SURVIVAL OF THE SMARTEST
Summary: The group encounters Caithe and Faolain, and Eir... provokes changes. The proper trail is followed (at least by half the group) and the trip to Rata Novus is postponed. What'll happen?
Chapter two: Mordrem Trails
Author's Notes:
See, one downside to posting all at once is that there are no author's notes, because most author's notes are for the purpose of giving information about the story that might be lacking, from feedback given. But posting all at once means I haven't got any feedback at the time of writing. It's just a bit disconcerting to read a fanfic through and realize - there weren't any Author's Notes. How crazy is that?
Annnyway.
Okay, here's the story now:
"You okay, Eir?" the Commander asks.
Eir and the others of the had gone ahead while the Commander talked to Lieutenant Francis at the Priory camp a ways up the hill.
"I'm fine," Eir replies. "I was a bit sore from being so cramped up in that cell, but that's all. Faolain's thorn didn't impair me any."
"Great. Francis and Ceera told me - indirectly - that Caithe came through just a bit ago, and these golden structures started lighting up just after that."
"You think she has the egg?" Rytlock asks.
"Ceera's description was 'sylvari with a packpack.'" the Commander says dryly.
"So we're going after her?"
"Caithe has the egg, and that egg is very important. I'm not leaving it in anyone else's hands. Let's move." the Commander leads the way down a slop towards a large, golden, tower, where it seems some Priory scholars had set up camp. They are being attacked by Mordrem.
"It's Pact Priory!" Kasmeer says urgently.
"We're on our way!" the Commander replies, running down the slope with the rest of the team behind her.
They easily kill the Mordrem. Then, they see a... being.
"Hello! Glowy person!" Taimi calls, but it disappears.
"Teleported," Rytlock notes.
"Well, obviously..." Taimi replies.
"Quit bickering, you two," the Commander says. "There it is again."
It teleports a ways off, but is still visible.
As the group catches up to it again, Rytlock says "I've had enough of this," and himself teleports in front of the... glowy person with an "identify yourself."
What follows is rather surprising - it turns out that the being - Ruka, one of the Exalted of Tarir - is also tracking Caithe (or, at least, the egg) as well, and he invites them to come along once he realizes they have a common goal.
Taimi elects to stay behind to help the Priory get settled - and learn more about the golden structures that the Priory are studying
"There she is," Rytlock says, upon seeing Caithe.
"And the egg," the Commander agrees.
Caithe is running along the path ahead of them.
Suddenly, a vinetooth appears in the middle of the path.
"You've done well, Caithe," the vinetooth says.
"Faolain?" Caithe says in surprise.
The vinetooth looks over Caithe at the Commander's group. They can now tell it is Faolain - or at least wearing Faolain's face.
"Eir Stegalkin... how good to see you. I thought you were dead," Faolain says tauntingly.
"Dead?" Eir pretends to be surprised. "Oh, no - only scratched. You haven't got my blood on your hands yet."
"What?" Caithe asks, startled.
"Bring the egg to me," Faolain her gaze back to Caithe.
"No! I can only trust myself with it! It's my Wyld Hunt!" Caithe replies desperately.
"We can all trust Mordremoth," Faolain says in a voice intended to be persuasive.
"No!" Caithe cries, stumbling back. "Faolain? What has happened to you?"
Faolain charges at Caithe who turns and runs back the way she came - towards the Commander's group. All of a sudden, a vine trips Caithe. She stumbles, dropping the egg.
The Commander runs forwards and pickes up the egg.
Eir is too far away to hear, but the Commander seems surprised about something. Ruka apparently tells her to follow him, and she does.
Faolain turns in their direction, but Eir fires an arrow at the vinetooth.
"I thought you wanted me dead," she taunts.
Faolain turns back in anger, and the rest of the group attacks. "It seems I still do!" the Faolain-thing roars.
Caithe, who had been trying to slip away unnoticed, pauses.
"Come and get me, then!" Eir challenges. "Or... can't you do what you like, having admitted the dragon into your mind?"
"Mordremoth wants you dead as well!" Faolain snarls, charging forwards a ways.
"Does he? Then why did he keep me alive when I was his prisoner?" Eir retorts. "Are you sure you are interpreting his commands correctly? Is what he wants is this team demoralized or destroyed and you come after me first? Or is it the egg he wants?"
Faolain freezes. With a roar of rage she charges at Eir, but shrinks back to 'sylvari form'.
"Her vinetooth form is dragon-induced, and she just shook him off," Rytlock observes. "Good job, Eir."
"It's her fault she wants me dead," Eir replies.
With a cry of rage and disbelief, Caithe charges at Faolain, knives drawn.
Faolain, a sylvari once more, is no match for the whole team. At last, she surrenders.
"Why, Faolain?" Caithe demands.
"Why, yourself?" Faolain snaps back. "You're the one who denied the Nightmare."
"What has that to do with anything?"
"Everything. Your way of doing things is determined by the Tree and the Tablet!" Faolain snarls.
"Not determined," Caithe corrects. "Merely guided. Whereas the Court isn't guided by anything, let alone morality. I'll take the Tree and the Tablet any day, over what you've become - foul and evil corrupted by the Nightmare."
"Just finish her, Cathe. Mordrem or no, she's still evil." Rytlock advises Caithe.
"You said it yourself, Caithe," Eir adds.
"What about your precious Tablet?" Faolain mocks. "'All things have the right to grow.'"
"But you've stopped growing, Faolain," Caithe says softly. "And things that don't grow are doomed to failure and death. 'Never leave a wrong to ripen into evil or sorrow.'" In a fluid movement, Caithe's knife enters Faolain's heart.
Faolain's eyes widen in shock and horror, before going blank.
"Where'd the Commander go?" Eir asks, trying to divert the subject.
"To bring the egg to safety," says another Exalted, approaching. "Ruka is bringing her to Tarir. She will be tested by the Forgotten, to ensure the egg has chosen a suitable champion. If you wish to wait for her in Tarir, you may."
"No need to halt the mission," Taimi says, approaching the group. "I can leave holodisks directing her the way we've gone."
"Just be sure to make them tamper-proof," Eir warns. "We don't want her getting lost if a Mordrem moves it or fiddles with it or anything."
"Right." Taimi says, blinking. "Of... of course they'll be tamper-proof."
"Right, let's get moving then." Braham says.
"I will tell the Eggbearer your plans," the Exalted says, and... drifts... off.
"Eir, what happened with Faolain? She wanted you dead?" Caithe asks.
"The commander busted us out - the Mordrem had taken us - and then Faolain tried to kill me." Eir replies. "I had to pretend to be dead, or I really would have been killed."
"Why would Faolain do that?" Caithe seems troubled.
"Who knows," Eir responds.
"Let's get moving," Rytlock repeats. "You still on that trail, Rox?"
"Yes, but there's another one as well, more recent."
"I'll follow the old trail," Eir offers. "You can track the other one."
"You're not wandering off alone, Eir," Caithe tells her. "I'll come with you."
"So will I," Braham says.
"I'll come along," Kasmeer agrees. "Marjory will stay with Rox's group."
"Settled, then?" Eir asks. "Right, let's go."
The trails follow roughly the same path, but afte a while, Rox splits off slightly westward while Eir continues directly south.
After a while, her trail turns west as well, but only to get through a pass, it seems.
Eir had thought Rox would be further along than she is, since Rox took a more direct path, but she comes across Marjory where the paths rejoin.
"Marjory? What are you doing here?" Eir asks in surprise.
"We stopped a moment so Rox could get her bearings." Majory replies. "Meanwhile, Taimi wandered off. What to help look? The Commander should be along soon."
"Sure, I didn't see her on my way here. Is anybody looking back? Maybe she saw something interesting."
"It's worth a shot," Marjory shrugs.
The group scatters, looking for the lost asura.
A while later Marjory approaches Eir. "The Commander wants us to regroup on the path," she says.
"Found Taimi?" Eir asks.
"Not yet, but I think the Commander'll find her. She's got a knack for that sort of thing, you know.* I told her what happened with Caithe and Faolain."
"Well, she's certainly not here." Eir says. "I'm on my way."
A few minutes later, the Commander approaches, with Taimi on her heels.
"Hey, everybody! There's a lost Rata nearby. We have to go there." Taimi says excitedly. "They're doing research on Elder Dragons! They may have magitech to help fight Mordremoth!"
"Rox, Eir, what of Zojja, Logan, and Trahearne's trail?" the Commander asks.
"Back in Tarir, we picked up another trail, and split up to follow it. I don't think the trail I found is theirs. You got anything, Eir?"
"I found signs of a commotion, small footprints, and branches pulled off a nearby tree, which also had 'south - hurry' scratched into the back halfway up, along with other scratches. From the size of the footprints, added to the fact that I doubt any prisoners would have weapons, I think it was Zojja, which tells us that they're still alive and kicking - or at least Zojja is."
"Let's follow this trail, then," the Commander says. "I'm afraid we won't be able to go to Rata Novus, Taimi."
"Of course not," Taimi agrees unexpectedly. "If Zojja says hurry, we hurry," she says emphatically, in reponse to surprised looks. "We can go to Rata Novus after we rescue them."
"Let's go then, before the trail goes cold," Eir says. "The trail I followed is three days old, and fading fast."
The Commander pales. "Let's move, then." she says.
Author's Notes:
I hope I kept Eir and Caithe in character.
If you can't tell, this is from Eir's perspective.
Did having Caithe kill Faolain seem too out of character? I just don't want to have to deal with her later on. And Braham doesn't have any reason to go after her, now - Eir's alive. Although, for intent...
Oh well. I hope you like it.
Longer chapter this time, yay!
Also, ever wonder if anybody in Tyria can read our writing? They mostly use New Krytan, whereas we use English or Spanish or French or whatever. Names probably wouldn't change, although if they use a different alphabet - like how Chinese seems (to us English-speaking folks) like a bunch of squiggly lines, rather than individual letters like English uses. In which case they wouldn't understand English at all. Just a thought. (Because all New Kryta and other languages are translated when we read it, so we've never seen what New Krytan actually looks like.) (Also, Kryta is one nation. Why name a world-wide language after one nation?)