Queen's note: Grandpa confronts the Slayer about some needed things.
Garnets
Chapter Nineteen:
Demigod
"Portal opening," Vega's voice warned, although in this case there was no need to warn who was currently in the command room.
Valen sensed the sudden pull of energy a moment before the spoken words. He did not move from his spot sitting on the lower section. Leaning on the rails and braced one foot on the clear metal window. The Argenta man had been thinking long and hard over the past five hours alone.
Vega had willingly answered what he could, was honest about what he could not or would not as well.
Valen glanced at the closer reflection in the window as the portal lit up the room. Yet he did not move as something heavy was shoved through. Just waiting as the Slayer moved what he salvaged. Once more mulling over key points that the once commander had learned.
He examined his right hand, and the sleeve of that arm as there was an odd metallic rattle last before the portal closed. Valen was kind enough to wait another five minutes, listening to his king breath and just standing still. Like he used to after each expedition to hell, or just fighting demons for days on Argent D'Nur.
"You're a very cruel king, as well as a bloody bastard." Valen spoke up, hearing the satisfying creaking of twitching and tensing armor in the quiet. Proving he still had the ability to startle the Slayer, or he had slipped some to not be aware after fighting.
The Demigod gave himself a shake and turned to scan for Valen while turning off his music. Not readily seeing him, the man stooped to pick up a startled cleaning drone. Examining it as it gave a startled squeak, it's multiple legs tucking up to stay out of the way.
It was one of five drones that had little eyebrows painted on it. Between that and the longer legs then normal, it was one that normally was stationed in the gardens. It had been summoned up by Vega to help with cleaning the supplies. The not quite man set it on the edge of the cart he had used for an almost last minute grab. Holding one of the packets to the drone until it grasped it between two claws, the rest of its legs uncurled to hold on.
The drone trilled as it recognized with a helpful ping from Vega that the box of packets had seeds in the paper. Once it was free the drone set about rapidly going through the shopping cart to be sure there was no contamination.
The Slayer turned and walked down to the lower section of the room. Stopping just outside of the range he knew Valen could easily lunge. That little bit of wariness had the old Sentinel smirking, but not looking away from the view of the invaded world.
"To think, Argent D'ner would have looked that bad this quick." Valen sighed, speaking far freer then he would if he had not known the other, mortal, human was not asleep. "It took decades for it and the colonies to look nearly this bad. And it's been, what? Half a local year? How are you going to save your people?"
The Slayer waited until he was finally looked at to sign. Rip and tare.
At the unimpressed look he got, the Demigod shrugged. He did give a more reasonable answer next. Hell Priests, I need to kill them first. They are tied to invasion. Found something odd.
"You'll gain the added wrath of the Khan Maykr by killing her current favorite pets." Valen pointed out, starting to sit up at last.
So what? I'll be killing her too. The Slayer shrugged, signing almost casually.
Valen scowled, jumping back over the railing to face his Lord. "And when she finds this place? What will you do? She is capable of shutting the Fortress down, cutting off the life support. You and I can survive on the lingering Argent energy. But that small one will die."
The Slayer stilled at Valen's words, proving he had not thought about this possibility. He was brilliant on the battlefield, always had been, it's what made him such a great War King. planning for civilians had never been his strong point, even on Argent, the Slayer had relied on others to help him.
"Or, gods forbid, what if the Khan Maykr realizes that Lily is the mortal daughter of the new Gordon in hell?" Valen asked, walking around the near statue of a man. Motion to the crucible hilt that was back on the Slayer's right thigh. "Even to me it's clear you are attached, the girl is at best a casualty of her wrath. At worse, if not a tool for manipulation, the Khan Maykr could realize she too has a soul that can be turned into a gorgon as well?"
For the first time in ages, the Demigod snapped aloud. Or attempted to say something aloud. It came out growling with an echo of primordial power, no true words came out despite his attempt to. It was more a snarled snare of emotions that was and was not speaking.
Anger-Alarm-Denial.
"Both her parents are gorgons, but especially her mother. Mothers will always pass on a part of their souls to their children." Valen said, only momentarily surprised at the altered voice he heard. But then even the best schoolers on his home world did not know what normal long term effects the Divinity Machine was on Argent D'Nur, but a human that was ages old at this point?
Denial-confusion.
"I have the means to end my son, but can never do so," Valen continued, pulling the hilt of a collapsible blade from his deep space. "The Khan Maykr herself gave me this, told me it was the only way to end the suffering of my son's soul. Knowing I could never end what's left of him if by some miracle or damnation I could find his heart. Do you think you can really handle doing the same?"
Quiet-sorrow-indignation.
The Slayer glanced at the window and the view of the human homeworld. Then tilted his head back to Valen.
"...do you think I can really handle seeing another child die?" Valen asked, in a lower voice. The building anger started to bleed into defeat as Valen looked at the bright green glow in the Slayer's visor. "I can protect her from most demons, even other humans if they are a third your strength. But I know the limits of my body. I could not stand against that false goddess in a fight. Nor can I stop the flow of time."
Determination-Commitment-Resignation-Stubborn. Protective.
"You're willingly putting the first strings of a noose on not just yourself, but me as well." Valen ran his hand over his head. "And I'm stupid enough to accept this bitter sweet gift you're giving me."
The Demigod shrugged, moving again as he spread his stained hands palms up.
Trust. Stubborn-Protective-faith.
"You should not have so much trust in me, my foolish lord." Valen stood up straight, muscles coiled in the only warning. He hit the Slayer with all of his own old strength, armor or no. The altered human made no move to defend or retaliate as he had been expecting it since first hearing Valen's voice.
"That is for the blatant dishonor for attacking me from behind you bastard King."
The Slayer stood back up with a broken laugh as the hit to his neck and shoulder actually hurt.
Trust.
"Bastard. Give me my arm back, I can't try to help fix this Fortress with one arm." Valen huffed, starting to walk to the upper level.
Amusement. Trust.
The Demigod moved to reach under and inside of the ring of the command area proper. Pulling out the wrapped bundle he had there. Hearing a long suffering sigh from Valen as the Argenta man realized he almost found the prosthetic.
"What did you find?" Valen asked, taking the bundle as he eyed the assorted supplies, noting the Sentinel battery. He used a darkened panel to set both his prosthetic and the knife down, unwrapping and seeing what was done with it. It had been property cleaned and maintained, a few things had been fixed and old grooved claw marks filled in to reinforce.
The Slayer nudged a cleaner drone, getting it to clean his right hand before coming back to Valen. Helping him reconnect the metal arm, and watching intently as it came back to life. Flexing and testing fingers.
The Slayer leaned back, half expecting to get hit again.
Valen ignored him in favor of stretching as he felt balanced again. Then started to poke around. Finding the rolling wire basket being favored by a few drones. Enough that three bigger ones were trying to push it with the tops of their shells in a group effort to get it into the hall.
Supplies. Battery. Present. The Slayer signed, before giving a coughing sound. As if he was clearing his throat of whatever just happened, and then gave an experimental humm. Wincing as he pulled his helmet off, snorted and then looked around for… there. A water bottle that Vega always had the drones leaving at a corner of a console.
His throat hurts now.
The Slayer stooped, picking up the bottle, almost crushed it and had to carefully, very carefully undo the twist top. Smart enough to sip then just down the bottle as he came back to Valen. The older, not older, man was checking what was in one of the crates. Leaving the cloth and… oh?
"You can not take, just look." Valen said without looking as the Slayer picked up the hilt.
The Slayer paused to show he heard, and then continued to inspect it, triggering the blade. Only a little surprised at the shorter seeming blade, it was hot but not sharp at all. Almost dulled. The blue blade was definitely an odd concentration of Wraith energy and… soul energy?
He ran his thumb over the edge, and pressed on the tip.
"It won't cut anything but my son's heart." Valen said with another sigh, examining a hefty bag he pulled out with assorted gold things. Jewelry he could tell, some with stones, others not. All good for conducting energy of all types once melted down and altered.
A lot may seem randomly collected things but each thing Valen recognized the usefulness of the base materials. He pulled out one of the smaller rings, peering at the blue stone and tossed it to the Slayer. "Here, young ones of all ages like shiny things. But that one is the same color as the new crucible. You will need to talk to the girl about what happened to her father's soul. At least he is not far."
The Demigod looked at the little silver ring, turning it over in his hand as he recognized it. One of the extra rings he had grabbed after reading the display in the store, having seen it under the display for December birthstones. He set the ring down on the console beside him along with the hilt, knowing he did have to try and talk about that subject, but had been admittedly putting it off. The man was not sure if it was because he did not know if Lily was ready… or if he was not ready.
He glanced at the cart as the drones made it a whole four feet before getting struck on a ridge. The Slayer, John, rolled his eyes, finished his water bottle and picked up his helmet. He moved to lift the front of the grocery cart and pulled it off the drones, and into the hall. Making a chuffing like sound at Valen to let him know he was leaving.
The little cleaning drones chattered, two having to follow the once king to clean the bloody footprints. It was a little amusing for Valen to listen to.
Once the old warrior was alone, he sighed deeply, turning to look at the hilt and small ring. For a long moment he starred and then turned back to sorting the supplies brought. Just for a little bit not wanting to hold his burden.
"Miss Lily will soon be up, if her sleeping pattern holds." Vega spoke after a long time as things were moved into the hall. Neatly sorted and some things already brought down to the dark forging area.
"How long has she been asleep?" Valen asked, frowning as this seemed too soon to him.
"About seven hours," Vega noted, "She's gotten an hour and a half more of sleep than normal. According to Riggs, she has been suffering from nightmares since the first shockwave of a hell portal opening on the North American continent. I suspect many humans do."
"Many of the Argenta people did as well." Valen glanced up as the slayer came back, dressed only in a pair of long, green leggings, still bleeding off excessive body heat. Poking around in that endearing but frustrating way of his. He motioned down the smooth hall, "The drones are almost to the stairs."
John's head popped up from where he was in the command area. His eyes still reflected some green but were almost back to his 'normal' blue, but showed the mild worry. As excited as the drones were with seeds for the garden, they likely would not realize there were stairs until there was a vast mess. The Demigod had to use his full stride to catch the cart handle just before it tipped. Picking up the cart and the clinging, horseshoe crab like drones to walk down the stairs.
Valen eyed where his Lord had been, walking back and felt something tighten and break in his chest. Tapping the spot the knife hilt had been with the little ring. His voice was so soft it was barely a murmur. "...why would you do that…"
"The Slayer holds you in high regard." Vega spoke almost as softly, still hearing the Sentinel as if it explained the reasoning.
As if Valen did not know it, as if anything else could explain the altered man's reasoning. Or lack thereof.
Lifting his hands to rub at the sore spot on his neck, Valen sighed once more. "Altan… Vega. Are the baths functioning? Hot water?"
"Yes they are, and I can warm up the water." Vega answered, he was already doing so, having learned that his human charge did like the pool-like bath after the worst nightmares.