Beast Of Burden 10

[spectre_writes]

'Don't do anything rash', hmph! As if Lunaeris needs to be told that. She acts only after determining the best, most decisive course of action her considerable intellect can conjure.

"Father!" She declares, barging into the throne room. "We are going to war."

"What!? Why!?"

A good question. Why are they going to war?

"I'm short on details at the moment." She says, waving her hand dismissively. "But Kallixenia's order is under attack! We must assist them."

"Who on earth is attacking them?" Her father asks, concerned. He's getting bogged down in the particulars, of course, when time is of the essence.

"I'm... not sure, exactly." Lunaeris admits. "However-"

"Lunaeris..."

She whines loudly.

"I'll send some scouts to investigate the situation, but I can't in good conscience send our people to fight a war we don't know anything about." Says her father. "Even if I could; we took heavy losses from the demons, and we're still rooting out their remnants. I don't know that we have the forces to spare."

He is, admittedly, making points.

"Gah, fine." Lunaeris groans. "But I'm headed out there to help."

"You- R-Right now?" He asks.

"Within the hour."

"Oh dear." Her father mumbles, not expecting that his promise to let her go would be tested so soon, or in such dire circumstances. "Do... Do be careful?"

With another dismissive wave and a frustrated 'myeh' of acknowledgment, Lunaeris leaves to pack her things.

A schism! Those fuckers, those absolute fuckers! Gods, what was she thinking, of course the church wouldn't let Kallie change her oath even if the gods would, how would they sell her life away-

Wait, how would they sell her life away anyway? Even if she were keeping her oath, Kallie's already bound to her. Is her dad still paying them? That would be stupid.

Ugh, it doesn't matter! Lunaeris gathers up her adventuring gear, raids the storerooms for more potions because- well, she's here, she may as well; and makes her way back to the throne room.

"Are you still paying the church for Kallie's services?" She asks her father, who is in the middle of sending for his scouts.

"...No? I paid upfront for her protection, spared no expense. She's sworn to you for life." He says. "Doubly so now, I would think. You are married to her."

"But then why would- Ugh!" Lunaeris huffs.

"Did you find out what's going on?"

"No! That's the problem!" She whines. "The church is mad at her and I don't know why and-"

"The church?"

"A schism, she said! Or, someone said, I don't know who- It doesn't matter!"

"I've heard nothing of this." Says the king, frowning. He gestures to one of his messengers. "Disregard my previous orders; I want to meet with all the archbishops of the Elven church. Summon them here, urgently."

The messenger scurries off, and Lunaeris sighs.

"I- I don't know that we're involved. I don't know who's involved, besides her order."

"I rule by divine right, Lunaeris. Our church may only be one amongst many allied together, but if sides are being picked then I want it to be clear: Our kingdom stands with its princesses." He says resolutely. "Are you going on your way?"

"Yes! Yes, I- Thank you!" Lunaeris laughs shakily. "You won't regret this! I'll let you know when I've met up with them!"

"But- Do still try to be careful, yes?" Her father calls after her, stoic mask faltering a bit as she eagerly dashes off.

~

Rushing off to save someone who's about a week's travel away from you is less valiant and more frustrating than Lunaeris would like. She curses her past self for never taking much interest in any of the books her teacher had on long-distance teleportation. The pyromancies always just seemed so much more fun, so much less nausea inducing. Really, who needs to teleport more than 20 meters?

Her, apparently! Idiot.

Her communications with Kallixenia aren't comforting either. The situation is deteriorating fast- They can repel any one assault with ease, but the inquisition doesn't stop coming. Even in shifts they can barely sleep, the slow trickle of reinforcements barely keeps pace with the wounded- There simply aren't enough paladins in their order.

They need help, and she's- she's just one wizard, but that's better than nothing. Even if her father is truly supporting them in this, politics are slow. She has to do what she can before then.

Which is, ah-

Well, she can-

If she just-

Oh, hells. All of this is so much easier when you have someone to stop your enemies from simply running up and gutting you. She'd really expected to have a plan by now, but she doesn't, and she's here, and-

Maybe if she simply tags along with the inquisition forces? Like just another adventurer here for some coin? No, that puts her into far too close quarters, and how would the defending paladins tell her apart from the rest?

Perhaps she could ask Kallie to come get her? No, no, definitely not! She's behind enemy lines, what with the inquisition base camp practically overtaking the town like this. She can't ask her to fly right down here and get shot out of the sky.

Obviously she can't just start a huge fire in their camp, that'd be foolish. Obviously.

But, you know, small fires, subtle ones, ones that she can walk away from before they get going enough to draw attention- That's not a terrible idea. Just a few little sparks in some key spots, and she could really do some damage! Torch their supplies, leave them out in the cold; and then while they're all dealing with that, Kallie can come get her. All she has to do is snoop around a little! Simple!

~

Lunaeris stirs with a splitting headache, her cheek pressed to the cold, hard ground. The memories of how far she got into her plan before her capture are fuzzy, but the tent that she's in seems very not on fire.

Dammit.

"High Cleric Dione, I believe you when you say this is the best way, however-"

"There is no however! You said you wanted an alternative to the sustained assaults, she's the alternative."

High Cleric? That sounds important. Maybe she can still swing this, torch some important church dickhead.

"I worry that you overvalue your little monastery. If word of this gets back to her father-"

"Overvalue? Overvalue!?" The High Cleric squawks. "The Oath of the Bulwark- You want to talk about her father, do you know how much money it made us from him alone? How much good the church can do because of it? All those hungry fed, sick healed-"

"Dione, I've been a loyal servant of the Inquisition for fifteen years." The other woman says, rolling her eyes. "You don't need to lie to me about where the money goes." Gods Lunaeris hates these two already. This is really all just over selling Kallie's life again? How vile.

She stokes those feelings inside her, lets that hate bubble and boil until-

She coughs violently, smoke billowing from her lungs. There's- The mana can't go anywhere, it's trapped inside her, searing through her veins.

"Oh good, she's awake. Leave us." Says the High Cleric. "Trying to start another fire, Princess?"

Lunaeris takes some time to answer, choking out soot until she can breathe again. She laughs; a weak, wheezing laugh.

"So I did manage to start some?" She says, smug. "I couldn't remember."

"One." Dione answers, unimpressed. "Easily extinguished, minimal damage."

"Aw. Get these cuffs off me, I can do better."

Dione ignores her.

"You know, I've been quite curious about Princess Lunaeris." She says. "My Kallixenia was an exemplary student. A paragon of our order. I send her away, and within six months my paladins are getting wedding invitations because she's gotten involved with her charge."

She pauses, with an exasperated sigh.

"I can't say I approve, but- The will of the gods. Who am I to deny prophecy? And then the two of you run off, infuriating your father and disgracing my order." She says, putting her hand to her brow and and shaking her head. "Then, long after I had given up on seeing that particular embarrassment righted, Kallixenia returns! Princess Lunaeris is back where she belongs! I think that I can relax, my name no longer besmirched by the two of you. Not one month goes by, and my star pupil breaks her oath so badly that none can ever take it again."

She what?

"And so I have to ask myself: Who is this Princess Lunaeris? Who could have corrupted Kallixenia like this? What on earth-" She asks, looking over Lunaeris disdainfully. "-is so special about you?"

"Well, I'm really quite charming, is the thing." Says Lunaeris.

"Are you now."

"Yes, I act with a certain brash determination that's very easy to get swept up in."

"Mm." Hums Dione, clearly unconvinced. "And this undid almost a full lifetime of rigorous training?"

"Well, you're not getting the full picture. I also have a delightfully plump behind."

"From where I'm standing you seem to have a rather plump everything."

"Yes, and delightfully so!" Lunaeris reiterates, annoyed. "Are we quite finished discussing my attractiveness?"

"Yes, we are; I'm rather sick of listening to you already." Dione says, gagging her with a strip of cloth. "I don't need to understand how you've done this to undo it. Your heretic beloved told me, before she threw me out of my own monastery, that she thought her oath was wrong. That she- you'll love this- she would rather you have died than her own life be laid down in your stead."

She what!? Hah! That's her fucking WIFE GET FUCKED YOU OLD CRONE-

"Let's see if her word is still worth anything." Dione says, opening the flap of her tent to beckon the woman she had been speaking with back in. "Send a messenger up to the monastery- alone, unarmed. They'll let them through. Let Kallixenia know that she has one day to end her little rebellion, or her princess dies."