04-29-2015, 12:52 PM
Armande Nicodemus studied the man as he spoke, continuing to note how he refused to meet his gaze. The Regus had traveled the world in his lifetime, had studied with and lived among numerous tribes and peoples. All had their different forms of respect, of dealing with each other. Men, in particular. Agreed upon rules of comportment and honor. He didn't find Yoshimura's refusal insulting.
The man's responses were matter of fact and held no remorse. His eyebrow quirked slightly when he finished. "The man did not protest. You did him honor, as much as one like him deserves." He leaned forward, eyes hardening, demanding that they meet his. "I am not a fool. I know what you want. Ambition can be the fire that motivates us. Or it can burn us up from the inside out, leaving an empty husk at the mercy of the cruel winds. You commendably keep your fire in check. You find honor in your work, as you should. But you yourself said it. The sword does NOT direct the hand. The man wielding the sword is the source of honor."
His eyes flicked to the man's weapons. "Your tools will not be those. Those cursed reborn gods do not fence and spar. They do not fight one to one. Those you have encountered have been little more than children, their use of the power more accident than intent. Apollyon has easily dispatched our hunters without being in the slightest amount of danger." His fingers tapped at his computer for a moment and an image appeared on the display. "THIS is what we face!" He watched the man's face searchingly as the video played, looking for his reaction. He stifled the rage and bile that threatened to overwhelm him as the sounds of the carnage filled the room. He had been within only meters of the this "man", this Michael Vellas, in that bookstore. The destruction wrought by this lone god was incredible.
The sounds of gunfire and blasts stopped with finality, leaving a defeaning silence. "This is what we are to fight. Mankind won once before, the Dedicated Remnant, the Atharii, leading the charge. The cost was high, so very high, but we paid it. And today, the fight comes anew. There will be blood, an ocean of it. The tools we will use may not seem honorable to some." His gaze shifted to the frozen image of the distant figure of Vellas on the windswept grounds of the Middle East. "But it will be necessary. We will DO what is necessary."
His eyes shifted back to Yoshimura, his voice steely quiet. "So I will ask you once. Will the sword strike mercilessly and true? Will it do all the hand directs, no matter the price?"
The man's responses were matter of fact and held no remorse. His eyebrow quirked slightly when he finished. "The man did not protest. You did him honor, as much as one like him deserves." He leaned forward, eyes hardening, demanding that they meet his. "I am not a fool. I know what you want. Ambition can be the fire that motivates us. Or it can burn us up from the inside out, leaving an empty husk at the mercy of the cruel winds. You commendably keep your fire in check. You find honor in your work, as you should. But you yourself said it. The sword does NOT direct the hand. The man wielding the sword is the source of honor."
His eyes flicked to the man's weapons. "Your tools will not be those. Those cursed reborn gods do not fence and spar. They do not fight one to one. Those you have encountered have been little more than children, their use of the power more accident than intent. Apollyon has easily dispatched our hunters without being in the slightest amount of danger." His fingers tapped at his computer for a moment and an image appeared on the display. "THIS is what we face!" He watched the man's face searchingly as the video played, looking for his reaction. He stifled the rage and bile that threatened to overwhelm him as the sounds of the carnage filled the room. He had been within only meters of the this "man", this Michael Vellas, in that bookstore. The destruction wrought by this lone god was incredible.
The sounds of gunfire and blasts stopped with finality, leaving a defeaning silence. "This is what we are to fight. Mankind won once before, the Dedicated Remnant, the Atharii, leading the charge. The cost was high, so very high, but we paid it. And today, the fight comes anew. There will be blood, an ocean of it. The tools we will use may not seem honorable to some." His gaze shifted to the frozen image of the distant figure of Vellas on the windswept grounds of the Middle East. "But it will be necessary. We will DO what is necessary."
His eyes shifted back to Yoshimura, his voice steely quiet. "So I will ask you once. Will the sword strike mercilessly and true? Will it do all the hand directs, no matter the price?"