The Grand Catastrophe

...

King Ramposa III was not a very happy man. In fact, one could say that he was unhappy. His wife was dead, his kids hadn’t grown up properly other than Zanac and maybe Barbro, and his kingdom had nearly fallen apart. One could saw he wasn’t a very happy camper.

There was a silver lining though, a silver lining that he thought that maybe only he saw right now. It was such a silly thought, that it was probably dumb. He frowned at his own idea, even. That was how stupid it was.

“This is the message from the Empire to us about our annual war. It seems that the Goddess that aided us in fighting off Yaldabaoth has put her stake in the matter. ‘The Empire of Baharuth has hereby declared the, “Sorceress’s Kingdom of Nazarick,” as its own sovereign nation. Hereby whenever this message is received by the Kingdom of Re-Estize, that the lands that surround the city of E-Rantel and the Village of Carne now belong to, and will forever belong to, Her Majesty Momonga of the 41 Supreme Beings. Forever may she reign,” the secretary spoke.

Everyone was silent on the matter then. Silence ruled over the meeting room as everyone soaked that in. Ramposa, meanwhile, had already made up his mind. He had expected this, or at least a lesser version of these events.

Ever since the Goddess Momonga had saved his people, he had actually read the scripts that had started to circulate around the kingdom. He had read them all, and had actually started to like a couple. Lord, “Touch Me If You Can,” was a favorite of his. His words had actually resonated with him.

That was why he was confident that his nation could not win a war with her. After all, she simply waved away Yaldabaoth. Who does that, other than a deity. Yes sure, his nobles would wine and moan their way along this whole thing. Yet he was sure that his nation would be fine.

After all, he need only ask for one thing, and do two. He just had to ask for a mutual defensive pact. He would commission a temple to their faith for them, then ask for a mutual defensive pact, and then give the city to them after they accept. He wasn’t completely sure it would work.

King Ramposa wasn’t the smartest man ever. Though he was sure that at least some part of this would lead to less lives lost if it came to war. Though, he hadn't actually started this plan in full.

“I have a plan,” he said as the rest of the nobles were just about to start speaking.

They all looked to him, as if he had grown a second head. That wasn’t the strangest reaction he had been expecting. He had been expecting noise, actually. Now, he simply let a small smile grace his face before he spoke.

“I have a plan. I haven’t truly started this plan, but I was wondering what you all would think. While I will go ahead with this, idea that I have, I want you all to know it,” He paused to grab a drink of water at the table beside him, “we will give her the land.”

It was then, after that line, that his firstborn spoke up. He sighed as he let out noise. Really, he was rather happy that the scripts had managed to help him grow and find a bit of confidence.

“But father! Are we to be cowards? Are we to be sheep that bah and neigh for this foreign god?” his son asked.

It was then that he gave his son a hard, and long look. The kind of look that you give a misbehaving child, that just said the dumbest thing you couldn’t even make up. The king sighed once more, and nodded his head.

“Yes, yes we will,” he said, and his son stumbled back as if struck, “how could we logically fight a deity? How could we win against a goddess?” He asked, and his son stuttered a reply, but only noise came out.

“Here is what we will do,” he started, “we will send a message agreeing to their message; but in that message we will ask for a mutual defensive pact. As a price, and a way to dissuade them saying no, we will promise to build a temple in the capital for their faithful to pray and practice in our nation,” he explained, and some of the nobles nodded their heads.

Many of these nobles had lost many men in the attack on the capital. Some of them simply wished to see less land owned by the crown. Others simply didn’t want to lose manpower, however long, to war.

“That isn’t the worst plan,” Mumbled Zanac, his second born.

Gazef himself was nodding along. While he didn’t seem to want to lose the city, he knew the power she held. Marquis Boullope also seemed put off by the plan, yet it looked like he was thinking it over, and maybe making a better plan. The only one that didn’t seem to at least be thinking it over was Barbro.

“Father, is that really your plan?! To appeal to them like a kneeling beggar?!” he yelled out.

“What other plan is there!?” he finally yelled back, tired of his son not truly saying anything of value.

“Father speaks the truth. What are we to do against a deity, an entity of worship. She’s stronger, stronger than any of us. If we don’t appeal to her in some form, then we might as well be painting a target on our backs. Have you read what she’s the goddess of? She's the goddess of end times. It's her duty in their pantheon to kill all the nonbelievers at the end of days. Anyone not in her nation or field of allies is considered a nonbeliever if we think about it,” Zanac said, to which Ramposa and Renner nodded their heads.

“We should try and make a better plan though,” chimed in Renner, “if we ask for some time to go over it with each other, we may get a few months to plan it out,” she added.

“That’s a good idea Renner,” Ramposa said, and nodded his head to her, “if that is all, then this meeting is adjourned. We will come back to speak whenever we have come up with a better plan. Everyone can leave. As you all were,” he said, and all of the nobles save for one started to leave.

After a minute or two, the last one remaining was Marque Raeven. The king looked at him, and then back at his children who seemed fine with him being there. The king opened his mouth to speak.

“Marque Raeven, do you have anything to add? Do you wish to brainstorm with us?” he asked.

...