I went to the Inquisitor in the morning to tell her of my plan to save the town (in one piece), but she had more pressing business. The Authorities had stripped the Bachelor of his, well, authority on account of his decision to sacrifice the town for the preservation of the Tower, and the Inquisitor wanted me to send him the news that he had become a wanted criminal. It looks like she had gotten everything she needed out of the Bachelor (mainly the architectural plans to prove the Polyhedron's part in surfacing the disease, I suspect), and now she was finally ready to cast him aside and swear her allegiance to the Haruspicus who would support her desire to destroy the Tower. Although, I think it should be mentioned that while the Inquisitor specifically wants the Tower destroyed (either because of her belief in natural Law and scorn for miracles, or because of a more personal grudge against the Kains), I think the Haruspicus is only going along with it because it's the only way he can foresee saving the town itself.
The Bachelor was supposed to be speaking with Andrei, but Andrei had been arrested and taken for execution. The General informed me of the rebellion among his troops, and I went out to the cannon by the railroad Station to assist in suppressing the rebellion. I used my power to heal the wounded as the soldiers still loyal to the General fought the usurpers. When the combat subsided, I asked if anyone had seen the architect - luckily he had managed to escape with his life. I tracked him back to Petr's studio, where the three of them (the two Stamatin brothers and the Bachelor) were having a pow-wow.
I informed the Bachelor of the Authority's decree, and I also hinted at my plan to save the town without having to destroy the Polyhedron. He, as well as the Stamatin brothers, were naturally intrigued. But before agreeing to assist me, the Bachelor insisted that the Haruspicus, who had his mind set on taking out the Tower, be dealt with.
I met up with the menkhu at his secret laboratory in the factories, just as he was about to set off to see the Elder for his final test. According to his reaction, I determined that my sister had already been in contact with him, informing him about the Elder's impending challenge. The Haruspicus was prepared to fight the Elder in mortal combat. But I couldn't have one of my adherents dying off prematurely! So I headed to the Abattoir to speak with the Elder myself.
I informed him of my ability to make the confidants' blood sacred, in order to produce the Panacea, and that I'd need the Haruspicus' abilities in combination with the privileges of the Elder to save the entire town. The Elder, already committed to the path of humility, recognized the opportunity in self-sacrifice to atone for the sins resulting from his greed for power, and agreed to step down from his position and allow the rightful heir to ascend.
The Haruspicus arrived at the Abattoir just then, and I told him about everything - particularly the part about how I'd be able to use my power to provide sacred blood without necessitating the destruction of the Polyhedron, and that he'd become the Elder of the Order to facilitate the production and distribution of the Panacea. Everything was going well, I just had to convince the Inquisitor...
But the Inquisitor had her heart set on tearing down the Tower. She said I was a thief because 'I stole my own destiny', and she ordered me to be executed if not out of town within an hour. I of course ran to the General and acquired his protection. I also told him the details of my plan, which he received enthusiastically. All that was left was to consult my adherents and determine who among them was willing to voluntarily sacrifice their lives to save the town. It honestly wasn't easy being a Messenger of Death, even considering each of my adherents was fully prepared - even determined - to die in repentance for their sins, to be transformed from criminals into saviors as their last act.
I spoke to Lara, Julia, Anna, the Saburovs (Alexander and Catherina), Ospina, Gryph, and Rubin, and they were all cooperative (along with the Elder). Rubin, killer of Simon, ensured that I keep both the Bachelor and the Haruspicus alive for my plan to work, for the former has experience working with the vaccine, and the latter is essential for producing the Panacea. He also warned me that the sacrifices should be in good health for their blood to be at optimum quality - if they get sick, then a delay would be required for their health to improve.
The time of reckoning would be tomorrow, and all adherents were currently healthy. I reported back to the General to let him know that the number of sacrifices, and thus, quantity of blood, would be sufficient for my plan to work. But I had another one of those 'didn't we just speak?' moments - uh-oh. My sister had been to the General while I was out, and had told him some of my adherents had just taken ill. Considering my sister's true nature, this was bad. Will she manage to sabotage my miracle?
No comments:
Post a Comment