With scraping talons, Seraphimus came to a stop beside a series of moldy mattresses. She lifted her silver helmet off her head, sighed, and held the item in her grasp. She examined it coolly with charcoal brown eyes as she spoke.
“I know you're a wise griffon, Lieutenant,” Seraphimus said. “Foolhardy, perhaps, but wise. So it would be redundant—if not absurd—to suggest that your mind is capable of terrible lapses in memory.”
“You have my agreement, whole-heartedly,” Keris said.
“Hmmmm... 'whole-heartedly.' There is a great deal of heart in that, Lieutenant. Tell me...” She pivoted her head sideways to peer at him, hawkeye leering. “Which have you been listening to as of late? The heart? Or the mind?”
Keris leaned his battered body against an empty oil drum. He sighed, his voice rolling quietly across the dim chamber. “In all that I've done, and in all of the decisions that I've made, I've relied on the wordless wisdom of our Goddess Verlaxion. Whether She chooses to speak to our minds or our spirits, that is up to Her divine will.”
Seraphimus squinted. “Then you mean to suggest that the Goddess Verlaxion has been deliberately instructing you to disobey my command?”
“No, Commander.”
“Do you or do you not acknowledge that I—as commanding officer of the Right Talon of Verlaxion—represent the wisdom and righteous judgment imbued in me by our Goddess and the Council in Her charge?”
“I do acknowledge it, Commander—”
“Then why have you openly defied me?!” Seraphimus' growling tone rolled off the rusted bulkheads. A spark or two flew from her talons as she pivoted—scraping—to face him with an iron glare. “Why did you allow the power struggle of the Barges to take precedent over my explicitly charged directions to seek out and subdue the Rainbow Rogue?!”
Keris took a deep breath, facing forward. “I conducted the investigation as ordered, Commander. My search brought me here—upon which I suffered injuries that made it physically impossible to properly arrest the Rainbow Rogue—”
“Polish your tongue before you use it to fling such filth at me.” Seraphimus crossed the distance between them on thundering paws. She stared him down, beak to beak. “Such an excuse might work on Sergeant Windburst or Starstorm or the lowly rookie. But I know you, Keris.” She took a seething breath, feathers rustling. “I gave you the mission to investigate the Quade because you are the most resourceful and wise among us. But—for some damnable reason—you are also the most stubborn and fickle guardian I've ever served with. However, when the Council chose—by Verlaxion's insight—to pursue the tragedy at the Quade, I assigned the task to you. I did this in good faith, Lieutenant. We live in a time wrought by terrorism inside Rohbredden and abroad. Our numbers are spread thin and I simply cannot afford to put such random tasks into the talons of a less-capable griffon.”
Keris gulped, staring ahead. “Commander—”
“I am not finished!” Her voice echoed like a gunshot across the chamber, echoing in the Lieutenant's ears. After a deep breath, she murmured: “You have served our kingdom for a long, long time. And yet, for all of your wisdom and fortitude, you never achieved the rank of Commander of the Right Talon. Now why do you think that is, Lieutenant?”
Keris' beak opened slightly, but he hesitated. At last, he stammered, “Do you wish me to be honest, Commander?”
She snorted. “I would expect no less from you, Keris.”
He exhaled. “The Council is wary of my skills in judgment. They see in me a soldier who is highly talented in the art of combat and diplomacy, but...”
“But what?”
He gulped. “...I have always displayed... inattentiveness in matters of spiritual intuition.”
“You choose your own interpretations of Verlaxion's commands, Keris,” Seraphimus said. “I understand that versatility in the field requires a certain degree of improvisation, but you have to keep in mind...” She paced around him. “There is no wisdom greater than Verlaxion's. The Council speaks for her. And—by proxy—so do I. When I was a young hatchling, I did not expect to someday hold such a lofty position... to be the leader of the Right Talon of Verlaxion. But—be it destiny or divine will—this task was thrust upon me. I've no choice but to do it just as thousands of guardians from countless roosts have performed it before me—in complete and faithful subservience to the Goddess of Thawing.”
She turned about, facing him across the rusted habitat.
“To perform our tasks outside of the Will of Verlaxion is counter-intuitive in preserving harmony for Rohbredden. It's dangerous. Self-destructive. Entire legions of the Talon have died by making the horrible mistake of defying Her will as expressed by the Council.” She pointed at Keris' bandages and sling. “Look at what such defiance has done to you.”
Keris clutched his other shoulder, shuddering. “There were ponies suffering, Commander—”
“There are always ponies suffering, Lieutenant.” She strolled towards him. “Especially out here... floating among the muck and filth of godlessness. Who caused this suffering to happen if not these very ponies themselves?” Seraphimus took a deep breath. “Scholars and philosophers have pondered through the ages precisely why our Goddess has chosen the Continentalists of Rohbredden to receive Her holy blessings. Well, such writers were never soldiers in the field. I've seen first-hand the kind of filth and destitution that befalls the tribes who choose—however foolishly—to live outside of Verlaxion's good graces.” She pointed one claw after another. “Cannibalistic midnighters—clinging to pagan rituals on the edge of the world. Apostate colonialists—fornicating and wasting their breaths along the fringes of the Blight. Pirates and privateers—enslaving and exploiting each other across the forsaken seas.” Her eyes narrowed. “At long last, you've seen the misery of the seven seas for yourself, Lieutenant. Can you now deny the depths to which these putrid souls have driven themselves?”
“I have seen misery, yes.” Keris pivoted his head to face her directly. “Do you know where we are standing at present, Commander?”
She blinked at him. With a disgruntled sigh, Seraphimus leaned back, rubbing her eyes. Nevertheless... after a few dull seconds, she murmured, “Do fill me in, Lieutenant.”
He waved his good talon at the rusted scenery. “This was once an orphanage. And by that, I don't mean a well-to-do foster home for needy foals... but a slave pit where children were forced to waste away in cold starvation.” He rapped his knuckles against the rusted barrel next to him. “They would burn pungent refuse here to warm themselves, night and day.” He pointed at a partially collapsed bunkbed. “Emaciated waifs slept, stacked on top of one another—like living lumber. Anything to keep warm.” He pivoted, nodding his beak towards the far corner of the room. “Just this morning, before you arrived, Elsaack and I came down here with a group of locals and... scooped up the dried-out corpses of fillies and colts who had perished in their sleep. They had long-decayed and their flesh reeked of deathstench... and yet the other orphans kept them there... rather than let them be tossed by Skagra's dredgers into the cesspool above deck. That way—they felt—the souls of their ill-fated friends would still hold a chance to join the dead drifts... and find their way to the Spring Havens.”
Seraphimus' eyes narrowed.
Keris saw it—expected it. “Does that surprise you? That the children of godless heathens would hold the most precious... most ardent faith in our great Deliverer?” He swept a talon through the air. “There are prayers hidden across the purgatorial lengths of this domain... etched into the walls... hidden in little scrolls behind bulkheads. Entire, fragile generations of children lived and died in here, praying to Verlaxion for deliverance. And when I found myself thrown into the dank brig of this place—broken and battered—it was one of these very same children who came to my aid... who rescued me... empowered by the generosity and kindness of the Goddess herself.”
“You were fortunate,” Seraphimus said. “You must still have a function in Her divine plan.”
“Not a day goes by when I don't think of that.” Keris took a deep breath, readying himself for the weight of what he was about to deliver next. “Nor does a second go by when I don't ponder... the plan that the Rainbow Rogue has.”
Seraphimus' headcrest lifted at that.
Keris continued, “She is... more than a mere pony, Commander. She is... a force... benevolent? Malevolent?” He shook his head. “Rather, I don't believe it is one pole or the other. It is something far more complex... something nebulous... something that no living guardian of the Talon has ever encountered before.”
“You mean to suggest that a morally gray creature was responsible for the holocaust in the Quade?”
“She does not deny what she did in the Quade.”
“Then you should have followed through with your orders,” Seraphimus said bluntly. “And committed every bit of energy to subduing her.”
“And even if I could have done that and succeeded, Commander...” Keris waved a talon. “...what would have become of the Barges? This very room could still be filled with suffering... with needless death of hundreds of souls still loyal to Verlaxion—even in spite of their misery.”
“You're right, Keris,” Seraphimus said with a nod. “Hundreds of muck-born creatures may have been suffering... dying. But instead, now that the Rainbow Rogue is free, she stands to threaten the livelihood of thousands... millions of holy citizens living all across Rohbredden. From the west coast to the edge of midnight.”
Keris gulped. “C-Commander—”
“You said it yourself, Lieutenant,” Seraphimus droned. “This Rainbow Rogue... this monster from beyond the blight is an unprecedented, 'nebulous' source of power. Such dark magic should not be trifled with. Bit now that she's escaped the boundaries of Red Barge... who can possibly... feasibly predict what she might be capable of?!”
Keris clenched his beak shut. Exhaling, he hung his head.
Seraphimus gazed towards the sun-lit entrance. With a sigh, she shuffled forward, then rested a talon on his good shoulder. “The Council is waiting in great anticipation for a report from the Right Talon—to explain what we've found in the Quade and beyond. It goes without saying that... they will not appreciate hearing what's transpired here, Lieutenant.”
“I understand, Commander.”
“And for that very same reason, you know that I cannot condone the fact that you aided the enemy, even in the least.”
“Yes, Commander.”
“And yet... at the same time...” Seraphimus leaned back. “They do not know you like I do. It... takes an experienced guardian to understand the tenuous balance between hunting and protecting. While what you did here was far from perfect...” She clenched and unclenched her beak. “...it was performed with the best interests of the immediate citizenry in mind.” She muttered, “Godless or not.”
Keris looked up.
“In addition, what you've observed here—in the presence of the Rainbow Rogue—will be priceless in the inevitable act of subduing her. Which—as you can well guess—we are now collectively charged with doing.”
Keris gulped. “I understand fully, Commander.”
“I need more than your understanding, Lieutenant,” Seraphimus said, eyes leering.
Keris blinked. Then, his magenta eyes twitched. Wincing—fighting the pain in his battered limbs—he nevertheless bowed low on one feline knee. He raised his good talon up, struggling.
Seraphimus met him halfway, placing her claws in his tender grip.
He leaned forward, pressing his beak to her limb. Kissing it.
“I am the Right Talon of Verlaxion,” Seraphimus quoted.
“And... I am y-your Claw,” Keris said raspily.
Seraphimus nodded. She leaned forward, helping him gently up into a standing position. However, the gesture didn't end there. As she exhaled, her claws lingered on his shoulders. She looked past his headcrest.
Keris blinked. Her feathers were close. At a glance, it almost resembled a hug. “... … ...Commander?”
“There are so... so very few of us left, Lieutenant,” she murmured quietly. “The righteous.” A gulp. “We lost Jordan to a fit of godless foolishness.”
Keris winced.
“I... would be remiss to lose you as well,” Seraphimus calmly said. “There is much... much strife in the Continent. Our enemies are invisible, and the presence of the Rainbow Rogue in our land does not bode well for a fragile kingdom.” She leaned back, staring him squarely in the face. “The Month of Thawing is almost upon us. I need you to be wise... to be strong... and—above all—to be faithful. Can I rely on you, Lieutenant?”
Keris slowly... slowly nodded. “You can rely on me, Commander.”
“Defy my orders again—no matter how benevolent the motivations may be—and I will have you stripped of all your rank and armor.” Her charcoal eyes glinted. “Do you understand me?”
Keris stood up straight, his feathers cresting back. “I understand you, Commander. You have my allegiance.”
“Indeed I do.” Seraphimus stepped back. “Rest. Mend. Once I have made a proper assessment of the situation here, I shall appropriate all tasks of restoration to Elsaack of White Barge. And then...”
“...we set out for the Rainbow Rogue?”
She nodded. “The hunt resumes. I will leave the briefing of the Sergeants to you. This can be accomplished while we take wing to make time.” She made to walk away, but lingered. Turning, she squinted at him once more. “I... trust that you will leave out no details concerning the monster's strengths and weaknesses.”
He gulped, then nodded back. “None whatsoever, Commander.”
“Mmmmm...” She placed her helmet on, pivoted about, and exited the shadowed stench of death.
Keris stood behind, meditating on the rust and detritus.
Think about it Keris... what is more scary? That Dashie is as unpredictable as her results? Or that Verlax could have actually planned and observed placidly the destruction, demise and suffering of all involved so far and beyond? Join us...
Rainbow is going to have a hard time beating the Talon...
Hmm... he does know about Rainbow's friends, to a certain extent, but I doubt he knows exactly what they can do to help Rainbow. If they get within a few hundred feet of her, Fluttershy will know.
Heh. Over-religious seraph is over-religious
Also find it odd how apparently seraph has no clue about Dash's chaos-forme. I'd have figured Keris could have used that as an excuse.
Further: Verlax is perfect (lol no) and the Council speaks for her. So is the Council incapable of fault then? I mean, we know that, because Chandler exists, but to the Talon's knowledge, has there been no mistakes made by the council, ever?
Also, IDK if her 'plan' was to have suffering ponies. You are going to have some who suffer in a society. Period. Further, I don't think Verlax actually gives a shit, and is just apathetic to the situation of her continent. She's not being actively malevolent, just passively and or casually
Funny how these continentals keep saying that the seven seas "rejected' verlaxions grace and thats why they are so terrible. In reality it was her plan all along to have suffering ponies in her kingdom it seems.
Hmm. Seraph can listen to reason. Mostly.
I'm..torn, one hand, if he tells them about the pendant and her transformation, they'll be wary about removing it.
On the other hand, if he does't, he has a way of giving Dash an out if they do catch her, removing it so she breaks her bindings and then replacing it and letting her go.
It'd be a one time thing but...better than nothing.
There's that Jordan name again...could it really be Wildcard?
-Companions have returned, inner darkness spurned. Utaan.
Oh, that could have gone so much worse.
Still, don't let zealotry fool you, Keris. You've always known the way forward, for better or worse. Don't lose sight of that.
I get the feeling that he is no longer believing that as fervently as he once did. If god is omnipotent and loving, then why does evil exist?
They are going to have a bit of a problem when it comes to her pendant, as that would require them to keep her sedated so she doesn't remove it on purpose or by accident. It also requires they ambush her so she cannot prepare to do so. A lot can go wrong if they attacked her. Their best bet would actually be to bring her in quietly, less risk of anything going wrong. She also would likely be willing once she realizes that they intend to take her to the capital, in the same direction that she intends to go.
Oh, the irony... the irony.
And what has your subservience done for your family?
The more I read about Seraphimus the more I like/dislike her. I like her method of doing things, I dislike how she thinks.
6724046
To be fair to her character... I like to think she's over-religious because she has left herself no choice. If she turns from her faith, which is the only thing for now keeping her family alive, she'll just suffer alone, never sure if it was her lack of faith that killed them.
About what I expected, I suppose. Keris could've made a stronger case for the... complexity of Rainbow's situation, considering everything he saw and learned, but oh well. Keris has picked his side, at least for now. The Right Talon will obviously give Rainbow one hell of a challenge, but she has one thing on her side that will never change: She is right, and their god is a sham. No amount of zealotry will keep that silent forever.
"Alright, so this pendant can blind you, is indestructable, and has unknown powerful magic."
"Can't we take it off?"
"Do not take the pendant off."
"But-"
"NO."
"Second strength: She has four mysterious ghost friends."
"..."
"It is impossible to sneak up on her. Anything metal you are carrying she will know. Anything magic and she will know. Any danger she is in, she will know."
"Because of these... magic ghosty things."
"Affirmative. You may hear then called Fluttershy, Twilight Pie, Rarisparkle, and Pinkity. I think."
"Rarisparkle?"
"Yes."
"...Lieutenant, how hard did you injure your head?"
"Does this mare have any weaknesses?"
"If you throw a hot mare in front of her she'll oogle instead of fight."
"You have got to be kidding me. Is that all we've got?"
"Pretty much."
Basically, a giant circlejerk of "I'm right, you're wrong" and whatever Verlax started centuries back being the "right" thing, no matter what hypocrisy is thrown around.
Well, the only good thing is that Keris, since he is still a part of the Talon, will be able to defend Dashie against Seraphimus if needed. Other than that... the whole conversation went pretty terribly.
Well, the hard part now is going to be getting the Talon to believe everything Keris tells them.
6724093
And yet, we've seen that Seraphimus is in the midst of a crisis of faith. This makes her an unknown; where at one point in the story she would have been ruthless in carrying out her mission, now she's unpredictable. Rainbow Dash certainly screwed up in the Quade, but her actions - witnessed by Keris - at the barge was nothing less than her best.
I don't know which way the dice will fall when Seraphimus meets Rainbow Dash. It depends on how -long- it takes for that meeting to take place, I think.
Exactly as I thought, she is just about completely unreasonable. I knew Seraphimus was overly zealous in her belief but this is bordering on psychotic. I'm pretty sure that even within her own religion she would be considered pretty extreme to just about all but fringe sects; at least that is the feeling I'm getting right now. I really hate to bring this up but if the people in her life don't watch out I really, really think we have another Shell on our hands. If Rainbow gets wind of that and thinks that she's that dangerous I hope she tries to talk her down before she thinks she might have to kill her. Given that Dash doesn't want another Shell on her hooves I think that might actually take some convincing from the girls and likely Keris as well.
Not quite exactly the same, but...
6724221 There is little more dangerous than someone with a cause and an indomitable will to see it realized.
Dashie's in for quite the gauntlet.
This conversation was much shorter than I expected it to be.
Why did he not mention that he was captured by Skagra, torched underneath scalding steam, and sustained near-death injuries? Why didn't he mention the resistance against the privateers, that, had he not done so, would have killed both him, the rogue, and the people of Red Barge? Why did he not mention that he had already fought Rainbow Dash, almost lost, and had to ally with her out of convenience for the sake of his own survival? There was no way in hell he would have defeated her, and he knows it. His death would have been more costly in the long run, no matter how you spin it.
I sense that he's keeping a lot of details close to his chest, details that could have otherwise been used to exonerate him.
I wonder why.
6721769 Might have seen me commenting nearly every chapter in Austraeoh and half of Eljunbryo long while ago.
Unless you meant on another story else where. In which cause I feel like we've meet before, yet I can't place where either. I feel like either Rainbow Dash or Twilight was involved in whatever story it was. That or it was that one scary story that I didn't expect to like; The one with the dilapidated hospital/asylum if that helps rings any bells.
Either way nice to meet you again. I'll gladly continue this awesome journey with whatever we're calling our selves.
Might just stick with Noble Jurist or Jurist maybe? We my not have characters who were on the Noble Jury, but as readers who've stuck around this long we definitely shown our loyalty in a sense.
Alternate description for Utaan: "Keris endures many trials to help Rainbow Dash reach the edge of the world."
6724297
Considering that the Noble Jury was named after the followers rather than the other way around, I personally stick with it for my own purposes.
(for those that might not know, Noble Jury is an anagram of Eljunbyro)
6724285
The reason that he had to fight her in the first place was because he was captured due to disobeying orders, though. He couldn't use that as an excuse without outright lying to Seraphimus.
Wish keris would have gone into more detail about everything but it wouldn't matter either way, seriphamus just wants the job done.
Yeah, they're not suffering because the ponies who could put a stop to it don't give a damn, it's totally the victims' faults.
6724285
The picture of Seraphimus that has been painted so far shows a rather dangerous Person.
I would have liked to see an answer for the heart and mind question from herself, because she does a good job in ignoring both,
She seems to construct her own verlaxions faith filled reality by taking rational and emotional bits and separate them and construct something that does not hold up to reality, a fundamentalist with a selective blindness.
If she could have, she would have stopped Dash while she was trying to free the ponies of red barge, dismissing the barges situation with verlaxions will even if deep down she knew it was emotionally and rationally wrong, maybe she would have killed skagra but then she would have left them in anarchy.
So all the details Keris could have shared with her would not have mattered she understands the situation, she just does not give a shit about it as long its not an order of the council whom she sees as verlaxion and i guess Keris knows her pretty well so he didn't even try since she wouldn't let any of it trough her thick head.
The only weak spot painted of her so far is her family, if dash stumbles upon a way to cure them, there could be real talk between the two but 'Leftover of Saikano' pointed out another way that would put both of them on a direct inevitable and violent collision course.
If verlax tapped the beacon as power source for her magic then there is a good chance that interacting with the beacon there would stop the cryo magic from working, effectively killing Seraphimus' Family.. it already kinda sounds like a verlax style trap.
tl;dr
Seraphimus is not interested in details, just in what she believes is verlaxions will.
We are now reaching a timeline overlap, where the Talon are working on questions and assistance on Red Barge, while Dash is sailing to Rhobedron in the North, and Chandler in the South, then with various convoluted paths due to river travel etc?
Serafimus had better be very careful, being The Inquisitor there. With needing Verlaxion to exist so much for her desire to save her family, she is going to break awful hard when faced with the truth. And a mentally broken Seraph is a psychotically crazed mad max death machine.
Or a vegetable.
Well, at least you tried Keris
6724129
This... sums it up pretty well, actually.
... Well, this is a fine kettle of fish.
Or should I say, griffons?
Requesting testimonies from others involved or in close contact with Rainbow should be high on her list here. Only then will she learn of how much information Keris is withholding. If she's willing to believe any of it.
6724129
"Then I shall endeavour to apprehend this beast."
"As part of a whole Talon?"
"No. I am ordering you to seek Brye Chandler's closest aide... Lozenge? Lucozade? If what I've heard continent-side over the past few months holds any amount of truth, and that your accounts are not merely a deluded by-product of the recent skirmish you've experienced, then she will prove crucial in subduing our target."
"Um... Not solely for her magical prowess, I gather?"
"Razor sharp comprehension, Lieutenant. I trust that you will do well to stick to your task this time. Dismissed."
"...I'll be sure to keep my half-digested breakfast down. For now." Keris muttered.
Who was Jordan and how exactly did they 'lose' him? Did he turn on the Talon? Did he die?
Damn you, Seraphimus. You didn't even give him a chance to explain everything yet.
And dammit, Keris, why did you speak up?
*sigh* This could have gone so much better.
6724094
Ah, I understand her personal motivations for remaining so religious, but at the same time, it is heartbreaking to see her obssessing over something we as as the readers likely know to be false.
6724443 Probably the worst phrase ever is "the end justifies the means", for there you can excuse anything ... often for something else that doesn't even yet exist.
Aw, Seraphimus, you're becoming a softy.
well, Rainbow de-Shellifies a bit just in time for Seraph to pick up the slack
i begin to get the feeling that there is a given constant amount Shell, often divided among the characters
and the more concentrated, the more like Shell that/those character(s) become
This chapter left a bitter taste in my mouth. The things the Bargers were put through, yet still they held on to that hope that one day Verlax would save them, and Seraphimus has the gall to suggest it's their fault for not being pious enough? I got legitimately angry about that
6724083 I'll quote one of my favourite lines from a Final Fantasy game: "Having sworn fealty, must I spend my life in servitude?"
Seraphimus really needs to have someone get her to start thinking about this.
Since Keris is now The Javert, narritive law means she can't also become the same, and I have a sneaking suspicion sooner or later she's gonna veer from the Lawful Stupid Paladin straight into a cross between the Well Intentioned Extremist and the Tautological Knight Templar
Do remember that Dashie is now cunningly disguised as a
traveling scholaroff-duty ashigarurice farmer, and thus not easily spotted. So it is more likely that RD will find Seraphimus rather than the other way round.Seraphimus is being way too mean to the Bargers, but, then again, she's the Talon, not the Mercy.
I trust you to do the right thing, Keris. I trust you to know what the right thing is.
6722381 It's just a ripoff of a poet of a character from the manga Saint Seiya.
i.imgur.com/mDr7kdL.jpg
A broken humerus will take at least three or four months to mend.
Ugh... I think I don't like Seraphimus
Ah, Seraphimus... Putting the blind in 'blind faith' since 2015!
6724504 Yes, but the weird part is that he didn't even try.
6724285 He's confused, uncertain. He's not very outspoken currently because he has trouble figuring out what to believe. In the middle of a change.
6725337 "The poor are only poor because they deserve it. Should have prayed harder, worked harder, saved more money." Like every other villain, her views are well-reflected in those of real people.
Keris isn't screwed after all \O/
oh wait, he still needs to see the council...
He's intimidated and loyal, but there's clearly a conflict under those feathers.
Faithful and strong, eh?
Keris confirmed for Applejack.
They're gonna have a hard time tracking her down now that's she's bald and tailless. Not too mention that Rainbow has ghostly abilities.