Albeis takes a deep breath. "I was a boy with a story and a dream. I followed them until they consumed me, hollowed me out, and I became the dream. That was how I lived for years, in a world of my own imagining, until suddenly, violently, the dream was torn away and I saw myself clearly for the first time, saw a fool who believed himself a hero. Then, just when I was starting to regain a sense of self, it was taken from me again. Can you imagine what it's like to live thousands of years one moment at a time, flung across time and space, seeing everything and comprehending a mere fraction yet still more than the human mind is meant to comprehend? That was my life when Time had me. And then, again without warning, it stopped. I returned to the world once again, only I landed fifty years before I'd even been born. I spent a long time wandering this continent, and then I came back here because I thought there was something left for me. I was wrong. So, Lexos, I will tell you who I am: I am the man who was born Egol, who called himself Egolius, who is now Albeis. Is that enough for you?"
He practically screams the last sentence. But before Lexos can say anything, he begins to speak again. "Now, Lexos, let me tell you a little something about who you are. You are not Ranwell Arche. You are not Ugh the troll. You are barely even the leader of your own people; if anyone, that's Harfor!" He turns to Demiu. "And you, Demiu! You are not Duke Arthurian. Tell me, if you are a leader, where are your followers?" To Darthraxx: "The same goes for you, Darthraxx! You saved your kingdom, brought it back from destruction But what have you done since then? Perfected your own powers? Conquered a fortress, then left it to lead a patchwork army in a war that barely needed it?" He gestures wildly around. "Can a single one of you tell me what is happening in the battle right now, while you sit here and lick your wounds?"
OOC: Wow. harsh. Love it, this is good stuff. My only question is where you are going with this.
*Darthraxx stutters at this, shuts his mouth for a few seconds and then begins to speak.* "I'll admit I have been somewhat derelict in my duties, but I have brought the kingdom back from nothing! I was a farm boy with magic before, you can't expect me to do things without mistakes! And I have brought a large stone army to protect us! and, I mean, I do kind of know what's going on. Gidie is evacuating the castle, and Rojinn is attacking the sorcerers. anyone else still out their was never a part of our plan, right?" *Starting the 'speech' composed, Darthraxx finishes rambling, rationalizing and more.*
OOC: I'm working on breaking each of my characters in preparation for stepping back. This is Albeis breaking. There's a little more. We'll see what you can get out of him.
IC: Albeis shakes his head. "Your failure was not leading your people. It doesn't matter how many mistakes you make, as long as you do what you have sworn to do- be their king. What does it matter whether it was a part of your plan? This is your castle, and that makes you the leader of these defenses. Someone must lead, or we cannot hope to win. As we speak, the minotaurs fight desperately, confused by their change in leadership and unsure how to continue against this foe they cannot shake and that still outnumbers them by two to one or more. As we speak, the Kriatoma, leaderless and outmaneuvered, are losing to a foe they can barely fight, while your dragon does all he can, which is not enough, to help them. As we speak, the dragons you brought to the castle try to fight both the foes inside it and out, with no help and no idea where you have gone. As we speak, two of our most important allies sit locked up, trusting a man they should not and unaware of the danger they are in. So, what are you going to do about it?" With each sentence, he takes a step closer, until he is within one arm's length. At this distance, Darthraxx can see the pain in his eyes and that he is shaking badly.
OOC: Wow. harsh. Love it, this is good stuff. My only question is where you are going with this.
*Darthraxx stutters at this, shuts his mouth for a few seconds and then begins to speak.* "I'll admit I have been somewhat derelict in my duties, but I have brought the kingdom back from nothing! I was a farm boy with magic before, you can't expect me to do things without mistakes! And I have brought a large stone army to protect us! and, I mean, I do kind of know what's going on. Gidie is evacuating the castle, and Rojinn is attacking the sorcerers. anyone else still out their was never a part of our plan, right?" *Starting the 'speech' composed, Darthraxx finishes rambling, rationalizing and more.*
OOC: I'm working on breaking each of my characters in preparation for stepping back. This is Albeis breaking. There's a little more. We'll see what you can get out of him.
IC: Albeis shakes his head. "Your failure was not leading your people. It doesn't matter how many mistakes you make, as long as you do what you have sworn to do- be their king. What does it matter whether it was a part of your plan? This is your castle, and that makes you the leader of these defenses. Someone must lead, or we cannot hope to win. As we speak, the minotaurs fight desperately, confused by their change in leadership and unsure how to continue against this foe they cannot shake and that still outnumbers them by two to one or more. As we speak, the Kriatoma, leaderless and outmaneuvered, are losing to a foe they can barely fight, while your dragon does all he can, which is not enough, to help them. As we speak, the dragons you brought to the castle try to fight both the foes inside it and out, with no help and no idea where you have gone. As we speak, two of our most important allies sit locked up, trusting a man they should not and unaware of the danger they are in. So, what are you going to do about it?" With each sentence, he takes a step closer, until he is within one arm's length. At this distance, Darthraxx can see the pain in his eyes and that he is shaking badly.
Harfor puts his hand on the hilt of his sword, he is worried, for he knows that even frail looking Albeis has power in him.
Proud Christian and Canadian TFOL! President of the EMBC So long message boards.
"I said if, not when. I am just taking some of the worst possibilities into consideration." Lexos frowns. "Were you Egolius then? I must know."
Albeis takes a deep breath. "I was a boy with a story and a dream. I followed them until they consumed me, hollowed me out, and I became the dream. That was how I lived for years, in a world of my own imagining, until suddenly, violently, the dream was torn away and I saw myself clearly for the first time, saw a fool who believed himself a hero. Then, just when I was starting to regain a sense of self, it was taken from me again. Can you imagine what it's like to live thousands of years one moment at a time, flung across time and space, seeing everything and comprehending a mere fraction yet still more than the human mind is meant to comprehend? That was my life when Time had me. And then, again without warning, it stopped. I returned to the world once again, only I landed fifty years before I'd even been born. I spent a long time wandering this continent, and then I came back here because I thought there was something left for me. I was wrong. So, Lexos, I will tell you who I am: I am the man who was born Egol, who called himself Egolius, who is now Albeis. Is that enough for you?"
He practically screams the last sentence. But before Lexos can say anything, he begins to speak again. "Now, Lexos, let me tell you a little something about who you are. You are not Ranwell Arche. You are not Ugh the troll. You are barely even the leader of your own people; if anyone, that's Harfor!" He turns to Demiu. "And you, Demiu! You are not Duke Arthurian. Tell me, if you are a leader, where are your followers?" To Darthraxx: "The same goes for you, Darthraxx! You saved your kingdom, brought it back from destruction But what have you done since then? Perfected your own powers? Conquered a fortress, then left it to lead a patchwork army in a war that barely needed it?" He gestures wildly around. "Can a single one of you tell me what is happening in the battle right now, while you sit here and lick your wounds?"
Amion steps in. "I will not have you speak of our leader that way. Though he is a man of few words, he is a man of thought and he knows his weaknesses, which already makes him stronger than most. He leads by example. I may remind you that he was one who jumped the wall to fight the Bears and the leader that still stands before you now. And he has one trait that makes him greater than all the others you mentioned, loyalty. What happened to all the others? They left, Ranwell left even before I arrived. A hero is not someone who fades out of the story or commands troops from the back, it's not someone who runs from their mistakes and flaws. We need a hero, not a leader. We already have a few leaders in our company.
Proud Christian and Canadian TFOL! President of the EMBC So long message boards.
"I said if, not when. I am just taking some of the worst possibilities into consideration." Lexos frowns. "Were you Egolius then? I must know."
Albeis takes a deep breath. "I was a boy with a story and a dream. I followed them until they consumed me, hollowed me out, and I became the dream. That was how I lived for years, in a world of my own imagining, until suddenly, violently, the dream was torn away and I saw myself clearly for the first time, saw a fool who believed himself a hero. Then, just when I was starting to regain a sense of self, it was taken from me again. Can you imagine what it's like to live thousands of years one moment at a time, flung across time and space, seeing everything and comprehending a mere fraction yet still more than the human mind is meant to comprehend? That was my life when Time had me. And then, again without warning, it stopped. I returned to the world once again, only I landed fifty years before I'd even been born. I spent a long time wandering this continent, and then I came back here because I thought there was something left for me. I was wrong. So, Lexos, I will tell you who I am: I am the man who was born Egol, who called himself Egolius, who is now Albeis. Is that enough for you?"
He practically screams the last sentence. But before Lexos can say anything, he begins to speak again. "Now, Lexos, let me tell you a little something about who you are. You are not Ranwell Arche. You are not Ugh the troll. You are barely even the leader of your own people; if anyone, that's Harfor!" He turns to Demiu. "And you, Demiu! You are not Duke Arthurian. Tell me, if you are a leader, where are your followers?" To Darthraxx: "The same goes for you, Darthraxx! You saved your kingdom, brought it back from destruction But what have you done since then? Perfected your own powers? Conquered a fortress, then left it to lead a patchwork army in a war that barely needed it?" He gestures wildly around. "Can a single one of you tell me what is happening in the battle right now, while you sit here and lick your wounds?"
"I know!" Lexos shouts suddenly, then takes a shaky breath and continues. "I know I am not a great leader like Arche, and I know I am as not strong as Ugh, and I know for darn sure I am not you who can create some false reality and live in it! I know I am not Harfor who can take that lead and bring the Forest Band higher when the leader just lets it down. In fact, I am nobody. I came from a poor family, I got abandoned when I was young and who knows what?! But I know one thing: I won't break so easily. Mock me if you wish Albeis." Lexos turns around and strides away. He turned around suddenly, scowling. "Albeis, if you want to know what is going on, I will tell you: The Xains have almost completely taken over the Dragon Knights castle, the Xains are smashing our men right left and center and are wiping away everything and claiming it as their own."
Albeis takes a deep breath. "I was a boy with a story and a dream. I followed them until they consumed me, hollowed me out, and I became the dream. That was how I lived for years, in a world of my own imagining, until suddenly, violently, the dream was torn away and I saw myself clearly for the first time, saw a fool who believed himself a hero. Then, just when I was starting to regain a sense of self, it was taken from me again. Can you imagine what it's like to live thousands of years one moment at a time, flung across time and space, seeing everything and comprehending a mere fraction yet still more than the human mind is meant to comprehend? That was my life when Time had me. And then, again without warning, it stopped. I returned to the world once again, only I landed fifty years before I'd even been born. I spent a long time wandering this continent, and then I came back here because I thought there was something left for me. I was wrong. So, Lexos, I will tell you who I am: I am the man who was born Egol, who called himself Egolius, who is now Albeis. Is that enough for you?"
He practically screams the last sentence. But before Lexos can say anything, he begins to speak again. "Now, Lexos, let me tell you a little something about who you are. You are not Ranwell Arche. You are not Ugh the troll. You are barely even the leader of your own people; if anyone, that's Harfor!" He turns to Demiu. "And you, Demiu! You are not Duke Arthurian. Tell me, if you are a leader, where are your followers?" To Darthraxx: "The same goes for you, Darthraxx! You saved your kingdom, brought it back from destruction But what have you done since then? Perfected your own powers? Conquered a fortress, then left it to lead a patchwork army in a war that barely needed it?" He gestures wildly around. "Can a single one of you tell me what is happening in the battle right now, while you sit here and lick your wounds?"
Amion steps in. "I will not have you speak of our leader that way. Though he is a man of few words, he is a man of thought and he knows his weaknesses, which already makes him stronger than most. He leads by example. I may remind you that he was one who jumped the wall to fight the Bears and the leader that still stands before you now. And he has one trait that makes him greater than all the others you mentioned, loyalty. What happened to all the others? They left, Ranwell left even before I arrived. A hero is not someone who fades out of the story or commands troops from the back, it's not someone who runs from their mistakes and flaws. We need a hero, not a leader. We already have a few leaders in our company.
Albeis scoffs. "He jumped off a wall during a siege? That's the example you use? The point of a siege is not to bring the attack to them, but to outlast their attack. If one hundred other men tried the same thing, none would survive. He got lucky. That's all there is to it. That's what a hero is- a fool who got lucky. Well, guess what? That luck doesn't last forever. You think a hero is better than a leader? Logaire Adarcafad used to be a leader, and then he lost it. He tried to be a hero, and now he's smashed. A hero is good for inspiring the troops to run off and get themselves smashed when there's nothing else they can do. That's it. You don't even need the hero to be present, or real. A story is enough most of the time. I'm a hero, Amion, or I was, or something. I thought I could do anything, save everyone. I was wrong. The person you need is not Egolius. Men like him can't make the hard decisions. That's what leaders are for. That's what you need. Maybe I was too hard on Lexos, but know one thing: when he runs off again to pursue his own interests and adventures, which he will, because that's what all heroes do, you will wish you had a leader instead of a lucky fool."
"I said if, not when. I am just taking some of the worst possibilities into consideration." Lexos frowns. "Were you Egolius then? I must know."
Albeis takes a deep breath. "I was a boy with a story and a dream. I followed them until they consumed me, hollowed me out, and I became the dream. That was how I lived for years, in a world of my own imagining, until suddenly, violently, the dream was torn away and I saw myself clearly for the first time, saw a fool who believed himself a hero. Then, just when I was starting to regain a sense of self, it was taken from me again. Can you imagine what it's like to live thousands of years one moment at a time, flung across time and space, seeing everything and comprehending a mere fraction yet still more than the human mind is meant to comprehend? That was my life when Time had me. And then, again without warning, it stopped. I returned to the world once again, only I landed fifty years before I'd even been born. I spent a long time wandering this continent, and then I came back here because I thought there was something left for me. I was wrong. So, Lexos, I will tell you who I am: I am the man who was born Egol, who called himself Egolius, who is now Albeis. Is that enough for you?"
He practically screams the last sentence. But before Lexos can say anything, he begins to speak again. "Now, Lexos, let me tell you a little something about who you are. You are not Ranwell Arche. You are not Ugh the troll. You are barely even the leader of your own people; if anyone, that's Harfor!" He turns to Demiu. "And you, Demiu! You are not Duke Arthurian. Tell me, if you are a leader, where are your followers?" To Darthraxx: "The same goes for you, Darthraxx! You saved your kingdom, brought it back from destruction But what have you done since then? Perfected your own powers? Conquered a fortress, then left it to lead a patchwork army in a war that barely needed it?" He gestures wildly around. "Can a single one of you tell me what is happening in the battle right now, while you sit here and lick your wounds?"
"My people...my people are safe! They are beyond the Mountains, beyond the reach of the Xains! I may have lost this battle, but I have saved them! Every last Lion Knight who rode with me may have fallen in battle, but I swear to you, I will avenge them tenfold before I die. The deaths of my men, my own death, they buy time for the rest to escape! The Xains will never have them!"
Demiu is shaking heavily, his face pale. It is clear that he is not far from breaking point.
Albeis takes a deep breath. "I was a boy with a story and a dream. I followed them until they consumed me, hollowed me out, and I became the dream. That was how I lived for years, in a world of my own imagining, until suddenly, violently, the dream was torn away and I saw myself clearly for the first time, saw a fool who believed himself a hero. Then, just when I was starting to regain a sense of self, it was taken from me again. Can you imagine what it's like to live thousands of years one moment at a time, flung across time and space, seeing everything and comprehending a mere fraction yet still more than the human mind is meant to comprehend? That was my life when Time had me. And then, again without warning, it stopped. I returned to the world once again, only I landed fifty years before I'd even been born. I spent a long time wandering this continent, and then I came back here because I thought there was something left for me. I was wrong. So, Lexos, I will tell you who I am: I am the man who was born Egol, who called himself Egolius, who is now Albeis. Is that enough for you?"
He practically screams the last sentence. But before Lexos can say anything, he begins to speak again. "Now, Lexos, let me tell you a little something about who you are. You are not Ranwell Arche. You are not Ugh the troll. You are barely even the leader of your own people; if anyone, that's Harfor!" He turns to Demiu. "And you, Demiu! You are not Duke Arthurian. Tell me, if you are a leader, where are your followers?" To Darthraxx: "The same goes for you, Darthraxx! You saved your kingdom, brought it back from destruction But what have you done since then? Perfected your own powers? Conquered a fortress, then left it to lead a patchwork army in a war that barely needed it?" He gestures wildly around. "Can a single one of you tell me what is happening in the battle right now, while you sit here and lick your wounds?"
"I know!" Lexos shouts suddenly, then takes a shaky breath and continues. "I know I am not a great leader like Arche, and I know I am as not strong as Ugh, and I know for darn sure I am not you who can create some false reality and live in it! I know I am not Harfor who can take that lead and bring the Forest Band higher when the leader just lets it down. In fact, I am nobody. I came from a poor family, I got abandoned when I was young and who knows what?! But I know one thing: I won't break so easily. Mock me if you wish Albeis." Lexos turns around and strides away. He turned around suddenly, scowling. "Albeis, if you want to know what is going on, I will tell you: The Xains have almost completely taken over the Dragon Knights castle, the Xains are smashing our men right left and center and are wiping away everything and claiming it as their own."
"I'm not mocking you. I'm telling you what you need to hear to do something about all of this. You want to prove me wrong, to show that my words are baseless, that you can be better than what you were and those who preceded you? Lead. Do something. But don't claim to know what's going on better than I do. You did not watch from those castle walls as a young dragon fell from the sky while his mother looked on, helpless to do anything but keep on fighting. You did not watch the minotaurs fleeing from the Xains that pursue them, barely able to fight anymore without being run down. You did not watch as fire and dust filled the sky on the shore and the Kriatoma army was practically decimated in a matter of minutes. You did not have to watch the people you thought you had saved be smashed before your eyes and know you could do nothing about it, that you will never be able to do anything about it." As he speaks, the trembling of his voice and limbs grows worse. By the end, he is barely comprehensible and he has to lean most of his weight on his staff to stay upright.
Albeis takes a deep breath. "I was a boy with a story and a dream. I followed them until they consumed me, hollowed me out, and I became the dream. That was how I lived for years, in a world of my own imagining, until suddenly, violently, the dream was torn away and I saw myself clearly for the first time, saw a fool who believed himself a hero. Then, just when I was starting to regain a sense of self, it was taken from me again. Can you imagine what it's like to live thousands of years one moment at a time, flung across time and space, seeing everything and comprehending a mere fraction yet still more than the human mind is meant to comprehend? That was my life when Time had me. And then, again without warning, it stopped. I returned to the world once again, only I landed fifty years before I'd even been born. I spent a long time wandering this continent, and then I came back here because I thought there was something left for me. I was wrong. So, Lexos, I will tell you who I am: I am the man who was born Egol, who called himself Egolius, who is now Albeis. Is that enough for you?"
He practically screams the last sentence. But before Lexos can say anything, he begins to speak again. "Now, Lexos, let me tell you a little something about who you are. You are not Ranwell Arche. You are not Ugh the troll. You are barely even the leader of your own people; if anyone, that's Harfor!" He turns to Demiu. "And you, Demiu! You are not Duke Arthurian. Tell me, if you are a leader, where are your followers?" To Darthraxx: "The same goes for you, Darthraxx! You saved your kingdom, brought it back from destruction But what have you done since then? Perfected your own powers? Conquered a fortress, then left it to lead a patchwork army in a war that barely needed it?" He gestures wildly around. "Can a single one of you tell me what is happening in the battle right now, while you sit here and lick your wounds?"
"My people...my people are safe! They are beyond the Mountains, beyond the reach of the Xains! I may have lost this battle, but I have saved them! Every last Lion Knight who rode with me may have fallen in battle, but I swear to you, I will avenge them tenfold before I die. The deaths of my men, my own death, they buy time for the rest to escape! The Xains will never have them!"
Demiu is shaking heavily, his face pale. It is clear that he is not far from breaking point.
"Before you . . . no. You will . . . no, I can't." He tries to take a step toward Demiu, but his trembling legs don't move and he only ends up leaning on his staff at an awkward angle. After the conversations with Darthraxx, Amion, and Lexos, he looks to have been pushed beyond a point that his body can handle. "You want to save lives?" His voice is hollow, and as shaky as his legs. "Send back Corellus. That will save lives. Why don't . . . why don't you ask Darthraxx what was in the letter that he just received? Why don't you ask him what will happen if you wait?"
"I know!" Lexos shouts suddenly, then takes a shaky breath and continues. "I know I am not a great leader like Arche, and I know I am as not strong as Ugh, and I know for darn sure I am not you who can create some false reality and live in it! I know I am not Harfor who can take that lead and bring the Forest Band higher when the leader just lets it down. In fact, I am nobody. I came from a poor family, I got abandoned when I was young and who knows what?! But I know one thing: I won't break so easily. Mock me if you wish Albeis." Lexos turns around and strides away. He turned around suddenly, scowling. "Albeis, if you want to know what is going on, I will tell you: The Xains have almost completely taken over the Dragon Knights castle, the Xains are smashing our men right left and center and are wiping away everything and claiming it as their own."
"I'm not mocking you. I'm telling you what you need to hear to do something about all of this. You want to prove me wrong, to show that my words are baseless, that you can be better than what you were and those who preceded you? Lead. Do something. But don't claim to know what's going on better than I do. You did not watch from those castle walls as a young dragon fell from the sky while his mother looked on, helpless to do anything but keep on fighting. You did not watch the minotaurs fleeing from the Xains that pursue them, barely able to fight anymore without being run down. You did not watch as fire and dust filled the sky on the shore and the Kriatoma army was practically decimated in a matter of minutes. You did not have to watch the people you thought you had saved be smashed before your eyes and know you could do nothing about it, that you will never be able to do anything about it." As he speaks, the trembling of his voice and limbs grows worse. By the end, he is barely comprehensible and he has to lean most of his weight on his staff to stay upright.
"Ah yes, right incorrect word to use." Lexos rubs his temples irritably and wipes the sweat off his brow. "I know what I must do, but you may have heard me say before that I am no leader. And on top of that, you said it yourself. And I know, I didn't see any of that happen. I know, I don't truly know what is going on. In fact, I know nothing." Lexos pauses and watches Albeis grow weaker. "Albeis, you must rest. We will finish this later."
"My people...my people are safe! They are beyond the Mountains, beyond the reach of the Xains! I may have lost this battle, but I have saved them! Every last Lion Knight who rode with me may have fallen in battle, but I swear to you, I will avenge them tenfold before I die. The deaths of my men, my own death, they buy time for the rest to escape! The Xains will never have them!"
Demiu is shaking heavily, his face pale. It is clear that he is not far from breaking point.
"Before you . . . no. You will . . . no, I can't." He tries to take a step toward Demiu, but his trembling legs don't move and he only ends up leaning on his staff at an awkward angle. After the conversations with Darthraxx, Amion, and Lexos, he looks to have been pushed beyond a point that his body can handle. "You want to save lives?" His voice is hollow, and as shaky as his legs. "Send back Corellus. That will save lives. Why don't . . . why don't you ask Darthraxx what was in the letter that he just received? Why don't you ask him what will happen if you wait?"
Lexos drops his previous conversation and listens to what Albeis is saying to Demiu. When there was a pause in speaking, Lexos said "I would've sent general Corellus back, but Demiu disagreed with the idea."
"My people...my people are safe! They are beyond the Mountains, beyond the reach of the Xains! I may have lost this battle, but I have saved them! Every last Lion Knight who rode with me may have fallen in battle, but I swear to you, I will avenge them tenfold before I die. The deaths of my men, my own death, they buy time for the rest to escape! The Xains will never have them!"
Demiu is shaking heavily, his face pale. It is clear that he is not far from breaking point.
"Before you . . . no. You will . . . no, I can't." He tries to take a step toward Demiu, but his trembling legs don't move and he only ends up leaning on his staff at an awkward angle. After the conversations with Darthraxx, Amion, and Lexos, he looks to have been pushed beyond a point that his body can handle. "You want to save lives?" His voice is hollow, and as shaky as his legs. "Send back Corellus. That will save lives. Why don't . . . why don't you ask Darthraxx what was in the letter that he just received? Why don't you ask him what will happen if you wait?"
Demiu's hands whiten as he grips his sword hilt in an attempt to calm himself, swaying on his feet. Despite the weakness in his appearance, his voice is going up rather than down. "You think the Xain will care if we send back Corellus? They get back one of their top generals, and we get back a couple of warriors for a few hours, possibly a few days and at most a few weeks, before we are destroyed by their forces! They are coming, and handing over Corellus will not change that!"
"I'm not mocking you. I'm telling you what you need to hear to do something about all of this. You want to prove me wrong, to show that my words are baseless, that you can be better than what you were and those who preceded you? Lead. Do something. But don't claim to know what's going on better than I do. You did not watch from those castle walls as a young dragon fell from the sky while his mother looked on, helpless to do anything but keep on fighting. You did not watch the minotaurs fleeing from the Xains that pursue them, barely able to fight anymore without being run down. You did not watch as fire and dust filled the sky on the shore and the Kriatoma army was practically decimated in a matter of minutes. You did not have to watch the people you thought you had saved be smashed before your eyes and know you could do nothing about it, that you will never be able to do anything about it." As he speaks, the trembling of his voice and limbs grows worse. By the end, he is barely comprehensible and he has to lean most of his weight on his staff to stay upright.
"Ah yes, right incorrect word to use." Lexos rubs his temples irritably and wipes the sweat off his brow. "I know what I must do, but you may have heard me say before that I am no leader. And on top of that, you said it yourself. And I know, I didn't see any of that happen. I know, I don't truly know what is going on. In fact, I know nothing." Lexos pauses and watches Albeis grow weaker. "Albeis, you must rest. We will finish this later."
"Fine. Let someone else do that. But none of us can afford to just stand here and do nothing. You heard what I said. All of those things are happening right now. Go find a way to stop one of them. I will rest when you do that."
"Before you . . . no. You will . . . no, I can't." He tries to take a step toward Demiu, but his trembling legs don't move and he only ends up leaning on his staff at an awkward angle. After the conversations with Darthraxx, Amion, and Lexos, he looks to have been pushed beyond a point that his body can handle. "You want to save lives?" His voice is hollow, and as shaky as his legs. "Send back Corellus. That will save lives. Why don't . . . why don't you ask Darthraxx what was in the letter that he just received? Why don't you ask him what will happen if you wait?"
Lexos drops his previous conversation and listens to what Albeis is saying to Demiu. When there was a pause in speaking, Lexos said "I would've sent general Corellus back, but Demiu disagreed with the idea."
Albeis looks at him sadly, opens his mouth to say something, and turns away.
"Before you . . . no. You will . . . no, I can't." He tries to take a step toward Demiu, but his trembling legs don't move and he only ends up leaning on his staff at an awkward angle. After the conversations with Darthraxx, Amion, and Lexos, he looks to have been pushed beyond a point that his body can handle. "You want to save lives?" His voice is hollow, and as shaky as his legs. "Send back Corellus. That will save lives. Why don't . . . why don't you ask Darthraxx what was in the letter that he just received? Why don't you ask him what will happen if you wait?"
Demiu's hands whiten as he grips his sword hilt in an attempt to calm himself, swaying on his feet. Despite the weakness in his appearance, his voice is going up rather than down. "You think the Xain will care if we send back Corellus? They get back one of their top generals, and we get back a couple of warriors for a few hours, possibly a few days and at most a few weeks, before we are destroyed by their forces! They are coming, and handing over Corellus will not change that!"
"That's why we need to do it. We need to care, or we are no better than they are. And we are not just getting back a couple of warriors. We are getting back the leader of the Shadow Warriors and a man who commands a dragon, dragons being the one reason we have not lost yet. Just . . . just ask Darthraxx what was in the letter."
"Before you . . . no. You will . . . no, I can't." He tries to take a step toward Demiu, but his trembling legs don't move and he only ends up leaning on his staff at an awkward angle. After the conversations with Darthraxx, Amion, and Lexos, he looks to have been pushed beyond a point that his body can handle. "You want to save lives?" His voice is hollow, and as shaky as his legs. "Send back Corellus. That will save lives. Why don't . . . why don't you ask Darthraxx what was in the letter that he just received? Why don't you ask him what will happen if you wait?"
Lexos drops his previous conversation and listens to what Albeis is saying to Demiu. When there was a pause in speaking, Lexos said "I would've sent general Corellus back, but Demiu disagreed with the idea."
Harfor approaches again. "Lexos, I have heard what has been said. Should I gather the men?"
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