Vaxavius had been dreading this moment for a while. He had been secretly watching and studying the inner goings on of the Void Lord’s inner sanctum, observing the two beings he had been holding prisoner and parading around like trophies. Two Rethavok who Vaxavius had… condemned in the past. He did not have good relationships with either of them. But they would all have to put that to one side, as Vaxavius needed them to save the Rethavok as a whole.
Anxiety made the knock on the door far more gentle than it should have been. The guards all knew to move out of the way for Vaxavius. He was, after all, the High General’s assistant, the vok who helped the Void Lord stay in touch with the common Rethan. Normally, he would have been chained up and not allowed much freedom, but now that the High General had more pressing work to do, Vaxavius’s reach had been extended. He was free to travel, as long as he did not leave the Grand Palace, and the guards always gave him the privacy he needed.
Vaxavius didn’t need to go any further anyway.
A small metal plate slid to one side, revealing a pair of yellow eyes. They perked up, recognizing Vaxavius instantly.
“Hello! What are you doing here?”
“I need to speak to you and Retvik. Privately.”
The air vibrated briefly around Vaxavius. Suddenly, a blue and yellow Rethan appeared by his side, opened the bolted door from the outside, then let both himself and Vaxavius in, closing it behind them. Entering the room, Vaxavius noticed how the place was split in two, one half for each Rethan.
On his left, the room matched that of any standard young Rethan. A bit scruffy, unworn armour laying around, a few piles of books and other educational items scattered around a desk and things like that. On his right… well, aside from the barest excuse for a bed and a single chair, there was nothing. But its occupant was missing.
Vaxavius noticed the hot breath down the back of his neck. Rethan breathing was often warm, but not like this. With a sigh, Vaxavius peered over his shoulder.
“I have a plan.”
“Do you really, traitor?”
Vaxavius grunted. “Yes, I know, you are angry. I know you have been royally fucked over by the Void Lord. I have too. We are both unwilling servants in his plans. Neither of us want to be compliant but here we are. I want to change that. Also, I wish to know why you have no belongings.”
Retvik snorted, moving away from Vaxavius and planting himself firmly on the empty chair in his side of the room. “I am not interested. Go away.”
A hand lightly patted Vaxavius’s shoulder. He looked down, to see Trismit shaking his head.
“He has had a bad few days. His partner was mind controlled to want a divorce. And he tried to escape again so Kenon took all his stuff again. I kept on offering him a blanket or something but Retvik needs some time to cool down. I do not think now is the time for plans.”
“This plan is simple though. I know it will work because it has been done before. I just need a demi-god to make the plan successful.”
Trismit’s eyes lit up, impressed that someone was referring to him as more than an experiment. “What is the plan? Tell me! We are both demi-gods!”
“It is simple. We do to Kenon what he did to Rethais Rethianos. The challenger loophole still exists. We can use that against Kenon. Simply add some conditions and use the challenger law to win back power. Once that is done, immediately sign in and stamp a new law that unbinds the challenger law. Then we can work on returning Rethan society back to its more democratic roots. We have an advantage, as I can inform you when Kenon is at his weakest and when would be the best time to strike and claim our challenge. But we must act as soon as possible, before everything becomes too… normalized.”
Retvik grunted from across the room. “Too late for that.”
“Too late for what?” Trismit asked.
“Kenon’s position, everything he had done, it has all already been normalized. The Rethavok have accepted that this is their path now.”
“Do you accept that, Retvik?” Vaxavius exclaimed. “I do not believe you are the sort who would just give up.”
Retvik eyed Vaxavius up and down, still grunting and tutting. “I have two options. I give up and I assimilate. Or I start murdering everyone I see. Starting with you.”
Trismit bounced excitedly over to Retvik. “Do not be so silly! You cannot murder Vaxavius! You need to focus that energy into murdering Kenon! It will be legal murder! Righteous murder!” Suddenly, Trismit paused. “It is a good thing I naturally emit an aura that blocks people from overhearing me.”
“You do?” Vaxavius asked.
“Yes, I have all sorts of cool super powers I do not tell anyone about.”
“Hm… This is good. We have a backup plan to the new plan. Should Retvik be unwilling to fight, you could challenge Kenon instead.”
Immediately, Retvik got up and stomped over, pushing himself between Vaxavius and Trismit. He grabbed Vaxavius by the neck, snarling.
“I will help you with your plan, but if you DARE put Trismit in danger, I will make your stomach acid boil as I cook you alive. Understood?”
Vaxavius backed away anxiously, but also somewhat glad. “Understood. Good to have you on board, Retvik. I shall let you know as soon as possible when I have more information…”