[Time:] 3:05 pm
[Date:] 1/8/300 AD - (After the death of Archangel Constantine Verthry)
Maeve conspired a "Welcome party," ensuring news of the General's return spread throughout the town. Before that, she met with every involved party to ascertain everything was in place for when Kaelix returned in the upcoming hours. She was still just as readied and focused in the face of such a critical agenda.
Eventually, it came time to cover the plan with Vin. She returned to the castle room and tasked Tristen and Gideon to stand outside, ensuring no one eavesdropped. Vin was much more awake, greeting her normally, though her hard-boiled expression softened for a fraction of a second. Before getting down to business, she asked how he slept. Vin shrugged, replying, "I'll sleep better when all this is over."
"We all will," she said with a nod. Before continuing, she handed Vin two magic scrolls and remarked, "I hope you will fully hear me out."
Bribery before the meeting even started... Vin accepted, copying the spells to his Journal before returning the ancient scrolls to her. At the very least, he could hear her out.
"I won't take up too much of your time, so I will get straight to the point."
"The plan to deal with Kaelix is simple."
"It is customary for war parties to greet the King after returning from battle; Kaelix doesn't bow, and my father has come to accept this. However, this time, there will be a new authoritative figure that demands respect," she stated, pointing to him.
Once Maeve began colluding with the underground radicals, she learned all they knew, including how they had soldiers stationed near the teleportation circle, the fastest way across the world. They were capturing and torturing informants of the Scarlet Flame who tried to bring supplies to Kaelix. This means that the brute had no idea Vin was alive nor the "child" of his opposing god.
"After warring against an inferior race, I'm certain Kaelix will refuse to bow down to a human."
Vin scowled at her, reminding her that he was also a member of that "inferior race." Perhaps her Highness had forgotten because he'd lived with Ravenours for a week, but they were not allies. One day, humans would seek revenge, and Vin would have his alliance.
"That's why you wanted as large of an audience as possible. Kaelix wouldn't show respect to someone who represents the Violet Flame in front of so many of his followers."
"Percielcely," Affirmed Maeve, crossing her arms. "But the Eternal demands respect. Once Kaelix refuses, the rebels will cause a commotion to escalate the situation."
"The King isn't informed of the plan, but he will force Kaelix to bow to you as an alternative to his great general being killed by the Eternal."
"Once Kaelix is within range, one of the rebels named Kisk, who will be hidden in your vicinity, will swiftly kill him."
"We have an escape plan for Kisk after he completes the job. He's prepared to live the rest of his life in the shadows for this greater good."
Vin peered at her and tilted his head in doubtful question, "That's all?"
Maeve didn't skip a beat, looking into his eyes and replying sternly, "That's all. It'll be too late to travel to the teleportation site, so i'll arrange for your escort come morning."
Her soul was steady, and she was confident in her plan. It was as straightforward as she claimed, but then again, those people were simple. She played on their arrogance and would string them along by the lines of their egos. Vin's only question was his script, and of course, he was told to improvise the whole "Immortal Warrior" role. Even after a week, he still had difficulty acting; his strategy was always staying silent and making others speak for him, but now he had to drive the plot.
After the meeting, Maeve left, and Hughton and Less returned. The Warden didn't stay long, leaving Vin to babysit while he got up to god knows what. There were a few hours until it was time to act, so Vin learned the two new spells, which were just as simple as the others. He wondered when, or if, he'd ever see magic used to attack. The first skill was simply named "Rotate," as the name suggested, it made objects spin. The other was "Bend," which he could do to items with the "Shape" spell, so it wasn't worthwhile.
After learning the two spells, he gave Less her final lessons on building paper cranes. That would be the last time they got to practice, so he tried to teach her as much as he could before their goodbyes.
<>
Night came fast.
With his chamber window open, he heard a far-off whistle sound from beyond the town gate. Soon, there was a knock on the door, and Hughton entered to assemble him before getting in position.
Stolen story; please report.
They emerged from the castle to a sea of what had to have been at least five thousand Ravenours. Most of them dropped to a knee in recognition of Vin's status. The colossal castle doors opened a few minutes after him, and the King of that land ambled out with guards and his daughter in tow.
The warriors that entered through the gate arrived sooner than expected. Vin sighted them, soon discovering that the Ravenours had been mounted. But not on horses, not at all. The beast they rode was as tall as one but in no way natural prey. They were massive, metamorphosed cousins of the big cat family. Protected by thick skin and a full, deathly black fur coat with scarlet markings like a tiger. Their vicious, red eyes indicated these hefty, tiger-like creatures were not something meant to be tamed or mounted by anyone. Yet, they had been.
The beast being ridden in front of the pack was the largest. One could see the black aura from its breath. The scars that clad its body looked like they may have been from lethal injuries. Still, it haughtily carried itself forward, victor of every fight. As for the man atop, the bastard General whose dark attire had become shoddy and stained with blood. He rode with a comfortable hunch as if the weight of his many sins bore no weight.
Every one of his subordinates straightened their face and posture when they came into view of the castle, but not Kaelix. His face was deadpan and detached from their setting. Even as the King of their town offered a word of "congratulations," he gifted him silence.
The General did, however, gander over the lowly group his men should have killed a week ago. Yet, there they were.
As that savage looked, he noticed Vin at the head of the pact, free of constraints, fuller than the bag of bones he was when they'd met. A penny of life lit the militant man's face, sending a shiver down Vin's spine. Kaelix grabbed his bloodied sword hilt, then the corners of his mouth crooked up, and one eye flared more than the other with a sudden engross.
A wordless evil grin communicated the heinous crafts of his thoughts and what he'd done.
The weather was cool, but Vin's skin felt heated, baking underneath the pressure of a heavy fury. His eyes blazed open, and plan be damned, he stomped forward. He knew what that man silently communicated with his noxious leer. Where he'd been those past few days. Hughton grabbed his right arm, then silently communicated for him to wait. Vin forcefully quelled, but the hatred that bred that day would never be extinguished.
After everyone from the battalion unmounted, Hughton pricked his brain again. Things had become even more complicated. At least a dozen more warriors were returning than he'd expected, which meant their information network had failed somewhere.
A circular clearing was formed for the returning party, who unmounted and faced the King. The General declared to have earned their town glory on the battlefield and even returned with new allies. The man claimed he met this group of twenty heavily armed brutes while on the battlefield, and they were interested in learning skating alongside their town. Funny, it was just a coincidence that they percolated murderous aura and bore the identical crest of a Scarlet Phoenix.
Bull shit. Vin remembered that Maeve had attempted to get Kaelix to spare him so the town would have an instructor for the human sport. Now, Kaelix was suddenly all on board with the idea of lessons.
Maeve stepped forth after formalities were exchanged between the King and the army. She announced she had great news for those who were isolated from the town the past week, directing everyone's attention toward the human. Vin wondered what kind of face he should have made upon entering the spotlight of the thousands of aliens, though that soon wasn't an issue. His brows tensed into a knot when one of the Ravenours suddenly squealed with joy. "Wait! A moment, if you would, your Highness."
A woman with a gleeful, viperous grin sped toward him, then awed, "What a cute human."
She introduced herself to Hughton as Vespa; evidently, she could tell he was Vin's Warden. Her skin was light gray, like concrete, and she had toxic green eyes and emerald dye on her lips. She wore a white top, black glossy leather high waist bottoms, black heels not meant to travel in, and a whip at her side. Like most Ravenours, she was taller than the average human, so Vin wanted to grab her L-shaped horns and yank her down to his level.
Evidently, the attention of that many Ravenours and Royalty meant nothing to her. She held out her hand and drew a person in with her pointer finger like an angry mother telling her child to "come here."
A pale, dirtied human male walked into view in rags, bandaged in several places. His dark eyes were void, and his body was visibly trembling; he did not dare look from the ground for too long. She leaned down to place a viperous, seductive hand around their shoulder, which immediately triggered a violent shiver. She inched in and whispered gleefully into their ear, "I want you to meet your new friend."
She forced the captive's head up to Vin, who looked back with a frown.
Unprompted, Vespa opened her eyes in sudden wonder, "What's that? She asked, even though no one had said a word.
"You don't want any more friends?"
"I'm the only one for you?!" she said in an awestruck glee.
The woman laughed, then tightened her hold on him. In a threatening voice, she added, "Be a good boy and be nice to our neighbors."
Vin didn't grasp the entirety of what she'd ramble about, but he could tell by how she conversed with a speechless, terrified human that she was insane.
That individual, who was around Vin's age, wasn't fortunate. It was already unfortunate to be captured, but their Warden was a real nut case, too. In Earthian, the sole language every human was imbued with, Vin asked the young, terrified man, "Are you ok?"
The moment Vin, the fated Eternal and Ravenour's most vital icon, spoke in a foreign language, the atmosphere in the town shifted ominously. His unfamiliar words fell like a stone into still water, sending ripples of discomfort through the crowd. Hughton synced into Vin's mind and implored, "Vin, Stick to the plan."
Vin pushed everything else to the back of his mind. He stared at his fellow man for a reply; however, their lips trembled in restraint, and their eyes glued to the ground.
Vaspa closed in on the man's ear and grinned, "Go ahead, talk to your friend."
The water in the pot boiled. Vin's patience was nearing its end. Humans were not pets, and she had another thing coming if she thought he'd allow her to treat them like one. Vin looked at her in, and in perfect Vulcan, articulated, "From now on, you'll speak when spoken to."
Her face, everything, it all stilled.
Vespa blew her gasket and grabbed her whip. The moment she hinted at hostility, all the nearby underground Ravenours drew their swords and aimed them at her.
‘Fuck the plan.’