The escape from Sol Sanctum, and subsequently from Vale, was rather anti-climatic, in Lina's opinion. It seemed that Saturos and Menardi knew of a path along Mt. Aleph that had remained either unknown or, more likely, forgotten, by the people of Vale. And by the time they arrived in the town itself, almost everyone had gone to see what the rumblings of the mountain were about. As such, the entire party, kidnappers and victims alike, managed to get out of the town completely unopposed.
As they were marched across the valley, Lina considered the situation. Alex had completely disappeared somewhere along the line, and Saturos and Menardi had split up, forcing the rest to travel between them. Which interested Lina as they seemed not to show a great amount of trust in Felix, but that wasn't anything she could use at the moment. Nonetheless, they wouldn't be expecting much magic from Lina... and if they did, they would only expect to see water or ice based spells. They had no idea of the actual breadth of her ability... so she'd have one shot of total surprise on her side...
She circumspectly began to gather energy to cast a spell, when Kraden caught her eye. A subtle shake of his head caused Lina to let go of the energy. She didn't know what the old man was thinking, but she could wait...
_-=^=-_
Vault, Lina decided, was a very cramped town. It seemed that whoever founded the town decided to build in the center of several hills, to make a sort of natural barrier. A wise decision, in and of itself, but that left very little room to actually build houses and the like, leading to the whole place being crowded, even though it had less people than Vale did.
Saturos and Menardi had directed the group to the town's only inn, completely ignoring the townsfolk's worried whispers. Lina's keen hearing picked up concerns, both about the eruption of Mt. Aleph, and about the thieves that seemed to rob someone new every time the volcano rumbled again.
It was within the inn that Lina finally managed to get time to speak with Kraden. Jenna was still trying to talk with her long-lost brother, who seemed to be quite content to remain silent toward her pleas. Alex had then reappeared, and, after speaking with Saturos and Menardi, the three of them were now talking with what appeared to be a wealthy merchant.
"So, old man," Lina began in a soft voice, "any reason you don't want to escape?"
Kraden chuckled in response. "Indeed, there is. What have you noticed about captors' goals?"
Lina thought for a moment before replying. "They wanted all the Elemental Stars... and the only reason they would want all of them would be to unseal magic." Lina then shrugged, before adding, "probably so they can send a waiting army to conquer the rest of the world, or some such."
Kraden frowned at that. "I would not be so sure, about that last. I have a feeling that there is more to their quest than a simple attempt at world power... but even if it is, lighting the Elemental Lighthouses is more than just their goal... it is yours and mine, as well. We may have different reasons to do so, but in the end, we are after the same thing. As such, why not travel with them, and maybe keep their... more destructive impulses in check?"
Lina slowly nodded, "And, if it turns out that we need to, I should be able to free the three of us. I think." Lina sighed, and then elaborated, "From what I can tell, I could probably take out Saturos or Menardi alone. With a little luck, I can surprise one of them with a spell they aren't expecting, and take one out with my first shot, before seriously fighting the other. If it were just those two, I wouldn't be worried at all, but I can't really get a read on Alex. I don't know how powerful he is, and if he gets involved..."
Kraden nodded. "I understand. But for now, lets just play along, and try to keep Jenna under control. Our captors might not be adverse to making an example of one of us, as long as they have a spare..."
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(Posted Wed, 19 Apr 2006 02:41)
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