Conquer the Divide
Aegon peered across the table at the men who were called together for this historic day. Each one with their own history and prestigious status. Mag leaned on the table, his hands folded and resting his chin on them. There was a pensive look about him. Mop leaned back in his chair, relaxed as always with a mischievous grin. He was amused by the whole thing and with good reason. War had torn across Loka and one alliance had ripped through it without remorse or a second thought.
Next to Mop was his co-owner and companion, Adder. The young man had a look of interest but was mostly pensive, much like Mag. Def was sitting opposite of Mag with a decorate scroll before him on the table. A quill with a jar of ink sat at the center of the table. The only man missing from the table was Opyc who was no doubt hard at work in Albion. It seemed the man never stopped but that was the basis of his appeal. He was no doubt their most persistent worker.
“So the facts have been laid out and the offer is on the table.” His words were nearly as literal as they were figurative, considering the scroll held a binding agreement for a new horizon. “If we sign this, we agree to take this fight in our own hands together. This conflict has been one-sided for too long.”
Aegon spoke from a position that he held with the reigning alliance since the Age of Conquest began. Osiris had a stranglehold on the war and was unrelenting. Mop nodded at the words and spoke up.
“Yep, that’s exactly why we’re here. I don’t think it’s any question that we need to add a little flavor to this crock. Why else would I have called this to order?” He nearly laughed out loud, but that was simply Mop’s nature. He was able to find humor even in the worst of things.
“I can understand the need for this. The question is, are we prepared for it?” Def was clearly trying to voice reason and simply weigh the costs with the benefits.
“With all of us coming from different places, I would say it evens the odds for everyone involved.” Mag’s logic was always sound. Between his situational awareness and Def’s reasoning it was hard to ignore any conclusion. Couple that with the other leaders in the room and there was no more argument or question.
“Then it seems as though we all have the same opinion on the matter. What comes next will be an entirely new world. I’ve requested to take the helm in lieu of Mop, simply for facilitation. I don’t think any of us are concerned with titles.” They had all outgrown the insatiable ego hunger. Feeding that was like filling an endless pit. They all learned not to fall in.
“I suppose I can hand it over for that purpose.” He smiled and leaned forward to take the quill. Sliding the scroll over in front of him he scrawled his name at the bottom of the agreement. Adder took the quill and placed his as well for good measure. Next was Def, who swiftly signed and passed it to Mag. The old one added his name to the signatures and slid it back to Aegon for the last application. He took the quill and dipped in the bottle for fresh ink.
“And so it begins…” he said while signing, “and what follows is the only mystery. We will have a lot of people in the air over this.”
“Ah, I think it will be fine. The first step is finding out who will seek us out as a threat first.” Mag stated matter-of-factly. “We’re a generally peaceful people but Loka is unforgiving. We will be targeted at some point.”
Aegon nodded at the statement.
“We will save it for the War Room then. Let it be known that from this day on, we are of our own alliance.”
“This is what it’s all about.” Mop said.
“Is that some sort of ‘all for one, one for all’ comment?” Def asked.
“You honestly think I would reference the French?” They all laughed. The tensions were not nearly as high at this point but the same thought was on all their minds. The same question, where will it go from here?
The Era of Conquest was coming to an end. This new period was unfamiliar. War was as much a way of life as peace was anymore. If it was not a war of competitive arenas it was a war of real consequence for territory. The only important thing now was that they held their own and showed that Loka was not just comprised of two groups, but of many. The world suffered from a narrow focus on how things began with this war. Now sights would be on a broadened horizon.
All eyes would be on Argus.
