Quote:
Originally Posted by Ryus
...and this is why MisterJB is a "glorious beacon of light" according to what the rep bar says anyways. 
Though I think he meant attack the West immediately and not the East.  |
Uh huh, glorious beacon of light indeed. Now, I've been thinking about it, but the Priscilla-Destroyer conflict seems destined to drag on longer than I think Prissy is counting on. I'll give some reasons why:
1) The Destroyer is incredibly powerful, and has already deceived Priscilla once
2) The Destroyer is the only known Awakened Being to be able to gorge upon non-sentient life
This point actually has a real-world analogy. The best I can think of is the war of attrition between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union. Nazi Germany had almost all of the advantages at the outset of that conflict. It had a better equipped army, a better military leadership (excepting at the very top), and a far better air force. Like their historical counterparts, Priscilla and the Destroyer started out fighting each other via proxy war (ex. the Hellcats) just like Nazi Germany successfully beat the Republicans in Spain who were allied to the Soviets.
Round 1 went to both Prissy and Nazi Germany
Round 2 seems to have been both Prissy's initial attack on the Destroyer and Nazi Germany's initial attack upon the USSR. Priscilla annihilated the Destroyer's initial form only to discover that in fact it wasn't the true core of the creature's essence. Nazi Germany mounted what seemed a hugely successful initial summer/fall offensive against the Soviets in a similar fashion, wiping out via death or capture 2 million men out of the 4 million man Red Army.
On first glance both the USSR and the Destroyer seem like they would surely lose. Besides losing half its army, the USSR lost regions that provided the vast majority of its food, the vast majority of its steel, and a large chunk of their population. The Destroyer similarly seems to have lost a great deal to Priscilla's initial attack.
It's what comes after this moment that may change Priscilla's opinion that she is unbeatable. What came after the initial German attack in 1941 was a furious winter offensive by the Soviets, which halted and even pushed back the Nazi advance. The Soviets began rebuilding their Red Army almost immediately, building up reserves and moving production eastwards. Eventually they beat the Nazis on the strength of their mass resources and their enormous capacity for war.
Will the Destroyer be able to rebuild itself faster than Prissy can take it down? If it can, and also inflict some damage in the interim, expect to see a horrific war of attrition. Given the Destroyer's ability to gorge upon all life, that's not a war I'd necessarily bet on Priscilla winning
3) Priscilla does not have limitless reserves of energy
Shocking as it may be for Shiek to hear, it needs to be said. Priscilla seems to be at full strength now, having devoured parts of 2 Abyssal One-level people. But that Destroyer is a persistent thing, and has hit Priscilla with numerous bits that on occasion demand Prissy tap her energy reserves to heal. The question is how long can Prissy keep it up versus the Destroyer being able to.
4) The Destroyer is smarter than we give it credit for
Producing a fake doll for Prissy to destroy seems to suggest that either this thing actively thought that out, or Rafaela's last wish is all the Destroyer knew how to do. I humbly suggest, given the incredible development of the Destroyer now moving parts of its main body out and devouring all nearby life, that we might have a case for at least some sentience.
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There's a wild card in all this, and that's Claire and what happens with her. If, as I think might happen, the Destroyer melds its remains into Claire's body as Prissy destroys the rest, then we're in unprecedented territory. Think of it as a way the Destroyer might actually be able to take over a body with enough latent strength to actually take on Prissy. Of course, to hedge my bet here, there's also a strong chance that the Destroyer is merely trying to siphon energy from claire's horrifically mutilated body. So what happens next?
Well, you heard my take on most of it, so why don't some of you add your own?