An Emergency Session [Plot|Open]

After being kidnapped, Roark had been brought to the mountains in the north of Reim. A maze of cave systems served as a hideout for the Brotherhood of Ash, one of their most secure locations in the country. They confiscated his weapons and kept Garva in a different section of the caves to reduce the chances of Roark escaping. Thrown in a cell deep underground, Roark had spent the past couple days alone, except when his captors brought him food and drink.

Laying down on a slab of stone that served as his cot, Roark sat up when he heard footsteps drawing close. A moment later, the heavy metal door swung open and Zordon stepped inside. "Good morning, Councillor. I trust you've found our hospitality suitable to your taste." Zordon ignored Roark's snort of disbelief and gestured for someone to enter.

An elderly man limped in, carrying a small table which he set in the center of the room. He placed an inkwell, a quill, and parchment on the table before quickly scurrying away. Zordon pointed to the table, "I need you to write a letter to the Council for us. I would advise against including any coded messages or you'll have to rewrite it after you have been disciplined."

Roark nodded, keeping his emotions from showing on his face. This was his chance to get a message to the outside world, regardless of what Zordon said. He would just have to be careful. "What do you want me to say?" Roark asked as he scooted the table over to his cot and picked up the quill.

"That you ran away after being attacked by the Fanalis Corp...."

---

A cloaked figure rode atop a dusty, gray donkey pulling a small merchant's cart behind it. They slowly made their way through the forest bordering the El Nagi lands without running into any patrols. They were helped by an overcast sky, blocking the pale, blue moon from shining down. Once outside of the forest, the lone traveler nudged his ragged mount over a hilly expanse. He came to a halt atop a ridge and peered down at the flickering campfires in the valley below. Hidden beneath his cloak, a cruel smirk curled on his lips as he observed the activity in the El Nagi village.

A few moments later, he heard the rustle of fabric in the wind and turned to see a few flying carpets settle down nearby. Each carpet carried a cloaked rider and several caskets encased in ice. One of the riders approached the man atop the donkey, ”Everything is in place, Imhotep.”


Imhotep pulled back the hood of his cloak, letting his long, golden hair loose in the breeze. His golden hues fell on the man who had spoke and nodded in approval. ”Good. I appreciate you and your organization’s assistance, Lucien.” Slipping off his mount, Imhotep walked over to the carpets and glanced over the caskets. ”Melt the ice, we’ll begin now.”

While the others hurried to do as he asked, Imhotep pulled out a jagged, black dagger from his belt. Exhaling softly, he raised the dagger in the air and began to chant. ”I offer my flesh, Talos, accept my sacrifice and raise an army of the fallen to overwhelm our foes.” As he spoke, black Rukh swarmed around his body. When the fluttering birds of depravity faded away, Imhotep was covered in a black armor and instead of a dagger, he now wielded a giant axe.

With a mad glimmering in his golden iris, Imhotep slammed the axe into the ground. ”Awaken!” At his command, the caskets burst open as the occupants freed themselves from their slumber. Dressed in tattered Fanalis Corp uniforms, the groaning and ashen-faced decaying corpses limped to their master. Once they were all assembled, Imhotep pointed to the El Nagi village. ”Go forth and wreck havoc!”

The walking corpses charged down the hill and into the valley below with Imhotep flying overhead.

---

Exhaustion was evident in Cassandra and Wei Tenji’s expressions while they listened to Octavius recount his knowledge for the tenth time. It had been a few days since Roark’s disappearance and it had left their planning for the republic in shambles. As if they didn’t have enough on their plate, now they apparently had to worry about Lagi returning with an army to keep his throne.

Cassandra shook her head, ”You’re telling us that you intercepted information that proved Roark and Lagi were planning to use force to keep the throne? That doesn’t sound like Roark at all…”

Octavius nodded with a grunt. He hadn’t wanted to believe that Roark was involved, especially after all the work they had put in to start the transition into a republic, but after the El Nagi had slaughtered his escort, he wasn’t sure what to think anymore. ”I agree, but the circumstances speak otherwise. We can continue to discuss how unbelievable it is, but I don’t think that’s productive. For now, we should discuss what is next. If Lagi is en route with an army, then we need to start planning for a battle.”

”This country is finally recovering from the last war and now we have another on our hands?” Cassandra let out an exasperated sigh and leaned back in her seat. ”We should wait until the acting head of the Unity Corp arrives to discuss war plans. We’ll need their assistance if we’re to fight.”

Octavius opened his mouth to question if the Unity Corp’s loyalties when a voice entered his mind. The experience was disorienting, but it wasn’t the first time it happened. His posture went rigid and he looked towards the remaining Councillors. By the looks on their faces, they had received a message too..”Looks like we don’t have much time. Lagi is on the way here.”

Cassandra gestured to one of the guards standing by the door, ”Then we’ll hear his side of the story. Find the Emperor and escort him here as soon as he arrives. We have much to discuss with him.”

Lagi came into the door rather dramatically, pushing both  of them open.  There was a bit of silence as he walked in, the sounds of the council room were a bit muffled at the sound of his  footsteps. The the face of the king of reim was definitely a sight to behold, he was not happy at the moment,  He as actually not happy at all . After taking his seat, the first thing that he did was turn to octavius"  You attacked my village,  and my fathers missing, whats the meaning of this?! There were people, innocent people and they were under my care, just like your precious fanalis family, my own family, Gone!   Was my outlawing of slavery only meant to increase your army or give the people a chance, why did my people have to suffer based on accusations that  even be proved, you want a blood test? Bring the clairvoyance mage in then!" Lagi would say as he breathed a bit hard and tried to calm himself down, cutting his  his hand with his El Nagi knife that  showed he was the heir and showing a bloodied had for those to see.

"I think i'll spearhead the start of this conversation if you dont mind. With whatever authority i have left  id like to atleast have the first say. As soon as i arrived into  Reim, i made sure i contacted every single one of you, telling you what happened.  I did some good work for our kou neighbor and uncovered a viable piece of evidence  related to the dark hand, a witness, you know exactly what i'm talking about.  Now when something as big as "people  literally being  something other than who they are supposed to be", especially after fatal situations, my village gets attacked when he gets entrusted in witness protection, when the location of witness protection is my village? Isn't that a bit of coincidence? You think im doing this for fun? Everything i did so far was to help the council,  screening might nor even be enough when these people can be manipulated,  and now we definitely dont know who  or what, or as much as what we would of know by learning from kalace.

Lagi shook his head .  I retrieved an update from the unity corps, and trust me , they are all around,  my father was taken from the safety of the  palace of kings to meet with you based of of suspicion, when we are supposed to trust each other...."  Lagi was alot more angry, alot more broken than hes showing the council right now, but he muffled his tears in hidan's  embrace and  was calmed by kohai beforehand.

The conversation came to an abrupt stop when Lagi entered the room. A nervous energy filled the air as Octavius, Cassandra, and Wei Tenji turned to face the Emperor. They watched him carefully, all wondering the same thing. What was Lagi going to do? Even though the councillors found it difficult to believe that Roark would act so selfishly, making their efforts towards building a Republic fruitless, they wouldn't exactly put it past Lagi. Nevertheless, Cassandra and Wei Tenji were eager to hear what Lagi had to say.

Octavius gave Lagi a look of disbelief at the Emperor's outrageous accusation. As Lagi continued to berate him, the General grew increasingly irritated. When he couldn't take it anymore, Otavius interrupted Lagi with a growl. "You waltz in here and accuse me of harming your village? I have done no such thing!"

Cassandra flashed Octavius a scolding look and he settled down, clearly unhappy with the turn of events. She gestured for Lagi to continue, waiting for him to finish before speaking up. She recalled the message Lagi spoke of and the odd sensation of having it relayed directly in her mind. "Yes, you did call us, but only after you had been here for some time."

Bringing her hands to her temples, Cassandra took a moment to process everything that had been said today. Octavius had reason to suspect Lagi's true motives in Kou, but the only evidence to speak of was a letter. Not only that, but Lagi firmly believed that his village had been attacked and that Octavius was behind it. Whatever was going on, Cassandra was determined to find some answers. The country did not need a petty power struggle right now.

Mustering as much of a diplomatic tone as she could, Cassandra shared a look with Wei Tenji before glancing between the two men. "Lagi, if your reasons for visiting Kou were to investigate the Dark Hand, then I see merit in it. However, there have been reports that you also had other reasons for going. Such as gaining Yoshiro's support to keep your throne." Before he could speak, she raised a hand to silence him. "Please wait. While I want to know if that is true or not, first, let me finish. Octavius wanted to find out the truth from his friend and sent an escort as a precaution. A few hours later the escorts were found dead and Roark was nowhere to be found. Also, you mentioned your village. This is the first I'm hearing of an attack. Are you-"

The door swung open and Cassandra's secretary appeared in the doorway. "Pardon my intrusion," she said, a rosy tint filling her cheeks as she realized she had interrupted a serious conversation. She hurried over to the councillor and whispered in her ear. "I'm sorry, but this is very important." She handed the woman a rolled-up piece of parchment and then quickly exited the room.

Cassandra arched a brow while unraveling the scroll to read the letter. Wei Tenji stood up and hovered over the other woman's shoulder to see what it said.


Impatient, Octavius gave Cassandra and irritated look, "What is it? What does the letter say?"

Wei Tenji looked up from the letter with a frown. She glanced at Lagi, giving him a sympathetic look, before turning to Octavius. Both her and Cassandra felt a knot in their stomach and their faces were pale. "It's a letter from Roark. He claims you sent men to attack him. He also says this business with him and Lagi is part of some paranoid conspiracy that you've concocted."

Cassandra's foremost thought was the irony of the situation. The evidence for both sides was simply a couple of letters, nothing solid. They could be forgeries for all they know. If Lagi were to ask to see the letter, Cassandra would hand it over. Upon closer inspection, he would be able to notice a curious-shaped ink splotch near the bottom. It was highly likely that the El Nagi would find it interesting because it was in the shape of a certain compass, passed down to him by his father. The compass was lost now, but its likeness was there on the parchment, pointing to the north.

As if there weren't enough interruptions, the doors would burst open once again. This time, a shadowy blur would streak from the doorway towards Octavius. In the blink of an eye, a black-cloaked figure stood behind the Fanalis General with a knife at his throat.

"Octaviusss! It wasss your men that attacked the village! All the witnesssess sssaw Fanalisss wearing the Fanalisss Corp uniform." The Nagi Orai hissed, his face a mask of rage.

Wei Tenji's sympathetic look made Lagi uneasy. He actually felt afraid of the contents of the letter, not knowing what to expect and at the same time, he kind of did. Let me see!" Lagi would say as he walked over immediately and looked at the letter."It..... my dad's handwriting...." Lagi already heard the details from Wei Tenji, but read along with his eyes. "You told us that you sent escorts, but you sent....assassins....for my father....." Lagi was trying to maintain his composure. What was he to do with octavius right now? Is there something fishy going on, or is there an actual power struggle However, Lagi's eye did pick up on something to the left side of the letter as he noticed a resemblance. First thing that lagi did was sweat a little. "Oh shit he knows i lost it........" Lagi would say under his breath as he cursed garret for not taking the job to find the compass, as well as filing his other job as well, Lagi wanted a serious refund at this point. "This isn't a forgery, this is the shape of the el nagi comapss. It's called a rukh compass, specially designed to find the place,being, item in question. We had one for el drago, Draconis has no reason to lie if you want to ask him. But octavius...... this is something that only the elders, me and my father knows, but as for this letter you had...." Lagi took a step forward, but stopped as soon as the nagi orai member slithered through and placed a knife to the fanalis's neck.

Lagi was silent for a moment, contemplating whenever this should be a full on fight right now, or focus more on saving his father immediately. "Wait......my brother... calm your rage.... i was just as angry,...believe me......" Lagi 's voice was full of emotion and doubt, should he be stopping the Nagi Orai member from killing octavius, or attempt it? It would just endanger another one of Lagi's people, and he had a duty as the leader of the clan to keep them well guarded. Lagi took the letter and beckoned the Nagi orai member over there. If he was to breathe in easily and calm himself enough to listen to the young king and heir, he would see the compass and notice that it was the Rukh compass. The nagi orai worked closely with Lagi's father before, they probably seen it a few times. " North....." Lagi would say as he nodded at the Nagi orai. " Basically we need to pinpoint the exact location of where all this played out and head north of there, the apparent killing's of Octavius's men and the my father's apparent attempts of escaping if he did. Any traces of blood is to be brought to the nearest clairvoyance mage for interpenetration. Lagi rubbed his palm and wrapped his sash over it tightly to stop the bleeding. " That's my proposed plan of action for here, as well as making sure that Octavius doesnt move around too much. He could stay on house arrest, right now actually. For your "Safety", your presence and the presence of other fanalis corp members isn't something my people need right now, there is few city operations that's dependent on el nagi expertise, the beasts they provide, breed, care for, and train for the sake of seeing this city prosper. Some of those people lost a loved one today, with you having a target pointed at you.

Of course, the fanalis, even the ones that i freed, will probably take your side and rebel against any sort of retaliation. Imagine what would happen? " Lagi let this sink in for a moment before continuing. "Feel free to dislike me as much as you want, but you should of second guessed the information you received, like i said about the dark hand and the information i got from kalace, "People looking like the people we know, but they aren't, and its something that's not caused by magic. You probably thought nothing of it, i mean... what does the council truly expect from me anymore anyway? Nothing noble, right? I get it, no one believes in me anymore." Lagi would then sigh a bit before handing the letter back to Wei and shifting towards the door.

Cassandra and Wei Tenji gasped, staring at the knife at the Fanalis General's throat. 'They are going to kill Octavius if I don't stop them....' Just as Cassandra found her voice, Lagi spoke up. For the first time in Council history, Lagi thought with his head instead of his heart. Instead of urging the Nagi Orai to kill Octavius, Lagi called his clansmen off. The two Councillor's jaws dropped, staring at Lagi in disbelief. 'For someone worried about impersonators, his actions are quite uncharacteristic.' Cassandra mused to herself.

Hand on the hilt of his sword, sheathed at his hip, Octavius trembled with rage. Everything about the situation pissed him off. Lagi had managed to waltz into the room and twist everything around. Somehow, Octavius had gone from accuser to suspect. He knew that Cassandra and Wei Tenji doubted his story, even when one of Lagi's goons had tried to kill him. All because of one letter from Roark. A letter! A harsh laugh burst from Octavius' throat as the irony struck him. The only lead Octavius had was a letter from Lagi to Roark that Sly had intercepted.

When Lagi suggested keeping Octavius out of the investigation and on house arrest, Octavius nearly lost it. "Cassandra, listen to him! He wants to stop me from digging around, so I don't uncover whatever he's planning! Are you going to allow this?"

Cassandra looked from Lagi to Octavius, her expression making it clear that she felt out of her league. What was she supposed to do? If Octavius was right, then Lagi should be under lock and key. However, if Lagi was right, then Octavius should be the one locked up. 'Curse these damned letters!' She closed her eyes, cradling her head in her palms as she took a few deep breaths. She felt Wei Tenji's hand on her shoulder, the woman offering her support silently.

Able to think a bit clearer, she reflected on the problem once again. Even though Lagi was able to verify Roark's letter wasn't a forgery, that didn't mean the words were true. The two men could have conspired together to protect their cover. At the same time, the letter Octavius intercepted could have been a forgery too. Really, her only choice was to lock them both up while someone else investigated the matter, but she didn't know who else she could trust.

Making her decison, Cassandra tilted her head back up and turned to both men. "I don't know if I can trust either of you right now, but I don't have a choice. Both of you will investigate Roark's disappearance and the attack on the El Nagi lands...together. You will share your findings with each other, keeping me in the loop, and figure out what the hell is going on so we can finish building a Republic. And if I hear that you so much as give each other a dirty look, I will throw you both in a cell to rot." She flashed a fiery look to both men to see if they understood. "Is that acceptable?"

Octavius opened his mouth to object, but upon seeing the look in Cassandra's eye, he decided against it. While staring at Lagi, he slowly nodded his head. "Fine. I will find out who is behind all this. I promise you that." With a huff, Octavius turned towards the door, deciding to leave now before he grew angrier. "I'll start getting a team ready now. Tomorrow night, I'll have a report for the both of you. I hope you do too, Lagi." With that, he left the room, closing the door behind him.

“Excuse me? “ Lagi would say as he raised his eyebrow and blocked Octavius from leaving.
“Look Cassandra, I am quite fond of you, I knew you was a great choice for the council and I have full   confidence in your capabilities in a leadership position. But….” Lagi made sure to turn around and maintain eye contact with Cassandra.



“I am still the emperor,  and right now,  you’re better off believing me mover Octavius.  My place is in a bit of shambles, and it took everything I had…. Believe me when I say this…..EVERYTHING I HAD…. IN ORDER TO…..*Breathes in…* keep myself composed. Do not threaten me again. “ Lagi obviously didn’t like that at all, there was a certain number of things that were keeping him on edge. “ This is the last time I will say this, and no, this time it won’t be up for discussion. Octavius stays, the Nagi Orai, El Nagi, and the unity corps will be taking on this problem and putting a stop to it on our own.   This is obviously a ploy of internal affairs, the absence of a council member with another council member standing as the accused, this is the responsibility of the corps and my family all at the same time. Octavius has no place in this, especially if he’s proven to be the culprit. The friendship with my father means nothing to this man. Why would he send of my father if the pure trust he had in his friend could overcome that? Why not visit him yourself at the palace of kings? Did you remove him from the safety of the palace to keep him exposed and at your mercy?

Lagi would then fold his arms. “I won’t be working with him, he’s under house arrest. And like I said, letting him out there so suddenly after what happened is going to create a backlash that you can’t handle, I swear.  It only shows a reflection that after what my people have seen, and Octavius being the representation of the council, you still allow Octavius to roam, in any way that you want, basically accepting what happened and neglecting the feelings of my clan. Production will stop entirely, you might even damage a long lasting relationship with a clan that has been here supporting this country for generations. The dim gleam of a hero that name carries so much weight, in this situation now, how much does this hero mean to you?    “ Lagi then looks at Octavius. Feel free to stay here and protect the other council members with your corp and yourself personally if you want Octavius, but you won’t be leaving the palace of kings.  You can have any kind of luxury, whatever wine, ill give you the benefit of the doubt and the courtesy of hospitality during your stay while were trying to find out what’s going on,  but that’s all.  Anything more, you’ll be answering to me, and if it’s a fight you want, everyone else….clear the room. “

Lagi wasn’t budging, this was what he decided on doing, and he was going to do this alone. He had no desire to work with someone who doubted him.

The tension in the air was so thick it was nearly palpable. Two of Reim's titans were staring the other down, a storm of emotions playing over their countenances. Cassandra and Wei Tenji were unable to do anything more than stand back and watch as Lagi goaded Octavius. They could see the General's face growing more red by the minute as the Emperor berated him. It was clear that Octavius was doing his best to keep the situation from escalating, even going so far as to attempt to leave the room before his temper got the best of him, but Lagi wouldn't have that. Cassandra felt a twinge of guilt for Lagi's actions; if she could take back her threat to the two men, then she would have. Clearly, it had pushed Lagi to his limits. 'Or perhaps he really doesn't want Octavius digging any deeper...' She kept the thought to herself, not daring to make the situation any worse.

During Lagi's speech, Octavius' hand found its way to the hilt of his blade, every fiber of his Fanalis heritage screamed to jam it into the Emperor's throat. Just when he thought he had reached his breaking point, something caught his attention. A cloaked figure materialized from the shadows and approached the two heated men. At first Octavius assumed it was another of the Nagi Orai and his warrior instincts kicked in. When he recognized that the man was Bahir, the General's posture seemed to relax slightly.

Octavius thought Bahir's advice was wise, he had been trying to cool off when Lagi stepped in his path. He was more than happy to resume discussions at a later time, when tempers weren't high, but the situation rested firmly on Lagi's shoulders. Octavius had no plans to be held hostage in the Palace, kept from investigating what was going on in his country. If Lagi wouldn't budge from that, then he and Octavius would have to settle their differences in battle.

Octavius turned to Lagi with an arched brow, his hand now off the hilt of his blade, but still close enough to grab it if need be. "I agree with Bahir. What say you?"

Lagi didn't necessarily budge at all when Bahir showed up. Lagi looked at bahir with the side of his eye and made a small sound before looking away. " Fine, this is no time to be fighting anyway. However, its quite apparent that not many people in this room trust me, or respect me for that matter. Have i not even earned a bit of that? I bust my ass for this country, and the first thing i hear when i come back is accusations of wanting to take over my own home, and threaten me with jail when the conspiracy theorist with high blood pressure starts catching one of his epilepsy fits when i go as far as lifting my leg to take a piss? Well let me tell you something about your....precious fanalis corps.

Lagi would say as he went face to face with octavius. " I went to the Eligos dungeon with Merrze, Ayero was there as well with azix as the opposing group. I wasn't the challenger, Merrze was, and so was Ayero, so in the end, all of that power, falls under your group, in the simple sense that i was a supporting pillar in either side that falls in your favor in the end. Speaking of the end...did you know waht the djinn asked? Only one, Merrze and Ayero was asked to pick up a blade and kill each other, they went through with it with ayero being the fresher of the two. Could you imagine your children, bonds being tested as ayero removed limb after limb with her blade... Merrze screaming in agony, all for the sake of power! Yes, that's right, that's all what this is about... power. For the sake of power, one of your beloved children had to die for the other to achieve that means, are you proud?! Or do they not have names in your group? Faceless warriors with red hair that come and go, with no notion of their own personal feelings, hopes, or regrets?"

Lagi would say as he slammed his hand on the table. "They are no different, and no offense to ayero but the only reason merrze didn't die that day was because of convenience, i was there, Azix was there, its almost as if she had the insurance of life, but what if that wasn't an available option..what then? Is this something you could be proud of? As a leader? As a father figure to these girls? The point is.... those bonds were weak octavius... weakening bonds destroy everything we work hard for. Think about it....what of the bonds we have now? You and me? Me and EVERYONE ELSE IN THIS ROOM?!" After lagi said his peace, he proceeded to leave after looking at Bahir and the rest of the council one last time.

-Exit

Octavius had started to calm down when Lagi went off on another tirade. Posture rigid, he stood impassive, letting the Emperor's words wash over him. While he could feel his blood boiling, he managed to keep his cool if only because there was another Fanalis present in the room. Octavius had spent years learning to control his temper, at first for his own sake, but over time for the sake of his brethren. He had to set an example that the wild, seemingly unyeilding fury of the Fanalis race could be harnessed with enough practice.

As Lagi recounted a not completely true tale of the dungeon, not that Octavius was aware of it, a sad expression overcame the General's face to hear that one of his Fanalis Corp members had perished. The emotions played out on Octavius' countenance for a few brief moments before he titled his head back and bellowed out a hearty laugh that echoed off the walls. When he managed to compose himself, Octavius met Lagi's gaze. "While I am sad to hear that Ayero and Merrze had to experience such a thing, pitting two friends against each other is never friendly." A shiver ran down Octavius' spine as he recalled fighting his old friend and how he had nearly died. "They would have died in battle, an honorable battle at that, fighting for power so that she can protect her country...your country....OUR country. What impressive bonds they must hold to this Empire, to go so far as to fight each other."

Octavius gave Lagi a hard look, "Speaking of bonds, if Merrze didn't die that day, it sounds to me like it was because Ayero couldn't bear to kill her own friend." Octavius had gotten to know Ayero and knew that underneath that tough exterior was a woman full of compassion.

When Lagi left the room, Octavius folded his arms against his chest and looked to Wei Tenji and Cassandra. "I didn't ask them to go into that dungeon, nor was I aware until now. They went of their own volition. I swear this on my life."

Cassandra gave a small nod, looking completely exhausted. "Go, find out what is going on before something else goes wrong." She addressed both Octavius and Bahir, hoping that between the Fanalis Corp, Unity Corp, and El Nagi Clan, someone would figure everything out.

As Octavius proceeded to leave the room, he glanced at Bahir and dipped his head in appreciation. If Bahir hadn't been there, the General wasn't sure how the night would have ended--he had been ready to strike Lagi down just before the younger Fanalis had shown up.

[exit]