03-06-2016, 11:50 AM
“So what’s the status on the internal situation, Sergeant Reckner?”
Of all the people he dealt with on an almost-daily basis, Abigail Reckner was one of the people that Shang hated the least. The sergeant did her job, asked little questions, and wasn’t on to kiss asses. After a handful of conversations with merchants and middling bureaucrats, the sorcerer appreciated someone who he could have ‘straight talk’ with for a few minutes.
“Recruitment is up. We got some tradesman and craftsmen who volunteered to lend their services to improving the armories.”
“And the central route?” He asked, referring to the ‘road’ that led from the Nexus gate to the walls of Darkshire.
“Better gear has motivated some more people to enlist in that group, but it’ll be a while until we have enough men with experience in that region.”
Shang nodded his head as he made a small, scrawling message in his open notebook. “How’s your superior, Lieutenant…” The sorcerer frowned as he glanced at another paper on his desk. “Lieutnant McCullom.”
“Green. Very green, but he means well. He’ll do all right in the long run,” Recker replied as Shang looked at his list of appointments.
“All right, Sergeant Reckner, I think that’s all the time of yours that I’ll take for today,” he replied as he smiled faintly to the soldier. The blonde nodded her head and made her way out of Shang Tsung’s office. Despite the fact that he’d first started his journey in Darkshire as a member of the garrison, the sorcerer didn’t think of himself as a military officer, so he didn’t expect soldiers or anyone else to snap off salutes and crisp ‘sir, yes, sirs!’ every time he spoke with them.
Before the doors to his room could swing shut, a hand clasped around one of them and tossed it back the way it had come. With a grunt, the Spartan strode forward and dropped down into a seat.
“You don’t look like a furniture saleswoman,” Shang said with a snicker as the gruff man scowled deeply at him.
“You aware of what’s going on in the Nexus?” Atelos asked before he allowed a smug smile to spread across his face. “Or you too busy pushing pencils in this oversized cubicle?”
The sorcerer threw his head back in a short laugh. “You learned a new word!” He added, causing his ally’s expression to sour momentarily before the room fell silent once more. “I’m afraid I haven’t, though… what’s happening? Another spat between fountain fresh primes? More vagrants trying their hand at fleeing from the Empire?”
“Some prime put out a message onto the Dataverse,” Atelos remarked as he reached to his side and pulled out a tablet device. While it amazed Shang to see an ancient Grecian handling something entirely too similar to a Microsoft Surface, he kept the remarks to himself as his friend pulled up the new story. “Most of it is drivel about betrayals, but what stood out to me, Sorcerer, is the mention of ‘items of no small power’.”
Shang glanced through the message and the various replies. After the initial message, most of what followed was either statements expressing intent to aid or inane interjections from some sort of masked man. If half the number of bodies involved showed up, then the Nexus was bound to be a busy place.
“The message makes mention of other primes, unrelated to this ‘Smith’ individual’s grievances,” Atelos added as Shang set down the tablet and slid it across the table toward his friend.
“So what are you saying, Commander?” The sorcerer replied as he brushed the end of his boot along the metal box beneath his desk.
Atelos snickered. “You want more power for Darkshire?” He asked before raising a brow. “Then we smash these people. We take the relics or artefacts or whatever they have.”
“For Darkshire?” Shang inquired.
“And who knows, maybe we’ll get some personal pleasure out of it, Champ,” Atelos said with a sneer as he glanced at the belt hanging on Shang’s wall. “Or you retired from that now, too?”
“You know we both might wind up dead or worse?” The sorcerer chuckled.
The Spartan shrugged his shoulders. “There are few things you and I couldn’t stab and punch your way out of, and you know that to be true.”
“Then what are we waiting for?” Shang asked as he slid the papers on his desk into the top drawer. “We both have understudies for reasons like this… Let’s go work off some rust.”
At that, the Spartan let loose a hearty guffaw before rising up from the seat and reaching a hand across the desk. “Laus and gloria!”
“Laus and gloria!” Shang declared as he reached forward and clasped his hand around the other man’s forearm. After a shake, they both set off to set their affairs in order.
Nearly an hour later, the Spartan and the Sorcerer emerged from the Pale Moors gate and once more found themselves confronted by the blandness of the Nexus. While everything seemed to be the status quo at first, once they passed the halfway point to the Fountain they began to see what was forming around the focal point of the Omniverse.
“Oh,” Shang whispered to his companion. “This will be amusing.”
Of all the people he dealt with on an almost-daily basis, Abigail Reckner was one of the people that Shang hated the least. The sergeant did her job, asked little questions, and wasn’t on to kiss asses. After a handful of conversations with merchants and middling bureaucrats, the sorcerer appreciated someone who he could have ‘straight talk’ with for a few minutes.
“Recruitment is up. We got some tradesman and craftsmen who volunteered to lend their services to improving the armories.”
“And the central route?” He asked, referring to the ‘road’ that led from the Nexus gate to the walls of Darkshire.
“Better gear has motivated some more people to enlist in that group, but it’ll be a while until we have enough men with experience in that region.”
Shang nodded his head as he made a small, scrawling message in his open notebook. “How’s your superior, Lieutenant…” The sorcerer frowned as he glanced at another paper on his desk. “Lieutnant McCullom.”
“Green. Very green, but he means well. He’ll do all right in the long run,” Recker replied as Shang looked at his list of appointments.
“All right, Sergeant Reckner, I think that’s all the time of yours that I’ll take for today,” he replied as he smiled faintly to the soldier. The blonde nodded her head and made her way out of Shang Tsung’s office. Despite the fact that he’d first started his journey in Darkshire as a member of the garrison, the sorcerer didn’t think of himself as a military officer, so he didn’t expect soldiers or anyone else to snap off salutes and crisp ‘sir, yes, sirs!’ every time he spoke with them.
Before the doors to his room could swing shut, a hand clasped around one of them and tossed it back the way it had come. With a grunt, the Spartan strode forward and dropped down into a seat.
“You don’t look like a furniture saleswoman,” Shang said with a snicker as the gruff man scowled deeply at him.
“You aware of what’s going on in the Nexus?” Atelos asked before he allowed a smug smile to spread across his face. “Or you too busy pushing pencils in this oversized cubicle?”
The sorcerer threw his head back in a short laugh. “You learned a new word!” He added, causing his ally’s expression to sour momentarily before the room fell silent once more. “I’m afraid I haven’t, though… what’s happening? Another spat between fountain fresh primes? More vagrants trying their hand at fleeing from the Empire?”
“Some prime put out a message onto the Dataverse,” Atelos remarked as he reached to his side and pulled out a tablet device. While it amazed Shang to see an ancient Grecian handling something entirely too similar to a Microsoft Surface, he kept the remarks to himself as his friend pulled up the new story. “Most of it is drivel about betrayals, but what stood out to me, Sorcerer, is the mention of ‘items of no small power’.”
Shang glanced through the message and the various replies. After the initial message, most of what followed was either statements expressing intent to aid or inane interjections from some sort of masked man. If half the number of bodies involved showed up, then the Nexus was bound to be a busy place.
“The message makes mention of other primes, unrelated to this ‘Smith’ individual’s grievances,” Atelos added as Shang set down the tablet and slid it across the table toward his friend.
“So what are you saying, Commander?” The sorcerer replied as he brushed the end of his boot along the metal box beneath his desk.
Atelos snickered. “You want more power for Darkshire?” He asked before raising a brow. “Then we smash these people. We take the relics or artefacts or whatever they have.”
“For Darkshire?” Shang inquired.
“And who knows, maybe we’ll get some personal pleasure out of it, Champ,” Atelos said with a sneer as he glanced at the belt hanging on Shang’s wall. “Or you retired from that now, too?”
“You know we both might wind up dead or worse?” The sorcerer chuckled.
The Spartan shrugged his shoulders. “There are few things you and I couldn’t stab and punch your way out of, and you know that to be true.”
“Then what are we waiting for?” Shang asked as he slid the papers on his desk into the top drawer. “We both have understudies for reasons like this… Let’s go work off some rust.”
At that, the Spartan let loose a hearty guffaw before rising up from the seat and reaching a hand across the desk. “Laus and gloria!”
“Laus and gloria!” Shang declared as he reached forward and clasped his hand around the other man’s forearm. After a shake, they both set off to set their affairs in order.
***
Nearly an hour later, the Spartan and the Sorcerer emerged from the Pale Moors gate and once more found themselves confronted by the blandness of the Nexus. While everything seemed to be the status quo at first, once they passed the halfway point to the Fountain they began to see what was forming around the focal point of the Omniverse.
“Oh,” Shang whispered to his companion. “This will be amusing.”
![[Image: Shang.jpg]](http://www.omniverse-rpg.com/images/Shang.jpg)