Kimi~

Doctor Silverwood takes us to his office.

"We have several innovative processes available to enhance and increase the healing process," he says proudly. "Here are the most popular ones." Silverwood pulls a colorful chart out of his desk drawer and lays it on his table for Davina and I to look at.

"Our most popular method is also the most natural one. It speeds the healing of broken or distressed bones by 45 to 53 percent. We have it in 'gummy' form and smoothie form..."

He points at the picture of a jar of glowing green grubs. I glance at Davina. She arches an eyebrow.

"These are organic urumbu grubs, harvested directly from the south mines. Their tissue is made up of a unique matrix of life magic, which they use in a symbiotic relation to help plants grow in the dark of the mines at a rapid rate. When you eat urumbu grubs, the life magic speeds up your cells to make them work faster."

"I'm all for grubs," I pipe up. When I came to the Grasplands the first time, I basically survived on bugs.

"Do you have any faster methods?" Davina asks.

The doctor nods and goes down the list, pointing at a purple drink. "We have an option that, based on your injuries, will entirely heal your body in about a week and a half, give or take a few days. It's called a 'healing slumber', and it involves taking a special potion that induces a magical sleep. During that time, the potion works with your body's natural processes to heal you. We typically use this method for those with worse injuries and pain. Once the slumber is induced, it has to wear off naturally. You can't wake up until it's done."

That sounds like a safety hazard for both of us. What if the hospital burnt down? What if an assassin tried to destroy us in our sleep? What if we were needed elsewhere? It sounds overkill.

"There is one more choice," Silverwood says carefully, "that we don't advertise directly because it is apt to overcrowd the hospital. It is guaranteed to cure your ailments in one sitting. We run it once a month, and our next round is tomorrow, so you are just in the nick of time, if it's something you want to consider."

"What is it?" Davina demands.

Silverwood isn't as quick to explain the mechanics of this one as he was the other two. He answers, "We are very lucky to have received funding to install it here. Right now, only the most esteemed hospitals--plus us--have been able to use it. It's a state-of-the-art magical innovation that, explained in the simplest possible manner, uses light waves and energy to correct a variety of injuries. Almost instantly. It's saved lives. It puts broken things back in their places...It can even heal broken minds."

Looks like this hospital is pretty fancy after all! I'm fine with any of the remedies, but I would love to try the last one so I can be back to my old self by the end of tomorrow... 

------

Kimi has no problems with the suspiciously easy option, BUT, Silverwood forgot to mention that it is very expensive. Although, I'm assuming the bill will be paid for by Sanukaville, so money's not an issue for them.

Price aside, if they pick that one, it gives Ronan the opportunity to pick it too, and then they can run into each other (if running into other characters was part of your plan, Ronan). I was thinking that the way it works is the injured people sit in one room while the "light waves and energy" permeate through special walls to heal them.

Ooh, yes! I was definitely planning for Ronan to bump into other characters (RPing alone is so depressing!), but I was also thinking that Eron and Ronan would be separated (thus saving the in-story explanation of Eron's mysterious past for a more dramatic moment). Maybe Ronan and Eron are separated, and Ronan goes to the hospital, hoping to find him there, and meets Kimi? Let me know what you think... 

@Ronan--that sounds good!

Davina~~

The last option seems a little...suspiscious, to say the least, but if it could really heal us in one sitting... I think it would be worth it, even if it operated in some sort of extremely immoral way. 

"How certain are you this works?" I ask Silverwood.

He pauses a moment, then replies. "Very certain. I've...used it myself, once or twice--only when needed, of course." The last bit seems rushed, as if he's trying to hurriedly justify his actions. Which I think is a little strange--if I had such easy access to a miracle cure like that, I'd know I'd use it every chance I got. I wonder why Silverwood has to use it, though.

"I'll go with that option, then," I say after a little consideration. "We need something quick."

"Same here!" Kimi says. 

~~

I'm out of time but here's a short little post. 

Hi!  I'm new to Kyngdom and was told that this was a good place to start.  I've already posted my charrie sheet, but what's the story so far so I know how to start RPing here?

Ronan walked slowly down a market street, Eron giving him directions under his breath. The chatter and unhurried milling of the crowd put Ronan on edge. He didn't want to push anyone, and call attention to himself and Eron, so he had to wait for openings in the crowd to form. Ronan wasn't sure what was making him so nervous - there were only a very few guards in the city. His mind kept returning to the bulletin board outside the gate...but why? Something had been overlooked, something was wrong, he was sure of it. A short, skinny woman pulled her donkey out of the way. 

"Now hug the wall," Eron instructed. "It'll be the fastest way through here."

Ronan darted through the gap and felt the cool evening shadow that the wall cast over him. The strange pair now quickly made their way behind the stalls and to an intersection. Ronan stood in front of some kind of abandoned inn. A blue paper star had been fixed to the door. There was no sign.

"What did he say again?"

Eron thought for a moment. "We're on the east side of Market Lane now...so if we turn left..."

A moment later, Ronan turned left and started walking again. But no matter which way they turned, they never seemed to arrive at the hospital. The sun set, the streets emptied, the lamps were lit, but there was still no sign of the hospital. Ronan became more and more anxious. At last there was no choice but to bunker down in an alleyway. Ronan settled Eron carefully on an old tarpaulin, away from the prying eyes of pedestrians, laid down behind a congregation of trash cans, and fell into an uneasy sleep.

Morning came. The sun rose and the streets filled with people, carts and horses, and the occasional automobile. Ronan sat up, stretched, and quietly checked on Eron. The old man must have been tired - he was still fast asleep. Ronan turned, and keeping one eye on his companion, surveyed the alley; he could see all the way to the end now that it was day. There were several plates on a back doorstep. A cat was eating from one of them. Ronan strode up and slid the dish out from under the cat's nose. The cat looked at him, scandalized. 

"Sorry," Ronan mumbled. "I need it more." The cat was quite skinny.

"Tell me your story and then I'll decide," the cat said. Ronan jumped. He had never met a talking animal that wasn't an anthro before.

"I-um-decide what?"

"Tell me your story and then I'll decide if you really need the food more than me," the cat said impatiently. "People can be so slow sometimes..."

Ronan was still in some shock. "My father, he's a farmer," he stumbled, "and he twisted his ankle plowing-"

"Aren't you that kid Catastrophe's army is looking for?"

Ronan panicked. He tackled the cat and held it close to his chest.

"Let go, will you? I'm not with him."

"Prove it." Ronan wasn't sure what he doing at this point.

"I've got an ID!" The cat turned its head to reveal a small card that hung round its collar. It read Emmaline, FAFA operative and had a little photo of the cat - Emmaline. Ronan gazed at the picture, then at Emmaline. He did this for a while - checking to make sure the pictures matched. Emmaline put on the solemn expression she had in the picture. That sealed the deal. There was a scar above her left eye in the shape of a paw print - something nearly every FAFA member was given upon initiation.

"All right then. I trust you. I'm here with a man who was sent to find me, by whom I don't know. He twisted his ankle, we're finding a hospital for him, and then he's telling me everything. We've been wandering around for days and have just got into town and don't want to get caught. Please, we need to find a hospital."

"Where is he?"

"On the tarps, sleeping."

Emmaline looked. "In the tarps?"

"No, on the tarps. Just let me have the bread! You can go anywhere for food - me and my chaperone are holed up here."

"What chaperone?"

Ronan turned. The scene looked nearly the same, excepting one thing.

"Eron?" Ronan whispered. 

Dar'sava~~

Serin leads Griffe and I down a side alley. We move silently, holding our breath every time we hear the slightest noise. I glance over my shoulder every few moments, so far nobody's tried to sneak up on us.

Two more Sanukans are with us, a girl named Svkajö and a young man named Torbjørn. We're supposed to assasinate R'oko, though he seems to be nowhere.

We slip out of alleyway and walk across a plaza, doing our best to blend in with the crowd. Luckily, none of the guards seem to be paying much attention.

At the far end of the plaza, I spot two pointed ears. R'oko.

~~ 

Kirah~

Lucky for us, this corner of town is pretty silent. Vivianna and Njäl and bent double as we search alleyways for any sign of where they might have brought Jasper and Smoke, but I have a feeling I know where they are- either with R'oko or near the entrance we didn't go through. I suggest we head towards the latter.

Sure enough, we see a band of Catastrophe soldiers up ahead, pushing Jasper and Smoke along. Seeing them is like a slap to the face. Your fault, your fault. 

Njäl pulls out his walkie-talkie. "Good news is that we found them," he says quietly. "Bad news is that we also found all of the Catastrophe soldiers."

I can't quite make out what Serin says back, but once Njäl lowers the walkie-talkie, he informs us, "They're on the way. They already took care of R'oko."

I nod. For some reason, the phrase "took care of R'oko" makes me uneasy. If they killed him, I would have prefered Njäl to have just said so.

The three of us hang around for a few minutes, waiting for the others. The company of soldiers makes its way towards the gates, but slowly. Part of me wonders what's holding them, but mostly I'm just grateful for it. If we sprung an attack in sight of the guards, we'd be in trouble.

Dar'sava, Griffe, Serin and the rest arrive, and we're able to overcome the soldiers easily enough; they weren't expecting us, and there's just as many of us as there are of them. The sound of shots makes Jasper yelp and Smoke jump, but when they see who's firing, releif comes over their faces.

However, we're not quite so lucky with the guards. We're not close enough for them to see us, but they definitely heard out shots. We can hear them shouting to one another. Serin swears under his breath and waves at us frantically. His movements are easy to decipher: run. 

We run. This time we don't have to go far; just to find an alley where we're able to get over the wall around the city. The Sanukans boost us up over like they did before. Once we're over, we stop for half a second to catch our breath, then start to walk towards where we entered the city in search of our ATVs.

"Well," Dar'sava pants from somewhere behind me, "That was easy enough." Which might be true. 

Once we do make it to the ATVs, Dar'sava runs ahead to the one directly in front of me. "I'm driving this time," he says. I get into the seat beside him without a word.

~~~Sorry if this feels rushed. 

Lysette~

I’m back in my cell. Alone. The interrogation didn’t go well, mostly because a) I honestly didn’t know anything about what the man was asking me, and b) even if I did why would I tell him?

I have several new bruises, from being shoved into my cell blindfolded and tripping over the bed. The blindfold- which actually seems to be a sock?- is on the floor where I dropped it after ripping it off my face. 

It seems like it’s been forever since the day I was rudely knocked out and stuck in this excuse of a cell. I sigh sadly. Suddenly, voices drift down the hall. I sit up, looking through the bars curiously. “Unhand me!” a blindfolded old man, limping, says angrily. “You are in no way whatsoever in the position to order me around,” the other figure, a hulking, hooded man points out menacingly.

I wince, worried for what will happen next. My eyes follow the pair as they advance. The hooded man turns his face in my direction and I have a terrifying suspicion he’s staring at me. I avert my eyes, probably paranoid. The voices continue, the old man still bravely protesting. I can hear the door of a cell being opened… a yelp of pain, and a sickening crack. I shut my eyes, trying to drown out the noise of the hooded man laughing cruelly.

When the noise stops, I’ve lost track of time. I remove my hands from where I’d been pressing them to my face and blink. The old man’s blue eyes stand out in an unhealthily grey face, and he’s struggling to pull himself up onto the bed. He sees me staring and tries to smile. “Um. Are you okay? Why are you here? What’s your name? Can I help you? Oh sweet peaches, how could they- what- do you know who captu-” I start awkwardly, the words pouring out of me. “Oh, shut up,” the hooded figure, who I hadn’t realized was still there, growls.

I squeak in surprise and fall silent. The hooded man walks closer to me and I press myself against the far wall. He stares at me for a while, possibly glaring, and stomps away, footsteps echoing through the hall. Other prisoners don’t react. They seem to have lost the energy to do anything other than stare into space silently.

I look away, not wanting to throw myself into the depths of despair. I’ve always loved that expression, but I’ve never been able to use it until now. Unfortunately. I sigh out loud, looking at the old man, who’s managed to pull himself onto the bed. 

“Are you… all right? I mean, silly question, I know. You’ve just been captured and- ooh, that looks painful- your ankle is definitely broken- oh, I’m so sorry, that sounded really insensitive. My sister, Lyvi, she’s always saying I am completely tactless, and it might be true and- sweet peaches I’m making a mess of this, aren’t I? I haven’t even introduced myself properly. I’m Lysette. Lysette Ryune. Who are you, by the way? Do you know why we’re here and-” 

I stop talking, not wishing to muddle things even further. The man, whose eyebrows are now raised, as though he isn’t sure whether to laugh or back away from the crazy girl. “Sorry,” I say, after a pause, “it’s just, I haven’t actually talked to another person in… apparently, I’ve lost count.”

The man nods, and winces from the motion. “I’m Eron. I think we’ve been abducted…” Eron observes calmly. “Um, obviously. But by who?” I ask impatiently, and then add, “Oh, I’m sorry. Was that tactless?” I’m sure Lyvi would think so, but honesty is good! Right? Well… maybe that wasn’t necessary. Oops. Well, I won't do it again.

“I really am sorry,” I add as an afterthought. Eron doesn’t respond. “Uh… hello? Eron?” I say, as loudly as it is possible to be while talking quietly. Eron jumps, and yelps when his ankle bangs against the mattress. “Oh, I’m sorry, just brainstorming how to escape.”

I stare at him like he’s crazy. Maybe he is. He doesn’t react, just stares right back at me. “Escape?” I say, like it’s a word in a foreign language. “Yes,” he agrees, infuriatingly calm.

O-o-o-kay then. “You know that’s like, impossible?” I say. Eron looks at me. “Someone told you that?” That’s a good point, actually. “Well, no…” He smiles. “Then why do you think it’s impossible?” I cross my arms defensively, wishing he’d stop being so logical. “Don’t you think that if it wasn’t impossible someone would have done it already?” 

“No. I think it’s possible, just very, very, hard.”

“Well, that’s encouraging. Let me know when you have a breakthrough.” 

“I will, because I need you to help me.”

“Wait, what? Me? Help you? No. I am not trying to escape.” Eron raises his eyebrows at me. I roll my eyes. “Fine! I’ll help you.” He studies me for a minute, then nods. “I thought you would.” I stare at him, thinking not for the first time how strange this man, Eron, is.

Adrion~~

So far the girl hasn't told us anything useful, though I suspect she knows something. If not, it doesn't hurt to keep a disloyal, rebellious Grasplander in prison. 

The old man, however-- I am very certain he knows something. I've assigned double to amount of guards to the prisons beneath the manor, and I've let Catastrophe know of his capture. This is the old man from the gateway, the one the Army has been searching for.

Catastrophe will be very, very pleased.

~~~

Dar'sava~~

"This time, I'm driving."

Kirah doesn't protest, she simply sits in the passenger seat of the ATV. Both of us exhale a sigh of relief as I turn on the ATV's engine. It feels good to know there's one less traitor in the world, and one less problem for us to worry about.

As we follow the Sanukans' vehicles, I wonder if any progress has been made with the alliance. I have no idea if communication with our superiors is actually an issue, or if that was just a lie R'oko invented. 

The ATVs ahead of us begin to slow, and they eventually stop. Confused, I also park. We haven't reached Spiaggia yet, so why are we stopping? Up ahead I see the Sanukans getting out, so I do the same. Kirah hops out a moment later.

We walk up to the other Sanukans. "What's going on?" I ask Serin.

In response, he points forwards. I look where he's pointing. It's a small farmhouse, with a few sheep wandering around looking miserable. And it's crawling with Catastrophe's men.

"That doesn't look good," Torbjørn remarks, and the rest of us murmur our agreement. 

"Right, but we are we going to do about it?" Vivianna asks. "Should we go around, or investigate?"

"Hviti will want to know what's happening," Serin says. "We'll leave our vehicles here and pretend we're nothing more than a group of Sanukan traders, plus their non-Sanukan employees."

Serin begins to walk forwards before anyone can voice any complaints. The rest of us follow him. When we reach the farm, two of Catastrophe's soldiers approach us. One is a very tall elf, the other a mink anthro with a clever glint in their eyes. 

"Sorry," The elf says. "Citizens aren't permitted to come any closer. Anyone these days could be a spy." I feel like he gives Kirah and I a significant look, but I'm sure it's just my imagination.

"There's no need to worry. We're nothing but traders," Serin responds calmly. 

"Yeah, Sanukan traders," the mink mutters. Her partner shoots her a quick glare.

"Who are those two?" The elf gestures towards Kirah and I.

"Some workers we hired while passing through Omrakh," Serin lies. He's talented, and knows what he's doing--Omrakh is full of Catastrophe loyalists.

"Hmm," The elf says. "Fine. But don't touch anything, and keep to yourselves." The mink eyes all of us suspiciously.

The pair leads us towards the group of soldiers. They clear a path for us to see what's going on. At first, everything seems normal-- it's just a pasture for sheep, after all. But then I see it.

Near the center of the pasture is what looks like a large sinkhole, filled with a strange black liquid. The liquid doesn't look like water--it looks more like tar, just slightly less sticky, it seems. Two of the soldiers are carefully taking a sample of the tar-stuff. 

"What happened?" Serin asks. Even he can't hide his shock.

The elf shrugs. "Nobody knows. Farmer says that one minute it was a normal pasture, and the next it suddenly had a massive sinkhole. No warning signs, or noise, and he didn't even see the ground crumble-- it just simply appeared."

~~~~ 

Ronan sat down heavily on the cobblestones. His breathing was shallow, his vision was blurring. Eron wasn't anywhere to be seen.

"Maybe he just left," Emmaline said. "There's no sign of a struggle."

"His ankle's twisted," Ronan breathed. "He couldn't have gone anywhere on his own."

"Some friend this is," Emmaline said, trying to reason with Ronan. "Leaving without telling you? He seriously owes you."

"No, no! I owe him. You don't understand. He was lost in a thunderstorm, and needed help, and I hesitated, and he was struck by lightning. He twisted his ankle, and I was taking him to hospital, and now he's been captured, I know it. I've got to fix things, I've got to find him." Ronan stood up quickly and everything went dark.

Ronan woke seconds later. Emmaline had been licking his face. He pushed her off and tried to stand again. In the blink of an eye, Emmaline had jumped on Ronan and dug her claws into his shoulder.

"Ow! What was that for?"

"You're not going anywhere, buster," Emma snapped. "You need to eat and rest. I've got allies round town - I'll get them on your friend's case. You hide under these tarps and eat this." She pushed the plate the two of them had been arguing over towards Ronan. It was some kind of raw meat. Ronan pushed it away.

"You gonna be okay?" Emmaline asked.

"Um, yeah," Ronan said, not entirely sure himself.

"Right. Stay here." Emmaline leaped away.

Ronan sat under the tarps and stewed. Who had taken Eron, and why?...where was he? Had he eaten? Was his ankle hurting? Had it got worse?

Ronan stood up. He had an idea as to where Eron was. He tore the tarp in half, making a crude cloak. He wrapped it round himself, making sure to cover his face, and walked out onto the street. An elf was guiding traffic through a main intersection. Ronan walked up to her, and trying his best to change his voice, asked where the hospital was. The elf pointed in the right direction. Ronan walked quickly through the streets, hoping that he could get himself and Eron out of this predicament, getting farther away from his companion with every step.

Kirah~

I stare on the giant, swirling hole sitting in what used to be a normal sheep pasture. That's a red flag if I've ever seen one.

"Nobody knows. Farmer says that one minute it was a normal pasture, and the next it suddenly had a massive sinkhole. No warning signs, or noise, and he didn't even see the ground crumble-- it just simply appeared," I hear the elf tell Serin.

I look from Serin to the elf, then back to the sinkhole. I catch a glance of the mink anthro, who's looking at me with suspicion. I doubt they buy our story, no matter how well Serin told it; it probably won't be long before they start questioning us. Serin's using his walkie-talkie, but I can't hear what he's saying.

"That mink doesn't look all that friendly," I mutter to Dar'sava, my eyes still glued to the sinkhole.

"I feel like she's staring at us," he agrees.

"I'm thinking maybe it wouldn't be wise for us to stick around much longer," I say. Obviously, my point is made.

"I'll say something to Serin," Dar'sava says, "Though I'm sure he's already forming a plan." I give him a short nod as he strolls away.

A few minutes later, Serin gathers us all together. "I've notified Hviti," he informs us. "he told me someone's on the way. We're going back to Spiaggia. We'll have to walk, but it isn't too far from here."

"Did he say anything about the alliance?" Dar'sava asks. Serin shakes his head. "I'm sure we'll find out once we get there."

Serin thanks the elf, then we're on our way. "What's up with the sinkhole, do you think?" Dar'sava asks. Griffe shrugs. I shake my head.

"Something's definitely off," Dar'sava confirms.

"I would think so," I say. "A sinkhole full of scary-looking black liquid isn't really a regular occurance, as far as I know." 

Lysette~

I have to admit, I’m skeptical of this old man and his crazy plan. Eron had been brought in for interrogation multiple times and each time had come back with even more enthusiasm for our escape plan. More accurately, his escape plan. It’s so far-fetched I am slightly worried he is losing his marbles, but he assures me he isn’t.

In the beginning, it had started out as a list. We both agreed the plan must have a distraction, and a way to actually get out, and then possibly disguises. Then Eron decided the distraction was going to be me. That’s when the plan started going downhill. No matter how many times I explained seriously that I was a terrible actor, Eron said it had to me. 

Next he decided not to tell me how we were going to get out in the first place. He said that while I was busy being a distraction- which Eron hadn’t actually explained very clearly either- he would have a way for us to get out. I’m almost sure he’s off his rocker, but as long as what he’s planning won’t get me killed, I’ll humor him. 

Eron also obstinately insists we don’t need disguises, even after we agreed we did. Since I don’t think we’ll actually be able to get out of here, I’m not protesting. I’ve only been taken in for questioning once more since the last time, and we got nowhere. They don’t seem to be planning on letting me go anytime soon, so my top priority is not getting killed.

“Lysette!” Eron’s voice brings me back to reality. I kind of wish it hadn’t. “Okay, so remember what you have to do. We’re escaping.” His voice is so calm and confident I actually don’t register the insanity of what he’s saying until moments later. “Wait, what?” I'm trying really hard not to sound panicky.

“Yes. So just a quick review because you honestly don’t sound like you’re sure what you’re supposed to do, you need to pretend something terrible happened to you so they come here. When they get here, I'll stun them-” I want to ask how this is going to work, but he just keeps talking. “Then I’m going to make a hole in the wall-” I open my mouth to explain this is impossible, but Eron keeps talking. “-and then we’ll be free. Any questions?”

I open my mouth for the third time, and for the third time, he pays no attention. “No? Good. Go.” 

Eron sounds so confident I half believe it’ll work- which is just the right amount of confidence I need to actually try the impossible “plan.” 

“Um… help!” I yell, trying to make my eyes go glassy. I can hear muttering from down the corridor and then loud stomping. “Are you trying to get us killed?” I whisper angrily, shocked at what I just did. “No,” Eron whispers back, eyes twinkling like he just told the funniest joke in the world. 

“Prisoners! What’s going on here?” The hooded figure’s angry growl fills the jail, echoing off the walls. I don’t have to pretend to be absolutely petrified. When silence greets his words, the figure stomps closer. “I said, WHAT is going ON here?” he roars.

I choke back terror and try to act delirious. The hooded man stalks closer. “Well, prisoner? What the h*** do you think you’re doing?” I cringe internally. Well, you tried to warn him… But Eron looks like he’s choking back a laugh. Rude. But there are more pressing problems-

Like the hooded guard’s disgusting breath on my face. “Sweet… peaches…” is all I can squeak. Behind the man, Eron mutters something, whipping a ball of what looks like blue light from the tatters of his cloak. It hits Hood-Face in the back. “Sweet peaches,” I say again, utterly flabbergasted.

Eron makes no attempt to hide his smile. He pulls another ball of pulsing energy, this one a brilliant scarlet in color, and thrusts it at the wall. It crumbles noiselessly. I clamp my mouth shut and resist the urge to say, “Sweet PEACHES,” yet again. “Well, out you go!” Eron says cheerfully, like he didn’t just blast a hole in the wall. “Uh, no,” I finally say. 

“Why not?” His face is calm, not showing even a hint of confusion or shock. “Because- because- because I don’t know!” I yell, and then clamp a hand over my mouth for shouting. “Okay,” Eron says, and promptly pushes me through the hole. I shut my eyes, not wanting to know what’s on the other side. For some reason, I feel certain it’s just another block of prison cells. 

But when I open them, Eron is sitting on the floor, wrapping his ankle in strips of cloth. The wall behind him has no trace of a hole. “Where… where are we?” I ask faintly.~~~

Alright, so it’s not super explanatory and generally doesn’t do anything to the main plot of this RP, but Eron and Lysette really needed to get out of there XD I also didn't exactly proofread this so if there's some weird grammar that's why.

Let's add another point of view... this takes place during Lumi's previous post.

I'm being carried down the corridor for my first interrogation. The jailer, a burly centaur, holds me in her arms. She's the only one so far who's paid any attention to my ankle - for that I'm thankful. She turns off the narrow hallway and into a room. It's very dark, so I'm not sure how large it is. A Homo avian is waiting for me. The jailer sets me down gently in the chair and leaves. The homo avian looks nervous. They keep looking behind them, as if there's something there. A hooded figure steps out of the shadows and into the light cast by the single bulb.

"Why are you wanted?" the hooded figure asks.

This surprises me. Weren't they working for the Powers? I think for a moment. The best option is to tell the truth - "Well, I was a smuggler, and I worked closely with a magican to make magic widely available to all through crystals. This displeased the Powers, and they threw me through the portal."

The hooded figure tenses. "Portal?"

"Of course you must know what I'm talking about. The portal? On Bleak Peak? Not ringing a bell?..." I trail off, feeling that I've said too much.

"Go on," the hooded figure commands.

I start to panic. Why don't they know? What is going on? "The portal on Bleak Peak, the one to the Outerland."

"Why don't you tell us about this Outerland?" says the hooded figure.

"No," I say. "I don't think I will."

The figure looks to the Homo avian.

"But sir, his ankle -"

"I don't care about his ankle, you will make him talk!"

I stick my hand into the pocket of my robe and hold the Crystal of Relief that I've been using. It's nearly empty - I've been using it since I was struck to ebb the pain.

The Homo avian rubs their hands together, generating heat. I squeeze the crystal. The homo avian opens their hands. Orange lightning snakes out and covers my body. I scream and writhe, pretending to be in pain. After a while, the lightning ceases. I fall gingerly onto my knees and act like I'm out of breath.

"Are you ready to tell us more?" the hooded figure inquires.

"Yes," I pant, furiously thinking of an idea. Something is telling me I shouldn't tell these people about the Outerland - but what do I say?

Then an idea comes. I laugh loud and long, wheezing and giggling.

"What is the Outerland?" the figure asks again. He seems nervous too - who, or what, is in the shadows?

"Well," I say, still giggling, "it's a land that's outer, of course."

"Out of what?"

"Out of time!" 

I continue like this for some time. Finally, the hooded figure loses his patience and sends me to a musty antechamber. The jailer guards the outside, so I'm able to lean against the door and hear the conversation in the next room.

"That's torn it! He was talking sense 'til you zapped him," an unfamiliar voice said.

"I don't understand why we're here," the hooded figure snarled.

"Why," said yet another unfamiliar voice in a condescending tone, "would Catastrophe want a little old man like this? Something about him must be important."

"We'll try again tomorrow and see if maybe he comes back to his senses," the first voice says,

But I don't come back to my senses tomorrow, or the day after that when they try once again.

"We'll just have to ask him when he arrives tomorrow," I hear as I leave after my third interrogation. 

Jira~

The soldier heads briskly to a row of small buildings (gonna pretend there's army barracks or smth similar lmk if that's not okay), and says a few quick words to the man guarding one of them. He looks curiously at me, but lets us in.

The soldier walks swiftly towards the end of the long room, and I follow. He bows. 

"[commander/general/admiral/etc] [insert name here]," he says. (does anyone have a charrie who could be here??)