Crusade

[Shay Cormac]

Almost immediately as the Templar crossed into the portal of the Dunes through the Nexus, the man felt an uncomfortable thin layer of sweat forming beneath his padded gambeson. Of course, the man and woman in front and behind him respectively were doing much better, their clothes slightly more accustomed to the terrible heat of the desert skies, but Shay had more reasons than just the weather to feel anxious and worried. 

Looking down, he could hear the extremely loud revving of the strange automatic carriage the so-called Emperor of Mankind was riding in, Erik Vrell of New Babylon sitting in the uncomfortable back-seat. It certainly looked more reasonable than the sight of a priest, a privateer and a mage sitting on a single horse however. The intricate machinery reminded Shay of his first trip to the great city of Coruscant, and the memories of the strange place seemed to calm his nerves of the coming storm. 

On the horizon, the Templar could see the train tracks that led him to Nippur so many months ago. At this point, the man questioned if it even had been months, or days, or weeks, or maybe longer than any measurement of time that would be considered reasonable in this situation. Still, as much as he wanted to dwell over how long it's been, the cuirassier directed the man in charge where him and his new allies were headed.

"Anderson, follow the tracks," Shay shouted, hoping his message reached through as he continued, "It'll lead us directly to Nippur!"

The priest nodded in response. At that moment, Shay knew the men (and woman) he was riding with were dedicated to his cause, and the reasons for this seemed to confuse Shay slightly. Of course, this was a more personal endeavor for the man, but he had to wonder the lusts each of these Primes had, excluding Erik. Honestly, their motivations were about as unclear as what might have happened to the city itself. A small part of Shay hoped the city was still standing with the few guards still alive at their posts, but... With no leadership, and even less pay, the Templar affirmed the hard truth that there was no way Nippur was at any point considered a civil city now. 

Looking down, a solemn sigh escaped the man's lips, masked by the stamping of hooves and roaring of engines beside him. Still, as the Templar looked back, Marisa looked at his ever so slightly troubled face, she couldn't help but share a troubled look herself.

Concern?  Perhaps not, but something was bothering the man, and that alone let the girl know this wasn't going to be easy. Her curiosity piqued, and her lips moved. 

"Hey, Cormac!" 

The privateer in question jumped in slight surprise, Anderson in front eavesdropping with as little hints as he could possibly drop regarding such. 

"Ma'am?" Shay seemed timid to respond, despite how uppity the mage talked. 

"Where we heading off to, anyways?" Marisa forced a smile, trying to ignore the fact that she wasn't even aware of the name of this grand city that was being hyped so much. Or, well... if she was told, she'd have definitely forgotten by now. 

Shay didn't even bother with a sigh. The man admittedly didn't know where to begin, so he started with himself instead.

"Nippur. I went there expecting to find purpose. A tyrannical king, malnourished citizens, bandits looming at every corner; it was almost too easy. Of course it was."

Marisa's mouth had suddenly left itself open ever so slightly. At this speeds, she might have caught some sand in her throat with how mesmerizingly vague the Templar's descriptions were, but thankfully she was safe to listen.

"Everybody seemed safe, and I had found purpose doing a job for that king with a single girl and a few... loosely loyal followers. Gilgamesh. He had an ego, but he kept his men and women safe."

"Ohh?~ Which one of them were you crushing over, ze?" Marisa teased at the man, honestly not caring too much about how much pain this seemed to cause him.

Still... The Templar had enough energy in him to give a chuckle. He continued, not intending to entice a reaction like that from the mage again. "Things seemed alright, up until the point we were raided multiple times. By the mere second time, everything crumbled."

Marisa Kirisame gulped at the description. Crumbled was a strong word, and she'd soon find out the man used it for good reason. 

"A faction of Primes invaded us. I only realized later they went by LAW. Lords of the Arid Wastes. Wiped out almost all the forces we had, and all of my allies vanished. Gilgamesh included. All of them were gone."

"Oh, shucks. Yeah, I can see how that's a bit suckish..." Marisa had to admit, it didn't sound too bad if you ignored the tone of voice Shay had spoke in at that moment. The slight pauses in his voice was enough to tell the woman that whatever had happened clearly scarred the Templar in front of her, if not traumatized.

No, if Shay could reassure her, it didn't traumatize him. It only further jaded his experience having any notion of allies, or "family." 

In the time the two conversated, Anderson and the founder of the Imperium rode onto a lone dune of the desert beneath them. On the horizon, they spotted what seemed to be ruins. The priest's steed and the gilded vehicle nearby stopped, halting with great anxiousness. 

All of the Primes looked over to Shay. The look in his eyes answered them their questions.


Nippur was near. It was time to liberate.