Lervix sighed, rubbing his hands against his temple to ease the aching pain that throbbed in his head. He leaned back against his chair and quietly took a newfound appreciation for the quietness in his office. What a disgusting mess. May the gods of Targon have mercy on me.
The day had certainly not been kind to the Head Elder of the Rakkor. Since the recent attack from one of the Solari's own warriors, Aurelius had asked him to remain on high alert and to scout around to see if anyone had helped Diana with the misdeed. He had been asked to use both his position and his sway to carry out what Aurelius had deemed necessary for the safety of the Solari. So, Lervix had been assigning squads to patrol around the mountain all day and the amount of leaders and delegations that came into his office to speak with him seemed endless. The work he had received was extremely confusing as well and didn't really help to ease the turmoil that had come from this incident. All in all, it was times like these that he felt the years of his age weigh down on him. He wrinkled his brow in disgust at the stack of official papers scattered across the table in front of him.
"Sir?" Lervix turned to see one of his sentries standing by the door, his hand held up in a traditional Rakkorian salute. "Sir, a notice from the Solari leader. He requests your presence along with the other Elders at a summit upon Zenith Hill." Lervix inhaled a deep breath for a moment before responding. "Very well. Thank you for the notice Ergon." The soldier snapped to attention once more before closing the door to the office behind him. Lervix closed his eyes and leaned back against his chair, the oily skin on his wrinkled face creasing as he grimaced in thought. Sighing, he rose quietly, his ashen white robe falling around him as he stood to move towards the door. It seemed just when his day was already bad enough that it had just gotten even worse.
…
There was a buzz among the Elders in the drafty ceremonial room that overlooked the entire Solarian establishment from a high vantage point. It was a beautiful building, built of white marble with flowers adoring the entrances with statues of past honored Solari lined the hallways, commemorating their glory. Ancient weapons and relics decorated the walls. It was one of the most symbolical and memorable buildings for the Solari. But for the Elders and members that were here, that beauty went unnoticed. Many of the Rakkor and Solari instead, talked amongst themselves, mummers passing by as gossip and other pieces of news were exchanged. Information and opinions were passed about the newfound situation of the Solarian warrior who had betrayed them.
Elder Aurelius stood at the front of the crowd, silently watching the congregation of leaders mill about. He could feel the uneasy tension among them, the way the moved nervously, jostling one another as they moved to take their seats in the room. But they had all of the right reasons to be concerned over this convention. It was no secret that what was about to begin here could set the presence of the entire future of the Rakkor and the Solari; and all of it was in his hands. How things proceeded here could either draw a conflict among the Solari and cause chaos or perhaps even a civil war. Everything was banking on him and what he did as a leader; and he knew it. Aurelius now of all times could not afford to make a mistake.
"Aurelius." The Elder turned to see Lervix step up to one of the seats beside him. Despite the gloomy task ahead of him, he smiled at the sight of his old friends. Though the two may have had their differences in the past, Aurelius was glad to have him along for these uncertain times. It was always good to know that he had someone else he could trust. "Elder Lervix. Glad you could make it to the meeting." Lervix scoffed. "Bah. I already had enough on my plate with the whole Solari incident in the Rite of Kor. And now I have to deal with this as well. It only serves to burden both of us old men further no?" The white robed Elder sighed for a moment, pondering about the implications of the past events. "But I will admit, this situation in itself is very unique. A Solari betraying her own? To think I would live to see the day something like this happened. The penalty for betrayal and desertion is death even for the warriors of light correct?"
Aurelius nodded cautiously, "And that is exactly what I am concerned about." He glanced around before leaning closer to Lervix so others would not catch his words, "I do not know whether or not the Solari will consent to the execution of one of their own to that of a common criminal. I may be their leader, but I must act along with the will of the people. I believe that there will be a strong likelihood there will be a fierce division in our consensus to do anything to pursue the girl."
Lervix sat in thought for a moment, contemplating the situation at hand before finally shaking his head. "And here I thought I was the one stuck with the hard decisions. It sounds like there will be no clear answer among your constituents. To preserve the Solari, perhaps you must invoke that power upon the others."
Aurelius sighed, turning away. "Perhaps. But regardless, we must begin the meeting here to decide the fate of our civilization today. I can only hope that I am able to prevent the fall of hundreds of years of culture that our forefathers have built." With a wave of his hand, Aurelius signaled several guards to give the announcement of the start of the congregational meeting. He pursued his lips together as he watched the crowd slowly disperse into their proper seating. He could not help but feel a sense of foreboding begin to expand in his chest. For one way or another, the fall of the Rakkor could be very near.
…
A drop of dew fell from the leaves overhead, the remnants of a wetter morning now passed. The leaves rustled in the wind, sunlight dancing across the green petals. A slight breeze rustled the grass upon the field, sending the whispers of nature rolling through the air. It was strangely quiet and peaceful for the Solari's camp for all were attending the meeting held by Aurelius. The once loud noises of swords clashing or congregations praying now took its absence among the dirt fields of the camp.
Leona leaned against a tree, gazing at the sun and its rays, shimmering across the gnarled bark of the old tree beside her. She sighed breathing in the quiet surroundings, closing her eyes as she rested her heavy head against the tree. For one of the first times in her life, Leona felt truly…miserable. She could feel it welling inside of her, like a pool of oil stinging the surface as she reflected upon her feelings.
When they had concluded that it was Diana, her mind had gone haywire on her. She hadn't even really given Pantheon a proper goodbye before quickly returning to her room. All she could think about was the jagged feeling inside her stomach as hung her head in her arms.
Why was it her? Why would she do it? Why would she betray me, betray US? Why? WHY?
"Leona?" Erix walked over, garbed in a more formal gold and white Solarian robe. "Hey, you ok?
Leona turned, startled by his sudden appearance. "Oh! Erix. I didn't see you."
"Sorry about startling you like that. Didn't mean to do that. What are you doing out here anyways? Shouldn't you be at that meeting Elder Aurelius is holding? Nearly every single person of power both of the Rakkor and Solari are attending right now."
Leona sighed. "Yes, I should be but…" Leona looked out to the brilliant horizon once more. "I just can't really focus right now. I don't think it would have been the best idea for me to attend in this state."
She was quiet for a moment before speaking in a low voice. "I don't understand. There was simply just no motive her to do this." Erix, who had begun to walk away turned and spun around at the renewed sound of her voice. "What?"
Leona shook her head before lifting herself to look at Erix. "It's just…how could she betray us? Even now, I'm still having trouble coming to terms with it all. I guess it just doesn't seem real that Diana would have done something like this. I mean, she had some of the best relations with the Elders didn't she? Then why would she just slaughter them like they were animals? This just doesn't seem like something Diana would do!"
Erix remained silent. In truth, he was as hurt as she was. The news had staggered him a great deal; and that was putting it mildly. He contemplated whether or not to tell Leona of his and Diana's past, something that had been hidden to the knowledge of most of the Solari. Then again, it would be much better if he kept that a secret. After all, he didn't need the Solari to investigate him as well…
He sighed heavily at his fumbled thoughts. "Well, I'm just as confused as you are. Diana always been loyal to the Solari cause since the day she could walk on both feet. Hell, I've known her since I was only a kid so essentially, she's one of the people I've known the longest. I might not show it but…it cuts me pretty deep as well. Never would have thought she would have been one to turn her back on a cause too."
A thought flashed across Leona's mind, her hand involuntarily digging into the bark as it came into her thoughts. She willed it away and consciously relaxed her hand. Relax, there's no way they would do that…right?"
"You ok?" Leona looked up to see Erix watching her somewhat intently. "You seem a bit on edge right now. Do you need to go see the healer?" Leona grimaced before she spoke uncertainly once more. "Erix…do you think that the Solari will hunt Diana?"
Erix swallowed nervously at her question. He stood, absently kicking a stone near his feet for several moments before finally giving his answer. "I…suppose that would be the situation. Even an attempt on the life of an Elder is punishable by death. With the fact that Diana killed all of the Elders means there is a near certain chance of execution for her if the Solari apprehend her. That is, if they even take her alive. It's likely with what Diana has done, that she won't give herself up either. I'm sure Diana knows what would happen to her." Erix gazed in wonder and thought at the blazing sun in the deep blue sky of Mount Targon. "And with all of the leadership changes that have been going on, who knows when or how we'll do it…"
…
Hot and stuffy. The fact that the room was full of people as well as the fact that he was clad in near full battle armor didn't exactly help the Pantheon's irritated mood as well. He was only here solely because he knew Leona needed some time away from the scene of the political workings. If not for her, well, Pantheon would have no interest in the political affairs of the Rakkor. He was a warrior, both in the mind and the art, not someone who sat behind and desk and gave orders.
Sighing, he sank against his creaky wooden chair as he watched Aurelius took center stage to begin the meeting. Pantheon's mouth twisted in a conflicting thought at the mention of the Elder's name. Though it had already been several months since the Rite of Kor, Pantheon had not forgotten the misdeed by Aurelius. And while Pantheon could say that the Elder was certainly a capable leader, he was not able to say in sincerity that he trusted him. Nevertheless, it was a time of crisis. He supposed to could set his differences aside in order to work with the Elder that he had once trusted. At least for now.
"Very well." Aurelius's voice boomed across the room. "My thanks to each and every one of you for your attendance here today on this very important issue. It is an issue that stretches across both the integrity of the Rakkor and the Solari." The Elder paused for a moment to draw in his breath, "As you may know, yesterday, Diana, a member of the Solari, attacked and killed all of the Elders in the main temple. She has left no survivors and has fled all jurisdictions and territorial grounds of the Rakkor." A murmur ran through the crowd causing an uneasy tension to thicken in the room.
"It is vital for us to bring this heretic to the justice of our system. Otherwise, our tribe as we know it is vulnerable to collapse. Who knows what chaos and invitation to attack this could bring if we do not bring those who are guilty to order. We must find and capture Diana; and we must do it quickly for time is running out."
There was an unsettled silence. The Solari, dazed at this call to action on one of their own, silently pondered the situation.
"You speak of an excellent plan Elder," a voice shouted from the back of the room. "But do you even know the whereabouts of this girl? Did she not escape under the guise of confusion that spawned following the previous Elder's death? How can we bring her to our justice when we cannot even find her?!"
Aurelius opened his mouth to speak but the eruption of other voices from several members in the crowd drowned him out. Within moments, the buzz inside of the congregation had grown too loud for anybody to hear the forgotten Elder. It was as if he was but a drop in an angry torrential downpour.
"SILENCE!" boomed Lervix. The chaos suddenly ceased, all sets of eyes now placed onto the fuming man. "Look at you all," the white robed Elder snarled, "Look at your trivial arguments among each other. Your mouth runs but your ears are idle. You will respect and listen to the head Elder until he is finished talking. You may challenge him after but you must allow him to speak. The late Elders would be ashamed to see the fragmented state you are all in, both Solari and Rakkor."
Lervix gave a nod to Aurelius who turned to a now quiet and subdued crowd. "As I was stating," Aurelius continued, "We must bring Diana to our justice system in order to prevent chaos you already have seen beginning to seep in among us." He turned to the leader who had bursted out earlier, "And alas, you are wrong as well. My scouts have found a place not far from here known as the Institute of War, a place of great warriors as well as advanced magic. It is believed, and very likely, that this is Diana's destination. It is where she can be offered protection from us and from others who may seek vengeance upon her. And it is also a place where she may find more allies to embolden her cause. Therefore, we must act quickly before she possibly becomes too intertwined within that system and it becomes much too difficult for us to intervene."
"But that may prove difficult may it not?" a female warrior spoke up, "It seems very likely that Diana will be able to reach the halls of this so called Institute before our warrior may reach her. Shall we risk starting a war with this group that we know little about? Our warriors may be superior on the battlefield, but if they should have some magic we do not know about, it could prove very risky."
"I agree," nodded Lervix, "It does seem as though we are a step behind. We will only have a chance at Diana when she is in this Institute. But it seems that the protection may be substantial given the fact that Diana has chosen to flee there. It would be unwise for us to simply send warriors there and risk provoking a war that has the potential to destroy us. As confident as I am with my Rakkor's ability to fight, the preservation of our ways must come first."
"Very well," Aurelius conceded, "These are all fine points. But we must at least monitor Diana to keep track of her and make sure that we do not lose her again. Additionally, we must also find a way to gage the strength of the Institute. For now, the only way that I am able to see these goals accomplished is that we must send one of our warriors to take part in this Institute as well. We cannot risk sending too many else alert or arouse any suspicions, but we cannot allow none to be sent to monitor her for that allows her too much freedom."
"But how will we go about choosing our candidate?" asked a voice of an elderly gentleman in front, "The warrior must be formidable enough to ensure that they will be able to survive the trials that he or she encounters, as well as perhaps another assassination attempt by Diana. And no Rakkor has ever made a journey this far out from Mount Targon since the founding of the tribe. Who would risk themselves for such an encounter?"
The room stood silent, not a single voice could be heard for these men were political leaders. Their time of youth and combat had already long since passed in to the void of time. With old age creeping down on them, the inevitable fear of death had also begun to taint their hearts. And with the recent murders of the great leaders of the Rakkor, many were still mourning their deaths. Their abilities to fight would be impaired as well as their judgement which would be clouded by their anger.
"I'll do it," an all too familiar voice suddenly spoke. Everyone turned to see the paragon of the Rakkor leaning casually against his chair. "I'll volunteer to journey to this institute. Unless you see any others here that you would like to go in my place. In that case, you should name them now. " Pantheon glanced around. There were some whispers and looks of question and suspicion but no one voiced dissent. "I suppose that it is settled then? The strange lack of arguments is unsettling, especially among the Rakkor."
Aurelius met the eyes of Lervix. They watched each other for a moment, a silent agreement passing between them before Lervix nodded ever so slightly and Aurelius turned back to face the now standing Rakkor. "Very well. If no one has any dissent over who shall journey to the Institute to search for Diana, the head council will cast its vote for Pantheon. Are there any other names that any would like to mention?" Once more, there was only silence that filled the room among the elderly warriors, their eyes focused only on the young warrior that stood before them. "Very well then. Come forth warrior of the Rakkor."
Pantheon stood and walked slowly towards the front of the crowd. He could feel many sets of eyes on him but he kept moving until he had reached the front. He knelt before the two Elders. "Pantheon, you will be the one to go to the Institute! From this day forth, you will represent the Rakkor in all forms of negotiations with other peoples. I, Aurelius Varin, Elder of the Solari, name you Pantheon, the Artisan of War! Go to the Institute and make the Rakkor known in the hearts of all of its enemies!"