Side Story The Goddess

[Sark]

Immediately Kolin let out a sigh of relief, the tension she'd felt since being in that room lessening the tiniest bit. Still, she needed to make sure that Seteth was someone she could fully confide in. He was a Secularist, after all, the same as Urien, so there was no telling how he felt about the man. "If I may, Counciller Seteth...I would like to start by asking you a question. What is your opinion of Counciller Urien?" His answer would affect what she said and how she said it. For all she knew, he was in on the big plan.

@Sark​

"In a word? Councillor Urien is... extreme..." Seteth sighed, his posture loosening up a little. "He is aggressive, argumentative, manipulative, zealous to a fault... I've sat upon the Council for longer than I care to admit, and I have never met a man like him. I cannot bring myself to trust him as much as I would like. He always seems to have an angle. He always has something to gain, and, more often then not, he gets what he wants."

"That said, I cannot damn everything that man has said. For every mile of madness, there's an inch of genius. These are dire times, Kolin. More dire, perhaps, than you realize. It's hard to say that Urien has done nothing for the Secularist cause. Despite his... nature... I do what I can to tolerate him...."

@Yun Lee @Takumi​

 

[Jeremi]

The Captain led Ashe across the ballroom. The music was loud. Had they not been standing so close together, his words would no doubt have been lost in the sea of sounds.
"It's not about what you can do for me," White added, content with his privacy. "It's about what I can do for you. What I need to do for you. I owe you a great debt. Same goes for Mother. Before I leave, I need to repay you both. I'll pay you in information--"
The music started to swell. The Captain leaned in a little closer.
"The Godless have found the Tomb of the Goddess. They haven't managed to break inside yet- you still have a chance- but you need to hurry. The Goddessian Council wants to keep it a secret. They don't want the Followers to panic. But men like Urien? They could use that panic to their advantage. Look around the room. There are no Goddessian Council Members here. Only Secularists." His pupils darted across the room. He was searching for prying eyes. "This isn't a party. Before the night's over, it's going to be a rally. Things are about to change, Ashe. You need to be ready."

@Takumi


"If I didn't know better," A clipped voice tutted from behind Kolin and Silque. "I'd say that you know more than you're letting on." Seteth's hand drifted to his chin. His brow descended a little as the cogs in his mind began to turn. His eyes thinned and he sighed.
View attachment 5011
"If you know anything regarding a plot or a scheme, it is your role- no, your duty- as a member of our Fellowship and a former representative of our War Council to report it to me." The Secularist Councillor pursed his lips slightly. "As your superior, I'll ask you this once and once only-- do you two know something?"

@Yun Lee @Takumi

"Of course," Veranke sighed. The Queen's posture began to shift. He shoulders tightened. Her shoes turned away from Mother. She was closing up. "I should not have humored the thought of a Demon to act of out of altruism. That was my mistake."
Veranke turned away from Mother and gestured for her to follow. As the pair cut through the crowd, the Skrull turned back to her companion.
View attachment 5012
"What is it you want Mother?" The Queen added, perhaps more hostilely than she had intended. "You've killed one of our own. You've led thousands of my troops to their deaths. There are many on our council who wish to see you in a cell, and I'm finding it harder and harder to disagree with them the more I learn of you."

"Unlike you, however. I am more inclined to talk to women before I kill them," Veranke came to a gradual stop at the jaws of the library, passing Kolin on her journey. Urien, a smug grin on his lips, crept back into the shadows of the library and vanished down the hall and left the hall empty. "You want to talk about my 'arrogant green fool'? I'm surrounded by arrogant green fools, Mother. Perhaps you refer to the scheming Skrulls who wish to steal my throne from under me? Or perhaps your refer to Seteth of Serios? He's certainly prone to making a fool of himself. The Goddessians have taken to wearing Emerald Sashes. Perhaps you're referring to Luthor? Talk openly, Mother. Which of my fools are you inquiring after?"

@Jeremi​

"You take me looking after myself alone as some form of evil," Big Mother began. "It's not. It's a necessary one for beings like me to survive. I have not let my name be lost in the sands of time because I wished it. It is because I had to. I have seen my son be taken from me. I will not have anyone else have any power of me so that they can do the same to me." She had now caught up to the Queen and walked with her side by side. "There is not much that I want," Big Mother replied continuing brusquely on. "Perhaps among you and your fellow council members, I wish due diligence. I understand that it is tiring to hear about my Gods return, but, Knull is coming, and when he does I will get what's owed to me."

She stopped herself momentarily realizing how she came off. "I apologize...I only wish to be heard. You as a Skrull have to understand prosecution. Your kind has been on both ends of that situation. Speaking of." That was a fine enough segue to Veranke's question. "I speak of Zamasu. The arrogant God. Perhaps you didn't hear but he had been working for Mephisto for quite some time. And I say working for, not with. That obnoxious mohawked fool in all his ego is still a fool easily manipulated. Yet somehow, I am the one being prosecuted. I am the one being judged for my behavior."

She stopped and looked Veranke dead in the eyes. "Only because I do not look like the others, but the being who is considered pure and good is as ugly on the inside as I am seen on the outside and allowed to do whatever he wishes. I say again, you have me looking after only myself as evil, but it's the only way I know how to survive, and the council has not done anything to sway my thoughts on the matter."

@Sark

 

[Takumi]

The Captain led Ashe across the ballroom. The music was loud. Had they not been standing so close together, his words would no doubt have been lost in the sea of sounds.
"It's not about what you can do for me," White added, content with his privacy. "It's about what I can do for you. What I need to do for you. I owe you a great debt. Same goes for Mother. Before I leave, I need to repay you both. I'll pay you in information--"
The music started to swell. The Captain leaned in a little closer.
"The Godless have found the Tomb of the Goddess. They haven't managed to break inside yet- you still have a chance- but you need to hurry. The Goddessian Council wants to keep it a secret. They don't want the Followers to panic. But men like Urien? They could use that panic to their advantage. Look around the room. There are no Goddessian Council Members here. Only Secularists." His pupils darted across the room. He was searching for prying eyes. "This isn't a party. Before the night's over, it's going to be a rally. Things are about to change, Ashe. You need to be ready."

@Takumi


"If I didn't know better," A clipped voice tutted from behind Kolin and Silque. "I'd say that you know more than you're letting on." Seteth's hand drifted to his chin. His brow descended a little as the cogs in his mind began to turn. His eyes thinned and he sighed.
View attachment 5011
"If you know anything regarding a plot or a scheme, it is your role- no, your duty- as a member of our Fellowship and a former representative of our War Council to report it to me." The Secularist Councillor pursed his lips slightly. "As your superior, I'll ask you this once and once only-- do you two know something?"

@Yun Lee @Takumi

"Of course," Veranke sighed. The Queen's posture began to shift. He shoulders tightened. Her shoes turned away from Mother. She was closing up. "I should not have humored the thought of a Demon to act of out of altruism. That was my mistake."
Veranke turned away from Mother and gestured for her to follow. As the pair cut through the crowd, the Skrull turned back to her companion.
View attachment 5012
"What is it you want Mother?" The Queen added, perhaps more hostilely than she had intended. "You've killed one of our own. You've led thousands of my troops to their deaths. There are many on our council who wish to see you in a cell, and I'm finding it harder and harder to disagree with them the more I learn of you."

"Unlike you, however. I am more inclined to talk to women before I kill them," Veranke came to a gradual stop at the jaws of the library, passing Kolin on her journey. Urien, a smug grin on his lips, crept back into the shadows of the library and vanished down the hall and left the hall empty. "You want to talk about my 'arrogant green fool'? I'm surrounded by arrogant green fools, Mother. Perhaps you refer to the scheming Skrulls who wish to steal my throne from under me? Or perhaps your refer to Seteth of Serios? He's certainly prone to making a fool of himself. The Goddessians have taken to wearing Emerald Sashes. Perhaps you're referring to Luthor? Talk openly, Mother. Which of my fools are you inquiring after?"

@Jeremi​

Ashe took a sweeping glance of the room, doing his best to keep his displeasure at the fact that there were no Goddessian council members present.

"I got you killed, I...I don't see how you..." He trailed off with a shake of his head and a sigh.

"That can wait. Do you know where the Goddessian Council members are? Why they're not here to try and make sure he doesn't cause unnecessary harm?" He asked carefully. He didn't know Urien personally, but he's seen the man around and didn't like the way the air around him felt heavy-suffocating to the Blue Lion.

With a rally to take place here could lead to injuries or worse. Maybe even a mob depending on how Urien turned the tides to his favor. Did the man plan to try and take over? What for? He had so many questions.

"Oh, yes..." Seteth muttered, taken back by Kolin's alien behavior "There's a hall just down here--" He turned towards the ballroom's great doors. He a slight huff of exertion, he parted the towering barriers and lead the pair into a long winding corridor. As the doors clicked shut behind them, the music seemed to grow duller in an instant. It was as if they had placed their heads underwater. "There. That's better. Now, what was it you were hoping to discuss?"

@Takumi @Yun Lee​

Immediately Kolin let out a sigh of relief, the tension she'd felt since being in that room lessening the tiniest bit. Still, she needed to make sure that Seteth was someone she could fully confide in. He was a Secularist, after all, the same as Urien, so there was no telling how he felt about the man. "If I may, Counciller Seteth...I would like to start by asking you a question. What is your opinion of Counciller Urien?" His answer would affect what she said and how she said it. For all she knew, he was in on the big plan.

@Sark​

"Miss Kolin, I'm sorry but I'm unsure of who you'd go to for such a thing. However, I'd gladly help you try and relax." Silque spoke, as she quickly picked up on Kolin's odd behavior. That raised multiple red flags at once. Remaining calm however she couldn't say who they could so easily trust among the Council at this time, but gently placed her hand on the others arm, firm but soft in reassurance. She understood, to an extent, that something was wrong. She went to say something else when they were interrupted by Councillor Seteth. Seteth seemed to, at the very least, hold no malicious intentions, so Silque wasn't uneasy around him.

She had no close standing with him, but she held respect for his deities and she only hoped he held the same respect for hers.

While Silque did not know what plot or scheme Seteth suggested they might now about, she remained quiet as Kolin spoke, cringing slightly at the mention of Urien.

She didn't speak to him, personally, but most of the air around him was vile. She didn't know if any good was burried deep down in that man's being, but a part of her hoped so. A very, very small part that still refused to admit that some people didn't have a good bone in their body.

She had some idea where this was going, but didn't wish to draw conclusions and let Kolin take the lead.

"In a word? Councillor Urien is... extreme..." Seteth sighed, his posture loosening up a little. "He is aggressive, argumentative, manipulative, zealous to a fault... I've sat upon the Council for longer than I care to admit, and I have never met a man like him. I cannot bring myself to trust him as much as I would like. He always seems to have an angle. He always has something to gain, and, more often then not, he gets what he wants."

"That said, I cannot damn everything that man has said. For every mile of madness, there's an inch of genius. These are dire times, Kolin. More dire, perhaps, than you realize. It's hard to say that Urien has done nothing for the Secularist cause. Despite his... nature... I do what I can to tolerate him...."

@Yun Lee @Takumi​

"I have met one man with some similar triats. Said man was blinded by his pride and ambition..." Silque murmured quietly. That same man had turned his back on the Deliverance the moment Alm was put in charge of it as well. While this was different, it still didn't bode well to her.

@Sark @Yun Lee

 

[Yun Lee]

"Then the two of you have minds of your own, as well as common sense." Kolin felt a further wave of relief to have two people she could confide in. "The way you have described Urien is completely accurate. Ever since I joined our Society, he has done nothing but demean anyone he deems against his own goals and ambitions, and take advantage of anyone he thinks useful."

She couldn't help but look around to make sure she wasn't being watched. Who knew what control he had amassed for himself over the Fellowship... "I bring this up because the same behaviors from my own world are manifesting here. In the library, Urien had some choice words about how he has some sort of speech prepared for tonight, something big planned in the Ballroom. His mention of our Society throughout...I can only assume that he's up to no good, and that my own faith will be dragged through the dirt with him." She shook her head. "He's been in touch with Emperor Gill, but I don't know what has transpired between them, both being my superiors, and brothers at that. But I know that something is going to happen tonight, something that I can't even begin to fathom the magnitude of."

A pause. "I do not know if there is anything we will be able to do to stop him. But I felt like someone needed to know. Urien and I have rarely if ever seen eye-to-eye on things, and I am sure he expects my whistleblowing. But we've barely finished one war...and I have the feeling he's trying to wage another."

@Sark @Takumi​

 

[Sark]

Ashe took a sweeping glance of the room, doing his best to keep his displeasure at the fact that there were no Goddessian council members present.

"I got you killed, I...I don't see how you..." He trailed off with a shake of his head and a sigh.

"Don't worry about that now." Captain White snapped like a sergeant. "It's not important. What's important now is Mephisto. Killing him needs to be our priority. It needs to be your priority."

"That can wait. Do you know where the Goddessian Council members are? Why they're not here to try and make sure he doesn't cause unnecessary harm?" He asked carefully. He didn't know Urien personally, but he's seen the man around and didn't like the way the air around him felt heavy-suffocating to the Blue Lion.

With a rally to take place here could lead to injuries or worse. Maybe even a mob depending on how Urien turned the tides to his favor. Did the man plan to try and take over? What for? He had so many questions.
@Sark @Yun Lee

"The Goddessians are in the same place they've been all week," Captain White sighed. "They're in their Chamber, arguing with Skrulls. We can't just barge on in and tell them what's going on. Nobody comes in or out of that room without the permission of one of the Councillors. With the War Council disbanded, you'd need one of the Secularists to let you in. I don't know who's in on the plot-it could be none of them, it could be all of them. It just don't know. Right now, we're running out of time. Urien will take to the stage in a matter of minutes. If you're going to stop him, it's now or never."

Captain White stepped away form his partner and bowed accordingly,

"What happens now is up to you. I trust you'll make the right decision. If you'd excuse me, there's something else I need to do..."

"Then the two of you have minds of your own, as well as common sense." Kolin felt a further wave of relief to have two people she could confide in. "The way you have described Urien is completely accurate. Ever since I joined our Society, he has done nothing but demean anyone he deems against his own goals and ambitions, and take advantage of anyone he thinks useful."

"I have met one man with some similar triats. Said man was blinded by his pride and ambition..." Silque murmured quietly. That same man had turned his back on the Deliverance the moment Alm was put in charge of it as well. While this was different, it still didn't bode well to her.

"Yes, Ambition seems to be the folly of many..." Seteth sighed and closed his eyes. "And Urien seemed to embody the vice most of all. I too have been on the receiving-end of such demeaning. Should it serve his cause, Urien would place a blade in his mother's back, no doubt. I assure you-- I have my eye on him. He has quickly made himself the face of our Faction and, in all honesty, it disturbs me. Its hard to tell where my colleagues wills end and his manipulations begin..."

She couldn't help but look around to make sure she wasn't being watched. Who knew what control he had amassed for himself over the Fellowship... "I bring this up because the same behaviors from my own world are manifesting here. In the library, Urien had some choice words about how he has some sort of speech prepared for tonight, something big planned in the Ballroom. His mention of our Society throughout...I can only assume that he's up to no good, and that my own faith will be dragged through the dirt with him."

"All this talk of ambition..." Seteth hummed.
View attachment 5021
"Some might mistakes your concerns for aspirations of your own. Urien is a complicated man, but you are yet to provide me with any evidence that he's acting against the will of the Secularists. Should you come to me with some proof, I'll happily see to his removal. But thus far, you have told me little that I did not already know. Yes, Urien is going to make a speech tonight. I helped him compose it. I assure you, your faith shall not be slandered today."

A pause. "I do not know if there is anything we will be able to do to stop him. But I felt like someone needed to know. Urien and I have rarely if ever seen eye-to-eye on things, and I am sure he expects my whistleblowing. But we've barely finished one war...and I have the feeling he's trying to wage another."

"I appreciate your concerns, Kolin, if they are genuine. But I cannot move against the President on such flimsy accusations. It will be your word- the word of retired War Councillor against a member- against one of the High Council. Neither of us would come out well if I were to pursue Urien tonight. I'm sorry, Kolin, but unless you have anything else to tell me, there are still some things I need to prepare before tonight's performance..."

@Takumi @Yun Lee

She stopped herself momentarily realizing how she came off. "I apologize...I only wish to be heard. You as a Skrull have to understand prosecution. Your kind has been on both ends of that situation. Speaking of."

Verane's jaw tightened. If Mother's ears didn't mistake her, she could hear a slight growl bubbling in the back of her throat. A she ahd struck a nerve.
"My kind have been slaughtered in droves across the Multiverse. Their bodies have been mutilated and burned by their hunters. Those unfortunate enough to survive were used as slaves and spymasters for causes they share no love for. Every world we have called home has been obliterated. You wish to talk to me about persecution, Mother? Were it not for the Fellowship's protection, my followers would be having their bones picked clean by the savages of the multiverse as we speak. I apologize for whatever fate might have befallen your son and your name, but do not think for a moment that your suffering equals those of the infants of Dard'van have endured in the face of the Heralds, Annihilation Wave and the worst of their own kind. We are not the same, Mother. Your 'persecution' is not the same as mine. You insult me with your 'kinship'."

"I speak of Zamasu. The arrogant God. Perhaps you didn't hear but he had been working for Mephisto for quite some time. And I say working for, not with. That obnoxious mohawked fool in all his ego is still a fool easily manipulated. Yet somehow, I am the one being prosecuted. I am the one being judged for my behavior."

"I am well aware of the crime Zamasu as committed against our people. Councillor Urien made it his duty to remind the Goddessians that one of their own had been responsible for the attack on the Citadel at every single High Council meeting since the War. But I'll make one thing clear, Mother; Zamasu's sins do not absolve you of your own. Once this business with the Godless has been resolved- and it will be- we will have begin ourturn our attention to the Fellowship's other enemies. Whether they're traitors and mutineers like Zamasu or murders like yourself, they will face justice. Consider this your last warning, Luthor won't be around to protect you forever."

@Jeremi​

 

[Takumi]

"Don't worry about that now." Captain White snapped like a sergeant. "It's not important. What's important now is Mephisto. Killing him needs to be our priority. It needs to be your priority."

"The Goddessians are in the same place they've been all week," Captain White sighed. "They're in their Chamber, arguing with Skrulls. We can't just barge on in and tell them what's going on. Nobody comes in or out of that room without the permission of one of the Councillors. With the War Council disbanded, you'd need one of the Secularists to let you in. I don't know who's in on the plot-it could be none of them, it could be all of them. It just don't know. Right now, we're running out of time. Urien will take to the stage in a matter of minutes. If you're going to stop him, it's now or never."

Captain White stepped away form his partner and bowed accordingly,

"What happens now is up to you. I trust you'll make the right decision. If you'd excuse me, there's something else I need to do..."



"Yes, Ambition seems to be the folly of many..." Seteth sighed and closed his eyes. "And Urien seemed to embody the vice most of all. I too have been on the receiving-end of such demeaning. Should it serve his cause, Urien would place a blade in his mother's back, no doubt. I assure you-- I have my eye on him. He has quickly made himself the face of our Faction and, in all honesty, it disturbs me. Its hard to tell where my colleagues wills end and his manipulations begin..."

"All this talk of ambition..." Seteth hummed.
View attachment 5021
"Some might mistakes your concerns for aspirations of your own. Urien is a complicated man, but you are yet to provide me with any evidence that he's acting against the will of the Secularists. Should you come to me with some proof, I'll happily see to his removal. But thus far, you have told me little that I did not already know. Yes, Urien is going to make a speech tonight. I helped him compose it. I assure you, your faith shall not be slandered today."

"I appreciate your concerns, Kolin, if they are genuine. But I cannot move against the President on such flimsy accusations. It will be your word- the word of retired War Councillor against a member- against one of the High Council. Neither of us would come out well if I were to pursue Urien tonight. I'm sorry, Kolin, but unless you have anything else to tell me, there are still some things I need to prepare before tonight's performance..."

@Takumi @Yun Lee

Verane's jaw tightened. If Mother's ears didn't mistake her, she could hear a slight growl bubbling in the back of her throat. A she ahd struck a nerve.
"My kind have been slaughtered in droves across the Multiverse. Their bodies have been mutilated and burned by their hunters. Those unfortunate enough to survive were used as slaves and spymasters for causes they share no love for. Every world we have called home has been obliterated. You wish to talk to me about persecution, Mother? Were it not for the Fellowship's protection, my followers would be having their bones picked clean by the savages of the multiverse as we speak. I apologize for whatever fate might have befallen your son and your name, but do not think for a moment that your suffering equals those of the infants of Dard'van have endured in the face of the Heralds, Annihilation Wave and the worst of their own kind. We are not the same, Mother. Your 'persecution' is not the same as mine. You insult me with your 'kinship'."

"I am well aware of the crime Zamasu as committed against our people. Councillor Urien made it his duty to remind the Goddessians that one of their own had been responsible for the attack on the Citadel at every single High Council meeting since the War. But I'll make one thing clear, Mother; Zamasu's sins do not absolve you of your own. Once this business with the Godless has been resolved- and it will be- we will have begin ourturn our attention to the Fellowship's other enemies. Whether they're traitors and mutineers like Zamasu or murders like yourself, they will face justice. Consider this your last warning, Luthor won't be around to protect you forever."

@Jeremi​

When Eli snapped at him, Ashe flinched slightly, before nodding in understanding. He didn't say anything as Captain White kept speaking, his mouth growing dry in the process.

Being put into the position of stopping Urien from causing panic that could lead to potential harm among the people was easier said than done. Once they stopped and seperated, Ashe returned the bow with one of his own.

Now that Captain White left him to his own devices, he took a deep breath to try and calm his nerves and seek out Urien.

@Sark

Silque frowned softly at Seteth's words before sighing. Like politics, things were never simple and had to be a game with innocent people as pawns forced to choose a side to fight for.

"Thank you for at least listening, Councillor Seteth." She spoke, perking up a bit at something he said. He helped Urien compose his speech?

If the man had wanted, he could of changed whatever Seteth helped him write, and that thought didn't sit well with her.

@Sark @Yun Lee

 

[Sark]

When Eli snapped at him, Ashe flinched slightly, before nodding in understanding. He didn't say anything as Captain White kept speaking, his mouth growing dry in the process.

Being put into the position of stopping Urien from causing panic that could lead to potential harm among the people was easier said than done. Once they stopped and seperated, Ashe returned the bow with one of his own.

Now that Captain White left him to his own devices, he took a deep breath to try and calm his nerves and seek out Urien.

Out of the corner of his eye, Ashe could see Urien swagger into the Ballroom. He adjusted the cufflinks and flattened out the back of his collar in an attempt to make himself appear more presentable. He had even gone as far as to button up the front of his shirt, revealing how tight the garment truly was. The Society's President approached the stage upon which the band played. His whispered something into the conductor's ear, and the man quickly nodded in response. Once he was content with the man's hasty reply, he placed his hands back into his pockets and lent against the wall. He was waiting for the song to come to a close. Whatever Ashe was planning, he had about 3 minutes to do it in.

@Takumi​

 

[Yun Lee]

Kolin smiled. "No, Councillor. That will be all. I just wanted to give a warning. Thank you for listening." She bowed, turned on her heel, and left, deciding to go back to her place in the library. The second she was away from Seteth, her expressiom changed, into one of pure unbridled fury. This council...to think, Zamasu tried to tempt her with a seat on it, thinking the power worth bloodshed. But in reality? It would be penance for her sins to sit with these fools! No wonder Urien held such sway over them all. Sitting around and doing nothing but bicker, letting their opinions about the Goddess divide them so much they refused to see reason and areas to compromise. Evidence? He wanted evidence? What, was she to compile a neat little portfolio of all Urien's misdeeds and laminate it?! He spoke to her himself!

She stopped in her tracks. No...you know what? No. Her mission had been to decide whether or not Gill should support the Goddess, not the Fellowship. She was getting herself involved in politics that shouldn't concern her, and over Urien, of all people! She had lost her way tonight, and her talk with Seteth was a wake-up call she desperately needed. She had tried to warn them. She had done all she could do. But now it was time to focus on something infinitely more important than this useless Council: her Society. She'd put her faith in mere men, no wonder everything fell to pieces! Men don't listen. Men don't care for anyone but themselves. Her Emperor. Gill would always listen to her. He knew Urien better than anyone. He would know what to do, should his brother ruin everything. So, she would speak to him...but first, someone else needed to be dealt with.

Changing her path to another door, Kolin silently entered the ballroom, spotting Urien right away. She strode right for him, jaw set, breathing forced into staying even, as she prepared herself for what she was about to do. She walked before him, raised her hand, and...

"Your jacket is uneven, Lord Urien. Allow me to adjust it for you. After all, you must look your best before you present your speech."

Let the man burn this place to the ground. This Fellowship was nothing to her anymore.

@Sark @Takumi​

 

[Jeremi]

"Don't worry about that now." Captain White snapped like a sergeant. "It's not important. What's important now is Mephisto. Killing him needs to be our priority. It needs to be your priority."

"The Goddessians are in the same place they've been all week," Captain White sighed. "They're in their Chamber, arguing with Skrulls. We can't just barge on in and tell them what's going on. Nobody comes in or out of that room without the permission of one of the Councillors. With the War Council disbanded, you'd need one of the Secularists to let you in. I don't know who's in on the plot-it could be none of them, it could be all of them. It just don't know. Right now, we're running out of time. Urien will take to the stage in a matter of minutes. If you're going to stop him, it's now or never."

Captain White stepped away form his partner and bowed accordingly,

"What happens now is up to you. I trust you'll make the right decision. If you'd excuse me, there's something else I need to do..."



"Yes, Ambition seems to be the folly of many..." Seteth sighed and closed his eyes. "And Urien seemed to embody the vice most of all. I too have been on the receiving-end of such demeaning. Should it serve his cause, Urien would place a blade in his mother's back, no doubt. I assure you-- I have my eye on him. He has quickly made himself the face of our Faction and, in all honesty, it disturbs me. Its hard to tell where my colleagues wills end and his manipulations begin..."

"All this talk of ambition..." Seteth hummed.
View attachment 5021
"Some might mistakes your concerns for aspirations of your own. Urien is a complicated man, but you are yet to provide me with any evidence that he's acting against the will of the Secularists. Should you come to me with some proof, I'll happily see to his removal. But thus far, you have told me little that I did not already know. Yes, Urien is going to make a speech tonight. I helped him compose it. I assure you, your faith shall not be slandered today."

"I appreciate your concerns, Kolin, if they are genuine. But I cannot move against the President on such flimsy accusations. It will be your word- the word of retired War Councillor against a member- against one of the High Council. Neither of us would come out well if I were to pursue Urien tonight. I'm sorry, Kolin, but unless you have anything else to tell me, there are still some things I need to prepare before tonight's performance..."

@Takumi @Yun Lee

Verane's jaw tightened. If Mother's ears didn't mistake her, she could hear a slight growl bubbling in the back of her throat. A she ahd struck a nerve.
"My kind have been slaughtered in droves across the Multiverse. Their bodies have been mutilated and burned by their hunters. Those unfortunate enough to survive were used as slaves and spymasters for causes they share no love for. Every world we have called home has been obliterated. You wish to talk to me about persecution, Mother? Were it not for the Fellowship's protection, my followers would be having their bones picked clean by the savages of the multiverse as we speak. I apologize for whatever fate might have befallen your son and your name, but do not think for a moment that your suffering equals those of the infants of Dard'van have endured in the face of the Heralds, Annihilation Wave and the worst of their own kind. We are not the same, Mother. Your 'persecution' is not the same as mine. You insult me with your 'kinship'."

"I am well aware of the crime Zamasu as committed against our people. Councillor Urien made it his duty to remind the Goddessians that one of their own had been responsible for the attack on the Citadel at every single High Council meeting since the War. But I'll make one thing clear, Mother; Zamasu's sins do not absolve you of your own. Once this business with the Godless has been resolved- and it will be- we will have begin ourturn our attention to the Fellowship's other enemies. Whether they're traitors and mutineers like Zamasu or murders like yourself, they will face justice. Consider this your last warning, Luthor won't be around to protect you forever."

@Jeremi​

"That's one interpretation, others might have said Galactus' arrival on your homeworld was...what is it that the humans call it? Karma?" Big Mother wasn't here for a pity party, nor to be ridiculed yet again. "You speak with such haughtiness despite your kind being, as you say, craven cowards. You're right, I was mistaken. I thought you a woman of reason. Someone who could see the larger picture, but much like most others here you let your religion cloud your judgement. You ignore the problems from within your own circle and lash out of those outside of it. I've wondered as well...how a Skrull managed a seat on the council but...no Kree. They are quite pious people as well, or so I've heard."

She had tried to play nice, extended an olive branch to the queen, but she wasn't going to debase herself any further. "The poor Izana was rescued from hell. I've seen him around, not as obnoxiously haughty anymore, is he? Perhaps that brief stint in hell allowed him to understand his own position in life. I hear your warning Queen Veranke, and all I will say is instead at looking at the shadows you should look at what is plainly in front of you. The foundation of the Fellowship itself is rotten and if that is not taken care of, well...I don't believe I'll have to tell you what will happen. Goodbye for now, honoured council member"

With a mocking bow, Big Mother took her leave of the Skrull. Does Luthor have a vested interest in her? That was perhaps something that needs to be investigated further.

@Sark

 

[Lucky]

Beauregard

" Well, this is certainly a boring party." She looked over and noticed that Kolin was dealing wit Urien. There was something about him that seemed bad. She would pick up the glass of wine she had been drinking and would walk over, purposefully tripping and letting the wine spill towards Urien's suit. " OH MY GOD, I'M SO TERRIBLY SORRY FOR RUINING YOUR COAT!"

@Sark @Yun Lee

Jester

" Do you know why Beau and Kolin are talking with Urien?" She asked Ashe.

@Takumi

 

[Yun Lee]

As entertaining as it would be to see Urien's designer clothes stained, this was the one time where it was absolutely the worst thing to happen. "Here, let me try to fix this..." Waving her hand over the stain, Kolin would attempt to freeze the wine on it, then extract it from the fabric. It was still wet enough that this could work...and Kolin was mentally praying with all her being that it would.

If successful, she would bring the frozen wine to Beau, where she would deposit the shards into her glass. If not, well...she would just need to stay on standby for when Hell broke loose.

@Sark @Lucky​

 

[Capri]

As the entire party unfolded, Maddie was nowhere to be found... until now.

“Found youuuu~!” Maddie said, wagging her finger at Ashe.

She was... she was drunk as fuck.

“Ashe~! I just wanna... I wanna say hiiii~! Hello~!”

Dear lord.... She’s so drunk she can barely stand. She staggers over and leans all her body weight onto the boy.

@Sark @Takumi @EveryoneElse​

 

[Sark]

Beauregard

" Well, this is certainly a boring party." She looked over and noticed that Kolin was dealing wit Urien. There was something about him that seemed bad. She would pick up the glass of wine she had been drinking and would walk over, purposefully tripping and letting the wine spill towards Urien's suit. " OH MY GOD, I'M SO TERRIBLY SORRY FOR RUINING YOUR COAT!"
@Takumi

As entertaining as it would be to see Urien's designer clothes stained, this was the one time where it was absolutely the worst thing to happen. "Here, let me try to fix this..." Waving her hand over the stain, Kolin would attempt to freeze the wine on it, then extract it from the fabric. It was still wet enough that this could work...and Kolin was mentally praying with all her being that it would.

If successful, she would bring the frozen wine to Beau, where she would deposit the shards into her glass. If not, well...she would just need to stay on standby for when Hell broke loose.

@Sark @Lucky

Urien looked down at his jacket, then back to Beau. He then looked back at Beau. Then back at his jacket. Then back to Beau. Then to Kolin. Then back to his jacket. Then...
"No matter..." He growled. "No use in crying over split wine."
With a flex of his chest, Urien's suit was torn to shreds, spraying Beau and the Chosen in slithers of fabrics.

The President brushed the last few shreds of cotton from his shoulder and cracked his neck.
"I was hoping to dress in something more... natural anyway. Don't worry about my clothes," He sneered, patting Beau on the shoulder. "I won't charge you for the damages."

Kolin smiled. "No, Councillor. That will be all. I just wanted to give a warning. Thank you for listening." She bowed, turned on her heel, and left, deciding to go back to her place in the library. The second she was away from Seteth, her expressiom changed, into one of pure unbridled fury. This council...to think, Zamasu tried to tempt her with a seat on it, thinking the power worth bloodshed. But in reality? It would be penance for her sins to sit with these fools! No wonder Urien held such sway over them all. Sitting around and doing nothing but bicker, letting their opinions about the Goddess divide them so much they refused to see reason and areas to compromise. Evidence? He wanted evidence? What, was she to compile a neat little portfolio of all Urien's misdeeds and laminate it?! He spoke to her himself!

Silque frowned softly at Seteth's words before sighing. Like politics, things were never simple and had to be a game with innocent people as pawns forced to choose a side to fight for.

"Thank you for at least listening, Councillor Seteth." She spoke, perking up a bit at something he said. He helped Urien compose his speech?

If the man had wanted, he could of changed whatever Seteth helped him write, and that thought didn't sit well with her.

@Sark @Yun Lee

View attachment 5030
"I am sorry, ladies..." Seteth sighed. "But there's nothing I can do. If you need my support in the future, my door is always open."

With a tip of his head, Seteth returned to the party, his brow tense.

Changing her path to another door, Kolin silently entered the ballroom, spotting Urien right away. She strode right for him, jaw set, breathing forced into staying even, as she prepared herself for what she was about to do. She walked before him, raised her hand, and...

"Your jacket is uneven, Lord Urien. Allow me to adjust it for you. After all, you must look your best before you present your speech."

Let the man burn this place to the ground. This Fellowship was nothing to her anymore.

@Sark @Takumi

"Ah, someone has changed her tune..." Urien chuckled. "It must be exhausting to keep all that hate pent up inside of you. I can emphasize it that regard, I truly can. It breaks my heart to watch your squirm, it truly does." His words dripped with sarcasm. His smirk twisted into a sadistic grin. "Still. I suppose I'll have to endure this tragic performance of yours. I hope you enjoy the show."

As the entire party unfolded, Maddie was nowhere to be found... until now.

“Found youuuu~!” Maddie said, wagging her finger at Ashe.

She was... she was drunk as fuck.

“Ashe~! I just wanna... I wanna say hiiii~! Hello~!”

Dear lord.... She’s so drunk she can barely stand. She staggers over and leans all her body weight onto the boy.

@Sark @Takumi @EveryoneElse

Beauregard

" Well, this is certainly a boring party." She looked over and noticed that Kolin was dealing wit Urien. There was something about him that seemed bad. She would pick up the glass of wine she had been drinking and would walk over, purposefully tripping and letting the wine spill towards Urien's suit. " OH MY GOD, I'M SO TERRIBLY SORRY FOR RUINING YOUR COAT!"

Urien disected Beau and Maddie with a cold stare. He rolled his eyes at their tom-foolery.
"You're surrounding yourselves with drunks and fools now, Rat?" He taunted. "You bring shame to our Society's name. I never thought I'd see the day. Then again, perhaps its symbolic. A sign of things to come. It high time you adjusted to your place in the gutter."

@Yun Lee @Takumi @Lucky @Capri​

 

[Lucky]

Beau and Jester

" Are you going to a suit in nothing but a pair of underwear?" Beau seriously asked, ignoring any slight that was going to follow. It seemed that perhaps she was sober enough to give quips or perhaps more likely, she hadn't been drunk for long.

Jester was silent, so she didn't notice when her crimson weasel managed to hop from her head and decided to play and tug at Urien's white toga piece.

@Yun Lee @Takumi @Capri @Sark

 

[Takumi]

Beauregard

" Well, this is certainly a boring party." She looked over and noticed that Kolin was dealing wit Urien. There was something about him that seemed bad. She would pick up the glass of wine she had been drinking and would walk over, purposefully tripping and letting the wine spill towards Urien's suit. " OH MY GOD, I'M SO TERRIBLY SORRY FOR RUINING YOUR COAT!"

@Sark @Yun Lee

Jester

" Do you know why Beau and Kolin are talking with Urien?" She asked Ashe.

@Takumi

"He's giving a speech and it's probably going to cause a panic by revealing information the Goddessians didn't want the general people to know regarding the tomb." Ashe spoke loud enough that only Jester could hear, but not anyone who'd potentially try to eavesdrop.

As the entire party unfolded, Maddie was nowhere to be found... until now.

“Found youuuu~!” Maddie said, wagging her finger at Ashe.

She was... she was drunk as fuck.

“Ashe~! I just wanna... I wanna say hiiii~! Hello~!”

Dear lord.... She’s so drunk she can barely stand. She staggers over and leans all her body weight onto the boy.

@Sark @Takumi @EveryoneElse​

"Oh, hello Maddie!" Ashe said with surprise and blinked as she leaned against him, helping to keep her steady. Now wasn't the best time for Maddie to use him to keep balance, and he gave a quick prayer to Seiros and the Goddess to give him strength for whatever happens next. What would a Knight do in this situation?

Urien looked down at his jacket, then back to Beau. He then looked back at Beau. Then back at his jacket. Then back to Beau. Then to Kolin. Then back to his jacket. Then...
"No matter..." He growled. "No use in crying over split wine."
With a flex of his chest, Urien's suit was torn to shreds, spraying Beau and the Chosen in slithers of fabrics.

The President brushed the last few shreds of cotton from his shoulder and cracked his neck.
"I was hoping to dress in something more... natural anyway. Don't worry about my clothes," He sneered, patting Beau on the shoulder. "I won't charge you for the damages."


View attachment 5030
"I am sorry, ladies..." Seteth sighed. "But there's nothing I can do. If you need my support in the future, my door is always open."

With a tip of his head, Seteth returned to the party, his brow tense.


"Ah, someone has changed her tune..." Urien chuckled. "It must be exhausting to keep all that hate pent up inside of you. I can emphasize it that regard, I truly can. It breaks my heart to watch your squirm, it truly does." His words dripped with sarcasm. His smirk twisted into a sadistic grin. "Still. I suppose I'll have to endure this tragic performance of yours. I hope you enjoy the show."


Urien disected Beau and Maddie with a cold stare. He rolled his eyes at their tom-foolery.
"You're surrounding yourselves with drunks and fools now, Rat?" He taunted. "You bring shame to our Society's name. I never thought I'd see the day. Then again, perhaps its symbolic. A sign of things to come. It high time you adjusted to your place in the gutter."

@Yun Lee @Takumi @Lucky @Capri​

"Thank you, Councillor Seteth. We'll keep these words in mind." Silque politely gave a small bow of her head before entering the library once more.

Sticking with Kolin, Silque frowned heavily at Urien's words.

"I'm sorry, but I believe she'd like to be called by her name, Councillor. I'm sure you know it, why, a man of such an esteemed position surely has enough common sense and tact to at least show some ounce of respect to another human being. If I remember correctly, there's a saying about treating others as you wish to be treated, and from the way you're treating Miss Kolin here, well..." She trailed off, letting her words sit. She'd spare him a full blown lecture, she doubted he'd listen.

@Sark @Yun Lee @Lucky @Capri @Everyone

 

[Yun Lee]

It was as though a shard of ice had struck her through the heart. The insults about her she could take. The names she could handle. But there was something he said, something that probably was nothing more than a bullet point on a long list of insults that the President always had ready. Something so unimportant to him, but that impacted Kolin more than she could say.

You bring shame to our Society's name.

Seven words, yet they did something Urien's constant mudslinging had never done before. It stung. It actually hurt to hear those words. The Society that saved her life, that she pledged her entire being to...it was one of the few things in this mortal world that mattered to her. And to be told she shamed it...not only had that one remark gotten under her skin, it invaded her very soul. And the worst part? There was nothing she could do about it. Urien was allowed to roam free here in the Fellowship, allowed to speak and sway and bring impressionable fools to his side with his confidence and charisma. What she had pulled in the wreckage would only get her into hot water with the Council, who were more than happy to let Urien walk all over them.

The very same thing they'd allowed Blackheart to do, now that she thought about it.

Fools, the lot of them. Doormats so concerned about protocol and tolerance that when an actual threat came in and spat in their face, they just allowed it. When someone gave a warning, they shrugged it off, ignoring personal accounts, even going so far as to accuse the informant of being the problem. Urien wasn't the problem here, he was just the same Urien he always was. But this Council? This Fellowship? They were truly the wicked ones. Some wheels began turning in her mind, wheels that she never would have dared to allow before her humiliation tonight, both from Seteth and from Urien.

"Save your words," she said to the two girls. She didn't need defenders. She was fine being alone. Never put your faith in man, always in the divine. Man failed you, time and time again. "I will be retiring for the evening." She walked out of the ballroom then, over and done with it all. She should have known better than to approach that bastard. She'd had a plan, but then things just went to Hell. And they always would, because mankind was foolish, and evil, and self-serving, and would hurt you and worsen things for you over and over again. If she had to self-isolate until her tenure in this hellhole was over, so be it. She'd tried to help them, and they treated her like a Cassandra. She had tried to talk sense into Urien, and he just kept tearing into her without giving her the bare minimum of her own name. So no. They would all tear each other to shreds, and she would let them. No more fighting, no more talking, it was over. If the Goddess so desired something, or if Gill gave her another task, then she's fulfill it. But otherwise? They could all go to Hell...and perhaps never come back.

@Sark @Takumi @Lucky @Capri​

 

[Sark]

"That's one interpretation, others might have said Galactus' arrival on your homeworld was...what is it that the humans call it? Karma?" Big Mother wasn't here for a pity party, nor to be ridiculed yet again. "You speak with such haughtiness despite your kind being, as you say, craven cowards. You're right, I was mistaken. I thought you a woman of reason. Someone who could see the larger picture, but much like most others here you let your religion cloud your judgement. You ignore the problems from within your own circle and lash out of those outside of it. I've wondered as well...how a Skrull managed a seat on the council but...no Kree. They are quite pious people as well, or so I've heard."



She had tried to play nice, extended an olive branch to the queen, but she wasn't going to debase herself any further. "The poor Izana was rescued from hell. I've seen him around, not as obnoxiously haughty anymore, is he? Perhaps that brief stint in hell allowed him to understand his own position in life. I hear your warning Queen Veranke, and all I will say is instead at looking at the shadows you should look at what is plainly in front of you. The foundation of the Fellowship itself is rotten and if that is not taken care of, well...I don't believe I'll have to tell you what will happen. Goodbye for now, honoured council member"



With a mocking bow, Big Mother took her leave of the Skrull. Does Luthor have a vested interest in her? That was perhaps something that needs to be investigated further.
@Sark

"Karma"
"Coward"
"Kree"

Veranke's eye twitched for a moment. Her fingers flexed.

[CRACK]

The Queen's fist struck the back of Mother's head. The Demon was sent tumbling into the floorboards with a thud.

A glob of spit landed upon her face.

"How dare you?" She said. Her face and tone were void of all emotion. The firey hate that once filled her voice had burned out. The Queen was cold. Emotionless. "How dare you?"​

The room fell quiet. Veranke cleared the flicks of blood from her knuckles. The dancers had started to stare. She didn't care. She was in a world of her own. She had no more words for the floored demon. She turned her back on Mother and vanished into the crowd.

@Jeremi

" Are you going to a suit in nothing but a pair of underwear?"
@Yun Lee @Takumi @Capri @Sark

Urien didn't even flinch.
"Why wouldn't I?"

"Save your words," she said to the two girls. She didn't need defenders. She was fine being alone. Never put your faith in man, always in the divine. Man failed you, time and time again. "I will be retiring for the evening." She walked out of the ballroom then, over and done with it all. She should have known better than to approach that bastard. She'd had a plan, but then things just went to Hell. And they always would, because mankind was foolish, and evil, and self-serving, and would hurt you and worsen things for you over and over again. If she had to self-isolate until her tenure in this hellhole was over, so be it. She'd tried to help them, and they treated her like a Cassandra. She had tried to talk sense into Urien, and he just kept tearing into her without giving her the bare minimum of her own name. So no. They would all tear each other to shreds, and she would let them. No more fighting, no more talking, it was over. If the Goddess so desired something, or if Gill gave her another task, then she's fulfill it. But otherwise? They could all go to Hell...and perhaps never come back.

"I'm sorry, but I believe she'd like to be called by her name, Councillor. I'm sure you know it, why, a man of such an esteemed position surely has enough common sense and tact to at least show some ounce of respect to another human being. If I remember correctly, there's a saying about treating others as you wish to be treated, and from the way you're treating Miss Kolin here, well..." She trailed off, letting her words sit. She'd spare him a full blown lecture, she doubted he'd listen.

"Leaving so soon?" Urien boomed. He stopped to take a breath, but the moment he fell silent, the band followed suit. The song was over. As per the President's instructions, they laid down their instruments and cleared the stage. Urien strangled his words before they could reach his lips. In their stead, he said two words as he climbed the steps to altar. "Time's up..."
***
The Great Door that separated the Ballroom from the Wider library were sealed before Kolin could return to her quarters. Two guards placed their lances between the door handles, ensuring that no mortal man could force them open prior to speech's conclusion. One of the guards hammered her sword into the floorboards to lean upon.
View attachment 5033
"I'm sorry, Miss, but I'm going to have to ask you to return to the party. They haven't handed out the goodie bags yet."
View attachment 5034
"You'll have to forgive us, Councillor, but you cannot pass through here.
***
Urien took a glass from the hand of one of the musicians and struck it with the conductor's tuning fork. The high pitched ringing sound echoed around the ballroom. Every eye was upon him.
View attachment 5036
"Good evening, Followers!" The President boomed, placing his glass down at the edge of the stage. "Tonight's festivities have been... spectacular. Truly, it has been a night for this history books. If you'll allow me, I'd like to steal but a moment of your time. With this moment, I sake to pay back a debt long overdue."

"You see, but a month ago, you were all willing to lay down your lives for the Goddessian Cause. Many of you lost friends and loved ones during that great battle and the months that followed. It's been... a difficult few weeks for us all."

A pause. The room was silent. You could hear a pin drop. They were eating out of the palm of his hand.

"Though we escaped the Nether, a part of us will forever remain in that Hell. We will remain shattered. Broken." The President turned his back to his audience. A great wound had been burned across his bare back. He had no doubt sustained the injury during the crash of the Crusader. "We will carry these scars to our graves."

The President slowly turned around.

"Scars of the Flesh. Scars of the mind. If I could heal them with words of comfort, I would do so without hesitation. There is not price I would not pay to see you all healed, body and soul. But... I cannot. Our wounds will continue to burn. Nightmares will continue to besiege our senses. Part of us will forever remain in Hell."

"To those who fell in the name of the Fellowship, I shall remember you." He looked to the ceiling- to the chandeliers- as if their warm glow came from the spirits of his fallen brothers. Many followed suit. Tears were shed. "To those who must live on-- to the brave who carry the yokes of guilt and trauma- I salute you. I shall bestow upon you the honors that my Goddessian 'colleagues' have failed to bestow."

"Tonight, my tongue shall speak the words you long to hear. Tonight, my tongue shall speak the words Luthor has denied you. Tonight, I shall thank you for your service. As a High Councillor, as a Follower of the Fellowship, a Secularists and as a human being, I thank you for all you have done. For all you have given. For all you have sacrificed. Thank you."

A pause. The room remained silent.

"I had hoped my 'colleagues' had the guts to face you tonight. I wish they had the strength to look you in the eyes. But here is the truth they have hidden from you-- the Goddessian High Councillors are ashamed of themselves. The can see the blood on their hands. They know its never going to wash off. So they squabble among themselves- just as they once squabbled against us- in the hopes of convincing someone- anyone- that they actions were justified. That they weren't in vain. But they can't. They can't convince each other. They can't convince themselves."

Urien removed a small, black box from his toga-piece. He juggled it in his hand for a moment before pressing a small black button upon its side.

"I have heard the recordings myself. Recordings from meetings I was not present to attend. Recordings from discussions in the hangar moments before you went to war:"

"It'll be a morale booster. It will give our men something to fight for. Something to die for." The Box spoke in Luthor's voice.
View attachment 5038
"Listen to him. Listen to the Father of Goddessians." Urien let his passion flow. He gripped the box tightly and bared his teeth. "This is the one reason Luthor send your brothers and sons to their deaths. He did it in the name of politics. In that sense, they all died in vein..."

He let himself breathe for a moment. He let the box slip from his fingers and strike the stage. The crowd erupted into murmers.

"Alexander Luthor and his Goddessians..." Urien exhaled. "They welcomed the foul Zamasu- a traitor and a turn coat- into our Temple. Into our home. They embraced the man responsible for the attack on our great Citadel into our Fellowship. They embraced the man who made an open attempt on my life. They welcomed the Inheritor too. He was a part of their War Council. He was one of their 'Goddess''s Chosen. And look at all the chaos he has sowed? It makes me sick. They all make me sick."

"Even now, they argue. Even now, they're playing politics. Even now, they play war-games."

"Ladies... Gentlemen... What I am about to tell you... the secrets I am about to share... they are treasonous. I am about to break the oaths of secrecy I swore the day I first sat in that infernal chamber. At the risk of exile and execution, I tell you the truth the Goddessians are fighting to bury."

"During his time in Hell, Izana was tortured to the brink of madness. Hearts and Mephisto were able to pry the Secrets of the Goddess' Tomb from him. They stole his final prophesy and left him behind. He is a husk of the man he was. Based on the information he divulged, the Godless have located the Tomb. They wish to awaken the Mad-God and slay her."

The murmurs grew louder. Zealots began to shout their praises for the Secularist cause. Others screamed in Luthor's defense. Urien blocked them out. He ignored them. He pressed the button on the side of his cube with his foot. The device flickered to life once again.

"How do I know all this? How do I know what the Godless have found? Ladies and Gentlemen... I shall now share with you a message sent to us by the leaders of the Godless... twenty-three days ago."

A hologram leaped from the box.
View attachment 5035
"The Tomb. The Goddess. Luthor, we want the same thing. Send me the Chosen. Unarmed. Unbugged. In return, I shall send you the co-ordinates. No-tricks now, Lex. No skrulls, no illusions. I swear to you that they shan't be harmed. Send me your War Council and the Goddess shall be set free. Once she's out? Well... it'll be all of yours against all of mine. Think about it, Luthor. Really think about it."

The hologram abruptly shut off.

"This!" Urien howled like a preacher. "This is why your leaders hide from you! They have unearth the secret they built the Fellowship to reveal! They no longer have a need for the rest of you! They intend to march you all of to die in another War against the Godless. Only this time, you shall have no stake in the matter. It won't be a rescue mission. It won't be a war of 'justice' or of 'morale'. It won't be a war for men. It will be a war for Gods. I have heard the plotting, my children. I have heard them scheme. Once their Goddess has been reborn, they will have no need for soldiers. Their Goddess will shoot fleets from the skies. They shall have no need for wise men. Their Goddess' 'wisdom' will become the only voice of 'reason'. With their Goddess reborn, there will be no Fellowship. There will be no unity. There will be no peace."

"Only her." Urien panted. A hint of desperateness danced in his eyes. "Only the Goddess."

"She will become absolute. All other faiths? All other Gods? All who reject the Goddess' light shall become blasphemers. We shall become Gogs and Magogs. My friends... if we do not stop the Goddessians... we shall face erasure on a cosmic scale... They say that power corrupts. We cannot trust the Goddessians with the power of mortals. If we grant them access to an absolute power, fate only knows what they might become."

As Urien spoke, his allies took to the stage. Seteth. Veranke. A young, green haired girl. A man dressed in the armor of Nox.

The stood behind him with their arms looped behind their backs.

"Followers of the Fellowship, the Secularists shall not stand idol whilst all we have built is burned."

"We cannot. In the name of Sothis, we refuse." Seteth proclaimed. "Now, more than ever, we need unity."

"We have never been a united front, but with the threat of the Goddess approaching..." Veranke hummed. "We need to work together. Sinner and Saint. Culture and culture."

"In the name of peace and sanity, we must act now." Urien felt his chest swell. He closed his eyes for a beat. He opened them to see a still and silent hall. "From this moment forth, the Secularist Faction has seceded from the Fellowship of the Faiths. We implore you all to join us. Together, we can stand tall against those who might see us erased."

"To the Goddess' Chosen, we would like to offer an olive branch." Seteth approached the end of the stage and reached down towards the former War Councillors. "Compa. IF. Brave. Magic. Ashe. Beau. Dina. Duke. Jester. Kuro. Maddie. Omni. Roman. Rory. Silque."

"Kolin." Urien added abruptly.

"You can still stand with us. Stand with your faiths. Don't let the Goddess define your fate. We won't force you to stand with us. We won't make hypocrites of ourselves."

"Join us." Urien added. "Think for yourselves, and join us."

@Jeremi @Yun Lee @Takumi @Lucky @Capri @York​

 

[Yun Lee]

Trapped in this damn room once more, Kolin found herself feeling even more defeated than she had been. And with that new speech, it only proved to make everything worse. Stand united? Really? No wonder Seteth had so willingly given himself up. He was in on the entire damn thing. What they spoke of was good. It was logical, and just, and was a well-written piece of propaganda. She would know, she's written plenty of it herself. But even so...this was doomed to fail. This entire thing would fall apart because they would still be the same as always, only fewer in number than before. These were still the people who welcomed Blackheart into the Council. These were still the people who humiliated her for the sake of their own goals. For crying out loud. The ine time Urien said her name, it was because Seteth forgot it!

But at the same time...could Goddessians be trusted? Is it true they wanted the Goddess to become the one true faith? What had happened in those council meetings? She wondered which of them had wanted to use her life as a bargaining chip. The lives of the other Chosen as bargaining chips. Luthor she had trusted...had he betrayed that trust in there?

Getting on that stage meant surrendering to those who treated her like dirt. Staying with the Fellowship meant betraying her own Society and proving's Urien's comment right. It seemed like Kolin had two options, but in the end, there really was just one. She walked up to them, to the hand extended by Seteth. "I...I have grown tired of the politics and behavior on this Council. Our faiths deserve better than this. But at the same time..." Her eyes set in a glare that she gave equally to the council members on that stage. "You cannot blame that on merely the Goddessian members of the council. Let us not forget the tolerance and leeway offered to Blackheart by both sides. Something that started this entire conflict." She took a few steps back. "How do we know the next Blackheart won't get the same treatment from the Secularists? How can you expect us to trust you, when you are the very reasons this all started? For that reason, I will support neither faction. Not until the leadership gets an overhaul."

She decided to leave talk of Urien himself out of it. After all, as Seteth said, she had no evidence. No matter. Those following this fool would quickly learn why he was merely the President. By giving him absolute power, they had already lost.

@Sark @Everyonelol​

 

[Jeremi]

"Karma"
"Coward"
"Kree"

Veranke's eye twitched for a moment. Her fingers flexed.

[CRACK]

The Queen's fist struck the back of Mother's head. The Demon was sent tumbling into the floorboards with a thud.

A glob of spit landed upon her face.

"How dare you?" She said. Her face and tone were void of all emotion. The firey hate that once filled her voice had burned out. The Queen was cold. Emotionless. "How dare you?"​

The room fell quiet. Veranke cleared the flicks of blood from her knuckles. The dancers had started to stare. She didn't care. She was in a world of her own. She had no more words for the floored demon. She turned her back on Mother and vanished into the crowd.

@Jeremi

Urien didn't even flinch.
"Why wouldn't I?"


"Leaving so soon?" Urien boomed. He stopped to take a breath, but the moment he fell silent, the band followed suit. The song was over. As per the President's instructions, they laid down their instruments and cleared the stage. Urien strangled his words before they could reach his lips. In their stead, he said two words as he climbed the steps to altar. "Time's up..."
***
The Great Door that separated the Ballroom from the Wider library were sealed before Kolin could return to her quarters. Two guards placed their lances between the door handles, ensuring that no mortal man could force them open prior to speech's conclusion. One of the guards hammered her sword into the floorboards to lean upon.
View attachment 5033
"I'm sorry, Miss, but I'm going to have to ask you to return to the party. They haven't handed out the goodie bags yet."
View attachment 5034
"You'll have to forgive us, Councillor, but you cannot pass through here.
***
Urien took a glass from the hand of one of the musicians and struck it with the conductor's tuning fork. The high pitched ringing sound echoed around the ballroom. Every eye was upon him.
View attachment 5036
"Good evening, Followers!" The President boomed, placing his glass down at the edge of the stage. "Tonight's festivities have been... spectacular. Truly, it has been a night for this history books. If you'll allow me, I'd like to steal but a moment of your time. With this moment, I sake to pay back a debt long overdue."

"You see, but a month ago, you were all willing to lay down your lives for the Goddessian Cause. Many of you lost friends and loved ones during that great battle and the months that followed. It's been... a difficult few weeks for us all."

A pause. The room was silent. You could hear a pin drop. They were eating out of the palm of his hand.

"Though we escaped the Nether, a part of us will forever remain in that Hell. We will remain shattered. Broken." The President turned his back to his audience. A great wound had been burned across his bare back. He had no doubt sustained the injury during the crash of the Crusader. "We will carry these scars to our graves."

The President slowly turned around.

"Scars of the Flesh. Scars of the mind. If I could heal them with words of comfort, I would do so without hesitation. There is not price I would not pay to see you all healed, body and soul. But... I cannot. Our wounds will continue to burn. Nightmares will continue to besiege our senses. Part of us will forever remain in Hell."

"To those who fell in the name of the Fellowship, I shall remember you." He looked to the ceiling- to the chandeliers- as if their warm glow came from the spirits of his fallen brothers. Many followed suit. Tears were shed. "To those who must live on-- to the brave who carry the yokes of guilt and trauma- I salute you. I shall bestow upon you the honors that my Goddessian 'colleagues' have failed to bestow."

"Tonight, my tongue shall speak the words you long to hear. Tonight, my tongue shall speak the words Luthor has denied you. Tonight, I shall thank you for your service. As a High Councillor, as a Follower of the Fellowship, a Secularists and as a human being, I thank you for all you have done. For all you have given. For all you have sacrificed. Thank you."

A pause. The room remained silent.

"I had hoped my 'colleagues' had the guts to face you tonight. I wish they had the strength to look you in the eyes. But here is the truth they have hidden from you-- the Goddessian High Councillors are ashamed of themselves. The can see the blood on their hands. They know its never going to wash off. So they squabble among themselves- just as they once squabbled against us- in the hopes of convincing someone- anyone- that they actions were justified. That they weren't in vain. But they can't. They can't convince each other. They can't convince themselves."

Urien removed a small, black box from his toga-piece. He juggled it in his hand for a moment before pressing a small black button upon its side.

"I have heard the recordings myself. Recordings from meetings I was not present to attend. Recordings from discussions in the hangar moments before you went to war:"

"It'll be a morale booster. It will give our men something to fight for. Something to die for." The Box spoke in Luthor's voice.
View attachment 5038
"Listen to him. Listen to the Father of Goddessians." Urien let his passion flow. He gripped the box tightly and bared his teeth. "This is the one reason Luthor send your brothers and sons to their deaths. He did it in the name of politics. In that sense, they all died in vein..."

He let himself breathe for a moment. He let the box slip from his fingers and strike the stage. The crowd erupted into murmers.

"Alexander Luthor and his Goddessians..." Urien exhaled. "They welcomed the foul Zamasu- a traitor and a turn coat- into our Temple. Into our home. They embraced the man responsible for the attack on our great Citadel into our Fellowship. They embraced the man who made an open attempt on my life. They welcomed the Inheritor too. He was a part of their War Council. He was one of their 'Goddess''s Chosen. And look at all the chaos he has sowed? It makes me sick. They all make me sick."

"Even now, they argue. Even now, they're playing politics. Even now, they play war-games."

"Ladies... Gentlemen... What I am about to tell you... the secrets I am about to share... they are treasonous. I am about to break the oaths of secrecy I swore the day I first sat in that infernal chamber. At the risk of exile and execution, I tell you the truth the Goddessians are fighting to bury."

"During his time in Hell, Izana was tortured to the brink of madness. Hearts and Mephisto were able to pry the Secrets of the Goddess' Tomb from him. They stole his final prophesy and left him behind. He is a husk of the man he was. Based on the information he divulged, the Godless have located the Tomb. They wish to awaken the Mad-God and slay her."

The murmurs grew louder. Zealots began to shout their praises for the Secularist cause. Others screamed in Luthor's defense. Urien blocked them out. He ignored them. He pressed the button on the side of his cube with his foot. The device flickered to life once again.

"How do I know all this? How do I know what the Godless have found? Ladies and Gentlemen... I shall now share with you a message sent to us by the leaders of the Godless... twenty-three days ago."

A hologram leaped from the box.
View attachment 5035
"The Tomb. The Goddess. Luthor, we want the same thing. Send me the Chosen. Unarmed. Unbugged. In return, I shall send you the co-ordinates. No-tricks now, Lex. No skrulls, no illusions. I swear to you that they shan't be harmed. Send me your War Council and the Goddess shall be set free. Once she's out? Well... it'll be all of yours against all of mine. Think about it, Luthor. Really think about it."

The hologram abruptly shut off.

"This!" Urien howled like a preacher. "This is why your leaders hide from you! They have unearth the secret they built the Fellowship to reveal! They no longer have a need for the rest of you! They intend to march you all of to die in another War against the Godless. Only this time, you shall have no stake in the matter. It won't be a rescue mission. It won't be a war of 'justice' or of 'morale'. It won't be a war for men. It will be a war for Gods. I have heard the plotting, my children. I have heard them scheme. Once their Goddess has been reborn, they will have no need for soldiers. Their Goddess will shoot fleets from the skies. They shall have no need for wise men. Their Goddess' 'wisdom' will become the only voice of 'reason'. With their Goddess reborn, there will be no Fellowship. There will be no unity. There will be no peace."

"Only her." Urien panted. A hint of desperateness danced in his eyes. "Only the Goddess."

"She will become absolute. All other faiths? All other Gods? All who reject the Goddess' light shall become blasphemers. We shall become Gogs and Magogs. My friends... if we do not stop the Goddessians... we shall face erasure on a cosmic scale... They say that power corrupts. We cannot trust the Goddessians with the power of mortals. If we grant them access to an absolute power, fate only knows what they might become."

As Urien spoke, his allies took to the stage. Seteth. Veranke. A young, green haired girl. A man dressed in the armor of Nox.

The stood behind him with their arms looped behind their backs.

"Followers of the Fellowship, the Secularists shall not stand idol whilst all we have built is burned."

"We cannot. In the name of Sothis, we refuse." Seteth proclaimed. "Now, more than ever, we need unity."

"We have never been a united front, but with the threat of the Goddess approaching..." Veranke hummed. "We need to work together. Sinner and Saint. Culture and culture."

"In the name of peace and sanity, we must act now." Urien felt his chest swell. He closed his eyes for a beat. He opened them to see a still and silent hall. "From this moment forth, the Secularist Faction has seceded from the Fellowship of the Faiths. We implore you all to join us. Together, we can stand tall against those who might see us erased."

"To the Goddess' Chosen, we would like to offer an olive branch." Seteth approached the end of the stage and reached down towards the former War Councillors. "Compa. IF. Brave. Magic. Ashe. Beau. Dina. Duke. Jester. Kuro. Maddie. Omni. Roman. Rory. Silque."

"Kolin." Urien added abruptly.

"You can still stand with us. Stand with your faiths. Don't let the Goddess define your fate. We won't force you to stand with us. We won't make hypocrites of ourselves."

"Join us." Urien added. "Think for yourselves, and join us."

@Jeremi @Yun Lee @Takumi @Lucky @Capri @York​

Big Mother feigned surprise as she clutched unto where Veranke had hit her. "I forgive you, Queen Veranke." She said it loud enough for the rest of the patrons to hear before she sulked away from the scene as well. Then another egomaniac decided to open his mouth.

"It's certainly telling..." Big Mother had moved in front of the crowd watching the grand theatrics of Urien. "That one name escaped your mind. Again. So much for unity, yes? Unity for all as long as they almost look like you?" She glared at Seteth for a moment before turning her attention towards Urien before letting out a guttural laugh. "You? You shall lead these people? Your only thought is to improve your own station and anyone in this room who believes otherwise is a fool."

She pointed an accusing finger towards the bronzed man. "You are nothing but pure ego," She looked at the others standing on stage with him. "And the only path this shepherd will lead his flock is to the slaughter. Gleefully on top of that. The only reason he is doing any of this is that he's furious because the others felt that he wasn't good enough to be part of their machinations, and rightfully so. I know what my visage makes people think, as well as my nature, but even I have far more credibility then he can ever dream of. So instead I will, much like Kolin, seek out a third option on the matter. Unless any of you staring down at us have anything else to offer than a bronze statue with illusions of grandeur leading us then well...consider yourself utterly doomed to fail. You can't kill all of us, after all,"

Big Mother added looking around the room. "That is why you're not letting anyone leave is it not? Easier to eliminate those that oppose you with everyone gathered at the same place." Her arms spread wide motioning around her. "Is this the new world order that you bring, Urien? Murder of the opposition in broad daylight? Condoned by his newfound allies on top of it!" It didn't matter if Urien was going to do it or not. All she needed to do was make people believe in it. Perhaps then another opportunity would present itself.

@Sark @Yun Lee @Takumi @Lucky @Capri @York

 

[Lucky]

Jester and Beauregard

" I think Jester would agree with me on this one. I support neither of the factions like Kolin." she replied.

" Yeah, I do. We don't even know what the Goddess herself wants. She revived us- that much is true, but there has never been a talk of making the religion she had only hers or even if she wanted that.

@Sark @Yun Lee @Takumi @Capri @York @Jeremi