Eternal
Retreating from the world and living a simple life dedicated to battle would be a kind of escape from any major responsibilities or headaches. You’d just engage in one battle to the next until you finally fell. At worst, you might become the “Vision Lord” (Which would probably be very likely) but even then you wouldn’t have much responsibility or cares.
Basically staying here would be like your form of “retirement” for all your years to ungrateful master and an unforgiving system that demanded everything from you and gave next to nothing in return.
Yeah, you’re too young to retire and you’ve always been the type to do things the hard way even at your own expense. You’re going back to the Republic, you’ll be damned if Quintus is going to take credit for all your hard work. Even now he’s probably making preparations for doing just that, assuming he hasn’t made a complete mess of things.
Still, if you have it your way you aren’t going back alone. No point in coming all this way for nothing. First thing you do is go to Jennifer.
“It may please you to know that I’ll be coming back with you to Nalin…” you say.
“I sense a but in there somewhere.” Jennifer remarks.
“It’s actually a however. Anyway I’m going to try to convince the Eyes to come back with us.”
“What? I know I wanted to bring something back, but I don’t think the entire order is what I had in mind.”
“I doubt if I’ll convince everyone, in fact I’ll consider it a victory if they don’t try to lynch me when I suggest it, but I have to try. If only to rebuild the Empire properly.”
“So are we in any danger?”
“Always. Don’t worry it probably won’t be that bad.”
Jennifer gives you an apprehensive look, but says she’ll trust you in this matter. You tell her that everyone should pack up and get ready to run just in case though.
Breaking whatever rules the Eyes have in place for decorum you begin to call whoever is nearby to listen to you.
“I’m only going to say this once because if I can’t convince you the first time, I’m not going to waste my time doing it again. Now I know you’re all very proud warriors. That’s good, you should be, but your talents are going to waste rotting in this dreary little fort. This isn’t what Warrick would’ve wanted for the lot of you.”
“And how do YOU know that?! What do you know of the first Vision Lord?!” an Eye angrily shouts. You’re guessing he hasn’t heard the news on you yet.
“I knew Warrick a hell of a lot better than any of you for one thing seeing as I actually interacted with the man! He was a dedicated soldier of the Empire first and foremost! I’ve read some of his writings and that was true up until the day he died! He never wanted the Eyes to devolve into some strange monastery. He intended for the Eyes to hold what little of the Empire was left together and eventually rebuild if possible. Now I don’t know what exactly changed after he died, but it’s obvious that the Eyes or whoever took charge of them changed that mission. Well I’m here to tell you all that your original mission can be restored…” your speech is sudden interrupted by Kells who comes storming into the room.
“What is the meaning of this?! We have shown you courtesy and respect and THIS is how you repay us? You attempt to use us as puppets…” Kells speech is interrupted with a lightning blast to his face. No mental shield in the world is going to protect against that. Kells falls backwards with his blackened head still sizzling and making popping sounds.
Most of the Eyes are unsure of what to do, though four of them immediately make their good attempt to kill you. You dodge and weave the attacks of the first two and successfully run the pair of them through. The third you freeze to the spot and grab the fourth one’s arm, breaking it before snapping his neck. Seeing that nobody else is willing to attack, you kick the frozen third attack so that he falls over and shatters into multiple pieces.
“Now as I was saying your mission can be restored. What you just witnessed here, I took no pleasure in doing, but I would hate for any of you to pass up an opportunity because of an old system that is leading this great order into extinction. Besides the random worthy adventurer that decides the join, how do you replenish your numbers at a reasonable rate? I don’t see many women in your ranks. I don’t even see any children. You may be putting dread fear into the wendigo and other denizens of Rask, but your order is slowly dying. Within another fifty years, I’d say the Eyes will at best consist of a few old men. The Empire is going to live again and you can be part of it. You were meant to be part of it. Come with me, and the Eyes will NEVER die.”
Your speech is met with silence.
“Or stay here and die a slow lingering death. The choice is yours, I hope you make the right decision.” You say and walk past the crowd.
You head towards the exit of the fort and see Jennifer standing there alone.
“Where’s everyone else?” you ask.
“They started running when they heard the sounds of battle even the two remaining soldiers. I assume they’re already on their way to Nalin by now.”
“And you didn’t run?”
“No, I figured you’d either win, and I’d be safer travelling with you anyway, or you’d die and I’d get killed trying run back to Nalin because if the Eyes didn’t get me, the wendigo or giants probably would. So did it work?”
“I don’t know. I mean I made my point, but there’s a lot of indoctrination there. Centuries worth, it was a long shot I guess.”
“Even after you killed some of them?”
“A show of force isn’t always as effective as we want it to be, but like I told them, if I wasn’t going to convince them this first time, I’ll never be able to. Oh well, let’s get going.”
You and Jennifer exit the fort and make your way back to Nalin, fortunately the ice storm has let up. For a while you try to track where the others of your group ran, but unfortunately it looks like they ran in the wrong direction or at least not the way you came. Jennifer wonders if you should make the attempt to look for them, but you say that you’ll just be in danger of getting lost yourself and say they’re on their own.
As you and Jennifer trudge through the snow you get a sense that you’re being followed. You turn around and your stalkers make no attempt to hide. They’re Eyes. One of them walks towards you alone. It’s Crowley.
“I can’t say you convinced everyone, but if it’s any consolation you convinced the smart ones. We’re ready for something new and I was getting tired of this weather anyway.” He says.
With a new group to travel with and better supplies, you continue on your way. The Eyes also know of several short cuts so it decreases your travelling time. Eventually you make it back to Quala and Flogger territory. To be honest, you’re glad to have some people that can actually fight now. Your more formidable force is met by Trog and just as he promised Jennifer’s two people are still alive and unharmed. In fact one of them excitedly tells Jennifer everything he’s learned about orc culture since he’s been here.
“Trog see that you return with an army from the north. Always heard there were humans living in Rask, never knew for sure though. Your two people have not been harmed as you can see and I trust after you leave our arrangement of non-hostilities will continue in the future.”
“Well that’ll be up to you.”
“Indeed.”
“Who is this orc?” Crowley asks in a semi-hostile tone.
“He’s a great leader to his people and more worthy to be called a vision lord than Kells was given that he can actually see the future sometimes. Let’s go.”
You continue your journey with no more major stops, other than a couple of times to rest.
“So what happens when we reach Nalin?” Jennifer asks coming into your tent.
“I’ll assess the situation of course, but I can’t imagine much has changed. I mean there’s possibility Quintus has dissolved the senate and declared himself Emperor already in my absence, but it’s hard to tell if he hasn’t just freaked out without me around.”
“You’re going to kill Quintus aren’t you?” Jennifer says.
“Well it is looking that way. I doubt if he’s going to just step aside and even if he did I don’t think I could trust him to stay out of the picture. I take it, you’d rather I didn’t?”
“(Sigh) At one time I might’ve said that would be true, but now things are so different. Still, he is the only one that funded and supported my father’s expeditions and museum. He’s also the main reason why the Empire is a possibility. I mean it is true he couldn’t have done this without you, but you might not have been dug up at all had it not been for him. I don’t know, it just seems fairly ruthless to do to someone that’s been alright with you.”
“It is and I won’t argue that it isn’t, but unfortunately I’ve found that when it comes to power, ruthlessness is what keeps you from getting killed and getting shit done. I mean that was pretty apparent with getting the Eyes to join us.”
“I mean if you’re going to I can’t stop you and it won’t change my feelings for you, but I also wonder about that as well. I mean call it keeping my head in the sand, but I’m not sure if I’d be able to walk that same path as you even if I’m not actively involved in the darker side of things. I mean I’m can you really see me as an Empress or something similar?”
By the look on your face Jennifer sees that you hadn’t even pondered it.
“Look, let’s forget about this tonight. Right now let’s just consummate our relationship, whatever that might be in the future. If this trip has taught me anything it’s that life is too damn short to worry about the future. You’d think I would’ve learned that lesson a long time ago, but better late than never.”
When you embrace Jennifer, you notice a big difference in the act. Namely you don’t engage in the forceful roughness that you have in the past. Even though you learned to control during your time with Alison you still always had that urge of aggressiveness. You can only imagine that centuries of being encased in a magic coffin and with Mistress long dead, you don’t have that fucked up hang up any more. You certainly have larger concerns nowadays.
One of which is what you’re going to do exactly when you go marching into Dalt with a bunch of Eyes…
One day later
“Where have you been? When I heard you weren’t at your usual post and…” Quintus begins to ask when you come through the front door of his house and then he notices the fresh blood on your sword and his guards nowhere to be seen. His eyes widen when you raise your hand up to cast a lightning bolt to his face.
You find however that the spell fails to work on him and one of his rings glows brightly.
“I figured one of those rings protected you from magic. Pity, I was trying to give you a quick and less painful death.” You say and advance upon him with your sword in hand.
“No! What’re you doing?! We’re on the same side! We were going to revive the Empire!” Quintus exclaims backing up on the stairway and attempts to rub one of his rings. You aren’t exactly sure what he’s attempting to do, but you’re not going to let him do it.
You making a lunging rush at him and he nearly disappears before you, but you’ve already stuck him like a pig. His brief attempt at invisibility fades as his dying face stares at you.
“Wh…why? I…helped…I…was going…to be…emperor…”
“Yeah, well I never told you something Quintus. I was involved in killing the last Emperor and NOW I’m finally going to take MY rightful place!” you say and throw Quintus over the stair railing where his body falls to the floor in a bloody heap.
Afterwards you take care of Quintus’ family. As dysfunctional as they all are, the last thing you need is for any of them to attempt revenge for whatever reason.
The day after, you and the Eyes march into the senate and officially dissolve it. This actually involves much less bloodshed as none of them want to oppose you. Indeed some of them offer to be “advisors.” You’re sure some of the fools will be useful so you stay your hand.
A few days later and it’s official. You make your announcement that the Republic is dead and that the Empire now lives again. The general public doesn’t know quite what to make of everything. You’re sure that there will be some sort of misguided rebellion, but with the military behind you and with the support of the Eyes you’re confident that you won’t have too much trouble.
This is it. You’ve finally achieved what was always meant to be.
Now all you have to do is hold it.
Basically staying here would be like your form of “retirement” for all your years to ungrateful master and an unforgiving system that demanded everything from you and gave next to nothing in return.
Yeah, you’re too young to retire and you’ve always been the type to do things the hard way even at your own expense. You’re going back to the Republic, you’ll be damned if Quintus is going to take credit for all your hard work. Even now he’s probably making preparations for doing just that, assuming he hasn’t made a complete mess of things.
Still, if you have it your way you aren’t going back alone. No point in coming all this way for nothing. First thing you do is go to Jennifer.
“It may please you to know that I’ll be coming back with you to Nalin…” you say.
“I sense a but in there somewhere.” Jennifer remarks.
“It’s actually a however. Anyway I’m going to try to convince the Eyes to come back with us.”
“What? I know I wanted to bring something back, but I don’t think the entire order is what I had in mind.”
“I doubt if I’ll convince everyone, in fact I’ll consider it a victory if they don’t try to lynch me when I suggest it, but I have to try. If only to rebuild the Empire properly.”
“So are we in any danger?”
“Always. Don’t worry it probably won’t be that bad.”
Jennifer gives you an apprehensive look, but says she’ll trust you in this matter. You tell her that everyone should pack up and get ready to run just in case though.
Breaking whatever rules the Eyes have in place for decorum you begin to call whoever is nearby to listen to you.
“I’m only going to say this once because if I can’t convince you the first time, I’m not going to waste my time doing it again. Now I know you’re all very proud warriors. That’s good, you should be, but your talents are going to waste rotting in this dreary little fort. This isn’t what Warrick would’ve wanted for the lot of you.”
“And how do YOU know that?! What do you know of the first Vision Lord?!” an Eye angrily shouts. You’re guessing he hasn’t heard the news on you yet.
“I knew Warrick a hell of a lot better than any of you for one thing seeing as I actually interacted with the man! He was a dedicated soldier of the Empire first and foremost! I’ve read some of his writings and that was true up until the day he died! He never wanted the Eyes to devolve into some strange monastery. He intended for the Eyes to hold what little of the Empire was left together and eventually rebuild if possible. Now I don’t know what exactly changed after he died, but it’s obvious that the Eyes or whoever took charge of them changed that mission. Well I’m here to tell you all that your original mission can be restored…” your speech is sudden interrupted by Kells who comes storming into the room.
“What is the meaning of this?! We have shown you courtesy and respect and THIS is how you repay us? You attempt to use us as puppets…” Kells speech is interrupted with a lightning blast to his face. No mental shield in the world is going to protect against that. Kells falls backwards with his blackened head still sizzling and making popping sounds.
Most of the Eyes are unsure of what to do, though four of them immediately make their good attempt to kill you. You dodge and weave the attacks of the first two and successfully run the pair of them through. The third you freeze to the spot and grab the fourth one’s arm, breaking it before snapping his neck. Seeing that nobody else is willing to attack, you kick the frozen third attack so that he falls over and shatters into multiple pieces.
“Now as I was saying your mission can be restored. What you just witnessed here, I took no pleasure in doing, but I would hate for any of you to pass up an opportunity because of an old system that is leading this great order into extinction. Besides the random worthy adventurer that decides the join, how do you replenish your numbers at a reasonable rate? I don’t see many women in your ranks. I don’t even see any children. You may be putting dread fear into the wendigo and other denizens of Rask, but your order is slowly dying. Within another fifty years, I’d say the Eyes will at best consist of a few old men. The Empire is going to live again and you can be part of it. You were meant to be part of it. Come with me, and the Eyes will NEVER die.”
Your speech is met with silence.
“Or stay here and die a slow lingering death. The choice is yours, I hope you make the right decision.” You say and walk past the crowd.
You head towards the exit of the fort and see Jennifer standing there alone.
“Where’s everyone else?” you ask.
“They started running when they heard the sounds of battle even the two remaining soldiers. I assume they’re already on their way to Nalin by now.”
“And you didn’t run?”
“No, I figured you’d either win, and I’d be safer travelling with you anyway, or you’d die and I’d get killed trying run back to Nalin because if the Eyes didn’t get me, the wendigo or giants probably would. So did it work?”
“I don’t know. I mean I made my point, but there’s a lot of indoctrination there. Centuries worth, it was a long shot I guess.”
“Even after you killed some of them?”
“A show of force isn’t always as effective as we want it to be, but like I told them, if I wasn’t going to convince them this first time, I’ll never be able to. Oh well, let’s get going.”
You and Jennifer exit the fort and make your way back to Nalin, fortunately the ice storm has let up. For a while you try to track where the others of your group ran, but unfortunately it looks like they ran in the wrong direction or at least not the way you came. Jennifer wonders if you should make the attempt to look for them, but you say that you’ll just be in danger of getting lost yourself and say they’re on their own.
As you and Jennifer trudge through the snow you get a sense that you’re being followed. You turn around and your stalkers make no attempt to hide. They’re Eyes. One of them walks towards you alone. It’s Crowley.
“I can’t say you convinced everyone, but if it’s any consolation you convinced the smart ones. We’re ready for something new and I was getting tired of this weather anyway.” He says.
With a new group to travel with and better supplies, you continue on your way. The Eyes also know of several short cuts so it decreases your travelling time. Eventually you make it back to Quala and Flogger territory. To be honest, you’re glad to have some people that can actually fight now. Your more formidable force is met by Trog and just as he promised Jennifer’s two people are still alive and unharmed. In fact one of them excitedly tells Jennifer everything he’s learned about orc culture since he’s been here.
“Trog see that you return with an army from the north. Always heard there were humans living in Rask, never knew for sure though. Your two people have not been harmed as you can see and I trust after you leave our arrangement of non-hostilities will continue in the future.”
“Well that’ll be up to you.”
“Indeed.”
“Who is this orc?” Crowley asks in a semi-hostile tone.
“He’s a great leader to his people and more worthy to be called a vision lord than Kells was given that he can actually see the future sometimes. Let’s go.”
You continue your journey with no more major stops, other than a couple of times to rest.
“So what happens when we reach Nalin?” Jennifer asks coming into your tent.
“I’ll assess the situation of course, but I can’t imagine much has changed. I mean there’s possibility Quintus has dissolved the senate and declared himself Emperor already in my absence, but it’s hard to tell if he hasn’t just freaked out without me around.”
“You’re going to kill Quintus aren’t you?” Jennifer says.
“Well it is looking that way. I doubt if he’s going to just step aside and even if he did I don’t think I could trust him to stay out of the picture. I take it, you’d rather I didn’t?”
“(Sigh) At one time I might’ve said that would be true, but now things are so different. Still, he is the only one that funded and supported my father’s expeditions and museum. He’s also the main reason why the Empire is a possibility. I mean it is true he couldn’t have done this without you, but you might not have been dug up at all had it not been for him. I don’t know, it just seems fairly ruthless to do to someone that’s been alright with you.”
“It is and I won’t argue that it isn’t, but unfortunately I’ve found that when it comes to power, ruthlessness is what keeps you from getting killed and getting shit done. I mean that was pretty apparent with getting the Eyes to join us.”
“I mean if you’re going to I can’t stop you and it won’t change my feelings for you, but I also wonder about that as well. I mean call it keeping my head in the sand, but I’m not sure if I’d be able to walk that same path as you even if I’m not actively involved in the darker side of things. I mean I’m can you really see me as an Empress or something similar?”
By the look on your face Jennifer sees that you hadn’t even pondered it.
“Look, let’s forget about this tonight. Right now let’s just consummate our relationship, whatever that might be in the future. If this trip has taught me anything it’s that life is too damn short to worry about the future. You’d think I would’ve learned that lesson a long time ago, but better late than never.”
When you embrace Jennifer, you notice a big difference in the act. Namely you don’t engage in the forceful roughness that you have in the past. Even though you learned to control during your time with Alison you still always had that urge of aggressiveness. You can only imagine that centuries of being encased in a magic coffin and with Mistress long dead, you don’t have that fucked up hang up any more. You certainly have larger concerns nowadays.
One of which is what you’re going to do exactly when you go marching into Dalt with a bunch of Eyes…
One day later
“Where have you been? When I heard you weren’t at your usual post and…” Quintus begins to ask when you come through the front door of his house and then he notices the fresh blood on your sword and his guards nowhere to be seen. His eyes widen when you raise your hand up to cast a lightning bolt to his face.
You find however that the spell fails to work on him and one of his rings glows brightly.
“I figured one of those rings protected you from magic. Pity, I was trying to give you a quick and less painful death.” You say and advance upon him with your sword in hand.
“No! What’re you doing?! We’re on the same side! We were going to revive the Empire!” Quintus exclaims backing up on the stairway and attempts to rub one of his rings. You aren’t exactly sure what he’s attempting to do, but you’re not going to let him do it.
You making a lunging rush at him and he nearly disappears before you, but you’ve already stuck him like a pig. His brief attempt at invisibility fades as his dying face stares at you.
“Wh…why? I…helped…I…was going…to be…emperor…”
“Yeah, well I never told you something Quintus. I was involved in killing the last Emperor and NOW I’m finally going to take MY rightful place!” you say and throw Quintus over the stair railing where his body falls to the floor in a bloody heap.
Afterwards you take care of Quintus’ family. As dysfunctional as they all are, the last thing you need is for any of them to attempt revenge for whatever reason.
The day after, you and the Eyes march into the senate and officially dissolve it. This actually involves much less bloodshed as none of them want to oppose you. Indeed some of them offer to be “advisors.” You’re sure some of the fools will be useful so you stay your hand.
A few days later and it’s official. You make your announcement that the Republic is dead and that the Empire now lives again. The general public doesn’t know quite what to make of everything. You’re sure that there will be some sort of misguided rebellion, but with the military behind you and with the support of the Eyes you’re confident that you won’t have too much trouble.
This is it. You’ve finally achieved what was always meant to be.
Now all you have to do is hold it.