The Eve of War

[thirdtimesthechar]

Who: Char, his (NPC) officers, and Avshar
What: A plan enters its final stages
When: Late at night the day before Zeon, Sawa, and Amestris go to war
Where: Zeon's capital
Warnings: Violence, death, ham

In his inner sanctum at Sweetwater, Char is meeting with those of his officers he hasn't already dispatched into the field. The room is the chaos that results from many Very Important People all having Very Important Things to say, a hubbub of frantic activity and organization to make the upcoming death and destruction on the mainland as quick and painless (for Our Side) as possible.

In the center of the storm is Char Aznable talking to a technical aide, who has handed him a curious new machine.

"It's the prototype of the repeating pistol you ordered, your highness. Rifled barrel, rotating chamber that takes cartridged bullets, single-action hammer. Just point and shoot, and it's all the power of a rifle in one hand. This one's got a mahogany handle since it's a gift for your highness."

Char hefts the silvery weapon, feeling its weight, opening and closing the curious chamber. "Bit heavy, but a damn sight better than our old flintlocks." He sights down the barrel at the ceiling, then lowers it. "I want five thousand, distributed as soon as possible."

"Er...five thousand, sire?"

"Yes, five thousand," Char snaps. "Throw gold at every machinist you can find until we get that number. I want to have at least as many of these as Amestris inevitably will, and preferably sooner.

"I'll...do what I can, your highness, but mass-producing new technology like that--"

"--is how wars are won. No one ever defeated the enemy with just a sample piece." Char sighs. "Do what you can; I'm going to hang onto this gift."

The aide bows and scurries off and Char turns to address his officers......

Comments

[thirdtimesthechar]

"Ah, Sir Avshar. One second," Char says cheerfully.

With that, he aims his new gun at the necromancer and opens fire with three shots, aides and officers who haven't seen frontline combat in decades alike both scattering to the sides of the room.

"Better than a repeater, even," he mutters, already on the move to put a desk between him and Avshar.

[princeofskotos]

The noise in the enclosed space is deafening, yet when the clouds of gunsmoke clear, Avshar is still standing, apparently unhurt. He chuckled and held up the sleeve of his surcoat, revealing a strange yellow stain upon it.

"A spirited try, but I hope you didn't assume I would come unprepared for such things."

[thirdtimesthechar]

Of course it hadn't come loaded with Crystal bullets. Oh well.

Char carefully switches the new weapon to his left hand and draws his magical saber, preparing to pepper Avshar with energy blades if regular bullets weren't going to do the trick.

"Anyone who'd care to help is free to kill the traitor. I'll work out a suitable reward for the one who cuts his head off," he says levelly, raising Nightingale into an on-guard position.

At that, the guards and functionaries in the room that happen to be armed draw their swords and move toward the wizard prince, cautiously and with worried looks at the soldiers behind him.

[princeofskotos]

Avshar gave the approaching men a level share. "This farce is amusing, but I'm afraid I don't have time to play games with children."

He made a single, sorcerous gesture, triggering a spell that had been months in the making. The line of generals and officers approaching Avshar nervously, suddenly came to a ragged halt, the look of fearful determination replaced with a look of fanatical loyalty.

"I rule here now. Remove this piece of offal from my war room."

[thirdtimesthechar]

"Have I mentioned lately..." Char begins, concentrating and waving Nightingale to summon forth six floating energy blades. "...that I hate magic? Nightingale, fly!"

Irony out of the way, and mind-controlled vassals encroaching on him, the energy blades fly at Avshar. Char turns and hits a concealed switch on the desk, kicking a slavering mind-controlled lieutenant into the pit that appears under a chair. "Knew that would come in handy..."

[princeofskotos]

Avshar's new cronies fell back under the assault of blades, but Avshar was more than a match for Char's assault. The sword bits darted towards Avshar like wasps, and then fell lifeless to the ground several at a time as Avshar chanted short phrases in whatever dark tongue he used for his magics. In short order, the air was clear and Char was alone with a stub of a sword surrounded by hostile men.

Avshar removed his veil so he could fix Char with a proper glare as his new followers frogmarched Zeon's former ruler before him. His face was that of a man who had continued aging for centuries without being allowed to die. The only part of that face that still had life was his eyes, which glowed with power. "I heard that thou would not bend knee before Emperor Menethil. But thou shalt bend knee before me, for I am the greater lord than any in this debased land, wretch."

[thirdtimesthechar]

"You? A lord? You look like a slave to me," Char says, unruffled. "I'm not even going to dignify this presumption by spitting in your face. I'll save that for whatever Taintspawn it smells like you're serving."

[princeofskotos]

That already twisted face contorted more in rage. The men holding Char forced him down to his knees, then down so his forehead was pushed into the floor so Avshar could grind a boot into the back of Char's neck. It smelled of horse sweat.

"Thou'rt a fool, who thinks he has found wisdom because he has learned to shit and break wind at the same time! See then, what power you pit yourself against!"

As Avshar started chanting, a bubble of sickly blue light surrounded Char on the ground, which quickly filled with some kind of fog. The men who had held him down cried in pain and jerked away, their arms now encrusted with ice. As for Char himself, the fog grew into a driving wind that did not leave the sphere, blowing the commander of Zeon away into some unseen distance. The dome of light vanished with a blinding flash of light, and all that was left was a patch of ice on the floor.

Avshar turned to his new staff. "There are to be some changes to our plans for this war."