Free for All (RP test drive)

[timeless_king]

[Bathed in a brilliant aura, an imposing figure of neither man nor elf rests upon a regal throne of red and black centered in a spacious, yet dark, chamber. His blue eyes were the only ones visible, yet the feeling of thousands more felt heavy on you, an uninvited guest that is only being spared by the Demon King's own graciousness.

He remains quiet, his regal gaze and stoic expression waiting for you to speak. You did, after all, enter his castle, probably defeated some of his clay demons, and are standing right there before him in his own throne room. You might as well introduce and explain yourself.

If it has anything to do with his declaration of war upon a technologically advanced city, feel free to say so. Otherwise, maybe you have another reason to approach Dhaos, the Demon King.]

Comments

[timeless_king]

[The intruder who dispatched some of his clay demons was... This creature?]

I am. Though "Demon King" was a gift from a infantile world who fears those who are different. Greedy children who lash out when they suspect their toys are to be taken away.

Though, what of you? You bare a likeness to a creature regularly depicted in human tales to be slain for glory.

[liorafae]

I see. Perhaps it was...inaccurate.

[She's still not sure what's going on, bit she has the feeling that there's more to him than what she'd heard.]

Me? I'm Liora. I'm a dragon...from Sornieth.

[Though he might notice that she's a lot smaller than the dragons depicted in those human fairy tales...]

I heard that you were declaring war on that city. Is it true?

[timeless_king]

[Indeed. It's a tiny creature, but still bares a likeness to those human fairy tales, regardless if it's from Aselia, Sornieth or wherever.]

It is so.

[It is war for lack of a better term. He did raise and army and they are marching on the city with the command to kill and destroy.

It's for his great cause.

But now, he speaks no more. He awaits the tiny dragon's next choice.]

[liorafae]

[Liora remains silent for another moment as she waited for Dhaos to speak again. When it becomes apparent that he wasn't going to do so, she speaks again.]

You...haven't answered my question. Are you really declaring war on that city? If so, why?

[His answer would determine the choice she makes...]

[timeless_king]

[He did answer. It is so. He wasn't going to repeat himself.]

They are abusing magitech, weapons that devour untold quantities of mana, the source of all life and magic. For the sake of my people, and my great cause, I will stop them by any means necessary.

[liorafae]

[...Oh. She thought he was referring to the "Demon King" name being inaccurate.]

You must realize that your war isn't necessary. It's highly unlikely that they'll be able to deplete all of the mana, no matter how much they devour. If anything, the mana will destroy them before anything else.

[She knows, because according to the writings in the Sunbeam Ruins, it's happened more than once in Sornieth.]

[timeless_king]

It is not unnecessary. There are those whose arrogance runs so deep that they can achieve what is thought to be impossible. In the case I have witnessed, the over-consumption of mana, the disappearance of magic, and the withering of Yggdrassil. And they would still continue.

[He mostly failed in that regard, and it really only took one or two shots from Midgards' mana cannon to achieve it. Dhaos wasn't about to let it get any worse.

At least, until this space-time transference happened.]

[liorafae]

...Declaring war is just as arrogant, if not more so. It'll cause more destruction than you're trying to prevent. Don't you see? You're going to ruin everything!

[That's pretty much the long and short of why what he's doing is wrong, rather than going into some dramatic speech about it.]

[timeless_king]

You would permit a singular threat to continue at the cost of countless lives?!

Magitech devours mana, as I had just explained. If those humans are allowed to continue their thoughtless research, this war will be the least of any of our worries, Dragon.

[liorafae]

If you start this war, no one will win! There'll just be even more lives lost on both sides! War will never accomplish anything, no matter how "great" you think your cause is!

[She's starting to sound more forceful as she says this.]

[timeless_king]

So you will defend the humans? You would protect their ignorance and allow them to continue their path of destruction?

A world without mana cannot sustain itself. It will crumble. And all lives will be lost, not just those greedy children you wish to protect.

If you want to doom this world and mine, then go ahead...

Try and stop me.

[liorafae]

[It honestly doesn't sound too different from what happened in Sornieth's Second Age. The machine that the people had built had exploded, wiping out all life. And in spite of that, life began anew.]

As I said before, mana is infinite. There's no way they can fully deplete it. And even if all life is destroyed, life will begin anew. I know this, because it has happened before in Sornieth.

[timeless_king]

Neither Derris-Kharlan nor Aselia have the luxury of infinite mana. Was Sornieth's source of mana lost like Aselia's was?

There is simply too much you do not understand, little dragon.

[liorafae]

We don't believe there is a single source for all these energies. It exists all throughout the universe. It's the same energy that formed our planet in the first place. So the source cannot be from within Sornieth...

[She seems to humble a little bit at his last statement.]

Maybe...but there's also too much that you don't understand...