A Fallen Angel

[The_Universe]

"I will walk the shadow path."

Her eyes light up, "Excellent. Free me, and we shall begin."

EDIT: Nevermind. The message she was responding to was apparently ringed. It will wait.

 

[Archon]

Archonus reaches out for Xath and speaks softly.
"It may be the only way. I would not ask this is of anyone else."

 

[AIM-54]

"To what benefit, Archonus? There is nothing to be gained by your walking the shadowpath. Nothing for our side. We would lose a fine warrior and a budding leader. The enemy would gain an ally. Even were you to return to us, you would not be the same, you could not simply reassume your position here, with us. It is only Laurel's new body that has walked the shadowpath. Her soul is clean. Yours would not be. I urge you to reconsider this foolish idea, so that we may return to our true task. There is nothing to be gained by such a meaningless sacrifice."

 

[Archon]

"We still don't know their true purpose for invading, we don't know why they need the Spirit Blades, we don't know how many of them there truly are we don't know if there is a singular weakness waiting to be exploited and we still do not know who, ultimately, is behind all of this. Those that walk the path know at least some of the answers to these questions and i have something many do not."
Archonus looks around the room for a moment.
"I have three Eternally Binding Oaths that chain me to the Rebellion."

 

[Xath]

Xath stops again. "Two. You have two oaths."

"Why must you always attempt to sacrifice yourself? Once you walked the shadowpath, you would be lost to us. Despite what you may think now, you would not come to give us information. You would come to us as she did, to kill us."

She turns and begins to walk towards him. "And if Tain or Mordred or whoever got an inkling that you were planning to betray them, do you think they would give you any information that would be useful to the cause? There's no way to get you back from this Archonus. And losing you would not benefit the war in the slightest."

 

[Archon]

"We do not know that there is no way of comming back. We have many resources at our disposal. I am not headlessly throwing away my life. I want as much back up and as much planning as possible so that i CAN come back. Walking the path of shadows may be the only way to find the information we seek. We do not know of any other way. How many closed mouthed fanatical prisoners do we have to take before we realize that it is a waste of time. This is the only way. Now help me, please, so that i have a chance at returning."

 

[AIM-54]

headlessly throwing away my life

Apt. Very apt, indeed.

 

[Xath]

"If you're so sure you can bring yourself back, then tell us how we may redeem Arissa."

 

[Archon]

"I'm not sure i can come back. But i am sure that it is worth the risk. What is the cost of one life if it could mean finding the answers needed to end the War. I am not willing to let this chance slip away. Help me. Help me find a way. There must be a way to come back. What magics could do such a thing?"

 

[Archon]

"If? Could?" Xath is indignant. "We don't know nearly enough about the shadowpath to even contemplate attempting such a feat. Why must you always leap to sacrifice yourself to the unknown for the "chance" of "potential" gain? Did you stop to think about what we might lose if you failed? You are not the only one effected by your actions, Archonus. I wish you would realize that you were more important to us than that." She looks at him meaningfully. "I, for one, will not throw away your life for something that has such a minimal chance of being successful with questionably beneficial gain."

-Xath