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The Slave Trade
Topic Started: Aug 23 2011, 08:54 PM (2,445 Views)
Jet Blackbeard
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aka Bear
It had been almost a week since the Mononoke had sailed beyond the great iron net that had once separated Ixa'taka from the vast expanse of North Ocean. That week had been an uneventful one and yet a stressful one at the same time.

At least it had been for Kokyrie. Today she was seated upon her wooden throne, much as she had been the day before, staring out across the skies with the same bored expression she had worn then. So far the Ixa'ness' search for any signs of slave traders in the area had been for naught.

And therein lie the latest trend in Kokyrie's worrisome life. When her crew had first sailed into the North Ocean morale had been high as the Amazons prepared to engage in what was probably the most epic battle in the history of their tribe.

But over the last few days their zeal had begun to die down, replaced with a sense of disappointment and discord. The Ixa'ness' bloodlust could not be contained for much longer. They needed to find their quarry before the warrior women decided to hold Kokyrie accountable for the promises she'd made to them.

Despite the time being ripe for a mutiny Shandala had been conspicuously quiet lately. This, more than anything, worried Kokyrie. Was her childhood rival plotting an uprising in secret?

"Geez, now I'm starting to sound as paranoid as she does." Kokyrie muttered to herself. Silence was her only reply. The new War Chieftain glanced behind her, noting that Mika, who had been like her own shadow, was also strangely absent.

"I wonder where she's gotten off to now." Kokyrie asked of no one in particular. "I hope she didn't trip and fall overboard."

~

Mika peered around a corner, catching a glimpse of the two people she was stalking through the Mononoke's bowels. The young huntress who usually accompanied them was currently on duty in the crow's nest, leaving the two healers unattended.

Now was her time to strike.

Creeping closer Mika could hear their voices. One of the girls, a Kortelan from what she'd gathered, was very quiet and she had to strain to hear what she was saying. But the other one, a priestess from a faraway country, spoke with a strange accent.

The two of them had been aboard for just over a week now but Mika had never been given an opportunity to approach them. Her duties as Kokyrie's personal attendant had kept her busy. But now she had managed to slip away for a few moments.

Now she would have her chance!

Taking a deep breath Mika stepped into the room the two healers were occupying and began speaking the moment she came into their sight. "Your name is Jel'daaaaaah!" Mika shrilled as her toe impacted the door-jamb. She bent over, a pained look on her face, as she massaged her wounded digit.

"Ow ow ow....ah, hello." Mika began again, smiling awkwardly. "You're Jel'din and....Suki....Kiko.....Sukikiko right?" She asked, butchering Tsukiko's name horribly. "Well, I'm....er, I'm Mika. I'm the War Chief's attendant you see? I'm not bothering you am I?"

~

Xera sat upon an upturned cask, staring blankly at her dim reflection in the iron blade she'd been sharpening for the past half hour. The armory was filled with many weapons, spears, bows, daggers and the like, and Xera was supposed to be inspecting them all right now.

But as muddled as her thoughts were at the moment Xera wouldn't have noticed if every blade in the room had gone missing. "So here we are. The place where the invaders come from." She sighed to herself. "Where my 'friends' brought all of our captives to."

Xera scowled and tossed her blade down, causing its keen tip to lodge in the wooden deck. No one, not even Shandala, knew of her dealings with the slave traders. No one knew that the men her tribe had been capturing lately were being handed over to them by Xera herself.

No one knew.....yet.

"So what if they find out?" Xera snorted.

A sudden creaking of the floorboards from outside of the open door brought Xera to her feet. "Find out what?" Shandala purred as she sauntered into the room. "You plotting some mischief?"

Xera recovered from her shock quickly and smiled. "Maybe. Have you thought about what I said?" She asked, stooping to retrieve her dagger. Xera tossed it into the air and deftly caught it by the blade. She repeated the action over and over, juggling the knife.

"About me having more backing among our tribe than Kokyrie? I have." Shandala answered. "But it's not just our tribe I have to contend with anymore is it?"

"The King's ships? Yes, those could be a problem." Xera answered. "We can't just take the Mononoke from her by force. But prey always comes to a patient hunter."

"Oh?" Shandala arched an eyebrow.

Xera caught her blade in midair once more and extended its hilt to Shandala. "Unless Kyrie is blowing smoke in our eyes we're in for a fight later. And....well, amid all that chaos, anything could happen."

Shandala reached out and accepted the blade. "Anything?"

"Anything." Xera answered. "And nobody would ever find out."

"Find out what?" Shandala asked, her expression unreadable.

"That you murdered Kokyrie."
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Daiohma
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The Ice Fang
Tsukiko reached for her little note book, after being on board the Mononoke for almost a week she had started to keep track of things that she had come across in the new lands.
She had down the name and location on her hand drawn map of Ixa'taka.
The maiden had also had to write down the names of her new friends and practice their names late at night.

She had enjoyed her time with the people of Ixa'taka, they were so different from what she had experienced before.
The most shocking thing to her was the fact that the woman were also warriors here, back home the most she ever heard of woman fighting was the ones that helped out with magic on the battle field.
Looking around at the many spears and daggers she was still surprised that most of the weapons in the room belonged to the people of this ship.

Tsukiko was not sure what was going on with the crew but she had the feeling that they were looking for someone, something about slaves.
On her trip over with Midori she was told a little about the past of this land and that many of the people used to be slaves.

Her thoughts were interrupted as she heard a voice call out from the door way, "Your name is Jel'daaaaaah!"
The Girl had hit her toe on the door as she entered.
Tsukiko quickly wondered if she was ok, but she soon stood up and seemed fine,
"You're Jel'din and....Suki....Kiko.....Sukikiko right?" She asked the two.

''Tsukiko..'' The maiden blushed, she could understand as she herself could not every time get the crew's names right.
''I am a Tsuki Shrine Maiden from Yafutoma, it is a pleasure to meet you.'' She stood and took a little bow.

The girl introduced herself as Mika, the War Chief's attendant.
''War Chief?'' Tsukiko mutters softly to herself.

She started to wonder just want kind of ship she was now on.
''I'm not bothering you am I?" asked Mika,
Tsukiko shook her head, ''oh not at all.''
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Gordreg
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Jel’din smiled as she watched Tsukiko’s quill scratch words upon the prior-blank pages of her notebook, and though the symbols they were in were not ones she could recognise, Jel felt sure that they were notes. The Yafutoman’s constant questioning had revealed to Jel’s own surprise that she’d picked up far more knowledge then she’d thought during her year with Kokyrie, and currently the healer basked in the warmth of satisfaction. Compared to Yafutoma, Ixa’ness and Kortela were practically neighbours; and Tsukiko hadn’t known many things about the continent that Jel had assumed would be commonplace knowledge, such as Langries and Que’lak, Garpa and Quet’ya.

“…and this is a Thora, it’s a small quiver you carry from a strap about your neck…” Jel quietly explained, gesturing toward the hanging container and giving a quick stroke of the hide lid. “The hunters back at my village use a lot of them. They keep everything inside dry, so it doesn’t get wet in the rain or mist…” she continued, calmly taking a small step forward…


"Your name is Jel'd-aaaaaah!"

The sudden shrill cry from over by the door caused Jel’s composure to shatter with a flustered start, her eyes whipping around to stare, surprised, at a young woman now hunched over in pain, massaging her toe. “Yes, that’s right…” she answered, cautiously, as she re-gathered her startled wits.

“Oh no, you’re not bothering us… and the War Chief is Kokyrie’s title, Tsukiko.” Jel turned to give brief explanation, before sticking out her tongue in concentration as she opened up one of her pouches. “Though that poor toe of yours looks a bit swollen... mind if I?” Jel hesitantly asked, unwrapping a rolled up leaf within the pouch to expose a thick, creamy-white paste.

“Just a little of this should help sooth the aching.” She stated softly as she lowered herself to her knees, and began slowly applying the cool cream to Mika’s digit with her fingers. “There… that feels better, right?” she beamed, glancing up at Mika, and noticing with some surprise the clear discs suspended above her eyes for the first time.
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Jet Blackbeard
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aka Bear
Mika sat down cross-legged on the floor next to Jel'din and Tsukiko. "Wow, that feels much better. Thank you!" She said as the pain in her toe began to lessen.

Now face-to-face-to-face with the people she'd been wanting to talk to Mika was suddenly struck dumb. She stared blankly at them for a moment as she babbled. "Well er, you see....um.....I heard you both came from other places. Besides Ixa'ness I mean. And I....well, I was going to ask you a few things. But.....um, I seem to have forgotten what they were."

Mika brushed at the back of her head and smiled sheepishly. "Kinda lame huh? I finally get the chance to meet outsiders who I can actually talk to and now I have nothing to say." She laughed nervously and poked at a knot in the wood at her feet.

And then Mika's eyes lit up and her smile widened. "Ah! Now I remember what I was going to ask you about!" Her gaze traveled to Tsukiko and rested upon the young priestess. "You're from Yafutoma right? The country next to ours? Well, what I want to know is how you~"

Mika's question was cut short by a sudden commotion in the hallway. Several of the Ixa'ness were rushing past and one of them poked their head in the doorway and spoke to them. "Mika, get your ass back on deck and get to work!" Xera's angry voice caused the servant girl to start with surprise.

Mika rose from the floor and then promptly stumbled against one of the barrels next to her. "Ow! Pins and needles! Pins and needles!" She groaned, massaging her leg. It had obviously fallen asleep while she sat and could not support her weight at the moment.

"Oh drat, I have to go now." Mika sighed. "Well, it was nice meeting you both. Maybe we can talk later."

And then Mika was gone. The herd of Amazons moving in the same direction swiftly carried her away, jostling her all the way back to the top deck to attend to Kokyrie.

Something was clearly going on up there right now.

~

Nixie leaned across the edge of the crow's nest with her chin propped in her hand. "It's. So. BORING." She fumed to herself. The young huntress always preferred this duty, as it required little in the way of physical effort. But at times like this she would have loved to have something to occupy her hands and stave off the doldrums of sailing.

But such was not to be. Today, as with the day before and the day before that, Nixie could only stand and stare out into the clear blue sky in search of....whatever it was she was supposed to be searching for. "What am I looking for anyway?" She muttered to herself in irritation. "A big sign that says 'Slave Market' or something?"

No sooner had the words trickled from her lips than Nixie's eyes caught sight of something in the distance. It wasn't much but it was something. And in the realm of nothing that something stood out in stark contrast.

A small island lay just off of the ship's port bow in the distance. It looked no different from any of the ones they'd passed by thus far but there was one small feature to it that set it apart as unique. Rising from the forest on the other side of the island was a thin, grey plume of smoke. Smoke meant fire and where there was fire, there would be people.

"Smoke! I see smoke! There's someone on the island!" Nixie cried down from the mast. Below on deck the call was taken up by several of the Amazons and was soon carried to the rest of the ship.

~

Kokyrie was seated upon her throne again today. And just like yesterday and the day before that, she was bored almost to tears. "What the hell am I supposed to be looking for anyway?" She muttered to herself. "A big cage filled to the gills with slaves crying for freedom?"

No sooner had the sarcastic words fallen from her lips than one of the Ixa'ness came dashing up to her. She knelt down in front of the throne and bowed her head. "My Chieftain! The lookout has spied signs of habitation on yonder island!"

Kokyrie glanced over at the island but could not make out what had alerted her sharp-eyed friend to human activity. "We will investigate. Find us a suitable landing site and prepare to go ashore!" She ordered. The woman rose, bowed again and then hurried off to relay Kokyrie's orders.

~

Within a few minutes a sizable war band had begun to assemble on the deck. They chattered excitedly amongst themselves as the island in the distance loomed larger. Soon the Mononoke had grown near enough for all of them to make out its rocky shore. Barren grey stone gave way to a dark and foreboding forest thick with shadows. And somewhere in that forest was their prey.

"At least I hope so." Kokyrie sighed. "If we've come all the way out here only to find some hermit's cook fire these girls are going to be a wee bit unhappy with me."

Anticipation grew among the Ixa'ness as the Mononoke glided to a stop just off of a stony finger that stretched out into the sky. The anchor was dropped and canoes were lowered over the sides. Everyone began looking to Kokyrie for her order.

"Launch the rafts!" She cried with more confidence than she felt right now. Her confidence plummeted even farther when she realized that she'd be going ashore in the same raft as Shandala and Xera. The two women stood waiting impatiently for her to board. Shandala had a wry smile on her face as she swept her arm down, graciously inviting her chieftain aboard.

"Great. Where are Jel and Nixie?"" Kokyrie sighed. If she had to be on the same boat as Shandala and Xera her former crewmembers should be aboard as well to balance things out.
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Daiohma
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The Ice Fang
The three all sat down facing one another, Mika seemed relief that she could take the weight of her toe that she had hurt before when entering the room.
There was a short moment of silence as the three looked at each other, Tsukiko closed her book and put it to one side having taken down the girls name.

Mika started to talk which caught Tsukiko of guard for a moment as she was still getting used to the way people spoke around this area of sky.
She told them how she had forgot what it was she was going to talk to the two about.
This reminded the young shrine maid of her sister Midori and how she would forget things when in a hurry.

Thinking about Midori she wondered what she was upto now, surly she must of already reached Valua, also Tabiki mentioned something about going on a journey soon before Tsukiko went with Midori to Ixa'taka.
By now she must be sailing around Arcadia too.

Her thoughts were cut off by Mika as she started to talk again.
"Ah! Now I remember what I was going to ask you about!" She smiled as she looked over to Tsukiko.
"You're from Yafutoma right? The country next to ours? Well, what I want to know is how you~" She was cut off by a group of Ixa'ness running past the doorway.

One of them leaned into the room and told Mika to get back to work.
Mika did not look too happy about this but stood up to join them.
''Pins and needles.'' She called out as she got up, "Well, it was nice meeting you both. Maybe we can talk later."

With that Mika went and joined the others.
Tsukiko turned to Jel, ''Pins and needles? I sure hope that she is ok.''
She had never heard such a saying before.

The maiden opened her book and wrote down that she would have to watch out for needles on the ground.
As she did she could hear alot of people running around above them,
She wrote down that something was going on, but she would look after her new friends.
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Gordreg
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“Oh, don’t mention it!” Jel beamed as she wrapped up the leaf again and popped it back into her pouch, pleased to have bought a little relief to Mika. She giggled as the young Ixa’ness stalled and babbled, behaviour that seemed somehow strangely familiar to her. “And don’t worry, either! I, erm, forget things all the time…” she sheepishly admitted, running her fingers nervously back through her hair. “Please, um, come ask again if you remember them…”

But such an offer was perhaps premature, as at this point Mika’s face lit up with a grin, and Jel clasped her hands together to wait for what would be asked of Tsukiko… but before the young woman could finish her question, an Ixa’ness that Jel didn’t know popped her head about the door to order their new acquaintance back to work.

Jel gave a nervous grimace. “Oh, that’s horrible to get… unfortunately, um, there’s nothing I can do for that but, erm, suggest you walk or stretch a little…” Jel reluctantly admitted, eyes downcast momentarily. “And yes, we’ll talk later, a fine idea!” she exclaimed, waving as Mika dashed from the room.

Tsukiko turned to her with a question, and Jel opened her mouth to reply… before closing it again, suddenly unsure if Tsukiko had understood. “Oh, it’s not, um, actual pins or needles;” she started to explain, fidgeting with her fingers “it’s, um, a nasty pain you get if you keep a leg or arm too still, or, erm, at a bad angle…”

She hesitated at that, then frowned, her brow wrinkling. Something was certainly going on, yet more of the Ixa’ness were rushing past outside, all headed up toward the deck. So probably nothing really serious, she pondered; there would likely be a lot more noise and less disorder had the trained Ixa’ness warriors found themselves an actual enemy of any sort. But nonetheless, the Ixa’ness were gathering up on deck…

“Come on, Tsukiko. We can, um, continue looking around the stores later…” Jel fidgeted, tugging lightly on the Yafutoman’s sleeve. “let’s go see what’s happening up on deck…” she stated with a vigorous nod, stepping briefly into the medicine cabinet to pick up her belongings and throw them around her shoulder. Pushing the door open again, she led the way out of the room, following the last of the Ixa’ness warriors heading up for the deck.

Dashing along the corridor then climbing the stairs, Jel was panting a little by the time she arrived upon the deck, finding it completely covered by the Ixa’ness crew as they chatted and pointed toward an island in the near-distance. Jel squinted, trying to see what they’d seen, but to her it looked just another island, a forest growing out of a grey stone base. “Can you make out anything, Tsuki?”she asked the yafutoman, squinting again as the island drew slightly closer, and then frowning as she gave up staring toward the horizon to look for someone who knew what they were searching for…

“Nix! Niiix! Niixiee!” she shrilled, spotting her friend and waving vigorously, her cheeks slightly blushing despite her attempt at ignoring the Ixa’ness warriors, who had turned to stare and mutter about the outsider. “Um, hi Nixie! What’s everyone seen on that island over there?” she queried, worried “Everyone seems very interested… is it a, um, monster or something?”
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Jet Blackbeard
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aka Bear
"Jel! Tsuki!" Nixie chirped when she heard her name being called. She wove her way across the crowded deck and approached the two healers with a smile on her face. "A monster? No no no, nothing like that. But there may be people on this island." She explained after Jel'din voiced her question.

Nixie grabbed each girl by the wrist and began tugging them after her. "We're going ashore! And we get to ride with Kyrie!" She beamed happily.

~

Kokyrie sighed with relief as the trio of girls approached her. "Alright you lot. Climb in." She said as she stepped down into the canoe. Although she felt better having a few of her friends aboard Kokyrie made sure that she stood between them and the two hostile women they would be sharing space with.

"This is a war band, not a picnic Kyrie." Shandala growled. "Why are you bringing these children with us?"

Kokyrie gestured towards Jel'din and Tsukiko. "I'm not so cocky that I'd go into battle without bringing a couple of healers along. No leader should be that foolish."

Shandala glared hotly at her. "And her?" She pointed at Nixie who promptly stuck her tongue out at the older warrior. Animosity still lingered between the two of them apparently.

"She has the sharpest eyes among us." Kokyrie returned coolly. "I can't think of anyone better to have watching my back."

Shandala opened her mouth to offer a scathing retort but then the words Xera had spoken to her earlier came to mind and she fell silent. Did Kokyrie suspect treachery on her part? The two women stood, eyes locked for a moment as fierce rivalry between them threatened to erupt in yet another argument.

Then, as if cued by the hand of a whimsical deity, the two Nasrean warships arrived. They pulled to a halt to either side of the Mononoke, as if to shield the Ixa’ness flagship from harm. Or perhaps they were surrounding it to keep the Amazons in check. It all depended on how you viewed the tenuous alliance forged between Kokyrie and the King.

For Shandala they represented a bit of both. The presence of the King's ships not only reinforced Kokyrie's authority but also exemplified her betrayal of the Ixa'ness. For now she would hold her peace but the situation still didn't sit well with her. And yet she remained undecided as to how best to proceed in the matter.

“Looks like the gang’s all here.” Kokyie said with a wry grin that caused Shandala to wrinkle her nose in disgust. “Shall we be off then?”

~

Nasrean landing craft mingled with the Ixa’ness’ primitive canoes upon the island’s rocky shore. It was a perfect reflection of the division between the Amazons and their male counterparts who comprised Kokyrie’s war party. The two factions stood apart from one another, glaring across the void and muttering incessantly.

Kokyrie regarded both groups, sizing them up and gauging their strengths and weaknesses. The King’s warriors were all male and, as such, held an advantage in size and power over their female counterparts. Plus they were outfitted with second-hand armor and weapons forged from iron, adding to their strength and durability. The Ixa’ness, being all females, trumped them in terms of agility and stealth though. The Amazons, clad only in animal skins and cloth, could move more swiftly through the forest without the sound of clanking armor or clumsy feet, alerting anyone to their presence.

All things considered, she had a strong force under her command. “That is, unless they kill one another.” Kokyrie sighed to herself. Then, turning to the three girls, she spoke to them in a quiet voice. “I want you three to stay close to me for now. But when the fighting starts, keep clear of it. Even if someone gets hurt I don’t want you girls in harm’s way. Got it?”

With her friends taken care of Kokyrie stepped into the gulf that divided her warriors and addressed them next. “Alright you lot! Stop making doe-eyes at one another and listen to me!” Her words caused more than a few to look away in disgust. The thought of being attracted to one of the King’s soldiers obviously wasn’t popular with the Ixa’ness. The feeling was mutual among the soldiers.

“I won’t waste time spouting pretty words about love and peace. You can figure all of that out on your own. But what I will say is this; today marks the beginning of a new era! Old enemies must become allies and old prejudice must give way to friendship! Because today we have a common goal to strive for and a common foe to fight! All of us have suffered at the hands of the Valuans and all of us have lost someone important to us at their cruel hands! Today we set that right! Today we take back what was stolen from us! And we do this as one! Not as men and women but as proud as Ixa’takans!”

There was a smattering of cheers but for the most part Kokyrie’s words seemed to bring the assembled warriors a sense of shame and guilt. “The old wounds will be long in healing I guess.” She said to herself. Then, louder she concluded her semi-rousing speech.

“Look, just play nice with each other and let’s go kick some Valuan ass!” She cried, tossing her arms up in resignation. Laughter rippled through both factions, dispelling much of the tension between them. If nothing else they could say that the Ixa’ness War Chieftain could make them laugh.

Seizing on the opportune moment like a shipwrecked sailor to a piece of jetsam Kokyrie raised her arm and swept it down towards the forest ahead of them. “Alright, let’s move out!” She ordered, leading her warriors into the island’s shady interior.
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Daiohma
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The Ice Fang
''Really?'' Tsukiko replied to Jel as she explained that the pins and needles were just a saying that people used out here. She opened her little book again and made a note of this.

Jel then tugged on Taukiko's sleeve, wanting her to go with her to see what was going on above deck. The two rushed to the deck, Tsukiko was a little out of breath. She wondered to herself why people out here seemed to run around alot.
Back home she and her sisters would walk around slow in formations, in fact she can only ever recall Midori running around.

Jel then started to look around the skies to see what everyone else was looking at,
“Can you make out anything, Tsuki?” she asked the young maiden.
''N..no..'' Tsukiko blushed, being called Tsuki made her go all quiet for a moment as that was the name of her family's shrine and the name the sisters gave to their moon.

The two then spotted a small island which everyone else seemed to be looking at.
Jel called out to her friend Nixie as she asked if there was a monster of something in the way.

''Monster...?'' Tsukiko asked as she covered her mouth with her hands.
Unlike her older sisters she had never actually been in a real combat situation before.

Nixie was quick to dismiss the monster idea which was a relief for Tsukiko.
Just then the maiden found herself being tugged once more, this time by Nixie with Jel along for the ride.
''Must make a note of tugging!'' She said to herself without realizing she said it out loud.

The girls found themselves in a small boat with Kokyire, someone Tsukiko had not seen for a while since she had been on this ship. She gave her a little wave and smile.

"This is a war band, not a picnic Kyrie." Shandala growled
The maiden was a little scared, but that moment she realized that no one knows what is it she does, none of them had asked her.
Yes she was young, but she was skilled in the magic of the Silver Moon. Her sisters and her where battle maidens that helped in fights, even if Tsukiko along with Midori had never been in a real battle yet.
After all there have not been any real danger since the crystal wars.

Kokyrie was the one who stood up for the two girls, calling them both healers.
What interested her most was the fact Kokyrie mentioned a battle.

Tsukiko remembered what Takibi once told her about battles, she seemed to love helping out in fights with her Red moonstone.
Her thoughts were interrupted as two large warships approached them.
''Ixa 'taka ships?'' Tsukiko asked as she tugged on Jel's arm.

The two groups of people stood facing one another.
Something big was going on, but what that was Tsukiko could not understand.
Kokyrie then whispered to the girls, she wanted them to stick by her side.
That was unless a battle started then they had to stay clear. Tsukiko took a hold of her necklace and nodded back to her.

She heard the mention of Valuan's and remembered her sister Dengeki was in Valua.
This worried her until Kokyrie pointed down towards the forest.
''Valuan's are here?'' She asked, still a little confused as to what was going on.
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Gordreg
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Jel had nodded as Tsukiko had made a note in her book. "Yup! It, um... took me a little while to figure that out myself..." she added, a little nervously. "It wasn't one we used back home either. I think it's a valuan term..." she had added. Before moving onward.

~

Nodding at Nixie’s explanation, Jel’din felt considerably relieved. “Ah, sorry Nix. I guess I’ve listened to too many silly north-ocean stories…” she started, before Nixie tugged on her wrist, leading her onward across the deck toward the waiting the boats.

And over to Kokyrie’s side. Jel felt her spirits rise as she gave her captain a welcoming nod, and stepped eagerly aboard the landing boat after Nixie. Her face fell a little as Shandala climbed in as well…though few, her experiences of being around the woman had not been good ones, and she was very pleased indeed to find herself and Nixie seated on the other end of the boat to the pair. Seated as comfortably as she could be, Jel glanced over toward the island, wondering as she did just what manner of people or creatures might await them…

“Looks like the gang’s all here.” Jel heard Kokyie say with a wry grin on her face, an expression that filled Jel with eagerness and encouragement. “Shall we be off then?”

And off they were. The canoe gave a slight jolt as it cast away from the flank of the Mononoke, the winds buffeting slightly as it turned, and then the speed began to build up as they headed toward the mysterious island. Wind buffeting her hair, Jel glanced around at the skies about them, seeing them full of the other small craft. Wooden canoes and metallic launches and even a few strange boats that seemed some sort of hybrid between the two filled the air around them, turning it thick with the buzz of motors and the humm of glow-rocks.

Closer and closer the shore drew to their boat, until at last they were upon it, their canoe giving only the barest of bumps as it was set expertly down upon the rocky shore. Rising, she stepped gingerly from the canoe, and with hands clasped tentatively before her she gave a glance around. The island was… different to the islands of Ixa’taka in many ways, though equally in others it matched them. There was certainly a forest; she could see the trees in the distance, beyond the barren stone valley into which they’d settled; and a few runtier specimens had sprouted nearer by, isolated on small rocky outcrops. But though she recognised a few, most of the trees themselves were different; shorter and thinner, their individual leaves smaller but occurring in great multitudes, a few seeming even to have forgotten leaves to sprout fat dark needles that made them look like brushes.

Kokyrie spoke, and Jel nodded eagerly. “Of course! We’ll stay right with you until you say to fall back, Captain.” She nodded her assent, and turned to Nixie. “Um, Nix... do you think we’ll really find Valuans here?” she flashed her friend a nervous grin, a little unsure if she wanted to or not.
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Nixie thought about that for a moment. "Maybe some people from Valua but probably not from the Armada. I'm betting we'll find Black Pirates though." She finally replied.

"Anyway...uh, I guess we just follow Kyrie for now." Nixie wondered aloud. She'd been in plenty of fights before but nothing like this. Whether it took place on the deck of a ship or the common room of a tavern her usual tactic consisted of finding a place to hide and then swatting at any bad guys who came within striking distance.

Nixie reckoned when the time came she could find a convenient tree to climb or a rock to duck behind. She wasn't much of a fighter and didn't have any magical skills like Jel'din or Tsukiko. Her contributions to the coming battle wouldn't amount to much. Nixie had mixed feelings about this. One the one hand she really wanted to keep out of harm's way. But on the other she felt guilty for not pulling her weight like the others were doing.

Being a lookout was her best (and only) real skill. "I guess I can keep an eye out for trouble while you two do your healer stuff." She decided at last, feeling a little better now that she had found a role to play during the battle.

~

Several minutes passed as the Ixa'takans advanced into the forest. The Ixa'ness took point, melting into the trees with the natural stealth they'd developed over centuries of existence in the hostile jungles of their homeland. Behind them came the King's soldiers. Hampered by their armor and weaponry they couldn't move as quickly or as quietly. But once they joined the battle the merits of their armaments would become evident.

Kokyrie traveled in a small knot of women somewhere between the two parties. Shandala, Xera and a handful of Amazons with whom she was only vaguely familiar remained close at hand. As she made her way through the underbrush one of them materialized right next to her.

“My Chieftain. I’ve scouted the terrain ahead and found a sizable cleft in the rock ahead.” The scout informed her.

Kokyrie frowned at the report. “This could be a problem. Show me the way.” She ordered. The scout bowed once and then dashed back the way she had come. Kokyrie loped off after her with the rest of her entourage following closely behind.

Not far ahead of them the treeline petered out and the grass underfoot gave way to bare stone. In the midst of this barren swath was a jagged chasm that extended downward for a distance of some hundred feet. It wasn’t very wide but it was still too much of a distance to traverse on foot. Fortunately the chasm ran somewhat parallel to the path of the oncoming warriors.

Kokyrie stepped up to the precipice and squinted into the shadows at its bottom. “Alright, go back and tell the war party to steer clear of this area.” She ordered the scout. The Amazon bowed again and then was gone, carrying out her assignment.

Shandala came to stand next to Kokyrie on the edge and peered down as well. “Contemplating something?” She asked sarcastically.

“Ending it all you mean?” Kokyrie answered with a crooked smile. “Definitely. But not like this. I never was one for heights.”

Shandala snorted in amusement. As they stood there Shandala began to contemplate something as well. They were alone, if only for a moment, and there was this convenient cliff right in front of them both. It would be very easy to shove Kokyrie off of it and then claim that she had slipped. And with her ranking in the tribe no one would dare to question her words.

As tempting as all of it was Shandala stayed her hands. “Well, I’d better head back. Without me to lead them the menfolk will probably wander over the edge like a bunch of lemmings.” Kokyrie stated, stepping away from the chasm as she headed back to rejoin the war band.

Shandala stood there a moment longer. She wondered why she’d passed up such a perfect opportunity to dispose of her rival. It wasn’t because she had been afraid to do so. No, something else was weighing upon her mind, counterbalancing her desire to do Kokyrie in.

With a sigh Shandala turned to follow Kokyrie back into the forest. There would be other chances to carry through with her plot later.
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