Former Captain Malcharion of the 10th company of the VIII Legion, the Nightlords, now Warsage currently residing entombed inside a sarcophagus of a venerable dreadnought was not amused. Not. One. Bit. His last memories were from the 10th company strikecruiser the Covenant of Blood, dueling against Raguel the Sufferer of the Blood Angels. He had killed Raguel ten thousand years ago during the Horus Heresy on Holy Terra. And he had killed him again the second time aboard the Covenant of Blood. Sharp pain in his left hand brought him awake, pain in his real left arm. He hadn't felt such pain in his time inside the sarcophagus. Only the phantom pains were what he felt when his dreadnought armor had taken damage. Although he was sure he had died too, yet here he was, alive as one can be inside a dreadnought surrounded by what looked like children of schola and various creatures.
He brought reactor powering him from mere trickle to full combat power and then back to standard moving gear. Flexing his powerfist to make sure it worked and then he took few steps forwards causing children to back away from him. Before him was a man who looked like a teacher and a small girl hiding behind the man peering at him. How amusing that might have been if not for the fact that he was alive and not aboard the Covenant of Blood surrounded by his brothers.
Unless... Current captain of the 10th, the Exalted, formerly known as Vandred feared and hated him. Maybe he thought he could get rid of him by throwing him out of the airlock or just leaving him on planet side. But then again prophet would have fought against such decision and the rest of the legion would have followed him. No. Vandred was not such fool. Maybe the voidshields had failed on the Covenant and warp had taken him and then spat him out on some daemon world. Then again...this place didn't seem like a daemon world. But then again what he knew? He had slept over ten thousand years in galactic scale. For all he knew all these people might be daemons in disguise. Well, no point in worrying, if they'd attack him he would have them meet the business end of his twin-linked Reaper-pattern autocannon and powerfist.
Well then, on with the confusion. "If this is my brothers idea of a funny joke then I'm not laughing." He boomed at them. The crowd just looked confused and slackjawed like they should be. He pointed at the man he assumed was teacher with one of his claws. The claw almost pierced the poor man's head. "You'd better explain the current situation to me." The man he had addressed opened and closed his mouth few times, trying to force sound from his suddenly dry mouth.
"Hnnn...Maybe the little one knows how to speak?" Malcharion queried. This elicited a small, yet indignant squeak from the pink haired girl in question.
Louise seethed. How dare this golem she had summoned belittle her? Yes she knew she was rather short and little under developed for her age but did that thing have to brush it against her face? She stomped before the golem.
"I, Louise Françoise le Blanc de la Vallière summoned you here to be my familiar, sentient golem or not, I will not tolerate you mocking me!" She yelled at the golem, with the slightest of trembling in her voice betraying her nervousness.
That elicited an reaction from it. With speed belying its size the golem grabbed her with its claws and she found herself staring at the leering skull of golem's head.
"So you are the reason why I am here and not dead?"It growled at her and gripped slightly harder.
"If it were under any other circumstances I might have felt grateful to be alive but not anymore."
"Let me go you stupid familiar!"
"You are not in a position to make any demands, child. What for did you summon me?"
"Let her down!" Man's voice called at him. It seemed the teacher had finally gotten his wits about.
"This is the Sacred Spring time familiar summoning ritual. It is supposed to summon creatures from all around of Halkeginia!"
Malcharion lowered Louise to ground. "I see. I have never heard of Halkeginia and I have a feeling that you haven't heard of the Old Night, Great Crusade or God Emperor of Mankind?"
The man frowned. "No, I haven't ever heard of these things before, nor have I read any documents consisting any of them."
"Very well then. I was no diplomat during my life and that hasn't changed with my death. I am known as Malcharion the Reborn, Warsage of the VIII Legion, the Night Lords."
"And I am Jean Colbert, professor here at the Tristrain Academy of Magic. May I see your hand to see the runes the contract created for you?"
"Hnnn.." Malcharion grumbled and let professor see the back of his powerfist. Where the VIII legion heraldry, the skull with red bat wings was painted. Professor Colbert took a look and wrote the runes inscribed in the middle of the skull down into a scroll and mumbled to himself. "Hmm, interesting 'gandalfr'...where have I read of this now...?" Placing the scroll inside his robes he turned at the other students. "Class dismissed. Return to your dormitories and get to know your familiars."
And with that, he and the students took off. Literally. Without any visible means of technology. Few of the students students threw taunts at him and his little 'master'. "Hey Zero! You better start walking unless your golem knows how to fly!"
Malcharion just ignored them. Such petty creatures were below him. Turning his attention to the little girl beside him, he bowed slightly and extended his clawed hand to her, open palmed.
"Hop on little one."
Louise made a brave face. "Why would I? You almost crushed me earlier you insolent familiar!"
"Continue with the rude remarks and I might. But for now I bode you no ill will."
Louise hesitantly climbed on the extended palm. Arm rose slowly and Louise found herself once again several feet above ground and then they were moving.
"Where do you want to go, little one?"
Again the golem had belittled her. "My name is Louise! Not 'little one'!"
"I find the name little one to be suiting you, since you are so small compared to me."
She could hear the mirth in the golem's voice. Whatever elation Louise had felt for completing the summoning was starting to wane. She had summoned a sentient golem which wouldn't obey her orders. She swallowed her pride.
"Could you please call me by my name?"
"Very well then Louise. You may call me Malcharion." the golem clunked.
"What was that?"
"Nothing. Just my autoloader cycling." Malcharion lied. It was how his behemoth body now translated a chuckle.
"Whatever. Just follow the other students!" Malcharion slightly curled his claws holding Louise and began stomp towards the academy. Following Louise's directions he brought them outside the dormitory building.
"That is my where my room is." Louise pointed at the second floor window.
"Let me down and wait for me here."
Malcharion complied and Louise walked away. This left him with a moment to think about his current situation. He had no idea how long he could be awake, a moment of lapse in concentration could sent him back to dreaming. And while the environment seemed tranquil, he knew how fast and unexpectedly war could come. Although the people here seemed rather...ignorant of technology he couldn't be complacent that nothing could harm him. Ammunition would run dry. Mechanical parts would break. He needed more information. Louise would provide it. Further musings were interrupted when he heard distant voice calling him.
"...charion! Are you listening me?" Louise called him from the open window. Seemed like his musings had lasted longer than he thought, night had already fallen and almost concealing him in it. Only the light flooding from the open window slightly illuminating him.
"Yes."
Loiuse flinched from the sound. Malcharion's booming voice that hanged in the air like an echo of thunder combined with his appearance would make anyone nervous. Red eyes seemed like looking through her and it made her consider what she was going to do. Maybe she should not...no she trailed on. She would need to do this to at least have some semblance of command.
Malcharion noticed Louise's hesitation and noticed she had changed her clothes to something that resembled...what was the word again? Pajamas? He wasn't really sure. Constant hopping from battlefield to battlefield and training didn't leave much time to talk about clothes. Night Lords, masters of the night and fear, talking about fashion like Emperor's Children? It seemed utterly hilarious to him. Ah warp damn it. He was losing focus here.
"Raise your hand here." Louise ordered Malcharion and he obeyed, just to see what she was up to. And then she dropped a bundle of clothes on his clawed hand. "Since I'm your master and you're my servant I need you to go and wash my clothes!" She declared
"What do I look to you? A washing machine?" Malcharion asked sarcastically.
"I have no idea what you are other than a golem and I am your master!"
"I have only one master and he died ten thousand years ago."Malcharion rumbled at her
"But for the time being I think I can accept a partnership...as short as it might be."
"What do you mean?" Louise demanded to know.
"The contract lasts a life time!"
"What is the life span of a mortal to me? You mortals live only a few decades and then die in old age if not killed by other means earlier. No, when you have grown up and die of old age I will be here, unchanged by the pass of time."
"Well whatever, just go find someone who can wash my clothes!" And with that Louise slammed windows close and pulled curtains across them.
"Hrmmgl." Malcharion grumbled unintelligently, left in the darkness.
"This really reminds me what our father used to say...How the mighty have fallen."
Making a sound of rolling thunder he began to sneak away into the darkening night, stalking for a servant who could help him with his quest of washing clothes.
Thanks for support everyone who have bothered to review. As you might have noticed English is not my first language so there is bound to be some grammar errors and such. So that ties into this, I need someone to beta this story and who has at least some knowledge about Familiar of Zero and 40k.
And I feel I need to clarify and maybe rewrite a chapter 1 a bit, but as you may know after reading current chapter this is a pre-heresy dreadnought. So there is no mark V parts on him. And when I tried to describe his powerfist I had a enlarged terminator powerfist in mind five fingers and all to be able to manipulate items, without any chaos or imperial markings.
Other than that criticize and tell me what you'd do.