A United Human Government….
The idea floated around in Damian's mind as he processed the rest of Warden's request. At first, it seemed like madness, how or why would the world become united from the efforts of these three symbols? Not very many people actually followed these men, so how could they influence the world in any meaningful way?
Yet the more he thought on it, the more solid it sounded. True, at one point, the effort of a few hundred people would have barely gotten anywhere in this regard, but times had changed.
The Nightmare Spell, for better or for worse, had fundamentally changed humanity's perception of power. The rules that all of history had abided by for thousands of years had suddenly been uprooted and replaced by something much more terrifying.
If it were anyone else who had possessed this idea, Damian would have called them a madman, but since it was Warden, it almost seemed possible.
This will require significant effort from everyone involved, years of planning and design, and reorganising internal structures. It will take time.
Damian wanted to dismiss Warden's ideas as foolish, but as he looked into Warden's eyes, he could see the fierce determination in his steely gaze, attempting to speak to his soul.
With a reluctant sigh, Damian sat back in his chair and looked to the ceiling before he answered,
"If it were anybody else, I would have turned them down…. I'm in."
Damian looked back at Warden, then turned to face Jasper, whose brain seemed to have melted from his ears as he wore a dazed expression on his face,
"What about you, Jasper? You up for joining me in this endeavour?"
Jasper turned his head towards Damian as his face danced between different expressions before he settled on one of acceptance,
"Even if I did turn it down, I have a feeling the Fool attribute of mine would have other plans for me. We all saw what it did to Jest after all."
The other two simply nodded in recollection.
Damian turned to Warden and then asked,
"So, what is the plan then? Soon, do you want us to leave?"
Warden turned to him as he said,
"The plan itself is rather simple. Whilst we attempt to establish contact in the Waking World, it will be your job to establish contact in the Dream Realm. This is important because their compounds are either unknown or too far away for us to reach. Your true mission is to act as emissaries on my behalf."
"Your first mission will be to establish a relationship with Nightwalker and his people. If you succeed, then we would gain access on our end to a means of connecting with the other major siege capitals across the world. You are to use whatever means necessary to bring them to our cause, either in cooperation or by force if needed."
"You will travel south of Bastion until you find Nightwalkers citadel, wherever that may be. During your travels, if you are to encounter other citadels, it will be your goal to unite them underneath my name. The more people we have as a part of our faction, the greater chances we have of making the dream of a united world a reality."
"As for Immortal Flame, we will discuss any new information about his whereabouts in the Dream Realm after you return from your meeting with NightWalker. As for when you will begin, I'll grant you one week before you depart, understood."
Damian rose from his seat and gave Warden a salute with utmost seriousness,
"Understood, Commander Warden!"
Jasper almost immediately jumped from his seat and mimicked the salute with a similarly serious expression as he said,
"Sir, yes, Sir. My good Sir Warden, Sir."
Warden stared at the two men with a strange expression on his face as he slowly lifted a hand to his face before he spoke,
"Guys….what the fuck was that all about?"
By now, both Damian's and Jasper's faces were going slightly red from holding in their laughter, but after that final comment, they couldn't contain it any longer as they both started to laugh. Their plan had worked out perfectly.
After they calmed down a little, Jasper wiped a tear from his eye as he said,
"Ah, sorry about that, my good sir, but we knew you were going to pull the ever so serious leader, so we thought we would act along."
"It's just…so funny to us when you act this way with us despite everything."
Warden's expression was bewildered to say the least, he quickly turned to Damian, the older man spoke next, his tone lighter than usual as he composed himself,
"Yeah, after the nightmare of the Great Mirror, we felt like we all needed a little more levity in our lives."
Warden simply turned his head down and shook it gently before a brilliant storm of sparks appeared at his lips as a cigarette appeared from the depths of his soul.
Pulling a match he had made from a small holder on his desk, he quickly struck the top to ignite it before lighting the memory he held between his lips.
Taking in a deep breath, he held it for a few moments before he let the smoke scatter into the air as he looked back up at them,
"You two are the reason I created this memory to begin with."
Smiling slightly as he took in another breath.
Their conversation devolved into more mundane topics for a while. The three had become rather good friends after fighting together on numerous occasions. The lost pair even invited the others around their humble home from time to time when there were no serious matters to attend to.
As the conversations were coming to an end, the topics shifted once more. They were now all leaning against the balcony railing with drinks in their hands, all except Jasper, who had decided to sit on it instead and let his feet dangle over the edge.
Warden looked at Damian and said in a questioning tone,
"...by the way, what do you plan to do about your…loyalists? They have been getting a bit rowdy again recently."
Damian leaned back against the rails as he took a sip from his glass.
The loyalists Warden spoke of were those who believed that Damian was the rightful leader of the survivors. He had been the one to destroy the undead legion, and he had been the one to bring the Dragon to the verge of death.
They believed that Warden had stolen Damian's glory and, in a way, his right to a True Name.
Damian didn't feel this way himself, for he knew Warden was a far greater leader than he could ever be. He felt much better just being a powerful piece on a board rather than the one playing the game.
Still, these people had taken some of Damian's ideals, putting themselves at risk to gain more strength as quickly as possible, becoming powerful soldiers far faster than Warden's loyal court. They even formed an unnamed faction, separate yet still in partnership with Warden's own.
Damian looked at him and sighed,
"Honestly, I'm not too sure anymore. I've tried to convince them to give up on worshipping me as some sort of messiah, like a bunch of zealots, but that only works for a time."
"I'll speak with them just before we leave, and that should hopefully hold them over until we return, but I still don't have a long term solution, sadly."
Warden took another drink before answering,
"I was afraid that would be your answer. We can only hope they come to realise their zealous beliefs are leading to strange ideas forming in their minds, before it's too late."
Turning to face Jasper, his voice a bit more mischievous and questioning,
"Oh, before I forget to ask, Jasper, why did you get so nervous when I brought up True Names earlier? Have something you wish to tell me?"
Jasper spat out his drink before his eyes went wide in panic,
"Wh-what are you talking about? I didn't…I mean, I…that never… oh shit, I left the oven on!"
Before another word could be said, Jasper leaned back and fell off the railing into the darkness below.
Warden and Damian watched him fall for a moment before turning to each other,
Damian spoke first, his voice more disappointed than anything,
"The oven….really? He couldn't think of a better excuse than that? We don't even have an oven!"
Somewhere out in the Darkness of Bastion, a thundering shockwave rippled through the sky as its roar echoed over the ancient stone, awakening both slumbering abominations and annoyed awakened alike.
Warden sighed as he said,
"He isn't the best at either excuses or keeping secrets. Granted, I've known for some time now."
Damian turned to him with a clear question on his face before Warden continued,
"I found out after we hired that diviner I mentioned earlier, I asked her about those with True Names, and she said that two were bound to the Citadel of Bastion. One of them was me, obviously, and I figured the other was Jasper, even though she didn't know their real identity.
Damian turned to Warden, taking another drink before saying,
"How did you know it was Jasper? It could have been anyone."
Warden looked at him with an expression that said, 'Are you serious?'
"Well, you are right, it could have been anyone else, but I know no one else who fits the name better. Who else would embody the True Name,
Monarch of Motion."