EPISODE TWENTY-NINE: Time to Act

After an hour of mindlessly watching the Discovery Channel while trying to get a grip on the situation after the spiel Ali just shared with them, our party begins to wonder what Ali and the town officials were discussing and what possible bearing it would have with what they were going to do in the future. Just then Ali returned to the room with an exhausted/aggravated expression.

AXEM: "What's going on?"

Ali: "Now that my uncle is able to work again, he's gathered the leaders of all the towns in the prefecture to discuss the escalating situation with the insurgency. All the old people bickering about politics is both frustrating and boring. I had to get outta there before I shot myself."

THRAX: "What are they all talking about?"

Ali: "Apparently, since Mount Sabretooth hasn't been capable of sustaining it's own defenses for so long, it appears that the insurgents are planning to invade us again. Our scouts have seen a large gathering of fighters in the Plains of Tanchi, which is the next prefecture to the west. Since that fateful day 15 years ago, Tanchi City has been one of the largest strongholds for Liiche's supporters. Now the politicians in the next room are bickering about whether to kiss some royal ass in the other prefectures to get support, or to raise up an army here in Sabretooth, or whatever. It's really going nowhere fast."

CHRIS starts ranting and raving about politics because he sees an opportunity to do so.

AXEM: "Chris, just pipe down, ok? We know you have about a million things to say about the war in Iraq, the cost of a barrel of oil, Democrats, and politics in general so just can it, alright?"

TRITHAL, (after recomposing himself due to CHRIS' gayness) says, "Well, let's go in there and see what we can do."

CHRIS: "What are you talking about?"

TRITHAL: "Remember what 壮大マハ said? We're responsible for what happens next. We should be involved in whatever decisions are made."

THRAX and AXEM agree with TRITHAL. CHRIS requires more convincing, so Ali grabs him by the part of the ear with the most pain receptors and drags him into the King's Counsel chambers.

Inside the chamber was a huge rectangular table where on either side sat a moderately large number of people -- one representative from each town in the prefecture. When our party entered, the bickering ceased and the king, who sat at the head of the table, asked, "Who are you? Can't you see we're having a meeting?"

Ali: "Uncle, these are the mercenaries who escorted me on my journey. This long-haired scruffy one helped with your restoration. They wish to address the counsel."

King Midus (pointing to each member respectively): "So I take it that you are Trithal the Divine Wind, you are Axem the Stone Pillar, you are Thrax the Hell-fire, and you are the wet blanket they call...well, the wet blanket, Chris! Warriors of the elements working as mercenaries; God help us all! I guess I owe you all for the safe return of my niece and for my recovery... and you owe me for a damaged catwalk which used to span under this mountain."

TRITHAL: "True, but more importantly we hear you have a situation brewing in Tanchi. We're here to offer a solution."

Counsel member 1: "Oh? And what could you possibly do about it?"

TRITHAL: "I happen to be well-acquainted with some of the leaders of Liiche's armies and how they function. Being that we are the ones who defeated their leader, we have the opportunity to go out and take command of their insurgency. I believe that we can see to it that both sides of this can come to a resolution and no lives will be lost."

Counsel member 2: "And just who the hell are you? Why should we believe anything you're saying... let alone trust you with such a responsibility?"

AXEM: "Hey! We're the ones who defeated your long-time enemy AND we brought your princess safely back to the castle AND, Trithal here helped restore King Midus. What other proof of our abilities do you need?"

King Midus: "You make a valid point. You have already done plenty to prove your trustworthiness (despite the fact that each and every one of you have a history of being a fuck-up at some point in your lives). Let's hear your plan on how you're gonna bring a peaceful resolution to this."

TRITHAL, being a skilled tactician thanks to his macha memories, immediately whips out a plan. "Tomorrow morning the four of us will head west down the Dolmaiyan River trail to Tanchi City. Along the way I'm sure we'll run into a few groups of insurgents. Knowing what I know, we should be able to convince them to join with us. Then, once we get to Tanchi City, we'll confront the leaders of the insurgency and commence with the negotiations. As soon as we get an idea of what they want and how we can resolve this, we'll then return to the Mountain Castle and present their demands to the King's Counsel."

A group of advisors converge to the side of the King and whisper back-and-forth for a minute. Then, the king said, "Very well, then. You may go and do as you have suggested. You may take some horse-lizzards with you to expedite your journey. But be aware... if you fail then we would have no choice but to launch a pre-emptive strike to keep the insurgency at bay."

Knowing it would be pointless to try to talk the king into taking a not-quite-so ignorant move, the party then departs the chamber and prepares for their latest quest.