The Fall of Elfen High (IC, Closed)

[Constaniana]

"Hm. Fascinating," William responded, unconcerned by the threats of the librarian, turning to look at Sanchez, "So, Brigadier, which part of Heaven are we coming into?"

"All of them." Sanchez said bluntly. "Raphael says that we can use the portal to roughly control where we go. So one group will appear in the northern slave camps and will incite and arm a revolution. Said revolution will then be directed towards the Wastes. Another group will break into Lucifer's library and search for information about the Gotterdamerung. A third group will assault Carnaval, thus drawing the military into combat here. Hopefully, the third group will distract from the rest. A fourth group will assault the north Military Sector. The goal of both groups is to get into the Military Sector's island."

"Then there's group five." Crowley said. "It'll be the largest. It will materialize on the northern border of the City Sector and will cut their way down into the Capitol. This group will be the only one containing Heavensgate angels, who will make up a large portion of its force; this is so they are accepted as liberators." he explained.

"I think we answered the first two questions with Crowley and Sanchez's response to Sir William." Raphael said to Daniel. "But the third point is a good one. Obviously, Uriel's forces will be concentrated at the military districts. However, substantial police and military workers will be in the civilian sectors and slave camps as well, to keep people in line. We need to try and destroy him before he can realise what hit him. I think the plan we've constructed is a good one for that - but I beg you to try and find holes in it, so we can address them."

"How long is the whole operation meant to take place? It sounds like you're planning quite the Blitzkrieg, but inciting the revolution might run into problems. Granted, it's safe to assume the slaves aren't Uriel's biggest supporters, but it doesn't seem too out of character for Uriel to simply brainwash all his slaves into complete obedience," Sir William remarked.

[Swith Witherward]

"How long is the whole operation meant to take place? It sounds like you're planning quite the Blitzkrieg, but inciting the revolution might run into problems. Granted, it's safe to assume the slaves aren't Uriel's biggest supporters, but it doesn't seem too out of character for Uriel to simply brainwash all his slaves into complete obedience," Sir William remarked.

Blitzkrieg was putting it mildly.

Fen's heels were propped onto the seat of her chair, arms hugging bare legs tightly as she listened to the plans. The library had interested her, although she wasn't sure how much use she'd be. Freeing the slaves was another matter and one that was quickly becoming near and dear to her heart. Sir William's statement had jarred her and shattered mild daydreams involving shouts of "Revolution!" while throwing guns to cheering detainees.

Two thoughts stood out in her mind, the first being that she might actually be more useful in a library than fighting off hoards of brainwashed slaves. The second was that Uriel was the universe's biggest asshole.

The Polynesian remained silent, however. She preferred to listen rather than to voice an opinion on matters best decided by those with better experience.

[Nationstatelandsville]

"All of them." Sanchez said bluntly. "Raphael says that we can use the portal to roughly control where we go. So one group will appear in the northern slave camps and will incite and arm a revolution. Said revolution will then be directed towards the Wastes. Another group will break into Lucifer's library and search for information about the Gotterdamerung. A third group will assault Carnaval, thus drawing the military into combat here. Hopefully, the third group will distract from the rest. A fourth group will assault the north Military Sector. The goal of both groups is to get into the Military Sector's island."

"Then there's group five." Crowley said. "It'll be the largest. It will materialize on the northern border of the City Sector and will cut their way down into the Capitol. This group will be the only one containing Heavensgate angels, who will make up a large portion of its force; this is so they are accepted as liberators." he explained.

"I think we answered the first two questions with Crowley and Sanchez's response to Sir William." Raphael said to Daniel. "But the third point is a good one. Obviously, Uriel's forces will be concentrated at the military districts. However, substantial police and military workers will be in the civilian sectors and slave camps as well, to keep people in line. We need to try and destroy him before he can realise what hit him. I think the plan we've constructed is a good one fr that - but I beg you to try and find holes in it, so we can address them."

"How long is the whole operation meant to take place? It sounds like you're planning quite the Blitzkrieg, but inciting the revolution might run into problems. Granted, it's safe to assume the slaves aren't Uriel's biggest supporters, but it doesn't seem too out of character for Uriel to simply brainwash all his slaves into complete obedience," Sir William remarked.

All this earned was a simple smirk from Aziraphale.

"My colleague Calliel and I have been placed in charge of that particular operation," he said, "We have our ways. Suffice it to say that no slave holds any love for Uriel; they curse his name with even greater ferocity than the angel praises it. Turning them against him shall not be difficult - turning them to our side, however, may be. Ultimately, the revolution is not the main goal. We seek simply to take the Capitol and cut that snake bastard's head off. He has made Heaven so dependent upon him that it dies alongside him. Check and mate."

Aziraphale chuckled darkly, "He would appreciate the chess comparison."

Daiuske shrugged. "Anyway, we've established privacy now." he frowned, briefly annoyed at how he had pronounced privacy in the British way due to time spent in England. He kept going. "Richard is Yahweh. And, evidently, Yahweh is still alive in some form. This was a surprise to me, I thought he was very firmly dead. But if he was still alive, that was something I had to research. So I did - I did as much work as I could, looked at Richard's DNA, tried to create a sort of tracker or something. From what I can understand now, ignoring the technical and magic speak, a sort of energy is coming from Heaven's library that is similar to Yahweh's. I think that's where he's being locked up, since you mentioned he had said he was a prisoner. If we can reach the library, perhaps we can free him - that would grant us a huge ally."

"How do you know Yahweh is alive?" D sad, "This energy pattern could just as easily belong to a general refulgence coursing through Heaven; it was Yahweh's domain and creation, after all. Of course his lifeblood would pump through its veins."

[Astrolinium]

"That's the one, yes. Now, Oberon is shown as being a bastard beyond belief, but that's to be expected by the King of the Fae, insofar as chaotic beings like them can have leaders. The Fae feed on an interesting source - they feed upon stories and tales, upon music and passion, and so on. You would know of the fairy tales that involve fairies stealing musicians and writers? It's quite common. And they steal children too, for their potential and creativity. They're quite bastards in that respect." Gabriel noted.

"So, the only way to starve them would consist in either rendering the living beings of the multiverse incapable of pretty much doing anything creative? That's a quite lose-lose situation. Is there something else the Fae are vulnerable to, anyways? Given that they're beings of pure chaos, I'd believe that they would be harmed to some degree by...pure order, or whatever species in this multiverse is made of, well...pure order. But feel free to tell me more, Gabriel." Gwen replied, circling the room and keeping an hand under her chin.

Caspian cocked his head to the side and frowned.

"Stories..." he muttered. "Bad stories, maybe? Of some sort. Could give them a sort of... food poisoning... perhaps, going on the order idea, even... non-fiction?"

He chuckled darkly.

"I know quite a few really bad non-fiction stories, most of which haven't even happened yet."

[Zarkenis Ultima]

"How do you know Yahweh is alive?" D sad, "This energy pattern could just as easily belong to a general refulgence coursing through Heaven; it was Yahweh's domain and creation, after all. Of course his lifeblood would pump through its veins."

"Well, there's the fact that he talked to me a month ago. If he was still alive by then, obviously they need him for something or otherwise can't kill him, or they would already have." Ciel chimed in, and then shrugged. "Or that's what I think. I'm sure a genius like you will differ. But anyway, if it was just some sort of residual energy, then wouldn't it be all over, not just on the library?"

[Nationstatelandsville]

"How do you know Yahweh is alive?" D sad, "This energy pattern could just as easily belong to a general refulgence coursing through Heaven; it was Yahweh's domain and creation, after all. Of course his lifeblood would pump through its veins."

"Well, there's the fact that he talked to me a month ago. If he was still alive by then, obviously they need him for something or otherwise can't kill him, or they would already have." Ciel chimed in, and then shrugged. "Or that's what I think. I'm sure a genius like you will differ. But anyway, if it was just some sort of residual energy, then wouldn't it be all over, not just on the library?"

"Library could be the 'original cell' of Heaven," D said, "Not the point. Point is - a lot of creatures and beasties would like to call themselves God. Doesn't make it true. Why should we believe it?"

[Zarkenis Ultima]

"Library could be the 'original cell' of Heaven," D said, "Not the point. Point is - a lot of creatures and beasties would like to call themselves God. Doesn't make it true. Why should we believe it?"

"Well, good point, but would just anyone know that Richard is Yahweh? Not many people do as far as I can see, and you two are trying to keep it a secret." Ciel said. "But, whatever. I guess that's a problem we'll have to deal with if we find a spaceship in Heaven's library."

[Nationstatelandsville]

"Library could be the 'original cell' of Heaven," D said, "Not the point. Point is - a lot of creatures and beasties would like to call themselves God. Doesn't make it true. Why should we believe it?"

"Well, good point, but would just anyone know that Richard is Yahweh? Not many people do as far as I can see, and you two are trying to keep it a secret." Ciel said. "But, whatever. I guess that's a problem we'll have to deal with if we find a spaceship in Heaven's library."

"We don't understand what this thing is," D said, "It could have learned Yahweh's identity before us - hell, he could have been there. I admit, it's a possibility this thing could be telling the truth, but we need more evidence."

D frowned, "But why the fuck is a spaceship talking to us? And why 'spaceship'? Don't they have names? 'Spaceships'!"

[Lazarian]

"So, the only way to starve them would consist in either rendering the living beings of the multiverse incapable of pretty much doing anything creative? That's a quite lose-lose situation. Is there something else the Fae are vulnerable to, anyways? Given that they're beings of pure chaos, I'd believe that they would be harmed to some degree by...pure order, or whatever species in this multiverse is made of, well...pure order. But feel free to tell me more, Gabriel." Gwen replied, circling the room and keeping an hand under her chin.

Caspian cocked his head to the side and frowned.

"Stories..." he muttered. "Bad stories, maybe? Of some sort. Could give them a sort of... food poisoning... perhaps, going on the order idea, even... non-fiction?"

He chuckled darkly.

"I know quite a few really bad non-fiction stories, most of which haven't even happened yet."

"What are you going to do with them, though? Yell them at the Fae? You do realize that non-fiction...is still a story? It's the same thing as non-fiction. I'm not quite sure what you're getting at here." said Ivy, yawning and seriously starting to get annoyed with the lack of monsters trying to rip open her skull. "And pure order? What, you're going to pull accountants in? The Fae aren't actually "pure chaos". Pure chaos wouldn't be a walking and reasoning life form. The Fae aren't "chaos". They just have a system of morality or beliefs or thoughts that we don't understand and cannot comprehend. Look; Gabriel, pick up the book and take it with us. There's probably a mention of an actual weapon in there." she continued. "I believe our present plan of action should be on getting back to my universe, notifying Crowley of the threat, dealing with the Fae and then figuring out what and if they're running away from."

[Astrolinium]

Caspian cocked his head to the side and frowned.

"Stories..." he muttered. "Bad stories, maybe? Of some sort. Could give them a sort of... food poisoning... perhaps, going on the order idea, even... non-fiction?"

He chuckled darkly.

"I know quite a few really bad non-fiction stories, most of which haven't even happened yet."

"What are you going to do with them, though? Yell them at the Fae? You do realize that non-fiction...is still a story? It's the same thing as non-fiction. I'm not quite sure what you're getting at here." said Ivy, yawning and seriously starting to get annoyed with the lack of monsters trying to rip open her skull. "And pure order? What, you're going to pull accountants in? The Fae aren't actually "pure chaos". Pure chaos wouldn't be a walking and reasoning life form. The Fae aren't "chaos". They just have a system of morality or beliefs or thoughts that we don't understand and cannot comprehend. Look; Gabriel, pick up the book and take it with us. There's probably a mention of an actual weapon in there." she continued. "I believe our present plan of action should be on getting back to my universe, notifying Crowley of the threat, dealing with the Fae and then figuring out what and if they're running away from."

Caspian made a face at Ivy -- it was a face best described as the face a young child makes upon Brussel Sprouts or asparagus being placed into their mouth. His upper lip curled up and his brow furrowed, and he shook his head slightly. The face, frankly, could perhaps best be described in terms of the phrase "utter disgust".

His expression softened somewhat, but he rolled his eyes nonetheless. "Not sure what I'm getting at? Are you dumb or just obtuse?"

[Lazarian]

"What are you going to do with them, though? Yell them at the Fae? You do realize that non-fiction...is still a story? It's the same thing as non-fiction. I'm not quite sure what you're getting at here." said Ivy, yawning and seriously starting to get annoyed with the lack of monsters trying to rip open her skull. "And pure order? What, you're going to pull accountants in? The Fae aren't actually "pure chaos". Pure chaos wouldn't be a walking and reasoning life form. The Fae aren't "chaos". They just have a system of morality or beliefs or thoughts that we don't understand and cannot comprehend. Look; Gabriel, pick up the book and take it with us. There's probably a mention of an actual weapon in there." she continued. "I believe our present plan of action should be on getting back to my universe, notifying Crowley of the threat, dealing with the Fae and then figuring out what and if they're running away from."

Caspian made a face at Ivy -- it was a face best described as the face a young child makes upon Brussel Sprouts or asparagus being placed into their mouth. His upper lip curled up and his brow furrowed, and he shook his head slightly. The face, frankly, could perhaps best be described in terms of the phrase "utter disgust".

His expression softened somewhat, but he rolled his eyes nonetheless. "Not sure what I'm getting at? Are you dumb or just obtuse?"

Ivy sighed.

"By 'not sure what you're getting at' I actually meant 'I think your idea is rather ineffective and not useful because of obvious reasons'," she said, making little quotation marks in the air with her fingers, "but I was trying so hard to be polite. And to maybe give you another shot to explain what you were getting on about." she finished, slightly disappointed. "I don't appreciate the insults, Caspian. You're probably the most reasonable one here."

[Nightkill the Emperor]

Ganesh paused. "Ah. Yes. Sorry. Lygos." he explained. "We'll head there. It's an artistic sort of city, but also an intellectual centre. We've managed to keep away any invaders from those walls." he explained, a portal opening in front of them. "I think people will be curious as to what on Earth this second moon means as well."

He stepped through, a nod toward Merlin. A few soldiers went through with him, for protection's sake. Then Damien would also go through.

When he stepped out, he saw a large city. And it was indeed a genuine city, with giant buildings almost like skyscrapers. There were massive castles, and a wall surrounding the whole of the city. All the signs were written in Greek, but he understood them - likely due to the instinctual memories of his body. Ganesh walked, following arrows that said "King's Castle This Way", in effect.

"We're meeting with Richard and Valaran Fixban." he explained. "They'll know a fair bit of what's going on here. Perhaps they can explain that." he gestured toward the moon, which many of the townspeople around them had noticed, started babbling about with "what is that?" and "what does it mean?", generally staring at the second moon in puzzlement and confusion.

"Perhaps you won't have to look for him." said a deep English accented voice. (Yes, it somehow had the accent of a country not yet created, in the Greek language). They turned to see Richard, looking just as he would centuries later, sitting on a bench and holding a bowl of sushi. "Would you like some?" he asked. "A few Nipponese sailors wound up here because of one of the portals that had materialised. They decided to set up shop. It's quite good stuff, so I won't complain."

"Richard," Damien said, hopping down from his horse and walking over to a man he would be vaguely acquainted with in the far future.

"My name is Damien Seward. I'm from the future." A normal way to greet others. "We will meet someday. Oh, and learn how to clean. Specifically, learn how to clean schools. Just in case."

He looked at the moon, just now remembering what was happening. "Also, holy fuck, there is a second moon. What the fuck is going on, what do I need to kill, how can I kill it, and where is the nearest brothel?"

"What's going on? Well, not sure with the second moon." Richard admitted. "I may get a vision soon. Good to see you, Damien. Again for you, I suppose. First time for me." he frowned. "Anyway, what's going on?" he repeated, scratching his balding head. "Hmm. Oh, yes. The Fae are all around us, as are the dragons. Not in this city, fortunately. Lygos is well defended. What do you need to kill? Fae. Dragons. Their servants. We're planning an assault on them soon, in Jerusalem. They've taken over the city, and that's a severe drain on our morale. Jerusalem, in this time, is seen as a sort of beacon of humanity. The fact it's a battlefield is a bit annoying, and we need to try and reclaim it. And a good brothel would be your mother's house."

[Nightkill the Emperor]

Caspian made a face at Ivy -- it was a face best described as the face a young child makes upon Brussel Sprouts or asparagus being placed into their mouth. His upper lip curled up and his brow furrowed, and he shook his head slightly. The face, frankly, could perhaps best be described in terms of the phrase "utter disgust".

His expression softened somewhat, but he rolled his eyes nonetheless. "Not sure what I'm getting at? Are you dumb or just obtuse?"

Ivy sighed.

"By 'not sure what you're getting at' I actually meant 'I think your idea is rather ineffective and not useful because of obvious reasons'," she said, making little quotation marks in the air with her fingers, "but I was trying so hard to be polite. And to maybe give you another shot to explain what you were getting on about." she finished, slightly disappointed. "I don't appreciate the insults, Caspian. You're probably the most reasonable one here."

Gabriella sighed. "Let's discuss this in the ship." she suggested. The meanwhile, the Strix had been watching the whole scene with some bemusement.

"Do come back anytime." he offered. "Just keep the rules in mind."

As they walked out of the prison and back into Avalon, Gabriel paused. "You do know, I'm actually amazed, fucking amazed, we didn't all get into some horrific war and lead to our demises there. Eh. Anyway, should we go to Elfen High then?" he asked.

[Astrolinium]

Caspian shook his head angrily, trying to dispel the rage he felt bubbling up inside. He settled for a simple quip: "Sarcasm is hardly the most polite form of wit at one's disposal. I didn't appreciate the insults to my intelligence any more than you appreciate my insults to yours. It's a simple enough idea: if you give a human food that's gone bad enough, he'll die. I don't see what's so outlandish about applying the same principle to the Fae."

He shrugged, sighing, and sheathed his talwar.

"Yes, Elfen High sounds lovely. I always end up back there one way or another."

[Agritum]

Ivy sighed.

"By 'not sure what you're getting at' I actually meant 'I think your idea is rather ineffective and not useful because of obvious reasons'," she said, making little quotation marks in the air with her fingers, "but I was trying so hard to be polite. And to maybe give you another shot to explain what you were getting on about." she finished, slightly disappointed. "I don't appreciate the insults, Caspian. You're probably the most reasonable one here."

Gabriella sighed. "Let's discuss this in the ship." she suggested. The meanwhile, the Strix had been watching the whole scene with some bemusement.

"Do come back anytime." he offered. "Just keep the rules in mind."

As they walked out of the prison and back into Avalon, Gabriel paused. "You do know, I'm actually amazed, fucking amazed, we didn't all get into some horrific war and lead to our demises there. Eh. Anyway, should we go to Elfen High then?" he asked.

"Even then, all we found here was more information about the Fae's background and leadership. It will prove useful to some degree, yes, but the threat is far from being resolved." Gwen replied in a gloomy tone, proceeding into the Castleship and pressing her finger on small earpiece on the right side of her head.

"Helmsman, set the route on Elfen High and inform the engineers that we're ready to depart."

[Nightkill the Emperor]

"Well, good point, but would just anyone know that Richard is Yahweh? Not many people do as far as I can see, and you two are trying to keep it a secret." Ciel said. "But, whatever. I guess that's a problem we'll have to deal with if we find a spaceship in Heaven's library."

"We don't understand what this thing is," D said, "It could have learned Yahweh's identity before us - hell, he could have been there. I admit, it's a possibility this thing could be telling the truth, but we need more evidence."

D frowned, "But why the fuck is a spaceship talking to us? And why 'spaceship'? Don't they have names? 'Spaceships'!"

"Vimanas are the name in vogue nowadays." Daisuke noted. "But I generally use that for Fae ships only, to avoid confusion. For now, "spaceship" will have to suffice. And why a spaceship is talking to us? We're in Elfen High. I think that this may be one of the most normal events ever to happen."

"How long is the whole operation meant to take place? It sounds like you're planning quite the Blitzkrieg, but inciting the revolution might run into problems. Granted, it's safe to assume the slaves aren't Uriel's biggest supporters, but it doesn't seem too out of character for Uriel to simply brainwash all his slaves into complete obedience," Sir William remarked.

All this earned was a simple smirk from Aziraphale.

"My colleague Calliel and I have been placed in charge of that particular operation," he said, "We have our ways. Suffice it to say that no slave holds any love for Uriel; they curse his name with even greater ferocity than the angel praises it. Turning them against him shall not be difficult - turning them to our side, however, may be. Ultimately, the revolution is not the main goal. We seek simply to take the Capitol and cut that snake bastard's head off. He has made Heaven so dependent upon him that it dies alongside him. Check and mate."

Aziraphale chuckled darkly, "He would appreciate the chess comparison."

Raphael nodded with a sigh. "We're basically just trying to disable Uriel. This isn't an attempt to spread democracy there - it's merely an attempt to save ourselves, then lock away Heaven. What happens there afterwards is not our concern. It's likely to destroy itself after Uriel is dead. I dislike having to condemn my brothers and sisters to this fate, but perhaps we can think of saving them after we aren't in immediate peril."

[Constaniana]

"My colleague Calliel and I have been placed in charge of that particular operation," he said, "We have our ways. Suffice it to say that no slave holds any love for Uriel; they curse his name with even greater ferocity than the angel praises it. Turning them against him shall not be difficult - turning them to our side, however, may be. Ultimately, the revolution is not the main goal. We seek simply to take the Capitol and cut that snake bastard's head off. He has made Heaven so dependent upon him that it dies alongside him. Check and mate."

"Well, that's good to hear," said the knight, before Raphael added to Aziraphale's comment. William felt a bit sorry for the archangel having to do this to his own people, but he preferred having Raphael's help as opposed to him simply hiding away.

"Yes, it's for the best this way," he agreed, "So, what else do we have to plan? Should we start splitting up into the assault groups now?" Sir Nilark enquired.

[Nude East Ireland]

"Richard," Damien said, hopping down from his horse and walking over to a man he would be vaguely acquainted with in the far future.

"My name is Damien Seward. I'm from the future." A normal way to greet others. "We will meet someday. Oh, and learn how to clean. Specifically, learn how to clean schools. Just in case."

He looked at the moon, just now remembering what was happening. "Also, holy fuck, there is a second moon. What the fuck is going on, what do I need to kill, how can I kill it, and where is the nearest brothel?"

"What's going on? Well, not sure with the second moon." Richard admitted. "I may get a vision soon. Good to see you, Damien. Again for you, I suppose. First time for me." he frowned. "Anyway, what's going on?" he repeated, scratching his balding head. "Hmm. Oh, yes. The Fae are all around us, as are the dragons. Not in this city, fortunately. Lygos is well defended. What do you need to kill? Fae. Dragons. Their servants. We're planning an assault on them soon, in Jerusalem. They've taken over the city, and that's a severe drain on our morale. Jerusalem, in this time, is seen as a sort of beacon of humanity. The fact it's a battlefield is a bit annoying, and we need to try and reclaim it. And a good brothel would be your mother's house."

Damien shrugged.

"I guess I'm heading to Jerusalem," he replied. "I'd be happy to fight. Dragons, Fae, whatever. I'm sure to find some answers that way. Unless you have any... well, captives. I may or may not have learned many effective torture methods during an unexpectedly extended stay at a ladyboy prostitution headquarters in Burma, in a cave about a mile underground, which was run by a dwarf - a literal dwarf - named Garang-gok the Fire Rapist. Don't ask me how he got the name, but there was a lot to learn from the man. Mainly plastic surgery. And how to make a damn fine steak. We should chat about it more sometime."

[Nightkill the Emperor]

"What's going on? Well, not sure with the second moon." Richard admitted. "I may get a vision soon. Good to see you, Damien. Again for you, I suppose. First time for me." he frowned. "Anyway, what's going on?" he repeated, scratching his balding head. "Hmm. Oh, yes. The Fae are all around us, as are the dragons. Not in this city, fortunately. Lygos is well defended. What do you need to kill? Fae. Dragons. Their servants. We're planning an assault on them soon, in Jerusalem. They've taken over the city, and that's a severe drain on our morale. Jerusalem, in this time, is seen as a sort of beacon of humanity. The fact it's a battlefield is a bit annoying, and we need to try and reclaim it. And a good brothel would be your mother's house."

Damien shrugged.

"I guess I'm heading to Jerusalem," he replied. "I'd be happy to fight. Dragons, Fae, whatever. I'm sure to find some answers that way. Unless you have any... well, captives. I may or may not have learned many effective torture methods during an unexpectedly extended stay at a ladyboy prostitution headquarters in Burma, in a cave about a mile underground, which was run by a dwarf - a literal dwarf - named Garang-gok the Fire Rapist. Don't ask me how he got the name, but there was a lot to learn from the man. Mainly plastic surgery. And how to make a damn fine steak. We should chat about it more sometime."

"Yes, I know." Richard noted. "He was in Lygos not too long ago. Bright young lad, very idealistic. But he was caught stealing some bread. So the king asked me to teach him why that was bad. So I did." Richard shrugged. "The proper term should have been Garang-gok the Fire Raped, really, but alright. Now, you need to know anything much before we get going? Any questions?"

[Nightkill the Emperor]

Gabriella sighed. "Let's discuss this in the ship." she suggested. The meanwhile, the Strix had been watching the whole scene with some bemusement.

"Do come back anytime." he offered. "Just keep the rules in mind."

As they walked out of the prison and back into Avalon, Gabriel paused. "You do know, I'm actually amazed, fucking amazed, we didn't all get into some horrific war and lead to our demises there. Eh. Anyway, should we go to Elfen High then?" he asked.

"Even then, all we found here was more information about the Fae's background and leadership. It will prove useful to some degree, yes, but the threat is far from being resolved." Gwen replied in a gloomy tone, proceeding into the Castleship and pressing her finger on small earpiece on the right side of her head.

"Helmsman, set the route on Elfen High and inform the engineers that we're ready to depart."

"Sure, ma'am." said one of the engineers. He was, as all good engineers, Scottish. The ship-castle began to fly off, but the man paused. "Ah. Ma'am, we're going through the universes, but it does appear we have a problem..."

The castle-ship shook, and the Scottish man looked down at his controls. "Dragons, ma'am! They're swarming around the ship, they're attacking! They might break through the shielding!"

[Astrolinium]

Caspian's eyes lit up like it was Christmas Day, a smile forcing its way onto his face. The anger fell away like a misty veil in the morning upon being subjected to the sun's warming rays.

"Dragons!" he shouted. "Excellent!"

He pulled the talwar out of his coat, brandishing it with his right hand. With his left, he pulled out the Smith & Wesson 12836 triple-plasma-action revolver, flipping it once before catching it.

He sort of hoped they did breach the shielding -- he'd be very excited to add "dragonslayer" to his list of accomplishments.

[Agritum]

"Even then, all we found here was more information about the Fae's background and leadership. It will prove useful to some degree, yes, but the threat is far from being resolved." Gwen replied in a gloomy tone, proceeding into the Castleship and pressing her finger on small earpiece on the right side of her head.

"Helmsman, set the route on Elfen High and inform the engineers that we're ready to depart."

"Sure, ma'am." said one of the engineers. He was, as all good engineers, Scottish. The ship-castle began to fly off, but the man paused. "Ah. Ma'am, we're going through the universes, but it does appear we have a problem..."

The castle-ship shook, and the Scottish man looked down at his controls. "Dragons, ma'am! They're swarming around the ship, they're attacking! They might break through the shielding!"

"Deploy the defence turrets and alert all the knights on board!" Gwen instantly ordered, in an assertive tone. The queen herself promptly drew her sword Excalibur from its scabbard, brandishing it.

"If they manage to breach through the shielding, we'll have to engage them in the castle itself. This is not the first time we got sieged by an enemy, and I know that the battle will be bloody and highly dangerous. It's either us or them."

[Nude East Ireland]

Damien shrugged.

"I guess I'm heading to Jerusalem," he replied. "I'd be happy to fight. Dragons, Fae, whatever. I'm sure to find some answers that way. Unless you have any... well, captives. I may or may not have learned many effective torture methods during an unexpectedly extended stay at a ladyboy prostitution headquarters in Burma, in a cave about a mile underground, which was run by a dwarf - a literal dwarf - named Garang-gok the Fire Rapist. Don't ask me how he got the name, but there was a lot to learn from the man. Mainly plastic surgery. And how to make a damn fine steak. We should chat about it more sometime."

"Yes, I know." Richard noted. "He was in Lygos not too long ago. Bright young lad, very idealistic. But he was caught stealing some bread. So the king asked me to teach him why that was bad. So I did." Richard shrugged. "The proper term should have been Garang-gok the Fire Raped, really, but alright. Now, you need to know anything much before we get going? Any questions?"

The Englishman in the Egyptian's body jumped down from his horse and walked over to Richard.

"I'll be fine," he replied. "I'll learn everything I need to fighting. Now, let's get going to Jerusalem."

[Nationstatelandsville]

"We don't understand what this thing is," D said, "It could have learned Yahweh's identity before us - hell, he could have been there. I admit, it's a possibility this thing could be telling the truth, but we need more evidence."

D frowned, "But why the fuck is a spaceship talking to us? And why 'spaceship'? Don't they have names? 'Spaceships'!"

"Vimanas are the name in vogue nowadays." Daisuke noted. "But I generally use that for Fae ships only, to avoid confusion. For now, "spaceship" will have to suffice. And why a spaceship is talking to us? We're in Elfen High. I think that this may be one of the most normal events ever to happen."

"Everything here happens with purpose," D said, "Sometimes that purpose is 'dick', but that's not the point. The universe is not a random collection of stardust, despite what our colleagues would have you believe. Everything - everything - is bound to basic mathematical and logical calculations, an unending sequence of cause and effect. There is no randomness, only obscurity.

Something either constructed a talking 'spaceship' or became one, a very long time ago. Why? What motive? Could it be a warship? A vestige of the first battle with the Fae? What if it's a weapon of the Ancients? What if it's one of the Fae's?"

[Swith Witherward]

All this earned was a simple smirk from Aziraphale.

"My colleague Calliel and I have been placed in charge of that particular operation," he said, "We have our ways. Suffice it to say that no slave holds any love for Uriel; they curse his name with even greater ferocity than the angel praises it. Turning them against him shall not be difficult - turning them to our side, however, may be. Ultimately, the revolution is not the main goal. We seek simply to take the Capitol and cut that snake bastard's head off. He has made Heaven so dependent upon him that it dies alongside him. Check and mate."

Aziraphale chuckled darkly, "He would appreciate the chess comparison."

Raphael nodded with a sigh. "We're basically just trying to disable Uriel. This isn't an attempt to spread democracy there - it's merely an attempt to save ourselves, then lock away Heaven. What happens there afterwards is not our concern. It's likely to destroy itself after Uriel is dead. I dislike having to condemn my brothers and sisters to this fate, but perhaps we can think of saving them after we aren't in immediate peril."

Fen set her feet down and leaned forward. "Wait, we're not going to save them? We're going to lock them in Heaven and let them die? Angels, too? Will there be a way to help them afterwards?"

There was a tiny, cheering Hilde blighting the Polynesian's imagination. Slaves and angels and who knows what else used as pawns left to suffer a cruel fate? Fen shook her head to banish the cruel vision. Some things just had to be, of course. She'd rouse the slaves because the outcome was necessary if the plan were to succeed. Yet she worried about living with the knowledge that she, a simple human who wanted to go out into the universe one day to champion the rights of Demons and Orcs, would have been in part responsible for the angels' cruel fate.