The Red Hand

Chapter 450.5 – A Mutual Understanding.

"I'm not entirely sure how I feel about these soulless soldiers, but I suppose as long as they prove effective, I can make do." Silfana said as she examined a humanoid soldier drone. It'd just been put together and was lying on Imperial's workbench waiting to be powered on. An army of these automatons was being prepared for her since, while Silfana did have the ability to summon weaker creatures to assist her there was no way for her to make a proper army nor did Akagi have enough people for her to command.

{I suppose they're no better than zombies or thralls. They simply do as they're told with no regard for their own lives. Effective tools, but they without independent thought they're generally quite limited in what they can do without direct coordination. We have no choice but to use them for the moment, but I will begin creating a proper military force shortly after we're done here.} (Silfana)

"Well, that makes two er us." Imperial retorted as he flipped down his welding visor to make a few adjustments to the drone's left arm with his torch. "Not like I want ta be maken war machines like this, but I've also got no choice in the matter."

"Considering your options are do as the Demon Lord tells you or have your will forcibly overwritten and replaced with something more compliant, that sounds about right." Silfana chuckled as she watched the Gnome make his alterations.

While technically in a similar situation to Imperial, the Vampire had willingly pledged herself to Akagi rather than be forcibly kowed. The two had an interesting and unique relationship that was a bit different from the one Akagi had with the rest of the Clan. To the Vampire, Akagi was simply the best path to achieving her birthright. While to Akagi, the Vampire was a useful tool in her arsenal, as she was the only subordinate the Demon who had with actual military and governorship experience. Of course, the two's relationship was not only built on one using the other, though that was indeed a good part of it, as the two genuinely respected each other. Something that showed when Akagi formally appointed Silfana as her Minister of War, since the Vampire had far more actual knowledge of war making than Akagi.

"It's not as if Imperial was given that bad of terms for his employment anyway." Yumi said as she entered the workshop behind Silfana. "Considering he was part of Libra, he could've easily been given the same treatment as the rest that were at the compound." She said as Imperial finished his welding and flicked up his mask. “Plus, you get paid, have vacation time, and are otherwise left alone when she doesn't need you. So I'd say you made out much better than them.” She chuckled.

"I'd like not ta be reminded about wat became of the others." Imperial sighed as he put his tools on a small table. “Tis a horrible memory.”

"It's surprising to see you wandering about. Usually, our resident overlord has you safely tied to her hip." Silfana chuckled.

"We both know it's for everyone's benefit that she keeps me close." Yumi retorted, a bit of snark in her words. "I may not like the severe level of coddling I'm being given, but considering the alternative is far worse, I'll swallow my complaints and let her smother me."

{Considering the alternative is all reality is destroy, I'll take being put in the shadow and given head pats. Not like I don't get enough benefit out of it anyway.} (Yumi)

"Can't have the Demon Cat losing its favorite toy, I suppose." Silfana shrugged. "Having such an obvious weakness to exploit is why Imperial Royalty is raised to value their spouse below their duty. One's position and responsibilities always outrank the life of a single person, especially for Royalty."

"Considering my life is also helping keep Akagi from descending into little more than a feral beast, I believe it's a necessary evil." Yumi glared at her. "Not to mention, I think living such a lonely life like you describe sounds absolutely dreadful. I can imagine that attitude is exactly why you took the path you did. For how much you apparently cared about 'duty' and 'responsibility,' it certainly seemed like you didn't."

"Are you referring to my wars with the Empire?" Silfana turned to the Priestess.

"Those same wars that killed countless young men from my village, yes, I am." Yumi rolled her eyes. She'd lost plenty of friends and neighbors due to Silfana's invasions, some she'd known since she was born, and her disdain for the Vampire went far beyond petty racial bigotry. Almost everyone knew of the Vampire Lord, and her reputation was one of death and destruction. "I've been told you wanted to reclaim your throne and that you only became a Vampire because you wanted to serve the people of the Empire better." She scoffed. "If that were really the case, you should've never accepted the blood kiss and simply reigned as any normal Monarch would. Your actions caused more harm than a simple succession would."

"My goals and designs go far beyond what someone like you can ever hope to understand." Silfana shot back. "You might be bound to a Demon Lord, but at the end of the day, you're otherwise a mortal being in your mindset. You couldn't possibly comprehend plans on a scale longer than a single Human lifetime."

{I'm goin to slowly back away from this mess... I don't want ta get involved in any cat fights ta day} (Imperial)

"That may be true, but I still find it funny how you claim to only want the best for your citizens, but then proceed to wage war against them and kill countless innocent people." Yumi replied, noting that many Imperials had died as a result of her wars, many of whom were just random villagers with no stake in politics. "Your monsters attacked countless villages over the years, even during periods of relative quiet on the main front. Many died who had no involvement in your dispute."

"There were times where innocents perished, yes. And there were plenty of times where my subordinates simply did what they wanted despite my orders." Silfana nodded, acknowledging that the creatures under her command tended to act on instinct and attack defenseless villagers for no reason. "But my enemy was never the people of the Empire. I only ever sought to remove its corrupt and illegitimate leadership. That its people were caught in the crossfire was... unfortunate."

"Was Hassan unfortunate?" Yumi asked, recalling how gleefully the creatures seemed to slaughter the peasants.

"That was a war zone." Silfana grumbled at the mention of the battle in which she was killed. "People die in wars, it's simply the nature of things. I won't try and pretend otherwise."

"Destroying the Fort was one thing, but your monsters also ransacked the local villages and even the city adjacent

to the Fortress." Yumi pushed. "I know that Hishya shoulders some of the blame for events of that day since she redirected some of the monsters, but as someone who had the displeasure of watching that battle from a distance, I can say for certain that your actions intentionally caused more casualties. Do not forget, I've been attached to a Demon for half a decade. I know what it looks like when you're trying to mitigate collateral damage versus cause more of it.""I was frustrated." Silfana closed her eyes for a moment before letting out a deep breath and looking up at the metal ceiling. "Hassan had stood in my way for centuries. The Fortress City was a thorn in my side, a network of defenses that, unless felled, would forever estopp my march into the Imperial heartland." She continued. "I'd smashed my armies against its great gates over and over again, but that final time... That final time, I actually managed a breakthrough." She shook her head. "I... I will not lie. My orders during those pivotal moments were both selfish and cathartic in nature. I should not have ordered my soldiers to do as they did. I was just happy to have finally made progress for the first time in hundreds of years."

{The throne was finally in my grasp, only a bit further and I may well have been able to take back what was mine. Of course I was going to get a bit... anxious.} (Silfana)

"Had Hishya not felled you in battle that day, what would you have done next?" Yumi asked, a bit surprised to see the Vampire Lord acting so honest and uncharacteristically demure.

"I'd planned for such an event extensively." Silfana said as he leaned back against the table where the drone was resting. "My army would've reconstituted itself and marched into the Temora Valley. From there, we would've begun the long march toward the Imperial Capital. With Hassan out of the way and the Imperial Army's best units routed, it's entirely likely I could've..." She paused, shaking her head. "But none of that matters anymore. As we both know, the world we once lived in no longer exists. That I am here now is merely due to a twist of fate and the actions of a group of fools. It's the same for you, though, no?"

"I only escaped because Akagi did something strange to me." Yumi shrugged, not fully understanding how the process Akagi used worked. "If not, I suppose I would've ended up like everyone else..."

"Removed from existence." Silfana clicked her tongue. "It irritates me to no end that everything built in our home world was so easily destroyed. As well as how its people were never more than simple puppets to be paraded around for the amusement of others."

"I suppose that's just how Gods work." Yumi chuckled. "They rarely care much about their creations and are more than willing to dispose of them as soon as it suits their needs."

"Though in our case it was not Gods but mortals playing at being Gods that created us." Silfana sighed. "I suppose in the end one cannot be too harsh on them. Neither the Humans nor the Spirits truly understood what they were doing, but then again, that is oft how playing God winds up and why so many stories teach such a thing as a cautionary tale."

"Silfana." Yumi's use of the Vampire's name got her attention. "Do you really believe in what you say?"

"I am not one to speak lies without reason." Silfana replied.

"Then look me in the eyes and tell me that despite your mistakes, everything you ever did was because you loved our people." Yumi's gaze bore into the Vampire, taking her aback with its intensity. The Vampire found herself surprised by the fire in Yumi's eyes, and something inside her told Silfana that she needed to answer.

"I swear on the name of Silfana Tildeshide that my actions have always been because I thought they were for the greater good of the Empire and its people." Silfana spoke without thinking, questioning why she'd make such a declaration to someone like Yumi.

"And can you swear to me that you will act for the good of the people you will soon be ruling?" Yumi asked, her presence strangely seeming to suffocate the Vampire.

"That was what I promised Akagi when she granted me her power. In exchange for aiding me in reclaiming my birthright, I was to dedicate myself to my work and my people." Silfana nodded. "This was to be my chance to prove to myself and to the world that I am worthy of being a ruler. I would sooner die than renege on that promise. For that would be the same as abandoning everything I ever believed, everything I ever fought for these last thousand years. And I refuse to do that."

A tense silence hung in the air for a moment before being broken by Yumi's smile.

"Good, then we can work together without issue." Yumi said as she put her hand out for a handshake, which surprised Silfana yet again. "I've had reservations about you ever since you appeared on Earth, but your words and heart are in sync." She chuckled. "Akagi might not say it, but she really wants to build a place where people can be happy, and I think you're exactly who she needs to make that vision into reality."

"You truly are a strange woman." Silfana sighed as she shook Yumi's hand. "But then again, only the strangest of the strange would willingly become the bride of a Demon Lord. So perhaps that's a good thing."

{In all my long life, I don't think I've ever met a person like this Priestess. She's taken everything that's happened over this short period of time in stride and adapted to it as if it were nothing. To think a mere village Priestess could rise to the position of a trusted confidant of a being of such power, and then even go further to become said being's fated one. If I didn't know better, I'd believe this woman's existence to have been crafted by the Gods specifically for this very purpose.} (Silfana)

"Now, getting to the actual reason I came here." Yumi said as she pulled out a small tablet. "These drones will make up the bulk of your forces during the coming battles, so let's go over each type and..."