Assington
22-07-2005, 10:05
Presidential Palace - Amethyst City
President Calis fussed over the crimson tie around his neck as his brother walked into the room, wearing a similar suit yet sporting a contrasting unimpressed face. Calin was obviously irritated for some reason yet Calis payed no attention. His brother had been wanting to get out of his job and settle down for years, yet there was no reasonable substitute as Foreign Minister.
"Why the hell do you need me for this thing? It's an internal matter and I can't stand listening to these misguided bastards!"
Calis merely smiled as he turned from the mirror and moved to grab a black jacket from a nearby closet and fit the fine material over his arms and shoulders.
"I want you here because you are far better at this diplomacy thing than I am, that and I don't want to endure this alone. I can't stand these guys either but it is necessary to ensure we have internal stability."
Calin sighed as he straightened out his own jacket. He wore a black coat, pants and shirt and sported a contrasting white tie whilst Calis had gone for the classic black jacket and pants with a white shirt, adding his favourite crimson tie to the mix. Both men were now in their mid fifties and had enjoyed a long and successful career in politics. Calis enjoyed it more personally, yet Calin possessed the natural diplomatic manner that so many envied. Together they had taken Assington into the future as a strong nation of good international standing and relative stability.
"So you have a few points, doesn't mean I have to like it."
"Aye, but you won't have to do it for much longer. I think we've found a replacement for you."
Calin's eyes lit up as they turned to his brother's own face for the first time since their conversation began.
"Do tell."
"A young man by the name of Boris Ivanov. He's been working in the Roanian embassy for some time and has kept relations quite smooth. You familiar with him?"
"A little. I've met him once before, when he was first hired. I haven't heard of him for a while, yet I can't say I've been paying attention."
"I didn't think so. Anyway, I believe he is what we are looking for and so do many other ministers. We'll discuss things after this meeting."
Calin nodded, obviously in a better mood than he had been a few minutes ago. With that the brothers made their way out of the Presidential chambers and weaved through the hallways of the vast palace until they reached a marble floored foyer. Waiting outside was one of the many expensive and well maintained vehicles under governmental possession, accompanied by several ASA agents.
With everything in order, the pair stepped into their vehicle and remained silent as the driver navigated down the cobbled driveway and out onto the street.
___________
Outside a small Church of St. Peter
Calis layed eyes upon the building with indifference as the car pulled up, allowing the brothers to get outside. It was your typical arched roof church, brick construction a little lawn surrounding the structure. He had no idea why Archbishop Jason Kulstov had decided to hold their meeting here, yet he supposed it didn't really matter. A church was a church in Calis' opinion, none held any particular significance over any others.
Both men remained silent as they passed through a large wooden doorway and were met by two men in white robes. Obviously lower ranking church officials, the men spun around on their heels and led Calis, Calin and two ASA agents down a flight of stairs that took them well underground before halting at another large oak door. Electricity didn't seem to follow the stairway and so candles lined the wall, providing the necessary illumination for one to navigate safely.
A simple knock and the word "Enter." replied, causing one of the men to push open the door and stride in purposefully.
"Sirs, President Calis and Minister Calin are here to see you."
Archbishop Jason Kulstov and his son, Mark Kulstov nodded in acknowledgement before the archbishop spoke.
"Good. Let them in then tend to your duties."
"Of course."
The young man moved back outside and allowed the brothers entrance before closing the door behind him and disappearing up the stairs once again. The two ASA agents remained silent as they stood guard outside the door, accompanied by the remaining white robed member of the church.
Calis and Calin took in the affluence of the room around them. A chandelier hung from the stone ceiling, suspending many candles above them and spreading light to all corners of the upper room. A combination of roaring fireplace and other various candles provided all other necessary light. The room was mostly covered in persian rugs and medieval tapestries depicting religious scenes.
Finally Jason and Mark rose, extending their hands to the brothers before seating themselves once again.
"Welcome Mr. President and Minister, how are you two today?"
Both brothers replied with the standard niceties, not paying much attention to Mark, who seemed to be sitting in the background fiddling with his own white robes. And so the negotiations regarding the position of Christianity in Assington began, drawing all men into hours of discussion.
Outside the two ASA men stood patiently, watching the robed man and other areas of the stairway. It was their job to protect the President and his brother, therefore they trusted no one. Unfortunately they could do nothing as the same robed man from before came down the stairs holding a silenced pistol, unleashing a single round into the heads of each agent. Both crumbled to the ground and the robed men smiled. They were no mere church clerics but two of the most promising Inquisition officers.
Both men entered the office, causing Calis and Calin to rise in alarm. Before they could say anything, Jason and Mark both withdrew a small crossbow each from their robes and unleash a bolt each into the backs of the brothers.
Calin collapsed almost instantly yet Calis managed to spin around again, facing Jason's grinning face.
"Time for everything to move into play Mr. President."
Calis tried to speak yet his vision blurred beyond recognition, eventually plunging him into darkness.
______________
Deep underground, beneath the church of St. Peter
Pain surged through every nerve in his body as Calis awoke to the touch of water dripping upon his pale face. The last thing he remembered was Jason's face before passing out. Second by second the pieces fit together in his mind, causing anger to erupt within his still groggy mind.
Both arms and legs were bound, yet he couldn't feel them anyway, he just knew something was preventing movement. After looking around the dark room for a moment, Calis' dark eyes stopped straight in front of him. Struggling to raise his head, the President of Assington found himself gazing at his own brother, strapped to a large wooden crucifix. All of a sudden he felt very cold.
"Good to see you're with us again Calis. I wouldn't want you to miss the fun part. As you may have realised, yourself and your brother are about to die in the same manner our lord was persecuted in. Of course you are not worthy of him, yet the punishment seems fitting."
"Wh.... Why... you.... doing this?"
"Don't worry about the sedative, it will wear off soon. I will never forget the time you banned the true faith from this nation Calis. And the mess that followed. You will suffer for your crimes against God in Satan's world. It is time we took over Assington and set things right."
By now Calin had awoken and realised the predicament they were in. Sweat poured down his forehead as he contemplated their fate. There was no way out of this.
"Ah, Calin. Now that you're both awake we can begin the final phase of things. You see, arrangements have been made that your men believe you two are still in these negotiations and won't return until the next day, so we have plenty of time. As you may know, crucifixion is not a pleasant or fast death. Fortunately, we can speed things up by breaking your legs. That way your deaths shall be much faster. Good day Inferno brothers. May your souls rot in the lower depths of Hell."
With that Mark emerged from the shadows and handed his father a metallic baseball bat. The screams of Calis and Calin echoed around the stone chamber as their legs were shattered to pieces, stripping them of their support and therefore applying painful force upon the torsos of the two men. They would soon suffocate as the pull across their bodies prevent air from reaching their lungs.
Pain erupted into Calis lungs and chest , seeming somewhat dull compared to that of his legs yet it was still there. He'd already passed out once from pain yet it seemed his final minute was up. He found taking a breath was impossible and so all he could do was wait an accept the inevitable. He knew the church would pay for this, someone would take his place.
Everything went blank...
President Calis fussed over the crimson tie around his neck as his brother walked into the room, wearing a similar suit yet sporting a contrasting unimpressed face. Calin was obviously irritated for some reason yet Calis payed no attention. His brother had been wanting to get out of his job and settle down for years, yet there was no reasonable substitute as Foreign Minister.
"Why the hell do you need me for this thing? It's an internal matter and I can't stand listening to these misguided bastards!"
Calis merely smiled as he turned from the mirror and moved to grab a black jacket from a nearby closet and fit the fine material over his arms and shoulders.
"I want you here because you are far better at this diplomacy thing than I am, that and I don't want to endure this alone. I can't stand these guys either but it is necessary to ensure we have internal stability."
Calin sighed as he straightened out his own jacket. He wore a black coat, pants and shirt and sported a contrasting white tie whilst Calis had gone for the classic black jacket and pants with a white shirt, adding his favourite crimson tie to the mix. Both men were now in their mid fifties and had enjoyed a long and successful career in politics. Calis enjoyed it more personally, yet Calin possessed the natural diplomatic manner that so many envied. Together they had taken Assington into the future as a strong nation of good international standing and relative stability.
"So you have a few points, doesn't mean I have to like it."
"Aye, but you won't have to do it for much longer. I think we've found a replacement for you."
Calin's eyes lit up as they turned to his brother's own face for the first time since their conversation began.
"Do tell."
"A young man by the name of Boris Ivanov. He's been working in the Roanian embassy for some time and has kept relations quite smooth. You familiar with him?"
"A little. I've met him once before, when he was first hired. I haven't heard of him for a while, yet I can't say I've been paying attention."
"I didn't think so. Anyway, I believe he is what we are looking for and so do many other ministers. We'll discuss things after this meeting."
Calin nodded, obviously in a better mood than he had been a few minutes ago. With that the brothers made their way out of the Presidential chambers and weaved through the hallways of the vast palace until they reached a marble floored foyer. Waiting outside was one of the many expensive and well maintained vehicles under governmental possession, accompanied by several ASA agents.
With everything in order, the pair stepped into their vehicle and remained silent as the driver navigated down the cobbled driveway and out onto the street.
___________
Outside a small Church of St. Peter
Calis layed eyes upon the building with indifference as the car pulled up, allowing the brothers to get outside. It was your typical arched roof church, brick construction a little lawn surrounding the structure. He had no idea why Archbishop Jason Kulstov had decided to hold their meeting here, yet he supposed it didn't really matter. A church was a church in Calis' opinion, none held any particular significance over any others.
Both men remained silent as they passed through a large wooden doorway and were met by two men in white robes. Obviously lower ranking church officials, the men spun around on their heels and led Calis, Calin and two ASA agents down a flight of stairs that took them well underground before halting at another large oak door. Electricity didn't seem to follow the stairway and so candles lined the wall, providing the necessary illumination for one to navigate safely.
A simple knock and the word "Enter." replied, causing one of the men to push open the door and stride in purposefully.
"Sirs, President Calis and Minister Calin are here to see you."
Archbishop Jason Kulstov and his son, Mark Kulstov nodded in acknowledgement before the archbishop spoke.
"Good. Let them in then tend to your duties."
"Of course."
The young man moved back outside and allowed the brothers entrance before closing the door behind him and disappearing up the stairs once again. The two ASA agents remained silent as they stood guard outside the door, accompanied by the remaining white robed member of the church.
Calis and Calin took in the affluence of the room around them. A chandelier hung from the stone ceiling, suspending many candles above them and spreading light to all corners of the upper room. A combination of roaring fireplace and other various candles provided all other necessary light. The room was mostly covered in persian rugs and medieval tapestries depicting religious scenes.
Finally Jason and Mark rose, extending their hands to the brothers before seating themselves once again.
"Welcome Mr. President and Minister, how are you two today?"
Both brothers replied with the standard niceties, not paying much attention to Mark, who seemed to be sitting in the background fiddling with his own white robes. And so the negotiations regarding the position of Christianity in Assington began, drawing all men into hours of discussion.
Outside the two ASA men stood patiently, watching the robed man and other areas of the stairway. It was their job to protect the President and his brother, therefore they trusted no one. Unfortunately they could do nothing as the same robed man from before came down the stairs holding a silenced pistol, unleashing a single round into the heads of each agent. Both crumbled to the ground and the robed men smiled. They were no mere church clerics but two of the most promising Inquisition officers.
Both men entered the office, causing Calis and Calin to rise in alarm. Before they could say anything, Jason and Mark both withdrew a small crossbow each from their robes and unleash a bolt each into the backs of the brothers.
Calin collapsed almost instantly yet Calis managed to spin around again, facing Jason's grinning face.
"Time for everything to move into play Mr. President."
Calis tried to speak yet his vision blurred beyond recognition, eventually plunging him into darkness.
______________
Deep underground, beneath the church of St. Peter
Pain surged through every nerve in his body as Calis awoke to the touch of water dripping upon his pale face. The last thing he remembered was Jason's face before passing out. Second by second the pieces fit together in his mind, causing anger to erupt within his still groggy mind.
Both arms and legs were bound, yet he couldn't feel them anyway, he just knew something was preventing movement. After looking around the dark room for a moment, Calis' dark eyes stopped straight in front of him. Struggling to raise his head, the President of Assington found himself gazing at his own brother, strapped to a large wooden crucifix. All of a sudden he felt very cold.
"Good to see you're with us again Calis. I wouldn't want you to miss the fun part. As you may have realised, yourself and your brother are about to die in the same manner our lord was persecuted in. Of course you are not worthy of him, yet the punishment seems fitting."
"Wh.... Why... you.... doing this?"
"Don't worry about the sedative, it will wear off soon. I will never forget the time you banned the true faith from this nation Calis. And the mess that followed. You will suffer for your crimes against God in Satan's world. It is time we took over Assington and set things right."
By now Calin had awoken and realised the predicament they were in. Sweat poured down his forehead as he contemplated their fate. There was no way out of this.
"Ah, Calin. Now that you're both awake we can begin the final phase of things. You see, arrangements have been made that your men believe you two are still in these negotiations and won't return until the next day, so we have plenty of time. As you may know, crucifixion is not a pleasant or fast death. Fortunately, we can speed things up by breaking your legs. That way your deaths shall be much faster. Good day Inferno brothers. May your souls rot in the lower depths of Hell."
With that Mark emerged from the shadows and handed his father a metallic baseball bat. The screams of Calis and Calin echoed around the stone chamber as their legs were shattered to pieces, stripping them of their support and therefore applying painful force upon the torsos of the two men. They would soon suffocate as the pull across their bodies prevent air from reaching their lungs.
Pain erupted into Calis lungs and chest , seeming somewhat dull compared to that of his legs yet it was still there. He'd already passed out once from pain yet it seemed his final minute was up. He found taking a breath was impossible and so all he could do was wait an accept the inevitable. He knew the church would pay for this, someone would take his place.
Everything went blank...