Witchers of Nifelheim - Part 3

Radiance chuckles then looks to Jorgen "If you don't mind I'm going to grab my self a different set of armor."

C̷O̴N̴S̶U̸M̵E̵ wrote:"I'll run the Inquisition and Purge the Heritics." She laughs bringing her lean to something more relaxed, her legs cross and a cocky smirk spreads across her face "Praise the Emperor!" She looks up for a moment, "You know what... Witchers of Terra might not be that bad of a name. Plenty of References to be had that the Witchers will never understand."

"Yes, then the rest of you guys'll understand how I feel when nobody gets my references back home" Rogue nods.

"New armor for Radiance! How about you Rogue? New armor perhaps? I'm sure you could find something stylish and protective back there! You'd be surprised at how much the Witchers love their fashion."

(Also rains new armor.)

C̷O̴N̴S̶U̸M̵E̵ wrote:"New armor for Radiance! How about you Rogue? New armor perhaps? I'm sure you could find something stylish and protective back there! You'd be surprised at how much the Witchers love their fashion."

"You may've guessed, but I don't really do fashion" Rogue jokes to Rain.

(Rain, Rogue, Radiance)


Johan kinda awkwardly smiled and nodded during the conversation. You get the feeling that all the references sailed over his head.


"New armor? Mm, of course." Jorgen nodded:
"Please leave the old armor set there, for the others. Its still in good shape, the other Witchers can use it"


"New armor, then back to our ship?" Johan asked and sheepishly smiled:
"I'm a little hungry to be honest, if we hurry we might still catch the dinner in the mess hall"

(Twilight)


"I.. understand why you feel that way, Twilight" Kaylee sighed: "But, that's not how it happened.


Equestria assaulted the Union.
An Equestrian battleship opened fire on a Union cruiser, in neutral waters. Without provocation, without explanation. The Union cruiser that came under fire was called B-401 Bodewig."


Kaylee looked at you: "You were next to me on the bridge, you remember what happened.
They didn't respond to my hails and just started shooting at us. They killed five of my men, injured a dozen, including Penny. They would've killed you and me.


And I asked them to stop, I begged them, but they never replied. They just kept shooting our ship.
So I sank them." She stiffly looked at the horizon:
"One of our shells must have hit their ammo stockpile and their entire ship exploded, all hands were lost, I killed all of them, to protect my crew.
That's how the war started.


And when we stopped it, a cease fire was signed"







Kaylee quietly sat for a few moments, looking at the horizon:

"Equestria.. didn't loose.

When a country looses a war, everything is destroyed. Homes, land, crops... everything. And the citizens... They're not even treated as human.
Foreign military marches onto your soil, doing whatever they want. Sacking and robbing the cities. Relocating the citizens, however they want. Using them as cheap labor in factories, they don't even have to be payed.

A soldier can just walk into your home, take whatever he wants, beat you up or kill you, and he won't be punished for it. Because nobody cares.

You have no rights anymore, no property of your own, completely at the mercy of the people that conquered your country.

And if you dare to speak up against the oppressors? You disappear."






Kaylee quietly looked at the horizon:
"...that's what happened to my dad and my uncle.
They're not Equestrian.. not originally. They came from a country that doesn't exist anymore. It was located south of Equestria.. you can't even find it on the maps anymore.

They were barely nine years old, kids, when their village was sacked, their parents murdered in front of them. There's nothing left there now, but smoldering ruins, overtaken by nature and overgrowth.

That's what loosing a war looks like"




Kaylee watched the horizon, speaking in a colorless voice:
"Today, Equestria is one of the booming economic superpowers in the world, with limitless opportunities open before its citizens.
An 18 year old girl, with not a penny on her, can receive scholarship and travel to the other side of the world, and study in the college or university of her choosing, if her grades are high enough.

A family can take a vacation in any country, with a single Union passport.

Our country is guarded by a mixed force, comprised not only of Equestrians, but other militaries from at least five different countries.


The different militaries train and serve together, promoting cooperation and friendly relations between countries.
The citizens come together from very different countries, promoting a closer look and understanding of their culture. And understanding brings people together, lowers the chance for conflict."





Kaylee sighed: "The Union isn't a phantom, all powerfull entity. Its just 23 countries, represented by 23 councilors, working together.
One country cannot impose its absolute will on the other. Every decision is made by a majority vote in the council. And if Mercer doesn't like some sort of new law, she only has to swing the opinion of the majority of the councilors to her line of thought. That's how politics always worked.



The Union didn't assimilate Equestria, they're not forcing us to stay part of it, under threat of violence.

If that were the case, we wouldn't be allowed to freely speak up, against the Union. We wouldn't be allowed to criticize its policies. Openly advocating for our separation on national TV and forming political parties to support this ideology.


If the Union was really oppressing us, the first time you would publicly speak in favor of our separation from them... you would disappear.

Quietly and without much notice from the media. You would be shipped somewhere to the north pole, to spend the next 40 years of your life in prison, or the rest of your life.

Or they would just kill you.. make it look like a mugging gone wrong.



None of those things ever happened Twilight." Kaylee looked at you:
"That alone is proof of what the Union actually is. A global collection of countries, ruled by democracy. Equestria chooses to stay a part of it, because its the most beneficial path for its citizens.




As for incidents like the Slavegear" she looked away:

"Progress marches forever forward. We can't stop it, I'm afraid, and we can't change human nature. Its a terrible truth but its true.

From the very moment that humans first invented the sword, a new possibility was immediately born, for this tool to be used for evil.


That's why our blacksmith hesitated so much, before forging the Witcher weapons for us.
In the end, when a sword kills someone, you don't blame the sword, you blame the person who held it."



She grimly looked down: "Scientists will forever try to construct new weapons of war. But its not the fault of the Union, its the fault of human nature itself. New weapons like that will forever be invented, wheather the Union is present on our earth or not..

If the Union bans the production of Slavegears today, a criminal underground lab will pop up tomorrow, and continue doing the same thing, only in secret. Its human nature.

And.. its my job to stop such horrible things from happening, and fight them at every turn. No matter how long it takes... that's why I joined the Union military" Kaylee quietly said.

Rain chuckles at Jorgens obvious confusion, "Johan has the right idea. Let's get back to the other ship. I'm starving."

There was silence on the side of the purple unicorn as she took the worlds in. She then answered.

"No, Equestria did lose that fight. The reason why it wasn't ravaged to the ground was because of negociations for surrender. Throwing in the towel, but not before making sure the people wouldn't suffer. For that, they tossed something aside that disgusts me to the core."

Her face became grim. "They tossed aside their pride for that deal. That may not sound as a loss for some, but that is a loss I would never allow to happen."

She looked ahead again. "If you look at numbers, then yes, it's only a bunch of countries working together. And yes, you can speak freely about it, even negatively. But those numbers do not paint a full picture of the grip the Union has on people. Or how deep it's been rooted into the minds of people."

She looks at Kaylee again. "The tales of the possibilities for our citizens, how easy it is to travel between countries now, do you have any idea how ofen I heard those speeches before? 176 times. I'm not even sure at this point, but that sounds close. Perhaps even once or twice with the exact words. It's rehearsed to me. What I gather from it though, is how much power it grants to the people. And power, as we all know, is the most dangerous drug there is..."

The takes a breath. "Having power is fantastic. It allows you to do so much. What that power is, is unsure. It can come in any form. Money, status, physical abilities, knowledge, the list goes on. But one thing is, if you wish to use that power, you must also carry the responsibilities that come with that power. And I've seen so many people that shirk those responsibilities in favor of personal gain, all because of the freedom granted by the Union."

"And that actually ties into the perception on the freedom of speech. Yes, you can shout that you don't agree with them, then watch as you get bombarded with charts and numbers on 'why your wrong'. But that's just the thing, it's always treated like a joke. When someone even tries to discuss why there's merit to leaving, the ones who tries to reap the most benefit from it try to shoo it away, like their child told them they saw this really huge frog that impressed them. Honestly, I'd be happy if they came to me and tried that. At least then I know I would be taken seriously on the subject for once in my life by these utter tools!" Her eyes snap open in fury.

"I'm sick and tired of it all! Of the corruption! Of the hypocrisy! Of the self-fulfilling acts by these "supporters"! Do you know why the big corperations support the Union? Not for what's best, but to pay less taxes so they can seel their products cheaper and still get a net win! Same for politicians! So comfortable in their seats of power that they would not dare to speak up against it so they won't lose the ability to take several months vacation a year, with a big fancy house on location! And the people too! It's now so easy, why go back to those 'hard times'? This Union support is all for selfish reasons! The idea that it was created of our protection doesn't even cross the minds of 95% of the people! Only how much they profit from it!"

She then raised a finger. "And what a job that military protection does! Since it was put in place, the world hasn't had as much chances to go to shit as it has! And why is it still up there? Because of it's own forces? No! Because of a group that people refer to as "the heroes of Adelheid"? Like hell, we've never accomplished anything! I feel disgusted to be associated with that name, the collective group that bumbles around and somehow should be praised for it all! The reason why all those villians were stopped is because they eventually pussed out! Had everything at gunpoint, ready to pull the trigger, but never did! So because they decided to quit that ambition all of the sudden, we're rewarded?! How utterly backward is that?!"

She exhaled, her body motions loses the liveliness, her voice went down. Her face turn to a deep frown. "I understand there are some who genuinely believe the Union is doing the right thing. But do know that there are just as many, if not more, who are just exploiting the freedom granted by it for their own gains, without expecting to give anything in return. The Union is a light that shines for everyone. But whenever a light is cast..." She turns her head away from the sun, looking at something. "A shadow is formed behind whatever it hits. And what happens in the shadows, well.... We've seen that too many times, often enough side by side."

(Twilight)


"Twilight, you're describing capitalism, it was present in Equestria long before the Union was formed." Kaylee replied, looking at the horizon:


"What the Union amplified, was the opportunities for those willing to seek them. A person that works hard to become a researcher, or a software developer, or an engineer, should be encouraged and supported to do so, as their work later benefits everyone.


Who are we to claim they're doing it for selfish reasons? Even if some of them are, their work benefits everyone. Why is this bad?

Why would we want to go back to the hard times, when a low income family was stone walled from attending a university, or getting a degree, because the astronomical cost of higher education bordered on robbery?
A bright, young child, who had the potential to become a researcher and advance the worlds science, for the welfare of all, is unable to do so, because his family is poor. Those were dark times, there's no need for us to go back there.

The Union heavily invests into the young generation, so they can further worlds healthcare, quality of life, scientific advancements.




What are the merits of leaving the Union?" Kaylee looked at you. She doesn't seem upset, more unnerved:


"If the people of Canterlot closed off their city today and proclaimed independence from Equestria, what would happen tomorrow?
If they proclaimed themselves a new, independent country, free from Equestrian rule, wanting to split away, because they disagree with Equestrian laws and they don't want the Equestrian government telling them what to do.

What would happen then? To their economy, to their security?
Would it be beneficial for the welfare of all? Or would it serve to further divide the people and create even more conflict between them?"





Kaylee frowned at the horizon: "There are men and women serving in the Union military, working hard every day.
Most of them will go unnamed. Most of them will never appear on TV. The media will rarely mention their success and the public will rarely know of their existence.

But they're there. Working behind the scenes to ensure our security. Fighting, bleeding and dying, for the people of earth. They guard the borders and quietly say, 'nothing will harm you tonight, not on my watch'.

Hundreds of thousands of soldiers and security agents across the world, stop hundreds of terror attacks, daily. Most of it never gets publicized, so as not to scare the public, not to shatter the sense of security.


But these soldiers are there and they're fighting for us and our families. Pretending like they do not exist, as if they do nothing, is a huge disservice to them."



Kaylee went quiet and put the eyepatch back on, looking at the horizon.

(Rain, Rogue, Radiance)


Johan waited for everyone to complete their tasks, before zooming into the air, making a somersault and heading off to the ship:

"Mmm.. I can almost smell the local fruits again.." Johan stuck his tongue out, seemingly trying to remember the taste: "Plums and pears... so good"



As you neared the ship and headed towards the familiar group, the following scene came into view.
Ursula and Tim are stiffly trying to play chess, pale and silent as graves.
Kaylee and Twilight are sitting in the middle of their pentagrams. Kaylee has her arms crossed and frowning at the horizon. No one is really talking at the moment.


"..what the heck happened.." Johan quietly whispered.

Rain lands on their ships deck with a heavy thud, thankfully the two sets of wings made the flight possible she steps up next to Johan looking to twilight and Kaylee, then to Ursula and Tim, "well... If I were to guess... Kaylee and Twilight are having a political argument, much like a married couple would. I should know I'm married and I know those faces anywhere." She moves to Ursula and Tim looking at their board a moment, "You should move your knight here babe." She taps a square in front of Ursula's knight, "His bishops can't touch you nor can his rooks, the only thing you have to worry about is the pawn in the next two turns and even then you'll have his Rook and his Queen under your thumb."

Twilighht merely shakes her head. "That's how it appears on the surface, Kaylee. But the truth is not so kind."

"Looking at the children of poor families, maybe only one or two can escape that. And the reason for that is simple, because there is no money, there are very few schools to choose from. Even if they get noted for their excellence in one field and some organization offers a scholarship, they'll revoke it the moment that child stops progressing for whatever reason. The work they put in is much more then those that can afford it, who have much more freedom to socialize and lay connections for later in life. So just because there is a way, doesn't mean that it is already equal."

Her frown becomes more pronounced. "If Canterlot would pull that stunt, I'd praise them for that. But what happens afterwards, well, it's simply that the illusions weaved in the minds of the people is now gone. There would be a massive shift needed in who's going to do what, as they'll need people to work the fields for food, to clean the trash, etc. They'll be in charge of their own security, resources, politics, because they chose that. And if that choose to do so, that choice has to be respected. You can question it, talk to them about it, try to make them see the other side of the argument. But one should never call that decision foolish."

She looked ahead. "And if you worry for the economy, then your worries were in vain. Before the discussion of the merit, I told you, I would be willing to discuss options for economic deals with the nations within the Union. But I want to do that as equals, not under a flag that forces us to play nice. And if things don't work out, then it doesn't, that's only human. What then follows is about how much that choice is respected, something I find a disturbing lack of."

Another sigh escapes. "Again, earlier in my argument I said that small scale attacks are warded better. But the problem lies not within the idea how efficiently it's put down. The problem is, it still exists. And if it keeps happening, perhaps you should find the root of it all. On top of that, when an act comes where it isn't nipped in the bud, it's usually too late. The forces from around the world can't reach in time, while the people suffer for the fact we can only move so fast. The forces present might be so busy healing the damage or warding attacks that attack isn't exactly possible. For that, the other troops need to arrive. And when those come, the enemy can have had the time to take precautions for that."

She shakes her head. "I guess we'll never agree on this. Our faith in that organization is too different. We've seen so much, from different sides, that the opinions formed aren't so easily swayed with a few arguments against it. So I suppose we'll have to disagree forever on that."

After swapping out to his new armor set Radiance once again acts as an air taxi for Rogue. He steps over to the railing and takes a seat on the top. Folding has hands on his lap and letting his legs dangle off so his core can maintain his balance. He silently observes the scene letting the sea air and ambient ship sounds fill his nose and ears.

Rain wrote:"You should move your knight here babe." She taps a square in front of Ursula's knight, "His bishops can't touch you nor can his rooks, the only thing you have to worry about is the pawn in the next two turns and even then you'll have his Rook and his Queen under your thumb."

Ursula moved the knight to the square Rain pointed at. Tim grabbed his face with both hands in horror.

Twilight wrote:"Again, earlier in my argument I said that small scale attacks are warded better. But the problem lies not within the idea how efficiently it's put down. The problem is, it still exists. And if it keeps happening, perhaps you should find the root of it all. On top of that, when an act comes where it isn't nipped in the bud, it's usually too late. The forces from around the world can't reach in time, while the people suffer for the fact we can only move so fast. The forces present might be so busy healing the damage or warding attacks that attack isn't exactly possible. For that, the other troops need to arrive. And when those come, the enemy can have had the time to take precautions for that."

"Are you seriously saying that evil men exist in the world, because of the Union?" Kaylee waved her hand:
"Or are you saying that evil men still exist, because I'm incompetent and suck at my job!?" angry tears were beginning to form in her eyes as she looks at Twilight.




"w-wow.." Johan whispered. He's becoming worried: "..we need to stop this" he whispered, looking at Rain, Rogue and Radiance.

Radiance wrote:After swapping out to his new armor set Radiance once again acts as an air taxi for Rogue. He steps over to the railing and takes a seat on the top. Folding has hands on his lap and letting his legs dangle off so his core can maintain his balance. He silently observes the scene letting the sea air and ambient ship sounds fill his nose and ears.

"Much obliged, ta" Rogue nods to Radiance.

Kaylee Brown wrote:

Rain wrote:"You should move your knight here babe." She taps a square in front of Ursula's knight, "His bishops can't touch you nor can his rooks, the only thing you have to worry about is the pawn in the next two turns and even then you'll have his Rook and his Queen under your thumb."

Ursula moved the knight to the square Rain pointed at. Tim grabbed his face with both hands in horror.

Twilight wrote:"Again, earlier in my argument I said that small scale attacks are warded better. But the problem lies not within the idea how efficiently it's put down. The problem is, it still exists. And if it keeps happening, perhaps you should find the root of it all. On top of that, when an act comes where it isn't nipped in the bud, it's usually too late. The forces from around the world can't reach in time, while the people suffer for the fact we can only move so fast. The forces present might be so busy healing the damage or warding attacks that attack isn't exactly possible. For that, the other troops need to arrive. And when those come, the enemy can have had the time to take precautions for that."

"Are you seriously saying that evil men exist in the world, because of the Union?" Kaylee waved her hand:
"Or are you saying that evil men still exist, because I'm incompetent and suck at my job!?" angry tears were beginning to form in her eyes as she looks at Twilight.




"w-wow.." Johan whispered. He's becoming worried: "..we need to stop this" he whispered, looking at Rain, Rogue and Radiance.

"Roger that" Rogue returns the whisper to Johan, before approaching Kaylee and Twilight.

"Look, guys. I think we all just need to step back a bit and calm down, or else someone might say something they're gonna regret. Besides, we're guests here and in a very public place, we don't want to bother the other Witchers with our heated debate.

Whatever it is you're disagreeing about, I'm sure with cool heads and a change of locale, we'll be able to work this all out, what d'you say?"

Rain moves to Kaylee, "Did you know that 3 out of 10 people who said they had best friends lost those best friends due to different political opinions!" She clears her throat, "Kaylee. Let's take it easy, we all know Twilights stubborn with her opinions, she not once said your bad at your job." She places a hand on Kaylee's back, "You're the best captain the union has ever had. You have saved the world with us on multiple occasions." She looks to Twilight, "Twilight you must choose your words more carefully. Last thing we need is a team splitup."

Twilight rubbed her temples. "You people..."

She looked at the girl in tears. "I said neither of those things. What I said was that the global defense could not reach there in time, due to limitations of out transport, if a local defense gets overwhelmed. And as for evil, it exists in everyone. The Union doesn't make people evil by accident. It does however provide ways to express it, and there's only so much it can do to prevent and protect, without it treading on social boundaries."

She gives a quick look at Rain. "Likewise."

Disgruntled purple wrote:Twilight rubbed her temples. "You people..."

She looked at the girl in tears. "I said neither of those things. What I said was that the global defense could not reach there in time, due to limitations of out transport, if a local defense gets overwhelmed. And as for evil, it exists in everyone. The Union doesn't make people evil by accident. It does however provide ways to express it, and there's only so much it can do to prevent and protect, without it treading on social boundaries."

She gives a quick look at Rain. "Likewise."

"The same could be said of any nation state, the same could be said of Equestria" Rogue says to Twilight, "Our problems've been with us since the dawn of civilisation, they were here before the foundation of Equestria and the Union, and they'll be here after their fall. The problems've change in scale, yes, but at their root they're the same...

People can just be dicks sometimes."

Radiance remains silent and lets the others speak.

"That's up to a certain degree. It can also be to lash out against unfairness, which all societies have in their own ways." Twilight answers. "The degree of how bad they lash out depends on how much they feel slighted and the tools at disposal of the agressors. Especially in comparrisment to the effectiveness of the enforcers. Plus, there's always a flaw in defenses, and now there's no one left to learn from..."

Disgruntled purple wrote:"That's up to a certain degree. It can also be to lash out against unfairness, which all societies have in their own ways." Twilight answers. "The degree of how bad they lash out depends on how much they feel slighted and the tools at disposal of the agressors. Especially in comparrisment to the effectiveness of the enforcers. Plus, there's always a flaw in defenses, and now there's no one left to learn from..."

"We learn from who we've always learnt from" Rogue replies to Twilight, "Ourselves."

"You did say those things Twilight, you implied them in two different ways!" Kaylee called out through angry tears.


She stopped for a moment and looked to the side, as a shadow loomed over the group. The ship captain, the elderly man with a horribly scarred face was standing a meter away, arms crossed and firmly frowning at everyone:

"Listen, to me" he spoke Nifel through gritted teeth, very slowly, carefully pronouncing every word:
"I do not care what your beef is. You're on my ship, we have a long voyage, and I won't have a couple of rookie Witchers, throwing fireballs at each other and burning my ship.

Whatever your beef is, shut it down, until the end of the voyage, or you will swim the rest of the way. I won't ask again" He turned on his heels and marched off.

Rain takes a deep breath after the captain walks away, "Is now really the time to argue about union politics? Can we please save our at home political differences far far away from this. We are in a different world completely and I'm pretty sure Equestria and the rest of the world are completely irrelevant to the situation at hand." She glances across the two, "Enough arguing, we are a team and it's our different cultures that make us fight. I suggest we withold any further discussion about home unless it's about the threat thereof." She looks to Twilight, "Yes I'm being a bitch about it, suck it up." Her eyes then turn to Kaylee, "You too."

Kaylee looked down and nodded.
The ship was briefly awash with lights, as several dozen pentagrams briefly lit up on the top deck, then went dark again. The pentagrams under Twilight, Kaylee and Ursula slightly pulsed with light as well, giving off the same color that was unique to the chosen spells.

When the lights faded and the pentagrams went dark, on the surface, they seemed as if they were just drawings of chalk, but now, you couldn't help but feel a certain power emanating from them. The pentagrams were slightly humming, pulsing with magic. You couldn't see it or hear it, you just felt it in your bones.



"The spell preparation is complete." Ursula said: "No Mana is consumed at the moment.
The Mana cost will only be charged, once we try to use the spells. Remember, it doesn't have to be your own spell, you can utilize any pentagram you find on the deck, as long as your magical category is high enough."


She began folding the chess board together with Tim. It turns out it actually belonged to Ursula in the end:
"Lets head down to the mess hall" Ursula said: "Dinner will be prepared there for the crew"