Train bombing

## Page 10

Asbel Sutherlin - Rebel Mercenary - The Fair Maid, Central Line

The train ride was uneventful from Braile to Fairhaven, and then as it continued toward its next stop in Lynne. The constant rattling and rocking of the train had been eventually enough to put Asbel on the brink of sleep, slouched in his seat with his eyes closed but still lingering on the edge of alertness. He was a light sleeper and therefore confident he wouldn't miss his stop, so he cast his paranoia aside for the moment and allowed himself to doze off. Outside the windows, as Asbel slept, Lynne's Glassvale train station crept into view. A dry, salty chill in the air had found its way into the train by then and the sky overhead was blanketed with thick clouds that blotted out the sun, threatening a storm.

The Fair Maid's passengers were close enough to their destination for the train to begin slowing down when, without the slightest warning, an earth-shaking blast occurred in the first class car, nearly disconnecting it from the others with the sheer force of the impact. It derailed the car in one swift, jarring motion, causing those following it to buckle and tug against the engine. The cause was a carefully placed explosive hidden in the first class car of the train before it even left Goldedge station, only now set off at this opportune moment. Scarcely a soul in the small city of Glassvale wouldn't be able to hear this disaster taking place.

Asbel awoke to the deafening impact of the explosion and a feeling like someone had just punched him in the gut. He sensed the imbalance of the train where the car he sat in had left the tracks, scraping along them and drifting to one side before it slowly began to tip over. The first class car had already fallen onto its side and was now dragging the rest of the train down with it, a fire already beginning to spread inside. Asbel bolted upright and held perfectly still for a few moments, hoping to feel the train slowing down, but he couldn't tell. He was too panicked and there was too much noise - a constant cacophony of panicked screaming, the screeching of the train's brakes, and a low metallic groan like that of some fearsome monster as the train threatened to break apart.

Asbel didn't make a sound as he frantically reached forward to grab onto the back of the seat in front of him, hoping to steady himself as the train began to tip toward the aisle next to him. There wasn't a doubt in his mind that the train was going to flip, and that there wasn't a thing he could do to stop it. Just as the literal and figurative weight of the situation began to sink in and dread flooded Asbel's thoughts, he felt his hands abruptly slip from the bench in front of him as he was flung to the side, every car on the train rolling off the tracks to be dragged through the dirt until everything finally came to a gradual sliding stop.

Erick Bailee - King's Bodyguard - Home, Fairhaven

Erick's expression became strained with guilt and he slowly shook his head, placing a hand in Ryouki's. "Hey, don't apologize. You've got all the time in the world to do whatever you want and no reason to hurry - especially not on my account." He smiled and nudged Ryouki with his shoulder. "Besides, it's not your fault anyway. You know that."

Chapter Two -

Micah Cantel - Rebel Leader of the Syndicate - Fairhaven » Mirfield, Lynne

"Do you think I should have gotten the roses then?" Micah asked before taking a bite of his bread. The driver to his left offered no response, keeping his eyes on the road. "Nah, you're right. Might be too showy," he answered himself. "What about the chrysanthemums? Hans says they bloom wonderfully this time of year." Silence. "No? Really? Talk about being hard to please."

Just as their carriage was past the border, a blast sounded through the area and Micah leaned forward just in time to see the explosion on the far-off train tracks. Instinctively, the horses brought them to an abrupt stop, the driver fighting to rein them back in control. Around them, shouts, gasps, and screams filled the air, followed by the pounding of feet against the pavement. A shock even for the crime-ridden Lynne, it seemed. "So they finally made their move, huh?" he said evenly, continuing to eat.

The bombing of a multi-classed train—that carried hundreds of people a day—in plain view of a crowded station, just happening to coincide with the end of the Season for nobles and the day an assassin who tried to kill the king would be publicly executed. How... crude. Yet no one had committed such an act before. The rural uprisings were minuscule to this-this blatant show of power. Of how the king couldn't protect his people, of how he was losing control. However simple minded it was, this singular event, he knew, would be the last straw. The good ol' plain act of terrorism.

It could have been just a coincidence, but Micah would bet half of his possessions that it wasn't. Rumors had been swirling, tension had risen between forces. Even if it wasn't a planned attack, the king would point his fingers at the rebels before admitting a malfunction occurred in the government-funded public transport system, and the rebel organizations would clamor to claim the explosion was their idea for their own personal glory.

In a worst case scenario, the impenetrable walls of Hydris, supposedly the most protected city in Falcon's Reach, would immediately lock down. The borders of the kingdom would close with it, in order to limit foreign imports to non-private parties and keep other countries from interfering with the "wrong" side. Checkpoints and blockades would be established. Even the sewers might be guarded. If an army of Wastes creatures couldn't get in, what were the chances of anyone else? And I thought their recently heightened security was bad.

They had little time before word of this got around, but Micah was nonplussed. There was no need to rush with the plan. Secured or not, the path to the castle is still as clear as day. They only needed to be a little more careful. Micah tossed the wrapper in the backseat, where he'd placed the bouquet, and crossed his arms behind his head. "Get moving. It's time for our turn."

Silas Reid - Botanist and Odd Job Part-Timer - Wreckage of the Fair Maid, Glassvale, Lynne

t  h  e  r  e   w  a s   a   r i n ging in his ears

the kind that sheared through his thoughts

and made him acutely aware of the pain that numbed through his body.

although his eyes fought to keep closed,

he forced them open, to see what happened.

He needed to see what happened.

The seat in front of him was still there, which was a start.

He gradually pushed himself off his seat, grasping tightly to the cushions around him.

Apparently, he fell in the row adjacent to where he sat.

He tried to squeeze himself out, but stumbled and winced at the unfamiliar pain in his foot. He tried again and didn't stop.

Glass, flames, bodies, blood... An accident? He held still, taking a moment to control himself and gather his thoughts. For once, he was at loss at what to do.

No.

Help. He had to get help.

His seatmate. Was he okay?

He turned back around and bent over the chairs to scarf boy's form. "Hey." He laid a hand on his shoulder and attempted to shake him. "Hey." He didn't land on him when the train tipped, did he? It would explain why my head and back don't hurt as much as they should, Silas thought sarcastically.

Kristen Mernoth - Noble - The Fair Maid.

It was as if the world had ceased to exist, leaving nothing but pain, confusion and heat. Her vision cleared and she saw Leif stand up, holding his head with one hand, the other lifting his hammer and slamming it into the window, then tamping down the jagged edges.

The big Vallak tossed his hammer out the window, turn and sling her over his shoulder before climbing out. The car they had been on was on its side, and twisted to the point of being unrecognizable. Her mind cleared enough for her to register a horrible pain in her arm, against her better judgment she looked at it. There was bone sticking out. Mercifully she passed out.

Leif Regnar - Bodyguard - The Fair Maid.

He had a gash running the length of his arm, blood dripping into his eyes, and from the feeling of it several broken ribs. He took several long breaths of air before carefully moving Kristen further from the accident. He had to help the other survivors, he didn't know what happened, but he could hear screams.

Something wasn't right, he saw two men walk to where someone was trying to crawl away, one checked what looked like a book, nodded and the other man reached down and slit the survivors neck. One saw him and raised what looked like a tiny crosbow, and a dart shot past him. Then the men ran. Leif considered chasing them, but saw someone else was. The crossbow man turned and shot the person chasing them. The victim fell, convulsions racking them and foam seeping front their mouth.

Leif wiped his brow and went looking for survivors, using his hammer as a pry bar to peel away the metal.

Dimitry Popov - Mercenary - The Sewers, Hydris.

"Well here we are. The tattered tankard." He knocked on a wooden door that was surprisingly free of mold. A small window slid open and a pair of eyes glared at him. "What?" The eyes snapped. Dimitry pulled his bandana from his face. The window slid closed and the door swung open. "Sorry, didn't recognize you." The man waited until they were both in and slammed the door shut. Then stalked off.

Dimitry turned to Tula. "It doesn't look like much, but the kabobs are from a dream." The pub consisted of several dozen tables spread across the floor, with a bar on the far side, there were a few other patrons, but none looked over.

Asbel Sutherlin - Rebel Mercenary - Glassvale, Lynne

Asbel lay motionless, eyes closed, but he was dimly aware of the sound and feel of the world around him. There was an intense heat coming from in front of him and voices from every direction, some stronger and more urgent than others and one to his immediate right. Was someone speaking to him? He felt his shoulder being gingerly shaken and became more alert, his eyes reluctantly opening to let in the scene surrounding him. He immediately regretted it. He saw a single messy pool of red nearby before he forced himself to fix his gaze on the wall of the train, which was now the floor, and tried to sit up.

He ached all over, but aside from some sizable pieces of glass stuck in his left arm and a painful scrape on his left temple, he was uninjured; nothing felt broken. He looked to his right to see Window Seat Man - alive, thank goodness - and sat fully upright, still in a daze. He finally worked up the nerve to survey the carnage around them and his eyes widened as he realized how terrible the accident had really been. Everything was a lopsided mess of broken glass, blood, and smoke, and from the broken door of the first class car, he could only see indecipherable masses of twisted limbs and spreading fire. "Oh, no..." He raised a shaking hand to remove his already loosened scarf, suddenly feeling like there wasn't enough oxygen in the train.

Despite his ever-growing panic, he had the sense to turn his attention back to his seatmate and make sure he wasn't seriously injured. "Are you badly hurt?" He asked, his gaze momentarily leaving the man to search over his shoulder, hoping to see other passengers alive and maybe even relatively unharmed. The familiar man behind him, the Rojyan man in uniform, the girl who had missed her stop - where were they? He could see another area of the train car where the wall had buckled and almost completely caved in on itself, and he could only pray no one had ended up trapped beneath it.

Silas Reid - Self-Employed Botanist - Wreckage of the Fair Maid, Glassvale, Lynne

As soon as the man took off his scarf, despite what Silas just witnessed and the chaos surrounding them, he managed to place him at once. Asbel Sutherlin. One of those heroes that triumphed over the Wastes five years ago. He momentarily shut his eyes. Now isn't the time for a history lesson.

At Mr. Sutherlin's question, Silas couldn't help but touch a hand to his forehead. When he pulled it down, his fingers were stained with red. "I'm fine," he said absently, closing his fist.

They were approaching the station in Lynne, weren't they? When they would get off, he was supposed to transfer to another train moving farther northeast. But then something went wrong up front and all of a sudden, the train was speeding up instead of coming to a stop, and they were rolling downhill. The package would have to wait. Right now, they needed to salvage what they could and get out of here. The medics would probably be on their way, since they must have caused quite a stir, to put it lightly.

Putting his "fascination" with his bloody hand aside, Silas followed Mr. Sutherlin's gaze to where their coach was hit hardest. A large, well-built man was pounding his hammer on top of it. To rescue the other survivors, I hope. He wouldn't be surprised if some desperate folks took advantage of the situation and went scavenging for parts, considering the current economy in the poorer regions.

Silas scanned the rest of the site and recognized a few people, but the Rojyan fellow was nowhere to be seen. He had no chance of spotting the gent who offered his seat or the crying child, since he never saw their faces. I suppose I should do my part.

"Can you stand, Mister Sutherlin?" Silas asked.

## Page 11

Boraci

No sooner had I secured a loop of fabric for my hand when a blast washed over me, and the world went flip side. On instinct, I spread out my arms and legs to form a pinwheel of sorts. Something broke the train window and swirled toward me, sticking itself into my upper right arm. Shrapnel.

There must have been a bomb; lots of nobles. Despite the wreckage and alarming volumes of human blood, I managed to land on my knees. Once I had processed the sensory issues, I couldn't see my rowmate, but a large Vallak man was trying to unsqueeze the carriage. It was like trying to reform a squashed can. Unlikely that there would be any survivors from under there.

The ginger girl was unconscious a few rows back, and her arm looked to be broken. Stepping on the floor - now windows - I picked her up, ignoring my searing arm and the unfortunately green blood coming out. I made eye contact with Asbel, and Mr. Reid seemed to be helping him.

Oh, I had missed adventure.

-Tula Nikos-

Removing her mask, she held it in the insides of upturned palms and followed him in. Tula was grateful not many patrons were there, especially because Alina was enough of a headache compared to a noisy bar. "It's perfect," She affirmed. "I'm interested to see what they have to offer."

-Ryouki Sato-

"It's not that...I don't want to be a burden and I feel I just need SOMETHING to work into. I can't go back to Braille now." The thought, now spoken aloud, seemed to strike something in Ryouki. "Braille...I haven't seen my family in over ten years...thirteen years, scratch that." With a grin, he stood from the table. "I think I should introduce you to my parents, my siblings too. I-Is that good?" His voice trailed slightly, embarrassed at his own antics.

Illyushin Mosin - Polkovnik (Colonel) of the 13th Guards Division - The Fair Maid, Glassvale, Lynne

The impact knocked Mosin off his seat like everyone else and he ended up on the other side of the passenger car. A slew of Royjan curses came from his mouth. Blood was flowing around his area. None came from him yet his decorative uniform, which he wore exclusively on special occasions, was ruined beyond repair. He started to notice that some of the passengers, probably from the front cars, were seriously injured but he couldn't do anything since they were half-dead or near to it.

"Chyort! Shashka!" Mosin shouted, remembering his things. He had put away his sword when they crossed Fairhaven. Now the only thing that concerned him was to get that and evacuate the people left in here. Mosin attempted to open luggage compartment, but the handle had been jammed. He resorted to tearing it open and found that, while his bag had been burned away, Shashka and her scabbard looked as if it wasn't affected by the fire at all. Time for escape.

It seemed like that the Vallak giant was trying to create a bigger hole in the side of the car for people to crawl through but Mosin wanted to help in any way he could, so he tried for the door. He buckled his scabbard by his belt and sheathed his Shashka. He cautiously walked towards the rear of the partly damaged passenger car. He attempted to jam the door open. It wouldn't budge. He called out for assistance, if anyone could get the door open before the other, bigger fire spread to their unit and the room was fully engulfed in flames. "Help, anyone!" Mosin looked back and asked the man who offered him one of his seats, "Ser, would you mind placing her down for a second and help me bust this door open?" He had the same relaxed tone he used when asking for Lynne a while ago.

Dimitry Popov - Mercenary - Hydris Sewers.

Dimitry waved over a severing man. "What do you have today?"

The man, dressed in a suit that had seen better days said. "Well, as normal we have a large selection of beers and ale, along with several different types of hard liquor. I can give you the full list?"

Dimitry shook his head. "What is there to eat?"

The server nodded. "As always we have the clam chowder, beef and barley stew, and the kabobs. Spicy chicken, beef with a light red sauce, or vegetables and fruit."

Dimitry scratched his chin. "Give us a minute." The man smiled and walked away.

"They don't get much business down here anymore, it used to be the center of the Hydris black market, but when trains came along a trip to Lynne became quick and cheap."

Leif Regnar - Bodyguard - Fair Maid, Glassvale, Lynne.

Swear was mixing with the blood oozing from his forehead, stinging his eyes it dripped in, but he kept going, sometimes using the blunt end of his hammer to crush wood or crumple metal, or switching to the spike on the other side of the head to punch holes that weakened the structure, letting him bend it more easily. At this point he decided never to step on a train again, not only where they loud, but they did this some times.

Jessica Stuart - Ambassador - Grail-El embassy, Hydris.

She and her staff were probably the first people in the city to know what happened, she had just gotten a message from the fleet.

Getting messages to and from the sand ships outside Falcon's Reach was easy is you had the right sort of binoculars and a flare gun. The binocular lemse were coated with a reflective agent that only let certain wave lengths of light through, the signaling flares gave off large amounts of that light. The contrast let them be seen even on a bright day.

The message was short, since each letter needed three flares to be fired. There were two types of flares, pulse, and flash, much like the dots and dashes that made up Morse code.

The message was as follows: Train bombing, Lynne, mny dead, not us.

She leaned back and wrote her response. "Rec, undestud." Which was short hand for received, understood. She handed it to Cima who has just showed up and the assassin took it to the communication room.

Embla-Fairmaid, Glassvale , Lynne:

Embla coughed and straightened herself. She shook he head to clear it from a dull throbbing at the back of her head. She had been ways off from the explosion, but it had still affected her and those around her. I have been lucky to find a seat in the back, she thought. Embla walked along the aisle, pushing through the panicked survivors. She was soon panicked herself, for Embla had remembered...

Her brother had been near car of the explosion.

Jayzen-Fairmaid, Glassvale, Lynne:

Jayzen couldn't breathe. It hurt to breathe. He was numb with pain, and the heat of the fire was but a warm blanket. There was pressure on his chest, he was lying face up, and his eyes were open...but he couldn't see. He didn't want to. For there was blood everywhere, dead bodies and lost limbs. Faces of shock, broken and cut. Crushed. Flesh.

It hurts...

Asbel Sutherlin - Rebel Mercenary - Glassvale, Lynne

Asbel nodded to Window Seat Man and started to stand, the mixture of smoke and the blow to his head causing him to take things even more slowly than usual, when he finally put two and two together and gave the man speaking to him an odd look. He knew his name? It only took him a moment to realize what must have given away his identity, however, so he set the matter aside and looked around for something to do. He saw the familiar man standing near the crushed area of the car holding the girl from before, who appeared unconscious, and there was something on his arm. Blood? No, it's... Green. There was only one person who it could possibly be now, and Asbel felt incredibly stupid for not seeing it sooner.

He was most definitely happy to see him, confused though he was; a familiar (or perhaps not so familiar) face among all these strangers was a blessing as far as he was concerned. He hid his reaction, however, knowing Boraci was most likely trying to avoid attention, like he was, and that there were much bigger problems at hand. There was a large man further down the carriage prying a larger opening into the train so people would be able to escape the partially crushed compartment, but Asbel doubted he would be much help there. The best he could do, he figured, was search the wreckage. He turned his attention behind him, toward the first class car. The fire and smoke was spreading from there and it was thickest there, so he decided getting everyone away from that area would be his mission.

His left arm, unfortunately, was useless for now, as every movement in his hand and fingers seemed to anger the shards of glass in his arm, and he wasn't about to pull them out. He eyed Window Seat Man questioningly for a moment as if to ask him if he had a plan, but abruptly turned around toward the first class car to check for survivors there. He had to do this first - before that fire reached anyone who might still be alive. He made a point to avoid looking at his arm, since he was fairly sure he would end up doing something very embarrassing if he laid eyes on it directly, and he was already on the brink of tears.

He could see a young man pinned under a pile of wreckage from the first class car, lying on his back. His eyes were open, which initially scared Asbel half to death, but he could just barely make out the telltale movement of him breathing that let him know he was still alive. He was close to the fire, and if he didn't get out of there soon, he might end up like the first class passengers did. He tried to move some of the rubble off him, but it was slow going with just one good arm, so he turned to Window Seat Man for aid. "There's a boy under here; he's still alive, but I think he's badly injured. Could you lend me a hand?"

Erick Bailee - King's Bodyguard - Home, Fairhaven

Erick's eyebrows shot upward in surprise and he nodded, a small smile crossing his features. "Yeah! That sounds like a great idea. There should be a train heading to Braile from here later this afternoon." He had to admit, he had always been curious about what Ryouki's family was like and how he might get along with them - how Ryouki got along with them, for that matter. It felt kind of strange having never met them before when he'd been living with Ryouki for so long.

## Page 12

Silas Reid - Botanist and Odd Job Part-Timer - Wreckage of the Fair Maid, Glassvale, Lynne

Silas expected Mr. Sutherlin to approach the foreigner and the others when he got up, but he was dumbfounded to see him walking the other way. "Hey, where are you going?" he called after him. Perhaps stupidity was contagious, because Silas began to follow. When he crossed the threshold of the coach, at the sight and smell of the smoke, he brought the top of his shirt up and buried his face in the cloth. Damn it all. This couldn't be good for his lungs.

"There's a boy under here; he's still alive," said Mr. Sutherlin, betraying his whereabouts, "but I think he's badly injured. Could you lend me a hand?"

Silas clenched his jaw, mentally scolding himself for even considering the idea, but sprinted over and started to pick up the pieces that pinned the boy down. He wasn't as strong as the men back there either, but their combined strength could make a difference. "Get him out before I change my mind." Or I'm not conscious to change it.

Embla-Fairmaid, Glassvale, Lynne:

Embla surged forward, the stench of human blood and flesh pushing up he nose, into her throat, and into her stomach. Hunger. She hadn't eaten in days...

No! Stop. Jayzen might be in trouble-

He thought was interrupted when she came to face the horror that was the wreck. Bodies everywhere, and fire...and...Jayzen...oh no. He was covered in rubble and two people where lifting it up. But, she was frozen. Jayzen was unmoving. Only a slight rise and fall gave away the fact that he was still alive.

Jayzen-Fairmaid, Glassvale, Lynne:

Jayzen felt the pressure on his chest lessen bit by bit. His eyes were still open and glazed. He wouldn't see. He didn't dare. The smell of death remained strong, and as the pressure lessened, the pain became more evident. It was no longer a numb sensation, but a strong, throbbing one. He choked out a cry, and his gray blue eyes became panicked.

Stop! It hurts! Please...Please... " Please..." Jayzen cried out in a hoarse whisper.

Asbel Sutherlin - Rebel Mercenary - The Fair Maid, Glassvale, Lynne

Asbel nodded to the man as he helped Asbel lift the pieces of rubble and crouched down to pull the boy from the wreckage, breathing in as little smoke as possible. The boy was obviously in a great deal of pain, but Asbel couldn't afford to hesitate. He hastily looked over the boy to make sure he was safe enough to move and it seemed he was, so now it was just a matter of getting him out of there.

Asbel reached out with his right hand to pull the boy out by his shirt but quickly realized that wasn't going to work, and he let a curse slip under his breath. This was going to hurt. "Hold on, kid." He muttered, reaching under the boy's arms to pull him from the wreckage with both hands. The effort of partially supporting the boy with his left arm sent Asbel over the edge, tears welling in his eyes and a flurry of curses threatening to fly out of his mouth at a mile a minute if not for the barrier caused by him clenching his jaw shut and grinding his teeth.

He nearly stopped a few times but the encroaching orange flicker in his peripheral vision constantly convinced him not to, and he only set the boy down once he had cleared the rubble. Asbel dropped to his knees for a second to regain his composure, and once he'd done so, he ran his sleeve over his eyes and looked up. There was a girl standing nearby who bore a striking resemblance to the boy they had freed from the wreckage, and, assuming she was a sibling, Asbel decided to enlist her help. He pulled the boy's arm over his shoulder and supported his torso with his right arm, then nodded to the girl. "Get his legs, please?"

 Jim Thorne - Alienated Teenager - Glassvale, Lynne

He could have heard it a mile away, the explosion. After wandering the outskirts of Glassvale he suddenly stopped when he heard it. After surprise had worn off he immediately ran towards the explosion sound. It took a few minutes to actually see the remains of part of the train. It had to be the rebels. But he didn't think they would go this far. He hastened is step and finally made it within earshot of some of the people that seemed to be helping the injured.

"What happened?" Jim shouted, still running as fast as he could. His eyes suddenly took in the damage. The explosion was definitely meant to kill.

Silas Reid - Botanist and Odd Job Part-Timer - Wreckage of the Fair Maid, Glassvale, Lynne

"Hurry," Silas said as he slammed the door behind Mr. Sutherlin, the boy, and presumably his sister or relative of some sort, and ran back to the end of their coach. He was no longer worried about the growing fires when he had regained his sense of mind. If the engine hadn't yet exploded, it was only a matter of time before it did. Seeing the Rojyan struggle with the exit, he pushed his own body against it, desperate to get out. As much as possible, he didn't want to crawl through jagged edges of glass or steel and risk his well-being further. A groan erupted from the metal as it gave way at last.

Click.

Embla-Fairmaiden, Glassvale, Lynne:

Embla snapped out of her shocked trance and raced forward to help, pulling up her scarf to cover her nose. This car reeked of flesh.

Yum. Wait...no!

With trembling hands she picked up her brother's legs. Jayzen was covered in dust and blood. His arms were a crisscross of bloody cuts, and his black shirt had a stain slowly spreading across his chest. She looked up to thank the man, and saw he was  utterly exhausted.

Of course...his arm..! Embla cursed under her breath, but smiled up at the man anyway. "Thank you..."

Jayzen- Fairmaid, Glassvale, Lynne:

Jayzen's eyes were now shut, trying to block the pain. He felt himself being dragged out from the rubble. Damn did that hurt like hell. But at the same time, he felt the pain of a man....the man's arm was injured, and yet he was carrying him. The man had called out to someone, and as soon as he felt soft hands lift his legs, he knew it was Embla, his sister.

 Silas Reid - Botanist and Odd Job Part-Timer - Wreckage of the Fair Maid, Glassvale, Lynne

"And to think," Silas started, "I believed this couldn't get any worse."

A group of more than twenty armed persons surrounded the perimeter of the train wreckage, as if just waiting for them to come out. Judging by the fact that Silas was looking down at the barrel of a gun, he guessed these guys weren't here to be their dashing knights-in-shining-armor, come to lead the rescue. A green cloth covered the lower half of their faces, like Mr. Sutherlin's scarf had. He'd read enough papers and seen enough posters to know who they were. Acta Veritas. Rebels.

It was becoming increasingly unlikely that they simply got caught in a freak accident.

"Don't move," one of them said. "Come out with your hands up and nobody gets hurt."

"I thought we aren't supposed to move," Silas retorted before a strong kick was delivered straight to his gut. He curled in on himself, gasping like a fish out of water, as the wind was forced out of his lungs.

"A man in your position shouldn't be making smartass comments like that." Cold, cold metal landed hard on the back of his head. Outmanned and outnumbered. "I will only say this one more time. Put your hands up."

Narrowing his eyes, Silas reluctantly brought his shaky hands above his head from around his chest. This time, he kept silent. It was odd. Sightings of Acta Veritas never extended farther than Braile, and they were known for their peaceful protests. Why the change of heart? Impostors? Or have they decided peace was no longer an option?

"Sir, we don't have much longer," another rebel—a lackey, maybe—said.

"Then get their hands tied already and get going."

## Page 13

Leif Regnar - Bodyguard - Wreckage of the Fair Maid, Glassvale, Lynne.

Leif was a brace man, no one doubted that fact, at least to his face. But he was also a survivor, and knew that he would only get three or four of the shooters before they killed him, and what good would that be?  He wondered if these people worked with the cross bow users, he doubted it some how.

These people were amateurs compared to the two men who had already been here, and those two seemed to have a target, this bunch was just rounding up anyone they could find. He slowly stepped out, hands above his head and slowly walked to where Kristen was lying.

Jessica Stuart - Ambassador - Grail-El embassy, Hydris, Fairhaven.

What would she do with this information? Give it to the king? No, the man would jump to the conclusion that they had done it, and where trying to cover their tracks. She would give it to the Rojya embassy, now that the new ambassador had just arrived Jessica wanted to get Alina on her side. She would prepare what she would say to the king, but other than those two things she wouldn't do anything official.

"Cima? You here?" She asked in a hushed voice, the door swung open and the black clad woman entered. "I need you to start looking for anyone taking responsibility the bombing as soon as the king gives his statement. You know how to find people right?" She hadn't asked the strange woman to do anything before, except bring her messages and stay out of the public eye.

Cima nodded, though her eyes hinted at irritation at the question. Then without any sort of farewell stalked out of the room, closing the door behind her.

I was torn from helping Asbel, the Vallak man, and the Royjan. I struggled to help push open the door with one of my shoulders, the girl still in my arms. Looked like Mr. Reid wasn't as bad as everyone at the research center had said.

I waited for them to exit, then unwittingly followed. I immediately smelled them all, gun grease and sewage. Rebels. Possibly behind the attack.

I narrowed my eyes as Mr. Reid was assaulted for just being observant, but none of us were in any condition to resist. I saw the other teenagers that Asbel had helped and hoped for their sake that they weren't of noble standing.

Embla

Embla froze as she came face to face with the rebels. She wasn't about to put her hands on her head to drop her brother. "Wait...! We have an...injured person. He's my brother, please, do you have any medics?" She asked, her face giving away her distress and fear.

Jayzen:

Jayzen heard voices, but they were distant, steady hum at the back of his head. His body still hurt, even supported, part of him hung limp and that part stretched his limbs, which hurt even more.

Sleep...I want...rest... Jayzen's eyes fluttered open, bordering on consciousness, when his mind and body finally gave up. He seemed to collapse in on himself, limp, breath barley there.

Asbel Sutherlin - Rebel Mercenary - Wreckage of the Fair Maid, Glassvale, Lynne

With the girl's help, Asbel was able to carry her injured sibling out of the wreckage, with Boraci holding the door open for them and then exiting last. Outside, they were met with an armed group of thugs who apparently planned on abducting the group, and Asbel could only assume they were responsible for the bombing. It seemed they had climbed out of the fire and into a frying pan, so to speak.

When the girl began to plead for help from their would-be kidnappers, Asbel sighed and leaned toward her slightly, lowering his voice to a whisper. "Young lady, if you want to help your brother, hush. We'll have him taken care of once we're able to stop somewhere, but until then, let's just focus on not getting ourselves shot." He glanced to Boraci for a moment, dozens of questions playing out in his mind, but he wasn't sure if he would ever be able to ask them at this rate. By now, he was fairly sure the Fates were just screwing with the both of them for giggles.

Embla:

Embla tilted her head up to look at the man helping her carry her brother. She opened her mouth to snap back, but then a little voice in her head said: You are truly a fool if you do not heed this man.

Embla frowned but then nodded slowly, "Alright..." She glanced around at the other people who were 'with' them. They looked trustworthy enough, unlike these unpredictable rebels. While she did not like the king, she didn't exactly approve this behavior.

Illyushin Mosin - Polkovnik (Colonel) of the 13th Guards Division - Wreckage of the Fair Maid, Glassvale, Lynne.

Mosin looked around when he got out of the train and immediately noticed that the survivors were getting rounded up. His mind began to calculate a strategy at once. He could kill six or seven of the saboteurs at best with his Shashka before they managed to disable him. Maybe if he—

"You, put your hands up now!" one of the rebels yelled. Just as Mosin was about unsheathe the said Shashka, the rebels prodded their rifles at him. A sword was no match for a gun. Mosin brought his hands above his head slowly.

"Why are you doing this?" he asked.

"No talking," the rebel replied, poking his gun into Mosin's chest. "While you're at it, feel free to 'liberate' them of some of their items, boys." One man went to work tying his hands behind his back while the other frisked Mosin from head to toe, unbuckling his Shaska and scabbard from his belt.

"Stranger, you better take good care of that sword. It is very valuable to me and me only," Mosin said. Although his voice was still relaxed, there was a hint of worry and agitation. They ignored him.

-Ryouki Sato-

He sucked in air through his teeth, tensing in a moment of second thoughts. "Wait...maybe we shouldn't. I haven't exactly disclosed much about the Wastes to them." After the briefest pause, he clenched a fist and a determined look crossed his features. "No. We're going. To the station. Let's pack a bag. Or not, we could go now. Now! Now is good!" He took to throwing a coat on over his shoulders haphazardly and habitually putting a cigarette between his teeth as he rushed to gather other necessities. "We'll go now! Come on, Erick, look alive!"

--

-Tula Nikos-

"Ah, alright." She nodded with a soft smile. "I actually haven't been on an above ground train in my life before traveling from Rojya to here. All of Rojya's public transport has been reconstructing, and when I arrived, they started trying to bring it underground. So far, efforts have been somewhat futile, but I'm hoping it will be revolutionary!"

With a slight wave, she called over the idle woman bartender. "May I get a scotch, please? No ice."
The woman nodded and went into the bar to get the drink and Tula turned back to Dimitry. "Is that alright?"

## Page 14

Jim Thorne - Lynne Resident - Train wreckage, Glassvale, Lynne

Jim never got an answer to his question. Before he could repeat it a gun was pointed in his face. Surrendering right away, with a devilish glare at the threat, he raised his hands above his head. The men wore green cloth over the bottom of their faces and he knew right away these weren't normal rebels. Despite the overconfidence of the captives that had survived the train wreck, they had no idea who these rebels were. They were known in Lynne as Wood's Men.

"Sir," one of the rebels spoke to their leader. "I highly recommend we clear this area first before tying them up, people start showing up, and the state of the engine is too unstable. Where are we supposed to bring the captives again?" Their leader stared down at Jim for a few seconds before responding.

"We take them to Wood. He'll know what to do with them." After observing Jim for a few more seconds, as if sizing him up, the leader returned his attention to the rest of the survivors. "Take them and follow me." He ordered. With that, all of the rebels seized one of the survivors and began to lead them to an unknown destination. Jim knew, though, that they weren't in for a warming welcome. They were going to see Wood...Hiram Wood.

Asbel Sutherlin - Rebel Mercenary - Wreckage of the Fair Maid, Glassvale, Lynne

Asbel was watching the armed men take the Rojyan man's weapons when he suddenly felt the barrel of a gun nudge his shoulder, and he cast an irritated look at the woman holding it. "Hands up, Mr. Sutherlin." Oh, she knows who I am too. Brilliant.

Asbel glanced down to the unconscious teenager he was helping to carry, then back up to the rebel. "I'm a little busy."

"Our people will carry him. Just set him down slowly, take a step back, and put your hands over your head." She looked to the boy's sister. "You too." Asbel rolled his eyes but gently set the boy down as he was told, and two men moved in to pick the boy up once his sister had let go of him as well. He raised his arms slowly, trying to avoid further aggravating his left, and the woman then proceeded to confiscate all his weapons.

Just then, Asbel noticed a young boy, about the same age as the two siblings,who had approached the scene, and now it seemed he was caught up in this too. Before he could say anything to him, he felt someone grab the collar of his coat and shove him forward, and he didn't dare put up any resistance. He didn't want to set off a chain reaction and end up getting everyone killed. Another person had just emerged from the wreckage of the train, a woman probably about his age with dark skin and a very dignified manner about her, and she was promptly seized as well and moved along with the rest of the crowd.

Erick Bailee - King's Bodyguard - Home, Fairhaven

Erick couldn't help but laugh as he stood up, grabbed his weapons, and set to helping Ryouki get everything they would need for the trip. He was a little worried about what would happen while they were gone, with everything that had happened lately, but he made sure to remind himself to talk to one of the King's men as they left and tell him to let the King know he would be away for a while. Then the King could just assign some extra guards and, hopefully, there wouldn't be an issue. He would just say he needed to do something important, which was true, and not specify where he was going.

The King wasn't going to like it, obviously, but like it or not, he needed Erick. He wasn't about to let him go over something like this. Besides, maybe it would teach him not to send Erick away when he asked to be heard. Come to think of it, it definitely wouldn't, but as long as he had a job to come back to, he didn't mind all that much.

Embla:

Embla felt like hitting someone...or eating them. She glared at the woman and then set her brother down. She placed her hands on her head slowly, stepping away from her brother with a worried expression. "Please be gentle!" She called out to the two men who picked Jayzen up.

Jayzen let out a small cry as he was lifted up by them men, which made Embla cringe.

Sorry brother.

Leif Regnar - Bodyguard - Wreckage, Glassvale, Lynne.

He almost laughed at the sight of one of the rebels staggering under the weight of his hammer. But he controlled himself, he doubted these people would appreciate being mocked. He would bide his time, waiting for a time that their guns wouldn't be such a danger.

He decided to distance himself from Kristen, since if it became known he as her bodyguard it would become more evident that she was of noble blood, and he didn't know what would happen then, probably nothing good. If the rebels were this blatant in their attack they expected the king not to do much. How could these people have such a weak leader? If a chieftain didn't show his strength, or take his warriors on profitable raids it would be his end. And no good ruler would let bands of criminals run amok.

Dimitry Popov - Mercenary - Tattered Tankard, Hydris, Fairhaven.

Dimitry smiled "Of course that's fine, I don't have that many expenses, and work in a relatively high income business. I've got to spend it some how, and this seems better than most other things." He called over to the bartender. "Vodka for me."

"So you were saying underground trains? Sounds like a lot is changing. I remember I asked this question the first time we met, and you said you hadn't been in Rojya long enough to properly answer it. Now... Four years later, I'll ask again... What's it like?"

Boraci

I raised an eyebrow as two rebels began to search me. (A facial feature that came in rather handy, I had found out.) They took my knives but left me my bag of papers and such.

"I'm not setting this girl down, by the way." The rebel with my knives crossed his arms. "Careful not to cut yourself." I punctuated this last part by parting my mouth and briefly baring my fangs. He promptly skittered away, a little squeak escaping him. "Wouldn't want more blood spilt," I murmured.

I had heard the girl stir and repositioned her so that her injured arm rested on her stomach. Flanked by four new rebels, I made my way as close to Asbel and the two teens as possible.

"You're a regular celebrity, Mr. Sutherlin," I sardonically commented.

-Ryouki Sato-

He crammed whatever needed into a medium sized backpack and exhaled sharply. "That's everything! Let's go let's go let's GOOO!" He removed the cigarette upon noticing it and tossed it quick, thankful it was unlit. "God, I need to get away from this stress." Catching sight of Erick after having finished packing, he cupped his boyfriend's face and kissed him, long, hard, and enthused on the mouth. Ryouki released with a wide grin. "You ready?"

--

-Tula Nikos-

"It's definitely industrial. Our tech it seems is a bit more advanced than here. Same with Grecia, albeit the Isles aren't nearly as advanced as Rojya. The newest stuff that's swept the nation is this tonic from Arabya that helps with stomachaches but also has become quite a popular non-alcoholic drink. Can't place my finger on the name of it, but it's this dark colour. Viktor thinks is super sweet but I quite enjoy it." Tula nodded a thanks as the woman brought her the scotch as ordered.

"Rojya hasn't quite calmed down since Genya's return. It seems there are a lot more side-choosing and small uprisings. Parliament vs. The Czar's daughter...it's awful, and it seems there's been similar in Falcon's Reach. I was informed there was to be an execution this afternoon." Her voice then dropped to a slight whisper.

Silas Reid - Botanist and Odd Job Part-Timer - Wreckage of the Fair Maid, Glassvale, Lynne

Silas hadn't brought anything with him except the clothes on his back and the money in his pocket. Now he barely had that. His coat was tattered, his hat was missing, and they took his wallet. His. Fucking. Wallet. He glanced up at the sky, which was quickly attracting more and more airships in their area. It was going to be a long day.

Dimitry Popov - Mercenary - Tattered Tankard, Hydris, Fairhaven.

Dimitry nodded. "I heard the same, a would-be assassin, tried to kill the king. We never had this sort of issue back home, even after we got the city back. All decisions are voted on by the council, it takes a lot of time but it's better than having rebellions. The members of the council are voted in by the normal people, and anyone can be voted in."

He accepted his vodka with a thankful nod, once the server was a distance away he said. "Falcon's Reach is the most backwards nation on this continent. Technology... Weapons... Culture... Except their art. Grail-El art doesn't compare, but we never really had time for the arts until five years ago."

Leif Regnar - Bodyguard - Wreckage, Glassvale, Lynne.

He was trying to understand what one of the rebels had said, something about how the Woods would know. Did these people worship tree spirits? Did they sacrifice humans? If so their gods would not have him for dinner with out a fight, on both sides of the world. Audun boasted that he had killed a nature god, he was bigger than Audun, he figured he could get at least two of them, then he could feast in the halls of the great warriors long dead, a never empty jug of ale in one hand, and a hunk of meat the size of a man in his other.

One of the Rebels prodded him in the back with the rifle. "Hurry up" the man said, though Leif could hear the fear in the man's voice, at this range Leif could tear the man's head off if he so choose, and the rebel knew it.

Jessica Stuart - Ambassador - King Wilkins castle, Fair haven.

She stood in a waiting room, tapping her foot in irritation. She had been waiting ten minutes, and the king was late to the meeting he requested. It would have helped if she had someone to talk to, but her bodyguard was, as always, silent.

The door swung open and a guard said "You may enter."

Jessica stalked inside, barely bowing to the pompous ass of a man that sat in full regalia on the throne. "You asked for a meeting?"

The king smiled, "Ah yes, a pleasure as always. Now are you aware of an attack on a train in Lynne?" Jessica shook her head. "Strange." The man continued. "We were sure that some of your signal flares were spotted just outside of our border."

Jessica kept an even expression. "The flares could be anyone's, I assume fire works are legal."

The mans smile grew. "Not these sorts of flares. My spys say that those were Mk-3 signal flares, only mounted on your ships. You have a fleet in my territory, a weaker man would consider it an act of war, but I understand that your maps are primitive and your fleet might get lost."

Jessica brushed off the insult. "Is this about the attack in Lynne, or movements of our trading fleets? Because of it about the latter I can not help you, as I do not command private citizens in my nation."

The king laughed, almost boyishly. "I was wondering if you might be able to acquire information about these rebels, I expect that a Caravaner can easily fit in with a bunch of criminal thugs."

Jessica didn't show any responses to the insult, though Cima tensed slightly. "Ill see what I can do, but my nation does not work for free. The signing of the trading act will suffice."

The king messed with his scepter for several seconds before nodding. "I agree, we can have the official signing in a few days time. Will you be at my exhibition later? See how civilized nations punish criminals."

Jessica bowed slightly and left before she said something offensive.

## Page 15

Asbel Sutherlin - Base of Wood's Men, Glassvale, Lynne

As the group was herded on their way, Asbel briefly looked back to the two teens to make sure they were still alright. The girl was obviously distressed, but he was fairly sure she would listen to his advice. He couldn't help but chuckle at Boraci's comment despite his current situation - or perhaps partly because of it. "I suppose I just have one of those memorable faces." When they finally reached their destination within an old theatre, Asbel could no longer hold back his curiosity, and he once again looked to Boraci. He wondered, briefly, if his blood had been responsible for the change in his appearance, but he didn't suppose it mattered, so he let the subject drop from his mind before it could be voiced.

"I can't believe you let me sit there like a chump through that entire train ride, racking my brain trying to figure out who you were. I knew I recognized that snarky attitude of yours from somewhere." He smirked slightly, though his eyes wandered the room, suspicious of their surroundings. "How have you been? Oh, and have you kept in touch with Danny at all? Truth be told, I've worried a little about how he's been getting on since Miss Yu's disappearance."

Erick Bailee - King's Bodyguard - Home, Fairhaven

Erick grinned at Ryouki, thrilled to see him so excited about something. "Hell yeah! Let's get out of here." It seemed Ryouki's attitude was contagious, as he honestly couldn't be happier to get away from Fairhaven for a while. Maybe he was happy to get away from his job, the King, or all the gloom and doom hanging over the castle the past few months, or maybe he was glad just to be able to spend a whole day with Ryouki for once, but whatever the reason, he was definitely ready.

Tula Nikos

"I agree! Rojya is more industrial than anything, but Grecia was known for a lot of ancient art. Falcon's Reach definitely has a more current style." Tula flushed. "I'm sorry, I sound like such a geek..." She sipped her scotch slightly to try and hide her bright pink cheeks.

After finishing, she continued. "A-Anyway, I probably need to go to that execution. Thankfully, it's not until a few hours. It's a shame Alina has to attend as the Ambassador. Stuff like that makes her extremely sick."

--

Ryouki Sato

He took Erick by the hand and immediately headed for the station. It wasn't too far out where they lived, and Ryouki figured a walk could do some good.

This high from the sensation of wanting to see his family again almost wiped his brain a bit, his thoughts clouded in a sudden blur of adrenaline. Perhaps it was the nicotine habit finaly doing something weird to his mind? Maybe he just never got to relax for once in his life.

 Boraci

I started to shrug my shoulders, but stopped because the girl's arm looked... painfully delicious.

"Unlike yours truly, no one on the continent could have a more memorable face than you," I responded dryly, but allowing a smile. "And how was I supposed to tell you? 'Hello, yes, I'm not sure you remember, but I'm actually Boraci, a giant bat?'" I paused, taking in my surroundings. The rebels' headquarters was an old theater? Huh. How original.

"I've been as well as I can be in this frustratingly restricting body," I continued, sitting on a nearby carton. "Leading a double life, really." I frowned, remembering Poppy's disappearance well. "Before, I'd see Danny every week or so, and even Poppy if I was lucky. Now, he claims he's too busy."

Emotions. A painful but sometimes beneficial additive. "Of course, he and I both know the truth..." I trailed off as I surveyed the rest of the captured. This Wood man would have a hard time controlling that Vallakian, guns or no guns. "Does the name Wood sound faintly familiar to you?" I asked Asbel.

ilas Reid - Botanist and Odd Job Part-Timer - Wood's Hideout, Glassvale, Lynne

It took a long time to get to their destination. After much trekking and hiding from public sight, they finally stopped at a rundown building. Since it didn't seem like they had crossed any border, they must have not left Lynne. By the markings still left on the walls and the design of the structure, Silas speculated it must have been a theatre of some sort.

The rebels boxed them in a small space in the auditorium and finished cuffing the rest of the group. Although they did not immediately start treating the wounded—if they even planned to at all—a couple handed out handkerchiefs to wash with and handled the needy with a tiny bit more care than they had the rest. He was glad that the earlier ache in his sole wasn't anything serious.

 Dimitry Popov - Mercenary - Tattered Tankard, Hydris, Fairhaven.

Dimitry shrugged. "Geeking out is perfectly normal. You should see me when I see a new rifle."

"And about the execution, it's a good thing they make her sick, if it didn't there would be something wrong with her." He sighed. "Its spinning out of control and has the higher ups in my government so worried that they are sending extra security to the embassy, and might start positioning more ships off the border. You didn't hear that from me of course." He raised his eyebrows slightly.

Jessica Stuart - Ambassador - Grail-El embassy, Fairhaven.

"Do you know anyone in the criminal underworld that would do this?" Jessica asked Cima, she was sitting at her desk, a hand supporting her chin. The woman nodded. "Well, can you bring them to me?" The assassin shook her head. "Why not?"

Cima rolled her eyes and picked up a pen and paper, wrote on it and handed it to Jessica. She read it aloud to confirm what Cima had written. "He doesn't like meeting his clients directly, worried they would betray him. And he isn't cheap, probably nine ounces of triple nine gold." She read it again silently, then looked up. "Nine ounces? Really?" Cima nodded. Triple nine was caravaner slang for pure gold, since  99.9% pure was about as good as they could get with their manufacturing process. Needless to say, nine ounces was a lot of money.

Jessica wondered who Cima would know in the city well enough to trust. But she wouldn't asked, it probably involved a large number of dead people, and as ambassador she didn't need to know.

Asbel Sutherlin - Rebel Mercenary - Base of Wood's Men, Glassvale, Lynne

Asbel's brow furrowed with worry for a moment before he sighed and tried to think over Boraci's question with a clear head, though he tended to find that difficult these days. "It does. Maybe I heard the name through idle gossip about the rebels, because I can't put a face to it." Asbel sat down against a wall next to Boraci, having an increasing amount of trouble distracting himself from the pain in his left arm. He didn't know how Boraci wasn't blubbering like a baby, since his injuries were obviously more severe.

Nearby, Asbel could hear a trio of those rebel thugs whispering rather loudly to one another - something about how their leader wasn't there yet and how they were going to have to wait. Two of the men also ended up bullying the third into being one of the ones to watch the Vallakian prisoner specifically, since he could probably pick them up and snap them in half at any given time should he so desire. If those rebels didn't have their guns, it wouldn't even be a contest.

## Page 16

Boraci - Wood's Hideout, Glassvale - Lynne

"I guess that's not surprising," I responded, eyeing Asbel's jaded arm. "You couldn't even recognize me, for cripe's sake!" I let a small chuckle escape me, then let it wash away, like a whisper. My chuckles sounded more like an evil serpent.

I once again remembered the comatose girl in my lap. Before I could do anything to help her, I had to take care of my own arm. The shrapnel had lodged itself in my arm, but that didn't stop the blood flow.

"You might want to look away," I said out loud to those nearest, such as Mr. Reid and the three teenagers. Bending my neck, I dug into the wound with my fangs, causing it to sting severely. After a moment, I raised my head triumphantly with a gory piece of metal in my mouth. I spit it out and it clattered on the old wood floor. I used my scarf to tightly bind the wound. Although my arm was still screaming, I steeled myself and ripped a large section from the bottom of my cloak and constructed a sling for the girl's arm. Thank goodness she was unconscious, because I thought I heard some fleshy movement.

Once finished, I took a big breath, not bothering to hide my fangs anymore.

"Need help with those?" I asked Asbel, gesturing to his spiky arm.

-Tula Nikos-

Tula nodded. "Right." With a shakey laugh, she added. "It's a wonder I was able to sneak in some time with you amidst all this business. I guess in such times as these, it's good to try and do whatever possible to lift up spirits."

Asbel Sutherlin - Rebel Mercenary - Wood's Hideout, Glassvale, Lynne

Asbel visibly cringed and turned away as Boraci dug out the shrapnel in his arm, then let out a nervous laugh when he was asked if he needed help with the offending objects stuck in his own arm. He did, if he was honest, but he didn't like the thought of what would happen if he admitted it. After a few seconds spent trying to come up with an excuse, he gave up. He turned toward Boraci and held oDimitry Popov - Mercenary - Tattered Tankard, Fairhaven.

Dimitry smiled sadly. "That it is... Well I'm glad you could sneak in the time."

He took a long pull from his glass before saying. "There is only one thing good that comes of civil unrest like this. Plenty of work for people like me. If the rebels win they won't change anything for the better, despite all their rhetoric and sweeping ideas they won't have enough control to keep the nation from spiraling into anarchy. If the king wins there will be more oppression. The common people loose either way. And that's what government is for, to help the common people." He sighed. "Sorry about that." He had depressed himself a little with that comment.

Kirsten Mernoth - Noble - Wood's Hideout, Glassvale, Lynne.

The world was dark with swirls of lighter shades, sounds were mutted. The only sense that worked properly was her sense of pain, and she wished it wouldn't.

The analytical part of her brain said that she had a compound fracture, the rest of her brain said that her leg was gone.

Tabaraamon - Leader of the Seven Riders - The Wastes.

They had already traveled a distance that would take most horses several days, but they still had several days travel left to go. If the sun would go down he could be in Hydris with in hours, but he was the only one of the Seven with the ability to shadow sprint, where his body would disappear and reform elsewhere, but only in areas lacking light. But he couldn't leave the others behind, it wasn't as if they couldn't fend for themselves, they were probably the six most dangerous entities on the planet, it was against the pact. And if he broke the pact a slow death would seem a blessing.ut his arm - or both, seeing as how he was handcuffed. "Have at it."

Erick Bailee - King's Bodyguard -  Jadefield Train Station, Fairhaven

Jadefield Station was as crowded as could be expected (extremely so), but after asking around a little, it seemed Erick and Ryouki wouldn't have to wait very long for the next train to arrive and take them to Braile. While they waited, Erick's anticipation only continued to grow, and he couldn't help asking Ryouki, "What's your family like?" It had always seemed like family matters didn't come up very often or for very long between them, and although Erick's reasons were obvious, he couldn't resist taking this opportunity to get Ryouki to speak about it at length.

--Tula Nikos--

Her eyes seemed caught in a gaze that seemed to bore through her scotch glass, still half full. "So I see..." She flitted her line of vision to meet Dimitry's. "I wholeheartedly agree. That was something Czarina Genya believed in. P-Personally, Alina and I think she may have overstepped a lot of bounds as a queen, and now the consequences are taking full effect."

--

-Ryouki Sato-

"Different, in a good way." Ryouki quirked a brow. "I mean, they're crazy enough to accept me. My mom is intense, and a bit strict, but nonetheless quite caring, and my father is the kind of guy who you knew liked you whenever he would make fun of you. His humor is very dry, I think you'll like that." He added with a laugh. "Now, I have three siblings, all younger. My brother, Usami, is the second oldest at 18. After that, there are my twin sisters, Tsukiko and Taiyo. My parents thought it would be funny to name them 'sun' and 'moon'-which is very fitting, but is certainly not funny to them. They're thirteen years old."

Silas Reid - Botanist and Odd Job Part-Timer - Wood's Hideout, Glassvale, Lynne

Silas turned away in disgust as the man who offered his seat earlier bit at his own arm. The glass needed to be removed, but he couldn't help but be sick to his stomach. When he looked back, Silas raised a brow at the fangs that had protruded from his jaw in the process. He—and everyone else, he was sure—had figured out he wasn't a normal human from the moment green blood began oozing out of the man's wounds. Was he one of those Kyuketsuki he'd been hearing about?

Not that it mattered. One vampire still couldn't do enough damage for them to get free. And the rebels were unpredictable. If these men were behind the attack on the train, and therefore extremists, they wouldn't hesitate to kill if someone stepped the slightest bit out of line or things didn't go their way. They'd be all the more willing if it was a Waste creature that stood in their path. If there was one thing most of the people of Falcon's Reach (and maybe the other countries) could agree on, it was their intense hatred for the Wastes and its inhabitants. The constant threat of utter annihilation tended to do that.

Despite his doubts about making it out alive, Silas continued searching for a means to escape while struggling to keep his composure. From the bits of conversation he managed to catch, it appeared that they were calling themselves "Wood's Men". Yet he was so sure their uniforms were from Acta Veritas. They must have been a faction that broke off from the main group. That would explain a lot.

A groan came from behind him, catching his attention, and he turned to cut in on the conversation. "I would suggest that you keep your voices down," he looked at the teenage girl who he'd mistaken for a child before, "and not move around too much."

Dimitry Popov - Mercenary - Tattered Tankard, Fairhaven.

"A ruler is allowed mistakes, they are still human. The fact she can shoot ice from her hands doesn't make her infallible. I don't know the situation so I can't pass judgment. I know I screwed up all sorts of things when I was a unit leader back on the Caravans. No one is born knowing how to lead a nation or a military unit. You have to learn, and while you learn you'll make mistakes."

He normally kept neutral in this sort of thing, no matter who he was speaking to, but he figured that since Tula used to be Genya's bodyguard it might not be a good idea to insult the queen.

Cima - Assassin - Hydris, Fairhaven.

She would find Dimitry later,  she figured this sort of thing would be perfect for him, deep under cover with a bunch of gun toting nut jobs. He might like it to much and forget the money and just join with the rebels. But probably not, money, his religion and that strange woman who was from Rojya, but didn't talk like like she was. And she knew Dimitry's political views, so he wouldn't join with the rebels.

## Page 17

-Tula Nikos-

She tensed a bit, but didn't feel quite offended. "No one really knows that though, about her magic I mean. It's just Viktor, Ryan, and me...oh! Klaus and Anya know too. Alina is completely unaware, Genya wears gloves around her most of the time."

"It's awful, really. Genya used to be so detached and Alina still feels so resentful and now it's her who pushes her sister away. I can't understand that, I've had sisters before, but we were always so close." Tula crossed her fingers for emphasis and took a pull of scotch.

Boraci

Asbel hesitated, and I couldn't really blame him. Who knew what kind of infections might enter either our bodies? Oh, there it was. Another sign I had been reading too much.

Before I could start the process of delicately extracting the glass, the girl awoke. I pushed her head back down onto my thigh.

"You're currently in a rebel's nest, your arm is broken because there was a bombing on the train, and I basically saved your life. You're welcome." There was no use sugar-coating it. I returned Mr. Reid's patronizing look.

"I'll speak as LOUD AS I LIKE," I shouted blatantly, my mouth a miniature version of a stalactite-infested cave.

Embla:

Embla wasn't sporting any wounds other than a few bruises. Her brother on the other hand....

He was still passed out, blood still oozing from his wounds, streaming over the already dried blood. At his chest the dark spot had stopped spreading. But he still looked like hell. And his breathing was faint, and the rise and fall of his chest was jerky at best.

Embla crawled over to him and placed his head on her lap. "I'm sorry..." Embla sobbed quietly, covering her face. His blood and flesh smelled delicious, and she hated herself for thinking so.

Dimitry Popov - Mercenary - Tattered Tankard, Fairhaven.

"I have a sister, we weren't all that close... I wasn't close with any of my family. My father was a mechanic, by mother a doctor. They did not approve of my career path in the least. If they had been alive long enough I'm pretty sure they would have disowned me." He shrugged. "But everyone has their story, and most of it isn't their control. Thank you for being a bright spot in my story."

He kicked himself under the table. What had gotten into his head that made him say something so... Not him. He hoped his tan was deep enough that she couldn't see how much he was blushing. Because it felt like his cheeks were on fire.

Asbel Sutherlin - Rebel Mercenary - Wood's Hideout, Glassvale, Lynne

Asbel's attention briefly turned to the girl Boraci had been carrying, who seemed to have regained her senses but was still very confused, understandably. The siblings, meanwhile, definitely weren't doing well. The brother was still unconscious and the sister was in tears, and it didn't appear the rebels were particularly eager to help either of them. Asbel had told the girl he would help, however, and he was a man of his word.

Usually. In this particular instance. He sternly reminded himself to help them once the glass was out of his arm, since he would then be able to move it without further injuring himself and making an embarrassing scene, and that stern reminder seemed to replace some of his own fear, which he was grateful for.

Erick Bailee - King's Bodyguard - Jadefield Train Station, Fairhaven

Erick smiled, their train pulling into the station as if on queue just as Ryouki finished speaking. "They sound great. I'm looking forward to meeting them." He gave Ryouki a light pat on the back and headed for the train doors, weaving in and out of the crowd rather than waiting but glancing over his shoulder periodically to make sure Ryouki was able to follow despite the bustling crowd.

Tula Nikos

Her own face began to burn, thoroughly flattered. "Wow..." She breathed, and started to feel tears pricking at her eyes.

That's odd, Tula normally was able to hold scotch well...or she was genuinely emotional. That's it, something that never seemed to occur, not since the time she was a teenager with business beyond her years and crossing about every moral code, not since a leading officer from Rojya decided to spare her life because he also saw that in her, a bright spot.

"I-I'm sorry!" She immediately began to dry her eyes, careful not to ruin any of her eye makeup-naturally applied, albeit, but mascara was still easily ruined with tears. "I'm just so flattered, and stunned, and happy and..."

--

Ryouki Sato

Ryouki walked with purpose, taking heavy and quick strides to make his way through the crowd. He heard a somewhat panicked murmur run through it, catching bits and pieces of conversation.

"Broken down.......Lynne to Fairhaven...are the passengers okay?....broken limbs...massive crash..."

Ryouki seemed to have second thoughts again, but waved them away once on the train with Erick. He took Erick's hand and led them to a seat together.

"Erick, didn't Miss Alice once say something about starting the Wastes expedition at this station?"

Her name was like taking out a book that had been unread for a long time. After losing his arm in the Second War, his mind was left rather muddled. For the longest time, mentioning anyone or anything's name was some kind of trigger that would send him into spirals at night, numb mornings where all he could do was have a smoke to try and relieve everything, an occaisional pill from Sugar Rush that would relieve the pain of the memories, of the nightmares of having that Ghost gruesomely chew his arm off over and over and over again.

 Silas Reid - Botanist and Odd Job Part-Timer - Wood's Hideout, Glassvale, Lynne

Silas reacted on instinct, his ire coming to fore and his voice rising up to compete with the stranger's. "What was that, fucktard—" A string of curses followed in his thoughts, but there were none he chose to give voice to. Better judgement seemed to come back around just in time. Instead he lowered his voice and whispered fiercely, "Then you lessen our chances of escaping and draw their eyes on us." As if to emphasize his point, his gaze shifted to the rebels standing guard every so often as he spoke. They stared back. The earlier noise he and the man generated, however short, made them the focus out of the group of survivors, or so Silas suspected anyway. It took a while before they looked away.

 Dimitry Popov - Mercenary - Tattered Tankard, Fairhaven.

Dimitry reached over and took her hand. "You don't need to say anything. I've been meaning to say that for some time, just never had the courage to say it. I'm just glad I finally did.."

In all his life he hadn't felt like this about any person, not about Jessica, or any of his teenage flings. Maybe he was maturing, maybe Tula was different then them. He didn't want them to be separate, it was that simple. A horrible thought struck him... What if he was turning into a hopeless romantic like Erick.

Leif Regnar - Bodyguard - Wood's hideout, Glassvale, Lynne.

He glanced over at the men arguing. "Maybe if you both shut up you wouldn't attract so much attention. I've already got all eyes on me, so I can be as loud as I want." Then he took a deep breath and shouted "boo!" As loud as he could at the man guarding him. The guard shrieked took several steps back. It was deeply entertaining for him, it almost looked like the guard had urinated himself in fright, but it was just the lighting making shadows.

The more frightened of them they were the better, there were a bunch of different myths about his race, how they were immune to pain and other such things. If they thought those were true they might just run when he got loose.

## Page 18

Erick Bailee - the Winter's End, Fairhven >> Braile

Erick's eyes widened slightly as he looked to Ryouki, surprised to hear him mention the mission. For the longest time, it had been sort of an unspoken rule in their house not to speak of it. "Yeah..." He flashed a quick smile. "Yeah, they went from here to Lucan." He left his answer at that, not sure how far the conversation should go since it had scarcely come up before, and never in a relaxed manner.

Erick had learned when he was very young that the past was sometimes best left untouched. His mother had been that way sometimes, though it lessened as he grew up. Entire decades of her life were a total mystery to Erick, and those missing pieces were never to be asked after or touched upon. When they were, Erick could see that it wounded her, and he felt that Ryouki had been similarly wounded. The way he saw it, there were certain things that just needed to be left in peace for a time. Maybe things were beginning to mend themselves a little.

Asbel Sutherlin - Wood's Hideout, Glassvale, Lynne

Asbel's eyes darted back and forth between Boraci, Window Seat Man, and the Vallakian as they bickered, tired and uninterested. He guessed he should be interested for the sake of the other people stuck in this dangerous situation, but the urge just wasn't there. The guards weren't eager to shoot their wounded, exhausted prisoners, and he got the feeling the prisoners knew that. Asbel honestly didn't feel they were in immediate peril.

"Everyone, please, relax. Let's all practice our indoor voices by introducing ourselves, hm? If you'd rather avoid the risk, an alias or first name will do."

Boraci

I continued to glare at Mr. Reid and gave the Vallakian an eye roll.

"Good idea, Mr. Sutherlin," I said, my voice on its 'inside mode.' "I suppose most already know you, so I'll go ahead." I wiped my mouth on my cloak, leaving a smear of mushy green slime. I gave a grin, slightly manic.

"I'm Frederick Dermon." The pseudonym tasted dry coming out of my mouth, even though I've been using it ever since the mutations started happening. No need for this group of strangers to know I was a giant bat hybrid, much less part of the team that was at the center of the Second War of the Wastes.

"And you, large sir?" I asked with no trace of an smile on my face. The Vallakian intrigued me. I didn't wait for an answer before leaning over and carefully extracting pieces of jagged glass from Asbel's arm. "Please no screams."

Tula Nikos-

"I don't think anyone has ever felt that way about me, really." She smiled softly, her fingers curling around Dimitry's hold on her hand. "And the same in return. I'm glad to have you in my life too, Dimitry."

For a split second, her brow quirked and Tula flashed a cheeky grin. "You aren't asking me to marry you so soon, are you? I-I mean, I would say yes but, there's no way Viktor wouldn't try to crash it and rant about how distracting you are from my work when really you're not but that's not to say you aren't..." Her joke stumbled into rambling, causing her face to flush.

-Ryouki Sato-

"I wonder...there was apparently a train crash earlier today on a train going to Lynne. You think anyone from the group was on it?"

Dimitry Popov - Mercenary - Tattered Tankard, Fairhaven.

Dimitry blinked several times as he tried to understand what she had said, when he figured out what she had been saying he smiled. "Don't worry, I'm not ready to ask you. I don't have a house, or any sort of threshold to carry you over, much less for us to live in. Maybe some day..."

Leif Regnar - Bodyguard - Wood's hideout, Lynne.

 Leif glanced up at the man with the impressive teeth and said "Leif, Leif Regnar. It would be a pleasure to meet you if these were different conditions."

Pleasure to meet you was something he picked up from Kristen, she said it to most people she met, so for all he knew it was the proper greeting in these parts.

Jessica Stuart - Ambassador - Embassy, Fairhaven.

She looked through a pile of paper work and slid it to the side. It was a bunch of visa requests from people wanting to leave Falcon's Reach. She had no interest to give them the permission. Maybe she was in a bad mood, but from the reports from the council suggested that the majority of people going to Agnarok were mostly craftsman that didn't understand the technology gap, and as such did nothing of worth.

Asbel Sutherlin - Rebel Mercenary - Wood's Hideout, Glassvale, Lynne

Asbel was looking toward the Vallakian expectantly when he felt the pieces of glass leaving his arm one by one, and the only reason he didn't scream was because he'd been politely asked not to. "I appreciate the warning, Fredrick." He quietly retorted, trying his damnedest to keep up a stoic appearance, though that wasn't exactly his strong suit.

Erick Bailee - King's Bodyguard - the Winter's End, Fairhaven >> Braile

Erick frowned almost defensively at the idea, though he knew he couldn't deny the possibility. "No idea. I hope not. I'll be able to find out when we get back, though; someone in the secret police is bound to know the details."

Evelyn Luciole - Secret Officer - King's Castle, Fairhaven

Evelyn approached the King as a cat would a dog, her eyes never leaving his until she lowered to one knee and bowed her head. After a second or so, she rose, and the King gave her a welcoming smile.

"You requested my presence, Your Highness?"

"It seems Mr. Bailee has been waylaid somehow and will not, as it turns out, be able to attend the... 'demonstration' in a few hours as I had planned. I would like you to gather three other officers in two hours' time or less and take his place there before the event begins. Keep the masses under control by whatever means you deem necessary and don't let anyone cause any trouble."

Evelyn nodded affirmatively, calm expression unchanging. "Of course. Is there anything else?"

"It seems there has been an accident of sorts in Lynne this morning. The situation is rather unclear at the moment, but I may eventually require your assistance with the matter. I trust you would be able to remedy the problem quietly."

"Whatever the problem may be, that I can promise."

Silas Reid - Self-Employed Botanist - Wood's Hideout, Glassvale, Lynne

Silas sighed. They were probably going to die anyway so might as well. At this point, it didn't really matter what anyone of them did, did it? It was then when he gave up all pretense of searching for an escape route. "My name is Silas Reid."

Ryouki Sato

Ryouki smiled. "Right, I'm sure they'll look into it and see that everything gets resolved." In an effort to brighten the conversation, he changed the subject. "Now that I think about it, I'm sure that everyone might be older than when I last wrote to them. God, last time I saw the twins, they were so small. I never understood where I got my height from, almost everyone in my family is shorter than me."

--

Tula Nikos

Tula nodded with a smile and downed the rest of her scotch. "Yeah, that's too far ahead in the future!"

"Anyways," She began but her words caught at a sudden glance at the clock on the wall. "Shit! I need to be back at the Embassy in 20 minutes!" Tula stood from her seat and threw her uniform jacket over her shoulders swiftly. "I'm so sorry, Dimitry. I wish I could have been able to stay longer, but I need to meet with Alina again before the execution, and hopefully cover up this situation from Viktor..."

 imitry Popov - Mercenary - Hydris, Fairhaven.

Dimitry stood up when she did. "There is an quicker exit this way, so you won't have to tramp through the sewers." He pointed at a door. "Just take the stairs up. But before you go..." The other patrons weren't looking at them so he leaned over and kissed her quickly on the mouth. "See you soon? He asked hopefully.

Leif Regnar - Bodyguard - Wood's hideout, Lynne.

Leif stood up and walked to where the others were speaking. The guard glared at him, but didn't do anything to stop him. He sat down next to Frederick, the man with the impressive teeth.

"The name's Leif, you have any idea what they are going to do to us? Hopefully not sacrifice us to a forest spirit. I'm surprised they didn't search the wreckage for vvaluables, it would seem like something a bunch of criminals would do."

Illyushin Mosin - Polkovnik (Colonel) of the 13th Guards Division - Wood's Hideout, Glassvale, Lynne.

"The train must have been too dangerous to raid and it would only be a matter of time before they attracted too much attention. As for why we were taken, I would like to know the same thing." Mosin approached the small group of people talking, who he recognized from the train car he travelled in. "Sorry, I could not help but overhear. I am Illyushin Mosin."