[SC] You Are Cordially Invited To The Sovereign's Dinner Party

[AsherTheLion]

The Sovereign hadn't been in this room since the last Sovereign was alive. It looked exactly like it did the last time he was here, aside from the copious amounts of dust. Arsenic had been in here since the night before cleaning it up, trying to make it look presentable. He figured they were just going to have dinner in the dining hall then from there move into this room. It wasn't until Malik came to him after breakfast and announced he wanted to have dinner in the war room that made things . . . Difficult. Sure, the room itself could handle such an event, but the question was why? This was a war room. A room where grown men would come into and discuss strategy. Sometimes men would even die in this room. Why eat in it? Wasn't that . . . There was going to be a mess in here! Arsenic gave it his best shot at trying to convince the Sovereign to change his mind, but deep down he knew he wouldn't. The boy was obsessed with his Predecessor and this was one of the only rooms that in essence was still him.. Was still that man. 

Which was probably why most of the next day Malik spent sitting in the chair at the old Sovereign's desk, holding Miranda in his lap as he read over some documents. He would mumble to her occasionally, asking her opinion on this or that. He never got an answer seeing as she was a doll, but he liked to pretend. He enjoyed reading over the papers in the man's desk, just looking at the handwriting calmed him down quite a bit. It was almost like he could feel the old man next to him; a feeling that comforted him so. Though that feeling slowly became something else, a thing that might have led to something else entirely if not for Miranda being in his lap. Arsenic was entering to deliver his tea, and some news about his assistant coming back from her message delivery run. She would be at the dinner party tonight. Ugh, that would mean he had to have Arsenic set another place at the table and his butler would have to make more food. And then there was just . . . Wait, why was he worrying about any of this? That's what he had people for.

The old Sovereign's War Room was simple at best. Plain walls adorned in the various colors of the two Houses he maintained, portraits and war trophies scattered about. Bookshelves lined with old strategies, maps, guides and all kinds of things. There were smaller shelves, too, for the knick-knacks scattered here and there. In the center was a table with the whole map as its surface, little characters decorated all over it for formations and as representation of past stratagems. There were also various charts covering the top of the table, some even on the walls and the floor, portraying previous plans Archimedes once had. Sure, this Sovereign could use those plans, but he would need to consult his Arch General to make sure they were still doable at this point. That was primarily why they were meeting tonight though, wasn't it? The Sovereign, The Arch General, and that Cruveto were meeting up here. The assistant was going to be there to take notes and all that while the butler was there to ensure that no one died.


"Sir," It had been a few hours since the butler had delivered the tea. He was back now and he had the entire kitchen staff. "We're ready to set the table." The Sovereign nodded and stayed at the desk, watching them work. It was fascinating to him to watch so many people work on something that he wanted done. The war table was soon enough a dinner table set for five. No, he had to recount that. There were six pla- . . . Seven? Why were there seven? Before he could even ask, the butler had handed him two notes. He read over them and rolled his eyes; fine whatever. 


"Remind our guests we'll be eating in here tonight."


"Of course, Sir." Arsenic paused, "Are you going to be staying in here until then?" The Sovereign nodded, going back to looking at some of the papers. "As you wish, sir. I'll return shortly with your guests and the meal."


With that, the staff and the butler left the room, leaving the boy alone with his doll and his memories.

[BunBun]

Seraphina is now just arriving back at the manor. She knew she was cutting it kind of close to the start of the Sovereign’s dinner party that he was planning. It was asked of her that she tried to return earlier, but it just couldn’t happen. The business that was given to her went a little over schedule; however, on top of her tardiness, the response given to her to give to the Sovereign was less than favorable. Phi just took in a deep breath and went inside.

Phi looked around, taking in everything as the workers of the house continued to tidy things for the occasion. Everything of course had to be perfect. Seraphina walked into the dining hall, thinking that it would be set for the evening, but it was empty. There was one worker there and she was just folding up the extra table cloth that was no longer going to be used. “Where is..” and before Phi could finish her question, she was pointed to the war room. An odd place to have a dinner party, but since she has taken this position as the Sovereign’s assistant she has never actually attended any of his events. Normally she was out doing whatever task is assigned.

The war room was undiscovered territory for Phi. She never went in there. Not because she wasn’t allowed to per say, but because there was never a reason for her to be there in the first place. Before opening the door, she took a decent size gulp of liquor from the flask that she tends to bring with her every where. Today the drink of choice vodka. Nothing fancy, just something to take the edge off. Gently, she opened the door to the room. She popped her head in to see if in fact the Sovereign was actually there, and he was. He was sitting at the head of the table like he should be. Looking around at the room she has never been in she started talking, “Sir, that message that you told me to deliver…. Well he sends his apologies for the unsatisfactory honey, but more won’t be produced for about a week….I told him depending on how you take this news he could end up dead, but that was his grave he is willing to dig.” Seraphina looked over at the Sovereign and was trying to somewhat gauge his reaction. “We don’t have to worry about it now though. We should focus on your party.” Seraphina took a seat next to the Sovereign and took out a small note pad and pen so that she can jot down anything of importance that may or may not come up.

[Margrete Meticulous]

All the doctors told Margrete no, she should stay in bed and rest however quick demands put that in check, a letter from The Sovereign was not meant to be politely ignored. Margrete recruited two doctors to come with her and observe to make sure she would not die at the table. “Remember Margrete, you will be in the wheel chair for the time being, over exertion may damage your unnatural healing pattern, or cause you to bleed from your scars…” …Fuck I look awful Margrete could only think to herself as the man droned on about her heath. The conversation reminded of her scars and without a second thought examined her arms and legs, most of her outer flesh was already beginning to heal, however she was rough with bright red blisters, all her hair had been scorched off leaving her looking like a reddened prune. The trip was long and uncomfortable, she was left in the hospital gown so that her outer layers of flesh would not suffer too much irritation but eventually the trio made it to the front of Sovereign's manor. “Well, let’s get this shit show over with, could one of you fine gentlemen help me with my axe.” Margrete wheezes and motions to the other doctor to hold it as one of the doctors helps her out onto a wheelchair.  “Let me do the talking, just stay silent and behind me like an advisor and you most likely will live.” An eerie silence fell over the doctors as they approached the manor. “Margrete Meticulous, Arch General.” She says curtly to the guards outside motioning the doctors to push her forward into the strangely familiar unknown.   

Margrete leans backwards to shush the doctors murmuring about where to go. “Doctors, please follow my instructions to the nose, I don’t want either of you to be executed.” Another dull silence washes over them as the mention of possible death. “We will mingle here until we are summoned.” A long stretch sent a jolt of pain through her body as she uses the brief amount of time to survey the area, a moment of worry flickers through her mind as she realizes her battle with the unicorn was reckless however it didn't seem there were enough stationed guard for a prompt execution, but she mutters under her breath. “Oh and by the way, if we are charged don’t be afraid to swing the axe.”  A laugh echoes deep within Margrete as the doctors turn white with fear, “oh don’t worry too much, it shouldn’t come to that.” The reassurance didn't seem to help the pair any as they wait patiently to be summoned into the dining hall, Margrete's eyes hunted for other guests for reassurance of her own.

[[NPC] Meticulous Council]

Cruveto had fallen asleep on one of the benches that were in the many halls, he had initially been wandering getting a layout of the area, being a councilman gave him a few luxuries he thought he would never see, and to see the setup that was this building was remarkable to say the least. Waking up, he saw that he had only slept for six hours, and while he wanted to go back to sleep there was no helping it, it was roughly lunch time, no time for a dinner party just yet. His messenger had delivered the message of the General being alive, but the news of being burned beyond recognition was the last update he had, he was fully prepared to go into the meeting without the general and suffer any potential consequences of another of the sovereigns people being taken from him. He stretched, and began to strap his brown boots back on before hearing the rampant footsteps of someone approaching. He raised an eyebrow and stared at the corner of the corridor he was in waiting for someone or something to come running past him. He stared and stared, then out of what he would describe as out of the woodwork of reality came a small young courier girl with big bright blue eyes. She stopped in front of him and stated his name, “Councilman Cruveto… letter for you”

It was unusual for him to be addressed in such a manner, and more surprising that the girl knew his name. He opened the letter, and began to grin, the general had apparently began to heal rapidly, “another mystery of the calamity I suppose” and would be attending the meeting in the war room. This pleased him to no end, as this meant he would be making more positive connections, it also means that a decent amount of pressure would be taken off him and his other councilman now that someone else could report to the sovereign. It had only been a day and he was already anxious to see what he could do with his new title while in the field. “I suppose… I should make sure I am ready for that…” He smelled himself slightly and determined that a bath had definitely been in order, so for the time he had before the party he had decided to visit a local bath house. He had wished that he could have shared the moment with his troops, but they had been spending time in the city “Staying out of trouble” he hoped. His thoughts wandered to those of his men who were true lectures and would bed the first women that would let them, then he worried about those who would gamble away all of their clothes and possessions, his thoughts ended on those of his men who were in critical care. Even more odd he wondered about the shamed hummingbird… He shook his head at the thought while drying off.

Having brought a fresh uniform before heading to the bath, he appeared crisp, and clean. The way a proper man of house Meticulous would have always aimed for. He combed his hair back and checked his collar to make sure he was dressed like a leader, “not someone to be taken lightly” He thought. The uniform was a mix of red, black, brown, and white with golden seams. The tie was black with golden stripes, he wore a white undershirt and his boots which were a dirty mud brown before, were now a polished shiny brown. He cleaned up rather nicely as he put his black belt through all the loops of his bright white pants. The final piece being a scarlet red blazer, he decided to not bother with decorations that he had earned within the last year. “Don’t want to be too meticulous… people tend to think I am challenging their worth… don’t want to be attacked under the infamous blood feud claim..” He smirked pleased with himself, by the time he was done he had roughly 30-40 minutes tops, so he began to make his towards the war room.


He walked past two people who seemed to feel out of place, must have been an escort to the general from the hospital. He walked into the war room, quietly, attempting to not draw as much attention to himself. He stood behind his chair rather than sit down and he waiting to ensure that everyone who was suppose to be here had been here. As a means to avoid being rude he smiled “Good Afternoon, m’lord, general” He then looked to Phi, unsure of who she was, he didn’t want to make things awkward, so instead he nodded to her “Good afternoon” He smiled, but deep down he was concerned. “Always a surprise here…”

[ExplodingIce]

Johnathon had been at the manor for hours working on different proposals in the forgotten office he had appropriated. The Sovereign had no use for the room and it kept him close in case he needed anything, or was needed for any reason. He was in rather casual attire for him, a simple black two button shirt with no jacket, and a pair of black pants. He didnt like to work in full regalia because he tended to overheat. Spread out in front of him were reports from nearly every Meticulous family, though a few were absent and hed been checking the records to see who was late when there was a knock at the door and he looked up to see a servant step in, bow, and simply point to the clock above the door.

"Ah yes, thank you. Youre dismissed." He waved them away and set his pen down. He sat down in his chair so he could slip his loafers on and slide his arms back into his jacket. If he was late to the dinner party hed never hear the end of it, and he didnt wish to disappoint the Sovereign. As he walked he did his best to comb his hair with his fingers, reattach all the superfluous chains, and pulled his monocle from the breast pocket, setting it back against his eye. He stopped once to check himself in a mirror before entering the War Room to find that the Sovereign and Phi seated already.

"It appears im slightly late, though clearly not the last to arrive. Good to see you again my dear. Intoxicating as always." He chuckled and bowed to Seraphina before turning to the Sovereign. "And good evening sir. Will you be on the menu tonight or shall we be dining on lesser specimens for tonight?" Johnathon toyed and sat down on the other side of him.

[AsherTheLion]

Malik hadn't moved from the desk since he came in here this morning. It was getting closer and closer to dinner time though. He shifted a bit and got up, placing his doll very carefully on the desk. He stretched, getting all the kinks out of his muscles as he did so. He did one or two different kinds of stretches just to make sure that he was limber enough to do what he wanted. "Let's go, Miranda. Its almost time for our guests to arrive." He smiled down at his precious doll before he picked her up, carrying her to the table. He still wasn't sure why he needed to many place settings, but whatever. He walked to the head of the table and sat down. "And you can sit here." He had Miranda's seat brought in and she could just barely see over the table. Man, he really liked that doll. She was his most treasured possession . . . Aside from the ring the old Sovereign had given him anyway.

Which of his guests was going to be the first to arrive, he wondered. He assumed the Councilman would if only for the fact he had been so determined for this meeting in the first place. When the door opened, however, he was a little surprised to see that the first to arrive was his assistant. He would have rolled his eyes, but she started to talk to him and he needed to at least act like he was listening. Arsenic told him to be nice to her and he would at least try to be.

"First he sends me shit honey and now he's saying its going to take a week to get more?" The man was lucky Arsenic had a reserve of honey in the kitchen for the boy to eat. "I am willing to give the man a second chance. However, if this batch of honey is just as bad as the one he sent last time . . . Remind me to send a member of the Elite Guard to pay him a visit." He nodded a little bit, looking back at the table. Focus on his party . . . There were only two people here right now. What was there to even focus on?

"Maybe you're right. I suppose we should wait for the rest of my guests to show up." Arsenic poked himself into the room no sooner after the child ruler had finished speaking. He mentioned something about the Arch General being here, but it looked as though she had two attendants with her. The boy rolled his eyes and ordered for two more places to be set at his table. The more the merrier, why not? This was a dinner party after all! Arsenic nodded and mentioned that when he returned with the place settings, he would have the General with him. The boy nodded and watched his butler leave, turning back to face the table. Man this was boring. Maybe he should have had this in the dining room. No, he needed it in here. This was where everything was going to happen, after all.

The Sovereign glanced up from the spot he was staring at on the table when he heard the doors open. Ah, it was just Arsenic and the General. He gave her a smile, having to bite his tongue at her attire. He didn't care if she had been a walking corpse. This was a dinner party! She could have at least pretended to care! Hospital gown. Bandages. Wouldn't a nice dress at least fit over this?! He just smiled at her, welcomed her to his war room. He was being nice if only for the fact that Arsenic was looking at him. The butler took his usual place beside his Master for the time being, the boy leaning back in his chair to stare at the ceiling. How many times had he counted the various symbols and things on the banners in this room while he was laying on his back taking his predecessor's dic- . . .

The door opened and the scent that invaded his nostrils was enough to make him gag. He wanted to so bad, but he heard the butler clear his throat and Malik forced another smile. "Yes, good afternoon, Councilman Cruveto." What . . . What was that smell? The man looked like he had cleaned himself up so a bath must have been taken. Did he really . . . Was that really one of the soaps that was allowed? He'd have to remind Arsenic to get rid of it. What was that anyway? It had a weird pepper smell to it. With . . . Lemons. Big, ugly, juicy lemons. At least the man was attractive. He had that going for him right now. Not that the Sovereign would ever say that aloud. For now he just smiled at him before looking back at his table. Well, that was most of the seats filled. Who else was supposed to be here?

That question was answered a few moments later when the doors opened again. The . . . The Arch Governor was here, too? What on Earth? He shifted a bit and glanced at Arsenic and the man shrugged. He looked at his assistant as if to ask her if she knew about this, but as the man addressed her, he narrowed his eyes at her. Was she responsible for him being here? Or was this just coincidence and he was getting upset for no reason? Would have to figure that out later, his Governor was flirting with him again. Or at least, that's what Arsenic told him the man did when he spoke to him like that.

"Perhaps if you were a bit older I would have agreed to be on the menu and you would have been getting something delivered to your room after dinner." Mused the Sovereign as he turned his eyes to his high ranking underling. He thought he heard Arsenic make a noise akin to a laugh, but when he glanced at the butler the man was straight faced. He rolled his eyes again and went back to looking at the table, trying to ignore the flirt to his right. There was still an empty place setting and he was annoyed about that. Had someone miscounted the guests or . . . Fuck it, who cared.


"I'm glad you all could make it to my dinner party this evening." He at least seemed pleasant for the time being. "The first course should be arriving shortl- . . ." The doors opened and as if on cue, the servants came walking in with carts full of food for his guests. "Ah, well. I stand corrected. The first course is here now. Please, dig in and enjoy yourselves." He shifted a bit and reached for the small container of honey that Arsenic had placed beside his plate. Mm, dinner was going to be great!

[BunBun]

Seraphina knew that her message was not going to be taken too well, however, luckily for her the dinner guests started arriving before any further argument could be had. The first guest was the General. She didn’t verbally address Phi or the Sovereign when she entered which was a little rude. On top of that she was not dressed very well. Phi understood her predicament but at the same time, it is just unacceptable. The Sovereign was doing his best to hide his disgust that was so evident. Phi did not do so well hiding her face. Nose scrunched and eyebrows cocked, she quickly took a swig of her flask while the attention was clearly not on her. Someone might die today, she thought to herself and slightly smirked, too small for anyone to really notice. This was going to be an interesting guest list.

The next to arrive was the councilman. Phi had never actually met this man. As he entered the room she looked to the Sovereign to see his reaction to this man. She could tell he was displeased at something but couldn’t think of what. An attractive man who smelled fresh, and he actually spoke when he entered. Which was more than she could say for the first person. What was there to be displeased at. Phi nodded towards the gentleman with a small genuine grin. However her grin faded as she noticed he wasn’t sitting. He just stood there...What was he waiting for exactly? It is a tad rude to remain standing, especially in front of those who invited you. Phi looked up to his face and then back down at his seat and the lack of butt in it. Yep, someone is going to die today, she thought again. The thought slightly excited her. She didn’t have any bad thoughts towards any of the guests, but something about death in general amused her. As long as she wasn’t the one on the cutting board.

The third to arrive was the Governor. Seraphina had seen the governor a few times. They spoke here and there, but nothing of great consequence. His greeting made her heart beat a bit faster than normal and she could feel her cheeks blushing. “Always a pleasure, of course.” she replied back with a flirty smile. Phi couldn’t really tell if it was the alcohol speaking or not, but she didn’t mind anyway. Before she could let a small happy feeling sink down to her gut, she felt the gaze of her master. His eyes were narrowed down at her like as if she were a child. Phi’s eyes widened, for a moment she was truly terrified. This was the look that got you killed. She shook her head like she didn’t know what was going on truly. She lowered her head in an apologetic and even submissive way. This is why we can’t have nice things she thought to herself.

Finally the food arrived. However, Phi now felt a tad nervous about the rest of the events for the evening. She waited till everyone else had a plate of food before her own. After all, she was just an assistant and if she wasn’t as such she wouldn’t have been invited. She looked on at all of the glorious looking food, everything smelled delicious.

[Margrete Meticulous]

“Good Evening, Cruveto. I hope everything is going well.” Margrete acknowledges and gives a slight bow of her head, the only move she could make that wouldn’t cause ripples of pain to pass through her body. She looked at the roof for a second realizing eyes are on her. I can’t be thought as a disposable cripple. She levels her eyes with the table once more before cocking her head slightly to the servants approaching the table with the additional chairs. “No please, my guest will not be dining with us tonight as they were not invited, they are merely here to make sure I maintain health and that if I were to go into cardiac arrest that I would not die at the dinner table.” Margrete says very politely to the servants that were bringing chairs and shoos them away.

“Doctors, please stand at the edge of the room and only speak if I am dying or spoken to.” With one dismissive hand the two quickly scurry to the edge of the room putting their hands together behind their backs standing attentive, even in her weakened state she seemed to be sitting up and extra focused, keeping her elbows out of the way, politely coiling her fingers together even though great displeasure comes from it. “You didn’t think I would actually invite dinner guests to your meal without asking.” Margrete looked up to The Sovereign and Seraphina, her face contorts to that of a horrific glare, her scars making the intensity much more than initially planned.
As soon as food was announced she looked directly to the floor, her vision blurred with pain as she refocused on etiquette, “I apologize, I am only just starting to heal, my skin i-is in excruciating pain and is making me act more harshly than I would normally.” She grits her teeth as she avoids eye contact murmuring her apology. This is going just swell Margrete thinks to herself frustrated, the delicious aroma of food washing over most of her senses, and she hoped her recent lashing out would be covered by the wafting smell.

A quick scan of the crowd at the dinner party started giving her clues of what this was and how she shouldn’t of came, her political stance could be in shambles by the end of the night on mere principle. Margrete takes a deep calming breath as food is being distributed and pausing only eating what other people already have, it wouldn’t be too uncharacteristic of The Sovereign to bring everyone together for a joint poisoning. 

[[NPC] Meticulous Council]

Seeing food being brought into the war room made his eyes twitch, clearly uncomfortable with the thought, but as promised he would ignore the sovereigns mannerisms and go through to his point, after all he was thankful to be alive at this point. “I apologize for standing as I am speaking and pointing to things on a map… I figured it would be best if everyone sat while I briefed all of you on the situations at hand” He eyed Seraphina, indicated that he had no intention of sitting down until the world was saved… or at least that a plan was in motion to save the world. He removed his gloves from his hands once more and put them in his back pocket being careful to make sure everyone saw that he did this. As everyone was becoming comfortable he looked to the Sovereign for permission to begin the opening statements and pointed to a single point on the map that had been sprawled out in the middle of the table. “This is where we currently reside at this moment to the north we have a library, to the north west we have docks that are being terrorized by a whale and to the north east we have a battle that we need to assess and check the damage… if Pandemonium has taken the bridge from those slaves and traitors then we are in trouble.”



He eyed the room around him, to ensure he had everyone's attention while pressing his fist to his chest to straighten his shirt. He leaned back up and then nodded to the general, “We requested General Meticulous here for her expertise in the field and more specifically her recent run in with the beast on the school campus. That is something I wish to tackle last, as now that we have retrieved the general the sense of urgency on the task is less in defeating a enemy and more on planning. The whale on the other hands poses a great threat to our second asset… the dam… recent analysis indicate the whale is heading for the dam and can cause disruption while there, if the forces to protect it there are already weak from the battle this could be detrimental to both islands… so to those of you who make the decisions of our great government… with the threat of a power struggle in the midst after arriving at somewhat peaceful negotiations… what should our next course of action be… if we lose the dam to the whale or pandemonium we would definitely lose all of our technical resources”



He then began to walk to his chair, placing his hands on the back of it. Before pulling out the chair he opened his mouth paused and then spoke. “This meeting is to simply come to a conclusion that the governor, general, and sovereign can agree on using my troop as it has insider knowledge on the whale.” He then set a small blue device in the center of the table. A blue light projected from it and presented his troop, full of achievements, specialties, stats, ages transformations, and feats. It served as a guide book for the leaders to understand why they were meant to take these taskings instead of some other trained force. While this was all for the greater good of Meticulous and Draconian, the thing that always stood out about those of house Meticulous is that they wanted all of the honour for themselves. This had been engraved in Cruveto so much, that he did it unintentionally.



He then pulled his chair from the table and politely sat down, “This concludes my debrief, are there any questions from any of you?” He put his hands together, folding his fingers so that the room could only see his eyes as his elbows rested on the arms of his chair.

[ExplodingIce]

Johnathon smiled at his leader and assistant. He made note of the Sovereigns exact words. He hadnt said no. Perhaps an after dinner desert. He took his jacket off and put it across the back of his chair before turning to the other guests. A very rumpled looking councilmen and an excruciatingly ragged General. What a wonder there house had become but courtesy first. 

"Good evening Margaret. I heard about your injuries. Good to see youre moving. Hard to replace someone of your skills." He smiled and checked the box in his head. Not overly friendly, very professional. He didnt have a chance to say any words to Cruverto before the servants brought in the food. As always the menu was exquisite. He had a glass of wine poured while the Councilmen stood and spoke. He quietly ate while they were briefed, knowing once the briefing was done he wasnt likely to get a chance to eat again for a while. A skill you had to learn for meetings like this one. 

When Cruverto finished, he wiped his mouth with his napkin and set it next to his plate, taking a small sip of wine to rinse his mouth before he spoke. "Im of the belief that the dam will remain in the hands of the traitors. My sources tell me the great wolf hasnt stirred from his cave yet. Without his firepower, theyre not like to take the dam. Pandemonium is a rather scattered house with loose leadership." He said and reached into one of his many pockets and drew a small scroll, unfolding it and reading it for reference. 

"The whale could pose greater threat to our operations. While we have people working to free us from the dependence on the dam,im not certain theyve reached that point just yet." He grumbled unhappily sliding the scroll back into its pocket. "What do we know of the whale? Is it another superpower we dont know of or is it native?" He asked with finality, leaving the floor open for the others to give there input.

[Mandoragon]

Madavia wanted to remember very little about growing up with the strict rules and guidelines of what would become House Meticulous, however it did come in handy tonight. She was well dressed, a simple and elegant dress coated her body in a light green and ivory hues her parents once told her complimented her skin tone. It was relatively uneventful in moving through, all she had to do was present the papers she had been given and most of the guards let her through with little hassle. “Being late was not in your best interests girl,” one of them called out before she was out of earshot.

Well yes she was running late, but making sure Alex behaved and finishing up some last minute preparations took precedence in her mind, regardless of possible offense to those above her. Besides her work was pretty important to most of the people who'd be there so surely they'd understand. Her confidence faltered as she caught the unsure eyes of the guard who let her in.

Madavia took a deep breath. Damn, she was already pretty late. Well better late than never. It did seem as if they were waiting for someone. She bowed her head softly. “My name is Madavia Au Jokalin, I am a member of the Draconian Research and Development programs and have been working on a few projects someone believed would be best discussed here.” She looked around the room taking everyone in. The Sovereign was easy enough to recognize, as was the Arch Governor. Madavia knew from experience that Margarete had seen better days which made the former morose. “I apologize for my lateness.” she bowed her head again.

As she made it to her seat, or so she presumed since it was the only one left, she kept her eyes locked on the map. The topographical details, contested zones, areas of interest, all of that would've been useful to her and the ideas she had. Perhaps she should ask Margarete for permission to get one like that. Madavia also noticed the image generator on the table and recognized Lan. She nodded carefully at Cruveto hoping she'd be forgiven for any tresspass. “How's that staff prototype working for Lan?” She asked so only he could hear. “I'm assuming decent enough since I haven't heard about him blowing up yet. I'll have to get the use records from it in order to tweak it to be more efficient.” Her eyes seemed to focus on the map as she lost herself in thought, looking up only when someone spoke.

[AsherTheLion]

The Sovereign was enjoying himself for the moment. He'd drenched the first course in honey and was being very polite and well mannered as he ate. He was content with the knowledge that he had intimidated his assistant. He knew that in a few moments he was going to need that small moment of victory because he was about to hear some very bad news from the people around the table. He had to at least pretend that he could be calm. This was a very important meeting. He glanced to the chair that his doll was sitting in. She was so pretty. He loved Miranda. He might have kissed her if he didn't have honey all over his lips. Arsenic would wipe his face soon enough probably. He was such a good butler. He loved that man. Now then. Back to paying attention to his plate. This salad bullshit was gross, but the dressing wasn't so bad.

Although, he was very curious as to why the attendants weren't going to be fed. He was a very nice, generous man, was he not? Why did his General not want them to eat? It was the least he could do for them for taking care of her after all. But hey, if she wanted them to starve so be it. That was on her, not him. Even with her logic being what it was, its not like it would have mattered. The Governor was here and he wasn't even sure why. Had he summoned him? He suspected Arsenic had something to do with this now that he thought about it. Maybe he falsely accused his assistant . . . Nah, the way they were looking at each other. But he shook that off, he had more important things to focus on.

"No need to apologize, fair lady. We will try to be as accommodating as possible. Had I known this was your current condition, I would have prepared a special chair for you. One that is far more comfortable than what you are currently sitting in." Arsenic had moved to stand next to the General which upset Malik greatly. He said nothing, but the look in his eyes said it all. He just smiled, let the butler and the General have words if they needed to. Whatever. Didn't matter to him . . . Cruveto wasn't sitting. Not that he let that bother him or anything. He was the one that was supposed to be standing and talking and doing things. That was the whole reason they were having this dinner party in the first plcae. He had to let his Councilman do whatever it was that he needed to. He was trying to listen to what he was talking about, but he just . . . Was that a feeling of anger welling up inside of him again? Hearing that his pawns were in danger again. He took a deep breath and relaxed and listened to the debrief some more. What was the rest of this? Had to pay attention.

The fact he had to agree on something with his Governor and his General. Oooo, this was going to be interesting, wasn't it? Were they going to agree or have different ideas? Oh no. What if they had three different ideas? What if a fight broke out? He bit his lip and glanced towards his butler. Arsenic had glanced at him at the same time and just smiled at the boy. He left the General's side after making sure that she was okay, returning to the Child King. Now that he was calm again, the Sovereign began to think about questions that he had. Of course he had them. A lot of them. He was silent, however, because the Governor started to speak.

The Great Wolf hasn't stirred from his cave yet. Why did that send a shiver up his spine? It wasn't even one of fear. He was sure he was afraid, but there was something of anticipation there. He was eager. He was excited. Just because he hadn't managed to stir the wolf yet didn't mean that he wouldn't. He was going to push things as far as he could without making it look like he was the one behind it just to see what would happen. After all, what was he if not an agitator of the sleeping? He shifted just a little bit and leaned against the table. This seemed like a good spot for him to speak. So he was just about to when the doors open.

For the love of God, who in the hell was interrupting his dinner party?!

The name. Why did that name sound familiar? Had he read it somewhere? Heard it somewhere? He felt like the old Sovereign had mentioned it to him on one of the few occasions he had actually been a decent enough teacher and sex wasn't involved in any way. He was silent as he listened to her, looked her over a bit. She at least looked nice. Like, really nice. So much fucking nicer than his General. Maybe a little bit nicer than Cruveto, but that was debatable. She even apologized! How many of these people apologized?! Granted a lot of them hadn't actually done anything wrong, he was just a spoiled fucking brat.

Arsenic had been quietly walking around and making sure that everyone was satisfied with their meal thus far. The next course was due to be brought in soon and he wanted to make sure that things were good. He would hate to be a horrible butler after all. So when he got around to Madavia, he simply smiled at her and waited for to finish speaking to Cruveto. He busied himself having a conversation with the Sovereign through nothing more than various eye movements. Oh, that poor boy. The butler chuckled before leaning down so that he could have a conversation with her.

"My lady, you needn't apologize for your tardiness. The guards probably held you up or something. Don't worry, I'll deal with them." He paused as he was unsure she heard him. Her eyes seemed to be focused on the map. "Perhaps I can get you something? Wine to drink? Food to eat? Your own personal map?" He tagged that on there at the end hoping that she would turn to look at him and acknowledge him.

"You know, Cruveto," Mused the Sovereign as he was tired of looking at his butler. If this was to get him jealous it was working. "What sort of plan did you have in mind for taking care of these things? Obviously you have the General and the Governor here to debate your plan back and forth. I'm here to put the final stamp of approval on it." He had to wrack his brain for a few seconds to think about what he had heard so far. "How are we going to stop the whale and Pandemonium from taking the dam?"

[BunBun]

Seraphina slowly started to eat her food. Nothing really pertained to her or her interests. She jotted down everything of substance so that it can be reviewed later. Stuffing her face and downing her wine, Phi tried to look like she was paying attention. In truth, she was bored. No one has been threatened yet, let alone be killed yet. This dinner was a tad too tame for her. She continued to do her job diligently though. Then there was the interruption. To her surprise, the Sovereign did not seem too terribly upset about the tardiness. 

The question of the whale and Pandemonium arrived and this is where things sparked Phi's interest at least slightly. She was hopping for a large battle. I mean we are in the war room so it is definitely something that should be spoken about. Phi was getting ahead of herself. It's not like she would ever see the battlefield. War simply amused her. Phi was losing her focus. She put her nose back in her notebook and waited to write down different ideas that the rest of the group had.

[Margrete Meticulous]

As Arsenic approached her she leaned in underneath her breath "How has everything been here? Whispers from my men have spoke of a possible war front, I was wondering if we should up security at the mansion? I am worried that the Sovereign have not been gr..-" She pauses as Arsenic walks away. We will talk about this later. She nods politely, a warm smile filled her features as everything started to begin.


"Evening Johnathon, thank you for your condolences." She nods to him politely not sure if it was a request for her health or demise. Margrete could only offer a brief glance at Madavia before Crueveto began his debrief, and unfortunately that was much more of interest to her. As soon as business started Margrete perked up in her seat to analyze the problem at hand listening to Cruveto intently while portraying half-hearted observation. "Thank you for the debrief Cruveto, I hate to be the first to point this out but my war report read that the transformee assumed a one hundred percent transformation into a full sized Sperm Whale. To my team studying this topic's understanding of the transformations they turn blood thirsty but not logical, why would a beast as such attack an inanimate object such as the dam?" She let the question ring, her voice rang out strong like it used to before her recent mutilation. "I only ask because we are endangering lives for something that theoretically shouldn't be interested in our assets at all, it may even protect the dam from troublesome sailors." She moves her left hand to brush the would be hair out of her face if there was any on her bubbling head.


Even with the slight disagreement Margrete leaned forward onto her elbows wiggling heavily as she looks at and analyzes every single one of the troops before she even motions to make another statement. A sigh of relief left her as she lightly fell back into her chair, "in regards of Pandemonium without any real organization it will be incredibly hard for them to break the hold the rats have, however we may want to meet with the current owners to further assess that, if Pandemonium has been organizing we may have more issues than just losing our foothold on technological advancement." A visible shiver ran through her body thinking of the problems that would arise if Pandemonium would become organized it would soon be her turn for a similar report of failure, however she waited patiently to be addressed.

[[NPC] Meticulous Council]

While Jonathan smiled, Cruveto frowned something was going over his head, and he wasn't exactly sure if it was important or not. Rather than ponder the details he simply listened and nodded to all of the questions presented to him. The greetings had finally gotten out of the way, and now that he had completed his brief he was all ears. The Arch Governor’s inquiry was the first to appear in the midst of clanking utensils. “Sir, currently what we know of the whale is that it has been sinking discord, draconian, and mutiny vessels along the west side of the islands… it is not rabid… but a hunter… cunning… the trajectory it currently presents itself with leads us to predict that eventually, it will target the dam… what is more terrifying is the news I received last night on its current trajectory and capabilities… To stop the discord forces from capturing it… it developed a feat… the ability to harden its skin… not only did this allow it to sink ships faster but with this new feat it poses a serious threat the dam capable of destroying the barriers.”

He was going to continue with details of how the boats were smashed, and their remains were washed up on the shore, but he was cut off by the introduction of someone familiar. ‘Late as usual’ he thought to observe the introduction of the mad inventor. She had done the correct and polite thing to do and surprisingly to Cruveto her head remained on her shoulders. He couldn’t help but shrug, additionally, he couldn't help but want to shoot a disappointing glare at the sovereign. That is now two instances where he felt who would have seen the child king that everyone feared so much but was met with something that resembled an actual leader. He was at the same time impressed all the same, as this was the mature and correct course of action if he were to judge. “The staff is excellent by the way… I think we sent it to your lab after his last bout, though… something got bent or another… I don’t know” He shook his head not having all of the details fresh in his mind.

When the Sovereign finally directed attention back at Cruveto, he couldn’t help the grin that came back on his visage. It was a smile that sent a message of threats and love simultaneously. A confirmation of a game that they had both unknowingly started with one another regarding who could make the other feel more uncomfortable. He took a breath, ensuring that he was not sucked into this trap. He felt used all in all, but it was a request from the child king he could comply with. “Well, my plan is simple really… I say we take the dam…. Both sides will be weak from fighting one another… we work with mutiny and when pandemonium forces are crushed… we turn on Mutiny and take the dam… I have word that House Havoc has already started some form of negotiation with the house… I think my solution to winning them over is brilliant as I was going to suggest” He paused as he locked eyes with the child king once more, “I was going to suggest that The Sovereign go to speak to the traitors personally and win their favor with the promise of things getting better… offer and alliance as opposed to trying to force them back into our ranks… acknowledge them as equals… I am sure many would like to return to some parts of our ways… once we have the dam in our favor… our need to protect it from the whale is unified… we could also exclude House Discord from the power sources as this is entirely their fault in my opinion.”

He paused to get a look around the room, anxious to see what was thought of in regards to his plan. “The Sovereign would be under the protection of my unit… we would go on a campaign of spreading good will… it would be good for the men… we convince House Mutiny we stand with them… overall morale is boosted…we take to kill the whale with House Mutiny, eliminate pandemonium, take down House Mutiny from the inside, and then finish off House Discord as it is a part of the scraps… it will line up in that order, and we will adjust if need be.”

He then looked to the assistant to aid him on persuading that this was a good idea, glancing at her so that she could crunch numbers or provide the benefits of such a journey. He was hopeful that she could back up extra details that he didn't have.

[ExplodingIce]

Johnathon nodded to the Inventor but didnt say anything to her, he was instead taking am moment to nurse his second glass of wine for the night. If he wasnt careful tonight was going to get much more exciting very quickly. His jab at Margarette had been perfectly aimed to avoid poking the bear, even if he did value her opinion. However Cruverto's options didnt thrill him. 

"The idea of working with any of these traitors sickens me, but to suggest sending The Sovereign is insane. If they want to meet him they can come to us where they wont have the advantage. Send him into that cursed dam and he may never come back out, or have you not heard the legends of the guardians?" He chuckled and undid the top button of his shirt and pulled off his gloves. The wine was making him warm and they were clearly going to be there for a bit 

"However sending troops in to clean up while theyre weak has merit. I hear theres word of a possible acquisition being made by our house that may aid us in any sort of siege warfare. However a force of all Draconian troops worries me just a tad. While I dont doubt your loyalty, the last time we allowed soldiers to acquire the dam for us, they broke away and became there own house if you recall. And while im have no questions about your loyalty to our joint cause," He paused for a moment to pour himself another glass of wine. He probably aught to make this the last glass. "Can we guarentee the loyalty of all of your men? Its been said that those that go into the dam find something...special. I mean, why else would Mutiny happened in the first place?" He finished and leaned back in his chair, enjoying the feeling of lightness in his knees and his head. Maybe one more after this one.

[Mandoragon]

Madavia nodded at the counsilman, and couldn’t help but wonder if the dangerous areas sidetracked the delivery or if Alex was taking a look at it. Either way she’d have to ask her “assistant” about it. When the butler addressed her, Madavia’s eyes lit up. “Yes please, this would help me immensely with plotting and estimating production purposes.” She smiled a bit wide before turning to focus on the counsilman again.


Madavia wasn’t here to strategize, she knew that much, however something didn’t quite feel right about heading after the dam first. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but I can’t see how that’s a good idea.” She said after the Governor finished. “Let’s assume for a second that even if we were able to acquire the dam, the Governor’s fears are moot, and that the traitors are willing to continue working considering no one else that we know of can run the dam, our forces will be split in two. Those stats you’ve showed us tell me that, even though your force is a strong assault one, it’s a powerful one and should probably be making frequent returns here to dissuade attackers.

“Which brings me to my second point. If my lab was much further away from here, I would’ve easily been attacked by some outlier violent houses.” She pointed to the map, particularly around the Terra Complex and Hops Town. “These two areas in particular are worrisome, not to mention Orin Mall and a few others. These areas are highly contested and could easily be made into a stronghold to go against us at the heart of our operations. We haven’t held City Hall for a full year. We had to take if from Maelstrom.” Madavia paused briefly. “We simply don’t have access to enough resources right now to split our forces up. However, I am currently putting the finishing touches on a more efficient power grid. As a result, if we could increase our presence in the surrounding area and put this grid into place, we could easily make our resource management regarding electricity leaps ahead of the other houses. This also allows me to work on other designs much faster; such as prototype armors stronger than what we can access now, more advanced weaponry, maybe even a separate power source.”

Madavia looked up from the map realizing all eyes were on her. The memories of her upbringing quickly flashed through her head. “Sorry, again I know I’m not here for this, but those were some major concerns I’ve been having.” She bowed her head. “Besides, if Havoc’s there, they can back up the dam for the whale’s presence right? We’re still on good terms with them aren’t we?”

[AsherTheLion]

Trying his best to avoid eating like he normally would have were he alone, the Sovereign was refraining from licking the honey off his plate like the filthy doglord he was. A quick glance to the side told him that his assistant was at least doing her job. That was really good in his opinion. He would need to reference these notes later and make plans according. He shifted just a little bit before glancing over at his doll. She was just so pretty. He loved Miranda a lot. She was his favorite. He loved the other two dolls, too, even loved all the other ones that he’d crafted over the years. But she just . . . She held a special place in his heart. His attention was interrupted more by the fact that the servants were bringing the next course of food in more than anything that he was hearing so far. Though, his focus was deviating away from the food and was back on his butler. Bitch thought he was so cool, flirting with all the ladies . . . He took a deep breath, let it out slowly, speared a piece of the meat on his plate, and started to viciously tear into it as he listened to more of the conversations.

Perhaps it was the glance that Arsenic shot him, the butler doing it almost too casually as he and the Sovereign heard of the sperm whale. “My lord, be careful over there. I wouldn't want you to choke on your steak.” The boy glanced over at the man and found that this slight distraction to his attention was enough for him to not even have to try to hide the fact he was excited, he was too busy trying to eat like a normal human being to react outwardly too much. The spider had been a very good success. A full sized sperm whale. Wow. That had been so cool. He waved his caretaker off, taking another bite of the meat on his fork and listening to his general speak. Completely rabid. Man, that spider did everything it was supposed to. Would have to see about getting his hands on a few more, letting them lose. But he had to listen to this report some more. Had to act like this wasn’t a good thi- . . . For fuck’s sake. He did exactly what Arsenic had told him not to. He choked a little bit on his food, coughing just enough for the tiny obstruction to fly out of his mouth and back onto his plate. A slight chuckle from the butler and the Sovereign was already thinking about what a rabid groler bear might do when given a spider bite.

Although, that whole bit about his own ships sinking. Those were important. They had his people on them. He could care less about the Mutiny vessels. Discord gave him something of a pang in his chest, but he could all too easily ignore it. But the Draconian vessels. His fingers tightened around the grip of his fork as he stabbed it into another piece of meat. The fact that the dam had the possibility to be destroyed though. He was chewing the piece of beef in his mouth rather intently, trying to focus on it. He couldn’t be certain if this was something that he had planned or not. It had potential regardless so he would at least keep this in mind. Although, when he chanced a glance over at Cruveto he couldn’t help but notice that disapproving glare. What in the fuck . . . The hell was that even about? He could kill the man for looking at him wrong. Almost suggested it, opened his mouth to say it and everything, but that voice in his head told him that the blood might ruin the war table. He had so many memories on this table. Why ruin it with bloodshed? So once again, for the time being, he let this man live.

This honey marinade was so fucking good. He’d lost himself in it while he’d been waiting for his various answers to the questions that he had asked. Once more he found himself glancing over at Cruveto and he couldn’t even really be certain, but what was . . . What was that look he was getting this time? He felt uneasy in the pit of his stomach and he just . . . He didn’t know why. Didn’t understand why. But taking the dam was certainly a great idea. He seemed rather excited about that. He could have his dam back from those mutinous traitors. He could have power restored. He could have so many things! Though there was a very dramatic wrench thrown into the cog of his machine of joy. Well, make that two. Siding with Mutiny was going to upset him so much. Hadn’t they betrayed him the first time? Was it even really him they’d betrayed? He distinctly remembered his predecessor being upset about this very thing. Why side with them just to crush Pandemonium? Couldn’t his army just kill them both at once? He was pretty sure they were strong enough for that, right? Why side with anyone other than their tied and true allies? But hey! Silver lining, Havoc was helping! That was really great. He hoped that was really great. God, he hoped that was a good sign.

But then it happened again.

Cruveto was staring at him. He found himself staring back. It was almost like they were playing chicken. And even with as terrified as he had suddenly become, he wasn’t going to break first. If anything, the old Sovereign had prepared him for moments like this. Then the man finally revealed his plan and the Child King didn’t budge a single inch. Arsenic, despite his flirtatious ways with the Arch General and the Inventor, happened to glance at his Master when the Councilman made his suggestion. That . . . That was insane! They couldn’t just send the sixteen year old into what amounted to be a death trap! Arsenic might have said something, but he waited to see what his Master was going to say. After all, just judging by how the Malik seemed to be handling that suggestion, he was probably fine. Could speak for himself and that was all that mattered for the moment.

The amount of internal screaming and crying that was going on inside of the Child King’s head though. He would admit that this idea might have sounded cool and all, might actually work and whatnot. But there was no way in Hell that he was going to go down there himself, even with Cruveto’s protections, and talk to those fuckers himself. That was his assassination waiting to fucking happen! He knew his butler had looked at him. He didn’t say anything just yet. Wanted to see what everyone else thought first. Surely the rest of them wouldn’t be that fucking insane would they? He would admit the whole plan sounded great. Sort of. All of it was pretty good except for that one bit. That one bit where he had to leave the mansion and go into the trenches and talk to people. Did he look like he was capable of having serious conversations with other people that didn't involve wanting to kill them almost immediately?

Oh, thank God someone thought that was insane. If his interests truly lied with Johnathan, he would have kissed that man full on the mouth right fucking there. Hell, would have even gone to his room and given him something extra special just fucking because. Though here again, he wasn’t so sure he wanted those filthy back stabbers in his house, but this was a vastly better idea than the Councilman’s so he would be willing to put up with these minor inconveniences to him. He listened to his Arch Governor some more and he was very pleased that this fucking bastard had come. Invited or not, he was proving to be very useful. Would have to tell Arsenic to give him something special later. Maybe something like . . . Uh, shit. What was something his Governor even liked? He could see him drinking all that wine so maybe some of the special bottles? It's not like the Sovereign was going to be drinking it, the butler already forbid it ages ago.

Arsenic had busied himself in one of the long storage boxes in the corner to retrieve a map for the Inventor. One of the brand new ones he might add. While he understood everything that he heard her say, a quick glance towards the Sovereign told him almost everything she said went over his head. Poor boy was still learning all of this stuff and wouldn’t understand it unless they took the time to go over the intricate details with him. He seemed lost at some point after the City Hall part; did he not remember something his predecessor told him or was he hearing this for the first time? Something that he would more than likely have to figure out and explain later. No matter, he returned to the table and presented the map to the Inventor.

“Here you are, my lady. Your map.” He bowed a moment and smiled at her. “There is something I’d like to ask of you later. For the moment, I need to make sure everyone is ready for the next course. Excuse me.” he bowed again and dismissed himself, and went about to go and see if anyone else needed anything and ask the General if he could speak with her after the meeting as well.

“Who can I send as an emissary to Havoc to find out what we need to know from them?” He shifted a bit in his seat, trying his best not to look at the Councilman. He still had a very upset feeling in his stomach and he didn’t like that. Didn’t like that one fucking bit. He did see what the General and the Governor were talking about, however. He was more inclined to suppose Johnathon, but Margaret was the General and she would know more about militaristic tactics. This was a really fucking tough call, wasn’t it? “Exactly what does everyone need supply wise to get their jobs done? What would they need in general? What is this going to cost us as a whole? What needs to happen to set each of these plans in motion so that I can pick and choose the right one?”

[Staff]

The medical personnel ended up rushing towards Margarete as the woman curled around herself, shoulders heaving with increasing effort. A wheeze escaped her lips that turned into a slight cough which quickly grew into something much worse. Blood flecks danced from her mouth onto the tablecloth before she forced her arm to cover it. Before long the cough turned into a major fit, as more than flecks began to soak her bandages. Her body began to shake violently at the end of each cough that soon became inaudible heaves of her body.

They moved quickly and efficiently, placing her on the ground to prevent her from falling violently from the chair which allowed her to gain a brief reprieve and a sharp inhale that sounded shaky and raspy. The uncomfortable sound of the gasp was replaced with another extremely violent series of coughs and choking. “Fuck!” the personnel managed as they sat her up slightly for blackened and bloody chunks of flesh launched onto the floor in front of them. “We need to get her to the hospital!” one of the two shouted ignoring the guard who burst in, “She’s going to fucking die! Massive organ damage that’s getting far worse!”

“Yeah that’s not gonna happen,” he said rather gruffly. “We just received word that the hospital was attacked and is currently being demolished from the inside out. No survivors have been found yet.” A silence fell for a moment.

“Well that’s fucking great,” the other medic shouted, “then fucking take us somewhere we can save this woman’s fucking life you thick skulled ignoramus!” The guard nodded nervously, grabbing a few guards and something to use as a stretcher as they escorted the General out. Her chances looked slim.

[[NPC] Meticulous Council]

[placeholder]

[AsherTheLion]

Honestly, what he witnessed in front of him was hard to take in. Its not like it happened too fast. More like it seemed that it was happening far too slow. Time seemed to slow down to an almost painful pace as he watched his Arch General go into one of the worst coughing fits that he had ever seen. Even if he had seen the doctors move to help her, he was still shouting at them to save her. He hadn't been aware that he'd stood up, clutching his doll to his chest in one hand while the other was flailing about in his screaming. He missed what the doctors had said, but he knew Arsenic had heard them. The butler was working on trying to get the Child King to calm down and it just . . . It wasn't working.

The guard bursting in didn't seem to help matters at all, but what he announced about his hospital being blown to pieces seemed to silence him. No survivors. More of his men dead. There was pure upset and outrage on his features; this wasn't one of his own plans so why was it happening? He didn't understand. He stood there as he watched some of his guards accompany the dying General and her attendants out of the room. He was at a loss for words. He sort of just stood there a moment of two longer, the butler having to guide him to his seat.

There was an odd sort of silence that filled the room and he just. He started crying. He wasn't even sure why he was crying. He assumed the worst and that people were going to blame him for this. He hadn't even done anything. What was going on? What was happening. The butler went to console his Master, leaving everyone else to their own devices as to what to do.

[[NPC] Meticulous Council]

There was a staleness to the overall air of things, sadness, darkness, thoughtless Cruveto watched on as the general died in front of him, he hadn't known what to do, the doctors were of no use. That wasn’t even the worst of it, as moments later an explosion rocked the area, and a guard came bursting in, announcing the worse possible situation. An explosion at the hospital… with ‘No survivors’ his eyes widened, as his mind instantly went to his men that were all there… those who had been defeated by the whale or the journey back here. All dead… Cruveto didn't want to assume the worse, but things as they currently stood meant what recovery they had would probably certainly be gone if they were dead. “Monsters…. Who blows up a hospital…” He cursed and cursed under his breath as Arsenic had taken the Sovereign away, the other members of the party also began to leave and go to their own devices to assess the damage see what could be recovered, help defend as more attacks could potentially occur. Cruveto angrily stepped outside to see the sky littered with black smoke.Then he loosened his tie and began to run, he ran off to help, to make a difference, to find his boys and bury them properly if need be.
____________________________________
It was called the battle of bad blood by many, propaganda found in the streets with blood for blood symbols on them. Graffiti was spread across city hall with the claims that Discord was had already won the battle. An outbreak of sorts, as the early chaos of the calamity appeared to return itself to the people who lived here under the Sovereign's rule. The total amount of casualties between the invasion and explosion of the hospital totalled to a confirmed 3000 or more deaths and even more injuries. The medical force of Meticulous and Draconian had been drastically decreased due to their primary base of operations being targeted, and so more people were dying each day due to being unable to find enough help. It was a true nightmare.


The board, the Sovereign, the councilmen, and the arch governor all came together and delivered speeches to the survivors. They also met in secret to discuss the reality that they had spies within their own ranks, weaknesses that they could not have initially suspected.


The Sovereign hadn’t known where to start. He never knew where to start. But he had everything written down so instead of looking out at the people, he looked down at his notes and took a deep breath. “Discord must think that they’re funny. Perhaps they think themselves above the laws of common decency. Who blows up a hospital full of the wounded and the sick, small children who have done nothing wrong to the world they were born into so freshly? Then to just rub it in our faces with their horrible propaganda . . . This will not be tolerated. For far too long they’ve been allowed to live outside the law, doing whatever they please. But this. They have crossed a line that they should never have even thought to glimpse upon.”


He had to pause here, shifting a bit. He took yet another breath, shuffling his speech papers. “As I’m sure you know, our Arch General is dead. We have yet to appoint a replacement for her. No one will match her for I believe she was the greatest asset that I could have ever hoped to have given how sudden my appointment to being your Sovereign came to be. Being so young, I don’t know much about war or its strategies. How we’ll deal with Discord must not be rushed into. No, going in blind and more of us dying isn’t what I want. This will not be quick. This will not be forgiving. If we are to do this right, we are going to take them slow. We are going to make this last as long as possible and we are going to make them rue the day that they decided to mess with us.” Another pause and he took a deep breath to calm himself. Now was not the time to start shouting angrily and losing his mind.


“Death would be too good for them as they’ve decided to raise the death toll into the thousands. While I agree they deserve death, they will face a punishment far worse than that and when they beg you to kill them, all you are going to do is stare at them in the eye and laugh. Death is not the end for them. I will make sure for eternity, they are ours.”

The crowd roared as, as they then transitioned from one ceremony of war, to one of grieving those lost. The General's funeral was held on that same day, a portrait was put on display as those who knew her would pay their respects. The new General candidates made solemn vows to maintain her honor. The sobs were then healed as the members of house Draconian and house Meticulous gathered for a grand party. Apollo and Lan were to be awarded for their bravery as they alerted all to the attack by discord. They were now renowned heroes in the eyes of Meticulous, Draconian, and The Sovereign, being those who cast the first blow, and giving everyone enough time to counter attack the invasion. Broken and crippled they marched up on crutches and sore bones to receive an award so that an after party may commence. Cruveto looked on, as the last living members of his former platoon were reassigned to be his personal soldiers. Which brought the three of them great honor. Meanwhile another group was erased from Meticulous records.

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