AGNOMAKHOS

by Ulquiorra9000

Chapter 12

"Alex!"

The minute Alex walked into an office in the rebel warehouse, Valerie sprang up from her seat behind a desk and threw herself onto her brother. She squeezed tightly and rested her head on his shoulder. "I'm so glad you're here, Alex," she said fondly. "Welcome." A few oil lamps lit the room.

"Okay, that's enough," Alex said indignantly, but he couldn't help a grin when he parted from his sister. He had been given everyday clothes and a red Agnomakhos robe to wear over them, proving him a proper member of the group. "How are you?"

"Not important," Valerie said. "What about you? I had heard that you were court-martialed and sent to civilian prison, and when I did, I knew that it was time to act." Her eyes watered. "We were on different sides then, Alex. But I couldn't just abandon you. It was time to act. Time to get you back."

"And I'm glad. Thanks." Alex clasped his hands behind his back, unsure what to say next. This was all so sudden; he had sprinted here with Argyros and the other rebels and prisoners, and now he finally could meet his sister in friendly terms. Most of all, he now stood against the system that he had trained and fought to defend. The corrupted system, that is. Alex couldn't think of the Army and council's corruption without Kulla's face coming to mind.

Valerie sat back at her desk and re-arranged some papers. More papers and books sat on shelves. "So... what do you think, Alex? Do you feel ready to help us? Are you ready to join your new family?"

Alex nodded. "Yeah." Then he looked more closely at Valerie's face and realized just how much she had done. "You know, just in five years... you gathered all these people, made a uniform, set up this secure base, started challenging the Army, and now a prison break. You did all that yourself!"

"With a lot of help," Valerie said quickly, "but yes, I organized this. I just had to tap into the peoples frustration and remind them that someone would listen. And it helps when some of those people have money and influence of their own. Their power becomes my power."

"As long as you don't become tyrannical like the council," Alex blurted, then mentally kicked himself.

Valerie hesitated for a second. "That has come to mind. But believe me, Alex, I won't let that happen. People only join me by free will, and may also leave of free will. But I remind them of the risks of joining, and what they'd lose by leaving. So far, it's worked."

"But Argyros and Lakram seem different."

"Oh, yeah. They're mercenaries, and I plan to hire more," Valerie said. "The people can fight with weapons, but I need specialists and mages, too, or we'll never match the strength of the colonels and captains. As a former Reverent Army member, I would like you to tell me everything you can about the Army and its people. You have inside information I really need."

"Right."

"And one more thing." Valerie pointed at Alex's chest. "You wear that robe because you, like us, will be blessed by Purphoros' passion and desire for change. Meletis will be reborn in flames, he told me. Pray to him, and you'll be a complete member of Agnomakhos."

Alex grinned. As a fire mage, he had always admired the forge god, and now he'd speak to him personally! Excited, Alex left the office and started looking for a secluded place to pray. Along the way, he walked through the warehouse's main room to meet his fellow red-robed rebels.

For so long he had wondered where Agnomakhos members had been hiding out, and now he could walk here freely! It made Alex smile to think how frustrated Kulla must feel right now, not knowing where to pin down the rebellion. Alex would sooner die than turn over that information.

"You seem happy."

The feeble, vaguely creepy woman's voice made Alex whirl around. There stood a pallid girl with sunken eyes and dark hair. Not even her red robe made her look any more lively.

"Hi," Alex said. "I'm Valerie's brother, Alex. You?"

"I'm Elsa. We've met before," the young woman said flatly. She reached up and, with a flicker of blue mana, blasted Alex with memories.

Alex stumbled back, blinking in shock. He suddenly remembered: the excursion outside Meletis' walls, Milo's silly ghost story, Alex seeing movement near a forest, and meeting Valerie and this woman in the forest...

"You..." Alex swallowed, his eyes wide. "You lured me to a forest so Valerie could try to recruit me! But you sealed my memories!"

Elsa nodded weakly. "Yes. Valerie wanted to nudge you toward rebelling against the Reverent Army, and your court-martial completed the process. Valerie is your real family, not the Army soldiers. Her plan worked. Here you are."

"Yeah." Still dazed, Alex gave Elsa a closer look. "So, what about you? When did you join?"

"Early on," Elsa said. "My parents are minor oracles, and their lineage gave me strong mental powers. But I hated the council of Twelve for their oppressive ways, and when Valerie offered me a place in her rebellion, I had to accept. It was the perfect chance to use my gifts for good."

"Good to have you here." Still, Alex felt uneasy around Elsa, and not just because she had controlled his mind with her skills. People like her would be needed to fight the council, but Alex would prefer to stick with his fellow warriors and not insidious mystics like Elsa.

Alex cleared his throat. "I've got to pray to Purphoros. See you later."

"Yes." Absent-mindedly, Elsa wandered off, her creepy eyes wandering this way and that.

Alex found a secluded side room and shut himself inside. He only had a few dusty crates for company. Nice and peaceful in here.

Calming himself, Alex knelt and bowed his head. "Purphoros, mighty god of the forge, hear me now."

As expected, the stars of Nyx blossomed into view and Purphoros' metallic face loomed, stern and wild. "Your heart burns with passion, mortal," the god commented. "And I approve. I see that your earlier confusion and torment has ended. You have truly found your way, have you not?"

"I have," Alex said. "I had hoped that the Army would bring peace and order to this city, but it was for naught. Now, I realize that your power will allow my sister and I to recreate this city as it must be."

Purphoros' chuckle shuddered the walls. "Very good, Alex. Your skill with fire magic proves your devotion to my art, and should you use this power well, you will prosper. And so will your city, should you find success."

"Thank you, mighty one," Alex said gratefully. "Today, I beseech you for a taste of your power, a spark to ignite a greater fire." Growing up, Alex had read about Purphoros' ways and the proper way to worship him, and that studying now paid off. This is really working! Amazing!

"Your conviction will be rewarded," Purphoros stated. His arms materialized, carrying his famed hammer. He slowly brought the hammer's head down until it touched Alex's skull. "With this spark, I set your sould ablaze."

Alex gasped as pure, Nyx-born mana flooded into him. He felt weightless, almost like his spirit was being lifted from his mortal shell. Then, in a few seconds, it was over. Purphoros and the Nyx sky vanished, leaving Alex alone, kneeling in the dusty room.

Hmmmmmm... Alex flexed his fingers and ignited some flaes on his fingertips, lighting the room. He could feel a blessing coursing through his body, but...

Something was wrong. Alex had felt the searing touch of fire magic before, but this was different, more elusive. Purphoros' blessing seemed to fade into Alex's inner being, and an untraceable... something now flowed through him. Was this what it felt like to be blessed? He had imagined Purphoros' blessing to be different than this.

No use in complaining. If I've gotten this far, I can handle this, too.

*o*o*o*o*

"I'm sorry, Jaina, but I find that difficult to believe."

With the four other colonels and all the captains sat assembled in First Battalion's barracks, Kulla gave Jaina a doubtful look as he spoke her down.

Jaina stiffened. "I'm adamant about this, Kulla. Councilor Kero and I agree that councilor Perisophia is the root of this problem. The council's corruption, the rebellion... we believe that she has gone too far. Every council decision that aggrvated the situation was proposed by her, and advocated by her. It all fits!"

Kulla bolted to his feet, eyes flashing. "This is ridiculous! Jaina, as the sun champion, it's your duty to stand for order and obey the council's will!"

"No," Jaina said doggedly. "As Heliod's champion, I stand for Meletis and its people first and foremost. If the council itself is what troubles this city, then they are my enemy."

Kulla opened his mouth to argue, but Olivia interrupted her brother. "Kulla, we should at least consider the idea that Jaina's right," she urged him. Her bare feet anxiously scuffed the floor. "She wouldn't present this case unless there's a good chance it's true!"

"I agree," Teilos said gruffly, folding his brawny arms. The old man scowled. "Kulla and I had a nice chat about this topic earlier, but he wouldn't listen. He -"

"Don't make this personal," Kulla argued.

"I'm just saying that in my day, we of the Reverent Army would never let it come to this," Teilos growled. "And men like Kulla are what make it worse."

Angry babbling broke out and Jaina winced. She had rarely felt this helpless, even when fighting the Shadow League and Rafael. What could she do when the good guys became the bad guys? She watched Kulla try to shout down Teilos, and she realized that a house divided was doomed to fall.

Suddenly, swiftly, a faint blue haze swept through the room and everyone felt silent. Jaina swayed in her seat, dizzy and fatigued. What...?

Now Elias, colonel of Second Battalion, stood and clasped his hands together. His sky-blue robe rustled as he stood. "This is not productive," he said mildly, eyes scanning the room. "I apologize for the use of magic against you, but this squabbling only serves to agitate already-negative feelings."

Teilos sighed loudly. "I guess you've got a point there, baldy. But do you have a solution?"

"I propose a vote," Elias said simply. He smiled. "It has been a while, hasn't it?"

Jaina had to agree. In the spirit of Meletis' free thought, Army officers could vote on a matter when no consensus is otherwise found. It was a welcome relief against the council's tyrannical ways.

"What are we voting on?" Pierra asked. "Whether to follow Jaina's lead in the Perisophia matter?"

"That is correct," Elias nodded. "Everyone, we shall now vote yea or nay on whether to accept Jaina's agrument and follow her lead in implementing a solution of her choosing. In essence: shall we make a stand against Perisophia? Those in favor, raise your hands now."

Olivia's hand went up at once, and Pierra's went up a second later. Elias needed only a second's thought before putting his up as well. A few of the captains also voted yea, including the brothers Ulga and Milo. Finally, Teilos put up his hand as well.

"Very well," Elias said once he tallied the votes. "And all opposed? Raise your hands now."

Kulla's hand shot up, as did that of Mulos, the colonel of Fifth Battalion. Many of the captains voted nay as well, including all of Kulla's captains, save Olivia and Jaina. Elias tallied the nay votes, and he had the verdict.

"By the collective will of the Reverent Army, we shall not confront Perisophia, and Jaina's proposition will be abandoned," Elias concluded. "It is clear that this Army is not willing to turn against its leaders. Let us pray that we will bring a swift end to the rebellion and settle this matter."

Defeated, Jaina slumped into a chair. That was it. Her last real chance to solve the mystery of Perisophia had been taken away, and now, she was sure that the whole city would pay the price. She curled her hands into helpless fists and burned to know what shadowy force had taken hold in Meletis. Just what was out there? And was it already too late to deal with it? Had the villainous forces already won?

*o*o*o*o*

"I didn't even know this place existed!"

Alex stared in awe as Valerie led him into the mercenary recruitment hall late one evening. He drank in the sight of so many exotic and powerful beings and potential clients. The general buzz of chatter and clink of coin added to the excitement.

"I met Argyros and Lakram here," Valerie told her brother. Like him, she wore her red Agnomakhos robes. She also carried a bag of coins. "But for what I have planned, I want some more specialists."

"What do you need other than warriors and explosives experts?" Alex asked. His mind whirled with possibilities. Maybe a super-powerful mage?

Valerie scanned the long room, then pointed. "Her. Follow me."

Alex tagged along as his sister brought him before a cunning-looking woman with a short ponytail. The woman wore a sleeveless black vest and matching pants, plus studded boots and gold wrist clasps. She had an expensive-looking bow on her back and a quiver of feather-fletched arrows.

"Good evening," Valerie said politely. "I am Valerie, of Agnomakhos. I have need of your skills."

"My name's Estello. And I think I like you," the woman said, her face splitting into a grin that Alex didn't like. "Valerie, was it? Yes, I think you're a woman of passion. Let me see..."

Estello placed herself behind Valerie and started to run her hands all over her, gently squeezing and caressing. "Hmmmmmm... yes, a strong spirit," she muttered into Valerie's ear. "Determined and influential... good..."

"Now, there's no need to - whoa!" Valerie yelped as Estello caressed her breasts. She wrenched free, face reddening. "How dare you?"

"Back off, freak," Alex snapped, and he gave Estello a hard shove. "What are you doing?"

Quickly, faster than Alex expected, Estello got behind him and began to caress him too. "So, the brother," she commented. "The same inner fire, the drive to find what is right... you had a change of heart recently, didn't you? Came to your sister's side in her time of need..."

Alex frowned. "How did you know that?"

Estello's roving hands passed uncomfortably close to Alex's groin. "I can read people with my mana. Helps me track them down and kill them later." She withdrew, blue and black mana glowing on her fingertips.

Alex joined Valerie's side, staring at the bizarre woman before them. "You're an assassin?"

"Of sorts. My arrows can find anyone. And if I don't kill them the first time, I definitely take them down the next."

Valerie tossed her hair. "I need you."

Alex sputtered. "What, this creep? No way, there's got to be someone who -"

"I plan to cripple the Reverent Army's leadership," Valerie explained. "And I need Estello for that." She glared at Estello. "On the condition that you won't ever touch any Agnomakhos member once I hire you."

Estello's grin widened. "If you so wish."

Valerie tossed over the coin bag. "Is this enough?"

After catching the coin bag and counting its contents, Estello chuckled. "Yes. Let's have some fun together."