Chapter 159: Vivi’s Strength
Vivi soared through the sky. Her flame wings beat back the clouds as she rushed forward at top speed.
Usually, this kind of energy expenditure would be considered reckless and putting her at risk. Now, she had no time to care. Smoke rose in the horizon. The smoke of Ouagadougouthe capital of Burkina Faso. Her headquarters.
She sped through the air and over the walls. The people below shouted at her, but the wind stole their words. Her wings took her to the presidential palace courtyard, where a battle had taken place. Corpses were strewn all over the ground. Men and women who used to be her most promising recruits now lay cold and lifeless.
She dropped to the ground, letting her wings dissipate as she took in the destruction. Her rage shimmered and burned, but she held it down.
What happened? she demanded to know.
A man approached her through the rubble. It was the lieutenant general who served as her advisor. He was limping. The Ice Peak executives, he said slowly. They attacked while you were gone. We tried to fight back, but they were too strong.
Pain flooded her heart. Disappointment, regret, guilt.
The professor of the Bare Fist Brotherhood had advised her to tighten her defenses, fearing an imminent strike. Vivi, however, was unsettled. She compared herself to the other two leadersthe professor and Petrovicand found herself lacking. Her people believed in her, wanted her to lead, but she didnt have the calculating skills that her opponent and ally did. She was a warrior queen.
She had decided to play to her strengths instead of fighting a losing battle. Shed taken to the front lines, leading an elite squad, and had conquered two dungeons in the span of a day. Her insecurities had abated, filling her with confidence and satisfaction. Finally, she was doing something right. She was winning.
But she was not. She had left her capital weakened. The Ice Peak had been planning a strike, just as the professor warned, and Vivi just made it easier for them. They had taken advantage of her absence to launch a sharp offensive on her presidential palace, slaying some of the elites she had poured so many resources into before running away.
Nobody would admit it was the Ice Peak. They were in cold war, after all. This attack would be framed as terrorism, but everyone knew what happened. There were even icicles still melting on the ground.
The red and green flagpole at the top of her palace was snapped in half, only a plain pole remaining. The flag itself was missing, no doubt taken as a war trophy.
Vivi wanted to scream.
Instead, she reined in her emotions. She was a leader. Managing this disaster took precedence. Her own peace would come later.
Whats the number of casualties? she asked her lieutenant.
It was an inside job, he replied. His words were calm, steely, but his eyes let a hint of accusation show. Vivi didnt have the heart to confront him about it. We lost thirteen elites, fifty high F-Grades, and a hundred middle ones. The enemy lost nine in total. Additionally, some people in Ouagadougou died by the fires and wide-scale attacks of the offenders, while many were injured. We have managed to put out the fires now, but a small portion of the city is temporarily inhospitable. However, the largest loss we received was in prestige. Our people are in shambles. They are filled with doubt. When I announced we were recruiting, not many showed up.
He gestured to a small kiosk by the side, where a battle-hardened woman sat on a chair with her arms crossed. People came to her in a trickle. Nothing like the rush that usually followed an enlistment opportunity in the prestigious Flame River.
I caused this, Vivi thought. She struggled to keep a straight face as the earth swam beneath her feet. I am ruining my faction and my country.
What should we do, commander? the lieutenant asked, throwing her a level stare. Challenging her. She had to reply and reestablish her authoritybut say what? What was the best course of action right now? How to recover from this disaster? The lieutenant had clearly handled most things already. The wounded were tended to, the corpses slowly removed, and recruitment efforts were already taking place to restock their numbers.
Was she even necessary?
I am not a leader, she thought again, heart swimming in darkness. The people want me, but they are fools. I Why would they even want me? What do they see in me? I am not as smart as the professor or as experienced as Petrovic. All I can do is fight. I truly want to help them, I would lay my life down for them all, but every decision I make is wrong. All I cause them is pain.
I am useless.
A ruckus came from the front gates as Vivi was doubting herself. Belatedly, she turned to look, finding a large crowd rushing her with elation in their eyes. Her guilt intensified.
Dont look at me like that. I did this. I do not deserve your love.
Commander! the first people cried out. Youre back!
Were safe now!
The commander is here!
Their cheers were iron spikes in Vivis heart. Why? she wondered bitterly. Why do you cheer? Stop. Blame me. Curse me. Just dont Dont look at me like that
For the first time in recent memory, tears threatened to come to her eyes. She quickly blinked them away. A small contingent of guards was blocking the crowd, politely yet firmly stopping them from approaching too much. But they were close enough that Vivi could see their souls through their eyes, see the appreciation and belief they held in her, how they adored her.
It wasnt just her performance in the Tournament. Since her return, she had ruled close to the people. She went to the market often, listened to their problems, and worked on solutions alongside them. She helped where she could. She personally apprehended the biggest troublemakers. She roused the spirits of the people, pacified them, and reassured them that everything would be okay.
She led from the front, and the people loved her for that.
But I dont deserve it, she told herself. All I can do is be there for you. I am doing everything I can, but my best is not enough. Why do you still believe in me? Youre dying!
Some of these people had lost friends and lost ones in this attack. She could see the rage in their eyes, the barely chained hatred, but it wasnt directed at her. It aimed for the people who had attacked them. The enemy.
The people are expecting a speech, commander, her lieutenant whispered, stepping beside her. From you.
There it was again. That challenging tone.
Lieutenant general Shemarke wasnt a bad man. After Sadakas passing, Vivi had chosen him as her closest assistant because of his principles. He was a strict but deeply kind, integral person. They were on the same page.
His challenge now wasnt because he yearned for power. He didnt want the seat of commander for himself. He just genuinely doubted her ability, wanted to see how she would face this challenge. If she didnt rise up to the occasion, she would lose his support, fair and square.
Vivi had half a mind to tell him to give a speech. Just that small thing would be enough to relinquish her authority. She really wanted to give up. What could she even say?
But she saw the fire in the eyes of those people. They had just received an attack. They had seen their city burned and their protectors killed. They were in pain. If she left them too, if she betrayed their trust, they would truly lose all their hope in the world.
No, she couldnt let that happen. She had to be there for them. She knew these people. Now was not the time to cower. It was time to act. She had to help them.
Vivi stepped forth and raised a hand. The people quieted in a wave that started from the front rows and headed to the back. She cleared her throat. She had no idea what to say, but she had to say something.
A thousand things crossed her mind. In the end, she just decided to address the elephant in the room.
We received a loss today, she began, her System-enhanced lungs carrying her voice over the entire courtyard. She was surprised by the commanding tone she heard in the echo. Detestable people infiltrated and assaulted us. I wont say names, but everyone knows who they are. They killed our warriors, set our homes aflame, and terrorized our families.
Sounds of agreement came from the crowd.
Vivi felt like she was torn in two. She was inside her mind, numb, hearing the words coming out of her mouth like it was someone else talking.
They only got away with it because I wasnt here. They didnt dare attack in my presence. They are cowards, backstabbers, calculating dicks.
More sounds of agreement, along with a bit of roaring laughter. She wanted nothing more than to admit her fault and take the blame for everything, but that wasnt what these people needed to hear now. They needed support. Encouragement. Something to believe in.
The details were better saved for her advisors.
I know you are all pained by what happened today. So am I. In fact, I am burning with rage and sadness. I knew every single one of the people who fell. I have chatted with them, walked with them, trained with them, listened to their problems like I listen to yours. My grief is terrible, and trust me, it will not abate until I make things right.
She was swept up by her emotions now. Her guilt was replaced by righteous rage, by the deep desire to pay back the Ice Peak, to stop them from harming her people again. She might step down after today, she might be shamed, but that changed nothing. Even as the lowliest of soldiers, she would still fight.
Vivi flowed to the forefront of her mind again, becoming one with the person who gave this rousing speech, sinking into the moment.
They will not get away with this, she thundered, full of fury. She projected confidence and leadership. The peoples pain disappeared. Smiles blossomed on their faces, their spirits repaired. We are Flame River. We are Burkina Faso. When disaster strikes, we will not break. We will fight, we will rise, and we will strike back. Nobody can oppress us. Make no mistake; justice will be served, sooner or later, and I will be at the very front, fighting Alexander Petrovic for all of you, all of us. Death is nothing before our fire.
More roars. Vivis voice turned louder.
March beside me, warriors! Take up arms and fight. Tell your families that a life fought is a life well lived. You are all heroes, every single one of you. Rise with me and roar, fight for our lives, for what we believe in. We are Burkina Faso. We are Flame River. We are heroes. And we. Will. Not. Fall!
The crowds roar swept her like a fierce gale, blowing back her robes and hair. Vivi stepped against the wind and roared with them, her flames rising like a torch, flowing like a river. She threw her head back and unleashed a wildfire into the sky, a beacon visible across Ouagadougou, rousing the spirits of every soul who could hear their combined roar.
No attack could hold them down. They fell, but they rose again. They were warriors. Heroes.
The crowd streamed into the recruitment kiosk, so fierce they almost overwhelmed the woman presiding over it. The ones who remained met Vivis eyes, nodding excitedly and stepping off with renewed vigor. Suddenly, the injured city was only a backdrop that made them stronger.
Send more people to the recruitment, Shemarke, Vivi said, turning to the lieutenant general. She realized she was out of breath and sweating a bit, but that was fine. Her heart was on fire. She was so fucking happy that shed helped her people.
The lieutenant stared at her, his gaze complex. Finally, he lowered his head. Yes, commander.
Vivi was taken aback. He had relented? Where was the challenging tone from before? All shed given was a rousing speech. She remained partly at fault for what happened. Why did he
Oh.
Suddenly, it was clear. The guilt clouding her mind receded like a pulled curtain, revealing reality for what it was.
She was not useless. The professor and Alexander Petrovic may be smarter and more skilled than her, but she had something they didnt: warmth. Fire. She led from the front, her back a beacon of courage to the people. Her army was made of lions.
That was why the lieutenant relented. This was her power. The love she shared with her people, the fire she transmitted to them. Something that Petrovic, cold and calculating as he was, would never have.
There was a reason she led the revolution that overthrew Burkina Fasos dictatorship. There was a reason she led Flame River. There was a reason everyone believed in her.
The professor and I each have our own strengths, she realized.
Shemarke, she called out. Let the professor know that I will listen to her instructions from now on, okay? I will handle battle, she will handle everything else. Actually, you know what? Nevermind. Ill head there myself.
Yourself? He hesitated, his newly found faith shaken. Thats
Trust me, Shemarke. I know what Im doing. There are some things I must discuss with the professor alone. And not just her. Her brows fell. Now that she realized where her strength lay, she knew what she had to do. There was one weapon that their alliance wasnt utilizing, a strong card that, if available, could have averted this disaster and let her lead the army like the warrior queen she was.
Edgar.
Who refused to participate in the war and cultivated alone. Who let their people drop like flies when he could save them. What he lacked was fire in his heart.
And Vivi would give him just that.
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