ARC 7 - TYRANNY
Chapter 53: Grand Plans
Perspective: Tyron
"And what is the update on the construction of the portal room?" he asked, eyes glowing with voidfire.
It was his first public appearance since the night he proclaimed himself King in Ash two nights before. And was really doubling down on the King angle. He sat on a raised throne, erected at the back of the dining hall, a crown of plain iron on his head, looking grave and immovable. Steve and Jennifer stood before him in full armour. Tyron at his right. Rose at his left. The rest were seeded amongst a group of knights in red scarves. He wasn't leaning on backroom sub-conferencing to make decisions anymore. Now, the public would see his will… or whatever this was supposed to achieve.
"Thinks he looks strong. Looks crazy," chirped Kir with the solemnity of a doctor pronouncing a long-term patient dead.
"Don't forget, he is strong," Astro warned.
Tyron looked up from his position at Kay's right hand and cast an eye at the wizard who was now a part of their telepathic conversations. On the next step down from Tyron, Astro stared ambiguously into the crowd as though searching for nothing and everything. And, like Tyron, he was flanked by soldiers in red scarves.
"He's both strong and crazy, that's why he's a problem," concluded Astro.
They'd taken the decision almost immediately after returning from the raid - they needed as much time to plan and compare notes as possible. That is, as much time as they could find between the endless list of errands and appearances organised by Kay. So not nearly enough time at all. Whatever plan they came up with, it needed to be capable of adapting.
But for the moment they did not have a plan, so they maintained the illusion of support. Tyron looked down to the foot of the plinth, where Lucy looked up at Kay, plainly uncomfortable speaking before such a large crowd.
Tyron felt sorry for her - she was overseeing the administrative and resourcing side, but Steve and Jennifer were the ones overseeing the actual construction - Kay shouldn't have dragged her out of her comfort zone like this just to keep Steve and Jennifer standing statuesque before his throne. Then again, maybe this was his idea of bringing her into the fold after keeping her at arm's length. Tyron still couldn't tell what tactics had carried over between the governance of Kay Mandy and the reign of the King in Ash.
"The chamber is nearly complete," Lucy strained. "Construction will be finished by tomorrow, the technology will be set up within two days."
They had dug a tunnel rapidly into one of the other mountains that framed the high plain that held the entrance to the Shelter, and now were hollowing it out. Tyron saw the reasoning. It put the portals out of the way of the areas the enemy knew about. Besides, it meant new arrivals would get the scenic route, and Kay intended for them to have many new arrivals.
Kay stood up, and he smiled a smile that almost radiated warmth, but in truth reflected the self-satisfaction of a tyrant. And yet, what he said was not tyrannical. He sounded downright humbled.
"Thank you, Lucy. As per usual you have us all running well ahead of schedule. You're a credit to yourself and a credit to the Shelter. And, of course, let us not forget Steve Brine and Jennifer, who have personally undertaken much of this rapid, essential construction."
He stepped forward and, planting a hand on the shoulder of either Brine so as to show his reliance upon them, he practically beamed out at the crowd.
"We have all fought hard, even those of us who have not been on the battlefield, and we have done it against an enemy force who are more experienced and better-equipped and who outnumber us a dozen to one. We have considerable power in our ranks, and I would trust any person in this…" He paused to weigh his words, then tried to pass it off as simply being emphatic. "Shelter, to defend against at least a dozen of the Tower's cabal of mercenaries and genociders. We shall build a new world from the ashes of the Tower, and it will be a better one than any of us has ever known."
He raised a fist, and there were some cheers, particularly from infantry fighters Kay had trained, or archers he had kept from the frontlines with his portal trickery. Others were not so enthusiastic, smiling politely at best, looking openly afraid at worst. However, those who did cheer were desperately, deeply enthused simply by the fact he was there. What he said was immaterial, the King in Ash and his better world was what they needed to believe in.
"He's lucky," Tyron thought to his sword and the wizard. "If Shadow's coven hadn't gone so cultish during the raid and left the rest of us to fend for ourselves, we probably wouldn't have had to lift a finger. He'd have been toppled by the end of the evening. But people are desperate, so people will support him because they think he can keep her in check."
"Tyron," replied Astro with some considerable reluctance. "Let's not pretend he's totally devoid of charm, or we too are culpable. Shadow's distant, methodical, hard to connect to. Kay is outgoing, full of fire. Upsettingly literally at the moment."
He wasn't wrong. Shadow wasn't even present for the address. Tyron could see a few of her acolytes at the back, but they didn't look important or happy to be there. They tapped their feet impatiently.
"So do not take it as an insult when I say that we are few in number," Kay continued. "We need reinforcements, or we will not prevail. And soon we shall be ready to rally them. We are not alone. We have friends."
He turned to the officers and began punctuating his declarations with punches of his fists and small, harmless combustions of voidfire.
"We have adventurers." In Steve's direction. "Dwarves." To Urist. "Heroes." To Destiny. "Dragons!" To Tyron, who felt a pit in his stomach. "All these allies yearning to aid us, to come together as an army of all the worlds. It matters not why they come. Do they want to help the weak? We will take them. Do they want to protect their loved ones? We will take them. Do they simply wish to test their mettle against a worthy foe? The more the merrier. Rejoice and be merry, victory is on the horizon!"
He clenched his fists, and rifts opened along the tables, out of which fell a frankly worrying quantity of alcohol. Tyron and Astro exchanged a look, they hadn't been consulted about this. Scanning the crowd, Lucy was the only one who looked unsurprised. Perhaps Kay had brought her into the fold after all.
"Have fun tonight, for the road ahead will be arduous. I wish you well and take my leave."
As part of the pre-arranged entourage, Tyron automatically began to follow Kay, but he was concerned that a gesture like this had been arranged without his, or by the look of it, Astro's consultation. He debated whether or not to raise the issue once they were out of earshot - he was trying to look like he was behind Kay, not that he was a sycophant.
Tyron soon began to notice that the other officers were coming with them, even ones who he usually considered diehard Fire supporters, and by connection Shadow sympathsiers, like Urist and to a lesser extent Voidblade. And Warnado and Amanda, who he normally said were too young. The entire officer class was walking with them bar Shadow.
Finally, they found themselves walking into the second recent construction site, this one in the Shelter proper. Tyron had not seen the corridor they were in on the preliminary blueprints. There was a button on the wall.
"Jennifer," Kay said breezily. "Would you do the honours?"
A large, four-by-four piston door opened and unveiled a large, carpeted room, lit with redstone lamps and filled with amusements. A full bar, a small spleef arena, a training corner, a library, a kitchen and many other luxuries. In the centre was a depressed area filled with sofas, a long table running along it.
Kay stepped out before them.
"Like I said to them, it's been hard the last while, and I haven't been as friendly or respectful to you all as I should have been. So, when Steve and Jennifer suggested that we make a new area for everyone to cool off in, I leapt to approve it. Let me introduce you to the new officer's lounge."
There was a flash in either hand and suddenly he was pouring himself a drink of whiskey. He raised a toast.
"To new beginnings," he said.
It had that same tyrannical self-satisfaction as before, but Tyron tried to smile convincingly as he heard it.
The party was in full swing, and Tyron was sitting on one of the sofas, feeling warm and sleepy from the drink. Steve sat next to him, talking about getting Dungeons and Enderdragons going again to Lucy, who was already working out the best date and time to do it, and any people they should add or expect to have to replace.
Jennifer was swaying pleasantly atop the remains of a spleef arena, having beaten Amanda, Warnado, Astro and even an uncharacteristically enthusiastic Voidblade. The first chatted away at Voidblade, who almost seemed capable of pretending to be interested.
Rose and Urist stood around trying to figure out how Steve and Jennifer's jukebox worked, apparently deciding it was completely impossible and therefore utterly hilarious. Urist kept leaning forward and pressing an eye to the black holes where the music poured out from and came away cackling each time.
Destiny and Astro were talking to Kay over by the bar, all looking very animated about whatever they were talking about. The bartender too was absorbed in the conversation, perpetually serving up more drinks as the trio finished them, never quite completing their order.
Astro was easily the most sober of them, casting eyes around the room but looking like he'd just about put the conspiracy out of his mind. Destiny was probably the most drunk, laughing darkly at nearly every word of whatever the other two said. And Kay was a close runner-up, sloshing his glass of whisky around in violent swings and spilling a lot of it as he told some long-winded anecdote, the image of boisterousness. He and Tyron locked eyes and he nodded several times with a grin.
Tyron almost felt guilty, and diverted his attention to Warnado, who stood not far off, trying to sneak a glass of rum. However, just as he managed to pour the glass Kay and Astro loomed over him. Kay took the glass with an almost admiring look.
"Warnado, you're much too young," said Astro with considerably less admiration. "Things are weird right now but we're not giving minors alcohol."
"Quite right," Kay agreed. "A fruity drink for the kids, please! One each. No alcohol, please thank you!"
Then Astro turned and walked back towards Destiny and the bartender, looking stern. The bartender then filled up two non-alcoholic drinks and slid them down the counter. Kay, continuing to scold, sloshed half the rum into either drink and departed with a wink.
"And don't do it again!" he concluded as the child departed, beaming.
Tyron chuckled to himself and realised Steve and Lucy had gone off to the library to consult a rulebook. However, just as Tyron began to wonder how a man that friendly could simultaneously be such a tyrant, he noticed the man himself drunkenly swaggering over to him.
Kay collapsed into a seat behind him and immediately began to stammer with purpose.
"Tyron, listen, I wanted to say - about the speech from earlier. I didn't mean to put you on the spot with the whole dragons thing I - I - Warnado tells me you're not sure about how your world is doing, which I probably should have guessed from context, but I never knew. Something Freak said in your captivity, you know yourself. I just wanted to clarify… don't feel pressured to go back there if you're worried. This is your trouble, no one can tell you how to," he stifled a belch, "deal with it but you. So, you can go there if - if when and you're comfortable. And - and I won't send anyone else, unless you say so. Steve - he also has a dragon, apparently, it's not that big a deal. Just say to me. Anyway, good talk big guy, I'm missed over," he looked around and rediscovered the bar, "Over there, probably."
And with that, Kay was gone, so Tyron tried to reconcile this barely coherent but obviously well-meaning young man with the cold arrogance of the King in Ash. Once he'd wondered how Kay could become the man Astro feared so thoroughly, now he wondered which part of him was the act. All he knew was that the man could turn wars into grudges, grudges into wars, and any celebration into a tragedy if he so desired it. So, as Tyron began to drift off to sleep, he felt uneasy, and stopped himself from slipping under completely.
"Keep alert," Kir told him.
So, he kept alert, eyes dashing warily around the room beneath half-closed lids.
