Part XCII: Moving On
Date: Kapton 3rd, 114 A.U.
It was approaching midday when the aircraft with the rest of the Xavier Team finally arrived. Flek, Astrid, Monty, Number 994, and Hagion stood and watched as the airship came to land in the midst of the ruins of the Fortress of Varasheet, the sight of the great slaughter that had commenced when the last of the Sla’ad were finally routed, and when Jaigran finally broke and gave into the passions that were fueled within him.
“Greetings,” Reynyagn said, disembarking. “It is good to meet you. Where is-”
“Zarien was captured by the elves,” Monty said quietly as Reynyagn’s companions came around behind him. “Hagion has been immensely helpful in figuring out where the Arglem might be… But we have grievous news about our party as well.”
“So. Zarien is captured, there’s a spy in the midst of us, but we have a pretty good ball park for the Arglem?” Brother Tomas asked, confirming what they had just discussed over dinner.
“Yes, as well as your information about the Mothership,” Flek replied. “Hagion here has confessed to hearing as much from the officials. There isn’t any way to get around it. We have a spy in the midst of our half of the group.” Silence fell over the crowd.
“It has to be your half?” Reynyagn said quietly. “It couldn’t be that-”
“No,” Flek responded. “From what we’ve found from Hagion and from what happened, they knew the intricacies of the plan too well. It couldn’t be from something we told you, and it isn’t possible that someone else intercepted the airwaves and betrayed us, though that could have also happened. Of the five of us: Astrid, Monty, Number 994, Zarien, and I—one of us is a traitor.”
“The rising hope must rise if it will destroy the darkness,” Augger whispered. “Two leaders from among them will seek to lead them as one. Although in unity, yet one from the group may rebel. The traitor seeks to undermine what all their work have wrought. His struggle with the demon will determine victory. It’s all recorded in the prophesy.”
“A demon,” Reynyagn remarked. “What demon do we struggle with?”
“The word was not used then as it is used now,” Augger replied. “Back then, the word was not used literally as much as it was used to signify a burning desire—a evil desire fueled in the persons heart that was their chief vice which they had to conquer. What the prophesy is saying is that one of us is struggling with something. And that our success depends on whether or not they win, or the ‘demon’ inside of them wins. This is the struggle that I believe the Emperor struggled with. He lost, and so I believe that although for a short time it appeared that the Xavier Team had won, it has become all too apparent that they lost epicly.”
"What are we to do then?”
“What can we do?” Jroldin asked. “If the prophesy is true, and I do believe it to be true—then we don’t have much of a choice here. Or at least—only one of us has the choice. Someone here is a traitor among us. His course isn’t set in stone, but he will have to decide whether or not he is going to go over to the passions that is committing him against us, or if he will reject it and fight with us. The only solution for the traitor who now sits among us is to turn back from the course that he has begun to set himself to and beat back the desires inside of him. What other choice do we have?
“We can let our group take the lead since none of us can be the traitor. and leave the others in the dark, but what will that gain us? There are two leaders among us that the prophesy indicates will seek to unify the group, whom I believe are Reynyagn and Augger. Why were we given two leaders? Nothing in the Xavier Prophesy has been said with no reason. We were given two leaders so that we might be able to damper the traitor, to keep him down until he can change his mind and stop betraying us. We must split into two halves, Reynyagn leading the one and Augger leading the other. They are both beyond reproach and will act as the two who correspond with each other. We have been given a ballpark from Hagion on where the Arglem might be. We must now function separately, as we have done in order to get this far, in order to secure it.”
“You have indeed mastered the prophesy…” Reynyagn murmured. “What you have said is evident now that I look back. We must keep the traitor as much under control as we can until he can repent, if that is to be his goal.”
“And what about Zarien?” Astrid asked. “He’s been captured and is already at the Mothership by now. What are we to do with him?”
“Nothing, if we are to refrain from sabotaging the entire mission,” Reynyagn said softly. “We have to trust the prophesy and the Great One to guide him back to us. To rescue him would require us infiltrating the Mothership, a task which we are woefully unprepared to do. Our only chance will arise once the other Sla’ad finish the blueprints they have been compiling of the MOthership, and by that it may as well be too late.” Number 994 stared at the ground.
It was dark as Number 994 stared at the canopy of the tent above him, his heart beating as he tried to keep back the impulses and the whispers that were arising inside of him. How else could they have been betrayed? He had put his full mind in key with the computers as part of his job of making sure none of the alarm systems went off at the prison camp. He had heard that it was possible before—that he would have to have absolute concentration in order to keep his thoughts from running out into the systems he would be working with. And he had known all of the plans.
He still had not completely decided what to do with the Xavier Team. After the long journey south from the Northlands, he had been reconciled so much with Zarien, and he had seen their efforts so much that he had nearly been on the breaking point of mentally abolishing Emperor Jaigran for good and being in full heart and spirit with the Xavier Team. But now it seemed like he was already marked as the traitor—that he was already unconsciously fueling them with information. And if he couldn’t stop himself from betraying his teammates then, how was he to stop himself now?
Question of the Day: Conspiracy Theory time! What is your conspiracy theory about the Arquenia Saga?
Date: Kapton 3rd, 114 A.U.
It was approaching midday when the aircraft with the rest of the Xavier Team finally arrived. Flek, Astrid, Monty, Number 994, and Hagion stood and watched as the airship came to land in the midst of the ruins of the Fortress of Varasheet, the sight of the great slaughter that had commenced when the last of the Sla’ad were finally routed, and when Jaigran finally broke and gave into the passions that were fueled within him.
“Greetings,” Reynyagn said, disembarking. “It is good to meet you. Where is-”
“Zarien was captured by the elves,” Monty said quietly as Reynyagn’s companions came around behind him. “Hagion has been immensely helpful in figuring out where the Arglem might be… But we have grievous news about our party as well.”
“So. Zarien is captured, there’s a spy in the midst of us, but we have a pretty good ball park for the Arglem?” Brother Tomas asked, confirming what they had just discussed over dinner.
“Yes, as well as your information about the Mothership,” Flek replied. “Hagion here has confessed to hearing as much from the officials. There isn’t any way to get around it. We have a spy in the midst of our half of the group.” Silence fell over the crowd.
“It has to be your half?” Reynyagn said quietly. “It couldn’t be that-”
“No,” Flek responded. “From what we’ve found from Hagion and from what happened, they knew the intricacies of the plan too well. It couldn’t be from something we told you, and it isn’t possible that someone else intercepted the airwaves and betrayed us, though that could have also happened. Of the five of us: Astrid, Monty, Number 994, Zarien, and I—one of us is a traitor.”
“The rising hope must rise if it will destroy the darkness,” Augger whispered. “Two leaders from among them will seek to lead them as one. Although in unity, yet one from the group may rebel. The traitor seeks to undermine what all their work have wrought. His struggle with the demon will determine victory. It’s all recorded in the prophesy.”
“A demon,” Reynyagn remarked. “What demon do we struggle with?”
“The word was not used then as it is used now,” Augger replied. “Back then, the word was not used literally as much as it was used to signify a burning desire—a evil desire fueled in the persons heart that was their chief vice which they had to conquer. What the prophesy is saying is that one of us is struggling with something. And that our success depends on whether or not they win, or the ‘demon’ inside of them wins. This is the struggle that I believe the Emperor struggled with. He lost, and so I believe that although for a short time it appeared that the Xavier Team had won, it has become all too apparent that they lost epicly.”
"What are we to do then?”
“What can we do?” Jroldin asked. “If the prophesy is true, and I do believe it to be true—then we don’t have much of a choice here. Or at least—only one of us has the choice. Someone here is a traitor among us. His course isn’t set in stone, but he will have to decide whether or not he is going to go over to the passions that is committing him against us, or if he will reject it and fight with us. The only solution for the traitor who now sits among us is to turn back from the course that he has begun to set himself to and beat back the desires inside of him. What other choice do we have?
“We can let our group take the lead since none of us can be the traitor. and leave the others in the dark, but what will that gain us? There are two leaders among us that the prophesy indicates will seek to unify the group, whom I believe are Reynyagn and Augger. Why were we given two leaders? Nothing in the Xavier Prophesy has been said with no reason. We were given two leaders so that we might be able to damper the traitor, to keep him down until he can change his mind and stop betraying us. We must split into two halves, Reynyagn leading the one and Augger leading the other. They are both beyond reproach and will act as the two who correspond with each other. We have been given a ballpark from Hagion on where the Arglem might be. We must now function separately, as we have done in order to get this far, in order to secure it.”
“You have indeed mastered the prophesy…” Reynyagn murmured. “What you have said is evident now that I look back. We must keep the traitor as much under control as we can until he can repent, if that is to be his goal.”
“And what about Zarien?” Astrid asked. “He’s been captured and is already at the Mothership by now. What are we to do with him?”
“Nothing, if we are to refrain from sabotaging the entire mission,” Reynyagn said softly. “We have to trust the prophesy and the Great One to guide him back to us. To rescue him would require us infiltrating the Mothership, a task which we are woefully unprepared to do. Our only chance will arise once the other Sla’ad finish the blueprints they have been compiling of the MOthership, and by that it may as well be too late.” Number 994 stared at the ground.
It was dark as Number 994 stared at the canopy of the tent above him, his heart beating as he tried to keep back the impulses and the whispers that were arising inside of him. How else could they have been betrayed? He had put his full mind in key with the computers as part of his job of making sure none of the alarm systems went off at the prison camp. He had heard that it was possible before—that he would have to have absolute concentration in order to keep his thoughts from running out into the systems he would be working with. And he had known all of the plans.
He still had not completely decided what to do with the Xavier Team. After the long journey south from the Northlands, he had been reconciled so much with Zarien, and he had seen their efforts so much that he had nearly been on the breaking point of mentally abolishing Emperor Jaigran for good and being in full heart and spirit with the Xavier Team. But now it seemed like he was already marked as the traitor—that he was already unconsciously fueling them with information. And if he couldn’t stop himself from betraying his teammates then, how was he to stop himself now?
Question of the Day: Conspiracy Theory time! What is your conspiracy theory about the Arquenia Saga?
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