Lords of Creation: In Character #2

[planswalker]

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Rebels, Victorious, Area 12

Lelouch gave a sharp glance at Will's jesting remark, but the remainder of the speech cut short any retort he might of made. Instead he simply maintained his glare and spoke softly. "...Nine bastions remaining? So you don't know. You don't know... we have much to speak of. Where is your headquarters?"

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Even as celebrations filled the streets below and the halls of every vessel in the rebel fleet, Lelouch's face was grim as he addressed the assembled 'command structure' of the group back on board the Unchained. It was the same team as before - Hakan (who he could still barely believe was actually an officer), Kaylee (An... engineer?), Soren (What business did a child have in a war council?), and William himself. Despite being the newcomer, Lelouch could not help but feel like the lone sane man in a gathering on lunatics. They hadn't even had a scribe until he'd requisitioned that girl from back in the city!

But enough self-pity. They had still won - but his allies didn't seem to quite grasp the task ahead. He cleared his throat and began speaking. "As I have mentioned, I have spent the last several years positioning myself to acquire intelligence on the tiefling forces. This has given me a rather singular view of the events outside the Bastion. You stated that there were nine Bastions left to liberate. 01, 02, 03, 04, 07, 08, 09, 10, and 13, I would assume. This is... no longer accurate."

"You have no doubt heard reports of foreign troops moving into the Isle - they provided the distraction your forces needed to make their push into Area 11. The tieflings are spread thin - too thin. In the time you have spent here, three more Bastions have fallen... from without, not within. Area 07 has been evacuated by the tieflings and is currently under the control of bloodthirsty monsters calling themselves Vampires. The status of the humans of the area is unknown, but massive numbers died in the attack - the tiefling intelligence suggests that the Vampires will likely maintain a human population as a food supply... I do not consider myself squeamish, but that is not a thought I relish."

"Area 04 was slaughtered. Every last human and tiefling, down to the children and non-combatants, was slaughtered. The city was not occupied, it was destroyed. The current status of the army that perpetrated the attack is unknown as of a few days ago, but they appeared to be extra-planar in origin. In other words, backed by divinity. Area 03 was likewise occupied by enemy forces, but the tieflings overclocked a carrier to level the city rather than letting it fall into enemy hands. Ergo, six bastions remain... not nine. A rather salient question is also raised - what do we do about these invaders?"

Kaylee was the first to speak, surprising Lelouch somewhat. "Well, the enemy of our enemy is obviously also our enemy in this instance. Even the tieflings were content to cage us up - a sight better than butchering us and eating us, I would say. I'd heard stories of Vampires, but I never knew they actually existed. Then again, until a few weeks ago, I'd never seen a tree either, so I'm pretty much game for stumbling on a long-lost samurai at this point."

"Yeah! That's just sick - it don't matter what crazy reasons you got, killing an entire city is screwed up! The way I see it, we only got ourselves one option now - we've gotta beat the tieflings and slug these vaperites and their buddies right out of our homes!" Hakan slammed his fist on the table to emphasize his point while glancing around at the others.

Lelouch's was flat in its reply. "Yes, it is rather unfortunate. But we can also use this to our advantage. If we abandon the the bastions in the nothwestern regions, we can achieve significant logistical advantages. Between the foreign elements in that region and our own forces, the tiefling supply lines to Teppelin will be strained to the..."

"Dumbass!" Hakan threw a heavy-handed hook, which Lelouch deftly dodged with a scramble backwards. "We don't abandon people! We don't back down! We don't care about logiply lines or 'significant advantages'! Ever! We save everyone! Why? Because we have to! And because we have to, we're going to! We've got the fighting spirit to punch a hole right through anything they throw at us! Who the hell do you think we are?!"

"That... that..." Lelouch sputters incoherantly for a few seconds. "You dislike my suggestion, so you attack me?! What lunacy is this?!"

"Bro is right." Soren spoke up at last, adding his voice to the general cacophony. "We don't abandon people. For some of them, we're all the hope they have left - and without hope, we're nothing."

The wiry, strategically-minded rebel had been reduced to spluttering incoherent syllables. Eventually he gained enough composure to address Will properly. "Please, please, tell these people that warfare does not work that way!"

William - Area 12

"Warfare may not work that way, but there is a power, a potential to the human spirit. Hope fuels it, and passion refines it, but none can control it. It is our greatest advantage against the Tyrants. Without it, we are but less than a hundred thousand ragtag rebels against a large and organized empire. We must be careful that we do not allow the Spiral to fade while pursuing reason. Two bastions have been utterly annhialated. One by the oppressors, another by the invaders. A third has been turned into a cattle pen where our very life blood is being drunk to feed others. Where there are nothing but ruins, there is no one to save, and nothing upon which to exact revenge. Of the third one, let us get to it in due time. However, if the invaders were able to overcome that bastion, they are likely stronger and better defended than the typical tiefling garrison. Let us build up our forces and learn about this new power before we commit ourselves to it. Our brethren there will be freed, but there are others closer whom we know we can liberate. I propose that we spend a month assimilating and training ourselves with our new brothers, as well as seeing if we can produce more ganmen to strengthen our forces, and march upon Area 09. Taking that Bastion shall prove to all that humanity is strong once again."

Rayne, The Riverways

The girl took a few deep, water-filled breaths, then slowly opened her eyes. She could see again - at least, for a little ways. The gentle serpent's light could not chase away such deep darkness, but it could push it back. It was different - very different - from the soft radiance of her home. In Teppelin, the darkness was a beaten, crippled thing that would slink to the corners at the flip of a switch.

Here, all light did was push it a little ways away. Anything could still be hiding there. Horrible things... Rayne whimpered slightly, but struggled to keep the fear out of her voice as she spoke to the serpent. "I... I tried to come to one of the gentler regions. I focused with all my might, but I wound up here! I... Nia! Where's Nia? Where is my sister? Is she safe? Please, serpent, she isn't here is she, in the dark? She's gotta be safe!"

"Do not worry, she is safe. When I told the two of you to enter together, I meant exactly together, not three hundreths of a second apart. The portal at this end wanders, and the time difference makes this dramatically fast for the two of you. Your sister is still almost two-tenths of a second away from entering. However, the portal seems to respond to the two of you. I am sure that her innocent mind will find its way to a beautiful part of Home. You yourself are also perfectly safe. Nothing and no one lives in this part of the Riverways, and you and I are perfectly alone. There is nothing to harm you. However, I sensed that this place terrified you, and came as quickly as I could, but not even I can truly stop time and reverse its flow. it took me some fifteen thousandths of a second to hear your distress and follow you. The flow of time here can be one of the most dangerous things for one who does not know where they are going. Tell me, if this is not where you wished to be, where would you rather go?"

Nia, The Riverways

She hadn't expected the little fish to actually talk back - but that it could was delightful. "I am Nia, Sir Stutty. Which is to say, Nia is my name, it is not what I am. I do not think there are many Nias, unless it is their name as well." She paused, tilting her head sideways. "That is odd. If the sun is over there, I should be upside-down. And yet, I do not feel it to be so. This is a very strange place, Sir Stutty. It is also very beautiful... but..." She looked around questioningly. "Have you seen the Honorable Serpent that was with me? He said he would be coming right away."

You came here with a River Serpent? I don't know much about that. One of them was there the day my mate and I had our first hatching, and even blessed our spawn for us. Also, what is this "sun" you talk about?

Area 12

From the enormous plains beyond the crysteel walls of the former Bastion, a figure appeared on the horizon. As the minutes pass, he grows closer and closer, until he stands before the crysteel walls.
The Forsaken was shorter than average, and wearing the regulation golem armor the tieflings had become so familiar with. An eyepatch covers his left eye and a pair of Void pistols hang from holsters at his waist. Drawing back his armored fist, he bangs it four times upon the crysteel wall.

The Forsaken would find that knocking against the massive gates that guarded a bastion was not an effective way to gain the attention of the residents inside. The gate was so large that knocking with less than a fallen tree was unlikely to be heard.

Fortunately for the traveler, he did not approach unnoticed. One of the two-dozen or so kappa who now traveled with the Resistance noticed him approach. Choosing to manifest herself on the material, she said, "If you want the attention of the ones inside, you might try knocking louder. However, since I don't see an army in your pocket, I am guessing that you cannot knock loud enough to be heard. Please, tell me your business here."