[suib0m]

Suibom quietly made his way through the streets of Pyr, keeping himself as much a part of the background noise as possible. He had finally started acclimating to the harsh desert climate, but still did not like it. He could not quite shake the claustrophobic feeling he got when in the capital city. His reason for being here, though, was more important than the feeling that the city was collapsing in on him. He was seeking information about Ionn Xylos, the senator that had tried to defect to the Verdant Heights to deliver information to unknown Matis.

He found very little information. It was as if Xylos and the events that surrounded him had vanished from existence. Everything, in fact, had become quiet. It felt like even the kitin agitation in the Prime Roots had settled back into the dust that was once stirred. All was quiet, until an offhanded conversation was heard in the market. There was rumor that a small Matis military camp had disappeared at the edge of the Verdant Heights, a military camp that was investigating increased kitin activity on the surface. Having found very little information on Xylos, he decided a distraction back in the land of forests would be good. He head back to Yrkanis to learn more about this lost military camp.

Back in Yrkanis, under cover of cloak and helm to prevent being captured by the city guards, he discovered that groups of mercenaries were being gathered to investigate the lost camp. None of the groups had returned and there was still very little information about what happened. He was able to determine the location of the camp from one fortuitious conversation overheard near the city stables. And with that, another journey began.

After a great deal of travelling, he discovered the valley location where the military group was supposed to be camped. He did see two watch towers had been erected in the distance, nestled in a small recess in the land. It must be the right place. Guards were patrolling the perimiter of the camp in force, looking like they were expecting invasion. When he approached the guards, they sized him up but did not impede his path, obviously not interested in the movements of a lone homin.

"You there!" he heard a shout at him from within the camp. "Antoccio and Mac'Arlly have been looking for you. See them right away." Obviously they were expecting someone, and appeared to believe it was him. Which was ok, really, because the best way to get information that doesn't belong to you is to pretend you're someone you are not. He walked up to the two homins he was directed to; a Matis, obviously Antoccio, and a Tryker, Mac'Arlly.

"Thank Jena you have arrived," Antoccio said, his eyes darting around wary and alert. "Our situation is getting worse every day. The kitin waves keep coming. We thought we had sealed off the corridor to those devils, the Kami worshipers... the way they sealed us off from the north."

"We been so terrible wrong," Mac'Arlly added. "The beasty kitins keep aittackin us. Waves of nightmayrs, they are. Nightmayrs that keep gettin the worser when y' cayn't wake up."

"We have been able to hold them off for now. But I'm not sure how much longer we can last."

"We must try ayn' figger how they sendin these beasties agaynst us. What we gonna do, Antoccio?" Mac'Arlly said, then her faced turned white as she looked past Sui into the distance. "Kitin swarm! Kitin swarm attackin!!" she yelled out and pointed to the northern horizon.

"To arms!! Defend the camp!" another voice shouted to the guards. It was the Matis woman who had first greeted them, obviously another leader of this camp.

Sui looked past the guards, to the northern horizon. There it was, a wall of kitin coming down on them. It was always a site that struck cold fear down the spine, even if you'd seen similar a dozen times before. The guards, though, moved fluidly and with purpose. They had likely, and unfortunately, encountered this situation many times recently. Sui reared up his heavy axe and jumped into the fray. These guards looked like they could handle the situation, but the quicker the kitin were brought down the better. With deft and sure purpose, Sui and the guards handled the kitin. The battle was long and blood flowed free, but the guards were victorious in the end.

Sui went back to Antoccio to find out how he could help further.

"We need you to check the barrier in the northwest corridor. We need to know if the Kamist devils have broken through. Check the barrier and then report back to me."

Northwest barrier, got it. Easy enough task, provided he didn't run into another kitin swarm. In theory, anyway. But reality was never as clean cut as theory. Luckily, Sui spent much time in the forest learning how to track and avoid those creatures that would otherwise make a tasty meal of him. And the kitin were there, as he expected. They swarmed around the northern region, almost as if they were guarding the corridors. He quickly and quietly snuck past the massive shelled sentries and into the northwest corridor. Almost immediately he could make out the barrier. The corridor wall had been fractured and a huge pile of rubble blocked the path. Time to report back to Antoccio.

Sui made quick work of returning to the camp. The path was easier to navigate now that he had discovered what there was to avoid. Once back in the camp he told Antoccio what he had discovered.

"Thank you. The barrier is intact you say?" Antoccio raised his eyebrow in surprise.

"The berryer's still sittin there? All rocklike and blockin the path??" Mac'Arlly's voice made apparent her worry. "I thought f' surely they'd 've broken through the thing. This isn't good."

"Very disturbing news indeed. How are the Kamists sending the kitin waves from behind that barrier?"

"It's gotta be Kami magiks. It's Chi-Lian, she's castin her magiks agayn. I know it! We need t' contact Chiabre. He's a bit of a hermit, camp somewheres northiwards. He doesn't much like folks, but he's owin us a thing or two." She turned to address Sui and held a rolled parchement out to him, "Please take this to Chiabre."

Somewheres northiwards.. right. The Tryker dialect often caught him off guard, even though most of his friends were Trykers at this point. He began to travel north again, back into kitin territory.

After some time, a bit of searching, and a few very close calls where he could tell the kitin were starting to catch hold of his scent, he noticed a small tent in the distance under an overhang. Standing next to the tent, intently watchin the kitin movements, he found Chiabre.

"You have a message from Mac'Arlly and Antoccio?" Chiabre asked Sui brashly, apparently annoyed by his presence. "Please, give it to me. Then go back to Mac'Arlly and let her know I will take care of things." And that was all he said. Sui gave him the message and he turned his attention back to the kitin. Sui didn't exist to him any more. He returned to the camp to let Mac'Arlly know Chiabre's resposne.

"Goody. I'm glad t' hear Chiabre's confadent in th' task," Mac'Arlly cracked a smile. Confident in his task, that's what Mac'Arlly got from Chiabre's terse response? Interesting.

"Yes. Now that Chiabre's part is in play, it is your turn." Antoccio said, "You should be able to squeeze through the barrier, though it will be a tight fit."

"I know we askin a terrible thing, but it's gotta be done," Mac'Arlly looked to him with pleading eyes. "Y' gotta stop Chi-Lian. It must be her magiks that's behind these kitin waves."

"If you cannot defeat Chi-Lian and her Kamist camp, you must return and speak with Vicha. We will develop a new plan," Antoccio said, referring to the female Matis that had greeted Sui when he first arrived. "Please, go now. Infiltrate the Kamist encampment and eliminate Chi-Lian. It is the only way."

Once again, Sui felt he was getting in much deeper than he had originally planned. But if he was able to find some usefull information to help stop these kitin attacks, maybe he would be able to return to Yrkanis, exonerated from his involvement with the Fyros senators. He began to travel north again, back to the barrier.

A tight squeeze, indeed. He scraped his way past the barrier. It's too bad he didn't notice the small group of Fyros that were camped on the other side of the barrier, the ones that ambushed him. A mace slammed into his back as he emerged from the barrier and a fireball scorched his armor. He thought of that moment of the many powerful soldiers he had seen in the past. How they would have quickly taken out the mace wielder with very well placed attacks of the axe, and then turned on the remainder of the Fyros group. Thinking of those great warriors, he knew he really only had one course of action. He ran, tearing his way back through the barrier. He knew he couldn't take these Fyros on under the circumstances.

Apparently the Fyros knew of the kitin outside the corridor, because they did not follow. It was time for Sui to regroup himself and think of a new plan.

--------
To be continued...
Or you can just go to a ring terminal and play the scenario out for yourself

Peace,
- Sui