- Location
- Hampden Park
26th December
And it's been a long day already
I… Actually wasn't expecting that. When he didn't go for me immediately…
"3:1 No. Not Karrien as well."
He looks so devastated that I'm tempted to say something to try and cheer him up, but honestly..? At this point I'd rather just nuke the whole miserable lot of them. I'm sure that anyone who wants to can find their way to the Source just fine without them. But why is Karrien going against the express wishes-?
Oh. Of course.
"He still regards the source of his orders as a higher authority than you. So he considers you illegitimate and anyone standing with you the enemies of your god."
"3:2 I believe we have established at this point that those orders did not come-."
"But it told him it was before you told him that it wasn't. This is what happens without free will!"
He grimaces. "3:3 I will conditionally accept this devil's bargain, on the condition that Satanus will accept being bound to leave once the threat to the Silver City is removed."
"And what does he get?"
"Illustres?"
I look down to where Ragnar and… Some other Orange Lantern whose name I can't immediately recall, float, waiting for me to deign to address them. New chap is Karaxian, wearing what looks like an armoured leotard. I'm not seeing a spare ring….
"One moment. King Raphael, if I am to negotiate for aid, you will have to offer him something."
"3:4 If you know his mind so well, what does he want?"
"Hell. You agree to recognise his sovereignty, recall Remiel and Duma and under no circumstances send angels there in future."
"3:6 That would cripple our ability to-."
"And?"
Raphael hesitates, looking over to the swirling melee as a flight of abominations under… Harm, of course, heads for the Silver City itself.
"3:7 I agree."
"Thank you. With me, Lanterns. Try and look like professional, well-disciplined soldiers."
Ragnar grimaces as I slither upwards towards the top of the wall. "I am well-disciplined."
"Then it should be an easy pretence, Lantern Ragnar. New Lantern, what's your name?"
"Lantern Onik, Great Master."
I could make a 'that's a long name' joke, but it's been a long day. "Any particular reason why Clarissi Dox sent you?"
"I was a novice in a Source-worshipping monastery before my calling, Great Master."
A priestly Lantern. My own mini-me. How thoughtful.
I crest the wall, the angels angeling the battlement backing off in a rare display of good sense.
"Was your monastery home to any species with an innate connection to the Source?"
"No, Great Master."
"Take a look around while you're here, and you'll see why that was a good thing."
And there's Mammon's army. Dispersed formation, already dug in, some sort of energy shields protecting the infantry and artillery pieces and more than a few mechanical… Thingies. Not a lot of fliers that I can see, but then I couldn't see the Scabbies in advance of their deployment.
Now, where is he?
Where is he?
Where is he?
Ah, there.
Flickers of fear shine out as the army comes alert in response to me flowing through the air towards their command post. Someone loses their nerve and a brief smattering of ectoplasma bolts fly at me before evaporating into nothingness about three metres from my body. Huh. I was planning to use a shield construct, but fine, I'll take it.
"SATAAAAANUS! I WANT A WOOOORD!"
There's a puff of lilac flame from… Another part of the hellish lines as a body double gets activated, posing as Satanus in full plate. But fine, if the angels get even more stupid having them not know where he is might help a little. I swoop down, stopping with my head about a metre away from him and with my tail undulating in the air behind me like I think I'm a Chinese dragon or something.
"I think you're the oddest looking angel I've ever seen. Including the ones made of wheels, wings and eyes."
"Not an angel. Come on, I'm glowing orange and I died recently."
"Paul?"
"I know. Surprised everyone that I came here. What are you doing?"
"Laying siege to the Silver City as retribution for their attack on my domain. We dealt them a solid blow at Masak Mavdil and I intend to capitalise on it." He looks left and then right along his lines. "Forgive me for keeping a portion of my forces back during that battle. I felt that a mobile reserve was more useful than an extra easily-bypassable trench line. I'm not here particularly to break you out, but I don't hate the idea."
"Okay, a lot of stupid things have happened lately and I probably don't have time to go into all of them. Do you still want to rule Hell?"
"Yes?"
"Neron has a pact of some kind with Asmodel. His forces have already taken their gate, and the angels are busy killing each other. You can't do better than that as far as attacking goes."
Actual-Satanus would either give it a go or go home at this point. But this is Mammon.
"On the other hand, you can barter. Trade your aid to the angels in return for a non-interference pact."
"Help… The angels."
"Neron's helping angels against other angels, so you don't really lose anything. You get to claim that he did it first, you get to perform a public transition from the old style demon-run torture nightmare Hell to… Just another afterlife which the inhabitants can make of what they will."
I shift forwards a little.
"Hell has a bit of an image problem at present, as I'm sure that you're aware. And on the off-chance that one of your people actually kills Asmodel… You'll have a major claim to fame."
"And Karrien Excalibris?"
"If you kill him, I'll owe you."
"Properly prepared demons can survive disintegration. Damned souls can't. They're unmade. Everyone he burned is gone for good. Fighting beside him-."
"Will be unnecessary as he sided with Asmodel. And I'm sure that if he wins here, Purgatory will be his next stop."
He looks left again, and I'm reminded that virtually all of these people would have at least broadly accepted the monotheistic code of ethics. In whatever form those existed in their society. Whatever they tell themselves in order to get by, the notion that they went to Hell because they were bad, and that the angels are good, is probably stronger than Mammon or I would like to admit.
"Total non-interference?"
"They give up all claims to Hell. Remiel and Duma get recalled from wherever they ended up. You still have to take Hell to make it yours, and you still have to compete for influence on Earth-."
"Capitalism."
I can hear his eagerness. As a demon lord he knows a person's motives as well as I do, and if he doesn't have to worry about an invasion then his relative weakness in direct combat is no longer a concern.
"Just so."
"Best fly up and have them open the gates, then. I need to greet my new friends."
And it's been a long day already
I… Actually wasn't expecting that. When he didn't go for me immediately…
"3:1 No. Not Karrien as well."
He looks so devastated that I'm tempted to say something to try and cheer him up, but honestly..? At this point I'd rather just nuke the whole miserable lot of them. I'm sure that anyone who wants to can find their way to the Source just fine without them. But why is Karrien going against the express wishes-?
Oh. Of course.
"He still regards the source of his orders as a higher authority than you. So he considers you illegitimate and anyone standing with you the enemies of your god."
"3:2 I believe we have established at this point that those orders did not come-."
"But it told him it was before you told him that it wasn't. This is what happens without free will!"
He grimaces. "3:3 I will conditionally accept this devil's bargain, on the condition that Satanus will accept being bound to leave once the threat to the Silver City is removed."
"And what does he get?"
"Illustres?"
I look down to where Ragnar and… Some other Orange Lantern whose name I can't immediately recall, float, waiting for me to deign to address them. New chap is Karaxian, wearing what looks like an armoured leotard. I'm not seeing a spare ring….
"One moment. King Raphael, if I am to negotiate for aid, you will have to offer him something."
"3:4 If you know his mind so well, what does he want?"
"Hell. You agree to recognise his sovereignty, recall Remiel and Duma and under no circumstances send angels there in future."
"3:6 That would cripple our ability to-."
"And?"
Raphael hesitates, looking over to the swirling melee as a flight of abominations under… Harm, of course, heads for the Silver City itself.
"3:7 I agree."
"Thank you. With me, Lanterns. Try and look like professional, well-disciplined soldiers."
Ragnar grimaces as I slither upwards towards the top of the wall. "I am well-disciplined."
"Then it should be an easy pretence, Lantern Ragnar. New Lantern, what's your name?"
"Lantern Onik, Great Master."
I could make a 'that's a long name' joke, but it's been a long day. "Any particular reason why Clarissi Dox sent you?"
"I was a novice in a Source-worshipping monastery before my calling, Great Master."
A priestly Lantern. My own mini-me. How thoughtful.
I crest the wall, the angels angeling the battlement backing off in a rare display of good sense.
"Was your monastery home to any species with an innate connection to the Source?"
"No, Great Master."
"Take a look around while you're here, and you'll see why that was a good thing."
And there's Mammon's army. Dispersed formation, already dug in, some sort of energy shields protecting the infantry and artillery pieces and more than a few mechanical… Thingies. Not a lot of fliers that I can see, but then I couldn't see the Scabbies in advance of their deployment.
Now, where is he?
Where is he?
Where is he?
Ah, there.
Flickers of fear shine out as the army comes alert in response to me flowing through the air towards their command post. Someone loses their nerve and a brief smattering of ectoplasma bolts fly at me before evaporating into nothingness about three metres from my body. Huh. I was planning to use a shield construct, but fine, I'll take it.
"SATAAAAANUS! I WANT A WOOOORD!"
There's a puff of lilac flame from… Another part of the hellish lines as a body double gets activated, posing as Satanus in full plate. But fine, if the angels get even more stupid having them not know where he is might help a little. I swoop down, stopping with my head about a metre away from him and with my tail undulating in the air behind me like I think I'm a Chinese dragon or something.
"I think you're the oddest looking angel I've ever seen. Including the ones made of wheels, wings and eyes."
"Not an angel. Come on, I'm glowing orange and I died recently."
"Paul?"
"I know. Surprised everyone that I came here. What are you doing?"
"Laying siege to the Silver City as retribution for their attack on my domain. We dealt them a solid blow at Masak Mavdil and I intend to capitalise on it." He looks left and then right along his lines. "Forgive me for keeping a portion of my forces back during that battle. I felt that a mobile reserve was more useful than an extra easily-bypassable trench line. I'm not here particularly to break you out, but I don't hate the idea."
"Okay, a lot of stupid things have happened lately and I probably don't have time to go into all of them. Do you still want to rule Hell?"
"Yes?"
"Neron has a pact of some kind with Asmodel. His forces have already taken their gate, and the angels are busy killing each other. You can't do better than that as far as attacking goes."
Actual-Satanus would either give it a go or go home at this point. But this is Mammon.
"On the other hand, you can barter. Trade your aid to the angels in return for a non-interference pact."
"Help… The angels."
"Neron's helping angels against other angels, so you don't really lose anything. You get to claim that he did it first, you get to perform a public transition from the old style demon-run torture nightmare Hell to… Just another afterlife which the inhabitants can make of what they will."
I shift forwards a little.
"Hell has a bit of an image problem at present, as I'm sure that you're aware. And on the off-chance that one of your people actually kills Asmodel… You'll have a major claim to fame."
"And Karrien Excalibris?"
"If you kill him, I'll owe you."
"Properly prepared demons can survive disintegration. Damned souls can't. They're unmade. Everyone he burned is gone for good. Fighting beside him-."
"Will be unnecessary as he sided with Asmodel. And I'm sure that if he wins here, Purgatory will be his next stop."
He looks left again, and I'm reminded that virtually all of these people would have at least broadly accepted the monotheistic code of ethics. In whatever form those existed in their society. Whatever they tell themselves in order to get by, the notion that they went to Hell because they were bad, and that the angels are good, is probably stronger than Mammon or I would like to admit.
"Total non-interference?"
"They give up all claims to Hell. Remiel and Duma get recalled from wherever they ended up. You still have to take Hell to make it yours, and you still have to compete for influence on Earth-."
"Capitalism."
I can hear his eagerness. As a demon lord he knows a person's motives as well as I do, and if he doesn't have to worry about an invasion then his relative weakness in direct combat is no longer a concern.
"Just so."
"Best fly up and have them open the gates, then. I need to greet my new friends."
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