Anyway, Runcible is in the room, able to see Lucielle, who can see Verix and Runcible. Harron has just encountered Verix's troops left in the mid room of the tower. And a golem reaches the top of the tower via the other stairs and looks around.
"Well, hello!" Runcible calls out, folding up his glider as he steps through the rubble. "I wouldn't leave the tower just yet; we have some things to discuss."
When Runcible speaks, Verix glowers, his grip tightening on his earthbreaker, before a slow smile splits his lips. He gestured a peaceful gesture at Lucielle, before whispering so quietly only she could hear it, regardless of his brothers super hearing. [smaller]"I need to move past you or our dear brother may just be in for a nasty surprise. And don't worry, I'll try keep my temper!"
"Ah Runcible, I was wondering who had taken a disliking to the Tower that much that they would pelt it with Siege engines." He glanced towards the gaping hole in the wall, before snorting. "Bit heavy handed isn't it? And what is it you wish to discuss? I assume you are here for the throne yes? Well as I was saying to our dear sister only moments before, that won't work for me!"
He glanced back at Lucielle, before speaking again. "We were just about to have a conversation so now we can do it all together. Not here however, someone has made an awful mess..." He gestured down the stairs, stepping back so as not to be near either of his siblings. "Please, after you. Even a barbarian such as I has manners."
Upon hearing Runcible begin to speak above, Corvin turned on his heels and dashed back down to the lower area of the Tower, pausing on the middle level, with the rest of Verix men.
"Look sharp you filth, we have incoming divines. Keep your eyes up and just keep out of their bloody way, right?"
As Harron strolls in to view, Corvin steps to behind the line of shield wielding soldiers who tighten in to a line of shields and sword, as his scouts fan out behind him and the line of axe wielding warriors flank to the sides, all with their backs to the inactive Golem.
"Greetings from my lord Verix, the Demon of the Claw, Chieftain of the Land of the Penitent man, ruler of Zhang Zhun and conqueror of Xien Yu. He is currently indisposed of, at the moment, he is speaking to two of your siblings, my lord. He will be with you presently, if you care to wait here with us?"
W 40
S 45
I think that is right. I have counted but I am not sure.
"I'm sure it's not as heavy-handed as whatever you've done to the inside of the tower. I opened the tower with surgical precision, and I'm here to take the trophy and leave. Despite this clearly being a flight of fancy, leaving the entire fate of our nation on a single scavenger hunt, father always lacked the imagination to actually make it an interesting puzzle. That, or he wanted us to think outside the box, though I doubt that. And anyone without the foresight and resolve to outsmart something like this doesn't have what it takes to manage a whole country."
"Now, I'm not going to descend the tower with you yet. My men have orders to fire at anyone who leaves the tower unless that person can show that they carry nothing—and they'll be in formation by now, deadly at a range of 300 feet. I shoot one signal out of the side of this tower, that changes—but I shoot a different signal, and they bring down the whole tower with you in it, faster than you can climb down those stairs. I'm not sure even you can survive a hundred thousand pounds of stone collapsing with you inside it. So I suggest we all come back up here and have a little chat first."
"Now we can all talk about this like adults, or you can try your little trick and see what happens to you. But it is my reckoning, from the amount of time it took your little engine to break a hole in here, that to take down this tower proper will take a little time too. And I think I am fast enough, in fact I'd bet on it!" He grinned at Runcible. "That is, if I decided to run. I might just lock my meaty hands around that neck of yours and start introducing your adams apple a little more firmly to that piss poor excuse for a spine of yours!" He barked a laugh, before shaking his head.
"But as I said, that isn't what has to happen. We can all talk this over somewhere else, if'n you like. But if you choose to force my hand, I promise you, I do bite!"
"Verix—right now, the only reason for my stratagem is to give you a reason to stay and talk, since I don't know you to be a man of words."
"Lucielle—you're a pet of the capital, right? What have either of you seen of this country? I've walked our lands, from high to low, learning everything it has to teach. I've seen prosperous cities, and starving peasants, and done what I can to improve both—but it's not enough. Our nation stagnates under the weight of an Emperor who gives up his duties and forgets his people. When was the last time you saw a mage invent a new spell, or a wright of the capitol inventing a new and useful tool like the ones my men carry? What it needs is a ruler willing to drive this country forward, into an age of prosperity and conviction, and the first thing that requires is the resolve to confront the injustices, small and large, that no one else will."
Runcible ought to have known that Lucielle was both a soldier and an aristocrat - not a nobleman playing at being a warrior, but rather, a combatant who simply happened to be as comfortable in a ballroom as a battlefield.
"Okay, you found a new knot, but that's... not really my point. It seems the height of foolishness for our father to choose who will be responsible for the millions of lives in this nation simply by betting our entire country's future on an armed footrace."
When Runcible began to talk about creation and about driving forward the works of the future, Verix laughed softly. "You know me yet you do not KNOW me. You see a barbarian Chieftain, bathed in blood and rotten to the core, yet you dont see my surroundings. I made my home in Zhang Zhun, in the city of the Forges, Xien Yu, the heart of technology and creation in the east of this run down empire. I am not a creator, I am not a scientist but the men and women who practice these crafts flourish under my rule, they enjoy greater protection under my rule!" He crossed his arms and grinned.
"So it seems that we three would serve the Empire quite admirably, all things considered. I hope you have a better argument than that for your choice for the throne Runcible!"
Verix glanced at Lucielle, weighing the woman slightly, his head tilted to the side. He would get little from her, she knew how to school her face too well.
"Now if you will excuse me... I need to address my men for a minute..."
"CORVIN. TAKE THE MEN AND GO DOWN TO THE BOTTOM LEVEL OF THE TOWER, WE ARE HAVING A CONVERSATION UP HERE INSTEAD!"
"Sure. A ruler also needs wisdom, patience, and resolve. So you conquered a great city, and did not destroy it in the process. The achievements of Xien Yu are not your own. If the best thing you can say about your rulership is that you didn't kill or abuse the people you aggressively subjugated—well, that's better than grunting 'I take stone or I kill you!' but not my much."
"Why do you want to rule, anyway? Is it because power is the only thing you've known, and you see rulership as yet another conquest to try your strength at? Would you not grow bored, soon, and shirk your responsibilities as emperor, when you run out of enemies to challenge you?"
"Still—I have no interest in killing any of you unless I have to, and you have proven yourself an honorable conquerer. So here's my offer—join me, and I will offer you command of the navy, half of the army, and any territory you choose near our borders. You would be in charge of expanding the empire, by force, trade, or awe, spreading the culture and technology of a new and better Valdis, and maintaining its border lands how you see fit."
"And Lucielle—what's your stake in all of this? Continue an administration so stagnant its emperor has retired out of boredom? You seem content to let Verix waltz by and take the token, so maybe that's not it."
"Why do I want to rule? Why not? No... that is not my answer, I am not as impulsive as that." He laughed wildly for a moment, before answering the question properly. "I want to rule, because I refuse to bend my knee to anyone again. You offer me these boons, offer me all of these promises and accolades but they come with a 'but', they always do. I do not do things how you like, I get a visit from Lucielle here, and her forces and I get torn down. No. I will not stand behind the throne, not when it could be mine."
He shook his head softly, before tilting it to the side and staring at Runcible. "A counter offer, join with me, support my claim for the throne and I will make my right hand. You will have the resources of the kingdom and the ability to direct the funds of the nation towards progress and the future you so desire. I will give you any lands you desire, even my home seat, if you desire the Forges of East. With you on my right, and Lucielle as my mailed fist, we can rule this Empire better than our father ever could. Besides Runcible... with me on the throne, it is only a matter of time before I die, in an honour duel, or on a battlefield. You can have the throne after, and all without a fight!" He grinned at the man before arcing an eyebrow!"
"That's no answer at all, then." Runcible shakes his head. "You want to rule because you think anything else would lessen you as a man? But you have stated no interest in administration, or infrastructure, or justice. You think 'I would die in battle soon' is a good reason to support you? That's simply yet another power struggle. You would see our lands fragmented, or plunged into chaos, all for the desire of a responsibility you cannot even comprehend."
"No, I cannot allow that. Your thoughts, Lucielle? I would rather not bring down this tower with bystanders still inside. And Verix—I know nothing of the tower's boons, but if you swear by your honor to leave them inside the gates, I will instruct my catapults to hold fire until you and your men have exited the tower and regrouped."
"A responsibility I cannot comprehend? You dare to suggest what I can and can not comprehend little man? I am born to lead, I am raised to rule and I have done that. My tribe flourishes, my people love me and I treat them kind and fairly. I have a Council who takes care of the areas I am lacking in personally, I do not presume to think I am all powerful. You think you deserve the throne with your pretty words and your nasty tricks? Fine. You may have it. If you fight me one on one. Come, are you man enough? You think you are better than me, just because my strengths are not your own. You are a conceited dolt who does not deserve to rule a small boat on a river, not to talk of a whole nation!" He turned his back on the man and crossed the room, to the Golem. He patted the large automaton on the chest and pointed down the stairs. "Go. Retire below. Take no actions when you arrive there!"
"Lessen me as a man? HA That is not it at all, I DESERVE to rule. I am strong, I am focused and I am progressive. I learn, I adapt and I take council. And at the end of the day, I am not afraid of cutting you open and hanging you by your intestines from this tower, if needs be."
Listening for a moment, Verix can hear the sound of approaching steps, on the other stairs. "Ah. It appears our fourth is arriving. Good. A cosy little family reunion!"
Harron continues up the steps and walks into the room to see the three others in the room. He looks at each of them, and sees them in conversation. He laughs for a moment, a bit closer to a cackle this time. "This is not what I expected to see the three of you to be doing. Or were you just waiting for me?"
"I thought I told you to wait belo... Oh Harron it is you, forgive me. With that much metal I thought you were the mindless hunk of Steel I sent down below!" Verix laughs and hefts his earthbreaker on to his shoulder, squeezing the haft tightly and glancing around at his three siblings.
"Oh yes, we are very, very civilized up here. We have not raised a fist."
"I didn't say that, Lucielle. But would I be willing to take a few soldiers' lives to keep Verix off the throne, when a few million lives hang on how conscientiously he rules? I'd say that's a fair trade. There's plenty I wouldn't sacrifice—my morals, for instance—but I'm not about to stand aside and let someone hold millions of lives in his hand just because he feels he was 'born to lead.' A ruler should care about his country, not just himself, and 'I deserve to rule' is the argument of a man who cannot give a proper reason."
"And, really, 'dirty tricks,' Verix? I'd call swinging a sword more of a dirty trick than fighting with intelligence and forethought. While you were still a baby, I was busy fighting my way through Hell with my bare fists to bring back secrets of science and gunpowder. I've earned and worked for the power I have, and I would never resort to such barbarism as 'pulling the intestines out of' a defeated enemy."
"But no, I will not fight you here," he adds, unfolding his glider. "When you've spent your entire life training to fight at close range. The empire's future does not deserve to hang on a simple test of strength at arms—being able to swing a sword does not a capable ruler make. I would prefer to solve this with words, or treaty, but if you want to fight, we will do it with soldiers and tactics, as that lets at least a bit of wisdom and foresight into your barbarous conflict"
"Harron—I should tell you now that Verix has the trinket you seek. Lucielle—if you would say something, say it now, or else observe how Verix and I treat our forces and make your decision there."
"It would be nice if the catapults didn't start bombarding the tower the moment you flew out of it, intending to search the rubble for the object of your desire, brother." Lucielle observed. "If you don't want Verix or Harron to attack you even before you leave just to make absolutely sure you wouldn't be going back on your word, you might want to send that signal you mentioned. Or perhaps you wish to keep them under such a threat until you are safely gone. Dangerous either way, when you think about it."
Verix began to laugh softly, shaking his head with a smirk. "A sword is a trick? Cold hard steel, two men face to face on a battlefield, that is a trick? You talk about leading soldiers and about tactics but you are afraid to stand against me, afraid to fight me face to face and willing to allow your men to die in your place? Have you no honor?"
"I would also say that you are not as smart and as perceptive as you think you are. Tell me, when you entered the Tower, who stood further up the stairs, Lucielle or I? No, I do not hold the trinket that decides our faith, our dear sister does. But enough..."
With that, Verix darts forward and lashes out with all of his might, screaming his fury at the man, aiming his blow, not at Runcible himself, but at his brittle flying machine.
"FIGHT ME YOU COWARD!"
"I'd rather not give the signal until I leave the tower," Runcible agrees. "Rather than risk being stabbed in the back the second I turn around to send it. But I give my word that if Verix agrees to leave his boons behind and not flee with the trinket the second he leaves the tower, I and my catapults will allow everyone inside a safe exit."
Lucielle stepped a few paces back (a bit down the stairs, actually) as Verix darted forward, clearly trying to not get caught in the middle of that.
(Runcible rolls twice and takes the better roll, so 28)
"I wasn't born yesterday, child!" Runcible shouts. Pistols pop out of each of his sleeves, and his tail whips down into a quiver of ammo. Rapidly, he fires round after round, spinning guns in his tail as he reloads.
"Do you really hate the citizens of this empire SO MUCH that you'd rather leave their fate to a sword fight rather than a reasoned argument? But maybe you will respect my steel, if not my words."
And Runcible 5' steps back, into whatever rubble might be near the hole in the wall (even if it's difficult terrain).
Verix dodges around the majority of the shots, before taking the fifth directly in the side. He pushed through the pain and with a flash of his power, imbued his weapon with more power, as he lashed out, sending his eartbreaker singing towards Runcibles temple.
As Verix begins to spring into action, Runcible unleashes a hail of bullets at the speed faster than a normal man could think.... Bullets that Verix seems to deflect out of sheer force of will, the bullets, suddenly veering off or coming to a complete halt before dropping straight to the ground, only two shots on target, one, Verix dodges through preternatural reflex, practically as though his body reacted before his mind, but before he recovered from the dodge, the other shot hit.
Verix swung his earthbreaker with all of the force he could muster, sending it screaming towards Runcibles head. At the last moment he twisted the weapon, dropping its path a hair, to have it connect with the mans side rather than his head. He could feel ribs splinter and kept pushing, following through with the swing, using all of his strength and momentum, as Runcible was driven back, thrown more accurately, to slam in to the wall and fall limp and unconscious, like a ragdoll.
He stood there in the wreckage, staring down at the man and panting slightly, the head of his hammer slowly falling to come to rest on the ground. "I respect you brother, that is why you are merely beaten, and not dead." He bent down and picked up the pair of pistols, sliding them in to his belt, as he turns towards the other two people present.
"Well now, what next?"
"Heh. That is more of what I was expecting. Lets continue this outside of this tower. I do not want to be buried in stone." Harron awaits for his siblings and then starts walking down the tower.