An Untitled Novel

“Basil, are you sure this is a good idea?” Grey asked and Basil responded with a smile. “Yes, Cicero told me that all the Redcaps are fond of you for helping us, and the Lizard King told me it’s okay for you to come too. His people might be a little cranky, but you’ll be fine.” Grey’s hesitance seemed to fade and she returned the smile. “I am excited to see the festival. I just can’t help but worry they’ll be angry with me because of what happened at the last one.” Basil just chuckled. “Trust me, it’s meant specifically for people who are pissed at each other to speak and hopefully get less pissed. Now, let’s go before you change your mind and I’m back to being the weirdest one there.”

The two stepped from the pressurized room and found themselves directly in the Redcap’s keep. Basil was pleased to skip the hassle of traveling for a day then spending several nights in the inn, instead just coming and going as he pleased. He was also happy to be on the equivalent of the VIP list, allowed in the Redcap keep itself and invited to some important meetings and discussions. It also never hurt to be there early, getting a chance to make rounds while most of the crowds were still traveling or checking in.

The Redcap’s Queen was not too keen on chatting with Basil, although Cicero would later say she was at least tolerating his presence. He also saw Police Captain Brayden, with who he had a much more positive conversation compared to the last peace festival, and they caught each other up on what had happened since their previous adventure. Brayden also introduced Basil to his twin sister Mollie, who had been appointed head of the royal guards by the new Queen.

He also met with the Lizard King and his entourage. Many of the Lizard King’s people were still skeptical of Basil, but the Lizard King and his son were happy to see him. Even the Wizard seemed to have warmed up to him after Basil and ACE had occasionally provided reading materials or philosophical questions to the Lizard King’s son at his request. He even ran into General Tobias, who was present thanks to instant transportation. Outside of one or two existing council members seeming hesitant, and of course Jarvis still in lock-up, they were always happy to see each other and did so regularly.

Eventually, however, day turned to night, and things got more crowded; causing Basil, Grey, and Spiro to find themselves at a campfire in a distant portion of the Redcap courtyard. “So this is where you all went off to” Cicero said, Casio in tow, as he arrived at the makeshift escape from the crowds. “Just like old times” Spiro said, before Basil interjected “Well, let’s hope it’s not exactly like old times.” Cicero seemed amused and lacked his usual air of monotone diplomacy. “So then, what are we up to instead?” Grey replied “Well, I was going to try some of the stuff Basil always drinks, Vodka, but now these two are staring at me like they’re in on some sort of joke that I’m not.”

“Well, it’s certainly a bit of an acquired taste, especially this cheap stuff, but it’s not a joke” Basil said, but just as he finished he gave a quick smile adding “At least not unless you have a really funny reaction.” Grey looked down at her cup, and as Basil finished speaking she began to gulp it down, before instantly spitting it out. “Uh, that’s horrible. How do you people drink that?” Basil just shrugged. “Eh, it’s not bad once you get used to it. Besides, never a dull moment if you’ve drank enough.” As Basil finished speaking, as if his own words prompted him, he pulled out his flask and downed another large gulp.

Night quickly became morning, and morning turned to late morning for Basil as he slept off too much wine and vodka. The (object) seemed to make recovering from a night of heavy drinking easier, though he doubted that was its intended purpose. He hurried to get dressed as he was invited to attend a private portion of the festival. He, Spiro, a few of the Lizard King’s men, and a few Redcaps were going to have a small meeting at the exact time the Elthrice invaded the Lizard King’s capital.

Basil and Spiro were present, but largely uninvolved in most of the conversations while eating snacks and watching the two parties do some forced socializing. “I do not envy poor Cicero right now” whispered Spiro to Basil as they were partially through the meeting. Basil wondered how hard it was for Cicero to be forced to interact with many people he probably wished dead, but he at least seemed to be keeping an excellent diplomatic mask on. Or, Basil wondered, perhaps it was just Cicero being Cicero - monotone and utilitarian - only taking fleeting moments away from trying to keep a state well-oiled on the rarest of occasions. Eventually, however, the Lizard King banged on his glass to make a short speech. “In just a few moments it will mark the exact time my nation was invaded by the Elthrice, and fought off by my brave soldiers. With our peace and cooperation, we can assure that will-”

The group all turned to the window at the sound of a deafening roar, the unmistakable sound of an Elthrice ship entering the atmosphere. Basil could see chaos in the courtyard through the window as several ships landed and several hovered above, although nobody appeared to be firing, at least not yet. He began a full sprint to the courtyard while barking out orders. “ACE, get the drones ready! Edwards, get the anti-Elthrice weapons to the soldiers! ACE, get Grey on the line!” As Basil made it to the bottom of the large spiral staircase he prepared himself mentally for what he knew he was about to throw himself into. Damn, if only he had something more powerful than a .380.

Basil made his way into the courtyard, feeling the effect of the (object) coursing through his veins. If nothing else, he had that. These Elthrice seemed to be spreading out and looked menacing, but seemed oddly hesitant. Basil approached the first one he saw and started to yell at it. “You, surrender now!” It did not seem to understand Basil’s words, but seeing Basil’s pistol, it appeared to understand the threat and seemed to be holding something resembling a rifle. It orientated itself towards him, gripping the weapon harder, but neither individual raised their weapons towards the other. It appeared to be wearing some form of uniformly colored clothing, forming an eight-foot monolith of the same dark gray-green color, the whites of its eyes the only deviation.

Basil quickly glanced around, nobody was firing, but now everybody seemed to be in the same standoff as they were. Weapons were raised, and outside of the few near him, most seemed to be grouped around the crafts in a defensive posture. However, several other Elthrice gathered near the one in front of Basil, and the staring match between the two continued. With the (object) still in effect, he knew he had a very confident and angry expression, but the Elthrice in front of him continued to stare with a mix of curiosity and hesitance. When the others had all approached, Basil shouted out one of the few Elthrice words he knew. “(Orbital)!” That seemed to get the Elthrices’ attention, the one in front of him getting a surprised and momentarily fearful look on its face as they all took a few steps back.

The Elthrice began to speak in Elthrice, and with Grey now on the line she started summarizing in real time. “He wants to know who you are, but doesn’t believe you are an Orbital.” Several other Elthrice gathered around Basil, curious but somewhat cautious, despite dwarfing him in size and numbers. One, however, approached closely holding out a knife. The knife seemed made of the same dark gray-green metal the ships contained and looked slightly small with a bit of a belly. It seemed minimalist in its design, but had a very intricate star pattern on the handle. The one with the blade took another aggressive step towards Basil, and Basil took one in kind, effects of the (object) surging further.

The one holding the knife wound up to swing it at Basil and Basil’s whole world narrowed to just himself and his sudden opponent. The world slowed, and Basil instinctively reached out his hand, his opponent suddenly taking on a confident smile as he slashed the blade. The world slowed further as Basil’s hand gripped the blade, hoping the lack of pain was due to the (object)’s protection and not the adrenaline. He repositioned his left hand, from gripping the blade to gripping his opponent’s hand. That was peculiar; his opponent’s hand felt as if it was covered in a layer of metal or glass, smooth and cold. Perhaps that was what it felt like to fight somebody who possessed an (object)? “Perhaps the glass comparison was correct” Basil thought as he felt that layer shatter and dissipate like broken glass, before feeling the bones in his opponent’s hand shatter.

His opponent’s face had finally responded to the changing situation, switching from confident to abject terror. Basil yanked his left arm down, pulling his opponent’s entire body downward, and struck him in the head with his right arm. He felt bone shatter yet again, and his opponent fell to the ground twitching. The (object)’s effect wore off slightly, but he could still feel its pronounced effects. The other Elthrice jumped back and started speaking frantically, grabbing their comrade and the knife by his body before retreating towards the crafts. “They believe you now” Grey said with worry in her voice, and moments later the Redcaps opened fire. The Elthrice began spreading out and returning fire, world erupting into chaos.

Very few Elthrice fell, but the Redcap soldiers were cut down where they stood. Basil began to do the one thing he felt he could do: chase the fleeing Elthrice to the large craft in the courtyard’s center. Oddly, as he approached the group, the Elthrice didn’t fire upon him. He was particularly glad about that, not knowing how hard the Elthrice weapons hit, but reached the center of the courtyard quickly.

He, however, froze in place when he saw one Elthrice in particular. This one was wearing some sort of hood, but his face was blocked by an otherworldly blackness that Basil had only seen once in a dream. Even as the hooded Elthrice turned to Basil at an angle where the sun should be shining directly on his face, it remained as black as before. But not black as in darkness, and not even as a color. It was the void. It was the abyss. This was the first time he had truly felt fear since touching the (object), and yet here he was, paralyzed with it and unable to move.

“Stop now, you’re about to be fucked up when our weapons get here” Basil yelled at the hooded one, trying to regain composure after staring in silence for an unknown amount of time. This one seemed to understand what he was saying. “You. Far from home?” it asked, and its voice carried a horrifying echo of a thousand whispers as it spoke. “No, I am home, and my home is under my protection” Basil shouted, trying to keep his voice from quivering as he spoke; at least the (object)’s presence could do that. “No” it replied to Basil.

After what felt like an eternity the anti-Elthrice weapons entered the fray. What had been a wholesale slaughter against the Redcaps moments ago turned into an Elthrice bloodbath. It began with a swarm of drones making their way out of the castle, and deafening explosions quickly turned a large group of Elthrice into gray-green-red piles of mush. Minutes or seconds later, Basil did not know, depleted uranium rounds started to punch holes in Elthrice Orbitals that otherwise seemed immune to the Redcap’s standard munitions. The hooded figure shouted something in Elthrice, causing the Elthrice to stop firing and retreat to their ships. ACE’s drones and the Redcaps held their fire once it became apparent the fight was over, and many Elthrice ran past Basil and into the craft nearby him as if he wasn’t even there.

The crafts left, and Basil realized he was standing in a field of dead bodies, friend and foe alike. Remembering Grey was still on the line he asked “What did he say?” in a voice that was now shaking. Grey spoke as if she was shaking as well. “Postpone.”