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Dustin kited around the flames as the automaton struggled to pick a target out of the numerous standing before it and made his way over to its legs. A quick scan revealed how much of a patchwork the large lumbering robot really was. Metal was scarce, refined metal that is, especially in the Sea of Sands. There were missing plates here or there which easily exposed the network of wiring that ran through the legs of the automaton like sinews of muscle. Dustin drew one of his daggers and pressed down a small, flat crystal on the butt of its grip that ignited a bright orange glow in the translucent blade.
Finding his chance, the Atzerii dashed to the automaton's heels and stabbed the dagger into the exposed wires of one of the legs, causing a surge of energy within the robot's leg. As if its nonexistent nervous system was overloading, the leg went rigid before spasming. Well, spasming as much as robotic joints would allow. Regardless, the irregular movement caused the metal giant to topple, allowing Dustin a clean stab into its main power source crystal, ending the last of Rowlen's small defense.
Dustin let out a breath of effort having had to dodge flames and metal limbs from burning him alive and breaking his bones. Bright blue eyes looked at the smaller man accompanied with a bored expression. "Rowlen," he started, walking casually off the body of the disabled automaton and towards the weathered engineer. "Your plan will not work." His gruff "bounty hunter" voice was gone, replaced with his normally sophisticated and accented tone. "As soon as Dol-Duna is taken down, word will spread and the other clans will unite. Grand Yusil might even destroy the Aklar themselves, and it will not be at the fault of the Meltsanders. No... It will be at your fault."
The Naima glanced up around the prison cell - abandoned save for them. "Perhaps this Citadel has some secrets though... if we can feed the people and heal them perhaps they will help us take over this godforsaken clan."
"Hey!" Skullivan's deep voice called from behind the group, causing them to turn. The man's lanky form sprinted towards them. "Guys, Rowlen is insane! He's trying to murder us all and destroy all the surrounding clans!" Skullivan came to a stop at Musa, breathing heavily as he did. "I... I ran through half the citadel trying to find you guys."
"Did you see any food storage?" Mirova asked, stepping forward.
Skullivan nodded. "Yeah, there was a big room - mainly grain but a few fruits. Apples, oranges. Seems like some sort of emergency reserves in case the village starves."
A thought was triggered within Aisha, albeit a somewhat unrelated one: if the Aklar were so unexposed to the outside, including outside theology, then perhaps they were just ripe for indoctrination. As far as Aisha could see, if they continued on the path they were on, the Aklar was going to continue to decay into self-destruction, if the Meltsand Clan didn't destroy them first, but by following the principles of the Creed to achieve a better lifestyle, they could be saved. It would have been just like a story from Recollections.
"In that case," Aisha spoke out, "we must seek the allegiance of the Aklar people. Rowlen must lose legitimacy in the eyes of the people, or else they will stand by him and we will become the public enemy, which will only create more suffering among us all. When the public loses faith in their leader, they will become our allies," and will find a leader in the strongest voice, something Aisha didn't say yet it was what she was thinking, "and we can overthrow their disillusioned leader altogether, and, um, discuss how we'll go from there, but, I would like to see a diplomatic resolution between Aklar and Meltsand. Yes, I believe that even forgiveness is possible between them, but, let us cross that road when we get to it."
"For now, let us work in mutual interest of stopping this Rowlen," Aisha explained, "and to do so, we must create a plan to achieve this goal to expose him. For this, foremost importantly, I require an audience with the Aklar public."
Uluru pointed at Rowlen with his sword, "Shit, someone hurry. Before he flicks it on!" Uluru shouted, but due to their scuffle with the autamatons, they were far further from the machine then they wanted to be.
Rowlen pulled down a lever, utilizing all his strength in and the machine started to shake and hum, the crystals powering up with a crackling glow.
Then Skullivan came running up and his presence, and loud speech made her want to hit him. Then it made her remember that she had lost her weapon to the sands some time ago. So she tiptoed over to the broken cages and set to work locating an undamaged bar of glass and breaking it off. She then struck the bar against the wall until she could get a clean break. After a few minutes, she had two poles of sparkling glass. "Very nice.." She mumbled while sliding one into her former staff holster on her back.
She returned to the group just as Aisha finished stating her plans for unifying the Aklars and the Meltsanders. Her golden eyes glance over to Skullivan and without a word, she gave him a good strike to his thigh with the glass pole that wasn't on her back. She then stepped forward, past Aisha, Slathe & Mirova, and around the dead guard "There is no time for planning and plotting public meetings, Acylote. There is a rumble in the halls and sand is spilling through the ceiling. I feel a lurch in my belly and I feel as if our friends are in danger." She spoke while walking forward.
Slathe grunted, ripping a blade off the dead guard and glaring up at them. "Well, right now we're free - so let's do what we came her to do and end this war," With a whistle Slathe indicated to his men, and Sulfurious, to follow him. "Skullivan," He demanded, angrily. "Show us to Rowlen."
Skullivan swallowed. "...Ok," He nodded, glancing between Slathe and Musa. "Follow me." With a nervous glance back Skullivan began to lead the Metlsander's away, to another lift- this one leading to Rowlen's chamber.
***
From his belt Sƶren whipped out a knife, flinging it forward toward Rowlen's form. "Someone get up there!" He screamed in an accented voice....
Well, that wasn't entirely true. The enchanted woman, the Mir, appeared to be cooperative with Aisha's intentions. How ironic, Aisha thought, that somebody who in her eyes represented ignorance and false solution was seemingly the only one in this situation who had the compassion to assist the masses in a practical way. Nonetheless, even the misguided were capable of doing good.
"Good Mir," Aisha pleaded, "I am wholly thankful for your support, but, in order to accomplish salvation, I humbly ask for your assistance. Alone, even one who has achieved true Change loses power in the face of the opposing masses. To better oneself, they need the support of their peers and their community, and as of the moment, it appears I only have you. However, I know that your power is great, for there is no power greater than that of apostles like ourselves, the heralds of ideas. So, I ask of you, will you lend me your power to win over the trust of the masses for the sake of doing what is just?" And, as was typical for her, Aisha bowed in honesty.
"Fine, you two," Slathe said, pointing to Mirova and Aisha. "Go tell the masses the truth." Slathe turned to his men, Meltsand Commander Hanmar, Boh, and Musa who stood with weapons drawn. "The rest of us will end this fight."
Mirova nodded, grabbing Aisha tightly and dragging her toward the surface lift whilst Slathe and the others ran toward the sounds of battle. "Okay," The Mir muttered, quickly adjusting her hood as she pulled Aisha into the lift. "Alright," The albino whispered, her hands moving across the forged metal of the lift controls delicately. "How do you... make this-" Mirova pushed a lever. "Go." She smiled as it began to rise the two to the surface. Light began to shine down upon them as their lift shook. "Listen, our narrative is simple," Mirova said, turning to Aisha. "We're not here to conquer them - we're here to save them. Through medicine." Mirova smiled viciously. "And maybe a little bit of magic."
***
"Rowlen!" Slathe's voice called. A spear flew forward above the heads of the assembled group, smashing into the chest of the automaton and sending it staggering backward - the machinery inside catching fire from the damage. Slathe ran in, his men behind him as the rest followed...
"Er..." Uluru began, looking at the Meltsanders who had begun pouring into the room. "You see, this was always a ploy. One that I'm not as reluctant to be a part of as I was earlier, but all the same...you've been deceived, Rowlen," Uluru stated, giving the madman a look of pity, but not exactly empathy.
"Also, your guard was stricken with foul pestilence and died!" Sulfurious added unhelpfully.
"No...no..." Rowlen began, violently attempting to struggle himself out of the wires. "I can't see it end like this. I can't see my people end like this," he sobbed. "Broken and riddled with disease! I own't let you take any more of my people away from me, HANMAR!" he screeched as he saw the Meltsander's leader, appear in the room with her people. "Not one more..."
Hanmar stared Rowlen down, his sad, pitiful face only making the Commander shake her head. It had been so long ago after all, and while the woman hated his guts for everything he had done she couldn't help but soften slightly. Eventually she whispered, so close to his face that he could feel her breath, driving perhaps the worst truth of all into Rowlen's diseased brain, "It was you."
Bohdana swallowed as she watched the scene, almost dwarfed by the Meltsanders around her. The young girl looked up to them - yes, they were brutish and brash and perhaps a little barbaric - but they were survivors. They were desert people.
She slid silently through the crowd toward Uluru and the others, "Are you guys okay?"
But finally Slathe was apparently feeling just as impatient as she, for he took the reins and sent the two women on their way. When they all began moving she quickly galloped beside him to their destination.
Now she was cautiously stepping around broken crystals and wires that wiggled and jumped with the electricity still cracking through them, like blood through veins. Her eyes were narrowed and her golden irises stood out in the shadow of the now destroyed room. After peeling her eyes away from the fallen masses of metal made to look like mishapen men, she tipped her head and eyed the construct that seemed to have been savagely destroyed. The thing unsettled her and made her look from a distance while flexing her hand on her glass pole. Whatever it was, she had a feeling that whatever it was doing and whoever destroyed it as vehemently as they did, had something to do with the rumbling in the halls. Glancing back at the metal men she figured the fight with them must not have been so quiet either. Then finally she went over to the gathered group "What happened here?" She asked after the stocky, bearded man waddled off the to contraption, his fingers twitching.
"HOW DARE YOU, HANMAR!" Rowlen screeched, tears streaming down his face. "How dare you place that blame upon me. The blame of the disease your wretched girl spread! A disease we could fine no cure to! A waste in life and in death!"
Uluru glanced from Rowlen to Hanmar and began to step forward in case the Meltsander commander flew into a rage.
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The Kassellander couldn't help but marvel at Elise's bravery, her moral upstanding. Miles upon miles of sand between her and home. She didn't even know what her destination was. She simply just traveled, much like Xaverius, around the Qafar. How old was she? Sixteen, Dustin recalled. Somewhere around there. So young, he thought. Yet filled so much wisdom. The world could learn a thing or two from a girl of her stature.