Fable - Ask There's Something About Nira

[Khari]

"I'm okay." Khari said softly, the glow disappearing from her hands as she half stepped forward. "A few broken ri-"

Before the Daemonette could continue her words were cut off, the Daimyo's call resounding through the Throne room. Khari swept her gaze up towards the woman on the throne, her regal manner not having shifted in the least.

From the expression on her face one would have thought she'd just won.

A spike of fury ran through Khari.

This woman had killed her tutor. This woman had framed her. This woman had sent them on a miles long chase. This woman had the audacity to think that she had any power left at all. Lips turned into a scowl, her horns seemed to pulse as fury took her. "Do you think you have any power left at all?"

Her voice boomed out. She looked to Ichika, lips thin, face stern and stoic.

"Do you think you get to walk away?" Fingers tightened to fists. "Do you really think I'd let you go after trying to murder my friend?"

The Daemonette stepped forward. "No. My mother will take your corpse as evidence, and it will have to be enough."

As she spoke that odd purple mist wrapped around her fingers, and from her hand coiled a single whip like strand.

 

[Ichika]

Ichika’s face went hard. Khari was right, everything about what the daimyo had just said was ridiculous. The two guests had won, there wasn’t anything the daimyo could physically do to prevent the inevitable now.

But, still, there was something that didn’t sit well with her. Perhaps it was the blood loss but she’d been around people with power her entire life. Few things ever stuck to them. They never seemed to truly lose.

“Be reasonable girl.”​

The daimyo stood and descended from her throne, placing herself level with the other two women.

”I am the best evidence of your innocence. I am the best chance you have of leaving Nira alive. And I am the most likely arbiter to prevent a war between Nira and Dornoch.”​

The warlord of Nira scoffed and brushed flecks of debris from the battle off her shoulder. As her gaze returned to the two friends Ichika stared at the daemonette. Lower lip practically being swallowed as she tried to work out the scenario they were being presented with.

”So no child, you won’t have my corpse. You’ll accept a treatise. Because you want to live. Because you want your mother to be proud of you.”​

The daimyo’s face was full of confidence. A confidence that seemed impossible in the face of what should’ve been defeat. Ichika hated it but there was some logic to her words. ”W-what do you think?” she whispered to Khari.

”We can likely escape, right? But can we clear your name without her?” She’d come far enough with the horned girl to know that even with their injuries they could slip out of Nira. But it wouldn’t be worth it if her demoness friend became an enemy of the state.

 

[Khari]

Khari stood frozen.

Her face was impassive as Ichika whispered in her ear, her lips thin. It was the logical thing to do. It made sense. They could return to Khari's mother, they could present everything they had learned and then the Daimyo would corroborate.

It would clear her name, return things to normal. The woman would be punished in some way, though Khari well knew that it would be little more than a slap on the wrist. Others would take her place in prison, scapegoats.

A few years from now she may well try it all again.

"No." She said quietly. "We can't."

There was a chance that the Dynast would believe them, but that didn't matter. Not if the court still stood against her. Truth was that they needed the Daimyo, her word.

"But I don't care." Before Ichika could stop her, before the Daimyo could call out for any more help the Daemonette darted forward. She closed the distance between them almost instantly, her magic enveloping her hand, her fist punching through the other woman's chest.

For the first time confidence faded away from the Daimyo's face. Fear painted her features, mouth agape in utter horror as she stared at Khari in utter horror.

 

[Ichika]

Mahogany pupils went as large as saucers. In an instant everything had changed, the entire dynamic shifted, and the room went quiet while the daimyo heaved her last breath. There wasn’t even a hint of sympathy on Ichika’s face. She couldn’t care less about the fate of the self-important noble that Khari had just slain. Instead her features showcase a portrait of terror.

”Are you okay?” her words permeated the silence.

Her wrist hurt like hell and she tried to avoid staring at the river of blood that now flowed from the daimyo’s chest. Things just kept getting more and more complicated.

Ichika ran through the scenarios in her head trying to understand why Khari would do such a thing. Would the daemonette even be allowed back in Dornoch? Would Ichika? The entire situation seemed to have just spiraled out of control.

She rose to her feet, short black hair bobbing as she carefully avoided the entrails of the foes that had been slain in the audience chamber. Once she was a few paces out from the other woman she spoke up, ”we should go.” There’d be trouble in Nira for what they had just done. Trouble in Dornoch too.

Perhaps on the journey back she could come up with a plan. Some piece of evidence they had collected that tied all of this together. That would exonerate Khari while bringing the Tsuri clan honor too.

”We’ll figure this out,” she said with confidence and a smile, ”together.”

 

[Khari]

"I'm tired of being a pawn." Khari said quietly, turning towards Ichika.

There was no emotion on her face. No anger, no joy. Nothing. She hadn't wanted to kill the Daimyo for herself. It hadn't been some sadistic instinct that had overtaken her. It had been justice. The right thing to Do. The woman would have killed her mother, plunged Dornoch into civil war. Even though her plot had failed Khari had known it would not be her last attempt.

It never was with her sort. They were power hungry, and given enough time the Daimyo would have made another move. Another plan.

Part of that was the Dynast's own fault. The system she'd created, the way she encouraged the constant competition between nobles. It was a way to keep her own power. A way to keep her throne. Khari was just another of those ways, the Daemonette knew that too.

She could pretend otherwise, but the truth had never been more evident than when she'd been accused of this crime.

"I'm not worried." Khari's expression broke out into a smile. "We may not have enough to clear me for murder, but certainly enough to prove there had been a coup plot."

She shrugged. "That should satisfy your mother, and if someone has to pay for these crimes..."

Khari slowly looked around the room.

"Well, I did all the killing." The implication of her words was clear. If it came to it, Khari would take the fall. She'd not let Ichika have an ounce of blame. Only glory.

 

[Ichika]

”I helped.” Ichika’s words were insistent. She wasn’t going to let her friend take the fall for all of this. They had both planned to kill all of these guards and retainers. They had both taken some part in the slayings. Even if one of them had engaged a bit more than the other.

Regardless of any of that Khari wasn’t going to go down for this. There was hardly a reason to return home if it meant harm for the person who had just saved her life. If the Dynast couldn’t forgive her then the Tsuri family would offer her a place to stay. Ichika was convinced that she could find a spot for the daemonette. Not as an employee or a pawn as she saw herself, no, she’d be clanfriend. She’d have the autonomy to pursue whatever it was she wanted.

Of course, that would be a last resort. They’d get her back to the Dynast and hopefully the evidence they acquired would prove to be enough. If it wasn’t then she’d testify as a witness if she needed to. None of it seemed right to her, that Khari would be punished or admonished in any way for defending the Dynast’s life.

”You’re right, there is ample evidence that a coup occurred.” Her face was cast into stone as she tried to hide her raging emotions. ”And we’ll still get your name clear,” this time one sensation did come to the surface as a smile broke.

”Although first, we should likely get out of here. I doubt Nira will be safe for us for much longer.” She eyed the way they had come as well as the hallway in the corner. Unsure which direction would prove to be the better choice.

 

[Khari]

Khari face Ichika a tight smile, a small nod. She didn't quite believe it, she couldn't, but the dream would be allowed to live.

If at least for a short while. "Oh. Right."

The Daemonette said with a sudden frown, remembering that they were in the middle of enemy territory. Nira was a big city. Worse than that, it was an island city. An island that they were standing directly in the center of. Lips thinned as she looked around.

"Alright." She said as she took a breath. "First we get out of this room...then..."

Uh..."Servant's quarters."

Her fingers snapped.

"We have to ditch these clothes, get out of the Palace, then head straight to the docks." In truth, Khari was loathe to leave behind their garments. It was undoubtedly the nicest thing she had ever owned, but it was too recognizable. Too pretty.

They needed something more common.

 

[Ichika]

"OK, let's go." A slight frown poke through at the thought of ditching the dresses they had just bought in Nira. It was difficult to find pieces like this in Dornoch.

Ichika moved behind Khari as they approached the hallway that lead away from the daimyo's large and lavish audience chamber into the inner workings of the palace. Surprisingly the initial pathway was devoid of any additional guards or even service staff. Likely because the daimyo was practically revered within Nira. A fact that benefitted them in this moment but was absolutely going to prove to be an issue a they tried to get off the island.

Once it was discovered what they'd done here the entire population would be out for their heads.

Best not to think of that for now. Instead she held her arm level, ignoring the pain in her wrist, as they traipsed through the palace looking for the servant's quarters. Whispers suddenly came from around the corner, her face went wide as she gleaned a look at Khari.

"I told him we couldn't afford the deluxe sized washing barrel and what does he do? He buys the deluxe sized washing barrel," the voice was nasally and echoed far.

Ichika decided it was best not to wait and be spotted by the two servers. Using her good hand she grasped onto the daemonette and darted into an adjacent door. The room was decorated with a few paintings, a leather chase-sofa, and a modest looking bed. It must have been a guest room of sorts.

 

[Khari]

Khari felt herself be yanked into the nearby room. A strangled noise escaped from her throat, but lips quickly clamped shut as she realized what was happening.

Her hand pressed up against the door, letting it flow closed just as she and Ichika stepped inside. Fingers pulled at the lock, pressing it into place before she quickly turned around and looked around the room they'd stepped into. "Closet."

She said with a quick point of her finger.

The Daemonette rushed over towards the tall wardrobe, pulling open the door and almost immediately frowning.

Hanging from a long rod within the closet was a collection of drab and rather dour dressed. They looked like the sort of thing made from a potato sack. Khari glanced back towards Ichika, nothing but utter depression on her face.

"I found some clothes." She said dryly, bitterly.

 

[Ichika]

Ichika bounded forward, eyes trained on the closet and anxious enough that she expected something to pop out of it when the horned-woman pulled it open. What was inside was a different level of horrifying, plain and unassuming clothes.

It was hard to miss the tone in Khari's voice or the dour expression on her face. Just earlier that same day her friend had been overjoyed at the marketplace where they'd secured the fancy dresses they both wore. Ichika had others back home, none as bright or vivid as these, but she guessed that the servant of the Dynast wasn't so lucky.

"Here," she said as she pulled out an oversized dirt-colored cloak with fastens all up the front, "you can wear this over your clothes." She wouldn't need to part with the fanciful attire.

"And it even has a large hood." She left out the, 'to cover your horns,' part. It would be obvious and didn't need to be stated. While Ichika didn't care she knew that once the town watch had discovered what they'd done a part whatever-Khari-was would stick out.

For her part Ichika found a 'shirt' that looked like it had been made from sackcloth and a gray set of trousers. An olive colored scarf would serve as a decent headdress and she assumed the other flimsy cotton shirt could be fashioned into a makeshift sling for her broken wrist.

"Just a second..." she requested as she stepped inside of the cramped closet to change in privacy. Stuffing her extravagant dress deep into the corner before emerging.

 

[Khari]

Khari smiled at her friend. "Thank you."

She had never been treated delicately, never been considered in this way.

It was simply not how things were done back home. To her Mother...the Dynast, she was useful, a tool. Khari had no idea whether or not the Enigmatic lord of Dornoch actually cared for her, loved her. As a child she had imagined it so, and there had been...a semblance of affection at time.

Yet now she knew it could have been little more than a ploy. A way to keep her bound.

With Ichika there was no doubt in that.

She was a friend. A real friend. Someone that she could trust. Someone that she had to protect. Someone that she wanted to protect. As the other girl slipped into the closet to change, The Daemonette could only smile to herself.

Even if she was executed, at least one good thing had come of this.

"Let's go." She said as Ichika emerged in what could only be described as Peasant guard. "There will be a peasant's exit, and after that...we head straight to the docks."

No wasint time.

 

[Ichika]

"A peasant's exit? Like at the Ito estate," Ichika said emerging from the closet with a beaming smile. This was suddenly fun again, like the espionage novels she used to read as a girl. Truly it was crazy to see how the servants at the Tsuri estate likely lived through these little escapades with Khari.

Maybe it was a bit fool hardy, after all if they were caught who knows what might happen. But she didn't want to think about that now. She just wanted to focus on getting out of here and savoring the time until they made it back to Dornoch. This had been the most fun she'd had in months, maybe years.

Whenever they returned home she'd ensure that the daemonette was taken care of. No matter how much begging or pleading she had to do with her mother. If none of that worked she'd use her position at the docks to procure a ship and they'd get her friend to safety. All they had to do now was just get out of Nira and hit the open seas back to Dornoch.

It should be simple so long as...

"The daimyo is dead!" a shrill, panicked, voice screamed down the halls, "the daimyo has been murdered!"

Ichika's smile faded and the color drained from her face. "We should probably be on our way now." They slipped out of the room and joined the mass of lower class palace workers who were scrambling around like headless chickens.

 

[Khari]

"Oh it was horrible!"

"There was so much blood!"

"How could someone do this!"

"It must have been an Oni! Only a demon could do something like this!"​

They were words that Khari were more than used to hearing. She had ways of killing with more subtlety. Poisons, needles, but more often than not her mother wanted a show. There was a reason to send Khari, and it wasn't to make sure someone went quietly.

There was a reason she had a reputation. "Keep going no matter what."

She whispered to her friend, leaning in towards Ichika as they pushed through the throng.

It seemed that the entire palace had now erupted into a panic. Guards scrambled from their chambers, mixing into the throng of servants that scrambled to get to safety or to their families. Ichika and Khari slipped through them all, moving amongst the tide.

"LOCK DOWN THE PALACE!"​

The shout echoed out from behind them.

"EVERY DOOR! EVERY EXIT!"​

It was the loud rumble, that powerful throng of an Ogre's voice. It resounded through the halls, and called out to those around them. Khari cringed, then whispered to Ichika.

"Plan B." She said as she yanked the girl into a side alley, pulling her to the lift. "We go over the walls."

 

[Ichika]

One would've thought that the goddess herself had been slain from the screams and panicked voices of the rest of the palace staff. Foreign cries to her as they made their way through the ocean of bodies trying to reach the worker's exit.

And then, armed guards intermingled with the masses who clumped up in the various halls. The hairs on Ichika's skin rose in anticipation as armored ogre's joined the fray and began to bark out commands.

But a looming fight wasn't going to materialize as she felt herself dragged into a tight corridor.

"Plan B."

Ichika nodded instantly, her short hair bobbing back-and-forth. The idea sounded great. Plan B would solve all of their problems, get them out of this little jam in a hurry. Then Khari revealed what the details of this plan involved and her cheeks went several shades paler.

"Over... the walls?"

Her eyes drifted down towards her injured wrist. It had swollen to be significantly larger and while the break hurt and made it unusable she was certain once they got back to Dornoch, to a healer of Clan Tsuri, it'd be mended swiftly. However, in this moment she wasn't too certain how capable she'd be of climbing up the walls of the palace.

Unless, of course, "is that a ladder over there?"

The ladder would certainly be guarded but unless Khari planned to throw her... then again, she didn't want to entertain that idea. Knowing her daemonette friend she very well may decide to lob Ichika over the wall.

 

[Khari]

Khari glanced at the ladder, then glanced at Ichika.

Slowly her head shook.

It would have been nice, but right now she doubted that Ichika could even make it up the ladder itself. Her wrist was broken, shattered likely, and though there was a chance she could pull herself up with just one hand the progress would be slow.

Too slow. "You can swim, right?"

Khari asked as there was a brief flicker of light that ran through her horns. Fingers began to glow, that strange purple haze drifting over her hands. Strings pulled free, and then lashed out. They wrapped around Ichika, their touch surprisingly gentle.

"Just...take a breath, and try to imagine you're a bird." She told her friend, and then wrenched her hands forward.

This time instead of cutting through, the strings seemed to whip back, and then lash forward. As though they were rubber bands the strings rebounded, and then flung Ichika up and over the wall.

 

[Ichika]

"Yes, I can swim," her face was befuddled and her jaw hung slack, "why are you even... wait, can we talk about-"

Instead of finishing her sentence she was flung through the air. Ichika had to clench her lips tightly to avoid screaming as her body careened through the sky like a pigeon. Once they got aboard the raft home they'd need to have a long conversation about acceptable uses of Khari's magic.

In a loud splash she landed in the outer pond of the palace. It was a massive thing, filled with koi and lily pads, and she sunk like a stone from the velocity of her friend's toss. Touching the bottom with her feet she propelled herself upwards and used her good arm to waddle through the waters.

Emerging above the surface she swam towards the lip of the pond and lifted herself out. Panting for air while awaiting the daemonette's arrival.

There she sat, clothes soaking wet and raven hair dripping with droplets of moisture. "Why would you," she exhaled again, interrupting her words, "let's just head towards the ride home?"

Ichika stood and issued a slight grin towards Khari. In retrospect the flight over the wall had been fun in a thrill seeking sort of way.

 

[Khari]

It wasn't exactly the most subtle means of transportation, and anyone gazing at the pond likely would have wondered where the fuck the two women had come from, but that didn't matter much.

They were passed one obstacle, now they just had to get over the other dozen.

Khari took in a deep breath as she splashed to the surface of the pond, her head shaking slightly as the flows of her dressed drew towards the top of the water. Slowly she swam forward, a wide smirk sitting on her face as she reached the edge of the pond. "Home."

The Daemonette agreed.

"If anyone asks." There was a spot of laughter to her tone. "We can just say we got over excited near the drinks cart."

From the noise around them it seemed that the panic within the Palace had not yet reached the rest of Nira. There was still shouting, but it was not the sound of angry guardsmen or terrified servants. Instead the noise was that of happy party goers.

Men and women still reveling in celebration.

Khari pulled herself free from the pond, wringing out her dress as she began to walk down the pier besides her friend.

 

[Ichika]

Ichika returned Khari's suggestion with a giggle.

"That sounds perfectly believable." She let moisture accumulate and drip off her peasant garb before she perked her ears up, noticing the sounds of partying that still ran throughout the streets of Nira. Footsteps sounded off the pier as the two walked in tandem, taking in the sights of the city.

Hundreds, maybe thousands, of people running through the streets with sparklers held overhead. Adorned in vivid colors and wearing fanciful masks. Unaware that their fearless leader had just been slain. Part of her wanted to pull Khari away and rejoin the festivities. They'd accomplished what they set out to do and instead of a long journey home followed by likely hours of debriefing it would've been nice to simply cut loose for a bit.

But Ichika was no fool. She knew that they had to be out of here as quickly as possible.

The festival would come to an end soon, either from the late hour or the news of the daimyo's death spreading throughout the city. And once that happened the two women would be fugitives. She didn't want to waste any time thinking of how that would end if they were to be caught.

Because they wouldn't be caught. They'd get through the crowds and back to their boat.

 

[Khari]

Khari and Ichika moved as fast as they could, more than aware that two wet women running through the crowd would likely draw more attention than they wanted.

A few times they received cat-calls as they walked, one shout or another. Each time Khari only spared a single glance, a glare that would have scared away even a shark. There wasn't any time for such things, and after the Daimyo's son...she was in no moon for anyone to bandy words at her.

Quickly they made their way down the hill from Nira's palace grounds, stepping through alleys and avoiding guards who stood on the corners.

"Wait." Khari said as she stuck her hand out, catching Ichika just as they were about to move out of an Alleyway.

"TO THE DOCKS!"​

A shout echoed out, followed by the trampling of boots. Men and women shouted, some obscenities, others in fear. Then a cadre of guards rushed through the streets ahead.

"Lock it down! Every boat! Every ship! There's only one way out of Nira and we won't let them go!"​

 

[Ichika]

Ichika felt her shoulders jerk as she came to a sudden halt. She was about to open her mouth and ask what they were waiting for until she heard the shouts of Nira's officials. Lock down the docks? That sounded like it might put a bit of a damper on their escape plan.

Wracking her brain to come up with alternatives she considered all of the options that immediately leapt to her mind. They could fight their way through every town guard, getting to their skiff and sailing out before reinforcements came.

Maybe they could inquire with the Nira guard on joining them? Then, once they were on the inside they could convince them to temporarily lift the lock down at the docks.

They could disguise themselves once again as street performers and then hide out in an abandoned lot until the heat died down in Nira.

Maybe they could stow away in a merchant ship bound for anywhere but Nira, sustain themselves off the cargo, and then hijack the vessel when they were out on the high seas!

"What should we do?" she whispered to Khari. Convinced that all of her ideas were utterly terrible and not wanting to suggest any of them.

 

[Khari]

It was a good question.

In her head Khari ran down a list of options. Lips thinned, and she kept herself pressed tightly against the inner wall.

"The guys..." They hadn't come here alone. A team had been sent alongside them, though Khari and Ichika had all but forgotten about them. The day had been filled with too much activity, quick action. "We link up with them."

The Daemonette suggested. "The Guards are looking for two women."

She pointed out.

"So if we can't move around the city...they can." It might take a day or two for things to settle, but perhaps that was what they needed. "Maybe we just need to...slow down?"

In truth she wasn't sure.

Khari was tired, exhausted. She had used her magic extensively, and right now she wasn't entirely sure she could even make it to the docks. Much less fight more guardsmen.

 

[Ichika]

Khari knew the trio of guys better than Ichika did. If she was confident they'd stay out of trouble that was good enough for the Tsuri woman.

"Some rest would do us both good," she pointed out, more out of necessity than any rational thought. It had been a long couple of days and the idea of catching some sleep was far too alluring to pass up.

Hadn't they been tasked with taking up residence at some squat house that called itself a motel?

Even if the place was rundown they surely still had something that passed as a bed. They could wait it out, until the heat died, and then make their escape. There wasn't anything to truly rush back to in Dornoch, after all. In fact, having a few days to decompress might do Khari some good and it'd allow the two women to discuss their options upon their return.

She nodded and smiled, "let's go meet up with them. I could use a very long nap."

 

[Khari]

Khari slowly nodded.

Instead of a mad dash they could have a slow race. There were other dangers present in going that way, but perhaps it was for the better. Her lips thinned for a brief moment, and for just a second it seemed as though she was about to say something else. Then she simply nodded.

"Lets." She agreed, slowly backing up away from the entrance of the alleyway.

Now she just had to remember where the others had actually gone.

It took the two girls nearly two hours to filter through Nira and the ongoing throng of people. The Guardsmen we're out in full force by the time Ichika and Khari found their way to the motel, every street corner and square looking for the two women that had killed the Daimyo. It was through only luck that they had managed to make their way through it all.

Eventually they came upon a ramshackle wooden building, a balcony ringing around the upstairs. Upon it stood the familiar sight of young Obi, his gaze flickering down through the street.

Khari nudged Ichika gently. "Up there."

The Daemonette did not call out to the retainer, mostly because he was pretty sure that he'd end up shouting their names.

"Let's get inside." She suggested as they ducked into the motels front lobby.

 

[Ichika]

Ichika resolved herself to marching, knowing they had a long way to go. On the journey there she managed to only wince twice at the throbbing pain in her arm, a feat she would certainly pride herself in once they had made it back to Dornoch. Back to true safety. For the next two hours she simply followed in Khari's wake, snaking her way through the mass of bodies and festivities.

Eventually, after what had felt like an eternity, they arrived at the squalid place that called itself a motel. In sharp contrast to the extravagant resort-casino they had met the daimyo's son at this place looked like it was nearly on its last legs.

The signage out front sat at an angle, held together by a simple handful of screws. The door was covered in chipped white paint. Ichika couldn't even make out the name of the place because the signage was in such disrepair that it appeared to be the, "LHAN ' ST TEL," or whatever the name was meant to be.

"Yeah... inside," she said with a sense of abandonment that was likely equal parts exhaustion and disappointment that this is where they'd be hiding out.

Once inside the welcoming desk was about as depressing as the exterior. A single, hunchbacked, man stood at the reception desk. His long fingernails hanging over the visitors ledger. "Reservation for Peco," it was the cover name they had decided at the start of this whole endeavor.

"Room 24," the main imparted as a one-inch nail pointed upstairs.

The pair ascended, knocking on the door only to be greeted by Yasui who was surprisingly alone. Ichika didn't wait to hear what he had to say. She bounded towards the nearest bed and fell into it, falling asleep almost immediately.

 

[Khari]

Khari did not sleep, mostly because when she tried the three Retainers pelted her with half a dozen questions.

She tried to explain herself as quickly as possible, keeping certain details out but telling them the truth of the situation. There was no doubt in her mind that they would learn of everything eventually, and she trusted the three men...to a point anyway.

The story was of course an utterly bewildering one, but none of them doubted it. Obi, for his part, seemed to take it the best.

The other two just seemed utterly confounded.

After that, Khari ordered the three to keep watch. No one was to be allowed near their room, and if soldiers came warning was to be given. The three agreed quickly, and before long The Daemonette finally managed to join Ichika within the realm of dreams.

It was a surprisingly quiet morning that greeted the next day, a somber silence having fallen down onto the city of Nira. Khari awoke before her friend, rubbing her eyes and dragging her worn body out of bed. "It's quiet."

She grumbled, wondering where the boys were.