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Dynasty of Dovak	By : JohnDoe Category: +A through F > Exalted RPG Views: 4983 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 1
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Session 80 – Into the Fire – Ganan (280XP 224DX, 277/224 spent; 20WhP 83GP 42SP), Jinabar (280XP 224DX, 276/220 spent), Gifty (???XP ???DX, ???/??? spent)

After two weeks of preparation, our heroes have left the Lap behind to venture into the Firepeak Mountains. Dragonsgift had moved them by sorcerously conjured wind from the city to the mountains, but here insists they travel by foot to avoid the attentions of the Anathema that rule over the wild highlands.

“Easier to out-run our enemies on a Stormwind!” Ganan grumbles as they hike through the mountains. His skin is not transmuted to invulnerable bronze to save on weight and make the hike easier, but it leaves him feeling naked.

Jinabar sighs, “Good luck outrunning a Lunar.” She walks with her eyes fixed on the horizon. She leans on her priceless Jade wrackstaff – Calumny – using it as a common walking stick. Unlike Ganan, she’s wearing a full suit of armor – and not just any armor, but the strength-boosting Essence powered armor of the Jadeborn.

“We’ve been over this,” Dragonsgift says tersely, her eyes flick from side-to-side, straining to see any sign of ambush. Her giant sword, Abrojo, is strapped to her back in a custom sheath. “The bandits of the gem trade routes have been driven further and further north. We don’t want to attract attention.” Something catches her eye, and she raises a fist calling a halt.

Jin drops to one knee. She starts to glow red with inner fire, then suddenly that inner fire is outer fire – swirling balls of flame orbiting her in a mantle of elemental power.

Ganan unslings his Dragon-Sigh Wand and holds ready.

There’s a flurry of movement as two score of mutants spring out from the rock-strewn path. Their skin is cragged and rocky – the exact color of the ruddy mountainside itself. A hyena-faced woman stands on the trail ahead of them, a wicked looking scimitar of Chiaroscuro glass in hand. She points the blade at the Dynasts with a “whoop” ordering the attack. The mutants fall on the Dragon-Blooded with spears and axes.

“It’s like they’re lining up!” Gifty says with a swing of her blade, clashing against the press of mutant bandits. Abrojo rips through them with vicious tearing; bludgeoning and ripping apart the unfortunates in the front rank. Three fall dead, their blood spilling across the dark red soil of the mountains, staining it bright scarlet. Spears are smashed aside by the unstoppable force of Abrojo’s blows.

Jin blazes with a spray of flame around her in a broad arc, deflecting attacks away from her with a show of elemental strength. Sparks fly, blinding the bandits closest to her.

Ganan unleashes with Burnt Offering as the crowd rushes at him. The fire sends them reeling back as he laughs maniacally.

Gifty snarls menacingly at the mutant bandits, who keep their distance from her.

Ganan’s hands move like lightning as he sights his enemy whilst chambering another round.

Jin fires a blast of flame at Janati. The hyena woman screeches as she throws herself to the side as Jin’s elemental blast knocks the wind from her.

The bandits charge at Ganan and Jin. Spears jab at Ganan as he moves into Earth Dragon Form, his anima rising around him. Jin flicks her wrackstaff out smashing in a broad arc as she deflects the blows of her attackers.

Jin looks back up the mountainside as Janati withdraws, slipping out of sight. Gifty starts forward toward the bandits who immediately break and flee.

As Ganan takes aim at the fleeing bandits, Gifty blocks his shot:

“Let them flee,” She orders, motioning for Jin to stand-down.

“We should exterminate this filth whenever we get the chance – they’ll only be back, and in greater numbers. These mountains are Anathema territory.” Ganan retorts.

“That’s exactly why we’re letting them go,” Gifty says steely, “All the traffic over the mountains is liable to be menaced. Three Dragon-Blooded cutting a killing spree is going to call every Lunar in a hundred miles.”

“Then it’s better that we don’t leave witnesses alive!” Ganan jabs a finger at Gifty. The significant height difference between them makes the gesture less threatening than it could be.

“If one of the ‘Anathema’ quietly passed through a Satrapy, would that rouse the same response as if they murdered their way through the garrison? Would you prioritize a rumor over a trail of dead bodies?” Gifty sheathes her sword.

Jin wags a finger at Ganan, “That’s a damn good point, killer.”

Ganan slings his weapon back over his shoulder, “Whatever. It’s your expedition: lead on.”

Gifty gestures at Ganan’s anima stretching out to the sky, broadcasting their position. He banishes his spear into his anima, and Gifty leads them off the trail to put some distance between themselves and the site of the battle.

(“You know,” Jin nudges her brother, “It’s one thing with zombies and demons trying to take over the world, but you don’t have to kill everyone we meet.”

“I mean, I know I don’t have to…” Ganan chuckles, “Oh, you’re being serious. They’re mutants, they’re not even people! And they attacked us first! It’s self-defense, lighten up.”)

****

Our heroes cross the mountains, trying to combine speed and stealth through the difficult terrain. It’s an arduous trek, one that would challenge any mortal mountaineer, carried out at a merciless pace, but our heroes easily tear through the terrain with the blessings of the Dragons. Eventually, Gifty calls a halt beside a body of water too small to properly be a mountain lake, but too deep to be called a pond.

She gestures toward a wall of vines covering a cliff-face, which Jin moves aside with Calumny. Behind the plants is a carved stone door, tall enough for Gifty to pass through unbowed and wide enough for the Dragon-Blooded to enter three abreast.

“Welcome to Shining Kren,” Gifty announces, “Now we just have to get past the door.”

Jin examines the carved edifice carefully, “Oh, I know this one! ‘Friend!’”

Nothing happens. Gifty looks at her expectantly. Ganan rolls his eyes.

“Well, it was worth a shot!” Jin grumbles under her breath as she examines the door.

It is carved with a series of geometric shapes. None of the parts seem to move and there is no obvious lock, though the shapes could be used as a handle – with a little difficulty, a rope could be secured to them, even, in order to provide more leverage. The cut into the mountainside is deep and the door is heavy.

“I could knock it down,” Ganan suggests, “And rebuild it behind us, of course.”

“We could leave it here,” Jin points out, “Ideally, hook it up to a team of horses and drive them forward, but between the three of us, I think we can outpull a team of horses.” She flexes, jokingly.

Gifty sizes Ganan up for a moment before deciding that she’s probably the strongest of the three. She grabs the door and pulls with all her might, but the door doesn’t budge.

“You’ve been here before, right?” Ganan asks, pulling a face.

Gifty scowls at him, “Why would you think that? I’ve never said that! This is the preliminary expedition: we are here now so things like this don’t happen when we bring Reya’s construction crew. Help me lash this!”

Ganan sighs and makes his way over to the door, “Let’s cheat!” He suggests, pulling out a chisel. With essence-backed speed, Ganan carves behind the sculpted protrusion, making a hole wide enough to loop their rope through (7SP). He tucks the rope through the loop, well anchored into the stone, and he and Gifty pull together. The door shifts an inch, then another, as they drag it open with painstaking slowness.

Any wildlife that didn’t scatter when the three dragons entered the clearing, now bolts as the door makes a horrible scraping noise. Birds alight, marking their position for any watching. Jin strains in her armor, eyes darting across the mountainside, looking for any sign of attack but seeing nothing.

Finally, the door swings open. Ganan repairs the hole behind them (1SP). On the inside of the door are two large, brass handles. They resecure the rope on the inside and pull the door closed. As the great stone settles into place, a shaft of sunlight above them strikes a highly polished mirror, reflecting down the corridor before them, illuminating the otherwise dark passage.

“That’s neat!” Jin remarks as Ganan examines the mirrors.

The trio proceed on a winding path that leads down and deeper into the mountain. The reflected light starts to grow dim just as the path switches from a gentle slope to a series of steeply cut steps. Jin staggers but keeps her footing. Something activates within her armor and she’s nearly blinded as her view goes from too dim to too bright. She shakes her head and bangs on her helmet and her view goes back to normal – clearly the armor can provide an enhanced sensory suit, but clearly it requires calibrating to human senses and Jin’s essence flow (being unusable in its current state).

“I’ve got this,” Gifty says, as she unslings her massive, six-foot, blade and shunts her flaming essence into the sword. Fire spills over Abrojo’s teeth, the flicking light catches the Jadeborn mirrors, which reflect it ahead of them – though not as efficiently as at the start of the tunnel. “Father, stay close behind me. Auntie Jin, bring up the rear.”

The trio proceeds in single file, the Abrojo’s fire lighting the way. Jin cannot shake the feeling of being watched, but every time she looks behind them there’s no-one to be seen. Ganan is oblivious as ever, and if Gifty suspects anything, she does not give it away.

“Stop that!” Ganan hisses without turning around as Jin jumps at shadows, “You’re making me nervous!”

“Well, I’m sorry I don’t have as much experience skulking around Mountain Folk tunnels as you do!” Jin hisses back, “We are being followed – I’m sure of it!”

Ganan turns and indelicately shoves his sister to one side, “Be you friend or foe, show yourself! Let us speak as civilized people and either part in peace or enter into honest battle!” He bellows into the darkness. There is no reply. He turns back to Jin, “There’s no-one there.” He says simply, before trotting after Gifty.

Jin strains her eyes into the darkness and is momentarily blinded as the enhanced sensory suite of her armor activates again. As she blinks the stars from her eyes, she could swear she sees a scurry of movement in the darkness, but Gifty is not waiting for her and the flicking fire of her sword is growing dimmer. Jin curses and sprints catch up with the others, taking the steep steps two at a time.

****

Ganan clears his throat, awkwardly, “So… you’re tall. Aharon was also tall.”

“Dad and I are of average height,” Gifty says tersely, “It’s the rest of the world that’s small.”

Ganan interrupts, “You’re freakishly gigantic!”

Gifty chuckles, “Not so. Consider – Abrojo is taller than you. All artifact weapons are scaled to someone of my height. Look at First Age architecture – the high ceilings, large archways, sweeping thoroughfares. Even seen Octavian? What makes more sense to you, that a Warstrider be twice my height or that it be two-and-two-thirds of your height?”

Ganan opens his mouth to protest, then closes it again. He’s convinced that Gifty is messing with him, but he doesn’t have a rebuttal. He tries a different take, “You know, I’m actually older than Aharon…” Gifty doesn’t respond, so Ganan clears his throat and continues, “You might not know this, but my Realm tradition that would make me your mother. This gives you an excellent claim. To be a Dynast.”

“So instead of being matriarch of a cadet house in good standing, I could be an exiled member of the traitorous House Cynis? Let me weigh that up for a moment. Pass.”

“Well, there’s a matter of proper procedure, but with your physical prowess, I was thinking House Tepet.”

“I’ll tell you what father, you pull the strings with the Empress and I’ll take the Tepet name.” Gifty shakes her head derisively.

Ganan nods enthusiastically, he looks about to say something else, when Gifty holds up a hand for silence, as if she’s heard another attack. Ganan immediately shuts up and braces himself for combat. They go fifty yards before Ganan realizes that Gifty is not braced for combat, and just made the signal to shut him up.

“So… archeology, sword play… what else are you interested in?”

Gifty stops, turns, and glares at him as Jin catches up. “What are you doing? What are we doing right now?”

Ganan rubs the back of his neck and looks over to Jin for support. Gifty’s six-foot long flaming, spiked sword uncomfortably close to his face. “Bonding?” He ventures hopefully.

Gifty wags a warning finger in his face, “We are here for the greatest treasure since the Scarlet Empress took the Sword of Creation. I needed the backing of a Great House and dad’s hearthmate happened to be on my doorstep. Nothing about this is anything to do with you. I have lived my entire life without you in it, and I’ve done just fine: I have no interest in bonding with you.”

Ganan looks suitably devastated, taking everything she says at face value, so Gifty turns to lead the way down the corridor. Jin, however, isn’t convinced that Gifty is telling the truth – she seems more interested in shutting Ganan down than anything else.

****

There’s a rattling clack of a dozen crossbows being cocked.

“I’m afraid you’ll be leaving without your treasure!” A gravelly voice calls out from the darkness.

Gifty nods to Jin, “Do your thing.”

“Me? This whole expedition is your idea?” Jin splutters back at her.

“Archeologist. Renown mistress of the blade. Creations greatest lover.” Gifty ticks off her achievements on her fingers then shakes her head, “But not winning any awards for talky-talk-good.”

Jin clears her throat, “We are here on behalf of the Realm. Our Empress led a great legion in defense of Urvar under the Imperial Mountain. In the East, my brother and I defended the Jadeborn city of Hiram from the ravages of the Mask of Winters. Jade Walker allowed us to use your wonders to travel to the Penitent, where we learned that once a great tunnel connected Shining Kren to Dijak. We are here in the name of friendship, to offer the Jadeborn the assistance of the Dragon-Blooded. Mountain Folk and Dynasty united in a great project: to restore the route from Shining Kren to Dijak.”

There’s a moment’s hesitation. A roughly hewn Jadeborn warrior walks forward out of the darkness, its weapon still trained on Jin. “A fanciful tale.”

Jin approaches, slowly, her arms spread, “We marched on the Darkbrood under the mountain. We saved Hiram. I wear armor forged by Jubilant Ore. My comrades returned to the Blessed Isle by tunnel car. We travelled here by teleportation chamber. There is a tunnel between here and Dijak, and that tunnel is collapsed and filled with vicious cannibals. You haven’t been able to restore it and you’ve had since the turning of the age. Let us help you.”

The warrior looks suspiciously over its crossbow, “And what’s in it for you and your Realm?”

Jin shrugs casually, “The greatest treasure since the Scarlet Empress claimed the Sword of Creation. We know there’s a lost city of the First Age in the collapsed tunnels. You allow us to kill your enemies for you and restore your link to Dijak. You allow us the treasures of the lost city on the way.”

There’s a rasping noise that might be laughter, “Yes, that sounds like an offer made by one of the Exalted. Your reward from this bargain is significantly larger than ours.”

Jin feigns indignation, “That’s because we’d be doing all the work! Our warriors will fight your enemies. Our workers will clear the rubble. All you need to do is not murder the people working to do you a favor. You risk nothing and you contribute nothing.”

“We risk everything by letting outsiders pass through our city! Especially in the numbers required to clear the tunnel.” The Jadeborn warrior shoots back.

“Maybe, but you still don’t contribute as equal partners in the danger and the labor!” Jin presses. She can’t help but smile behind her helmet.

The Jadeborn warrior is about to make a hasty reply, but catches themselves and considers for a moment, “What’s your name outsider?”

“I am Cynis Falen Jinabar, this is my brother, Tepet Cynis Ganan, and my niece Dragonsgift of Clan Saber Edge. We represent Great House Alinos, and by extension, the Empress Mnemon.”

“I am Klar,” After a beat, Klar adds, “Klar the Indefatigable of Shining Kren.”

Jin bows, graciously, “It is a pleasure to meet you Klar. Perhaps you could lower your weapon?”

Klar lowers their weapon, “Your proposal is intriguing. It will be presented to the Conclave. You will wait here.”

“In this empty corridor? Surely the hospitality of the Jadeborn extends… and they’re gone.” Jin sucks her teeth in frustration. The Jadeborn warriors have indeed withdrawn, leaving them in the dimly lit corridor.

“I think that went well,” Ganan says simply, pulling out a length of metal piping and shaping it with his fingers.

“You would!” Jin snaps.

“No,” Gifty says evenly, “They didn’t fire on us, I think that counts as going well. I’ve only ever approached this problem from Dijak, this is going a lot smoother than it did over there. Took me a lot longer to get to this point.”

“Shouldn’t we have started in Dijak then?” Ganan asks, screwing up his brow as he molds a gear and a pair of plungers.

“I was in Kirighast on business when I learned about the collapsed tunnel.” Gifty explains irritably, “But the blockage is closer to this end, as is my home. I have a few hard-won contacts in Dijak, but frankly, I’d rather not jeopardize them by gambling on House Alinos coming through.”

“What are you making?” Jin asks, fascinated.

“Pump.” Ganan explains monosyllabically. He looks up from his work to explain. “Consider,” He begins, holding up the crudely shaped outline of his work, “Two plungers, connected to each other by the thin tube, set at right angles. Each plunger is connected to a gear, such that they move as a single unit – when one plunger extends, it turns the cog and depresses the other plunger, which turns the cog and depresses the first plunger, which turns the cog and extends the first plunger.” Ganan moves the device with his finger to illustrate.

“A singularly useless device. You’ve managed to take the wheel and make it inordinately complicated and unable to roll.” Gifty rolls her eyes.

“What if the plungers were Mela-Proof? Airtight. And what if one were to take some lamp oil and burn it under the first chamber?” Ganan asks, his eyes starting to twinkle.

Jin screws up her brow, “The air in the chamber would expand… extending the plunger.”

“Turning…” Ganan prompts.

“The gear. Depressing the other plunger, turning the gear, extending the plunger and depressing the first plunger, which then extends again due to the heat. Pressurized air passes between the chambers, cooling in the second… always the gear turning… you could use this-”

“For drawing water from a well!” Ganan finishes triumphantly.

Gifty makes a face, “You could use it to drive a ship. With enough of these, large enough and working in parallel… And a heat source better than lamp oil… red jade perhaps, or a fire elemental… You could retrofit broken Shogunate engines using this technology!”

Ganan considers for a moment, as he returns to his work, his fingers working on autopilot, “Perhaps…” He muses idly, “Others have tried a boiler system. Driving steam. Tends to explode. Very little chance of this exploding. But the seals have to be perfect…”

Gifty and Jin watch with fascination as he works. Eventually, the prototype pump is completed. Ganan passes it to Gifty, who channels a slight amount of fire essence into the first chamber. The air expands, driving the plunger and turning the gear – the pump comes into, slow but steady, motion. Despite herself, Gifty is fascinated by the device (10SP), and is still playing with it as the Jadeborn delegation returns, making themselves known.

****

“I am Indomitable Sky,” A brightly colored Jadeborn artisan announces themselves. Their crystalline skin is a bright fuchsia, swathed in magenta robes. “You have met Indefatigable Klar,” She gestures to the stony, grey warrior at her side, “We represent the Conclave of Shining Kren. We have considered your proposal: I will not insult your intelligence by denying knowledge of that of which you speak – there is indeed a blocked car tunnel between Shining Kren and Dijak, and our records suggest there may well be city of your kind lost along the blocked line. But we cannot accept.”

Unfazed, Jin responds politely, “My I ask why, noble Indomitable Sky?”

“You have come to us by an ancient route that no Dragon-Blooded has trod in hundreds of years. To the West is a similar tunnel used by the mortals of An-Teng, who hire our mercenaries to fight off the piratical Lintha. But your kind do not use this tunnel: a mighty Lunar warlord controls the mountainside above. If we were to allow you to march your legions into Shining Kren, we would provoke the Lunar and bring war to our home.”

Jin nods considerately, “As you say, there’s more than one route to the city. We could land in An-Teng and come in from the west. There’s no need to march a Realm Legion in full colors over the mountains.”

“And you think that Golden-Leaf Liseli will simply allow you to work unmolested to claim ancient first age treasures? We have a delicate peace here, and much as we would love your legions to sweep the Darkbrood filth from the tunnels below ground, we cannot start a war with the wasp-folk above.”

Jin makes her case, starting to glow with the power of fire, “One way or another, war is coming to Shining Kren. The Realm bears you no ill-will – the Jadeborn of the Blessed Isle are exemplary subjects of Her Imperial Majesty, Empress Mnemon. But the Realm’s reach in the South is stretched: Haborhead simmers in revolt, Chiaroscuro is plagued by bandits and demon cultists – we can no longer secure the Southern Coast. In times past, the Pax Realm secured the profitable trade routes of the coast, and Guild Mercenaries could secure the diamond routes to Gem and the deep south. Now the Guild is bled on the coastal routes and trade from Gem has completely dried up. The Anathema who once grew fat predating diamond caravans have lost their prey – they will turn their eye to other targets. Sooner or later Golden-Leaf Liseli will turn to her closest neighbor – and that’s neither An-Teng nor the Lap. You don’t want to fight a war on two fronts. Let us clear out the enemy below, then stand at our side against the forces of the Anathema above. We respect your right to run your city as you see fit. Urvar pays the tribute the Jadeborn owe the Realm. But the Anathema will enslave your people, steal your riches, and pick the bones from your city. If the Darkbrood don’t conquer you first.”

Jin’s words clearly shake Indomitable Sky, who responds after a moment’s hesitation, “Very well, a test then.” Sky motions for the Dragon-Blooded to follow as they lead them down the tunnel system, “This tunnel does not connect directly to the city, but it connects to ancillary passages into the tunnel car network. The beasts which dwell in the collapsed tunnel are not Darkbrood in the conventional sense – they are not the servants of dark gods or the creations of ancient primordial origin. They are mortals, of a kind, created thousands of years ago by your Solar Anathema as a race of slaves. Albinos who must hide from the sun and who subsist on a diet of human flesh.”

“Dune People.” Gifty says grimly, “I’ve encountered them across the Burning Sands. Vicious, but not too challenging.”

Sky smiles as she stops before a door. The Dragon-Blooded do not recognize the symbol painted in red and black upon the door, but it is not hard to divine its meaning – keep out. The door is triple barred, and the mighty Jadeborn warriors struggle under the weight of the bars as they unlock it. Sky turns to our heroes:

“This will lead you into the tunnels. Go straight and at the junction, turn left. This will lead you to our city. You will have to fight your way through our enemies, and when you arrive at our gates, you will find them barred to you. Prove yourselves capable, and the Conclave shall reconsider our decision.”

“I assume you’ll be returning to the city via a quicker and safer route?” Ganan asks, raising an eyebrow.

“Yes, of course.” Indomitable Sky answers, “You claim you can kill our enemies below and protect us from the Anathema above. The great bulk of the Dune Folk forces lies to the right, you need only kill a small number to fight your way through to Shining Kren. If you cannot do that, you cannot hope to stand against the Lunars.”

Ganan turns his back on the Jadeborn, “I say we go right. Legion or no legion, it was always going to fall on the three of us to kill these bastards – might as well do it now.”

“We go left,” Gifty says firmly, “There’s no point killing the Dune People then having cephalids move into the empty tunnels before our excavators arrive. We do the job once, and we do it well.” She turns to Sky, “We’ll see you back at the city.”

The Jadeborn bow and our heroes pass through the door. Klar calls to them as the Jadeborn warriors bar the way behind them:

“Or you’ll die in the tunnels! Either works!”

****

The tunnel is pitch-black, but for the flickering of Gifty’s sword-flame. Ganan casts Invulnerable Skin of Bronze and holds his firewand ready.

“You sure you don’t want to use your club?” Jin asks, eying Ganan’s choice of weapon with skepticism.

“Thunder’s Crash is a weapon used for destroying buildings. We’re underground in a partially collapsed tunnel. It’s probably not the best idea.” Ganan responds.

“Well, what’s wrong with your big, bronze fists?” Jin pushes

Ganan chuckles, “I need the practice! You might not have noticed this, but I’m not exactly a crack-shot with this thing yet!”

“I’ve noticed,” Jin says flatly, holding Calumny ready.

“They’re mortals, Jin,” Ganan snorts, “Not eldritch horrors from a by-gone age. Just a bunch of humans lacking melanin who like to eat each other. Frankly, it’s embarrassing that the Mountain Folk haven’t dealt with them already.”

“Dune People don’t actually eat each other,” Gifty corrects, “They see themselves as a breed apart. They only eat normal people.”

Any debate is cut short as a hail of stones assails them from the darkness of the tunnel up ahead. A disgusting hissing sound fills the air, no doubt made by some strange, inhuman beast.

Gifty defects the blows with the flat of her blade, turning sideways to shield her body behind her massive sword. Jin wheels Calumny in a helicopter blur, avoiding the hits. Ganan allows himself to be beaten back, taking Earth Dragon Form as his anima rises around him, filling the tunnel with white light.

The ambushing Dune People hiss at the sudden bright light. It is a distinctly different hiss to that made by the pair of sandswimmers. The great sinuous beasts are clearly unnatural – a crab-like carapace; rows of six legs; powerful crushing claws; a fanged, snake-like head; and a wicked scorpion’s tail. Fangs and tail drip with deadly venom.

Jin fires a bolt of flame into the Dune People. Her blast causes them to scatter to find cover in the bare tunnel – clearly, they were relying on the cover of darkness.

Gifty doesn’t hesitate to close in with the lead sandswimmer. She batters it with Abrojo, testing the weight of her giant blade against the abomination’s carapace. The beast is battered and bludgeoned by her blows, but otherwise undaunted.

The second sandswimmer leaps on Gifty with its gasping pincers. No mortal could move quickly enough to interpose a blade as heavy as Abrojo from an offensive position to a defensive one. But Gifty is no mortal, and she easily turns the ferocious creature’s blow aside.

As Gifty throws off the attack, Ganan blasts the sandswimmer from behind, bathing the creature in flame.

The Dune People reload their crude catapults.

Jin fires on the Dune People again. They break and flee before the elemental onslaught, flames burning their clothing and smoke stinging their eyes.

Gifty hits one of the sandswimmers with an underhand blow, transitioning flawlessly into an overhead strike on the second sandswimmer.

Ganan reloads as he takes aim at the closest sandswimmer.

The sandswimmers circle Gifty, lashing out with claws and poison tails. Gifty dances between them, deftly avoiding the blows of the fearsome creatures.

Jin dashes over to the one of the sandswimmers and unleashes firestorm assault, battering the creature to death with a ferocious flurry of blows that blister the air.

Gifty turns and smashes the carapace of the remaining sandswimmer with a two-handed power-blow. The beast twitches for a moment before dying.

****

Ganan shoulders his weapon and draws his belt knife to hack-up the corpses of the sandswimmers for parts.

Gifty makes a face as Ganan hacks off venom sacks and teeth before skinning off the shell, wrapping it in a bundle and slinging it onto his back. Jin examines the dead Dune People: they wear crude armor of tanned hide reinforced with sandswimmer chitin and wield crudely modified crossbows that fire stone bullets. Jin tosses the weapon to Gifty:

“Looks like they’re stripping the weapons off the Jadeborn, but don’t have the ability to make new quarrels.” Jin ventures.

The trio proceed down the tunnel. Ganan’s anima dims as time passes. Twice they come across crude pit traps rigged by the Dune People, but they easily evade them despite the low-light and unfamiliar surroundings.

Eventually, they reach the junction. Ganan turns right, hoping the others won’t remember which way to go, but Jin grabs him by the collar and yanks him in the right direction. The access tunnel opens into the much wider car tunnel. Glowing yellow crystals are embedded in the walls – the Dune Folk have smeared them with dirt, dimming the brilliance of their light to a low amber gloaming. Loose piles of rocks are scattered across the tunnel and humanoid shapes move about in the darkness.

There’s a sound of scurrying feet, cracking bones, and ripping flesh. Hoots and growls greet the Dragon-Blooded as they enter the tunnel.

“Maybe fists for this…” Ganan says cracking his knuckles.

Gifty lunges into the mass of Dune Folk before they have the chance to form ranks. She fights with a ferocity not seen in the fight against Janati and her mutants on the surface – the fire of her anima erupting around her as she strikes out with impossible speed and burning power.

Ganan closes in behind Gifty, swinging out with powerful hook punches that send the Dune Folk flying through the air.

Enough of the Dune Folk gather together to make an effective battleline. Their weapons are exceptionally crude – stone axes and flint knives – but they are wielded with a desperate ferocity. Their numbers seem endless as they pour out of the shadows in droves. Their whooping and hooting noises seem to draw more and more of their numbers out of the darkness. Gifty easily smashes aside their attacks as her anima scorches them, whilst Jin easily keeps then at wrackstaff’s length, stopping them from closing in, and blinding here attackers with a shower of sparks. Ganan gives a mocking laugh as the stone weapons shatter against his skin as he takes Earth Dragon Form… which is soon cut short as his vision begins to dim. The stone of the Dune Folk weapons releases a dust which burns with toxic power as they shatter.

“Urgh! Cannibals who poison their food!” Ganan spits and staggers back to give himself some breathing room, “Why can’t we ever fight anyone sensible?”

Jin smirks, “If they were sensible, they wouldn’t fight us!” She smashes into her foes with the burning power of fire, scattering them before her as she presses forward to join the others. Her wrackstaff gives her the length to strike whilst keeping the toxic fumes away.

A sound like a deep horn being blown seems to rally the albino cannibals. It reverberates through the very walls of the tunnel. The chittering noises of sandswimmers can be heard closing in.

From the burning pinnacle of combat, Gifty lashes out. The devastating fires of her anima lick at the Dune Folk as she hammers them in a blur too fast to track. The Dune Folk melt away from her as she cuts down a dozen of them, causing those nearby to falter.

Jin looks on with awe, “You’ve got to teach me that!” She dashes forward into the gap, swinging low beneath Gifty’s wide arcing blows. Between the press of the mortals and the rough rubble making up the tunnel’s floor, progress is slow.

Ganan watches Jin blaze forward: whilst he was impressed by how much she had improved during their battles in Dovak, two uncomfortable realizations dawn on him as he continues to slug his way forward in her wake: firstly, that she might now be even stronger than him; and, more disturbingly, she is clearly outclassed by his daughter.

“When did you learn to fight so well?” He asks gruffly, cuffing one of the Dune Folk into the tunnel wall with contemptuous ease… as Gifty and Jin drop three apiece.

“After Sondok nearly killed us, I’ve been training non-stop,” Jin says, as she smashes her staff into the attacking Dune Folk. “Learned a lot from you, actually.”

Gifty rakes her blade across the attackers, stopping them getting anywhere near her flesh with their weapons. Ganan surges his essence into his limbs to bolster his poison addled defenses: he keeps the Dune Folk from landing another blow, but is concerned by how quickly he’s burning through his reserves.

The horn sounds again, and the light of the Dragon-Blooded’s animas reveals the incoming Dune Folk reinforcements – wielding shot-bows as they ride on sandswimmers.

“Keep moving forward!” Gifty calls as she smashes her sword into her foes, setting the pace she moves forward, still lashing out in a blur of attacks as she carves up the enemy forces.

“We’re not likely to go back!” Jin says pushing on. The Dune Folk falter and break. Some of them throw down their weapons and flee, others melt back into the shadows as the Dragon-Blooded press forward.

Seeing the foes ahead of him falter Ganan turns and does the exact opposite of Gifty’s instruction. He heads straight for the approaching cavalry and brings his foot down in an earthshaking stomp.

(“Yeah, like that’s not going to collapse the tunnel!” Jin snarks.)

Stable as the six-legged sandswimmers are, the shockwave from Ganan’s blow still sends them sprawling, riders thrown to the ground. The Dune Folk don’t bother to struggle to their feet, instead blasting at Ganan with a hail of stones as their mounts find their footing. He gives a last push to deflect them out of the air with his Earth Dragon training, blocking the blows as he holds his breath against the toxic cloud.

Realizing they’re caught between the unstoppable force of the Dragon-Blooded and the immovable object of Shining Kren up ahead, the Dune Folk rally and take up defensive positions.

“Do we go back?” Jin asks, the brilliant white of Ganan’s anima clearly illuminating him and the sandswimmers about to swarm over him.

“I’ve given my orders!” Gifty barks as she presses forward toward Shining Kren into the Dune Folk lines.

(“Sometimes, I forget you’re not Melody,” Jin whispers under her breath, “The two of you feel the exact opposite way about Ganan.”)

The illumination is brighter here, and whilst there’s plenty of rubble and cover where Gifty and Jin stand, they can see it drastically thins out up ahead. Shining Kren must be close. They press on together, hammering the last few Dune Folk between them and the city, routing them out and cutting them down.

Having seen the trouble they had fighting two sandswimmers, Ganan decides on discretion. He turns and runs after Gifty and Jin at full speed rather than stand and fight the oncoming swarm.

Back on their feet, the sandswimmers race after Ganan. Their former rides pick themselves off the ground and reload their weapons.

Gifty and Jin sprint up to the end of the tunnel. It’s a huge blast door made of solid rock – it’d be a tight fit, but Jin reckons she could pilot a siege strider through the door… if it were open. There’s clearly no way to force the door open with brute strength – at least, not without a team of yeddim in the tunnels. Gifty bangs against the rock – it’s at least a foot thick and likely impervious to sound:

“We’re here!” She screams, “Let us in!”

Ganan pelts towards them, the sandswimmers hot on his tail. “Open the gates!” He bellows waving his arms.

The flaming dog of Jin’s anima circles her once before dissolving into a series of rotating balls of flame, which call into orbit around her as her anima drops from a bonfire to merely burning. “I don’t think they’re going to open this door whilst those sandswimmers are still alive.” She says grimly.

Gifty has time to complain, “Oh great!” Then the dozen beasts are upon them.

One of them charges at Ganan with its stinger. He grabs the bulbous venom sack with one hand, stopping its strike from landing, and leverages himself to the side, only for another sandswimmer to seize him in its powerful claws. The second swimmer also makes a tail strike, and Ganan catches that one too, his muscles straining against the powerful beasts.

Three close in on Gifty – one from the front and two flanking her. She cuts Abrojo through the air and holds all three off with an unparalleled display of swordswomanship.

Jin fires bolts of flame into the remaining seven, which jostle for position to attack her. Her flaming shots keep her one step ahead of her foes as she turns and moves amongst the confusion.

The horn sounds again as the Dune Folk reinforcements move forward to bring their weapons into range.

“To Malfeas with this!” Gifty screams. With one attack, she hooks the flat of her blade under the sandswimmer on her right. She lifts the horse-sized beast up, slamming it into the sandswimmer in front of her, and following through on the blow to drag both of the mutated creatures into the sandswimmer on her left. Moving with impossible speed, she dashes into the gap and thrusts with a weapon not meant for thrusts. The dull tip of Abrojo punctures the sandswimmers and Gifty’s muscles burn as she pushes her toothed blade through all three beasts, skewering them. She rips her blade free, disemboweling her inhuman foes, dragging organs and ichor from their ruined shells. She doesn’t pause before closing in to help Jin.

Not to be outdone, Jin bridles her elemental power to unleash a devastating flurry of blows on the sandswimmers. She batters them left and right, denting claws and breaking tails as she scorches them with her righteous fury.

As Ganan feels the venomous stingers push closer and closer to his face, his grits his teeth, “I guess I probably should start taking this fight seriously…” He mutters as his body dissolves away to nothingness. Sandswimmer stingers slip through hands made of shadow to strike at empty air. Ganan’s shadow slips across the ground toward the Dune Folk archers.

The Dune Folk archers level their weapons against Gifty and Jin, and pepper them with rocks. Whilst the Dragon-Blooded are undoubtedly more skilled, quantity is a kind of quality. They easily deflect ninety percent of the rocks thrown at them, but that still means they’re each hit half-a-dozen times with the same rocks that shatter and release poison dust. The Fire Aspects splutter and cough under the onslaught.

The remaining sandswimmers lash out against them. Addled by poison, Gifty and Jin take up a back-to-back position and use the superior reach of their weapons to hold the dangerous creatures off.

With a martial arts kiai, a shadowy fist becomes momentarily solid as it smashes into the ranks of the archers. One unlucky Dune Folk is sent careening into her fellows knocking them to the ground. Faced with an unseen foe they have no chance of hurting, the archers break and run.

The circling sandswimmers strike out again. Two of them seize Jin in their claws between them, pulling her away from Gifty, who only just manages to hold the others off.

Gifty has a hard time re-establishing her fiery momentum. She bludgeons Abrojo’s piercing spines through the skull of one sandswimmer, but her blows lack the burning pinnacle of speed shown before. She turns on her heel trying to fend off attacks from every direction.

Jin fires an elemental bolt point-blank at the sandswimmer holding her right arm. Flames incinerate the beast, and the other sandswimmer drops her. The dumb beasts – wounded and abandoned by their masters – scurry away.

Gifty breathes hard as Jin flexes. “Piece of cake,” Jin jokes from behind her helmet, glad of the anonymity her Jadeborn armor provides. Her eyes track Ganan’s shadow moving toward them, “Fucking coward!” She cusses out her brother.

Ganan’s shadow shrugs in silence.

Gifty catches her breath and raises her blade, “It’s not over yet. Obviously the Jadeborn don’t intend to honor our agreement. We’re going to have to fight our way back through-”

She’s cut off by the clanking of machinery and the grinding noise of stone-on-stone as the great tunnel car door slowly opens to admit them into Shining Kren.

****

Ganan spends 8XP to train a repurchase of Fivefold Resonance Sense and 8DX to train Avalanche Method.

Jin spends 8XP to train Burning Pinnacle Strike.
- 88
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Dynasty of Dovak