A Nation Divided

Nukes, Churches, and Akki

Simon Ulcrates spent a lot of time wandering Castle Aminour, looking for clues as to how the Pope King was able to find the monster so quickly. And that's when he found the Basement Level of Castle Aminour. He silently opened the door, and sneaked in.

In this basement was hundreds of strange machines, not of the likes that Las Aminour possessed. Later that night, Simon told Aaron about this.

"Let me go check," Aaron said, and disappeared. After a few minutes, Simon appeared in the Conclave of Collective Kingsmen meeting room. It had been changed to make room for all of the machines. "These are the stuff of legends, things that are passed down from the aliens in the skies above."

"Aliens, like abducting cattle and people?"

"Only in stories, I'm talking legends. Topp's Tower, the legendary dungeon, was supposed to be a beacon tower so the aliens could find where Doomcolt was. The ruined nation of Aquas, their triton race, was said to come from space. Just like the akki."

"You mean, James Bronzeheart's ancestors came from space?" Simon asked, incredulously.

"Indeed," Aaron said, looking at a tall object. "But I wonder what this could be..."

Pope Fortnite looked down at the basement of the Church of Christian Kings, where his son Pepperchini was being kept. They said house arrest, but they never said anything about solitary confinement; the people could sometimes hear the screams under the floor boards, which the congregation all summed up to the souls of the damned.

"Cardinal," the new pope, Azuth Darkgreymantle, said. "Are you sure that the basement broom cupboard will hold him?"

"For your sake and mine, I hope it does." Pope turned, and was greeted by Parcival. "Old friend Parcival, how long it has been."

"It's been a week," Parcival replied, as Pepperchini screamed out again. "How many know?"

"Not too many, you and I, the new pope, and of course, Aaron."

"You think it wise to trust Aaron?"

"I never told him. You forget he's a time lord, he has access to infinite amounts of knowledge. It's a wonder his head doesn't explode from all of it. Maybe his time lord psyche has the ability to hold infinite knowledge..."

James and Targot braved the West Moon Steppes, nearing the border to Richel. "And you said the firework was seen from here?"

"Yes, your highness," Targot replied. "Eyewitnesses say that it wasn't a distress rocket of red colour, but an investigate rocket of orange colour."

"I wonder what could be out there..." As they neared the mountain, they saw doors the size of a giant. Stone architecture held the visage of Genrikh Gorbachev, a legendary adventurer and hero, now aged by his magical longevity of life.

"This could only be one place..." James said aloud. "This is the Citadel of Stone. Search the perimeter, those akki must have found an entrance somewhere."