Fanwork ## reaction words 1004
Mutually Assured Destruction
That doesn't sound ominous at all.
Nope nothing at all.
But seriously what is about to happen to make that the title of this post?
Ulyssian had settled in, had mentally reviewed the day's events, had briefly entered his battle-trance, had finished his exercise set. The latter was almost unnecessary; his Exalted body didn't seem to require near the level of maintenance that his mortal form had. His form was stronger, his mind sharper, his instincts whisper-keen: and all that before he began to expend effort and push himself to superhuman levels. It was both disturbingly familiar and shockingly wonderful - an artifact of his past lives' memories being overlaid into his mind, he supposed.
Ahh the benefits of being as dedicated to getting stronger in your past life as you are in your present.
He could have retired early, but his head was clear, and he was no longer weary from the day's many social interactions. He looked around his room, took in the quality of the furnishings, the understated opulence. He might as well enjoy it while he still could; come tomorrow night, he didn't intend to sleep here anyway. Fifteen opponents of unknown skill and provenance were simply too many to effectively sabotage, given their defenses. That was likely true for the other players as well. But once the bracket was defined tomorrow, everyone would know their targets. He fully intended to be gone from the apartments everyone knew they'd been given, once that occurred.
Yeah things will get heretic once matches are decided
He walked briefly around the suite, examining the accoutrements there. They reminded him of his childhood, the luxury (though he hadn't understood it then) that he'd been accorded as a likely Prince of the Earth.
Their apartments had a balcony, which looked out over a portion of the gardens. The evening was subdued, the night sky like soft velvet. Likely the competitors had quelled any excessive partying.
Guess we aren't the only ones who want to be ready for the tournament.
Nilul was sitting on the banister, slender legs waving idly in the wind, staring up at the stars. Absent the earthly light, those stars formed a glittering stream across the sky, the embodied forms of Creation's celestial gods.
He came up to rest his arms against the banister, exhaling quietly, looking out into the world. Of late he'd come to rely on his hearing more than his sight, but his eyes were still keen, capable of picking out the patterns on individual leaves in the garden below. Many of them, he noted, had calligraphic inscriptions on their surface, blended to resemble the leaf's natural design. Prayers to Sextes Jyles, the Immaculate Dragon of Wood. Let me be fertile. Let my children grow strong. Let me find a truly potent substance for tonight's celebrations.
That was the Realm.
Nice
"Have you ever really looked at them?" Nilul spoke up, voice gentle. "The stars."
"Seacrown is always so bright," she continued, "you can't really seem them, not even from the towers. Not like this. All the stars are my enemies, all the stars in the sky. But you'd probably already figured that out."
Huh I think she's opening up a little to us. How well did we roll?
"I had," Ulyssian acknowledged. It was not difficult to discern that she was somehow connected with demonkind, with the Dragon's Shadow.
"Do you think," he continued, "that we might ever be enemies?"
And Ulyssian is blunt as ever. Then again there's a reason he's shitty at social expect for intimidating someone.
She turned to look at him, smirking. "Uly, why would you ever think that?"
He shrugged. "I was just considering that we would be able to do quite a lot of damage to each other, in that case. You could out me as Anathema, and perform various horribly incomprehensible social things. You could betray me at a critical moment, having called down an insurmountable tide of enemies. I could decide beforehand to simply turn you in to said enemies, or overcome them and hunt you down. No disguise would save you."
Sounds like some of the discussion we've had on this very topic.
"You could probably kill me right now," she mused, "even through my protections."
"There's that too," he acknowledged.
I love how nonchalant they're both about this. Though it i true that Ulyssian could easily wreck Nilul and they both know it so there's no point in stressing over it.
"So," she asked, "since we'd make such good enemies, should we instead just stay mediocre friends?"
"I dislike mediocrity," he said. "If we are to be friends, what would it take for me to trust you, and for you to trust me, fully? The only thing I've thought of was to ensure we could destroy each other utterly, and mutually."
"Our current relationship is too inefficient for me. Your a pathological liar which makes it impossible for me
to actually trust you. So to fix that let's make so we can equally screw each other over. That way we have no choice but to trust each other."
Nilul laughed. "That... that's actually not such a terrible plan. You know me better than I thought, Ulyssian."
"You shouldn't underestimate me," he joked. "I am Zao's secret apprentice, after all. While undercover, I discovered that you were Anathema."
Huh he told a joke. To Nilul. Could he actually be softening up to her?
"The only thing I consistently underestimate," she retorted, "is your colossal denseness."
He wasn't particularly heavy. "What?"
Face palm. Ulyssian you should remember parts of Ody's relationship with Lea so you should have no fucking
excuse. Then again Lea explicitly said she was going to seduce Odyissial so it'd not like he could be dense when she was that blunt.
"Never mind," she shook her head, laying a hand on his shoulder. "Can I ask you something?"
"I'm certain you have that ability," he demurred semantically.
"You're obnoxious," she said. Her face turned serious. "Hero."
Nope. Still an asshole to Nilul and I love it. His snark at Nilul is half the fun of these scenes. The other is the way Nilul doesn't let it bother her though she's actually saying we're annoying and being serious. I think she's actually trying to connect to us. Seriously how good did we roll?
What about him?
"He pledged himself to your family. He basically swore away his life to protect you, without a second thought. There was no downside for you in that arrangement. But you turned him down."
He began to respond, but she raised a hand. "I know why humans do that sort of thing. I've taken advantage of it, more than once. But you... I really didn't expect that of you. I thought you were more practical than that."
Well duh. He's our friend. Friends shouldn't have to force each other to work together but considering your parental figures its understandable you're having trouble grasping the concept.
"I could swear to unconditionally protect you from all who desire to take you, no matter how outrageous their forces are," he said. "Go ahead, sanctify it."
Wow Ulyssian really is trying to show trust in Nilul. As much as I might have reservations about her, I do want to befriend Nilul bit she has to meet us halfway. Though it looks like she might do it.
For a split second, the tiniest sliver of a heartbeat, Nilul's composure faltered. Her breathing changed, just slightly.
The recovery was, of course, almost instant. "You know I wouldn't," she said hastily. "But... you weren't lying, either."
"You were in my position, just now. There would have been no disadvantages for you to accept. I imagine it would actually have advantaged you a great deal. And yet you didn't."
"I could have," she hissed. "You've no idea- That was stupid, Uly! You've spent too much time around Moon. Friends can't always be faithful and true, there are other pressures, other factors. The real world doesn't work like that."
Nilul is understandably cynical. She has the Scarlett Empress and the Ebon Dragon as parents so it's pretty much impossible for her to have a positive outlook or believe in people.
"It works like that in stories," he replied easily, looking out at the gardens. "The world should work that way, don't you think?"
"Yes," she said exasperatedly, "but that doesn't matter. Stories are just stories. Do you know another word for a story? A-"
"A lie," he said. He turned to look at her. "But a story can be more beautiful than reality. A lie can be more beautiful than the truth. Just because reality is stronger, doesn't mean that it is right."
If there's a conflict between an ideal and the world. It's not the ideal that's wrong but the world.
Fortunately for Nilul Ulyssian specializes in the impossible.
"That's just words," she said, muscles tense. "Words and lies and stories. People talk. Anyone can talk. But in the end-"
"I tried to unmake the world, once," he said.
Wow. He really is going for the MAD option by revealing his past.
Nilul squinted at him. "All right," she declared, "I'm wondering if my lie-detecting skills are broken."
Heh. Nah it's working just fine. Uly is more bullshit then you could imagine.
"It was my past life, in the First Age. The later parts I don't remember well, only generalities. I was called Odyssial, and all in stars in heaven were my enemies, as much as they are yours. I felt the world was too cruel, and sought to remake it. Heaven would probably protect even you, if you told them where and how to find the reincarnation of Odyssial, who shattered the Godspear. Especially if you told them that he still had his memories. Those who would dare try to kill me, would want to make the attempt before I grew strong."
.sh-shattered
HE FUCKING SHATTERED THE GODSPEAR!!!!!!
Isn't that thing impossible to break!?
Fucking Odyissial man. The dude who makes the impossible possible. Kinda glad we didn't go to heaven. Half the population would've died from heart attacks and the other half would thrown everything(even the kitchen sink) at us in their attempts to kill us.
"Wait," she said. Her face was scrunched up, and there was a look in her eyes that he'd never seen from her before. "You, you- You're so hopeless! You shouldn't talk any more. Look at what you've gotten yourself into. Telling that to me? To me!"
She sniffed, then paused, and clenched her fist, trembling. "My... my mother is the Scarlet Empress. My father is the Ebon Dragon. She's been plotting something with him for at least two decades, since I was born. I think it involves me somehow. All the demons and Infernal Exalted under his sway, he's told to keep an eye out for me. If things turned out too bad, I was thinking of betraying you, maybe, or at least abandoning you so I could get away. But they probably won't care about you, as long as you give me over first. Oh, you should probably pay closer attention to Moon when you're alone together. Nothing dangerous, just something you've missed."
She told us the truth of her origins......
YESSSSSS. WE GOT THOUGH TO HER. And far faster then expected.
"There. That's not enough to make us even, but that's all I have. That's... the truth." She winced. "Mutual destruction, right?"
This is a big step for her. She actually is making an attempt to trust us.
She's going against every instinct she has her. I'm so proud of her for doing so. We have to show her she didn't misplace her trust.
"I'm... sorry, that must have been hard for you. I was insensitive, like I often am. I can still swear that oath if it'll make you feel better," he offered.
He is apologizing and being sincere about which shows he is being serious about being actual friends with Nilul.
"Oh, shut up!" she snapped. "When you were a mortal, how many times a day did you push through, even when it was unbearable? I'm not so spoiled that I can't, that, that I can't even do this," she swallowed. "Just sit up here and look at our enemies with me, okay? And don't talk."
He did so, and she abruptly hugged him. For a long moment they sat silently, before Nilul spoke.
Awwww. That is adorable.
"A friend I can trust," she murmured into his shoulder. "It's nothing but a lie. But, you're right. Just because it's a lie, doesn't mean that it's wrong. When you're stronger, I'll help you destroy the world. If you want."
And another true companion has been gained.
"That's not a phrase I ever thought I'd hear anyone say," he mused.
Tell me about. Destroying the world would normally be a bad thing.
"Hush," she said. "Don't ruin this with your talking. You're too frustrating... I never thought that I'd make a friend I could trust. Especially not you. Hero? He's unlikely to betray anyone. You? You're kind of an asshole."
I'm surprised too. Hell I'm surprised that Uly actually trusts you now The self named "Princess of Lies" whose the child of the fucking Ebon Dragon more than Saery or Hero. I guess you both surprised each other.
"Thanks, friend," he answered sarcastically.
Have I mentioned that I love the Ulyssian/Nilul interactions?
She looked up at him, the stars reflected in her eyes.
"I'm still going to be me," she said, "so don't expect every word from my mouth to be the Unconquered truth. But, if you ever want to know what I really think, just ask."
am fucking giddy right now. We're teaching Nilul the power of friendship. Saery will be so proud when she learns of this.
The next day, drawings for the tournament were held. It was an excellent opportunity to cheat, and they'd prepared themselves well. Ulyssian, clad in the Storm Armor, entered the Pavilion early in the morning, to birdsong and morning mist. Nilul wore a black silk qipao with her hair done up in chopsticks, darting about, a few paces ahead or behind. Above, the halcyon dawn burned violet and incarnadine, spreading livid streaks of red across the slowly lightening sky.
Uly and Nilul ready to cheat like they have never cheated before. And with full faith in each other. Glorious
Nilul's plan, to wear down Cathak Polemgaos by depleting his reserves of will, had two peaks of effectiveness: one, immediately, when he'd had minimal time to recover from her mental assault at the feast, or two, as late as possible, when she'd had more opportunities to strike.
Given the calibre of competition at this tournament, even Ulyssian didn't have favorable odds of winning. Thus, they decided to attempt to fix the drawing so that he could encounter Polemgaos early. If he won, he would gain significant prestige even if he didn't take the tournament, and if he lost, well - he would have wasted minimal time that could have been spent training.
Come on Uly go big or go home. Do you relly want to waste months getting E4.
At least, that had been the plan, before Ulyssian found the Mnemon girl and her retainer with his hearing, and pointed them out to Nilul from a distance. Immediately she stepped into his shadow, keeping him entirely between her and them, and began to subvocalize, so quietly that even he had to actively strain to hear.
"Those are Infernal Exalts," she said. "Equal to Solars. Uly, we should run. We should get out of this place as soon as possible."
He retreated back into the complex, nonchalantly but at speed. Only when they were safely ensconced behind several layers of wall, would Nilul speak again, and only sub-vocally.
"We have to go soon," she said, voice urgent. "Please believe me. If you have any questions, write them. They might have hearing like yours."
Wow Nilul went into freak out mode once we told her about the Infernals. She's all like "we need to get the hell out of dodge yesterday." Makes sense since she did just tell us the Infernals are after us. She's even answering any questions we write down.(ask because she fears their hearing might be on par with our own.
[ ] Drop Everything and Leave
Hmm if we leave the Infernals won't about us or Nilul. If she's exposed then we could get exposed and then everything goes down the drain. Even if they don't do that, knowing Nilul is our companion/friend means Ebby will be focusing on us and likely notice who we are which means Hell is going to be
determined to kill us immediately and possibly expose us to everyone else
Downsides is that we leave the tournament meaning no E4. Our reputation is stained so no help with our Satrapy posting and we won't figure out what the Infernals are planning here which could be very important for us to know.
We have a chance to win and get E4 and figure out the Infernal plot.
Downside is that it puts Nilul and us potentially in grave danger if the Infernals recognize her . Nilul is obvious is going to not want to stay and us ignoring her concerns could break the bond we just made.
[ ] Write-In - You may wish to assemble your own plan, with your own balance of risks and rewards. Write-ins using information collected from Nilul will receive an effectiveness bonus.
We come up with a third option using info we gain from Nilul. Potentially better or worse than the other options depending on the plan we make and how effective we can make it.
