United States of Dalaarian Freedom and Liberty
Sept 30, 2015 17:11:38 GMT -6
Post by blarflesnarflo on Sept 30, 2015 17:11:38 GMT -6
Vax Dominus reclined in his chair as he looked over the pub. It wasn't the high class sprawl that one might suspect a person such as him would occupy - the drinks were of middling quality, and the furnish was bare, but he preferred it this way. On the eve of what would be the last battle of this hard fought campaign, Vax was enjoying a feast with his most trusted advisors. For months, his Ishallan forces had slowly pushed the enemy back, until only one stronghold remained between him and complete victory. As he scanned the room, he saw his generals, metal bodies covered in leather and hide armor, steel weapons at their side. He briefly glanced at the floating cameras hovering about the room, before taking a large swig of the ale he had in his hand.
Back in his ActiveChair, Vax scratched an itch on his nose. While his Homunculus displayed an air of confidence about him, Vax himself was quite nervous. As the sixth rank in the Dominus Power Rankings, his command over the victorious Ishallan forces would propel him into an even higher position of power. He had spent months creating plots, quashing rebellions, and putting on a good show for the billions of viewers at home. Now that victory was so close to his reach, all he had to do was keep everything together for one more day. Vax felt the need to relieve himself, and the ActiveChair drained the liquid away as he released it.
In the tavern, the metallic Vax raised his cup. "Men!" he shouted above the loud hum of chatter. "A toast! To Ishalla, and to glory!"
"To Ishalla, and to glory!" his men replied in a cacophonous uproar.
"Now bring out the whores!" Vax commanded.
This was met with more cheers from his men. At his signal, the bartender rushed into a separate room, and returned with roughly a dozen women. Their faces were covered in veils, but their bodies were easily seen. They were of all different body types, but each perfect, metallic representations of their ideals. Vax's men began making guttural sounds towards them, and they slowly sauntered towards several of his men, before straddling their laps.
One of the women made her way to Vax. "Hello, my lord, how may I please you?" she asked, in a playful, seductive way.
"Any way you'd like, dear," Vax replied. The woman sauntered up to him, got on top of him, and wrapped her arms around his neck.
"Let me see what you look like," Vax commanded, referring to the veil that still covered most of her face. "Take that off."
"As you wish, my lord," the woman replied. She slowly removed her hands from behind him and began untying the veil.
The shock of what Vax saw prevented him from reacting in time.
"Hello, dear brother," Vex Dominus smiled at him, before pulling a dagger from her waist and slashing it across his chest.
In his ActiveChair, Vax swore loudly. Of course his sister would pull something like this. The fourth rank on the Dominus Power Rankings, she had been recruited early on by the enemy general, and for months she had been assassinating and generally harassing the upper echelon of his command. Even in previous campaigns, she had always been an antagonistic force for whatever he was trying to accomplish. Now, the eve before his grand victory, she would try to snatch that from him, too.
"You bitch," Vax swore at her, before pulling his own blade out and slashing at her. Around him, he could hear the sounds of his men dying, as the other women pulled out their own daggers and began their bloody work. Those of his men who hadn't a whore on their lap immediately got up and pulled out their weapons.
Vex danced out of the way of Vax's blade. She laughed acerbically as she saw the anger in his face. "Oh Vax, dear brother. I knew you had a weakness for women, but your own sister? For shame."
"I always knew you were a dirty whore, dear sister." Vax shot back at her. The floating cameras had almost all shifted their focus on the two of them. Vax knew that on the screens of countless Dalaarians, his and his sisters stats would be displayed, showing kill counts, victories in battle, etc. He would not become another number is his sister's column.
Vax attacked again, his steel blade slashing through the air at incredible speeds. Vex, just as swiftly, parried or dodged his attacks, but Vax had planned on it. After her last parry, Vax allowed his blade to fly from his hands, and in one fluid motion tackled Vex to the ground. Though she struggled against his weight, Vax had the strength advantage, and he grabbed her blade from her hands.
"I'm afraid this is the end, dear sister," Vax taunted her as he held the dagger to her throat.
"Oh, is it now?" Vex replied. Suddenly, Vax dropped the dagger, as a numbness spread across his right arm.
"What... what the...?" Vax sputtered.
"Poisoned blade, brother. I'm afraid you'll be dead on the morrow." In actuality, the blade had a delayed jamming signal to Vax's extremities, but as performance was a major criteria in the Power Rankings, Vax played it up.
"Damn you..." he muttered under his breath.
"I believe we're done here," Vex nonchalantly replied, as she pushed Vax's now twitching body off of her and rose to her feet.
"When will you learn?" she smiled at him. The cameras were going crazy, spinning around Vex to get different shots, hovering over Vax to show his defeated body, panning over the rest of the tavern to show the carnage that had ensued. Suddenly though, they all froze, and a red blinking light that seemed to emanate from nowhere covered the tavern in light.
In his ActiveChair, Vax stared incredulously. "They would do this? Now?" he asked to nobody in particular. Almost in answer to his question, a booming voice blared in the tavern, and into the homes of millions of Dalaarians.
"ATTENTION. DOMINUS ENTERTAINMENT IS PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE THE NEXT GRAND CAMPAIGN, TAKING PLACE RIGHT HERE IN THE WORLD'S STADIUM."
As it spoke, the electronic representation of the tavern and the surrounding countryside vanished, and a new world took its place. A strange, alien world.
"STARTING IN 8 WEEKS, CAN THE HEROES OF DALAARIA SAVE ASTERON, THEMSELVES, AND THE ENTIRE GALAXY FROM THE UNENDING THREAT OF THE HIVE FLEET UNITY?"
On command, over the horizon a wave of chitin and claws appeared. Horrible, bug-like creatures advanced on what seemed to be an alien city, slaughtering untold thousands and devouring their flesh.
"ONLY FROM DOMINUS ENTERTAINMENT. THANK YOU FOR WATCHING, AND GOOD LUCK SURVIVING."
With that, the stream ended. The images of bugs and the alien world also dissipated, and worker Homunculi entered the stadium to pick up those actors who were killed or otherwise unable to stand. Back in his ActiveChair, Vax licked his lips. While victory would elude him this time, he would prove himself on this battlefield.
Back in his ActiveChair, Vax scratched an itch on his nose. While his Homunculus displayed an air of confidence about him, Vax himself was quite nervous. As the sixth rank in the Dominus Power Rankings, his command over the victorious Ishallan forces would propel him into an even higher position of power. He had spent months creating plots, quashing rebellions, and putting on a good show for the billions of viewers at home. Now that victory was so close to his reach, all he had to do was keep everything together for one more day. Vax felt the need to relieve himself, and the ActiveChair drained the liquid away as he released it.
In the tavern, the metallic Vax raised his cup. "Men!" he shouted above the loud hum of chatter. "A toast! To Ishalla, and to glory!"
"To Ishalla, and to glory!" his men replied in a cacophonous uproar.
"Now bring out the whores!" Vax commanded.
This was met with more cheers from his men. At his signal, the bartender rushed into a separate room, and returned with roughly a dozen women. Their faces were covered in veils, but their bodies were easily seen. They were of all different body types, but each perfect, metallic representations of their ideals. Vax's men began making guttural sounds towards them, and they slowly sauntered towards several of his men, before straddling their laps.
One of the women made her way to Vax. "Hello, my lord, how may I please you?" she asked, in a playful, seductive way.
"Any way you'd like, dear," Vax replied. The woman sauntered up to him, got on top of him, and wrapped her arms around his neck.
"Let me see what you look like," Vax commanded, referring to the veil that still covered most of her face. "Take that off."
"As you wish, my lord," the woman replied. She slowly removed her hands from behind him and began untying the veil.
The shock of what Vax saw prevented him from reacting in time.
"Hello, dear brother," Vex Dominus smiled at him, before pulling a dagger from her waist and slashing it across his chest.
In his ActiveChair, Vax swore loudly. Of course his sister would pull something like this. The fourth rank on the Dominus Power Rankings, she had been recruited early on by the enemy general, and for months she had been assassinating and generally harassing the upper echelon of his command. Even in previous campaigns, she had always been an antagonistic force for whatever he was trying to accomplish. Now, the eve before his grand victory, she would try to snatch that from him, too.
"You bitch," Vax swore at her, before pulling his own blade out and slashing at her. Around him, he could hear the sounds of his men dying, as the other women pulled out their own daggers and began their bloody work. Those of his men who hadn't a whore on their lap immediately got up and pulled out their weapons.
Vex danced out of the way of Vax's blade. She laughed acerbically as she saw the anger in his face. "Oh Vax, dear brother. I knew you had a weakness for women, but your own sister? For shame."
"I always knew you were a dirty whore, dear sister." Vax shot back at her. The floating cameras had almost all shifted their focus on the two of them. Vax knew that on the screens of countless Dalaarians, his and his sisters stats would be displayed, showing kill counts, victories in battle, etc. He would not become another number is his sister's column.
Vax attacked again, his steel blade slashing through the air at incredible speeds. Vex, just as swiftly, parried or dodged his attacks, but Vax had planned on it. After her last parry, Vax allowed his blade to fly from his hands, and in one fluid motion tackled Vex to the ground. Though she struggled against his weight, Vax had the strength advantage, and he grabbed her blade from her hands.
"I'm afraid this is the end, dear sister," Vax taunted her as he held the dagger to her throat.
"Oh, is it now?" Vex replied. Suddenly, Vax dropped the dagger, as a numbness spread across his right arm.
"What... what the...?" Vax sputtered.
"Poisoned blade, brother. I'm afraid you'll be dead on the morrow." In actuality, the blade had a delayed jamming signal to Vax's extremities, but as performance was a major criteria in the Power Rankings, Vax played it up.
"Damn you..." he muttered under his breath.
"I believe we're done here," Vex nonchalantly replied, as she pushed Vax's now twitching body off of her and rose to her feet.
"When will you learn?" she smiled at him. The cameras were going crazy, spinning around Vex to get different shots, hovering over Vax to show his defeated body, panning over the rest of the tavern to show the carnage that had ensued. Suddenly though, they all froze, and a red blinking light that seemed to emanate from nowhere covered the tavern in light.
In his ActiveChair, Vax stared incredulously. "They would do this? Now?" he asked to nobody in particular. Almost in answer to his question, a booming voice blared in the tavern, and into the homes of millions of Dalaarians.
"ATTENTION. DOMINUS ENTERTAINMENT IS PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE THE NEXT GRAND CAMPAIGN, TAKING PLACE RIGHT HERE IN THE WORLD'S STADIUM."
As it spoke, the electronic representation of the tavern and the surrounding countryside vanished, and a new world took its place. A strange, alien world.
"STARTING IN 8 WEEKS, CAN THE HEROES OF DALAARIA SAVE ASTERON, THEMSELVES, AND THE ENTIRE GALAXY FROM THE UNENDING THREAT OF THE HIVE FLEET UNITY?"
On command, over the horizon a wave of chitin and claws appeared. Horrible, bug-like creatures advanced on what seemed to be an alien city, slaughtering untold thousands and devouring their flesh.
"ONLY FROM DOMINUS ENTERTAINMENT. THANK YOU FOR WATCHING, AND GOOD LUCK SURVIVING."
With that, the stream ended. The images of bugs and the alien world also dissipated, and worker Homunculi entered the stadium to pick up those actors who were killed or otherwise unable to stand. Back in his ActiveChair, Vax licked his lips. While victory would elude him this time, he would prove himself on this battlefield.