The Simulacrum

Tensions were still high when Judy turned to my other girlfriend and handed the party glasses over to her, much to her puzzlement.

"The Chief says she needs to talk to you."

"Oh. Okay!" Elly perked up at once and put on the artifact, followed by a chipper, "Hi! What do I need to do?"

Well, she was quick on the uptake; I had to give her that.

"Remember how we practised Faunish for the album?"

My question made her pause for a bit, followed by an awkward, "W-Wait… I don't think I'm ready for a public debut yet…"

"Sink or swim, princess."

For context, way back when, Elly had this idea to add some Faunish as background vocals to a song, because it sounded like Mongolian throat singing or somesuch. Then I had the idea to use the opportunity to make the lyrics of those background vocals all about dissing Crowy. Of course, due to all the abject craziness that was our lives going on, we never got around to doing anything of the sort, but we occasionally still talked about it in private and practised from time to time, just for funsies.

I thought about how to approach this, and quickly settled on the tested and true Refuge in Audacity method.

"I'll speak slowly. Point at the big guy to your left, the one with the breastplate, and repeat after me, just like we did before."

"Okay!" Elly exclaimed with gusto, so I tried to speak as clearly as I could. My princess listened intently and then pointed a finger at the bamboozled Faun. "[Set the sticks of pointed ends to a lateral direction and open the organs of aural perception!]"

"[… What?]"

Seeing the leading Faun's reaction, Elly whispered, "Did I mess it up?"

"No, you were more or less on point. Keep it up."

She nodded with a soft 'Mm!' and then redoubled her finger-pointing efforts as she declared, "[Parlay, we will, for we approached for it! We're no comrades of the sovereign of flames tenebrous and the man whose name is corvids announcing his coming, and so we wish to endow you with succour in your measured time-span of privation! For a nemesis of a nemesis is certainly a collaborator!]"

There was another long beat of silence in the wake of her words (or, considering it was Faunish, growls), right until the Faun in charge lowered his spear with a confounded, "[Could you repeat that again?]"

"What did he say?" Penny whispered behind the princess, and she was naturally just as confused.

"I-I don't know…" she admitted and then turned a pleading glance at the sky. "Leo?"

"Just tell him this…"

Elly listened closely, then pointed at the Faun again, "[Cease the prattling of your hole of food and voice and conduct us to the presence of your person in dominion at a singular instance! We're here to bestow assistance!]"

"[I think she's saying they're here to help us?]" one of the other Fauns muttered, and another responded with a just a confused, "[Right. I think she meant an enemy of an enemy is a friend?]"

"[Captain? What do we do?]" a third Faun asked from the back, and the big guy looked pretty unsure of what to do… right until a new voice entered the fray.

"Stand down."

All the eyes involved in the forest standoff turned in unison to behold a middle-aged woman approaching them, flanked by even more Fauns. These were in full gear and were intently glaring at Team B, especially Deus in the air, but didn't leave her side for a moment.

She was fairly tall and a bit on the chubbier side, though it mainly manifested in a slightly rounder face and some rather egregious curves, even though her stained and ripped purple dress wasn't exactly flattering. She carried herself with dignity, and the Fauns parted to let her through upon reaching the encirclement.

"Madam. Dangerous. Should stay back," the lead Faun told her in a low voice, but he only got a glare for his trouble.

"I said, stand down. If they wanted to attack us, they would've done so already." She paused and made a gesture towards the girl still floating overhead. "You should've realized they weren't with the Ninurtas as soon as she took to the air. Just how many eight-winged Celestials do you think are out in the world?"

"Don't know," the Faun admitted, much to her annoyance.

Ignoring the big ram-man, he turned to the girls and slightly inclined her head towards Elly in particular. Since the situation was defused, Judy already snatched her communication artifact back from her, and they both looked at the lady with mild apprehension.

"Are you perchance the companions of the Peacemaker?"

I couldn't help but mutter, "Goddamit, that stupid title is sticking, isn't it?"

If Judy overheard that, she didn't show in her expression, and she responded with a polite, "Yes. The Peacemaker sends his regards."

That made the Ninhursag woman's countenance relax a bit, but just for a moment before she inclined her head again, this time a bit deeper.

"Please excuse the lack of courtesies, but we're currently in a precarious situation. If I'm not mistaken, you were offering aid to us?"

"Indeed," Judy hit the iron while it was hot, then gestured for Deus, who was still in the air, though without the flaming swords. "Please, come down. You're making everyone nervous."

"Back in my days, people couldn't talk to me so flippantly…" Deus groused, but still descended with a grudging 'Fine…', and as soon as she landed, Angie hopped back into the driver's seat and asked, "Do you have any injuries? I can help!"

The sudden whiplash caused the Fauns to look completely flabbergasted again, and even the Ninhursag woman was getting a bit confounded, but she retained her calm and responded in an even voice.

"We do, but before that… What exactly are you doing here?"

Judy answered with, "It's a long story," and gestured towards the way the woman and her bodyguards came from. "Let's settle down first, and I'll explain the plan."

Now, while that was going on, I sneaked a peek at Team A, and back in Castle Ninhursag…

"Tactical meeting," Josh declared after they all gathered in one of the empty rooms of the castle, and they huddled together in a circle.

That, for some weird reason, also included their Abyssal hostage-slash-collaborator.

"I found out something important," Josh started, his face set into a troubled frown. "I tried to be subtle about it, but from what I gathered, all the people outside are cleaning so frantically because Bel and Noir are gonna be coming over tomorrow to accept the Ninurtas' alliance."

"Which means we have to get it done today," the class rep spoke up, sounding tense. "Can we do it?"

"If Team B manages to find the rest of the Ninhursags and their Fauns, then it should be smooth sailing," Josh responded, and while he tried to sound confident, I could tell he was half-trying to convince himself with it.

Also, for the record, I've been calling them Team A and B because Josh came up with that. Judy claimed it was due to my bad influence, but then again, she was one to talk with her ornithological naming scheme from last time.

"Oh, oh! I also asked around!" the Abyssal guy joined with an ear-to-ear grin. "I found this really cute maidservant while I was looking for new shoes." He paused to show off his footwear, then sent a wink at Snowy and Ammy each and added, "Not as beautiful as you, my fair maidens, but I believe that goes without saying. But, but! She told me that the patriarch and his closest aides are still holed up in the Mana Well chamber! You want to get there, right? Isn't this useful information?"

This time, the guy smirked at Josh, clearly expecting praise, but Snowy cut in first.

"Uuu… Mister Ninurta?"

"Ah, don't be so distant, my fair lady! You can call me Hareng! Or maybe Harry, even, if you wish to be intimate."

My Abyssal sister looked about as weirded out as such a comment demanded, and tried again.

"Mister Hareng… um… why are you still here?"

"… What do you mean? We made a deal, didn't we? We, Ninurtas, are honorable men of honor!"

Hearing the guy's weird declaration, Josh stifled a groan and bluntly told him, "You've already fulfilled your part of the deal. You don't need to stick around anymore."

"Yeah, just go," Ammy huffed.

"Actually, shouldn't we just tie him up to make sure he won't betray us?" Josh asked, dead serious, making the Abyssal guy swoon.

"Ah! How could you say such a thing, old pal! Old chap! Haven't I been a faithful hostage all this time?" He dramatically slouched his shoulders, but then exhaled a pitiful sigh and offered his hands. "Very well, then. You have, technically speaking, saved me from drowning, so I shall repay the favor by playing my role! Go on! I'm ready!"

His sudden eagerness made everyone a bit uncomfortable, and it was Snowy who eventually said, "Uuu… He's mostly harmless, so… why don't we just let him go?"

"That sounds like a bad idea, but…" Josh began, but before he could finish his sentence, the Abyssal jumped back and let out a hearty laugh with his hands on his hips.

"Ah, I knew you wouldn't be so heartless! I wish you the best of luck, my good friend and my fair ladies! Go and do… whatever you're planning to do! If you excuse me, it's high time I visited my brothers and let them know I'm safe and sound! Ciao!"

And with that, he retreated from the room before anyone else could respond.

"Okay, so what are the chances of him just immediately ratting us out?" Josh asked aloud, and the class rep immediately tweaked her glasses.

"I give it fifty-fifty."

"I don't like those odds," the guy grumbled, his eyes already on Snowy. "Let's improvise. Can you guys find a path to the Mana Well?"

"I can tell which direction it is," Ammy proposed, followed by my sister pointing at her chest.

"I can activate my Concealment Sigil and scout the basement, but I'm not sure I can slip past all the detection arrays."

"Let's try it anyway. And keep an ear out for Judy; she should've contacted us if Team B found the Ninhursags."

The trio nodded and got ready to move out, and since they reminded me, I turned my attention back to the other group. I found them still surrounded by even more Fauns, though this time they were considerably less hostile. They encircled a particularly dense spot in the middle of the forest, probably to make it harder to spot them from the air, and the four girls were accompanied not only by the Abyssal woman from before, but also a few armed men, some elderly dignitaries, and even a couple of kids of various ages.

They all stayed back, surrounded by their own dedicated bodyguards, while Judy and the Abyssal woman stood in the middle, locked in negotiations.

"… if I understand your offer correctly, Lady Sennoma," she spoke in a level voice, eyes trained on my girlfriend. "You're asking us to attack Digirmah in the open to draw the Ninurtas' attention to us?"

"In simple terms, that is correct," my assistant confirmed, causing the woman's frown to deepen. Seeing that, she doubled down with, "By now, our allies have already infiltrated the town and your castle and are waiting for the results of our negotiations. If everything proceeds as planned, we should be able to rescue your husband and anyone else captured by the rebels. In return, all we're asking is unrestricted access to your Noble House's Mana Well in the aftermath."

"That is a dangerous yet tempting offer, but…" The woman held her forehead in her hand and vacillated for a while, ultimately settling on a completely different question. "I still don’t understand you. House Inanna publicly announced that they captured the Peacemaker. Why are you here? Why are you getting involved?"

"There's no reason not to lend a helping hand to those in need!" Penny chimed in from the back, but everyone ignored her for the most part.

"While that's not wrong…" Elly came to the rescue, looking and sounding unusually serious, "Since we're negotiating in good faith, let's put everything on the table, shall we, Lady Mineure?" She waved her hand over said imaginary table for dramatic effect, then declared, "The truth is that we're both in a situation out of our control. You're on the run and separated from your husband. We require allies and access to a Mana Well. We're both in a position where we can provide each other with what we need. Isn't that reason enough to join hands in our hour of need?"

"Yes, we're indeed in desperate straits, but what about you?" she asked back, eyes narrowed into a squint. "Why do you require the aid of our retainers?"

Elly hesitated for a moment, giving Judy the opportunity to interject with, "According to a captive we interrogated today, the Herald of House Inanna is already is planning to claim the Mana Well of your House. Time is of the essence, and that's why we need to work together."

"I see… But what's after that? The rest of our forces are scattered, so if House Inanna truly invades our territory, as you say, we can't mount any resistance. Whether we work with you or not, it wouldn't make any difference."

"But we can rescue your husband?" Penny tried to argue, but the Abyssal woman shook her head.

"My husband offered himself to lure away the traitors, just so we could safely escape during the chaos. Putting ourselves in danger in an attempt to save him would be tantamount to betraying him and his sacrifice, and for what? To be thrust into another battle, this time against the Emperor and his Herald?" She levelled an icy glare at the girls and concluded with, "Be honest with me, Lady Sennoma. You must have something else. Something important enough to make a detour instead of rushing to the side of the Peacemaker. Something that lets you be this bold even in the face of the Herald."

Caught in the crossfire of prying gazes from every direction, Judy and Elly shared a glance that was pretty much screaming, 'Should we tell her about the real plan?'. However, before they could decide how to proceed with the negotiations, Angie let out a startled sound and waved her hand.

"J-Judy! There's trouble! Something happened to Josh!"

To her credit, my girlfriend didn't panic, but only uttered a skeptical, "How do you know?" much to the Celestial girl's chagrin.

"I don't! I mean, Deus does, because they're— I mean, we are connected and stuff, but we can't tell exactly what's going on! Only that he's in trouble!"

Judy didn't hesitate for long and put on her communicator to take a look, and so did I, just without the silly party glasses. What I found was…

"Murderers! Killers! Aaaah! Somebody, anybody, help meee!!!" yelled a certain blonde Abyssal, currently covered in blood from head to toe and frantically running down a corridor.

As for Team A, they were also there… running in front of him, as if being chased by the guy.

"Why are you following us?!" Josh roared right as he kicked down a door, sending the guard behind it flying.

"I'm your hostage! You must protect your hostage! It's common sense!" Harend Ninurta cried out as he kept racing after the group, down the stairs and up another flight, all the while they were all being pursued by about two dozen armed Abyssals hot on their heels.

…

In other words, what I found was chaos. Also, holy hell, I knew their plan would not survive contact with reality, but I didn't think it would go south this soon. I think it might be a new record…