Greetings! Finally, the next chapter is out and I am glad this chapter is done. I will admit this was quite a difficult chapter to write which was why I kept pushing back the date to post this chapter till now. Seeing how positive the comments were with this story overall made me cautious about publishing a chapter I felt might not be satisfying enough. Originally, I have planned out this chapter about the Siege of Italica, however, I needed to build it up making sure it fits into the narrative of the Custodians crossover. The next chapter will come out relatively sooner since the chapter was originally longer, but I decided to split it into 2 parts. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and it was worth the wait!
Before the war, Italica, a busy agri-trade city, was known to be busy daily. The streets would have been packed full of wooden caravans full of guild traders advertising their wares to the crowd. Such caravans would have been loud as traders would sometimes have to shout at the top of their lungs while showing off their goods to attract patrons' attention. The air would always smell of a variety of exotic spices from caravans selling such goods. Across the caravan, blacksmiths would be rhythmically pounding their hammers against the anvils. Butchers would chop chunks of meat on their bloody tables and drop the chunks into shallow boxes for patrons to pick and buy. There were always kids laughing and playing on the streets as they chase each other, danced near a flute piper, or play small games.
Now, the city was dead quiet as word got out of new visitors at the Southern Gate. The residents of the city would all stand on the side of the paved road allowing their young Countess and the new guests to walk unimpeded. Crowds of people blocked the doors of the half-timbered homes, while those who lived on the second floor opened their windows and peered out in curiosity. They all whisper in awe as they watched the golden sentinels walk past them. Young Countess Formal was in the lead of the party riding a small horse along with her two demi-human maids quietly shadowing her. Next to the young girl was Valther carrying his helm in one arm and his Castellan ax in the other. Despite riding a tall horse, Valther still easily towered over the young Countess. Behind the two demi-humans were the rest of Valther's party. His Vexilus Praetor was in the center while the other two Emmisaries were flanking the Coronus-Grav Carrier. The Golden ones' giant vehicle was so wide, that it needed to hover just above their heads so that none of the people below would be harmed. Seeing such a golden object hover effortlessly drew in a massive crowd as they all pointed at it with amazement. They all whispered how such a heavy object could levitate without seeing a noticeable sign of a mage incanting a spell at it. Behind the massive vehicle was the column of refugees as they hesitantly followed the grav-vehicle. The sound of their wooden wagons rolling on the brick roads along with the clop of their horses helped break the monotony of silence.
"Where did they come from?" A man whispered to his compatriots.
"I heard they are from the world beyond the Gate." A woman whispered back
"Gods they are humongous. The land must be full of giants."
"Why are they here?" Whispered another in a concerned voice.
"The war must have reached Italica. Should we get ready to leave?"
Nero growled softly in annoyance as he smelt the potent horse manure. He sealed his vox grill relying on his built-in suit's oxygen to breathe. He kept his chin up staring ahead while ignoring the hundreds of onlookers.
"Something in the air you don't like, Nero? Thucydides asked amusingly in a closed vox channel. He didn't need to look over his shoulder to see his companion annoyed.
"The sooner our business here is concluded, the sooner we return to the palace."
"Well, I find this experience quite refreshing."
"How so?"
"We are treated as men and not a single mortal viewing the Emperor as a God. I'm starting to enjoy it. Open up your face grill, Nero. You will not have fresher air than here."
While the two Custodians were arguing the merit of the mission on the vox, the two demi-human maids were on edge ready to strike at a moment's notice if their mistress was in danger. Persia, the young, purple cat-girl, felt unease in the presence of the Custodians. Her tail went stiff and she felt her hair standing on the end as her instincts were kicking into her flight-or-fight response. She was quite uncomfortable having to show her back to the three giants and she instinctively always had to look over her shoulders en-guard. Delilah also shared her companion's thoughts as she kept rubbing her thigh where she kept her dagger strapped underneath her skirt. As a demi-human, her bunny ears were quite sensitive to noises and her sensory organs could hear every whine and purr of the Custodians' armour joints. Their scent made her crinkle her nose a bit as their amour smelled of lubricant oil laced with exotic spices that made her nose burn.
The journey to the Keep was silent as the young mistress had easy topics to start a conversation with the Golden Emissary. Outside of the keep, Khaine was waiting near the main door for her young mistress to return safely. Her eyes widen seeing the golden sentinels following the young Countess to her domain.
She respectfully bowed to her young mistress. "Welcome home, my Lady. I-uh, I see you brought home guests."
Myui nodded her head as an elderly retainer helped her dismount off her horse. "Yes. This is Lord Valther, an Emissary of the Ten-Thousand from the sacred hills."
"I see." The old maid said hesitantly. "I shall prepare the great hall for our guests." She bowed her head in respect before opening the great doors for her mistress and the titan.
Before Myui and Valther could enter the keep, Sir Greggory bravely stepped in between the door and Valther. The little Mistress looked up at her captain of her city skeptically. "Is something wrong, Sir Greggory?"
"Your weapon, 'my Lord'". He had difficulty calling the Custodian with the proper honorifics while pointing at the great halberd Valther was carrying in his hand. "No weapons are permitted in My Lady's Keep. We will need to confiscate them for her safety."
"Of course," Valther said with amusement before plunging the end of his great weapon into the paved road violently making everyone but his companions wince from the abrupt noise. The Castelan axe was so deep in the earth, that it remained upright even after Valther released it. "That is if you are strong enough to confiscate it yourself, Captain."
Sir Greggory gulped anxiously while his hand rested on the hilt of his sheathed sword. "And that one?" He pointed at the Misericordia on the auric giant's waist. "That must also be confiscated."
"I am afraid, Captain this one must remain with me," Valther said patting the sheathed blade
softly."
"All weapons must be confiscated." He growled as he pulled his blade half out of the sheath.
"That will not be necessary, Sir Greggory," Myui assured his City Captain. "You may oversee feeding the refugees."
The old Captain cleared his throat loudly before he reluctantly sheathed his sword. "I will… fetch the quartermaster." He grumbled before he turned about and walked briskly to the barracks.
Myui sighed with relief. "Forgive the Captain, Lord Valther. He is just a cautious man. She then gently gestured to the Golden Titan to enter her Keep. "Shall we take this conversation inside, My Lord?"
Valther nodded his head softly in acknowledgment before looking over his shoulder. "Nero. Gaius. Take a look around the city. See what you can learn from the inhabitants."
Gaius simply nodded his head in acknowledgment while Nero grumbled softly in annoyance. With his orders given, Valther slowly followed the young Lady into her halls while the two left the courtyard. Thucydides remained outside near Valther's embedded weapon proudly holding the great auric banner in hand. With the courtyard growing emptier by the minute, Delilah and Persia quickly entered the keep to report back to Khaine. Inside the great halls, the elderly maid was anxiously rubbing her hands not comfortable with a giant near her precious Myui. The maid stared at Thucydides's back through a window subtly. The two demi-humans bowed their heads in respect to their superior.
"What can you tell me about our new guests?" Khaine asked sternly while keeping her gaze at the Golden sentinel outside."
"They arrived in a flying golden carriage from the Southern Farmlands. I have never seen anything so large and heavy moving at such speed. I hate to admit it, but military power might be overwhelming given the kind of transportation and weapons they possess." Persia said.
"I assume that thing is their 'carriage'"? Khaine pointed at the Coronus Grav Carrier floating idly outside near the Vexillus Praetor.
"That is correct, Ma'm."
"Heh, if it weren't for such a dreary occasion, I would have marveled at its beauty." She sighed. "What else have you learned?"
"The one named Valther stated they have come to spread the word of peace through these lands in the name of the Emperor of Mankind."
"I have heard of foolish emperors, wise emperors, and cruel emperors, but one for mankind? Now that is something new for these old ears to hear. Military power and wealth this Emperor of Mankind has at his disposal and yet why does he seek peace with us?"
The two demi-maids stared at each other puzzlingly.
"Men of power do not give but take. I have seen such tyranny since I was just a child. You experienced it yourself, Delilah. Did the Empire ever give you peace when they invaded your lands?
The bitter memories of her past rekindled her hatred toward Prince Zozal and the Empire. A few years ago, the Empire sent legions into the warrior bunnies' lands searching for more slaves. It was a costly victory for Saderan as most of her kind was enslaved, at the cost of many of their legionaries. The warrior bunnies were skilled fighters as one female warrior was worth ten of the Saderian men. They only surrendered when their queen personally sold herself to Prince Zozal in order to save her own skin, and her people lost morale and gave up hope. Such betrayal from their queen has burned into every warrior bunny that managed to escape slavery. If any survivor ever found their ex-regent, they all vowed to kill her for betraying her kind.
"No." Delilah said through gritted teeth."
"We cannot trust these giants' words." Khaine continued and her subordinates agreed. " Keep a close eye on the two roaming outside of the Keep and pray to the Gods no harm comes to our people."
"Should we send a messenger to the capital requesting help?" Persia asked concerningly.
Khaine sighed as she straightened the wrinkles off her uniform and slowly headed towards the Great reception chamber. "It is too late for that. We allowed the outworlders behind our walls and I am afraid any aggression would put Lady Myui in harm's way." She said over her shoulder. "Now if you will both excuse me I have to bring refreshments to a giant."
Deep in Italica's marketplace, Gauis was steadily pacing through the narrow cobblestone road while ignoring the merchants' awed gaze while trying his best to ignore the curious crowd of residents following him at a distance. Despite the attention, Gaius didn't feel threatened as he kept his sword mag-locked to his waist and mag-locked his massive shield to his back. His steps were slow yet methodical as he took his time observing each of the merchant's wares while avoiding the heaps of dung on the cobblestone. Behind him, Delilah was hanging back in the crowd watching his every move at a safe distance that would not be seen as suspicious.
"What is he looking for?" She wondered while grunting in annoyance as curious onlookers brushed against her shoulders and her back. They have been walking past a few districts in the city and she was amazed the people haven't lost interest in staring at the back of the golden titan. All he did was walk forward showing no interest in the crowd or canvases and to be frank, it was quite boring.
Some merchants were bold enough to advertise their products to him believing that he must be wealthy for carrying all that gold around him.
One bold merchant came up to him showing fine jewelry slung around his arms. "Care to look at some of my wares, noble giant? My fine jewelry will look stunning on your armour!"
Valther ignored the peddler's advertisement looking forward, but another bold peddler approached him holding fine silk.
"Would you care to look at these fine silk imported from the east? They will make a fine cape draped to that marvelous armour of yours for just 5 gold pieces." To the peddler's disappointment, the Custodian ignored him and kept on walking forward.
Gaius would sigh in discontent quietly in his helm, but he followed his duty since his Shield-Captain commanded him to. Hearing so many of these pests advertising their useless wares to him was testing his patience. He was at the breaking point of just destroying one of the merchant's shops to discourage them from advertising to him ever again. It was only the sound of birds chirping above him did he finally stopped. He stood near a tree and he slowly inclined his head up staring at several pairs of brown sparrows chirping loudly while hopping branch to branch.
He tilted his head in curiosity as he watched the little birds sing loudly to each other while filtering out crowds' voices. He always had a fascination with birds. Many Terran bird species went extinct when the Age of Strife began and the once luscious blue planet was quickly turned into a dead-radiated world. With much of the planet's ecosystem destroyed, Gaius spent much of his studies looking at bird taxidermies whenever he had the small luxuries of being off duty. Whenever he flew on his jetbike, he would soar high in the air imagining himself to be a predatorial bird and such exhilaration was his kind of mediation. Without his jetbike, he felt like a flightless bird, and meditating on the ground with his fellow emissaries was hard.
"Passeridae or perhaps Passer montanus?" He wondered as he tried to compare these birds to the species on Terra.
His scientific thought was cut short as something gentle tapped on his shoulder guard behind his back. The tap on his shoulder was loud enough to startle the birds out of the tree and their little chirps went silent. There was another tap, but this time it smacked against his conical helm. He slowly turned around to find a small, filthy boy holding rocks in his hands and to Gaius's surprise, the little boy was throwing rocks at him. Behind the boy, Gauis could see the shock and horror on each of the faces of the crowd. The entire district went silent, shocked that a little boy would taunt a giant. Slowly, Gaius took the first step towards the little boy with his palm resting on the hilt of his great sword. He could see the anger in the child's face while gripping the rock in his hand firmly.
"Give me back my daddy! Give him back, you monster!" He threw another rock at the Golden warrior, but his arc was too wide as it went over the giant's massive shoulder. The golden emissary didn't even flinch as the rock flew past his helm.
Delilah gulped anxiously seeing the giant slowly approaching the small boy with his hand resting on the pommel. She slowly pulled up her skirt reaching for her hidden blade strapped to her thigh. She felt the bead of sweat gliding across her temple as he approached the boy at a steady slow pace. Sensing the danger, a middle-aged woman ran across the crowd, kneeled, and wrapped her arms around the boy shielding him from the approaching Custodian. The bunny maid assumed this woman was the boy's mother.
The Mother was crying as she held her son tightly in her arms despite the boy's best effort to free himself. The Custodian stood just a few feet from the woman, but it was close enough for the giant to see the woman shaking visibly in fear with tears in her eyes.
"He-he is just a boy! Please…please forgive him. He won't cause any more trouble with you and-and you will never see his face ever again. I beg of you to spare him! I beg of you."
The city district was ghostly quiet as the Custodian stared at the mortal pair with his unblinking red eyes.
"Why have you thrown stones at me?" He said aloud for all to hear. His amplified voice made the mother and the boy flinch, which only made her shake even more.
Unlike his mother, the boy still had anger in his small eyes, but Gaius could see the fear growing in his eyes as if the boy realized the futility of his actions. "My daddy was a strong warrior who left our home to fight monsters. But…my neighbors tell me people who go near the sacred hill disappear. They say monsters have taken him. Where is he, you monster?!"
Gaius surmised that this father figure must have been one of the soldiers sent to defend Alnus Hill from the Dread Host. According to the last battle report he read, the Dread Host was thorough killing all that were in their path. Although, there was a small note that Venerable Dreadnaught Taitius halted the extermination sparing a few thousand soldiers and civilians that were attached to the army. Judging how close Italica was to Alnus Hill if this man was not able to return home after weeks of relative peace, he was most likely dead.
"He is dead. Cease your childish attempts of harming me."
The news shook both the boy and his Mother. Though his father never returned home for months, there was always that sliver of hope we were out in the wilderness trying to get back home. His mother wept to hear the news, but the boy was even angrier as he tried to fight the urge to not cry.
"I'm not scared of you!" He growled
"Stop it." His mother wept as he tried to gag his mouth with her hand, The more he shouts and taunts at the giant, the more likely they would both perish.
"Then you will die braver than most." Gaius declared before he slowly turned around and resumed walking in the district continuing his observations. "Do not be a fool like your father. Live long and die of old age."
Hearing the golden giant call his father a fool was the last straw as he bared his teeth while he managed to push his mother off, pulled out a small shiv he made out of broken metal from his pocket, and ran towards the Custodian.
"Felix! No, come back!" His mother shouted in horror.
In a heartbeat, Gauis unsheathed his great sword and twisted his waist swinging the giant blade at incredible speed towards the boy's neck. It would have been a killing blow, however, with discipline and skill, he managed to stop the blade's momentum and the razor-sharp edge was barely touching his skin.
The little boy's eyes widen in horror, his mouth went slack, and his body began to shake at the speed of the Custodian's draw. He felt the cold edge pressed against his neck and the was afraid that just by breathing heavily he might cut himself.
"Are you that eager to see your father?" Gaius asked sternly before nicking the boy's neck.
The boy began to breathe sharply feeling the blade nick his neck and anxiously he felt his legs shake violently before he unsurprisingly wets himself. The little boy was speechless as he stared at the Custodian's ruby eyes. The anger in his eyes was gone replaced with genuine fear. Just staring at the Custodian's unblinking eyes for a prolonged period made him drop his shiv before collapsing to his knees.
Within the Crowd, Delilah was sweating anxiously with wide eyes in awe. She never had time to react seeing the Custodian draw his blade out before she had the time to pull her hidden dagger out. She gulped anxiously. "He's fast.." She wanted to push the curious city residents away and swoop the boy out of harm, but her legs wouldn't budge. Her instincts were in overdrive as they screamed at her to run away from predators. She was proud of her heritage and combat skills as a warrior bunny, but she knew if she dueled the giant in front of this crowd, his speed alone would instantly end her. She had no choice but to shamefully remain hidden as she dropped her skirt back down concealing the strapped blade.
Seeing the boy was no longer a threat, Gaius sheathed his blade and returned to his duty of observation. Over his shoulder, he could hear repetitive crisp smacks, which were the sound of the mother slapping her son's face repeatedly for doing something so foolish.
"Foolish boy! Why did you do that?" The mother screamed while she slapped her son over and over. Both mother and child were crying, but that didn't stop her from hitting him.
He would never understand human emotion well and the sight of a mother violently hitting a child rather than comforting him perplexes him. "Humans…such an enigma" Gaius thought while slowly walking away from the crying pair and returning to his duty of observation.
In the Great Reception Chamber, Myui was sitting on a high-back wooden chair near a large table full of various alcoholic refreshments and pastries. On the opposite end of the table stood Valther intimidating as ever. Due to his large heavy frame, there were no chairs available for his size forcing him to stand on the opposite end of the table. Several demi-human maids stood quietly behind their mistress and their giant guest. It was no coincidence that there were many maids needed in the reception chamber as Khaine never left the heir of Formal Clan unprotected.
The chamber was silent as Myui sat quietly in her seat twirling her thumbs underneath the table. She felt so small in her high back seat with her feet barely touching the floor. Though she was proud that she was successful with her negotiations with a foreign empire, she didn't know what to say to break the silence.
"I hope my accommodations are to your standards, Lord Valther." She finally spoke aloud. She made sure not to make that second mistake of murmuring her words in front of him.
"It will suffice." He said.
"Care for some refreshments?" She gestured at the bottles of wine on the table. "You must be thirsty from your journey traveling to Italica."
In normal circumstances, Valther would refuse the offer, but as a diplomat for the Imperium, he needed to open up. "Of course. I cannot refuse my host's hospitality. Although, there seem to be a bit too many bottles for one guest."
Her cheeks turned red from embarrassment. "I-I apologize, my Lord. I was unsure which wine was to your liking so I had my maid bring a few bottles for you."
She looked over her shoulder and quietly called one of her maids to pour a glass for their guest. Her servant bowed her head obediently and grabbed a bottle from the table before approaching the Emissary. The maid reluctantly stood next to the Custodian while she poured the wine into his glass. She didn't dare to stare into his cold eyes fearing his gaze alone would petrify her in fear. Her hands tremored in fear after she poured the rich red wine into his glass and held the bottle to her chest. There was something off-putting about these Custodians that were making these demi-humans uneasy. It was that feeling all animals shared being in the presence of a large predator.
The demi-human maid sighed with relief as she finally walked away from Custodian and the tremors in her hand were fading away. Before she could return the bottle to the table, Myui signaled her to pour a glass into her Lady's glass. Her maid frowned at her clearly not liking the idea of giving alcohol to a child, but her mistress was persistent and she reluctantly poured a generous amount into her glass before returning to her station.
"What is the matter, my Lord? Is the wine not to your liking?" Myui asked as she saw the Custodian stare at his glass while gently swirling his alcoholic beverage.
"Have you ever drank wine before, child." He asked while he continued to stare at his glass.
"I…I had a few sips in the past. But to be frank I don't understand why adults like this stuff."
"It is an acquired taste you grow into. Wine is a drink you should appreciate for its flavor. It is not something you gulp down without a second thought like water.
"I see…" She said awkwardly. She never knew why adults loved alcohol so much as it tasted disgusting when her father jokingly gave it to her when she was small. She remembered fondly her mother scolding him for giving her a taste. She only forced herself to drink wine on this day just so she can connect with the emissary better. She slowly mimicked the emissary by swirling her beverage as well.
"You swirl the wine to help it breathe. The more it breathes the more the rich aroma is released and the flavor intensifies."
The moment he stopped swirling his beverage, she stopped swirling hers and firmly held the stem of her glass. She raised the glass. "To your health and peace between our people."
He nodded his head softly. "To peace."
Myui couldn't help but scrunch her nose a bit tasting the strong alcohol on her tongue. She set her glass to the side already lost her interest in wine tasting. Valther on the other hand remained as stoic as ever even after tasting the wine several times. The flavor tasted young, unlike the aged and complex flavored wine in the Imperial Palace. Perhaps he was a bit spoiled tasting wine from the Vaults of Terra a millennium years old.
With the small conversation dying off, Myui decided to change the subject. She raised a hand gesturing to her maids. "Leave us." She said softly. The next topic she had in mind would be private. Her maids were reluctant to leave her alone, but they obediently bowed their heads and quietly exited the chamber.
"Do you hate them?" She asked softly once the chamber doors finally closed.
"Hate whom?"
"My maids, well to be more specific demi-humans?"
"Is that what you call them?" Valther asked inquisitively. "What makes you say that?"
"The way you look at them. Father sometimes brings officials from the capital and some looked at the maids and other demi-humans the same way, an icy cold gaze."
"You are quite perceptive for a child. I do not hate them, but I do assess them as possible threats." He clarified
Her mouth felt dry while she gulped nervously.
"If it makes you feel any better I distrust all races including humans. "
She clenched her skirt tightly underneath the table. "I assure you, none of my staff here will harm you. They have all been so kind to me and they desired nothing more than peace. They are like a family to me and I hope you treat them a bit more fairly." She said a bit forcefully clearly a bit agitated.
"As you wish." He said in an impassive tone shrugging off her emotional assurance.
He knew the demi-humans were not particularly harmless. Earlier when the maid came up to him to pour wine into his glass, he noticed a small bulge on the side of her skirt an evident sign of a concealed weapon. Even when the young child was arguing her maids were no threat, Valther could see a shadow underneath the small gap of the chamber doors, which he assumed was one of her maids listening in on their conversation ready to burst into the chamber hearing the first sign of the girl's distress.
"Why did your father go to war against us?"
She gulped softly and she averted her eyes away as the death of her father was still an open wound in her heart. "I do not know. It was the middle of the night when a messenger rushed to the keep. I was told he was ordered by the Emperor himself to mobilize all of his troops immediately and to be sent to Alnus Hill."
"Tell me, child, do you know the significance of 'Alnus Hill'?"
She nodded her head quietly. "Just a bit. I was told it is a sacred place to our culture."
"Is that so? Why is it considered sacred?"
"Forgive me, Lord Valther but I am not a hundred percent certain. It is said the Gods summon the Gate and open a bridge to a new world allowing the inhabitants to come across and live in Falmart. Unfortunately, that is all I remember as much of these legends were told to me as bedtime stories. "
Religion, a subject the Custodians detest above all else for religion bred fanatics and the ignorant which hampered mankind's progress to become the apex species in the galaxy. If Gods do exist in this world, the Imperium would have to tread carefully.
He was learning so much about this world in such a short period. Alas, he knew conversing with a child would not give him a perfect assessment of this world's culture. This conversation was going nowhere and he hoped he could find an adult who can give him the information he needed. He decided to change the subject.
"On the topic of these 'demi-humans'," he said with emphasis. " It seems their kind are often mistreated."
She nodded her head. "Yes, sadly. They are treated like 3rd class citizens in the Empire often given menial jobs no one ever wants. It saddens my heart to see so many abused and mistreated. It is why I intend to carry on my father's work to make this city a haven for their kind.
Valther made a mental note of the humans on this world's treatment against humans or any non-human species. They are quite compatible with the Imperium of Man's doctrine against all nonhumans so there would be no long-term violence defending these demi-humans.
"You mentioned the Empire. I assume as lord of this city you swore fealty to some king?"
"I have not officially sworn my fealty to Emperor Sol Augustus. But we are loyal citizens of the Saderan Empire
"The Emperor of the August sun…" Valther already despised this false emperor. Anyone with a name so pompous like that deserved to have his throne abdicated. No mortal man deserves the title to be crowned Emperor but his true Liege.
"This king of yours," he refused to label Augustus as Emperor," he is fine with your Father's treatment towards these demi-humans?"
"Saderan is not entirely fine with it, but Father made sure to bribe officials with many gifts to make them happy whenever they come to visit. We are also proud of the fact we feed thousands of people in the capital from our seasonal harvests and it is thanks to the Demi-humans in our city. My people's hard work is the reason they tolerate us."
Saderan, he has heard of this name before during the numerous briefings he read before he entered this world. That would be the first nation he would like to research once his business with her concluded. Before he could press any further regarding the Saderan Empire, there was a knock on the door.
"Enter." She said softly.
The Chamber doors opened and Khaine bowed her head. "Forgive me, Lady Formal. I wouldn't interrupt your meeting so prudently, but Sir Greggory insisted on your presents."
"What is the nature Sir Greggory wishes to speak about?"
"He tells me there is dire food scarcity for all of the refugees pouring into the city."
"Well..if it is that severe then I must see him." She slowly stood up from her seat before curtsying the golden Warden. "Forgive me, Lord Valther. There is an emergency and I must see to my duties. May we continue our conversation this evening?"
"Of course," he said. "That would give me some time to learn more about your culture. Tell me do you have a library I can go to?"
"A library? Um, my father's studies are full of literature."
"Is it permissible for me to see this personal studies chamber?"
"Certainly, Master Plutarch is my father's curator as well as my tutor. He is more than enough to help you with any questions. My maid, Khaine, will guide you to the library. I hope you will be satisfied with my father's collection." She bowed her head and stepped to the side allowing the giant to leave the chamber first.
It was a hot late afternoon five covered wagons were slowly being dragged across the road by exhausted horses and cattle near the thicket of the woods. This group of villagers was left behind from the main group that reached Italica earlier in the day as several of their wagon wheels had to be repaired. One wagon was volunteered to be used as transport and it was full of elderly and young children at max capacity. During their mass exodus, several villagers were forced to abandon their wagons if the axels were broken and abandon their possession to the thieves and murders that forced them out of their homes. Those who had no beast or wagon were forced to walk in the afternoon heat.
The leader of the group was trudging in front of the group while he led his mule carrying his eldest son and younger daughter. He was a burly middle-aged man wearing a dirty-ragged tunic with a straw hat to help shade his eyes from the sun.
He looked over his shoulder to see the villagers quietly trudging behind clearly exhausted and their morale broken.
"Keep it up!" He shouted. "We are almost there. We should reach the city in a few hours."
He could hear the villagers all groan in frustration and exhaustion as several looked as if they will collapse any minute. They had to keep moving for any delay would surely be their end.
"Pa, I'm thirsty." The little girl sniffled while rubbing her eye with her thumb.
The burly leader grabbed a deflated waterskin from his pouch and handed it to his son.
"There is not much so give it all to her." He said and the boy nodded his head.
"Pa." The boy was the next calling for his father's attention.
"What is it, boy? He asked tiredly while he continued to lead the mule.
"Why did those men attack us?"
"It's best not to ask those questions in front of your sister." He said sternly as he tried to push the topic away.
"But..we have done nothing wrong. Our village has always been so welcoming to strangers."
"Boy." He said in a harsher tone. "That is enough."
"Yes sir." His son whispered reluctantly.
There was a pang of guilt on the father's face for being so harsh towards his eldest son. He then stared up towards the sky while shielding his eyes from the harsh sun.
"Why'd you leave me all alone." He whispered hoping the spirit of his dead wife could hear his words. "It's too hard. It's too hard to raise these two by myself."
He could feel his eyes water up full of tears being in an exhausted emotional state. He wanted to be on his knees and cry out in pain, but something in the sky caught his attention. He sniffled loudly and rubbed his eyes with his arm before staring at the sky with more focus. Near the edge of the blinding yellow sun, he could have sworn he saw a golden glint flying across the sky at incredible speed.
"What is that?"
His curiosity was cut short as heard the sound of a twig snap loudly in the thicket. The caravan convoy stopped quietly as they heard the same sound. Several of the walking refugees anxiously stepped away from the edge of the thicket. More branches were being snapped the sound of bushed being rustled put everyone on edge.
The father quickly grabbed a hatchet from the mule's satchel and stood in front of his children. Several other brave refugees grabbed any weapon they could find to protect themselves and their families.
Through the thicket, a large group of ragged, filthy men emerged armed with swords and spears. They all had a gleeful expression in contrast to the refugees' horrified faces.
"Lookie here fellas, fresh meat. Thought you can all run and hide from us?" One of the marauders smirked while brandishing a chipped sword.
Slowly, the marauders spread out trying to encircle the caravans and prevent their escape.
The father quickly grabbed the hem of his son's shirt forcing the boy to stare into his father's eyes. "Boy, I want you to take your sister and head towards the city. Follow the road and you ride hard."
"B-b-b-but." The boy began to stutter.
"Be silent and listen." He snapped. "While I am gone, you are in charge of your sister. You keep her safe, do you understand?"
"But, what about you, Pa?"
"Do you understand?" He asked more forcefully
"Yes sir." His son nodded his head fearfully
"Don't look back." He said before slapping the mule's rear hard forcing the beast to gallop.
A bandit closest to the mule quickly ran towards the galloping beast trying to stop it. Distracted, the bandit didn't have the time to react to seeing the father charge at him armed with a hatchet. The defensive father managed to stun him with a tackle forcing the two adults onto the dirt road. The burly man managed to pin the raider with his weight and with a warcry plunged the hatchet into the man's head with a wet thud.
The boy clenched the reign tightly while wrapping his arm around his younger sister from falling off. He could hear screams and cries behind his back and despite his father ordering him not to look back, he couldn't help himself. Behind his back, he could see the marauders clashing against the refugees who tried to fight back. The villagers were quickly cut down with ease. He could see the villagers frantically trying to climb out of the covered wagons, but anyone that managed to jump off had a sword through their back. He could see the small shape of his father across the ever-expanding distance swinging his hatchet around like a mad man preventing any of the murderers from pursuing his children. The boy quickly stared away after seeing a marauder flanking across his father's side and stabbing his spear through his thigh forcing the burly man to his knees in pain. He didn't have the heart to witness his Father slain.
For three days Pina Co Lasa and her band tirelessly galloped in haste to Italica. They rested only when the horses were growing tired and they rode hard late at night till the brink of dawn. One of her trusted knights, Norma, proudly held a large banner of the Rose Order while trying to keep up with his Princess's speed. Eventually, Pina stopped abruptly near a green hill overlooking the land beneath. The green vegetation and dirt road were now replaced with vast fields of wheat.
"We are getting close," Gray shouted. "This is one of the many fields belonging to Formals. If we continue to follow the road we should be there soon."
"I didn't know this city was an agricultural industry," Pina said while staring into the far wheat horizon.
"This city alone could easily feed tens of thousands of people back at the capital," Hamilton added.
"With years of severe droughts, it's even more important we check on the Italica's defenses," Pina said steadfastly. " If Italica falls into the enemy hands, food scarcity will increase."
"Your highness, how can we defend all this land from the full might of the enemy with just the Rose Order?" Hamilton asked hesitantly.
"You doubt our training and commitment, Hamilton?" Pina snapped.
"We have 1,380 Knights ready for deployment, 75 trainees, and 42 aspirants. Even if we have the trainees and aspirants to reinforce the Order, I fear it is not enough, Your highness. I never doubt our training and our commitment, but hearing that we lost 100,000 soldiers a month ago makes me dread that you are running towards your doom."
"She has a point," Gray added ignoring the fact the coalition army included lost 100,000 men on top of their losses.
"Our orders from the Emperor were simply to observe the enemy's strength and report back to him. If we are to defend our homeland from these invaders then we must learn about our enemies. To learn thy enemy we will find their weakness."
It was rousing to find their young Princess to not give up hope while facing the impending maelstrom. They knew Pina was no fool unlike the incompetent officers back in the capital, so they trusted her judgment and continued to follow her without any hesitation.
"What's that over there?" Norma shouted while pointing at the road below.
Below the hill, the Knights could see a mule collapsed on the side of the road heaving in exhaustion while they could see a boy and a smaller girl tiredly walking to Italica on foot. Concerned for the children, Pina and her band quickly descended over the hill towards them. At first, the boy shielded his sister behind his back seeing a band of riders galloping towards them, but seeing the riders wearing armour gave him huge relief as he collapsed on his knees weeping with joy. The riders dismounted and quickly tended the children's well-being with water sitting by the edge of the road where there was some shade.
Hamilton pulled out a small handkerchief and gently cleaned the boy's face and his little sister's face. Once their faces were cleaned, Pina handed over her waterskin to the little kids and it was not a surprise they drank much of the content in her waterskin.
"What are your names?" Pina asked as she kneeled so she was at their eye level.
They seemed a bit shy as they tried to avoid eye contact with her.
"My name is Pina." She then went around naming each of her party members. "That is Hamilton, Norma, and the ugly one is Gray."
"Your highness, I'm hurt by that comment." He snorted.
"Are you a princess?" The little girl asked in amazement.
Pina ruffled the little girl's hair in acknowledgment.
While the little girl was shouting in amazement, the boy hesitantly replied. "My name is Leo and this is my sister, Julia."
"Julia. What a beautiful name." Pina smiled warmly as she held her hands. "Where are you two off to in such a hurry? It's dangerous to travel these roads alone.
The boy, Leo, looked away reluctantly as he told his story of how his village was attacked early in the morning by murders and how his family and a group of survivors desperately tried to run from the slaughter and reach Italica for safety. For several days, Leo's family and the survivors from various other villages all treaded on the dangerous roads with barely any supplies. While Leo retold his escape from an ambush thanks to the help of his father, Pina couldn't help but feel concerned about the scale of crime and anarchy in Formal's lands. Once she reaches the city, she would need to ask for the local government's effort to stop this crime from spreading deeper into Saderan's lands.
"Have you come to drive the bad bad guys out?" Julia asked.
"I indeed came here to save you and your brother, Julia, but for a different reason. Have any of you seen anything strange the past month near your village?"
Both shook their heads.
"Perhaps any giant warriors wearing gold armour?"
"I'm sorry, Princess Pina but we have never anything out of the ordinary in our village.
"Fortune favors us, Your Highness perhaps they have not left the holy hills after all," Gray commented that a golden army marching on the road would have been seen miles away from the peasants and such gossip would have spread like wildfire.
She nodded before sighing with ease. "Perhaps we do have time to set up a proper defense before they arrive en masse."
"Gold armour?" Julia asked in bewilderment. " I would love to see a golden giant. He must look so beautiful wearing such bright metal! Maybe he can give us some gold so we can rebuild our house once Papa arrives."
Leo didn't have the heart to tell his younger sister that their father might be dead. "Yeah…" He said reluctantly ashamed to tell Julia their Father might be dead.
Slowly Pina rose thinking what the next should be while resting a hand on her hip. " Norma, have Leo ride with you. Hamilton, Julia will be under your care. We will be taking them both to Italica. Gray, retrace their steps and see if there are any survivors you can help escort to Italica."
Quickly, Norma and Hamilton helped the kids on the saddles before mounting up. Just as the three Knights were continuing their journey Pina stopped Gray for one last time. "If you find marauders still there don't engage. I need you alive."
"You doubt my skills as a swordsman?" He snorted
"I'm serious, Gray. You may be a great swordsman, but there is only you against who knows how many."
"Rest assured, Princess I will return to your side unscathed. Do try to keep the city intact once I arrive."
She shook her head in disappointment with his dry humor, but satisfied with his response of safety, they slammed their fist on their breast before departing. The journey to Italica took nearly an hour and during that time little Julia was having the time of her life asking questions about what life was like as a socialite, the kinds of food they eat, the kinds of clothes they wear, etc. To the little girl, it was a welcoming distraction from the hardships and trauma she experienced earlier while her older brother relatively remained quiet. Finally, they arrived at the Southern Gates and their haste journey was coming to an end.
"Declare yourselves!" The sentry shouted on the walls.
"Knights of the Rose Order!" Pina shouted. "Open the Gates."
The sentry was hesitant, but seeing the knight's pristine armour and the large banner Norma was carrying was enough verification to allow them to enter. While the vast doors were slowly opening, he shouted over his shoulder to call for the Captain of the guests that were arriving.
To the Knights' shock, they were surprised to find the courtyard packed full of peasants rubbing shoulder to shoulder with each other the moment the doors opened. The air stank of unwashed bodies and other undesirable filth Pina and her companions were not used to smell. The noise was also quite deafening as the crowd all shouted incoherently over something quite aggressively as dozens began to push and shove against each other. They could also see several campfires already lit near the walls as the crowd set up camp, which further baffled Pina. The peasant crowd was so crowded it made it impossible for the riders to advance any further.
"Make way!" Norma shouted over the loud crowd. "Make way!"
The crowd remained unfazed by his commands as they all kept pushing and shoving against each other. On closer inspection, the crowd of people was fighting over potatoes. Across the distance, the knights could see the crowd being shoved apart as the Captain and his retinue of armed guards approached them.
The Captain bowed his head respectfully towards the riders. "Greetings, your Highness."
"You know who I am?" Pina asked tentatively.
"There is only one woman I know with crimson hair in the Knights of the Rose Order."
"Then it appears I do not need to introduce myself. And you are?"
"I am Sir Greggory, Captain of Italica's armed forces. Thank the Gods you have arrived. Your timing is most fortuitous."
"It appears, Sir Greggory, you have your hands full." She gestured at the large immobile crowd behind the Captain. "What is happening here."
"Refugees. The latest batch arrived not too long ago. They have been pouring in all morning under the command of my Lady. "
Pina looked over her shoulder staring at Julia and Leo who were both anxious about seeing such a rowdy crowd.
"Have they all been driven out of their homes by a large group of marauders as well?" She asked.
He nodded his head hesitantly. "That is correct. How did you know?"
"I have with me two children who narrowly escaped from similar misfortunes. They need proper food and beddings."
"Well," he gestured at the rowdy crowd, " they all have been demanding the same things as well."
"Is it that bad? How many refugees are within your city, Captain?"
"It is not accurate, but we have counted more than 3,000 heads." He then slowly approached Pina's horse and leaned forward. "We are running low on food and straw for these people. We have resorted to giving out one potato per head until we have an accurate account of our logistics to feed these people." He said in a whispered tone. "I assume you are not here to relieve our situation with the marauders?"
She shook her head. " I am afraid not, Captain. We are here to observe our borders' defensive readiness against the invaders.
He couldn't help but chuckle a bit to himself. "Well as you can see, Your Highness we are ill-prepared."
"Why have you not sent word to the capital regarding your situation?" Norma commented.
"We have been requesting aid for the past 2 months, boy." He snapped. "No word of aid was ever sent to us."
Well, we are here now, Sir Greggory." Pina said, adding some positive light to the gloomy mood. "The knights of the Rose Order will provide you the aid you need. With that being said, I wish to see your Lady, Captain. There are several things I must discuss with her regarding your plight and the defense of your city."
"I am afraid she will not be available for the time being."
"How so?"
"Earlier in the day, Emissaries from Alnus Hill arrived."
She felt her heart stop and her skin turn pale hearing his words. "They have already arrived?" Her careful planning and swift actions were all for nothing. If the Emissaries report back to the hills of the city's conditions then an invasion was imminent. "How were they able to arrive here so fast? Latest intelligence told us they remained in the hills."
"You will see it for yourself. No words could describe the thing they rode." He grumbled.
With a bark of an order, he had his sentries disperse the rowdy crowd allowing safe passage for the rider to cross. A pair of sentries approached Norma and Hamilton intended on dismounting the children off the saddle.
"The children will stay with us, Captain," Pina said sternly. "Until one of my knights returns."
"As you wish, however, I will not guarantee their safety as you are approaching the maw of the beasts."
"Is it true that they are giants?" Hamilton asked with curiosity as the party began to head towards the keep.
"Aye, twice the size of a man clad in a full golden plate."
"What are their intentions here?" Pina asked hesitantly, still reeling from the fact the enemy was here before they arrived.
"I do not know the whole details, but their intentions are peaceful. One is currently conversing with my Lady."
"How big is their security?"
"They came with no security. They all came into the city armed. There are four within these walls."
Hamilton pulled her reigns to the side as she rode by Pina's side. "If they are here parlaying peace, perhaps we should open our ears and hear them out."
The ride to the keep was relatively quiet as Pina began to process all the information she knew and debated what the next step should be. She had intended to defend Italica with a sword in her hand along with her entire order against the invaders, however, she was no war-mongering barbarian and if peace could be achieved without any further bloodshed she should hear what they have to say.
The moment the Great Keep's Gates opened the riders saw the Coronus Grav Carrier floating elegantly in the courtyard. They were shocked to find such a huge golden object floating effortlessly in the air. Only Sir Greggory was unfazed by the vehicle as the Knights hesitantly approached it on foot.
"How is it floating?" Pina asked as she bent over looking underneath the massive vehicle. She was even more confused discovering there were no wheels or legs underneath.
"It must be enchanted," Hamilton noted as she walked around it seeing no signs of wings for it to physically fly. "They must be powerful sorcerers."
The concept of magic was still relatively new in Falmart. Though there are mages in the country, the study of magic was relatively uncharted territory. There was so much unknown knowledge that there were more mages studying the theoretical rather than learning practical magic arts. It is the same reason why the Saderians don't see so many objects levitate in the air, see any incantations cause massive destruction, or mages fly high in the air.
"Wealthy and powerful in magic…" Pina noted anxiously as she began to conclude the invaders were indeed a powerful adversary.
While the knights were busy studying the grav-vehicles, they didn't see Julia creep up towards the touching red curves of the Carrier.
"It's so pretty." She shouted with glee.
"Bzzt bak tuk gluk mlek." Suddenly, the vehicle began to growl loudly at the presence of being touched. The shout made Julia yelp in fear as she hid behind her brother's legs and the Knights all took a few steps back with their hand gripping the hilt of their swords.
"It speaks?" Pina asked in a startled tone.
There was a loud hiss and the whine of hydraulics as the rear disembarkment ramp slid down slowly and a red-cloaked figure exited the bowels of the golden vehicle. The cloaked figure made Pina and her Knights revolt in disgust as it was more of a monster than a man. The red-cloaked figure was a tall bulky man with various mechanical appendages on its back like an arachnid. Various grey tubes were protruding over his shoulders in his hunched back. Even though his face was obscured from the cloak, his face was visible and the sight of him repulsed Pina. His right eye was replaced with a cluster of small green eyes like a spider with a primary large eye surrounded by a group of smaller ones. His left eye was milk-white with his pupil barely visible. He had small cables dangling on his cheeks like a beard of dreadlocks. The cloaked figure had no jaw and in his mouth socket was a large horn with his upper teeth clung to the edge of the horn for some sick aesthetic purposes.
"By the holy twelve," Hamilton muttered in shock as she took a few hesitant steps back.
"Navnyeh vnus duilrehk draa rumo namel fedr ouin vemdro ryhtc!" The robed figure growled sternly through his vox grill.
Pina narrowed her eyes unable to understand. "What?"
"Navnyeh vnus duilrehk dra rumo namel un oui crymm pa tacdnuoat."
Unable to understand and disgusted with his appearance, the three knights slowly unsheathed their blades prepared to defend themselves and the children from this creature. Seeing the growing hostility, the robed figure's metal appendages all stretched out like an animalistic behavior to ward off predators to look big.
"He is saying to refrain from touching our vehicle, little one." A low voice growled.
A larger figure slowly emerged out of the belly of the carrier with loud heavy steps. Unlike the red monster, he was a titan clad in gold and embroidered with fine gems. In his arm, he held up a massive golden stand of a double-headed eagle with its wings outstretched. No words could describe how she and her knights felt facing a Custodian as he was breathlessly beautiful. He was so close, that he had to arch his head down to stare at them with curiosity. He had a single red eye staring at them with his other eye slashed diagonally from either a claw or a sword.
"Sheathe your weapons." He growled softly. "Unless you desire for an early grave."
Slowly and cautiously Pina lowered her sword and her knights stood down. Seeing no hostility from the titan, Pina sheathed her weapon before taking a few nervous steps and bowing her head in greetings.
"I…I am Princess Pina Co Lada. Daughter of Molt Sol Augustus, emperor of the Saderan Empire."
Hearing no response from the Emissary, Pina stared up in confusion. Looking up, she could see the Titan still staring at her.
"Valther will enjoy this."
In the Keep's library, Valther was grabbing various books from the many shelves. The Formal Family had a decent collection of leather-bound books, which he assumed must have cost them quite a fortune for the labor to publish a book without a printing press. Without a proper seat for his stature, he stood by the window for lighting to read. Despite learning this world's language, his kind had not properly mastered reading their language. To supplement his literacy skills, he had a small cogitator who transcribed the foreign texts into gothic. It was a laborious task to scan each page and to wait while the small machine translated the text, but he was fortunate to have the old curator Master Plutarch to converse with and translate any text the cogitator was unable to decipher properly.
The curator was an old overweight man who needed staff to support his frail back and legs. He had a long puffy white beard, a long nose, and a growing bald head with only a clump of hair on his scalp. He wore a simple brown robe, leather sandals, and a thick belt around his tubby belly with large keys which jingled loudly with each step.
At first, the old man was hesitant to be alone in the library with a giant, but as time went by and the two began to converse with each other, Master Plutarch secretly admired the giant. In his eyes, he saw a scholar rather than a brute asking various intellectual questions with another scholar as the Custodian asked questions on topics like literature, geology, mathematics, science, and economy. If he was not so old, he would love to spend hours conversing with the giant by the fireplace.
During his time in the library, Valther learned quite much of this land and its culture with the aid of the old curator. After learning their basic arithmetics and units of measurements, he concluded the planet was roughly 40,075 km identical to the circumference of Terra. The Empire's total distance of their land was approximately 8,000 km roughly the same size as the ancient empires of Mongolia at the apex of their power in Terra's ancient history. Their economy revolved around the value of precious metals like copper, silver, and gold. The world's inhabitants used an Imperial Calendar and the year currently was IC 687. Reviewing the Formal's most advanced copy of math, this land had no grasp of the fundamentals of theoretical mathematics but just scraped intermediate levels of advancements. Without a proper sample of their advancements in science, he so far concluded this world was a pre-industrial society. Valther also discovered this society had a polytheistic religion with 12 gods and goddesses and according to Plutarch, their society was heavily religious.
Societies with heavily strong religious influences were ranking religious zealots limit progressive thinking and limit technological innovation. Terra's ancient history shows him that when great minds begin to question religious doctrines, the Church would always try to silence them such as when the church believed the Earth was the center of the universe, but when shown scientific evidence that the sun was the center, the church would brand these men as heretics. Valther would need to make a note while writing his official report to the Captain-General that total compliance may not be achieved peacefully due to religious differences. Violence would be inevitable with the Ecclesiarchy.
Plutarch slowly reached the table and sighed with relief dropping several thick volumes on the edge of the table.
He leaned heavily on his staff. "Here are several volumes regarding the Felimina."
The golden titan remained quiet as he kept reading his book in the sunlight. The old curator cleared his throat hoping that might catch the Custodian's attention. After a grueling minute, there was only silence except for the sound of pages being flickered side to side. Feeling ignored, Plutarch limped towards the exit.
By the time he reached the door, he was stopped by the Custodian's voice. "What is the significance of that name?"
The old man gasped in shock startled by the titan's loud voice. "By the twelve you nearly gave this old man a heart attack." He chuckled only seeing he was the only one laughing at his humor. He cleared his throat to help break the awkward silence. "That is the name of our religion."
"I see."
"You know, would you like to hear a little trivia? The name Felimina translated in a new tongue means Falmart. Our first ancestors that had their hearts opened to the Gods named this continent Falmart to honor the Gods."
"Thank you. Your service is no longer required." Valther said bluntly as he closed his book with a loud thud. He wanted to avoid any conversations revolving around religion with mortals.
A bit hurt, Plutarch silently bowed his head and retreated to the hallway. Just as Valther grabbed one of the new volumes from the table, his vox bead began to chirp.
"Yes?"
"How is your research going, Shield Captain?" Thucydides asked.
"Illuminating. There is much I must write to the Captain-General."
"Oh, I am sure you are eager to grab your quill, Valther, however, there has been a new development."
The Shield Captain frowned. " Elaborate."
"Contact from the Empire called Saderan has been achieved a lot sooner than expected. It appears several representatives have approached me. It is another child by the looks of it and a Princess no less."
"Has she given you her name?"
There was a pause of hesitation. "Well, here is the thing. She is named after uh…a refreshment."
"A refreshment? Thucydides, I do not understand what you mean."
"Her name is Pina Co Lada."
He was a bit taken aback that her name was an alcoholic beverage. " I do not wish to talk with her until I finish writing my report. You deal with her."
"I figured you might say something like that, however Nero, Gauis, and I agreed you should have the honors of conversing with her first."
"What is this little mutiny you have all conspired? Why should I be the one to contact her when I have several other Emissaries on this mission?"
"You already have some experience talking to children, Shield Captain not to mention the patience you have. The honor is yours." Thucydides said with amusement. "Think about it. I am just an old 'senile' man who will just scare the devil out of that girl once she sees my torn face. All our hard work would be for naught and relations would break."
"Do not jest our given duties from the Captain-General." He said sternly.
Undaunted, the old Custodian continued his amusements. "Besides, you don't expect Nero to be the first to talk? You know how that young lion will act the moment that little Princess opens her mouth. The lion would rather roar at her than talk softly and she would simply run away in fear. Gaius is well…Gaius. A statue would have a more meaningful conversation with him than anyone else. The man is too quiet for this important task lacking all your finesse."
Valther sighed softly in defeat. "Very well, send her in."
After a short period, there was a gentle knock on the door. A demi-human maid with cat ears entered the library bowing her head respectfully towards the Custodian. "My Lord, I apologize for the intrusion, however, my Lady requests your presence."
Pina was anxious to meet the Emissary named Valther in the great reception chamber with Lady Myui. The Princess was a bit baffled at how calm the little girl was compared to herself. While they waited for the Shield Captain's arrival, the young Lady summarized her experience of the Custodian with the Princess.
"He is quite a charming man if you get over the fact he is a giant," Myui said in the conclusion of her tale.
"If I knew any better, I think you would have grown quite fond of him." Pina chuckled quite relaxed after conversing with the young Lady.
"Forgive my comment, Your Highness." She napped anxiously, feeling her cheeks flush red. "I forget we are still at war and I should not fraternize with the enemy of the Empire."
"Please," Pina said assuringly, "be yourself Lady Formal. I have not traveled many miles to judge your loyalty. I came here to give aid to you and your people."
The girl sighed with relief while her cheeks slowly returned to a normal hue.
"Do you truly believe they are not our enemies?" Pina asked hesitantly.
"If Lord Valther truly intended to be our enemies, he would have taken the city before your arrival."
Pina pressed a finger against her chin contemplating the girl's comment. It was true if these giants intended hostility, they would have either killed or captured Myui. Cutting the head of the snake and the body would wither and this logic would apply to Italica.
Eventually, the doors opened and the maid returned with the emissary and the two quickly stood up. The Custodian was helmless and Pina understood Myui's attraction toward him. He was indeed a demigod in flesh, with perfect handsome features of a statue and poet would feverishly write about. His golden complexion was exotic in Falmart. The only thing that didn't sit right with her was his eyes. His brown eyes were cold and lifeless as he stared at them showing no hint of emotion.
Pina had no words to utter clearly the entrance of Valther's appearance. Myui had to take the initiative to greet the emissary. "Lord Valther." She humbly curtsied. "Forgive me for summoning earlier than expected, but I have a very important guest eager to meet you." She gestured at the crimson princess.
"My Lord." Pina bowed. " It is an honor to meet you. Lady Formal has talked greatly of his Lordship." She looked up to see the Custodian staring at her with the same cold gaze. He was not entertained by having his ego stroked unliked by Prince Zozal. She decided to skip all the formalities. "My name is-."
"Princess Pina Co Lada." He finished. "Please, sit."
She frowned a bit, displeased being interrupted. She was even more shocked when an Emissary commanded the Lady of this city and the Princess of the most powerful country to sit. Myui sat back down unfazed and a guest commended the host to sit in her own home. Pina in defiance sat down slowly.
"Lady Formal has told me your intentions and the Saderan Empire is open to any dialogue that will lead to peace."
Do you speak on behalf of your government?"
"I," She hesitated, " I am the Emperor's daughter. He will listen to me."
It was a lie of course. Pina never really had any authority and she doubted she was the Emperor's favorite for him to listen to.
"Why did you attack the Imperium of Man?" Valther asked with a gesture of his hand pointing at her.
She was taken aback by his forwardness, "By his Emperor's will, an expedition was tasked to go through the Gate and retrieve any resources of value. It is painful to admit, but our economy was failing and out of desperation the Emperor believed plundering the lands would revitalize our economy."
How did you bring this Gate to our world?"
She shook her head. "We never did. It appeared suddenly one day in the Holy hills. No one truly knows how the Gate was summoned, but it was said the Gods have the power to summon it."
Valther narrowed his eyes after she mentioned Gods. It was confirmed that her story matches Myui's tale and not some childhood bedtime story. With this confirmation, he could more confidently investigate this culture's theology. His investigation would include reading their religious texts thoroughly and learning more about this Felimina. He needed to know how these gods were opening these Gates and if it is possible sanctioned psychers of the Imperium could open one as well.
The room was quiet once more as the Custodian processed all of this information and note what else he should say to the Captain-General. Pina took this opportunity to drink her goblet of wine moistening her dry mouth. Her heels had a shade of red feeling the alcohol tingling her cheeks. The combination of anxiety mixed with wine was making her feel nauseous and she regretted ever drinking.
"I am sure you are more curious why I am here than arriving at your front door, Princess Pina Co Lada." He said at last.
"I will admit I was wondering about that, yes."
"Simply put, I wanted to see whether or not it was worth my effort to communicate with you. Many views my arrival to be a waste of time."
She clenched her fists underneath the table. "And what is your assessment after spending some time here?"
"Tolerable."
She frowned, uncertain whether she should feel relieved or offended by his comment. She had always taken pride in her culture being the pinnacle that society should aspire to be.
"Surely if you come to the capital you will see a plethora of knowledge, artists, musicians, and playwrights that will prove to you we are not simple savages, but an enlightened society."
He shook his head. "I am afraid you are wrong, Princess. There is nothing you can offer that will convince His people you are equals. You may view your society to be a beacon of cultural sophistication, but in reality, you are primitives."
She angrily slammed her hands against the table startling Myui with a squeal as Pina rose from her seat.
"Primitives?" She repeated the word with insult. "The Saderan Empire is a country that earned its respect. Our borders stretch to the entire continent from the North West islands of Brenna to the Eastern Blue Seas. For 600 years our Empire has brought peace, prosperity, and order to all people in Falmart. To call my people simply as savages is an insult, Valther. If you continue to insult us as than to seven hells with you and the Imperium."
Myui sat uncomfortably hearing Pina's furious comment, but in reality, she was even more unsettled seeing the Custodian grin. He couldn't help but chuckle at the Princess's venomous words
"Have I said something amusing, 'Lord'?" Pina asked mockingly.
"In all my years observing humanity, never had a child ever tell me to go to hell. I indeed find your comment amusing." His grin slowly disappeared back to his stoic expression. "Despite the amusement, let me illuminate you. The Emperor of Mankind's Imperium is 10,000 years old. You flaunt the vastness of your empire's territory, but you cannot comprehend the scale of how large His Empire is. To give you a glimpse of the scale of our Empire's palace, it is nearly as large as the entire continent of Falmart. So, Princess, you and I have nothing in common. Your Empire's history is just a little footnote to ours. You say your society is advanced and sophisticated, full of scholars, musicians, and poets, but we judge a society for its advancement in technology. You tried to invade and conquer our lands with mere sticks and swords. We returned your aggression with fire, blade, and bolter. So yes, you are primitives."
Pina's mouth was open in awe. Hearing the scale of their Imperium and how ancient it gave her cold sweat running down her cheek. He just had to be bluffing. How could a palace be as large as an entire continent?
"One last thing, Princess Pina Co Lada." His voice was low and stern. " I understand your anger and your loyalty to your people is commendable, however, I am the voice of the Emperor and to show disrespect towards me is to disrespect the Emperor. Treat your next words with care for I will not be as forgiving the next time you disrespect me."
Staring into his cold gaze and hearing his stern voice made Pina shiver with fear as she felt the adrenaline from her anger seep away.
"I… I understand, Lord Valther. Forgive my criticisms earlier. I should have held my tongue in better."
He nodded his head. " Now, with that being said despite our differences, The Emperor knows mercy, which is my intention to bring peace between our people. You have lost nearly 200,000 soldiers and we have lost none. Send another 100,000 and you will see the same results."
The Princess slouched back on her seat defeated knowing where this conversation was going. There can be peace between their worlds at a cost.
"What are your terms?" She asked in a hoarse voice.
"Our terms will be written on an official parchment, but I can summarize them for you. Join us and prosper. Defy us and know nothing but death."
Her mouth was dry once more feeling the difficulty of moistening her parched throat. Her shoulders felt tense and heavy as she felt the enormity of the situation. Even Myui was anxious, feeling powerless in the crossfire between the Imperium and Saderan.
"The Senate would not approve of your terms. They would rather die protecting their honor than to live as a vassal."
"I intend that such violence does not come and I hope to illuminate you to accept our terms. "
Before Pina could negotiate with counter terms, Myui slowly stood up. "My Lord. Your Highness, let us cease all hostility towards each other. Your Highness, you have traveled for many days to reach my city. Let me return the favor and provide you a bed for you to rest on."
Before the Princess could protest, the Lady summoned a maid to escort Pina out despite her protest leaving her and the Custodian alone.
"Was there something you wish to talk about alone?" He asked softly.
"No-no, my Lord." She said while gripping a ball full of cloth of her dress underneath the table.
"I felt her highness was getting overwhelmed with emotions and some rest might help her think clearly."
"So you accept the Imperium's terms?"
"I am a Lesser Lady of a city. Whether I am a servant of the Empire or this Imperium, it would not matter to me so long as my people are safe."
Amused by the young girl's remark, the edge of his lips curled up in a smile. "You are quite the extraordinary woman, Lady Myui. The Imperium will need servants with noble hearts such as yours. Your father would be proud."
Hearing him mention her Father made her heart heavy. Her clenched fists were shaking as she fought the urge not to cry in from of the giant.
"There is one thing I wish to ask, Lord Valther. Forgive me for it is a selfish question. Did you kill my father?"
"I did not participate in the battle for Alnus Hill."
She felt some relief that she was not sitting next to her beloved parent's murderer. "Do you…believe there is a chance…he might be alive?"
"If he participated in either battle, he is dead. My kind is not merciful once they unleash their wrath." He said bluntly.
" Though I would never question your prowess on the battlefield, do you believe he was given a quick death?"
"Yes." There was some annoyance in his voice not used to talking to a child for this long.
"He didn't suffer, right?"
"Lady Myui." He snapped. "Is there a point to this interrogation?"
She quickly shook her head. "Forgive my curiosity!. I would never dare to even question the Emperor's voice piece in such a manner. I allowed my emotions to dictate my tongue."
He sighed softly unsure what to do next. It was awkward enough to talk to someone beyond his kind, but to converse with a child was mentally exhausting.
"Perhaps you should rest as well." He said his voice was soft once more. "I heard you spent much of the day feeding and housing the refugees. Such tasks may be too much for your small body. Rest and we can convene another meeting if your Princess is willing."
She wanted to argue telling him she was fine, but she feared he would snap at her again. " Very well." She bowed her head before giving him a curtsy.
Escorted by a maid, Pina marched outside of the Keep desiring fresh air. She didn't mind a child telling her to leave the reception chamber, in fact, the longer she was near the Custodian the more she felt afraid of his presence. As soon as she left the Keep, she was greeted by her companions Norma and Hamilton.
"Your Highness," Hamilton said enthusiastically. " How was first contact?"
"It is like talking to stone for my words did not reach into the Emissary's ears."
She cautiously held Hamilton's arm pulling her away from the gaze of Thucydides who stood near Valther's great ax impaled in the road. Believing she was far enough from the Custodian to hear their conversation, Pina recounted her conversation with Valther. Her two companions' expressions mirrored their leaders both with concern and growing anxiety. Little did the trio know, Thucydides was still watching them. His lone eye stared at their lips reading them. With the male knight facing away from the Custodian, he could only lip-read the Princess's lips and her page's lips.
"My worst fears are coming true. " Pina said anxiously in conclusion to her tale. "They do plan on an invasion."
"Do you doubt the Senate or even His Majesty will accept any sort of compromise?" Hamilton asked.
His terms were clear: join or die."
"What should we do?" Her page asked concerningly.
"What have the two of you learned from our out-worlder guests?"
"Two of the golden giants were roaming around the city," Norma reported.
"They must be trying to note the city's defenses." Pina cursed.
" The red-robed creature lurks in the golden carriage. I have not seen him leave it ever since you were led inside." Hamilton added.
"So, there are five outworlders in this city and perhaps several more lurking in that thing," Pina noted. "I should send a raven or a rider to the capital calling for all our knights to converge to this city. Perhaps if we could capture one we could renegotiate the terms."
"But," Hamilton stammered, " Not only would that bring harm towards the Countess and the local population, but it will also take them six to seven days for our knights to arrive. What would we do till then?"
" We have six days to create a strategy that will not put them in harm's way. For now, we leave the outworlders alone and observe them at a distance until reinforcements arrive. With our knights, I can talk to Valther with strength in numbers. Until their arrival, we will fortify this city."
Suddenly, the large doors of the inner gates opened revealing to be Gray leading his horse on foot. His humorous demeanor was replaced with a stoic expression. On his mount was a dead body wrapped in a blanket lying across the horse's rear. Pina knew it was a body because an arm was dangling out of the wrapped blanket.
"Gray!" The Princess waved her hand at her faithful companion. "It is good to see you unscathed. Another hour of waiting and I would have searched for you."
There was no witty comment from him as the old warrior quietly tied his lead to the horse post.
"Is something wrong?" She asked with concern, seeing her companion staring blankly at the post. "Who is that?" She pointed at the wrapped body.
He sighed with exhaustion. " I was there, but I arrived too late. They killed all of them. 38 adults and 17 children were all slaughtered like cattle."
"And their Father?" She asked hesitantly. "Were you able to find any signs of him?"
"Dead as well. His body was mangled, limbs torn off, manhood missing, and his head gone. I am ashamed to say I didn't have time to bury any of the bodies. The birds were already pecking at their flesh. Gods' I have never seen such birds such voracious eaters for human flesh."
Hamilton gasped in shock and Pina gently clasped his shoulder. " It is a shame that we cannot give the children some closure, but you've seen death before. I have never seen you like this before."
"The bandits-more monster than man- took the villagers' heads with them. They decapitated them all even the damn babies."
It was a grim scene to imagine and it was fortunate Leo and Julia were not here to discover the fate of the villagers. He then pulled the blanket off the dead body.
"I have a theory about who these mysterious murderers are and to shed light on why there are so many rampant crimes near Italica."
Fortunately, the body was not headless which brought a huge sigh of relief to Pina and her companions. The person was frail and skinny after being malnourished for a long period, filthy, and wearing rags. He had several armour pieces strapped to his body for protection like shin guards, chainmail, and a single wrist guard. The cause of death to this poor sap was a hatchet wound splitting the man's skull between the eyes.
"I believe we are dealing with the survivors and deserts of the Coalition Army." He then ripped the dead body's sleeve revealing an inked skin. On closer inspection, the tattoo was an eagle with the roman numerals VII beneath its claws.
"An Elbian footsoldier of the seventh Legion," Gray said
"That is the Kingdom of Elbe sigil," Norma confirmed. "Gray is correct."
"The timing fits," Hamilton added. "According to the city's guards, the villagers were attacked a month ago, around the same time the Coalition was wiped out."
"It would explain the sudden number of villages attacked in a short period. There might be hundreds of them in the forest." Pina said once she pieced all the information together. " New plan. We will mobilize the Knights of the Rose Order to restore peace around Italica. Stabilizing the region must take priority over these 'Custodians."
"Is that what they call themselves?" Gray asked. "Not a name I expected."
"What were you expecting?" Norma raised an eyebrow.
"I am not sure myself. But you know the significance of their name?"
"A custodian, in this case, is a guardian that protects something of great importance," Hamilton answered. "The question is guarding what?"
"The Emperor of Mankind," Pina answered. "We should be honored." She said in amusement. "Their emperor might have possibly sent us his praetorians to talk peace with us.
Thinking of Valther and their previous conversation, she made a vow to prove to the golden custodian her people were not mere savages. If she ever wanted to prove a point to the Shield-Captain, he must not see these bandits running amock brutally killing the civilian population, or else it would be more evidence for him to use on her.
"What's this?" Hamilton asked lifting the dead bandit's wrist. On closer inspection, the wrist was intricately cut in a circle with a knife with crude cut eight arrows jutting out of the circle in all directions. The shape of the wound was recent as the skin was still red and the wound was barely sealed. She doesn't the significance of this marking, but it sure made Pina feel uncomfortable.
"Another legion marking perhaps?" Norma suggested.
Gray shook his head. "No, this marking has no military significance looks spiritual or occult."
"If it is occult then we have a reason to cut it from the source before it spreads to the capital. The Kingdom of Elbe is a noble vassal. They would never resort to such brutal tyranny and slay babies. King Duran was a noble leader and he would not allow such practice in his army. If this occult managed to turn the Elbians, we must stop them."
With newfound purpose, she decided to leave the Keep. Her companions followed her curious about what was on her mind next
"Where to, your highness?" Gray asked.
"I must find Captain Greggory and discuss with him Italica's defenses. Norma, I will need you to find a rider to send a message to Bozes and have her send all our knights to the city with haste."
"If the content of the message is that important, I am more than happy to personally send it to Bozes." Norma said.
"No, this city lacks officers and I need you more than ever to restore the defenses to this city."
As the knights left the courtyard, Thucydides opened a vox channel. "Shield-Captain, the Princess apparently contemplating our capture." He said with some amusement.
"Then she is a bigger fool than I would have thought."
"There is more. It appears they discovered the identity of the bandits harassing the local populace. It is the survivors Venerable Taitius released unscathed."
"Shame. It would break his heart if he heard the survivors tarnished his kindness with barbaric violence."
"Should we return to the Hills?"
"No, my business here has not yet concluded. I have much to learn about this Felimina and Saderan."
"Like it or not, our presence here will only incite that girl to bring unnecessary violence."
"She will need to adapt, Thucydides. After all the Imperium has staked a claim on this world. She will see more Imperium officials daily."
"It is unwise, Valther. We have contacted a Saderan official and told her our demands. Let's give this burden to the Adeptus Adminastorium and have them give her the official parchment."
"My orders from the Captain-General were clear, Vexillus Praetor. Bring these people to compliance and observe."
Thucydides grumbled in annoyance. "As you will it, Shield-Captain. Nero will be upset once he discovers we will not return as of yet."
"His attitude is irrelevant. Once Nero returns from his observations in the city, have him sent to me. I am nearly done writing my first report to Valoris. I will hear what our Captain-General has to say once he reads my report whether or not our presence in this world is still required."
"That should brighten Nero's day." The old Custodian commented hearing the hot-blooded Emissary would be returning to Terra.
"Once I hand Nero my report, I will be telling him to brink back munitions and several of our thralls once he returns to Italica."
"For what purpose?"
"I believe we will see combat very soon. The question I ask is who will be our enemy: The Princess, these bandits, or both?"
