Talbot arrived to pick us up in a shuttle just as the sky started to blaze with the fiery colors of sundown. With another last look in the mirror, I left my penthouse with Alberich, who was now even more gold than I was. The gold scaled plates of his costume made a pleasant tinkling noise when he moved, and he almost looked like a gold statue. The beastman looked fantastic!
"You look great!" Alberich observed, examining my Emperor armor in the elevator. "I'm glad you decided to go with this costume. It accentuates your-" he paused, narrowing his eyes. "-your unique nature. You will impress many!"
I only responded with a smile, and suppressed my halo for now as we walked through the hotel lobby. Our shuttle was waiting outside. Would I even be permitted to have my halo "on" in public, considering the "no overt psyker powers" rule in this city?
Talbot was standing outside our transportation, which was a wide-winged and entirely black futuristic flying limousine. When he saw me, his eyes widened. From head to foot, our guide was clad in a carpet of what appeared to be living plants, leaves, and flowers cut into the shape of a modern suit. Talbot's exposed skin was now a pale green, and long flowery stems sprouted from his head. Even his facial hair had even been dyed green, and he now resembled some sort of nature deity, or a stylish urban version of the Jolly Green Giant. His costume was great, but obviously, still not as fabulous as mine, I thought smugly. "Ah! You both look lovely!" he explained to us as we were welcomed aboard the shuttle.
"Thanks! You look great too!" I replied, sitting down inside the limo. Alberich stepped in beside me, and also sat down. The door closed, and now, we were off and on our way to the governor's palace.
The interior of this sky-limo was coated in a plush bluish-grey velvet, and each of our seats were perfectly comfortable and ergonomic. It was even more luxurious than Nimmie Amee's personal shuttle, and appeared very expensive. Four large seats faced each other, and Talbot sat across from me. I studied his costume again. Whoever had made it had put an incredible amount of time into weaving all the living greenery together, and I wondered what he was supposed to be. "So, I'm sorry, but what is your costume? I'm not too familiar with the culture of this world."
"No offense taken, my lady. I represent the fertile jungles of Tar Vigaz, so generously preserved by our local government and undeveloped, even after thousands of years of human settlement on this world," Talbot informed us as he curled his mustache with a green gloved hand. "Here on Tar Vigaz, we have a mere few city states that accommodate most of the world's population. Our wilderness is mostly pristine, and the pride of both the Sinclair family and Langwidere herself. Those in charge here ceaselessly devote themselves to ecological preservation!"
"The conservation of nature is something my nation valued tremendously," Alberich replied with approval, his blue-green eyes twinkling. I got the sense that the beastman was studying Talbot in a critical light, and I definitely felt a sense of distrust from him, despite his warm tone, which was entirely reasonable considering what we had been through recently. "Where I come from, the preservation of the wilderness was prioritized. The nation I once served reveled in the natural beauty of its land."
"Then it is a good and honorable nation, sir Alberich," Talbot replied, and I clenched my jaw uncomfortably at hearing that. "Langwidere would be interested in hearing where you came from, so if you are lucky enough to speak with her directly, do so detail your planet of origin to her. Our governor especially enjoys stories, and will likely look upon you with approval if you are able to spin a good tale for her."
This felt like a good time to delve for information, considering my ultimate goal this evening was to actually psychically assault this woman. "What's she like, the planetary governor?" I asked our suspicious green guide as he reached into a small compartment on the side of the limo. Both Alberich and I became alarmed until Talbot revealed three short glasses on a small rectangular tray. He then produced a hand-sized emerald green bottle with a red wax seal.
Talbot popped the seal, and began to carefully pour a small amount of pale blue liquid into each glass. "The planetary governor is a benevolent and socially conscious woman of style and means. Despite her long years, her beauty and wisdom are renown, and she has guided this world for centuries along with the wise Sinclair family." He handed us each a glass. Talbot felt like a fawning "yes man" for the ruling class here.
"What's this?" Alberich asked, holding the cup of translucent blue liquid in his hand.
"This is Yra ice wine, and it originates from deep within our jungles. This wine comes from the rare Yra fruit tree, which does not tolerate any sort of pollution, and will only grow in wild places, so it cannot be planted and easily farmed. This wine is the result of a cold snap causing a slight change in the Yra fruit as it grows, and if the fruit is harvested shortly afterward, it produces the most exquisite wine. This is one of our famous exports, growing popular now in Imperial high society and sommeliers across the galaxy. We even have an Imperial vendor in Port Maw now!"
"It's not a drug or anything, is it?" I asked, trying not to sound too suspicious.
"Aside from the normal effects of wine on the body, it holds no unique properties. It is simply one of our greatest exports, and offered to honored guests such as yourself."
I have psychically examined it, and I see nothing unusual, Alberich informed me.
I sat and observed the drink in my hand as we flew over Evna, on our way to the costume ball. Flashing back to being poisoned at the gallery, I couldn't help be wary in this situation. Closing my eyes, I briefly pushed my Sight into the liquid, and found Alberich's assessment to be correct.
"I simply wish to propose a toast to your beauty, my lady! You will certainly make an impact this evening! The younger Justinian Sinclair, Evring, has been speaking of you endlessly since your arrival, and so wishes to meet with you again," Talbot said as he raised his glass.
Talbot's saccharine flattery was really starting to make me feel greasy as Alberich and I also raised our glasses.
"To the mysterious God-Empress Erika, pilot of her glorious golden eagle! May she bring prosperity and salvation to humanity!" Talbot toasted to me with a playful laugh. Deep within, I found myself feeling happy to be referred to this way again. Even though I didn't think the guide was entirely sincere, it was still pleasant to hear myself complimented in such a way.
The Yra ice wine tasted like a mix of strawberries and lemons with an unexpected note of cream soda, which I found to be delicious. It definitely tasted expensive, and as I felt it warming me, I sighed, allowing myself to feel luxurious this evening. Maybe people would respect me in this universe, instead of trying to short-sell me at galleries, poison me, and scream at me on the streets of urban New Jersey. An anger began to well up in me, and I found that I was clenching my lightning claw on my knee. Okay, calm down. Have fun this evening before assaulting the planetary governor, I internally scolded myself. Seeing that something was upsetting me, Talbot offered me another glass of ice wine, and I quickly downed that one too. Too bad my new poison resistance made it difficult to use alcohol as a crutch for my emotional issues at being traumatically relocated to a new universe, I thought with a sigh.
I watched the sunset through a window as we continued to fly. Alberich and Talbot began to talk about environmental conservation as I relaxed. I wondered how Sebastian dealt with all this, and how long it took him to transform into what he eventually became? How many souls did he need before turning full Emperor, and why was my hair turning white, anyway? Maybe when I was back on board, I'd talk to the creepy fake-Sebastian ghost and ask him.
As I wondered about my future, I found that my halo had slightly emerged. This caused Talbot to remark, "That gold glow that you hold is certainly impressive, my lady. It almost seems like it is a part of your costume. What causes it?"
"This?" I pointed up to my Corona. "I had been meaning to ask you about this. I know about the 'no overt demonstrations of psyker ability' rule, but my halo is a part of my costume. Will I get in trouble for glowing like this? Silk-Hand designed this costume to work with my light, which is sort of a natural thing that my body does on its own."
"A natural ability. Fascinating," Talbot observed, his brow furrowed in interest. "To speak frankly, those rules are for the common folk. As long as your glow does nothing harmful to those at the party, I will say that you should keep it up, especially if your costume was designed with it in mind."
"Alright, good," I answered, happy that I didn't have to keep my Corona hidden. While it did seem to psychically influence people when it was turned up to full heat, a milder glow seemed fairly harmless.
Our trip was about twenty minutes of flight, and most of our time was spent flying over an urban cityscape. While definitely reminiscent of a space Las Vegas, Evna's massive urban footprint reminded me a little of Coruscant from Star Wars, with sleek urban styling interspersed with uniquely-shaped buildings of strange playfulness. The buildings became increasingly wealthy and unique as we approached the palace, and soon, we were being escorted along by two other ships to the party.
As we entered the airspace of the governor's palace, perfectly trimmed gardens and immaculate glades passed below. Large illuminated fountains depicting strange fanciful creatures flowed with rushing water along wide reflecting pools, some of which were being visited by costumed partygoers. We even flew over a perfectly trimmed hedge maze before our shuttle finally landed on what appeared to be a small stretch of stone before a very large ivory structure. It was large enough that I couldn't see the entirety of it through the window, but it appeared to be an elegantly designed ivory palace with four tall towers, each topped with gold cupolas.
"And now, we are here! As per your Writ of Confidentiality, I have not revealed that you are the pilot of the glorious gold eagle, as that secret is for you to reveal or conceal to your pleasure, my lady," Talbot quietly announced as I heard two voices speaking outside before our shuttle opened.
The warm breeze of the evening rushed pleasantly across my exposed skin. Wanting to make the most of my costume, I allowed my Corona to wrap around me in a soft glow. With an easy adjustment, I then lessened it so it wouldn't be overwhelming to those around me.
Two handsome human valets in smart black uniforms bowed before the open door, and one with dark hair and olive skin offered a hand for me to exit the shuttle, which I took.
I was then unexpectedly assailed by strange images that flickered deep in my mind's eye...
Angry human sorcerers in a dark blue-lit nightclub were torturing a restrained young tattooed man for information. Symbols of Chaos and Tzeentch were prominently displayed, and three horned Tzaangors clad in black body armor stood menacingly, watching the scene unfold with wicked smiles on their sharp beaks. An attractive human man with ruffled blond hair and blue eyes was holding a curved dagger over the eyes of the tattooed man, proclaiming that he was about to "rob sensation from this Slaaneshi swine."
I pulled my hand away after I stepped on the stone walkway, nearly stumbling back in surprise. The valet that had helped me out now stood frozen in fright, his soul alight with both alarm and amazement.
"Vadim," I heard a stern man growl nearby, interrupting my surprise. "Do you want to be punished again for your wandering thoughts?"
The valet immediately turned to the voice, which was held by a tall, dark-skinned, and very powerfully built man with a thick beard. The larger man began walking to us as Alberich stepped out without help. The stranger wore a dark military-style coat with a gold sunburst badge on his breast, and I could now see that he held what appeared to be a short black baton.
"No, sir," the offending valet replied in a strange accent before turning away, bowing submissively. "My lady, a thousand apologies. Sir, I became distracted by the gold of my lady's halo. Her costume stuns me with its beauty."
This excuse was not adequate as the stranger then extended his baton with a flick of his wrist, and pressed a button at its base, causing it to crackle with electricity. This felt like a gross overreaction, and I really didn't want to immediately see violence right after my arrival. Deciding to intervene, I stepped between the valet and whoever this aggressive man was.
"It's fine, honestly," I offered, making pointed eye contact with the large man. "I'm really not bothered."
The man did not back down, but he did withdraw his baton as he bowed before me. "I understand. My lady, rest assured, this blundering fool will be punished out of sight of your fair continence. There will be no rudeness at this party toward its honored guests," the man replied, an aggressive grumble in his voice.
Talbot had not yet disembarked, so I quickly punctured the threatening man's mind with a lash of my willpower, and commanded, You're going to forget that this happened, actually. The memory of his last five minutes burned away. This was getting easier and easier as time went on, and I was becoming more confident in my mind-bending skills. I watched the man grip his forehead, and his eyes became unfocused. He then briefly swayed on his feet, and after straightening himself up again, he turned to me with a bright smile, and said, "Welcome to the Sinclair Masquerade Ball, my lady! You will be asked to display your invitation before entry, as I'm sure you'll know. Enjoy the party!"
Talbot had now appeared beside me, and I wasn't sure if he had seen what I had done, and if he had, he didn't show it. Alberich had definitely noticed my actions, though, and he wore a small grin.
With Alberich on my right, and Talbot on my left, the three of us then began to walk forward. I could hear that our shuttle was now departing, and right behind it, another flyer had landed, dropping off more partygoers.
What did you just do? Alberich asked as the three of us began to walk along the marble path to the entrance of palace.
I removed the last five minutes of his memories, I replied, feeling very proud of myself. Behind me, I felt a sense of tremendous gratitude emanate from the valet I had helped, and he went about preparing for the next guests to arrive.
Briefly troubled by the premonition I had experienced through touching that man, I quickly forgot about it when Alberich and I approached a handful of costumed individuals waiting to get inside the governor's mansion. Heads turned at my approach, and I straightened my back, allowing myself to feel pleased with the attention. Directly ahead of us, two women dressed as what appeared to be sexy Sisters of Battle turned around to see us.
"Aliana, look at her!" one of the women nudged the other, and now, I stood before two skimpily-dressed ladies that were absolutely gushing at my costume. Each had wigs of white straight hair, and skimpy "armor" that consisted of metal bikinis and black metal corsets. They both looked very cool at least, and this was just a party, so whatever.
"You know what's crazy? I had a dream the other night of a lady Emperor." One said to the other.
"That's called an Empress, little sister," the taller of the two women replied before turning to me. "You really do look great, stranger. While I recognize Talbot, I do not recall meeting either you previously. Perhaps my memory is escaping me, or maybe you are an offworld visitor?"
"We're both visiting this city for a little while. I'm Erika, and this is Alberich," I replied happily as the three of us waited for the indication to be let inside.
"I'm Vera, and this is my sister, Aliana. We have guessed your costume, Erika. You're the Empress of Mankind, obviously! Can you guess who we're attired as?"
"Hmm," I mused, examining their exceedingly revealing outfits. I really hoped that Games Workshop wasn't heading in this sort of direction with the Sisters of Battle, I thought with a snort. "Looks like you're both Sisters of Battle, but I don't know specifically what group."
The smaller sister, Aliana, clapped her hands with delight. "She got it! I knew people would recognize the Sisters! Oh, I just positively love all the Imperial styles and fashions!" I then noticed that these two women were completely ignoring Alberich as they talked to me.
"We're supposed to be Sisters of Our Martyred Lady, specifically" Vera answered politely. "But, I'm just happy that someone recognized us as Sisters of Battle. Are you friends with the Sinclairs?"
"Evring Sinclair invited us personally to this party," Alberich replied, displaying his invitation
"Indeed, and offered these fine two individuals a personal invitation, delivered personally by me!" Talbot added, also now producing his invitation.
"The Sinclairs have friends all over the galaxy!" the smaller, more boisterous sister chirped. "It's amazing to see who visits this world, really! You from the Imperium?"
"Not quite," I answered. "I'm just a wanderer, if I had to define myself. Alberich is also a wanderer too," I added, trying to include the beastman in the conversation.
"You'd probably get in trouble for heresy for wearing that around Imperial space, you know?" Vera spoke with a wry grin. "With that glow, you might also impress the wrong people."
"Good thing we're not in the Imperium then, eh?" I reached into a pocket hidden in my red ermine-trimmed cloak, and found my invitation. I removed it from its envelope, and read it again. I had almost forgotten that there would be a Harlequin performance tonight. I was really looking forward to seeing their act, presuming that it wouldn't devolve into violence. That was certainly a possibility, I thought nervously, considering that there were clandestine Chaos cults operating in Evna. The Harlequins hated Chaos, and engaging in a performance only to kill corrupt guests afterward seemed very much a Harlequin thing to do, I had to admit.
"Step forward, guests," another man in a military coat with a sunburst pin beckoned us forward to right before the large ivory doors. To the right of the heavy doors, we were guided to a slender woman who was dressed as a slinky black cat, with a black mask covering the upper half of her face. She held what appeared to be a feathered quill, and was writing something in a large, leather bound book.
"Names and invitations, please," she said to us.
The two Sisters of Battle offered their invitations first, and after a short check in the book, they were welcomed through the large double doors. The cat woman waved me forward, and I offered my invitation, which she took.
"Hmm," she purred. "VIP guest of Justinian Sinclair the Younger. I'm assuming this gold bird is your escort, am I correct?"
"Yes, I am," Alberich said, offering his invitation, which the woman also took along with Talbot's. The woman then looked up at Alberich, and studied him briefly. I could see that through her mask, her eyes were examining Alberich's clear mark ring in his ear. The beastman offered a respectful bow. "My name is Alberich."
"You are marked as a cleared Tzaangor mutant. You are supremely privileged to be allowed in such an exalted space as a guest, so you will behave yourself, lest you find yourself at the mercy of Evna's justice system. Planetary governor Langwidere does not take kindly to primitive behavior, so for your sake, I do hope you've been appropriately trained."
"No need for worries. Sir Alberich has proven himself intelligent and civilized. No trouble will occur," Talbot instantly offered in an attempt to diffuse the situation.
Anger immediately began to well in Alberich's soul, so I psychically reassured him with, Relax. She's just the ticket lady.
She's incredibly rude, Alberich fumed back at me. Oh no, someone is being racist toward the ex-Nazi? Isn't that just terrible, I thought with a short furtive grin.
"So, do we just go in?" I asked the woman, who nodded without looking up from her large book. She made a vague gesture toward the door, which then opened inwardly. Stepping inside, we were now in a tall foyer lined with various coat racks. This was apparently the coat and baggage check, and since we didn't have coats, we kept walking ahead. I could now hear the din of soft music and the chatter of happy people echoing nearby.
Before we could go further, Talbot stopped, and brought his transmitter-vox to his head. It looked like he had received an important phone call. Alberich and I stopped next to him, waiting.
"Yes, yes, yes," the plant-clad suspicious yes man answered. His eyes then briefly went to me, and again, he said, "Yes." After a few moments of this, Talbot then put away his phone, and turned to us again. "So dreadfully sorry, my friends, but I need to attend to an emergency with another VIP. We will meet again on the ballroom floor. Enjoy yourselves this evening, honored guests!"
Talbot getting called away again made my blood run cold. I hoped that he was telling the truth, and that I was simply being overly suspicious. I watched the guide leave through a smaller door to our right behind a coat rack after opening it with a key.
"You ready for this?" I asked Alberich, looking ahead. We stood before what appeared to be a very finely carved set of double doors made of both gold and ivory.
"As ready as I'll ever be," the beastman replied in a somewhat resigned tone, likely still upset from the earlier encounter.
"So, is the party in here?" I asked the two servitor butlers that flanked this set of fancy double doors. In response, the servitors bowed stiffly, and the large doors opened inwardly. Inside, gold light then spilled before us, immediately mesmerizing me.
Since coming into this universe, I had witnessed many incredible things that had taken my breath away, but only the Divine Retribution's glittering gold interior could possibly compare to the amazing sight that stood before me now. The main ballroom was a very tall and spacious room, at least seven meters tall, and absolutely covered in gold! Even the floor was a patent reflective gold, and tall gold pillars stood gracefully interspersed through this majestic room. Above, massive priceless chandeliers of crystal and warm light hung heavily far above us, scattering warm light that reflected magically off the copious amounts of highly reflective gold. The walls were were decorated with beautiful murals of idyllic nature scenes, tall gold mirrors that extended to the ceilings, or other various art objects, like paintings and sculptures. The wealth in here was absolutely staggering. All the reflective gold gave this place a warm, but somewhat surreal atmosphere, and it became even warmer when I felt my own Corona add to it in my own wonder.
"Look at all this gold! The Emperor probably would love this place," I said in a whisper, stepping into the vast gold space.
Faint elegant music reminiscent of a deep harp echoed gently in the background, and the cool air smelled faintly of jasmine. I noticed waiter servitors walking through the small groups of costumed partygoers, each offering guests glasses of champagne and small bites of food to eat on gold trays.
The presence of being surrounded by so much gold and wealth was indescribable, and I found myself reluctantly conceding that this was spectacularly beautiful. Maybe the Emperor had a point with his love of gold, I mused.
There were many people here, and each wore finely designed costumes of various types. Eyes drifted my way when I stepped further into the ballroom, and I could feel a wave of impressed awe wash through the partygoers as they saw me. My psychic perception of what the people were feeling actually gave me a pleasant shiver, and I smiled. A loud careless thought from an unknown psyker somewhere in the crowd echoed, Showed up at her own party! Langwidere isn't going to like this! Can't wait to see the fallout!
Peculiarly, another indistinct psyker voice in the ballroom wondered, Is that Evanora of the East? How dare she show up dressed such to this party! Once again, I was not surprised to hear that the body I was inhabiting wasn't well liked. Evanora had definitely not made many friends in this general region, but to hear that someone recognized "me" added another complication to this social scenario. How would I explain that I wasn't actually Evanora? I probably wasn't, I thought with frustration.
Beside me, I could now feel that Alberich was now extremely nervous. For an unknown reason, I seemed to be psychically "charged up", and the emotion within the beastman was so strong that I could almost taste it in the air. Curious, I turned to him, and saw that his ears were down. You okay? I telepathically asked as I noticed that many people were now watching us. A small costumed group was now walking our way, headed by a woman in a tall black pointed witch hat.
We have seen this room before, the beastman whispered telepathically, gazing at me with his blue green eyes. The white pyramid of Nubua! The gallery within it held strange paintings. This room here, it was shown in a painting in the pyramid! I am certain of this!
"What, really?" I blurted out audibly, my Corona briefly flashing. I thought back to the pyramid on Nubua, and realized that he was right! This ballroom was depicted in one of the paintings! "Holy shit, you're right!" I gasped. Thinking quickly, I remembered that Null had been recording some of the pieces of art and the Inheritor mural with one of his mechadendrite attachments, so I definitely needed to look this up later the next time I saw him!
The woman in the witch hat now stood before us. Clad in a black dress, black and white striped tall stockings, and glittery ruby slippers, she reminded me of some kind of stylish gothic witch. A small entourage of younger partygoers stood behind her, each whispering to the other as they observed Alberich and I. The woman's hair was braided in long pigtails, and she wore some kind of stylized white mask that covered the upper part of her face. With her tall pointed witch hat and her suspicious ruby slippers, I wondered who she was supposed to be in this universe.
She politely inclined her head at me in greeting, and said "Well, well, well! Look at you!" in a high voice. Alberich actually stepped back, intimidated by this new stranger. The witch woman did not seem to mind, and continued to smile at me. "Ah, a God-Empress, I'm presuming? Brilliant! Have we met before? I happen to know most of the important people of Evna, and while I can't immediately place you, you seem familiar to me."
"Yes, I'm an Empress!" I said, trying to at least make an attempt at pretending that this whole party wasn't actually a dangerous place that might be crawling with Slaaneshi cultists. I held my lightning claw left hand out and waved my gold bladed fingers in a greeting. "My name is Erika, and this is Alberich. I don't think we've met before," I added as I gestured behind me.
"And, let me see here. Alberich is dressed as that bird ship that flew over Evna the other day? Impressive!" the strangely costumed woman guessed. "Very trendy! Very on top of current events!"
"That's right," I replied with a polite smile. Alberich didn't say anything, and stood quietly nearby, still unnerved by this situation.
"While I can't quite remember when we met, it can't hurt to introduce ourselves again. Pleased to meet you, Erika. My name is Evamene. Now, can you guess my costume?"
I hummed, and made a show that I was attempting recall something familiar. I had absolutely no idea who this woman was supposed to be. The only thing that was familiar was her long black and white stockings and ruby slippers, which reminded me of the Wicked Witch of the East from The Wizard of Oz movie. I decided that this had to be a coincidence, and with a sad shake of my head, I replied with, "No, I'm afraid not. You look great, though! Your ruby slippers look amazing!"
"Ah, a pity. You must be from offworld, which is why I can't quite recall your identity and why you don't recognize my costume," she said with a brief frown, her lower lip extended like a disappointed child. "To explain, here in Evna's high society, we've been greatly enjoying the various tales of our most esteemed storyteller, collector, and dream seller, and I thought to honor his beautiful stories with this costume this evening. I am a Wicked Eastern Witch, they call it, I think."
"Wait, really?" I choked. Seriously? These people also somehow know about The Wizard of Oz? "Do you mean the 'Wicked Witch of the East?'" I cautiously asked.
She snapped her fingers, and chirped, "That's the one, yes! See, of course you know, even as an offworlder! Everyone important knows! You must be familiar with the engaging new trends of the tales of Oz here in Evna. They've been sweeping the nobility of this city like a Kansas tornado! We simply must be friends now, offworlder!"
I honestly could not find my words after hearing that, and I gazed blankly down at her glittery ruby slippers as she began to speak again.
"So, since you guessed right, I'm assuming you've met the lovely and engaging gentle giant Word Bear during your travels! He certainly travels a great deal. In fact, he's here at this party! Let me call him, and bring him over!" Before I could say anything, the woman bowed her head, and a faint white flash of energy briefly ignited around her head. She was a psyker! "He's on his way! Oh, I do so love his storytelling! And, his sense of style is impeccable!"
I don't like this, Alberich telepathically spoke as I remained standing, too stunned to speak. Too much strangeness already! There is no reason for these people to know of such strange things from your home universe! Perhaps we were anticipated, and this party is a trap?
"Word Bear?" I quietly asked Evamene, not answering Alberich. "Like, giant-Space-Marine-with-long-black-hair Word Bear?"
"Mmm hmm! That's him! But, he says he retired from being one of those Imperial Space Marines fellas. You must have met him. He gets around."
An unpleasant shiver traveled up my spine as a wandering waiter servitor offered the three of us champagne. I took a glass, checked it briefly for poison, and began to sip. Something with a dark spiritual footprint was approaching, and the hair on the back of my neck stood up. Behind me, I heard a deep and mellifluous voice, and he was singing, his deep song echoing in the majestic space of the gold ballroom. I turned around, and saw a very unpleasantly familiar giant smiling my way as three young women dressed as crows followed him in utter admiration. It was Word Bear, and he was dressed in a patchwork leather suit, all stitched together with dark thread. It appeared that he was actually dressed as the Scarecrow from The Wizard of Oz, but with a stitched leather mask over one side of his face. Word Bear was whistling a merry tune, and began to sing again as he approached us.
"I could while away the hours
Conferring with the Powers
Inflicting lots of pain!
And my head I'd be a scratchin'
While my thoughts are busy hatchin'
We're all pawns in the Great Game!"
"Oh, Word Bear. You are such a kidder!" Evamene tittered demurely. If only you knew the half of it, lady.
The women dressed as crows said their goodbyes to the costumed Chaos Marine, and he approached us alone. A feeling of dark loathing then washed through me as once again, my instincts lurched against being in his presence. Word Bear stopped a pace before me, his face split with a wide smile, dimples marking the sides of his cheeks. He appeared genuinely happy to see me.
Word Bear waved a large leather gloved hand my way. "Ah, we meet again, strange Traveler of the planes. How lovely it is to see your distinctive glow again!" the Chaos Marine purred above me before sweeping into a bow. There was literally no reason for Word Bear to behave this way, and his overly polite deference confused me, especially considering what I was. "You are positively stunning this evening, I must say. From the leaves of your delicate crown, to the tips of your lightning claw replica, I am most impressed with your attire, dear lady. You shine in your own Great Crusade against dullness among us mere mortals, my Empress. My costume, in comparison, is a pale shadow against your light, as I am but a simple brainless scarecrow tonight singing of silly things this evening!"
You appear to have recognized my costume, and so now I know you are familiar with the world of Oz, which I knew you would be. Delightful... Word Bear then mentally whispered to me as he grinned. His psychic voice was incredibly dark and malevolent, almost like a black fog passing through me. We should chat somewhere less open. I have some news to report on that troublesome bitch Raula White to you, my dear golden God-Empress. News that you will likely enjoy.
Evamene gestured toward me, and began to introduce us. "Word Bear, this is-"
"-Erika. Yes, I know. And yes, she does know of the Oz stories. Quite familiar, actually." Word Bear's voice was a low warm growl above me. While he genuinely appeared pleased to see me, I was not happy to see him. As he looked down at me, I saw that his amber eyes had a sort of wild, dangerous look about them. The scary amber-eyed smiling Chaos Marine then turned to Evamene, and fixed his eyes on her with an intimidating expression. "Evamene, would you excuse us, little dove? I need to have a short private discussion with our new God-Empress."
Evamene's face became blank, and without saying goodbye, she simply turned around and wandered aimlessly away. Word Bear grinned widely again, and looked down at me again his eyes strangely filled with wonder and admiration. "Care to follow me to the bar at the rear of the ballroom, my Empress? Shall we converse as we walk?" Word Bear asked me. "I do not mind that your mutant manservant is with you. In fact, I most enjoy his gold costume! I am more open-minded than the vast majority of this city. But-"
He switched to telepathy, -but another watches us here out in the open. It makes me uncomfortable. I suggest moving, as right now, the watcher cannot leave their current social engagement. I wish to give you information that will help you.
I looked at Word Bear with alarm, but before I could answer him, Alberich spoke loudly to me in mind: My leader, we have met this giant before. This is the Space Marine that easily destroyed those cultists, the one who attempted to lure us into his shop! And, he dresses like the Scarecrow man from The Wizard of Oz film! He even sings a similar song! the beastman yelped.
I gripped my temple. "Okay, give me a minute, you two," I said, massaging my forehead. While going anywhere with a Chaos Marine was a bad idea, we were in a somewhat public place, and I was supremely curious with what he had mentioned about the cult leader that had been messing up my life lately. I was also feeling braver this evening from my earlier confrontation outside, pleased at the knowledge that I was growing stronger. If I could tear memories away from an entire restaurant, throw tornadoes around, and actually destroy Daemon Princes, I shouldn't be too concerned with one singular Word Bearer sleazing up to me at a costume party. I straightened myself up, and looked upward at the Chaos Marine. "You know what? Fine, fuck it. Let's all go to the bar."
My leader, this giant is dangerous! Something is wrong here! My intuition shouts with danger! Alberich pleaded with me in mind again.
I turned to Alberich, and mentally retorted with, Look, this whole party is dangerous, but Word Bear says he knows something about Raula White, and I want to find out about her. He also says that we're being surveilled out here, and that the bar area is more private. If he has knowledge of the Chaos Americans, then I want to know, and if Raula White is at this party with her cult somewhere planning something, I want a warning.
Alberich did not respond to me, and now, I was aware that he and Word Bear were making very pointed eye contact. The beastman was definitely intimidated by the giant marine, but he managed to sustain his stare, which was actually pretty impressive. A small ripple of dark power washed around Word Bear's head, and Alberich began to sneer. Exasperated, I looked at them both, and said, "Knock it off, you two. Let's just go." I accentuated my words with a slight push of my own ability to break this little stand off, and my halo momentarily brightened.
Both the beastman and Word Bear turned back to me. I could tell that Alberich was holding his breath, which he exhaled in what appeared to be an indication of defeat.
"You see?" Word Bear spoke quietly to Alberich as the Chaos Marine Scarecrow began to lead us toward one end of the ballroom.
Alberich did not reply, and I sensed that he was still on high alert. A small drop of blood fell from his right ear to the floor.
As we walked, I willed myself to relax with a warm flash of my Corona. This brief heightening of my gold light caused more souls to marvel at me nearby, and with the perception of their radiant human adoration, I again felt a sense of pleasant well-being. I found myself basking in their positive emotions like a cat in the sun, and I smiled in satisfaction as I walked.
Walking through the center of the ballroom, I was able to perceive another psychic eye watching me from behind. While the presence I sensed was unfamiliar, whoever this eye belonged to was uniquely powerful. As the three of us walked toward the rear of the ballroom, a mental image of two penetrating blue eyes flashed in my mind's eye. Whoever this was could now no longer physically see me.
Despite only being here for a little over twenty minutes, this party already felt very dangerous. The fact that some of these people seemed to somehow know about The Wizard of Oz was an unwelcome surprise. At the very least, I reminded myself that Word Bear had also claimed to know about the Wizard of Molech, whoever that was. He had also called me a Traveler, so I decided to put up with him for a short time for information. Evamene had called him a collector, so maybe he had gotten his evil paws on some unique artifacts from somewhere. Orikan the Diviner also had a copy of The Wizard of Oz, so maybe this wasn't so far-fetched.
Following Word Bear, I focused on his leather Scarecrow outfit. It was actually very well done to his proportions, even after what Silk-Hand had said about Space Marine manual dexterity. The leather he had used was of a high quality, and the black thread used to stitch each broad piece together was an excellent stylistic choice. His entire costume actually looked artfully hand-stitched, which was incredible. I continued to admire his patchwork costume until I came across a piece of leather that had a decidedly male human nipple. Oh...
I immediately looked away, feeling momentarily sick. Well, that's definitely lore-compliant for Chaos Marines, I thought as Word Bear continued to cheerfully hum and quietly sing his version of "If I Only Had a Brain" as we walked through the ballroom.
"To my brothers who know nothing
Their heads all full of stuffing
Their souls fully constrained
All their doubts, I will bury
For a new god, gold and merry
We're all pawns in the Great Game!"
The song isn't the same, Alberich telepathically observed. It follows the same music, but not the same as the one in the film we saw. Word Bear sings dark occultic things, my leader. His soul has been stained by powerful evils.
"You got that right, bud," I audibly sighed, taking another flute of champagne from a wandering servitor. This was already shaping up to be a night to remember.