Aurelius was dragged into the Transition. His heavy exo settled on the floor where Caius had pulled him by his wing. The arm that hovered above the two generals was robotic, no change of movement to hint at acknowledgment.
Just tools to be used.
Pathetic.
Caius, who shadowed his flaccid form, made a brief glance at Lucaen; he knew Lucaen was still online. He took pride in his work. He had calculated everything, schemed. Botulinum was potent, but not enough to kill a general. He lacks the wariness of the Theron exo capabilities. Even now, the substance inside him was actively neutralizing, even without Caius' help. Yet, his demeanor screams of 'Only I can help you'.
As he wished, Lucaen had to play the part.
Lucaen couldn't feel anything, couldn't do anything other than to face his feelings, his thoughts, his worries.
But to engrave the scene where Aurelius was powerless in front of him?
He begged to differ.
Never once, after 15 years of knowing him, had he seen his pillar fall so..weakly.
Aurelius was the only constant chaos that was predictable in his life after he had become the heir of Therons.
He knew everything would come to this. He had foreseen it. Had foreseen a time when he could at least try to save him. More effort. To show how-
How much Aurelius meant to him.
Perhaps, a part of him knows that Aurelius will find another way, like he always does.
It's not my fault. He should be responsible for his own actions.
Right?
Lucaen won't doubt himself. But,
Whose fault was this?
"You will be treated after this." Caius announced as if he were doing a favor.
Think about it, nothing ever seemed to go his way. No one respected him as a Theron should be. So, was he a Theron?
For the first time ever.
That doesn't sound so bad.
[System: Botulinum Neutralized]
[System Online]
A faint wave of his rhythm powered through all extensions. It was a weak pulse before it solidified into a constant rhythm. Spreading from the tip of his clawed feet to the tip of his anubis ears.
Caius was occupied with reattaching General Nefertari on the table. His hands assisted the robot, fueling the now healed general with a finisher of EP lubricant.
He should've fixed himself first. It painted a bad picture of her when your own tail was a dead weight of a metal rod.
The smell of sulfur, the addictive particles coated him as well. Caius was immersed in his own doing. Professional even.
The moment she sat up, gracefully as if she were a delicate, newly built exo. Lucaen's eyes met hers.
She looked polished beneath the light. Her claws that she could now retract smoothly. Her tail that rested on the table showed no sign of irritation as Caius scanned her intensely. He was holding the edge of the table, caging her. Searching for any imperfections. Her exo was silver, untainted, reforged. With every movement she made, the sound itself was silenced.
She had been renewed, General Nefertari was still her. Yet, something was lost.
If Aurelius undergoes that?
With all due respect, General Nefertari, but that would no longer be Aurelius.
So the silence broke.
Broke by a chuckle.
Caius stiffened the moment he heard it. Followed by a cold, sharp pain that had dug instantaneously into the crook of his trapezius plate.
Lucaen trampled the underside of his knee, causing Caius to snarl as his jaw hit the table. Caius insistently held on to the table. Leaving marks of his claws as Lucaen didn't spare a glance, when he threw Caius backwards to the door.
The Transition door served as a hard landing when his back met it.
"You-!" He gutted.
Her exo had changed to an obsidian from the lower extension that had now faded to her base silver on her upper extension. Lucaen spared no time when he glared at General Nefertari, who was already halfway through her hostile transformation. "Move, and I would condemn you."
"Don't you dare!" Caius hissed.
General Nefertari, who was on the table, was looking down on Lucaen. "I demand an explanation."
Caius huffed, he was moments away from countering, but no. His tail flailed heavily at his back. Salus had gone to an idle state. Persevering itself despite the lack of energy. Salus was intentionally denied of recovery while he tended to General Nefertari when Caius refused it fuel.
Carrying a metal tail that was not one with your rhythm will only bring you to the edge of strength, and vandalize all movements. He had no choice but to comply.
"The Optic assigned Aurelius to be on reconstruction." Caius admitted as he walked hesitantly towards General Nefertari. He was gauging Lucaen's reaction when he was close. Occasionally, he darted his eyes at the desynchronized Aurelius.
She tilted her head, almost innocently. "That was not what the Optic assigned me."
Caius snapped his attention to her. "Are you saying that I'm lying?"
"Oh come onnnn!"
"I would rather die than fight Aurelius. I mean, it's death either way, but not Aurelius' way." Caius defended.
Lucaen noted their words, as much as he would like to knock some sense into Caius about suggestive defiance to the Optic. There's no need for that anymore. This was about Aurelius.
General Nefertari took a glimpse at Aurelius' static exo by the table, and glanced at Lucaen as well as Caius. It was clear she was trying to piece the puzzle together.
"I was told that Aurelius needed a new model part to house an increased operational prowess. Not reconstruction." She questioned Caius, but there was a hint of her own doubt creeping into her statement.
But with every word, the way they were thinking of Aurelius as a means to an end?
They are testing me.
Testing my patience.
Lucaen raised his head, a direct imitation of his colleague's prideful taunt. "Or should I condemn the Optic himself?" Lucaen turned facing them.
"I am the wielder of Maat. The heir of her court."
"The court of the universe, and yet, this is what I am amount to?"
General Nefertari brought her eyes up, her chin lowered like a feline who had been threatened. "Do not forget whose rhythm you are built upon."
"I may be chained. But the Optic had no longer responded. I would've been desynchronized the moment I spoke of the slightest treachery towards the Optic."
Lucaen continued before any of them could retort. "The helminths are rising. Yet, you all are occupied with these..hierarchies."
"He is, Aurelius. Not a metal you replace, General Nefertari."
"Not even for renovating. He is, Aurelius."
Lucaen froze a little; a thought reminded him. A grim realization.
How long..had it been since he was desynchronized?
The Enarchies would not stay idly.
Lucaen skimmed to the other side of his HUD.
[1520]
He scanned through multiple names in seconds, before the system read his intent.
[Would You Like To Connect With Lieutenant Sevyron?]
Yes.
[COM: General Lucaen>Lieutenant Sevyron]
[Stay down, your governor is safe with me. Whatever you had in mind, retreat.]
"You know why I did it." Caius shrugged, feeling the need to fill the silence that had stretched. A subtle need for understanding.
"I do. Differences aside, solve the case." He acknowledged.
[Message Seen]
[COM: Lieutenant Sevyron>General Lucaen]
[Return him to us.]
[COM: General Lucaen>Lieutenant Sevyron]
[You are in no position to demand of a general.]
[Message Seen]
Lucaen shifted his weight. His tail hangs awkwardly as his left claw fixed his robe. Adjusting the flowy pristine robe to his left, a counter to his weight that now leaned to his right hind.
"You're the only general that was actively investigating the cases." Caius' words were shunned by Lucaen almost immediately. He was occupied. The pressure was on him, about everything. He had the whole picture.
Prolonged war will cause General Nefertari to lose her mind and succumb to her beast instincts.
She might turn her back on us.
He glanced at General Nefertari. The room was loud even when no one was talking. Loud, yet deafening for his liking.
Certain death for Caius if it's an army...
My skills are suited for core beings. I can rally the soldiers..
To their death if the situation requires- "But that's not what you're worried about, is it?" She chimed.
The question hijacked Lucaen's focus, an unwelcome diversion.
"Aurelius, is the ultimate weapon against the helminths with his thermokinesis."
"Our main priority should be waking him up."
Every little thing that happened in this room did not go over Lucaen. The way she understood the deflection, sharing a brief rapport with Caius. He was in a state of hypervigilance. He cannot afford to take anything at face value. Every little thing was perceived as a threat.
Especially at the general beside him who won't hesitate to strike him if he deemed it necessary.
Aurelius doesn't mean anything to me. Just a colleague to kill the helminths.
A means to an end..
Brawls..fists..
General Nefertari lowered herself down, flaring Aurelius' wings. Analyzing him.
"Caius, do you know how to wake him up?"
Do we have the luxury to think about the casualties to begin with?
No, we don't have the tools for it.
This war of attrition.
Enarc's martial-
So that's why they trained in close combat.
They had lived for centuries defending the borders. They're well equipped.
"That will be hard, the Optic is not responding as Lucaen said."
"What did you do, Lucaen?" Her words were laced with subtle, restrained accusation.
Shut up, General.
[COM: Lieutenant Sevyron>General Lucaen]
[You would not say the same, once we move to Tevar, would you?]
"Lucaen?" Caius flicked his arm a little.
[COM: General Lucaen>Lieutenant Sevyron]
[You dare not.]
[Message Seen]
"Enarc's a threat." Lucaen announced.
General Nefertari nodded. As if she had known this would happen. "We can't manage a civil war as of now."
"Just hand them, Aurelius."
Caius retorted, "You want them to wreak havoc when they see their governor unconscious?!"
"Even if we fought back, Enarc's specialty is aerial dominance, and close-quarter combat. You are dooming us before the helminths could!"
"You say that because you know, they would kill you."
"You caused him to desynchronized, didn't you?"
[COM: Lieutenant Sevyron>General Lucaen]
[The stakes are against you, Theron heir.]
[COM: Lieutenant Cyran>General Lucaen]
[General Lucaen,]
[An envoy had forcefully breached into the Privy Council, we had intercepted him and it's...]
[Lieutenant Solivane of Enarc demanding your presence.]
[Rudely.]
[COM: General Lucaen>Lieutenant Sevyron]
[The helminths will crush you before you do.]
[Message Seen]
[COM: Lieutenant Cyran>General Lucaen]
[We seek your response, sir.]
"They can't afford to fight us. The helminths will get to them, by the border." Lucaen glanced at Caius. "Even so, they need Elysium's rhythm to survive. They need us."
"You are underestimating them."
"Think twice, Lucaen."
"Even so, we have no choice but to put things down."
"It won't be dignified. I will try to wake Aurelius up."
Caius had a bleak demeanor as he let out a sigh. His body leaned against the dark walls that now highlighted the shade of his own dark grey exo. "Of course."
"Enarc would call it an honor." He mused.
Though General Nefertari disagreed. "It is an honor."
"To serve our purpose as the protectors of Elysium, this is our fate."
[COM: Lieutenant Cyran>General Lucaen]
[Sir, we tried to send him back. However, he insisted.]
[Else, Tevar ceased from the map. Was what he said.]
[COM: General Lucaen>Lieutenant Cyran]
[Accept his request. I'll be seeing him, personally.]
[Message Seen]
[COM: Lieutenant Cyran>General Lucaen]
[Noted, sir.]