Eternal
Jacob and you enter your room. Jacob looks almost as bad as the Emperor once did. He hasn’t been the same since Roldan died, but he’s also been overworked since the Emperor has been sick. The man is in his late sixties, but nowadays he looks more like he’s in his late eighties. The stress has been taking a toll.
“Jacob, I really hope this is important because I’ve got a lot going through my mind right now.” You say.
“I’m sure you do, but you’ll have a lot more after you hear what I have to say. Though after you hear it you might just decide to kill me instead, but that’s a risk I’ll just have to take.”
“Can’t be anything worse than anything I haven’t thought myself today.” You say.
“I highly doubt that, but I just want you to at least hear me out before you make a decision.”
You sit down and nod telling Jacob to go ahead.
“Okay. I know you just came from a meeting with the Emperor and his revitalized condition. I’m also guessing he told you to that he wants you to go back home with him.”
“Yes.” You reply.
“Do you know where his original home is?”
“He said it was a very far away island that couldn’t even be reached by a boat. That was about it.”
“Figures he’d be cryptic. His home is Mortos, an island of necromancers. It’s not a well-known place to the average person. Most that have heard of it just believe it’s a myth, but it exists.”
“What?”
“The Emperor is a necromancer. I mean it makes sense doesn’t it? How else would he have the knowledge to extend his life for so long?”
“Okay, so what?”
“You are aware of what necromancers do don’t you?”
“I’m aware of the branch of magic. Most just believe it’s about raising the dead, but it deals with life force in general. Healing mages use it all time at a cost of course. Only the strongest of wizards can use the art, let alone master it. Hence why there aren’t many around and why stories about necromancers creeping about graveyards raising armies of undead horrors are mostly reserved for parents trying to scare their children.” You say.
Jacob gets a little frustrated at your apathy at this revelation.
“Perhaps I’m not making myself clear enough…the Emperor is a necromancer. Roldan was KILLED by a revenant. YOUR WIFE was KILLED by a revenant.”
That got your attention. You stand up and Jacob can’t help but step back even though he knows you’d easily catch him if he tried to run.
“You’re treading on very thin ice Jacob.”
“Believe me I’m well aware.”
“Then you must also be aware that you sound crazier than Marik right now. What you’re implying doesn’t even make sense.”
“Why not? It does if you really think about it.”
“Semra was responsible for my wife’s death and Roldan’s death! She is also a powerful sorceress that is more than capable of raising the dead!”
“Yes, and she’s also a perfect patsy for your wrath. The Emperor wanted you to think it was her, but it wasn’t. Think man, even if she did have your wife killed why would she bother having Roldan killed? She had no grudge. There was no profit in it. Chaos for the sake of chaos? Not Semra’s style and you know it. That woman didn’t do anything without purpose even if she was chaotic about it at times. Besides if she REALLY wanted to kill your wife, she would’ve just done it herself.”
You think back to when Alison told you she met Semra face to face and entertain Jacob’s theory.
“Even if Semra wasn’t responsible, why would the Emperor have Roldan and Alison killed?”
“Because of you. It’s all because of you.”
“Me? How? Why?”
“(Sigh) It’s a very long and complex plot. I’ve only been piecing some of it together myself. I’ll try to tell you what I know.”
Jacob starts off by explaining that it all goes back to your birth and the Eternal Project. You and all of your “siblings” were picked for it for a reason. You weren’t just to become super soldiers for the Empire. One of you was going to be chosen to be the new vessel for the Emperor, but only if that Eternal showed promise. Apparently you did. Jacob explains that while the chosen needed to be a great warrior with magical skill and be put to the test, the Emperor didn’t want to risk your life excessively, hence why he initially wanted to keep you out of very heavy fighting. Also he didn’t want any of the potential vessels to complicate things by potentially producing offspring so sterility was something that ensured during your “enhancement” period as a baby.
You were a perfect soldier that was utterly loyal, so much so that you saw the Emperor as your father. Then Alison came along. Alison was the only other person that you had a close relationship with and that distracted you from your duty. Or more precisely, it made your loyalties potentially divided. The Emperor couldn’t take a chance with another person turning your devotion elsewhere or corrupting his influence over you so she had to die.
The assassination of Roldan was just a simple matter of taking out a potential future rival. Roldan’s fame was at least as much as your own, and he was probably better liked. Even if Roldan was loyal, the Emperor couldn’t take a chance of another potential domestic rebellion with a charismatic leader. Jacob also believes that the Emperor also just did it out of mean spiritedness since he knew how proud Jacob was of Roldan.
On top of everything else he could lay all the blame on Semra.
Jacob isn’t sure exactly how the Emperor plans to transfer himself into your body, but given that it involves a trip to the island of Mortos, he’s sure it can’t be good and that you as a person will cease to be so that the Emperor can continue his immortal reign.
While this is all very interesting from a conspiracy point of view, you aren’t convinced.
“So are you seriously telling me the Emperor has been molding me into some container that is to be filled? You’re telling me that this man who I see as my father and treats me as his son has been lying to me from the beginning about everything? Even if this were the case and I highly doubt it is, HOW do you know all this? What evidence do you have?”
Jacob at this point is extremely nervous.
“I…I have no hard evidence. I mean I’ve seen a few private writings, but I dared not to take them.”
“So what you’re telling me is that you’ve been snooping into the Emperor’s privacy and can’t even back up your accusations.”
“No! I also have another person who can back up these facts! She…”
You stop Jacob.
“She? Jacob, I really hope you aren’t talking about who I think you’re talking about.”
Jacob ignores your warning and blurts out what he has to say as quickly as he can.
“Look, I pieced together some of the assassination myself, but Semra told me about the true purpose of the Eternal Project. But this isn’t about just you. This is about a potential danger of world proportions! The Emperor isn’t just a ruler seeking everlasting life; Semra says he has a more sinister agenda that he’s been planning for centuries and given that I’ve recently learned his original homeland is Mortos I’m inclined to believe her.”
“Believe Semra? Really? Then you’re a damn fool along with being a traitor! Just how long have you been in contact with Semra? WHERE IS SHE?!” you ask and slam Jacob against the wall.
“Please…I’m telling you the truth! I’m no traitor! I’m loyal to the Empire first and foremost and I see the Emperor’s actions as something that will harm it in the long run! The Emperor needs to be stopped, whatever it is he has planned. You can’t go to Mortos with him! You have to kill him!”
“I’ll kill YOU for speaking such treason!” and begin squeezing Jacob’s neck.
“(Sigh) I told you this wasn’t going to work Jacob. He’s too hopelessly brainwashed to listen. Not even the death of his beloved Alison will cause him to believe that the Emperor means him ill. I guess I should’ve just killed him long ago, but as they say love makes you do stupid things.”
You turn around and see Semra. You don’t think, you just lunge, only to pass through Semra and crash into some furniture. Its not really Semra, its just a magic projection of some sort.
“I suppose I should be flattered that you still want to get your hands on me.” Semra remarks.
“After I’m done killing Jacob, I’m going to find and kill you, bitch.” You say getting back up.
“I’m sure, but I don’t have much time so I’m going to make this brief. Unlike our sniveling associate over there, I’m not going to appeal to your logic or reason, because its always been hampered by your warped sense of mindless duty. I’m going to appeal to your sense of desire and survival, because despite your warped sense of mindless duty, you can’t suppress those.”
You draw your weapon and walk past Semra’s image to butcher Jacob who pleads with you to spare his life.
“Okay here it is, you WANT to kill the Emperor. You WANT to rule the Empire. Don’t tell me you haven’t thought about it. I know your desires better than anyone else. Even if the Emperor isn’t planning on taking your body as his own and is going to just rejuvenate himself in some other way, why would you still want that? Isn’t it time for him to accept his demise and step aside for someone else? Who better than you? Are you truly happy just surviving and serving like a drone or are you going to finally step up and take what is rightfully yours? You’ve already had a major hand in expanding the Empire and holding it together, why not take the next natural step?”
You stop yourself from killing Jacob and turn back to Semra.
“You don’t have to like me, you don’t have to believe me, just listen to me lover. I’ve always known what’s best for you. Kill the Emperor now while he’s at his weakest, there has never been a better time. You were born to rule. Its in your blood, its in your heart, its in your soul. Seize your potential and do what’s meant to be.” Semra says.
With Jacob’s damning accusations and Semra’s words appealing to your ambitious aspirations, you now don’t know what to do. Should you dismiss everything they say as lies and stay loyal or should you not take any chances with your own survival and kill the Emperor regardless of reasons?
“Jacob, I really hope this is important because I’ve got a lot going through my mind right now.” You say.
“I’m sure you do, but you’ll have a lot more after you hear what I have to say. Though after you hear it you might just decide to kill me instead, but that’s a risk I’ll just have to take.”
“Can’t be anything worse than anything I haven’t thought myself today.” You say.
“I highly doubt that, but I just want you to at least hear me out before you make a decision.”
You sit down and nod telling Jacob to go ahead.
“Okay. I know you just came from a meeting with the Emperor and his revitalized condition. I’m also guessing he told you to that he wants you to go back home with him.”
“Yes.” You reply.
“Do you know where his original home is?”
“He said it was a very far away island that couldn’t even be reached by a boat. That was about it.”
“Figures he’d be cryptic. His home is Mortos, an island of necromancers. It’s not a well-known place to the average person. Most that have heard of it just believe it’s a myth, but it exists.”
“What?”
“The Emperor is a necromancer. I mean it makes sense doesn’t it? How else would he have the knowledge to extend his life for so long?”
“Okay, so what?”
“You are aware of what necromancers do don’t you?”
“I’m aware of the branch of magic. Most just believe it’s about raising the dead, but it deals with life force in general. Healing mages use it all time at a cost of course. Only the strongest of wizards can use the art, let alone master it. Hence why there aren’t many around and why stories about necromancers creeping about graveyards raising armies of undead horrors are mostly reserved for parents trying to scare their children.” You say.
Jacob gets a little frustrated at your apathy at this revelation.
“Perhaps I’m not making myself clear enough…the Emperor is a necromancer. Roldan was KILLED by a revenant. YOUR WIFE was KILLED by a revenant.”
That got your attention. You stand up and Jacob can’t help but step back even though he knows you’d easily catch him if he tried to run.
“You’re treading on very thin ice Jacob.”
“Believe me I’m well aware.”
“Then you must also be aware that you sound crazier than Marik right now. What you’re implying doesn’t even make sense.”
“Why not? It does if you really think about it.”
“Semra was responsible for my wife’s death and Roldan’s death! She is also a powerful sorceress that is more than capable of raising the dead!”
“Yes, and she’s also a perfect patsy for your wrath. The Emperor wanted you to think it was her, but it wasn’t. Think man, even if she did have your wife killed why would she bother having Roldan killed? She had no grudge. There was no profit in it. Chaos for the sake of chaos? Not Semra’s style and you know it. That woman didn’t do anything without purpose even if she was chaotic about it at times. Besides if she REALLY wanted to kill your wife, she would’ve just done it herself.”
You think back to when Alison told you she met Semra face to face and entertain Jacob’s theory.
“Even if Semra wasn’t responsible, why would the Emperor have Roldan and Alison killed?”
“Because of you. It’s all because of you.”
“Me? How? Why?”
“(Sigh) It’s a very long and complex plot. I’ve only been piecing some of it together myself. I’ll try to tell you what I know.”
Jacob starts off by explaining that it all goes back to your birth and the Eternal Project. You and all of your “siblings” were picked for it for a reason. You weren’t just to become super soldiers for the Empire. One of you was going to be chosen to be the new vessel for the Emperor, but only if that Eternal showed promise. Apparently you did. Jacob explains that while the chosen needed to be a great warrior with magical skill and be put to the test, the Emperor didn’t want to risk your life excessively, hence why he initially wanted to keep you out of very heavy fighting. Also he didn’t want any of the potential vessels to complicate things by potentially producing offspring so sterility was something that ensured during your “enhancement” period as a baby.
You were a perfect soldier that was utterly loyal, so much so that you saw the Emperor as your father. Then Alison came along. Alison was the only other person that you had a close relationship with and that distracted you from your duty. Or more precisely, it made your loyalties potentially divided. The Emperor couldn’t take a chance with another person turning your devotion elsewhere or corrupting his influence over you so she had to die.
The assassination of Roldan was just a simple matter of taking out a potential future rival. Roldan’s fame was at least as much as your own, and he was probably better liked. Even if Roldan was loyal, the Emperor couldn’t take a chance of another potential domestic rebellion with a charismatic leader. Jacob also believes that the Emperor also just did it out of mean spiritedness since he knew how proud Jacob was of Roldan.
On top of everything else he could lay all the blame on Semra.
Jacob isn’t sure exactly how the Emperor plans to transfer himself into your body, but given that it involves a trip to the island of Mortos, he’s sure it can’t be good and that you as a person will cease to be so that the Emperor can continue his immortal reign.
While this is all very interesting from a conspiracy point of view, you aren’t convinced.
“So are you seriously telling me the Emperor has been molding me into some container that is to be filled? You’re telling me that this man who I see as my father and treats me as his son has been lying to me from the beginning about everything? Even if this were the case and I highly doubt it is, HOW do you know all this? What evidence do you have?”
Jacob at this point is extremely nervous.
“I…I have no hard evidence. I mean I’ve seen a few private writings, but I dared not to take them.”
“So what you’re telling me is that you’ve been snooping into the Emperor’s privacy and can’t even back up your accusations.”
“No! I also have another person who can back up these facts! She…”
You stop Jacob.
“She? Jacob, I really hope you aren’t talking about who I think you’re talking about.”
Jacob ignores your warning and blurts out what he has to say as quickly as he can.
“Look, I pieced together some of the assassination myself, but Semra told me about the true purpose of the Eternal Project. But this isn’t about just you. This is about a potential danger of world proportions! The Emperor isn’t just a ruler seeking everlasting life; Semra says he has a more sinister agenda that he’s been planning for centuries and given that I’ve recently learned his original homeland is Mortos I’m inclined to believe her.”
“Believe Semra? Really? Then you’re a damn fool along with being a traitor! Just how long have you been in contact with Semra? WHERE IS SHE?!” you ask and slam Jacob against the wall.
“Please…I’m telling you the truth! I’m no traitor! I’m loyal to the Empire first and foremost and I see the Emperor’s actions as something that will harm it in the long run! The Emperor needs to be stopped, whatever it is he has planned. You can’t go to Mortos with him! You have to kill him!”
“I’ll kill YOU for speaking such treason!” and begin squeezing Jacob’s neck.
“(Sigh) I told you this wasn’t going to work Jacob. He’s too hopelessly brainwashed to listen. Not even the death of his beloved Alison will cause him to believe that the Emperor means him ill. I guess I should’ve just killed him long ago, but as they say love makes you do stupid things.”
You turn around and see Semra. You don’t think, you just lunge, only to pass through Semra and crash into some furniture. Its not really Semra, its just a magic projection of some sort.
“I suppose I should be flattered that you still want to get your hands on me.” Semra remarks.
“After I’m done killing Jacob, I’m going to find and kill you, bitch.” You say getting back up.
“I’m sure, but I don’t have much time so I’m going to make this brief. Unlike our sniveling associate over there, I’m not going to appeal to your logic or reason, because its always been hampered by your warped sense of mindless duty. I’m going to appeal to your sense of desire and survival, because despite your warped sense of mindless duty, you can’t suppress those.”
You draw your weapon and walk past Semra’s image to butcher Jacob who pleads with you to spare his life.
“Okay here it is, you WANT to kill the Emperor. You WANT to rule the Empire. Don’t tell me you haven’t thought about it. I know your desires better than anyone else. Even if the Emperor isn’t planning on taking your body as his own and is going to just rejuvenate himself in some other way, why would you still want that? Isn’t it time for him to accept his demise and step aside for someone else? Who better than you? Are you truly happy just surviving and serving like a drone or are you going to finally step up and take what is rightfully yours? You’ve already had a major hand in expanding the Empire and holding it together, why not take the next natural step?”
You stop yourself from killing Jacob and turn back to Semra.
“You don’t have to like me, you don’t have to believe me, just listen to me lover. I’ve always known what’s best for you. Kill the Emperor now while he’s at his weakest, there has never been a better time. You were born to rule. Its in your blood, its in your heart, its in your soul. Seize your potential and do what’s meant to be.” Semra says.
With Jacob’s damning accusations and Semra’s words appealing to your ambitious aspirations, you now don’t know what to do. Should you dismiss everything they say as lies and stay loyal or should you not take any chances with your own survival and kill the Emperor regardless of reasons?