"Exactly... this isn't like hobgoblins at all.  But hobgoblins can be led..."  she listened to Kabuno's dismissal of a wizard in favour of a powerful monster.  She nodded... it sounded reasonable.  "That fits... thanks for the thoughts, Kabuno.  I'll see when I get there, of course.  Though it does seem like I should rescue the hostages first, before taking out whatever mind is directing these albino hobgoblins - or, leaderless, they might do even more terrible things.  In any event, avoiding paying the ransom... the king mustn't pay, or whatever is behind this will just get stronger."<br/><br/>Soon Yolande was mounted, and on her way to save some villagers, and the king's treasure.  She had no idea, as she settled into her very simple campsite that first night, that her students were already being kept in a deeper sleep by the Kabuno's herbs, and that then their secret training was beginning.  If she could have seen the helpless young women being systematically stripped and molested, the staff Kabuno had hired enjoying themselves as they taught the girls' bodies to enjoy stimulation of all sorts, she would have turned back immediately.  Even then she wouldn't have made it back in time to stop all 36 students from being groped, many of them orally pleasuring men for the first time... but not the last, for the next morning Yolande carried on toward the village, unsuspecting of the treachery behind her, nor the trap being planned before her.  Far behind her, students began their daily training, their bodies and subconscious minds slightly altered by their preliminary conditioning, some waking with hints of an unfamiliar taste on their tongues.<br/><br/><hr/><br/>Callea had enjoyed her first day, roving from class to class so she could identify those students with magical talent that merited further development.  She looked upon this Academy as a new adventure, of sorts ... far removed from her usual roving activities, but exciting, something worth remembering - she would be present at the start of this new education, this cultural shift of the country.  That was an excellent experience to take with her ... long-lived elves could appreciate these grand sweeps of history, and she was curious to see how it progressed from here.  Would the kingdom embrace greater equality, as her own land had always done?  Perhaps ... it seemed likely, with this school to start the transformation.  Both Yolande and Kabuno were to be commended, as was the Prince who had largely made this possible.<br/><br/>She was quietly amused that Yolande had begun on her path from seeing Callea herself - it had never been her intention, but it fed into a theory she was developing, of how the flow of history responded to chance events, and whether there was some way to measure the contributions of chance, of destiny, of any other hidden forces.<br/><br/>For her part, she was actually rather impressed by Kabuno ... she wasn't fully familiar with his powers, but she knew they were considerable - surely better in terms of pure magic than her own, although hers was combined with formidable martial skill as well.  And she felt a certain deference to him as well, because of her respect for royalty; the elven princess apprenticed to Kabuno conferred respect on Kabuno by her presence; beyond that she seemed utterly devoted to Kabuno, to an extent that was surprising to Callea.  So she was intrigued by his invitation - what might be in the cellars that called for her attention?  As she began to descend the stairs beside him, she posed that question.  "What is it, Kabuno?  Why... I'm surprised you had time to look through the cellars, with all that's going on."<br/><br/><br/>The Priestess had been uncertain about responding to the Academy's call for a healer - there were priests who were almost as good as she was at healing, and as the only ordained woman in her order, she was concerned that her absence would leave to great a gap.  Without her, who would support the few women initiates just now starting their own progress in the order?  But, after some time in prayer, and after receiving some quite enthusiastic advice from two of the male priests, she decided it was worth at least a trip to view this Academy.  There, with Yolande's pleas, and seeing the value of such an Academy for everyone, including potential adherents of her order, the Priestess accepted a position as both Healer and Counsellor for the school community.<br/><br/>So far there had been no call for either role, although she expected that to change as the training became more vigorous, and also as the pressures of this new environment began to give the students challenges.  She had spoken with many of the students, and they were extremely variable, from all sorts of backgrounds, with all sorts of aspirations.  The staff had been generally respectful, and quite helpful when she needed this or that to help set up a small shrine in the room that served as her office and as a small "nurse's station/infirmary".  She did get some strange looks from some of the staff, but she thought that might be because she seemed as young as some of the students.  She was young, though not quite as young as she looked, but she hoped this might help the students relate to her, and come to her with any problems they might have.<br/><br/>She didn't know much about Kabuno, and hadn't really given him much thought.  He gave every impression of being competent, and he had not interfered with her as she set up all she needed to work here.  But now he was asking her to see something in the cellar... not a hurt student apparently, or he would have said so.  So what?  She would see.  The Priestess tilted her head at him, then nodded silently, stepping out of her office to accompany him.<br/><br/><hr/><br/>Finally in the vicinity of the village, Yolande encountered the king's ranger - she had expected as much, and she nodded curly.  "Yes ... please, show me.  Have there been any developments?  I don't suppose any of the hostages had managed to escape?"  That would be convenient - an escaped hostage might know something of the hobgoblin's leader - but it seemed unlikely.<br/><br/>The village was a bit larger than she had expected - even worse, then, for that meant more captives, more hostages.  A more impressive victory for these albino hobgoblins - how had they overcome a walled and fortified village like this?  It was a terrible blow.  It also, unfortunately, complicated her own task - she hadn't expected complete walls.  She could get over them no doubt - but they would make it more difficult to bring the prisoners women out.  More difficult, too, for an assault by the king's soldiers. if he opted for that.<br/><br/>It didn't take long to recognize that these hobgoblins were different in more than their colouration.  "Fine weapons... and they're not sloppy at all.  Very unusual.  Have any of you spotted a leader of any sort?"  She shook her head, as the ranger had only negative news to share.  "Not good at all.  I can't just sneak in, either - I'll have to clear a path for the prisoners to leave by.  How many gates - are they all equally well-guarded?"  She would ask to walk around the town with the ranger, and look both for a weaker gate she might open from inside, and a point where she could slip up over the wall.<br/><br/>It was also a bit late in the day - she would prefer to rest, and watch the hobgoblins' routines... there must be a time, a place where they would be a little thinner.<br/>