by Davies, Sean
A cheer began within the city – the forces of the Omni had killed or driven off the last of their foes. The civilians within the city hid within their houses and apartments. Those without shelter or refuge headed for the docks and harbour with the others who wanted out in a hurry, and waited fearfully for what would happen next. Some, although not many, who had bought into the propaganda originating from Imperia City, greeted their conquerors with open arms and offered them food, drinks or medical assistance.
Winston drank all of the energy potions he’d brought with him and tossed the empty vials over the edge of the Foreman. He was still tired and his ears wouldn’t stop ringing. Carefully he levitated down to the ground, giving the Foreman a thumbs-up on the way.
“That was fun!” the Foreman yelled. “Winston, bringer of sugars and savagery!”
“Glad you enjoyed helping, and thank you!” Winston shouted upwards when he landed. He could barely hear his own raised voice.
A black oval shape tore into reality next to him, and the Archmage stepped through with his arms outstretched. “Winston, well done! You’ve exceeded all expectations once again! You must be happy that we’re one step closer to fixing the world?”
Winston struggled to hear. “What? You can teleport now? Sorry, my ears, I can’t hear very well!” he yelled.
The Archmage waved his hand and a warm white light formed around Winston’s head before disappearing. “That should help,” Omniosis said kindly.
“Thank you, Omniosis. Everything went as planned,” Winston said, trying to control the volume of his voice now that his hearing was fixed.
“I can see that, Winston. Very well done. I can feel myself growing stronger, I am half way to being restored thanks to you my friend,” the Archmage said sincerely.
The Archmage outstretched his arms once again. A faint shimmer radiated outwards from the Archmage’s body, another shockwave tore through the city, and the mismatched human and Gloom buildings were transformed into the same glass, white and grey stoned buildings as were in the Capital. Omniosis’ masked banner was painted or hung repeatedly throughout the metropolis, and the streams of pollution pouring endlessly from the many power plants and manufactories were now a light grey and slightly purple smoke. The plate of clouds above, however, was still an unpleasant mix of white, brown, yellow, dark purple and black curdling pollution of both natural and magical origin.
When Winston studied the buildings around the glowing plaza, he noticed that they weren’t as artfully modified as those that were in the Capital City, but then remembering the plan for Tropica he understood why.
“Anything interesting happened in the Capital since I’ve been gone?” Winston asked Omniosis. “I’m looking forward to getting back, to be honest.” He hadn’t been gone long but he missed Veronica terribly.
The Archmage hesitated, appearing like a masked statue again before answering. “I’m afraid Lucius was killed in a successful assassination attempt by the Trinity of Old. It seems that we overlooked some of their more elusive portals within the Capital.”
Winston felt like he’d been hit in the back of the head. His mind went blank with shock and he couldn’t think or reply properly. “No…” he uttered.
Omniosis put one of his hands on Winston’s shoulders, and his touch alone bled incredible magical power. “Terrible news, I know. I am deeply sorry. It doesn’t seem like much of a comfort now but we will make those responsible suffer to their last. Just think, two more mergers and our enemies will have nowhere to hide, and vengeance is wonderful cure for grief.”
Winston couldn’t say anything as tears ran down his face. Lucius had been a dear friend to both him and Veronica, and without his help Winston would have been nothing.
“It’s a lot to take in, I know. You should rest,” Omniosis said sadly. “I’ll organise things here before I return to the Capital. You stay and see your friends, Kaine, Lynette and Kavarne. Friendships should be cherished dearly while they last, especially in these testing times.”
Winston nodded, the fears and doubts growing louder in the back of his mind once more. He was sick of the mental tug of war and just wanted to switch off, and so he looked for somewhere safe in the newly merged city to sleep for a while.
Chapter 4: The Queen of Tropica
Following her radio conversation with Azalea, Alice Eve had been graciously granted an audience with her rogue General. She had made her way through the Catacombs to the Tropical continent of Tropica with Jonathan, Silvario, the always pleasant Cherriesa, and a large group of Trinity and Inquisition guards.
Alice wanted to avoid the Trinity for a great deal longer, but following Azalea’s insight into Winston’s portal making abilities that highlighted Alice’s massive tactical oversight, the unlikely alliance was more necessary than ever. They had intervened as best they could in Industria. Autons were reassigned, and they had booby trapped the World GOVT building and sent as many reinforcements as they could spare in such short notice, but the industrial metropolis had still fallen. It was just as Azalea had assumed; Winston Reynolds had opened portals from the Gloom into the real world and flooded the city with his forces. Destroying the World GOVT building didn’t halt the merger, but it was always a long shot. Now the support of Tropica was far more vital than ever. If Winston merged it too then the world would fall shortly after. It would also be Alice’s best shot at stopping or talking some sense into the ambitious Book Wielder, even if it meant caving into the delusions of grandeur of a traitorous General.
The warm climate had hit Alice as soon as they had left the Catacomb entrance and entered into a disused cathedral to the Twin Goddesses. The heat stirred half-forgotten memories of her youth. Alice had been very young when she was shipped off to the Central Isle, or ‘Orphan Isle’ as it became widely referred to at the time. Her family and village had been incinerated when the Imperian military had launched its Deep Vein Oil missile at Calousha City. Deep Vein Oil, or DVO for short, was the world’s solution to fuel, chemicals of all types and implications, plastics, and even plasma in modern times, but not even the forces of Imperia knew how potent their new weapon would be. Calousha had been incinerated in the glow of a thousand suns, and all the surrounding forests, jungle, and towns and villages (including Alice’s) had been vaporised or blasted out of existence by the incredibly hot and forceful shockwave. Apparently the wildlife had since returned to the area, but all that remained of the city was a deep crater with a basin of tropical water. Luckily for Alice, she had been sent to Tropica City to be evacuated with hundreds of other children. She couldn’t remember much at all, just the cramped and crowded conditions, an unholy din when the missile exploded, crying children, and the smell of salt water. Alice rarely thought of her real family; she could barely remember them after all. As heartless as it sounded, it was the other children she’d grown up with, the Church of Twin Goddesses, and the people who would go on to form the Inquisition that were her true family.
The group walked through the deserted cathedral. Rays of sunlight shone down from exposed patches in the roof in between the wooden beams in the high ceiling, and through the cracked stained glass windows. Overall though, it was still in decent condition, despite the fact that it had been long discarded. Alice wondered if the few remaining followers of the religion would abandon it too if she told them who the Goddesses really were. Flowers of many colours and varieties had been lovingly grown in soil and in long wooden flower boxes on and along the old pews. Beautiful white, pink and red roses had been raised on trellises leaned up against the windows. The wonderful old building smelt like fresh earth, morning mist, and gorgeously fragrant flowers.
Cherriesa took a long drink from a flask of Sunshield Potion before venturing out of the basement and into the cathedral. She looked like a dark princess in an old fashioned royal red and black dress that was tight around the waist and flowed out around her hips. She wore a gold ruby necklace hanging just short of her cleavage, and a ruby encrusted golden tiara that emp
hasised her status. She took a deep breath of the sweet smelling air and exhaled it in a pleasant sigh. “It is good to be home.”
Silvario, on the other hand, was clearly quite uncomfortable. He was in a lavish gold and purple robe that clearly illustrated his powerful position, but it was thick, and in the hot Tropican climate it was far from practical. His long silvery white hair was tied back tightly to get as much air to his sweaty face and neck as possible, and he had amethyst-encrusted silver rings on his fingers and thumbs.
“Enjoying the homecoming?” Jonathan asked Alice hesitantly.
Alice had been avoiding speaking to him as much as possible since Cherriesa’s outburst, but as he was her escort it was a difficult task. “I don’t see Tropica as home,” she replied bluntly. It made her feel bad but she was just so humiliated, and seeing as how both Imperia and Industria had fallen to Winston and the Archmage, it hardly seemed the time to be pursuing personal interests.
They had been told to wait at the cathedral for an escort to arrive. Being ordered by her subordinate infuriated Alice, who had been trying to suppress her anger as best as she could. Azalea was quickly overtaking Winston Reynolds and Cherriesa to the top position on her hit list.
A man in a brown overcoat entered the cathedral. He had medium length scruffy blonde and brown hair, brown stubble, tanned skin, and kind yellow Werewolf eyes. Accompanying him were ten ex-Inquisitors in power armour and pink plumed helmets. Their armour now displayed a pink flower with five petals in lieu of the Inquisition symbol. Alice had to bite her lip to avoid a nasty outburst, and the Inquisitors she’d brought with her grumbled, growled and scoffed at the sight of their treacherous brethren.
“Welcome to Tropica.” The Werewolf introduced himself warmly. “My name is James Walker; I am an advisor and... a close friend to Queen Azalea.”
Silvario introduced himself on behalf of the Trinity, Cherriesa was busy admiring the roses, and the rest of the group stayed silent.
James hesitated in the awkward silence that followed, before continuing. “If you would like to follow me I’ll escort you to the Queen’s tower, or the World GOVT as you would remember it.” He looked at Cherriesa. “Do you like my flowers? I have a bit of a green thumb.”
“They are wonderful,” Cherriesa said, delicately running her fingers along the petals of a red rose. “You will have to do some work for me.”
James chuckled. “Glad you like my work, and thank you for the ‘offer’ but my place is by the side of the Queen.”
Cherriesa’s hand closed around the rose and squished it into mush. “I am your queen. This Azalea, she is no queen!”
Alice smirked, for she had finally found some common ground with the Vampire bitch.
James flinched at the demise of his creation. “This way, quickly please,” he said, and he ushered everyone out of his flower filled cathedral.
They walked out into the sprawling city of Tropica. Tall skyscrapers with floor-to-ceiling windows, and houses with exteriors made of white and beige stone were packed into a clearing in the continent’s sprawling jungle and rainforest. There were flowers and ribbons all around, as if the entire city was in a permanent flower contest or festival, and white banners with Azalea’s pink flower symbol had been hung throughout the city amongst them. Situated by the coast, the whole place had a great view of the crystal clear blue waters and coral reefs, and easy access to the sandy beaches that spread almost the entire front edge of the continent. Before the madness around the world had begun, the city’s harbour would’ve been full of trade vessels and luxury liners carrying vacationers. Now it was mostly filled with battleships, new and old.
Supernaturals and humans walked down the streets merrily. Alice was shocked to see how care free they were and how well they were mingling, considering what was happening elsewhere in the world. Apart from an obvious increase in military presence, with tanks and other military vehicles spanning all the technological eras throughout the Great War driving troops both regular and ex-Inquisition around the city, life seemed to be carrying on as normal.
As they headed for the nearby World GOVT building, or the Queen’s tower as it been recently renamed, they passed by civilians, shoppers and workers wearing the flower symbol on their clothing and jewellery. Additionally, many people wore t-shirts with a mask that had been crossed out by a big red ‘X’, and underneath were slogans like ‘Omni-NO-Sis’, ‘Down with the Archmage’, and ‘Go back to the Gloom!’.
“I can’t believe how okay they are with this,” Alice muttered.
“What do you mean?” Jonathan asked.
“Well, just look how well they’re taking it – everything supernatural I mean. They don’t even care about living together,” she said in shock. The people hadn’t had that long to deal with the news.
“Queen Azalea reassured them all after the news broke, and guaranteed their safety in a public statement,” James began explaining. “She also emphasised the importance of cooperating in these hard times to overcome the Archmage’s plan.”
Alice didn’t say anything. She was now more confused than angry. Azalea had always been clever when it came to working people out and psychology in general, but she was very reserved and withdrawn. Now she was a Queen and making public statements to a whole city. After the death of General Wallace in the battle for the Capital, Alice had informed Azalea of the entire situation, from Winston Reynolds to the Supernaturals. Since then they had barely spoken to each other, but her personality and mentality had obviously changed in a massive way.
James led them inside the Queen’s tower to the lobby. It was filled with flowers, banners, and heavily armed ex-Inquisitors in power armour.
“Honoured guests from the Trinity of Old,” James said to Silvario and Cherriesa. “If you would like to follow the Queen’s guards, they will take you to the lounge while we wait for the other members of the resistance movement to arrive. Lord Inquisitor Alice Eve, the Queen would like to see you alone first.”
“No guards?” Alice asked abruptly.
James shook his head. “I’m afraid they’ll have to wait with the others, but don’t worry, I can assure you that you won’t need them. You can keep your armour and armaments if that makes you feel more secure?”
Alice glared. “They weren’t getting removed anyway.”
James hesitated nervously. “Right... well, let’s get going.”
“We’d better not be waiting for long,” Cherriesa said coldly as she left with the others.
“Good luck,” Jonathan said to Alice with a faint smile.
Alice nodded back and James led her into an elevator, and they made their way up the building awkwardly whilst listening to the cheesy elevator music. When they got to the top floor, they left the elevator and arrived in a highly guarded short corridor. It reminded her of the layout of Edgar II’s chambers in the Central Tower before the magical explosion.
Alice noticed how James was still tagging along. “I thought you said she wanted to see me alone?”
“Oh, the Queen will want me there. I can help her to explain the things you want know,” James said cryptically.
Alice wondered if he was the reason her General had turned her back on the Inquisition.
A thick set of metal doors slid open to allow them into Azalea’s chambers. Alice was surprised to see that the largest room on the top floor had been converted artfully into a throne room. The corners of the room had white columns with pink flowers coiling around them, and the two side walls were pure glass and boasted an impressive view of the sides of Tropica City. Next to the windows were long flower boxes, hosting a variety of pretty flora. A pink carpet with a white and gold patterned border ran from elevator to throne, and several guards in ceremonial power armour stood to attention either side of it. The throne itself was like a long ornate bench carved from white and beige stone, and the backrest was also carved of the same stone and had a large version of Azalea’s symbol surrounded by a swirling floral motive carved into it. It was s
ituated at the top of a set of grey marble steps, and growing all around were thorn bushes covered in white, pink, and red roses.
Queen Azalea was lying casually on the bench on a thick shimmering dark blue duvet. Alice gasped when she got a good look at her. It was definitely Azalea, but she looked so different from the girl that she remembered. Her skin was still pale but now it had a faint, well cared for shine to it. Her hair was also the same shade of peculiarly natural pink that she’d had since birth, but now it had been styled in thick volumized waves like a high school beauty queen, and decorated with real flowers of all colours skilfully woven into place. Alice had never noticed before but she had an amazingly curvy and well-toned figure, and it was shown off well by the fancy translucent pearl coloured dress she was wearing. Over her bodice was a silvery display piece of tightly fitting armour that was engraved with her symbol and flowery patterns, just like the rear of her throne. Azalea’s face was always pretty, but now it was exaggerated to the fullest by expertly applied make up. Her full lips were cherry pink, and Alice noticed that instead of a pair of crystal blue eyes, one had now become a shade of bright magenta.
“Not how you remember me?” Azalea said in a well-spoken soft tone.
“You’ve got some serious explaining to do, General,” Alice said in an acidic voice. Her grip tightened around her war hammer.
Azalea chuckled cutely. “I am no General, and I’m certainly no part of your foolish campaign. That’s not to say that I won’t help your cause, but I will not have my life and the lives of my people gambled away like that of Kevin Wallace.”
Alice made a growling sound. “I didn’t gamble his life away. He was under my command and I needed him to try and prevent this mess. He fought and died bravely and with honour, unlike you.”