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[Sirus]

: "Well...yes, we do know the motive. They want an artifact that my little brother was supposed to bring back but couldn't. So they kidnapped our associate and are now threatening her. It's in this note. And in any case, we're not giving them anything until we know that Lilly is safe."

[UXLZ]

Abel contemplated Alessa's words for a moment before offering his own.

"Ignoring the possibility of a higher purpose, I doubt the kidnappers have more combat capability than our own. Otherwise I can't see why they wouldn't have just retrieved the artifact themselves. Then again, I'm not familiar with the particular dangers of the ruin we're heading to.."

"If we can deal with the hostage situation, everything should go smoothly. Assuming the artifact we trade them isn't some sort of power magnifier... In which case, we may be making a grave mistake.

[mastahcheese]

"Whatever the nature of the artifact may be is a moot point. Innocent life is at stake. But Alessa is right, this is more than simple ransom to get something. Whoever this guy is that wants this artifact is either insane or desperate to go to these lengths to get it, without just doing it themselves."
It briefly crossed Zane's mind that he had no real reason to help these people out. They weren't his charge or responsibility, but he couldn't just stand by and idly watch this happen.

[UXLZ]

"And that reinforces what I was trying to say. Our first priority is saving... Lilly, was it? After that it's unlikely they'll be able to do anything to us unless we've walked into some ridiculous trap or given them an extraordinarily powerful artifact."

Becoming silent for a second, Abel resumes speaking and appears worried.

"Come to think of it, there's a chance the kidnappers will have put the hostage under some sort of mind-affecting spell... We'll need to be very careful."

[Swordstar]

"Shut. Up. She'll be fine. She will be. We'll get this damn artifact, give it to them, and get her out. That's it. Nothing more. Just get us out of this damn city and to the tomb."

[UXLZ]

Abel looks like he's about to say something, but remains silent. The angry man in blue armor seems different to how he was before. It's probably best to be quiet for now, and he promised to obey his orders, after all.

He continues to feel worried, however. It doesn't bode well when the King loses his head.

[Tiruin]

Alessa took note of Zane's reaction and shared his thoughts on a similar tangent. She was Nikolai's 'bodyguard', as Ixionite custom so far went, and he was...somewhat of the same tangent. She forgot. However, she knew that he had importance, otherwise Nikolai wouldn't have picked him despite the latter's...penchant for disappearing in dangerous times.

     "We got that, Tomik. That's what we're all implying given that we're planning to rescue her--but we can't just jump in and tear them apart; that's emotional reasoning there. We need to think this through while going there, so we can both save time, and get the boulder rolling. She can't not be fine, given the letter--or at least not permanently unfine. I've done my part in understanding criminals of that stature, and they generally don't undo their possessions if they can see a clear gain from it. Hence my...covert suggestion. Splitting the party, as the bards say."

She looked at Nikolai, then at Harlan (and co).

     "Considering the time of the letter, and the current time we've had--if our quarry is outside of the city, we need to know any exit possible to take, and the nearest areas of interest. Or...that temple, which you mentioned.
...Why a temple? I missed something there."

[SeriousConcentrate]

Lilly sighed and leaned back in her chair. She had to keep her spirits up. As much as it hurt for her to know he was worried, Tomik would come for her. She was sure of it.

"♪ Ain't it ♫ Funny ♪ How we ♫ Pretend we're still a child ♪ Softly ♫ Stolen ♪ Under our blanket skies ♫ Please rescue me from me ♪ And all that I believe ♫ I won't deny the pain ♪ I won't deny my change ♫ But should I fall from grace ♪ Here with you ♫ Would you leave me too? ♪"

"♫ Carve out ♪ Your Heart ♫ For keeps ♪ In an old oak tree ♫ Hold me ♪ For goodbyes ♫ And whispered lullabyes ♪ And tell me I am still ♫ The girl I'm supposed to be ♪ I won't deny the pain ♫ I won't deny my change ♪ And should I fall from grace ♫ Here with you ♪ Will you leave me too? ♫ Will you leave me too? ♪"

Lilly hummed the melody to herself for awhile, head down.

"♪ It's too late to turn back now ♫ I'm running out of sound ♪ And I ♫ Am changing ♪ Changing ♫ But if we died right now ♪ This fool you love somehow ♫ Is here ♪ With you ♫ I won't deny my pain ♪ I won't deny my change ♫ And if I should fall from grace ♪ Here, with you ♫ Would you leave me too? ♪ Would you leave me too...? ♫"

[Swordstar]

"I said from the start. We're *not* attacking them, so stop acting like we are. We're going in there, giving them the damn artifact that we're finding in the temple, and getting Lilly out of there. That's it, end of story. We're not splitting the damn party any more than it's already split. We're not risking others getting taken. We're getting what they want, then getting Lilly. As a group. If you don't like it, you can get out."

[mastahcheese]

"She's not saying we go attack them. She's saying that we make sure they don't take your friend out a back door while we aren't looking, and take the artifact only to still have her hostage. It's a serious concern, here."

[GiglameshDespair]

"Would they? Then we'd be certain to pursue them and most likely slay them."

[Swordstar]

"That's why we don't give over the artifact until she's been proven to be safe. We hand it over as they hand her over. Simple as that."

[Tiruin]

Alessa lifted her bow as emphasis.

     "Zane got my point--I'm not saying we attack them. Why do you think I've been trained to disarm people?"

She gave Tomik a calming smile, in the hopes of assuaging his fears. She knew they were friends but...she also knew that she wasn't that well versed in socializing to actually know what is going on in between the lines.

She pondered the idea on if she was too well-versed in the arts her mother taught her for a moment.

     "Just to note--if we can station a rescue team in ambush near the site of exchange, that'd at least help our side given the...obscurity and delicacy of the situation. I volunteer to head that force, if everyone is ok with that. Handling these situations may...go wrong, at the worst of times."

...A crossbow would be a good tool here.

[Swordstar]

"We're not splitting our group. That would only make it easier for them to gain more captives. If they want their artifact, they need to give us Lilly. Trying to get fancy only risks everything falling apart."

[mastahcheese]

"Tom, listen. We're not splitting up when we head to the temple, we split up on the way back, before the exchange. We can follow both plans."
"I'll join Alessa. I'm no stranger to ambushes, on either side."