After restoration comes retribution? Shouldn't that be the other way round? :)
Retribution "I'd like retribution," said Rystin. "Sorry that I'm not worrying about them trying to kill you, Director, but I think they've killed a lot of my kind already. What's another death among so many?" Fabian's emotions warred, visible on his face, as his sense of guilt was pushed aside by indignation that the threat of his death wasn't important, and then the knowledge that the Empire had arbitrarily killed so many elves had to face that the Empire had arbitrarily killed, full-stop. "I don't think you need to be sorry," he said, eventually. "But I guess neither of you will mind too much if that's my top priority?" "Seems fair," said Dread after a moment longer than Fabian would have really liked. "If selfish." Fabian's look of naked outrage was enough to get him to start laughing and then quickly have to stifle it lest he made enough noise to bring the Auditors back upstairs. "What are we going to do then? We can't possibly win in a fair fight." "We don't know how many of them there are," said Rystin, nodding. "But we can't let them take the altar away either. We have to disable it." Dread shrugged, looking away. "I don't know how to do either of those things." "Even the numbers up," said Fabian, his voice quiet as his mind was thinking about things other than the main conversation. Both the man and the elf looked at him, and then at each other. "He's getting an idea," said Rystin, sounding a little uncertain. "Sometimes they're good." "Sometimes," agreed Dread.
"The statues," said Fabian waving a hand vaguely around them. "You said they're like the soldiers that open the stasis cylinders." "Yes?" said Dread. "They're intended for performances." "We think," said Rystin. When Fabian looked at him, his eyes suddenly focused and sharp, he now shrugged. "We don't really know what a lot of old things were made for. We know they were used for performances, but the first record of a performance is at least eight hundred years after the oldest figurines we've found. They might have had another use before then." "Let's use the statues," said Fabian. "Turn them on, send them down to the Auditors. If nothing else it will confuse them and give us more time to think and plan. And if the Auditors stop what they're doing to find us, we can split up and split them up and pick them off one by one." "Guerilla warfare?" Dread's tone gave the impression he thought it was a bad idea. "In a building we don't know the layout of? And with one of us who's never been out in the field and doesn't know any magic?" "I like the confusion bit," said Rystin, grinning. "And these statues are dangerous, you said that yourself. If nothing else, it will give the Auditors pause for thought." "Yes, and what might they think?" said Dread. "I don't like this idea." "I do," said the Maestro, and Fabian had the rare pleasure of seeing Dread jump with startlement. The Maestro and Sebastian had crept over to the conversation as well, clearly having decided that something was happening without them. "Fabian's our only liability, the Auditors have many more. They've never been tested in the field either, they work with documents, artefacts and rules that they just speak and people obey. We will have a strong element of surprise." "But Fabi--" "Fabian knows the likely layout of the Halls," said Rystin, and Fabian found himself surprised that Rystin suddenly seemed on his side. "He's our best hope of navigating them ahead of the Auditors, so he does give us an advantage." Dread looked around the assembled faces, and Sebastian winked at him. It was unsettling. "I feel like there's been a vote taken when I didn't call for one," he said.
3 comments:
After restoration comes retribution? Shouldn't that be the other way round? :)
Retribution
"I'd like retribution," said Rystin. "Sorry that I'm not worrying about them trying to kill you, Director, but I think they've killed a lot of my kind already. What's another death among so many?"
Fabian's emotions warred, visible on his face, as his sense of guilt was pushed aside by indignation that the threat of his death wasn't important, and then the knowledge that the Empire had arbitrarily killed so many elves had to face that the Empire had arbitrarily killed, full-stop.
"I don't think you need to be sorry," he said, eventually. "But I guess neither of you will mind too much if that's my top priority?"
"Seems fair," said Dread after a moment longer than Fabian would have really liked. "If selfish."
Fabian's look of naked outrage was enough to get him to start laughing and then quickly have to stifle it lest he made enough noise to bring the Auditors back upstairs. "What are we going to do then? We can't possibly win in a fair fight."
"We don't know how many of them there are," said Rystin, nodding. "But we can't let them take the altar away either. We have to disable it."
Dread shrugged, looking away. "I don't know how to do either of those things."
"Even the numbers up," said Fabian, his voice quiet as his mind was thinking about things other than the main conversation. Both the man and the elf looked at him, and then at each other.
"He's getting an idea," said Rystin, sounding a little uncertain. "Sometimes they're good."
"Sometimes," agreed Dread.
"The statues," said Fabian waving a hand vaguely around them. "You said they're like the soldiers that open the stasis cylinders."
"Yes?" said Dread. "They're intended for performances."
"We think," said Rystin. When Fabian looked at him, his eyes suddenly focused and sharp, he now shrugged. "We don't really know what a lot of old things were made for. We know they were used for performances, but the first record of a performance is at least eight hundred years after the oldest figurines we've found. They might have had another use before then."
"Let's use the statues," said Fabian. "Turn them on, send them down to the Auditors. If nothing else it will confuse them and give us more time to think and plan. And if the Auditors stop what they're doing to find us, we can split up and split them up and pick them off one by one."
"Guerilla warfare?" Dread's tone gave the impression he thought it was a bad idea. "In a building we don't know the layout of? And with one of us who's never been out in the field and doesn't know any magic?"
"I like the confusion bit," said Rystin, grinning. "And these statues are dangerous, you said that yourself. If nothing else, it will give the Auditors pause for thought."
"Yes, and what might they think?" said Dread. "I don't like this idea."
"I do," said the Maestro, and Fabian had the rare pleasure of seeing Dread jump with startlement. The Maestro and Sebastian had crept over to the conversation as well, clearly having decided that something was happening without them. "Fabian's our only liability, the Auditors have many more. They've never been tested in the field either, they work with documents, artefacts and rules that they just speak and people obey. We will have a strong element of surprise."
"But Fabi--"
"Fabian knows the likely layout of the Halls," said Rystin, and Fabian found himself surprised that Rystin suddenly seemed on his side. "He's our best hope of navigating them ahead of the Auditors, so he does give us an advantage."
Dread looked around the assembled faces, and Sebastian winked at him. It was unsettling.
"I feel like there's been a vote taken when I didn't call for one," he said.
Greg - not around these parts, apparently.
Hah, I like where this is heading, I think. Either way, I shall surely enjoy the ride :)
Quite the team you've assembled here.
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