Elainas sat sorrowfully on deck, eyes fixated on the northwest. The news had come suddenly and with little warning; though by Ragnar's eyes, it was clear that he was not surprised, perhaps the only one. Lincoln, and the Americans from Elona's Garden had rebelled, killing the ambassador and sending his corpse back to mainland Viking territory.
The new ships had been designed, metal, natureless beasts powered by engines which churned the water. She rode upon Eldarion's ship - while faster, it kept with the fleet for protection, as its thin wooden hull was vulnerable. Jahvaneer sat nearby, looking down at the floor as quiet conversation carried on between several of Pavlos' undead soldiers as they cradled their submachineguns fondly.
"Why is the world so violent?" she asked her companion, sadness welling within her.
"I'm not sure, El-"
"I am." interjected Ragnar, and the two looked up to find him standing above them. The distant sounds of opening artillery fire sounded in the distance, indicating that the fighting had begun. Ragnar turned his head slightly towards the shore slowly coming into view, and the dust could already be seen rising from the First Gate.
"Why?"
"This war is the ploy of the gods, child. According to my visions, these americans were caused to revolt because one of the mighty siblings of your mother wanted me to capture whales in the Garden."
"What!? That's ludicris!"
"The gods think nothing of the lives of mortals; the individuals are beyond their grasp. Some, like your mother, think nothing of rending the earth in half or letting the lands die in her sadness. Others, like the Lord of Ice, foolishly defend a people almost as if they are testing my ability to follow their orders, and become upset when I do not bend to their will. Still others are crazy, such as this Digit, and influence the minds of the mortals in such a way that I am forced to kill them, and this creates great sadness within me. I believe the time of the gods is drawing to a close, and they are acting out in order to remain relevant."
"But why are you forced to kill them, if the gods influence their actions!?"
"When a man is too weak to resist the commands of a God, he or she becomes dangerous and must be dealt with. It is the same danger as if he had done it himself. Now, quickly, get below deck. I offered these Americans the chance at freedom and they have lost it. The battle will begin soon."
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The Arabian ambassador slammed his staff down on the table, standing and pointing straight at the Viking priest. The entire apostlic palace became silent, only for a moment, before the resident began yelling.
"You dog! You have sent your flying machines over our borders again in this new war against Hannibal! Time and time again your people violate the will of the Savior by committing unwarrented acts of violence against your brothers an-"
"Are you referring to the city that you captured from us in your unwarrented act of invasion?"
At this moment, bursting through the door of the Palace, the media flooded in, pictures snapping and video cameras rolling, anchors all waiting on the answer.
The Viking ambassador sneered, and stood up, leaving the palace for the last time as the Arabian resident stared speechless, even as the media started drilling him with questions.
(If somebody could remove islam from my cities plz.)
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Lincoln sat quietly as Pavlos' undead soldiers kept watch, as it had been for the last half hour. They had crushed the gates in quick succession, eventually storming into the Garden itself and finishing the battle in a devastating blitz.
The door opened suddenly, and a girl tumbled into the room, tossed by Ragnar himself. Joao moved in afterwards, taking up a position behind the President. The girl was sobbing, and it was clear that she had been for quite a while.
"This is the bidding that your gods chose for you!" Ragnar roared. "This is the world that you so eagerly sought, the world of violence and the knowledge you never needed to see. You were safe in this garden, but you were not here to stop this mortal fool from being corrupted by the promises of insane gods!" The warrior king bared his teeth, and then unhooked his sidearm, forcing it into her hand. She eyed it with terror, and shook her head, but he forced her up, and kept her grip on the gun.
"This is your problem, and now you will fix it."
Ragnar squeezed her finger, and the gun fired once, twice, three times. Lincoln slumped, and Ragnar tossed her on the floor again.
"Tell your mother that I will burn her garden to the ground if she does not repair my lands. It is clear that your matron is too finicky, too emotional to act rationally, so now I must speak in a language I am sure she understands."
And with that, he stormed out of the room, Joao quick to follow.
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Recap:
(Arabia took out a transport with Erik and Kremun on it, so they're both dead.)
(I took out about six Carthaginian cities, and I'm almost to Hannibal's third-most-cultural city, so I'm not worried about his cultural win)
(Switched to Free Religion.)
(Built Broadway, Rock and Roll, Eiffel Tower)