Succession: Rebellion

C.C.

"Whatever you say..." C.C. said, still staring suspiciously at Katie. When the dog burst into her path, C.C. gave it a curious look. She could tell from the aura it gave off that it was a person disgusied as an animal. Though who it was, she couldn't say.

Maul

"You are alone?" the Elf questioned. Maul nodded.

"Yes, my friends. I was not followed. The rest of my men at camp are asleep. How goes our efforts in the Order?"

The Dwarve answered this time. "Our numbers are small, but our ideals are spreading throughout the Order each day. With each passing week, our numbers swell. Soon, the Elders will have no choice but to give a vote on the issue. In our favor, I hope. To save the Gaborian Empire, the Order must do the unthinkable."

"Good." Maul simply replied. "Has anyone of significance joined our movement?"

The human responded. "Battlemasters Kyon and Harn have joined our cause. Elder Lycon may be persuaded, and the majority of the Keepers may help our efforts soon enough."

"Good, very good. I know this is a difficult issue, Brothers and Sisters, but it must be done. The Order of the Shadows must align with the Rebellion and install Nebi or another Heir as Emperor, to have the Empire survive." Maul spoke quietly.

((I kinda question Amarok's motives. I mean, he seems curious about C.C., but Senka isn't that far up ahead from them. And considering she wants Annak, and by extension Amarok, dead, him being there right now seems real risky. But that's just my opinion.))

"I will not force you to listen to me. It is folly, but I cannot stop you," Alquonde admitted with a small shrug of his shoulders, "For now, I simply intend to stay with the Rebellion and guide my friends when they reach this place."

He chuckled a little, "I can help the Rebellion a bit. Just call me Orolin while I stay here. Alquonde isn't exactly a common name."

"Whatever you say, Orolin." He spoke the name slowly, deliberately, and with a slight hint of malice. He did not know how much the god knew about him, nor how much he would try to hinder Valen's plans, and those two things gave him plenty of reason to hate the god before him.

"How many do you wait for? And who?"

And how long will this take?

He didn't feel comfortable, leaving Alquonde alone to meet a group he didn't know, but neither did he he want to stay here with this god any longer than he had to.

(Well I'm sure Senka is enjoying this and she wont run into Amarok, she'll just continue on until she finds Annakpok.)
Senka

The sun was setting now, finally, Senka couldn't help but think. She had left C.C. and the others almost three hours now, walking through the Forest using only her educated guesses and instinct.

Senka was sure now that she would be sleeping in the wilderness tonight. No matter though, she had done much worse during her training. "Step one...find a body of water to camp near."
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Carlisle

Carlisle shrugged in agreement, though his shoulders still appeared as though there was a great weight on them as they sagged down. "I'm not sure if I'll be ready to see her by then. Even after that much time...." Carlisle admitted as it started to rain.

The Doctor finally looked down from the sky towards Mab. He tried to smile reassuringly towards the Girl, but unfortunately failed horribly. "Umm.... we should probably get going. Down here the area will just flood."
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Savina

Savina's mouth hanged open in shock as she heard Maul's plans. He was going to betray the Empire, betray them all.... Did that mean he intended to kill the entire search party? Would she die as well?

These thoughts rushed through Savina's head all at once as she began to slowly and quietly take steps back. She was beginning to compose herself a bit when all of a sudden, a branch cracked under her left heel.

Suddenly, all of Savina's thoughts stopped as she quickly turned around and began running back towards the camp. The Soldier stopped for nothing as she rushed through the Forest, the many campfire's she had helped set up waiting ahead. But instead of running into the main part of camp, Savina headed towards the nearer border of the camp, where her one-(wo)man tent waited. Not caring if she woke up the others, Savina dove in and began looking for her sword.

Maul

At the sound of the snap, Maul and the four others froze. Without saying another word Maul rushed out of the small clearing and headed back to camp, closely tailing the person that had been following him. He saw the stalker duck into a tent. Swiftly withdrawing his dagger, Maul dove in as well and pinned the soldier to the ground. He raised the dagger to the person's neck, but noticed that it was Savina. After a long and tense moment, he spoke.

"What did you hear?" he growled out.

Savina

Savina looked up at Maul as she released her hand from the hilt of her sword. With Maul pinning her down there was no way she could attack him and expect to win. ....But she knew she wouldn't die either, not here, and not yet, at least. "Enough... Everything about your plans, I think." She stated honestly and calmly.

Maul

"Oh? And what do you intend to do about my plans?" Maul asked curiously.

Savina

Savina opened her mouth to reply, but quickly closed it again. To be honest the Soldier didn't know. Her entire life she had been raised and taught to protect the Empire and it's Leader at all costs. But now that she had found an actual plot to harm the Empire and Empress....she didn't really care much about it. She was actually mostly worried about what would happen to the others at the Camp.

The Rebels were clearly in the wrong. They were Monsters fighting the order and relative peace of the Empire for hundreds of years now. She had learned that in her History lessons as a Girl. But now that she was part of the army she had to admit...the Empire itself wasn't much better.

"....I am not sure."

Maul

Slowly Maul released his hold on Savina and stood up. He offered a hand to her.

"I see. Well, I can see you will not try to stop me then. Good. Now I won't have to kill you. I would regret doing that. I prefer not to harm innocents if possible."

Amarok observed the three people, and watched as the Inu growled at him. Amarok uninterested with a fight with the dog boy instead focused on the mage, who was giving him a curious look. She could probably tell that he was not just a dog running about the forest. He decided to send out a message telepathically. Normally this would only work on Annak, but maybe her spiritual senses were strong enough to pick up the message.

"You are the mage in this forest, correct? If so, I would like you to follow me. There is someone I want you to meet." he said, emitting the thought, in the way he would to Annak.

C.C.

"I am A Mage, correct. However, I cannot follow you at the moment. I cannot trail behind my companions much longer. Find me again at night, if you wish." C.C. replied back to Amarok via telepathy.

Amarok received the mage's message, and nodded at her, then began to walk back into the forest, then turned his head.

"If it becomes necessary, bring your friends." he said, before leaving them, and returning to the maze of trees. He would have no trouble finding her again. He could sense her from miles away.

C.C.

"Well....that was odd." C.C. commented to Katie and Nell.

"Well, we'd best be going now."

((Goody! Now we can time-skip with C.C.'s group so she's current timewise with the others.))

(Yay!)

Gaita
"You would honestly drink the milk from here?" Giata asked as she unlocked her door. It was the first time she had spoken since her out burst on the road. She quietly stepped through her door and locked it. The room itself was drab and colorless. There was a lumpy mattress that lay on a wooden frame that seem to be half rotted. She frowned and took Nebi's advice from earlier and checked the bed for lice. There were none, but perhaps more disturbingly, there was a green-yellow stain on the mattress about head level.

Nix
Nix chuckled quietly. "She seems to be in a better mood." He said. Nix opened the door to their room. Almost immediately he was hit by the smell of rotting wood. The floor stank and creaked at the slightest touch. The bed, if it could be called that, consisted of a mattress on the floor. The only real form of decoration was an antique bow that hung from the wall. "Well....Lovely" Were the only words that left Nix's mouth as he stared at the room.

"Yeah we should get going," Mab said. Things were awkward right now and she just wanted to get going. She also felt bad for Carlisle, but she wasn't sure if she could say anything to make him feel better, so she kept quiet.

(yay!)
Savina

Savina laid back and stared at Maul, then Maul's hand. She was now very confused, and still frightened. She didn't trust the Kaleesh, she couldn't. But she couldn't exactly just run right now..... Maybe if she told Baruti? But why should she? Why would she? "To protect the Empire of course!?" She reminded herself. "But what would I be protecting it from.....?" These thoughts and feelings al rushed through Savina in a matter of seconds. And so, she reached her hand up finally and grabbed Maul's hand to help pull herself up.

"So what will you do with me?"
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Katie

Katie nodded in agreement before following C.C. Though she couldn't help but feel like she had just missed something important.
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Carlisle

Carlisle nodded in reply before standing up, reaching his hand down to help Mab up as well.
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Grace

Grace sat in the corner of a large prison cell, right below one of the barred window holes. She had been arrested just three hours ago. No explanation had been given. An hour after her capture she had been thrown into here, this barred room. The two other Amazonians had explained it all to her.

Apparently, thirty-six days ago, the Amazonians had seceded themselves and their land from the Empire itself. An Army was being sent to the far western forest already and apparently, Amazonians found inside the Empire's borders were being caught and killed.

Grace was still confused.

C.C.

After a few hours of traveling, C.C. and the rest of their unit finally managed to catch up with Senka. By that time, it was getting dark out, and the moon was being covered by the clouds. C.C. held up a hand to stop their travel and spoke.

"We'd best set up camp for the night, now."

Maul

"If you do not talk, nothing. I will still seek your services in regard to finding Heir Nebi. Though I would like to ask you a question first. What do you think about the Empire?" Maul inquired.

Mab took Carlisle hand to stand and the weird feeling she had before began to disappear. She was glad to put what Carlisle told her for now. At least they had to think about finding a place to spend the night in this weather.
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"Who was that," Nell asked, still a little embarrassed by his growl.

Katie/Senka

Katie looked up at Nell. She had intentionally tried to ignore the growling Nell had done hours ago. She didn't want to embarrass him even more. ...Though admittedly she had found the growling cute. "I'm not sure... It left kind of suddenly."

A few yards away, Senka was setting up a tent near the river they were camping by. She was slightly annoyed that the others had followed her. But she supposed it was what Tsuba would have wanted.
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Savina

Savina looked down after Maul spoke. She knew what she was supposed to say. What she had been trained to state. But she wasn't sure. She was pretty sure that the world was better off with the Empire, but then again, she wasn't. "I...I don't really know." she admitted while looking back up at Maul.

"I never really thought about it."
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Carlisle

Carlisle and Mab walked in the rain for another two hours. The Capital eventually fell out of sight as they neared a series of small mountains. Mab and Carlisle had decided to sleep in a cave, and the Doctor eventually found some birds that they could eat.

Everything was going well enough now. Mab and Carlisle were finally dry and warm, and the birds were almost ready as the fire slowly cooked them. Hopefully it would be this easy every day.

C.C.

"Well, it doesn't matter. Come on, let's go set up camp." C.C. said. She help the other soldiers set up tents and start a campfire for themselves. She finished by setting up her and Katie's tent, and placing Nell's tent right next to their's.

"Time to go to bed, now."

Maul

"The Empire has become corrupt over the centuries. It is stagnating, and will collapse without change. My brethren and I seek to change that."

"Now," Nell asked, wondering why C.C. was sending them off to bed right now. But he didn't really want to get into an arguement. "Do I have to sleep alone," he also asked. Nell never liked being alone, his dog nature drawning him to like companionship and attention.
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Mab sat in front of the fire, getting hungry. She tossed some offerings into the fire and sent a silent prayer of thanks to Apollo for protecting them so far. She glanced over at Carlisle after she was done praying.

C.C.

"Well, you could always go sleep with Senka or the other soldier. Or, if you want, you can sleep with Katie." C.C. said with a smile, knowing exactly what she was also implying. She looked at Katie and winked at her.

Katie

Katie sighed in frustration before nodding in acceptance. "Ok then." She said in acceptance before standing up. As Nell asked his question Katie looked at C.C.. "I agree Nell, it isn't fair."

But as C.C. chimed in Katie glared at the Mage before a twinkle in her eye suddenly appeared. "That sounds great C.C. . Nell will sleep with us."
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Carlisle

Carlisle stared down at the fire as he tried to remain respectful while Mab prayed. He slowly pulled the birds off of the fire before looking at Mab. There was a question he had been wanting to ask her almost all day now, but he had been too nervous to make the request.

The Heir carefully handed one of the birds to Mab, smiling as he looked at her.
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Savina

Savina nodded after Maul had explained it, though she was still confused and scared. The Person leading their mission was part of the Rebellion. Or at least, he wanted to. If she continued to help him find Nebi, did that mean she was betraying the Empire? Savina wasn't sure, to be honest. But right now she had another issue on her mind. "And how will you do it?"

Maul

"Tsuba and her kind are slowly bleeding the Empire to death, from the inside. At this rate Gaboria will collapse, and anarchy will reign across the land. Power-hungry war-lords will attempt to take what's left, and millions will die in the aftermath. It is the Order's main principle to keep the land stable. To do this, we must side with the Rebellion, for now. A new Emperor, unlike his predecessors, must be crowned. A man like Nebi or Kegan would do, I think." Maul answered.

C.C.

"Huh?" C.C. turned to Katie, actually surprised she had said 'yes'. Ok, what was going on here? Why did Katie say yes? Something strange here was happening...