November 11, 8 ATC

City of Sang-Divin, Duchy of Sororae, Triumvirate of Enabler

When the Guns N' Roses delegation arrived in the city, the tension was suffocating. The Enablerese soldiers walked the streets, casting suspicious glares not only at the delegation, which was to be expected, but also at their fellow soldiers and even the regular townsfolk. Nitesco leaned back in his seat and twiddled his thumbs while Gwydion and Austin continued to gaze absentmindedly out the window.

"Does anything seem… off to you guys?" Nitesco spoke up. Gwydion furrowed his brow, but did not stop looking out the window.

"The people are tense," he said. "Something is going to happen. Soon. Figures that we'd be here to enjoy it," he muttered.

"Something is going to happen on that ridge over there," Austin piped up. Gwydion and Nitesco both turned to give her an odd look.

"That ridge?" Gwydion asked. "How do you know it's that ridge?"

"The soldiers," she said. "I know how to read people. All the soldiers keep glancing at that ridge. Something important will happen there."

"Then let's find an inn as far away from that ridge as we can. Driver!" Nitesco hollered to the carriage driver. "Find us an inn in the west quarter of the city."

"Will do, sir!" The driver hollered back, and he turned down a narrow road.

Eventually, they ended up at a fairly well-to-do inn, and after some negotiation with an incredulous clerk (I'm sorry sir, did you say fifty-three customers?) they were able to secure enough rooms for the entire delegation. Austin went to her room and put her things away, and a while later she heard a knock on the door.

"Austin? It's Nitesco. May I come in?"

Austin hung up her rain cloak and opened the door before returning to the window. Nitesco scratched his chin and walked over with her.

"So, are there any more questions you want to ask us? About your father, or anything like that?"

She smiled and shook her head. "No, no. You answered all my questions on the way here. Now I feel like… like I know my father, even if I really didn't. I can't thank you enough for your hospitality."

"Do you know where you'll go from here?" Nitesco asked. "We can buy you transportation in the morning."

"Ah, no. I go where I hear there's work. Right now, I'm sure that every monarch is looking for a little extra muscle. I might stay here in Enabler and find work for a noble."

"I'd suggest against that. Enabler's a fun place to visit…" He trailed off as Austin raised her eyebrow at him. "Well, if you're into that. But it's not a good place to live."

Austin nodded. "I'll keep that in—"

The sound of a large explosion startled them both, and they stumbled away from the window. Nitesco was the first to steady himself, and he pressed his face to the glass to see what was happening, followed by Austin. Across from the Triumvir Palace, a single firework had illuminated the night. Out in the distance, on the ridge, two armies descended on one another while the soldiers in the street had begun to run in various directions.

"What is that?" Austin asked, ready for a fight.

Nitesco grit his teeth and turned to leave the room. "An old trick of Nachbar's. Gwydion!" He called down the stairs. "Did you see?"

"Yes!" Gwydion shouted up the stairs, and Austin quickly followed Nitesco to the ground floor. "The soldiers are in a panic. We need to figure out what's happening."

While Gwydion and Nitesco rallied their soldiers and fetched their weapons, Austin looked out the side window. "They're in a panic, yes," Austin interjected. "But why aren't they heading toward the battlefield?"

"What do you mean?"

"The soldiers should be going to the main avenue, which will take them out the central gates. But they're going down the side road. Where does that lead?"

Gwydion shrugged and looked at Nitesco, who was stroking his chin. Suddenly, his eyes lit up in understanding. "The Triumvir Palace. Something's happening with the leadership."

Gwydon sheathed his sword and made sure his hand cannon was securely in its holster. "Do you think it's a coup?"

"I don't know," Nitesco conceded. But there's only one way to find out. Captain!" He addressed his escort's leader. "Fortify the inn. Keep the civilians safe."

"But sir," the captain protested. "Wouldn't you be safer with a detachment with you?"

"Nobody will notice a few random people running around, but they will if we have fifty foreign soldiers armed to the teeth behind us. My orders still stand, captain. Fortify the inn." He turned to Gwydion. "You're with me."

"I can come with," Austin volunteered, trying to hide her eagerness. "I don't have soldier's armor. I'll blend in with you, and you need all the help you can get."

Nitesco furrowed his brow and looked to Gwydion, who merely shrugged.

"Fine. Come along and be on your guard."

Austin followed Gwydion and Nitesco into the city streets. As they approached the main road, Nitesco led them down a side alley just as a patrol of soldiers ran past.

"If I remember correctly," Nitesco said, "we should come out in the Palace square. Just follow my lead."

"Why are we going to the Palace?" Austin asked.

"The Triumvirs may be in danger. If this is an invasion from Inferno, we must make sure they remain unharmed," Gwydion answered.

"Then why didn't we bring the rest of the soldiers?"

"Because they could also be fighting amongst themselves," Nitesco responded. "And if they are, the last thing we need is to storm in with a full contingent of men and turn all of them against us. Besides, this way, we draw as little attention as possible."

"That's fair enough," Austin conceded.

When they arrived in the square, Austin and Nitesco stopped recover quickly and Gwydion brought his hands to his knees and inhaled sharply. "Oh, God," Gwydion breathed. "I haven't run that fast in years."

"You haven't run in years period, bud," Nitesco laughed. "A lap around the legislature a day would do you some good."

"I'm too old for that, Nitesco!" He grunted back.

"You're forty-two, quit whining. Greatness still beat your ass during the war, and he was in his fifties. Now come on!"

"Hmph. See how it is when you're my age, sonny," Gwydion muttered just loud enough for the others to hear. Nitesco cast an accusative glance at him before entering the Palace.

When they arrived in the foyer, the trio was greeted by four guards, who, by the looks of it, had just finished killing one of Contramundi's private bodyguards. They stopped in their tracks, but not soon enough to avoid the guards' attention.

"Hey, intruders!" One of them shouted. The one next to him groaned and readied his spear.

"We can see that, Conrad," the second guard said. "You three. By order of Triumvir Faker, all intruders must be immediately killed." The other three guards angled their spears at the trio.

Nitesco groaned and drew his sword. "Well, now we know it's a civil conflict, at least."

"I was hoping we would avoid a fight," Austin said.

Gwydion merely unsheathed his sword and his hand cannon. "To arms!" he shouted, and he promptly blew a sizeable hole in the first guard's chest.

The remaining three guards stumbled backward, and Nitesco took the opportunity to charge them while Gwydion reloaded. Swiftly, he engaged one of the guardsmen while the other two ignored him and charged at Austin and Gwydion.

Startled, Austin hastily dodged to the side, barely escaping being impaled. The guard, unfazed, whirled around and clipped Austin's side, sending her into a wall. Again, the guard tried to swing and thrust at her, but she dodged each strike.

The guard growled. "Enough! You can't dodge forever."

Austin said nothing, but she knew he was right. She couldn't stay on the defensive if she wanted to survive. Her dodges were growing slower and narrower. She had to go on the defensive.

"Then try again, dogface," she taunted. The guard sneered and reared back to stab at her, but Austin was at his throat before he could follow through. She sank the sword into his chest and let him fall limp to the floor.

Austin watched as the guard collapsed, unsure of what to feel. Revulsion? Shame? She had never killed a man before, even as a mercenary. A flurry of emotions ran through her mind, but she settled on revulsion.

Feeling nauseous and lightheaded, she kneeled down and put a hand on her head, staring at the dead sentinel. Next to her, Gwydion wrenched his blade out of a guardsman's chest while Nitesco, covered in his opponent's blood, walked to her side and rested a hand on her shoulder.

"I just killed him," Austin said. "I just—I killed him. Oh, Goddess." Nitesco nodded.

"I know how you feel," he said. "I know that disgust, I know that shame. And we can talk about it later, but right now, we need to find Contramundi and Vinpap. Okay?"

Austin felt a tear form in her eye, but she suppressed it. "Okay," she said. "Okay." She stood up and uneasily followed Nitesco and Gwydion out the back door of the foyer.

Elsewhere, a queen and her bodyguard sat in the back of the carriage, en route to an important meeting.

"How do you think things are going in Enabler?" Jay asked.

Queen Inferno smiled. "I imagine that by now order has been established. The force we sent was enough to take control of Enabler even without Faker's assistance. I have no doubt that the battle, if there even is one, is going in our favor."

"You think Contramundi and Vinpap will put up a fight?"

"Ha!" she lauged. "They will try. Vinpap, that old fool, will be put down easily. I doubt he's anticipated treachery. Even Faker should be able to deal with him."

"And what of Contramundi?" Jay asked.

"Contramundi represents slightly stiffer opposition, but the odds are stacked against him. He's, shall we say, ill-suited to facing Faker as an opponent."

"Ill-suited?"

"Faker is crafty, underhanded, deceptive. Contramundi is vulnerable to dangers that come as a surprise. He can deal with a threat that he sees coming, but throw a wrench in the works, as Faker so often does, and that will throw him off. He is, perhaps," Inferno said, "too easily distracted."

Nitesco, Gwydion and Austin arrived in a garden, where they noticed, at the other end, Contramundi fending off Faker. As he noticed them in the corner of his eye, Contramundi kicked his opponent in the stomach and tried to catch another glimpse of the intruders.

"Nitesco?" He asked. "What are you—"

Contramundi was cut off by Faker's sword entering his stomach. He groaned, staggered and fell to the ground, clutching his gut, while Faker grinned and stood up.

"Well, look at this," he chuckled scornfully. "Prime Minister Nitesco and his faithful sidekick Gwydion, come to stick their fat noses where they don't belong." Gwydion rubbed the tip of his nose while Faker turned his gaze to Austin.

"And the mouthy little peasant girl from the Diet. It looks like fate has given me an opportunity to avenge myself on two people today." He shouted, "Guards! Dispatch these meddlers."

Nothing happened. Faker shifted uneasily while Austin smirked at him.

"Guards! I said come here!" When they failed to come, Faker sighed and shifted his gaze to the ground.

"They're dead, aren't they?"

Gwydion sniggered. "How do you think we got in here?"

"A fair point."

"Give up, Faker," Nitesco demanded. "We don't want to kill you, especially somebody of your rank."

"You won't kill me today, but I'm sure as hell not going to prison either." He unbuckled a small grenade from his belt. "May the winds be at your back, meddlers." With that, he pulled the pin, dropped the grenade and ran as it filled the courtyard with a thick gray haze.

"Ah, shit," Austin muttered. "I should've figured that an Enablerese would pull such a dirty trick."

"I take offense to that," a raspy voice said. Looking over, they realized that Contramundi was still, somehow, clinging on to life.

"He's still alive!" Austin announced, and she rushed to his side. As Nitesco and Gwydion followed her, she tore off part of her tunic sleeve and began stuffing it on Contramundi's stab wound.

"Oh, leave it," he muttered. "It's over."

"Not yet it isn't," Nitesco said. "Where's Vinpap?"

"Dead, I assume. Faker's never been one to tolerate a threat of any sort. And now, he has one fewer…"

"I've never known you to give up the fight, Contra," Nitesco said. "Austin, how's the wound?"

"It's not great," she admitted, "but he should live if we get him to a proper doctor fast enough. Do you have one with your delegation?"

"We have a medic, yes. We'll get him back to the inn as soon as possible. Pack the wound well." Nitesco turned to Contramundi. "We're going to carry you back to where we're staying. I'll admit, this isn't going to be pleasant, but just bear with us."

"Aren't you supposed to tell me it won't huAAUGH!" Contramundi howled as Gwydion and Nitesco hoisted him up. As soon as they began walking, though, he swooned and went completely limp.

"Well, Austin," Gwydion said. "Now that he's out, how does it really look?"

"It's like I said, Gwydion. It's not irreparable, but it could be better. That said, we'd better move him quick."

"Fair enough. Nitesco! On the double!" Gwydion exclaimed, and they made off to the inn as quick as they could.

By the time they had returned to the inn, the city was aflame. Faker's soldiers vied with Contramundi's for control of the streets, and more than a few buildings had been set ablaze during the fighting. Upon seeing the four of them, the delegation soldiers opened the door and beckoned them inside.

"Get Contramundi an open room!" Austin bellowed. "If there's a medic here, go with him and fix him up! He's been stabbed!"

Two of the soldiers relieved Nitesco and Gwydion of Contramundi and moved him into the back. Gwydion disappeared with them, but Nitesco remained in the entrance room.

"You have a knack for leadership, Austin," he noted. "And there are two entrances to the inn. Can I trust you to manage the soldiers here while I take some to watch the back?"

"Of course," Austin nodded. "I'll try and keep the boat steady. You go do what you have to do."

Nitesco merely smiled and nodded, beckoning some of his men to follow him to the back entrance. Austin, in turn, turned her attention to the chaos outside and prepared to weather the night.

Coronam was not pleased. He was not pleased one bit.

Contramundi had said that taking the city would be simple, that the city would bend to the threat of force, Faker would be imprisoned and they would begin his long-awaited retribution on Inferno.

Of course, he had not counted on Faker making the same deal with Inferno. And now Coronam had to mop up his mistake.

With a single swing, Coronam deprived two Pollinational spearmen of their heads, and with a second, he clipped the side of an attacking knight with his glaive. He swiftly dispatched his enemy and refocused himself on the battlefield.

Pollination's center was holding strong, he noted. Their left flank, however, was suffering, their defenders dwindling. If he could break that flank, he could surround and destroy them before they could recover.

"Anna!" He cried to his bodyguard. After disabling a Pollinational soldier, Anna looked up at her master, ready for her orders.

"Tell General Kuroyuri to advance his archers to our right flank and press the assault! I'll be with him soon!"

"Yes, my liege!" His bodyguard dutifully obeyed and sprinted off in the direction of Kuroyuri's command tent.

Coronam grinned in anticipation and turned around, only to see a Pollinational horseman galloping toward him, lance at the ready. Instead of fleeing, Coronam grinned and stepped to the side before swiftly burying the guisarme of his glaive into the rider's stomach and pulling him off.

The horse, suddenly deprived of its rider, skidded to a halt and fell on its side. Coronam quickly made sure that the cavalryman wouldn't get up again and mounted the startled horse with some difficulty before forcing it into a gallop toward the right flank.

As he rode, he saw that his archers were in formation, wearing down the Pollinational left flank. As he passed his regulars, he raised his glaive in the air and beckoned for them to follow him.

"Men! To me! We finish this now!" As soon as he issued his rallying cry, his men raised their swords and swept over to the left flank, which was currently coming out of the cover they dove under to escape the arrow barrage. Soon, they were in the thick of it, swords and blood flying through the air in equal measure.

Coronam buried his glaive in a soldier's skull before looking up to see his progress. Already the Pollinational center was panicking and disintegrating as they now had to contend with assaults on their left and a charge from the front. Coronam gingerly dismounted from his horse and began swinging at the enemy soldiers wildly.

"Oh, I forgot how exhilarating it is to be on the battlefield!" He said to himself. The fight wore on, and under Coronam's leadership the Renora forces drained morale of the enemy, cutting down foe after foe and closing in from all sides. Soon, the Pollinational forces were in retreat. Renoran archers continued taking shots as their enemies fled.

It took some time for the dust to clear and Coronam's troops to regroup. As he walked back to his command tent, one of his scouts ran up to him and taped him on the shoulder.

Coronam sighed. "What is it, soldier?"

"Faker's private army is still wreaking havoc in the city, fighting with Contra's forces. Shall we restore the peace ourselves, sir?"

Coronam stroked his chin and nodded. "Yes. Send a few regiments into the city to restore the peace. Crush any resistance. If we are to have a foothold in the Rubia region, it must be secure."

"At once, my liege." The scout bowed and walked off into the darkness to relay his orders.

The sound of blood pounding through his head stirred Contramundi from his slumber. He groaned and sat up, but the pain in his stomach forced him to lie down again.

"Easy, Contra," a voice said. Contramundi strained a bit to see who was addressing him. To his surprise, it was Gwydion.

"Gwydion?" He asked. "Oh, I remember. The garden… and Faker." Suddenly, he sat up straight, ignoring the stabbing pain in his stomach. "The city! Is it intact? Are my people safe?"

Gwydion looked down at the floor and back at him. "It's… intact. You see, the fighting between your soldiers and Faker's caused some serious damage and rioting."

"Is it over?"

"Well, yes. Some Renoran soldiers quelled any dissent." He paused. "Quite brutally, so I hear."

"Coronam…" Contra muttered. "Where is their leader? I demand to speak with him."

"He's in the entrance room, talking to Nitesco. We saw him some hours ago and beckoned him in here." He paused. "You stay here, Contra, I'll go get him."

Contramundi had no choice but to sit in his bed and wait for Coronam to return. When he finally did, the Renoran king was met with a harsh glare.

"Is there a problem, Contra?" Coronam asked. Contramundi sneered.

"The problem, Coronam, was that this battle was supposed to be quick and painless: we eliminate Faker and his supporters to cement our hold here."

"Well I didn't expect to find a greeting party of a Pollinational legion, but my expectations are being very consistently undermined today," Coronam fired back. "The city was already ablaze when I got here. There was nothing I could do but stop the people starting the fires."

"Very brutally, so I hear," Contramundi grimaced.

"Listen," Coronam hissed. "Do you know what we have done here?" When Contramundi failed to answer, he continued.

"We have committed treason, Contra. We have rebelled against Inferno. And I am confident we will succeed, we have enough allies to do so. But we must stand united. If we plunge our swords into each other's backs instead of Inferno's, we've already lost. Whatever grudge you might have now, set it aside. We have bigger problems. Okay?" He stuck out his hand.

Contra stared at it contemptuously for a few second before reluctantly shaking it. "Fine," he said. "A united front."

"Good." Coronam nodded. "When people catch wind of this, they'll flock to our cause or Inferno's. Do I have permission to use the city as the place to form a league?"

"Don't push it," Contra said. "If you want somewhere to act as a base, go ask Nitesco."

"Very well," Coronam said. "I'll go talk to them." He turned to leave, but stopped himself.

"Oh, and you should know that we found Vinpap's body," Coronam informed him. "And Faker's fled the coop. You're the only leader of Enabler now. Congratulations."

Contramundi sighed. "So I am." He paused, the reality of the situation creeping over him. "So I am."

As Coronam left, he let himself lay back on the bed, wondering what was to come.