I woke up in my guest bed inside the Lescatian castle fairly peacefully. The sun was not up yet, the perfect time to have a bath without being bothered by the castle servants. And If I'm correct Catarina should have prepared water for me.
Yep! A bronze tub filled with water, not heated but I prefer ice cold baths anyways, so It's even better right now in the cold winter morning.
I dipped myself in the large bronze tub and simply enjoyed feeling clean, the frigid water cleared whatever drowsiness I had left.I can already feel all the aches the constant stress is causing me melting away. Ahhhhhh, this is life. All I need is a goal to work toward, baths every morning and some good companionship.
I couldn't just stay in the tub forever so I started washing my hair with the soap we had brought with us. After drying myself off I called for the two Augspurg maids attending me and started my morning routine. My hair was thoroughly brushed and braided into a half braid with most of it still hanging down to my shoulders, after that my robes were replaced by a dress shirt and fabric pants paired with a jacket that had a hook for me to attach the Red River off of. The magnificent cape was a bit odd coupled with the modest if stylish ensemble, but I was not going to not wear it.
Some of my servants had tried to make me wear a traditional dress but I would much rather die than try to make stupid nobles listen to me in a corset. Tough I guess they won considering the hairstyle. Finally I was almost ready. The final piece in my little ensemble was the knee high leather boots, the maids quickly tied their laces and I started heading to my first meeting of the week, a breakfast with the head of the Carcassonne family.
The Carcassonne family were fairly influential in the military side of things. They had stayed far away from the church and were quite influential in the military side of things. The Lescatian Braves, a legion sized group of heavy infantry with countless support staff were loyal to them and them alone, coupled with their significant control over the Order of the Unwavering Lance they controlled a large portion of the elite troops inside the city.
I know for a fact that they had quite a lot of supporters in commanding offices as well, despite all their power they had one weakness, they had close to no heroes in their ranks.
Almost every single hero in Lescatie was recruited by either the Noscrim faction or the inquisition. I'm sure Catarina is dealing with that issue for me, Willmarina was definitely not the only discontent hero in the Order of the Ice Flower. Catarina was oddly capable of getting into people's heads when she wants to, I'm sure she'll find those willing to ram their blades up the Archbishop's ass.
Speaking of Catarina she was speed walking towards me with a worried look on her face.
"My lady, there is an emergency. We need to find somewhere private to talk."
Emergency? That could be bad, but the meeting is far too important to cancel and giving any kind of offence would be very annoying.
She started walking next to me and clearly she was stressed. The breakfast was scheduled in thirty minutes, shit.
"I have a breakfast meeting with the head of an important family in thirty minutes, I can't afford to cancel it right now. Cat, can you go and prepare a room for us, I'll have time for whatever it is in two or three hours."
"I…I'll get us a room, however this problem requires your direct insight and participation, so please make an excuse as soon as possible.
Oh boy…
The meeting was over, it had run short anyways, so I was now walking with Cat to a room she had prepared beforehand. The moment we entered she started taking something out of a leather pouch she had brought with her.
"Yesterday night, as I was heading to my room I was contacted by a monster infiltrator, she had come to deliver a message and offer from the Fourth Born."
I motioned for her to continue and sat on a leather couch. I don't think I'm going to like this.
"The offer is that if we leave Lescatie with our armies then all towns north of Lescatie will be handed over to the Republic and a reparation in the form of gemstones and valuable metals will be paid for our troubles."
"Stupid, the towns will be full of monsters in disguise and the reparations will be tainted. There is no way we can accept that."
"I agree but there is also the reason that you want Lescatie for the Republic, no?"
"Well… You're right but don't just say it! I feel like I'm overreaching when you say it all pragmatically."
"You are overreaching. I think you should start with routing out the church first, not just getting ready for an armed coup after a massive battle."
Wow that much sass can't be healthy, I wonder did Markus do something stupid again? As far as I know they aren't a thing, but really the only emotion Cat openly shows is her love for him but the dumbass can read every emotion but love.
"...Anyway more importantly the kunoichi also gave me something and told me that the Fourth Abomination was waiting for us on a hill west of the lake."
She pulled a small metal disc out and I felt my hearts stop beating for a second. The emblem of the martian mechanicum as Father had once drawn for me, why would the monsters have one of these.
"...I'm told the owner of this brooch would like to meet you."
With those words I felt my vision go red, my blood boiled and the glass of wine inside my hand shattered.
"Nao?"
Damned Traitors, I will rip their heads off for this treachery. How dare they go against the pact between He on Terra and the ancien Mechanicum. The anger was bottled up once more and saved for when I saw them. Still what could have made the near emotionless tin men of the mechanicum Father described to me? Sorcery? Or maybe they weren't the mechanicum themselves but an organisation related to them…
"NAO!"
"AAgh! Fuck!"
I nearly fell off. She startled me there.
"Hey, are you okay? Does that brooch hold a special meaning?"
Genuine concern first then worry for the future, everything a right hand needs.
"The brooch is a symbol of the martian mechanicum. They were colleagues of a sort of my Father's, people I didn't think could turn traitor. They are supposed to be impossible to sway with mere pleasures of the flesh; the only possible way would be to offer them lost knowledge. Something the monsters don't have much of. That's why I think they must not be followers of the Machine God but an organisation related to them."
"The Machine God?"
"The god the members of the mechanicum worship. Essentially the collective spirit of all machines, their priests replace their bodies with complicated machinery in order to reach 'purity' and the 'crux mechanicum'. The priesthood sees flesh and emotions as weakness, that's why I think they wouldn't turn away from humanity for worldly pleasures."
"Then what are we going to do? That meeting is most likely a trap awaiting you."
"We'll spring it of course, I don't have much of a choice. I must know who sent this to us. I'll make some preparations and we'll head there after the fourth afternoon bell. For now go about your day as if nothing is wrong."
"As you wish, my lady." With a deep bow she exited the room.
Now I have a lot of work to do and where am I going to get enough black powder from.
Catarina Trenck the Unrelenting Servant
Going about my day was surprisingly easy. I was watching the exercises between the troops of the order of the Ice Flower and various melee infantry battalions we had brought.
Even the Three Musketeers were down there. One of them (I think her name was Alameria?) was with my Lady's Surefires, she was getting along quite well with Captain Heinrich. Useful for us the other two were sparring with some paladins from the Church of Stars. I looked over to Willmarina and…
Yep, she's still staring at that one foot knight training with a Greatsword. Red hair and a well built body the boy looked like a classic example of a common born soldier wielding his kite shield and longsword. Not a bad fighter, he was holding his own against a greatsword, even if he's losing slightly. Really it's kinda creepy how obsessed Willmarina is with that boy, but her right hand, Luciana, seems to think it's normal, so who am I to judge?
I said that but I am kind of curious.
"Spill it."
"Wha-What could you mean!?"
"Come on don't act innocent, who's that redhead?"
"He's just a normal soldier!"
"And I'm a Senator. Come on spill the details, you keep looking at him with sorrow in your eyes."
"He's… He and his family used to be personal servants to my house. We were quite close, best friends really. He was constantly with me and even back then I never wanted to be without him… Father thought our relationship was a bit too close, he made up a lie and fired them dishonourably. They couldn't find employment anywhere else and were driven to the slums. It's all my fault he lost his parents and childhood. Every time I meet him my body stiffens up and I default to professional speech, and everytime he calls me Lady Willmarina I feel like my chest is going to collapse in on itself."
"I mean… damn, thats fucked up. Dooming people to poverty just because children were being children, holy shit. Is your 'father' also bald and does he have a long goatee perchance? But still,that sounds like your gene donor's fault. Hey how about I set you two up."
"N-no I… I couldn't do that!"
"I might just lock you two up in a room until you talk to each other."
I heard a bit of movement from above. Ohh, Willmarina's stalker didn't like that.
"Come on if you wait forever someone might just take him."
"He wouldn't like a sinful person like me. I became a hero just for him, but I must be everyone's hero."
"That's bullshit, no human is without selfish desires. Willmarina, fight for who you want to fight for, not some undecipherable 'greater good'. In our profession survival is not guaranteed, tomorrow either of us could be nothing more than husks looking for short winded pleasure. And the horseshit of 'commoners and nobles are different breeds' is stupid. Did you know my family was originally just commoner soldiers under the Augspurgs? We were granted title simply through our constant loyalty not because of some stupid reason like 'god's will' or political clout."
"Hmm, so why haven't you confessed to Markus yet?"
"HURK!" Blood erupted from my mouth, did I just get stabbed by words?
"It's different, no romantic relationships are allowed in the reichsgarde!"
"Naotora wants you two together, isn't that enough?"
"Oh boy look at the time, I better go and check up on Markus and the trainees!"
"Tell him you love him for me!"
Quickly making my escape I headed for my office to get some things in order before my departure. But it looks like that's a false hope. A woman wearing a black trench coat and with black hair tied in a ponytail was standing in front of me, one of her eyes was covered by her hair but the other one glared at me with enough power for both of them.
"You must be Willmarina's stalker."
No reaction, a well conditioned dog then.
The assassin started speaking.
"I'll give you a choice, leave and head for the demon realms or die. Simple as, make the smart choice and you get to keep your life even if it's in a twisted manner."
I gave her a response in the manner most natural to me. A front kick straight towards her crotch. She tried to block with her sword but she used normal steel meant for killing the defenceless not blocking a kick from someone like me. The sword shattered and then her pelvis. I grabbed her from the neck and I was planning on throwing her off of the roof, you know at least get some plausible deniability, make people think she killed herself and all that. But a white haired succubus had other plans.
"I really can't let you kill her, I have to thank her for all the people she freed."
Druella really was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. Her smell, her perfect body, the seductive eyes and constantly lewd pose. I could barely stop myself from being drawn into her embrace.
"Ohh? If you want to come with me I'll take you as well, you know. Fu fu fu fu…"
The fact that the invitation interested me only made me more disgusted. I tightened my hold on the assassin's throat.
"What, tired of waiting around?"
"I just thought I'd get some business done whilst waiting."
"Business like planting agents in Lescatie?"
"Wow, you make everything sound sinister… I prefer saying 'helping these poor oppressed people embrace their true selves and recruiting their help to liberate more people.' I do genuinely think it would be better if everyone was a mamono or incubus. Imagine it, once Mother and Father find a solution to our curse created by the Chief God we will be able to create a world where everyone can feel pleasure eternally!"
"A pipe dream, some people have ambitions and purposes other than pleasure. Some are artists or researchers or artisans, monsterization corrupts humans ,twists them around. However, I know there is no use discussing this with you, you lost yourself to your own ideology and became nothing but a vector for it to spread."
"That's a bit hurtful, I am quite into city planning, I'll have you know."
I threw the still alive assassin at her.
"I know when I'm outmatched, do whatever you want to her."
"Hmm, okay but you can't hide your true self forever. One day I'll reveal it, that thing in your blood for both your mistress and you."
Having said her piece the beast disappeared into a portal together with her victim and I let a shaky breath out. I felt like I was going to lose myself there, that wasn't even when she wasn't trying to be seductive. The auras around her and Nao are entirely different. Hers felt like it was inside of me, dragging me into her, like the allure of forbidden love or debauchery; when compared my lady's is like a halo of light around her oppressing but also encouraging, like a stern commander right behind you.
Maybe the reason I had been able to resist at all was that I was already used to such supernatural influences, or my resistance to the song. I still had some time before the meeting, guess I'll go and actually check up on Markus. You know regain some normality, act like nothing's wrong and I'm most likely not contaminated by extreme amounts of demonic energy.
I just need to destress a bit and the extreme amounts of spiritual energy produced by the troops should flush my system.
Clean air, the sounds of steel clashing and armour clinking, the sweet song, and the cries of men. Truly satisfying, now then where could the Reichsgarde be?
I couldn't see them from here but I did spot a familiar head of red hair. Well, let's see who you are then shall we?
"Boy! Come here."
Although he was simply standing there resting with a greatsword sergeant next to him he took a look around and then pointed to himself.
"Yes you, Gunther over there isn't getting any younger!"
"It's Tobias actually, Captain."
I took a closer look and saw that his eyes were blue instead of Gunther's green.
"Ah, sorry. You two have the same beard and moustache together with the hat. It's a bit difficult to tell apart."
He waved me off and then motioned for the boy to come to me.
"Y-you asked for me ma-ma'am?" He was way too afraid of me, did I have some kind of reputation?
"Relax kid, I just want to ask a few questions."
"Yes! Ma'am" Heh, cute. He's perfect for Willmarina, they'll overreact together.
"What's your name, soldier?"
"Elt of Lescatie Ma'am."
"Commonborn then? Good man, it's rare to see a commoner as a knight, you must be hard working."
"I… I have someone I want to reach." He thinks he could be with Willmarina if he's strong enough then. Maybe someday…
"Keep working then, did you enjoy your training with sergeant Tobias?"
"He's very overbearing but I've only felt this satisfied when being trained by lady Mersé before. And I think he might have kind of uhh… 'adopted' me as a little brother." Lady Mersé, a hero in charge of a battalion of foot knights if I remember correctly. One of hers then.
"Pffft, hahahaha! Seriously, that fast? It's been What? Four days of training? Well, it's good to form relationships. You're going to be fighting together for survival after all."
He was quite red, easy to embarrass then. I hope he doesn't get as flustered against monsters.
"Well, I should probably ask you what I'm actually here for. Do you know where the reichsgarde are?"
"The reichsgarde… ah the knights with wings?"
"Yes, with armour similar to mine."
"Sorry ma'am but they've gone out the city walls to practice charge formations."
"Oh… Stars damn it all. Whatever, you can go back to resting, kid."
"Yes, ma'am!" With a quick hand over heart salute the boy ran off, now what am I going to do? Just go and read a book I guess. Maybe I can get my hands on a 'Monster Girl Encyclopaedia' I have to admit, I've always been curious about that thing, and the anti-smuggling operations are a lot more lax here.
It was almost time, Cat was right beside me together with ten other reichsgarde we were heading towards the specified mountain. Cat was oddly uncomfortable, she looked horrified. I had heard of her encounter with druella but she had gotten spooked after she told me that. What had she noticed, learned that would scare her so?
She refused to tell me no matter how much I tried, telling me that we should focus on the meeting and that after Lescatie was wrapped up she'd tell me. I'll be patient, just for her. She hasn't failed me yet, she won't fail me today either. There was a thrumming in the air, waves of demonic energy were travelling towards us almost like heart beats, there was something there besides Druella.
A few more minutes of travel and we were greeted by two Kikimoras who proceeded to guide us into the clearly artificial cave. I had thought they worked primarily in human settlements, since they are one of the few 'domesticated' monsters, but I guess Druella can rile even them up.
The cave was not decorated but it wasn't just a one use place either, most likely meant to be used as a meeting ground or war room before the invasion. Was it confidence that made her invite us here or stupidity?
I'll find out soon, the waves were getting stronger, we were almost there. I motioned for the other reichsgarde to get out, they will only be hindrance here.
We finally arrived into a large circular room with a small circular table in the middle of it. The white, tattooed succubus was looking at me with a clear thirst in her eyes, she was breathing heavily and running her eyes over my armoured form, stripping me bare and imagining my immaculate body in front of her. Truth be told it felt good, but that might just be the massive amounts of demonic energy talking. The more important monster was the metallic woman even larger than me, maybe three or so metres tall
She wore a blue gold coloured 'armour' similar to the ones succubus knights wear, only instead of being decorated with spikes it was decorated with pure white skulls and aquilas. The sight alone almost drove me to a rampage, this traitor has the gall to keep wearing our symbols. Her metallic skin was covered in the private spots but only to a point, the covering made her look lewder if anything. She gazed at me with an emotion I couldn't quite grasp, ahh that's it! She's seeing someone else in me, but who?
It didn't matter, because whatever she saw she bowed her head anyways, she started kneeling but, when I saw that golden silky smooth hair descending I felt rage.
"Stop! Never kneel before me, abomination!"
She flinched and quickly stood back up, but she kept her head down. Druella didn't like that. An odd frown framing her face, making her look even more inhuman.
"You didn't have to be so mean, Arondight was so happy to see someone related to her home too."
"I desire not the traitors' respect, only their death."
"Haaa… How about we just get to the main point, you two can talk later, when… the air is less tense."
I took the seat opposite to her and got comfortable, with Cat standing right behind me.
"You mean once we have enough demonic energy in us to be docile enough."
"You say that as if it's a bad thing. But more importantly, what's your answer then? Will you leave in peace, will you stand against us, orrr…"
She reached towards me and tried to cup my helmet in her hands, it didn't stop her.
"...you could join us if you want to. I personally would really 'appreciate' you."
"Tch, as if that could have ever been an option. The answer is really simple, fuck off. Really, the 'compensations' you offered us are worthless, most likely already tainted or infiltrated. We'd have to slaughter the towns to get any use out of them and the valuables may as well just be lit grenades."
"I really don't get you… Well, shall we negotiate a bit then?" she clapped her hands and drinks were brought to us. For the three of us some kind of purple wine but Cat received a champagne glass full of some kind of red liquid, it smelled irony. What was that?
Cat was looking at it like it was the most important thing right now.
"Go ahead, take a sip. It's a special vintage sent by someone very interested in you, Catarina Trenck." This bitch… What does she know?
Cat hesitated but eventually threw the vintage to the side, shattering the glass and spilling the red wine on the smooth, stone floor.
"That was quite the gift as well. Oh well, I guess I'll ask you something first, Naotora. Why are you even fighting us, personally I mean. You don't hate monsters, you don't have it in your eyes. I do wonder if you actually hate anything. I've been watching you for a while so you do get creeped out or frustrated but more extreme emotions are kind of lacking. "
"You've been 'watching' me. You know, if this was my first run in with a monstrous stalker I would have been way more creeped out."
"I do everything I do out of Love , but who was your previous 'fan'?"
"A hellhound wearing a cloak."
Her face paled even beyond her already snow white skin tone, she knows who they are. But given how she reacted I doubt I could get anything out of her.
"Hahahaha… So about some terms. You clearly don't actually want to fight but something like 'duty' or 'honour' is forcing your hand, right?. So how about we make a deal that will somewhat free you from it without you properly joining us?"
I took a sip from the sweet tasting wine. The wine shouldn't affect me too much, it's still just one glass after all.
"And how do you propose we do such a thing? You're going to attack Lescatie anyways. And we are bound by my Father's law to defend it. You can't exactly solve that issue."
"I personally can't but let's say we were to briefly open diplomatic channels officially and sign a 'Non-aggression pact' it would let you leave simply and you wouldn't have to fight us."
"What would we gain from that, even if no organised faction attacks us there will be a constant bleed of rogue monsters coming into our borders and there's nothing you can compensate us with."
"We would have a guarantee of peace that would eventually lead to perhaps more open relations, like tourism. It's quite the moneymaker, you know? And I certainly wouldn't mind acting as an envoy, lots of eye candy to go around in the Republic."
"We both know it would be temporary at best; your curse causes your kind to eventually have to prey on humans, and if the republic lets you be you would simply consume the entire world and then come for us when we are alone. Even if these reasons didn't exist the senators would rather eat their own flesh than cooperate with monsters."
"Regarding our curse, from what I've heard from my robotic friends your Father could easily solve that could he not? A Curator, by definition is a Custodian that records all of human knowledge, could he not find a way to cure us?"
He could but he won't for mainly because he didn't want them to overtake humanity. It would also ruin his 'Experiment'
"He could but he most likely would refuse, I'm sure you know of the Imperial Truth. My Father is something of a 'staunch supporter' of it. I doubt he would even agree to a 'non-aggression pact'."
"So you're saying that you're going to bleed for an oppressive and corrupt regime because you'd rather kill and suffer than search for a solution that would benefit both of our people?"
She didn't want to fight, but she had convinced herself that Lescatie needed to be conquered. But that tone was annoying me, does she seriously think I want to lose men over fucking Lescatie?
"Even if we retreat, will you stop with just Lescatie? You'll just say that another land is also being oppressed and conquer that place too. Until there aren't any humans left on the planet!"
"Do humans even need to exist? All of you just suffer endlessly under meaningless concepts and hesitation when simply being true to yourselves could make you so much happier!"
I'm not even angry, mostly horrified she believes that…
"Huu… Those 'meaningless' concepts allowed humanity to reach the fucking stars, they let us be more than the base animals we were born as. You ask us to throw them away for what? Happiness that can be attained by proper social interaction and purpose in life or fake love and forced pleasure. Druella, negotiating with you is meaningless not because you are not persuasive or intelligent but because you don't understand humans. This negotiation is over, we will see each other in battle and I will take your head back to my Father as a trophy."
"Ohh, I see."
Hmm?
"Your Grandfather, the Emperor. He's humanities equivalent of my Mother isn't he? He thinks that happiness can only be attained by total domination… Fuck that makes sense."
What makes sense? Did she just have an epiphany or something? I don't care anymore, I turned around and tried to leave but my legs wouldn't move. Huh?
"Leaving so soon?" It was the traitor that had spoken.
"What did you do?" I managed to grit out a response through my teeth.
"Nothing, your eminence. It's the demonic energy, you are exhausted not binded, I'm sure the characteristic heat has seeped in as well. You have been weakened, considering the divine blood of the ten thousand flows through your veins I wouldn't be surprised If you could force yourself to move. But I do have a simpler solution: I'll help you two outside but you have to listen to me for a bit."
"Tch, fine."
She quickly picked the flushed Cat up and placed her arm under my arm to help me topple away. Druella was still lost in her thoughts, she didn't even notice us leave.
Once we were out of the cave I took in a breath of fresh air, even with the massive amounts of energy of the knight it wasn't even close to that suffocating place.
I sat down on the grass and Cat was laid down next to me, I couldn't see her face properly but she was out of breath. The knight sat down next to me.
"I… I fought in the webway war alongside your father, the orders of the emperor were that all who entered the webway would be killed after the war was over. Aderia Khane wasn't the first pilot I lost, not even close. I am an old machine, I saw the first colonists land on Juro IV and had countless pilots after that. I haven't been fully conscious for most of it, only nine hundred years ago did I finally begin to think. I am tired, honoured child. I don't want to kill anymore, and now that the souls trapped within me are released with my 'monsterization' I don't feel the need for revenge either. I don't want to see anymore of my pilots either, when we crashed on this world I was scared. My pilot was dying after a fight with a bloodthirster, bleeding and bruised and there was nothing I could do. Then Lady Druella came and healed him and gave me this wonderful body, she only wanted my help with liberating a city. How could I refuse such a request as a Knight and keep my Honour?"
So what? Her debt and honour make it fine to betray humanity? She guessed what I was thinking and answered me before I could even ask.
"I don't think this is a betrayal to humanity. It is possible to coexist with monsters, it is only a matter of will."
"They would breed us out of existence."
"If the ideas and ambitions of humanity are passed over, is it truely extinction?"
I didn't have an answer to that. Technically it is extinction but practically a few extra tails wouldn't mean so. If only the mentality of monsters could be changed.
"Even if it isn't what you're talking about is impossible as of yet. It will come down to war."
"Then I have one request for you. If you are transformed don't do something stupid like killing yourself, the world needs you no matter your form."
I don't plan on getting corrupted in the first place. But she was waiting for an answer.
"Tch fine, I won't kill myself if I get corrupted, okay?"
She smiled at me, oddly beautiful.
"Okay, I'm looking forward to having you on our side."
Her smile changed, now seductive and inviting instead of content and satisfied.
Bitch. I picked up the still woozy Cat and started walking towards our escort.
I doubt we'll have as much time as we predicted…