Waiting for Perfect Virtue

05. Mortido

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'Mortido' means 'death drive' -- the desire for destruction (of the self or others). It's from Freudian psychology and seems to fit what is usually translated (from 悪意 akui) as "evil intent". I'm kinda waffling on using 'mortido' or 'destrudo' though; the latter sounds better, while the former would be more likely to be recognized, maybe?
Wiki links: Mortido and Destrudo

While writing this, I realized I did want to write the first 26 episodes out, so I started outlining that. AND THEN I was gonna do it as a *comic* instead! but then I moved and all momentum was lost... and then the story itself started nagging me really hard to JUST WRITE IT, OH MY GOD, and now we're up to the present. We'll see what happens from here, I guess.

ALSO I HOPE YOU LIKE ADVERBS
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   The Feather Dragon had kept his distance from the ship during the Dark Axis' attempted coup, but now he drew near, calling to Zero. Fenn was ready; were the knights?
   They were nervous, but ready.
   Fenn imparted his intentions to Zero, who then directed Mercurius and Vayeate.
   The three knights stood in a triangular formation around the ship with the Feather Dragon in the center, floating above the deck. Fenn drew on his personal well of energy and spun it into a matrix that could slip through the weak wall of the Minov Boundary Sea. Before finalizing it, though, he added an aspect to it -- entwining the three knights and freeing the spell's anchor from himself and allowing him to fully concentrate on the spell's execution.
   The spell flared to life, a bright white glow expanding from the knights and steadily enveloping the ship.
   ...Something was wrong. The walls of the Sea, normally permeable to those who knew how, were too weak. The energy Fenn had called out was not gently pulling open a hole but smashing the subtle structure.
   The warriors noticed this soon after Fenn did, as the Sea walls began to groan ominously and cracks that didn't quite make sense spatially began forming.
   Fenn called on the knights to keep focus.
   The cracks worsened. Fenn's light grew blinding.
   And then they were gone, leaving the wounded Sea behind.

   They reappeared above the city Lacroa. The ship shuddered as it moved from turbulence to still air, and the knights and Dragon alike returned to the deck.
   Shute whooped and cheered. "We did it! We're in Lacroa!"
   Zero landed, feeling thoroughly... relieved. "Indeed, Shute." He took a breath, re-centering himself. "It is time to resurrect my beloved homeland."
   Mercurius and Vayeate looked on in curiosity as the Gundam Force cheered; they hadn't realized that their erstwhile hosts had that capability, too.
   "Shouldn't we find the Princess first?" Shute asked.
   "No," Zero said firmly. "She would want the land and its people saved before her. That is the kind of person she is."
   "Oh, okay." Shute turned to Captain and asked, "You got it, right?"
   "Yes," Captain said, and pulled a capsule from a secure compartment on his own body. He called out to Raimi, "Please set us down, Miss Raimi."
   The ship coasted down in a smooth spiral and landed on the lake-plain. The Gundam Force disembarked and walked to the shoreline, encrusted thickly with stone plants. Captain released the captured white bagu-bagu and it fluttered about aimlessly.
[needs a scene of Raimi scanning the castle-town; also, at some point during this, Fenn took off with a promise to return when needed.]
   Vayeate had followed the gundams out. Either they had not noticed him or they were ignoring him, but he remained unacknowledged, and he was fine with that. He watched the altered bagu-bagu intently; this was their method of saving the land?
   The bagu-bagu settled on a plant and bit it. They all watched tensely as the plant... began to depetrify! The green of life returned to the plant, and the bug fluttered off to find a new plant. After a minute, it settled again and bit the new plant.
   Shute fidgeted. "Um..."
   Captain did some quick figuring. "A single bagu-bagu will take approximately 4.5 years to complete the process of depetrifying the city."
   Vayeate stifled a laugh. They didn't think that one through, did they? But then they reasserted their competency when they decided they'd just get more from their base.
   He stood still as the Gundam Force passed by, back toward the ship. None of them seemed surprised to notice him, and he made a mental note to avoid taking them for fools in the future.
[include bit regarding M&V not knowing where Rele is?]
   Mercurius was waiting near the ship, with the still-in-stasis Tallgeese at hand. He watched the returning gundams warily, and Vayeate hurried to rejoin him.
   Zero stopped in front of them. For a tense moment, nothing was said, but finally Zero said simply, "Be gone from here," and flew up to the ship.
   They needed no further encouragement. By the time the Gundam Force had reached the bridge, the dark knights were out of sight.

   The shipboard Dimensional Transport Device activated, calling home. Once again, Bell's face filled the screen.
   "Hey guys! What's happened? Did you make it out yet?"
[they probably called him earlier too, to tell him the plan with Fenn]
   They filled him in, all the way up to the strange lack of loose bagu-bagu. "Huh, that's weird. So how many do you want?"
   Deathscythe was watching.
   His spy-spell left the ship behind and moved towards the unpetrified plants on the lakeside. They had brought it, he mused; the most important part of the prophecy was fulfilled.
   The spell moved again, chasing after something.
   It settled on Mercurius, Vayeate, and the unconscious Tallgeese.
   Deathscythe considered this. He had a plan for this eventuality. Zero returning with Tallgeese was most unexpected, however. It was not a friendly meeting, either; that was plainly evident on Zero's face...
   Deathscythe got an idea. It was a fascinating idea. It was rather different from his original plan, but he really liked this one's potential.
   "Soon, my love," he murmured. "Soon we shall be together."
   He left the darkened chamber. First the dragon; then Tallgeese.

   Mercurius set Tallgeese down on the passage floor gently and leaned against the wall. Vayeate joined him, and they rested. Merc pondered his lord's inert form. He had some training in healing magic, and he was sure the Gryphon was doing something, but even so he worried that it would not be enough.
   Once upon a time, the two of them had been Knights of Lacroa; but then Tallgeese had shown up, brash and naive and ambitious. More than anything, he wanted to be the best -- which could be proven by being promoted to the Royal Knights. Slowly he realized what everyone else knew -- that since he had not an ounce of Gundanium in him -- was not a Gundam -- it was simply not possible for him to overtake a gundam at his best.
   Furthermore, all five spots for the position of Royal Knight were taken -- and by gundams. He had no chance.
   Tallgeese was mortally offended by this realization. He left the city, swearing that he'd make them see their error.
   Mercurius and Vayeate had sympathized with him, being also non-gundams. They differed in that they had no ambition to speak of, and had been content being where they were.
   For a while, nothing happened. One day, however, when the two were outside the city... Tallgeese approached them. He had a plan; he wanted them in it.
   They joined his cause.
   That first rebellion had failed, disastrously; they had not been able to overpower the Lacroan defenses. Their subordinates were scattered or slain; the ringleaders were sealed.
   Thus, Mercurius and Vayeate learned of what happened afterward only when Tallgeese had found and unsealed them a few short months ago.
   He had changed somewhat. Most surprising was how he had found and conquered the Sacred Gryphon. With that cornerstone of the city's defense under his sway, he'd had much better prospects. His brashness had turned to arrogant confidence and his naivite to a fierce intent to prove himself as equal -- or better. He would not tolerate being underestimated any longer.
   Mercurius and Vayeate had joined him for relatively petty reasons, but they held respect for him and did not want his life to end in such an unworthy way.
   ...They became aware that someone was approaching. It was Deathscythe.
   They had never heard of Deathscythe before they had been unsealed. They did not trust him in the slightest. The cloaking magic he always used certainly did not help. "What do you want, Deathscythe?"
   He eyed them. "So suspicious. Can't I see how our lord is doing?" He turned his gaze to Tallgeese and ignored the duo's sarcastic snipes. "And I see he is not doing well. How unfortunate." He sensed them stiffen at his tone, and smiled inwardly. Ah, the things they would not -- could not -- know, as pawns. "Still, I have need of him -- and you."
   Mercurius and Vayeate were quick, but not quick enough to best Deathscythe's enhanced abilities.

   Chief Haro had rustled up the SDG's stock of transformed bagu-bagu and had a crate ready to send to the Gundamusai. He was disconcerted by the news of the empty, unguarded city. Something did not feel right... but there was nothing he could do, really, except send along supplies.
   So it was with a tense and heavy heart that he saw, after the crate dematerialized, the bridge of the ship quake and heard Raimi's voice call out a warning before the connection cut out.

   "Attention! We are under attack. The target is outside, off-ship."
   The crate of bagu-bagu had arrived safely (and now knocked around the bridge in a decidedly unsafe manner) but they couldn't use them now. The Gundam Force rushed to the crow's nest.
   At least it wasn't the Dark Axis goons again, right? But even so, they weren't sure what to make of the ghostly figure before them.
   "He is using cloaking magic," Zero growled.
   "So he is a knight?"    The strange knight harrumphed. "I am Deathscythe, Knight of Darkness." He pointed his weapon, a tremendous scythe, at Zero. "Winged Knight, you and I have a score to settle."
   Zero glared and held his sword and shield at the ready. "Do we?"
   Deathscythe gave him a knowing look that made his armor itch. Then he pointed his scythe at Captain, Baku, and Shute, lingering slightly on the boy. "You, stay out of this if you know what's good for you."
   Baku eyed him suspiciously. Honor duels were one thing, and this 'Knight of Darkness' seemed anything but honorable... he would watch this closely. He relayed his suspicions to Captain and Shute, who tenatively agreed.
   Zero left the crow's nest behind, flying over the ship's deck. Deathscythe shifted his grip on his scythe to a combat hold and his gaze did not wander from his target.
   "Zero!" Deathscythe bellowed. "You still have not digured it out?" The cloaking magic shimmered and faded, revealing... a robot, but not much more. It was clear that he had sway over some kind of Spirit which was melded with him. Armor embued with a dark elegance encased him and a golden mask concealed his face. "You are not the chosen one!" -- he rushed at Zero, who was still trying to figure out what he was looking at -- "I am!"
   Scythe crashed against sword and sparks flew. "You could never be the savior of Lacroa!" Zero said fiercely.
   "No? I am the one who can see its future, clear as day, and just as beautiful!"
   Zero backed off suddenly. The Gundam Force behind him called out, asked him what was wrong, but he did not respond.
   Deathscythe was still as well, suspended in the air and regarding Zero coolly.
   "It... it cannot be..." Zero finally managed to say after long moments. Denial and panic filled his heart and he backed away further. "It's impossible!"
   "Clearly it is not," the Knight of Darkness hissed.
   "Then how can it be? What is the meaning of this?!" Zero shouted, utterly uncomprehending.
   "My reasons are beyond your understanding! Zero! You are of the old ways and old rules, and they no longer suffice!" Deathscythe flung his scythe -- no, a magical copy of it, but no less sharp -- and Zero barely dodged it. "Your time is over!" Distracted by the thrown scythe, he nearly missed the real one coming for his head -- with a thrust of magic he flung himself to safety.
   "How could this happen? Y..you were a Royal Knight of Lacroa!... and my closest friend. To work for the destruction of our beloved country..." Zero's voice cracked.
   "There can be no rebirth without destruction," Deathscythe said, almost gently.
   "What happened to you?..." Zero finally asked, and finally was able to say his true name. "Deed..."
   The knight backed off and pulled his scythe up to a ready stance. Coldly, he said, "Do not call me that name; you have no right. Zero. It will be better for all of us if you die now, and everything will turn out for the best. I have spared no expense to make sure." He lunged at Zero, and the fight resumed.
   The rest of the Gundam Force were unsure what they had just witnessed. This 'Deathscythe' was once Zero's ally, and friend? And now he was not just a bad guy, but a major bad guy?
   They were confused... but they did not miss how he was pummeling their friend and ally, and Baku strained against his understanding of honor duels.
   "Zero, you've got to call Fenn!" Shute yelled. Yes; where was the Feather Dragon? He had flown off with the unspoken promise to return when needed, and he was certainly needed now.
   Zero broke off and put some distance between himself and his friend-cum-nemesis.
   "Call all you want," Deathscythe hissed. "The dragon won't come."
   "And how would you know that?" Zero snapped, but Deathscythe maintained an infuriatingly smug silence.
   But it was true; despite his bond with Fenn, he felt his calls fall into the void, unheard. He suppressed an impulsive surge of panic.
   "Do you know why the Feather Dragon has deserted you?" Deathscythe murmured, suddenly very close to Zero, much too close. Zero jerked away. "But even if you do, it does not change the fact that you cannot defend yourself from me. You can't even protect your friends..."
   Zero quailed, and then fought to suppress the fear. Too late; Deathscythe had seen it, and found it good. "You have no chance," he whispered.
   Zero growled. "There is always a chance!"
   "No chance," Deathscythe repeated. "Except for this." He summoned something... a sword. Not just any sword; a sword of such repulsive evil that Zero recognized it at once without ever having seen it, and barely heard of.
   "The Epyon Sword...?" Zero stared at it, baffled, and then at his one-time friend. "How did you even find it? It is barely more than myth..." Then his eyes narrowed; the myths were very clear as to what this sword was.
   "I have my ways," Deathscythe said dismissively. "Take it up, and we will have a more... fair match."
   "You are madder than I thought," Zero said warily. "And only a madman would dare to wield that sword."
   Deathscythe murmured something that Zero didn't catch, and then said louder, "But what is more important -- your sanity? your very life? -- or the lives of your... friends?"
   Zero stared. He thought he understood now -- that Deathscythe meant to destroy him utterly, from the inside out if need be, and that little things like decency meant nothing to him. It was so brazen that he was left quite speechless.
   Deathscythe took the silence as a negative, and dove toward the rest of the Gundam Force -- but they were prepared; they hadn't overheard everything, but enough to know that Zero couldn't win this alone.
   Captain peppered him with his vulcans, providing a minor distraction while Baku prepared his Tenkyouken. A few shots bounced off of Deathscythe's mask, a lucky shot that made him flinch instinctively. Baku took the opening and rushed forward, spurting flames. The distraction was not enough, however, and Deathscythe snapped his blade around, neatly blowing through the flames and slapping Baku away with the flat of the blade.
   Next was Captain; illusion would be a waste of time here, so Deathscythe relied on his preternatural speed to overwhelm the Neotopian. He was aware that the human boy was calling encouragement to the gundam, but thought nothing of it. More interesting was the Neotopian's rising energy level and brightly-shining fist. Still, it was no match for he, and he rushed at Captain.
   Captain analyzed Deathscythe's approach trajectory and nearly lost track when the dark knight suddenly changed course, hoping to catch him off-guard and strike an unprotected side. Captain was not so easily thrown off the trail, but even so his speed did not match Deathscythe's and he too was knocked aside.
   Baku was back up and had moved to protect Shute -- a good move, as he was Deathscythe's next target.
   "ENOUGH!" Zero bellowed, and then: "You've made your point."
   Deathscythe returned to the air, smirking. "Then you will take the Epyon sword?"
   Zero glared, but said, "It appears I have no choice. First, however, I will speak to my friends." Deathscythe nodded indulgently and Zero descended.
   "Zero!" Shute called out, worried. Things were not going well, he could tell.
   "Shute," Zero nodded to him. "Captain. Bakunetsumaru. I must ask something of you all."
   "Anything, you know that.."
   "I fear I must take that demon sword... he is right, I am no match without Fenn." This caused a stir. "Listen to me! You must find the Princess while I fight Deathscythe! Find her! Protect her! She is the key to Lacroa's restoration, not me."
   They protested; he knew they would, for they were good friends. He tried to make it easier. "The evil sword gets its grip on the wielder's own hatred. I will keep my heart clear, to deny it that."
   Slowly only did they agree, and they laid a quick plan; to quietly case the castle, hoping against hope that the Princess was still there.
   Zero returned his attention Deathscythe and the waiting sword. Slowly, carefully, and with a clear mind, he took it.

---

   The Gundam Force, sans Zero, raced through the castle. There was no time to waste and so they checked each room as quickly as possible, Captain scanning for hidden things, the others eyeballing it, then on to the next room.
   The architects favored that staple of the rich and powerful, few rooms but oh so spacious, and this helped immensely. As they descended the floors, though, style gave way to utility, kitchens and closets and servants' quarters only as large as was reasonable. Progress slowed. They came across petrified folk in the halls, grim reminders of the war, and they carefully skirted them.
   A terrible feeling crept over them; they were becoming increasingly sure that the Princess was not here at all. But where? Where could she be?

   Zero had watched his comrads vanish into the castle with a pang of worry, and felt it compounded by the Epyon sword.
   He cleared his mind, centered himself, and faced Deathscythe. The Knight of Darkness chuckled. Zero shifted his grip, dimly repulsed by the sensation of the sword's spirit pawing at his own, seeking a grip.
   Deathscythe had not moved into a combat stance; Zero would have been concerned were he not expending so much effort to suppress his emotions. At last, though, Deathscythe waved a hand and Zero felt the magic bunching, and readied himself for what turned out to be a summoning spell.
   With a POP, Mercurius, Vayeate, and Tallgeese were there.
   Zero barely stemmed the burst of emotion in time, but the sword was paying attention now, close attention, and Deathscythe was watching him too. The other dark knights were unconscious, suspended by Deathscythe's magic. "What is the meaning of this?" Zero hissed.
   "I think you know the answer to that," Deathscythe murmured, caressing Tallgeese with the point of his scythe.
   Zero's defenses cracked, and he shuddered.
   "I was originally going to give the sword to Tallgeese here. You know how terribly jealous he is of us gundams. He would do anything to prove he is on par with us..." He nicked Tallgeese with the scythe, a clean cut without any Gundanium to deter the blade. "But enough about his motivations. Remember the Rebellion of the Storm? Of course you do. Of course you do..."
   The Rebellion of the Storm; Tallgeese's first assault on Lacroa. It had failed, of course, but something had changed in the process, and Lacroa would no longer be what it once was.
   For their treason, Mercurius and Vayeate had been sealed into boulders -- a mocking premonition of the bagu-bagu -- and dropped into the Dark Hole. There they would be invisible to scryers and irretrievable regardless.
   Tallgeese was bound and sealed in a secret room near the castle. The old saying "keep your friends close and your enemies closer" was quite sensible in this land; the combined will of the people powered the bindings. A handful of rebels stood no chance against them. But then the Dark Axis came -- a thousand soldiers keen on devastation.
   From there Zero remembered the horror of Tallgeese's revenge. Anger grew within him, and the Epyon sword gleefully latched on.

   Deathscythe smiled as Zero lunged for Tallgeese, and released the magical suspension. Zero overshot, corrected course, and dove.
   Vayeate was awake already; that was fast. He must have anticipated Deathscythe's actions somehow, but it was no matter. Now he was attempting to talk to Zero, who had not yet lost all sense. He was not exactly inclined to accept advice from a traitor, however. Something he would like from him was his power, and Deathscythe watched with amusement as Vayeate scrambled to avoid Zero's strikes.
   A vast shadow loomed over Deathscythe suddenly. He whirled around to face -- the underside of a large airship -- the Magna-Musai, but in the wrong colors? He had not studied the ship Zero had arrived in. A feminine voice called out from the ship, briefly piquing Deathscythe's interest, but she spoke only to Zero. As per usual, the bitter thought crossed his mind, and his mood soured.
   He saw that the ship had distracted Zero from the dark knights and frowned. He summoned an illusory scythe and flung it at Zreo from a blind angle. It didn't hit; Zero blocked it almost reflexively, the sword swallowing the power invested in the conjuration greedily and demanding more.
   By now, however, Vayeate had taken the other two into the castle ruins. It would not be easy finding them.
   The sword did not care. Crush! Destroy! These walls that shaltered their enemydid not deserve to remain standing. Zero smashed through them.

   The rest of the Gundam Force froze as the structure around them shuddered and alarming smashing noises from somewhere reverberated throughout. It was a good move, too, as the ceiling cracked and ultimately caved in before them. Out of the dust came Mercurius and Vayeate, still loyally hauling their comatose lord. They faltered just slightly when they saw the Gundam Force.
   "What's going on up there?" Baku demanded.
   Vayeate looked out the hole in the ceiling furitively, but nothing come through it. Mercurius took that as a sign and answered Baku. "Your-- um, your friend took up the Epyon sword." He was plainly exhausted, staying on his feet by sheer force of will.
   "We can't stay here," Vayeate said quietly, picking up his side of the burden. Surprised, the Gundam Force made space for them.
   "Wait..." Shute said, but they did not heed. It was hard to say, he knew that Zero would probably never forgive these guys, but even so, he wanted to help them, even if just a little. They looked so miserable!
   And their trials were not over yet. An awful noise roared overhead and something struck the remaining ceiling. Dust fell around them and Captain moved to cover Shute as they shuffled away from the epicenter, and not a moment too soon, either, as it caved in and there were Zero and Deathscythe, sparing a moment from their duel to glare at the others.
   The Gundam Force recoiled. That was not Zero looking at them, not Zero fighting so viciously, not their Zero that treasured poise and grace.
   The two gundams resumed their duel ferociously. Deathscythe had lost his edge over Zero and was not far from fighting for his life. The beleagured castle couldn't take it and the floor gave out, dropping them all into the lower passages, not that the duelists cared.
   Soon, those who still had their wits about them became aware of a new rumbling, steadily building. But what could they do? It was upon them in a minute.

   Raimi had been tracking each individual's movement faithfully, unable to help much any other way, and was rightly perturbed when a fast-moving earthquake of some kind hit their position and seemed to be... carrying them away?
   She directed the ship to follow.

                                                                          --|--

   Down in the engine room, Grappler struggled to keep his balance as the ship lurched back into action. Wonder what's goin' on our there, he thought grumpily.
   Zakos were gathering over by the stage, waiting for their show to start. Grappler thought it was stupid, but somehow not a waste of time.
   The curtain rose, revealing the three usual hosts. They called out their usual greeting and announced they had a guest ("And a good thing, too, otherwise we'd have no idea what's going on out there!"). He popped onstage with a magical POOF! and the crowd cheered. Grappler did not.
   "So give us the dirt, zako! What's going on out there??"
   "You've got to tell us!"
   "Please, zako!"
   The pawn leo held out a hand. "Don't crowd me, pon! I'll tell you."
   The zakos hosts waited patiently for several seconds. They waited impatiently for several more seconds, and then they resumed pestering the leo.
   Unable to take any more, he yelled, "All right, pon, all right!"
   "Are you sure you'll talk now?" one of the hosts asked pointedly.
   "Yes!" And to prove it, he gestured wildly at the screen. "That! Right there, pon, that is the Feather Dragon!" Silence. "It is a very important creature of Lacroa!"
   The zako hosts were staring at the leo, not saying a word.
   "I have stunned you into silence!" the leo proclaimed, very pleased with himself.
   "WE ALREADY KNEW THAT YOU NINCOMPOOP!" the zakos yelled, and punched out their guest. The magic holding his form collapsed and a large six-sided die flew out into the crowd. One lucky zako caught it and treasured it for all his subsequent days.
   Grappler chuckled quietly. Completely stupid, but somehow still worthwhile.