Kyngdom Survival Guide
*TALE: TWO KYNGDOMS
Chatterbox: KYNGDOM™ Power of Hoof
*TALE: TWO KYNGDOMS
*TALE: TWO KYNGDOMS
A Tale of Two Kyngdoms, Part One
By Zephyra
It was the worst of times. That much was obvious. Chaos everywhere. Claaws was dead. Jaaws roamed our land, jaws dripping with Brazen Goo. Catastrophe was always lurking, ready to fight anyone at the slightest provocation. I heard whispers of a “Mutant Army.” And B.I.G. crept ever closer to finding and activating all four of the Powers, which would lead to--what? Utter global destruction? To be honest, I was finding it harder and harder to go to sleep. Dark thoughts swirled through my brain at all hours of the night.
On one particularly hopeless mornings, as I was drooping over a mug of oak root coffee at the Bog & Burrow, I received word from my faithful network of spies that Dr. Cornelia Hornshaw was heading north, toward the Decoy Forest. My go-to tech wiz, Techibeetle, quickly tapped her phone and, after listening to a very disgruntled conversation she was having with one of her chief scientists, we learned that she believed the fourth Power--the Power of Hoof--was located there. In the forest.
Now, this was a little too close for comfort for me, my fellow spies, and the other Guardians. Because we knew that while the fourth Power wasn’t actually in the forest, it was nearby--very nearby, on the hoof of Regina the Silver Reindeer herself. I sent a message to Regina begging her to retreat to her mansion, and then I began planning my trip to the north.
(Another complication: I was supposed to be planning my nephew Little Crow’s Naming Ceremony. It was time. He was of age. But the party would just have to wait--and I felt terrible about it.)
After another mug of oak root coffee, I hit upon a plan that was simple, but so daring that it made me nauseous. I was going to do the unthinkable. I would try to intercept Cornelia before she went into the Decoy Forest, and I would…talk with her.
Yes, talk. A dialogue. I figured that I could use B.I.G.’s technology to make Cornelia understand what I was saying, and then I could explain how dangerous her behavior was. How it would put us all at risk--animals and humans. Naïve? Maybe. But sometimes the best route is the most direct, no? There’s a reason for the phrase “as the crow flies.”
Of course it was a terrible shock when, while flying over the Labyrinth, I heard something rustling about in the suitcase that was strapped to my back--and out popped Little Crow, squawking that he couldn’t let me go alone and he was practically an adult and why did I get to do all the fun stuff? I was furious that he’d snuck along, but it was too late to turn back. Cornelia’s train was literally zooming below us as we flew. Besides, I’ll admit it: sometimes it’s nice to have a sidekick.
When we arrived at Jökull, the mansion of the Silver Reindeer, Regina greeted us joyfully and gave us each a huge, steaming mug of Black Winter Cherry cider. Little Crow was shivering. I was exhausted.
“She’s coming,” said Regina, giving me a meaningful look.
“I loathe Cornelia Hornshaw,” spat Little Crow.
“Little! She’s done some terrible things, but she is a very lost, very confused woman,” I said.
“She thinks we’re stupid. She doesn’t respect the world we’ve built. Why do I have to like her?” said Little Crow.
I was flustered, jet-lagged, but Regina jumped in with grace. “You don’t have to like her, Little Crow,” she said, her mother-of-pearl horseshoes twinkling. “But what Cornelia Hornshaw lacks is empathy. She can’t put herself in our horseshoes, so to speak. So she’ll never truly understand us--or anything about the world, really. Zephyra is saying that if you try to empathize a little with her, no matter how much it angers you, then you will have already won part of the battle.
“And for the other parts--if empathy and reason fail, at least you have an entire network of spies and warriors on your side,” I added.
Little Crow’s eyes were drooping.
“Let’s go to bed,” I said. “Cornelia is probably staying at that human eyesore, the Wayward Villa, tonight, and won’t be striking off toward the Decoy Forest until morning.”
After Little Crow went to sleep, I turned to Regina.
“I’m worried,” I said. “The Decoy Forest never shows travelers the truth. But who knows what she’ll see there? Sometimes half-truths and white lies can lead to the real thing.”
Regina looked down at her fourth horseshoe--the one that was old, rusty, nondescript.
“I am prepared to fight,” she said, simply.
submitted by Zephyra, Decoy Forest
(January 4, 2017 - 1:39 pm)
(January 4, 2017 - 1:39 pm)
Tsuki~~
The hangars are busy and full as we return. I hear the clank of metal almost every second, and the smell of gasoline is in the air.
"What's going on?" I ask a Sanukan.
"Prepping for the attack on Jokull. We're going to attack while Caligo's out in the Forest. Hopefully, Silencer will kill 'im before he's got the chance to return," The engineer replies. "An now that we got ol' Sanders there, we'll be ready in no time."
I can sense that Vida is becoming unhappy, so I leave the hangars. Victor is waiting for me outside.
"The pilot informed that there was only one survivor. Why don't you take her to the medics? You can have the day off after that," He suggests.
"Right. Where are the medics?"
"On the second level, in the hospital. It's a pretty large building, should be the third on your left. Part of it's in the mountain," He explains.
It's much quieter now that I'm away from the hangars. The hospital is nearly silent, except for the sounds of the medics shoes tapping on the wood and stone flooring.
They take Vida from me. I don't want to leave her, though, so I sit in one of the chairs.
And then I wait.
~~~
(January 21, 2020 - 3:59 pm)
Caligo~
We've been using the trees felled from the forest (the ones that weren't burned, that is) to fortify and repair the damages done to Jokull. The forest has not neglected to exact its own revenge on us, though. The decoys have affected all of us. Three men have been lost and several more were almost lost. I've ordered an electric fence to be built around the road to keep troops from straying off the path.
Today, a captain and I have driven into the forest and are located at the very beginning of the road. It's late afternoon, and returning trucks grumble off in the distance, yet unseen.
"Have Lieutenant Sanders and the others been located yet?" I radio the trucks' operators. The troops were found missing earlier this morning, and while two scouts were sent to the ruins of Hvall to see what was wrong, there was no sign of a struggle.
"Not yet, General. We believe they may have either been lost to the Forest on their way back to camp, or..."
"Sanukaville," I finish. "Nothing we can do there except prepare for another attack on Jokull. I will see you all back at Jokull shortly. Probably within the next three days, if they know what we're up to." I suppose King Catastrophe does not care if Jokull falls? Even so, he'll take it out on me if it does. I will retrieve the troops as soon as our path is completed.
Something catches my eye in the woods to my right.
Something prickles on the back of my neck.
I twist my head in the direction of the movement. The late afternoon sun casts a long shadow through the giant rut we've slashed through the Decoy Forest, creating a twilight that toys with the eyes.
But my eyes can see the elf in the treetops clearly enough. She's crouched on a low-hanging bough, barely visible through the gloom. At the sight of her, I let out a gasp--"Get down, Wilson!"--and we rush behind the vehicle. Bewildered, Captain Wilson trains his rifle at the general direction of the woods, but I am already rising stubbornly. The shadow is gone.
"I thought I saw Ashzan Moksovinan. It was just a Decoy."
Or was it?
(January 22, 2020 - 9:57 pm)
*I mixed up two sentences in the post above...It should say "Nothing we can do there except prepare for another attack on Jokull. Probably within the next three days, if they know what we're up to. I will see you all back at Jokull shortly."
--------------
On the Wreath Wall, a group of experienced soldiers converse quietly:
"The General's going to get us all killed by those Sanukans."
"Yeh. He's just a kid. If Grimm was still around--"
"Grimm's the one whose fault this is anyway!"
"Nah, he couldn't help dying. But Caligo could've helped by sniffing out the traitors sooner. They were in his unit."
"Makes you wonder..."
"Catastrophe wouldn't put a traitor in charge of his base. But all the same--he's not even out of his teen-ages."
The soldier's companions are shocked speechless for a minute. He quickly realizes the misunderstanding and corrects himself in a panic:
"No, I meant Caligo! I wasn't meanin' Catastrophe! A boy general for a boy king. Fits nice."
"I heard Sanders got lost today. Only a matter of time before the rest of us follow, eh? Think he took off on his own?"
The soldiers shake their heads in scorn. "Like I said. Caligo's got us all heading for disaster."
- - -
(January 23, 2020 - 7:11 pm)
Oh, and credit to Night for coining the 'boy general for a boy king' phrase.
And for clarification purposes, Caligo is 18 or 19 years old.
(January 23, 2020 - 7:14 pm)
So, I wrote a Sanukan language (really just a modified version of English honestly though) and this post is mostly just me testing it. (Admins, it'll only be a few words at a time and I'll provide translations.) It's also a bit of an introduction to the Brazen Goo smuggler I was talking about wanting to create.
~~~
"Vruog. Jökull's really fallen on hard times, huh?" (Translation= Dang.)
"Yeah. Kinda feel bad for 'em, huh, hvumskulovr?" (Translation= friend.)
The three Sanukan scouts conversed quietly from their hiding spot. It was on the top of a large ridge, behind a few boulders.
"Hardly." The first two soldiers looked at the third.
"Jeez, Sväu. That's harsh," The first replied. (Sväu is a name, meaning "stone heart" .)
"Especially since you're no better."
"Well, he's got reason to hate Catastrophe. They took his eye, his legs and his left arm, sooo..."
"You're the one who commented on it first, you hvkakaa!" ( Fool)
Sväu ignored the other two. He put his binoculars up to his eyes, focusing them on the Wreath Wall.
There was a group of soldiers on the wall, talking amongst themselves. From the amount of medals on their uniforms, Sväu assumed they'd been in the Army for a while.
"Stay here. I'm going to go take out some soldiers, " Sväu muttered. He grabbed a silenced pistol and slunk off.
"Hey, keep watch on him. He might try to sneak off back down to the Grasplands."
~ ~~
Yeah, Sväu is my smuggler character. He acts like Joshua Graham from Fallout:New Vegas (you know, the NPC that said that really famous "I survived because the flames on the inside burned brighter than the flames on the outside" quote.) He's got an interesting backstory, but pretty much, he was half-Sanukan (he's pretty short compared to most) and lived in the Grasplands, and became a Brazen Goo Smuggler. But he was caught by Catastrophe, and then as punishment from Catastrophe, he lost his left eye (wears bandages over it) his right arm (has a cybernetic one), and both his legs. (He has prosthetics, but they aren't cybernetic.) He's 26, and totally open to shipping, if there's a girl close to his age.
(January 23, 2020 - 9:05 pm)
Oh, in the actual post, I think I said he lost his left arm, which is incorrect, he lost his right arm.
(January 23, 2020 - 9:10 pm)
Caligo~
I'm in a council with four other seasoned soldiers. Their rankings vary, but all of them are experienced in the art of war--and double my age. There would have been seven in the council, but half an hour ago, I was informed that Lieutenant Swail and Elite Captains Smyth and Stonebridge were reported to have defected from the army. [**They were actually the ones that Sväu took out] I can see in each of these men's eyes that they think me incapable of ensuring the army's success, especially since commanders have been dropping like flies.
"Alright, Caligo. I expect you intend to decide our next course of action regarding Sanukaville," Captain Rutland intones pointedly, leaning in aggressively.
"Which I hope includes withdrawing from the Decoy Forest before the Sanukans jump on us while we're understaffed," Major Astley puts in.
"Men, you're welcome to go against King Catastrophe's orders," I answer. "But do me a favor and don't complain when he sends Jaaws to clean things up."
Astley curls his lip in a false display of bravado. (He's just as afraid of Jaaws as the rest of us.) "Think the King could send Jaaws down anyway? She'd give the Sanukans a heart attack and win us the mountains in an instant."
"Let's spend our time discussing feasible routes of action," I respond coldly. "The Sanukans are a force to be reckoned with."
"They are a small settlement on a distant mountain," Commander Eastaughffe corrects me, "or so the soldiers here have been led to believe. Choose your words wisely, Caligo. Morale is low, and if you aren't careful, you'll find yourself facing two armies instead of one."
Ice runs through my veins and I glare at the table, flicking a crumb across its surface.
"Thank you for your friendly advice, Eastaughffe," I say at length, lifting my eyes to meet his, "but I understand the situation just fine. Some of my power-hungry associates are all too eager to take the yoke of leadership. I'm sure that any of them could do a better job than me--it's not like we're all dealing with the same amount of troops and ammunition. And why wouldn't Catastrophe be more lenient in punishing them if failure should befall his army at Jokull?" I cock my head and shrug. "It's all the same to me. Do any of you honestly believe you're capable of taking the Sanukans on by yourselves? We're in the same boat. So get over yourselves and help me get us out of it."
That seems to do the trick.
We discuss our options over the next half-hour. Eventually, we settle upon a preliminary option. It will both distract the Sanukans and provide us with a casualty-free opportunity for remaining at Jokull: A truce.
The terms of the truce are simple. If the Sanukans lay down their arms and leave us in peace at Jokull for the next six months, we will refrain from harming any more of their villages or encroaching on their land, including the land near our path through the Decoy Forest. We will also return all of their prisoners at the end of the six months.
We draft three copies of the truce and attach one to a remote-controlled drone, which we set on course directly for Sanukaville.
(January 24, 2020 - 7:10 pm)
**They might or might not have requested [in the drone delivery] an in-person meeting or a phone meeting if Sanukaville wants to talk about truce terms or terms in general**
(January 24, 2020 - 8:16 pm)
At the bottom of the Wall, a young soldier, one of the recruits, was patrolling the perimeter of Jokull. He whistled to himself, only half-paying attention.
He suddenly paused.
There, in the snow, were the dead and broken bodies of Swail, Smyth, and Stonebridge.
The recruit turned on his walkie talkie.
"Caligo, sir, are you there? This is Browne."
"I'm in a meeting. What is it?" Caligo's cold voice crackled.
"Well, I just found Swail. Smyth, and Stonebridge. And they definitely didn't defect."
"Elaborate."
"I... They're dead, each one's been shot once in the head. And it looks like someone threw them off the Wall, sir."
Caligo made an angry growl like sound. "Sanukans, I'm sure. I'll sound an alert to let the others know there's a spy somewhere."
-------
"Tsuki?"
"Yes?" I reply, standing up from my chair. A nurse is beckoning for me.
"You'll want to take a seat," The nurse says, gesturing to a blue chair. The room is small. Vida sits in a little white crib, resting. The smell of anitbiotic is in the air. I do as she insists.
"For the most part, the child seems fine. She's got a few minor burns, cuts, and bruises, but she'll live. However. As I'm assuming you don't know, Dolor Felis have nine lives. No, close your mouth, I'm not done yet.
"Well, this infant is on her second life. She's suffering from a rare side effect known as 'soul-lingering.' This means her past life is... Clinging to her. This means she'll retain partial memories of her previous life, be able to speak with the dead, and use a few other... Abilities. However. I managed to figure out who she once was.
"She was once the cat you knew as Deeja Sagestone."
I want to sit there and process this, but I am then interrupted. A guard bursts through the door.
"Natsu. Victor requests your presence. It's urgent."
-
Victor and I look over the drone carried note once more.
"I suppose I should attend the requested meeting. But I'm certainly bringing backup. Tsuki, I'll take you, and Gamgi Kholodno. And probably Sväu Bykov, if he hasn't snuck off."
"What if it's a trap and they kill you?" I ask.
"Then my wife, General Rubiana, will take my place. We'll set out tomorrow, and arrive at Jokull by evening. And for the love of Lunee, somebody needs to tell me wether Sväu's in or out of Jokull!"
~~~~
Well, here's this. I think it would be interesting if I leave Sväu's actual location unknown (He is somewhere within Jokull) so there's a bit of a wild goose chase to try and find him.
(January 24, 2020 - 11:43 pm)
Oooh, I foresee some tension when Tsuki arrives at the meeting.
I don't want to control Victor & his soldiers too much, so this post is Caligo getting ready for the meeting, and then you can RP them arriving and such.
I wanted Caligo to have some character development, so now his past is coming back for him.
Caligo~
The meeting with the Sanukans is coming up, and we have a problem. There's already one here.
Two more of our troops have been found dead since Browne discovered the true fates of Smyth, Swail, and Stonebridge. I have no idea where the spy could be hiding, or whether or not it is actually a Sanukan. In fact, I have no knowledge whatsoever about this spy because apparently, no one is competent enough to hunt it down.
What if it's Natsu?
What if it's Saoirse?
What if it's Moksovinan?
If it's Sanukan, what kind of game are they playing right before truce negotiations?
Thankfully, the meeting won't be held at Jokull. It's been organized at neutral ground on the wide-open flat of Snow Don, halfway between the mountains and here. In three hours, I'll set off with four Elite soldiers as backup and one secretary. Of course we'll take a helicopter.
In the meantime, I'm in my office writing emails and letters.
Someone knocks at the door and I stand, reaching for my gun. "Name?" I demand.
"It's Private Browne, General Caligo, sir. I wanted to let you know there's a visitor at the gates asking for you."
I open the door, revealing Browne's tall and lanky form. "Who?"
"He--wanted it to be a surprise."
"Sounds like a trap to me."
"I know, sir. That's why I brought you a picture of him. He said you'd recognize him."
I take the tablet from Browne's outstretched hand. On its screen is a screenshot from the security feed:
A young man stands in the snow, clad in the crisp black attire of a scout for Catastrophe's Army. Bright golden-blonde hair pokes from his peaked cap. I zoom in to his face: Clean-shaven and jaunty with sharp, youthful features and blue eyes.
A stab of unease pierces my insides. Yes, I recognize him all too well. "It's Samuel Coryli."
I thrust the tablet back into Browne's arms and run down to the gate as quickly as I can. I order the guards to let Coryli in; then, I meet him in the entry hall of Jokull. A boistrous greeting reaches my ears.
"Caligo! It's been too long--don't tell me you forgot about me!" Seeing Sam brings back a flood of memories from our early days in Catastrophe's Army, and even before then, farther back than I care to remember. My stomach churns, upturned by Sam's arrival.
"I didn't forget about you, Coryli. It's only been a few months, anyway." My eyes fall on his feet. With a jolt I notice that his right leg is now prosthetic. "That's new."
He looks down and frowns for only a moment. "Oh. Aslahari. It's all fine, now." He wiggles his foot to prove it.
- - -
Over the next hour or so, I am occupied with catching Sam up with the events of the past few months. Sam had been my best friend for most of my life, and we both joined the Army at around the same time. The last time we saw each other was shortly before the conquest of Aslahari, when I was promoted and Sam was dispatched to the desert.
When we parted ways long ago, I remember being eager to see him again. I remember, now, the times I've tried to forget--the mishaps in snowy wilderness, outrunning giant wolves in our campaign through the Shelterlands, pranking the others in our unit...
I never realized how different a person I'd become until now. I'm not the same person I was a few months ago. I didn't expect Sam to be, either, but he hasn't changed a bit.
It doesn't bother me.
And that's what bothers me.
I've been jolted out of my blurry indifference to what has happened. Looking within, I find that the piece of me I once made great use of--the piece containing laughter, peace, joy...has been blocked off.
But I don't care.
And that's a problem.
--------
So, that was long. Yes, Hazel has a brother! She hasn't heard much from him since the war, and all she knows is that he's fighting in it. She assumes he's with the Resistance.
Well, Sam did join Catastrophe's army, but after the conquest of Aslahari, he got into a scrape, but a Resistance member saved his life, nursed him back to health, (gave him a new leg), et cetera, and he got to see the other side of the war. He swapped sides and now serves as a "deep spy" in Catastrophe's army.
He's on a mission, now, to see if he can change Caligo's mind too. Of course Caligo is under Catastrophe's (or even Jaaws's) influence [as a means of keeping generals loyal].
Caligo will definitely be distracted at the negotiations.
(January 28, 2020 - 10:21 am)
Ashzan~
I drag my foot as I walk out of the bushes. It's got a small infection by now, but nothing serious. The wound should heal in a few days. I notice the gates are already open, and two people are standing outside. Caligo, and another person.
"General!" I shout. Caligo turns his head and sees me. Immediately, he beckons the person to come with him and starts jogging over to me.
"Moskovinan. Where have you been??" A hint of confusion and anger lilts his voice. Good to see I was missed.
"I'm sorry General. I was taken prisoner by the Sanukans after I went after the traitors. I had to fight my way out."
"You did well. Guards!" He shouts to the guards at the gate. "Take this soldier to the medical bay. She will need rest and care." They come, and at my sides they escort me carefully to the doctors. That was easier than I thought.
~
(January 28, 2020 - 3:33 pm)
Tsuki~
"We're here."
I lift my head at the pilot's voice. Victor, Gamgi, and two of Victor's most trusted soldiers are with me.
"Is Sväu there?" Victor asks.
"No, I don't see him," The pilot replies.
"That's slightly worrying. Has anyone found him yet?" Gamgi asks.
"Evidently not. I suppose we'll have to do this without him. Hopefully he won't ruin our plan," Victor says.
Oh, yes, the plan. The extremely controversial and terribly unhonorable plan. But it was a good one.
We've landed a short distance from Snow Don. While the terms included coming to the meeting unarmed, all of us are carrying hidden weapons. And I'm positive Caligo and his men are armed as well.
Caligo is waiting for us, along with some older soldiers. I recognize several.
"I see you brought the traitor," One of the generals spits.
"It was your own fault for recruiting random, untrustworthy kids, and you know that," I reply. I was expecting that the soldiers would be unimpressed with my presence.
"If you have such a problem with who I've chosen to bring, then why don't we call.of the meeting and forget about the treaty?" Victor snaps. The soldier opens his mouth to say something , but Caligo silences him.
"Let's just hurry up and get this over with," Caligo says.
~~~
(January 30, 2020 - 4:21 pm)
Ooh. I'm interested to see the Sanukans' plan.
Caligo~
Samuel realized that his visit was poorly timed. His cheeriness then mellowed out into that taciturn silence cultivated by life in the military. When he finished telling me about his journey--hitching a ride from Brown Outpost up to Jokull since his services are now unneeded in the south--I was able to bring his attention to what he has just walked into: the Sanukan negotiations.
In preparation for my helicopter ride north, I settled Sam in a nice room and ordered the officials to treat him with higher respect than they treat me. I gave him free reign of the base but warned him of the assassin(s) roaming Jokull.
Not two minutes later, I received word that a young recruit had sighted the spy and tracked it through the massive garden outside. Thirty seconds later, the recruit was dead, with no sign of the spy. I met with the guards out front, about to warn them of the consequences if they let the spy into the mansion, when there was motion from the bushes.
"General!"
Someone limped out into the open. Not someone--Ashzan.
A jolt of shock ran through my chest. "Moksovinan!" What is she doing here? How long has she been here? She can't be the assassin--not with that limp. "Where have you been?"
She seemed exhausted as she explained the situation.
(switching tenses)
Instantly my mind is sent swirling farther from focus. First Sam, now Ashzan. I need to leave in half an hour. I'll have to talk to Moksovinan later. It's too late, though; I can't banish a thought in half an hour. This is going to take hours to process and think through.
I call in fresh guards and order them to escort Moksovinan to the medical bay. While any information she has to offer would be useful in the negotiations, there simply isn't time to discuss anything.
- The Negotiations -
"Let's just hurry up and get this overwith."
Both parties settle into a tent with cloth walls to block out the snow's glare. Here, it is quiet and warm. I am set on edge by the hostility in the dim rectangular space, especially by the sight of Tsuki Natsu at Starr's side. Had she been working with Sanukaville from the beginning?
Our enmity is made visible in our positions at opposite sides of the table.
"Thank you, Mayor Starr, for agreeing to this meeting," I begin. "I hope we can work out a truce for the benefit of our peoples. I outlined the intent of the truce in the message, and you've had ample time to consider. What do you say?"
(January 30, 2020 - 6:50 pm)
Lieutenant General Gamgi Kholodno, Head of the Sniper and Recon Unit~~
You can almost taste the tension in the tent. It's nearly unbearable. I keep seeing Natsu and one of Caligo's Elites exchange glares, and I really hope they don't destroy everything.
Speaking of people who could ruin this situation, Sväu's still missing. He's in my unit, and I really do NOT want to be the one in trouble when he goes against orders and wrecks Jokull. I've told all members of my division to find his location and get him back to Sanukaville, but they've had no luck so far.
Caligo begins to say something, and I'm dragged back to reality.
"--agreeing to this meeting," He starts. "I hope we can work out a truce for the benefit of our peoples. I outlined the intent of the truce in the message, and you've had ample time to consider. What do you say?"
Caligo's eyes lock onto Victor's. He seems desperate, almost fearful. Almost made me feel sorry for him. Because we were going to totally go against this truce and lose any honor we once had. But oh, it would sure work.
And I guess honor doesn't matter too much if you win.
"I accept the terms of your truce," Victor finally says , after a moment of silence. Caligo looks relieved.
"Excellent. We will begin pulling our troops from your territory right away, Mayor Starr," Caligo says.
"As you should," Victor replies. "And mind you, Caligo--one wrong move, one ever-so-tiny, little move, and I will personally execute you and all your men. Understand?" Victor leans forwards threateningly as he says this. Caligo seems to shrink beneath him.
"Understood." Caligo betrays no emotion in his voice.
~~~~
(February 1, 2020 - 9:32 pm)
Caligo~
"I accept the terms of your truce."
Relief spreads through me, and my muscles relax. If Victor has said it, I know it will be: He is a man of his word, and so am I.
"Excellent. We will begin pulling our troops from your territory right away, Mayor Starr." I nod at him in genuine gratitude.
"As you should. And mind you, Caligo--one wrong move, one ever-so-tiny, little move, and I will personally execute you and all your men. Understand?"
He leans in, and it's obvious that we both know Jokull is at the mercy of the Sanukans.
"Understood. We will both keep the truce, and at the end of the six month period, your prisoners will be returned to you alive and healthy. I cannot say the same for those we find breaking the truce on our own land..." For instance, the assassin running amok...
Starr's expression betrays no reaction, but I quickly glance at the other Sanukans in the room. I sense unease and become more certain that the assassin is a Sanukan.
"Of course," Starr says. "Now if there is nothing left you would like to discuss, shall we sign the truce?"
We scrawl our names on the paper and rise from our seats.
"Thank you again for coming, Mayor Starr. Many lives have been saved today."
(February 2, 2020 - 8:50 am)