Which you should have told him the first time he asked.
Belial, if Axis is the best commander you've served under you need better luck in commanders. Or possibly a change of commanders, depending.
Veremund, grow a brain.
Ogden, you do realize the Seneschal is not, in fact, a serial bodyhopper? That the various men who have held that title are, in fact, different people? You do not know the current Seneschal is so fervently opposed to Axis, because all you know is secondhand gossip from a woman who, if I may be so crass, seems to consider her work of lower priority than her sex life. He doesn't even know what the Forbidden are, how can you be sure he'd recognize Axis as one?
You've got to wonder how much of the story Ogden isn't saying. Personally I'm inclined to suspect he's leaving out all the other groups who thought the Talon, and by extension the Icarii, weren't all they were cracked up to be.
Ogden is talking about the version of Axis which exists solely within his head and bears little to no resemblance to the real one. Or possibly he thinks those were compassionate acts and needs to be force-fed a dictionary.
So, how much contact have you had with the Icarii over the past three thousand years?
Okay, for once a reasonable question gets a reasonable answer. Stopped clocks and all that.
Ogden, just say you have no idea. It'll be more honest.
Belial, dear heart, I'm pretty sure that feeling like you must avoid giving a friend bad news is a sign they are not your friend.
Axis seems remarkably comfortable with sacrilege.
"You're the best commander I ever served under," Belial said, reassuringly. It felt weak and insipid even as he said it, but Axis didn't seem to notice.
It was true, he couldn't recall a better commander, and yet Axis was his friend. Surely he could think of something better to say, some good trait or shared memory, something more personal?
And now his head was spinning. He must have moved too quickly.
He struggled to follow the conversation as he tried to recall his friend's good traits.
"How can I be the BattleAxe now that I know?" Axis asked him, clearly upset.
Give up magic, Belial thought, or else resign after this campaign. "You command over three thousand people," he heard his own voice say, "all of whom are committed to defending Gorkenfort from Gorgrael's forces. What conflict is there between the duties of the BattleAxe or Enchanter’s son?"
And yes, it was true, it was all true, but it was so incomplete as to be a lie and not one he'd wished to tell.
Axis cracked a distasteful joke, and Belial dutifully laughed and wondered how much of their friendship was real.
no subject
Which you should have told him the first time he asked.
Belial, if Axis is the best commander you've served under you need better luck in commanders. Or possibly a change of commanders, depending.
Veremund, grow a brain.
Ogden, you do realize the Seneschal is not, in fact, a serial bodyhopper? That the various men who have held that title are, in fact, different people? You do not know the current Seneschal is so fervently opposed to Axis, because all you know is secondhand gossip from a woman who, if I may be so crass, seems to consider her work of lower priority than her sex life. He doesn't even know what the Forbidden are, how can you be sure he'd recognize Axis as one?
You've got to wonder how much of the story Ogden isn't saying. Personally I'm inclined to suspect he's leaving out all the other groups who thought the Talon, and by extension the Icarii, weren't all they were cracked up to be.
Ogden is talking about the version of Axis which exists solely within his head and bears little to no resemblance to the real one. Or possibly he thinks those were compassionate acts and needs to be force-fed a dictionary.
So, how much contact have you had with the Icarii over the past three thousand years?
Okay, for once a reasonable question gets a reasonable answer. Stopped clocks and all that.
Ogden, just say you have no idea. It'll be more honest.
Belial, dear heart, I'm pretty sure that feeling like you must avoid giving a friend bad news is a sign they are not your friend.
Axis seems remarkably comfortable with sacrilege.
"You're the best commander I ever served under," Belial said, reassuringly. It felt weak and insipid even as he said it, but Axis didn't seem to notice.
It was true, he couldn't recall a better commander, and yet Axis was his friend. Surely he could think of something better to say, some good trait or shared memory, something more personal?
And now his head was spinning. He must have moved too quickly.
He struggled to follow the conversation as he tried to recall his friend's good traits.
"How can I be the BattleAxe now that I know?" Axis asked him, clearly upset.
Give up magic, Belial thought, or else resign after this campaign. "You command over three thousand people," he heard his own voice say, "all of whom are committed to defending Gorkenfort from Gorgrael's forces. What conflict is there between the duties of the BattleAxe or Enchanter’s son?"
And yes, it was true, it was all true, but it was so incomplete as to be a lie and not one he'd wished to tell.
Axis cracked a distasteful joke, and Belial dutifully laughed and wondered how much of their friendship was real.