Tenth Spear of Rage was relatively untalkative at the beginning of the trip, but the further the two get from Greyfalls, the more relaxed he seems. "So, what sort of fighting have you done before?" he asks Gao-Ling eventually.

 

"What kind of a question is that?" Ling replies with a mild scoff. "Fighting is fighting. The kind where I hit the other guy until he runs away or doesn't get up anymore, you know."

 

Tenth Spear of Rage raises his hands in a placating gesture. "Just curious, calm down. In my experience, fighting in a bar is different from fighting in a war. Which is different from, say, fighting in a menagerie."

 

As the pair walks along the road, conversing idly, Tenth is brought up in the middle of a sentence when he realizes that there is a wooden barrier blocking his passage further. Looking more closely he realizes that said barrier in fact stretches across the entire road...and appears to be home to a Talon of troops loosely arranged around a single large device.

 

Gao-Ling cracks her knuckles. "The main difference that I see is who you hit, and where to hit them more so that it hurts."

 

"That's about r--" Tenth hauls up short in front of the barrier. Switching to riverspeak, he greets the troops casually with a wave. "This is your road-wall? May we pass?"

 

The man wearing the nicest uniform steps forwards, a pike held loosely in one hand. "Road's closed. No one is to be allowed into the Thousand Lakes on the orders of the Baron of Umbrrl."

 

Gao-Ling glances curiously at the roadblock. "The Baron of.... what?" She repeats, in riverspeak. Turning to Tenth, she switches back to Old Realm and asks. "It is just me, or did he just say a name that can't POSSIBLY be pronounced in that language? I heard it, but I can't figure out how to repeat it."

 

Tenth Spear of Rage attempts to reproduce the noise himself, without too much success. It sounds a bit like gargling when he tries it. "Maybe they're descended from growling creatures over here," he muses in Old Realm.

 

"Captain." comes the voice from the trees, followed by a man who allows his cloak to swirl lightly. "Captain, I do believe somebody is attempting to cut off yet more of our trade." Darius raises a hand.

 

A man in a flowing white cloak and armor nods as he and 24 similarly garbed men walk out all with crossbows held loosely. "My Lord, I believe you are correct."

 

Darius, his hand still raised. "Gentlemen. I have recently suffered at the hands of terrorists. I would hate to blame the Good for Baron for my misfortune, being such a good neighbor all these years, but your road block is sort of..... Misleading." He makes a fist of the raised hand and all men kneel raising their crossbows and taking aim. "Those men," Darius points with his Daiklaive, "Appear to be attempting to enter my realm. You will first let them pass. Second, you will dismantle this road block and not come within 100 yards of this boarder or by all the gods in my Kingdom I'll drop my fist and kill you all."

 

Gao-Ling glances over at Darius and listens carefully to his proclamation. "I see what you meant about being hired by people who tend to be long-winded." She murmurs quietly in Old Realm to Tenth. "This the guy we were sent to see?"

 

Tenth Spear of Rage nods at Gao-Ling. <

The commander of the roadblock seems relatively unfazed by this new presence - odd, given the relative numbers - and turns away from Tenth and Gao to deal with more important matters. "You are mistaken, Firebrand. We are within our borders here, and not subject to your laws. What we do with our half of the border is Umbrrl's concern, not yours."

 

Darius grins in that roguish fashion of his and steps forward. "And if you were all to be killed sir? I seam to recall our border being around fifty feet behind you. Captain?"

 

The man pulls out a map and hmms "More like seventy five your majesty." Darius looks to the Umbrrl soldier and winks.

 

Gao-Ling walks up to the barricade and taps it experimentally. < > She comments. <

 

The commander pulls out his own map with an ironic look at the commander of Darius' troops. "You should tell your cartographers to keep up to date then, if you had you'd know better."

 

Tenth Spear of Rage grins at Gao-Ling. <> He looks at the distracted bickering commanders, and tries to look nonchalant as steely talons calcify on his fingers.

 

Gao-Ling grins. <> She stamps her feet on the ground, and plates of hardened rock form around her body. <>

 

Tenth Spear of Rage cries, <> and digs into the planks of wood with a will.

 

"Oh dear Commander. It appears you have a problem over there." Darius says with feigned surprise, pointing toward Tenth and Gao. "How many can you incapacitate in the first volley?"

 

"How many would you like?"

 

Grinning lightly, Darius says "Remove these rabble from my site." With that Darius drops his fist and all 25 Crossbows loose toward the Umbrrl guards, then draw their blades and charge to meet any survivors.

 

The commander reacts fast enough that it seems he wasn't entirely unprepared for this eventuality, and he gestures sharply to a member of his command as he surges forwards towards Darius. The man in question pulls out a thin tube and touches something to the base, sending a showering of sparks and a plume of smoke into the air. A scant few moments later, an astonishing sight greets the eyes of Darius' soldiers as a full talon's worth of massive birds breaks from the treelines and begins sweeping towards the battle.

 

Darius steps aside just barely as the man swings at him. "Peasant." Darius says in contempt, then spins with his Daiklaive in both hands, his Anima flaring as his Essence rolls over his blade igniting in fire and scorching the ground around him.

 

The man takes a horrible gash from Darius' blade, but stays standing as he begins to call a retreat, clearly not planning to engage Darius' forces at this numerical disadvantage.

 

Tenth Spear of Rage scales the wood quickly with his claws, then whips the lance off his back and begins acrobatically leaping from section to section of the barricade, wrecking it with wide swings of the weapon.

 

A section of the barricade is entirely removed by the enthusiastic sweeps of Tenth Spear of Rage's blade, pieces of wood flying up to thirty feet in the air.

 

Gao-Ling considers tearing down the roadblock along side Tenth... but really, where is the satisfaction in hitting something that can't hit back... or make a satisfying crunching sound? Turning to face the wounded commander, she clenches her steps forwards in a clear punching stance. The earth answers her call, and a stone fist raises up from the to strike the man.

 

The scale begins an orderly retreat, shields coming up to protect them as Darius' troops close, and then in a flash the hawks are overhead, and a wave of arrows rains down on the assembled army.

 

Darius doesn't flinch as arrows fall around him. "Hold the ground men! Link shields! Push them down and leave non standing!" As he says this Darius twirls his Daiklaive and fire runs down the blade coalescing into a flaming dragon the mouth forming the at the crossguard and twisted up along the blade, as essence rolls along the blade the blade becomes sheathed in fire, as does it's Wielder as his Anima flares in a halo of crackling fire. His voice crackles like embers as he speaks. "You. Will. Burn."

 

Tenth Spear of Rage runs along what's left of the barricade before planting the end of his lance and vaulting up to a low-swooping bird. The hand not carrying the lance punches through the man's armor and out the other side, and Tenth shoves him off as he coils for another leap from the warhawk's back.

 

Gao-Ling eyes the fleeing commander. He's just barely close enough for her to him. Carefully performing a kata, she stomps hard on the ground, twice. A crack in the earth appears beneath her feet where she steps, and it travels forwards rapidly towards the commander, is if there was some burrowing rabbit underneath darting forwards. The moment the cracks reach the commander, two large stone spikes rise up from the ground, aiming to impale the man with brutal force.

 

The army on the ground continues to pull away, opening the gap at a sprint now as the screams of those in the rear echo in the air. Meanwhile, the hawks above frantically gain height after the unexpected offensive and continue their fusillade on the troops below, focusing mostly on the mortals.

 

"Captain!" Darius calls, "Form the shields, defined against the skies. Reload your crossbows. Use the whistle arrows first! Maybe it will frighten the birds and cause chaos. Take aim and loose! Aim for the birds and not the riders. We take the Animals out then enemy dies!" Darius moves to his men but stays far enough away to keep his Anima from burning anybody. "Two ranks, One rank fires, the second reloads! Quickly!"

 

Gao-Ling waves Tenth over with a gesture of her palm. <

 

Tenth Spear of Rage nimbly vaults up-up-up the impromptu steps as Gao-Ling summon's them, then launches himself with no apparent regard for safety at the nearest hawk. <> he comments amiably to the doomed hawkrider.

 

With a last volley, the hawkriders - those that remain - wheel about and continue climbing, now back towards Umbrrl, joining the ground troops in retreat from this unexpected assault.

 

Tenth Spear of Rage jeers a bit at the fleeing hawkriders from his perch. "You can't hide in the air for all days!" before flinching from the angry bird's snapping beak and raking talons. He rakes right back, then unceremoniously leaps off and lands on the ground with a WHUD. He looks fine.

 

The bird screeches as holes open in its side and flaps off, cawing bloody vengeance.

 

Darius holds up a hand to signal the troops to stop the advance. "Hold gentlemen." he looks to Tenth and Gao and bows, "Good afternoon. Find day for a border skirmish hmm? Why don't you gentlemen join me on MY side of the border before they decide to come back hmm?"

 

Tenth Spear of Rage looks at Gao blankly. <>

 

Gao-Ling considers this carefully, looking at Darius for a long moment before she comments to Tenth, <

 

Tenth Spear of Rage nods with a wry grin, then hands a writ of commission to Darius. "Zuriel gave this for introductions. We are your allies for now."

 

Darius leans back to his Captain. 'Rnad, do you understand what they're saying?"

The Captain shakes his head. "Not a word your majesty."

 

Ah, very well. See to the wounded. Let's head back and organize for the next step." He looks to Tenth and Gao then takes a double take at Gao, Whispering to himself "That's a woman. Wow." He walks forward and takes the writ. "Ah, yes he said I might be seeing you. Excellent work with the barrier and troops."

 

"Most of them got away," Tenth points out."

 

Darius nods once. "Yes but this is what we in the political business call a border skirmish. Right now they crossed into OUR territory and we defended. If we follow them, then they can claim we invaded. We're merely protecting our territory. Diplomats will have words or soldiers will cross swords. Either way it will be resolved."

 

Darius gestures toward the direction of Yan Shi. "Now, come. I have an attack to plan. I imagine Yushoto is already waiting for us, and we can march toward our next objective."

 

Tenth Spear of Rage shrugs. "It is under your discretion," he says, apparently satisfied by the explanation. With another baleful glare at the sky, he follows Darius' troops to Yan Shi.