| Fan Fiction |
by Aelk
Ishtar’s soul currently resides in a vessel, biding for the time to ripen.
When she awakens, Judgment Day will come.
That will be the day when the world’s conflicts can no longer be halted.
To let us continue to live, or to retrieve back the souls Anu and her bestowed?
All these originate from the very sins of us and the misuse of Ishtar’s empathy.
There is no way we can escape.
This message is not for anybody, but rather a letter of atonement and regret.
We are unable to live till the day of Her Judgment, and see for ourselves Her wrath,
but we pray with all our hearts,
that who ever reads this will be able to find a way to save us all.
There is but one last hope”
As Red reads out the scroll she received from Iris, the other eight seated around the Elder’s table digested its contents slowly. Elder Gorgon and Poseidon have gathered once again for a final discussion. With Elder Alliduddin from Tartan joining them, they have had a large chance of winning.
The letter appeared incomplete, as the final line stopped abruptly as a cliffhanger. What is the last hope? Is it a weapon, an item, or a person? Upon reaching this point of discussion, everyone seated around the table unwittingly came up with the same hypothesis.
Is it Azure?
Azure felt the invisible stares on him which was enhanced by a momentary silence.
“No matter what, the war has to start,” King Alliduddin concluded coolly even though the rage in him was burning.
“Yes, this Ishtar… the other Creator apart from Anu… nobody even knows if she existed,” Gorgon concluded abruptly, with expiration droplets being heaved out through his long snout.
“Iris Geiger is a historian who has studied Mesopia’s history far deeper than any of us. Being the next queen of the Humans, she can gain access to the restricted books in her empire and learnt the world’s fate,” Red voiced out her opinion as the representative of the Kurts.
“Bloodshed will cause Ishtar to awaken, we cannot take the risk,” Lady Maya corrected, “Rather than a war, let’s have a confrontation instead.”
Thus, the plan would be to capture the Human’s leader, Schwartz Geiger alive. With their king down, the Humans will have to surrender. But in order to do so, they must rid the king of his power --- The Machina Apocalypse, the same weapon which destroyed a third of Tartan.
“For that, we will have to rely on them.”
“Them?” Kazo asked innocently.
“A lost ally whom shall return to us tonight.”
As Red listened to Lady Maya, she gave a weak smile which the others could not fathom its meaning.
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“Sir!”
“Sir!”
The two sentinels guarding the entrance to the arsenal greeted their commanders politely with a bow. The Arsenal is an underground storage for the entire Empire’s Machinan weapons as well as a research center established to develop and further improve the available firearms and machinas. Standing patiently in front of the entrance, Damask signaled for the guards to let him enter, but they would not budge an inch away from the automated doors.
“What is this…Are you going to defy my orders? I am one of the Machina users here!”
The sentinels watched as their superior’s facial expression changes, and albeit being a little afraid, they held on with sheer willpower.
“It is the order from Lord Schwartz that no one shall step beyond the boundary. All trespassers will be…”
“Executed? Including me?”
Iris interrupted from behind the three men and walked towards Damask with a stern look on her face.
”Commander Damask, I want to see the Apocalypse, no matter what.”
“But Princess… I can’t defy his majesty’s order…”
“Like I care!”
Iris sprinted towards the double doors after escaping the grips of the two sentinels with her agile movements, leaving them and Damask in dire shock. Seeing that the doors were locked by a password, the fuming princess then punched it in vain to vent her frustrations.
“Aaaargh!”
“L-lady Iris…” One of the sentinels broke out in cold sweat and tried to restrain her, “J-just for a while… okay?”
What a talent, Damask thought discretely as he marveled at how well Iris has acted. Upon receiving the cue, the other guard entered the new password applied to the lock which was changed during Damask’s absence. Standing at an unimpressive six feet tall, the double doors slid open smoothly to reveal an entirely different world beyond.
Revealed by the bright lightings, the arsenal is like a small kingdom by itself, with a huge population of scientists, soldiers and highly advanced technologies being used for almost all chores. Sunlight-independent tree were grown in this underground facility to facilitate the flow of air and a fountain of potable water danced and poured its contents to whoever needs to quench his thirst.
“A metropolis within a metropolis~!” Iris said in awe while Damask appeared indifferent to the sight which he has long been familiar with.
Unlike the normal melee sentinels surrounding each of the hundred floors of the Empire, the Machinan-operating counterpart dons a fully black suit made of special materials which enhances their combat skills. The ones wearing white here were the scientists which were all busy performing maintenance and research at there.
A scientist greeted the princess and commander as they walked towards the Apocalypse which was just situated at the end of the long street-liked walkway.
“Good day, Lady Iris,” the scientist said while half-kneeling on the pure white tiles of the floor, “May I be of service to you?”
“Rise, Dr. Lancelot. I would like to have a look at the legendary Apocalypse.” Iris then began the impromptu play staged for the future rebellions against the Humans.
Altus Lancelot, a genius in Machina engineering technologies, is the mastermind behind the invention of the Apocalypse. Through his research, the middle-aged scientist has opened a new way of utilizing Mu as an efficient energy supply, thus leading the slave trades of long living races to a pinnacle.
He is a murderer who kills without staining any blood on his hands.
“Sure, it is a warm blessing to us that Lady Iris has keen interests in the finest technologies of Xenon. It just so happens that I have the blueprint to the Apocalypse with me…hmm… where is it….”
Lancelot dug his two deep pockets frantically as his thick spectacles slid a little down his pointed nose. Damask could see his receding hairline which has already begun to grey from the sides.
“Ah… there…”
“Lancelot.”
Just as he was about to unfold the piece of paper folded to the quarters, another voice spoke from behind them. It was a person Damask and Iris had hoped not to see at all throughout this day --- Schwartz Geiger.
“F-father…” Iris murmured in extreme fear.
************************************************************************************
“Damask… Oh Damask…” the king of the Humans stood abreast to the shaking sentinel who opened the doors for the princess, his gloved hands dwindling with each other behind his back, “You have brought back my daughter safely.”
Somehow, the atmosphere within the arsenal felt stiff as if the temperature has dropped by a few degrees.
“It was nothing, my lord.” Damask answered politely. A nervous sweat drop slid down his neck, but he concealed his anxiety well.
“There have been various Mu users who tried to block my attack on the Tartans. Do you know who they are, Scarlet?”
Schwartz bent a little lower and stared at the kneeling Damask. The fact that he had purposely called him by his old name stirred uneasiness within him. It seems that lying will be a suicidal choice right now. Or at least, he must give a credible lie.
“Yes and no, your majesty.”
“Oh?”
“I was one of them, but I did it because I need to get the princess out of Tartan before the blast kills her. Although I knew there were others who truly wished to save Tartan with their Mu, I do not know who they were, for I did not see their faces. I am guilty for my actions, but it was the last resort to save her highness and fulfill my mission.”
It is true that he did not see them, but actually, Mu users can feel each others’ and tell its identities straight away. But being a Human, Schwartz might not have known.
“If you had answered a straight ‘No’, I would have to have you executed straight away. But I’m glad you didn’t, shrewd Scarlet, you are indeed a loyal dog who would carry out his missions by hook or by crook…” Schwartz smiled,
“Even your lies are soothing to my ears.”
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A/N
I'm late again, had too many projects
and tests this week. Anyway,
my typing was stuck at some point later
so i'll need some time to extend it =-=;
Some revelation bout the scroll.
And now it makes people wonder...
(care linking things up?)
Further racial conflicts will lead to a final
elimination, but everyone knew the war has to happen.
there are many mistakes in this chapter
i'm too tired to edit it though lol
(havent had my lunch and it's now 8pm)
hm... i'll close one eye (if not both) on them
=P