Queen's note: Time to give some attention to the big idiots! [well, not really but sort of] the warriors are starting to regret waking up a biiiit….

Garnets

Chapter Fifty Five:

Honor Guards

Haco wheezed as his gut was hit, but he did not drop his own grip. If anything he gripped the shoulder of the shorter man even tighter and, as he struggled to breath the Argenta man switched tactics and bulled his way into his opontent. Not letting go as the warrior just had to stop breathing while grappling, trying to heave the other off his feet.

The heavy could almost feel his old strength, and really missed it. All the sentinel energy he had been being fed by Asa and Valen was helping to get his, and some of the other Argenta muscle mass back a little faster.

Haco wanted to be useful again, he wanted to be able to earn his right to stand at his king's side again.

He just really was not expecting to be facing the Slayer King for this training, not yet. Not so soon.

Haco felt honored and horrified once he realized who his sparring partner was. He was not even insulted that he had to be in full armor while the Slayer was in… almost nothing really, long loose pants and a sleeveless shirt. The shorter man did not even bother with his boots.

The Slayer was going easy on Haco and he knew it, even that hit to the gut a moment ago was nowhere near as strong as it would have been if it was a real fight. That did not stop Haco from treating it like a real life or death fight, he refused to back down. Refusing to stop even as he struggled to breath, he hit with his full current strength, feeling a moment of hope as his king backed up two steps as if surprised.

Haco lunged to clamp his arms down on the slayer, trying to lift and drop them both. Landing on top of the Demigod and reared back to slam his fist down.

He caught the fist, flexing muscles to hold as Haco tried-

The Slayer seemed to have whatever he wanted as there was a buck, twist and then the Argenta man grunted as he was flipped almost with no other effort. The Demigod now on his back, with Haco's helmet pressed into the ground. Haco snarled and shoved, trying to get back on his feet, at least push up to his hands and knees. Then Haco's leg was pulled out from under him, he growled and tried to get up still. Theb to roll and get a kick in.

The warrior was not being played with, but his king was keeping Haco down until he both tired out at last and calmed down, so the Slayer kept him pinned for a good minute after there was stillness.

"...I give the fight to you." Haco gasped, finally getting his muscles to relax.

The pressure eased off him almost at once, and there was an amused chuff from above. Strong hands shifted their hold to roll Haco over, checking his front where the Slayer had hit him a few times, expertly taking the stressed armor off to check the softer organic warrior under that armor.

Haco swallowed, still struggling to breath as he pried his chest plate off while seeing someone coming over. "...ow…. my lord…that hurt."

"You lasted a good four minutes longer than I thought you would." Valen noted as he came closer, helping to take the dented armor off. "What do you think?"

The Slayer grinned wide, helping pull the parts he had broken or warped. Then reached to pat Haco, gently, on the stomach. I think he can use it best. Fights like he used to, even though not as strong.

"That's what I was thinking." Valen nodded, reaching down to tap the helmet before pulling it off. Seeing the tired but now calm face, and curious dark green eyes. "He has the better build for it too."

"What was I really being tested for?" Haco asked, now that he was getting a regular breathing pattern back. He chose to stay laying down in case he had to do something else once up, and wanted to gather his strength just in case.

See how you all are. See who will match for the new armor. The Slayer was settled on his heels beside Haco as he signed clearly. Need to make sure you will survive.

"What are we facing my Lords?" Asin asked from where he was sitting not far away. Stripped down to his waist as he sat, letting Zanin lean on him while nursing his own new bruising from his spar with the Slayer. Asin's right side hurt a lot more than what he was hoping he was not showing as much as it felt.

He probably was not doing a good job of it.

At least the humans, civilians, were not here to see the quick sparring matches. At least ten minutes each if Asin had to guess, with Haco lasting that bit longer.

Valen turned from where he was standing back up, checking something in Haco's armor that was removed. "You three are going with your king back to what's left of Argent D'ner."

"I thought a lot of the planet was pulled into hell?" Zanin asked, frowning in confusion.

"I have picked up several portal points on the physical planet that are stable, and a few that are not." Vega spoke up from the newly installed training ground speakers. The AI much preferred it being still called a training ground by the Argenta then the Slayer's idea to dub it 'the new ripatorium.' Valen was quick to try and derail that idea and distract the Slayer with sparring with the three older warriors.

"Ideally, Vega will be making sure you come out close to the old wintherin hatching grounds." Valen continued, stepping back as the Slayer helped pull Haco all the way back up to his feet.

"The canyons or the seaside cliffs?" Haco asked, rubbing his stomach with one hand as he trusted his leader to lean on the shorter man for support. It did not waver as he regained his balance, if anything Haco was a bit honored that the Slayer gave his back a pat and was giving him another look over to be sure he had not hurt his warrior too much.

Canyons. The Slayer grinned as he stood to sign once Haco was shaking himself.

Asin considered, glancing at Valen for a moment, "Are we getting wintherins to move around without any energy vehicles?"

"Partly," Lord Valen rubbed his face with his metal hand, and then chuckled. "If there's still usable saddles in the old hatchery and mounts willing to take you. you'll need them. The main reason is to find one wintherin in particular."

Zanin sat straight up, looking alarmed as he started to get up, looking between Valen and the grinning Slayer. "Oh no. Please don't tell me we're looking for her…"

The Slayer's grin got even wider, pointedly signing. My baby.

"She has not been a baby for centuries." Zanin pointed at his lord, as the other two were only just starting to grasp what he already did about what wintherin they were going to go look for.

"That female never liked anyone but infants, the Slayer and Lord Valen's wife…" Asin cringed, suddenly understanding the talk before about new armor before the sparring test matches. "I don't know if the human younglings count and I wouldn't want to take them to any of the hatcheries."

The Slayer snorted, shaking his head firmly. No, not my Flowers. Can tame the big baby back down.

"That is your challenge to do," Valen noted, snorting himself and then grinned, "And I do not have to deal with it. I'm taking Mila to another region to see if we can get some more information."

"Don't lose your head to fanatics, Lord Valen." Haco said, worried a bit. He still liked his commander, even with all he had learned.

"I will be safe," Valen noted, confident that it would be a fact. "You three will have the bigger challenge, after getting some mounts, you have to get this one,"

Valen flicked the fingers of his left hand at the Slayer. "To stay on track of getting his old Crucible, reforge its blade, and get the frame or a mold of a Celestial Locator's outer shell. If possible, find an Architect mage as well."

"With as little notice from the remaining Maykrs as possible." Vega added, he seemed sympathetic.

"Yes. Try to avoid any drones or Angels still lingering." Valen nodded, looking over the three younger immortal warriors.

They all were staring at him in a mix of horror, awe, and disbelief.

"Lord Valen," Asin said slowly from where he was still sitting on the ground. His voice was rather deadpan, as if drying out as he spoke, "I believe you have made a grave mistake."

"Oh?" Valen arched an eyebrow, "And what might that be warrior?"

"There is only one god among us and he is not so easily distracted once a thought appears." Asin pointed out in that same dry tone, as if accepting his doomed fate with this mission but still had to point out the fatal flaw. "None of us are nearly as cute as his new daughters to get our King to do anything once that thought has appeared."

The Slayer let out a barking, rasping laugh at that. The closest thing to his old voice, despite how broken it seemed compared to what it once was that those present used to know.

Valen was trying very hard not to smile, though his amusement flashed in his gaze. "Then you will have to improvise, Night Sentinel. Now on your feet Asin. All of your new armor sets will be done by now."

He glanced up, and Vega spoke once more, "I have finished streamlining the HUD and internal systems. As well making the armor to be coded to only respond to their DNA."

As well as to the Slayer just in case, of anything happened that needed him to take it off of them or repair the armor himself. Vega just did not mention that right then.

"The armor will be similar to mine and your old unit's commander." Valen was explaining, waiting for the Slayer to lead the way first, "Haco will have his now modified armor."

Yes. Help keep him alive. The shorter, not quite man flashed a grin over his shoulder at Haco.

"Your's and Command Blacken's armor were the prototypes of the original praetor suit though. Were they not?" Zanin asked, seeing his sentinel brothers straighten as they grasped his line of thought.

"They are." Valen finally smiled as he stood in the lift.

Not praetor suit. The Slayer signed, looking highly amused still. My Sentinels aren't strong enough.

"Not only do we not have all the things to make a lesser praetor suit, let alone three. You all would likely break your… everything if you were to try using that demigod's suit."

The Slayer was still smiling, but had noted that Valen stopped calling him a bastard as much. Just now and then, when Valen was really annoyed. Haco.

"Yes my lord?" Haco straightened up, like the others was used to keeping one eye on the other. The last few weeks had been used to help him brush up on the silent language in general, and then the odd modified version of it that the Slayer was actively using now. Mixed with the human silent language.

It was confusing and a challenge that at least kept his mind distracted from the lack of his own strength. Old strength?

You will be helping me with the baby. The Slayer signed, amused as Haco's expression froze and went blank. You will help control the tail.

"I demand full funeral rights." Haco said in that sort of numbed state.

You will be fine. The Slayer snorted.

"At least make good use of my soul." Haco sighed feeling Zanin pat his back as the lift was slowing. It stopped and opened to the clear sounds of a highly amused Atlan mech all but laughing at what happened with the ending sparring matches.

"That's hardly helpful," Asin noted up at the mech, pausing on the walkway. Yet he did smile as the massive mech shifted to look down at him, snorting hot air back down at the Argenta playfully in its own way, twitching one of its sensors.

"Do we have to find exactly an architect mage?" Haco was asking, giving a wordless greeting up at the Atlan mech. "Or will the geo-witches work?"

The Slayer tilted his head, trying to remember what that second one was. Difference?

"Hmm," Valen hummed as he now led the way to the armory.

"The geo-witches… they did not go through the lessons if the Maykrs for one." Haco turned to nudge Zanin in the shoulder. "Wasn't there some in your family?"

Zanin had to think about it as he followed Valen. "...yes. On my mother's, mother's side of the family. It was not uncommon with some of their wraith gifts to develop like that. If I remember right, they were really good at finding the preferred stones for the cities."

Zanin turned partly to look over at the Slayer. "There's not a whole lot of differences between the two, it's the same root wraith gift that lets them have limited control, to get rocks and stone to move, cut, or almost till through loose soil with their gift to help revitalize."

Maykrs did something to them? The Slayer frowned.

"The Maykrs ended up doing something to all of us." Asin pointed out, motioning to those around him as he brought up the rear in the halls.

"If possible, finding a geo-witch might be a better idea. The mages that the Maykrs 'helped' always seemed… empty inside." Zanin was saying, not just to his king but half to himself. "And kept seeming to lose themselves in that blankness."

"If you could find any of them, that aren't Maykr loyal, I would be surprised." Valen hummed, checking something in his metal arm before opening the door to the newly cleaned up and organized armory. He and the others had taken time to work on this area. Valen had correctly guessed that they would soon be moving fast after the Slayer made sure his human was safe and settled.

He was right.

Also having this place in order helped him modify the aged armor, reforge the needed parts and get everything back into a reasonable level to face stronger demons. Once the other Argenta were back to their true full strength Valen would have to work on their armor again but that was still a good thing.

Valen. The Slayer signed, rapping on a mostly open space to the side for attention. It had something small, compared to them all, but looked like that little prototype that he had made before.

Valen looked over and nodded, "I'll be giving it to her before I leave."

"Is that an under layer or second skin?" Asin asked as he looked over.

"Mix of both. To keep Lily safer while we're gone." Not that the Sentinels had not systematically scoured each square foot of the Fortress, even using the slightly smaller Asa to get into some vents and found the scout drones with the cleaners to get into the tighter areas. It was safe.

But Valen had thought it was safe before, and he had a mummified, crippled Archvile and a Revenit to deal with.

Haco was all but purring in the back by the set up armor stands, as he ran his hands over the armor that would be given to him. This was amazing, and though a lot of it was a mix of raw silvery or black metallic, it was still an amazing creation. Even with the fate he knew was coming, the man looked forward to wearing this. He needed a proper under layer though.

The Argenta man was doubly thankful to be given this prototype of the Praetor suit about a half a day later as he was slammed into the canyon walls of the wintherin hatching ground. Several times!

Reviews!

XFireStoneX: Unlocked idea, now to get the thing! Things? its going to be a hell of a fieldtrip!