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"Defenses" (Lakewest) One man was finely dressed, in black, with shoulder length hair. His eyes were sea-blue, and, back home, was considered very handsome. His white gloved hand rested on the hilt of his Rapier as he surveyed the landscape that stretched before him, so unfamiliar. The man beside him, was large, with a mass of tangled, dirty black hair that sat atop his head. He was dressed in green armour and carried a large axe. There was a bandanna around his head, also green. "So, where are we Van?" The man in the black, Vankai, turned and glared at the large man. "I don't know, Aranka." He sneered. "Maybe if you'd actually BROUGHT the map before we Blinked in an unfamiliar territory, we wouldn't be in this mess!" "But we have to find Firehair, else Lord Makarui will KILL us!" Aranka whined. "And how was I supposed to know the Blink would fail? I'd assumed it would take us to South Window!" Vankai snorted. "That's your problem, Ar." He mused. "You don't think. You never do. Because if you did, we'd probably be halfway to Lakewest by now!" He began walking south. "I suppose we'll just have to wander around till we find a city, a town, something! Now come on!" He commanded. Aranka moaned and followed Vankai. Lakewest was a small, town with a small population. Actually, it was more of a Village, not as big as, say, Radat, or Kyaro Town in Highland. But it was a cozy little place, and that suited Taki just fine. Taki was a small, old lady who was a friend to everyone in the village. She lived in a small, one-room house near the center of Lakewest, and was a well-respected member of the community. She was on the Council of Elders, and had played a major hand in developing in the village. Said person was now bustling about her kitchen, making preparations for the night's meeting which would be held at her house. The table and chairs were set up, with help. Taki had moved the chairs, but the table was too much for a woman of her age. Of course, about thirty years ago, Taki could have moved the table no problem. Still... Now Taki was preparing the meal for the Council. Let's see... The Appetizer was Fried Fish Balls, everyone liked that. Main Course was a Chicken marinated in Honey, a real favourite, served with Taki's famous Raspberry Tea. And dessert, for those who could manage it, was Ice Cream. Just one final check...yes, the meal was good to go. Taki walked over to her favourite chair and sat down. "Well, I've got about half an hour before the guests arrive." She murmured. "I suppose a little read is in order." Taki reached for her favourite book, The War of the Scarlet Moon, a story about the Gate Rune War in Toran. She settled in for awhile, then her eyes shifted to the sword. It was a gleaming blade, kept in tip-top shape. It was long and thin, and it glinted because of light coming in from a window, hitting the sword. Whenever she was asked about it, she simply replied that it was a departed family members. Everyone knew Taki hated weapons, and kept it out of respect for her relative. After about an hour of reading, the guests started to arrive. First there was Mr. Vanderhall, followed by Mr. Dogloma, then Mr., and Mrs. Rye, then Ms. Cannin. Mr. Vanderhall was Chief Elder of Lakewest, so he sat at the far end of the Table. Taki served the appetizers, then sat down. Mr. Vanderhall cleared his throat. "Yes, are we all ready, then?" There were nods and yes's around the table. "Good." He continued. "First I'd like to thank Taki for providing the meal and of course, for letting us use her house." Everyone clapped. "Now, then, on to business!" He said briskly. "The war with Highland looms over us. And we're all old enough to remember the last one, right? It's very unlikely that Lakewest, being a small fishing town, not nearly as big as Coronet or Kuskus, but who knows how the twisted mind of that monstrous Ruka works? So I propose we begin bolstering our defenses. Start training a Milita." "Not that it would do much against the White Wolves!" Mr. Rye said. "It would just be a waste of lives." Taki agreed. "A Milita of 50 men cannot even compare to any of the Highland armies! It would just be slaughtered." "Then what should we do?!" Cried Ms. Cannin shrilly. "Abandon Lakewest?" Asked Mr. Dogloma. "And let those filthy Highland soldiers take it over and ransack it, taking all our precious belongings?" "Surely we can call some of the larger cities for protection?" Asked Taki. "Two River is closest, and maybe we can call on Lord Makai for help. If not Makai, maybe Teresa?" "What about the Kobold Village? Or even Tinto?" Replied Mrs. Rye. "Tinto, no." Mr. Vanderhall said. "Gustav, although a fine man, would be more concern with bolstering Tinto's defenses, not the defenses of a non-Tinto village. I guess we could try Two-River or the Kobold Village. I'll send a messenger to the Kobold Village in the morning. Now about the..." The meeting continued on for about two hours. When it was over, the other Elders went home. Taki decided she could leave the clean up till the next morning. She had some tea, then went to bed.
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