[The Arc] Unholy War XIX: When I'm All Alone - Unholy...

[Faith Augustin]

21st Ymiden, 719
following this, this and this

Unholy War
From the start of life
To my dying day
In the dark of night
And the burning light of day
It's a Bloody Fight
]But I can't walk away
I'm prime, for the front line
Unholy war. Unholy War.
I'll try. I'll fight until I die
It's an unholy war
We'll fight, cos we ain't on the same side
~~
When I'm all alone... unholy

"This is the situation we have," Faith said. "The Shadow Quarter is going to move, and we need to be there first. It goes without saying, I hope, that we want to avoid bloodshed but, we are in a critical situation. With them both, Patrick and Maxine. However, this one we need to focus on here." Faith sighed and looked at Vivian, Varlum, and Thalia.

"To be absolutely clear, because not everyone was there," Faith said, and she spoke in a quiet voice, calm and non-aggressive. However, she was very obviously not messing around. "We had a meeting on the 13th Ymiden, having found out that there is - fundamentally - a significant and clear threat in Uthaldria. Which might just end up impacting Rharne and, frankly, the rest of the world. Patrick Barnell walked out of that meeting, along with some others. It was too much, the risk too great. Later that trial, I made sure that he was watched. Followed." She hadn't told any of them that before, and did so now only because it was prudent and necessary.

"I have those intelligence reports. But then, his brother - who is a ghost - came to me to tell me that Patrick has approached the Shadow Quarter and gotten himself in too deep. He wanted me to go and help Patrick get himself out. I refused." Faith's silver eyes were calm and she met their gaze. "I don't like refusing anyone help. But I was not prepared to risk the entire operation based on Patrick not having the sense or intelligence to walk and chew simultaneously. So I said no. But, I didn't remain inactive, I also made sure that our intelligence gathering went into overdrive."

And that, Faith said, was where they came in. The intelligence was clear. The Shadow Quarter had been promised things, assurances made and all made in her name and with -- or promised to be with -- the force of Famula's army behind it. That could not be allowed to stand and, obviously, this was an issue for them all. Intelligence gathering had brought about a clear course of action, though.

"We believe that the Shadow Quarter will make it's move," Faith said, softly, "On the 25th Ymiden, in the Glass Quarter. I asked you to come here because here, we can talk and know that we are not interrupted or overheard," The Warden's Arc was as safe in terms of that as Famula's realm, after all. "I'm going to be going to Uthaldria, and I might not be available. In many ways, I don't think I should be involved in this. But Patrick needs capturing, and I want him in custody. My advice would be that he is in custody in Zuudaria, as the ability to get there helps him not at all if he's already there. As soon as I am able, I will return and revoke his invitation. I have resources, and I am hopeful that we can work together." For example, she said, the prayer stones which stored Blessing Abilities in the way Wells stored spells - those would potentially be useful here.

Looking at those gathered. Thalia glanced to Vivian and Varlum - as the head of the Thunder Priestesses, she was able to provide many things - but it was the Lightning Knights who dealt with the legal and martial situations. "Your thoughts?" Faith asked, rubbing her temple just slightly.

[Varlum]

Your thoughts?

Where did the Ithecal begin? Varlum had never much liked Patrick from their interaction, walking out of the meeting as Maxine had. Many would argue that Max was worse, in a lot of ways. She cursed and accused before leaving the operation behind. But following someone does not make you better than that person. In his time on Idalos, Varlum's hatred for blind followers had only grown. Whatever reason he had to follow Maxine out of that room was not a reason good enough to abandon the people in the room that were depending on you, let alone the rest of the world. It was stupid and selfish - and it was dangerous. Anyone that thought promises like that to the Shadow Quarter was a good idea needed to be kept away, especially with the information he knew.

"Forgive me being blunt. But talking outside of just the Lightning Knights here, the world is in danger. When he walked out of that room and knew information, he became a danger. Now, he's even more so of one. When we bring him in, how critical is it he comes alive?" Varlum asked with a look to Faith, forgetting his duties to the Knights for a moment. Afterwards, however, he glanced to the other two Rharnian soldiers beside him. "I'm not suggesting we execute him on the spot. But if it comes down to us killing him or the Shadow Quarter obtaining that kind of information, I knew what my choice will be."

After that, Varlum looked to Faith. "I don't know how dangerous the man is. But we want maximum efficiency. Your idea sounds good, the question then comes to arresting him and how we do it" the Ithecal considered, hoping Vivian had more to add than he did. Even just thinking about what Patrick had done made it hard to focus on anything other than what Varlum would do personally. Their war efforts were hard enough as it was, Varlum training every waking moment that he wasn't in a meeting or conversation with Faith. This was an event that would change history, one way or another. Either Ellasin and her army went down or Faith and hers did, two names that people knew well. Cities got involved and sent their armies with her. It was big, it was critical. Yet here he was, wasting his time on someone else's mistake when he could be preparing for war. Varlum could only imagine how Faith felt about it.

"Whatever resources we have, the prayer stones, could come in handy. I don't know what we're fully working with here, but so long as we can get enough knights to cut off his only exit points, I think we can handle him. Once we find him and block off any route he might take to run, then we have him pinned. He'll likely bite back, most people do when you close in on them too hard, but with that many of us we can take him down. I doubt he'll be able to fight us all" the Ithecal said with a glance to Thalia, nodding once. She knew what she was doing, more than anyone else here probably did. They had good allies, strong soldiers, resources beyond that of most people. They had an army. They were ready.

All Pat could do, Varlum thought, was hope he was ready too.

[Vivian Shiryu]

Vivian was still far from comfortalbe with The Arc, even with having been made a Warden. Because of this, she stayed quiet during Faith's briefing on the situation with Patrick. She hadn't really dwelled on Patrick for a long time, but perhaps it was fitting that their paths seemed set to cross again. She had helped Patrick once, when he had been drunk and depressed. She had empathized with him, having been somewhat lost in her own depression at the time as well. She had improved since that day, thanks in no small part to her Forging, but Patrick appeared to have slid farther down the slope.

When Faith said she had refused Patrick's brother when he had asked for help, she raised an eyebrow in surprise. Not that Faith refused to help an idiot who had gotten involved in shady deals with Rharne's single largest criminal organization, she understood that completely. But as far she knew, Patrick's brother was dead and gone. She had heard that Faith and the rest of the Zuuda had the ability to talk to ghosts, but Vivian hadn't entirely believed that until now. Idly, she wondered if she was haunted. After all, she had been a soldier for years, and soldiers had a body count, so ghosts could be haunting her. Then she put the idea out of her head, since it wasn't likely for ghosts to have much an effect on her.

When Faith asked the three members of the Rharnian forces present, Vivian let Varlum speak first, to hear what her ex-squire would say. He was aggressive in his planning as ever, and she frowned slightly as he finished before she stepped forward. "I mean no offense to any of you, but these are Rharnian criminals on Rharnian soil. As an Inquisitor, this is my jurisdiction and command." she said, before turning to Faith specifically and giving an apologetic smile. "You're a Rharnian citizen, and Rharne is allied with Famula's army, but I'm pretty sure my commanders would be incredibly livid if I let you make arrests in the city itself." she said, a mixture of amusement and embarrassment in her tone. Then she turned to Varlum and frowned again. "And bringing in Patrick alive is going to be a necessity if we can possibly manage it. If his brother had to leave him, that alone means there's blank spots in the timeline. We don't know how much information he's already given out, and the Shadow Quarter is very likely to be willing to sell to Ellasin if she comes with payment in hand. We can't afford to not have that information." she said, before shrugging.

"Also, speaking purely from the perspective of Rharne's law enforcement, he managed to arrange this deal with surprising speed for someone who doesn't seem to have a criminal background. If we can get him to tell us how he managed it, it could greatly speed up our efforts to dismantle or at least greatly weaken the Shadow Quarter. Plus, we like to arrest criminals and put them through courts and such." she said, before smiling slightly. "Getting the whole thing right gives us these warm fuzzies, after all." she said, before her expression turned serious again. "However, I can have Patrick held in Zuudaria. His ability to access it makes any other forms of containment less effective. His knowledge of your forces also makes him dangerous to hold where Ellasin might be easy to get to him, especially if we're lucky and he's kept his mouth shut." she said, before shrugging slightly. "As for plans, I don't honestly see too much of a reason to break from standard procedure. Gathering a bunch of folks in heavy armor, kicking down the door, or equivalent thereof, and arresting everyone. If they resist, then we fight, as non-lethally as possible." she said, before giving a somewhat cold smile. "Fortunately, Palenon wielders are...suited for it. Our lightning isn't lethal, but it can stun." she said, her tone showing a readiness for the arrest.

[Faith Augustin]

Faith looked between the two of them and nodded her head. They had very different approaches, the two of them, both aggressive in their ways. She considered, for a moment, what both had said and she came to a simple - and for her, expedient - conclusion. Vivian was the ranking Lightning Knight and there was nothing to be gained from arguing jurisdiction here, or what was going to happen. Because, fundamentally, what Vivian was suggesting was exactly what Faith wanted from her, and so Faith simply nodded.

"There are a number of issues, as far as I can see." Faith said, thoughtfully. "I don't imagine the Shadow Quarter will send their main people, you'll be facing the goons. The intelligence we have from my people," not the LIghtning Knights - that was important to say. Because if there was any doubt that the Knights were law-abiding it could be a bad thing here - the intelligence needed to come from outside of their numbers. Usually - or at least often - that was the Thunder Priestesses, but there was no information forthcoming from Thalia on it. So. This kept the Knights in the situation they were in - always.

"That might lead us to more, and I am willing, of course, to share everything we have." Faith's mind was ticking over. "As for Patrick, there is no doubt in my mind. We are at war, and he is a deserter. He is the only person from our numbers who had met Ellasin, she inducted him into magic. He assured me that he hates her and wishes revenge, but then he also assured me that he was in this with us and would help us." Faith sighed. She was beyond disappointed in Patrick - Maxine she had expected nothing of and that was what Max had served. Faith blamed herself for letting Maxine in to the group in the first place, but Patrick? It just was a confusing, and upsetting, thing to her. "So, we have to keep in mind that he could change his mind and feed her information. Or may have already done so. I don't believe so, we've had people watching him since a few breaks after he walked out. But, that doesn't mean anything whilst there's any gap at all."

Pinching the bridge of her nose, she considered. "Alright. So, he has Palenon, too, doesn't he? I saw the mark on him. I also know that he used to be a Sessfiend, but he had a ring from Ymiden which helped him control it. He had Rupturing, but he said that is gone. He appears to not mind jumping from one side to another on a whim, and ... " the muscle in her cheek jumped slightly as she spoke. "He has been making them promises in my name - assurances from me. So. Which are not, of course, his to give, but still. "

Other than that, it was up to Vivian to place them, and so on. "Other than the Lightning Knights, do you want any of the Elements?" Faith wondered and she smiled. "And what about Padraig and I?"

[Varlum]

"At the very least, the goons might be able to teach us something. I doubt it'll be much. But anything from them is crucial right now" he said with a nod to Faith, before glancing aside for a few trills and thinking. There was no way he would announce it, it wasn't something worth discussing. But as far as Varlum was concerned, every member of the Shadow Quarter could get away so long as Patrick was taken in. Right now, the Rharnian underworld wasn't important. Not when there was a risk that there could be no Rharne, or Idalos, left. Whatever Ellasin and her forces had planned was bad for everyone. Patrick posed more of a threat than the entirety of the Shadow Quarter did right now.

"And if possible, Patrick comes in, agreed" he said to Vivian, before continuing with all seriousness. "But if it comes down to one Lightning Knight or him, if he swings a weapon anywhere at anyone that might kill them, I'll take his arm off myself - and I'll pray we can get him healed quick enough. I'm not letting anyone die for his stupidity or his information. No life is worth that" he said, as if it was a fact. Truth be told, no matter what he was told, it wasn't negotiable. Varlum was a soldier that liked to follow orders, but he had his moments of breaking rank. Never out of pride, never to cause trouble - but to prioritise. If he had to step out of line for a friend or a fellow knight, he would. Nobody but Patrick should suffer for his mistakes.

When Faith mentioned Palenon, Varlum glanced to Vivian immediately. "If someone is marked by Ilaren but breaks her laws, what happens? If we can get rid of that mark, we risk a lot less" he said with curiosity. Varlum had to admit, however, he had no idea what a Sessfiend was. He had heard of Rupturing before when people spoke of Sephira and moving their forces, so he had a vague understanding of it. "So the main threat, it seems, is Palenon. Can he fight well?" the Ithecal asked, knowing that his advantage came in the close fight. He had yet to train in hand to hand, but it wasn't massively important. He could do some damage with his axe, or with his Defiance. If it came down to it, all Varlum needed was to clamp his jaw on the man and nothing was breaking him free.

"You and Padraig should be there if that is what you want to do. You have enough on your plate to worry about. But your name is the one at risk here, and you are an ally to Rharne. The Shadow Quarter might be your issue, but Patrick is our wars issue too. You have as much right as anyone else" Varlum said, before glancing to Vivian and leaving the decision to her. It wasn't his place to comment, but now wasn't the time for formalities. Truth be told, Varlum was tired. Everything had been stacked against him in the recent trials. Patience was wearing thin and all of this shit was more fuel for his fire. The sooner it was dealt with and he had a break, the sooner he could return to normal. If that was what you could call it.

Taking a small step back, Varlum let the other two speak for a moment as he focused on the beating of Auya's heart from his Mark to calm himself. Soon. He'd be back with her soon.

[Vivian Shiryu]

When Faith said that the Shadow Quarter would be sending minions, Vivian nodded, then nodded again when Varlum said the minions would still be useful. "If nothing else, jailing or killing the goons gets them off the street and away from our people. But Varlum is right, catching them will be very helpful if we can manage it. Especially if we can get one of them to sell out other members of their group or give us a way to get an informant or undercover into their ranks. And that's assuming they don't know anything about Ellasin, which I must admit, isn't likely." she said, giving a wry half-smile at that one. "It appears, for a brief moment, there's a chance to conduct something close to our standard business. A nice break from trying to out-think ancient mages and maneuvering the most erratic of bruised egos." she said, reaching up to adjust the glasses Ralaith had given her. Vivian still wasn't used to them, but she hadn't had time to get herself into a forge lately, sadly.

Vivian shrugged when Varlum mentioned cutting of Patrick's arm if it came to that, and looked at her ex-squire with a note of amusement. "Varlum, remind me to give you a course on combat zone medicine. You have some form of fire magic, yeah? Use that to burn the stump shut, it'll stop any bleeding. It's called cauterization, it's a pretty common technique in battlefields." she said, her tone showing she still got some amusement out of her brothers habit of skipping over the classroom portions of the job.

Her attention snapped back to Faith when she mentioned that Patrick had Palenon. "That's good to know. And very problematic." she said, a low growl in her voice before Varlum asked what Patrick having Palenon meant for his legal status. "No protocol. It's very rare it happens, and historically, Lady Ilaren handles such transgressions herself." she said, pausing for a moment, then looking over at Thalia. "Unless you can get in touch with our Lady, we can't afford to change the plan on the off-chance that she'll show up and un-Bless Patrick, which I think is the only way to remove her Blessing." she said, glancing again to Thalia for confirmation. Blessings were a matter of religion, and that was the Priestesses purview, not the Knights.

When Patrick's status as an ex-Sessfiend came up, Vivian's attention snapped back to Faith. "Are you absolutely certain he's no longer a Sessfiend? I've...had encounters with Syroa's demons before. I believe I know a weakness to them, but even if it works, that's the kind of thing that warrants more...extreme measures. If a Sessfiend gets loose in the city, it could kill hundreds." she said, her tone sober, but with a note of sadness behind it. Zvezdana had hated and feared the demon inside her, and in the end, that demon had killed her. Patrick may be a deserter, but she didn't feel he deserved being trapped in the hell that had ultimately consumed Vivian's friend.

When Faith offered the assistance of the Elements though, Vivian had an odd reaction, somewhere between a laugh and a shudder. "Rharne and Scalvoris may be allies, but if I let their soldiers operate in the city, I'm pretty sure my superiors would have Varlum and I court marshaled, arrest you, and lean on the Priestesses to have Thalia demoted. I don't know about you, but that all just seems unpleasant." she said, before grimacing and shrugging. "Plus, the reports we've gotten from Scalvoris don't exactly...inspire confidence in the Elements. Either their honesty or their ability. Their record over the past few seasons has not been....reassuring. There's a few that stand out as competent, like Special Assistant Blackwood and her boss, but they seem rather like the exception rather than the standard. Frankly, even if jurisdiction and sovereignty weren't an issue, as matters stand, I don't exactly trust the Elements with the safety of Rharne's people, and as both a Warden and an Inquisitor, their protection is my duty. I'm sure most of them are good people, but they don't seem to be good soldiers, overall." she said, her entire response delivered in a professionally disapproving tone.

When Faith offered herself and Padraig though, she nodded her agreement to Varlum's assessment. "You, your husband, and your household are Rharnian citizens, and I'm allowed to accept volunteers from the citizenry at my discretion. You and your household all seem to be capable in combat and sensible, so I have no objections to your joining the sting." she said, before her expression turned serious. "But if you join, there is a condition. If things start going south, badly, if we can't guarantee your safety, you retreat. You're leading the war against Ellasin, no one can afford to lose you to a back-alley skirmish with a bunch of local criminals." she said, her tone serious. Then she paused for a moment. "Oh, actually. I was wrong, not all of your household is ready for combat. I'm sorry, but the twins will have to stay home." she said, a note of deadpan seriousness in her voice.

[Faith Augustin]

They knew, the three of them, what they had to do and how it had to be done. Faith nodded her head at Vivian's answer - both in terms of the Elements and for her and Padraig's part. "I'm happy with those conditions," she said, and she smiled. She couldn't argue with Vivian about the Elements, having been kidnapped in broad daylight - and then when Padraig raised the alarm, they refused to give him an Enormowl. There were issues, she did not doubt. She couldn't quite help but grin at Varlum - he was young and eager and keen and he was determined too. In fairness, Faith didn't disagree with him. As for who would be there, and what they'd know, Faith understood what Vivian was saying. She lifted her hands, showing the black Bellinos fingernails. "Thanks to Vri's mark," she said, softly. "I can take memories, as you know. Keeping in mind the condition of escaping if things get hairy, I can maybe speed up that process. To that end," she said, thinking things through.

"Maybe we should have some people, some Knights, ready to go and just able to mobilise at the word?" That made sense to her, but again this was the call of the Lightning Knights. On the topic of Ilaren, Thalia and Faith shared a glance. Thalia gave the slightest shake of her head and Faith nodded in acknowledgement. "Any Immortal can remove the mark of another. However, whether they will or not is quite another thing. I suspect some politics might be involved," she gave a slight smile.

Other than that, she considered the Sessfiend situation. "I can't say for sure, no. I know just how dangerous they are. I was here, then," Faith said. She knew what Vivian was thinking about - and who - but she kept quiet and said nothing on that subject. That was very much not her business. "But I believe, if it were still the case, I'd know. He'd have said." Faith was more or less sure of that, but it was her thoughts, no more. Sighing slightly, she shook her head. "Padraig and I have modified bolts specifically intended for a Sessfiend. I'll ask him to pass them on. Although, we'll be keeping some." She looked at Vivian and grinned, somewhat ruefully. After all, it was how they had met, over a discussion of items he had made.

"I trusted those I should not. Every death and injury as a result of Maxine and Patrick is my responsibility, at least in part." She ran her hand through her hair and smiled. "I know that it's more theirs, but each bit of information given which leads to others being hurt is my fault. I pushed the first domino. If I had just followed my instincts..." Faith shook her head, but that was pointless now. "I believe the Shadow Quarter might well be vulnerable at this point. My help in that, should Rharne and the Lightning Knights - or Thunder Priestesses - is assured. To be clear." Then, standing and shaking off her clothes, she looked at the others and asked, with a smile. "I think, at this point, we're done. Is there anything else?"

If not, she knew that Vivian would appreciate getting out of here and - as always - she had a hundred things to do. Maybe two hundred - but certainly, more than a lot.

[Doran]

Faith:

Knowledge:
Intelligence: 3 x knowledge
Tactics: 3 x knowledge
Logistics: 2 x knowledge

Loot: -
Wealth: -
Injuries: -
Renown: -
Magic XP: -
Skill Review: Appropriate to level.
Points: 15

Varlum:

Knowledge:
Loot: -
Wealth: -
Injuries: -
Renown: -
Magic XP: -
Skill Review: -
Points: 15


Vivian:

Knowledge:
Loot: -
Wealth: -
Injuries: -
Renown: -
Magic XP: -
Skill Review: -
Points: 15

- - -

Comments: This was a very interesting thread!

It was very reasonable of Faith to not risk the entire operation because of Patrick – and to have him watched. I laughed a bit when she said that he didn’t have the sense of intelligence to walk and chew simultaneously. She’s changed a lot since those early days in Rynmere. She’s a become a true leader!

Varlum and Vivian both seem like good allies, and they both have a point when they talk about what should be done in regard to Patrick. I wonder what ultimately happened to Patrick (if anything, apparently, he’s quit ST).

Anyway, enjoy your rewards! Varlum and Vivian, if you want knowledges, let me know (and also let me know which skills you used, please), and I’ll edit this review.