A heavy silence fell over the assembled forces, a stark contrast to the recent roars and screams of battle but seemed to carry with it a sense of peace and a mild be of calm. John stepped forward, his boots crunching softly on the raised stone stage made specifically for this. Before him lay a grim sight. The bodies of their fallen, a testament to the brutal cost of their recent victory. A glistening, dark liquid fuel had been liberally poured over them, ensuring nothing but ash would remain at the end of what was to come. John's gaze swept across each motionless form, an almost physical weight settling in his chest, there blood was on his hands. He meticulously seared the image of every single one into his mind, this was the first major losses they had sustained as a leader, his first real conflict with actual losses. The full, crushing impact of it washed over him alongside a cold tide of grief and anger. He knew, with a painful certainty, that his own actions had led them here, yet he knew he had to channel every ounce of that raw emotion towards the unseen gods who had started this war, who had condemned them all to this wretched existence, to use what he felt as a fuel to feed the rage and anger within. His fist clenched, knuckles white, before he forced himself to turn, facing the weary and battle-hardened masses that had gathered, the survivors of the war.
"Each and every one of you fought hard with all you had," John's voice, though strained, carried across the area with a raw power that commanded attention. "You lost those you knew and others you didn't. You may not haven known them for long but even in such a short time they had become brothers and sisters in arms to all of us. I won't sugar coat it. We lost nearly half our total numbers in this assault. The enemies outnumbered us; they came with greater force than we expected and were blessed by their gods. It was a brutal and relentless tide designed to overwhelm and crush us. We, I, had thought the shortened time would be to our advantage, rushing then and forcing them to attack before they could prepare yet it proved the opposite." A pause, allowing his words to sink in, allowing the collective grief to resonate. Then, he raised his voice slightly higher, a new fire igniting in his eyes. "But we all kept standing! We survived their attack and we didn't just drive them back! We defeated all that they sent at us! It was through all our efforts, through every drop of sweat and blood, that we achieved this victory! The came to crush us but ended up being the ones who were crushed!"
He took a deep breath, the air thick with unspoken sorrow and burgeoning resolve. "I am already planning out our retaliation, considering who our first targets should be, I have already decided that our first strike force will consist of the skull slime and two other slimes, a gun beast and a small squad of our elite forces alongside a few necromancers with their undead! They will either bend to us or be broken by us! Till then though I want everyone to take some time to grieve, to come to terms, to recover." His gaze softened for a few moments then hardened once more, sweeping over every face in the crowd, ensuring his message resonated with a primal fury. "Know this, I may have brought you all into this, but forget not, it was those gods who ruined your worlds in the beginning, them and others who caused you to end up in slavery! What I give you now is a chance – a chance to strike out at them! For those who have fallen, we will fight! For those we have lost we will fight! We will break them and all our enemies and make them feel the pain they have caused us manyfold! We will grow in both strength and number; we will push forward constantly until we rip down those gods who desecrated and destroyed our worlds! Pull them off their thrones and eliminate them one by one at OUR feet! DO YOU ALL AGREE? DO YOU ALL STAND WITH ME!"
The roar that erupted in response shook the very foundations of the stage – a unified war cry that tore through the air, vibrating with collective fury and unwavering loyalty not because of his position as their master but from their own anger being stoked, the embers of their pride once more reignited along with their drive to fight. Everyone shouted their agreement, a desperate and hopeful chorus. A few mages, caught up in the fervor, unleashed bursts of fire and ice magic into the night sky while rangers fired their weapons, sending silent, arcing trails of energy across the sky.
Turning back to the pyre, John took a flaming torch from Michael, whose expression was solemn as he quickly exited the stage. The light from the torch flickered across John's grim face, illuminating the tears that blurred his vision but did not allow to fall. "To our fallen," he intoned, his voice now a solemn eulogy as he seemed to address the dead, "those who fought with honor and valor, for each of you that fell, you all made sure to take as many bastards down with you as you could. You protected your brothers and sisters and deserve your rest now." He began, his gaze once more turning to the crowd as they quietened down and looked at him, listening intently to his words. "For them, the storm has passed, the war is over. Let us never forget them, those who traveled into the howling dark never to return so we can continue on in their place! We send you off and forever disallow you to ever be brought back! Rest in peace and enjoy your deserved rest."
With a heavy heart, he lowered the torch, igniting the liquid fuel. The flames at first, were an ethereal blue that slowly crept almost hesitantly from its start point to across the bodies. Then, as if fueled by the collective grief and the potent magic in the air, they picked up speed and intensity, roaring to life and engulfing everything they touched. Slowly they climbed higher and higher into the crisp night, morphing and shifting until, impossibly, they took on the distinct and luminous forms of Sieg and Choi. They stood in full battle attire, smiling serenely. Sieg, with his sword raised high, an army of spectral figures behind him mirroring his actions, all with their own weapons—from staffs to swords— raised in support and defiance. It was a vision of breathtaking power and poignant beauty, a last, glorious salute from the fallen.
John glanced subtly to the side and noticed Ash quickly wiping her nose, looking extremely pale and returning her limiter as Saya supported her to keep her from falling, a sword slowly dissolving into faint particles as her eyes darting around as if to gauge if anyone had seen her subtle intervention. There was no doubt that this incredible spectacle, this powerful manifestation, was her doing. And it worked. Every single person, from the battle-scarred warriors to the mages, even the healers and alchemists roared into the air once more with renewed vigor. Their blood ran hot at the thought of their fallen comrades still standing strong even after death and watching over them, looking out for them seemed to further reinforce their resolve. The moment was further amplified when the promised rewards appeared seemingly out of nowhere, landing with a soft thud at each of their feet, taken it as a tangible blessing from their leader and a clear sign of the path ahead.
It was much later that evening, once the fervor had settled and the last embers of the pyre had faded, that John finally collapsed onto his bed. Mentally and emotionally exhausted, the weight of the day's events pressing down on him, he was soon joined by Saya, and Ash. Ivy and Grace coming only to say they would be working late, that they still had to much work to do to rest yet, how they wanted to keep tending to the wounded and organizing the aftermath of the battle before leaving.
"I'd rank your speech a six and a half out of ten compared to those I've heard before," Ash murmured, her voice a soft as she cuddled against his side, her warmth a welcome comfort. "You lost points for using and changing that Halo quote, though it was definitely moving and valid. It got them really pumped up, and nice work giving them an actual target; it makes it easier for them to focus their anger that way, putting a face to it."
John sighed, turning his head slightly to look at her. "That was more you though, don't think I didn't see you growing pale and needing Saya to support you as you put your limiter back on."
She actually seemed to blush at that, but her eyes sparkled. "I just felt a bit of a push would be helpful on an emotional level," she replied as his arm almost subconsciously, wrapped around her pulling her closer. The simple act felt grounding amidst the chaos of his thoughts.
"It was worth it." Saya interjected, gently squeezing between him and Ash, laying herself over the left side of his chest and cuddling in close. Her presence was a comforting, familiar weight. "But are you sure about striking out so soon with so few? Isn't that too risky? And who is the exact target you're going for first?"
John's eyes stared at the ceiling, replaying the battle. "It isn't but we need to strike well the irons hot, as for the first target, I'm consider it being our supposed ally, the warlord. It was supposed to only be the mad dogs attacking from his side along with a few he wanted rid of, but I kept track of those attacking from his direction and how they worked together, there was plenty more than just the mad dogs there and if those where just the mad dogs and trouble makers? Well then, his really done a shit job of organizing his forces. I recognized those assassins as being like Lucy with how they could meld into shadows and hide themselves. The trucks, bikes and other items we scavenged and looted that managed to survive also show it was a combination of all his forces rather than batches, they were fully equipped. The numbers also don't add up to what he said would probably come from his side, even with taking the gods' temptations into account and arguing others joined them for the assault, those where his main forces." His voice took on a harder edge. "I actually considered giving him a chance to explain himself but I'm very heavily considering just forcing him to bend the knee after those assassins killed Choe. So now his choices are to either come under me with his entire remaining forces, having every single one signing a contract binding them to him and from him to me, or I will be taking him and anyone else who wants to stand against me out of the picture permanently." He paused, a shadow passing over his face. "It's probably the wrong way to think of it and no doubt cold but should we require people, beasts, resources or anything else I can get them of us once a week or so as needed as long as I have coin and goods to trade for it. But I would very much prefer if it was those from my own world that falls under me, I don't want to keep pulling outsiders in and risk giving those bastards more reason to take notice and reason to act again or worse." He let out a small, mirthless laugh. "To think I've gone from just wanting revenge and to kill the fuckers on high to needing to take over and become some kind of dictator bent on ruling my entire world and its various levels that it has become."
"You're just becoming what's needed." Saya said seriously looking up at him as she made herself more comfortable. "There isn't a better person for something like this and you aren't a dictator, you listen to everyone, you care and hold tightly to your humanity even if you're finally burying it, you want what's best for others even when driven by revenge."
John's brow furrowed, the profound doubts that plagued him surfacing. "But what if it starts getting to me or changing me? Is trusting me with such levels of power really the right call? What if it goes to my head or it changes me? Power can be a powerful poison and I don't want to end up becoming so strong that I neglect the little people and those much further below me. Even Angel and Aria left without a word and I can't help but feel it's because I couldn't be the master they needed, I neglected them and only noticed them when it was convenient." He admitted, baring his soul to the pair.
"Power comes in different ways and forms but you haven't let it get to you so far or even control you like many others would have." Ash countered, her certainty unwavering. "Even having power and everything else thrown onto your shoulders you seem to constantly be getting stronger and growing in so many ways, you don't let it control you, rather you're controlling it with an iron grip. And well I don't know why they left but it's their loss and I don't think it was anything you had done. You're a good person John and maybe one day you will find out why they left but you still have us and we won't be going anywhere. So don't let that be more weight on you, don't let that be something that causes you pain." She said cuddling more into him.
"Plus, we will help keep you in line and ensure your head doesn't get as big as your tummy," Ash added jokingly, her voice soft as she began stroking his hair. "But will probably never happen. You're a good person and have a good grip on yourself. You seem to try and push power onto others rather than desiring more for yourself, using what you do get for others. What you want is to push yourself and doing so you push others to do the same for the sake of everyone else creating a cycle. You still have your morals and humanity intact and correct me if I'm wrong but every choice you try to make is to try and make sure there are fewer losses rather than more, right? Because our enemies will keep growing stronger and you want everyone ready including yourself? That's a large part of why you want to keep growing stronger isn't it? To protect others."
John nodded, a silent affirmation of her words.
"Then think of it this way," Saya continued for Ash, shifting slightly to kiss his cheek. "The duty of the strong is to look after the weak and help them to grow strong; being an umbrella for them to help them grow stronger until they themselves can do the same. Like I already said that's a cycle of growth, protection and then further growth you're creating." She cuddled back in, her presence a warm, reassuring weight. "Now get some rest, and stop letting this plague you. We will be here to keep the bad dreams away and wake you if you seem to start having a bad one again, just talk to us, okay? You aren't alone, me and Ash aren't going anywhere and will be by your side through everything that's coming, I promise. We're here for you, just like you've been here for us. Just give us the chance to do for you what you do for us." Her last words were a soft, comforting whisper causing him to finally let go of the tension that had built up, slowly pulling him into the embrace of sleep with a small smile on his lips and tears running from his eyes.