If I had to describe how the organisation for the long march ahead of us went I'd have to say it was efficient if a bit annoying. A lot of higher ranking officers were gone after the siege despite this my Aunt had managed to get a lot of soldiers and priests together. With a bit of manoeuvring I was quickly put in charge, it also helped that the priests were quite fond of me. They were so fond of me that I could barely get five minutes of peace! I thought about refusing to bring them with me and saying something like 'Bringing our esteemed priests to a land full of heretics and tyrants would shame me, I can't allow you to come into any danger!' or some other bullshit.

But I can't let my emotions guide my actions, we needed more troops and heavy infantry, while not as useful as riflemen and repeater gun crews could still be very beneficial in the eventual siege to come. There were a lot of them and they had brought at least fifty fanatical paladins for each of them, so I couldn't even refuse them. I do think that a siege was unlikely to occur for at least a year after the absolute pounding (wait that sounds weird) we had given them at the walls, but I don't want to be caught with my pants down (shit, again?). Well in a nutshell other than a few annoyances everything was going well.

"LEGATUS! I COME BEARING NEWS!" The booming voice of the tall (for a mortal) man echoed throughout the small courtyard I was currently in. The golden black haired and brown eyed, the large man was a peasant from the Citystate of Lescatie named Raymond of Tassonne or otherwise known as the Champion still carrying his massive hook-like sicles.

"Well, tell me then." A sigh escaped my lips but the simple man didn't seem to catch on to the reason for my fatigue.

"Yes, the legions have finished organising and the rifles you called for have been delivered! Miss Catarina sent me here to call for you." I couldn't stay angry at the earnest man for long, he was eager to please and very energetic.

"Take me to her then."

"Understood!" He replied with a sloppy legion salute. Heh, cute. I hope he doesn't get executed or something by the Order because of some inane reason or the other. Well, if it came to it I would protect him. After all one can never have enough super powered reckless meatshields.

The Champion led me through many streets until we reached the train station filled to the brim with wagons and locomotives. Our 'little' expedition made up of around eight thousand legionaries and auxilla escorting more than a hundred priests and some esteemed citizens chosen as other legate to help move along the negotiations of course with their own cohorts and guards as well would need the massive railway in order to reach Lescatie with anything resembling speed.

My trek from Salid to Mount unbesiegbar took around a month. If we were to take that very route with our heavy armoured and equipped troops, logistics trucks and legate we would need at least a season more likely two before we reached Salid. So we were going to move with trains shortening our months long journey to a week or two, after Salid we would have to march all the way to Lescatie which would take by my estimates around twenty seven days. Not short but It was the best we could do with what we had.

We found Catarina together with the rest of my reichsgarde and unsurprisingly the other three centuria that I had led. They had formed some sort of companionship between them. The Surefires were packing their ammo and spare rifle barrels into boxes and placing them into storage, my reichsgarde and halberdiers were trying to look busy now that I was here. Idiots, that's not gonna work on me.

Catarina was staring at a pile of papers on top of a wooden box

like it had personally offended her. She was in a horrendous state, her golden locks wild and untamed, her normally bright green eyes sunken and dull combined with pale skin almost like a vampires she looked as if she would keel over any second. Catarina looked up from the tower of papers in front of her and smiled in a way that sent a chill down my spine. "Eques! Glad to see you here" She picked up the massive stack barely and almost toppled it over when it hit her considerable rack and showed it into my arms. On instinct I caught them.

"After ten days of preparation everything is as you requested. The only thing left is for you to sign these Papers and with the permission of the Heavens we can embark on the train. Naturally I have already gone over the paperwork, you only need to sign them and we can get them filed.

Sweet Catarina you are a gift. I found a place, laid the papers down. Without me even asking, Catarina handed me a fountain pen and I started working.

The Train ride was moderately comfortable. Well, it was comfortable for me and the other diplomats seeing as we were riding on padded seats and constantly brought refreshments and snacks and my boredom was kept in check by Catarina. My dutiful guard was riding with me and making the mundane if luxurious ride bearable. The troops however were riding in considerably worse conditions, but they somehow didn't complain, I guess they thought it was better to ride on cramped wooden seats or on top of boxes than to march through the mud and rain.

After another eight hours ride we were finally at our final stop, the train station of Salid. Being the closest major city to Lescatie it also had the closest train station. I would need to get off and visit the governor to tell him why we were here. Hopefully someone else will ready the troops and I won't have to deal with reorganising after I'm done talking with the governor, that talk is already going to be tiring enough on its own.

I'm really not looking forward to the governors 'excitable' personality. What was his name again? Ah yes Kaan Akkurt. I don't care for names much but my memory is almost perfect to the point where I can remember almost anything I have seen or heard. Far too often it is a curse, remembering the artwork of Sonya still makes my face heat up and my body shiver.

Ignoring my slight excitement I informed my fellows of where I was going motioned for Catarina to follow me and left for the streets my reichsgarde had already gotten off and were following me around. It would have been a nice leisurely walk if we weren't constantly gawked at by the locals. Understandable really, we had spooked them and none of us were dressed particularly modestly with all our red silks and engraved shining armour. Salid is by no means a poor city but the opulence of our armours was unusual for even the richest of merchants to see. Which made for a very very annoying trip towards the governors estate, said estate also being on the other side of the city turned us into what is essentially a parade.

The city was now empty of the legionaries that were preparing for the monster incursions now, well now we know why the monsters were getting uppity. The legionaries here would most likely stay here, Stahlstadt was already pretty much emptied of all forces that could be spared. The rest were needed to remain and guard the borders just in case. The Republic wasn't on war footing and most likely would start arming itself unless a 'barbarian' incursion forced the senators to get off their asses and start working or my Father decided that it was time to go on a crusade. Well there is also the possibility that the cities of the water divas started attacking our convoys again but the recent expedition should have bloodied them enough, I doubt they would attack now.

Wait that shopkeep, I should go and find that damned traitor, but ugh… I don't want to bear these crowds any longer than I have to. Wait, I can just send my guards. Huh, delegating is really useful! I turned to address the lieutenant Catarina always kept around (maybe they were friends? I don't know I haven't asked)

"Lieutenant Holden, I want you to check out a shop in a street called 'Sêljuk street'. The shop's name is 'The Hidden Desire' . Find the shopkeeper and bring her to me. Do be careful, she might be a monster infiltrator.

After a second of hesitation Markus Holden quickly saluted with a 'Yes, my lady." gathered a small group of reichsgarde and left. Ahhh, unquestioning obedience how I love you. I didn't even need to explain my reasons.

Being occupied helped me bear the gawking crowds until we arrived at the governor's house. Unlike last time we were greeted by a manservant and led to the living room I had eaten at last time. Only Catarina came with me, the rest of my retinue were guarding the perimeter around the mansion, it would have been far too cramped and awkward even with my Reichsgarde's depleted ranks. After a few minutes of waiting Governor Akkurt arrived along with tea and snacks for us, the tea was naturally the odd blend of black tea they enjoyed here served in crystal cups with an open topped hourglass like shape.

"Eques Naotora, I didn't think I would get to see you this soon."

After sitting down he immediately jumped right into the topic, I guess he must have been spooked if he's acting so unusual.

"I was normally planning on continuing my journey around the Republic but duty calls and I've realised that not dealing with important matters quickly causes a painful retribution." I haven't been able to continue my journey but I got the opportunity to see people live through war so it was good enough for me. I feel that I can at least read emotions better and feel emotions more vividly, although some of those emotions aren't exactly welcome. I struggled to not think about Sonya and her… betrayal.

"So what exactly happened? Some kind of attack?"

I proceed to tell him about the current circumstances. I may have summarised a bit too much but he understood the gist of it.

"So you and your 'diplomatic party' will be marching towards Lescatie without any forewarning sent to them?"

"I was thinking of sending riders to inform them." I admit I hadn't thought about that much, just sending a rider should be enough. Okay maybe more than one rider accompanying a legatus.

"Take care not to annoy them, the nobles of Lescatie are incompetent at almost everyting but being petty and spending money but they will make everything much harder for you any chance they get. Believe me, they are each of them like petulant children." A lengthy warning and from what I can tell was entirely genuine.

"I'll take care not to offend anyone, I promise." I assured him though I wasn't exactly sure I could follow up on that promise, humans are easy to offend and I am many things but not exactly a master manipulator.

A sigh escaped his lips and he answered in a tired voice "I'm sure you will try. Well, I shouldn't keep you any longer, you have a long march ahead of you. So may your path be clear and fortune favour you."

"Thank you Governor, but I doubt I will need much fortune for what is ahead of me."

Outside I was met by Holden. He explained that the monster shopkeeper had left town a month ago, apparently she was smarter than expected. I'll find her someday for now I have a march to organise.

Our march was going to take much much longer. I didn't expect paved stone roads and ideal marching times but I think nobody could expect their roads to be so shit. Mostly just barely cleared dirt and forest trails with not even milestones to keep track of the distance, if we were closer to a town we could see some packed dirt and very very rarely pebble laid roads.

Well good thing the Governor wished for clear paths because If this is the good version of the roads I don't want to know the bad version. Still we had made progress and Lescatie was extremely close to Salid. Thankfully our supply trucks were either very well made or the maintenance crews were far too good at their jobs, it had been two weeks and none of them had broken down yet!

Even if the road was terrible and our pace was slow I was actually quite content. It's satisfying to march ahead of my troops, there was something primal within me that called for me to lead men against the enemies of mankind. The synchronised steps, the clinking armour, the rumble of combustion engines of the trucks were like the greatest melody I had ever heard.

Some people did not seem to like marching as much as I do since almost all other diplomats were riding on horses or in automobiles. Disappointing but what more could I expect. Well I said almost all because of the singular warrior priest that had not spoken a word since I had first seen him, he was marching along with me with a constant scowl and nothing else. No praying, no talking, just constant silent marching. The only thing he really did was just look at the churches of the towns we passed by with disgust, he must really hate the Chief God and her worshippers. I liked this guy, he would most likely fight well and he didn't try to preach to anyone on top of that he was totally silent.

We would most likely make it to Lescatie in another two weeks; we had already passed more than five towns, each of them poorly maintained and on the verge of collapse. What bothers me isn't their terrible state (really that was expected), it's the priests constantly eyeing us like trash. Worthless scum we're here to honour a tradition that has saved you countless times and they disdain us. Especially a nun in the third town over, she was really creepy looking at us and laughing at us like there was a joke that we simply couldn't understand.

Oh well, hopefully Lescatie would be better, if not it's going to be very annoying over there.

Preator Markus Filio

By my lord's orders I had to reach the young lady and call her back to Carthage. I don't know what spooked the Curator so much as to give me this 'bike' but it definitely was Fast, so fast I almost fell off a few times and I'm the best damned rider in Carthage no matter what the others say.

Even with its speed I've been riding constantly for three days and I still haven't reached them. I was hungry, thirsty and tired but I needed to keep riding. I'm not gonna let the girl I watched grow up be lost.

I turned and rode through the forests of Lescatie, going right by towns, I had already passed two towns and was rapidly nearing another. But I was running on fumes, the road from Carthage to here had been bumpy and my eyes were starting to close. I will have to stop in the next town over.

A few minutes longer and the next town was in sight, the sun was going down and people were getting ready to rest. Once in town I needed to find an inn or something like that. I got off my bike and looked around for somebody to ask for an inn, luckily I found an oddly young nun.

"Hey, Sister. Could you please point me towards an inn? Or atleast a tavern?"

She smiled at me, a sickly sweet smile that creeped me right out but also made me feel an odd heat inside. No, I am not gonna fall for a girl ten years younger than me.

"Ahh, I'm sorry Sir, but the Inn and the tavern in this town have closed down years ago. But if you would like to you could stay at my Church for the night. I was just about to have dinner and would love to have some company."

Stay with a twenty something nun in a church for the night or camp outside. It might sound like it's one of those books pius is so fond of but I didn't have much of a choice.

"Very well then, but won't the priest be annoyed?"

"Well, Father Antony has left for Lescatie and hasn't come back."

"Huh, then lead the way."

With purposeful steps we moved through the wide streets and came upon a humble church. Once inside I sat down on the table she had led me to in the back of the church. After thirty minutes of waiting a goulash was served. It tasted a bit odd and kinda tangy. I drank and ate till I could barely move, the food was really good but I had started to feel a bit odd, there was a burning heat in my stomach.

I retired for the night into the comfortable bed I was shown. Maybe I should come back to this town again when I'm done. The nun was good company, and I should get around to getting married soon so maybe once I was done I could take her back home with me? Ma would be happy to see grandchildren soon.

I almost drifted off to a peaceful slumber but the room's door was opened, it was the nun.

"Hmmm? What's wrong?"

"Ohh, nothing dear. I just thought I would pray a little tonight."

Dear? Pray? I reached for my sword but was stopped by a hand. She was on top of me and I could feel her heavy breath.

"Shall we pray together?" Those seductive words coming from the succubus nun covered in chains and with curved horns scared me and aroused me in equal measure.

"Come on, I want to worship you." I kept struggling, no matter what I didn't want to be corrupted.

"Get the Fuck off me slut!" I hissed out but it only heated her up further. She was rubbing on me. She forced my hand down and I could feel a distinct wetness. She whispered in my ears and I suddenly couldn't care anymore.

She started removing my clothes and I couldn't care anymore.

"Don't worry honey, we'll be married by tomorrow morning."

I don't think I would leave this church for a while.

An: I might post a NSFW version of this on QQ but we'll see. Anyways hope you enjoy and please do speculate or tell me what you thought.