Lord Cividil and the nine ministers of Babeldel seated around a Tungsten polished table, brooding over their recent encounters of resistance among the resurrectants and the annihilation of the remnants beyond the citadel’s outskirts—the last of what might be free humanity.
ERIK
The Goths of Citibaad must not be
allowed to reach the sentient state. Contact with outsiders, anyone beyond
these walls, is to be strictly prohibited. An outskirt rat mingling with our
Goths would spell disaster—and ultimately such encounters could lead to the
dissolving of our order.
ARGOS
Folds hands. Smiles knowingly.
The Goths, my bothers, are incapable
of true sentience. What the Goths imitate is not a display of true self
awareness. Rather, what we’ve seen thus far is a display of mimicking. The only
consciousness these resurrectants possess is the programming they’ve received
from the necro cloud.
ROCK
Doubled fists, and bloodless, strikes
the table.
Not so! Word has reached my ear with
quite different news, brother Argos!
A community of remnants is not far from this side of the blight. It is only a
matter of time…
WEASIL
Shakes his long wavy hair. He pens
what is said on to a block of parchment.
It is no rumor. Such a community does
indeed exist.
VRILOCK
—and of the agency protecting it?
WEASIL
I’ve noted it down as fact—that some
agency works against our purposes. Sorry, for the interruption, brothers.
Please continue.
ARGOS
Agency? Nonsense. Those in the blight
are nothing more than the offshoot of a careless project undertaken by our
former head master.
ERICK
Hardly should one of us refer to
Jon’s work as ‘careless’.
ARGOS
Ridiculous! I can’t believe what I’m
hearing!
WEASIL
It is a loose end to cleanse… nothing
more. I’ve noted your argument. Let us move on to more pressing issues. Please,
digress on the matter of the remnants. Continue otherwise.
ARGOS
Smiles knowingly and nods.
ERIK
In any event, the next horde of
Necrotep will sweep our communities branching out from the citadel. The time
draws near for his return. Perhaps, it would be wise if we cut those loose ends
from our concern, and—
ARGOS
Interrupts Erik.
No, no, no! I have invested a great
deal in spreading a culture through the surrounding outskirts of Babeldel!
ERIK
Continues.
--and instead fortify what we can
afford to reinforce with power and supply.
ARGOS
I won’t stand for this. My
investment? Timeless. Priceless work!
ERIK
Meet the demand, first and foremost,
brother Argos.
ARGOS
I understand the prophecies as well
as any of my fellow ministers here in this room. But, Jon’s army is a plan of
folly. That may just be my opinion.
Looks around the room.
Is it truly wise, my brothers? Is it?
To meet this dark force with resistance?
ROCK
What would you have us do, then?
Come. Enlighten us, brother Argos. What strategy have you mustered in all this
time you’ve spent on your collateralization projects with resurrectants in the
outskirts?
MEANWHILE…..
JOSEPH
Donning the cog-helm of the citadel,
the rogue slips through the necropolis under the veil of monster curfew
(a time when citizens are locked in their dorms due to the monsters unleashed
by the order of Babeldel.
TWO NECROBORGS
Eyes ignite like welding torches upon
sensing the presence of the rogue, Joseph.
((to be continued…))
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