"Mavuto." He hid his fear well.
"Alright, Mavuto. If you ask that question, the one you were about to ask, I don't care if you can show me how to destroy the world with the push of a button. I will kill you." He stared into Mavuko's eyes until he knew the message had made it across, then released him and ascended the steps again, turned, and sat on the top step.
"Give me the statistics regarding this army of yours. I want to know everything, from what they specialize in to what their commander's favorite food is." Duncan said with excitement.
"Duncan." Shiv said with impatience.
"Fine, fine. Just tell me why you didn't employ this army when the church came in and took over this-as you claim- god-forsaken city."
"The Hoods were not the first step. They sent in preachers and messengers, first. These messengers were very successful. A lot of the army converted to their sacrificial ways, but more importantly, most of the city converted."
Shiv, Duncan and Esmeralda each wore deep frowns at this news, which alarmed Mavuto a great deal. He still hid it well, however. "I… is that a problem? It means my army wasn't defeated, so you don't have to worry about their quality."
"Do you not realize that our greatest adversary is the church?" Esmeralda asked with scorn. Shiv got the idea that she'd developed a deep dislike for this man that they'd met only minutes before.
"That shouldn't be a problem."
"I hate to quote my dear blonde friend, but this time I believe it is necessary: why? Why do you believe this army which-as you said yourself-has mostly subscribed to this religion, won't find it difficult to kill the very priests and 'messengers' who converted them in the first place?"
"Those who converted my people did so nigh on five decades ago. Those who follow it now were brought into the fold by their parents. Besides, if we are intelligent in how we tell them, the troops can be convinced that this crusade against the church, if you will, is one that stands on the moral high ground." Mavuto responded in a level tone.
Duncan glanced up at Shiv, who sighed and stood up. "Just tell me when they'll be ready to move."
Duncan glanced back at Mavuto, who began to shrug but stopped himself and responded in a confident tone, "two days if you're willing to leave behind important equipment and travel at half rations."
Shiv shook his head. "I'm leaving at dawn. Duncan decides if I do so after destroying this place, or with your army at my back. Now leave the room."
"With all due respect, I would-"
"I don't care. Leave. All of you." Duncan gently guided a reluctant Mavuto from the room, saying something about the throne room. Esmeralda remained where she was, causing Shiv to give her an annoyed look. "What? If you just say 'why' again, I will find a big shark and stuff your pretty face into its mouth."
"What is a shark?"
"That… I'm sure I saw some on the way down here- you know what? It doesn't matter. What are you waiting for?"
"I'm wondering if you have a plan, or if you're just letting yourself be guided by Duncan and whatever you're feeling at any given moment."
"Well keep wondering, because I don't feel like talking right now. Please leave." Shiv said, thinking that would be the end of it, but she continued to stand there, staring at him. "I'm not the brightest star in the sky. I'm sure you've figured that out by now. Duncan isn't either. But you can be sure that-despite his quirks and insanity, he's one of the brightest. You can also be sure that he is going to see this world destroyed no matter what happens. Think of him as the coach and me as the star player who gave him the chance to fulfill his dreams."
"What?"
"Gah. He's the brains and I'm the brawn, OK? This world is going to die. Whether you or I know the plan or not has nothing to do with whether that's going to happen or not."
"And what would happen if Duncan should die?"
"Can you really imagine that crazy fellow dying? I mean, seriously."
"Answer me."
"Alright, Bossy. If he dies, then I just build up power. I get all of the experience and upgrades I can, then I find a way to knock this world out in one punch. Satisfied?" Shiv didn't wait for an answer. "Great. Now get. out."
Esmeralda finally acquiesced, leaving the room without another word.
Shiv glanced back at the woman, still sitting silent and serene on her throne. "Sorry, I don't mean to impose. It's just… sometimes I need some peace and quiet, y'know? And this seemed as quiet a place as any, so I'll just hang out here for a while." He adjusted his position so that he was lying flat on the wide step, then sat up abruptly as a thought came to him. "As long as you don't have anything to say against my plan, of course." He could almost swear he saw her shake her head slightly, but in the end she said nothing.
So he leaned back again and fell asleep.
***
"...at dawn, he says. He just wanted to sound-as he likes to say-cool wicked. In fact, he probably doesn't even know when dawn is."
Shiv ignored Duncan's grumbling voice and rolled over, only to jolt up when he rolled onto nothing. He fell onto the next step down and froze with wide eyes. When he realized what happened he groaned and laid back down.
"Come on, bossman. It's time to go to work."
"I'm unemployed." Shiv mumbled.
"On the contrary, you're working for a god, which makes you super-employed. So let's go. Your army awaits."
"Tell them to 'await' a while longer."
"Shiv, you stated that we would be leaving at the break of dawn. Why is it that you're still asleep- and in the same clothes you had on yesterday, no less?" Esmeralda's pleasant, albeit disappointed, voice entered the fray. "This will not do."
Shiv felt the step below him become infused with power that gave off Esmeralda's aura, but stubbornly refused to move… until the power completed its purpose.
He immediately activated metal skin, but it was too late. The ground below him had morphed into countless needles that were now sticking into his metal skin. Thankfully she spared his head, but the pain all throughout the rest of his body was extreme. He rolled off the step with a yelp and just froze with a pained expression. Tiny drops of blood appeared all over his torso and legs. He glared at Esmeralda. "Don't. Ever. Do that. Again."
She had her arms crossed and her eyebrow was lifted. "Your troops are waiting."
***
They weren't lying.
Shiv walked into a courtyard that had been on the opposite side of the palace from the throne room, and had therefore escaped most of the damage, and saw armored, armed people. Thousands of them standing at attention with Mavuto at their head, standing to the left of a small stage.
Shiv stopped when he saw them. "What have you told them?" He asked.
"That we're going to war with the church, which has betrayed its root beliefs and committed heresy." Duncan responded. "And that you've been hired as a mercenary general with lots of experience under your belt.
Shiv nodded and continued forward. He stopped in front of the stage and gave it an annoyed look, then glanced at Esmeralda, who had a twinkle in her eye as an emerald throne with a massive backspread grew out of the stage facing the army.
Shiv didn't have to look at Duncan to know that his eyes were bugging out and that this was one hundred percent ruining the idea that Shiv was a mercenary.
Shiv ascended the steps with a slight smile and sat heavily into what turned out to be the most uncomfortable chair he'd ever had the displeasure of sitting on. He slouched in it and threw a leg over the arm, searching for a comfortable spot before giving up and sitting forward with both feet on the ground. He looked out over the army and his mind went blank.
To his left, Duncan had resigned to the fact that his plan wasn't going to be followed, while to his right, Esmeralda had a slightly nervous expression. Shiv found this interesting. 'Aren't priests supposed to be used to attention? She seemed perfectly fine when she was bossing royals around.'
Mavuto looked up at him with visible confusion, glanced at Duncan, then shook his head and addressed the troops. He went on to explain that Shiv was very powerful, was now in charge, and thus was expected to be obeyed.
"Hey, Mavuto." Shiv said to the man when there was a pause in the man's speech. The handsome man turned and looked up at him. "What convinced you that I was powerful enough to defeat you?"