6 Zero's Response

In the Pivotal Secret Temple, Zero was reviewing the plans for taking over the Kingdom of Dawn. She was also thinking about Graycastle. The past few months had been full of interesting occurrences. Prince Roland was quite an interesting fellow. Suddenly, a messenger came in with a letter. It was a letter from Prince Roland and it was addressed to the pope.

Zero's interest was piqued by this letter. She opened the letter and begun reading.

<Dear Lady Zero,>

Upon reading the first line, her jaw dropped in shock. How was it possible that Roland knew that she was the pope. Nobody outside the Pivotal Secret Temple knew. Now thoroughly unsettled, she began to read the rest of the letter.

<I am Roland Wimbledon, the lord of the Western Region of Graycastle and the man who will soon become king.>

"Roland sure thinks highly of himself," thought Zero. "I wonder if his confidence is from hubris or from actual power."

<I am writing this letter to you to discuss the fight against our mutual enemy - the demons. I know of the Battles of Divine Will and I know that the third such war will soon begin. In this time of trial, it is in humanity's best interest that we unite to serve a common cause. The church was founded by witches to prepare for the fight against the demons. All I ask is that the church will fulfill its original obligations. The fate of humanity rests on it.>

Zero dropped the letter in shock. She couldn't believe what she was reading. How had the church's deepest secrets been revealed. With trembling hands, Zero picked up the letter and continued to read.

<The old ways of war will not be sufficient. The only way to defeat the demons is through the mass mobilization of society. All people must become a part of the war effort. No person is useless. Nobles, commoners, witches, they all play a part.>

As Zero read this section, she found herself nodding in agreement. Roland's views seem to be very similar to her own. Both of them recognize what is needed in order for humanity to emerge victorious. Perhaps this Roland might make a good partner. She was very interested in what he had to say.

<However, I implore you do not go through with your plan. Using the pills on the commoners is most inefficient. You may think that a commoner has no use than to become cannon fodder, but in reality they are the backbone of the war effort. To waste valuable human resources by turning them into disposable soldiers is unacceptable.>

Anger flashed through Zero's eyes. "How dare this commoner lecture me on what to do. What would he know of our designs". Zero suddenly paused as she realized that Roland did know about the church's plans. In fact, he knew more than anyone else besides her. "How does he plan on using commoners more efficiently? The pills are already miraculous, giving an ordinary man such great combat strength that they would not be able to achieve even with decades of training."

As Zero continued reading, she found herself perplexed by what Roland was saying. "Cannons? Industry? What are they? Roland was making huge boasts. Able to destroy dozens of God Punishment Warriors with ease? How could such a terrifying weapon possibly exist; it defies logic."

<If you should choose to agree, then I will give you the knowledge to create these tools. The power of technology will be obtainable by you and together we can lead humanity to defeat the demons.>

After Zero finished reading the letter, she leaned back in her chair as her mind processed what she just read. Her thoughts were in chaos as she thought about all the revelations Roland made and what might his plan be. She was sceptical and wanted to dismiss Roland's claims about his power, but his uncanny knowledge about the situation gave her pause. A kernel of doubt formed in her as she thought about the letter.

Zero called in Isabella to talk with her. Zero gave Isabella the letter and told her to read it. Isabella was also shocked by its contents.

"What are you going to do?" asked Isabella.

"I do not know whether what he says about his machines is true or not. Frankly, they seem too outlandish to be possible. But he knows too much. Even if his claims are false, I should still go if only to find out where his information is coming from."

"So you will travel to Neverwinter?" asked Isabella.

"We will be traveling to Neverwinter", corrected Zero.

"We?", Isabella asked, "What do you wish for me to do?"

Zero answered, "Firstly, if I decide to use my power then I will need you to disable their stones. Also, I want you to pretend to be me."

"Pretend to be you? What is the purpose of that?", questioned Isabella.

Zero told her, "they will focus their attention on you. Meanwhile, I will explore Neverwinter and try to learn more about it."

Zero stood up and went told the others, "Cancel the plans for the Kingdom of Dawn. I will be traveling to Graycastle. Fetch a few loyal warriors. We will depart immediately."