The soft flap of the archon's wings was drowned out by the
tumultuous rumble of the collapsing tower. A cloud of debris
scattered through the streets, coating nearby businesses, homes,
and squatting peasants, who fled the chaos in fear.
Able to move without making even the slightest of noises, the
archon made it a point to flap his wings when landing near his
mortal allies - it served to make them more at ease when they
were aware of his presence, rather than being surprised by his
supernatural quietude. Faydreth Zaine, Rassaphore of the Kantaria
Resistance, was not such a man perturbed by the archon's silence.
Very little seemed to unnerve the half-elf. Standing atop a squat
two story wooden building, two streets over from the sword tower,
the night's wind blew through his auburn hair as he watched the
dust begin to settle - his face impassive to the destruction.
"Your plan was carried out flawlessly." the angel reported,
folding his jet black wings behind him.
"Your intel was accurate, Umberro." The Rassaphore replied, in
offer of a compliment, the archon supposed.
"What will be the Reclamation's next step, moving forward?"
Umberro asked, lowering the black cloth that covered his face,
masculine features that seemed sculpted from a dark gray, smooth
stone,his eyes the most striking feature- a piercingly vivid
green.
"Moving forward, we will try to repair the damage done by the
insurgents. There is very little else we can do. The people's
faith in the Glorious Reclamation is too damaged for us to
contribute to the efforts of the Reclamation's regional plans,
and Oppian's faith in himself is too shaken for him to
effectively rally the citizens to action. His killing of Tychus
Groat, the loss of Sinderbos, the Oathday Massacre, and the
rebuttal of his advances towards the Nidalese tavern wench have
all dealt severe blows to his confidance." The Half-Elf's voice
was flat, analytical.
"The loss of a sword tower, and so many supplies will surely be
another blow, even as the death of the evil-doers might uplift
him" The archon asked, momentarily surprised to hear that the
leader of the Reclamation was in such poor spirits.
"The tower was a neccesary sacrifice." replied Zaine withou
pause. "The only supply losses we suffered were of wooden crates,
dyed water from the Sedna River, well polished parade armor, and
wooden practice swords."
The archon's eyes widened in surprise, the mouth cut into his
polsihed stone face agape, an expression he did not make often,
"You decieved me?" he asked, incredulously.
"I used deception yes, but spoke no falsehood to you. A shipment
did arrive, We simply had better sense than to store it in the
sword tower. I did however, spread rumor to the troops that it
would be held there until dispersal. I knew the lesser
disciplined ones would speak loosely of it, giving the Devils an
irresistable target while lifting the hopes of those who support
out cause."
Umberro thought on this for a moment. Recalling their
conversations, Zaine had never explcitiy told Umberro that the
northern sword tower held precious supplies - only that a
shipment had been placed there, and Umberro was needed to watch
for intruders into the tower. Umberro, having to often practice
his own unique form of deception and misinformation devoid of
actual lies and falsehoods, could appreciate the Rassaphore's
efforts towards a noble goal.
"The Fourth Sword Knight will not appreciate the necessity of
your actions. He will have wanted to out them publically, before
meeting them on a field of battle."
"Yes. He would have wanted to be recognized for his valor in
defeating them through traditional methods of warfare, as most
Iomedaens would want. Our enemy knew this and refused to be
goaded into such action. We needed an unconventional way of
ending their violence, and a trap was as unconventional of a
method as I was willing to stoop to. No doubt this will weigh
against me in the afterlife, when my measure is tested on the
scales of justice, but hopefully the pain and suffering I
prevented will make up for it." The pair were silent, as the
town's guards and people began to slowly make their way to the
rubble.
"I will need to make myself known - they will all suspect this to
be the work of The Devil, and rumors should be squashed before
they can spread. Umberro, I thank you for your service." said
Zaine, who completed a spell, and then began hovering inches from
the ground. "Return to your duties, remain wary for any agents of
House Thrune that may still be operating. We still have much to
do." Faydreth Zaine glided along the air, flying towards the
destruction and calling out to the Reclamation soldiers.
Umberro perched on the edge of the rooftop, eyes peering down,
eager to catch signs of anyone that might try to scamper away
from beneath the collapsed tower. These enemies had proven to be
a remarkably resistant to the Reclamations efforts. He would
watch the scene like a hawk peering for a rodent, and dispatch
any of them he spotted.
