Shield of Gold
Chapter 2: Duty
Edit: 29/04/2021
Achillo
I came to that new world as though in a drop pod, just without the pod itself. My first sight was a column of smoke that obscured my view, and the residual blast wave shook me inside of my armour. Ordinarily when I was deployed to the field, it was by the light of a teleportation flare, but this was all together different, as if I was already being shelled by an unseen enemy. My armour reported no structural damage. The cloud of smoke and dirt quickly began to clear, and around me were the small forms of mortals, all gathered around me in a grassy courtyard and accompanied by an assortment of strange creatures. It became clear to me that I saw them first as I was still obscured by the smoke, and so as not to appear threatening, I stepped forward, my Guardian Spear inactive and held with the blade and bolter skyward. The effect was immediate in that their eyes widened, many took an instinctive step back and exchanged looks with each other. I had seen this several times amongst imperial citizens and guardsmen alike. However, unlike many other times I had been amongst mortals, these people, children by my estimate, didn't run or scream, they didn't fall to their knees and pray. They looked upon me with wide eyes and open mouths, but where there had been fear, there was now curiosity and awe.
Whispers in a language that I did not understand were exchanged, and my mind began piecing together what it could, drawing similarities to the languages I already knew, deriving root meanings and linguistic patterns. Quickly I had gained a very rudimentary understanding of what they were saying, though it was still mostly unclear. Grammar and cadence followed and the flow of conversation became easier to follow. To most our ability to rapidly learn bordered on the impossible, but it must be understood that our minds are engineered to be greater than any baseline human.
I heard a name, followed by a series of words that sounded both scolding and surprised. Louise, yes that was it, a name from old Earth, commonplace at one point in history, but almost alien to me now. I scanned my vision across the gathered children, noting one adult present in the form of a balding man in a blue robe, holding a wooden stave. Finally, my eyes settled on a tiny figure looking up at me, eyes wide and face pale. Was this the one I had come here for? I could not verify it through any physical means, but something at the core of my mind, like an impulse or instinct, told me that this girl was the one I was here for. I took a single step and she and everyone else either tensed or flinched. Hopefully they wouldn't succumb to post-human dread, a phenomenon the Astartes had coined the name of. That would cause nothing but problems.
I appraised the girl silently, waiting for her to speak or move, but she simply stared in slack jawed silence. My visor's target lock zeroed in on her head, and I disengaged it with a thought. Feeling something brush along the surface of my mind like a warm hand, once again a whisper danced across my thoughts.
"Kneel." The voice said. Its authority was undeniable, and it was the voice that spurred me to enter that strange portal that had opened in my room. I obeyed, slowly lowering to one knee before the girl. Something within me wanted to rebel, to strike out violently. I bowed to none other than my Emperor, none besides him and my higher ranked brothers could presume to command me. Yet something soothed the fire that threatened to engulf my mind. Was my Emperor guiding me directly? Was it his influence that brought me here? If so, then was this girl truly so important that he would personally ensure our meeting? I had so many questions and no answers. For once I cursed not being a Psyker. But then again, what would I say to him? I would not question him, not ever, and if he wanted me to kneel for this girl, then I would. What he had in mind, however, I did not know.
The servo motors of my armour purred gently as their refined, masterfully crafted mechanisms worked seamlessly in tandem with my nervous system to move. Even knelt down I towered over her, but I saw subtle easing of tension within her. Tentatively, she stepped forward. She turned her head to the balding man across the courtyard, heeding the words he spoke. Something about a contract, I thought. She looked to me once again, her pink eyes meeting the dull red of my eye lenses. Another foreign impulse moved my right hand forward with my palm facing upward. She was tiny, and thus to complete whatever it was she needed to, she needed assistance. Why I was doing this still confounded me, but if the Emperor were truly guiding my actions, then I would do it. Placing a single foot in my palm, she balanced and placed her small hands onto my gorget and was then eye level with me.
A brief moment passed and she spoke quiet words before her lips contacted the proud eagle crest in the middle of my helm. I gasped, not from the act, but what followed. The presence that I'd felt, the very same guiding me and running ghostly fingers across the surface thoughts of my mind intensified. I blinked, and then found myself somewhere else.
When my eyes flicked open once again what had once been a place of clear blue skies and green grass, had been replaced by an etheric realm of white clouds in a sky the colour and of the same marbled pattern of mother of pearl. There was no ground, just an endless expanse of refracting colours that I was allowed to stand upon. Allowed. Something had brought me here. Shimmering golden light from some indeterminable distance away drew my attention, and upon laying eyes upon it, I felt more compelled to kneel than I had ever before. Somehow, by some gene-written compulsion in the very core of my being, carved into my bones and sequenced into my flesh, somehow I knew it was Him. My master, my creator, my king and Emperor. I knelt with a fist across my chest and my head bowed. I couldn't even begin to fathom the sheer weight of presence the Emperor had. It pressed in at all sides and my mind, as engineered for hyper-cognition as it was, reeled from it's all encompassing nature.
I waited to be addressed and didn't dare speak first. It occurred to me in that moment that I had no frame of reference with which to interact with the Master of Mankind. Would he take offence if I addressed him, or would he be equally offended if I didn't offer greeting? Did he hate when his Custodians bowed, seeing it as something for his subjects rather than his guardians? A feeling of mortification worked its way into my stomach as I realised that I knew very little of my lord.
"Greetings, Achillo. It is a pleasure to meet you." The Lord of Terra spoke with a transcendent confidence and clarity. His words resonated through my body like nothing else I had experienced before.
"M-my Emperor!" It was a struggle to manage speaking at all. "The pleasure is mine. It truly is an honour!"
"Aha, come on, sport. No need to be so stiff. I deal with enough stiff Custodians in my throne room if you catch my meaning." For as good natured as he tried to sound, there was a small hint of weariness in his voice.
"I will try, my lord." Never had I been so aware of myself to the point of fretting over my choice of words or the way I spoke them.
"Hmmm, we'll work on it. Now, as for why I am contacting you directly. You have a very special and long task ahead of you, Achillo. And I believe that you are singularly capable of it." The Emperor said. So there was a task he believed only I could complete?
"By you word, lord, command me." I inclined my head fractionally. The world of pearl skies and clouds vanished, replaced by the courtyard I had arrived in. The children were motionless like a collection of lifelike wax statues, their creature companions just as motionless. Beside me was the unassuming form of the Emperor. He appeared to me as a strikingly average man. So average that his features blended together in an astonishingly forgettable mask. It was honestly hard looking at him, yet so little stood out, like looking for an image on blank paper. Average height, average build, average facial features, all extraordinary in how ordinary he looked.
"I see you have met my little pet project, Achillo." His brown eyes rested upon the diminutive form of the pink haired girl. He looked appraisingly at her as if she were some mass of grown from culture gel. "I came here many millennia ago, before Old Night, in fact. This world amazes me, you know? So unspoiled by industry. So untouched by corruption. The terraformic engines did wonders to this world." He walked over to the girl and placed around her, examining his project. "I set this project in motion all that time ago, using knowledge and technology lost to us now. The first colonists had gene writes and chirurgeons rivaling the Selenar of Luna. With their help, I set in motion the creation of one who could harness the Warp without the risk of corruption of any kind. The perfect psyker, if you will."
He beckoned me to him and I obeyed, walking over to him and stopping next to the girl. She was comically small when stood next to me. I was almost fully double her height. "Is that what she is, lord? The perfect psyker?"
"Yes. And something more. You see, my loyal Custodian, she is the culmination of generations upon generations of genetic refinement. She is a contingency plan that I never hoped to have needed, but alas, here we are. For now, what I need you to do is guide her and keep her safe. I endow her with my authority, and so you will obey her as she were myself." He looked up at me, his tanned face and distinctly indistinct brown eyes blank as if in a moment of distraction. "It has taken a lot of effort on my part to talk to you like this."
I knelt down to him, a sudden rush of concern for my lord spurring me to be of any assistance. "I would ask if you are alright, my lord, but that would be rather silly all things considered."
"It would, yes. At least someone has the brains not to ask my condition. Really, what am I supposed to say? 'Oh don't worry about me, just in an unending cycle of physical decay and psychic agony as I stop Terra from being eaten by a Warp rift below my golden toilet! No really, I'm fine, just got a permanently itchy nose that I can't scratch and an Imperium that has become the exact opposite of what I dreamed of. Just FUCKING peachy!'?"
"I... see... I think. I will endeavour not to be so careless in my concern for you then, my Emperor." The look on his face sharpened, and a ghost of a smile played across his face. He turned and swept his gaze across the surroundings, taking a deep breath through his nose.
"I have kept this world a secret for so long now. Besides myself, it has had not contact with the Imperium or anyone else because I have not allowed it. Have you ever breathed clean air, Achillo? Felt clean, natural water on your skin? I very much doubt it. But here," he spread his arms, prompting me to take in the admittedly beautiful surroundings, "...you can. You'd better get used to it too, since you'll be here for quite some time."
Tearing my eyes from the distant mountains, depthless blue sky, and the expanse of gently swaying, vibrant green grass, I once more looked at my lord. "For some time? How long, if you don't mind my asking? And how did the doomscryers find anything if you'd hidden it?"
"Until such time that the girl has developed her abilities. She'll be well into adulthood by then. I would estimate... fifteen years at a minimum. Perhaps even more if circumstances become turbulent for whatever reason. For all the beauty of this world, like any with a level of technology and social structure such as this, petty wars and political turmoil are all but inevitable. As for the doomscryers, it's because I let them see what I wanted them to see."
"I see. Then if it is by your will, I will remain." He must have heard the hesitation in my voice, as his expression changed from impassive to some kind of sympathetic, though it was hard to be sure.
"I know my creations, even the ones I could not have a hand in building myself. And I know my Custodians like no other. You do not want to be away from my person for longer than necessary. I know this because I designed you so. But you are also men unto your own. Your duty and your lives are dedicated to me, but the methods you use to perform your duty, unless I state otherwise, are yours. I am giving you free reign to serve me in a way I believe only one with your temperament can. With the girl nearby, I am always watching." I felt reassured to a degree. At least now I knew that I wasn't completely away from the Emperor's light, even though I had absolutely no idea where I was or how far from Terra I had been sent.
"Then I will carry out this duty to my utmost, lord. It is an honour to be entrusted with this duty." I would be lying if I said I didn't feel a swell of pride in being trusted by none other than the Emperor himself. Moments passed, and silence returned. I did not speak, but watched my lord's face become wistful as he once again let his dark eyes settle on the surroundings. I had no idea why though.
"Something troubles you?" I asked.
"Just... memories, Achillo. Terra once looked like this. Once, when its great plains of red dust were bountiful oceans, and its continental plates were verdant gardens full of life. Before it was all boiled away and poisoned by nuclear fire and gene-phages. Before Old Night, before mankind had even left its cradle. Terra... Earth, it looked like this. Beautiful. Delicate." I elected not to speak further. After several more quiet and sombre moments, my Emperor spoke again.
"You're still curious why I chose you, when I already told you." He wasn't lying when he said he knew his creations. It had been the singular question on my mind since he told me, and his justification felt like only a half answer. I would never accuse him of lying, but we all obfuscated the truth when we felt it necessary.
"I am, lord. There are many within your Legio greater than I. Navradaran, Valerian, Italeo, Tyvar, Penjad, Nebuchad, just to name a few. All much better choices. I do not doubt your judgement, but I will admit I question." He smiled.
"Good. I did not create mindless automata, although some would disagree. Some of you could do with a little less free will, thinking about it. Less free will and more clothing. But I digress. I had considered Nebuchad. At a glance he would seem the obvious choice, and he was the first I had seriously considered sending here. However, his rambunctious and combative nature would have only served to complicate the more delicate aspects of this assignment. And then I noticed you." He began walking again and I followed, our steps taking us across the courtyard and on no particular route. He folded his hands behind his back.
"I chose you because I have watched you conduct yourself in ways that make you suitable for such a sensitive task. You handle mortals delicately and with compassion, where most of your brothers care nothing for them. My own fault, I will admit. I never created you to be kind. You are my guardians and my finest warriors. But you, Achillo, are the perfect blend of both." He eyed one of the strange creatures that accompanied these children, an odd purple thing with its body being composed if a single large eye, with tendrils hanging from it.
"Do you know of Diocletian Coros?" He asked. Of course I knew of him. His work 'The Master of Mankind' was a tome I had pored over many times in my studies. He had penned his many dreams and interactions with the Emperor, and he was one of the very few of our kind still capable of dreaming. What I read had been a copy of a copy of a copy, but each had been faithfully copied word for word by members of our order.
"Certainly, lord. I studied his work detailing his dreams and conversations with you. He was among the greatest of us, named alongside Constantine Valdor, Ra Endymion, and Thanassar." I answered him. The Emperor nodded thoughtfully.
"Did you know that Diocletian also detested ordinary humans? He saw them as weak. Stupid. He isn't wrong. They are weak and stupid. But they are stubborn and ingenious in the face of adversity. He was among my greatest creations, yes, but he lost sight of the bigger picture, so single minded in his service to me. You do not agree with him, do you." He wasn't asking me a question.
"I do not, sire. What they lack in physicality, they make up for in their potential. They are... they are like children. They need to be guided with a firm, fair hand, and be shown the way forward. It is easy for us to scorn them for their weakness and ignorance, but when the galaxy's horrors are at our door, they are the first into the fire. I have seen men and women face down traitor Astartes, knowing they will die. They have no power armour or enhanced minds and bodies. Yet they fight all the same because they know they must. They are brave in spite if their shortcomings." The Emperor waited, knowing that I had more to say.
"The wheels of bureaucracy turn and the fires if industry burn because the citizens endure conditions that would break a lesser species. Their lives are short and cruel, but it is because of them our Imperium can even function and fight. We forget their value as much as we overstate our own." The Emperor nodded as if pleased at my words. I waited for him to speak, unsure of his judgement.
"It is because you believe these things that I am entrusting the girl and this world to you." A look of pain flashed across his face. "It is taking an awful lot of my concentration to make contact like this. I will leave you with this; protect the girl as you would protect me. She speaks to you with my authority, but do not be afraid to offer counsel or act on your own discretion. This is a great responsibility I am placing on your shoulders, I know this. I must stress this to you, Achillo. I do not want you merely obeying mindlessly, this assignment is too crucial for that. I need you to shape this girl, guide and develop her into something great. It wouldn't be too great a stretch to say you will raise this girl in ways her family cannot. And I know you are the most capable of seeing this through. I will contact you again, though when I am not certain. Also I nearly forgot, do not mention me or the Imperium or anything to do with the wider galaxy at all. Not until I tell you. If she asks, just make something up."
"You can count on me, sire. No harm will come to her or this world as long as I draw breath." I slammed a fist against my chest and struck the ground with the shaft of my Guardian Spear. I felt resolute in my declaration, and the Emperor nodded. "By your will!"
"Good. Now, my brain is throbbing it's making me wonder if the Rainbow Warriors were real or not." He said this as he rubbed his forehead.
"But my lord, I still don't know what the end goal for the girl is." I felt incredibly undignified intersecting like that.
"SorrylosingsignalgottagoBYE!"
Suddenly I was met with the girl still at eye level with me. She stepped down after doing... whatever it was she was doing. I stood to my full height, Guardian Spear in hand. She spoke, once more the language was somewhat unclear, but now I was getting the general meaning of her words. It wasn't lost on me how quiet everyone else in the courtyard was.
"Can you hear me?" She asked, her voice quivering with strength that she forced into her words. She was afraid of me, that much was obvious. I would need to reassure her and gain her trust quickly. Clearing my throat, I did my best to mimic her speech.
"I can hear you." I winced at that. The accent was off, a little too heavily influenced by High Gothic, and the accentuated vowels were too flat. I would need to practice annunciation and the accent some more. She looked at me oddly for a moment, but quickly dismissed whatever thoughts she had.
"Good. I am Louise Francoise Le Blanc de La Valliere, your summoner and master. Identify yourself." Her tone was somewhat too clipped for my liking, too proud. However, she spoke with my Emperor's authority, and I was to serve her as I would serve him. I engaged my mind in a calming exercise that all Custodians are taught, and my choler receded. I could read it in her face that she was trying very hard to maintain a strong facade, to keep the natural fear and awe mortals felt in our presence under control. She was doing that rather well. I once more placed a fist against my chest, striking the ground with the shaft of my Guardian Spear in a salute.
"I am Achillo Rhada, your loyal guardian from... uh..." Oh no. I was unaccustomed to lying. "Holy...um... t-the heavens, yes! I am your loyal guardian from the heavens!" I really hope she believed that. However, while I expected a skeptical look, she just looked unashamedly smug. So smug in fact, I don't even think she paid it any thought. She turned on a heel and looked straight at a taller, dusky skinned, red haired girl.
"I'm sorry, what was that you said? 'Louise won't summon a Familiar, she can't do any magic, she'll just cause an explosion and we'll all laugh', yeah? Well who summoned the giant golden warrior, huh? Me! That's who!" There was some serious context I was missing here. The red haired girl glowered at Louise.
"I refuse to believe that you of all people summoned him. Do you seriously expect me to buy that? Really?" She turned her head away, and the red lizard creature at her feet crooked as flame flickered at the end of its tail. I briefly wondered if I should intervene, after all it was my charge she was speaking to. However, I couldn't afford to start things off poorly, and so observed instead.
The two argued back and forth, while others began chatting amongst themselves or tending to their strange creature companions. Thinking about it, I would need to vet every single person here. Easily done.
Louise
Evening had happened far faster than I expected. The day just seemed to pass in a flurry since I had summoned him. I looked over from my spot at the circular wooden table in my room. There, stood silently and vigilantly with that enormous spear in hand, was the... well, I didn't know whether or not he was a man or golem. He moved too fluidly to be a golem, but at the same time, no man grew to such immense size. My room was large enough to accommodate him, but his height and bulk just made the room seem tiny. Maybe I was just in awe of such a thing. He'd not said a word since we introduced ourselves, but then again neither had I. What was I supposed so say? He didn't exactly look like the type for conversation. But I had so many questions. His armour was a big one. What did all of the engravings mean? What was it made of? Was it magical? How did his weapon work? What could he do? Where was he from? So, so many questions. I stared into the candle light in the middle of my table.
"Something troubles you?" By Birmir, that startled me! His voice was a rumbling sound, made harsh by his helmet. I'd spoken to knights in full armour with their helmets closed, and they sounded nowhere near as stentorian as sounded. I took a quiet breath and really hoped he hadn't noticed my jolt.
"N-no, I'm fine." I wasn't sure if I was. I was honestly overjoyed that I'd summoned a Familiar at all, and you can bet I rubbed that hussy Kirche's face in it. I got a giant golden warrior, and she got a walking fire hazard. Ha! But then there was said giant golden warrior. He was really, really... really scary. He wasn't doing anything to scare me, not at all. He'd been polite so far and kept his movements slow and deliberate to avoid scaring me. I thought he was aware of the effect he was having and might have been trying to limit it. He must have seen the way the others were staring at him when he appeared in the courtyard, the way they nearly ran away. Maybe it was just how massive he was, but something else might have been at work, but I couldn't be sure.
Despite that though, he was a magnificent sight. His armour was resplendent and intricate in its design and unlike anything I'd ever seen before. Eagles and lightning bolts were raised from the golden metal on his chest and knees, while the most beautiful rubies of deep red, perfectly cut and polished where socketed at his chest, stomach and helmet, one gemstone on each. His helmet had two blazing red gems, at least I thought they were, inserted where eyes would be. They were dull in the sunlight earlier, but where the shadows had swallowed him, those two red gems had a light of their own. Cresting the brow of his helmet was a golden eagle with its wings spread and wrapped around the sides of his head, and its body partitioned the face of the helmet into two halves. At his back was a cloak of the deepest, most royal purple I had ever seen. On his hip was an intricately detailed knife, a sword in my hands, that was in a leather and gold sheath with a two-headed eagle in gold plate along its length. As much as he scared me, he was nothing short of beautiful.
Another thing that I had noticed is the very, very quiet hum that accompanied him wherever we went. It was more noticeable now since neither of us were moving, but it was a very low humming sound that I couldn't determine the origin of.
"So...," I began, and tilted his head almost imperceptibly to me, "...what exactly are you?"
"As stated before, I am your guardian, sent from the heavens by my lord and creator. Your summons was answered by Him, and I am at your service." His answer seemed pretty vague. If anything it just raised s whole lot more questions. By lord, could he have meant Birmir? None of the stories surrounding him made mention of giant golden warriors, and none of the symbols on his armour seemed connected to Birmir either. Still, I couldn't really dispute it as I wasn't a theologian or particularly knowledgeable a out the intricate details of the faith, simply a follower of it.
"What I mean is, are you human or some kind of golem?" I didn't want to come across as rude, but I had to know.
"I am... human. But something more, as well." My eyes widened when he said that.
"Human? But humans don't get as big as you, though!"
"Ordinarily I would agree with you, but my lord made me this way, as he had with my brothers."
"Brothers? How many of you are there?"
"Ten thousand, though I am rounding up." Ten thousand? Was he being serious!? That was a whole conversation on its own.
"Can you use magic?" Once again he was silent for several moments.
"No. That is not within my capabilities, though you will find no better physical combatant on this world, that I can guarantee you." He didn't sound boastful at all. He just sounded like he was stating a fact.
I was beginning to think that he was either not one for conversation, or he was just bad at it. His manner of speech was very direct and to the point, something I wasn't really used to being surrounded by nobility. It was refreshing even if it made talking with him so far seem kind of stilted. I looked out of my window, seeing that the sun was dipping low on the horizon, painting the sky orange as the two moons began to become visible. There were a lot of stars too. Achillo, that was the strange name he'd given himself, and it sounded like no name from any dialect I had heard. It wasn't Germanian, the word form was all wrong and didn't follow their naming conventions. I knew for a fact it wasn't Tristanian or Albionian. Romalian perhaps? Maybe Gallian?
I sighed quietly as I thought about this unique situation. A sapient, humanoid Familiar being summoned should have been impossible, and here I was with one. Still, it was better than nothing, and far exceeded my expectations just aesthetically. I didn't know if he could take on a dragon or anything, though he certainly looked like he could, but he didn't look at all weak either. His weapon alone must have been four meters long, with the blade at the end making up one of those meters.
It was quiet again. Too quiet. Way, way too quiet! Damn, I was going to have to carry the whole conversation, wasn't I? I looked over at him and away from the window. Yep, still silent and completely unreadable. Perhaps he wasn't speaking because his Tristanian was limited? His heavy accent would indicate that. I had a feeling talking was going to be an uphill battle, and I was too tired to deal with it at that moment.
"If I were to go to bed, what would you do?"
"It is my ultimate duty to protect you. I will guard your room all night, and wake you for your day tomorrow morning. Before then, I will need to sweep your room and those of everyone within this wing to ensure your safety."
"You really don't need to do that! You can't just violate people's privacy like that, and besides, don't you need sleep too? I even had..." My eyes trailed down to the bed of hay near the door that I had intended something much, much smaller to use. "...Nevermind."
"I do not require nearly as much sleep as you. The longest I have sustained myself without sleep so far has been one thousand five hundred hours. Sixty two days operational, with seventeen of those days in active combat."
"That's completely impossible!" There was no feasible way a human could go without sleep for that long, let alone fight for seventeen days straight! He had to be lying. He must have been a golem after all.
"It would seem that way to you, yes. But for my brothers and I, standing vigilant within the palace of our lord for decades at a time is common practice. We have very little need of sustenance or sleep. Short periods of rest and nutritional intake are necessary, but only after very extended periods of time."
"Huh, I see... I guess I don't need to worry about feeding you then. Next you'll tell me you don't get sick."
"That would be correct. Poisons and venoms are also highly innefective." I wasn't even surprised at that. If he wasn't lying through his teeth, then I just got myself a very, very cost effective Familiar as well.
"So what exactly can't you do?"
"Many things not worth mentioning. But I can't use magic as I said. Whatever I am required to do that doesn't involve magic, I will be able to learn it quickly. I am also schooled in philosophy, theology, political science and strategy, military strategy, and many other disciplines that I believe will be most useful to you." I was growing more impressed by the minute, and no small part of me was going to be profoundly smug with Kirche tomorrow.
"I expect great things from you then, Achillo." He may have been my Familiar, but so far he had shown me that he deserved some respect. "Tomorrow is the day second years like myself spend the day bonding with our Familiars. You'll accompany me and we can discuss some more then. For now it's late and I need my sleep. So no vetting people or going into people's rooms. If it bothers you that much, then I would suggest learning the layout of the academy both inside and out."
He nodded and placed a fist to his enormous chest plate. "At your word. Rest well." Much quieter than I would have ever expected given his bulk on the wooden floor, he left, stooping low to clear his conical, plumed helmet of the door frame. It was actually rather funny watching him have to manoeuvre himself out, being both too tall and too wide to fit through the door. I wondered if I could ask the academy to refit it. Eventually he settled for bending over at the waist and turning his torso until the side of his head was parallel with the floor, getting most of the way through before his spear smacked off of the door frame and left a pretty big dent in the dark wood.
"My apologies." He muttered before closing the door behind him. I waited until the sound of his thudding steps had gone quiet. It seemed he had decided to follow my suggestion. I began to undress, stripping my uniform before going to find my night clothes, and I cast a glance at my pile of discarded clothing on the floor from last night. Damn. I forgot to give him my laundry.
Achillo
It didn't take long for me to set about my task of familiarising myself with the layout of the academy. It was an entirely stone building, large and surrounded by flat plains of grass on all sides, with a mountain range miles away to the west. This provided me with unimpeded views for miles around, so I didn't need to worry about any enemies using the terrain to their advantage. Five towers linked by high stone walls, all surrounding a central spire in a pentagon made up the structure of the academy. I would need to review its defensive capabilities, as one set of walls and no gates was frankly pitiful.
As much as I felt it necessary to vet the facilities for spies and assassins, I was under orders to not do that. Perhaps Louise felt that it would bother the staff and students, but that was the point. If I could tighten security enough to provoke one of them into action, then it would be well worth it and the threat could be dealt with before becoming a problem. I passed students and staff, all giving me a wide berth without saying a word. That reaction was natural, I suppose, but for the sake of making my job easier, I would need to put them at ease. If I could make them pliant and trust me, I could in turn get them to act as eyes and ears for me, thus furthering security measures.
After some time of probing for weaknesses and finding an honestly appalling amount of infiltration vectors, I found the library. This place could very well have been my greatest asset in achieving my objective so far. So by candle light, I browsed and collected leather bound books and dusty tomes that looked as if they hadn't been read in centuries. Thankfully none of them were bound in human skin or bore daemonic faces on the covers, so that was reassuring. I found a table, opting not to sit as no seat in the library would hold my weight or even accommodate my bulk. Historical texts, royal genealogies, magical theories and medical journals, political treatises, and a litany of other literature was piled high on one of the long tables in between two of the many encompassing book shelves. I turned the pages with gentleness that one might not expect of a Custodian, but in reality, the neural connection with my armour allowed me dexterity such that I might pick a flower as easily as I might crush a skull.
Reading through these books served two purposes. It helped me to develop my knowledge of their written language, Tristanian I believed, as well as several others, and learn the storied history of this world. Each page I turned was instantly memorized and catalogued in order thanks to the eidetic memory granted to us by my Emperor as a part of our design. Each would be recalled and read as if the books themselves were present as I would employ various retro-cognitive techniques that all Custodians knew.
The fall of Romata, and its reformation into Romalia. The collapse of the Gerusian Empire and its separation into Germak dynasties, and final unification into the Germanian kingdom. The ghoulish magical experiments in Gallia that caused a civil war between the Gallian Flesh Shapers and the military-backed Plebian rebellion. The annihilation of Tristain's army during its last war with Albion, hmm, oddly familiar, and allied Germanian powers. The start of the coup d'etat in Albion and the systematic assassination of their nobility. The war with the Elves and... Orcs? I'd be reviewing that account thoroughly. The blockade of the northern Germanian sea by Gallian privateer fleets posing as Albion ships, resulting in a heated trade war and eventual sacking of Germania's coastal city of Silberg, and more resentment toward Albion's nobility. The coming of Birmir and Gandalfr, and the formation of the church.
By all accounts, this world was feudal in nature, not only socially but largely economically. Nobility wielded magic while those without magic were relegated to serfdom and skilled labour work. Any hope for socioeconomic progression was a mere dream for the masses. I could see what my Emperor meant when he said that political turmoil was rife here. Since Louise was of the elite class, that would automatically paint a target on her back, along with every student here. Once I was done studying, I would be heavily inspecting the kitchens and its staff. With so many noble children gathered here, it was well within the realm of possibility that conspiratorial siblings, political rivals, foreign entities, and feuding noble houses would target this place. How many first born sons studied here? How many daughters of royalty or had links to higher society called this place home? How many were in the way of inheritances, be it gold, land, armies, or knowledge? How many were ahead of ambitious relatives in their lines of succession to monarchs or to the duchy?
The enormity of my task had become much more apparent, and I would need to eliminate any threats that presented themselves. I put the books away where I found them, each page committed to memory word for word in perfect clarity. I strode to the kitchens and found that the door was open, and it was adjacent to the servants quarters. Upon entering, the only one in there was a young girl, seemingly enjoying a quiet dinner by herself. She almost choked on her food upon seeing me and her eyes shot wide. Swallowing that last bite, she tried to speak but found no words.
"Peace, girl, be at peace. I mean you no harm." Not unless she presented a threat. I held out an open hand and placed my Guardian Spear against the wall. I wouldn't need it should anything happen anyway. I continued to speak in as gentle a tone I could muster. Unlike most of my brothers, I could actually calm a mortal down rather than scare them into speaking. "Please, take a moment. Gather yourself. I want to ask you some questions."
She seemed to listen, her soft blue eyes never leaving me as she took several deep breaths, trying to steady her heartbeat. Even without the advanced sensor array within my helm, I'd have heard her heartbeat as keenly as I would my own. I really hadn't meant to startle her.
"Y-you wish to speak to me, l-lord?" The girl stammered her reply, but at least she hadn't run away. I had to say, these people were made of stern stuff. It wasn't often mortals didn't soil themselves and run from us. Upon closer inspection, she looked rather different to everyone else I had encountered. She wasn't dusky skinned like that Kirche girl, neither was she pallid like Louise, rather she was some variation in tone that bore resemblance to the people of Nippon on Terra. The structure of her face held ghosts of such features, similar to Tristainian, yet still touched by the far-eastern phenotype, denoted by her narrower eyes and black hair. Wherever her family line originated, it appeared to me that they had been settled in Tristain for several generations, but that could have been mere conjecture. The books I read made no mention of any far-eastern nations. I would need to investigate at a later date.
"Indeed. I need to know about food preparation here. You see, I do not doubt the abilities of the staff here, but you must understand that I ask for the sake of my," I winced, "...master's safety." It felt alien on my tongue to refer to another besides my Emperor as my master.
"Safety? Oh no, did something happen?'' Her voice became panicked and her face became pale as if expecting punishment. A reasonable worry where nobles were concerned. I knelt down, still holding a hand out to minimise my threatening presence. This had proven useful when dealing with mortals, as they naturally disliked being confronted with things they considered unnaturally large. She watched me for several moments before her shoulders became less tense, though she had yet to maintain eye contact. It was as good as I was likely to get, I suppose.
"Nothing has happened. I would just like to know if you are aware of any past incidents. Have any attempts on the lives of the students been made?" She shook her head.
"No... no nothing like that has happened since I've worked here. I've been here for a few months, and none of the other staff had mentioned anything. Really, the teaching staff would know more than me, or m-maybe the headmaster? Please believe me, I don't know anything!"
"Alright, I believe you. Try to stay calm. Now, can you tell me the names of any authority figures here? Heads of faculty or any kind of management?"
The girl in the servants quarters, Siesta, had been more helpful than I had expected. She had provided me names of important people within the Academy, and once I had stated my intent to inspect the kitchens for any dangerous substances, explaining that I was concerned for the safety of the students and the servants, she helped me look through everything without impeding me. She had become quite chatty, despite the conversation being decidedly one sided. That wasn't to say I was ignoring her, only injecting my thoughts and commentary where I felt it was appropriate, and given my limited social skills, that wasn't often. I quite welcomed the inane, yet admittedly pleasant chatter. It wasn't very often that someone would speak to a Custodian with such candour, with little regard for station. I had decided rather quickly that this girl would be hopeless as an assassin or opposing agent. She simply didn't carry herself that way, and she had all the tells of someone who was astonishingly bad at lying. Either way, it was good that she was finally at ease. She was a maid of the academy, responsible for cleaning the the classrooms and kitchens, serving food, and washing clothing. I was about to voice my concern that it was all on her shoulders, but she informed me that there was a team of them so the burden was shared.
She asked me questions about myself, and just as I had with Louise, I did as my Emperor commanded and made something up, saying I was a warrior summoned by the pink haired noble girl from the heavens. I really had no idea how much water that lie would hold, but so far the two that I had told did not contradict me, so perhaps it was effective. Some time passed as she showed me all of the kitchen supplies, the food stores, and the delivery dossiers at my request. Food was supplied by farms within the region, each given some form of benefit by the royal court and greater access to markets for their service to the academy, and by extension the nobility. No discernible reason to ship contaminated goods if remaining linked to the academy was more lucrative. Given the feudal system, those farms would be owned by nobles anyway.
Siesta told me that everything was delivered very early in the morning every day and inspected hours before the students began their day. Anything deemed sub par was tossed out and only the best produce was kept to be used to feed the noble students. There was also a very surprising degree of hygiene, as there was very little dirt anywhere, and there were no pests. I found no dangerous chemicals, poisons, or otherwise dangerous substances. Satisfied that the kitchen was no threat to the safety of Louise, I would take my search elsewhere.
"You have been immensely helpful, Siesta. You have my gratitude. Once again I apologized for intruding and disturbing your evening." I retrieved my Guardian Spear and turned to her. She held her hands behind her back, smiling at me.
"It's fine, really. I'm just a plebian, but even I know that anything were to happen on academy grounds then it would be a huge incident. Especially if it involves the kitchens. At best we'd be put under investigation and fired. At best we'd be arrested and executed." She wilted when she said that.
"Know that in helping me you have cleared yourself of any suspicion. I will need to continue my investigation in the morning. Enjoy the rest of your evening, Siesta." I turned to leave, already ducking to clear the doorway until I heard her stammer behind me.
"U-um, lord? Do you have a name?" She clutched at the edge of her uniform and shifted under the impassive gaze of my helmet.
"Achillo. You may call me Achillo. I am no one's lord here." With that, I left and began on my way back to the dormitory where I intended to stand guard at Louise's door for the rest of the night.
I learned quite quickly that the tiny girl that I was now in service of was quite the grumpy creature when awoken. At first she had forgotten she had even summoned me, and then panicked. I suppose I could see why, as it was rarely a good thing to have a Custodian standing over you as you wake as it was likely to be followed by a Guardian Spear or Sentinel Blade to the face. Once dressed, I followed her through the various hallways, passing many students on the way, their gazes locked on to me as we passed them. For her part, Louise seemed quite pleased with herself as she wore a not entirely benign smile the whole way. In fact, I would say that some of that smugness from the previous day had returned.
"It's nice not having to be called Zero all of the time now." She said, more to herself than to me.
"Zero?" I asked and she bristled slightly at the word. Did I offend her somehow?
"Nevermind. I was talking to myself anyway. We're almost at the dining hall so I'll ask what you plan to do." She said.
"I have already inspected the kitchens and its supplies thoroughly with the aid of one of the serving staff here. I have concluded that the food here is safe and no tampering has occurred. I will however be reviewing that assessment every few days." I replied.
"You're going to cause the staff trouble, you know? They have enough to deal with without you inspecting them every five minutes." She cast me a look, but I would not compromise on this.
"Duly noted and ignored, master. I will do what I believe necessary to ensure your safety." Calling her master was still acid on my tongue. In truth, if she really commanded me to cease my investigation, I would be compelled to heed her. As much as I wished it otherwise, my Emperor had endowed her with His authority over me. I was not going to tell her that though. If I were particularly unfortunate, she would figure it out on her own, just without knowledge of the Emperor. Her face scrunched up before she huffed and turned her head away from me. When we found the dining hall, its entrance was very tall, very wide doorway with a flight of white stone stairs leading up to it. The chatter of students could be heard from inside, as well as the clattering of cutlery and crockery in preparation for breakfast. She stopped in her tracks and turned to me.
"Familiars are left outside during meals, but you're an obvious exception, being human. I'd allow you to enter since you're so dogged about protecting me, but I think you'll only get in the way of the students and maids." A blunt way of putting it, but yes. It mattered little though. "You said the kitchens and food were safe, right? Aren't there other things you should check?"
"I had been intending to question your headmaster. If there are any other members of the teaching staff you think would be worth talking to, then I'm all ears." It would be pertinent to cover as many bases as possible, so while the immediate responsibility of her safety pulled at me, I would only be doing half a job if I didn't collect good information from the right people, thus securing future objectives.
"Then get on that. Mr. Colbert and Ms. Longueville would be my suggestion. Mr. Colbert's one of the senior instructors, and Ms. Longueville is the headmaster's assistant, so she might be able to cover whatever he might miss." Louise said. I was surprised that she was being so cooperative.
"I see. You have my thanks, master." Nope, still didn't like calling her that. "Enjoy your breakfast. Where should I find you once you're done?"
"Oh, right. I'll be finished here in roughly thirty minutes, so meet me here then." I nodded, bade her farewell, and left towards the central tower. A handy map in the library had a detailed layout of the academy, and I had committed it to memory at a glance. I'd have been able to deduct that the headmaster's office within the central tower as humans had a tendency to house things of greater importance within the center of structures. For us, it just made sense no matter where we came from.
I entered the tower and navigated my way to the headmaster's office. I knocked, my armoured fingers sounding like heavy thud no matter how gently I did it. An aged voice called for me to enter, then grumbled about knocking so loudly. Opening the door, I stooped low and through the doorway, then stood to my full height. As usual the looks I received were typical of mortals, and so I waited until I was sure their disbelief had worn off adequately. The old man sat behind his dark wooden desk was who I presumed was the headmaster. He was a tall, somewhat lanky figure in dark grey robes, with a long beard and head of hair, both grey with age. The woman at the other desk to the left most side of the room was much younger, wore glasses with long green hair tied in a bun with a yellow band. She wore blue robes with a purple cloak worn like a shawl across her shoulders.
"If it is all the same to you, I have some questions for the two of you. I am the Familiar summoned by one Louise de La Valliere. It is my sworn duty to eliminate all threats to her safety, both domestic and foreign. Now, I have done my own research, and due to this I have come looking for information. Now, have I come to the right place?" Both of them shared a look until the old man cleared his throat and his dark eyes met my red eye lenses.
"I see... well if it is information you seek then you've certainly approached the right people. I am the headmaster of this academy, but I prefer Old Osmond, or Osmond the great and powerful. Whichever you fancy, sir Familiar." He said, stroking his beard. The woman shook her head with a sigh.
"What the old coot means to say is that we'll try to answer whatever questions you may have. But if he does get off topic, please feel free to ignore him. I'm pretty sure his brain is made up of underwear lint and beard hair by now." She said flatly, leveling him with a look of disapproval.
"How hurtful, Ms. Longueville! How could you possibly say that!?" He made quite the show of looking hurt, but their little routine ended abruptly when I cleared my own throat. "Oh, of course. My apologies. What did you wish to know?"
"I will keep this brief, so I will need you to be concise and to the point. I have already made myself familiar with the layout of your academy. I have inspected the kitchens also. Your kitchens are clear of my suspicions for the time being as one of your servant staff was kind enough to aid me. What I cannot overlook, however, is the frankly pitiable defenses of this place. Sons and daughters of nobility study here, and if my research was correct, the teaching staff are nobility also since you can use magic. For a place of such import, why is it so sparsely defended?"
Osmond's expression never wavered as he spoke. "It is only natural you would be concerned about that. After all, you look like the type of man who knows the value of a fortified bastion, hmm? You see, where we are is far more defensible than you might think upon first look. Though I'd imagine you have already taken the surrounding terrain into account?"
"I have. A mountain range to the west and flat plains with no tree cover in all other directions. No army could get here unseen." I replied, garnering a nod from Osmond.
"A deliberate measure. You see, the academy is not as defenseless as you may think. Why, we teachers are fully capable magic users of at least triangle grade. I myself am a square grade wizard, meaning I have extensive knowledge and practice with all four elements. Trust me, it would take a mighty force indeed to threaten this place. Also consider who we are teaching here. They may be young, but each of them is a mighty spell caster in their own right." Osmond explained.
"So the staff and the students double as the academy's defenders? Interesting. There is a saying upon my home world, Osmond, and it goes as follows: 'Quis custodiet ipsos custodes'. Who watches the watchers. Put simply, who holds you to account?" It was Longueville who answered this time.
"The academy is bound by an entire library's worth of ancient treatises, holy concordats, trade agreements, familial oaths, peace time tithes, and a long, long list of other binding contracts. Were anything to occur here, the least that would happen is an absolute political nightmare. The worst would be all out war between not only the various nations, but civil conflicts between the many noble houses. Trust me when I say we don't take that lightly." She said, pushing her glasses just slightly up the bridge of her delicate nose.
"I see, so this place is a political nexus. Playing with fire, wouldn't you say? The knife point of war is here." I was becoming more and more skeptical as this went on.
"It's an imperfect solution, but the threat of war is often a potent deterrent. The potential cost of an incident is something no one wants to consider. Even bringing a force of one thousand men within ten miles of the academy is seen as an act of war on all sides, so there is an effective demilitarized zone spanning that distance all around us. Since the inception of the academy, there have been no successful attempts at assassination, kidnapping, or anything of the sort. As Longueville said, all mages here are trained to harness their abilities. Earth mages in particular can summon golems, erect walls and trenches, create pitfalls, and anything else their imagination and ability will allow them. A completely controlled and quickly deployable defense force." Osmond gave Longueville a knowing look, to which she gave a small smile.
"I see. That certainly does sound impressive. Exactly how long as the academy been here?" I asked.
"One thousand years, founded during the days of Birmir himself." Osmund answered. "Though no student here has been killed or harmed by outside forces, that's not to say attempts haven't been made. But rest assured, such attempts have been repelled and crushed with impunity each time without fail."
"Very well. I will check any records I can find, and any you see fit to provide me. If you have any, that is. After that, I will examine them and see if your story is correct. Should you be telling me the truth, then I will remove my suspicion from you. If not, then I will partition whoever I need to take command of this facility and begin building its defenses. Is this agreeable to you?" I asked. I had expected some spluttering, panicked response as I applied some autocratic pressure. However, Osmond merely nodded and took in a breath of smoke from his pipe. A confident display, one made by someone convinced of their own truth, or truly had nothing to hide.
"That's fair. If it will set your mind at ease then we will show you anything you wish. We have nothing to hide here." Osmond said.
I had gotten back to the dining hall sooner than our arranged meeting time, and while I waited for Louise outside, I was staring down a large winged lizard. It was far less fearsome looking than I had expected, in fact it looked like it wanted not so much to fight me but... play? Large green eyes looked at me expectantly, accompanied by the occasional flick and wag of it's great tail. I had been curious if any my brothers in the Ten Thousand had been dragon slayers, and while I would gladly try my hand at killing one, I wasn't sure if this blue beast really counted. It was among the other creatures called forth from various places on this world, and out of them all I would have to say this winged creature was the most impressive. It didn't seem at all malevolent, and its eyes communicated an uncanny intellect. Quite out of character for myself, I stretched out a hand. Unexpectedly it lowered its head, sniffed at my armoured hand and placed its chin against my fingers. I scratched the soft scales under its jaw and it let out something between a hiss and a purr. It seemed to be enjoying the sensation. Quite interesting, and a pleasant experience for myself as well.
"Made a friend?" The creature and I turned our heads to see Louise, having finished her breakfast and looking markedly less irritable than earlier.
"Merely ensuring it poses no threat. It is the largest creature here, and with flight capability. No doubt quite an issue to deal with should it go out of control." I said. I honestly didn't think the creature had the temperament for wreaking havoc. Something about the creature was quite disarming, and no matter how rigorously ingrained caution was within my psyche, it raised no sense of danger within me.
"Well I'm glad to see that you're not challenging it to a fight. I'd have thought that would have been the first thing on your mind." She said, still eying me as I continued to scratch the creature's chin.
"Under normal circumstances it would be. However I do not see the need for it. I believe the lizard and I have an understanding." The winged lizard's purring hiss grew louder when I said that, as if to agree with me. She beckoned for me to follow, and sparing the dragon a final look and a tilt of my head, I followed her. I felt a strange emptiness for a brief moment after parting with the blue dragon. Emotions are confusing.
"Did you find what you were looking for?" Louise asked as we walked to a wide portion of the inner walls, where there were tables and chairs set out in the morning sun. Mages and their Familiars were interacting with each other.
"The headmaster and his assistant have permitted me to look at any records they have without restriction. They are quite confident in the veracity of their claims."
"Those being?"
"That no students in the academy's thousand year history has been killed or injured by outside forces or from within. A bold claim to be sure. Might I ask, what are those students doing?" I inquired.
"Ah, that. There are no lessons for second year students today. Since we summoned our Familiars, today is taken for both mage and Familiar to bond with each other." She explained.
I caught a sudden flicker of light at the very corner of my vision and turned my head to see the red lizard with the flaming tail I had seen yesterday.
"Hello, you two." Kirche spoke cheerily with the voice of a temptress. Louise stopped in her tracks and looked at her, watching the dusky skinned girl pet her fire hazard of a Familar.
"Greetings. I would ask you keep your pet away from my cloak." I said. I did not know the nature of that creature's fire, and so did not want it anywhere near my prized cloak. The cloaks of the Custodes were alchemically treated during their creation to be fire retardant, insulated, stain resistant, chemical resistant, trauma resistant, and water proof. However, some things were quite good at bypassing those resistances, like Warp fire for example. Kirche's creature didn't look like a Neverborn, but I would still keep my distance.
"Oh? Yes, I'd imagine your cloak would be ruined if either of us were not careful. Such a fine thing too! Just look at that colour. Rich, deep purple. Quite regal. And your armour looks simply divine!" Her red-brown eyes scanned over my body with a fascinated glint to them. Though I couldn't be sure if it was my armour she was looking it, or she could see through it. Her expression was quiet effectively throwing me off.
"Germania, my homeland, is home to some of the finest alchemists and metallurgists on the continent, perhaps the world. There is no way that your armour is solid gold, it would just be too heavy. Tell me, who made it for you and what it is made of? I must know! Maybe the Gotz family? They're renowned for their highly articulated iron prosthetics, you know."
"I am grateful you think so highly of my armour. It was crafted for my personal use by my lord's most trusted and longest serving artificers and alchemists." To suggest my armour was made of mere gold was frankly insulting. The precious metals that composed the auramite alloy would bankrupt her planet several times over.
"What's it to you anyway, Zerbst?" Louise asked, her eyes narrowed at the taller girl. Kirche raised a hand placatingly.
"Just an appreciation for art when I see it. You can't deny that your Familiar looks positively grand, surely?" It seemed as though Louise was going to inadvertently steer the conversation away from the origin of my armour. At least that was my hope.
"I can't, I'll grant you that. But keep your interest healthy and to yourself. You've a Familiar of your own to bother with." It seemed as though Louise held some kind of grudge or resentment towards Kirche, why I cannot say. Though it appeared that the animosity was decidedly one sided, as Louise met Kirche with hostility, while the Germanian girl seemed playful. It may have just been my lack of mortal social experience, so I would not make any conclusions.
"Always so testy. Surely you wouldn't be so rude to me, would you, sir?" Kirche gave me a look that I couldn't really identify, but if I had to guess, she was trying to appeal to some sense of propriety, though I couldn't be sure.
"I have no reason to be, that is correct. It is obvious you and my master have a history, but as long as you do not present a threat, I will bear you no ill will." That was the most diplomatic answer I believed I could provide. The girl grinned.
"See, why can't you be more like him? At least he knows when to treat people properly." Before Louise could reply, Kirche stood from where she sat on the grass. "Come along, Flame. See you later you two." She winked in my direction, and that was yet another thing mortals did that I didn't understand. What did blinking at someone with one eye even mean? I'd heard the term before, but never why it was used.
"That girl, I swear!" Louise stormed off towards one of the vacant tables and sat down, resting her cheek against one her hands. Predictably, my presence distracted everyone present from their bonding time with their Familiars and to look at me, though their eyes did not linger for long. I could hear various conversations going on around us, and I was able to filter out specific exchanges. Most conversations were inane, or repeated praise of Familiars. There was nothing of worth to be gained from listening to them, and so I turned my attention to Louise.
"Achillo, get me some tea, would you? I have some more things to discuss with you." Louise said. It was a reasonable request in suppose, and if I was to be here for many years to come, I would have to get used to this kind of thing. Keeping her fed and hydrated was technically also a part of my duty, thinking about it. I nodded and did as she asked.
As I went about my task, the sound of a dispute caught my ear and took my attention away from where I was walking. A flamboyantly dressed blond boy, one of the students I had seen yesterday, was being accosted by two female students. I filtered out all other sound and listened briefly, and it seemed the boy had made conflicting promises to the two girls, neither of which were aware of the other. Much on the minutiae was lost on me though. It was a matter of efficiency to engage in one social obligation at a time, at least that is what I had been led to believe. I returned my attention to my task, only to suddenly halt to avoid walking straight into a small figure. She jolted, her hand carrying something, and dropped what appeared to be a slice of cake onto the grass.
"My apologies!" She said worriedly before looking at me. It was Siesta, the helpful servant girl. "Oh, Achillo. Good morning." She gave me a short bow, and I nodded to her.
"A pleasant morning to you as well. The fault is mine, however. I was distracted." She placed the slice if cake back on the plate and smiled at me.
"We'll call it even, then. Is your investigation going well?"
"It is certainly gaining momentum. I hope I didn't cause you trouble for helping me." I had been worried about that. She deserved no trouble for that especially since it concerned the safety of the students.
"No, not at all. Everything was put back exactly as it was found, so no one noticed anything out of place." She reassured. That was one less thing to worry about then.
"That is good. Though it appears that I am keeping you from your duties. Please, carry on." I stepped out of her way and she nodded gratefully before walking away to deliver the cake to the table belonging to the blond boy and his irate assailants. I made it several steps before I heard an angry voice coming from the direction Siesta had gone. I turned and saw the blond boy, now without the two girls in sight, berating Siesta. This would not stand. He hadn't noticed my approach, as occupied with taking out his anger on the timid maid as he was. Siesta had though, and when she took her gaze from him to me, he glanced briefly over his shoulder and froze.
"Your anger is misplaced, boy. You would be better served taking it elsewhere." There was no heat in my voice, as I didn't believe it required any. The mere sight of a Custodian was enough to cow most people without speaking, but the vox augmented armour voices to sound even harsher. The boy flinched, but there was something in his eyes that said he wouldn't be talked down to.
"And who are you exactly? Some gold clad ogre Louise hired, right? Begone, this doesn't concern you!" It had grown quiet around us, and now every pair of eyes in the courtyard was on us. I was surprised Louise wasn't already over here demanding her tea.
"Do not presume to command me, child. As it stands, only two can do that and you are not one of them." I said coolly and as a matter of fact. "It is your own failing that has angered you. Go and reflect on that and calm yourself. Siesta has done nothing to earn your ire."
"You understand that I'm nobility, don't you? Look at my shirt, see the frills at my chest. Such things are barred to all but the nobility. Who are you to tell me what to do?" How was his shirt supposed to help his argument? It was clear that he was not going to see sense.
"Someone you would be wise to listen to. Do you not see how you make yourself look? You are angered by something you did, and aim your anger at the undeserving. You should cut your losses and try to save face." I said.
"I refuse to listen to what amounts to a shiny, eloquent ogre. To think you could talk down to your better. Clearly I've made myself look as though I cannot rebuff a clumsy creature like you, so I will resolve this in the noble way. I challenge you to a duel!" He swept an arm wide at his declaration, brandishing a rose that had somehow escaped my notice. He couldn't be serious...
"I'm warning you, boy. You do not want this fight." I said, giving my voice a little extra edge, though to his credit he seemed undaunted. Was his pride really so strong that he would face a Custodian in combat? Interesting.
"Hmph, you think size will be to your advantage? Well sorry to inform you but I, a noble, possess the advantage of... oh..." In his distracted diatribe, he hadn't noticed that I had reached over and picked him up by the back of his shirt and held him up at eye level with me. His feet dangled like those of a child. Only when he opened his eyes, probably envisioning a great crowd of adoring girls, did he notice.
"Whatever advantage you think you have over me is irrelevant while I am at such close range. It is taking me no effort to hold you up, and I could do it indefinitely. Now think about what I could do if I wanted to hurt you, boy." I put him down as I saw the indignant anger dissipate, replaced by caution. I seemed to have gotten through to him.
"Have you calmed down yet, Guiche?" Came the voice of Louise as she walked over to us. "I watched that whole thing, and while my Familiar should watch who he touches, you should know better than to run your mouth like that."
"You expect me to believe you really summoned him? You who can't cast a single spell that doesn't run the risk of killing us all? Please." This time I wasn't feeling so charitable. My fist tightened around my Guardian Spear.
"I will warn you only once. I will not tolerate such insults towards my master." Her word was that of the Emperor, and as such I would brook no insult of ill nature toward her, as it was an insult to Him on Terra. To punctuate my point, I thumbed the activation rune on the shaft of the weapon, deactivating the gene-locks and the Guardian Spear came to life. Lightning wreathed the meter long adamantine blade, and it hummed with the lethal energy of a disruptor field. The energy settled until the blade was bathed in an etheric blue glow. That got his attention, and that of everyone else.
"Please, Achillo, there's no need for anything like that!" Siesta pleaded and clutched her hands to her chest.
"I agree, stand down." Louise commanded. I caught the slight waver in her voice, but she powered through whatever she was feeling to command me. As I was bound to, I obeyed, deactivating the weapon. I never intended to harm the boy at all, not physically anyway. I had achieved my intended goal of sufficiently scaring him, however. Guiche seemed to have taken my advice then and cut his losses, turning away and stormed off, his large mole Familiar following himself.
"Mind telling me what that was about?" Louise asked once Guiche was out of earshot.
"It was nothing, really." I said as I thought nothing of the situation. It was nothing praiseworthy, simply what I felt was the right thing to do.
"It wasn't nothing though, Achillo. You really helped me out there." Siesta cut in. "You could have gotten hurt if he used his magic!"
"That's true. What were you thinking? You've shown yourself to be strong, sure, but if had range on you, you'd be in real trouble. Nobles will always win against people without magic. That's just how it is." Louise said. I shook my head.
"In time I'm sure you'll come to realise that you haven't summoned an ordinary man, but something more. It is understandable that you would think I am powerless, given everything you know of your world and its workings." I said. A Time would come when they will see what one of the Ten Thousand is capable of.
"Is that right? By the way, is your weapon enchanted? Because when the blade turned blue, runes appeared on the back of your hand. Can you show me your hand? Without the gauntlet , I mean." Louise asked. I hadn't seen any runes, nor felt anything amiss with my body at all. I would need to check for myself, but that would mean removing my armour and body glove. However, if it meant that I would get a deeper understanding of the bond between Louise and I as master and Familiar, then I would take that opportunity. Perhaps there would be strategic value in learning of any weaknesses in the bond that I could exploit in others should the need arise.
"I will show you if that is what you wish. But it will have to be somewhere private as I will need to remove my armour." I said, drawing an unexpected reaction from the girl as her face became flushed, though why I did not know.
"O-oh, really? T-then my room will be good enough. For now though, I will have lessons soon." Louise then looked at Siesta. "Are you alright?" She asked, showing a caring side I had yet to see. Siesta nodded and bowed deeply.
"Yes, thank you, milady. Your Familiar, Achillo, is quite the gentlemen to assist me." She said gratefully.
"You know his name. You've met before?" Louise asked. I answered this question.
"She was of great help to me last night when I was probing the kitchens for anything poisonous or otherwise dangerous that might be used to assassinate the students here, yourself included. She was quite cooperative and made my job much easier." I said, and Siesta looked away quite bashfully.
"I see. Then as his master, I thank you for assisting my Familiar. By helping him, you help me." Louise's face softened and she smiled at the maid.
"Please, there's no need to thank me. I was happy to help." Siesta fidgeted apparently uncomfortable with being earnestly thanked by one she considered her superior. I checked the chronometer on my visor and saw that it was almost nine.
"I believe you're going to be late, master. You have five minutes before nine o'clock."
"Dammit we need to go! See you around, Siesta. Achillo, let's go!" Louise was already moving, quite quickly despite her small legs. I looked at Siesta who was once again smiling brightly at me.
"Take care, and enjoy the rest of your day." I said, hearing her wish me well before I quickly caught up to Louise.
For scale, none of the main cast of FoZ exceed 6'0'' (182cm), with Louise being 5'0'' (152cm). Achillo stands at 9'2'' (281cm) out of is armour, and I would guess 9'5'' in his armour, assuming the soles of his boots are 3 inches (7.62cm) thick. Add the tall helmet and I estimate he would be over 3 meters (9'8'') tall. That's a big boy. Just a little fun fact.
Second chapter done. I'm grateful for the positive response on the first chapter, seriously didn't expect it to be liked that much. I'm going to try and add little bits of history and political intrigue to the story, since sticking strictly to canon is kinda boring. I think quite a few things will happen differently too, like the fight with Guiche for example. In most fics I've read, the fight with Guiche happens pretty much the same but with little changes here and there. But thinking about it objectively, why would an Astartes or a Custodes even think a fight with a kid would be worth the effort? Well, hopefully I'll get the next one out fairly soon. Peace.