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 Posted: Tue Mar 06, 2018 12:15 pm
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Posted: Tue Mar 06, 2018 12:18 pm
[Those who are in Tethys's war band may use this to imply they were there during these events, and they may continue to do so throughout this series of RPs.]
"So," The white lion regarded his companions with a grim expression, one that had become a staple. As time had moved on, the once jovial lion had transformed into something that had rather lost its spark. While he hadn't given in to despair, his demeanour had shifted towards sarcasm and dry wit, with an appreciation for the much dark humours that existed in the world. Such were the effects of war on one's psyche... A coping mechanism perhaps, but one that had ensured that he hadn't lost sight of his end game. To his credit, it was this capacity to adapt that had ensured that his own allies hadn't lost steam and much to his surprise a far few of them still remained.
As expected the female Captains had long since left, and unsurprisingly word had reached him that they had their minds on other things. Just as he had expected, they had little interest in glory, and sole interest in reproducing. He had warned them before that they would need to display a usefulness and he had scarcely been able to feign shock when they had all left for 'undetermined' reasons. That, however, would be a conversation for another time...
In the now, he had something within his grasp that had proven utterly invaluable.
The Bahari had found her of course, with several volunteers they had chased her through the jungles and right in to his waiting arms. They'd caught themselves a phantom and through the assistance of his more questionable aids, he had been granted a unique opportunity. He had been one of the few, if not the only one, who had finally been able to see inside the mind of the unfortunate lioness in his grasp. She may not have willingly provided the information, had she been given a choice, but it was truly fascinating how ones own weapons could be used against you. With the help of the Collective and his own sister, he had managed to uncover exactly what this species used and more importantly, he knew exactly how to create it.
He had never asked Dione or Kluna how they had come to master it, he merely accepted that they had... And now this Scourge-born lioness had been forced to speak only truth, to do exactly as she was bid. She was mere putty in their paws and there was nothing she could do about it. It would have been highly useful, had it not become quickly apparent that these creatures were as complex as his father had implied and as a consequence, the lioness only knew what she was required to. Yes, the phantom lioness only knew the immediate and even when pushed, had little concept of the grand scheme.
Exasperating, but at least he had the confirmation he needed.
"So," the spectral lion replied calmly as he slipped into the gathered Vikings and lifted his brow. Tethys raised his in return, for this male had been a wreck last time they had run in to one another. "It seems we have several uninvited visitors," he continued and closed his eyes momentarily before releasing a sigh.
"More than several," Tethys replied in much the same tone as he gazed towards the slumped black lioness. "But you're going to tell me just how many, aren't you?" he murmured.
"You have faced them before, you should know by now," Spectre shook his head and pursed his lips. "Several can seem like thousands," he pointed out. It might have seemed like an exageration, but to the Vikings who had faced these creatures before, they knew he spoke the truth. The tactics employed by these phantoms had been unlike anything they had experienced, but as the months had gone by and they had been drilled, as they had developed means of detecting them, the odds of beating the Scourge had seemed far more likely.
"But?"
"A small contingent," he continued. "More males than females."
"A surprise to no one."
"They have come for me," he stated and shook his head. "But that does not mean they will no turn their gaze towards those who fit what they seek," he cautioned.
A silence fell, if only for a short moment.
"We have very little time," Tethys had recognised that if one was here, the rest were already waiting.
"We are out of time," Spectre corrected and lifted his brow; it was in these moments that Tethys began to realise the lion that had barely functioned previously had found his paws. He knew himself, and whatever arts had been used upon him by the Bahari's healers had worked...in the most spectacular fashion.
"Well then," Tethys motioned for Spectre to walk with him. "It seems now would be the most opportune time to invite them to dinner," he murmured in a low voice. "Whether they care to or not, they will come out from the shadows."
"Arrogance will do you no favours," Spectre warned.
"This is not arrogance," Tethys stated. "If they want their prize, they will fight on the sands under the moon's watchful eye." He paused briefly and then continued on his way. "This time, they play by my rules, they don't get a choice..." He warned.
Spectre had his reservations of course, the white lion had experienced far more at the paws of these creatures than Tethys ever had, and yet there was method to the younger lion's madness. Nevertheless, this did not remove the very real risk that they would attempt to lure this young leader's army into the dark through kidnap. While they were on Bahari'mtoto lands, they would utilise every resource they had...and Spectre knew better than anyone that this particular pride had its fair share of pale lions; and all of them were ripe for harvest.
"And the locals?" he asked at last, causing Tethys to glance over his shoulder with much the same unwavering expression as before.
"They will play by my rules too," he provided a vague answer, but it was in those moments that Spectre noted a number of the warband that had previously surrounded him, had begun to spread out and make their way to specific areas of the pride. Spectre could do nothing more than see how this game played out, now that a new game master vyed for the throne that had been held by the Scourge Prime for so long... Word Counter: 1,072
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