Breaking the Rules Pt. 20

"!Kyakyawa Gani!"

"What are you doing!?" Kehinde gasped as Nuru got to his feet and pulled the drum out of his pack and into playing position.

"Giving your men some time," Nuru grinned back, starting a dance rhythm.

He hopped and skipped in all different directions; he could tell the paladin wanted to tackle him to the ground again, but the Glamour Defense spell worked just as well on him as it did on the distant attackers, who sent a withering hail of arrows his direction, all breaking wide. Some of the other paladins pulled in behind their shields, letting the missiles bounce off harmlessly.

"Boss! Gremlin!" one of the paladins screamed, activating his Rapid Shot skill and opening up on something streaking in close to the ground.

"No fireballs! No fireballs!" Kehinde called out, getting to his feet and stepping forward. "Form ranks!"

The paladins with shields took a knee right next to each other, and the others spread out with their bows, providing ranged damage to soften up the incoming enemy. One man had held back, having neither bow nor shield, but carrying instead a heavy war hammer. He leaped high into the air, over the kneeling shield wall, and targeted the enemy Nuru could not yet see.

"For great justice-!Guduma Girgiza!"

The head of the hammer lit a shockingly bright white, and flashed even more brightly as it struck the earth with a mighty WHUMP. Nuru was impressed - until the archers shifted their aim upwards at a small screaming figure tumbling end-over-end down in Nuru's direction. Kehinde gave a war cry, dropped his shield to take the sword in both hands, and charged forward. Nuru stepped back a bit as the flurry of arrows and sword strikes flew right at the point of impact. By the sound of things, it was making the gremlin more angry than dead. Kehinde ducked as it leaped high, swiping at his face, and Nuru got his first look at it. The creature was semi-humanoid, with spines sticking out like a hedgehog, and a mouth full of broken teeth. It was drooling blood, and had a murderous snarl pasted to its face. Perhaps most concerning was the double-clawed metal gauntlets it wore, with an inside set of blades attached to its fingers, and a second set curving out from the wrist and around to give a second set of pointy bits that could hardly miss if it swung anywhere close to unprotected flesh.

(Help me out here! Can these guys take a gremlin?)

/Depends. If it's a full summon - maybe. If it's a partial, like you've been doing with me, then all they've got to do is run out the sands./

(So optimistically, all I have to do is wait?)

/And don't get dead. Now, if there are other attackers, you may need to- oh, I think they've got it./

"Paladins! Prepare cloaks!" Kehinde called out.

White capes all came loose and fell to the ground. The men picked them up by the corners and held them up.

"Sithembile! Contain it!"

The man with the hammer stepped forward. "!Saurin Yajin Aiki!"

Nuru wasn't sure what spell that was, but he remembered the dwarf Kwame using to to smash the pygmy troll centipede, so he paid close attention. The man swung the hammer forward in a light strike, then left the hammer head-down on the gremlin, lifting it up and shoving it back down as if it were a spear. He ran in a circle, centered on the small creature, preventing it from crawling away any particular direction, just continually flattening it to the ground with quick slams. It was some kind of fast-hit aid.

"Cover it!" Kehinde called out.

The paladins all swooped in with their cloaks, laying them out over the gremlin and Sun Walking out of the way and forming up in a line between Nuru and the now-buried demon, deflecting random arrow strikes still coming in at Nuru.

"You want I should send him packing, boss?" Sithembile said.

"If you'd be so kind," Kehinde smiled grimly. "!Tattara Karfafawa! Holy strength, all of you!"

Sithembile held still as a white orb hung over his head. Several of the paladins cast a buff which brightened the orb.

"!Karfi Mai Tsarki!"

"!Karfi Mai Tsarki!"

"!Karfi Mai Tsarki!"

"!Karfi Mai Tsarki!"

The orb shot down and gave the man and his hammer a white glowing aura. He took a moment, giving extra thought to his move, and then whirled the hammer in a shifting circle that brought the head down to whack the shifting ball of cloaks in an upward arc that even sent him into the air with the follow-through. Some of the cloaks fell free and fluttered to the ground; others remained firmly stuck to the gremlin as it streamed high overhead with a muffled cry and landed in a distant tree, getting stuck in some branches.

"Scouts! Report!"

Another paladin Sun Walked in front of him.

"Sir. We have a way forward, but it takes us further from our destination."

"We take it. Our sacred oath will not be broken."

The man saluted with a fist over his own chest, then took off running. The line of paladins moved to follow, and two of them broke off to follow from the rear.

"Come, Nuru, it's time to go," Kehinde waved him forward. "Can I assist you in mounting again?"

"Nah, I got it," Nuru said.

He used his grapple skills, primarily intended to assist with breaking the block of a shielded opponent, to climb into position nimbly. Kehinde took Nuru's reins and tied them to his own horse, leading both of them at the same time.

"!Garkuwa Abokin!"

Nuru felt a strange pressure on his skin, and tapped himself trying to figure it out, until a few moments later an arrow came screaming in and bounced off with a hard smack.

vreeee PYOW

"Yipe!" Nuru said, slapping at the point of impact, but finding he was unhurt.

"Fear not. I cannot hold the shield forever, but I can hold it long enough," Kehinde called over his shoulder, kicking into a full gallop. "Sing out if you need something!"

The hard pace of the horses, and the noise of so many from all around, prevented much in the way of further discussion. They rode without reprieve for many hours, finally breaking through a line of brush onto a road, headed towards Whitegarden once again. They stopped at a river crossing, taking a moment to assess any hurts.

"I'm fine," Nuru said, waving away a healer. "Unless you count my saddle areas being sore."

"Do some stretches, that'll help more than anything," the woman said.

She turned away before he could suggest a bit of massage to her of his groin area.

(She's not open to suggestion, is she?)

/Not around these other paladins, too much purity representation. I know, I'm sad too./

They mounted up, crossed the river, and pressed onward at a hard pace. Nuru was in agony when they finally stopped well after dark, pulling off the side of the road at an open field and lighting a fire.

"How close are we?" Nuru said.

"Not close enough, I'm afraid. Any further tonight and we'll be sitting targets for anyone laying in wait, from our exhaustion debuffs. The horses tire, too. But don't worry, we've got some of the best wards in the business; we'll be safe here tonight. A man will be on watch for you all hours of the night," Kehinde replied.

Nuru took a deep breath, pulling a blanket from the saddle bag, and settled in to rest as best he could.

*****

"Incoming fire!"

Nuru jerked away, noting a few men running off into the darkness with torches.

"Ssh... sorry to disturb you," the man said apologetically. "We're just making sure they aren't establishing an attack position nearby. They're probing our defenses, but not finding a weakness. You're perfectly safe."

"R-right..." Nuru said, smiling weakly.

He turned over and did his best to drift off. He wanted to masturbate to relieve some of the stress, but figured his traveling companions wouldn't appreciate it - and they were certainly paying attention.

*****

Kehinde woke him early the next morning as light crept over the horizon. "Come, my friend. We are only an hour's ride away in the daylight."

Nuru got up, stiff and sore and in a completely foul mood. "Sure," he croaked, clambering on his horse, rubbing away the night's deposits in his eyes.

They moved more slowly than the previous day, actually arriving in two hours' time at the Whitegarden gates with no further incident. Nuru sagged in the saddle with relief.

"Here, let me help you," a stable hand said as they came to a halt.

Nuru groaned as he all but flopped straight off the side of the horse, barely able to move his legs, with assistance of the man to steady him on the way down.

"I must apologize for your accomodations," Kehinde said. "We have a room prepared for you, but alas, we were unable to reach it sooner. Tonight you will have a nice soft bed all to yourself."

He didn't want it all to himself - he wanted Furaha to share it. But he didn't mention that, nor his curiosity at possibly seeing Zula again. How had she changed in the several months since he'd last seen her? Would she hate him? He had some trouble forming clear thoughts with the poor quality of sleep he'd had, but felt more apprehension than hope. The most important question, he concluded, was: whose side was she on now? He hardly paid any attention to the halls Kehinde led him down; it filed away in his perfect memory for later if he cared to revisit. He had to admit it smelled nice; there were flowers planted and blooming everywhere, and ivy and various other creepers climbing the walls.

"Nuru, before we go any further, I should introduce you to your host. Right this way, please," Kehinde said, saluting to a squad of guards standing by a large, ornate door.

The way opened ponderously with a light groan, and a well-lit great hall spread out before a seat at the head of a massive banquet table. All manner of delicious food was being laid out, making Nuru's mouth water uncontrollably.

"Your grace, I present the bard Nuru," Kehinde said, briefly taking a knee before the chair in which a man in gold-embroidered white robes sat.

"I greet you, son of Babatunde," the man said gravely, waving his hand in Nuru's direction airily.

"Uh... pleased to meet you," Nuru said, flustered.

It wasn't like his father's name was a secret, but it felt strange that they had gone to the trouble to look it up. The man had been dead for years.

"I understand you encountered some trouble on the road," the archon intoned.

"They summoned a lesser demon, your grace, but nothing we were unprepared to handle. We were forced, however, to go by a longer path to escape other forces laying in wait, and were unable to arrive before dark."

"Casualties?" the archon said intently.

"Ah... three of our scouts have yet to return. I fear the worst."

Nuru's stomach dropped at the sound of it. Three men, possibly dead, because of him.

"I expect a swift report with any further news."

"Yes, your grace. Nuru, I must leave you for now, but I will return soon. For the moment, please have a seat and accept our hospitality. Eat as much as you wish."

"I was going to meet someone here," Nuru said.

"I shall make inquiries at once, of course," Kehinde said.

Nuru took a chair, rather hard and uncomfortable, but better than bouncing in a hard saddle, so he said nothing and nibbled at grapes and other food from the table. The archon took a number of important-looking visitors, clearly in the middle of a lot of the faction business. He dictated a few letters, and then Kehinde returned, with Furaha in tow. She rushed over at the sight of him, and looked him over with some concern.

"All your bits accounted for?" she frowned.

"They're here, but my ass may be coming loose after that hard ride."

"Well, at least you can rest here."

"That's what they tell me. Furaha, they sent a gremlin."

"Gods," she gasped.

"Truly, these are perilous and uncivilized times," Kehinde said. "Sit, I believe the archon will request a private audience soon."

Nuru relayed the whole story as they sat and ate; Furaha watched his face with rapt attention.

"You never actually saw them, though?" she said when he was done.

"No, never saw who it was chucking arrows at me."

She pursed her lips thoughtfully. "Hmm. I never met her. Is that Zula there?"

Nuru followed her eyes, to a side hall where a few people were passing. A woman had stopped and was staring in his direction. She shook her head, as if rousing herself from deep thought, and turned quickly, vanishing in a moment.

"Yes! I think. It's hard to tell from here. Excuse me, please..." Nuru said, tottering to his feet, determined to go after her.

"Don't mind me, I'm fine here," Furaha said, smiling in amusement at his clumsiness. "Steady now, you want to make a good impression, I think."

He stuck his tongue out at her and all but ran towards the hallway he'd seen her go down. Stopping at an intersection of other halls, he sighed, then turned back. He'd never catch her in this place, full of people; there were rooms and stairs all over the place, and he'd only wear himself out and have to drag back to the archon even more exhausted than before.

"Not her after all?" Furaha said.

"Maybe..." Nuru mused. "Maybe it was just my eyes playing tricks on me. I didn't sleep well."

"Take care, then. In addition to that, we haven't had the coaching I was going to give you last night. Something is afoot here. Do me a favor and don't drink the wine. And don't agree to ANYTHING before you talk to me about it."

Nuru looked at the goblet in front of him. It smelled heavenly.

He sighed. "Best to keep a clear head I suppose."

Kehinde waved him over, and they followed Imari away from the tables and over to a side chamber with more guards standing in front of it.

"Nuru, I know the journey has been a little rough so far, but I'm so excited you've decided to visit us. When you hear what-"

"That's enough, squire," the archon said. "Nuru, we find ourselves in a bit of a precarious position. Kehinde here tells me that you have great potential for good in the world, and if you're half of what the rumors say, I'm sure you believe it of yourself. However, what my effusive colleague doesn't know is that there are different kinds of power - for direct good, and for counteraction of the efforts of others. I hear many things suggesting you are largely of the latter variety, though I am open to correction."

He stared at Nuru for a long moment, before making some kind of decision, and continuing.

"Be that as it may, we find that it is best to guide those with power of any sort, if only they will allow it. Will you accept our help, young bard?"

"I'm generally open to friendly assistance, as a rule," Nuru replied.

"You see, I told you-" Kehinde started, but Imari cut him off.

"Don't get ahead of me, sir. The forms must be obeyed."

"...of course," Kehinde said, bowing his head.

"Now, I won't lie to you. The greatest benefit we can offer is membership in our ranks. I understand you have been... reluctant to commit on that level. But do consider the dangers of running wild with no allies to fall back upon. I'm not speaking of the demon attack, you understand, but your tenuous situation in Home Town. Were you a member of a faction, the situation there would have been resolved swiftly, even were it not the reason for your travel restrictions to begin with," Imari continued in a decidedly grandfatherly voice.

"Fortunately, we've been able to arrange-" Kehinde gushed.

"Silence!" Imari slammed his hand on the desk he stood over.

"...ulp," Kehinde said.

Imari sighed. "Oh very well, you've all but spilled the soup already. So much for our grand ceremony."

"So, uhm... one of our members, who wished to remain anonymous, has been hard at work for many weeks, arguing with the Rules Lawyers," Kehinde said stiffly. "They have secured your freedom to come and go from Home Town with no further restrictions."

"Oh, that's wonderful!" Nuru said, perking up a bit.

"We had to make some concessions of our own," Imari said darkly. "We made a promise that we would help to maintain the peace."

"And of course we already do this," Kehinde said brightly.

"But the implication - the official interpretation of this agreement - is that in your case we would take special care to ensure that your adventures are better advised, and more constructively prepared," Imari said.

"Ah, I see, this is where..." Kehinde said.

Imari nodded.

"So, er, I've gone and gotten this all out of order. Can you do me a favor? Don't mention this to anyone - and pretend it's not official yet, coming from me," Kehinde said.

"It's NOT official yet. The fine details are still being hashed out," Imari grimaced. "Those bloodsuckers want to take us for every gram of advantage we can get from this partnership, from both of us. But we'll emerge victorious yet, by the time of the official announcement later this evening."

"What business remains between us is exactly how we'll make this new paradigm work for your future plans," Kehinde said. "I'm excited to be working with you on shaping your future together."

"The good news is, you'll be free to work with any faction you please, so your autonomy will remain intact. You'll just have to consult on your quests now and then, and we'll be sure to help maximize your returns, along with a few other formalities. Nothing to tie you down or alienate any of the friends you've made. Can we count on you to demonstrate these highest Faction principles starting with the ceremony tomorrow morning?"

"Yeah, of course," Nuru said, warning bells going off in the back of his head, too late.

They were negotiating some kind of agreement without him. And not only did they not ask what he wanted out of the deal, but they were already looking to dig into his private affairs, and dictate all of his behavior; he was sure helping a greater demon reach her goals was going to be strictly forbidden. He suddenly itched to get Furaha alone, for a whole new reason; she'd warned him against making agreements, and somehow he felt like he'd accidentally done just that.

"Wonderful!" Kehinde gushed.

"We may yet be a light in this dark world," Imari said. "I have someone in mind to pair you with for the introductory period. I think you'll be pleased to meet them."

Nuru felt his gut clench as the subtle barb sunk in. He thought he knew who they were referring to - and if he backed out now, he'd not only let down any faith Zula may have held for him, but he wouldn't even get the pleasure of her company. He felt sure they were aware he knew she was here, whether that had been her in the hall earlier or not. Had it not been for Furaha's warning, he might have had no clue that it was all orchestrated.

"We'll perform the ceremony in the morning. It will begin with the announcement, and we'll go straight into the induction. There's going to be music - feel free to join in, Nuru, I can see that is an interest of yours," Kehinde said, nodding to his drum. "They're professionals, and they've received instructions to give you space on stage with them, if you wish."

"Cool," Nuru grinned, feeling a cold sweat break out over his skin.

This was going so well, but so very, very wrong. He resisted the urge to scratch at his face nervously; he knew the itch there would only be cured by the air from his swift flight using Weightless Foot to flee as far and as fast as he could.

"Alright then, we won't keep you from your rest. I thank you for accepting our invitation to come, and look forward to the great things you will accomplish in the future," Imari said.

"Thanks, see you around," Nuru said, pretending to bounce with every step with enthusiasm.

He restrained himself all the way back to his seat with Furaha, and the hall had begun to fill with White Lily factioners all taking part in the feast. There were laughing and smiling faces all over the place, greeting him warmly. Zula was still nowhere to be seen. She'd be making her grand appearance tomorrow, it seemed. Furaha leaned over and gave him a side hug as he sat down.