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o, it had come down to this.
"I can't say I'm surprised," I made sure to point out. "I figured, some day, I'd have to finish things with you. Although I wasn't expecting it in this way..."
"Is it a problem?" she asked me.
"Oh, heavens no. I'm glad to have the opportunity to work with you again. I believe this is a fair bargain between us, yes? All past errors and wrongs erased in favor of mutual benefit," I said, smiling wide. I always smile. It's a cheerful way to approach your work. "It is to my liking. Your will be done... my mistress."
She nodded once in approval, and vanished away.
I suppose you're wondering why I revealed that little secret to you. I'll explain in a roundabout way, but don't think I'll go making a habit of explanations. (Too early to consider doing that...) So, let's start at the beginning, my initial reason.
I've been a rather large fan of certain literary works. They're quite well done, even if my part in them is usually grossly misinterpreted -- understandable, understandable. Still, they're exceptional works, and done by an exceptional author. So, I figure, if Myth can write such wondrous tales of heroes and heroines, why can't I? And thus, this work.
Of course, I'm by no means a hero. After all, until recently, I was a Mazoku... a stock cardboard cutout of evil, a big nasty monster who delights in torment and death. And yes, I suppose I could be called a sadist, or a prankster, or an "enigmatic bastard" as Lina enjoys phrasing it... but I like to think there is a method to my madness. Thus, this rather brief volume. It's not nearly as good as Myth's work, but perhaps in some small way, it will vindicate my actions in the years to come. And it was SUCH fun to write.
If you're familiar with what will doubtlessly be Myth's master work, "Lina Inverse and the End of Everything," then you'll have a very clear idea as to my name and my role in things. If not, here is a hint; my name starts with an X, and Lina had assigned me to the role of 'Communications Relay Post' in the war effort. It's actually the most ideal position, considering my true intentions... here, I practically direct the entire war through the manipulation of information. Lina will be far too busy on her inane little quest to worry about managing battles.
Besides, if I didn't do a little command nudging here and there, the winged would likely squabble and bicker over who would lead in Lina's absence. Quite like children, they are.
And that's the situation, in summa. Except, of course, for the very important details I deliberately left out.
Isn't this going to be fun, boys and girls?
It's quite an involved story. Where do I begin?
I suppose I could start at the beginning, but that would make it easier for you. Instead, I'll start near the end.
Temporally, let's take things back to when Lina had just departed. Off she went, on another little poorly explained quest to save the world... I suppose most people would want to complain to L-sama about that sort of thing. She makes this nasty habit of just dropping the pieces into place, usually on top of your head, without letting you see the big picture. Nobody said she was a very organized deity, considering she IS a naturally occurring embodiment of Chaos, after all..
I'm digressing, aren't I? Pardon, pardon.
Lina had just left, leaving me and the kids behind. The winged may have presented... something vaguely resembling a unified front when Lina was there to order them around, but shortly after her departure, the situation got crazy once more. I opted, as usual, to sit back and enjoy the show.
"It's not possible," Paradox was arguing. "You want to put a white magic bubble-shield and a black magic mesh in close proximity? They'll cancel each other out. It won't work. Why aren't you just using white magic? That's defensive."
"White magic is what the Dragons use," Reason said cooly. I had to admire her; although she would probably be a bummer at a party, she had a unique ability to handle any situation aimed at her. "If a stray attack from a Dragon falls on the shield, it may phaze through the similar magic and strike. We need a net to capture and cancel white magic. But at the same time, we need a white magic shield to deflect the likely powerful black magic attacks from Mazoku--"
"A cute idea, but it's not going to happen."
"It's reasonable to think--"
"Will you SHUT UP about being reasonable!?" Paradox groaned. "You don't see me using my name as a catch phrase. I'm not that tacky."
Now I felt like interrupting. Paradox was sort of the runt of the litter, and it was universally acceptable to pick on him; and pick I did, like a blister. He deserved it for my last stay at his home, too.
"I suppose it's too difficult for anybody to manage," I baited. "I mean, you'd need to be a master at appealing the laws of reality. But I suppose nobody has enough power to break the working machine of the universe and allow this to work..."
"Nobody? HA! I could do it with one hand tied-- BOTH hands tied behind my back," Paradox said, sinking his teeth into the hook.
"Oh?" I asked. "That makes it possible, then. QED."
"Wh-- yeah, but... look, it's not possible for HER, and--"
"Then you'll assist me," Reason said. "It's the only reasonable way to make such a spell work, yes?"
"Sure, but-- HEY! I am NOT going to help--"
I cleared my throat.
"Given the lack of Linas in the immediate vicinity, I am acting captain of the peanut gallery," I noted. "Paradox, you're going to work with her on this device before you leave to guard your designated territories. Please make haste."
"But--"
"Be a good boy and play well with others, now," I smiled. I believe the point was hereby closed, so I enjoyed another gulp of the refreshing lemonade Amelia had made for this quickie planning session.
I had the lemonade mostly to myself. Reason didn't like sugar, and Paradox only drank wine; not that he could hold it. Drama, Love, Loathing, Luck... they had all departed immediately after Lina, headed for parts known. Dayvid was busy drafting up some idea on a sketchpad, oblivious to the world around him. It was just me and Amelia in a mano-a-mano contest for the refreshing beverages...
Fortunately, she was still outside talking to the city guard at my suggestion, meaning more for me.
"I don't wanna sit around here," Paradox grumbled. "I have plans of my own, you know. You think it's going to be easy shielding four different cities in null-reality envelopes? It's a complex Talent working."
"All the more reason to hurry with Reason, yes?" I said. "Both of you, run along. Chop chop. Got a war to fight, and I'm expecting we'll see action shortly."
Reason didn't question or bicker like her little brother did. She simply gave a nod, nudged Dayvid out of his engineer's trance, and the three of them went off to the lab.
Ah, I love a war. Especially when I get to run the show. Everybody off doing things in my grand master plan, cogs in the wheel, ticking along nicely. Quite organized. But of course, humans themselves are not very organized -- I suppose you heard me rant a long, long time ago about humans and chaos, yes? Probably had it beaten into your head quite severely by this point. (Hmm... severe beating.) It's true, I'm afraid; we're not a very stable lot, and prone to mishaps and unforeseen quirks. Mind you, I consider that the saving grace of the species, considering how unimaginative the Mazoku are... we climb out of the ruts we're stuck in.
And every now and then, the chaos plays to our advantage, as I was about to find out. (Ooh, a cliffhanger. Well, a cliffhanger for one sentence, at least... mmm. I really must get some tips from Myth as to how to write these things properly. Anyway...)
There's a rather bad pun ahead, in that it's not even groaning funny. Those with poor hearts may want to skip ahead.
Should I summarize? No. Well, yes. But I'll allow Amelia to summarize, as she explained to me.
"I was out here waving goodbye to Lina-san and Gourry-san, and telling the troops how we'd need their cooperation in defense of the city like you suggested," Amelia said. "And one of them pointed up at the castle, and went, 'What's that?' and I looked up and there was this black thing stuck to the wall of the castle! It must have hit the stones at really really high speed and gotten stuck or jammed in them... anyway, I had someone with a very big ladder go and scrape it off, and..."
She gestured over to the unconscious black sorceress.
"Naga," I acknowledged. "She really does know how to make an entrance, doesn't she? Although doesn't she usually just blow up the wall and walk through and pose?"
"Maybe she forgot to blow it up first," Amelia suggested.
I prodded the amply bosomed woman with my staff. No, my STAFF. Honestly.
I hadn't actually seen Naga very much. Our last encounter was back during that whole Mirror Lores fiasco, and I was assigned to travel around with Our Fair Lady of the Sugar High there... but trust me, you don't need very much of Naga to properly form an impression. I could immediately tell something was amiss, in the way she didn't move and didn't laugh and didn't act like an impossible heroine from a bad fantasy novel. She had her usual (and rather fetching) Battle BikiniTM on, and was clutching what looked like the broken remains of a stick.
"Is she dead?" I asked, with secret hope.
"She's just resting," Amelia said. "I figured I'd let her sleep a bit..."
"I wouldn't exactly call that restful," I said. "If you wouldn't mind making with the happy holy fun fun magic?... I'd heal her myself, but I'm rather out of practice."
And so Amelia healed up Naga, and after the usual round of 'Where am I?' type hooplah, we got down to the reason she was hear. Most literally.
"I was having no luck finding the artifact I sought in the nation of Ky, so I used the gift Lina gave me," she explained, holding up what was left of the stick. "A divining rod. But when I tested it and asked for water, it took me to a restaurant. So I asked for gold and it took me to some dwarve's cave, and when I went for broke and asked for the idol of Frat Hesti Orcalus, I went flying over the ocean!! I almost lost my grip a few times! And then I came in over Sailoon very fast and that's the last thing I remember."
Amelia-chan's reaction was typical of her.
"Woooow! You had an adventure, oneesan!" she cheered. "That's so exciting!"
"Doesn't explain what I'm doing back HERE," Naga grumbled. "The idol is in Ky."
"Actually, it explains things perfectly," I said, working through the logic. (Cover your ears, cautious peoples! Let not the following passage be heard!) "You see... your divining rod is hard of hearing. You wanted water, you got a waiter. You asked for gold, and it took you to... let me guess. What was the name of this dwarf?"
"Glod, why?"
"And finally, you asked for Frat Hesti Orcalus," I said. "And it ZOOMED and zoomed, making a beeline for.... a flat chested sorceress. Who was inside the castle at the time, so splat you went. Ta-da. Want some lemonade?"
Always bring a refereshing beverage with you. You never know when you'll need it.
Naturally, Naga picked up on one key thing. "Lina?" she asked. "Lina is here? Excellent! Perhaps we can return to Ky and continue my quest! I knew I would have difficulty without my lucky sidekick."
"Oh, Lina-san left," Amelia said. "She had to go on a really important quest or something."
"What?!" Naga gasped, aghast, and extremely exasperated. (Mmm... that didn't work, did it?) "She can't go on a bold journey without I, her most powerful rival and ally! Is she mad?!"
"Perhaps a little perturbed and holding internal feelings of worry and fear, but no, not mad," I cheerfully indicated.
Naga turned sharply towards... some direction. "I will leave immediately to accompany her!"
"What? But you just got here, oneechan!" Amelia said, eyes wobbling. "You should help me defend Sailoon in the spirit of love and justice! When--"
"Sailoon isn't my concern anymore, Amelia-chan," Naga said. "You know that."
"Mou, you're always so selfish! You wouldn't stay last time you were here, either!"
A faint light in the sky drew my eye.
"Ah... ladies?" I said, attempting to get their attention.
"Besides, everybody knows father liked YOU best," Naga scoffed. "His little white magic toting justice fiend. Just as good that I left! I wasn't welcome."
"Oneeeechaaaan!" Amelia whined. "You were always welcome! We just want you to help the family out like a true Sailoon princess! For that is the might and glory of our noble lineage..."
The light started flashing. "Hel-looo?" I said. "People?"
"Just because--"
I gave up, and pulled a megaphone out of the dreamstuff I kept in my pocket for just such an emergency. "*BEGGING YOUR PARDON!!!!*" I shouted into it, shattering glass in the building behind them and generally knocking people flat. Mmm. Perhaps that was too loud. I willed the megaphone away, and pointed up. "I just thought you'd like to know, we're about to be attacked."
Naga was first to her feet. "Attacked? What--"
Kaboom! Now, I'm a learned master in the field of purposeful combustion, and I can say up front that this was a nice one. Big and nasty, with flaring black and red fires -- that would be a stray Mazoku shot, if not a downright intentional one. And naturally it had to hit a nearby boarding house. Odds are a few people died in there. I had to smile.
The girls weren't quite so happy.
"We're being attacked!!!" Amelia shrieked. "Uh.. battlestations! Plans! Do things! Help!!"
"Funny, we hadn't gotten around to preparing yet," I said. "I suppose this means we're all going to die?"
A Dragon swooped low over the city, majestic wings spread, as two Mazoku followed on its tail. Judging from their auras, the Dragon didn't stand much chance... but only one of the Mazoku was attacking it. The other set fires down a nearby street, concentrating entirely on collateral human property damage. Mm. Interesting.
The fire stopped short when it hit a white bubble, encasing the entire city block. I traced the spell back to Amelia, and a small talisman with the signet of the house de Wil Tesla Sailoon on it. A magical amplifier! And she didn't tell me about it. Don't these nice people trust me?
"Sis, help me!" Amelia begged. "I'm not strong enough to cover the whole city myself!"
Naga floundered about, as the ground beneath shook from the battles above. "Me? What can I do?!"
"Use your white magic!"
"I haven't used white magic in years! How do you expect me to--"
A building not two doors down from us melted into green custard. Well, there was a new trick. Still, Lina probably wouldn't appreciate all this mess, so I decided to do a little manipulating.
"I suppose this means a lot of blood will be spilled today," I commented offhand, loud enough for Naga to hear.
"B-Blood?" she asked, voice with a tell-tale wobble. I had heard she wasn't very good with blood, after that little incident with her mother; it's a lovely lever to push, isn't it?
"Oh, definitely. I know Mazoku," I said. "Once they finish the Dragon, it'll be open season to have fun down here. Why, it reminds me of the time--"
Naga took hold of the talisman with Amelia right away. I knew that would work. It's so easy to make people do what you want when you hold their keys... but enough bragging.
I had to admit, the end results were impressive.
The elder sister must have been, what, four times stronger than Amelia! Who'd have known? The shield grew larger and more solid, the white bubble brushing past my skin like icy light as it pushed outwards. The Mazoku above were bumped aside by the energy, as Amelia and Naga tapped into the natural magical circle installed around Sailoon City for just such purposes... what fun! That these two silly little girls should have so much power when combined with their family artifacts. No wonder Sailoon hasn't fallen in any Mazoku War!
"Well done, well done," I said, clapping in appreciation.
"Shaddup, Mazoku," Naga scowled, sweat beading on her forehead as she concentrated.
Now, honestly, you see what treatment I have to put up with?
Not many of you have been in battles before. If you have, usually they're of the swords and sorcery form... valiant knights and heroes hacking off each other's limbs or burning each other to crispy, crunchy crackers. Cute, but not quite the same as a full-tilt Mazoku-on-Dragon holocaustic war.
The actual battle over Sailoon took roughly three hours, which isn't all that bad, but it meant Naga and Amelia had to stay where they were in the middle of the street and pour heaping gobs of white energy into that shield for one hundred and eighty minutes. Can you picture that? Standing stock still while your fellow citizens run around screaming and trying to protect their valued relatives and material objects? Having them run up to you, the only recognizable person in charge (royalty is commanding) and asking what's going on, and being unable to answer more than a few words without losing the shield?
And that's not to mention what's going on outside. Persistent fellows, they are. The Dragons called in reinforcements, therefore, the Mazoku called in reinforcements as well, always attributing a share of their resources towards pulverizing the city. Initially half their forces tried to break Amelia and Naga's spell... I did a little boosting of my own, I'll admit, to keep the strays that snuck by in check. And I certainly had to snag any white magic from the Dragons which accidentally phazed through. Fortunately, the Mazoku weren't stupid, just slow... they caught on that attacking the city was a lost cause and concentrated on the Dragons. Still, wouldn't be safe to lower the guard one notch, and the three of us kept things rolling until the very last magical warrior was out of sight.
Perhaps that's a rather summarized and jaded way to see things. Allow me to compensate by describing the aftermath.
Sailoon was not a pretty sight. Some property damage, granted, but that wasn't the real toll. Perhaps Zelas-Metallum had orchestrated this fight? She knows the value of terrified prey, and the people of Sailoon certainly chalked up some major stress points. The guard had to be deployed to prevent rioting, and there was a mass exodus as those who didn't want to stick around chose not to -- silly, silly people! Didn't they realize outside was more dangerous than inside?
As for the girls... hooo. Need I say? Perhaps you could feel equivalent status by not sleeping for three or four days and running a hard intravenous line of coffee into your neck. To say they were strung out is to be an insult to string.
Actually, this was a good thing for me.
It meant nobody was left in charge of the city. Not in any real sense. Follow the logic : the king himself was, as usual, on the verge of dying of old age... and his relatives were usually too busy plotting to make that verge a nice, lemming-oriented cliff. Prince Phil could handle the pesky and useless city guard, and the unofficial leader of the actual troops that mattered was now completely exhausted. Thus, it was my turn.
(I hope I can impress Lina with my tactical skills one day, if she ever reads this memoir.)
I swooped in like an angel and took control once our little party had limped its way back to the castle.
"You two look like Hell," I stated politely. "Believe me, I know this for a fact."
"mrr.." Amelia mumbled. Naga was a little less drained, given her power ranking, but didn't respond.
"I think you need to go to bed now, and not wake up until lunchtime tomorrow," I suggested. "I'll handle things. Yes?"
"Sure," Amelia replied, without thinking. (Best kind of reply.)
I summoned the nearest maids with a mental flick -- okay, okay, perhaps my time with the Mazoku has left me with a few staple evil gags -- and spoke to their minds.
"*Ensure that the princesses have comfortable beds and don't leave them until midday tomorrow,*" I ordered. The maids nodded in sync. I felt a bit tempted to ask one of them to stay behind and help me celebrate my victory... oh, dear. That really DOES sound like a staple evil gag, doesn't it? And here I am, a human being. I suppose I should feel shamed. In a way, I do, but not for reasons you may suspect -- I simply didn't think it was appropriate to relax when I needed to take care of business.
Next stop : Dayvid's lab. After all, the Mazoku would be back soon. As interesting as it would be for them to crush Amelia's little spells, it's not what Lina wants to happen, and to prevent it, we'll need my son's genius.
Allow me to pause one moment and clarify my relationship with my son. Yes, I know... breaks the flow of the narrative, doesn't it? I apologize. Those uninterested may skip on to the next section, which has lots of cool science stuff and magical tinkerings.
Now, you can call me a sadist, or an irresponsible jerk. Why, feel free to call me an evil beast! I'd just laugh at you, but you can go ahead. But one thing I'd prefer not to be called is a bad father.
It was an interesting experiment to begin with... I had a few decades free from my job as a Mazoku agent, so why not mix and mingle with the humans? Get in touch with my roots, so to speak. I got rather interested in musical entertainments, as I'm rather good with a violin myself... not as hip as those guitars the kids play, but classically stylish. It was at a concerto that I met her.
No, her name wasn't Luna. Let me crush that rumor here and now.
Her name was in fact Lyra.
Maybe it's just the letter L. I like girls with names that start in L.
But I digress!
I met her at a concerto, as mentioned, but the real orchestra was playing just for us. Cheesy? Perhaps to you, but this was back when I was first rediscovering my human side. Emotional reactions, while not gone in the sense of some silly chimera, were certainly suppressed while I did my work... I enjoyed the slaughter of Dragons, but simple pleasures like a good sundae or a warm hand in mine were quite new to me. So, when I met this simply... oh, I can't describe it! She was so warm and friendly, with smiles that rival my own, and intellectual beyond any of the cheap and uninteresting Mazoku I knew! I would even go out on a limb and say she was more fun to be around than Zelas-Metallum.
But love her? Difficult question. How was I to know? After all, I lived for my work up to that point and never really bothered to consider it. Most female Mazoku would stab you in the back rather than kiss you if it would get them something. Still, I'm not a whiny sort of person. I married Lyra without dwelling too much on love. We got along in some unusual, indescribable way, and that seemed to be enough.
Soon afterwards, Dayvid was born. I was a little hesitant, not quite sure how my Mazoku nature would affect things, but Dayvid proved to be an astoundingly bright lad. Here, I thought, would make an interesting heir to the vast amount of arcane knowledge I had obtained! But when I tried to teach him magic, or encourage him in various activities, he rebelled. I made the large mistake of trying to forcibly guide him towards sorcery, and he naturally jumped at the chance to be a scientist.
Mmm.
I guess I was a bad father. But I didn't try to be, heavens no, much the opposite. Still, the doormat to Hell is scuffled by the feet of good intentions, and things didn't work out. To make matters worse, I had to cut my vacation short, as only a few years after Dayvid's birth, Zelas-Metallum called me away to start tailing Lina Inverse.
And so, I put that phase of my life behind me and did what I was told to do. Sometimes I wonder if I should return to Lyra's side, now that I'm human...
But with the world ending, I'm afraid my time's run out in that regard. I can only do what I do naturally, and hope for the best, as I did with Dayvid. I'm proud of my boy. Maybe he didn't become what I initially wanted, but his eventual genesis into what he is goes beyond my wildest hopes. Perhaps he realizes this. But likely, he doesn't.
Strange thoughts on this queer day in history, but every one of them meant sincerely. You see, I didn't just assign Dayvid to this particular role in the war to make him feel good, or out of nepotism. I wanted to prove a theory.
Magic had dominated this world for far too long. A paradigm shift was coming, assuming we all survived, and science was on the rise... but science could dominate as well. What humanity needs is balance, the same implicit balance found in the Lord's constructions. Dayvid, by means known, unknown, intended and unintended achieved that balance... with a few nudges from me. Perhaps that is where humanity is heading, a mixture of technology and thaumatology...
The trick would be to see if this theory could apply to our situation. Would Dayvid pull a plot device out of his hat that would save us all?
As the girls sluggishly wandered off to bed, I decided to check on his progress.
Dayvid's lab was always messy, in the same way that the sky is always blue. Today, however, it was ESPECIALLY messy, with blueprints strewn about, rough sketches with huge X's through them tossed hither, tither and yond, and the obligatory amount of Apparatus turned on / in heavy rotation / glowing with pulsing light. Quite a sight indeed!
And in the center of it all, three figures locked in heated debate.
"It's not going to work," Paradox said -- what else would he say? "The focal point will burn out and need replacing every few days. And given the rarity of sorcerers that strong, you'll only have a functional bubble for a short time. Then we're toast."
"I think it's reasonable to assume that the balance will keep as long as we find someone strong enough," Reason reasoned. I really had to appreciate that about her, even if it worried me. "The system is self-regulating. As long as the flow is constant, the acceleration trauma is minimal."
"Oh? And where do you expect to find volunteers?"
Yawn, yawn. The usual footdragging. I noticed, however, that Dayvid was being rather quiet. Being the wanna-be good parent, I chose to take an interest in his hobbies directly.
"Hello, nice people," I greeted, and stepped right over to Dayvid. "How goes Project Omega?"
Dayvid snapped out of his thoughtful daze. "Project wha?"
"The thingy. The doohickey, the whatsit, the black box," I said. "The thing you're designing...? What does it do?"
"Oh... um... hang on," he requested, fetching the nearest pencil sketches, and gesturing to arcane technical things on them. "We're trying to make a device that can maintain a white magic shield, with a black magic net intertwined. And, um, it needs to work without Naga and Amelia putting out that kind of energy to do it, so we can keep it up all day long."
"Bah," Paradox scoffed. "You can do it with magic alone. Science has too many binding laws that can go snap! when you don't want them to."
"We lack the manpower to keep a 24/7 shield with magic alone," Reason reminded.
"Details, details!" Paradox shouted. "It's the safest--"
"You think it'll work, Dayvid?" I said, completely ignoring the raving winged.
"Welll..." Dayvid said. "Reason thinks so, and Paradox doesn't, so--"
I shook my head. The boy was bright, but could be dense as sheet rock sometimes. "Let me re-emphasize. Do YOU think it'll work?"
"...yes and no," Dayvid decided. "Yeah, in theory. But the problem is in the logistics. We need one extremely powerful white sorcerer connected to the machine at least twelve hours a day to focus and deploy the energy. Machines themselves can't cast or tap magical power yet. Therefore, we also need people to supply it with energy, by, um, feeding it."
"Nobody in their right mind would do that," Paradox said angrily. "I know people. 'Say, mister, would you like to hook your soul up to a funny machine that suck all the vitality out of you until you fall unconscious?' Name ONE person who would agree to that. No, better -- name THIRTY! Because that's how many people you'd need a day to drain power from."
"If you build it, they will come," Reason said ominously.
"If--"
"Shhhhhh!" I said, shushing the group. "Allow me to think without so much noise. Mm. So, one focal person, thirty volunteers. Can do. Dayvid, begin construction immediately."
"What? But, dad, we can't--"
"I've already solved one of your problems," I said, smiling nice and wide, my trademarked #4 'I Know Something You Do Not' grin. "I got in contact with her the moment I saw the war coming, suspecting just such a problem. She should be arriving tomorrow morning."
"She...? Who're you talking about, pop?"
All together now, people!
"Ah," I said, wiggling a no-no finger. "That is a secret. Now. Reason, Paradox, aid my son in making this thing. I expect a working model tomorrow morning. Go all night if you must."
"What do you think we are, sweatshop workers?" Paradox asked, reeling in horror. "I don't work on command. I am Paradox! Lord of Space and Time! If you think--"
"Oh, do shut up, silly little man," I yawned. "It's late, and I have one more task to complete before the night is through."
No more talking required, I turned and exited. No need to make a larger production of it than I already had.
ightmares are not just tools of evil and nastiness. Granted, they can be, as they were in my predecessor's hands... oh, fair warning, I'm digressing again. Feel free to skip past my ramblings, if you wish to get to the good bit where I seduce Myth into playing doctor.
Now, upon initially taking up the job as the New Nightmare, many were reluctantly accepting. "Of COURSE that Mazoku would want the job," many said, namely, Paradox. "He's got sadism in his blood." But naturally, the fellow doesn't quite get the point... what are dreams? I personally see them as inner reflections, as the subconscious and unconscious mind are the most powerful influences on the 'dreamstuff', as I have dubbed it. When a sleeper arrives her, his or her mind shapes the world around them. If they need visions of hope and love, they get them... if they need a chiller of a nightmare, why, that's what they get.
The key word is NEED. Reflections on self are what dreams cause, and a dark reflection serves just as many purposes as an ordinary one. Why do you think Lina has matured... well, questionably, given her recent flippant attitude to cover her nervousness and fear... ahem. Why do you think Lina has matured to the point she has? I believe it to largely be due to my manipulations way back during that Mirror Lores affair. When my significant twin contacted me from that strange world, letting me know about his poor stray Lina double, I saw a fine opportunity to heal and progress both of them! It took a lot of manipulation and a lot of chance, but the end results were delightful. I wonder, if I was not there to ensure proper guidance of Lina's waking nightmare, would she have simply succumbed and been crushed? The staying power of dark image is to burn, but burn with purpose, and in this case the purpose of strength. By the way, I didn't actually woo Myth, but wasn't that a fun trick to play on you?
What was my point again... mmm... one moment.
Hm hm hmmm..
Ah. Nightmares as learning devices. Take, for example, the nightmare I had carefully constructed tonight to capture one who required it. It was a simple sidewalk cafe, but done up in such fascinating acrylic paints and brushstrokes... an artwork in three dimensions. The moonlight was just the right shade of blue, the city night life atmosphere so perfect... an ideal place for Myth's date with me!
No, I still didn't woo her. Trust me on this, it will make sense in the long run.
As she slept somewhere in Sailoon Palace that night, I was in the world of dreams, seeking her dreamer-form. Finding someone in this world is easy, when you know how, and I had acquired such skills by practical need... pulling her into her personalized, carefully constructed nightmare was also easy.
"More wine?" I asked, seating across from her at a table, pouring a glass.
"Wh... what?" Myth asked. "What am I doing here?"
"You're dreaming, silly," I said, putting on my most charming smile. I'm told by the ladies that it can be quite devastating. "I'm so glad we have this chance to meet and talk, Myth-chan..."
As I saw fear in her eyes, I knew it was working. You see, Myth has never quite shaken off her fear of Nightmare. That decidedly unoriginal bad guy had done a number of perfectly horrid things to her, and she was now projecting that onto me. Tonight, I would try to scare some sense into her. Perhaps you see it as cruel; but even cruelty has a purpose.
"I'm waking up now," Myth said. And tried; but I blocked her. A simple task, really.
"What, before we've even had our entrees?" I asked. "That's very impolite. You can't run out on me just yet, I have such wondrous things to share!"
"You can't hurt me here!" Myth started. The line was nicely blurred now, between myself and my former namesake. "I beat you once here! I'm strong now!"
"Whyfor ever would I want to fight you?" I asked. "You'll give me what I need, yes?"
"No!!"
"And I have a gift for you.." I said, reaching into my jacket.
Myth immediately formed some kind of weapon, the most instinctive one her mind could think of; a large sword that looked vaguely like a pen. Symbolism can be such a delight!
But now it was time to shatter the pretense. I took out my book.
"It's only a first draft, and very truncated, I'm afraid," I said, immediately losing any implied malice in my tone. "It's in dire, dire need of an editor. Someone to make sure I'm on the right track, and since you're such a wonderful writer, I would be honored if you could...?"
Myth paused. "Wh-what?"
I withdrew the book. (If you're curious, basically it's what I have written here so far... save, of course, one crucial bit at the start of this chapter. She wasn't to know that. Not yet.) Continuing. "But I suppose it's your decision. If you're not interested in this personal biography, that's fine. I know you don't quite like me, but I thought... well, I thought that perhaps it would make a remarkable peace offering. To show that I really don't intend you any harm."
I chose the words very carefully for intended effect to shame her. After all, humility is best taught through social mistake, and Myth now was realizing she had committed a large one; she had assumed my intent was foul, simply because of what (or rather, who, in some ways) I represented. It was a first step towards acceptance. Besides, she was an avid reader, not just a writer, and I knew that the lure would work.
The pen-sword went away; I couldn't tell when or how, her mind simply lost the attention needed to keep it. She rested a little easier in her seat, still jumpy, but a kind of jumpiness that I was expecting. "This isn't just a dream, is it?"
"It's my world," I said. "So it is a dream. But I am me and not you in disguise, as other dream visions are. You know, this is your world as much as it is mine; stories are simply dreams given form. Dark or light stories. So, are you interested?"
"In what?"
"In reading my autobiographical notes, of course," I said, offering the book again. "I really would appreciate any comments. Don't worry, it doesn't bite. In fact, the prose is rather limp, in my opinion."
Myth accepted the book. Slight hesitation... not all blocks were broken. Still, remarkable progress.
"I.. guess I can take a look," she said. Brow furrowing. "Wait. How can I take an object out of the world of dreams?"
"Oh, don't worry. I've arranged so you can read it in your sleep," I said. "Wouldn't want this falling into the wrong hands before it's done, yes? I trust you to be discreet. I trust you." Repetition always emphasizes key points.
Next step, I allowed her to open the cover, and read a few paragraphs. Just enough to hook her curiosity, before I moved on.
"I really need to be going. I'm supposed to be meeting with Lina, after all," I said. "But there's one other task I'd like to ask of you. If you don't mind traveling..."
"Traveling where?" she asked. Quick, to the point. She wanted to go read. Excellent.
"I need someone who can make rounds to the other winged and get status reports," I said. "One every day or two. I could just ask them in the world of dreams... but then I'd have no eyes to what's REALLY going on out there, and would have to take their word. But with an independent reporter, especially one as gifted in description as you, Myth... well, I'd have the finest eyes and ears imaginable. It's an important task, and one of great responsibility, one I unhesitatingly trust you with... if you're interested."
Ah, there's that note of suspicion. "What's the catch?" she asked.
"No catch," I said. Now to play on her sensibilities. "Yes, I know... anybody who says 'no catch' has a catch up his sleeve. That's how it works in stories. And I suppose it wouldn't help to assure you that honestly, there isn't any catch... but honestly, there isn't any catch. It's okay if you don't believe me, the truth is truth regardless. Does this sound reasonable?"
"Are you a double agent?" she asked.
Oh my.
Of all the questions I had prepared for and predicted, this was.. it never was one of them.
"What makes you say that?" I asked, curious.
"All the signs are there," she said. But now some politeness crept in. "I don't mean to offend you, it just... it just occurred to me. When you were talking about how stories work, and I was thinking recently about how stories put in a betrayer, usually, and..."
Oh, how I wished to tell her! Tell her of the glorious backstabbing I had planned, the beautiful irony in it! She was smart as a whip and clever as Jean. I could weep at the perfection. But that would tip my hand too early... would I lie? I prefer not to lie directly, as that's a cheater's method...
Very well, then. I would rely on an ancient tactic. Tell a secret to hide another secret.
"Your instincts are right. There is a traitor among us," I said. "I know her name. I actually am keeping this very quiet, until I can gather enough proof... that's one thing you need to watch out for in your reports. Keep track of anything unusual in the winged behaviors. I can say, with the full honesty of all, I am dedicated to Lina's cause, and will do nothing to harm her. Is that satisfactory?"
"Y... yes," Myth said, thinking it through slightly. It seemed to work.
"Now, off to rest and reading, and... thank you," I said, smiling once more with my most charming. "I really appreciate this. I apologize for being a bit confusing at first." A good way to erase my tracks.
I'll decline to print the rest of the conversation, as it was very short, largely smalltalk oriented, and concluded with Myth heading off to ponder the many puzzles I had set before her. After that, Lina met me for her first update, restless because I had naturally removed Gourry's sleeping bag and she was resting in his arms... just my little joke. I told about the attack and such... but not too many details. No need to disturb her from the greater task.
Because, as much as the winged were dedicated to this war, none of it would really matter. Lina would hold the key that unlocked the rebirth of time, and all we did was fill in the margins.
Ah, but what margins they are!
Dull ones, mostly.
I'm going to have to be frank; aside from that opening day of chaos and destruction, very little happened for awhile. I'm going to have to skim a great deal and just hit the highlights, unless you truly want to be bored by my longwinded prose. Don't worry, we'll get to the good part where everybody dies later.
For now... the absurdist comedy!
The very next day, Dayvid's device was complete. It looked vaguely like a water pump connected to a large amount of comfortable chairs, and filled an entire room. Paradox left before breakfast, frustrated and angry that they were able to defeat his 'mpossibility claims so easily. He was a bitter one. If Myth was looking for a traitor, he'd be the prime candidate, considering his general dislike of us all.
But I digress. Back to the machine.
"Of course, we'll have to move it to the center of the city," Dayvid said. "I checked with the owner of the building there; it's just a warehouse. We can annex it or something under government order, he doesn't mind. But... dad, we still have that logistics problem. We need a powerful white sorcerer at the focal chair, and thirty volunteers each morning to charge up the power storage unit. Where will we get them?"
"The first is provided," I said.
"You said that. Who's coming?"
"Not coming, here. It took some effort to track her down, but she agreed to help after I explained the situation," I said. "I believe she's freshening up right now after the trip, which took all night. You remember Lily, right?"
Dayvid thought back. "The white sorceress who was going around with Lina months ago..." he remembered. "Jeez. It feels like it's been years..."
"You've grown a lot, m'boy," I said. "And we've all sat through some unusual storms. Still, it was not too long ago, and Lily recalls who were are, and is more than willing to aid."
"You didn't... coerce her, did you?"
"Perish the thought!" I gasped. "I'm a good little citizen of humanity now, Dayvid-kun! It would be wrong."
Actually, my initial plan was to threaten or cajole, given her lack of a spine last time I used her as my pawn... she surprised me by agreeing right away. Almost as if she had prepared in advance for this. Mmm. Unusual. Definitely not something to dismiss, but for now, it would do.
As for the thirty volunteers...
I chuckle every time I remember this. Dayvid was out of ideas, and frankly, so was I... I'm hu-man enough to admit when I'm tapped. So, I suggested Dayvid tell Amelia about the problem, as she was closer to the people of Sailoon and might have a good idea.
I've got a clipping here which explains Amelia's idea in a nutshell. I really hope your blood sugar level is low, because you will start hearing cavities form very shortly :
Doesn't it just make your SPINE hurt?
I have to admit... it was a brilliant idea. Scary, but brilliant. Allow me to back up a little and explain the chain of events.
The next day after the battle had come, and the Sailoon Sisters were clearly exhausted from the effort. Naga in particular was not doing well emotionally; she hadn't laughed once today. You know, I don't think anybody noticed this except me. Perhaps the reminder about her mother and the use of white magic opened interesting and frightening doors in her mind.... but I digress. The subject is Amelia.
No, no. Before we get to Amelia, I simply must introduce Lily. She's changed a bit.
I believe when you last saw her, she was a submissive white sorceress who allowed her 'boyfriend' to use her like a cheap tool. Of course, I was using her as a cheap tool as well... I mean, I had to have SOMEONE that could teach Lina the spell required to heal the other, victimized Lina. She also came in very handy when playing Zelas-Metallum's little game... such people do not grow on trees, you know.
Oh.
I guess that means Lily hasn't changed at all. Mind you, she does smile more and doesn't stutter.
So anyway, here we were in the warehouse Dayvid had selected, examining his mystery machine. Lily was getting oriented to the controls at the focal point and running mental exercises to keep herself ready. She had agreed right away to this, which could be due to her training to be a force of help, but I was suspicious... still, she would do for now. The real question was where we would get thirty people a day?
"I guess we could offer some kind of compensation..." Dayvid suggested. "You know, to cover lost wages from a missing day. The kingdom's coffers are big enough to fit that in. But how do we get them to agree?"
Amelia was pacing. She was energetic, or at least appearing to be despite her exhaustion, ready and willing to help save Sailoon.
"They'll need to want to do it," she said. "Maybe if we asked nicely?"
"Begging your pardon, princess, but politeness alone doth not a convincing argument make," I said. "I know people. They won't want to hook their souls up to some wacky machine without a very good reason. Reason?"
I think it was Reason's argument that got Amelia thinking.
"Actually, it doesn't have to be a good reason," Reason stated. "Just one that works."
"Huh?" Amelia asked.
"How do armies get people to agree to kill and be killed?" Reason asked. "They offer compensation as Dayvid suggests, but in order to recruit people who normally would not be interested... they convince them by other arguments. Logos is useful to an extent, but some people will be illogical. Instead, they combine ethos and pathos into one punch and use propaganda."
"Ewww," Amelia said, making a face. "That's what bad guys use."
"In Sailoon's history, this country has often used propaganda," Reason continued. "It can be as simple as saying 'Fight for your country.' Ethos, the voice of authority, implying that it's your obligation to obey. Pathos, the emotional appeal, trying to encourage enlistment by patriotism. These combined act as encouragement."
"Oh, patriotism. I thought you meant something bad," Amelia said. "Hmmm. So.. we need a slogan? Something to encourage people to volunteer?"
"Slogans, posters, flyers, mass communication, icons, tokens, easily digestible and referential symbols," Reason listed. "Anything will do if crafted well enough. I recommend one focal point with binding concept reinforced by extreme repetition in slight variance."
Amelia's little brain was probably overheating. "Uh. One what?"
"I think I'm following this," Dayvid said. Always the sharp one! "Reason's saying if we come up with one idea like that and just... shove it in people's faces over and over, it'll work. Like advertising."
"Ohhhh!" Amelia smiled. "I get it!"
Naga made her first and I believe only comment of the day. "What'll work? 'Come sacrifice yourself for a few cubic miles of land?'"
Oddly, nobody picked up on her disgruntled tone, too excited by the idea of propaganda. Which also goes to show the power of it.
"I know! I know!" Amelia shouted with glee. "It needs to be something... cute! Something everybody can like, and feel good about! A really positive thing. And a real person, too, someone who can talk to them and show up in public and... oh, I've got it, I've got it!"
"Er.. what?" Dayvid asked.
"THIS!" Amelia said, posing dramatically and pulling out... a pen.
Yes... I think that is when the sinking feeling started.
Sparklies (they're obligatory) started showering off the magical pen, and bubbles and flowers and stars came out of nowhere, enveloping her. "SAILOON POWAH! MAKE-UP!" she chanted, and a few seconds later (where DID the music come from?) she turned on one toe, posed, and introduced herself.
"I am Sailor Justice, warrior of love and peace!" Amelia declared. "And I'll happily help out my country!"
"I guess it could work," Reason said, the final nail in the coffin.
Spooky. But it worked. I couldn't have planned something better myself, without possibly mind control magic.
I think Dayvid was a little unsettled by this turn of events... I myself harbor the suspicion that Amelia was using her cute little costume in other aspects with him. Still, he had a printing press going (his latest invention) and was making up flyers by the dozen to post around the city. Reason took time out before leaving for Darata to study Sailor Justice's magical transformation pen, locking herself in the lab to do so... curious. More importantly, we got a trickle of volunteers that second day, nothing special, just people who were curious. The real flood started when Sailor Justice did her pep rally in front of Sailoon Palace the day after that.
I am NOT going to quote her speech here. I will say it was nicely done, if a bit saccharine, and when a few people immediately signed up to volunteer, it set off a chain reaction. People LIKED Sailor Justice. Sailoon wasn't so jaded as to laugh at her... and the ones that did, well, who cares? All we needed was thirty warm bodies a day, and there were plenty to go around.
The machine went on to full power for the first time that day, the milky white bubble enveloping the town glowing strong. Lily did her job remarkably well. I decided to test the bubble a bit, throwing every black spell I could manage at it from outside, and nothing got through. Even my counterpart in that other world could easily bust through a shield like this, one constructed by the very same people! But you see, we had an edge... we had Dayvid. I knew I was right! Dayvid's science provided the required element of chaos that kept humanity's adaptation running like clockwork.
The Mazoku made another attack on the city that night. People walked out of their houses after the first five minutes of explosions, curious... and watched, as the black spells made no progress through the protective bubble. A rousing cheer went up in the streets, as they watched the monsters beat on the shield in futility. We had beaten them! Sailor Justice was right!
Needless to say, signups for the shielding machine tripled.
Things were good.
Too good.
I started to realize this when Myth returned from her first trip through the Sub Ways, with an update on the winged's efforts across the world. I debriefed her in the world of dreams, again picking a cozy, romantic locale. The Palace of Chaos, or whatever it's called, was more than suitable with the dreams of several waking-world rooms to pick from. I selected one with a fireplace and a nice wine rack, but she didn't drink any.
Here's a quick rundown on what she reported :
"Love and Loathing are settled into New Piper's Cove, in Testabourne," she said. "They're staying with the Gabrievs. Things are fine there, and they managed to relocate a Dragon/Mazoku battle that was raging nearby to a safer place by instilling a love in them of the city... they wouldn't touch it after that."
"I suppose Loathing is a bit superfluous," I sighed. "Can't think of a good way to apply his Talent to PREVENTING conflicts."
"He's actually the only negative thing in my report," Myth replied. "He's not getting along well in Testabourne. The Gabrievs are too... nice. He's been hanging out with some of the local teenagers who are more traditional, conservative Testabournians, encouraging them to throw rocks at girls and stuff... the community isn't happy."
"I'm sure Love can keep him under control," I said, sipping some fine wine. Dream-wine can be quite tasty.. why would I dream bitter wine, after all?
"Reason's going to Darata tomorrow, so no news there... Drama has already come out of the closet in Justivalero," Myth said, a bit of annoyance in her voice. "He rode into town in a gleaming cobalt blue set of armor with a giant sword, and declared himself the Holy Knight of Justice, there to save their country from the terrible Mazoku. They ate it up like... like..."
"Pudding? Bread? Sugar cubes?"
"They ate it up, at any rate," Myth said. "A battle or two wandered into the country, and Drama gave the people the ability to actually slay Mazoku using ordinary swords which were blessed with his Talent. The surviving ones fled, and the Dragons stayed to feast in the capital city, apparently."
"Hmmmmmmm. I see."
"Paradox has already put hard reality bubbles over a number of towns in Ky, but they're apparently upset at being 'imprisoned'. He didn't bother talking to any of them about it beforehand. A few Mazoku tried to strike, but gave up fast and left."
"That's a public relations nightmare waiting to happen," I noted. "See if Love can swing by there and sort things out. And Luck?"
"...I don't know," Myth admitted. "She took off for some random spot over the ocean, remember? I went to the location with my wings, but she wasn't there."
"I'm sure she got lucky and maybe found some undersea kingdom or some rubbish like that," I yawned. "It'll be fine. Sounds like a lovely report, Myth. Thanks. What's your opinion on things so far?"
"My opinion?" she asked, not prepared for the question.
"Mm-hmm."
"Well... I mean, we're doing what we can, right?" she asked. "There's still a lot of places left we haven't protected, but that's because we're only eight people... already folks are migrating to the areas that are protected."
"Oh? And how did they find out?"
Myth almost blushed. "I.. sort of spread the story with my Talent that there were safe havens that the Lord of Nightmares had blessed. It's almost the truth, right? I hope I didn't do the wrong thing, I didn't confirm doing it with anybody..."
"Oh, no no no! It's an excellent idea!" I said, giving her a nice, encouraging smile. "Brilliant work. Feel free to do what you feel needs to be done. Just as long as you don't sell us out to the Dragons or Mazoku like the traitor is doing."
"The tr-traitor?" she asked. Telltale stammer. I knew why. "Have you, ah, heard anything more?"
"I'm still gathering evidence," I said. "But soon, he'll be unmasked."
"He?"
"Or she," I said, mocking a yawn. "It's quite late. I believe I'll retire. Thank you, Myth."
She left quickly. Very quickly.
Yes... things were too good.
I figured it out shortly after Myth left. What was the one thing common in all her stories? The Mazoku arrived, started attacking Dragons AND humans, just as they did over Sailoon. But when the winged defenses protected the humans, did they stay and continue fighting Dragons? No... they fled.
The Mazoku weren't trying to fight a war against the Dragons. They were trying to cause damage. If they actually sat down and fought a nitty-gritty, down and dirty war, they would lose -- Shaburanigdo was not resurrected, and Lina had exterminated (directly or indirectly) two of the great lords. There was no way they could win. Instead, they were delaying, stalling, dragging it out by simply hitting the 'soft targets'... humans.
And the Dragons... what stupid beasts! They didn't realize this. Blind anger brought on by hurting humans ("Preserve all life", you know) masked the true purpose, and kept the war rolling.
I laughed for hours when I figured it out. You can't BUY this kind of entertainment.
Still, there was a disturbing note. If the Mazoku weren't dull beasts, they had learned on the first round of attacks that certain locations were defended too heavily to bother with. Would they continue punching at these defenses, or simply relocate?
The next day, Myth returned to report. No fights.
No fights the day after that, either.
Sailor Justice kept the shield going, but the population of volunteers started to slag off when the war seemed to be 'over'. We compensated in two ways. One, I would sneak out of the city and attack it myself, to spook people into running to the Palace and signing up... is that mean? Perhaps. Yet, so amusing, to watch them scurry, without realizing I was doing it for their own good!
Secondly, Sailor Justice decided to take up a career signing. It would be the world's first idol singer, may history forgive us. This time, I wished Dayvid hadn't been so ingenious... he managed to make amplifiers, special instruments that operated by magic, and so on. A weekly concert was held, and copies of the musical inventions were donated to any bands that wanted to play at these 'Sailoon Benefits Sponsored By Sailor Justice'. The turnout was scarily large, musicians and listeners alike...
You know, I could probably write a whole book on how this revolutionized the music industry, but I'm not going to, because I can FEEL cavities forming in my teeth when I think back to those awful, awful, cute and awful songs Amelia made. Therefore, this is the first and last time I will approach the topic, and believe me, you will thank me for it in the long run.
But to hear me describe things this way makes it look like everything was sunshine and roses. Not so.
I like to believe that every major event has a 'hint'. If there were no hints, what fun would secrets be? I've made it a life's calling to craft these hints and secrets, and had mastered embedding the hints so well that I could recognize them with ease. History had dropped a hint in my lab several days later.
It was nighttime, and I was wandering around the Palace, looking for something... anything... interesting to do. I found Naga in the kitchen fixing herself a sandwich, and decided she would be entertaining enough.
She hadn't worn her 'battle bikini' in awhile. Instead, she was wearing more plain garb, nothing princessly, but in mandatory black. And she still hadn't laughed more than some token gesture on occasion.
I decided to be direct.
"So, what's upsetting you?" I asked, without any hello or how do you do.
"What?" she asked, because I hadn't used any hello or how do you do.
"You're acting funny," I said. "Why?"
"I'm not acting funny," Naga said, continuing to prepare her sandwich delicacy.
Why not push her buttons and find out?
"War's hell, isn't it?" I asked, grinning as was my wont. "The Killers are out in force." That was her little word for those who would murder, specifically derived from the one that killed her mother. It's good to know these things, isn't it?
"Hah!" Naga scowled. "What would you know about the Killers? I suppose you're enough of one to count, but..."
"That hurts," I said, taken mock-aback.
"You're Mazoku, aren't you?" Naga asked. "Like those ones who attacked. Of course, they're gone now, probably off attacking other villages and towns. And here we are, sitting behind the pretty white bubble, safe! When will Amel.. when will any of you see how worthless white magic is?! It's not doing any good!"
"On the contrary," I stated. "Most of the local villages have evacuated here to the main city. They're safe and sound. Farms can be rebuilt, after all, and volunteers can be had by the plenty this way."
"It won't work. They always find a way through," Naga said, in a low voice. "Amelia's always too blind to see that, with... UGH. Her SINGING. She was always too upbeat to recognize this sort of thing. You aren't, right? You know it's not going to work. The weird machine will throw a cog or something."
"I've got faith in Dayvid's ability," I said. "Besides, what other plan of action do we have?"
"STRIKE!" Naga shouted, banging a fist on the counter. The mustard jumped. "We should be on the offense, not the defense! Hitting the Mazoku with every ounce of black magic we have!!"
"Black magic? On Mazoku?"
"It CAN work," Naga said. "Mix it with Shamanism, and... a touch of White. Just a little. I've done... I bet I could do it."
And she could. I remember a report from my counterpart in that other world, so long ago, of Naga, the Mazoku Hunter. To her, a 'little bit' of white magic was probably like a razor sharp sword. Sure, she dresses and acts the evil sorceress, clumsy and predictable, but when things are really, really awful... well, it can bring out a lot in someone.
Of course, that Naga was trapped out in the open, in the apocalypse. This one was trapped in a little bunker in the apocalypse. I wonder, which would have the most effect? Which would drive her to new resolves and envelopes in pure frustration?
Still, we didn't need a loose cannon.
"Not everybody can fight a Mazoku, even if you think you can," I said. "So we'll stay hidden away until it blows over. It's the only way, given our resources--"
"It's not going to be enough," Naga said, straightening her slouch. She turned, and walked right out of the kitchen. No closure or anything. She even left her sandwich behind. (I ate it, of course. No sense wasting good food.)
She had valid points, though. If being cooped up with no real 'progress' drove her to odd behaviors, what would happen to the other winged?
Perhaps it was time to check. In hindsight, I rather regret it, but no sense crying over spilled milk.
That night, Myth gave her report to me in a rustic mountain dream-cabin, cozy and comfy. I think she was beginning to be a bit irritated by my playful attitude in locales, but didn't let it show... much.
She had interesting news, however.
"Nobody's come within fifty miles of Darata," Myth said. "All the countries have had small towns raided outside the protected zones, but not Darata."
"Reason must have an unusual tactic," I concluded.
"The Mazoku also have stopped attacking Testabourne," she said. "Not a tiny sliver of it has seen Mazoku or Dragon activity. But Love reports that she isn't doing anything unusual, and neither is Loathing. No Talents and no plans."
"And the others?"
"Not the same. Paradox is going nuts trying to cover as much area as he can; the Mazoku have caught on that taunting him by blowing up everything just outside his zone annoys him," Myth said. "And Drama is waging one heck of a war against these guys... as king."
Even I had to pause and try to understand that one.
"King?" I asked.
"He's had himself crowned King of Justivalero," Myth said. She didn't like the news either. "The whole country's fanatical about their new savior. I think he may be going a bit overboard... and the Dragons have been very, very good at hunting down Mazoku over Justivalero. Abnormally good."
"None of this sounds good," I said. "We're not losing. We're winning. We're not SUPPOSED to be winning, we're supposed to be staying out of it. Even over Sailoon, where you and I are, the Dragons have been doing unusually well with no.. apparent influence. Oh, and what about Luck?"
"Ah.. no word."
"I don't like that, either," I said. "And tonight, I heard another note of discord... no. This isn't right. Beastmaster Zelas-Metallum, who's likely in charge of the rabble, would not be doing this badly when we're not supposed to be doing anything. I want all the winged to come to Sailoon for a war planning council and checkup. I think they've been on their own too long... I'll deliver the messages personally."
"Will Lina be coming?"
Ah, the question. First time my leadership has really been questioned.
"I don't see any need to bother her," I said, dismissing it immediately. "She's busy doing her own little thing. I'm sure we can piece together the mysteries ourselves, yes? What could possibly go..."
I stopped myself fast. That was a close one. Did he hear it? Unlikely. And he was too busy being hunted down to bother dealing with it. I was safe, had to be.
he next day was a bright and sunny day over Sailoon. People weren't too scared of the war anymore, and elbow room was made for the refugees and so on. Things couldn't have been better.
Mind you... there were some odd little notes on my personal visits to the winged. Allow me to list them :
My first stop was in Justivalero, to summon Drama. I didn't need to do much looking around... he was everywhere. On posters, on the lips of the citizens, and someone had even commissioned a giant statue to his honor in the main courtyard. Yes, High Lord and King Drah'ma was definitely the man of the hour.
When I introduced myself to his guards, they didn't want to let me in. That was fine, no need to bother them. I teleported directly into the royal chambers instead.
It's not very fun, being shot at with crossbows. Ordinarily I wouldn't care, because a Mazoku's healing factor can deal with such things... but as I was now human, those sorts of nasty flying objects could be quite deadly. When I touched down, I was shot at by three of them.
The first two I shielded in a snap reaction; the third missed.
"Stop, stop!" the king ordered, waving his arms dramatically. Yep, that was Drama; he had on an overly decorated crown of gold and sapphires and a fine blue robe, but there was no mistaking his jawline.
"An intruder, m'lord!" one of the generic royal guardsman said, starting to reload his bow.
"A friend," the king corrected. "Good sir Xelloss, welcome to the court of Justivalero... what brings thee with this surprise visit, mayhaps I ask?"
"Oh dear, has your new job gotten into your vocabulary as well?" I asked. "Really now, Drama, isn't this all a bit much? King? Who said you could be crowned king? When Lina instructed--"
"I will accompany the visiting dignitary on a tour of the castle," Drama quickly stated, sweeping off the throne and over to my side, egging me on. "We will not need guards. Stand to your posts."
His troops obeyed, of course; probably he used some Talent to ensure it. He led me out of the throne room, through some random castle hallway (honestly, you've seen one palace, you've seen them all) and into a large, empty dining room. It was generally a mess, in the aftermath of some sort of banquet... a cleaning task it'd take any respectable staff a full day to finish, very understandable.
"What are you DOING here?!" Drama asked, losing most of his act.
"Why, I'm happy to see you too," I mocked. "We're calling an emergency meeting in Sailoon. Go to the palace at once. Assuming, of course, your lordship isn't too busy with the duties of the realm...?"
"As a matter of fact, the war... things are going smoothly here, as we have exterminated all Mazoku in Justivalero," Drama said, regaining some of his ego. "The land is peaceful once more. I would be honored to visit fair Sailoon--"
"Looks like you had a party in here," I commented, looking at all the upturned mugs and unsettled benches. "A celebration?"
"A victory most true and glorious," Drama responded. "We smote no less than six Mazoku yesterday, the final stragglers who were too slow to flee in terror! Our swordsmen cut them down like grass as they ran, the cowardly dogs!"
"Sounds peachy...." I said, focusing my attention on the nearby mess.. and reaching out, to pluck a tiny item from between two planks of the table. "Do you have a goldfish?"
"We drove the filthy-- what?"
"Fish. Gold. You know, the kind that would leave behind scales," I said, holding up the offending thing. "Golden scales. Funny to find lying around."
"I have no idea what you're talking about," Drama said, which of course meant he knew damn well what I was talking about. "I must attend to the tasks at hand before I return to Sailoon. You will see me shortly. You are dismissed, Xelloss."
The King of Justivalero turned, and swept from the room. Royalty never walks. They sweep. And they dismiss people when finished with them...
I suppose it'd be redundant to state that I found the situation odd.
Next on the hit parade was a short jaunt over to Testabourne, home of Love and Loathing. I figured the best place to look for them would be at the Gabriev household; after all, it was the family center Love had attached herself to in guise of Aunt Koirry, and perhaps I could get lemonade and cookies from the always charming Mrs. Gabriev. New Piper's Cove was a generally friendly place, in a sexist, racist, loud-mouthed sort of way; but because everybody in town basically thought the same way, they were very friendly to each other.
I wasn't expecting to find a lynch mob outside the Gabriev door.
Really, it was a genuine mob. They had pitchforks and torches and the whole deal. It's strange, but if you whip the population into a rage-loaded frenzy, they just... gravitate towards pitchforks and torches. I doubt any of them actually tossed hay around, too.
I snuck up to the back of the crowd, and sought information. "Excuse me, what's going on?"
A random Testabournian looked at me. "You smell that?"
Sniff sniff.
"Yummy," I said, pleased. Cookies are always so nice. Although smelling them on street level is odd...
"Koirry's little brother set fire to Windleman's bakery!" the man growled. "That's the third time this week he's caused problems. That boy ain't right, I say. We don't want his kind in New Piper's Cove."
"What about the valuable public service he performs?"
"What, you mean teachin' our kids to talk back to their elders?" the man asked. "Or encouraging that damn 'Angst' fad?"
My suspicions were correct; 'Aunt Koirry' was silently helping to protect the area, rather than serving as the very public focal point Drama was. And yet, Myth had reported that... mm. Confirm that.
"Say, how about those Mazoku?" I asked.
"What Mazoku?"
"Why, the ones in the war, of course."
"There isn't a war," the man said. "Few fights broke out between some monsters awhile back, but we ain't heard a peep since. You ain't from around here, are ya, boy?"
That's usually the first signal to move on before the locals start persecuting you. Take it from a seasoned outcast.
"No, not really. Excuse me," I excused, and sought some cover before I could teleport out.
I landed inside the Gabriev home, where the situation was equally tense, in its own unique little Gabriev way. Nobody bothered commenting on my usual flashy, magic-induced entrance; they were too busy doing other things.
Mr. Gabriev was stomping around in a small circle, mumbling something about small birds and gravity. Mrs. Gabriev was baking cookies to relieve stress... they were piled up by the kitchen door and spilling out onto the floor, with more coming. We all show tension in our own little ways, you realize.
Figuring this wasn't the time to enjoy a snack, I headed to... wait, I forgot to explain how I knew my way around this house and its occupants. Mm. It'd ruin the dramatic pacing if I told you, so let's just call it a secret and move on.
Ahem.
Figuring this wasn't the time to enjoy a snack, I headed upstairs to the guest bedrooms, and saw just what I expected; a locked door and a pleading winged.
"Go away!!" Loathing shouted, muffled from behind the door.
His sister was right up against the door, looking quite shaken by the whole deal. You know, Love isn't the sort to be thrown emotionally... she has the unique ability to love everything and take it all in stride. I guess you could say that, again, I found the situation odd.
"Trouble?" I asked.
Love jumped about a foot, turning to look at who was talking. "Xe-xelloss... no, no trouble. Just.. some trouble. With the good people of town... I'm afraid my brother isn't getting along with them. I know he's just as old as me, as old as any of us, but he's had a had time growing up... he just doesn't fit in anywhere."
It was a summarized excuse. If you don't mind me stepping out of time, allow me to return to something Love had told me... when DID she tell me this? It was a long time ago, back when we were all basically waiting around with nothing to do after the last little shindig against Old Nightmare.
Given that I was now in the family, so to speak, I had set out to learn as much about my adoptive brothers and sisters as I could. The one among the bunch I could never get a grip on, though, was Loathing. I figured he'd be just like a Mazoku, since both of them are interested in destroying things, but Love explained the difference.
'My brother... he hates,' she said. 'He hates everything, with a passion, in the same way I love everything. The Mazoku don't really hate the world, at least not most of them, and even though they claim destroying themselves is all part of the plan, most I've met would rather stay alive so they can enjoy the world... Loathing doesn't. Loathing truly does hate himself. I've tried for years to show him how much I love him, and maybe to help him fit into the world better, but...'
'It hasn't gone well?' I asked. In the flashback, I mean.
'No. Not well at all. It's a constant struggle to keep him from consuming himself in his rage. But I won't stop trying to save him, either.'
It's not a very fun way to live, but Love somehow manages it with a smile and a gentle word. To see her now, here and now, in amateurishly hidden despair, is not a good sign.
Being a firm believer in the one-line reaction test, I decided to check something. "You know," I suggested, "We could relocate Loathing to Sailoon while you protect Testabourne alone--"
"No no, that's not required," Love interrupted, making it as casual as possible. "These are just little problems. This town needs our care and affection in the war. Don't worry... we're carrying out Lina-san's orders quite well."
"Again, so I've heard," I commented, rubbing my chin in a manner most thoughtful. "So, no Mazoku attacks recently? Amazing efficiency."
"We've been lucky, really," Love said.
Ah, yes! Luck. (Cute transition, yes?) Now, tracking her down was.... impossible. I had absolutely no idea where she had ran off to. However, being the resourceful sort I am, I simply approached her via another avenue, the World of Dreams. After all, the winged do sleep and dream. It's part of their eternal curse to only see the perfect world they were born in in fleeting glimpses. Unless, of course, the Lord of Nightmares was trying to suggest something else...
But I digress.
I'm afraid I can't even begin to describe Luck's dream. It twisted and warped around, random things popping up left and right and vanishing at chance over whim, complete chaos of imagery. It's to be expected, I suppose, given her bipolar nature to never decide on one particular dream... it took every skill I had to embed a message in a capsule, and shove it into that mess far enough for her to see it properly.
Let me take a moment to explain how much I love the World of Dreams. I've always been a bit of a nonconformist, never quite liking to use 'spells', those silly little poems which have nothing to do with actual power. I've tried to teach Dayvid a lesson, and have been moderately successful, that you don't need spells to do magic. All you need is will, and humans have an INCREDIBLE amount of willpower... willpower to shape the world around them. And dreams operate on willpower alone, rather than magic.. thus, I'm a natural candidate!
I hope you found that fairly interesting.
Moving right along, I teleported over to Darata, where Reason was back at her old university cum laude haunts. She was busy teaching a class in the art of applied illusionary magic in the field of optical projection onto the retina of humanoid creatures when I appeared on top of the podium.
The class freaked out, of course. It's funny, how easily humans can be surprised by magic, even when they're learning it.
"Hi," I greeted. "Group meeting in Sailoon tomorrow."
"Okay," Reason agreed.
That's really all there needed to be, so I left. Reason's remarkably efficient that way. Very efficient. To the point where even Darata was seeing a distinct lack of a war, according to Myth... I found the situation very odd.
According to Myth!
I made a pun! Ha ha!... ahem.
The last stop was to reign in the black bastard sheep of the family. Paradox had backstabbed the group a number of times, notably recently working with Loathing to sell the whole group out to the Mazoku... if anybody was going to be slacking off in the war effort, it'd be him, given that he doesn't care about anybody except himself.
Which is why I was very surprised to see what was really going on in Ky.
I showed up in the middle of a battle. Finally! I was beginning to wonder if there was a war going on myself! No Dragons were in sight; it was just Paradox and five Mazoku. Five... well well well. And he was doing a good job.
I took a vantage point over the action, to see the three settlements from here to the horizon that Paradox had bubbled in with his own particular brand of reality manipulation. The Mazoku were devoting half of their attacks to try and burst through, and the other half to the tiny little butterfly-winged, astrologically-robed winged that was trying to kick their asses. Paradox was taking a serious beating, his robes torn and signed in a few places, but given the eye-wrenching swirl of light around him, he was fighting back just as hard, pounding on the Mazoku with everything he was capable of.
FWOOSH! And one of the Mazoku split into four pieces, divided horizontally and vertically, each segment rotated ninety degrees as Paradox warped space. Nice. Still, I figured it'd be a good samaritan act to lend a hand, so I erased one of the Mazoku with my finest spellwork (thank you, thank you) while he polished off the rest.
When the air had cleared and reality had more or less returned to normal (except for the sixty foot tall mushrooms that had sprouted where a failed attack landed... oops) I approached Paradox.
"Hello. Having a nice day?" I asked.
"The hell do you want?" Paradox asked. "I'm busy. They'll be back in a few hours, and I need to recharge."
"Has it really been this bad out here? Strange. None of the others have had any real resistance."
"They're not trying to protect as big an area as I am," Paradox replied. "I'm pulling the work of three people here. Lina had better be thankful, I'm busting my butt out here to get it done RIGHT. And you know what the villagers call me??"
"Gosh, no. What?"
"They're calling ME a Mazoku!" Paradox spat. "Because I'm keeping them locked tight under my security! This is nuts. If nobody's grateful, why the hell are we out here?!"
"What about the fuzzy warm glow that comes from knowing you're saving lives of innocent people everywhere?" I quoted from some of Amelia's babble.
"Only fuzzy glow I'm feeling is from an Internal Inferno spell one of those idiots tried to cast on me earlier," Paradox grumbled.
"Awwwww, poor baby. Cheer up! You get a day's vacation! We need you tomorrow in Sailoon for a meeting. The--"
"Can't," Paradox replied. "I leave my post for an hour, they'll run through and stomp this place flat. These guys are getting a real kick out of tormenting me, just because I didn't want to cut a deal with them... so no, forget it."
"Oh, I understand," I said, picking a lever to pull on the winged. "If you're not strong enough to build a defense that'll last a day, it's no wonder you're constantly in danger. That's fine; we can handle a meeting without you."
"I didn't say THAT!" Paradox replied, right on cue. "Fine! I'll put a bubble over the entire damn country if I have to. You'll see me tomorrow, bright and early at Sailoon! I work my ass off and those are the thanks you give me?"
I switched gears on him before he had a chance to cope.
"Thank you, Paradox-san," I gratified, bowing formally. My voice was genuine, as was intent. "You have been doing a wonderful job out here. I'm sure Lina will be very proud. We're all proud."
The dumbfounded look on his face was enough. I skipped my way back home.
So, all the winged arrived in the morning, even Luck. We opened a small door in the shield, just long enough to move them in, and gathered in the palace. There wasn't much talk, despite the lengthy buildup I just subjected you all to. Sorry about that! The meeting went by very fast indeed.
"Something's amiss," I started. "The Dragons are winning, and some of your places are unusually safe."
"That's our job, isn't it?" Paradox scowled. (Apparently he wasn't ready to acknowledge my little tribute yesterday. Give him time, he's young.) "Protect? Defend? You should be congratulating us."
"Safety like the safety we're talking about involves more than simple defense," I said. "Someone is going above the call of duty. The results are good, but it's being done without my authorization or knowledge."
"We don't swear fealty to you," Drama rebuked. (Very defensive of him...) "I pledged my sword in battle to Lina Inverse, not some Mazoku taint!"
This wasn't going to be easy, was it?
"I don't see any reason to worry," Love said. "We're doing very well. The reasons why aren't important, right? I think this war may actually blow over without anybody having to lose a loved one. It would be wonderful."
"I see no reason for concern," Reason supplied.
I thought about how to approach this from another angle. Something to drive my point home.
"I almost wish Zelgadis was here," I said aloud. "He has an uncanny knack for refusing blind hope. In that way, he's prepared when the other shoe drops. I think he'd be shaking his head at us right now. Is this a consensus? There is nothing wrong and no cause for alarm?"
The nods were universal. Myth agreed with them, from her scout standpoint; Paradox begrudgingly did so as well; he felt he had his situation in hand, no matter how much he whined about it.
"Very well, then," I concluded. "Enjoy Sailoon for the eve, we'll sneak you out of the shield later tonight. Perhaps you're right, and we'll receive no windfall."
But I knew then that it was eventual. Nothing this good lasts. It would be nice if it did, don't get me wrong, but I knew better.
To tell the next part of the story, I'm afraid I'll need to be omniscient. I was busy relaxing and enjoying my evening, trying to iron out the kinks of worry when things unfolded across town. We'll start where I was, and improvise where appropriate.
One of the practical upshots of Sailoon's intravenous injection of muse was that Karoke had come into unseasonable popularity. Most bars now had these strange little machines, which were previously a novelty; now they were loaded with pro-Sailoon songs, most of Sailor Justice's hits, and so on. What fun! Entertainment as propaganda and propaganda as entertainment.
I had been going to these bars nightly, mostly to enjoy a human atmosphere -- something long in neglect for me in my years of Mazoku employment. Myth usually came with me. It was an ongoing sign of her acceptance as me, seeing me more as Xelloss rather than Nightmare... I suppose I deserve some lauding for that task.
You know... now that I think about it, Myth is rather attractive. Not just in a physical sense, although her petite form and 'cuteness' make her resemble a certain Inverse I know... mm. She's also quite the intellectual, like Lyra was. I like that even more...
But things didn't work out. Mostly because I didn't do anything beyond my usual teasing and self-amusement. I never did anything with my other interest as well... she was always too busy questing, and... well. I'm getting ahead of myself and diverging. I don't think I want to talk about this anymore. I'm sure you're not interested. So.
I was in a Karoke bar with Myth that night, enjoying mixed drinks with funny little paper umbrellas. She was singing... she didn't have a good singing voice, but with her Talent, and JUST the right selection of ballad, she could spin a musical yarn of fiction unrivaled. So far, she had taken home multiple trophies. I suspect someone introduced her to this art before I ever did.
She returned from her session, with appropriate applause, and had a seat. Oh, she was all smiles. None of the winged were worried. At least, they didn't show it. Myth's smiled was strained initially, but a few drinks later and it was nice and loose.
"It's actually kinda nice, having the whole family back together today," she said, running a finger along the rim of her glass. "Feels good."
"Mmmhmm," I agreed. "One big happy family. I'm not really accept into that family yet, mind you."
"Give it time," Myth said. "We live forever. Time changes us. We don't admit it, but it does." She can be very open when inebriated, I've found.
"It's amazing you all get along like you do. Badly, yes, but without MAJOR strife."
"You think someone's a traitor?" Myth asked, almost changing the subject totally. "Really? I can't see it. I don't think anybody's going behind our backs. It doesn't feel like it."
"Oh, someone is," I said with absolute certainty. "Actually, if anybody else is, they'd do something.... now. Tonight. It's the ideal time."
"What do you mean..?" she asked.
"Think of stories," I said. "When would be the best time to deal a blow?"
"At the peak of success and pride," Myth responded automatically. "Wait. You don't mean..."
"I'd suggest you finish that drink fast," I agreed.
I can't tell for sure what happened here, but in hindsight, it's obvious.
Down at the warehouse where the shield generator was stored, it was late, and the volunteers had gone home for the day. Dayvid's batteries held the stored power, and Lily maintained her focus, generating the magic and channeling it as she had done so often, only swapping with one of her highly ranked Sisters of White for naps.
She was concentrating so much, in fact, that the first glimpse of shadow went by unnoticed. But I bet she caught on eventually. She was very observant.
Her focus snapped back to the present. "What are you--"
A crossbow bolt bloomed in her chest. There was a gurgle, and an exhaling, and she slumped in the chair of Dayvid's machine, dead.
I saw the bubble fade away to nothing, through the bar window.
"Sometimes I just HATE being right," I sighed. "Run."
"What?" Myth asked. "Y--"
"Run, as in, flee, escape, move--"
Explosions. Explosions again! Similar to the first day, before we had any of this miraculous progress. We exited promptly, amid the screaming of Sailoon's fellow citizens, to see not one... not two... but TWELVE! Twelve Mazoku above Sailoon, all attacking randomly, dealing damage like it was going out of style, with nary a single Dragon to oppose them. It was a wee bit more than any of us could handle.
I wasn't surprised. Didn't I say I was expecting this?
"Gather the winged, and evacuate as many people as possible," I said. "Don't try to protect the city itself, just the people. Let them think they're having open season while we sneak out the back door, then we can worry about regrouping."
"What?!" Myth yelled, over the din of destruction. She wasn't good at grasping a situation right away.
I repeated myself politely, and off she went. I decided to be nice and also lend a hand, instructing people on where to run, which gates out of the city would work best. It's all improvised and ill-thought, but was all I could think of.
I spotted the other winged, aiding in the evacuation, through the flames and crumbling masonry. The dust choked the air, smoke burned. The sky was on fire with black magic, and here we were, caught in the middle. I doubt many people made it out of Sailoon alive that night. I should have thought of some kind of evacuation plan ahead of time, or at least a backup plan of defense... careless, stupid. I don't care about Sailoon or any of these people. But I do care about shaming myself with such an oversight... and Lina. Lina would be so upset. I didn't look forward to her anger over this, after all my efforts to show I was on her side, once and for all...
Love found me, somewhere in the mess, but her concerns were surprising.
"Stop him!" she begged. "Please, you have to stop him!!"
"Pardon?" I asked.
Love pointed up, to the sky. "My brother! He's up there, fighting them! Xelloss, please, save him, save him before--"
It was really too late. The explosions had stopped centering over the city; now there were redirected up and out, like a dogfight in action. Through the haze, I could vaguely see Loathing, the winged of rage and discontent, glowing this sickly red, his Talent in full effect as he poured every ounce of what he felt into the bodies of the Mazoku...
It was a bad, bad thing to do. Hate makes them powerful. He destroyed three in the confusion, redirecting hatred against themselves, but Mazoku aren't that dense. They caught on. They caught Loathing. I really think I shouldn't describe how they killed him.
No. This wasn't going well at all. It was time to abandon ship.
Love was paralyzed, the expression of horror on her face clear enough. I scooped her up carefully, and pensed a magical mental message to everybody who could hear me, winged or not. "Get out of Sailoon now," I suggested. I figured a little swift obedience from mind control would be required to get any stragglers in gear.
Why the hurry? After dealing with the stray winged, the Mazoku bled anger and darkness, gathering it into one... huge... ball. And just as I made it to safe distance, the ball came down, and it was good night for Sailoon City.
That night was Hell. I've actually been to Hell, Phibrizo's playground, and I can say that it easily compares... nothing keeps you on your toes like a full slugfest amidst thousands of fleeing humans.
Once the city was pulverized, I don't think the winged cared anymore about running away. Maybe I should have ordered them to attack earlier? Would that have prevented this? It's pointless to wonder about it now. But in full force, and with an event like THAT, the Talents played off each other like cards in a stacked deck.
Drama exploded with reality-bending force, driving the fighting spirit and critical hit ratios of the people through the roof. Myth was already open to a new page, and had started writing the victory... and if that wasn't enough, Luck was on our side, and with Paradox acting like a living weapon, bisecting and turning Mazoku inside out as he manipulated space around them, the battle was short and nasty. Even Reason got into the fray... to date, I don't know how she managed it, but by just talking to the Mazoku she killed two of them.
Only Love stayed out of it, kneeling in the damp grass of the plains around the city, shellshocked.
...I'll allow myself a moment of weakness here. I was overjoyed to see Dayvid and Amelia come out of the crowd, injured, but okay. I was actually very worried about my boy. I don't know how I would have reacted to his death. I don't think I want to know, actually. He's fine. End of story. Back to the narrative.
There was just so much to do after that. I don't want to go into it all. We organized a refugee camp, since we were ALL refugees now, and... I don't even remember how, but the winged came up with some other scheme to shield it. Dayvid's machine was destroyed, as was his lab and Lily, so no chance doing that. Even Naga was gone... but Amelia claims she saw Naga fleeing the city, so maybe she was fine somewhere else. Unless Amelia just didn't want to admit her sister was killed.
Forget it. It was a huge mess and I'm tired of writing about it. The Dragons sensed the activity and protected us enough, so Mazoku weren't a problem, and now we're moving on with this story.
ne question remained unsolved.
Why did the shield fall?
The immediate response was to blame Dayvid. I'm happy the population never learned he made the machine... otherwise, he could have been lynched. But as the refugee camp picked up its losses and lamented the loss, the winged were accusatory.
"I TOLD you guys it wouldn't work," Paradox said, hands in the air, giving up. "Too many weak links. Maybe you didn't get enough volunteers that day."
"We had more than enough," Dayvid said. He was pretty testy, not appreciating the attack on his work.
"Then Lily. Lily screwed up. You shouldn't have trusted her that much!"
"Lily doesn't make mistakes like that when white magic is concerned," I added, leaping to my son's benefit.
"She could have been killed," Reason stated.
A long pause held. That had to be it.
"We should have put more defense on the building," Amelia said. No joy or sugar was dripped into her voice. She seemed very... quiet. Naga's vanishing and the terrible disaster had taken its toll.
"Who would kill her, though?" I asked, rubbing my chin. "And note that the Mazoku were there and waiting. They had to have a hand in this, to be that prepared. Someone on the inside is responsible."
"Oh? And who might THAT be?" Paradox asked.
"A winged," I concluded.
Nobody was happy with that answer.
"Absurd!" Drama shouted. "Why would we sabotage our own efforts? We fought to defend that city! Loathing gave his life to do so! At any rate, we would have all died if not for Luck being on our side!"
"Was she?" I asked. Time to sow some suspicion.
"Of course!" Luck wailed. "Waaah! It's such a horrible horrible time! I wouldn't want anybody to get hurt!"
"I don't get why it has to be a winged," Myth said.
I waggled an eyebrow at Reason. The looks of comprehension I was getting were clear.
So, she spoke up. "The attack happened on the night all of us were out doing as we pleased inside Sailoon," Reason stated. "This means one of two things. One, that whoever murdered Lily did so at that time to catch us all unprepared and in one location. Two, that it did not happen before now because the instigator was not at Sailoon until now... this was our first visit since initial departure. Therefore, we are equally suspect."
I wish Myth hadn't jumped into the fray the way she did.
"Wait!" she said. "Xelloss knows who did it! He's been tracking a traitor among us for awhile now. I think it's time we settled this!"
Of course, everybody looked expectantly at me.
"Who, me?" I asked innocently.
"What proof you got?" Paradox asked. "You don't have anything on me!"
The boy will never learn, will he?
"YOU did it!!" Drama shouted, drawing his hard long sword. "Craven dog! How dare you betray us?!"
"Whoa, wait!!" Paradox shouted, backing up, fast. "I just... I just assumed you idiots would accuse me, because I betrayed you before! Not that I did it this time! I've been busting my balls trying to help out! If anybody screwed us over, it was YOU, pal!"
"I am honorable!" Drama defended.
"Oh yah?" Paradox asked. "I wasn't going to bring this up, but... YOU have been cutting deals with the Dragons! Don't think I can't see you just because you're thousands of miles away, brother. You've fought and feasted side by side with them. Didn't Lina specifically say not to trust the Dragons OR Mazoku? Did those lizards set you up as King of Justivalero, huh? Maybe an emperor one day?"
"...fine!! It's true! But it makes sense to consort with the Dragons. They mean no harm towards us! When the Mazoku are all dead and buried, we'll have peace for aeons! I simply wanted to play my part in saving humanity!"
"Sure, with yourself as the leader of the species," Paradox accused. "Lord of all he surveys! Except for his Dragon overlords, of course."
"I did NOT cause this incident, regardless," Drama said. "I would never ally with the Mazoku. Unlike... Reason, for example!"
(Okay, by this point, things were totally out of control. I decided that instead of worrying, I'd just sit back and watch the fray. Entertainment can be found anywhere, and is a positive force in dark times. I'd interject when they were finished.)
Reason didn't even flinch at the accusation. "What proof do you have?"
"I saw you sneaking out of the city before the attack," Drama said. "In full Mazoku disguise!"
"I studied Amelia's transformation pen, yes," Reason said, totally unemotional. "I developed a Mazoku disguise. What better way to learn of our enemies movements than to move with them? I was unable to return fast enough to avoid the disaster, however."
"You consorted with those things?" Paradox asked. "Why didn't you tell us?? We could have used that information to do something--"
"I was not trying to defeat them," Reason said. "I was trying to learn from them."
Nobody said anything for a moment. Insert pause.
Myth broke the silence. "What are you talking about?"
"I was learning their ways and intents, to decide which force we should ally with," Reason said. "I had a Dragon disguise as well. Sitting out the war was unreasonable. The only way for humanity to survive would be to pick a side. So, I researched both forces to decide which we should support, with intent to present my findings when complete. I did not encourage or aid either side. Unlike Myth."
"What?!" Myth gagged.
"You have been using your Talents to write the Dragons as heroes of the conflict over Sailoon," Reason said. "I could detect the patterns as far away as Darata."
You know, I suspected Myth had something up her sleeve she didn't want to admit. There were the nervous pauses during her reports and my queries... especially about who the traitor's gender was..
"Uhh... uh.." she paused, again nervous. She gathered her spine before continuing. "So what?! The Dragons told me that they needed my help. And I don't see any reason not to help them, if we can! Even if we're using them just to save ourselves. If--"
Unbidden, Luck burst into bipolar tears. "I confess! I betrayed you all! WAAAAAAAHHH!!!"
Nobody was quite sure how to deal with that statement.
"Ah.... how?" Myth asked, genuinely confused.
"I found a race of undersea people out in the ocean who were going to take over the world and usher in an age of peace and tranquility, and I randomly chose to help them!" Luck admitted. "They were all set to launch warships and strike! Except that a virus I was carrying which humans are immune to got into their civilization and wiped them all out in a few days. I'm sorry."
Again with the awkward pause.
"No harm done?" Paradox guessed. "I mean... ah. Okay. You're forgiven and stuff."
"YAAAAAAYY!!!!" Luck cheered. "That's great! Besides, Xelloss is the one that really betrayed us all."
Uh-oh.
"Me?" I asked. "Golly. That's a surprise to myself, even."
"I can tell," Luck said. "I guessed and I always guess right. You're gonna betray us."
Maybe it was time to steer this topic elsewhere?
"Look, this is very amusing," I said, "But I'm afraid you're all wrong. Nobody here is directly responsible for the disaster at Sailoon."
"Then who did it?!" Paradox asked. "I don't like being accused of this crap. I want to know who we can properly accuse!"
"I don't think we should go into it," I replied. "Sometimes, guys... sometimes it's best to let sleeping dogs lie in peace. But if you're all determined..."
Everybody nodded, except for one of them. They wanted to know. Very well, then.
I turned, to face her.
"Why didn't you tell us earlier, Love?" I asked.
I could tell from her expression even minutes ago that she was ready to talk. Despair had her, despite being winged of eternal hope and joy. Very little could resist that pull.
"I thought you'd hurt him," Love replied, voice quiet, like that of a child. "If you knew he was working with the Mazoku, you'd have to hurt him somehow. I loved him. I didn't want him to be hurt..."
"Whoa... hold up," Paradox said, stunned. "You mean--"
"Loathing wanted to make amends... he did!" Love protested. "He told me, right before he went off to fight them, that he was sorry. He wanted his twin sister to forgive him, and.. I did. He finally said that he l-loved me... and he ran off to try and save you all, but he only made things worse. He never knew how to make things better, for himself or anybody, but I loved him anyway, no matter what mistakes he made. Even the mistake of killing Lily and letting the Mazoku in. I swear, I didn't know exactly what he was going to do... I don't think I wanted to know. Because if I did, I'd have to stop him, forcibly... or you others would. So I betrayed you. I didn't tell you he was a danger. This is my fault. All my fault."
I can't describe how hard this was on her. Not because there are no words, but because I can't grasp the concept myself. It clearly wasn't the time to do a whole pitchforks and torches, bring us the betrayer type scene. Diffusing words were needed.
"What's done is done," I started. "Loathing's gone, and he tried to redeem his action before he left us. All of you have gone behind our backs, made your own deals, and betrayed us in one sense or another. At least now all cards are on the table, and we can be totally honest with each other. I'm not a member of your family, not in your eyes, but I think I can comfortably trust every one of you now that we've got this dirty laundry nicely washed. We've got a lot of refugees to deal with, and all of you need to go continue to defend your lands. Can we agree to put this mess behind us? There is not much time left in the world, and I think we've had our fill of damage. I know I have."
I knew I did a good speech. Myth was writing it down for her book.
"I'm sorry," Love added again, almost at a whisper.
"It's... it's fine, Love," Drama said, unused to this subtle emotional stuff. "Nightmare is right. It's been enough of a mess. I think a full round of forgiveness is in order for every one of us."
"Hey... hey, now you hold on there. I didn't DO ANYTHING!" Paradox yelled. "Here I am the first person pegged as a traitor and I'm the only one of you people who was totally on the level. I think I deserve a medal for that kind of--"
"Oh, do shut up, Paradox," I yawned, injecting some levity. "We forgive you for being a loudmouth. Is that satisfactory?"
"Hmphh," he grunted, but seemed to accept this.
"We're not going to survive all of this, are we?" Love asked. "You used the right word. It's a mess. The world IS ending."
"...I have to agree," Myth said. "I've projected this story arc. This is just the beginning of the end. No matter how successful we are, or whatever failures happen, the last page is coming. What are we going to do?"
"Whatever we can do, I suppose," I suggested.
And then Luck came up with the one thing I most feared. The one thing that so directly involved me, and yet... none of them knew how.
"We could evacuate as many people as we can into the World of Dreams!" she suggested. "Even if this world goes boom, they'll be safe there! It was our first home and it's separate from here."
"Right!" Paradox said, taking the optimist approach. This wasn't good, this wasn't good at all... "Hard reality separation. It's always the most powerful defense! If we relocate as many people as we can, and dream up a stable environment... it'd be trivial with my Talents combined with those of everybody here."
"...we could save people," Love repeated. "We could make things better..." A light of hope rekindled.
"Working together, anything is reasonable," Reason reasoned.
Oh, this does my heart ill.
I wish they hadn't realized this simple plan. This simple, wonderful plan... because now, I was going to have to let them down. I was going to have to obey my mistress.
I was going to have to betray them.
May this volume serve as some redemption for me in aftermath.