The Cazadores, as a collective, begin to gather around the wounded Solangre, like a family preparing to euthanized a beloved dog.
Mega is the first to speak up, "They're people, not animals. They can rule themselves. Where I come from, our true God is as a star in some ways -- he has spoken to us only by his writings, and by the traces of His will that he exerts on Earth. Yet we do not wilt, we flourish, we need no master to come to our lands to subjugate us, neither a false god nor a colonial empire. The same will apply to them, if maybe in time. People can stand proud, as well as the nations they create."
"People are animals. More animal than the creatures that roam in the jungles around them. I...I can't explain this to you. But they need guidance. They rise and fall like the sun in a single day, and disappear just as fast."
Vi ensures that Solangre can hear her, "The answer is simple. We shall Not. Mortals exist to Experience. It is not the perview of the Immortal to restrain their impulses. A Mortal acts according to its base emotions. A Mortal is a brightly burning Fire in the Void of Time. An Immortal may interfere for a time, restraining their impulses, but in the end? It comes full circle. They will remember this night as a night of Fire and of Blood. As Mortals are wont' to do. It is the end of an Era. In time. They will Forget. They will Progress and they will Grow. Another Immortal may take the helm Or one may not. The tales of a God who walked the earth will be regailed to Myth and no more. The Mortals present during the Night of Fire will age and they will die. Taking with them the memories of a God. The Immortals present will Remember. For some, this may be the first time they have witnessed the end of an Era. For others, they have seen the Rise and Fall of many Soverigns, and with them, Eras."
"Immortals are not meant to toy with the affairs of mortals. We exist simply to Exist. No more and no less. Figures of myths and legends. Creatures for mortals to seek out. To ask questions of. To provide tidbits of ageworn knowledge. To aid when no one else can. We aren't Meant to run governments. It will always end in fire. The Mortals under your care will experience a Time of Trial. They may succeed, recovering from the turmoil to become a globe spanning Empire. Or they may fail the challenges presented to them and become no more then the subject of archeological interest hundreds, or even thousands of years in the future."
"Mortals act as they believe they should. Yes, they kill each other. Yes, they fight. Yes, they are impulsive. That's what makes them Mortal. They burn brightly and then they go out. Reflecting back on their lives as their glowing embers fade. If they grew enough? Experienced enough? Enjoyed enough? They are content. They fade, comfortable and surrounded by friends. It is improper to interfere. By holding them stagnent, restraining them from their Follies, they fail to Grow. They don't Experience. They don't Live. They die wanting More."
"Your Mortals can handle Themselves. As the fires of this night fade and the sun peaks over the horizon.. Time will tell if they are independent enough to Grow. As it is? It's time for you, and Them to Rest."
After Vi speaks, the enraged crowd begins to grow more quite and still, as if rioting has drained them of all their energy. They grow sleepy, fatigued. They wander about aimlessly, as if they were bored, some sitting down or laying on their backs and watching the sky, their attention diverted away from Solangre.
"I...suppose you are correct. I have overstayed my welcome, and it appears they are already forgetting about me..."
Logan kneels down before Solangre and removes her helmet. She stares him right in the eyes, the second time that day.
"I have been alive for a very long time. Paltry compared to you, perhaps, but a long time all the same.
If there is one thing I know with certainty, it is that people end up better when they are left to their own devices than if they are controlled and manipulated.
You fought well, Solangre. Take pride in that."
Solangre's big brown eyes stare back into Logan's eyes, as if they were pleading for something unknown. "Pride...I will."
The End casts the Edict of the End, and the dark marks on Solangre's body begin to glow brightly with arcane energies.
Just as Logan pulls her sword back, Yian Garuga charges in from nowhere at Solangre. [Execution: 6+3(Edict of the End)] The dragon's head collides with Solangre and he goes flying into the sky, landing backwards onto the steps of his Temple once more. He is broken, his crimson blood pouring down the steps, but not dead, breathing with great effort and lifting his head so that he can see all beneath him, the land he once ruled and his subjects, all before him. It was at it looked before he had arrived, and how it will likely look afterwards.
Logan walks up the steps with determination but at no great pace, her sword firmly in her grip. When she reaches Solangre and stands above his battered figure, he looks back up at her and nods, finally accepting what is to come. [Execution: 8+3+4(Willing)] With one swift thrust, the knight drives her blade down into Solangre's breast down to the hilt, and then pulls it out just as quickly, the entire blade coated in fluid. Solangre's figure begins to violently vibrate, turning a bright golden hue, brighter than previous times, prompting those in the area to shield their eyes. Just before it seems like Solangre will explode into a super-nova, the golden aura escapes from his form and flies upwards into the sky, disappearing into the atmosphere like a speeding rocket. Solangre isn't totally gone however, there is a figure left in his place. It is shaped like him, but there are no defined external features, no fur or skin, or bone or muscle for that matter, simply a Solangre-shaped being of blood. In a fading voice it speaks, "...sun....blood...celestial...mortal...a bond forgotten...but never broken." The blood-creature sinks into the ground like a rapidly melting candle, forming a river of red that sinks into the steps and travels downwards like a waterfall, spilling onto the soil at the bottom and being absorbed by the Earth.
Shortly afterwards, the Transportation Ship comes into view, and descends in an open patch of ground near the Temple. The pacified Kolinquo watch this with indifference, though they will likely speak of it once they are back to normal, if they can remember these events. The rear door opens up and two armored I.A. step out in perfect unison, armored and armed to the teeth. They stand rigidly, patiently waiting for the Cazadores to handle any last minute business before they leave for good.
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Topic: Los Cazadores - La Espada Thread [Mission 2-B] (Read 85648 times)