Summary: "1000 years ago, the Emperor struck a deal with Ancient Evils, turning forty-eight into a thousand, leading to centuries of prosperity. Now, the Emperor's last descendant must return to the Throne, lest darkness fall."
The boy's carcass was still steaming and sizzling, like a hot skillet meal, when they took it away.
"Fucking brat. Useless to the end." Honest bit into the end of a pork roast, his teeth crunching on the fat bitterly.
"What should we do, sir?" said one of his advisors. "Without the Emperor, the Judgments will fail in a matter of days! The Empire will-"
"I know better than you, moron. Stop telling me things I already know," Honest snapped, tearing off another chunk with no small ferocity. Without an Emperor, no one would sit on the Throne. Without the Throne, there was no Empire, and the vultures would take it apart, piece by piece.
He looked back at the Throne, so humble and quaint in design. Some had even said it looked far too simple and ordinary to be a powerful thing: silver and white and bronze clashing together in tacky form. But looks, in this case, were very deceiving. The Throne was not merely a symbol. It was the ironclad center of the whole Empire, and was the heart of its prosperity as a nation. Whoever sat on that Throne quite literally controlled the Empire.
It was far from an ordinary chair. The thing had a mind of its own, like the many Imperial Arms bestowed upon the Emperor. It would reject anyone who dared sit on it who did not bear the First Emperor's blood, turned them to ash upon contact, burning through armor and clothes.
Though even the descendants were not spared-those the Throne deemed "unworthy" were fried after a short while, cooked to a crisp like that poor unfortunate child they just carried off. There was no criteria for its killing of Emperors-bastards became Emperors over their more legitimate kin in that way.
At this point, Honest wouldn't have cared less for the Throne now that the kid was dead. The Empire could rot in pieces with his blessing-there were many contingencies for his taking positions in various states that would arise from its corpse, though of course his title would be smaller than "Chancellor of the Empire".
Still, not all was as hopeless as it appeared. There was at least one more trump card he could still play, one he'd held in reserve for many years. Though he had slaughtered many who bore the Emperor's blood, he spared this one thing, for an unlikely day such as this.
"Prepare the fastest airship you can find," he ordered. This would have to be handled with care and with utmost speed. News would have already spread of the young Emperor's unfortunate death, and with no apparent relations left the Empire's teetering position was made even more precarious. An Emperor must be anointed, even if it was possibly for the last time.
Now, who would he assign the work? They needed to be quite discreet, would be strong enough to take on whatever challenge with just a small token of men, and would be "trusted" to not betray Honest at the last second, for they would need to be entrusted with the truth of the person they would be escorting back to the Throne.
After a few second's thought, the Chancellor only saw one face appear in his mind's eye.
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Airships were an unusual sight, even in the thousand years since the First Emperor's blessed reign. It was even more unusual in the farflung areas of the Empire, where traditional horse-drawn carriages and the occasional lumbering steam-powered trains were more common to see. Out here, on a remote snowbound village, such sights were was equivalent to fireside fairytales for each villager, who could only count on the word of the few merchants who deigned to pass by their humble hoves. And they may have just been hallucinating from the deep cold.
Seeing an airship appear was then just as amazing as seeing a dragon fly past. The thing's appearance even lent to the imagination: sleek in body, like a bird's, expelling fire and smoke from its nethers, with jagged, bat-like wings that never moved.
Even more surprising were the soldiers emerging from the thing's "mouth". The village's strongest defenders lined up to bar the sudden visitors, wary of an attack. The soldiers paused, also taking up formation all around the village, blocking the way in and out.
What was even more surprising for the villagers was the appearance of a strange apparition-a tall, statuesque woman who would not have looked out of place in this snowy environment. Her long, blue hair waved like snow reeds in the biting wind, and she stalked over the snow with a confidence known only to those who'd lived in this element for a long time.
"Greetings, I am an envoy from the capital," the woman said, caressing the villagers with her piercing gaze. Even the hardiest of their hunters froze at the sheer presence that exuded from her eyes-it was like staring right into the eyes of a danger beast. As a result, all of them held their tongue, as if their lips had been sealed shut by some frigid wind.
"I am here for a boy. A child, said to have lived here." She reached into the front pocket of her uniform, withdrawing a small sketch given to her by the Chancellor, which also had a hastily written description in the back. "Said to have the 'blood of the savage east', and... what the hell is this chicken script-bah." She threw the sketch towards the villagers, who watched it drift in the wind. "Basically, give me the kid who looks like that."
The village elder stooped to pick up the sketch. It was of a child, drawn by an unknown artist. "We do not have babies at the moment, honored one. But-" the elder turned to the other side, and scrunched up his eyes to read what was on there. "Hmmm...! Born to a woman who drifted here from outside. From the east...! Why, it can only be one of two people. Sayo's mother we took in when we found her at the hunting grounds, so it can only be either Ieyasu, or T-"
"Please, spare me your rambling, old man," said the woman. "If you know who and where he is, then do not tarry in producing him. My patience is as thin as the spring ice."
"Why yes, we do know him well. But it's..." the elder gestured, his eyes turning to the forest at the outskirts of the village. "He's... out."
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Down the boy ran, skidding through the snow as the beast lumbered through the forest, flattening trees with its massive paws. The frenzied bear had only eyes for its quarry, the being who had disturbed its slumber. Its mouth slavered at the thought of tearing the offending creature limb from limb.
"Hey, give me a break!" Tatsumi shouted, whipping over a branch mere seconds before the bear turned the whole tree to splintered bark. "It was just an accident you stupid thing!"
The rampaging bear did not hear, nor did it stop. The route Tatsumi had taken through the stonebark trees did not seem to faze the creature, whose tough hide withstood the sharpened splinters-each one sharp enough to pierce a man's chest.
"As expected of a beast, you're just a big pain aren't you?" He frowned. He couldn't lead it back to the village-too many people would get hurt, even if he knew himself and all the hunters there could combine to take it down. He relished the day when he could personally fight a danger beast to a standstill, even kill it, but his skills were still too raw and lacking. That was why he'd even gone out of the village even with a blizzard on the way.
The chance thought came to him that he might just die today. Wouldn't that be a hilarious way to die, just a bloody smear on some random bear's paws. "Fuck you!" he shouted. "I ain't gonna go down that easily, you f- oh crap!"
He'd made a mistake: jumping on a branch that was too brittle. His feet broke it, and he fell to the snow, his momentum lost, the beast coming ever closer.
Out came his dagger, held firmly in tense fingers. "I can do this," he thought to himself, watching two tons of killing muscle charge ever closer. Nothing in this world was invincible, and he would find this thing's weakness. Even if it killed him.
Laughing at the insanity of his actions, he dashed forward, straight into the jaws of death. But a moment later, the bear's side exploded, and a second later it was knocked to the side, as if a massive rock had barreled into it. He stared after the thing as it rolled far away, its blood trailing it through entire meters of snow. His head creaked back to the source and saw an unusual sight.
It was a beautiful woman, staring coldly at him, her arms crossed in front of her breasts.
"So you're him? Well come on then, 'Emperor'. You've got a job to do."
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The villagers watched Tatsumi being dragged away by the woman back to the airship. They could not even say their goodbyes, nor even protest at the unsightly treatment of one of their own: the woman had told them that her soldiers would remain here for the time being, until they would be recalled. Should anyone try anything stupid, the whole village would be torched until nothing remained, not even a memory.
"And mark this," the woman had said, before departing, "Each of these are veterans of a hundred battles. Challenge them if you please, though please give them the courtesy of a good fight." Such threats uttered behind a mask of pure sincerity, so they had no choice but wring their empty hands.
Still, it rankled, seeing the woman just manhandle a protesting Tatsumi, his clothes still dripping with bear blood and offal, into the strange flying contraption. Though an orphan, he was one of them. A moment later, the thing rose in the air, and turned before screeching away on the bitter wind.
"Who the hell are you?" Tatsumi repeated. He looked around him. The inside of the "airship" was a cramp mess, the short height and width of everything needing him to curl up into a ball just to sit. "And what the hell do you mean, 'emperor'? What's that gotta do with me?" The woman rolled her eyes, and looked away pointedly from him. He slammed his hand on the floor. "Hey! Answer me! You can't treat me like this!"
"Who is this innocent babe who pretends to be a man?" the woman said. She glared at him coldly, though there was a smile on her face. Her eyes flashed, and Tatsumi felt his throat lock up, as if he were choking. "Do not test me. This ride is discomforting enough; bark at me any more than necessary and I will freeze all the blood in you."
"Kkh!" Tatsumi squinted, struggling against the sudden paralysis gripping his body. Hell, it was like staring into the bear all over again. At the thought of his near death experience, Tatsumi sighed and relented. "I'm... I'm sorry. I'm just not used to being dragged around like this. And, I mean... you did kill that bear for me. So I'm grateful for that."
The woman waved dismissively. "That thing was not even worth my time."
"You're pretty strong, then."
"I always am," she said with a small grin, raising her hand and clenching it tight. "And you will need more than that to survive the capital. You shall not have someone like me to get rid of bears."
"The capital?" Tatsumi gaped. "Y-you're taking me there?"
"You're not the sharpest sword in the forge, are you kid?" She gestured. "The Chancellor has-"
"Tatsumi!" he shouted suddenly. The woman froze, as if she'd turned into a statue. "Tat-su-mi. That's my name. I'm not 'kid'."
For a moment he thought she would turn her glare to him once more, as she stared at him with her displeased eyes. Then, the moment passed, and she laughed.
"What's so funny?"
"An amusing child. You stare death in the face and dare to laugh. Hahaha! I'll remember you wherever your path leads, 'Tatsumi'."
"What's that supposed to mean, lady?"
"It's Esdeth," she said in turn. "You may call me Esdeth. I am no puffed up court 'lady'. I am a General of the Empire. I do not generally escort people like this."
"Oh. Huh. Well, you're escorting me? To the Emperor?"
"No," Esdeth said. "I do not like to repeat myself, so listen well. You are the Emperor."
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"Ah, welcome, welcome!" Honest's jovial greetings nearly bowled over the smaller Tatsumi as he took his hands in his and shook it up and down, like he were violently swinging a sword. "It is good to see you... 'my lord'. Ohohoho, you have done a good job. A very good job, Esdeth."
She inclined her head. "I always do."
"Indeed, indeed. Now, we shall need you and your Beasts on hand at the capital for now. Expect my word should anything happen." Unspoken was the agreed-upon stipulation, a backup in case this backup failed. The Imperial Capital without the Emperor was just a city, however splendid, but it would be better to hold it more than any other territory in case the worst happened.
"I don't understand... um, sir. What am I doing here? And why's Esdeth been calling me emperor?" asked a guileless Tatsumi.
"All in good time," said Honest, leading the young man away. He shot one last look down the steps at Esdeth, before he plastered his face with sycophantic expressions. "You see Tatsumi, you are a special child, didn't you know that? In your blood runs the last traces of the First Emperor's own. Though you were born out of wedlock, and are, harrumph, forgive me for saying, a 'bastard'... it makes it no less a fact that you carry the Imperial blood. And that is more important than whoever gave birth to you, at least with regards to the Throne."
It was quite unfortunate that the Throne knew of the truly illegitimate, whom previous men of ambition had tried to install on it, only for them to be incinerated for their trouble. Since then, people like Honest learned to be more precise with the intrigues circling around the Imperial seat. Honest had done his homework, tracking down all of the rapacious Emperor Zuum II's "conquests" and making sure he knew every single one. Tatsumi's mother was herself a daughter of a scullery maid whom the Emperor had impregnated, the man allured by her foreign green eyes.
"Whoa..." Tatsumi breathed. "You mean I'm some sort of long-lost prince?"
Honest could almost chuckle at the wonder that stole over the boy's face. At a glance, he could already see the boy's measure. Simplistic and naive, though with a hidden edge that he should try to temper. The very fact that this country hick had endured an airship ride with Esdeth without a scratch already spoke volumes. The General was not known to suffer fools.
"Not just a prince, now. You must know that your relative, the previous Emperor, has died."
"Oh." A troubled expression came over Tatsumi's face.
Honest nodded, mirroring the sad sentiment. "Yes. A sad affair. One we have not yet announced, until we'd found a suitable successor. He was yet a child, you know. Cute and precocious... as young as he was, he could not yet father children, to continue the line. Do you know about that, m'boy? Sex?"
Tatsumi blushed. "Of course. I-"
"Then that is good! You're much older than he was, so you can manage it. Though we're getting ahead of ourselves, so don't go thinking of the harem you want to build just yet!" Honest chortled, making the boy flush even further.
He took the young man to the throne room. No sense in delaying even an hour in testing Tatsumi. The latter stared with awe at the seat of power, so intimidating even in its small and humble state. "Do you know of the legend of the Empire's founding, my lad?"
"Only bits and pieces," said Tatsumi, waving vaguely, his gaze still mesmerized by the Throne. He recited the tale, passed down for a millennium, a story widespread among the people of the Empire. "Someone came to the Emperor, once all the fighting was gone. He was gifted a thousand wondrous objects, which would later be called the 'Imperial Arms'."
"Ah, yes. A little condensed, but it is all true." Honest did not feel the need to mention the Wanderer's Bargain: the price for gifting the Emperor these things, nor of the hidden cost of each Arms-the Demon's Due. "Through these objects the Emperor had been able to uplift the Empire to a golden age, of sorts. Airships, railroads, and magical carriages of steam and steel. But what most of them doesn't know, is that all of it flows from this sole object. The throne. It is magical in itself. Through it one literally governs the entire area of the Empire. It is a secret known only to the Emperors, and their closest servants. I myself was taught this by our late Emperor's father-bless his soul."
"So what does it all mean?"
Honest pointed to the throne. "If you are truly the Emperor, then the throne will accept you. From then on you shall be crowned the next Emperor... Emperor Tatsumi, or whatever name you choose." Tatsumi gulped, another blush forming at the thought. "However, the throne will also reject whoever is not worthy. Bad things can happen." Tatsumi paled. "It has happened," Honest repeated, with a grim look on his pudgy features. Then he grinned, and clapped Tatsumi on the shoulder. "This is your chance. You can refuse, if you want. After all, not everyone wants to rule. It's tedious, no? But if you also wish to be Emperor, then you've a right to know the risks. Not every man can be Emperor, after all."
Tatsumi swallowed, and once more turned his gaze to the featureless throne. It looked so small and simple that he could not imagine it rising up to destroy him. He looked from it, to Honest, who merely glanced back at him with curiosity. A lifetime seemed to stretch from one moment to the next as Tatsumi contemplated his choice. On one hand, he had no idea how to rule: he was a simple guy from a faraway village, who'd learned to hunt and survive in the harsh wastes. He balked at the thought of shouldering the weight of an entire Empire on his shoulders. On the other hand, he had always dreamed of doing right by the people who'd raised him from birth. He and his friends had even spoken of a near future when they would gather their strengths and find work at the Capital from where they could earn and send money to their village. But with him as Emperor...
A fresh, giddy warmth stole through him, even as his grin widened. Yeah, why shouldn't I be Emperor? Tatsumi thought. It honestly sounded like a cool idea! He took a step forward, and nodded to Honest. The man bowed.
"If it is by your will... my lord." Honest did not bother trying to hide his wide smile as his gaze followed Tatsumi's ascent up the royal stairs to the throne at the top. Still, he subconsciously crossed his fingers behind his back, aware that the thing might just cock things up at the last minute.
I hope you're not a failure, child, thought the Chancellor. He braced, like he were trying to endure a sudden squall, as Tatsumi paused at the top, turned around, then sat down on the Imperial Seat.
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There was more than token apprehension in him. After all, he had not been given enough time to think about it. He was acting more on impulse now, his heart beating hard and loud in his chest, as if he were still being chased by that monstrous bear. Thus, his entire body trembled as his buttocks settled against the throne. He closed his eyes, as if he were expecting an invisible blade to fall upon his head. Fear gripped his body, as cold and relentless as the blizzards of his home.
"Huh."
Moments had passed in silence. Tatsumi looked around, expecting but not seeing the danger of which Honest had warned. His hands gripped the armrests, and he shifted nervously in his seat. He glanced at Honest, who was staring intently at him.
"...Nothing's happening, wha-oh craaaa-"
Pain, like a thousand tiny sharp needles, lanced into his body. He jerked up from the chair, his back arching and his muscles convulsing. He screamed; his consciousness engulfed in white-
Contribution analyzed, said a booming voice in his head. Soul binding process initiated.
"Who is that?" Tatsumi shouted, speaking without a voice.
Initial scan of contribution complete. N-Nephalem match ratio is-is-is-is ninety-one percent. Proceeding activ-activ-activ-activation of pr-activation of protocols-cols-cols-protocols.
"I don't understand!" Tatsumi said. He paused. "Are you the thr-gaaah!"
There was little way to describe the insurmountable pain that shot through his whole spine, like tiny daggers running up and down the center of his back. The back of his head hurt from how he'd bashed it against the throne's back.
"Sir!" Tatsumi yelled into the limitless whiteness in front of him, calling for the Chancellor. "Sir Honest! Help!"
And just as he was about to throw up from the pain, the voice returned and said, Sync... kssht... process at fif-fifty persssssenttt... INITIATE USER DISPLAY.
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The child wasn't burning; that was a good sign. In fact, he recalled the last Emperor, who'd also thrashed within the binds of the Throne when he'd first sat on it. So Honest stood back and watched the process-at this stage he was gratified that the boy truly had the last bit of the First Emperor's blood in him, and that was a good start.
He blinked, and stared intently at the boy's body when it sagged, lifeless, against the throne. He peered for signs of smoke or fire.
"Sir Honest?" asked the boy this time, stirring from rest. He looked around; his eyes were shining! Well, that was another barricade scaled. The old Emperor had displayed those glowing eyeballs too when he'd sat on the Throne; that meant the Throne had accepted the boy-for now.
"I'm seeing a heck of a lot of things... Whoaaa... I think these're... numbers? I can't be sure. And there're letters here too. I can barely read... Yep, there's a whole bunch of numbers and letters here. Sir, are you there?"
"Your loyal servant is ever vigilant, my lord," Honest said with quavering voice. "How is your condition?"
"It hurt. Real bad," said Tatsumi. "And there were these strange voices at the start. Anyway, I'm looking at something really strange. What the heck is all this? Do you know about it?"
Honest hesitated, and then said, "Why, that is the magic of the Throne, my lord. I have not seen it myself, but my previous masters had said that those strange images are exactly what they saw." He sighed."From the Throne, the Emperor sees all that is within the Empire's domain. Those 'numbers' mean certain things: conditions all around our glorious Empire. You see a map there, right?"
"...Yeah. It's right below me. Holy crap! It's like I'm flying!"
"Yes, yes, that is how it is done. Look below you, do you see the capital?"
"Yes."
"Are there numbers, words on it?"
"Ummm..." The boy bowed his head, his glowing eyes squinting. "Yeah... I think. There's something called... prosperity? Yeah. Prosperity's at two thousand."
"Hah! That is at least two greater than the previous Emperor, my lord."
"Really? But what does it mean-"
"How about the others?"
"Umm... Well there's population: something about a million. And, er... Teigu count. Forty-six. What's that mean?"
"It means there are forty-six Imperial Arms within the capital's walls, my lord. It may sound difficult to believe, but the Throne is aware of, and lets the Emperor alone see, the numbers that are important to ruling."
"Whoa!" Tatsumi looked up, straight at the ceiling. "Then that means, the Empire's really poor? We've only got two hundred gold in the treasury?"
Honest grimaced, as if he had been personally attacked. Such a keen child... "It saddens me to admit it, but it is the reality of the current Empire, my lord. Constant rebellions from misguided fools have killed our people, disrupted our trade, and reduced our subject's morale to a pittance. A sad epitaph for the Empire the First built."
"Wait, 'Rebellions'. Holy...yikes. That's a whole bunch of them, in red over there." Tatsumi pointed and gestured with his hands, as if he were grasping at something only he could see.
"It is impressive how you've managed to master the Throne's abilities, my lord. As I'd said, the Throne is the lynchpin upon which the Empire relies. As Emperor, you will be given many such information from the Throne. Now, my lord, would you care to stand up from the Throne for now?"
"Huh? Sure, but why?" Tatsumi stood, and immediately, the glow that spewed from his eyes disappeared. He blinked, staring around the royal chambers like a blind man whose eyesight had been returned. Before his eyes, the maps that had been there, along with all the shapes and words and numbers had disappeared, like he'd been merely daydreaming.
"I... wow." He looked down and did a double take.
A whole bunch of people were now there below along the foot of the stairs, with Honest at their head. They were all prostrating on the ground before him, their foreheads practically touching the floor.
"My lord, congratulations. The Throne has meted its judgment. You are the rightful heir-last of the First Emperor's blood. May you guide us all to victory and peace... Emperor Tatsumi!"
"Hail, Emperor Tatsumi!" the others cheered.
Tatsumi scratched his cheek. "Ahh... that sounds kinda lame. Just call me Emperor for now, please. I gotta figure out a cooler one..."
"Very well then. As my lord wills," Honest said, hiding his sneer. "Hail our new and glorious Emperor!"
"Hail!"
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The news came; though by then they had already long known.
"Is that right, ma'am?" asked the woman, with long, black hair. She stared sullenly up at the gold carving of the eye, which had until now been closed. Now, not long after news had arrived of the Emperor's death, the sigil of the Watcher had suddenly glowed above the chambers of their current hideout. "I thought he had died?"
"What does it all mean?" they asked among themselves, and their leader.
Najenda, who had seen it before, said, "It means that there is now a new Emperor," she said grimly. "And one who can control the Teigu, unlike that child. We've got no choice but to relocate. He can see us now."
"Understood!" they all said, then went along to their duties.
The scarred veteran looked back up to the eye. Would that they could blind it permanently, so that the people might live. The news of the child Emperor's death had filled them with hope: now, with the Eye's awakening, they knew it would be a long and bloody trail towards the new Emperor's neck.
"But do not fear, 'my lord," Najenda muttered, imagining a cringing, weak man behind the form of the evil, corpulent Honest, "Night Reid will give you peace, soon enough." One way or another, the Empire must fall, to break the Wanderer's Bargain once and for all.
Hi there! So my previous High School DxD story wasn't really working, and I had trouble trying to expand it. I'll come back to it another time, but in the meantime, I wrote this. It's my first, technically second, non-smut work (though there are plans for such content here in the future), which I plan to do in-between commissions.
As always, if you want a story commissioned, just shoot me a message here, or on my tumblr "theruffpusherdottumblrdotcom".