With the master creature destroyed, the village was finally free. It was easy for Ike and his militia to mop up the rest of the creatures now that they had been weakened. The villagers returned, trying to rebuild their lives. They were beyond grateful to Ike and the rest for having saved as many people as they did and they did anything they could to help the party be comfortable and recover from their injuries. (Ike had thankfully evacuated most of the people that would had been in the way of Roger's attack and immediately set to work rescuing anyone he could find after the attack, his enhanced senses being quite useful for that.) They were also thankful for the party destroying the monsters, even though they didn't know exactly how they did it. Frankly, neither did Ike. He had managed to retrieve Theri (she was recovering under the care of the healer Ghios Oftaia and his assistant Alba Varden), but she had been rendered unconscious before the fight ended and could offer no explanation. Irine was nowhere to be found.
The root cause for this was the way Roger's gift of Flare works. It allows him to burn pieces of his soul (or the souls of those he has devoured) to grant him immense strength. Normally it burnt non-essential parts, like fat in a human body. But in his present state, he had nothing left to burn but his entire being. After the attack he was like a burnt corpse, ready to collapse into ash at any moment. So with his final strength he moved Irine somewhere she could recover and left a memory of him saying goodbye and explaining what had happened to Irine. He also left her with a choice: the death of the monster was followed by the appearance of River's Soulsphere, a fact that didn't surprise Roger, since bond-formers we're quite capable of sensing each other when close. He left the sphere with Irine, for her to decide what to do with it. She could destroy it, thus giving her the ability to end this mission and return to the Staging Area, or she could allow River to revive himself once more. His final act was to send a signal to Stellar, giving her some information and asking from her to be ready to support Irine once she's out of this world.
As it happened, the place Roger chose to leave Irine was an underground chamber deep beneath the temple, the same chamber the monster was trying to reach. The reason for that was the immense power contained there in the form of the Sword of the First King. The mayor had ordered the hole to be sealed because he did not know what the sword was and did not want to risk more magical destruction. So Irine was on her own when she finally woke up. First she explored her body, seeing how Roger's merging with her had changed her appearance, made her more fiery and more noticable. Then she explored the tomb of the First King, finding a mural next to the First King's sarcophagus depicting the creation of the Sword, its creator and the three beings used to create it, beings that were depicted as three women, one old, one young. The mural also depicted the First King using the sword and a prophecy for the coming of the chosen one and how she will fulfill the Sword's destiny.
After a bit of exploring, Ike finally managed to find Irine. She had touched the sword and begun talking with it, though she was facing some difficulty due to Roger's traits sometimes surfacing in her speech. Irine tried to understand it but it didn't seem to be interested in becoming friends or telling its story, only in impressing her and judging if she was worthy to wield it. Irine agreed with being judged, claiming the sword. And for that it asked her to tell it her ultimate goal. After Irine talked about her desire to rebuild her home universe and her goal of finding and dealing with whoever destroyed it, as well as her reasons for wanting that, the Sword agreed to become bonded with her and accompany her until it was time to leave this world. It only asked from her that she return the Sword to the tomb or another place of power when she no longer wanted it.
Ike left Irine with the sword and went on to explore the rest of the tomb and find something worth looting. It is there he found the First King's armor, a suit that offered as much coverage as heavy armor but was lightweight and flexible and unbelievably sturdy. It also had the First King's emblem on it, leaving no doubt about what it was. With the Sword's permission and help, Ike deactivated the trap protecting the armor and claimed it for himself. The Sword said there were several enchantments on the armor, though it didn't reveal exactly what they do. The only one Ike managed to find so far was a shield that sometimes appeared on his arms when he made a certain motion and something was speeding towards him.
Meanwhile, Alan had been healed up enough to be able to move around unaided. While he was still a danger to be around, people understood that and were careful. They also appreciated having someone who can summon food at a time when it was scarce. Alan had also been reunited with Rickman who had also brought her nest with her. And he had made some new friends in the form of two potted plants he had named Rick and Ted.
Theri on the other hand had sustained heavy injuries and was still recuperating when a boy called San Fjurrsson was brought to her room, one of the few private rooms available. There the mayor and his trusted few (minus Ike, who was occupied with looting) debriefed the kid. Apparently he was from one of the villages close to Kodromota, the easternmost city of the Kingdom. And he brought news of war.
With the army weakened by the recent war in the north and then further weakened by the loss of the network of Fire magic that was created by the Fire Tower, the Sovereignty saw this as an opportunity to strike. Though the Kingdom and the Sovereignty were long time trading partners, this was a relationship borne out of necessity rather than desire. It was an uneasy peace. Differences in culture, the desire of the Kingdom to expand, raids from bandits and slavers originating in the Sovereignty as well as the resource shortages both nations were facing made sure of that. Conflicts (verbal or even armed) were not uncommon.
In the past, these conflicts didn't extend beyond the borders. They couldn't, both nations were too well defended. But with the kingdom defenseless, the Sovereign, Lord Bofort, saw he could decisively end any future conflict before it could begin and double the size of his kingdom overnight. Of course, even without the Fire Tower and most of the military in ruins, taking over another kingdom is no easy task. One of the biggest reasons the borders of the various kingdoms had remained more or less the same over the past hundreds of years was that most of the magical machines used to wage war depended on a primary element, giving the defender a significant advantage, for in his home territory his machines and his mages would be the most powerful. As had been shown in the past, a resistance led by capable mages with enough power could give an occupational army a lot of trouble. Even without the Fire Tower, this still held true.
The Wind magic employed by the Sovereingty would be no match for the Fire mages. Their Gliders would fall from the sky and their Storm Cannons would create nothing more than a harmless breeze soon after leaving their kingdom, leaving them open to hit and run raids that burned their supplies and left them to starve. It took time and resources to extend such a magical network or resupply the army with recharged Power Stones, time that made any expansion slow to a crawl. But, as the party would soon find out, the Sovereignty had found a way to overcome such problems. So now it waged all out war on the Kingdom, swiftly pushing its troops towards the other end of the kingdom, killing and capturing civilians and soldiers alike whenever they got in their way.
It was these raids that San and others like him were seeking to escape when they left their village and started making their way across the deserted center of the kingdom, towards the West. Though there were a few that found the invasion to be a good thing, wanting a strong empire to protect them, most were afraid of being under the Sovereignty's rule. The Sovereignty was targeting anyone who could be a threat and even random people, using them as slaves or arresting them and taking them away, never to be seen again. That is why San's father Fjur, an old soldier that had fought in the war in the North, sent San to the village of Giant's Wall, where he had relatives that could take care of him. However San had no family to accompany him on this journey, only people he knew from his village. His mother was long gone and his father decided to join the resistance when the opportunity presented itself, leaving San to continue in his own. With the fall of Kodromota what was left of the army was gathering close to the hills and desert in the North and Fjurr, like other volunteers, intended to join them.
In a way, that might have just saved Fjurr's life. It was night and the group of refugees San was in had stopped somewhere in the middle of the deserted land in the centre of the kingdom, near a place called the Field of Statues. That is when they were attacked. But it was not soldiers or raiders that attacked them. Dozens of monstrous avian creatures descended upon them, killing or taking anyone they got their claws on. Through luck and the sacrifice of his close friend Praeus and Praeus' dad Aelven, San managed to escape. He kept moving West for what felt like a long time. Already injured in the attack, walking in the heat with no food or water did his health no good. He was near death when he was found by Reinn, a hunter operating out of Road's End, and brought to the village to be healed, thus ending up in Theri's room.
Though San was afraid of Theri at first due to her non-human characteristics, through talking he became more at ease with her and eventually started to like her. San was looking for someone to hold on to, since everyone he knew was dead or far away. So when Theri offered to take him with her in her journey towards the east, he accepted, holding on to the childish hope that he could find his father along the way.
"How can you claim that the Sword of the First King could choose to-""Can we please just let him finish his story?""Well, uh, yes, certainly, but-"
"Thank you!"The Sword used many fancy names to describe itself (its exact wording was "Inira Milu Nimu-Kor, the Sword of Kings and Forger of Kingdoms, Aquiya Tin, the Moonblade, protector of the innocent, slayer of armies, bane of Stodir" with "the power of might, of right and of light") but the villagers knew it from legends as the Sword of the First King. They had never imagined that it could be under their feet all these years. Some saw the Sword's and the party's arrival as a sign. Others merely wanted to do their duty to their nation. And many simply admired Ike and the rest for having saved them. Whatever the reason, with the news of war spreading, many men came to Ike, asking to accompany him on his trip towards the east, in the hopes of uniting with the local resistance. Ike saw no problem with that, so he allowed them to come along, becoming their impromptu leader in the process.
As a first demonstration of its power, the Sword revived Nikolai, though it strained it to do so. It was not omnipotent, its power depended on the power of its wielder. And even if it was at its full power, it would still hesitate to try to revive River, for his soul was too damaged by the Void, barely held together and his elements were too different from the Sword, resistant to finer manipulations.
Ike decided to expedite their leaving after Alan force fed a kid leaves from his plant and some kind of liquid he summoned, his volatile alchemical mix causing the child to disappear. Not wanting to get into trouble, Ike loaded up the various animal-drawn carts he had gathered with supplies and whatever weapons he could gather, got his teammates and their followers and left towards the east. He made extra sure to have his 'minions' equip Nikolai with the best armor and weapons they could find, an old monster hunter set with enchantments against fire and poison.
It was an emotional moment when the villagers gathered to say farewell to those brave or stupid enough to leave with Ike, to wish them well and give them gifts for their journey, to plead them not to go or to return safe, to curse them for leaving. For many enthusiastic young men this would be the first time away from the village they were born in. The people of the Kingdom liked to consider themselves brave and fun-loving, so their journey was accompanied with songs about battle and the greatness of their nation, hymns to gods and heroes of old, as well as drinking and dirty bar songs.
And so it was so that the group continued its journey until it reached the Field of Statues. The Field of Statues, as its name implied, was a large area filled with statues of all sorts and sizes, some of them enchanted with protections against vandalism. It was there that they witnessed the site of the carnage San had described. But strangely, while there was a lot of blood, there were very few bodies to be found.
As they journeyed, the Sword became more and more aware of a dark influence spreading across the land, a wide field of dark magic being felt, mostly during the night. It informed Irine of its findings and stated that it would protect her should the dark energy wish to cause her harm.
During their journey, the group tried to improve the status of their little personal army. Ike took care of getting to know the men, watching their morale, teaching them some basic strategy and formations, getting them to follow orders and giving them some simple training exercises and sword training. He also took care to strengthen the bonds between them, make sure that any animosity forming between them would be quelled and that they would also be able to teach each other what they know. Nikolai took care of ranged combat training. Alan took care of procuring supplies and improving morale through said supplies and various forms of entertainment. Alan also learned more about Rickman, her past and the dangers she had faced, the ones that killed her NestMate. (Strangely, the soldiers couldn't understand Rickman, unlike the rest of the party.) And Theri took care of training those interested in hand-to-hand combat, field medicine and foraging, though there were some who did not appreciate receiving instructions from a non-human. This training was not only for the benefit of their would-be soldiers, for it also helped the party become stronger.
They went on until they reached a fork in the road marked by a well. One path led towards the north, to the water monastery of Chizra (the same one Ike was now in) and then to the desert that marked the Kingdom's northern borders. The other path led on towards the east, towards the Hills of Midnight and ultimately to Kodromota, on the border with the Sovereignty. Irine and Ike disagreed on which direction they should go, for Ike wished to explore Chizra before moving on while Irine wanted to make their way to their final destination as soon as possible. In the end, they came to a compromise: Irine and Theri would scout ahead while Ike and the rest would go to Chizra.
As the first stop of the Nomad Traders when entering the Kingdom (and those traders wishing to deal with them first), Chizra was no stranger to strangers. Many visited the monastery merely in order to drink its holy water or watch one of the purification ceremonies. Chizra also received its fair amount of people wishing to stay there, but doing so was not easy. The monks required hard work from those who stayed, making sure they could carry their weight by farming or other work. Though some found that acceptable, others thought of it comparable to slavery. Despite that, people still made their way there, either to disappear and start anew, to receive training in Water magic from a source other than the Tower or simply because they wanted something to believe in and devote themselves to. The temple had recently received an influx of refugees, so it had set many of them working on expanding its farms, converting many of its water gardens into farmlands.
It was said that the inner circle was located at the top of the foggy hill from which the water of Chizra originated. The inner circle held the most devoted followers of the Flowing Way, those that spent most of their time meditating on the nature of water, many of them powerful mages. Judging by the stories told about them, they were powerful enough to defeat a dragon. Then there was the monastery itself (the building Ike was in) that held the various masters and high ranking members of the temple. Then there were the gardens, farmlands and places of worship and meditation surrounding the temple, themselves surrounded by a newly constructed wall, put there to prevent the theft of food. After the wall had been erected and people were forbidden from entering during the night, the inhabitants of the monastery had taken up to calling this area 'The Walled Garden'. Then there were the newly expanded residential areas, along with a few stores and inns. And finally there were the high walls of Chizra that made it look more like a fortress than a monastery, decorated with various engravings and statues. The land around Chizra had recently been flooded by the mages of the temple, knowing that it was very likely for them to be attacked in such dark times and wishing to impede anyone approaching and give them the advantage.
Ike's group entered the monastery as night fell. They were forced to leave their weapons (but not their other equipment) behind, as the temple professed to maintain peace and neutrality. It was supposed to be a place where everyone, humans of every kingdom and all non-humans, would be welcome, as long as they did not became a problem and followed the rules of the monastery. And one of those rules (one that had become harder to maintain with the rise in its population) was 'no violence'. So Ike left a few of his men to watch the wagons and supplies while he and the rest entered the monastery.
His first night in town was spent gathering information. First he had a discussion with the gatekeeper, asking about the monastery and the situation there. He also got the gatekeeper to arrange a meeting with the Headwater, some sort of leader of the monks. (The gatekeeper said he himself was merely a Water Carrier, some sort of assistant from what he understood, though Ike still wasn't sure what exactly those ranks meant.) Then, Ike, the party and his soldiers made their way to a tavern/inn. There he proceeded to search for information as well as secure financial or material support for his little army, talking to a group of down-on-their-luck merchants from Kodromota. Many of them felt that they had little hope of continuing their prosperous existence with the recent disasters and the war unfolding as it was, so they had gathered whatever wares they could find and awaited for an opportunity to leave for the Confederate Southern States or for the Nomad Traders, hoping to follow them through the northern desert and into more peaceful (and profitable) lands. Having little to do with their spare time except try to con refugees out of their valuables or futilely try to strike a deal with the temple, they had ample time to listen to any rumor that came their way. From what the traders had heard, the Sovereignty had also attacked the Confederate Southern States, but the war was going much better for them, their superior navy allowing them to hold their own and even perform some counterattacks. However said rumors were already more than a week old, so there was no telling how the war had progressed in that time. The traders had also heard (though not seen) about the various means the Sovereignty used to conduct war. There were soldiers and mages of course and also Gliders and other flying war machines and siege engines and those monstrous birds. There was also a beastman in their employment called Sword-tusks, one they had liberated from Kodromota's Arena. Sword-tusks was roaming the land leading a group of slavers, capturing people in the name of the Sovereignty. He also got some rumors about Nether Pass, but nothing concrete. And he also got some general information about Kodromota and its surroundings and a possible looting target in the Hills of Midnight, some old estate.
Having gained the information he required for now, he focused on gaining resources. He managed to persuade an 'expert at acquiring rare items' to travel with him. The man had what he claimed to be the fastest horse in the kingdom and he also claimed to have useful contacts in several places. He agreed to join Ike's army in its quest to join the resistance, hoping to be reunited with his half-brother in the military and aid the resistence with his knowledge. He also got a stone figurine from one of the traders that would indicate he is a friend of the Denion Trading Guild. If Guildmaster Skacren-Ett was still in Kodromota, the traders said it would be worth his time to seek him out.
The soldiers acted much like one would expect when given the opportunity to drink and have fun: they did just that. And joining them was Nikolai, impressing everyone with his ability to not only hold his liqueur but also to Tsar it into amazing size and potency. Nikolai and the men did a good job drinking, having fun, making noise and telling stories. Stories that, as it happened, attracted the attention of parts of the local population. Hearing about their desire to join the resistance and with little left to lose, many of them asked to join Ike's group. Ike had no problem with adding more men to his little army, so he easily accepted, increasing the size of his platoon. Unfortunately, Nikolai was still a man, so in the end he reached his limit and blacked out, his memories after that point being beyond his recollection.
It was (in part) due to his drunken state that he missed Ike's meeting with a certain shady character. The man got Ike to a secluded spot and made his offer: Ike was to get into a secret vault of the temple (a feat that would be easy for him, since he could use his dexterity and reflexes to climb through a secret passage), detonate a Hex (essentially a bomb made out of Dark and Void energies that severely disrupted magic) to disable all magical security devices and then steal a staff with a blue glass dome on its top (and any other magical artifact Ike wanted). He was supposed to bring the staff to the man early in the morning of the day after tomorrow. As Ike would later learn, the staff was a powerful and specially constructed artifact with a Water Focusing Crystal that helped the mages of the temple to form a powerful magical shield around Chizra. The man suggested stealing it either during the morning, after his meeting with the Headwater or during next night, when he would cause some sort of distraction. With their business for the night concluded, Ike, Alan and Zechariah found a place to sleep and retired for the night.
Nikolai woke up the next morning naked, in an unknown bed and with a terrible hangover. Apparently a young woman called Isan had helped him by allowing him to rest in her (rather spartan) room. Nikolai helped the owner of the house clean up the mess he had created last night. He also learned that he had displayed extraordinary power with his abilities in his drunken state, Tsaring an entire building and displaying the ability to Tsar two different objects at the same time. After having some breakfast and apologizing to the man yet again, he regrouped with Ike and Zechariah. But he could not help but notice that people were looking him strangely along the way, as if there was something different about him...
Alan woke up with his usual hyperactive energy. After cooking a lavish breakfast for everyone, he went out in search of a friend. And he found it, in the face of a drunkard and a thief. The two of them got in a few adventures, got an angry mob to chase them and flew a water-hose-powered tricycle over Chizra's walls. It is there, outside Chizra's walls, that his new friend would make an interesting proposition to him...
Ike, Zechariah and Nikolai made it to the meeting with the Headwater. The Headwater seemed to recognize them. After hearing a good chunk of Ike's story and after Ike revealed his encounter with that shady individual last night, he was more than happy to help (after he got past his initial surprise), providing them information and offering them some mid-level magical artifacts. Apparently, if they had done as the shady man asked, they would had crippled Chizra's defenses against outside attacks. However, while he was quite grateful for what they had done, he could not offer them Ike and his army the official support of Chizra. Chizra was obliged to remain neutral. For that to change, he needed to call a meeting and inform the other masters of his findings. The meeting that Ike was now in...
Irine, Theri and San meanwhile kept heading East after splitting up with Ike. They saw signs of refugees moving through the barren land but encountered nothing. During the night, River chose to attempt to resurrect himself. The Sword detected this and woke Irine up, however she chose to not intervene, partly because she did not know what he was doing and whether or not it would be safe to do so. Not that anyone could blame her for not thinking that, his soulsphere showed extensive damage. It certainly wouldn't had been able to survive in this state if it wasn't for Darkstar's mastery of Memory Folding and S0's mastery of Holographic Consciousness. So River found a compatible being he could posses, took it over and then simply disappeared, the Sword unable to track his movements.
The next day they continued on. This day they happened to encounter one such group of refugees that had managed to escape the Sovereignty-occupied territories. Though the humans were afraid of them at first, as luck would have it, one of them had seen San before, when he was passing through First Green. San vouched for Theri and Irine, which led to the humans being less afraid and more open to conversation. Theri managed to have a conversation with them, learning more about the situation in the East and the potential dangers they could face, gaining slightly better and more up-to-date information than Ike had the previous night. The soldiers of the Sovereignty had apparently set up checkpoints and were arresting and enslaving anyone for the slightest offense, like not liking their face. The soldiers were equipped with some sort of magical stun grenade in order to handle angry mobs, a bottle of trapped Wind magic that could stun or even kill people around it when it broke. San also tried to gain any info about the whereabouts of the secret resistence base, but the refugees didn't know much more than he did. They also told Theri about the time they hid from a group of people that was behaving strangely, slowly walking around the deserted landscape with no apparent purpose, like zombies. After conversing for a while, Theri wished them good luck on their journey and they each went their separate ways, the refugees moving on towards the West while Theri and Irine moved on towards the East.
Irine and Theri kept moving on, getting past an abandoned building and almost reaching the place where the road crossed through the Hills of Midnight. That is when River projected a single thought to them: hide. Theri immediately did so, hiding Irine, San and herself under the dirt, using a blanket to obscure their footprints beforehand. That's when the corrupted avian war-monsters of the Sovereignty came. They circled above them for some time, probably sensing their magic. However they were unable to spot the party, so they went on towards the west. Having escaped combat (to the slight disappointment of the Sword), Theri and Irine decided it would be best to continue on their journey...
"...and that's about it."The Headwater steps up and takes the stand.
"Thank you Ike, you may take a seat if you'd like. I know this couldn't have been easy for you." he says to Ike before addressing the room.
Ike didn't particularity mind speaking, but sure, whatever. He sits down and watches as the Headwater unleashes his political attack.
"It is my opinion that, after what we've heard, we can no longer afford to idly stand by. It is clear in my mind that this Hex-"
The Headwater presents the glass orb containing the bubbling mass of darkness, producing quite a few gasps from the audience.
"-shows that the Sovereignty has no intention of allowing our continued independent existence."
"You have no evidence-""Any logical man would conclude that this is the case. Furthermore, it is clear from this story and from the stories we hear from every man that arrives at our gates seeking assistance that things are not well in the world. The Sovereignty is treating the people of this land with barbarous cruelty and shows no signs of stopping. Not until it has attained complete domination. If you need further proof of this, then look no further than our brothers in the Southern States, who are even now fighting to protect their livelihoods, their freedom and their very lives from this unprovoked attack. We
need to take action! While there is still time left to act!"
He turns and points a finger at Ike while still facing his audience.
"That is why I propose that we grant our full support to Ike and the resistance!" he shouts, his loud voice overshadowing the number of protests that have erupted.
"His arrival at this crucial time, wearing the armour of the First King no less, a herald of the chosen wielder of the Sword of the First King, is a sign we cannot ignore. It is a sign that, like the First King, we should do all we can for the good of others. This is the only way that we may see peace return to our kingdom. We cannot sit here, claiming to be good while everyone else suffers. For that reason, we should send with him any mages we can spare capable of healing, combat or fortification along with any material help we can provide. It is the only way!"
"This is preposterous! Our neutrality-" the man in red is shouting now, his face starting to become as red as his clothes, but he is overshadowed by the Headwater's magically enhanced voice.
"Furthermore! Furthermore! Furthermore, we should send our craftsmen and historians to Road's End to assess and repair the damage to the tomb of the First King. We cannot let such a monument and the treasures inside it exposed. With our people there, we will also be able to provide any help we can to the villagers that have now been left without any magic users and thus without any protection from the dangers of magic. This should only be the first step, the first village we help and prove what we can do! Our disciples will be sent to every corner of the Kingdom, to find the source of this corruption, to help wherever they are needed. This should bring the invigorating truth of the Flowing Way to every man that needs it, along with our help and blessings. No longer will men starve-"
"How can you speak such things?!" the man in red shouts again, this time his voice amplified by magic.
"What are you doing? Be seated!"
"No! This is insane!""Be seated at once! You have not been given-"
"No! I will not! This is preposterous! This is beyond belief! That the one who is supposed to be the best of us can say such horrible things. This goes against our traditions, our morals, our way, everything our order stands for! Chizra has always been neutral in the conflicts of all beings, always standing ready to defend itself but never attacking, always ready to accept all who wish to follow the Way. We are supposed to be a place where all men who seek enlightenment may enter freely, not a seat of power, not an overlord imposing our will, even if we're to be a benevolent overlord. And, if anything, trying to keep the old Kingdom alive would only prolong its death and bring more suffering. We should be hoping that the Sovereignty wins this conflict as soon as possible. They have always shown that they are tolerant of different people and beliefs while the King has tried numerous times to put us under his control. Even if that weren't the case, we cannot make ourselves an enemy of the Sovereignty, not when they have taken no action against us.""Please! Please brothers, let us all be calm like clear waters." the man in blue says, trying to stop the debate from escalating further.
Ike notices there are many murmurs of assent with the man in red. Even with his testimony and the Hex, it looks like the Masters are not convinced.
"Yes. This young man has given us a lot to think about. We should take the time to consider it carefully before reaching any sort of decision.""We have been considering these matters for far too long. All these days we've done nothing but talk and now we have little time left until a decision is made for us. It is important not to confuse care with fear and indecision."
The Headwater looks around with an accusatory look, while at the same time gauging his audience's reactions. It doesn't look like many agree with the Headwater trying to force a decision, so like a man of Water should, he immediately goes with the flow, continuing like this was his intention all along.
"However, I agree that some time to consider this may be necessary. So I propose we take a break for an hour and then continue this discussion."
There are nods and affirmations from all around the room, though it looks clear that some of them would very much like this meeting to be over for good.
"Very well then. The gates shall open. Be sure to consider the importance of what has been discussed here and of the importance of the lives of others."