before they go off!"
"But, Shining One, they will not understand the magnificence of your plans!"
"Please calm down, you're melting the stained glass."
"But they're not safe! They visited once and they broke my favourite toys! My pony!"
Shizu intervenes. "Perhaps you could show them the light?"
"YES! LEAFLETS! BEAT SOME SENSE INTO THEM!" Anaria's anima flares into a pillar of fire and she begins to march toward her cousins.
"I was thinking of something a bit calmer..." Shizu adds in a very small voice.
The Cathak cousins notice the pillar of flame and a delighted Bella turns to Orchid: "It's Ally-Mae, y'all are having a surprise party for us!"
Orchid grabs her arm as she starts walking. "Promise me you won't hurt her, Bella!"
"Y'all know Ah woouldn't hurt Ally-Mae. Kin's thicker'n water."
"It's not Alana! It's Anaria!"
"WHAT? That B... I... T... C... H...? Why I oughta"
Bella rolls her sleeves up as she Boone and Bannion draw their weapons. Just down the street, Anaria draws her own daiklaves and charges.
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