[AN/
Hey guys! New chapter is out! A bit calmer than the previous ones, can't have another action chapter when the villain has fled, right?
Speaking of which (wow, check that transition!), we'll also get the first glimpse on Eophis' goal, as well as the reason behind his power. What? You thought I created him only to have blood spilled? Hmmmm, not entirely untrue, but nope!
Don't hesitate to comment, both on what I'm doing right and wrong, constructive criticisms are always helpful and thus appreciated!
Disclaimer: I own nothing and don't pretend to. This story is purely fan work, all content linked to Zootopia belongs to Disney and all content linked to Warhammer belongs to Games Workshop.
/AN]
Chapter thirteen : Plans versus plots
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"So, who's gonna say it first?" Chief Leucoris asked his fellow precinct chiefs. Chief Bogo hardened his grip on the wheel at the calm and detached voice in which the question was asked. Chief Bushwill kept growling, a low rumble that hadn't stopped since exiting the hotel, eyes glued to the passenger window. Only the smallest mammal, chief Mustela, looked at the golden wolf sitting next to her.
"Say what, Remus?"
"Aliens." The word was greeted by a snort from the buffalo and a shake of his massive head, while the ermine simply smiled. The lion didn't even react.
"Well, Remus, I never took you for the sci-fi hardcore fan."
"I do enjoy a good Stephany Kong novel from times to times, I admit. But as far-fetched as it might sound, I am actually pretty serious. I mean, just take a look at that thing right..." He paused, opening the window to take a better look at the skies. "Well, somewhere. You know what I'm talking about, the news have been taking about them non-stop for the past twenty-four hours."
"Planes and space ships are two different things, Remus." The ermine voice was soft as always, but the wolf wasn't fooled and easily detected her hesitation.
"No proper wings" he pressed on by raising one digit, then more with each new argument. "Mobile as a helicopter with hovering abilities, much faster, more agile, more silent, and able to raze the city if they decide to from what we've seen so far. Curious planes our neighbors have managed to build without anyone noticing. Especially since we are a hundred years late on a technological level if we compare our machines to these things, and still are the most developed country in the world. At least except if city hall has forgotten to relay some information from across the seas."
The ermine had no answer to that. One of the ships decided to taunt her and chose that moment to fly above their heads. She looked at it with awe and fear in equal measure, wondering if they really could be space ships. She could understand her colleague's position. It was an easy explanation after all. We can't explain it? Magic or aliens. Mammals have used those two words countless times throughout their evolution, why stop now?
What really bothered her though, was that this time she was tempted to let herself believe it. The ships weren't the only technologies they have seen. Their weapons were far more deadly that what she had expected. Sure, firearms were not unknown inside Zootopia, but they had been banned nearly a century ago due to the civilian price each war cost. Crime bosses had some here and there, but rarely used them. They had become something taboo, even amongst criminals.
But these soldiers carried many, of all sizes, and all much too deadly to her liking. She wasn't on the field when the most brutal fights had taken place, but she had seen the results on the bodies that littered the ground at some places. And those bodies belonged to larger sized mammals. So what would happen if a small species mammal like herself was hit? It was enough to send a shiver down her spine.
"I saw that, Maria." The ermine only sighed before looking at him with a scolding look, like a mother would look at a troublesome kit.
"Saw what? That I'm scared of everything that's happening? I would be an idiot not to, and so would you." The wolf simply nodded, finding nothing to reply. Bogo decided it was a good time to interrupt them.
"Enough of this nonsense for now. We don't know who they are, but until we have any solid proof, they're just a foreign army responsible for all this mess."
"Responsible?" the canine asked, leaning forward in his seat to address his colleague. "You think they're behind this?"
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"They know who we're facing," the buffalo answered after a short break, "and they knew to find him here. You saw how the fox tensed when he referred to that so-called threat? I would bet my badge that there's something personal involved. I think whoever has come here was fleeing from that fox and his soldiers. He said it himself, this guy is an expert at hiding. You don't become expert at hiding if you never had reasons to hide in the first place."
"So you think that they could be the bad guys, and that he asked us to track their prey for him?"
"I don't know. I'm just saying it's a possibility. We can't blindly trust them, not when our citizens are taken in the crossfire."
"How about the plan then? Do you intend to follow it?" Bogo didn't answer right away. A long silence fell inside the car, except for the grumbling lion who had shut himself, lost in his thoughts. They navigated through the narrowest streets of the city, the main boulevards still blocked by abandoned vehicles. The ride was taking much longer than it should have, offering them the time to think it through.
The plan. Bogo wasn't convinced in the slightest that it would work. More importantly, he believed that the fox knew that as well. It wasn't that it was bound to fail, it had indeed some merit, but it seemed futile. Desperate maybe. Like a last resort. The words rang in his ears, as much as what had been left unsaid.
He always uses the same methods. Spill blood, focus the local forces at a few places, use the diversion. Whatever he's after, it isn't in Lionheart Street nor in Kalahar Street.
This made sense in a way. With so many cops sent to investigate this particular street, they didn't have the forces to patrol every block like they used to, leaving many places unchecked. It hadn't mattered, the crime rate dropping significantly through the whole city after the gruesome discovery was revealed, as even petty criminals had become more wary. But maybe this was exactly what that mammal was looking for. Peace and quiet, away from other's eyes. It seemed plausible.
But why fall back on such horrible methods? There were dozens of harmless ways to catch the ZPD's attention. Bogo remembered well the fake bombs that were used by a group of burglars inside Zootopia's Main Station to empty several jewelries on the other side of the city for example. Why kill so many innocents? Why in such a barbaric way?
And that answer to his question. To save the planet. Not the city, not the country, the planet. What kind of weapon could a mammal have to threaten a whole world? It was beyond ridiculous! And still, a part of him screamed that it was true. That the mammal attacking his city had the means to destroy everything. After all, turning thousands of mammals into savages was quite efficient to spread chaos. So billions of beasts, hunting the still civilized animals? Or simply reversing the entire planet to a primitive one? It could count as destruction, in terms of civilization, of society.
They had to do something. Of this, he was sure. Among the hundred reasons to doubt what his eyes were seeing, what his ears were hearing, what his senses told him, there was this one certainty that shone and reinforced his determination. But what to do, he didn't know. Maybe a flawed plan was better than no plan at all in the end.
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When his mind was set, he took a look in the rear-view mirror. The ermine and the wolf were looking back, waiting for his answer. Only now did he realize that he had been quiet for long minutes.
"Do you have another idea?" he asked in a sigh. When they both shook their heads, he turned to watch the lion, but chief Bushwill was still lost in thoughts, his face glued to the window. Bogo cleared his throat twice, but got no reaction. He gently pushed on the brakes and brought the car to a halt in the middle of the street, before shaking the lion. The feline finally snapped out of his reverie, staring at the hoof on his shoulder.
"What?" he growled, baring his teeth.
"Your opinion?" Bogo asked, not removing his hoof.
"On what? I wasn't listening." The answer was another growl, coming from the guts, a primal sound that had the ermine wince internally. She was used to the lion's temper, having worked with him several times in the past, but there was something off with him. She exchanged a quick look with her wolf counterpart and saw the same feeling in his eyes.
"Do you agree with the plan?" Bogo asked, never breaking the contact, showing he wasn't afraid of the lion and not ready to let the topic go.
"Of course not! This fucking fox can go to hell with all his lackeys! As soon as this case is over, I'll kill him and sent him there myself!"
The outburst took the three others by surprise, and this time the buffalo retracted his arm. But before he could answer, the lion closed his eyes and took a very long breath, kept it in his lungs for several seconds, before exhaling it very slowly. He started waving his arms in the air, despite the close space of the car.
"Sorry guys, this shitstorm is seriously getting on my nerves. I've never felt so fucking lost in my whole life, I hate this feeling! And I know that bastard lied to us! Either that or he simply kept to himself all the important parts of the story. And now you're asking me if I'm ready to obey him? Of course I'm not, for fuck's sake! How could I?" He finally let his arms fall and his shoulders slump. "I don't know how you can remain so calm with all this shit surrounding us. It's driving me crazy." The last sentence was barely whispered, and in the end was scarier to his colleagues than his outburst.
"We feel the same, Jerry" the smallest mammal said, using her sweetest voice. "We all cry at seeing so many horrible events happen to our city. We all shudder at what is coming if the fox's words are true. And we all fell the rage boil within towards the one behind all this. Hiding it doesn't make it less true."
"She's right buddy" added the wolf. "We just have a better poker face than you. Well, technically, we have a poker face and you don't, but you get my point." He chuckled at his own joke, trying his best to lighten the mood, but none of them felt like laughing right now. Bushwill saw the efforts though, he offered them a timid smile.
"And we will all do our job and keep this city as safe as we can. But to do that, I need your opinion" concluded the stern voice of the buffalo. Bushwill looked at each of them, seeing the same devotion towards their great city and its citizens. A shadow covered the car temporarily, and he turned to watch one of the shuttles fly away, like an ever-vigilant sentinel.
"I don't like it" he admitted. "I don't trust them, and I don't know what to think of your rabbit, Adrian." Bogo didn't flinch, though he wasn't really happy with the choice of words, and opted for a simple shrug. The lion shook his head before speaking again.
"Whatever. As I said, I don't like it, but I don't see many more options, right? I'm ready to try, but as soon as I suspect another motive behind this plan, this fox better have his answers ready." Bogo nodded, the motion repeated by the two other chiefs, sealing the deal. They would obey for now, which meant they had work to do.
The engine roared gently as it was brought back to life. Bogo drove each chief to his district precinct despite their insistence that it wasn't necessary, but he was driving so he didn't give them a say. He never told them, but he wanted to keep an eye on each of them, and make sure they would arrive safe and sound. A little voice in his head was nagging him, claiming that someone was watching them, and he had to make sure it was just his imagination.
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A click in his earpiece told Nick that someone had open a communication channel with him.
"Speak" he said, already knowing that only one mammal had the right, and the order, to contact him for the time being.
"They doubt us, but will still obey. The target dropped his colleagues, and is heading to his own precinct."
"As long as they obey, I don't care about their doubts. Make sure everyone gets some rest. We are not done yet."
"Yes sir!" And Faust ended the call, his report delivered. Nick thought about his plan once again, double-checking it, half his mind focused on the sobbing bunny on the screen.
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OoOoOoOoO
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"Attention, citizens of Zootopia. To help with the series of attacks that plagued our city recently, we called for help to a southern country, and luckily they answered. They sent a branch of their army to help us, dressed in brown uniforms. Please, welcome them and answer all their questions, like you would with any officer of the ZPD. Only by cooperating will we find the culprits and arrest them. We're counting on you."
Chief Bogo pressed his digit to the screen of his phone, pausing the pre-recorded message. Silence had fallen on the bullpen before he made his officers listen to it, and no one dared break it. All were exchanging questioning looks, some frowning to express their displeasure, some simply shaking their heads at what they considered a mistake at best.
"This message is to be broadcasted on all TV channels and radio frequencies. Your thoughts?" His voice was calm and cold as usual during his morning briefing. One by one, he stared at his mammals in the eyes, seeing the same unease as he felt, though years of experience made him better at hiding it.
"Permission to speak frankly, sir?" Bogo raised a brow at hearing his right hoof Higgins speak first, but he nodded his approval. The hippo had been at his side those past twelve years, and if he valued one's opinion, it was his.
"That's bullshit, and you know it." The ghost of a smile graced the buffalo's lips, gone before anyone but his friend could see it. Turning to the rest of the room, he repeated his question. This time, it was Fangmeyer, the lean but strong tiger, who raised his paw.
"I agree sir. Who came up with that ridiculous message?"
"The guy should be put behind bars for spreading such nonsense." The intervention came from Snarlov, the giant polar bear sitting in the back of the room, and was greeted by grunts of approval, and more exclamations. Bogo simply raised his hoof, and all quickly fell silent, their eyes glue to their chief, waiting for answers.
"As you know, I went to meet the leader of these… soldiers, mercenaries, or whoever they are. Chief Bushwill, chief Mustela and chief Leucoris came along. I don't need to introduce them, do I?" Satisfied to see no one hesitate before shaking their heads, he pressed on.
"We didn't learn much. Their leader tested us, before offering his help to protect the city from a threat unlike any we've ever seen. His plan is sound, and we came up with several backup plans. He's not to be underestimated, that's for sure. He's experienced, collected, and from what I've seen, used to being obeyed blindly, which shows he's been in charge for a long time. Except for that first impression, we're in the dark.
We don't know who he is, nor where he's coming from. We don't know what we're facing, nor how he knows it. We don't even know why he's helping us, and if he really is. As you might guess, I'm not happy with that. But right now, we don't have another choice. So I agreed to do my job, and protect this city at all cost.
The culprit behind these attacks is playing hide and seek. It seems he's been amongst us for weeks, maybe months, without being noticed. The first part of the plan is to deprive him of hideouts, by leaving no stones unturned. These guys are ready to check every flat, house, garage, toolshed, or whatever building they can find, as well as basements and subway stations and lines. The population must know about it, or we don't know how they would react to the intrusions. That's why the message isn't over."
He pressed the play button on his phone, and the soft feminine voice was heard again.
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"Also, after what happened a couple days ago, many mammals have gone missing. Though the ZPD is already backed-up by the ZFD to find them, we need your help. Please, report any mammal gone missing, family members, friends, neighbors, homeless mammals you are used to see, anyone. Also report any suspect activity or mammal, both to our local forces and the foreign ones. An emergency number has been open to receive all your calls. Zootopia is facing a crisis, but it isn't the first and won't be the last. Together, we can overcome any obstacle. Our city itself is the shining example of what we can achieve if we work together. Thank you, and be safe."
"The idea is the fox's" Bogo grunted. "He believes that with the sheer number on inhabitants in the city, they can help us. For those who didn't recognize her, the speaker is Dawn Bellwether, mayor Lionheart's right paw. They both agreed to it, and wrote the message. Right now, this is the only idea we came up with to let the population aware of what's happening and make them cooperate with us. But as always, I'm open to any and all suggestions."
Snarlov was watching his chief with anger. If he felt bad for indirectly threatening his boss of imprisonment he didn't let it show.
"You can't be serious? Who do they think they are to come to our city and act like they own it? And they want us to risk our citizens' lives by involving them in the investigation? After what that bastard has already done? I say we cuff them all and let them rot behind bars until they decide to speak." Another wave of cheers welcomed the words, before Bogo spoke again.
"We could. Meanwhile, we would follow our own leads. You know, the ones we've gathered on the first crime scene. Or the ones we're looking on to explain why thousands of mammals lost their mind at the same time throughout the city."
A heavy silence followed the sentence, with many officers bowing their heads in shame. No lead had been found so far. Not one single clue, no matter how many officers were involved and which district they came from. The buffalo let the silence speak for itself for a time, before breaking it.
"That's what I thought. Listen to me, officers. I hate it, but we all know these attacks have taken all of us by surprise and answers keep eluding us. Right now, these guys are our only lead. I believe them when they say they want to protect the city, simply because you've all seen what kind of weapons they have. If dominion was their goal, they would have destroyed every important building in the city, then come after us easily. They didn't. They called to us, and offered us to participate. To do our job. That being said, I don't intend to simply let them have their way. I'll keep both eyes open, and so will you. I expect you to report any suspicious or violent behavior. Record them if possible, but don't try and steal any of their weapons or items, we don't know how they might react."
Of course, it wasn't the whole truth, but right now he had to keep his head high in front of his officers. Morale would play a big part in the coming battle, and as their leader he had to show that he knew what he was doing, even if it was a lie.
"What about Francine and Hopps?" asked officer Rhinowitz, the gruff rhino. Bogo silently thanked the rhino for the change of topic.
"Officer Pennington has been tranqed during the riots and brought to the hospital. She hasn't woken up yet, but her vitals are stable. Visits are allowed, but she won't be responsive. Hopps…" He paused, collecting his thoughts.
Her presence at the side of the fox made him uneasy. He didn't know her well, having never made the effort while she was in records, but after seeing her on the field he kind of regretted it. She had proven much stronger than meets the eye, both physically and mentally. But what bothered him most was her words.
He understood now why she hadn't used his title when addressing him. It was clear she no longer was a cop, that the fox wasn't ready to let her go, and that she had agreed to it in some way. But why refer to herself as half-hostage then? Was she really held against her will or was it a trick? And would she really try and trick him? And why?
Thinking of the rabbit made a headache build at the back of his skull, and he pushed the thoughts aside. He would get to the bottom of it all.
"Hopps is no longer an officer of the ZPD, she's working for them now." Whispers were exchanged between the officers, but Bogo cut them short. "I don't know why. She was ordered not to talk, and she obeyed. All she could tell me was that she wasn't in danger, though she wasn't free either. They armed her, but still keep a close eye on her. If you see her, watch her interactions with them carefully, but don't try and get her out."
Bogo stopped talking for a bit, letting his officers digest everything, before he took a deep breath.
"Your orders are clear. We'll pretend to go along for the time being, until we understand exactly what's happening. Don't do anything that would make hem suspicious, but never let your guard down. Consider them as allies, but never as friends. The other precincts are receiving the very same orders as we speak. Share with them everything you discover, they'll do the same. Have I made myself clear?"
"Yes, sir!" they all answered, some with their usual motivations, some barely grumbling through gritted teeth.
"Good. About the message, has anyone come up with something better to tell the population?" Receiving no answer, Bogo sighed. It would have to do. "All right. Assignments."
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OoOoOoOoO
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Far away from the bustling city, an animal unlike any living on this planet was slowly gliding through the thick forest. His long and sinuous tail left a line in the dirt, bending the grass and disturbing the leaves fallen on the ground. Still, the silhouette carried on, seen and heard only by birds and bugs, not sure where to go, only knowing that back was the wrong direction.
The snake still had two arms, one clutching the beating giraffe heart under his monk-like robe. He didn't have the time to recover yet, and it would take many days before he would get his entire strength back. That was if he could find a safe place to hide.
To say that Eophis was fuming was the understatement of the century. Since that nine-times damned fox had started interfering in his plan, things have spiraled completely out of control. The puppets he had spent weeks gathering had failed in killing him or the rabbit, and he had lost control over them after using too much power. Worst, it seemed that most of them had died and so would never be useable again in the future.
Sure he had killed some of the soldiers, including those strange wolves, but it was a much too small reward for all his efforts. Efforts he would now have to double if he wanted to succeed. For the first time since arriving on this planet, failure was actually a possible outcome, and he cursed all those responsible for that.
His eyes darting right and left to be sure that no one was around, he began plotting a new scheme. He still required mammals to sacrifice to finish the runes on the heart. This would be the easy part. It had been a very long time, too long for him to remember, since he had come across such a planet. Life was thriving everywhere, with billions of mammals ready for the reaping.
The best part was that despite being evolved, they were primitives. Cavemammals in his eyes. They had a few technologies, but mainly as means of making life easier. Their military forces were a joke, lethal weapons being prohibited by law and making him only safer if he was to be discovered. Not that it would happen of course. They were completely blind to the truth of the universe, of the lives existing among the stars, and the existence of the Warp and its marvels, like himself.
There were many psychers inside the city. He had felt them. Hundreds of animals ready to embrace the gift the Gods were willingly and benevolently offering them. They could have made the perfect army under his wing. But all were latent at best, unaware of any abnormal gene inside their DNA and of the power that slept deep within their mind. Maybe he could change that. Release their dormant powers, and let them wreak havoc in his name.
Even she wouldn't be able to stop them, would she? Eophis bit the inside of his cheek to stop the hiss from escaping his lips. That fucking rabbit. He had never met an animal like her. She was totally immune to his powers, and was even able to counter them. The fox seemed to know about her ability and was using her on the front line, but her nature remained a mystery for him. And there was few things he loathed more than mysteries.
Psychers wouldn't do anything against her. He couldn't, and he was highly gifted, graced by powers defying imagination. No, it wouldn't help to awaken them, except for the fun of spilling blood and forcing the fox to slaughter them all. He had to find something else. Making another army was still a possibility, though it would take weeks. And now that that card had been revealed, maybe the fox could find a way to detect them. He could try, but there was no guarantee it would work.
As time passed and the distance between him and the city grew, he came up with different ideas on how to get his revenge. Turning the neighboring country into a massive savage army, stealing one of the shuttles to reach the flagship he knew had to be somewhere in orbit, incinerating everything in a wide circle around the town and make them starve, create riots throughout the city and make mammals kill themselves for no reasons.
Each idea had merits and drawbacks, but the one he enjoyed the most was the one with the higher price. He knew of sorcerers able to completely morph into another being, a bit like he could when in his ethereal form. The most powerful could even copy the DNA of their targets, making them completely undetectable, even to the most advanced sensors.
If he could copy one of the fox's soldiers, he could get close. As long as he stayed within the fox's reach, the bunny would never interfere. She couldn't block his powers. And in the middle of a firefight, how could that pelt see the blade coming from behind him, in the paw of one of his trusted soldiers?
But he didn't possess such power. Not yet, at least. Finding a clearing in the forest, he curled on his tail and opened a small rift in realities, letting the flow of the warp energies wash over him. It didn't last long, one minute at best, as he knew the warp signature could be detected, but he needed it. As soon as the fissure was closed, he glided away from the site as quickly as he could.
Night finally fell, the stars hidden by thick clouds. Until he saw them. A light caught his eyes through the foliage above his head. He counted them several times to be sure. Nine. There were nine stars visible. A sign. It couldn't be anything but a sign. His God was there, watching over him, encouraging him. Taking a deep breath, he made up his mind.
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Eophis got deeper into the forest. When he was satisfied with his position, he found several large trees and created sigils on them, forming a large circle around the perimeter. Once all were activated and the concealment ward in place, he opened a large rift, larger than himself, and nearly drowned in the wave of Warp energies that spilled through it.
With practiced motions, he channeled the flow into the air in front of him, forming the words ine the Black Tongue he had come to know by heart. The words finished, he pushed them inside the fissure, and waited. It didn't take long before he could feel a tremendous amount of power grow closer and closer. He couldn't repress the shudder of fear that travelled his body when the goat hoof crossed the fissure and anchored itself on the side of the fissure, like it was solid.
A second paw, most likely belonging to a tiger or this kind of feline, followed and caught the side of what was now a door to the demonic realm. A third crossed the realities, the talons of a bird of prey, and finally the strangest of all, a pink appendage with five digits, void of claws of any sort. In the palm of the strange limb was an open mouth, from which a pink tongue was licking the air hungrily.
A deep laugh echoed inside the psychic barrier, and shook the snake to his very core. It wasn't a laugh as it was a hundred, some happy, some sad, some maniac, some carnivorous, some crazy. The sound hurt him, thousands of images flashing through his brain in an instant. He held on, letting his spirit accept what he was seeing, as denial was the first step towards folly.
He finally managed to get a hold of himself, just as three heads came forth from the rift. The cat, mouse and lizard heads were quickly replaced by six heads, a bull, an ostrich, an oryx, a cockroach, the exact copy of his own head, and a form of life he had never seen before. And they changed again, and again, sometimes two of them, sometimes fifteen, before finally stopping their mad mutations. An avian head turned her beak towards him, two pale pink eyes focusing on his silhouette.
The behemoth towered above him, appearing infinitely big in all his demonic majesty and the maelstrom of colors surrounding it.
"Well, well, well." The thousand laughs turned into a thousand voices, all making the snake's ears bleed. They were everything at once, sweet and full of care and love, harsh and filled with hatred, desperate and eager, bored and thrilled. They alone nearly made the snake break, but he had gotten used to it and found the strength to resist. Eophis bowed low, mirroring a kneeled position he couldn't physically reach.
"Lord Tsar'tlaos, your presence honors me. I bow before your might, and implore you to forgive the unworthy summon I sen-"
"Shut up, mortal. Your pitiful devotion is boring me, and I am busy. Speak plainly. What do you want?" Eophis cleared his throat. He had already asked much of the higher demon, and he knew he was walking on thin ice. But he hadn't gone that far to give up.
"My lord, I am facing a new obstacle, one I've never seen before in my life, and I require your knowledge and wisdom." The demon didn't utter a word, his way of inviting the pathetic creature in front of him to go on.
"My lord" Eophis began again, shaking slightly, "I stumbled upon an animal who can resist and even nullify all my psychic powers. The warp-flames simply vanish before her, and I sense no soul I could control. She even managed to lift the spell you deigned teach me in your infinite grandeur, releasing my puppets from my grasp, without any effort but standing close to them."
The roar that escaped the beak wasn't one made for the throat of any living being, and the fire it carried incinerated everything within the ward. Of the trees, grass, and maybe living beings that were around Eophis, nothing but purple and pink ashes remained.
"A blank? You summon me close to a blank? ARE YOU TRYING TO BETRAY ME, WORM?"
This time, the fire didn't spare the snake who began writhing on the floor as pain flared on his whole body. His tail morphed into legs, then arms, then a fish tail. Mouths opened everywhere on his torso, screaming insanities. In the middle of his back opened a giant bat ear, so sensitive that the voices from his torso hurt it.
"My lord!" he began pleading, "I didn't know, I swear! And she's far away, I avoid her at all cost for the time being. Please my lord, I would never dare oppose you!"
The words didn't reach deaf ears, as the fire was blown away by a gust of power. The same gusts began healing the burnt scales and skin of the reptile, his body retreating to his former shape, and he did his best to hide the relief, opting to stay on the ground, acting like a worthless and powerless worm to please his master.
"You'd better, mortal. Your soul would suffer for nine times nine eternities if you simply dared thinking of betraying your word." Eophis nodded quickly, but made no effort to rise.
"Hmmm. You bring unfortunate news, mortal. No matter what amount of power I give you, you won't get the better on her. Every light casts a shadow, and every shadow requires a light. Two faces of a coin. If you are right, she is a blank. She is the antithesis of the Warp, born without a soul. This hole in her existence can absorb any Warp energy, and even dispel the very essence of a demon. Even I couldn't face her directly."
Eophis blanched. A demon as powerful as his master, powerless in front of a small and frail bunny? The idea made him sick. Because if his master spoke the truth, then how could he, a pitiful mortal sorcerer, do anything?
"I believe you're having a hard-time keeping the inquisition away, now that they have a new toy. Am I right?" Once again the snake simply nodded, keeping his head low in shame and submission, though he found the strength to speak.
"My lord, I do have a plan though. But one I can't bring it to fruition with the power I currently have. If I could morph into one of them, I could get close to the inquisitor himself, disguised as a soldier. As he is a psycher, she wouldn't get cl-"
"No." The word was repeated a thousand times by each of the thousand voices, adding to the finality of the decision. "I already gave you much, mortal, both in power and knowledge, while I'm still waiting to put my claws on that glorious soul you promised me. Now is the time to prove that you're worthy of worshipping the Architect. Find the way, mortal. Earn the time I deign grant you, or it's your soul I'll feed upon."
Without ceremony, the demon let go of the door and disappeared into the Warp, closing the rift as he left. Eophis found himself surrounded by a deafening silence, now that the cackles of the voices were gone. A wave of anger flooded him, and he let out a loud and unnatural hiss, punching the ground to vent his frustration. He calmed down after several minutes, his breathing labored and fists hurting.
Rising to his full height, he dissipated his barrier and started gliding again, his mood even darker than before, his destination still unclear. Above him, the nine stars he had interpreted as an omen were gone, their light blocked by clouds. He felt alone. Abandoned. Had he been wrong from the beginning? Had he been too weak to be worthy?
The reassessment of his faith stopped when flashing yellow lights caught his eyes. He stared at the giant wooden sign in the distance, next to the twin metal rails of a railroad. A small train station was visible a bit farther on his right. On an impulse, like it was calling to him, he made his way towards the sign, until he was just under it. And he smiled. No. He hadn't been abandoned. He was even given a new chance.
Eophis laughed as he turned his back to the sign the sign. It didn't matter if the rapidly increasing figure on it was a joke or not. As long as the name of the town was accurate and the sign was correctly shaped, he knew he would find a nearly-unlimited source of blood and souls to feed on and finish his rituals. A sadistic smile revealed his fangs, as he glided towards his new pantry, his reassured mind free to scheme anew.
.
.
[AN/
Well. Anyone believes me if I tell you that the last part, and I mean the whole scene with Eophis, is a spur of the moment thing? As I'm writing this note, I got the idea an hour ago, and the words just came. Better, it perfectly fits inside the main plot. I'm proud of myself on this one (for what it's worth of course ^^)
Denisore.
/AN]