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>>45763626
"Oh. Good."

The room is more than a little crowded, with the surviving prisoners having been shepherded up to the second tier of the room, them huddling as they look upon three Lamia. If you remember right the Empire demonize your kind. The massive bulk that is Veles is probably not helping.

Of the nine remaining nitor five look to be injured, one severely. Two of the able bodied ones are performing triage on the wounded.

McCain is huffily discussing something with Liama and her two men.

Artyom is standing in the middle of the room, somewhat at a loss of what to do.

>Action?

>>45763652
Send someone or contact maria to head into town to meet up with the nitor captian.

We'll need to stay here to defend the portals but once we make contact we can organize a raid.

>>45763652
>>45763773
This works

>>45763652
Let's go see what McCain is getting huffy about. Need to take care of him.

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Going over to the gateway you beckon Artyom who follows you. [Go get marie, tell her to get ready ot head to the nitor posting. We'll need someone to pick up those we left behind, they'll be on the coast.]

He looks puzzled for a moment then responds, [I will bring her here. I know not where this coast you speak of is.]

You usher him through the portal, turning over to where McCain and Liama are discussing whatever it is that's got him frustrated.

"Something the matter" You ask slithering up to the pair.

McCain sighs, "I'd hoped that damn double of me was gone, but I would be so lucky, and now he's thrown his lot in with this group."

"And that's why you wanted to stay behind? Sacrificng yourself to go after him?" You ask, ire rising.

He scoffs, "I didn't want you risking both our lives on my account. Keeping the gate open and going through in combat is taxing enough."

"I was opening it on my end." Veles replies earning him a glare.

"That's all well and good but we didn't kn-" he says before a cough comes from behind.

Turning, you see one of the uninjured Nitor standing addressing you. "Miss, we need to get our men to a doctor immediately. We'll see about picking up the captain."

"In this weather? You're men look in bad shape as it is."

He nods over to the serious case "If we stay here he won't make it. Now if you'd open the portal please."

>Get Tatiana to help.
>Let them head out.
>Other?

>>45765194
>>Let them head out.
No one here is experienced enough in human medicine.

>>45765194
> Get Tatiana to help
She is the best at medicine among us.

>>45765194
>>Get Tatiana to help.
Not gonna be able to stay for much longer than this vote sadly, have a good one OP

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"We have a healer on hand. She doesn't speak this language nor is too familiar with humans but... well she fixed Artyom."

The soldier pauses, "Better than nothing." He grimaces waiting as you open the portal only to see an armored Artyom with Marie sitting on his back as snow lightly falls. "What's wrong Miss Masterson?" SHe says worriedly.

"Get Tatiana, we've got injured, also get the info from these men and head to the nitor posting, Keel needs a pickup. Let them set up wherever." You say, allowing the nitor soldiers to carry their wounded through. That taken care of you turn back to the remainder.

Even with the group thinned much of the bottom level is taken up by Veles, Liama, and yourself. Liama's two men stand near the doorway to the rookery, checking their weapons.

"Any idea on what to expect?" You ask Veles as he runs his hand over what used to be his far northern gateway.

"I do not know. I will keep watch on these. No doubt they will try and find another entrance." He says, expression unreadble.

"There's also the matter of our friends there." Liama says, gesturing to the massed group of hooded prisoners, shrinking back from the ledge in unison as three Lamia turn to regard them.

"Where'd you pull them out of anyway McCain?" You ask.

"Couple of the tunnels, were a few in one and the bulk in another. Iron rings embedded in the walls with a chain linking them. Like oarslaves or somethin' like that."
>Secure the gateways from any more incursions
>Check on the rescued prisoners
>Other?

>>45766178
>Check on the rescued prisoners
They may know something.

>>45765194
>filename
You cheeky motherfucker

>>45766178
>>Check on the rescued prisoners

>>45765194
>no double codpiece
one job

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"Anything we can learn from them might be useful." You say, looking at the cowering group.

"Lemme see." Liama says before breaking into what you think is a stilted version of Phoenix that instantly causes gasps of fear and them to shrink back further against the wall.

"What'd you say?" You ask, looking at Liama.

"I'm pretty sure I said everything is going to be ok." Liama says.

McCain sighs, "In commoner tongue or highborne."

"Oh. Right." Noting your confused glance she elaborates. "One of their end time myths is a snake speaking highborne feasting on the young and all that. Bird analogy. I think my mum used it to her advantage. I can only imagine the stories."

"Not to mention you kinda are the daughter of one of the empires greatest enemies." McCain says causing her to frown.

"Not like they know that, anyway, did we want information from them or what?"

McCain and Liama turn to you while Veles keeps looking at the huddled figures intently.


>Just try and calm them down for now
>Just try and get some information out of them.
>Other?

>>45767340
>>Just try and calm them down for now
>>Just try and get some information out of them.
one then the other

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"For now, lets just calm them down. They were prisoners, yeah? They'll probably be eager to talk."

Liama nods, moving back towards then before McCain puts out a hand. "Make it look like you're translatin' for me." He says.

"What?" asks Liama.

"They are afraid of snakefolk, yeah? You guys being in charge is probably their worst nightmare. Might be better if it looked like somone with legs was in charge. I could be mistaken but its worth a shot."

"How about I actually translate for you?"

"Fine."

You leave the two to do that while you turn to Veles, "What's your take on them?"

He shrugs, still staring at the group "I do not know. They seem different though. Scentwise."

"Well they were prisoners." You sniff, causing him to smile.

"Not like that their... I know not the words, energies. The give me a feeling of neither your cook nor those that attacked."

You're interrupted by a loud 'What in the blazes.' and you turn to McCain.

The group of prisoners has split into two groups, the first shedding their robes and revealing the gaunt faces of half starved Phoenix Empire people, but the other group is what McCain is addressing. What you see is a man, or at least almost one. One of the taller of the figures has moved towards McCain and the hood of the robe has fallen back. The facial shape, the hair, that's all fine, but you don't know any humans that have animal eyes, or ears.

"What in the blazes." McCain repeats looking more confused.

Liama in the meantime is trying really hard not to laugh.

>?

>>45768436
ask if liama knows what is up, then ask them what they are/where they're from.

>>45768975
>>45768436
kinda slow night tonight, it's a weekday afterall

and nice filename

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"You know something we don't Liama?" You say, just as puzzled yourself.

"Not positive, but I think so." She calls back, breaking into giggles, "It's just funny if this is the 'shame of the empire' they mentioned."

Even her own men look at her in confusion.

"Sorry, sorry. Its just. There was an incident back during one of those diplomatic get togethers I did when I was in the nitor. This shame of the empire nonsense was brought up as an insult. I got interested and dug some digging. You know how we've got Lamia, Naga, Mer, and Minotaur and all the other races in the UFK yeah? Well the Phoenix Empire would have you believe that everyone in their empire is well..." she gestures over to the 'normal' prisoners. "The other group here are... I'm not certain but if I had to guess they are some of the Phoenix beastfolk."

McCain frowns. "What makes that so funny?"

"Just the absurdity of it back then. Like I could see the headline now, 'SUGGESTING MAN WITH FOX EARS EXISTS PLUNGES NATION INTO WAR' Its just so dumb. I thought there was more to it than just that."

The individual himself seems confused himself, at least you think so given the expression behind the beard, but with the way he's positioning himself between yourself, Veles, Liama and the rest of his group makes it seem he's bracing for a fight.

"What else do you know about them?" You ask, careful not escalate the situation by moving too quickly.

"Abso-friggen-lutely nothing." She says cheerfully. "This is exciting. First those centaurs, now this. All sorts of new things."

With both groups cowering, but more than a few looking worriedly quizzical you approach. You note the unhooded phoenix men slinking back significantly further than the larger group of beastfolk, emboldened by their leader not backing down, or being struck down you suppose.

>Try to question the smaller group of people
>Try and question the beastfolk.
(Specify what you want to ask either way.)

>>45769553
>>Try and question the beastfolk.
See if we can persude them to illuminate us as to the finer points of their captor's aims.

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Nodding towards the beastfolk you tell Liama "See if we can persuade them to illuminate us as to the finer points of their captor's aims."

She grins and begins gesturing to the leader and talking in what you assume is normal phoenix. "He asks if it is true that we eat babies." She says, causing McCain to snort into his hand.

"Well I'm partial to eggs myself, but those are hens eggs and not fertilized. And usually fried." You say, waiting for her and McCain to do the next round of translating.

After a while she frowns, "Says they were in a small village in the mountains somewhere before being attacked and drug onto a boat. He says there were a great deal more, but they'd been there a while. I don't even think they know about the whole blood thing" She says, trailing off.

"Do they have a name?" McCain asks.

A pause, then a quickly worded conversation. "He seems shocked that we are asking. Apparently they aren't even addressed as a thing. Untouchables. I don't know. His name or title, not sure which, is Zhou."

>>45770710
Gonna call it here. Don't want folks up TOO late on a weekday after all. As always, thanks for reading, and bearing with me while the snow and thaw and wind played merry hell with my connection the last few weeks.

>>45770733
Thanks for showing, Chemlab. Hope the gods of the interwebs treat you better.

>>45770733
Thanks for the thread. Shame this doesn't have more participants