"I assumed they would be targeting mere mortals, such as those who make up the new government," Mr. Bright explains to Willow, and taps one of the wall maps. "I just don't know how they would go about that. From the indications I've seen, they are gathering information to engage the Yodhrephath - but I have no idea how many aerial combatants the Yodhrephath have, and none of this would be of any use against their battleship. Unless they have more bases like this, getting the necessary manpower would also be daunting - they still lose ten men for every Yodhrephath. Suicide tactics are still the only working strategy."
"For now. I expect that soon it'll be twenty men to one Yodhrephath. Babel is changing, and so are the Yodh," Willow notes as she shrugs a little. "At least from what I learned while in discussions. Babel is changing for the first time in centuries."
The other unicorn frowns, and furrows his brow (which always looks odd when there's a central horn involved). "They can't possibly take on the city," Mr. Bright says. "So what is their goal? Attack a specific airship they know will have an escort? Hijack the Vigilant Eye? They surely can't go after more than one specific target with what they've shown.."
"Or kill a specific target. I'm sure they would love to kill the current Prime Minister," Willow notes and shrugs a little more. "At the current state, I suspect the loss of one or a few key people would but things in a bit of disarray. Or maybe they want to go in and recover something they left behind. Occupy defense long enough to go in and get whatever."
Mr. Bright turns and regards Willow more closely. "Something from the big ritual, perhaps?"
"Maybe? I couldn't tell you. I don't know much about it other than rumor and what news went abroad," Willow admits.
"I don't know enough either," the unicorn grumbles. It's the first show of frustration (or much of any emotion) Willow has seen him express. "I need a lever of some sort. Only the Raiders ever leave this place, so are the only ones that know our actual location. But I've no idea how many others are out there, working in secret. I don't even know how they are able to locate the airships they target."
Willow says nothing to that, even though she knows. Saying something would make her really suspicious. "I haven't really heard much on it other than some grumblings of crew complaining that it was to put them out of business," she claims.
"That.. is interesting," Mr. Bright notes. "They've been targeted before then?"
"I heard grumbles along those lines, yes. Them or at least other ships in the same line," Willow notes. "I only went with them because they were cheap and making finances extend meant I could visit more places."
Mr. Bright starts pacing. "The same ships.. so they aren't being destroyed.. Convenience?" he mutters. "No.. something about them must make them easy to find. Seeing if the Yodhrephath will give up, or leave a ship unescorted then? Checking them for stubbornness.. or.. predictability. Hmmm."
"Or they have a financial backer they're using to get funding from. So they're being 'paid' to disrupt this company, and they're using it as an opportunity to also further their goals. Why do something out of pocket if you can do it and get someone else to foot the bill?" Willow points out.
"It seems like a lot of effort to put someone out of business," Mr. Bright says. "Unless there is overlap, as you suggest. It's motivation that still has me flummoxed! Revenge and assassination are surely cheaper. They can't have unlimited funds, after all, and whatever they want has to be worth it. Are Babelites bloody-minded enough to risk so much for revenge, or are they after something? What's in Babel that would be worth the costs?"
"There you likely know more than me. The city is in ruins, but they do still sit on a lot of old technology buried in the ruins of the tower," Willow notes, "So, maybe something from there? Something they used to use with the old ruler? What id the one behind it all is the old ruler, that they did somehow keep him alive? How messed up with that be?"
"The Sabaoth has to be dead," Mr. Bright says, frowning further. "He was poisoned. If they could bring him back from that, they would have when they had access to the body. I doubt they can raise the dead. But, I admit that I do not know what procedure was used to keep moving the Sabaoth to new bodies."
"Raising the dead isn't impossible. I'm from Sylvania, I should know," Willow notes rather grimly. "You should research Amenlichli sometime."
"We don't get zombies in Saskanar," Mr. Bright claims. "But.. you point out that there are ways of doing it that don't require specialized equipment. But you're also correct in that the Tower is probably the world's biggest treasure chest. I didn't think the Royal Mages had access to it though to know what's in it. Although when things fell apart, anyone with that knowledge would have plenty of potential buyers."
"Or it really could just be simple, petty, revenge. Eeee are capricious creatures," Willow points out. "I wonder too if this is also the work of the former General. She has been causing issues in the city from what I heard. Rumor is she's the result of Eeee merged with some of that old technology. Maybe she needs something from there?"
This stops Mr. Bright in his hoof-tracks. "The General is a woman?" he asks. "I didn't think their old biotechnology was still workable after so long. The Plaguebringers didn't work out well.. but some sort of super-soldier.. The means to make more could be in there, or as you suggest, the General needs something. Or it could be a big distraction to tie things up before the real attack. It would need to be big and flashy and also satisfy revenge to some degree, so that it didn't look like a diversion.."
"That's what I heard, the General is a woman. Not surprising, Babel tends to be matriarchal," Willow comments as she swings her legs a little on the bed. "Or, it could all be unrelated. Really, this is pure guesswork. You know more than I do and would have a far better clue than I as to the true goal."
"I.. have too much cluttering up my thoughts.." Mr. Bright complains. He sits in a chair facing the bed and holds his head in his hands. "If only we had some booze to bribe a raider with. Even knowing where we are could be useful. Well, would be useful if there's any hope of escaping. At least for those of us not tied to the Doctor."
"Are you tied to this Doctor?" Willow has to ask. "And I do have to say, there is a way out I think. They use scent smoke to mark the path. You could follow it out as well as in."
"Smoke?" the man asks, looking up. "I have only met the Doctor.. or someone claiming to be the Doctor.. a few times when he comes to 'inspect' the operation. I don't know how long this base has been in operation, I was brought in with the raiders. Well.. kidnapped actually. They knew me well. We do tend to get predictable in our habits over time, I suppose."
"True enough," Willow concedes. "It's calming to have a consistent pattern to life." As for the comment about smoke, Willow says, "Yes, I could smell it when they brought me here. They were following it as it got stronger as we got closer. It was distinctive. Where did they kidnap you from?"
"And can you describe this Doctor? Eeee, I assume?" Willow asks.
"Yes, but he wears a mask," Mr. Bright says, and shivers in that skin-moving way equines have. "At least.. I think it was a mask, not a prosthetic face. I couldn't tell you his age. I never had a good eye for that sort of thing. But he did have a strong chemical odor."
"What kind of mask?" Willow asks. "That seems rather odd."
Holding his hands to his face, Mr. Bright tries to pantomime the shape, but gives up quickly. An Aeonian isn't as a long-faced as a Rhian, but it still longer than an Eeee. Instead he turns and takes a piece of paper (he is well stocked) and starts sketching. "I can draw maps and diagrams, but art is not one of my talents," he laments. Eventually he shows Willow something that looks like a skull worn on top of an Eeee's head. But only to the forehead, with lens-covered eye-sockets.
"That sounds almost like a plague mask," Willow admits, "Variants were common in Sylvania, oh, a century or so ago. But the skull motif is ... Sunala-ish. Curious."
"Any accent in his voice? Odd manner of speaking?" Willow asks.
"Whispery," Mr. Bright says, and tilts his head. "Come to think of it.. a bit like Mr. Cottonmouth. I never considered that the Doctor might have a throat injury. That would be rather bad for an Eeee, wouldn't it, if he couldn't use sonar."
"Crippling, if he's also vision-impaired," Willow notes. "Male or female? I know it's hard to tell with Eeee."
"Oh.. I couldn't say," Mr. Bright admits. "One of the patients might know. Or.. not. The Doctor doesn't exactly wear flattering clothing. Reminds me of a beekeeper."
"But, has wings? Any ear scarring?" Willow asks.
"Wings yes, no scars that I noticed," Mr. Bright replies. "Is ear scarring indicative of some sort of special initiation or ritual?"
"No, more that he was tortured, or punished. The voice might be the result of being hanged," Willow points out.
The unicorn rubs his throat. "Hanged.. I wonder if that's how our pirate friends made his acquaintance then. The ones that weren't stabbed."
"I think the one's throat was cut, not hanged. That isn't Yodhrephath ways of justice for pirates, though. I heard they use bugs to eat them alive," Willow comments. "My city escort warned me of such, and to not run afoul of them."
"Saskanar hangs them," Mr. Bright notes. "It.. can take a while. Eeee are light, and Vartans have thick necks. It's rare enough though. Not a lot to loot in Saskanar, except for fruit and hogs. And unicorns, apparently."
"You're likely their most valuable haul. I'm a liability," Willow comments dryly.
"They aren't going to know you're here," Mr. Bright promises. "I.. just have to make sure everyone forgets they saw you or something. Mr. Sackcloth has a lot of drugs that could probably be used."
"How long will that last, realistically? One of them may sell me out for their freedom," Willow points out. "Given where I've lived for a couple centuries, I tend to be a bit, well, cynical about such things."
"Those men have lost the notion of freedom, I think," Mr. Bright says. "I will talk to Sackcloth. He can probably convince the.. custodians.. here. The raiders will want something."
"Stitch is not likely to agree to anything," Willow notes. "You could just let me leave if you are that concerned about my safety."
"Without knowing where we even are?" Mr. Bright asks. "This place may only be reachable by air. Hidden pirate fortresses generally aren't easy to get into and out of. I'll think of something before the Doctor arrives for his report.."
"And knowing the way things tend to go, he'll be here in an hour," Willow remarks a bit sarcastically. "And I still don't know for certain you aren't the Doctor."
"The men aren't afraid of me," Mr. Bright notes. "But you can ask some of the others. I.. assume.. they will give the same description. I really do believe there may be multiple doctors. The mask and odor would hide quite a bit."
"Sackcloth and the others seemed quite afraid of you," Willow notes.
He then gets up and sits next to Willow on the bed. "The Doctor usually comes a few days after a raid. I've tried timing it. But now that I know it's the same set of airships being targeted, then the Doctor must watch for them to land, or spot them by some other means before coming here."
"Don't risk yourself over me. I'm not afraid of dying; I've seen far too much and often feel very worn from the long years," Willow claims. "And I don't know how long I have been here already. It's been at least a few days since the raid, I think."
"This is the third day," Mr. Bright says. "What would you like for dinner?" he then asks. "There are oats.. and.. boiled oats. Dried corn too. Well, and jerky, but that's for the carnivores."
"Oats is fine," Willow says. "I'm a bit tired of, well, mush."
"You can still get hot water on the side," Mr. Bright says. "Mr. Sackcloth has some sort of tea as well. I isn't dried, but a liquid he adds to the water.. very sparingly. You'd think the raiders would bring back something to eat, but I suspect they can't really taste things anymore."
"They're practically zombies," Willow notes grimly. "Tea would be nice, though."
"They still crap, so I assume they're alive," Mr. Bright notes. "They just don't seem to feel alive. Have any.. visited you.. already?" he asks next. "I can't control them."
"Stitch has, the jerk," Willow grouses. "He ... enjoyed me."
"Enjoyed?" Mr. Bright asks, and pats his shirt pocket until he finds a many-folded piece of scrap paper and a bit of pencil. "Would you say he had an actual orgasm then?" he asks, preparing to take notes.
"Yes?" Willow says uncertainly. "Is this a problem?"
"What about the others?" he asks. "Would you say they had normal responses? Did any of them seem surprised?"
"He was the only one of the raiders. Cottenmouth and Sackcloth enjoyed it, but they didn't seem abnormal. Why?" Willow asks.
"Hmm, I've been wondering if the raiders are able to feel pain or pleasure anymore," Mr. Bright says. "They seem to be the ones with the worst wounds.. although, not all of them have anything visible, so I could be way off in my assumptions."
"Well, he seemed rather surprised by it. But then how many have actual experience with an Aeonian, after all?" Willow points out. "Not everyone even believes we exist."
"Is there something special about Aeonians that makes for a better experience.. aside from potential accumulated muscle memory?" Mr. Bright asks.
"You should know that as much as I would," Willow points out. "Unless you are not real."
"I don't remember if I ever had a mate.. Aeonian or not," Mr. Bright notes. "I'm surprised things still.. work. Have you had many lovers?"
"No, not many. There isn't much point to it," Willow claims.
"You don't enjoy it then?" the other unicorn asks.
"Do you? Willow asks.
"I'm beginning to appreciate it," Mr. Bright admits. "I'd like to experiment further if you're willing."
"Are you sure that is wise?" Willow asks, tilting her head a little as she does so. "Becoming emotionally attached could be very dangerous."
"I think we both want to leave here," the man says. "I hadn't considered the likelihood of becoming bonded in some way, however." He looks thoughtful, and then asks, "How much contact does it take?"
"I have no idea," Willow admits and shrugs a little.
Mr. Bright leans in, gives Willow a peck (insomuch as a unicorn can peck) on the cheek. Then he watches for Willow's reaction.
Willow just gives Mr. Bright an odd look. "I am not sure what it is you really want from me," she admits, quietly.
"I would like to have more sex with you," Mr. Bright says plainly. "And talk. I'm curious about Sylvania. Although I do need to talk to Mr. Sackcloth about keeping you hidden."
"Well, all right. At least you are honest about that," Willow agrees. "When did you wish to talk to the Rhian about me?" she now asks. "And dinner before anything else is probably wise."
"He usually joins me for dinner," Mr. Bright says. "So we can discuss it then. After may be best, I agree. We can sleep afterwards more easily."
Willow bobs her bead. "All right," she says. There's a pause from her, then a single brow arches a little and she inquires, "Are you taking notes about your experiences with me?"
"Of course," Mr. Bright says. "I need to record what seems to work best, after all. In a hundred years, I may need to refer to them."
"What, you think you will meet throngs of Aeonians to ravish?" Willow has to ask.
"Of course not, but it's always possible we may run into one another again," the man says. "We've done it once already."
"Highly unlikely, but possible," Willow must concede.
Mr. Bright stands up, and says, "I'll go see to the dinner arrangements, if you don't mind being alone for a bit."
"I am often alone. I will be fine," Willow says. "I will not go anywhere, but you will lock the door anyway..."
"My door only bars from the inside," Mr. Bright says. "I don't have anything the men consider worth stealing. Were would they go with it, after all? And the raiders don't read, I think." He then leaves and closes the door behind him.
The raiders don't, but Willow does. She waits a few minutes, then gets up to go examine his maps and visible notes. She'll also glance over any bound books to see if the spines denote what they may contain.
The notes are written in a very tight script - Mr. Bright still tries to conserve paper. The problem is that they're written in a language that is both familiar and obscure: Exile. Willow last saw it on a torque meant for controlling a Shadow Dragon. Of all the things for an Aeonian to remember! The diagrams are a lot clearer, showing reenactments of the raid battles with the Yodhrephath, along with red X's to denote the casualties. Since the raiders bring back the bodies of the fallen, it might make Willow wonder what happens to them. The books are more easily read. There are some treatises on military tactics (which may or may not have been written by Mr. Bright using different names over the ages), books on herbology (which might actually belong to Mr. Sackcloth) and many, many history books, including a few about Babel, since it has traditionally been the dominant power on the continent. Some of the books look very old, showing signs of having been rebound several times.
"So, do you think this guy was one of the dragon-slayers?" Kaira asks from Willow's shoulder. "It's almost pitiable what's become of this world's unicorns."
"Dragon Slayers? Well, I think he was someone important once. I still don't trust him, though. Also, I wish I could read this language. Not being able to gives me away as a fraud," Willow remarks a bit dryly as she pulls out the oldest-looking Babel history book and idly flips through it, skimming pages quickly for anything that might talk about the royal mages.
"Oh, I'm sure most Aeonians have forgotten it in favor of languages they can use to actually communicate with people," Kaira says. "It does hint that this fellow is a scholar." She also cranes her neck to read.. well, not over Willow's shoulder but the intent is there.
"It's a good thing I've seen a lot through the memories of others in the dagger so I can sound old," Willow remarks as she glances towards Kaira and arches a brow at her odd-peering behavior. "Do you trust him, then?"
The book does talk about the history of the Sabaoth, while speculating on just how far back the current wearer of the title (it was written a few decades back) actually goes. "While the ruler of Babel claims to be one of the first Eeee created by the god Bael, there is little in the way of a paper trail in that regard. Certainly, he has been around long enough to have re-written history to his liking.." one part says. Of the Royal Mages, there are only hints of what dark rituals are needed to 'assist' in the Sabaoth's immortality. The author does go out of his way to wonder why the Yodh themselves are not involved in the process. Especially the Yodhsunala.
"Well, that's easy to answer; because subverting death goes against them. Why would they help?" Willow remarks rather dryly. She skims a bit more in that area, seeing if there are any hints or mentions of specific ritual items used, or a place, or well, anything more definite about it.
"He talks like an accountant who only has ink-stained fingers and a hunched back to remind him that he's alive," the dragon comments. "And of course I don't trust him. He's a unicorn! You can't trust fey creatures or dragons you know. And elves.. elves are a whole other basket of crazy.."
"So, by those rules, you also don't trust me. After all, I'm a mix of all of that at this point," Willow points out and sighs softly. "What could the mages want? It can't just be simple revenge, that would just be stupid. They want to grab ... something. Or someone."
The book does talk of rumors about a special chamber in the Palace - long gone now, thanks to the Boomer - and the possible need for intermediary bodies or sacrifices. The Royal Mages didn't exactly have a retirement option, and lived very well for their expertise and silence, seldom being seen outside of the palace itself. But they survived the Boomer and expanded their influence to other mages for the big Dream Ritual - but then it's common knowledge/rumor that the High Princess was behind the Boomer all along.
"Or they really are working with the General," Kaira offers. "At least, I can see why she might need them, if not the other way around."
"IF he hasn't found anything in these, it's doubtful I will either," Willow remarks. Curious, though, she quick-skims for any mention of the Barsunala in the Babel history texts. A recent might actually even mention him afer all.
"Why would she need them? Transference to a new body?" Willow asks.
None of the books seem to be less than a decade old, unfortunately. But there are descriptions of many of the lesser deities of Babel - and there are a lot of them - of which the Barsunala is mentioned. Not as the son of Sunala though, but as a co-god of sorts, with Sunala being the harsh side of death and the Barsunala (also called the Osirus in some legends) representing the journey of death. This was apparently back before the concept of the Sea of Souls as the final destination for everyone.
"Quite possibly, yes, unless they can cure undeath," Kaira replies. "More likely the former though. Who knows what went into making the General after all. Stuff they might have in their possession.. or need to replenish from somewhere in the Tower."
"It would be very hard to get in the Tower. The lower levels are sealed off, and mosters roam within. Nasty ones," Willow comments idly as she amusingly reads variants on her own 'legend' as it were. She puts the books back where she found them so it doesn't look like she has been too nosy, at least. "What would they get out of it, though? I cannot imagine they want to risk such things without some major reward."
"If the General conquers Babel, I suppose they could have whatever they wanted," the mini-dragon says. "But, as for goals.. you may have just mentioned one. The Tower of Babel has monsters haunting it? What would happen if someone let them out?"
"Chaos," Willow comments. "I've been in there before; nasty place. But I suppose that is possible. If they planned to attack in reality on the Apex, it would fit."
"Divide the forces of the defenders," Kaira says. "Or attacking shipping. Either the Yodh abandon the merchants to defend the city, or they defend the merchants and lose the city. Either way, a blow to their reputation. There are a lot of ways to bring a city to a grinding halt with a few well-placed disruptions. But.. well, I don't think they'd work on the sprawl of Babel, not when it doesn't really have big veins or communication hubs."
"It would make sense, I suppose. But again, it's just a guess. There simply isn't enough information to determine anything for certain. No one here claims to know anything," Willow says and sighs. "So, now, do I wait for the Doctor to make his appearance, or do I contact Tulani and bring an end to this?"
"Might be worth contacting her just to let her know you're alive," Kaira points out. "And find out if she was able to follow the raiders back here."
"But, if this Doctor is coming, having her watch for any air traffic going into the mountains might be handy too," the dragon offers.
"Can't really do that until bedtime. I could ask her to look into how some of the mages were dealt with to see if their injuries line up with anything known," Willow comments, then yawns a little, probably just from mentioning bedtime. She frowns a little and notes, "I make a terrible unicorn."
"Hey, I helped craft that body," Kaira points out. Willow can sense two familiar auras approaching down the hall though: Sackcloth and Bright. Presumably bring dinner.
"Not the body, I can't be as obnoxious and haughty as you are, so not a very good unicorn," Willow quips, then stills right afterward. "And on that note, you need to hide; they're coming back now and I have to be a sociable unicorn whore. Just watch the pair decide they want to double-team me..."