Testament XVI: Battles Raged (Part IV)

Washington, D.C. - 4 weeks since Earth's invasion

(Queue 'I Get The Job Done' by Chill Bump)

"Lord Argados." Lieutenant Koval, AKA Shamble, rasped; Kneeling before the tree-bark demon before him, seated in a grand throne inside a formal, white palace that overlooked the city of D.C.

"Just Argados is good, thank you."

"Commander Argados, I have news of-"

"Lieutenant, did you hear me? I said just call me 'Argados'. You can ditch the formalities."

"...I have news of your forces' recent activities… Comrade Argados-"

"DAMN IT ALL, ARE YOU TRYING TO SPITE ME, SHAMBLE?" Argados sputtered angrily, his tree-like body creaking and groaning as he shouted.

Shamble sighed; Everytime he came here to give a report, there was always some kind of music playing in the background, echoing throughout the grand halls of the place. Last week it was some infernal rap, and now it was some kind of classic hip-hop.

"Forgive my words, but what the hell is with the music, Argados?" He responded in frustration. Argados tilted his head in curiosity.

"What about it?"

"WHY this music? It just… It… It doesn't fit the… atmosphere."

If Argados had eyebrows, one of them would have been raised on his bark-like face.

"Since when did YOU care about atmosphere, Shamble?" He remarked sardonically. "And what does it matter to you? I am… exploring the interests and tastes of humanity. Perhaps I can come to understand them better if I indulge myself in their technology and… fascinations."

"If you say so, Lord- er… Argados." Shamble conceded begrudgingly. "I'd prefer Russian folk music to this drivel, though."

Argados sighed, an inhuman sound that creaked out of his throat.

"So then, what do you have to report?"

Shamble stood up, saluting out of habit.

"First, the bad news- the team I sent to sabotage their headquarters was completely annihilated; Which was to be expected, since you gave me only Old Age demons to use as our scouts."

Argados shrugged indifferently.

"We don't have the manpower to devote to such insignificant activities. We do not need to sabotage them; They have nothing TO sabotage. We must focus on overwhelming force; Our main forces are entirely devoted to these tactics."

"That is dangerous thinking, Commander." Shamble warned. "You may be looking at the big picture, but if you leave even small pockets of resistance now, they may grow to be a serious problem later on."

"This is not something that concerns me, at the moment. What else do you have?"

Shamble choked back his outrage. This was a major problem with Argados; The scale of war that he was strategizing was far too big in breadth; He failed to see the problem with losing single battles, or entire lines of factory production to enemy sabotage.

If he really was a creature from beyond the stars, then this kind of overly-ambitious thinking made perfect sense.

What a handful.

"Well…" Shamble continued. "We… uh… lost Sloth."

"WWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT?!"

After several minutes of cursing, rampaging and violently destroying parts of the hall, Argados had finally calmed down enough to listen to the rest of Shamble's report.

"...HOW?!" Argados demanded.

"I don't fucking know! I have no other witnesses to the event. But I know that Sloth was far too powerful to die as quickly as he did. There must have been something else to it."

Argados' fists clenched tightly, magnifying the sound of creaking wood grating against itself.

"...We cannot continue like this. I am calling the rest of the Sins back here, and we will delegate them roles."

He settled back onto his throne with a creaking sigh of wrathful frustration.

"It really isn't enough to let them run rampant, is it? Perhaps we do need to employ some strategy…"

I told you so, Shamble thought pridefully.

"Any other news, then?"

Shamble flipped through his parchments.

"No, not really. Their Portland invasion 3 weeks ago proved effective for us as a case study; When they discovered surviving humans in the city, they halted their artillery barrage and opted for a search-and-rescue doctrine. I've begun drafting plans to use their fellow human beings against them whenever it is advantageous."

Argados nodded.

"What else?"

"Khimera production is beginning to ramp up; After studying the geographic landscape of this country, and considering our mainstay is now in Maryland, I have decided to have the majority of factories constructed to the east of the vast mountain range spanning the eastern end of this country, called the 'Appalachians'. Sabotage and destruction of these facilities will be far more difficult for them this way.

He gestured for two Khimera to come forward, bringing with them a large, highly-detailed map of the United States on a rolling stand. Shamble unsheathed his sword, tapping on the Appalachian mountains.

"By doing this, we-"

Before he could finish his sentence, a second tap with his sword sent the map falling backwards off the stand, slamming onto the floor and resonating awkwardly around the large room.

…

SHIIIIIIIIITTTTTT! One of the Khimeras thought in sheer horror- He was supposed to hold the map still, but he'd wiped his hands across the pants of his outfit to clean away the Dorito dust that had accumulated from an earlier snacking session.

He looked up fearfully, whimpering in terror as he saw Shamble's cold, silent gaze fall upon him. He frantically picked the map up, setting it back onto the stand and holding it with shaking arms. Shamble turned his attention back to Argados, continuing his report.

"By doing this, we elicit several advantages: Firstly, the protection it provides. Since these mountains are several thousand feet high and span across a vast portion of our territory, it becomes a natural defense, and a serious hindrance to the humans if they want to reach our production lines. Also…"

A sickly grin broke out on his face.

"This is a bit ambitious, but… considering how these mountains have formed, there is the possibility of… constructing a supermassive wall."

Argados stroked his bark chin in ponderance.

"Go on." He said.

(Queue 'UAC Atlantica Ambient')

Shamble pointed at the Southeast region of the US, highlighting the states of Alabama, Tennessee, Mississippi and Georgia.

"If we can maintain control of these states, we can construct a massive wall that connects with the Appalachians; With enough manpower, we can have something resembling a fort that spans across entire states. This way, we'll have supreme control over what goes in and out of our territories around our headquarters."

Argados nodded in approval.

"Your capacity for innovation is… impressive, Shamble."

Shamble hid a prideful grin. Arrogance was unprofessional.

"Thank you, my liege." Shamble responded gratefully, prompting Argados to groan in resignation.

"If you're that stubborn about referring to me in a professional capacity, then so be it. That aside, you are correct; These plans are quite… ambitious. Building a wall on that scale seems unfeasible for many reasons, but you are free to pursue this of your own discretion. What else?"

Shamble referred back to the stack of paper he had in his other hand; His compiled notes and documentation.

"I also have plans to construct a defensive line along the Mississippi River; Since we have absolute control over every state except Oregon, we should focus on fortifying our defenses and consolidating power while we still have this control."

"Are you suggesting we will be losing this territory soon?"

Shamble shook his head.

"Of course not. As you know, there is little opposition anywhere else in the world; Besides small ARC outposts established before the invasion, the chaos and pandemonium in every country has completely obliterated most forms of resistance; Most of humanity is dead, enslaved, or being processed into Khimeras."

He hesitated in speaking.

"...However, the threat of the Slayer has become our biggest problem. After receiving scouting reports of his movement and battles, I can only come to the conclusion that he is a nigh unstoppable force. If he figures out where our headquarters are, and finds you…"

Shamble stares for a moment at Argados, as if considering something.

"...You are the 'head of the snake', to put it simply. If you die to the Slayer, then this entire invasion falls onto me, and I am not confident I can defeat that menace on my own."

Shamble gestured to the giant, empty hall they were in.

"I mean, look at this! You have no advisors, no security, no form of governance; Not even a basic power hierarchy! All you did was launch several million ferocious, mindless demons at this world and let them run wild like animals. If the Slayer had been stopped in that land of 'Heaven', perhaps this blitzkrieg strategy would have sufficed. But his continued existence is a constant threat to our plans."

While many others would have chastised Shamble for his unprofessional outburst, Argados seemed rather intrigued by the passion behind Shamble's outrage.

"And what do you suggest, then?"

The question threw Shamble off- but it also allowed him to realize something, as he stared at the mysterious tree demon before him.

"...This is not meant to sound disrespectful, Commander. But, have you ever ruled before?"

As soon as he said the question, he felt a shiver run down his spine as Argados glanced at him.

(Queue 'Prayer of the Diminished')

"For fuck's sake, not the chanting again…" Shamble muttered.

"...Have I not told you already? I am not from this… existence, universe, cosmic realm- whatever you wish to call it. My existence here has only come about because of my age-long efforts to travel here from my home."

He raised one arm, gesturing around the room slowly.

"All of this… it is not even comparable to ashes and dust in my realm. In the way that humans observe microscopic life, I observe this world and its machinations with this physical body I have attained."

Argados waved his hand around dismissively.

"To see all of you 'humans' and 'demons' and whatnot, as you all move about, behave, and scheme; it is beyond primitive to me. Like watching plankton squirm around in the sea; I may as well be observing the dust that blows in the wind. It is not that these stratagems and whatnot are complex to me; It is merely that I am pondering ideas far beyond the scope of this little world, so much so that I may be incapable of forming a solution to deal with a problem this insignificant. Your concepts of ideas such as 'ruling' and 'strategy' are so microcosmically basic that I had assumed it would only take a mindless horde of violent creatures to topple the hierarchy of this little world."

Although Shamble was not human, he was irked by Argados' insults.

"So then, Great One," Shamble rasped sardonically. "Why do you need my help with strategy, if you are so capable?"

Argados narrowed his hollow slits, the ominous red energy inside intensifying for a moment.

"Because this physical body has also limited my capacity for many things; And because of the penalties of my traveling here, my sentience and worldview has been restrained to this form. Most of my energy is being spent on keeping open the portals across the world, for the demons to flood through."

"Where are the demons coming from, I must ask?" Shamble inquired.

"That question garners an answer that is too complex to adequately convey to you. I will simply say that I have connected this realm with other realms that have a high similarity rate with this one. However, I cannot transport the demons directly to this realm- Which is why I am thricefold glad I found a sub-realm below this one. It resonates closely with this realm, and serves as some form of spiritual suffering. Even more odd were the man-made civilizations I encountered during my quick conquest there; There were cities, technology, even a standing military- quite unusual, it was."

Argados' eyes shifted to the side- as if he were in deep thought.

"That conquest was quick. Almost as quick as the Maykrs."

"Who?" Shamble asked. Argados' eyes glanced over towards Shamble; His orbs gleamed with malice and sick pleasure.

"An 'advanced' alien race from the Slayer's realm. They were beyond deplorable- Pathetically trying to mimic deism and righteous purpose; Disguising their desperate conquest as something more than what it really was- a dying race's sad attempt at staying alive by sacrificing billions for their own continued living. Their mere presence irritated me to no end, so I put them through ego death in a most… fitting way."

Shamble wasn't entirely sure what Argados was implying, nor did he ever hear or encounter any of these 'Maykrs', but from the way Argados took pleasure in speaking of their demise, he was confident that they were not a concern to him.

"Is that all, then?" Argados asked, and Shamble bowed.

"Almost, Your Grace."

"Can you just decide on a title to give me and stick with it?"

"...I wanted to ask your permission to personally lay siege to a military fort our enemy has recently garrisoned some troops in."

Argados rubbed his tree chin in ponderance.

"For what reason?"

"It holds a strategic advantage over the surrounding landscape; It's centered in Nevada, which is set between two mountain ranges that would make it difficult for our troops to traverse. This makes their base an effective chokepoint if we were to send forces towards their headquarters."

"While that is logical, why do you need to go there personally?"

Shamble raised his head.

"You need leaders, commanders that can help strategize and mobilize forces in an effective way. The hordes of demons rampaging may be sufficient for now, but once the Slayer and his forces begin to consolidate power, their complex stratagems will wipe out the unruly hordes. We need coordination, supply lines, reinforcements, and many other resources at our disposal."

He pointed to the base, highlighted on the U.S. map.

"This is the perfect opportunity to test candidates for leadership roles. I already have hundreds of thousands of Khimera created, along with several chosen candidates that can prove themselves in this siege."

Argados sighed deeply.

"Very well, then. You're free to do what you want, but I will be sending Pride to oversee your siege, for my own satisfaction."

Shamble nodded, though a bit annoyed at the prospect of having someone watch over his shoulder during this process.

"Of course, Commander."

His sickly eyes glanced towards the highlighted military fort on the map, a grin creeping across his face.

"I will bring you the results of my efforts soon enough…"