Intro for my OC. I would really like some feedback and criticism for this one.
25 Years Ago
1 Hour before Detonation
The Presidential Palace shook under the blow of another spirit cannon impact from the Megalosembrian cruiser parked just south of the main government district which was still held by the Carbarcz Revolutionary Army. Plaster shook off the ceiling and walls as dozens of soldiers scrambled around the foyer, making preparations for their last stand as the 1st Battlegroup of the Confederation Marine Corps steadily ploughed through the defences.
In the middle of it all there was a young man of twenty who was in no hurry to leave. Incongruously, beneath the black cloak and hood he wore the battledress uniform of the Belgian Army. Staring out the entrance of the palace, the First Horseman, Bastian de Kere watched as dozens of Gadfly and Colibri troop transports sank and ascended above the roofs of the city buildings, many of which had collapsed. Dragonfly class gunships hovered and swooped, firing missiles which left glowing red contrails. Bright blue tracers from magically converted Russian ZSU-57-2 anti-aircraft vehicles reached skywards, occasionally clotting an airship from the sky. French Mistral anti-aircraft missiles and RPGs filled the sky like a perverse fireworks display.
The phone within De Kere's robes rang and he answered, not taking his eyes off the battle before him.
"Yes?"
"It's me," said Al-Asad on the other end. The hum of an aircraft engine could be heard in the background.
"Are you in Hellas now?"
"We just crossed into Ultranationalist airspace two minutes ago. Do you mind telling me why you're still here?" asked Al-Asad tersely.
"I'm supervising the last stages of the warhead preparations," the De Kere answered, leaving the foyer and walking down a corridor. The carpet, impregnated with innumerable pieces of plaster crunched with each footstep.
"Zakaev told us that Victor made some changes so it has a time delayed activation spell."
"Indeed… but you can never be sure-." He glanced up as he heard a loud creak and then dodged back. A chandelier from the ceiling was dislodged by another impact on the palace. It smashed onto the ground, leaving a good covering of glass shards and dust which dulled the black on the man's boots.
"What was that?" asked Al-Asad.
"The Megalosembrians were just making a statement about your predecessor's architectural tastes," De Kere replied dryly.
Two men in the resplendent armour of the Carbarcz Palace Guard stood at attention next to a door at the end of the corridor. With their combat casting staffs at port arms, they stepped aside for the Horseman who unlocked the magic security seals with a wave of his hand. The door remained open to keep the signal clear while he continued down into the basement. He lowered his voice so as not to be overheard, especially in the vast echoing halls of the palace basement.
"Those bastards… when I get return triumphant from my exile," Al-Asad growled.
"If you ever will return… or it there will be a country for you to return to…" answered De Kere, stepping into a circular chamber directly below the foyer.
In the centre there was a large sealed metallic cylinder standing upright which he approached and circled slowly as he talked. Imperial runes were engraved on its surface glowing with a faint orange light.
"What the hell are you talking about?"
"I mean that the other Horsemen and all of the Ultranationalists for that matter will no longer be able to guarantee your safety."
"Are you threatening me?"
"No, I'm just stating the facts. Task Force 141 already knows where you are. You'll be a corpse by sunrise."
"Impossible. The Task Force is a rumour deliberately spread by the Megalosembrians to scare all the other nations into following their lead," answered Al-Asad.
"Oh really? Why is it that the Ultranationalists have delayed the execution of Princess Theodora? Who made that ship in the Lockyer Clouds disappear with Zakaev's other spell bomb? How did the Megalosembrians know that we've got one here?"
Al-Asad was silent. "So… what are we going to do?"
"More like what are you going to do?"
"I don't believe you. Zakhaev is already making preparations for me. No one can possibly know where I'm going."
"Probably wiping out an entire village for Al-Asad." The First Horseman rolled his eyes. "Fair enough. If you want to die alone it's your funeral. Don't expect me to call and check up on you when the 141 kicks down your front door."
"In any case you'll be glad to know that the warhead is in good working order." He decided to change the subject, placing a gloved hand on the warm surface of the cylinder and reading a few of the runes. "I believe it's a W55 Tactical Magic Warhead with an equivalent 10 tonne yield."
"What!" Al-Asad screamed on the other end, almost making the man drop his phone. "I thought it was the strategic warhead we received from Zakhaev."
"Oh that's because I exchanged the cargo on the ship we lost just after its manifest was printed. Such a huge, cumbersome weapon is unsuited to my purpose here."
"You would have realised if you'd even bothered to see the weapon."
"Your purpose?"
"Yes… my purpose... Tune in later in one hour. You at least deserve to see your greatest triumph before they come for you."
He hung up the phone before Al-Asad could protest. After giving the cylinder one last look he stalked out of the basement.
An hour later, reclining in his business jet, the First Horseman opened his laptop and placed it on the empty seat opposite him as it booted up. He got up and snatched up a glass from the mini-bar at the back of the passenger compartment and then shut himself inside the bathroom. Flicking on the tap, De Kere poured himself a glass of water and rinsed his mouth to remove the taste of dust. He pulled back his hood and splashed a little water over his face. His lips and lower jaw were sunburnt after spending too long outdoors in Carbarcz. The rest of his face remained pale thanks to the hood and his green-brown eyes glowered back. He ran some water through his straight brown hair before leaving. Back in his seat he started flicking through all the news feeds on his computer.
"Something has happened-"
"What appears to be an explosion of epic proportions-"
"Details remain sketchy and unconfirmed-"
"To set off what appears to been an S-Class spell in his own country-"
"Al-Asad is rumored to be one of the victims in what may have been a suicidal-"
A satellite picture of the detonation site which had engulfed the entire city. Scorch marks from the sacrificial circle on the ground were still visible and it looked like the city had experienced a snowstorm. Smoke plumed up from hundreds of spots amongst the buildings as the crashed vehicles and other ordinance continued to burn. The rest of the Megalosembrian battlegroup had begun to withdraw from the blast zone. A few remained behind, deploying specialist teams to check for survivors and to survey the damage.
"Success…" De Kere murmured, opening up his stocks portfolio.
After a minute he picked up his phone and dialled the CEO of Ethera Unity Miners.
"Hawkins speaking," a man on the other end grumbled.
"This is Bastian de Kere. I take it you've heard what's just happened."
"Yeah, I was just watching the news. What the hell did they blow up?"
De Kere half lied, "I don't know but according to my sources in the Confederation military… don't quote me on this… this spell is something they've never experienced before. Right now dangerous levels of elemental radiation are spreading all over the country. All the ethera extraction plants are downwind of the particles from the explosion. "
Hawkins sighed audibly. "Such a waste… Carbarcz is rich in the stuff. Now no one can take a step in there."
The First Horseman frowned at this. "Perhaps now would be a good time to make your move."
"What?"
"No wonder why this company's value hasn't risen for months."
"You competitors are deserting this country like rats. Name your price for those plants and they'll be clamouring to sell you their 'contaminated' assets."
"But the workers will be in danger of radiation exposure," Hawkins replied.
"I can guarantee that this contamination is non-toxic," said De Kere.
He was looking up a meteorological report of the 'radioactive particles' spreading across the country. A computerised map of Carbarcz revealed that 80% of its surface was covered in a 'peculiar feather-like substance'. He knew there were no adverse after-effects. A few bribed scientists and doctored reports before the incident had the media and everyone else convinced.
"And who's going to agree to toil out there when you don't know if you'll drop dead, get cancer in ten years or have three eyed children?" retorted the CEO.
"Well… if you don't want to waste your precious employees…"
"The guy might not be the sharpest tool in the shed but he did raise a valid point," thought De Kere, reading the dossier on Y. Hawkins of Ethera Unity Miners on the laptop.
"If I recall… you don't really hold non-humans in high regard do you?" he answered, finding the section which detailed Hawkin's role in the EUM union decree only which only permitted full human membership. "How did the likes of you ever rise to this role?"
There was silence on the other end.
"Then hire some of those refugees from Hellas," answered De Kere before continuing, "Any questions?"
He could hear the CEO on the other end breathing hard.
"This is your chance to make it big," said the First Horseman, "Take action now and your company's future is secure. Demand will increase over the next few years. I can guarantee it and you'll be one of the world's richest men."
"Are you sure this is right?" Hawkins asked the question which had been bothering him the most. "I mean… all those people couldn't have died just so we can come in and-."
De Kere inwardly sighed in impatience. "They're not your men who died out there and they're not mine either. You've heard the adage that power requires sacrifice. No one said that that sacrifice had to be from you."
This time he heard the man pouring something from a bottle and the clinking of glassware but there was no answer.
"I can always take my advice elsewhere," De Kere prompted, "Or… Wouldn't it be scandalous when your shareholders find out how your company stayed away from Carbarcz when it was actually totally safe and you actually knew about it?"
He knew he had Hawkins convinced before he answered.
"And the catch?"
"You're early," said Fate Averruncus when De Kere was close enough to hear as he briskly strode down the corridor to the meeting room.
The two of them continued on side by side. The marble walls on either side were dimly lit as they headed for the door at the far end.
"What was with that stunt you just pulled in Carbarcz?" asked Fate in his usual monotonous voice, "We're nowhere near ready to commence operations."
"I needed to convince my clients that I can deliver," answered De Kere, keeping his eyes pointed straight ahead.
"Your clients do not serve us," said Fate, stopping and turning to De Kere, "If you wanted Carbarcz's ethera why didn't you use Zakaev's weapon? It could still have created a crisis without compromising our intentions."
De Kere halted and replied, "I needed proof of concept too."
"The Life Maker does not take kindly to those who doubt his powers. Even less to those who mock them," warned Fate.
There was silence before they both started walking again.
"I couldn't see anything wrong with that. The replica Key worked fine. All sentients within the area of effect were erased just as the Life Maker promised. This experiment had gone way over budget for me," De Kere countered.
They stopped at the door and Fate turned to him again, saying, "It was counter-intuitive what you did. The 30 000 you erased wasn't worth the cost of a multimillion drachma S-Class spell bomb as a catalyst and 7000 sacrificed souls just to cross the energy threshold."
"No need to rub the figures in my face. The returns on the ethera fields should cover the expenses and continue to fund our enterprise," said De Kere.
"Tell that to the Life Maker. Energy security and financing is below him. Don't forget what your place is in this organisation," said Fate as he opened the door.
The First Horseman felt a twinge of resentment as he followed, entering the underwater sanctum and taking a seat at the long table in the centre. There were a few other members of Cosmo Entelecheia sitting there. Interestingly they sat as far as they could from each other. There were no walls expect for an energy barrier which held back the sea. The other members looked up as he sat down at the very end. He could see a few sneers on their lips but no one spoke since everyone sat so far apart. Fate took his place at the front on the right hand side of the largest unoccupied seat. On the left hand side, Dynamis shot a venomous glare at De Kere beneath his mask. He ignored it. The Life Maker or Mage the Beginning was due any moment now and making faces back to one of his top generals wouldn't do him any good.
They all waited there in silence for a minute. No one moved or said anything. As De Kere poured a glass of water from the pitcher in front of him the lights suddenly dimmed. Looking up, there was the leader of Cosmo Enetelecheia, a figure fully cloaked in black and too tall to be a man, sitting at the head of the table. Fate motioned for silence with a light cough which echoed across the chamber. It was rather unnecessary as the Life Maker already had everyone's undivided attention.
Two hours into the meeting and De Kere had just given his presentation to the rest of the organisation along with everyone else. Everyone had their own role in bringing the Life Maker's plans into fruition. Fate had repeatedly stressed the inevitability of Magicus Mundus' demise and Cosmo Entelecheia's success. De Kere's role was vital, that of bringing the superpowers into a collision course. His own role in the conspiracy to provoke a civil war in Hellas and Carbarcz was just impressive enough for him to land a seat at the table.
"Bastian de Kere!"
He looked up, almost having dozed off in the corner, unseen. To his shock it was the Life Maker, not Fate who'd spoken.
"Do you realise how dearly your actions today have almost cost us?" asked the leader of Cosmo Entelecheia in a menacing, booming voice.
De Kere straightened up in his seat. "I'm aware of the great material expense to our enterprise but-"
The Life Maker cut in, "You had come within a whisker of breaking our oath to secrecy. What did you think you were doing? Flaunting our capabilities before the world?"
He tried to speak but for some reason his voice failed him.
"I cannot tolerate those who have no faith in our cause," the Life Maker continued.
"I never meant to offend you-." He was silenced with a raised hand from the leader.
"Lately I have been monitoring your progress."
This was surprising coming from such a powerful entity. Everyone's ears perked up at this.
"I have half a mind to leave the others to discipline you…"
For the first time De Kere glanced fearfully at several other members of the inner circle, especially Dynamis. They would positively jump at the opportunity to rip him limb from limb… considering how he won't be able to hold his own against even the weakest of them. This was despite being a member of the elite Belgian Paracommando Regiment and having fought alongside French forces in Chad just a year ago.
"I understand that this Task Force 141 formation has been causing problems for you lately, am I correct?" the Life Maker demanded to know.
"Yes sir," he managed to choke out.
"Like you I have come to the conclusion that they are the greatest threat to our plans, period. That is why I have thus far shown clemency. But… I predict that others more powerful and direct will come to confront us. In that event I want this Task Force destroyed. They cannot be allowed to hinder us in the future." The Life Maker let that sink in before going on, "Bastian de Kere, for one so short sighted as yourself; heed my orders for this is your penance. Destroy Task Force 141 or your life is forfeit."