The metal box descends down the elevator shaft at frightening speed, covering hundred of meters every few seconds. Despite that the interior is oddly calm, as if it was moving very slowly. A few minutes later it reaches the bottom, decelerating almost immediately, and lands with a soft 'thump'. The doors open, and the sole occupant steps out.
By appearance alone he is a child with long blond hair that reach the ground, with a headpiece on both sides of his head and clothes fitted for nobility. Yet his eyes are often described as unsettlingly by many of those who knows him, looking far too much older and crafty for a mere child.
He crosses the desert platform and arrives at the handrail, where he holds onto it to look below.
A river of lava with an impressive width of 30 miles flows at the bottom of the subterranean chasm, the heat from it arriving to the child in the form of a warm, dry breeze. Frowning at what for him is an irritating feeling he takes out a pair of binoculars and looks around until he finds what he was searching for: the sight of a bright red aircraft standing near the center of the lava river, a structure similar to a drilling rig on its belly descending straight into the lava and, he knows, way deeper than that.
"There are no delays that warrant your presence here." A cultured, aristocratic voice suddenly says.
The child scoffs. "Just feeling like it." He lowers the binoculars and looks to the side at his interlocutor. The tall man wears clothes fit for nobility, outdated in design yet very expensive: his features are handsome, but like the child his eyes are too crafty to set others on ease. His wild red hair have real flames on one side, yet even as he walks closer to the child the other side begins to turn blue, small droplets of water falling down at his passage.
The man raises an eyebrow in clear disbelief. "I was under the impression you don't like the heat."
"I don't: do you have any idea what it does to my hair?" The child scoffs again and steps back from the handrail. "But it's better than spending the whole day listening to sycophants. I swear, C.C. has a knack for picking up irritating people."
"Ah yes, the difficulties of finding competent servants. What a tragedy." The man, his hair now completely blue, replies with a mocking tone. Then he takes out a folder and begins to scroll through the pages inside. "But you came at the right moment. I reviewed my plans, and I reached the conclusion that it would be more beneficial for the scion of the Brassey family to marry one of the Sackville line instead of the Hope's second daughter."
The child rolls his eyes before making the effort of actually trying to remember. "The Sackville have only one son."
"I know this. But if we use a gender-changing drug and you-"
"No. Way. In. Hell." The child clearly articulates each word as he stares back at the man with an almost disgusted expression. "Not that I care, but there is no way you can persuade them. And before you ask, do you really think Charles would actually care?"
The man frowns, his following words full of bitterness. "Then they need to produce a daughter. Preferably now, or waiting for her to become fertile will mess up the other phases."
"I am part of Britannia's Secret Intelligence Department Parad, not the Genealogic one." The blond child makes a dismissing gesture at the lava river. "Or do you prefer I dedicate less time to make sure no one in Yu-Shan knows you're helping Britannia secretly stealing genetic material from the Elemental Dragons and implanting it into the embryos of the nobility's future sons and daughters?"
"Don't use the word 'stealing'." The man demands with a hard tone while his skin assumes the hue and consistence of granite. "This is no different than harvesting wheat from a mature field."
"The Elemental Dragons are wheat fields in your eyes?"
"It wouldn't have come to this if they deigned to give my petitions the attention they deserved."
"Riiight, petitions." The child snickers. "Because bureaucracy always resolves everything."
In a small room in a building near the battle between the forces of Zero and his ghostly foes- if, indeed, such a one-sided encounter could truly be called a battle- there was a patch of shadows. Deep, silent, unmoving, and to all appearances unremarkable; anybody who saw it would swear it was just another patch of darkness in the corner of an abandoned room. As the conflict raged in the streets below, these shadows remained silent and unmoving. As Villeta Nu was saved by a million to one chance, they remained silent and unmoving. And as Zero and his allies left, they remained silent and unmoving.
A minute passed, and still the shadows stayed still and silent. And again, as another minute passed. Then two. Then ten minutes. The clock ticking steadily ever onwards until finally, a full hour after the battle was done?
The shadows moved.
Falling silently from the ceiling of one corner of the room, the shadows seeming to run off her like water, a young woman dropped out of the darkness and landed in a crouch. As she rose she stretched, easing out the aches and cricks from staying still for so long, before ruffling a hand through her short, blonde hair to remove the dust and rubble that had been knocked into it by a stray blow to the building during the fighting.
That done, she sighed, before producing a hand-radio-like device from seemingly nowhere. For a moment she just looked at it, hesitation briefly skittering across her face, before she sighed again and flicked a switch on the side of the device. Bringing the device up her mouth, she said in a low voice, "Contact. First Circle. Dusk.".
'And please, don't be there.' She thought to herself as a small red light lit up on the surface of the device. It was the same thought that went through her mind every time the blonde woman had to contact her superior, a silent prayer that she would be too occupied to answer, but it was a wish that this time went unanswered. Whatever horrific being might deign to listen to the pleas of one like her was obviously paying no attention, as the light on the device turned green and a voice emerged from it.
"Speaking. Sight."
The blonde woman couldn't help but let a small shiver of fear run through her body at the sound of her superior's voice, but she quickly suppressed it. Even if there was nobody here to see her, it was still better to keep a tight rein on her self-control.
"Speaking, Second. I do apologise for the unscheduled call, but I have urgent information for you." The blonde woman said, before falling silent as she waited for her superior's answer.
"Urgent? Go ahead." Was it her imagination, or had her superior's voice softened slightly now she knew this was a high priority call and not just her panicking over nothing? No, the blonde woman quickly decided, she had to be imagining it.
"The... idiotic... Exalt I encountered." She elaborated, forcing herself keeping her voice calm and steady despite the frown of irritation that flashed across her face at the thought of her original meeting with the moron. "I saw him again tonight, and discovered that he has allies. Six more Exalts of the same type as him, a Dragonblooded, support from at least 30 Demons, and an unknown number of mortals."
From the other side of her communicator she heard a sharp intake of breath, her news clearly either surprising or concerning her superior. Or possibly both, now she considered it; even seven Dragonblooded in one place was something to cautious of, but seven unknown Exalts with that much support? It was a potential disaster. 'Maybe there actually IS something other than the Mask that scares the great 'Fi-'"
"I need all the details you have." Her superior spoke up again, her voice sharp as it cut off the blonde woman's musings. "Charms, Sorcery, anything and everything you saw them use. Now."
"Ah, r-rght." The blonde woman said, the sudden demand jarring her out of her thoughts and breaking her composure for a brief instant, before she hurriedly recompose herself. "The unknown Exalts all referred to one another as 'Peers'. I observed two apparent Dusk analogues with crossed sword caste marks, both melee focused, who were identified as 'Akio' and 'Akito'. None of the others spent enough Essence to reveal their marks, but as the same Exalt type they must have them."
Pausing for a moment to consider what she'd seen and heard, the blonde woman continued more slowly to make sure she didn't miss anything, "The other five were less involved in the conflict, but I believe I have a general grasp of their combat capabilities. One by the name of 'Milly' was fast-moving and able to throw lightning bolts. One by the name of 'Kaguya' was able to summon blasts of silver sand to strike her foes, as was a 'Yelena' who seemed to have the personal loyalty of some of the mortals. Of the remaining two, one named 'Nadir' did nothing of note, whilst the last was their leader. He went by what I believe to be an alias, 'Zero', and could create illusions of Demons and redirect his weapons fire after shooting."
"As for the others, the Dragonblooded was a Water Caste named 'Leila', and was nothing special. The Demons were mostly Anhule, but two were of a type I didn't recognise, and one of them was being worn as armour." The blonde woman concluded, taking a deep breath as she finished her report. She'd have to fill in a more detailed paper copy for her superior and the rest of the circle to peruse later, but for now she'd gotten the important details to her superior.
She hoped.
There was silence for several seconds as her superior apparently digested the information the blonde woman had given, before a quiet mumble of, "…troubling." Came across the communicator. So quiet, in fact that the blonde woman was fairly sure she wasn't supposed to have heard it.
Before she could consider that, however, her superior's voice snapped back to full volume. "How strong were they? How do you estimate we would fair against them?"
"I would say they are weaker than our circle individually," The blonde woman replied, before a shiver ran down her spine as a particular memory forced its way to the forefront of her mind. "A-and weaker than you as a whole. But I also don't believe the gap is insurmountably large, in either situation."
An irritated noise came over the communicator, and the blonde woman fought down the urge to swallow nervously at it. 'S-she's not here, I, I don't need to worry.' She tried to mentally reassure herself, even as her superior spoke. "So we can confirm that they're Celestial Exalts. But you still don't recognise the type?"
"No... no." The blonde woman said, only barely keeping her nerves from showing in her voice. Her calm was breaking down fast in the face of her superior's questioning, and she knew she had to do something to regain it. Something, anything, a comment to distract her superior, a mad theory...!
'Wait a second... that actually makes sense.' The blonde woman thought, a sudden frown appearing on her face as several facts came together in her head. It made sense, even as she examined the idea from multiple angles, but frustratingly there was no way to be sure she was correct. Clearing her throat, she slowly and carefully said, "But I do have an idea. The number of Demons and the silver sand together could indicate a Yozi connection... but there's no way to be certain."
"Hmm..." Her superior said, her voice trailing off in just the right way to provoke the blonde woman's nerves even further, before she continued, "In the end it doesn't matter where they're from and how strong they are, they're too large a threat to ignore. Acolyte's requested your help with his latest batch of seeding, and Poison wants you to carry out some reconnaissance for him, so we can't deal with them immediately, but we'll move once those tasks are complete."
Her superior paused for a moment, and the blonde woman half-expected her to end the conversation there, but then her superior's voice suddenly cut back in. "Understand this. When the time comes, I expect you both to be ready for open combat. If either one of you is not up my standards, then I will be taking over your training personally until you meet my expectations. Is that clear?"
"I… I… " The blonde woman stammered, thrown by the sudden threat. Where had that come from? Her superior had never complained about her combat abilities before, so why the sudden change? Had she displeased her somehow? Missed something that she shouldn't have? And with that threat applying to both of them...
She swallowed, before pulling together enough composure to say. "Y-yes. It is."
"Good. For now, meet with Acolyte by sundown tomorrow in the usual location. I will contact you both then." And with that the light on the blonde woman's communicator winked out, leaving her in total darkness once again.
And within a few seconds, the room was once again occupied by nothing except the still and silent shadows of the night.
This entire thing is Milly's doing. You just know it. And you just know she's going to get the whole Coven into the Student Council...so you might as well plan to do it anyways and get the paperwork done. It'll make meeting in school easier, at least.
But first there is something else you need to do. As everyone's attention is focused on the new arrivals you take our your cell and begin to type under the desk whitout looking down.
"Milly, what the [insert unintelligible word]?"
She replies a few seconds later.
"Surprise ♥ ♥ ♥!"
"If you plan to keep giving me surprises like this, you may as well shoot me already."
"( •̀ω•́ ) Oh, I'll shoot you alright..."
Your right eyebrow rises by exactly one millimeter.
"With the gun called LOVE! (｡▰‿‿▰｡) ❤"
You spend the next three minutes imagining the Emperor burning on a stake, which as always has the power to calm you down.
"I need all the data. All of it. Backstories and everything."
"Already sent them to your mail. Kaguya-chan is such a great help! Ooops, the prof is shooting me dirty looks, the old pervert! Buh-bye :-* :-*"
"Was that some sort of secret code? I swear, this human system to exchange written messages across large distances confuses me."
'Just Milly being Milly.' You sigh in your head before starting to compile a mental list of things that need to be done, all the while pretending to pay a minimum amount of attention to what's going on in the class (not much).
Akito and Leila can join as members, Kaguya as an unofficial member like Nunnally and Rakshata can be added as the Council's faculty advisor, something that wasn't needed until now but there is no explicit rule against it.
'Predicted reactions of the other members: Rivalz and Shirley will be fine. Nina...is probably going to freak out about two Japanese people joining the Council. Did I check if the whole hostage situation worsened her xenophobia? Negative. Solution: have Rakshata talks about science with her as distraction. If that doesn't work request Milly to use those emotion-controlling powers of her.'
You would prefer it doesn't come to the latter however. Not only it would put you into debt with Milly, constantly messing with the mind of Nina...It leaves a bad taste on your tongue: she never caused problems for you, and her xenophobia has always been kind of pathetic instead of irritating.
'Malcal is a professional, but Akito is probably going to be bored to tears of school in record times. Rivalz probably has a stash of alcohol somewhere: if not I can provide one. It's probably best to also compile a list of places that offer all kinds of entertainment, legal and not. As long as he doesn't drink, or worse, around Nunnally he can do as he likes in his spare time. He's Malcal's problem, not mine.'
You briefly pause to muse if you should draw the line on drugs. There is that new drug, Refrain, going around and you are planning to make it another target of the Black Knights. It might not be necessary, as far as you know he only goes after alcohol...on the other hand you're sure Malfeas has available much worse stuff. Screw it: it's Malcal's problem even this.
'Nunnally would love to meet Kaguya again after all these years, they got along well. I need to give them a chance to talk in private. I should do the same with Kaguya and Suzaku: I have no idea what he did in the last seven years, but his family is not going to take well him being a Honorary Britannian and a soldier too. Yes Suzaku, it was plain as day from your face you never bothered telling them. I can deal with planning to kill most of my blood kin, you can deal with talking with them about different ideologies.'
Sukazu is your best friend, but there is a limit to what you're willing to help him with. He's an adult, he doesn't need you holding his hand for a simple talk. Now, if they plan to force him in any way that's a different story. Kaguya wouldn't, but you have to confess you know next to nothing about his other family members. For now you shall simply provide a room where they can meet privately to discuss family business. If they want you join in it's good. If not...you were going to have the room bugged anyways.
Speaking of Suzaku, you wonder exactly what is going on in his military career. He should be a simple soldier, but his absences for work don't exactly fit the probable schedule of one. Not to mention you still don't know who helped him get to Ashford. Eh, you'll have a couple Anhules tailing him. Discretely.
What's next...introduce C.C. to the others. They need to know about Geass users. You also need to check how her training with the Black Knights is going, if it works or if she's just slacking off.
That's everything?
You change the hand you're holding your chin on: in doing so a certain redhead enters your field of vision.
'Right. Kallen. That is going to require drastic measures.'
Joy.
{====}
A few hours later
In a dark room in a sidewing of the Student Council Clubhouse (with potential unwanted interlopers being turned away by Sayako in the corridor leading here), the mask of [Lelouch Lamperouge the Apathetic Britannian Student] fell from Lelouch's own face. A deep breath, and he had donned a mask he found himself far more comfortable with. Though this time without the protection of the physical one, or even a misleading and disfigured face made out of shadows he had so often hid behind underneath the first for additional deception. Or underneath that the veil of obfuscating magic of Oramus, that was now part of his very nature in hiding his secrets. Because he was going to reveal them by himself. Well, one layer between him and the world would have to do this time.
"Are you sure about this, Boss?"
"Yes. Now, be quiet unless you notice something extremely urgent. The show is about to start." He then snapped open a briefcase with a number-lock, which contained his most important prop.
"...You really love your theatrics, eh, Boss?"
He did, but he was not going to admit it. Ever. "Shut. Up."
{====}
Whatever Kallen Kouzuki had been expecting when Sumeragi Kaguya had suddenly showed up on her class as a fricking exchange studnent, along with other members and allies of the rebellion, it hadn't been... Okay, she hadn't been expecting anything, because she was still a little bit off-balance about the whole exchange student thing! And being roped by Milly Ashford to show around the school alongside with her to the head-turningly diverse group, though she would have had tried to include herself anyway in the tour. First to protect Kaguya-sama's honor, with her own presence hopefully preventing any Britannian casual racist deciding to throwing slurs at Kaguya-sama, and secondly when and if she had the opportunity to ask what the hell was going on! Politely.
"And this here is one of the sidewings!" The perpetually cheerful blonde exclaimed, their tour having taken them finally to the Student Council Clubhouse. "Most of the rooms aren't reserved for anything specific, but are free to be used by Student Council members for any of their needs." She pointed one door to her left. "For example, we use this one mostly for meetings. Which reminds me, is the coast clear?" At that, Kallen froze. She had noticed Hyuga Akito and Leila Malcal discreetly scanning their surroundings, the European soldiers obviously keeping up their guard on enemy territory. But the way that Milly had said that, could she be a-
"Aaand judging by your look," The smirking young woman before her face said. "you probably realize at this point that I'm inside on the whole [Zero's Rebellion] -thing. Kallen Kouzuki-chan."
Kallen gaped. She opened and closed her mouth a couple of times. "What. You. But. Why? How?!"
At that point, Leila Malcal sighted and bowed deep in a very Japanese, apologizingly manner to her. "I am sorry about the lack of proper warning, Kouzuki-san. We received an invitation here from Miss Ashford-" "I told you, just call me Milly!" "...From Miss Milly, and the papertrail we were provided by Sumeragi-dono could be made much more foolproof if we can add some authenticity to it in this manner. And Miss Milly had said she would take care of things on this end." "Which I totally did! Just right now!"
Massaging the bridge of her nose, Kallen could feel a headache coming. And Akito-san was sporting a slight smirk while glancing at her sideways, a one little too similar to that of Milly's for comfort. Rakshata was leaning at a wall nearby looking bored. At least Nathan Coulter had thankfully stayed behind, citing something about having to sort out some paperwork with the faculty, so she wasn't feeling like a fool before even more people. And Kaguya-sama was following the proceeding silently while looking absolutely serene, like things were going exactly as they should be. Suddenly, she broke her silence. "Ah, Kallen-san, sorry about the unintentional cloak and dagger. But the is a reason why we are all gathered here, besides of what Miss Malcal told." With a click that seemed far too loud in a suddenly silent hallway, she opened up the door to the room Milly had previously pointed out. It was pitch black inside.
"Zero-sama has something important he wants to reveal to you."
At those words Kallen momentarily stopped thinking, even as her body automatically followed the others inside.
"Q-1, what do you think about masks?" Kallen whirled towards the deep and rich voice she instantly recognized coming from the other end of the room. Squinting her eyes in the faint light coming from the doorway, she could just make out the outline of an office chair there at the end of the table with six other chairs on the either side, its back turned to her. Before she could answer Zero continued. "I myself find them fascinating. When you put one on, you become something else than what you were just a moment ago. Which is only a lie often. But sometimes, they can be used to show the world our true face and let us act on what we believe, while our face underneath it becomes the mask to hide behind."
While Zero's words were still deeply resonating inside her where they had struck, the chair spun around to face her, and she lost her voice for the second time on the same day in short succession after the first. Because now that her eyes had adjusted, she could see who was sitting on it, and he was definitely not wearing a mask. "Kallen Kouzuki." said Lelouch Lamperouge, with the mask of Zero which he was staring at with a contemplating look held high in his right hand. "You are not the only one who hides in plain sight. And like you have already seen with some our comrades, not the only Britannians who can't tolerate their own country's beliefs and deeds."
{====}
You watch as Kallen's face goes through several expressions and emotions almost too quickly for the human eye to track. You were expecting her first words to be 'You are Zero?', but she surprises you by starting with: "I am Japanese!", her tone almost indignant.
Surprised, yes, but not unprepared. "Half of you is, the other is, as much as you deny it, Britannian. Yet you choose to base your identity, your beliefs on the former. Because that is what this is all about: choices." You look directly at the others and gesture to the free chairs. "Have a seat."
Once everyone have sit down you continue. "During our first meeting I said I would one day show you my face. Here we are." You gently put down the mask on the table's exact center. Then you fold your fingers together. "Ask your questions."
She looks around at the other members, especially a smiling Kaguya next to you, before stopping on you and Milly and gulping. "Why...are Britannians-"
"Fighting against their own country? Well Kallen Kouzuki, let me shatter the common myth that all Britannians are a big happy family. Far from it: Britannia simply uses different reasons than race to discriminate its citizens. Social status, money, ideology...take your pick. For example: most Nobles see Numbers as beasts, but treat Britannian commoners as garbage. The difference is minimal. And when a fellow Noble shows signs of weakness...well, an apt comparison is a shark being attracted by blood. A cannibalistic shark at that."
"The Ashford were once nobility, the leading company in the creation and development of Knightmare Frames." Milly interjects with a smile too dim to not be fake. "Then our sponsor died, we were disgraced and forced to flee to this Area. This school isn't a pastime, it's the only thing between us and outright poverty." She shrugs. "This injustice is one reason. But the major one is that I disagree with Britannia's Social Darwinism."
"As do I." You continue, your features growing stern. "You have met my sister Kallen. If I were to follow that sick theory I would have to abandon Nunnally because in the view of many she is nothing but a 'useless cripple'." You let part of your inner anger emerge. "That is not something I can or will ever abide. That is why I want to create a more just world where people like Nunnally won't be oppressed by those who abuse their power." Fingers unfold as you rest both palms on your knees. "Second, both me and Nunnally have been grievously wronged by Britannia in the past. Yes, I am willing to admit a not small part of me does want revenge."
Kallen, who until now listened intently and silently, quietly asks. "Wronged. How?"
"I don't have parents." Not a lie: you don't consider the Emperor your father, so you don't have one. "My sister is blind and cannot walk. Do the math."
By the widening of her eyes she did. "And that's as far as I will go. The details are very personal."
"Ahah..." Kallen nervously laughs, looking away and scratching her head with one finger. "Alright, I confess I had some doubts about you being Japanese. What with you insisting we were eventually going to fight alongside the resistance members of other Areas. And the reason for wearing a mask-"
"Was because otherwise your group would have not given me the chance to prove my good faith." She scowls. "I am right and you know this."
She keeps the scowl on for a few seconds before sighing in defeat. "You're right as always, our great leader."
That elicits a twitch. "Lelouch. Without the mask I am not Zero but just Lelouch Lamperouge, a fellow student who wears a mask at school to deal with the inanity Britannian teenagers are capable of."
Kallen smirks in mutual understanding.
"Yosh!" Kaguya cheers. "Now that Kallen-san has accepted the reason for our presence here let's move on! Milly-san has something important to tell everyone."
"To have new students join Ashford Academy is a joyous event!" Milly replies with the same enthusiasm. "And a joyous event must be properly celebrated!"
Oh...no...
"Everyone! Be the guests of honor for the coming Hellenic Party!"
Maybe you can ask Akio to send you to the hospital?
[X] End of Part 1
====
The post is gonna be split into smaller post because when I go above 2000 words my PC slows down for some reason.
Some people are soon going to Hell (forgive the pun) while others will arrive, bringing with them new headaches for our dear Lulu. Have a small preview:
If Kallen still had doubts or reticences about you being Zero, they were forgotten in the wake of mutual suffering under Milly, who insisted on wearing a toga as the ancient Greeks did: with nothing under it.
Where is the Britannian Army committing an atrocity that requires your direct intervention when you need it?
As predicted Nina freaked out when she learned Akito and Kaguya were joining the Council. It took you explaining to her that, technically speaking, Akito is an EU citizen and that Kaguya is both a Honorary Britannian and a holder of a Britannian Noble Title (something that Britannia is used to mass producing and giving out to useful collaborators: it means nothing to a homeland Noble, but to commoners...), and Raskhata talking with her about science (after the promise she doesn't really need to do anything as an advisor) to calm the green-haired girl.
Rivalz does have a cache of alcohol, built thanks to his bartender job. Akito seems to appreciate it, so one problem resolved.
Kaguya and Suzaku on the other hand...
====
"Please sit down, Suzaku." Kaguya says in Japanese, gesturing with a smile at the couch in front of the one she's sitting on. "We have much to talk about, I suggest you get comfortable."
"Ah...Alright. But Kaguya, are you sure?" He asks in Britannian, pulling at his jacket's neck as if he is having difficulties breathing. "Speaking like this..."
"Don't worry, don't worry!" She waves him off with a giggle. "Lelouch gracefully offered this room for our long-awaited reunion. We can speak our native language without worries, nobody will disturb us here."
"Nobody I don't allow to enter my home anyway." You comment from another room in the upper floor, ear pressed against the headphones. "And the list of those I allow is still very short."
"True!" One of the Anhules says. "See? There is plenty of space left!"
"...Is that human skin?"
"100% Britannian official, took while he was still alive!"
"...Just keep it out of my sight." You focus back on the conversation while trying to forget the whole exchange.
"Please, don't tell my family! Especially not my mother!"
"Why not? I mean, they only think you're either dead or barely hanging to life in the deepest cell of some military prison." Ouch. Low blow. "Though I can understand how that would be preferable when compared to the news you're not only a Honorary Britannian, but a soldier too." Even lower blow!
"I-No-I mean-that's not! It was my own decision!"
"Then I guess you'll have no problems explaining your reasons to her?"
"...It's not that simple. She will never approve, or understand."
"Why?"
"I want to change Britannia from within. That's why I became a soldier."
'...Suzaku. I know your smarts are not your strong point, but seriously?' You facepalm at your friend's stupidity.
"Change Britannia. From within." Even Kaguya's voice is flat.
"Britannia won. There is no reason to keep fighting in pointless struggles. Instead we should learn to work together."
"And forget every crime Britannia committed against Japan? There are rules even in war, and none of them were respected during the Second Pacific War."
"That-"
"Not to mention, and I ask you to be honest with me, what are the career perspectives for a Honorary Britannian in the Britannian army? Above Corporal I mean, because anything higher requires bribes I know you can't pay."
"If...If I work hard enough-"
"You will get a rank advancement after twenty or so years. I know the statistics Suzaku, and your plan's chance of success within your natural lifespan is zero point a lot of zeroes and maybe a 1."
"...Even so, I have to try."
"You have to fail, you mean. There is having a dream, and there's lying to yourself to give sense to something that doesn't have it. But I guess by now you're used to people dismissing your dream. Further words from me are meaningless."
"Kaguya..."
"So! Tell me more about what you did in the last seven years! Did you keep up your training? Did you master martial arts?"
From then on their conversation is all about meaningless matters, both of them ignoring the elephant in the room.
You learned today that your best friend has become the exact opposite of who he was during childhood. Not only that, he's suffering under the delusion that Britannia can be changed without smashing it into pieces first. There is no way you can recruit him for your cause as he is now.
[] Work to subtly change Suzaku's ideals until they align with yours.
[] Leave him be, he will soon become disillusioned with Britannia by himself.
[] Write-in.
C.C.' introduction to your Coven goes relatively well, if you exclude Akito asking if he could test her supposed immortality. It was something, to see a deadpan-faced person politely and colorfully insult another deadpan-faced person who just grunts in response. Rakshata's interest was also rebuked.
You are simply satisfied that, according to Kallen, C.C. meets her quota of training and participation to active missions. The very minimum, but it's still something.
====
September 22th
It happens suddenly. One moment you're working in your room.
The next one you briefly blank out before feeling yourself fall onto something soft and colorful: flowers. "What happened?!" Standing up you find yourself within an outdoor garden of stunning beauty, its general layout similar to the gardens of Aries Villa. Looking up you behold though dark clouds prismatic stars in night sky, both wondrous and horrifying, yet somehow a comforting sight.
"Papa-a-a!!"
It's when Anesidora jumps into your arms, followed by Seyrun and Sinnihtáre that you understand where you are. "Did I massively underestimate how tired I was, or did one of you figured out how to make me dream on command?" You ask, annoyed at both possibilities.
"Neither!" Seyrun exclaims. "Well, it's more heretical stuff-"
"Oh Yozi."
"But this is not a dream, but reality! Sort of. An artificial space just created itself inside your soul Boss! There is even a city!"
You push back your emotions before they make you hysterical. 'Focus on rubbing Anesidora's head. Such soft hair.' "A...city?"
"Indeed dear progenitor." Sinnihtáre replies. "Please, after me."
You follow her to the garden's borders, which end in small stairs leading to a rooftop. Looking over the edge you behold a large city in ruins, every building different from the other. You seem to stand directly on top of a large castle in the middle of it, the general theme a mix of Asian and Malfean.
It still feels a bit like a dream, but also like the alien reality of Malfeas. "All of this...exists within my soul?"
"Uh-Huh!" Anesidora vigorously nods.
That evening Sayoko has to thoroughly clean your room after you finish trashing it.
Dexterity 4 (8 days left) (7 Xp not yet paid)
Intelligence (22 days left) (7 XP not yet paid)
Impossible Dragon Constitution (Oramus, 8 XP, 2 Days)
Flesh of Horrible Hallucinations (Oramus, 8 XP, 2 Days)
Living Paradox (Oramus, 8 XP, 3 Days)
By Pain Reforged (Malfeas, 10 XP, 4 Days)
Scar-Writ Saga Shield (Malfeas, 10 XP, 4 Days)
Preposterous Molding of Zero (Oramus, 8 XP, 2 Days)
Current: 155 Xp
Total acquired: 375 Xp
====
"And then I found this hu-u-u-ge room with seven dragon claws in the center! And each one had that funny Essence you took from those meanie-e-e ghosts! I have ideas! I want to do things with the-e-em! But I don't have tools! A workshop Papa-a-a! I need a workshop!"
You sigh. 'I will see what I can do Anesidora.' Now that the girls have tangible bodies and can communicate with you (thankfully only one at a time and with Seyrun's assistance) your mind has gotten a lot more crowded. When you thought of prices to pay for power... this wasn't on the list. Even so, you can only deal with it.
As you relax under the night sky within Ashford's pool, while C.C. swims, you scroll down the list of those that applied to join the Black Knights. That there are so many make you happy, even if going through every single one of them eats a lot of your time. Still, no way you're going to admit someone before being extra sure they are not a spy. Especially the Britannian ones.
Speaking of Britannians: "Graduated at the Imperial Britannia Central University, Faculty of Law. Place of work: Hi-TV, Tokyo Settlement Branch, Press Bureau Staff. Interesting curriculum-"
"Diethard Reid. Now the question is...can I use you?"
[] Interview him.
[] Discard his application.
====
Nina failed her Temperance Check. Lelouch rolled 7 sux in unstunted social attack (Lulu, please stop: I know you're the best). Rakshata rolled 2 sux with a measly three die social attack, but combination of Appearance and exploiting an Intimacy (not to mention Nina's Willpower is to laugh at) mean it barely worked. Nerd is happy. For the moment.
Also sorry for rushing it, but with all the Charms Lelouch has describing the whole Devil Domain is the work of days.
Last edited:
Omake - The Seine Reflected In The Moonlight (Canon)
Hey guys, what did I mi... * looks at the date of the previous post*
Could it be? Has the time finally come for me to partake in that one forum tradition that is both despised by everybody yet is one that everyone is guilty of? Excellent. Mwhahahahahaha...
Darn it, missplaced my necromancer robe old bath robe and where is my skull topped staff broken rake, now how am I going to... oh yeah, SV doesn't have any rules against posting in old threads.
Uhm, uhm, look an omake *runs away*
The Seine reflected in the Moonlight
-6 years prior to the Exaltation of the Marshal of the Althing Infernal-
The ancient city of Paris. The name, when spoken, summons images of the city of light and love to all who believe in the ideals that the EU espouses. Those who do not fall for its pretty trappings need no prompting to conjure up images of ineffectual, blundering fools blaming a thousand others for their own mishaps, having reduced a once proud and formidable kingdom into a hideous monstrosity of ineffectual bureaucracy and rotting hypocrisy.
Yet, neither its admirers nor its detractors could deny Paris' importance or its place in history. The unbreakable capital of the European continent is more than just another centuries-old city, more than yet another remnant of the fallen romans. Paris is, and has always been, a symbol, or rather the symbol, of liberty in the face of insurmountable odds, of gentleness when the rest of the world had long since debased itself to cruelty and barbarism.
When Paris had been but one of many cogs in the great empire of the past, its citizens were peaceful and satisfied. And when the empire had fallen and the now isolated city had been surrounded by the barbarian hordes they had withstood them, repelled them and humbled them regardless of how outnumbered the subjects of the Merovingian king Clovis had been. It was a lesson that all who wished to wage war with the France of old and The European Union of today better take to heart: that behind their peacock-like vanity and sometimes infuriating sense of noblesse oblige lurks an indomitable and outright terrifying group of elite mortals, godblooded and dragonblooded that would stop only when slain to the last man and even then only after every last one of their ghosts had been cast in Oblivion itself. More than any other force in Creation and beyond, the EU could truly be called the most fearsome foe of Brittania.
Almost like a mantra Vincent recalled and reiterated the various scraps of useful information he had retained about the EU, inspecting them from a thousand different angles in the hopes that they would reveal some hidden truth that could get them, all of them, to remain within the EU's borders.
It took an almost heroic level of self-control to not fidget in his seat, but when one considered how many months they had been stuck in the 'diplomatic zone' the slightest hint of a way out would be considered a godsend, and the mere notion that it could be denied? Vincent knew that it was a cheap trick, to make them desperate to accept whatever bargain they would offer the teenaged dragonblooded, but damn it if it wasn't working. It was just, he was nearing the end of his rope, so if today's interview fell through… no, it was better not to even consider it.
And none of it was made easier with how sanctimoniously dismissive he had been treated so far.
Almost by instinct Vincent suppressed the memory of the many, many times that he had been used like a proverbial bouncing ball between the various bureaucracies that actually dealt with the supernatural.
There was no way that those asshats weren't coming up with those ridiculous forms on the spot and that was without even mentioning the atrocious business hours they maintained.
Five to seven every third Wednesday of the month his scorching ass.
Breathe in, breathe out. In and out. Vincent couldn't afford to hold onto his anger, even when the fire essence coursing through his veins and soul all but screamed for release. He was here for a reason, and letting even a sliver of his attention or energy be wasted on anything else would be tantamount to betraying his fellow runaways, not to mention their guardian and benefactor, Raseri.
Jean Jacques Millepont was the one who would decide Vincent's fate. Jean Jacques Millepont, the valet to the leader of the social-democrats faction of the European parliament. At first glance he could only be called exceptionally unremarkable. Fifty-eight years old, bounced around from minor functionary to retired diplomat, the one remark that every last one of his employers considered worth noting was the man's capacity for keeping silent and for being able to delegate like a seasoned manager.
Yet the man known as Millepont had not existed until he had shown up with a brand new degree at the élysée, stating that he had graduated as an apprentice to a mildly famous tailor. Said tailor was a recluse who, in turn, was the cousin of a man that had emigrated to France who had been raised in an orphanage that had sadly been reduced to cinders not long after said emigration and the point has become rather clear.
Jean Jacques Millepont. The name he was born under is still celebrated as one of France's, and by proxy the entire Union's, greatest heroes, as one of Napoleon's own lieutenants and field commanders. He had been there at Trafalgar when Nelson drew his last breath, he had witnessed the birth of the Union from a front row seat and in the centuries that have flown by since then he was still as cunning and powerful as during those days of glory.
It's not every day that a living legend amongst the Chosen of the Dragons descends from his throne to judge you. Even when his name's exclusively used as a curse back in the Homeland.
From what little the fledgling dragonblooded had understood about his european counterparts, this was rather normal. Instead of retiring to Yu-Shan or some hidden manse after their 'natural' life span had expired, like the Brittanians were wont to do, they instead adopted new identities for themselves, gradually working their way back into the highest ranks of political and military life, only this time from the shadows. What happens after that is decidedly more murky. From whispers that the current elected officials were all stooges for the elder dragons to rumors that claim that they were more like guardians, gently steering their juniors away from the shortcomings and shortsighted workarounds that would otherwise drag the bureaucracy down.
Nevertheless, regardless of what was closer to the truth, it didn't change that Millepont was the living definition of important and influential. With a single word he could make or break what everyone had been working towards for all these months and the fact that someone like him would personally take the interview, when literally any nobody mortal could have sufficed…well, it was pretty clear that more was going on behind the scenes than he cared to find out. India had made it very clear that the only proper response to being in way over your head was to keep it down and to be grateful if it didn't roll by the end of it.
With a soft click the aluminum door opened and a man stepped inside, a steaming cup of coffee in each of his hands. The rhythmic tapping of the man's shoes echoed throughout the rather cramped room as Vincent couldn't help but hold his breath. He put down the two cups on the small table that Vincent had been sitting by and, without any prompting or greeting, smoothly slid into the other chair and took a long, quiet sip of his coffee. The door closed, yet Vincent could not spot who could have done such a thing. Sorcery, elementals, a small squad of elite dragonblooded just waiting to kill him if he made a threatening move?
Before his mind could conjure up even more horrifying possibilities, the newly arrived man spoke.
"Mister Vincent Merrin, I am glad you could make it here today. I am Jean Jacques Millepont and let me assure you, this is just a formality. A last test drive, if you will, just to get some final thoughts before informing you of the migration department's decision later this week." The way the older man talked was soothing, oozing with confidence and empathy, as if the man truly believed what he just said.
All it did was put Vincent more on guard.
"Now I believe that you applied for EU citizenship seven months ago based on your grandmother having the Bulgarian nationality as well as there being some disputes with your father's extended family that made you question your future in the Empire?" Millepont's smile remained as soft and harmless as when he had entered the room, pity that the steely glint in his eyes had remained equally unchanged.
"That is correct, sir."
"Please, there is no need for that. Just call me Jean.
"Now, your file also mentions the other applicants for citizenship, all of whom are from similar backgrounds as you and have given similar reasons as to why they have decided to pursue citizenship in the Union, or the old continent as it is sometimes referred to. Given that it has always been you that actually applied the paperwork, sat through the interviews and generally acquainted yourself with the immigration procedure, would it be correct for me to assume that, whilst your companions are interested in reaping the fruits and the benefits of european citizenship, they are not all that willing to participate in its institutions?
"After all, they are all considered adults by both brittanian as well as european law, so you have to admit that it is rather peculiar that they wouldn't come in person to defend their application but would instead rely on a friend to do it in their name?"
Vincent had to admit, that was a tough and somewhat uncomfortable question to answer, or at least it had been the first time his interviewer had sprung it on him. The second, the third and now the eleventh time? Not so much.
"I wouldn't go so far as to say that they are not interested in giving back to the EU all that it is willing to give them, but I will not deny that me being the sole connection the immigration department has with the group that I am a part of can be considered suspicious or even a tad insulting. This is obviously not the case. No, what is actually going on is that we decided that it would be better to assign each other the tasks they are most suitable for. Whilst it is true that it has been just me coming in to request the necessary documentation, and later hand it in, that does not mean that it was just me that filled them in. Bianca was the one that really pushed the rest of us in making sure we could provide every piece of documentation that was asked of us on top of doing all the research required to answer all of your questions to a satisfactory degree. The same goes for Dimitri and Richard, whose help was just as, if not more, important than my own.
"The fact of the matter is, whilst it is true that all of us are considered adults in the eyes of Brittania, none of us are above the age of seventeen. If we had filed for citizenship separately, they would have been filled with mistakes and would have lacked critical documentation. If any of us had handed in such an incomplete request, the good men and women of the immigration department would have had no choice but to deny us the citizenship that we've worked so hard for. Goodwill and honesty and perseverance cannot solve every problem, and that is the unfortunate case both for us as well as for everybody that have placed their faith in us who work in the immigration department."
Aside from a small nod Jean showed no sign that he had even heard Vincent's answer and instead continued onto the next question.
"I believe we have enough information about you and the other applicants that the committee handling your applications can make a most just and fair verdict. But that leaves the matter of your… travelling companion. A mister Johan Mani, if I'm reading this correctly?" Instinctively Vincent tensed.
"While we have found some old documents showing that the man was born here in the EU, I'm afraid to inform you that his papers expired well over two decades ago and that the man has made no efforts in reapplying for citizenship in the intervening years. Moreover, after crosschecking we have discovered that Brittania has an arrest warrant filed for a person matching mister Mani's physical description. As such, if you don't want to jeopardize your applications I urge you to cooperate and…" Whatever Jean said beyond that might as well have been for the table and the walls. The reason and calm that he had so painstakingly gathered was blown away in a single burst of fire essence, coursing through his arteries with a ferocity that would have left gods of wildfire blushing in shame.
Raseri was the reason why they were alive. Leaving his entire life in India with the Silver Pact behind for them, nursing Dimitri back to full health, fending off retaliations from dragonblooded and lunars alike. A lifetime it would take for them to repay him and this old warhawk would have him spit in the face of their savior as gratitude?
Beneath his hands Vincent felt the table melt into a crimson pile of slag, the very air igniting as small globes of fire essence flew everywhere, leaving a trail of destruction behind that belied their small size. Vincent couldn't help but feel a terrible weight fall off his shoulders, all the stress and anxiety that had been building up over this ordeal disappearing as if it had never existed. As if in a trance Vincent got up from his equally molten plastic chair, for what, he could not tell, but that didn't stop him from pressing forward, chasing that indescribable euphoria that held all the answers he could ever need.
And then he stopped. Or rather, he was forced to stop by the chained cuffs that ensnared both his knees and dragged him down. The rush he got from his essence going full throttle went out like a cinder when a dire lance all but pinned him to the ground and his arms and neck were bound just as surely as his legs.
And just like that his anima flare died out and Vincent was pinned to the floor like a butterfly.
Just when the realization came of what he had just done, of how badly he had fucked up everybody's hard work of the past months due to a single flash, Jean Jacques Millepont waved his hand and the dire lance, the cuffs and the dozen presences that were all but an inch away from tearing him limb from limb disappeared. And just like that, the man pulled out another folding chair from…somewhere, clapped it open and beckoned the boy to take a seat.
"Well, I do hope you know that this means that the anger management and essence concealment classes will be mandatory for you for the foreseeable future, Vincent. Can't have you endangering the lives of your fellow citizens just because you didn't like something you've heard?" The astonishment must have been quite visible on Vincent's face, because Jean didn't even bother hiding his sigh and, after helping the young dragonblooded in his new chair, continued.
"Now, Vincent, I want you to know that regardless of what you want, there are certain universal truths that you must acknowledge, if not respect. Even if we didn't regularly return Brittanian prisoners to the Holy Empire, we wouldn't let this 'Raseri' stay in our borders, not willingly at the very least. Regardless of what you think of him, the man that has been following you four for the past several months is a known terrorist, who belonged to an infamous and rightfully feared terrorist organization. Do you think it matters to us that he publically renounced them, that that somehow makes him less of a security risk? You expect us to just believe you when you say he has nothing to do with the Pact anymore and that you are not potentially compromised and will not wreak havoc and destruction on my union? You have to see it from our point of view. It's just too risky to give a known threat like Raseri a place amongst the very people we are sworn to protect and serve." Vincent heard him, understood him perfectly, but all he could do was shake his head wildly. At first glance one might think that his brush with death mere moments ago had shocked him into numbness, but that couldn't be further from the truth.
Jean noticed that Vincent was no longer listening to him, but right when he was about to shake the young man's shoulder and get his attention Vincent swiveled his head until he was looking Jean right in the eyes.
"No, this is wrong. You can't do that, paint Raseri with the same brush as those other psychos I mean. He is done with the Silver Pact, he doesn't give a rat's ass about their goals and plans. I owe him my life. Dimitri, Richard and Bianca owe him their lives. If you are willing to throw away somebody like him, who could mean so much to you and to the Union as a whole because of some overblown suspicions it really makes me wonder whether I'll ever notice having switched allegiances." And that was something the 'retired' soldier evidently did not want to hear.
"What do you know, brat? You think you can threaten me by flaring your anima and then tell me how 'oppressed' you and your pet shapeshifter are? You, who hasn't achieved anything aside from having been a sacrificial lamb who did not squeal like a pig the first time the Silver Pact terrorists left a scratch on your pretty face? Do you really think you can come here and tell me, to my face, that I would ever place my trust in someone as two-faced and inherently untrustworthy as a 'reformed' terrorist, one who derives his supernatural potency from frikking Luna of all Incarna? Regardless of what you've gone through and how much his assistance might have been crucial in getting you to survive the tortures and horrors you have had to endure, none of that is enough to convince me he is not a threat to the very people who I've bled and sacrificed so much for already, boy." Jean snarled, barely keeping himself from spitting in Vincent's face.
Yet Vincent remained unfazed. "Yes, that is exactly what I'm doing, telling you, to your face, that it is worthwhile to get Raseri on your side. That me and the others being tossed aside has nothing to do with my arguments, because Raseri is a good person who will fight for what he believes in and will move heaven and earth for those he has sworn to protect. I'm telling you this, here and now, because I am sure that you would embrace a Lunar and entrust them with defending your back a thousand times over before you would ever do the same for a Brit, mortal or dragonblooded." Vincent could see Jean fuming, as if he would throttle the teenager if he uttered one more word and still Vincent continued speaking. "And I know this, know, not suspect, not deduce, know, for one simple reason: because you're here, talking to me. When you could be doing a thousand other things, things so vital and important that they can decide the fate of the Union, yet you're sitting here, wasting your time with some jumped up brat who took his second breath barely two years ago." And like that Jean's anger evaporated, instead adopting a far more neutral look.
"I hate to disappoint you, Vincent, but I'm here simply because I had some spare time and wanted to see the kids that were the talk of the town, so to speak."
"You were there at Trafalgar and Waterloo. Every single time you were mentioned during the conquest of Europe, people talked about your zealousness in the fight against Brittania, how you took to even the most dangerous and nauseating jobs with a sense of glee that others found disturbing. You were well-known as the man that hated Brittania more than anybody else, except for maybe Bonaparte himself. You may have 'retired' from the public eye and changed your name and face half a dozen times in the past few centuries, but you will never stop despising Brittania and all it stands for. Not even if it meant that the Surrender Oaths would become null and void and the world would be swarmed with more demons than there are ants you will never, not ever, say you like Brittania or that you don't mind working together with a Brittanian and mean it."
Jean's face might as well have been made out of marble with how little expression he was showing.
"Well, you may still be too temperamental for your own good, but I appreciate the honesty and steadfastness you're showing in regards to defending those you consider friends. As such, allow me to be frank with you, Vincent. In the past year I've seen the world go from a place that was familiar and that could be molded to your liking if you had the guts to go through with it to the clusterfuck that made the shadowlands make a comeback after five thousand years, heaven thrown into chaos when a large chunk of the senior Sidereals were ganged up upon and torn to shreds, the old continent groaning under the weight of hundreds of thousands of Japanese refugees and so much more that I'm not willing to discuss with you. The point I'm trying to make here, Vincent, is that I've seen some serious shit and I know that the board has been flipped and the rules by which everybody played by have become null and void. The little…adventure you and your friends have had back in India is just more proof that we cannot afford to not question everything we took for granted before.
"Powerful ghosts of the mad sun-kings of old leading cabals of corrupted dragonblooded, Moonbeasts teaming up, and even rescuing, dragonblooded teenagers. You're right, I cannot, the EU cannot afford to let any opportunity pass by. We must forge new alliances, bury old prejudices and face tomorrow as a united front with all the terrors and dangers that tomorrow might bring with it. But," and with speaking that word Jean's eyes narrowed while he looked in those of Vincent, his eyes questioning rather than distrustful, "everything I just said applies just as much to Britannia or the Chinese Federation as they do with a rogue element like Raseri Mani and the four of you. So on the one hand I have supernations with thousands of powerful and reliable dragonblooded, godblooded and other supernatural forces at their disposal, who have their own territories that they know better than anybody else. Who have weapons and industry that could help bolster our own to previously unimaginable heights. In the face of all that, you want me to protect a mere five exalted, whose combined experience at essence manipulation and combatting the supernatural is only about thirty years?" Without any warning Jean pushed his chair back and stood up, his gaze still fixated on Vincent's eyes.
"Vincent Merrin, bastard child of the Marquis Julius Merrin from whom you have inherited the aspect of the fire dragon, Hesiesh. Forget everything you've done, all the blood, sweat and tears that have been shed to get you and those you hold dear to this very moment, to this very conversation. The trials that you've overcome, the puzzles you've solved. All you get is one chance, one chance to overcome one last hurdle that will decide whether or not I will throw my lot in with you and defend you in front of my peers or cast you aside like yesterday's newspaper. One thing." And then Jean flipped his chair around so that the back was facing Vincent now and promptly sat in it once more, slouching in a way that made him look more like a predator on the hunt than anything else.
"Convince me."
Vincent knew that it would end up like this, but just before he would have started, Jean Jacques Millepont continued.
"And before you start there is something you should know. The Brits approached a couple of the more junior dragonblooded, who have in the past advocated for closer ties with the Holy Empire, about a Lunar who has apparently been hiding here in Paris for some time now and have teamed up to exterminate him. Now I don't know whether or not the Lunar they're hunting is Raseri or not, but be aware that when you start trying to seduce me to your side, that there is a very real possibility that he will be dead and gone by the end of the day, so do give some arguments that do not rely on Raseri's continued survival, if you will. Now, go."
He had done that on purpose, there was no other explanation as to why he had waited so long with providing Vincent that important bit of information. Some small, distant part of his brain wanted to rage at this, berate the elder for wasting his time while Raseri might be getting killed in some alleyway or abandoned warehouse. That voice was squashed almost as quickly as it had manifested.
Jean was right. Even if it wasn't what he meant by it, Vincent knew that none of them were safe, that nobody could guarantee that they would all make the end of the day alive. At the end of the day there was only one thing he could be sure of: all of them, Bianca, Richard, Dimitri and even Raseri had entrusted him with their collective fate. Whether he succeeded or failed, he would not hesitate here. Raseri would have to find a way to survive the hit and Vincent would have to ensure that everybody had a place to call home once more.
"You said that I was honest before and as such I will not even attempt to beat around the bush: you're right to say that in comparison to the previously mentioned superpowers what I and the others have to offer is miniscule, even negligible. I could try and talk myself up, pretending that I could be the equal to a dozen other dragonblooded or act as if I'm some once in a millennium genius that could subvert a huge portion of Britannia's dragonblooded. But I'm not, nor are any of the others some special snowflake whose allegiance could justify the EU not making an alliance with either the Empire or the Federation. There are five of us, or maybe four, but that's just the thing." Vincent straightened himself, bringing to bear every last smidgen of poise and nobility that were considered iconic to his line, incidentally forcing Jean to slightly look up.
"They have thousands of forces they can field wherever and whenever they please? They know the lay of their own lands better than anybody else and can produce arms and other weaponry in massive quantities? That has been the case for centuries. But what you didn't mention is that, for those same centuries, they have been governed by their own self-interest first, second and third, leaving no room for considering the plights of others, especially in Britannia's case. Every time you cooperate, in the field, on a diplomatic mission, wherever or for whatever reason, you will always be forced to look over your shoulder, wondering if this is the time they'll stab you in the back. You'll fear that because you will never get the chance to really get to know the people that you work with, ever wondering if they are just trying to get in your good graces.
"You're right, there isn't much I can offer and as such you should ally with whomever you can if the opportunity arises, if only to keep your enemies as close as you can. But the threat that you're all so afraid of, the monochrome lands of the dead? They're no more united than we are, that much has become clear over the past months. So is there a need for Creation to band together? No. Those thousands of supernatural badasses that they could provide would be nice to have, but they're not crucial for the survival of the Union." For a moment Vincent closed his eyes as his scattered thoughts coalesced into a single whole.
"You don't need them, you don't need us either. But, when given the choice between large masses of warriors who you cannot fundamentally trust or a small group who have bared their soul to you, willingly given you their trust and loyalty a thousand times over, who would you pick? And just like you said before, we're young, untested and yet we survived. We were left as bait for the vultures and came out of it with a powerful ally instead. So what would happen if we were given a fair chance, if we were fully trained and properly equipped? And perhaps most importantly, denying your enemies, foreign and domestic, those very same assets.
"The world is changing, so maybe it would be worth a shot to see what we, the new generation, can do. Passing on the torch to the next generation if you will." And with that Vincent was done. He could have gone on for several hours, but he was well aware that it would all be a repeat of what he had said just now and while that might have worked on some poor, unsuspecting mortal, Vincent knew that it would just annoy Jean. Not to mention that he feared that if he went any further it would lead to a new 'outburst', and he doubted that the guards would be as 'nice' as they had been the first time around. And by that he meant that he was sure that his head would be swiftly separated from the rest of his body if he couldn't restrain himself.
The two remained motionless within the room and, whilst Vincent was clearly affected by the silence, Jean kept looking forward, as if he didn't have a care in the world. And just as Vincent thought that he couldn't maintain his composure any longer, Jean stood up, laughing.
"It seems that you are absolutely right, Vincent. It would be rather silly of me to not give you lot a fair chance." And with a smirk Jean Jacques Millepont held his hand out.
And as the eternally grateful Vincent promptly shook Jean's hand he didn't notice the grin on the older man's face deepen.
That was probably a good thing. After all, sharks have no need to hide their intentions when the minnow just willingly swam in their jaw.
[hr=][/hr]
The monster was cornered.
It hadn't been an easy chase what with the beast massacring every last one of the twenty two loyal subjects they had brought along from the motherland, not to mention it nearly managing to give them the slip entirely twice. But now it was forced with its back against the wall, forced to skulk in the decrepit warehouse they had cornered him in.
The Lunar had left quite the trail of blood behind up to the shattered window it had used to enter the warehouse, after which every sign of it, be it other visual markers or scent-based tracks, had vanished in thin air. Most hunters would have assumed that the animal-fucker had fooled them and would have needed to backtrack to find its real trail. They were not most hunters. It was limping, most of its essence spent and panicking. It was good at sneak attacks and making use of shadows and cover, so to it the warehouse seemed like the ideal battleground to make a last stand. If it meant that they could finally put it down like the rabid dog it so loved to emulate, they would give it that small bit of satisfaction.
Nothing it could do would sunder the unity of the dragons.
Silently the eight dragonblooded entered the abandoned warehouse from the main entrance in a fan formation, every one of them on the lookout for the cretin.
Nothing happened. Not when the eight of them crossed the dusty, rubbish filled hallway nor did the Lunar make a single attempt at them when they ascended the stairs. Had Wallace's information gathering on it not been as complete as he had claimed? It was doubtful, to say the least, when everything else had been spot on, but it was always possible for the absentee dragonblooded to overlook something when he had been involved with so many different aspects of this operation. Even if he had volunteered for it, it might not have been the best idea to let him arrange the meeting with the Europeans when he had already been responsible for putting together the beast's file and arranging their arms to be smuggled into the old continent, regardless of how eager he was to improve the relations between the two superpowers. Something to keep in mind for the future, after they had dealt with it.
That was of course the moment that the Lunar finally made his reappearance, a hulking gorilla the size of a minivan all but manifesting behind Roderick, the somewhat mousy German water aspect. He was the only one still on the metal stairs, so when the gorilla destroyed the staircase with its sheer mass, nobody had been more surprised than Roderick himself. More by reflex and luck than anything else the young water aspect rotated in mid-air, avoiding the Lunar's oversized hand and twisted his way around the monster's equally humongous neck, legs and arms squeezing the life out of it. With a thunderous roar the two crashed down on the stone floor and for a moment it looked like the end had come for the thief who had stolen part of the moon's radiance. Then the dust settled, revealing poor Roderick's ashen and horrified face to the others as his limbs were gone.
That did not mean that they had been chopped off or crushed, oh no, nothing as mundane like that. No, to the growing horror of the other seven dragonblooded they could do nothing but stare as a veritable net of quicksilver threads had erupted from the beast's neck and back as they cocooned every one of their comrade's limbs. And with a speed that would have made a jaguar nod in admiration the whole rapidly sank away into the Lunar's neck, leaving only the head and part of the boy's torso sticking out.
The monster hadn't gotten away from his fall unscathed, his left leg bending in an awkward way even as he tried to stop the blood gushing from his forehead. But by that point the rest of the dragonblooded had shaken off their surprise and as one leapt down, their fury uniting them like the brotherhoods of old.
What followed was a hectic and disturbing battle, with lightning and fire flying everywhere, with gravity becoming nothing but a suggestion, with silvery apparitions of various animals burning away from the monster's alligator anima like a carnival from hell. But the worst part was undoubtedly the insult that was Roderick's twitching motionless corpse repeatedly being dragged out of the gorilla's own body, forcibly placed between the monster and whatever threatened it.
He honestly hadn't expected Henry to freeze up the first time his dire lance had gotten caught in between Roderick's eyes, but he had paid for his hesitation when the Lunar shattered his leg and then torn it off with childish ease, the monster breaking his neck and skull moments after when it stepped on him.
Melissa on the other hand had no issues with mutilating the German's body if it meant the monster would never terrorize anybody else. Yet she hadn't taken the fell magic of the moonbeast into account, as her final moments of being grappled by the gorilla's short hairs and being gored by numerous weapons appearing out of seemingly nowhere clearly attested to. But that was all the fortune of the moonbeast amounted to: three proud and upstanding dragonblooded, who paid the final, ultimate price to rid the world of one of its nightmares. No more dragons would die that night.
The monster's body was littered with wounds, the meat shield that was Roderick's disfigured corpse having lost all use to the beast. And while the rest of them weren't in much better shape, everybody could feel that the fight was drawing to a close.
So the moment he saw the opening he swooped down like a falcon and, with nary a hint of resistance, felt his clawed gauntlet pierce through the monster's skull. What must have been the final straw required to break this camel's back, the Lunar went stiff and dropped down on the ground with nothing more than a soft whine to break the silence after the battle.
It was like a the clouds had parted, the somber and depressing mood at a funeral had been turned around in the blink of an eye. Laura kicked the unresponsive corpse several times in a row, every kick emphasized with a muttered expletive and a grin that just kept on growing, with no end in sight. Ralph and Bernard were quick to shower him with pats on the back and very manly hugs whose masculinity could never be doubted, regardless of what other people might tell you.
Victoria, now she was the only one who hadn't shaken off the grim, harsh truth of what had just occurred. While it was a stark contrast with the joy the others exhibited, none could blame her for not being able to let go of that sense of loss as quickly as the others. Everybody had their own way of grieving, after all.
Yet he could feel his eyelids getting heavy. As if his mind was starting to drift away his knees buckled, he felt his side spasm rhythmically and before he knew it he was on the ground, the back of his head feeling surprisingly light. And as he looked up, as he could feel the fell magic chaining him to this plane of existence whilst denying him the very life he craved, he saw himself, being congratulated, being part of the post-victory revelry, which made him…
The thumping near his chest had finally stopped. He could not move, could not warn them that what they thought was him was something else, something possibly malevolent, but if the magic required him to remain there, there should still be a chance to…
Something dropped from his sleeve, the physical him, not the twin souls trapped in the corpse. It was difficult to see from the angle he was forced to watch from, but with a bit of effort he saw that it was a small rectangle with a golden sheen and an even smaller emerald in the middle of it. Something about it looked very familiar, almost identical to…
Wallace. He remembered all of his sister's nagging, forcing the promise out of both him and Wallace that he would keep an eye out for him and keep him out of danger when possible. The amulet, with its ability to notify him when Wallace was in danger, was the best compromise he got. Anything less would have seen his brother-in-law banished to the couch for months. He had given the amulet to his brother-in-law shortly after they had settled in Paris, and after having attuned it to him the trinket had not once alerted him.
That thing that the body snatcher had dropped was undeniably what Wallace had promised to never let out of his sight. And almost as if the little piece of jewelry was mocking him, it remained on the dirty floor, unmarred, its enchantment whole.
They had never stood a chance, hadn't they?
The monster that was wearing his face stepped away from the other surviving dragonblooded and flashed the 'slain' Lunar a smirk. Had he already infiltrated them by the time they first met up with the Europeans? How much of the information that they were provided with was actually true?
Fuck, they let him handle their weapons, their food. They had all been dancing to that devil's tune and none of them had even been the slightest bit suspicious.
The false dragonblooded clapped his hands twice, catching the attention of the others.
"I know that you would rather continue celebrating our victory over the moonbeast and mourning the fallen, but I believe now to be the right time to address some final issues before we can truly deepen the bonds between our nations." A sense of confusion ran through the surviving dragonblooded. "The moonbeast that infiltrated this beautiful city was not alone. Rather, he has been sighted with a quartet of young Brittanian traitors, who sold themselves and their dragon-blessed souls to the heretic who stole the moon's power and who have taken steps to ingratiate themselves with certain prominent elders of the Union. As such there is only one practical course of action."
The confusion of before made way for wariness and renewed bloodlust. The dragonblooded trapped in the Lunar's form, the only one who knew what was going on, could do nothing but keep spectating the tragedy that would soon unfold before him with ever growing horror.
"Yes, the only course of action we can take is find these young dragonblooded and guide them away from the dark path they have been walking this past year, but most importantly of all…" And the fake raised his hands, as if he were about to receive divine guidance by a greater power.
"…you must all die so that my lords can properly convert them to the true faith. So they may work for the glory of the eternal, ultimate masters of Creation and beyond and one day lead Creation to its final fate. All hail Brittania, all hail the Abhorrence of Life." His arms came down and the poison that had been dwelling in the bodies of every one of the dragonblooded stirred. The concoction had patiently waited since the previous night for the short burst of essence that was its trigger. As one, as if they had all been marionettes whose strings had been cut, the remaining dragonblooded dropped, their faces ashen as the poison coursed through their veins. One by one the now defenseless dragonblooded were executed, their throats gouged out, their hearts torn to shreds. The grizzly job done the fake got up and calmly started walking through the warehouse, dropping a piece of paper here, placing a bauble there, all the while drenching the place in what could only be called necrotic essence.
Eventually he was done and stood in front of the open door through which the eight of them had come through a mere hour before. He stopped there, allowing what little moonlight there was to illuminate him as he shed his disguise.
Blonde short cropped hair, far taller and wider than the average man his most striking feature was without a doubt the scar on his lower jaw. Yet none of it mattered. It was no surprise at this point that they had not known the devil's true guise, not when they hunted him and not when they were dead. A swallow shaped familiar materialized and landed on the monster's shoulder. A small grin appeared on his face and with a quarter turn he faced the last hunter, his audience.
"I'm sure you did not expect that today would end this way. Failure, instead of glory, your good name, and that of your family and friends, tarnished beyond repair." If he could he would have gotten up and slugged him in the face. Punch and strike and mutilate until he could never be recognized as ever having been humanoid. But unfortunately, that would never happen.
"Don't worry, I will make sure neither of your souls, nor that of anybody in this building will rise. It wouldn't do if you were to give an account that would contradict the official report. Nothing personal, I would just be a poor guest if my gift to my newest…allies was lacking in any way. Farewell, you were an excellent distraction from the tedium of daily life." One of the Lunar's arms rose.
From sheer rage the remaining dragonblooded could no longer curse the Lunar, his mind stuck in a loop of violent scene after brutal torture he would inflict on his foe. His name, his house, his family and loved ones were already lost to him. Nothing but the fury at the moon and the fury at the one who had dubbed himself the fury of the moon remained.
Raseri Mani snapped his fingers.
The crimson stained soul joined the rest in eternal blackness.
Unloved, unmourned and once dawn broke despised for the rest of time.
Mercy, like beauty, truly lies in the eye of the beholder.
A/N: as a little extra, the first Charm I've ever written, bask in its glory awfulness
'Nothing is sacred to the Witches of Argent, least of all the bodies and souls of the pious mortals and enlightened dragonblooded who rightfully oppose them.' There are many horror stories the Shogunate of ancient past have spread about their silver foes, yet few are as descriptive, or as horrifying as those that detail the gruesome fates of those that end up on the wrong side of this charm.
When utilizing this charm the Argent Witch performs a clinch on an opponent within reach of her which, if successful, will immediately be followed up by the Lunar crushing her target. If this crush is enough to kill the target completely (for the purposes of this charm this is considered lethal damage as opposed to bashing only if all health levels, including all dying health levels, are filled) Rueful Foe Shield's true effect begins. Her victim crushed, the Lunar absorbs her victim inside herself and may, for the remainder of the scene, pull her victim's body out of hers and use it as a shield. This improvised shield has its own health track equal to the damage the Lunar inflicted on them with this charm (using the Lunar's soak as opposed to their original one), with the added bonus that enemies that have a positive intimacy to the victim need to either fail a difficulty 1 Compassion roll or succeed a similar Valor roll to continue their attack. When the foe shield has no intact health levels left their mangled body is violently ejected out of the Lunar's own body, silver ichor leaking from its many wounds for the next three rounds.
While it is possible to use Rueful Foe Shield multiple times in the same scene, as indicated with the stackable keyword, this is not without its own drawbacks. When the Lunar has more than one foe shield dwelling in her body, her moon-aspected essence inevitably damages the various shields own robustness. Every mortal foe shield takes a single health level of unsoakable lethal damage with every DV refresh, the same going for any weaker spirits being subjected to this charm's side-effect. Dragonblooded, lesser elemental dragons and other beings of similar spiritual potency take this damage every second DV refresh, whereas Celestial exalted, demons of the second (and third) circle and powerful gods (those with a permanent essence rating of 6 or higher) take this damage every third DV refresh. Fellow Lunar Exalted never suffer from this side-effect and those beings that can rightfully call themselves peers to the Incarna and the Fetish souls of the Yozi cannot be targeted by this charm.
[X] Work to subtly change Suzaku's ideals until they align with yours. (Long-Term Goal, oftentimes will provide additional options)
[X] Interview him.
September 23th
As the history teacher drones on about the lies Britannia tells itself, you look up from the book on your desk to the student seated in front of you. Making it appears natural you cover your mouth with one hand and almost close your eyelids, your stare focused on the student.
Then you want to know what makes him tick, so that you can oppose him all the better.
At the thought something writhes in your heart even as essence flows through your body. Things twist and others move, breaking and reforming in an alien pattern that makes more sense the longer it keeps going before stilling once more in its new configuration.
In that moment you know what to do: to crush beyond any chance of recovering the reputation and fortune of the boy's father, so that he would never inherit them as he believes is his right to. Yes, that is the reason for your existence: to destroy the boy's future, this boy you spitefully hate so much despite the fact that he is a perfect stranger-
You pull back. Past the hate, past the darkness and past that distant dark mirror until everything is as it was before. It takes all of your control to release the air in your lungs slowly instead of a sudden gasp. 'That was... was.'
"Are you all right Boss?"
'Yes Seyrun. I was just surprised.' You fully open your eyes and look back at the teacher. 'I could remember everything of myself as clear as day, yet I genuinely wanted to ruin that student's life despite lacking a logical reason. I wanted it as strongly as I want to destroy Britannia. The power to perfectly oppose and hate anything... how fitting of the Ebon Dragon.'
"Sound about right for the Ultimate Darkness. Did using it feel wrong?"
'On the contrary: it felt right. That's what worries me.' You clench and unclench your hand. 'While it's useful, reminds me to use it as little as possible.'
"Alright Boss. Say, isn't today that we send the other Peers to Malfeas?"
'Correct. I taught them everything they need to know to make a good first impression and keep it up, but after that it's entirely up to them.'
"Even Akio?"
'Barely, but yes.' And for this miracle you thank the Yozis.
====
When you arrive to the site where the cultists will pick up your fellow Peers to bring them to the portal Nathan is talking to a perfect copy of himself, probably a Gethin. "-it. Everything's clear?"
"Yes my Prince." The double replies. "Do not worry, this is not my first time mingling with Britannian students: I don't even need to socialize, it'll be a piece of cake."
"...Don't make it sound like I'm antisocial." Nathan mutters. "And the oil stains?"
"The oldest trick in the book." The double removes one glove, revealing a large irritation all over his hand. "It's fake obviously, but humans always accept it immediately when I say the oil is a medicine to treat a bad allergic reaction to a rare plant I stumbled upon by accident."
Clever. It probably wouldn't work on an observant Dragonblooded, but there aren't any at Ashford currently.
"I see. That's all, you can go." When the double leaves Nathan notices you. "Ah, hello Zero."
"Hello Nathan." You greet him back. "Ready for your first trip to Malfeas?"
"I hope so." He rubs the back of his head. "About what we agreed on?"
"Here." You take out a pack of folders and give them to him. "A detailed plan separated into precise and simple steps to start a news company with a reduced budget, good equipment, skilled collaborators and little attention from Britannia Imperial TV. There is also the possibility I'll recruit an experienced journalist in the Black Knights soon: if successful, I'll have him help you. In exchange..."
"Looking after Akio until he meets his Unquestionable. Please don't take this the wrong way, but this much is barely enough to persuade me."
You both look at the distant Akio, who is laughing together with Nadir.
"I understand perfectly." You grimace. Then you notice Yelena with her followers. "Excuse me."
"Greetings Peer Yelena." You approach her. "I trust all accommodations are in order?"
"They are Marshal, thank you for the consideration." She replies. "I believe I will stay in Malfeas longer than strictly necessary. There is so much I can learn there."
'And many connections to make.' you guess. Not as talented as Kaguya, but she's on the right path. "Very true. May the Yozis bless your path, Peer Yelena Ferapont."
The two of you share an handshake. "May the Yozis bless your path, Marshal Zero."
When leaving you meet Lian. "Honored Marshall." She greets you with the traditional Chinese bow, a fist resting on her open palm. "I shall soon depart to meet the emissaries of my master Metagaos, but I will return at the first opportunity. If you will have me again, of course."
Milly has only good things to say about her, despite the possibility of Lian being a cannibal. But to be fair, nothing so far supported that possibility. "It would be my pleasure to benefit from your assistance once again, Peer Lian." You smoothly reply. "There is much we can gain from each other."
You and Lian exchange a few more of the pleasantries required by Chinese etiquette before you force yourself to start the last, and most dreaded, task of today.
"Zero! Me and Nadir were discussing the best way to kill a vampire when you're out of stakes." Akio greets you. "Nadir says acid works just as well, but personally I think fire's better."
"As long as the body is completely consumed it should be fine." The Scourge nods to himself. "No chances of regeneration or possession."
The worst part is that one of them is genuinely interested, and the other is genuinely enthusiastic.
====
September 24th
You open the door and walk inside the room, giving a brief glance through the one-way mirror at the blonde Britannian seated on the other side before turning to the Black Knights that brought him there. "How did it go?"
"Smooth." The leader replies. "Didn't have to say much, he understood pretty much immediately why we were there. And no complaints." He gestures to the mirror with his head. "He knows we're here. Waved at us too."
"I expected as much." You walk closer to the mirror and, through it, stare at the left-side profile of Diethard Ried.
Your eyes flash green.
Weaker than you, his inner flame has the color and warmth of the SUN during a clear winter's day.
"HOLY CECELYNE!" Seyrun screams. "A SOLAR!"
Holy Cecelyne indeed!
Panic Of course you have a Plan for even this: [] Write-in.
This is surprising indeed, to finally meet one of your more potentially dangerous enemies (the title of sworn enemy is reserved to the Emperor, while your most dangerous enemy is without a doubt Schneizel: need to set your priorities straight and all that) and in such a matter too!
But! You have a plan even for this!
"I knew I could count on you Boss! So, where's the army of highly-trained killers equipped with the most powerful long-ranged weapons available? This base will get destroyed anyway, but it's a small price to-"
'What? No: I'm going to recruit him.' You interrupt Seyrun.
"-Pay...what?"
'If he isn't a spy of course. Why, do you doubt my ability to do so?'
"Uh, no no no. Of course not." He hastily denies. "Why, I believe it's a holy rite to convert a Celestial Exalt against Heaven. It's just, you know, like managing a very dangerous double-edged sword. When it comes to a Solar, you cannot be sure of anything. Not to mention, having one as a minion may not be received favorably in Malfeas."
You shrug. 'If I'll be ordered to kill him or something else I'll do it in a heartbeat.' Despite the potential uses of Diethard you're not so invested in him that you'll put forth much effort to defend him, if at all. Sure this is a great opportunity, but keeping a good standing within the forces of Hell is more important. You're the Marshal of the Althing Infernal now, and you refuse to neglect your responsibilities.
Doing so would make you no better than the people you despise so much.
"Great. I was kind of worried for a moment...again, I don't doubt your skills. I'm just looking at the broadest picture here."
'That's the right choice.' You mentally nod before thinking of a strategy. First, a normal interview to pick apart his real motivations, and then...uhm... "I'll return shortly." You leave the room and go to the cafeteria, empty at this hour. Luckily for you the fruit section has been just filled, and you find what you were searching for. 'Ready to use that?' That, being a new feature of the craziness within your soul you discovered recently.
"On it."
You concentrate, and synchronize your desires and actions with Seyrun. An alien kaleidoscope of glass shards shining in impossible not-colors and darkness so black it seems to suck in the light appears before you. Pushing the object in your hand inside it you briefly catch sight of one of Seyrun's limb catching it before they both vanish.
"Succe-No Anesidora! This isn't for you! I don't care if it looks tasty, we need it to recruit an enemy of the Yozi-yes, I know how that sounds. But it's the truth!"
{====}
As predicted Diethard Ried's eyes widen when you walk inside the room, your closed cape giving out an intimidating impression as you move closer to him. "Z-Zero?"
"Indeed Diethard Ried." With a flourish of your cape you sit down in front of him, putting down on the table the folder with his curriculum before folding your fingers on top of it. "Why, you sound surprised."
"I am. I was not quite sure my request to join the Black Knights would be accepted, but I never imagined that my first interview would be with you." He replies, smoothly recovering his confidence.
"Normally I don't do this often, yes." You open his folder, scrolling through the first page like you really need it before sharply looking up, straight into his eyes. "Then again Diethard, you're not exactly normal."
"I'm sure that a Britannian joining the resistance force of a conquered Area is quite unusual." He replies with a neutral tone. Not easily shaken: good.
"There is also that." You say, hinting that you know it's more than that. You look back at the folder. "Graduated at the Imperial Britannia Central University, Faculty of Law. An excellent alma-mater." It's the truth: despite Britannia's flaws, the Central University's teachings are top-notch. "Current place of work: Hi-TV, Tokyo Settlement Branch, at the Press Bureau Staff."
"Ex-current place of work." He grins. "I've been politely but firmly told that, if I didn't give my resignation, I would have lost my work in a less painless manner."
"Ooh?" How interesting: to be pressured into leaving, it means Diethard stepped on the toes of important people. "What was the reason?"
He shrugs. "I may have...fanned the Pureblood Conspiracy story more than appropriate. A lot more than an appropriate." He smiles like a kid confessing of having stole the jam. "I couldn't just resist: it was, literally, the most interesting story I met in my career! None of that boring, prepared beforehand stuff. A true scoop!"
So he craves the thrill of being a real journalist. No, what he probably desires is to bear witness to events that will enter history. There is no deception in his voice, but just to be sure... "Why, then, do you want to join the Black Knights when you could be a journalist again, if not within Britannia then in another nation?"
After saying those words you focus on his eyes and wish for opposition!
To witness and present history as it shapes the world, with Zero as the main character. To reduces this wretched mortal's ambition to nothing, your path is clear: to destroy Ze-
The muscles in your face twist painfully. No, it isn't the muscles but your own neurons-!
'Abort!'
Your mind return to normal, only your previous experiment stopping you from taking off your mask and puke out your stomach's content.
"Boss! Are you alright?"
'No, but I'll manage.' You reply, thankful that Diethard is still talking. To experience the desire to destroy everything you so carefully built...just your luck, that the target this time is someone who, apparently, has put you on an almost literal godly pedestal. Too good to be true, yet the power of Ebon Dragon doesn't lie, as paradoxically as it sounds. The experience also swept away any remaining desire to use this power, because holy fuck you felt like your very soul was swallowed, melted and then spit back!
"-Your speech, it was truly amazing." He continues with a faraday look. "When I heard it, it was like a fire was light inside me. I felt like I could do anything, that the word 'impossible' lost its meaning! It was like-"
"You had the power of the sun itself flowing into your veins?" You add, recognizing the chance to steer the conversation where you want it.
"I..." He trails off, blinking in confusion. "Yes. How...how do you know that?"
You chuckle. "All in due time. Consider your application accepted, Diethard Ried: welcome to the Black Knights." You raise his folder and wave it a little. "And for your role...that is a conversation that we must have in private."
{====}
Once in the privacy of your office you have Diethard sits on the other side of the desk. Taking a deep breath you invoke the power of Oramus -oh so much familiar and reassuring- and begin. "You and I are not ordinary men, Diethard Ried. We have powers that allow us to carve our very will into the fabric of reality. Powers that allow for rebellion against Britannia, which is why they see us as an existential threat merely because we exist." You speak enigmatically, implying wisdom that the Solar across from you surely lacks. "Yes, I know the maddening truths of the world, and I suspect you do not. However..." Diethard's eyes widen in shock as an alien kaleidoscope of glass shards shining in impossible not-colors and darkness so black it seems to suck in the light appears before you, your hand reaching as if within your belly, pulling out the apple and gently placing it on the desk before him. You are certain that the metaphor of forbidden fruit promising knowledge will not be lost on this man, and you are proven right as the journalist adopts a manic smile, his eyes gleaming with greed as he realizes what you're about to offer. Steepling your fingers you continue. "Perhaps we might come to an...accommodation to alleviate that?"
"Ah..ahahaha!" Diethard laughs. "Of course you're different than normal humans Zero! For all my life, I always felt as if there was something at the edge of my perception...something that kept eluding me. Until the night of the incident at Lake Kawaguchi."
He raises a hand to his forehead and closes his eyes. When he removes it a golden ring is glowing quietly between his brows. A Night Caste: unusual considering his profession, but if he is someone used to move things behind the curtains it makes sense. "This power...all I know for now is that it makes me better at things I'm good at, so much better it's unnatural. What is this? Do you have the same power? Are there more, different ones out there?"
"So many questions Diethard. Listen well: I know exactly what you have become, and your very existence now is Anathema to Britannia's rulers. You have done well to come to me, because if your secret arrives to the wrong ears they will kill you."
"They? The Nobility? The...Royal Family?"
"Both. But fear not." You hold out your hand. "I am in fact a similar existence, and I happen to know quite a bit of the world that is hidden from the eyes of normal people. All I require from you...is an oath."
He looks at your hand, eyes narrowing. You can almost see the gears in his brain spinning. "This is not a normal verbal agreement, is it?"
"Correct." You close your hand. "Breaking the oath will have dire consequences, for the both of us. However, we'll know if something we are about to do will break it: so long as we keep to the spirit of the oath, we don't have anything to worry about."
"What are the conditions?"
"I ask that you don't betray me and that you will never reveal my identity without my permission. In exchange, I'll reveal the truths of the world -what you are, the world's real history, and even my identity- as well as bringing you into my inner circle. You'll have a front row seat to witness history being written...or you could write it yourself if that is your wish." You add with a knowing smile, opening your hand again.
Diethard grasps it with his own before you can try to further butter up the deal. "I ACCEPT!"
Charcoal, ethereal chains wrap around the souls of you and Diethard, sealing the oath by the power of Creation's architects.
"You know Boss, I have the feeling this guy is going to be a different kind of trouble than a simple traitor."
Compared to have a viper in your nest, anything else is fine. Mostly.
You have recruited and put under an oath Diethard Ried, Solar Exalt of the Night Caste.
"As expected of Lelouch-sama!" Kaguya claps her hands together. Before revealing the matter of Diethard to the others you have sought her to see if there was any potential problem you have missed and prepare accordingly, but she fully supports the idea. "To grasp one in a million opportunity and acquire the service of a Solar Exalted who was inspired by your ideals...Amazing! Also a bit ironic."
"For that, we should be thankful that the Solar Exaltations don't care about morality or alliance in their selection." The Infernal Exaltations do it even less, you're afraid. At least your fellow peers thus far have been people you could reason with. Not that the Yozi would suffer a pro-Britannia or pro-Heaven Green Sun Prince. "Do you predict objections from the others?"
"No, nothing." She hums before her expression turns serious. "Lelouch-sama, may I discuss with you a sensitive argument?"
You raise an eyebrow before making hand-signals to the Anuhles. They leave the room and take guard outside it. "What is it?"
"About Nunnally-chan. I assume you have looked for possible procedures to restore her legs and sight's functionality?"
A small frown forms on your lips. "Yes, I have. Sadly without...acceptable results." Oh, despite the bloody society of Malfeas they also invented a lot of methods to heal crippling injuries.
Sadly, they are all based around the concept of 'replacing the damaged part with something better'. Better, by Malfeas' standards, always includes things like claws, scales and anything that can make fighting easier. Not something that would allow your sister to have a normal life among humans.
"I thought so. But, among Great Szoreny's gifts there is one that allow me to heal any and all crippling injuries." She stares into your eyes. "And another allows me to give the same power to someone else, albeit temporarily."
You eyes widen in shock. You stand up and slam your hands on the table. This is-! Finally! "Are you serious?! Then, quickly let's-"
"The problem." She continues. "Is that I am not sure it can do something to Nunnally-chan's eyesight, as it is the result of mental trauma." You don't care: just the thought of your sister walking again is- "Also, the effect is incredibly quick by normal medical standards, around a week or so. It's akin to a miracle."
"Yes and..." The words die in your throat. "The fact someone who, even with Britannia's medical science, has been a paraplegic for ten years to regain the use of her legs within a week...will gain a lot of attention."
Attention you don't absolutely need, because the both of you are Royals in hiding! But the classmates of Nunnally will talk! Not only them, but Shirley, Rivalz and Nina!
[] Write-in.
====
If everything remains the way it is, I may be able to go back to a weekly, maybe less update schedule. I really wish so.
No no no no. You can make it work. You can make it work!
You begin to pace around the room, mind running a million miles per hour. How to explain the mind-blogging fast recovery? You don't: Nunnally must pretend to recover only gradually, and keep using the wheelchair in public even when she doesn't need it anymore. A bit cruel but she will understand: also, she can walk as she likes in the privacy of your home. Tell her the truth of the treatment? Absolutely not: you cannot involve her in your secret activities, and she will ask if you give her even a smaller hint. It's already a miracle that with C.C., Suzaku and Kaguya around she doesn't suspect something fishy going on in the background.
You pause and consider more that last thought before quickly banishing it from your mind and resume walking. The day Nunnally shows even the slightest bit of paranoia is the day all Britannian Nobles donate their possessions to charity and start living as hermits upon a mountain. If it happens you aren't sure what would be left for you to do.
Where were you? Right: Nunnally, and keeping magic a secret from her. You will not outright lie to her....but Kaguya can: it leaves a bad taste in your mouth, but it's to protect Nunnally. She can say the method was created by a Japanese doctor, explaining why its existence isn't common knowledge. She surely has a doctor among those working for her to strengthen the charade. What else?
You pause again when remembering a topic you have yet to address: should you or should you not tell Sayoko the truth, or part of it? She's a trained nurse, so she might smell the bullshit from the supposed miraculous treatment. You know you would: that insightfulness is one of the reasons why you trust her with your sister's life. Yes, giving her some info so she can be better prepared in case things go wrong is a good idea. But how much of the truth? Well, even if you reveal the Anhules it's better to keep the whole 'demons and Hell' business under the rug.
Nodding to yourself you pick up paper and a pen, sit down and begin to list all the steps for your newly created plan. "I have the solution."
"I knew it." Kaguya claps her hands and smiles. "What do I need to do?"
====
September 25th
The hesitant hope in Nunnally's body language and words as you and Kaguya explain the fictional procedure is almost physically painful, and completely so on the emotional level. What's worse is that you have to pretend to be still skeptical when the Japanese Heiress talks about the procedure discovered while trying to help the Japanese crippled during the invasion: 'still', because part of the story is that she told you about it before, not enough to make you fully believe but enough to consider the possibility.
Also the fact that Sayoko, while proclaiming to be happy for Nunnally and encouraging her, keeps giving you and Kaguya odd looks confirms your earlier suspicions. So that evening, when Nunnally is safely tucked in bed, you wait for Sayoko in the living room. C.C. is nonchalantly sitting on the table, eating a pepperoni and cheese pizza. Why she keep spending all of her allowance for those you have no idea.
"Do you ask why an amphelisiae murmur? Why a firmin build nests? That's just her nature Boss."
'Are you saying C.C.'s nature is eating pizza?'
"Why don't you ask her then?"
'Because I know she would either mock me or give me a completely misleading answer.' You huff in your mind before seeing Sayoko descending the stairs. "Sayoko. We need to talk."
"What do you need me to Master Lelouch?" She asks, the perfect image of the ideal Britannian maid. Which is ironic, even of you cannot appreciate it.
"There are several things I have to tell you. The first one, is that medical procedure to heal Nunnally's legs-" You close your eyes. "It does what it's supposed to do, but we haven't been truthful about its nature."
"As I thought, it's an essence-based remedy?"
Your eyes shoot open and stare incredulously at Sayoko. "What."
She smiles gently, though you swear she's enjoying it. "I told you I am a ninja. Ninjutsu requires certain rituals and tools that may be judged as superstition by modern mentality...until they work. Subtly of course."
You stare at her before closing your eyes again and pinching the area between your eyebrows. "You can use thaumaturgy then?"
"It's actually a mix of procedures from different arts. It's mostly tradition at this point, I never had the need to use most of what my mentor taught me." She slightly shrugs. "Especially the curses."
"Curses?"
"Have you ever heard of Voodoo? It works in a similar manner." She claps her hands, still smiling. "There is this one who always fascinated me: you need a wooden doll, nails and the hairs of-"
"Stop! I don't need to know!" You raise a hand, palm facing her. The knowledge in itself doesn't disturb you, but that Sayoko of all people knows and likes it does. "So you know how normal people tend to forget or rationalize uses of magic?" She nods. "Do you know of the term 'Exalt'?"
"My mentor mentioned it: he said they are humans who, by birth or circumstance, gain a spark of divinity which gift them with great powers." She tilts her head, one hand on her cheek. "He didn't tell me much beside that."
Why would he? Uhm, maybe he didn't want Sayoko, a normal human, to get involved with beings beyond her abilities. "I am actually a type of Exalt. C.C. is an immortal witch-"
"If I am a witch, does that make you a warlock consorting with the forces of Hell?" She says before stuffing her mouth with pizza.
You give her the stink eye before facing Sayoko again. "Kaguya and Milly are also Exalts. I prefer...to not mention the hows and the whys."
"It is your prerogative Master Lelouch." She bows.
"Thank you Sayoko. I'm counting on you to assist and help Nunnally in the oncoming months." You fold your fingers together. "I also, ah, must mention that I increased the security of the house recently, without informing you."
She waits for you to elaborate.
"Does the notion of giant, intelligent spiders sound ridiculous?"
"I once had to entertain a sentient algae so that it wouldn't nest into the water supply of a field hospital." It's her response, delivered with a straight face.
You try to picture that scenario and fail miserably. "In that case, I acquire the services of giant, intelligent spiders. You can show up."
Two Anhules materialize on the wall and raise a limb. "Sup!"
"Nice to meet you." She replies, as if you just introduced her to the guy living next door.
Stop smirking witch!
====
You watch with an impassive face as the reportage announces the arrival of Cornelia at the Tokyo Settlement and the news she will assume the position of Sub-Viceroy of Area Eleven. Clovis is alone as he happily and skillfully replies to the journalists, because not even him is capable of persuading Cornelia to indulge in what she loved to define a 'pompous waste of time'. "It's a credible source?"
"I can guarantee it Zero." Diethard's voice replies from the phone. "Even if their strongholds have fallen the war with the Middle East Federation has not ended yet: they just switched to guerrilla tactics. It was actually a stalemate until the Emperor sent the Knights of the Round and their troops."
"Meaning, he didn't believe Cornelia could win." A malicious smirk spreads on your lips. "The humiliation must be unbearable. How many resources is Britannia bleeding out?"
"A lot. More that it even did since its founding. I guess that's why she was sent here, the Area which is the main source of Sakuradite." You hear the shuffling of paper. "But it's strange. Not Cornelia's presence, but the Area itself: terrorism, resistance activities, overexploitation, disorders and diseases...Area Eleven has recently turned into a hotbed of problems. It just didn't feel...natural?"
You turn off the TV. "As if someone is deliberately sowing chaos?"
"As if multiple someone are deliberately sowing chaos. And not all of them are on the same side."
You think about it: a multi-front war, uh? You can deal with that. "Thank you for the insight Diethard. Anything else?"
"Only one small fact. I gave a look at the list of high-ranking officers transferred there, and there is a single name that isn't part of Cornelia's forces: Colonel Eduard Madd. He's part of the Knightmare Research and Development Division of the Army, but that's about all I could learn."
"It doesn't seem important, but just to be sure try to find out more. I'll contact you later." You end the call and lean back on the chair. "Hello Kasr."
"Hi Boss!" From the ceiling Peronelle raises(?) a tentacle in greeting. "Good news! Three new Peers are coming here from that European Union place."
"When and how?"
"Tomorrow! By airplane! Can I ask you something?"
You raise an eyebrow. "Go on."
"Why it's called airplane? If it transports people and flies, isn't that an airship?"
Should you take the time to-nope. "The language of us humans is weird."
"I see!"
====
September 26th
In the later morning of a seemly normal day a plane, one of many, arrives at the Tokyo Settlement airport. What makes that plane special, is that it brought to Area Eleven three people who, by changing planes and names multiple times, hid the fact they all come from within the territory of the European Union.
"Damn it!" A man with dirty blond hair and turquoise eyes loudly swears. He is wearing a white military jacket and blue jeans, with goggles hanging loosely around his neck. "I want to smoke. Why I cannot smoke? Fucking brits and their fucking regulations."
"Please keeps your voice down." A old man with neatly combed gray hair quietly chastises the man as they leave the airport after retrieving their luggage. "Airports restrict smoking everywhere, not just the Britannian ones. On the outside you can smoke all you want."
"And avoid using words like 'brits'." Another man, with an average face and dark brown hair, who is walking next to them adds. "At least in public."
"Yeah, yeah. Finally!" The moment he steps outside the blond man whips out a cigarette and lights it up. "Aaah, that's the stuff. So, where's our welcoming committee?"
"I believe I see a person holding up a sign with our names on it." The old man dryly remarks.
Indeed, standing next to a limousine a man wearing an immaculate black suit and sunglasses is holding up a sign with the three men's names, their most recent ones at least. When they walk closer the man steps to the side and, with a bow, opens the door. "Please get on board. I will handle your luggage."
"Is this a trap?" The man with brown hair asks, one eyebrow raised.
"No."
The blond man looks at the other two, who nod in response. "Alright then! Thank you pal." He lets his bags fall in front of the man in a suit before entering the limousine, soon followed by the other two men.
When they sit down on the opposite seat you close the book you were reading with an audible clap. "Welcome to Japan gentlemen." You greet them while putting away the book and folding your fingers above your crossed legs.
"A Britannian schoolboy?" The blond man narrows his eyes.
"Oh, I get it a lot. But wouldn't you agree that, for people like us, age doesn't matter much?" You partially cover the left side of your face with one hand, your eyes peeking between the fingers. "Allow me to introduce myself: I am the Marshal of the Althing Infernal, the one coordinating the Reclamation efforts here on Creation for the foreseeable future and the leader of the Black Knights: Zero. Here in Japan I go by the mundane identity of Lelouch Lamperouge." You smile, your Caste Mark visible on your forehead. "What do you say, shall we have the next conversation while looking at each other's real face?"
"Now that's a surprise!" The blond man whistles. "Ernst Lehrmann, Sergeant of the EU Military in temporary leave of absence." He removes the cigarette from his lips and narrows his eyes. "And I ain't gonna stop smoking."
Like you care. Even if you don't like the smell of tobacco you can tolerate worse.
With nary a sound the forms of the two other men break into shadows, leaving behind two different men.
"So the leader of the currently most popular vigilante group in the world is also the Marshal? For your age, that's an achievement to be proud of." The first man has black, neatly combed black hair and a thick mustache. He is wearing a blue, full length military issue coat and slacks with black dress shoes. "EU General Andres Granados de Seral. They a lot of things about me, but the recent ones are all slanders."
Actually his name tells you nothing, but you'll definitely look it up later.
"Slanders? If you want to think that, be my guest." The second man is around 25-28 years old, with short light brown hair, green eyes and a strong jaw. He's wearing a simple green shirt and black pants. "My name? ...It's not important: you may call me 'Imaginary'. I was also part of the EU military, but you never heard of my section."
So they're all members, or rather ex-members, of the EU military. No wonder they travelled together.
Now, all that's left is to learn about their Castes, abilities, missions and the rest of the introductory package.
You just hope there isn't another Nadir among them.
Do you talk with them in the car or when you reach the safe apartment? [] Car.
[] Safe apartment.
What do you ask them? [] Same as lasttime
[] Custom questions:
-[] Write-in.
Gained New Charms:
Impossible Dragon Constitution
Flesh of Horrible Hallucinations
In-Training:
Dexterity 4 (4 days left) (7 Xp not yet paid)
Intelligence 5 (18 days left) (7 XP not yet paid)
Dodge (14/18) days accumulated)
Athletics (20/24 days accumulated)
Resistance (20/24 days accumulated)
Firearms (12/12 days accumulated)
Name: Diethard Ried
Motivation: To witness and present history as it shapes the world, with Zero as the main character
Exaltation: Solar
Caste: Night
Anima Banner: A crystal sphere covered in gold-framed sides rotates, reflecting an endless series of different scenes from the mundane to the glorious
Attributes: Strength 2, Dexterity 2, Stamina 3; Charisma 2; Manipulation 4; Appearance 2; Perception 2; Intelligence 3; Wits 3
Virtues: Compassion 1, Conviction 3, Temperance 4, Valor 2
Abilities: Archery 1, Integrity 1, Performance 3 (Presenting Others +1), Presence 2, Craft 1 (Water), Investigation 3 (Secrets +1), Lore 3, Athletics 2, Awareness 1, Larceny 2, Stealth 1 (Fading in the Background +1), Bureaucracy 3, Linguistics 1 (Native: English. Japanese), Ride 1, Socialize 2
Background: Backing (Black Knights) 2, Contacts 3 (Area 11 and Britannia), Resources 2
Essence: 2
Willpower: 7
Other notes: under the following Oath [Never betray Zero, never reveal his identity without his permission] (Botches: 3)
Intimacies:
Zero (obsessive reverence), the supernatural world (strong interest), sensational events (excitement), Solar powers (enjoyment), britannian nobility (boredom)
Anima Power:
When a Night Caste Solar expends Peripheral Essence, she may spend additional motes in order to prevent the expenditure from adding to her anima banner. This ability does not allow the character to mute Essence displays caused by the use of sorcery, however. To prevent the motes spent on a Charm that is not Obvious from adding to her anima banner, the character must add one mote to the cost of the Charm. When using an Obvious Charm, she must spend twice the normal mote cost of the Charm to prevent it from adding to her anima banner.
The Nightbringer may also extend her muted anima like an imperceptible veil around her. This extended anima last for an entire scene and costs 10 motes of Essence to evoke. The anima mutes the senses of those attempting to perceive her, as well as the evidence she leaves behind for those who would follow her trail. Shadows are darker, sounds are muffled, and scent and footprints are both much lighter than normal. This muting increases the difficulty of all rolls to notice or track the Exalted by half the character's Essence (round up), so long as this muted anima effect is active. Once the Solar spends 11-15 motes of Essence, though, she is just as obvious as any other Exalt, her features completely obscured by her anima display. Thus, assuming none of them saw her prior to her anima flaring, witnesses would be aware a Solar had been in their midst, but not her identity.
Charms:
First Performance Excellency
Cost: 1m per die; Mins: Performance 1, Essence 1; Type: Reflexive (Step 1 for attacker, Step 2 for defender)
Keywords: Combo-OK
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: None
Lawgivers with this Charm are known for their moments of brilliance. The Exalt's player can invoke this Charm when making a roll based on the relevant Ability. This Charm then adds one die to that roll for each mote spent. This Charm is the paradigmatic dice adder. The rule that Solars are prohibited from increasing a dice pool by more than their (Attribute + Ability) almost always refers to the purchase of dice through the use of this Charm.
Characters can also use this Charm to enhance unrolled uses of the relevant Ability, usually to increase a Defense Value, for example, by increasing (Dexterity + Dodge) to protect against a physical attack. When enhancing static values, her player rolls one die for each mote spent on the First Excellency. Each success increases her effective (Attribute + Ability) rating for the task by two. Therefore, each success on the First Excellency roll increases an applicable static value by one.
Characters cannot use this or other Excellencies or diceadding Charms to "create" actions. For example, if a character attacks on tick 3 and will attack again on tick 8, she cannot buy dice for an attack on tick 4 that only exists because she used the Excellency to conjure dice for it. A character who uses this or other reflexive Charms to add to an attack can also use it to enhance her defense until the next tick when she acts, but she must spend Essence for each separate roll she wishes to modify.
This Charm can be part of a Combo or used together with the Second Excellency, but it is incompatible with the Third Excellency. It can never be used on the same roll as the Third Excellency.
Respect Commanding Attitude
Cost: 5m; Mins: Performance 3, Essence 2; Type: Simple (Speed 4 in long ticks)
Keywords: Combo-OK, Compulsion, Social
Duration: One scene
Prerequisite Charms: None
Others listen when the Lawgivers speak. In ancient days, they commanded the attention of Primordials, beasts and gods. This Charm involves a performance or oration, and the Solar's player rolls (an appropriate Social Attribute + Performance) when invoking Respect Commanding Attitude. This Charm exerts unnatural mental influence on everyone who can see or hear the character. If the extra successes exceed a given target's MDV, that target suffers a compulsion to stay in the Exalt's company and respectfully observe the performance. Resisting this compulsion for five minutes costs one Willpower, up to a maximum of three Willpower per scene, and such resistance allows the target to leave, heckle or even forcibly silence the character.
Second Investigation Excellency
Cost: 2m per success; Mins: Investigation 1, Essence 1; Type: Reflexive (Step 1 for attacker, Step 2 for defender)
Keywords: Combo-OK
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: None
Solar Exalted with this Charm are known for their unwavering perfection. The Exalt's player can invoke this Charm when making a roll based on the relevant Ability. The Exalt then spends up to (Attribute + Ability) in motes. This Charm adds one success to a roll for every two motes spent. Each success purchased with Essence Triumphant is the equivalent of purchasing two dice with the First Excellency or some other dice adder. Therefore, if a Solar had a (Dexterity + Melee) total of 8, he could purchase up to four successes with the Second Excellency. Any magical effects that hinge on the character buying dice will then react as if the character had just bought eight (Dexterity + Melee) dice. The character could not add dice from the effects of other Charms because he has reached his maximum of eight by purchasing the four successes.
The Exalt can also use this Charm to enhance unrolled uses of the relevant Ability. Each two motes spent increases his effective (Attribute + Ability) rating for one task by two. This means that every two motes spent on this Excellency increase a static value like a DV by one. The First Excellency is thus considerably more efficient for increasing static values than the Second Excellency, but not reliably so.
This Charm can be Comboed or used together with the First Excellency, but it is incompatible with the Third Excellency, and it can never be used on the same roll as the Third Excellency.
Judge's Ear Technique
Cost: 3m; Mins: Investigation 2, Essence 1; Type: Reflexive (Step 1)
Keywords: Combo-OK
Duration: One scene
Prerequisite Charms: Any Investigation Excellency
The Lawgivers are the guardians of truth. This Charm allows the character to recognize as lies all deliberate lies presented to her. The character can also recognize the deliberate use of half-truths, though doing so does not tell her which part of the statement is true. If another Charm contests these effects, add the character's Essence in automatic successes to the (Perception + Investigation) roll to oppose the other Charm.
Irresistible Questioning Technique
Cost: 4m; Mins: Investigation 3, Essence 2; Type: Simple (Speed 6 in long ticks)
Keywords: Combo-OK, Compulsion, Obvious, Social
Duration: One scene
Prerequisite Charms: Judge's Ear Technique
This Charm forces the truth from those who would lie to the heroes of the dawn. It involves an interrogation, and the Solar's player rolls (the appropriate Social Attribute + Investigation) when the Exalt invokes Irresistible Questioning Technique. This Charm exerts unnatural mental influence on the target. The target can resist with MDV. If the roll succeeds, the target is compelled to answer the Exalt's questions honestly. Resisting costs one Willpower per five minutes, to a maximum of three Willpower, and the compulsion lasts for one scene.
This Charm loses effectiveness with repeated use. Increase the target's MDV by three if an Exalt has used Irresistible Questioning Technique or a similar Charm on the target this story.
Second Larceny Excellency
Cost: 2m per success; Mins: Larceny 1, Essence 1; Type: Reflexive (Step 1 for attacker, Step 2 for defender)
Keywords: Combo-OK
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: None
Solar Exalted with this Charm are known for their unwavering perfection. The Exalt's player can invoke this Charm when making a roll based on the relevant Ability. The Exalt then spends up to (Attribute + Ability) in motes. This Charm adds one success to a roll for every two motes spent. Each success purchased with Essence Triumphant is the equivalent of purchasing two dice with the First Excellency or some other dice adder. Therefore, if a Solar had a (Dexterity + Melee) total of 8, he could purchase up to four successes with the Second Excellency. Any magical effects that hinge on the character buying dice will then react as if the character had just bought eight (Dexterity + Melee) dice. The character could not add dice from the effects of other Charms because he has reached his maximum of eight by purchasing the four successes.
The Exalt can also use this Charm to enhance unrolled uses of the relevant Ability. Each two motes spent increases his effective (Attribute + Ability) rating for one task by two. This means that every two motes spent on this Excellency increase a static value like a DV by one. The First Excellency is thus considerably more efficient for increasing static values than the Second Excellency, but not reliably so.
This Charm can be Comboed or used together with the First Excellency, but it is incompatible with the Third Excellency, and it can never be used on the same roll as the Third Excellency.
Second Bureaucracy Excellency
Cost: 2m per success; Mins: Bureaucracy 1, Essence 1; Type: Reflexive (Step 1 for attacker, Step 2 for defender)
Keywords: Combo-OK
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: None
Solar Exalted with this Charm are known for their unwavering perfection. The Exalt's player can invoke this Charm when making a roll based on the relevant Ability. The Exalt then spends up to (Attribute + Ability) in motes. This Charm adds one success to a roll for every two motes spent. Each success purchased with Essence Triumphant is the equivalent of purchasing two dice with the First Excellency or some other dice adder. Therefore, if a Solar had a (Dexterity + Melee) total of 8, he could purchase up to four successes with the Second Excellency. Any magical effects that hinge on the character buying dice will then react as if the character had just bought eight (Dexterity + Melee) dice. The character could not add dice from the effects of other Charms because he has reached his maximum of eight by purchasing the four successes.
The Exalt can also use this Charm to enhance unrolled uses of the relevant Ability. Each two motes spent increases his effective (Attribute + Ability) rating for one task by two. This means that every two motes spent on this Excellency increase a static value like a DV by one. The First Excellency is thus considerably more efficient for increasing static values than the Second Excellency, but not reliably so.
This Charm can be Comboed or used together with the First Excellency, but it is incompatible with the Third Excellency, and it can never be used on the same roll as the Third Excellency.
Frugal Merchant Method
Cost: 1m; Mins: Bureaucracy 1, Essence 1; Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Combo-OK
Duration: Instant
Prerequisite Charms: None
Only a fool would cheat the heroes of the dawn. This Charm supplements a normal or dramatic action to estimate something's quality and price. Examples include the normal action to estimate the quality of a gem and the dramatic action to evaluate a shipment of silk and spices. This Charm gives the Exalt a perfect awareness of the target object's quality and condition. This awareness gives one bonus success on any price haggling if her bargaining opponent is honest (and using Charisma) and three bonus successes if the opponent is dishonest (and using Manipulation).
Speed the Wheels
Cost: 8m; Mins: Bureaucracy 3, Essence 2; Type: Simple (Dramatic Action)
Keywords: Combo-OK
Duration: Indefinite
Prerequisite Charms: Any Bureaucracy Excellency
The Lawgivers bring order and destroy corruption. The Solar speeds the process of a bureaucracy. Normally, an organization must first take a Begin Project dramatic action—ranging from minutes to months in its duration, depending on the organization's structure—before it can start actual work on a project. The Solar communicates his desire for speedy resolution to the organization, and his player rolls ([Intelligence or Charisma] + Bureaucracy), adding the Solar's Essence in automatic successes. The difficulty of this roll is 1. If the person responsible for this project deliberately engages in delays, subtract an external penalty of ([that person's Intelligence + Bureaucracy] / 2) from the successes on the Bureaucracy roll. The Solar is aware of such delaying tactics, however.
If the Solar succeeds, this Charm divides the time needed to begin the project by (the Solar's Essence + 1), with a maximum possible time of one season. For example, for an Essence 5 Solar, if it would normally take six months to authorize naval repairs or obtain an audience with the local king, this Charm reduces that time to a single month. If it normally takes a century to obtain necessary paperwork from a Fair Folk freehold, the Solar resolves the matter in a single season.
Mastery of Small Manners
Cost: 1m; Mins: Socialize 2, Essence 1; Type: Reflexive (Step 1 for attacker, Step 2 for defender)
Keywords: Combo-OK, Social
Duration: Until next action
Prerequisite Charms: None
The Solar attunes herself to the patterns of human interaction. This Charm makes her responses to social situations so natural and appropriate that in social combat she treats all enemy groups as one point of Magnitude smaller than they are (to a minimum of 0). It also increases her effective Appearance by one dot. When in doubt, other characters will be more apt to do small favors and provide hospitality than not. Finally, this Charm ensures that the character understands the basic motivations of everyone present in the scene, as if her player had rolled three successes on a mundane Investigation roll to estimate each person's motives.
To get away from the Neverborn discussion for a moment, here is a new omake, featuring everybody's favorite ronin Sidereal: Aldric Straub. If you're not sure who he is, it might help to reread End of an era & maybe The Shattered City as well.
With that, enjoy.
Rotten Breadcrumbs Trail
-5 years prior to the Exaltation of the Marshal of the Althing Infernal-
The sun was shining brightly in the clear, blue sky as the chirping of the birds filled the air. And Aldric had managed to hitch a ride on a horse-drawn cart filled with freshly picked fruits. It really made one wonder why anyone would go through the hassle of procuring illegal narcotics or drown themselves in alcohol when simple pleasures like this were aplenty. Even if it hadn't been Lytek's intention, Aldric would have to thank him later for giving him the opportunity to travel to this piece of the world.
As Aldric stepped into Lytek's office he couldn't help but wonder how a single person, mortal or divine, could simultaneously be such a slob that he would let literal years of trash pile up in his office, yet be so meticulous that all of said trash and everything else in the office would be neatly stacked and arranged according to an actual system. The Chosen of Secrets rather doubted that anybody's image of a major god would be that of an anal-retentive hoarder, but there you go. "Ah, Aldric, I hope you didn't have too much trouble getting here?" The god said in his usual grandfatherly manner.
"No more than the usual trouble that comes with getting past the Celestial Lions while keeping my lack of employment at the Forbidding Manse of Ivy a secret." Arcane fate had its uses, although it was somewhat depressing how easily the upholders of the law of Heaven could be fooled like that. "So what did you call me for that you couldn't go to Sagacious Vagrant for? I thought you wanted for me to stay away from Yu Shan as much as possible. What happened to meeting incognito in the mortal realm?"
"You didn't notice when you stepped in here? It's probably for the best that you didn't. Makes it less likely that anybody else will either." The god sighed and where before his face simply radiated geniality, now Aldric could see how tired Lytek was. He knew that the elder god didn't usually partake in the festivities that were common in the Celestial City, but he looked like he could really use a glass of celestial wine right now. "Three days ago my office had been ransacked, the whole place was just one big mess. It would have still looked like a dump if it hadn't been for Naheb and her janitorial staff. Now there's a goddess that deserves a promotion or three." Aldric couldn't help but blink owlishly. If anything important had been robbed or damaged, Lytek would have started the conversation with that. He could scarcely imagine how frustrating it must have been for Lytek and his idea of orderliness to have to put everything back in place, but that wasn't a reason to bring him here. Lytek could see the question on Aldric's face so, before the young Sidereal could voice it, the god continued.
"The only thing missing is a small statue of a black jade ram on the back of a white jade eagle I got some centuries ago. If that were all I would have filed a claim with the Celestial Lions and watch them either catch a scapegoat or be bullied into giving up on this by Ryzala. The more serious issue, and the one that you clearly haven't noticed yet, are the traces of necrotic essence that linger here. I don't know what kind of creature broke into my office, but anything carrying something so foul should have been caught by the Lions before it could have even had the chance to get into Yu Shan, let alone here. I don't know if this is another attempt by Parad to have me be audited or if it is something more sinister, but either way I cannot let this rest." Admittedly, Aldric didn't know Lytek all that well, aside from Corbel having talked fondly of him and being one of the few gods that Vagrant was respectful to, but given, as far as Aldric was concerned, that the god was one of the few things that kept Heaven from becoming a complete shithole, an attack on him was an attack on Aldric Straub himself.
"And you think I could find whoever did this?" This wasn't what he usually did, but tracking a necromancer or Neverborn sympathist and bashing some skulls in would make for a decent way to kill some time.
"You don't need to find anything, I know exactly where that statuette is. Whoever took it didn't even bother to unravel the tracking enchantment on it." And then the god threw a piece of paper at Aldric, which he caught easily. "It's somewhere in Asia, the exact coordinates are on that. Find whoever took it and give him an ass-whooping if he's nothing more than a practical joker. If it's something more serious though…" No more needed to be said, Aldric understood that perfectly. He glanced at the scrap of paper, that somehow managed to shine as if it were made from thin sheets of gold. Come to think of it, he hadn't visited the Chinese Federation yet. He might as well include some sightseeing while he tracked down this petty thief.
"And your parents kicked you out of the house when you said you wanted to work in a small clinic in the country instead of that major hospital near Cologne? Can't fault them, if you're really that good of a doctor you should have become as famous and respected as you could have. Not like anyone else I know had a chance like that just lying in front of them." The middle-aged man holding the reins of the horse mocked his hitchhiker, not like he understood much of what happened outside of his little slice of the world.
"You don't understand, if I had gone to work there I would have hated every second of it. You have no idea how much rivalry there is between the various doctors within the same department, or the grueling work hours they made me do while the senior doctors played pool in the nearby bar. And that is when they weren't on their thirtieth vacation of the year. I already had to spend nearly two years being their glorified whipping boy, no way was I going to willingly return to that just for the possibility of being able to do the same to some naive med school brat after thirty years of bitterness and frustration." Well, that wasn't exactly how things had gone, but Aldric knew that he had gotten the farmer to sympathize with him. In fact, Aldric could hear the man mutter some rather choice words about those 'elitist, stuck-up and pampered European shitstains' that would have gotten his mother to bring out a bar of soap. The puke-colored green one that could probably see better use as a tool of murder rather than one of hygiene.
Once the mortal man was done cursing and ranting to himself, things had become silent again between the two. For several minutes nothing was said and only the creaking of the cart and the lazy grunting of the horse, before the man spoke up once more.
"So you left your home after that spat with your parents, but why come all the way to a remote little place in the Chinese Federation? There should have been plenty of places to visit in Europe, maybe even find a family to take you in and a clinic where you could work like you want."
"What do you mean? I've seen plenty of Europe, after all, I lived there for almost twenty years before I went on my world tour. Whether this is Federation territory or not, can't a guy just take a stroll and talk to the descendants of the Taungoo and Konbaung empires? I've always found the history of Burma to be absolutely fascinating." And he wasn't even lying about any of that. Granted, he knew of ancient Burma mostly from what Corbel and Vagrant had seen and done there. Sufficed to say, the favor of Heaven was a fickle thing indeed. One could only wonder how those Sidereals must have felt, tearing down all that they had built up after the man they had pinned their hopes had been assassinated.
"Well, I wasn't expecting that, but it's still not a great idea for you to be here right now. The military's been snooping around here lately. So if somebody like you shows up out of the blue, well, wouldn't be the first time somebody got 'taken in for questioning' and was then never seen again." And wouldn't you know it, the little podunk town from which the stolen statuette was sending out its tracking signal had just become interesting. With a simple platitude Aldric convinced the man that he wouldn't get into any trouble and before he knew it, they had arrived.
The village was about as quaint as Aldric had envisioned it to be, the whole of it probably no bigger than a block in an average city. That there was a military camp almost twice as big as the village not even a hundred meters away didn't matter, if Aldric was being perfectly honest. He got off the cart and waved the man goodbye. By next week he probably wouldn't even remember having ever picked up a hitchhiker, let alone a redheaded German twenty-something doctor. It was for the best.
The cart driver rode on to drop his wares at the newly erected military camp. Aldric, on the other hand, walked off of the dirt road without a care in the world. The moment he stepped into a nearby clearing, a whole new life took hold of him, a lifetime of falsified experiences and long-held beliefs settling into his brain as if they had always been there.
As far as the world was concerned now the German exalt had been replaced by a slightly shorter, stocky Chinese man. Walking around in a tailor-made military uniform and a multitude of medals pinned on his chest he would have been easily mistaken for either a war hero or a successful asskisser supporter of the eunuchs and the empress in whose name they protect the glorious federation in all its prosperity and compassion.
But for those for whom the veil had been lifted would know that they were in the presence of the blood of the dragons, the rightful rulers of everything beneath heaven's ever-watching eye.
Nonchalantly, yet with a look that dared anybody else to mess with him, Aldric the dragonblooded military officer strolled into the village. The missing statuette was quickly found, having been taken from a local by a greedy soldier, but for the moment that didn't matter.
Aldric's eyes were drawn to an unassuming local, a middle-aged man that took the time to greet everybody he met by name, who lent a hand wherever one was needed and cowered alongside the rest of them when a soldier started waving his gun around. Everything you would expect from a normal resident of the area.
A normal resident that walked around with a very well made combat knife strapped underneath his armpit. A normal resident who had done an adequate job at moving around like a non-combatant, but hadn't managed to completely conceal the combat training that had been drilled into him since his youth. A normal resident who kept track of his surroundings like an apex predator within the heart of his own territory and studied his fellow villagers when nobody looked at him. And from the way he interacted with the others, a year since he arrived here, two years, perhaps?
The only question remained, military intelligence, personal agent of one of the high eunuchs or part of a criminal organization? Oh who was he kidding, he had known the answer to that before he had stepped foot on Burma.
Ten seconds later the disguised Sidereal had grabbed the inconspicuous undercover spy with all the subtlety one might expect of a man prancing around in full military dress uniform and carrying around more medals than he has digits.
"Please, sir, I've done nothing wrong. I've given the lion's share of my food supplies to the cooks of the encampment and I gave up poor Su, my poor horse, to help out our brave boys and girls and…"
"Enough, agent. This isn't the time to maintain your cover." The man looked panicked, his eyes darting left and right, searching for an exit, but only for a second or two. After that he relaxed, looking at the disguised Aldric with a strange mix of resignation and confusion.
Good, at least he wasn't so green that he would break his cover at the first sign of it being compromised. "The three brothers Zhang of Hebei, heroes of the people, twenty years of war for a thousand years of prosperity."
"Twenty years before the Mandate of Heaven can be restored, bearing the three treasures of compassion, moderation and humility the emperor and his council will bear witness to a thousand years of prosperity." The spy replied almost mechanically.
It was somewhat depressing that Li Xingke's royalists would use such an obvious password for its clandestine operations, but if it made things easier on him who was he to complain?
"Are you new? I don't recognize your face at all."
"Officially I am in the employ of High Eunuch Xia Wang, but that doesn't mean I can't see how destructive their greed is on the people of the federation. I'm just lucky that the High Eunuch thinks that his fellow advisors are keeping him out of the loop, giving me free reign to 'investigate' the matter. So what are we dealing with? I doubt that the official story of an uncapped dragon vein with some useful essence tokens is all there is to this area." It didn't really matter whether or not the spy would actually tell him the truth. Either he would tell the truth and reveal to Aldric how much the royalists had discovered and how they knew a year in advance of the importance of this site. Or he would lie and let Aldric find out what the man was trying to hide.
"Well, it's not like it matters all that much anymore. The eunuchs' stooges 'discovered' the white jade mine we've been mining for the past couple of years. The damn thing has been near useless ever since that shadowland popped up, covering the first three or so levels and the surrounding landscape to boot. The eunuchs' bootlickers are here to 'cleanse the area', but given their track record…"
"All they're going to do is hold a witch hunt on all the ancestor worshippers and death cultists that they may find, real or imaginary. Even if they were to launch an assault on the mine itself, it'll be a long and costly siege before they retake it and that is before you factor in the manpower and cost of pushing the shadowland back. Not to mention the potential side-effects there might be on the raw jade from having been exposed to all that necrotic essence for such a long time." Aldric finished the spy's train of thought, earning a nod from the man in return.
That at least explained the necrotic residue that had been found in Lytek's office. "Then what about that jade statue I saw one of the soldiers grab from that old woman? It had black jade as well as white jade, so did it come from the mine as well? I doubt that is how the jade was smuggled out of here."
"I have no idea, but the regular soldiers stealing from the local populace is hardly something to be surprised about." As far as Aldric could tell the spy seemed sincere. If he didn't know anything about the stolen statuette, either they really weren't involved with the ransacking of Lytek's chambers or they didn't inform the grunts and he was pretty sure it wasn't the latter.
"Well, I'm sure I can spin this in a way that makes me look good in front of Xia Wang, but just one more thing before we go our separate ways, are there any other… surprises I should know about the mine? Explosives that would collapse the entrance, elementals or automata that will attack whoever gets…"
A third man appeared. The moment Aldric looked at him and saw the nondescript face, Venus' caste mark shining from beneath their fate-woven disguise, he knew the gig was up.
Before either the spy or the newcomer could speak up Aldric dashed towards the exit. He easily vaulted over the Joybringer, but the moment he was airborne the other Sidereal pulled a daiklave out of thin air, spun around and buried it into the ronin's neck. The only reason why Aldric's head didn't separate from the rest of his body was the stormspitter he had inherited from Corbel. Anybody who would have claimed that you couldn't parry a sword with a gun was proven wrong that day.
Aldric landed a bit behind the newcomer, who hadn't moved since that initial swing. Their backs turned to one another neither of them moved. It was essentially a game of chicken, the first one to move loses.
"Humor me, how long have the High Eunuchs been on our trail for them to send you to our neighborhood?"
"Is that the game we're playing here? Well, no skin off my back." Even if this farce would only last for a minute, that would still be plenty of time for Aldric to find a way to escape.
"My apologies, sir. He gave me the correct password, so I had assumed tha…"
"Don't worry, I know you're not to blame. Your job is to gather information, not head the counter-espionage unit. Not like it would have mattered much, this man's got quite the reputation within certain circles." Of course, both of the present Sidereals were aware that that was a load of bullshit, a story the Joybringer was coming up with on the spot to blacken his disguised identity's image. Aldric assumed it was one of those idiosyncrasies unique to the Sidereals as a whole. "A dangerous man whose only loyalty lies with the one that has the most gold to offer, someone who ensures that old grudges can never be settled so long as he can make a profit out of them."
"So you are the one leading this little undercover team of yours? One might wonder if you royalists are forced to scrape the bottom of the barrel to find new recruits because everybody intelligent has already been employed by the High Eunuchs or if you need to be an idiot to want a little, prepubescent girl to have absolute authority over the largest nation in the world? So, which is it, field commander?" The Joybringer would need to take two steps before Aldric would be in range of his sword. In the time he would need to turn around and take said steps Aldric would be able to stand up from his crouch and take only one step. Just hightailing it out of the alleyway would not be enough to get out of this predicament.
"If you think that would be enough to get me to act rashly you must either believe that I am as stupid as you think all royalists are or you have quite the superiority complex. And here I am, an enemy operative within my grasp and I forget to interrogate him. Fighting you would only attract attention that neither of us want and I don't have the right tools on me to torture you in peace and quiet. Quite the bother, wouldn't you say?" The Chosen of Serenity didn't wait for Aldric to reply. "Who else is here? Who is your contact person and what have you found out thus far? I will cut your head off if you don't answer promptly." And then he turned around to face the still crouched Aldric, who couldn't help but sigh. This identity was worthless now anyway.
"I have eight thousand elite dragons from the capital who'll descend on you if I snap my fingers, each one of them carrying half a dozen soul breaker orbs and three daiklaves of conquest, on top of the armors of the immaculate dragons that are standard to our regiment. My contact person is Hesiesh and we are on the verge of mass producing the Games of Divinity, enough to have one in each household of the federation by next Christmas." And then he fired, right into the spy's foot.
The sheer snark in Aldric's reply had actually frozen the other Sidereal up for a second as the shot passed him by. Like the starting shot at a hundred meter dash, Aldric sprinted away. The military would be swarming the alleyway within a matter of minutes and the Joybringer had to worry about getting his subordinate out of there before either could be caught. A bullet to the foot is pretty much a death sentence to a person's mobility, after all. Not to mention how long it would take to recuperate from such an injury.
Unseen by the scared and excited populace Aldric darted away, leaving the village behind him. He could track the statuette whenever he wanted, but if he was going to get any real answers anytime soon, he would find them in the shadowland.
Why was it always the dead that had to muck things up?
xXx
Piece by piece the wall Aldric was hiding behind was crumbling apart. He had been stuck in this particular patch of pitch black tunnel for the past ten minutes, unable to do anything as the dead kept firing arrows and throwing javelins at him from seemingly everywhere. It would only be a matter of minutes until their reinforcements came storming in from the tunnels he had already passed by.
In retrospect it was obvious that they had baited him, luring him further and further into their stronghold until they could finish him off in a single strike. Every defensive line broke a tad too easy, its defenders having safely retreated by the time he had reached them. Every ambush harrying him further down into the blackness rather than try and harm or exhaust him. Regardless, here and now thousands of arrows had been shot, almost every piece of imaginable cover in the past kilometer had been reduced to rubble.
He had to give it to them, whoever was leading them knew how to make the most out of a fort. A rumble could be felt from the other end of the tunnel, yet the defenders didn't ease up on their barrage. Just a little bit longer before he would be well and truly looking death in the eye.
The trap was closed, the last possible escape route blocked by well over a hundred war ghosts, all armed like they were expecting the Aerial Legion to invade. The mind behind this setup knew exactly what his troops were capable of and how to use ten thousand grains of sand to wear down a mountain with a minimal amount of casualties.
Too bad he wasn't as well-versed in Sidereal medical practices as he was in underworld combat tactics.
With only one hand Aldric lifted up what remained of his cover, throwing it at the column of archers that had pinned him down here. A couple of them had to get out of the way, but the rest went on, firing at the redheaded German with a precision that any centaur would have been proud of. But the rock had bunched them together.
A wave of purple filled the hallway and half the archers ceased to exist.
The war ghosts that had been meant to butcher him couldn't stop their charge, they died alongside the remainder of the archers. A third invocation of the silence after the storm and Aldric was all that was left in the deserted hallway.
"I was afraid something like this might happen." A middle-aged man appeared from the other end of the tunnel. Dressed like a courtier of a Chinese Emperor from three centuries ago, the pale man was stroking his Fu Manchu beard. An earth-aspected dragonblooded in the heart of a recently formed shadowland; not what Aldric had been expecting.
"I very much doubt you are a prisoner of the dead."
"Quite frankly, I would have been appalled if that was your impression of me." The superficially Chinese-looking dragonblooded sniffed loudly, still looking at the non-existent remains of the ghostly soldiers with a mixture of pity and disappointment.
"So why show yourself like this? Wouldn't it have made more sense to send out more of your troops to deplete my stamina and kill me once I'm exhausted?"
"Perhaps if you were here to destroy this outpost I might have done something along those lines. But you're not and it is imperative that my remaining forces remain capable of withstanding whatever that mortal army at our doorstep might throw at us. No, better to conserve my forces and make you leave peacefully instead. It is a wise man that can let his foe enjoy a victory, if denying him that would prove ruinous otherwise. I have no intent on being the next Pyrrhus, after all." For a moment Aldric didn't know what to say. Usually people were far more shifty and unwilling to even say hello without looking like they had swallowed down a lemon or three. "Why be so open with me? And how would you know what I'm looking for?"
"Because I know who signed off on the infiltration and destruction of the office of Lytek, the Right Hand of Power and who actually committed the act. It is something of a bother that they used my base for this foolhardy plan of theirs, hence I see no reason why I shouldn't solve the problems they've created in my own way." Again unexpected, but Aldric wasn't going to complain.
"So why do it?" It had been a rather weird day, getting into battles left and right and then having a friendly chat with the people that he had tried to kill. It was actually rather nice.
"In a nutshell, to see what would happen. They have not seen fit to inform me of the specifics, but from what I've gathered sometime in the near future something is going to happen that they've deemed so vital to our efforts that they found it crucial to accurately gauge what manner of response they could expect from Heaven. They've shown an unusual interest in Lytek and his purview, which is why he has been targeted. Foolish, of course, the benefits of knowing Heaven's protocol to whatever it is they're planning do not measure up to the costs of putting the celestial lions in a higher state of alert or even forewarning them entirely. Not that they even managed that."
"What do you mean by that?" If there was some friction between this dragonblooded and whoever else was part of this, it would be rather stupid of Aldric to not milk this for all its worth.
"You, of course. We expected for Lytek to either involve the celestial lions with the matter or to sweep it all under the rug. His hatred for the Bureau of Fate is well-known, which is why we had dismissed the possibility of Sidereal interference, but a ronin? Not only was it a surprise that Lytek had such an unexpected resource at his disposal, but even more so that he would call upon it for a matter like this. Your actions in no way reflect the standard procedure that the Celestial Lions would have revealed, nor does it tell us anything useful about the balance of power in Yu Shan. Hence, my colleagues' little prank failed to achieve anything whatsoever."
"Harsh, but if what you're saying is true I can't say that those colleagues of yours don't deserve it." There was still too much about this entire situation that Aldric just didn't understand.
"That's just how it is. We may disagree on a number of subjects, but that doesn't change that we're all working towards the same goal, even if they have proven in the past to need multiple attempts to finish a simple assignment, like with that librarian Vizier two years ago." The dragonblooded either didn't notice or didn't care as Aldric all but froze up. " They could have done so much in the days leading up to the sundering of the Seal, certainly more than spend a week setting up their 'impenetrable' stronghold in the middle of southern Germany. And then when push comes to shove, that idiot so-called master thief allowed almost an entire battalion to be annihilated to put down a single bureaucrat Sidereal. And she couldn't even manage that right, no, she cocked it up so bad that she needed the mobile shadowland to actually kill that bespectacled Vizier, after letting the existence of the essence infector agents spread far and wide. It was a downright miracle that she didn't lose her life over that blunder, let alone her position."
"That librarian your friend killed, his name is Venerable Corbel. And you will talk about him with respect, you necrophilic piece of scum." And with a single leap Aldric was upon the dragonblooded. His skin was like granite and after a moment's struggle threw Aldric off of him. A trio of bullets clashed with a bolt of earthen essence the second the two separated.
The roof of the tunnel collapsed on Aldric's head. But like the disciple of the crane that he was, Aldric got out of there unscratched, the various pieces of rubble gently guided away before they could have come close to hitting Aldric himself.
Two more elemental bolts came racing at him. With the path behind him blocked off and essence-based projectiles on either side, the only way he could go was straight ahead, right into the smirking terrestrial exalted. Aldric charged, his hands wreathed in crimson.
The terrestrial easily dodged Aldric and threw him on the ground in a reversal of before. The force of the throw forced Aldric to let go of his gun, which the dragonblooded kicked away. For a second it looked like Aldric was well and truly pinned to the ground, at the complete and utter mercy of the dragonblooded death cultist. Then he plunged his hand in his foe's side. The older man howled as he let go of Aldric and get to safety, but Aldric was having none of that.
The instant he was free again he allowed three essence bullets to form in the palm of the hand that had punctured the dragonblooded's side. By the time the earth aspect had torn himself away from Aldric not a single one of his abdominal organs had come out of it unscathed.
Hacking and coughing the earth aspect tried to get up, but there was Aldric again, ramming his fist in the dragonblooded's face.
"Now you will tell me everything. Leave anything out and I will make you wish you were thrown in the Mouth of Oblivion instead, do you understand me?" The man shot a fierce glare at Aldric, but nodded nevertheless.
"Who are you, how big is this group of yours and who the fuck ransacked Lytek's office and killed Corbel?" A bit of spittle landed on the dragonblooded's face, but neither he nor Aldric seemed to care or notice.
"And I'm sure you will spread the word of our nefarious deeds to all the corners of the earth. We are nothing more than a small group of likeminded individuals who feel that the world has gone to shit and everybody worth a damn has died millennia ago, so why not appeal to those giants of the past to set things right?"
"A small group? What's next, you're going to tell me that the walk from Germany to Burma is no more than five minutes? As for 'the giants of the past', they are at most half a giant. Whoever it is you kowtow to would do at least as bad a job as whoever you think is running this show."
"Keep telling yourself that, kid. You'll find us in pretty much every major piece of the world, from ancestor cults to necromancer academies to everything and anything those fools sealed away all those millennia ago after the twin cataclysms. Time is on our side, it has only ever been on our side."
"Enough with the gloating, just tell me…"
"Who killed your beloved Corbel, I heard you the first time, boy. She's a Wood Aspect that's been with us for a long time, but really, all she's ever done is aggravate me with her bumbling stupidity and constant belittling, so if you plan on killing her, go for it." Aldric let go of the heavily injured exalt, stood up and retrieved his gun. "Her name is Daria Bodrogi and if that is all, kindly bugger off, Vizier." From the corner of his eye Aldric saw the injured dragonblooded crawl up to a nearby wall, after which he pulled himself up. Aldric was sure the man could stitch himself up and there really wasn't much point in staying here. He had his answers, so all he had to do was get the statuette and maybe then he could start enjoying his vacation.
The sound of footsteps echoed throughout the hallway. The moment it stopped the rubble from before was cut and diced into pieces, revealing a handsome man on the other side, with a very familiar sword in hand. Even with how dark the tunnel was, there was no mistaking it: the Joybringer had followed him here.
"Finally caught up to you, you piece of shit. I will…who are you? You don't look like any of the Sidereals I know and I know pretty much every Vizier by face if nothing else."
"Hey, ronin and tagalong, what part of 'bugger off' do you not understand?" The two Chosen of the Maidens looked at the last remaining person in the mine. Aldric had no intentions of actually killing the guy after he had provided him with all the information he needed, but could the same be said for the Joybringer?
"What, and make things easier for the Chinese Federation? Killing this guy would be counterproductive." Aldric hadn't realized he had said that out loud.
The tensions were still high, but finally the two came to something of a truce. In complete silence the two trudged back, until they were finally out of the shadowland.
"So, a ronin, huh? There've been quite a few of those running around ever since the shadowlands returned. Honestly, you don't look like the type."
"And you don't look like the type to play spymaster. I'm sure there is a host club somewhere out there looking for their missing employee." The Joybringer couldn't help but laugh at that.
"It's what happens when you're a flunky in the Bureau of Fate, besides, it could be worse. I could be stuck on prayer substitution duty. That particular pile of paperwork has requests in there going back to the days of the Shogunate, and that's not because anybody is slacking off." All Aldric had to do was raise an eyebrow to get the Chosen of Venus to elaborate. "After the Usurpation the flow of prayer to the gods slowed down to a trickle due to the regular mortals no longer being able to perceive the supernatural or easily forgetting that it actually exists. And because us Sidereals are the only ones on Heaven's payroll that can actually interact with both the gods and the mortals we were 'blessed' with getting to devise and spread whole new ways of getting them their precious ambrosia. Seriously, you don't become a full-fledged member of the Five Score Fellowship until you've had to make comic sans the most popular font in the western hemisphere or something equally inane. As if we don't have enough to deal with, with all the snarls in the Loom of Fate."
"Ow. So to get to a somewhat lighter topic, is that subordinate of yours doing okay? Shooting him was the only thing I could come up with that would prevent us from getting into a fight."
"I'm still pissed off at what you did to Ling, but he'll be fine. My entire team is aware of the supernatural, so I could get him the good stuff. He'll be up and running again by next week." Given that it was a Friday, that must be some really good treatment.
"But then, you would think that the Bureau would have better things for you to do than…"
"Let's cut the chit-chat, ronin, or did you think I wouldn't have noticed you faking ignorance before? You know damn well what has been going on in Yu Shan. You're not a normal ronin, you've been in contact with someone inside Heaven, which makes your refusal to become one of us deliberate rather than unintentional. Or did you think I hadn't picked up your little tête-à-tête with that death cultist?" The gun was cocked and the sword drawn. The two were moments away from resuming their fight from before, when the Chosen of Serenity grinned and put his daiklave back in its sheath.
"Nah, not really feeling like it. I've got nothing against you and really, I avoid getting into fights as long as I can." Still suspicious, Aldric holstered his gun. "So are you here just for that statuette Ling was talking about?"
"Perhaps. All I really wanted was a little vacation. You're not trying to recruit me into the empress' army, are you?"
"Far from it, neither me nor my superiors are interested in seeing a strong or stable federation anytime in the future. My true purpose is to sabotage the royalists and keep the Tianzi from attaining real power. Not sure why my superiors are so fixated on that little girl, but if those are my marching orders who am I to complain? I was just wondering if you could do something for me?"
"Like what, do the same with the High Eunuchs and do your job for you?"
"I'm glad you're such a smart guy, that is exactly what I was thinking about."
"And in return you'll keep my existence a secret. Do you really think that'd be enough to get me to do your work?" The Joybringer's smirk widened.
"That was never gonna happen. You don't think I'd be dumb enough to hide the existence of a ronin from somebody like Gudleifr Ragnadagr, do you? No, our little spat in the village was a bit too public for that to fly. Instead I'll keep everything from your name and face all the way to which Maiden's caste you belong to a secret and the people up there will only hear of you when I hand in my monthly report."
"Ragnadagr, huh? Hadn't pegged you for a Bronze faction person. Alright, I might be interested in helping you. When do you have to hand in that report you mentioned?"
"Not for another two weeks. Help me and I'll get you that statuette, free of charge." And if he didn't the entire Bureau of Fate would know every little detail there was to know about him, from his relation with Lytek all the way to his favorite color if this guy was to be believed.
"You treat me to some good local food and you've got a deal. Aldric Straub's the name by the way."
"I'm glad to hear that. You can count on me to have your back or my name isn't Adamant Lotus."
Oh well, what was a little blackmail between new friends, right?
