Chapter 8: Setting the Stage
Location: Slane Theocracy, Entrance to the Capital City of the Slane Theocracy: The Holy City of Humanika.
Stupid name.
That's what Corvo thought as he and Nigun approached the gate. He wasn't wearing his mask and had his hood down revealing his sharp eyes, ruggedly handsome face, messy hair, a trimmed beard, and a permanent scowl. Nigun, whose hair had grown enough so that he now held it in a ponytail and had grown some stubble on his face, was wearing his old Slane Theocracy uniform, although it had been roughed up and torn in several places to match his cover story. He was absolutely ecstatic that he was finally going to be of use to his master. After he had told his master everything he knew about the Theocracy, legends of what his masters sometimes referred to as "Players", whatever that meant, and the surrounding countries; he had spent the past four weeks undergoing grueling training under Mistress Bloodfallen and 3 days ago, he was finally deemed ready to go on a mission. Nigun shuddered as he remembered the "punishments" his mistress would deal out when he failed, partially because after that he hadn't to sit down or eat properly for the two days that followed and partially because he enjoyed it although he would never admit his newfound proclivity for masochism. Despite that, he had learned to control his new vampiric abilities in order to disguise his true self so that he would appear to be, in all appearances, a regular human, just like his master had done when they first met. He and Corvo had been given their cover stories and were sent to go spy on the Theocracy. They were about to enter the city when a guard called them out.
"Halt! Please state your business here," the knight inquired. Nigun straightened up, remembered his lord's instructions, and, thanks to his new undead body, kept calm.
"I am Nigun Grid Luin, Captain of the Sunlight Scripture," he said. The guard looked at him in surprise.
"Sir? We heard you and the rest of Sunlight Scripture were killed," the knight said. Nigun made a convincing mournful face and looked down.
"That isn't too far from the truth," he solemnly. The knight gave Nigun a look of remorse before turning his attention to the other man, Corvo.
"Who is he?"
"The man who saved my life," Nigun lied. The knight shook his head.
"This is way above my pay grade. You'll have to see the Cardinals. I'll send word that you're back, sir."
"My thanks." And with that the two entered the city without the knight noticing that shadows didn't entirely seem to match their shapes, as if there were several shadows hiding within their shadows. These were Shadow Demons. While these creatures were relatively weak compared to most of Nazarick being only level 30, but excelled at stealth. Corvo took in the view of Humanika as they entered the city. While Re-Estize architecture looked like medieval England, this place looked more like Vatican City.
"You remember where to go right?" Nigun asked his commanding officer.
"Yes," Corvo said quietly. He was a man of few words. Nigun could respect that. He could also respect the fact that this man was more than likely the single most dangerous person in this city. He might even be able to kill HER. With that, the two went their separate ways. Nigun headed toward the Shrine of the First Miko while Corvo went into the seedier part of the city.
As Corvo made his way to through the less reputable part of town, he heard a woman calling out to passing pedestrians.
"Human status for elves! Only we can make a change!" she called as she handed out pamphlets. She was stunning. She didn't compare to Albedo, but she was still very beautiful. Black hair tied up in a bun, tan skin, a smile that could warm anyone's heart, and form fitting high-end black clothes that hugged her curves. Not to mention her big beautiful … brown eyes. Obviously, Corvo didn't give a flying fuck and walked right past her. That is, until he heard a loud smack and several of the pamphlets flew past him. He spun around to see two large men standing over her.
"Filthy blasphemer!" one of them yelled, obviously drunk. "Telling us to make nice with elves!"
"You sure you're human ya stupid cunt?" the other one bellowed. "I say we cut this bitch open and make sure her blood is red!" Corvo was much like Sebas, he didn't like watching innocents attacked or people act like assholes, but he was colder and wouldn't mind if terrible things happened as long as his creator was happy. However, as he looked around, no one budged to help this woman. As a matter of fact, most of them seemed to smirk at the woman's pain saying things like:
"What did she expect?"
"Filthy blasphemer."
"That's what you get."
"About time someone put that elf lover in her place."
Corvo, having had enough, stomped over to the woman.
"Please, you're drunk," the woman pleaded.
"Fuck you!" drunk idiot #1 shouted as brought his hand up to hit her again. Suddenly, someone grabbed his arm in a firm grip. He turned around to find it was Corvo, obviously, who had grabbed him.
"Leave," was all Corvo said.
"Fuck off! This isn't any of your-" he didn't get to finish that statement as Corvo's fist collided with the side of his face so hard it sent the drunk spinning before he collapsed on the ground. That's when drunk #2 decided to join in and threw a punch that Corvo easily evaded simply by shifting his stance and delivered a hard kick to side of the man's knee causing him to fall onto that knee. Before the man could even pick himself up he received another kick right to his face which knocked him to the ground. He groaned in pain and as he tried to sit up Corvo put his boot on the man's throat and stared down at the fool.
"Tell your friend when he wakes up," Corvo said coldly. "If I ever see you idiots again I will gouge out your eyes and feed them to you." With that said he pulled out the ultimate eye gouging weapon from one of his pockets and pointed it at him: a spoon. The man gulped in fear as Corvo removed his boot. "Leave." He didn't have to be told twice. He grabbed his companion's unconscious form and dragged him away as fast he could. That day they those two drunks learned a valuable lesson: never fuck with a man with a spoon. With that taken care of, Corvo pocketed his spoon and continued on his way. Not even a minute later, he heard that woman again.
"Excuse me?" he ignored her.
"Um, excuse me?" he still ignored her.
"Sir!" he felt a soft hand grab his arm. He spun around and, being 6ft4in, glared down at the 5ft4in woman.
"What?" he demanded as he glared into her fearful eyes.
"Uh-um, th-thank you for helping me," she stammered. Corvo, whose heart wasn't moved at all by this beautiful, nervous woman simply growled out:
"Yer welcome," before walking away at a quick pace.
She still following me isn't she?
He turned around and, sure enough, there she was jogging to keep up with him.
"What now?" he demanded. She smiled at him, seemingly undeterred by his attitude and asked.
"Is there any way I could help you?"
"No," he stated coldly. She pouted in response and gave him puppy dog eyes. Corvo let out a sigh.
What a weird woman. The sooner I let her help me the sooner I can get rid of her.
"I suppose I could use some help finding the Fighter's Guild," he said awkwardly. She beamed at him and grabbed his calloused hand.
"Follow me!" she exclaimed as she started practically dragging him through the streets. Corvo's facial expression was that of a man who had doomed himself.
This woman is way too happy.
The Cardinals all stared at Nigun as he entered the room. He kneeled to those he once thought as holy and waited for permission to rise.
"You may rise, Captain Nigun Grid Luin," said the only female cardinal, Berenice Nagua Santini: the Cardinal of Fire. Nigun rose to his feet.
"Thank you, your holiness," he said as his eyes flicked between the cardinals faces. He could hear their blood pumping through their veins. He could smell through their skin. He wanted to eviscerate them and feast on their blood. But he controlled himself. He had to prove himself to his god. The day his master revealed himself on the global stage was fast approaching and on that day the world would be shaken to its core. Following that would come the battle between the powers that be and Lucifer Dracul. Nigun couldn't see Lucifer Dracul losing and he FULLY intended to be on the winning team.
"We heard reports of how Sunlight Scripture was wiped out," Ginedine Delan Guelfi, the oldest the cardinals and the Cardinal of Water, stated. Nigun bit his tongue to keep himself from saying a scathing remark about how they had spied on him.
"Could you give us your account of what happened after this magic caster, Lucifer Dracul, destroyed Dominion Authority?" asked the youngest cardinal, Raymond Zarg Lauransan: the Cardinal of Earth and the ultimate commander of the Six Scriptures. Nigun couldn't help but give a jab at this.
"How did you know he destroyed the holiest of angels?" Nigun asked. Raymond stiffened as he realized his mistake.
"Because of the nature of your assignment we had Thousand Leagues Astrologer keep an eye on the situation with Intelligence Magic. We are sorry we did not inform you. Please forgive us," said Dominic Ihre Partouche, the Cardinal of Wind, as he covered for his colleague's mistake. Nigun mentally smirked. On the outside, Dominic looked every bit the part of a kind old man, but he had held Nigun's position in Sunlight Scripture decades earlier and on the inside he was a murderous fanatic just like he had been before meeting Lord Dracul.
You're not sorry for spying on me. You're sorry I found out!
"It is alright your holiness. I understand," Nigun lied as he ran through his cover story for the hundredth time in his head. The cardinals relaxed a bit after hearing that.
"Then please, Nigun, tell us what happened," the skinny, sinister looking man, Yvon Jasna Dracrowa: the Cardinal of Light, demanded more than asked. Nigun cleared his throat and recited his cover story.
"After Lucifer Dracul destroyed Dominion Authority, he used a spell I had never heard of. [Hellsing] is what he called it," Nigun recited as he glanced at the Cardinal of Darkness, Maximilian Oreio Lagier taking notes. He had always found that man strange with his large, round glasses and the books that always levitated around him.
"We have not heard of this [Hellsing] spell either. What does it do?" the Cardinal of Fire asked.
"I assume you are all familiar with the spell [Fireball] correct?" Nigun asked. The cardinals nodded. "When Dracul used [Hellsing], hundreds of fireballs rained down upon us. I thought it was the end of the world." The cardinals began muttering amongst themselves as they ate up Nigun lies like starving children. Once they finished, they looked back at Nigun.
"How did you escape?" the Cardinal of Water asked with an eyebrow raised.
"I didn't," Nigun said as he continued his cover story. "One of those fireballs exploded near me causing my mount and I to be hurled through the air. When I landed, I knew for sure that I had broken my legs. Before I could pull myself up my horse landed on top of me knocking out. When I woke up, it was morning and I was still pinned under my dead horse. I eventually managed to crawl out from under its body and started crawling until a man named Corvo Attano found me. He, apparently, had been living in the Great Forest of Tob."
"I must have misheard you," the Cardinal of Darkness finally spoke up. "This man, Corvo Attano, lived in the Great Forest of Tob? With all those monsters?"
"As unbelievable as it sounds, yes," Nigun said.
"How did he survive?" the Cardinal of Light demanded. They had taken the bait.
"You may ask him yourself," Nigun replied. "He came with me here to Humanika." The Cardinal's glanced at each other before turning back to Nigun.
"It has been four weeks since your disappearance, Nigun," stated the Cardinal of Earth. "Why did you not report in earlier?"
"There are two reasons for my lateness your holiness," Nigun knew he had to keep up the façade until he received permission to do otherwise, but continuing to pretend to revere these so-called "cardinals" was starting to grate on his nerves. "The first of which is that, although Sir Attano did have healing potions on hand, they did not completely fix my legs so we had to a fair bit of waiting for my legs to be fully healed. The second reason is that Sir Attano was not in possession of a mount so we had to travel on foot."
"Well we are pleased by your safe return," said the Cardinal of Fire. "Nigun, are you willing to resume your duties as the Captain of Sunlight Scripture?" Nigun bowed.
"My apologies your holiness, but I must decline," Nigun declared.
"WHAT?" the Cardinal of Wind cried out. Nigun knew this was coming and he put on the face of a broken man before he delivered the final touch.
"Your holiness, I cannot bear the thought of going back out there with the knowledge that Lucifer Dracul continues to haunt this world," he said in a haunted tone. "I still wish to serve the Theocracy, but I'd prefer to do it from here in the Holy City." The Cardinals debated for a minute before the Cardinal of Darkness spoke.
"In light of the power Lucifer Dracul wields and the possibility he may seek further vengeance upon us, I propose that Nigun, who has firsthand experience with this dangerous individual, be made Head of Security here in the Shrine of the First Miko."
"Why?" the Cardinal of Light demanded.
"We are shorthanded as it is with the Black Scripture currently within Re-Estize's borders. Furthermore I do not believe this is the last we will have heard of this powerful sorcerer and should we need Nigun's insight it will be convenient to have him on hand. Any objections?" Everyone remained quiet. "Good. Nigun, where is this Corvo Attano you spoke of?"
"I believe he said he would be visiting the Fighters Guild," Nigun responded.
"Thank you Nigun. Have one of the slaves show you to your quarters and get some rest," the Cardinal of Water said. Nigun bowed, turned on his heel, and marched off. The cardinals couldn't see the evil grin that spread across his face. They had no idea that during the course of their conversation, 20 Shadow Demons had infiltrated deep into the inner vaults of the shrine while and additional 6 hid in the shadows of the cardinals themselves.
The Cardinal of Darkness took it upon himself to meet with this Corvo Attano. As he approached the Fighter's Guild in disguise, which had originally been created by the Theocracy to allow young men to gain combat experience before joining the military, he could see it was more crowded than usual. The citizens were cheering and booing loudly. As he got closer to the ring, he heard the announcer cry out.
"Unbelievable! This newcomer has just ended our champion's ten-year-long undefeated record! Introducing the Fighter's Guild new champion: Corvo Attano!" The Cardinal eyes widened slightly when he saw the scowling man standing in the middle of the ring. He stood shirtless among the dozens of unconscious men who littered the ring. He didn't have a single bruise or scratch on him. A woman who was holding his coat and shirt was jumping and squealing like a fangirl on the sideline.
Amazing. Not only did he live in the Great Forest of Tob but he has beaten everyone in the Fighter's Guild, including the undefeated champion, in less than a day. Could he be a God-Kin?
As the crowd started to disperse without noticing the Shadow Demons that had latched onto their shadows, the Cardinal closed in on the man as he was putting his clothes back on. As that woman continued to talk his ear off.
"You were amazing!" she exclaimed as Corvo finished putting his trench coat back on.
"Thank you," he muttered.
"I knew you were good, but I didn't know you were that good!"
"Why are you still here?" the woman, apparently oblivious to his comment continued to talk to him until she noticed the Cardinal of Darkness approaching.
"Greetings, Sir Attano," the cardinal said. "It appears Nigun's account of your actions do you justice." Corvo simply grunted in response. "I understand you were living in the Great Forest of Tob before you came to our most Holy City." The woman looked at Corvo in shock. It was only now that the cardinal recognized her as that elven rights woman. He found her annoying but harmless.
"That is correct," Corvo stated before turning his narrow eyes to the man. "Who are you?"
"Ah, my apologies. I forgot to introduce myself," he said with a curt bow. "I am the Cardinal of Darkness, Maximilian Oreio Lagier. You may call me Maximilian." The woman immediately straightened up and bowed to him.
"I'm sorry your holiness! I didn't realize it was you!"
"Yes, that's the point of the disguise," Maximilian stated coldly. Corvo's eyes narrowed. His master had warned him of this man. He was the one who managed the Black Scripture. The ones who had access to WCIs. Lucifer had made this very clear to all forces currently operating outside Nazarick: Should anyone come into contact with the black scripture they were to fall back as quickly as possible and never under any circumstances engage them in combat.
"What do you want?" Corvo asked bluntly. Maximilian frowned slightly at Corvo's bluntness. He too was usually a man of few words, but this man didn't have to be so blunt.
"I would like to ask you to join the Black Scipture," Maximilian decided to come clean. The woman gasped and Corvo was simply silent for a moment.
"I decline," was all he said. Maximilian momentarily panicked.
No! If he really is a God-Kin I cannot let him slip through the Theocracy's grasp! If what Nigun says is true then we need him!
"My I ask why, Sir Attano?" he asked as calmly as he could.
"I am a mercenary. I work for the highest bidder and only accept jobs that adhere to my moral code," Corvo replied.
I can work with this.
"I'll make you a deal Sir Attano," Maximilian said as he tried to get this man on his side. "If you agree to work exclusively for the Slane Theocracy, I will allow you to decline any job that does not meet. Do you agree to these terms?"
"…I agree to your terms," Corvo finally responded. Maximilian let out a sigh of relief.
"Excellent. We can work out the details of our contract later on this evening. Stop by the Cathedral of Darkness before nightfall. Do you have accommodations where I could reach you?"
"No."
"What!?" the woman spoke up. And then, before the cardinal could make his offer, she said: "Well you do now! You're coming home with me! It's the least I can do after you help me earlier today."
"I don't even know your name," Corvo said awkwardly.
"My name is Jessamine Kaldwin. Now that we're not strangers it's okay if you room with me!" she proclaimed with a smile. Maximilian sweatdropped.
What a strange woman.
Corvo stared at her for a few moments before looking back at the cardinal.
"I appear to have acquired lodgings," he stated.
"….I see…"
"Come on, Corvo. We need to get you cleaned up before you visit the Cathedral! Onward to the Kaldwin residence!" and with that, Jessamine started dragging Corvo down the road….. again. Corvo, for the first time that day, had a small smile on his face. This smile was there for multiple reasons. One: The psychological profile he had studied about the Cardinal of Darkness had been extremely useful during their negotiations had paid off. Two: Everything had gone according to his master's plan (apart from meeting this Jessamine woman). Three: He was actually starting to enjoy this weirdo's company.
Maximilian stared off into space as he watched the strange duo disappear into the crowds. This had been the most interesting thing to happen to him all day.
Those two are complete opposites… I ship it.
Alright I'm done for the night. Secretary, set my calls to go to voicemail. Leave a message after the sound of the screaming orphan.
HAIL AND KILL!