Chapter 24: Going In and Giving Up

Trent and Ashlei strode through the camp, the twilight skies overhead casting the tents in a hazy purple gloom that was combatted only by the light of their lanterns. Though a number of eyes still followed the Яogue, they were far fewer than the number that had been trained on him when he initially headed out to check out the battlefield. A low buzz of energy filled the air, just as murmurs did the same, the various soldiers clearly all having some idea that things were starting to move ahead.

The Canadian Link Joker and the Royal Paladin Elf were the last to join those who were allowed to step through the flap of the command tent and after their appearance a spell was cast along the border to make eavesdropping much more difficult, and the others all gathered around the usual table with one addition, Luquier. Trent made a point not to look the Silver Thorn in the eye as he took his seat with the former invading Link Joker as she had been seated with them, and found it rather awkward after their earlier discussion.

A moment of silence passed over them. The room seemed to hold its collective breath, no one speaking as they simply looked around the table, and studied the others. While they were allied, this was a meeting of four different Clans, and as such tensions would remain high. Their short-term goals were currently the same, but the Pale Moon witch had to also consider Dark Zone's long-term future where she might be facing off against these same people. There was a limit to both how much could be asked of her, and how much she could help. And that wasn't counting the wild cards that United Sanctuary seemed to have an early advantage in obtaining.

The silence was broken by Junos, his eyes darting between the sides of the table. "Today was a great stride in taking Cray back from the Star-vaders, with us managing to take back one of our own and deal a blow to the forces harassing the United Sanctuary. However, the most crucial step is in how we'll move forward and deal with Amon in the coming days." He brought a hand up to his chin as he spoke, eyes narrowing in thought at the task of dealing with the demon.

"With two of those infected with Void being able to master it, I suspect that our esteemed… Expert is determining a methodology?" the Giant tactician asked towards Trent.

The Canuck blinked, and then looked to Charon, a wry grin on his face as he answered, "If you're talking about actually using the Void, I'm flying by the seat of my pants and figuring it out as I go. I at least sort of have an idea as to how to help deal with Яeversal."

"Are you actually serious? Have you not tested your abilities at all? Done experiments to figure out how your control over the Void works?" The pint-sized Giant asked, his brow furrowed in annoyance as he gestured rudely with his hands.

"I don't call him scrap for nothing," the Gravity Ball Dragon piped up. "When it comes to formal use, he's a moron. And if he keeps doing what he's been doing he's going to blow up. Our Magical Pathways are endermal, not exodermal."

"Oh sure, it's not like I wasn't on the run for months and trying to lay low. Or in prison where I would likely get mulched for trying to actively experiment beyond my small shenanigans," The former blond complained, slumping in his seat as he did so. "Hell, it's like I don't know shit about fuck about magic, and don't want to risk wrecking myself. Just fucking kill me already, dude."

"Your body knows how to use Void, you Fragmented Glitch of Impossibility! It's in the programming! The fact that you almost seem to ignore it at every opportunity to do other things makes your current survival a statistical anomaly even on this planet!" Then the Gravity Ball turned back to Charon. "But that operation we did after the last probe by the Star-vaders wasn't for show. If he uses his Pathways right now, they will collapse. And whatever use you have for this impossibility will disappear with his life."

"The body's a plaything of the mind. And the soul. It's why there's no Body Stone, when there's an Infinity Stone for the other two," Trent grumbled, satisfying himself with some jokes while still complaining. "Besides, again, I don't think in code, I'm a human." With that final complaint, he collapsed face first on the table.

"Thankfully, I believe that our oddity won't need his Magic for what I have in mind," Luquier cut in, a flick of her hair sending it cascading behind her, to draw attention with the motion. "At least if I understand how he's influencing the Яeversed.

"From personal experience and testimony it's a multistep process. He picks at our identities, the things we've clung to the hardest, and I would be very interested to know how he knows so much about each of the different clans," she continued shooting Trent a rather suggestive look. "This is similar to what Chaos Breaker Dragon did to Яeverse us in the first place. Though he seems to add how clinging to those things… altered us.

"That creates mental doubt. That doubt drives us further into the Void itself. It makes us effectively use power to justify our choice… What little choice we did have in the matter.

"But the mental doubt isn't enough. If we are confronted physically and continue to overcome our challenges, it more or less solidifies the sickness. No, we must be beaten. We have to have everything torn from us. And then… We have to give up that one thing we were using as our support, our justifications." She chuckled humorlessly. "It is quite an excruciating torture. I wish I had thought of it myself."

Blackmore's head had risen off the table during Luquier's speech, his eyes widening to resemble dinner plates throughout it. When she finally finished with her explanation, he swallowed dryly and remarked, "I plead ignorance in knowing the full process. That's a lot harsher than what I'd do. Like, sure, I get where the Clown's coming from with his whole watching people's' hearts break, but I channel it into healthy pursuits. Like card games and such. I never meant to hurt anyone."

"Clearly you haven't heard that the difference between poison and medicine is the dosage," Junos remarked, snickering the entire time.

The Canuck snorted, "Oh, I know the expression, but you'll excuse me if I find pouring lye on a wound a poor way to treat an acid burn."

"Regardless, this informs my intended strategy," Luquier continued, trying to cut the babble off. She turned to each being sitting at the table as she spoke her intentions, "Blackmore needs to mentally weaken Amon's defenses before the Shadow Paladins physically best him. He has already overcome me. In his current state, he would broker no challenge from me nor heed any of my words, no matter how biting. And we must have the psychological wounds before the physical, which prevents the Shadows from leading the way."

"Well, it's not like his biggest psychological weakness isn't obvious, the guy's terrified of not being the leader of the Dark Irregulars and the Dark Zone," Trent hummed, levering himself back up to his full height.

"He has good reason to be," Luquier commented cryptically, shooting Trent a glance before turning back to the assembly. "But that doesn't matter.

"Thankfully, as he has allied himself with the Star-vaders I would be able to bring a messenger of their kind to him passed the defenses. And as he is under the Яeverse… He subconsciously considers himself subordinate to Link Joker. Thus our Яogue here can have his words pierce his hide. If we time it correctly, he will have the wounds freshest in his head when the Shadow Paladins advance on his doorstep, and with a representative of Link Joker in his presence, nothing less than a complete victory would do."

"Well, I can think of a few things to use, if only due to how the cookie has crumbled," The Яogue murmured thoughtfully, casting his mind into thought about the state of the Dark Zone. "Could use the Psychics, Astaroth, Schaharot maybe… Maybe just use them all and call it even, given the trouble he's caused…"

"It is moments like this that I am reminded that you are quite informed about Cray and its personalities," Junos whistled. "Normally, your behavior makes it quite easy to forget."

"Because I try and make myself as inconspicuous as possible, blurting all that out would make me stand out like a fucking neon sign," The man huffed, crossing his arms as he tried to downplay his existence. It didn't escape his notice that nearly the entire assembly was staring at him in disbelief.

He then looked around at them, disbelief on his features. "Okay, I made a point of bringing it all out for you guys, but I wanted to get your help! Not make myself seem like an idiot."

Ashlei coughed after a moment of pointed silence. "This proposed endeavor seems to have few if any failsafes," she pointed out to the other Elf. "Should we move too early the words will not have been said. Too late and… Well, it did not escape my notice that while you said Amon would take heed of Blackmore's words… You mentioned no defense for Amon simply showcasing his physical might against Trent himself."

"I'll admit, I'm very uncomfortable with the idea of heading in to talk with Amon alone, especially given my relative squishiness," The man in question interjected and then turned to look at the Gravity Ball Dragon. "Hell, I gotta ask the garden gnome here; how quickly can you roll out those upgrades?"

"Not until we have access to a fully stocked location that I can build them. Which this camp is very much not. We need far more sensitive equipment for rerouting the Pathways." The Cyber Dragon scoffed, waving away the chance of such an upgrade occuring. "The kind you only get where these biologicals make their Armaments."

"Any member of the United Sanctuary would be put into the dungeons, killed, or Locked upon sight of the castle, even if we brought them in as a prisoner," Luquier began as the first counterpoint. "And of the pure Link Joker that we have access to, neither of the others would fair better against Amon's wrath, and they seem to understand psychological warfare far worse than we do. Bringing more of them would seem unnecessary and thus out of place, and they aren't going to last much longer if there are three as opposed to one."

"And one Link Joker will fare so much better." Trent groaned, closing his eyes and massaging them at the thought. "The issue is that we essentially have to figure out how to mitigate his advantage covertly."

"Or we could time how long it takes you to annoy a target into a blind fury," Mordred whispered. "Luquier's plan as it stands is one that has a small temporal margin for error. We know how long it takes to get to the throne from the entrance used. We know how long it would take for a scout to report our sighting. Thus the question is how long between your entrance and our appearance it will require."

"That's way too hard to do, especially given the fact that everyone has different thresholds. Amon could last for fifteen minutes, while someone else could last for a minute," The Canadian argued, realizing the issue behind the idea.

"We do have some data already," Junos helpfully pointed out. "There are transcripts which give us how long it took you with Claret Sword Dragon. As well as Luquier's first encounter with you, and maybe even Vowing Saber Dragon. From what we've experienced before, Яeversed tend to have much more… fragile personalities than their normal selves."

"When you brought up my past… It was only my Duty and that I had seen what Яeversed could do and against that I fought that prevented me from lashing out then and there," the Cosmo Dragon softly admitted. "Яeversal is defined and orbiting some kind of failure. Their equilibrium is unstable."

"Even if the equilibrium is unstable, it's too little to build a plan off of… And as for Claret, he's an angry guy by nature, so he's easy to push over the edge," Trent grunted in annoyance.

"And I can assure you that Amon's rage is no less," Mordred stated calmly. "He takes criticism quite poorly. It is merely that he either expects it from fellow competitors for leadership of the Irregulars, or he feels most who criticize him are below him. You are neither. As Link Joker, your words have weight, especially of the one you would claim to represent. And that puts you above him. Add in your form, so seemingly insignificant… His temper could little more reign itself in than Phantom Blaster Dragon's could."

The Canadian heaved a heavy sigh, his head aching as he remarked, "The Nakedest Christmas Tree is going to get decorated in a harsh red flush, all from my purdy mouth."

He looked to the ceiling of the tent, and wheezed, "Someone kill me."