Now You're Moving With Wormholes [IC]

[Quinn]

The constructs and their mounts toppled over the cliff wordlessly, tumbling into the rushing waters below. For a moment, the Doktor could see nothing, then a great black metallic head began to emerge from the water's edge, the armored figure walking right out of the water and onto the sands. As Freedom City's greatest scientific mind sped off in search of his beloved, the construct simply stared mutely at the cliff's edge, then began stomping along the bank of the river in the opposite direction.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Following Fulcrum and the hunter's trail wasn't that difficult, for all of their brute strength and speed, the metal men did not seem to be overly concerned about leaving evidence of their passage. The Doktor easily caught up to the pursuit, the two metal men on their mounts barely able to keep pace with the speedy heroine and her charges. Surprisingly, neither wolves nor riders seemed tired at all, merely working their way through the forest in hot pursuit.

[Dariusprime]

They kept coming! Like machines! Worry lined Fulcrum's face even as she continue zipping through the forest. Obviously these things possessed superhuman stamina as well as tenacity. Looked like heading skyward was their best option.

"Hold on! I'm going to speed up," she whispered loudly over the rush of the wind. Keeping in mind the baby passenger, she accelerated slowly and climbed out of the trees.

Once free to the moon, the group zoomed like much, much faster, but still slow enough that the baby would be protected. The snowy canopies zoomed by in a silvery blur. She banked smoothly, switching from their original course until, she hoped, the hunters lost sight of them in the distance and dark.

[Dr Archeville]

Between the sounds of cracking branches and jangling armor in hot pursuit, Archeville had an easy time following his lover's path.

The armored things I can see not slowing, but the wolves? They are not artificial, or if they are, are exceedingly well-made. Better made than their riders. No, no, they must be living creatures, with an enhanced stamina, to o along with the enhanced strength needed to carry those robots.

Soon her reached, then overtook, her pursuers, flying over their heads, cloaked by his super-science from all sight, sound, and smell. Just as he reached Mona and her charges, she zipped up and out of the forest, and soon was out of sight! Archeville followed as best he could, clearing the treeline, but she was already a thousand feet away by the time he broke through. He continued on in the direction she had been going, on the assumption that it was still towards whatever safehouse Reinhard was leading her too.

"Fulcrum, liebchen," his voice came over her Interceptors' comm (once he lowered the audio and radio sections of his cloak), "I believe we have lost our pursuers. Unfortunately, I have also lost you and our friends. Are there any landmarks nearby that I can look for to locate you?"

[Dariusprime]

Fulcrum sensed back the way they came. A half mile or so should be sufficient, she concluded. Slowing down, she asked her charges, "Which way now?"

Her comm crackled and tapped her head on her shoulder to activate. Still in German, she replied, "Not unless you count lots of mountains and trees. Do you see a big, snow-covered peak that looks like it slumps a little? Fly along a 45 degree angle between the peak and the moon, if you're back near where we landed. I'll be floating here."

"We need to wait a moment," said the giantess, hovering in place and wrapping the family close to her for shelter from the chill air.

[Quinn]

The constructs stood as the Doktor and the heroine zoomed by them, helmeted faces staring impassively up at the sky. For a moment, one reached for his throwing axe, but after a few seconds' thought the two yanked back on the reins, wheeling around and riding off until they were swallowed by the darkness of the forest.

Elsewhere, an individual raged and fumed in his throne room...

[Dariusprime]

Fulcrum watched the skies for any signs of Viktor. Her quantum sense scanned the area as well, taking in landscape as well as possible creatures. If he cloaked himself, she'd pick him up with the Terminus long before her eyes. Then something interested pinged in her head.

Rotating 180 degrees, she focused her 'normal eyes' down to the moonlit countryside. That little mountain stream looked...rather familiar. But how? One little river is the same as the next, right? Until her eyes followed it, and the bridge came into view. That she did remember!

An old, single-arch stone bridge. Like any other save for the strange swirl of stones right on the road surface. She'd seen that bridge before near Viktor's castle! She fought Cyclone right above it. Which meant that they were not only in Germany but very close to the site of...

She grinned.

[Dr Archeville]

Now that he was above the treeline and could get a better look at his surroundings, Archeville was seized by how familiar it all looked. He slowed and spun around to get a better look.

Those mountains, their angles, how they are arranged... the river, there, feeding into that lake... the colors, the smells... and the language they spoke. It all fits!

He soon saw Fulcrum, and raced towards her. "Liebchen!," he exclaimed, grinning ear to ear, "I think we are home! My homeland! Not just that, but near where Schloss Wissenschaft would stand! Ha!" He spun around, then began looking for his castle.

I wonder if it would be the small keep my ancestor was awarded, or the large sprawling complex I made it?

[Quinn]

The two villagers hung in midair, suspended in Fulcrum's arms; Reinhard tilted his head at the Doktor as he heard the only Germanic words in the sentence. Then he blanched, and made a distinct motion to get Archeville's attention.

"Schloss Wissenschaft!? Warum würden Sie versuchen, die verfluchten Ort?! Nur der Warlord's Gouverneur und seine Lakaien dorthin gehen, mit dem, was die armen Seelen sie für ihre unheilige Arbeit genommen haben ..."

"Schloss Wissenschaft?! Why would you seek that accursed place?! Only the Warlord's Governor and his lackeys go there, with what poor souls they have taken for their unholy work..."

Elisa nodded emphatically, trying to avoid looking downwards as she clutched little Gustav close.

"Das ... das ist, warum sie es im Wald von Tränen, die Tränen von allen der Kriegsfürsten Gefangenen, denen ihre Familien anzurufen."

"That's...that's why it's called the Forest of Tears, the tears of the Warlord's prisoners, and their families as well."

[Dariusprime]

Fulcrum turned her gaze to Viktor, a big grin already on her face. "I know! I recognized it from the air. Do you see it? Does it exist in this world?" She joined Viktor in searching the area.

About the time she realized he'd been torn out something fierce, the villagers began speaking, and she quieted down. This time she'd comprehend what they were saying! Concentrating intently, the basic concepts peeked through the dialect. Which didn't exactly make her happy.

Fulcrum chuckled. Yes, chuckled. She addressed Viktor, "If I'm hearing this right, we may be storming your own castle, Viktor. Sounds like fun."

For now though the core reason for their flight remained: taking the family to safety. After that they could find their bearings in this strange, new land and decide on a course of action. She certainly didn't want to live in a dark-fantasy, despotic medieval realm!

[Dr Archeville]

"" Archeville exclaimed in German, "

I really, really hope we are not going to find a version of me there, working for this Warlord!

He looked up to Mona, "yes, let us get them to safety, learn what we can from them. Then, after I have a few moments to see about fixing this," he held up the dead Screwdriver, "we shall pay a visit to the Castle." He studied the gadget a moment, then looked back to Mona, and grinned, then chuckled, "I see my German lessons have finally sunk in!"

[Quinn]

The small party quickly sped through the skies as Reinhard explained what little he could. According to the woodcutter, a Governor had no name, only a title given to them by the Warlord when they were selected to rule over an area in his (nobody knew if the Warlord was male or female, actually, but they stuck to his/him for simplicity's sake) stead. And yes, the Governor had more than likely dispatched the Jagers to track them down, though they had not expected a response so quickly after they'd escaped their village (which sounded much more like a work camp, to the Doktor's ears; regular armed patrols, villagers taken in the middle of the night, difficult taxes, backbreaking labour during the day, etc.). Perhaps a midnight raid by guardsmen revealed their escape, and the Governor did love to make examples of those who attempted to evade the Warlord's rule...

He trailed off, pondering, but continued to give directions until they landed in a small clearing more than a few miles away from where the party had taken off. Reinhard and Elisa bowed gratefully, the woodcutter looking about before whistling thrice. An answering whistle came from the trees, along with a yell in, of course, Germanic.

"Sprechen sie ihren namen! Seien sie Freier Mann oder Warlord's hund?"

"Speak your name! Be you Free Man or Warlord's dog?"

Reinhard gave an answering shout, along with his name, and then motioned that the two heroes should speak as well.

[Dariusprime]

"Quite a bit, dear," she said with a smile. Accelerating slowly in the indicated direction, she added, "The dialect is somewhat difficult for me. I understand about half of what is said unless I concentrate. But yes, your lessons are going very well!"

Truth be known, Mona appreciated the German lessons as much for the bits of dialect and other forms of German that Viktor sprinkled into his speech. Not that she had problems learning on her own! Few locals though knew the true diversity of the language, and having a native speaker always helped the immersion! In fact she pondered speaking German at home to improve her skills more rapidly. Of course that brought up the melancholy thought of finding home again...

Pushing those thoughts aside, she landed and released her charges. "" she said with humor in her voice. More seriously, she replied, ""

Her eyes squinted in concentration, Fulcrum managed a rough translation and could guess at the context. They approached a bastion of freedom in a wicked land. Of course they'd have guards and pass codes. Calling out clearly, she proclaimed in similar response to Reinhard, "" Perhaps a bit more forcefully than she intended. She did, after all, have a powerful and very big set of lungs.

[Dr Archeville]

Archeville looked carefully around the forest, trying to spot the (surely camouflaged) sentries.

I do believe my beloved has the right idea. And my name did seem to get some reaction from Reinhard and Elisa, so...

He strode forward, arms spread wide. "Ich bin Doktor Viktor Heinrich Archeville," he announced. "Ich bin ein Gelehrter und ein Schmied. Ich bin von der Stadt von Schönwald im Schwarzwald im Land von Deutschland. Ich besiegte gerade drei Jäger mit nichts aber den Gurt um meine Taille, und ich setze jemand entgegen das Wissenschaft in richtung zum Böse oder Tyrannei dreht!"

"I am Doctor Viktor Heinrich Archeville. I am a scholar and a (black)smith. I am from the city of Schönwald im Schwarzwald in the country of Germany. I just defeated three Hunters with nothing but the belt around my waist, and I oppose anyone who turns science towards evil or tyranny!"

[Quinn]

When the Doktor spoke up, the silence that fell over the clearing could only be described as 'stunned'. A low hum could be heard from the nearby bushes, unintelligble murmurs from the no-doubt camouflaged individuals lurking about the edges of the clearing. Finally, an answering voice came, this one definitley addressing the Doktor.

"Ziehen Sie das andere! Die Archevilleszu einer Mann wurden geschlachtet, ihre Anhänger und Beständedie Warlord beschlagnahmt, zerstörteihre Stadt! Was gewinnen Sie durch eine solche offenkundige Lügen und ausgefallene Aussagen?"

"Pull the other one! The Archevilles were slaughtered to a man, their followers and holdings seized by the Warlord, their city destroyed! What gain you by such blatant lies and outlandish statements?"

[Dr Archeville]

'Their city destroyed'? My counterparts owned a city? My counterparts owned a city!

I could own a city! Well, an arcology, maybe. Arche-ology? Hrm. There are certainly a number of places I could set one up. Perhaps Colorado Springs, near where Tesla-

Ack, no, focus! They doubt I am an Archeville, despite the bravado and bombasticity I showed in my announcement. But they seemed to accept that I was at least acting as one, so my method of address was correct, I just need to keep at it.

He spun slowly as he spoke, "Eine ausgezeichnete Frage! Was würde sie mich fördern?" He laughed defiantly, "Möglicherweise sind die Geschichten meines Todes übertrieben worden! Oder möglicherweise bin ich Archeville von einem entfernten Land, weiter als sogar die Warlord's Reichweite verlängert!" A mischievous grin appeared, "Aber ein Archeville würde nicht auf blossen Wörtern beruhen -- ein Archeville würde seine Tätigkeiten für ihn sprechen lassen!"

"An excellent question! What would it benefit me?"

"Perhaps the tales of my death have been exaggerated! Or perhaps I am an Archeville from a distant land, further than even the Warlord's reach extends!"

"But an Archeville would not rely on mere words -- an Archeville would let his actions speak for him!"

These sentries have good camouflage -- I cannot see them! But maybe if I 'switched gears' to a different mental iteration...

Mona knew the subtle shifts in Viktor's face and stance were signs he had 'changed his mind.' He raised one hand and began pointing at spots in the trees, "Dort... und dort... und dort... und dort..." His free hand danced across the controls of his Belt.

"There... and there... and there... and there..."

I have found you.

A small blue-grey portal appeared before him. He lowered the hand he'd been using to point and placed it through the portal, which co-located it to matching portals opening behind each of the sentries' heads. And he slapped them, sharply, upon the backs of their head; not enough to hurt, just to smart. He pulled his hand back out the portal, and the press of a button closed it in a twinkle.

"Ich bin Herr Doktor Viktor Archeville," he said proudly. "Wer sind Sie, irgendein von Ihnen, anders zu sagen?"

"I am Doktor Viktor Archeville*. Who are you, any of you, to say otherwise?"

* "Herr" is equivalent to "Mister," but it can also mean (especially when put in front of a title like 'Doctor') "Honored/Respected."

[Quinn]

The Doktor felt his hand strike across five heads, but one swished through empty air as a figure emerged from the forest. Her figure was feminine, that much was apparent, but it was covered by a leather longcoat, plated with steel across different sections. Her eyes were covered by thick green lenses and her face by a strange mask, her head topped by a peaked wide-brimmed hat. Across her chest was a solid metal breastplate, with a bandolier and belt combination over top of that from which several odd-looking tools and devices hung. But what really drew the eye was the sparking pistol-like object in her hand, with two small cylinders where the muzzle would be, sparks crackling between them. Unfortunately, it was also pointed right at the Doktor; the strange woman had the man dead to rights. A murmur came from a nearby bush, and she barked a harsh word in Germanic, before turning back. Archeville could feel her eyes behind the glass look him up and down, and she waved a hand.

Four more figures emerged from the forest, all wearing similar clothing; brown and green longcoats, hats, and bandannas, each with different equipment hanging from their belts. One man carried a great bow, and had an arrow nocked to it, although he didn't aim. Another, more mammoth fellow (almost as big as Fulcrum!), wore great plated gauntlets over his hands, and looked as if he itched to use them. A third, female member of the band wore no armor or weapons, and was much smaller than the others, but she twitched and cracked her knuckles, clearly more dangerous than her appearance let on. The fourth wore a robe underneath his coat, and bore a staff in one hand and a sword in the other, the staff beginning to glow with a warm light as he looked intently at Fulcrum. And the last stood beside Viktoria, a rapier in his hand and a whip in the other, with a white smiling mask over his face instead of a bandanna.

The small female walked over to Reinhard and Elisa, and they conversed rapidly in Germanic. She then lead the two to the side, out of what might be a line of fire, and hurried over to report the same to the leader. With a snap of her fingers, the archer and swordsman disappeared into the forest without a sound, heading in what Viktor knew was the direction they'd came in; towards the cliffside where he'd dropped the Jagers into the water. While all of this was happening, the woman seemed to appraise Viktor again before speaking.

"... Nein Archeville überlebten das massaker, wenn der Warlord herab auf unsere stadt. Das ist, was die geschichte sagen."

"...No Archeville survived the massacre when the Warlord descended on our city. That's what the histories say."

She pulled up her goggles, and yanked down her bandanna. And the face that Archeville saw gave him quite a shock; golden blonde hair, Rhine blue eyes. Alabaster skin, thin and imperial nose and lips, and cheeks cut of marble; save with a softer touch than his. It was almost like looking in a mirror. Her expression turned from penetrating to hopeful, and her voice trembled ever so slightly, although the hand holding the device didn't so much as twitch.

"Aber die geschichte kann falsch sein."

"But history can be wrong."

[Dr Archeville]

The Doktor scanned the sentries again, now better able to get a clear look at them. Then he looked back to the woman before him.

Oh, how marvelous! A relative of my counterpart here. Or perhaps she is my counterpart here! Gender shifts would be the easiest change in an alternate universe -- I have always thought it something of an anomaly that so many alternate worlds have counterparts with the same sex!

"" he replied in their native tongue, extending his right hand to her. "" he gestured towards Fulcrum, ""

He cocked his head slightly as he looked over the woman again, "

[Dariusprime]

"Viktor! This is not the time or place, and you know it!" Mona snapped. Crossing her arms, she appeared somewhat cross at her boyfriend. Really didn't look angry so much as annoyed. "You'll end up starting a..."

By then the various resistance fighters entered the clearing. Fulcrum sighed, gave Viktor the evil eye, and stood there appraising the group. Didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that the group looked oddly familiar. In fact as the leader spoke, Mona placed each fighter with his or her Prime counterpart. Hey, if Fulcrum could have a horse version of herself, then why not a huge guy with gauntlets? Stranger things had happened! Definitely this world's Interceptors.

Not that she let on to this tidbit. She watched the archer and swordsman vanish and didn't really pay the staff wielder much heed. Her face looked strictly poker. Just because they were resistance fighters and counterparts did not make them friendlies. Her neutral fell, and eyes opened in surprise, when Viktoria Archeville made her identity known.

"Daammnn, you make a gorgeous woman," Mona mumbled to Viktor.

[Quinn]

The woman nodded, before finally lowering her device and flicking a switch on it. The bottled lightning traveling through the two cylinders disspiated, and it twirled around a finger before disappearing into a holster. Viktoria (for that was indeed her name) then stepped up and seized Viktor's hand in a strong grip, shaking it firmly.

"Sie raten richtig, ich bin Frau Doktor Viktoria Archeville, anführer dieser bande von rebellischen gesindel."

"You guess correctly, I am Doctor Viktoria Archeville, leader of this band of rebellious rabble."

The large man behind her snorted and crossed his arms while the robed figure then hurried up and looked quite intently at Fulcrum. He cocked his head to the side, then murmured a few words and waved a hand over her head; for a few seconds it felt as if a burning knife was being jabbed right into her brain, then as soon as the sensation appeared, it vanished. And when Viktoria spoke again, to the mighty heroine's ears it was plain English.

"These are my compatriots in our miniature war here; you saw Deadshot and the Blade of the Black Forest leave just a few moments ago, and my brethren here are Brute, No-Hand, and Hellfire."

She motioned to the others as she rapped out their names, Brute flexing his mighty muscles in Fulcrum's direction with a grin, No-Hand (the short one) put one hand into the other and gave a small bow to both her and Viktor, and Hellfire (the robed one) simply grunted and stumped back to Viktoria's side. The Doktor stroked her chin for a moment, then, looking intently at Viktor's equipment; his belt, and the cylinder in his hand clearly intrigued her.

"So...you say you came from afar, but you clearly have advanced farther in the Forbidden Arts than even I have...and you say farther than the Warlord's reach, yet his hand encompasses the entirety of the globe..."

Brute snorted, and she turned a withering look upon him; he fairly froze, giving an apologetic look to her as she berated him. It looked rather humorous, actually, she had a similar method to Viktor's when it came to reaming someone out. When she finished, she coughed in a somewhat embarassed manner and shrugged, looking curiously back at her counterpart.

"Don't you start that again, everyone else thinks the world is flat, but I know it's round, damnit! It took me long enough to get that scrying crystal to work with that rocket, and I know I saw the curvature before it exploded! Ahem...but tell me, are my suspicions correct? I've always guessed that some of the Warlord's minions can call beasts from other worlds, yet I've never had the equipment to attempt to copy their method myself; do the Free Cities thrive on some other plane?"

[Dr Archeville]

"Yes, I am aware," he replied to Mona, under his breath, remembering the time that he was one.

Good times, good times. I should set aside more time for patrols!

But to the matter at hand...

Archeville nodded, a small smile spreading across his face, "" he turned his head to towards Mona, and the look in his eyes made it clear theirs was no platonic or business relationship, ""

If they do not know of the Terminus, no need to tell them. If they do know of it, no need to tell them she is empowered by it.

He tuned back to face his counterpart, ""

[Dariusprime]

Come to think of it, the jabbing pain was so worth the mental relaxation. Translating that dialect looked to be a huge headache. Fulcrum actually sighed in relief. "Thank you," she replied with great honesty to Hellfire.

Now free to fully understand the conversation, she listened intently to Viktoria's introductions. Stepping up to each, she offered a good, firm handshake to each of her compatriots, and one to Viktoria Archeville as well. "I'm Mona. A pleasure to meet you all."

Making a circuit back to Viktor, she caught the look in his eyes, and only smiled and winked before sliding up beside him. "Strangers in a strange land," she muttered, as much to the group as a whole as Viktor.

"The other planes, at least ours, are quite steeped in science and technology, the Forbidden Arts. We've traveled to the moon, all but conquered many diseases and devices undreamed of even a century ago on our world. If we find some down time, and you find a way to survive the vacuum of space, I can demonstrate quite clearly that the world is spherical."

[Quinn]

What escaped from Frau Doktor Viktoria Archeville's throat could only be described in a single word; squee. The woman actually was in front of Fulcrum in a heartbeat, looking up at the heroine with big eyes and hopping up and down, speaking a mile a minute.

"The moon?! You've actually been to the moon?! You must tell me! How far have you progressed in the Forbidden Arts? What amazing devices of brass and steam have you created, what magnificent alchemies have you developed to remove such horrible diseases? How does magic react against technology in your world? Have you developed methods of long-range travel? I must know!"

She was beside Viktor then, looking at his screwdriver and belt in a manner definitiely akin to lust as her compatriots collectively facepalmed. Hellfire simply snorted and began stumping off in the direction Deadshot and the Blade had run in, No-Hand hurrying after him, ushering Reinhard and Elisa along after shooting an apologetic look Fulcrum and Viktor's way. Brute, for his part, simply shook his head and placed a hand on Viktoria's shoulder, and she caught herself with a look that definitley reminded Fulcrum of a kid having her Christmas toys taken away.

"But...perhaps it would be better if we discussed things in a safer place. Follow us!"

And then she was off and into the woods, Brute chuckling at his leader's antics before speaking in a deep bass voice. The man extended his hand to the Doktor, then thumbed over his shoulder in the direction the others had left in.

"Sorry, she can get...excited whenever she's about to make a new discovery. Brilliant, though, pure genius; I've seen her perform tricks with that Art of hers that the Warlord's spellweavers sweat to even consider. Part of why they've not found our hideout yet."

He grinned and lead the group into the forest, keeping a weather eye out for danger as they moved along a cleverly hidden path.

[Dariusprime]

Fulcrum blinked in surprise. She'd expected the science-loving Archeville (either one) to react favorably to her comment, but the speed of her approach caught off her guard. Blinking to Viktor, she nodded and replied to Viktoria, "Err...well, your male counterpart would be better for specifics, but I can say that magic is rare in our world, almost extinct from the sound of it."

As Viktoria zipped over to Viktor, she took a breath to say more when Brute intervened. For which Mona was very, very thankful. Although she fully expected Viktoria to practically interrogate both of them once they were in safety. That could wait though. They were still out in the open at the moment.

Speeding herself up considerably, she watched all directions at once, visibly and cosmically, and followed along behind the merry band. Mentally, she wondered if Brute was her Other Earth counterpart. Interesting thought experiment at the very least...

[Dr Archeville]

"Not rare enough," Archeville muttered in response to Fulcrum's words. But the dark mood soon passed, and he was all smiles again.

Do I really act like that? I suppose I do! And why not -- Science is awesome!

He shook Brute's hand, then followed his counterpart through the forest. "Wondrous indeed is our technology," he called to her, "though we do have our share of warlords who work to limit and restrain them. For example, we have been to our Moon, six times, but the last trip was almost 40 years ago. Why? They say it is not worth the effort! Bah! And travel - ha! We are only now making a real push for electric automobiles, to replace the gas- er, oil-burning vehicles. But the technology to do so has been around for decades, held back by the companies that mine and refine the oil used in the older models!"

He glanced back at Mona a few times as they went. She saw that, despite his words, his face carried a look of elation. He was complaining, true, but he was thoroughly enjoying it.

[Quinn]

The small party, joined a few minutes later by the archer and the swordsman (they simply appeared amongst the group without preamble, taking positions that they seemed quite accustomed to), headed deeper into the forest. The group was quiet, moving silently (surprisingly silent, in Brute's case) amongst the trees, once in a while one disappearing into the brush and returning a few seconds later. As Dok filled the other Dok in on his future, he could see her practically vibrate, hopping around on the trail as she reined in the urge to rattle off several dozen questions.

After a good ten, twenty minutes of hiking, they arrived in a clearing deep within the Forest of Tears; two sentries carrying longer lightning-rods putting them up as they saw Frau Doktor approach. A quick conversation in German, and Reinhard and Elisa were taken to a large grouping of tents sitting in the shadow of...

An unreal, almost impossible sight. Sitting in the clearing, it's bulk obscuring a good portion of the tents and the refugees, was what could only be described as an ironclad with propellers; a squat, ugly thing, definitley having seen better days. Even Fulcrum could tell that the only way this machine could get off the ground would be if she lifted it. Doktor Viktoria mounted a set of steps leading up to the deck, accompanied by Deadshot and Hellfire; Brute started walking towards the refugee camp, while No-Hand tugged on Blade's arm as they started their own patrol of the perimeter.

"Welcome to our home, such as it is. I extend to you the hospitality of the Archevilles...well, again, such as it is. Aid us, or prove yourselves true, and we shall aid you as best we can. Betray us or prove yourselves false, and you shall learn the wages of treachery."

She was deadly serious when she spoke those words, a ritual she was obviously accustomed to; once she finished, she clapped her hands together and smiled, motioning up the staircase.

"Well! Now that that's out of the way, questions! Yes, questions! You both will take dinner with me, of course?"