Grim Discoveries, Discovering Grimm
The vast towers stood over the bottom of the entrance, the first few hundred or so steps that lead up to the first gate of the Imperial Palace where two golden armoured men stood. Their unnatural stillness made many mistake them for mere statues of the legends that were the Adeptus Custodes. Trillions would wish to see one in person, claiming it to be their life goal to get a glimpse of one, and they would walk past one on the steps, mistaking them for a statue. From one of the thousands of balconies Celestine stood, overlooking the slums that sat at the bottom of said steps.
It was a sight she only had just one time of witnessing, and taking it all in was what she planned to do before battle beckoned her name.
It was not the golden paradise she once held in her mind, it did not hold a population that thrived in luxury and wealth where every step found stores or families on an outing. The planet was anything but.
Streets filled with homeless who sat in the shadows of towering structures that pierced brown skies that were filled with pollution and warships of the Imperial Navy. Hundreds gathered in prayer to the Emperor for food and housing and showers, only to die of starvation or the cold- the yellow, toxic rain passed for their showers.
The buildings were cold and dirty, blotting out the sun for those on the levels below.
Her mind tried to rationalise what she was seeing. What she was hearing. The prayers from the faithful that echoed for kilometres around, melding into an indistinguishable noise gave her some reassurance she was not in a hell.
All from the slums past the gate and walls that separated them from the Inner Palace that sat roughly a kilometre below.
"It is not what He had planned…" the voice did not startle her, she felt his presence long ago,
She pushed her elbows off the stone railing and faced him, "What do you mean?"
His steps shook the ground so hard that, for a second, she thought the balcony would collapse as he came up next to her; observing the Hive city that was Terra with a forlorn expression, "Look what they made of His- our- dream!" his tone was that of a man on breaking point, "Nothing but a malfunctioning machine, oiled by blood and fuelled by burning corpses,"
Her eyes widened and her mouth hung slightly open at his words-
"We didn't believe this would be the outcome; we ignored Erebus' whispers and Lorgar's fanaticism over Father being a god to be worshipped. We held resentments towards each other! Ignored each other when we needed help!"
"We quickly learned what playing favorites would do in the aftermath of Horus' ambition. I was too blinded by His grand designs for humanity…" Celestine could only witness in despair as the Primarch Reborn hung his head, torn and weighted over what had become of his past, a past that only he and the Emperor were privy to now.
"Chasing His unachievable goals; playing errand boys for him as he sat here on Terra, keeping secrets and abandoning us to our own devices," his blue eyes stared down at her, a frown firmly planted on his face.
"You do not believe Him to be a God? The true ruler of mankind?" anger simmered at his words, but this was a Primarch, a demi-god amongst men and women; a creation of the Emperor himself. She may be immortal, but the anger of a Primarch was not something she wished to have turned on her.
She continued before he could speak, "If an agent of the Inquisition were to hear you…"
Both knew the outcome, Roboute's frown deepened at the implication and unintentional threat despite it being spoken as a friendly warning, "They are but one of many things wrong with this image. One that will be dealt with when the time is right."
The last was selected to be ignored by her, "Image?"
He let a small sigh through his nose in resentment, "this is not the picture of peace I- we painted; the sentiments we held, the hope and reason we followed Him on the Great Crusade so readily have all been twisted. Subverted. Misconstrued for heresy to light the fires of superstition, hatred and war on the same pyre!
Curiosity leaked into her mind: what could have been their reasoning, their hope and ideals for joining the Emperor? What led them down a path so different to what the Imperium was now?
Curiosity was the reason so many like her were sent to the Repentia. Knowledge was power and while many sought it, many more suppressed it. Controlled it. Weaponised it.
The wonder of what knowledge was creating the dissolution in the Primarch was one she wanted to be aware of but knew it a futile effort. And most likely one that would have many enemies made if such knowledge spread.
"I know we view the Emperor in vastly different lights," she placed a hand over Guilliman's shoulder plates, "however take some solace in this; ten thousand years ago, the Emperor, you and your brothers had a dream, one of humanity prospering. Live up to your beliefs and dreams. If you cannot have faith in your father, have faith within yourself and your fathers Ideals. For the rest of us walk in His light and you shall never be lost,"
She knew Guilliman heard her, she wasn't exactly quiet, but he gave no response as he faced the view of Terra once more, only turning when a Custodian arrived behind them in haste, "Lord Commander, the Captain-General has information regarding the Primarchs,"
Her eyes wavered open slowly, finding her body on its side facing the desk and the slightly blurred image of her left hand palm-side up in front of her face. She purposely scrunched her eyes closed and then opened them the widest they could go a couple of times, effectively removing the sleep and blurriness as her hand and desk came into focus, the edges of the curtain lit by what she thought to be morning sun. The Ardent Blade's blade shimmered with the single streak of golden light that broke between the curtains.
She rolled onto her back and laid there while observing her hands that she brought above her head for a minute, flexing and spreading her fingers as much as she could, before letting them fall onto her quilt covered stomach then the mattress with a light sigh.
The first time in a long time I had actually slept, and it was… good. The ability to idle was still that of novelty to her, one that she knew to abuse before an inevitable event took up her time and called upon her to be the Immortal Angel she was. Even when not in combat, she was busy adjudicating forces, crossing the minefield that was Politics or she simply doesn't remember the few moments she had down time.
The realm of Politics in her mind was by far the most tedious and annoying of all the things she had to take part of. On the battlefield it was simple; if it wasn't Imperial or an ally; it died. In politics there were greasy Governors that wanted nothing more than power, and those who truly wished to forward the Imperium were far and few between.
There were even Planetary Governors who's families could be traced back to the Reign of Blood that were allied with Vandire and wished to take up his mantle. Thankfully, the Imperium sought those out and... removed them from their positions.
Her chest expanded as she sucked in a deep breath then promptly and audibly released it.
What was that phrase again?... ah, 'Heresy grows from Idleness'
She sat herself up, letting the quilt and sheets fall into her lap, and began to crack as well as stretch her back by twisting rapidly both ways, and as she did so an idea formed and wormed its way up. She flung the quilt and sheets off her body and used her legs and arms to move her over to the foot of the bed, where she sat with her legs over the edge.
Without placing too much effort into the task, she then simply willed her celestial wings to form, which they did without hesitation through moderate concentration. Celestine released her focus on them and they faded faintly, which was only a bit strange to her. Though it did, however, prove her theory somewhat correct; they did have a subconscious link to the armour and could consciously be summoned. I will have to practice manifesting them without the armour if I wish for them to remain stable.
She pushed herself up and onto her feet where she continued to maintain the wings while stretching and throughout the process of putting her armour on again. Though it only took less than an hour. Once the armour was securely on, the Iron Halo loomed over the back of her head and the bedding was neat, did she half heartedly run a hand through her hair to give it some sense of order as she collected the Ardent Blade and made her way out the room's door, locking it behind her.
Her steps made some noise as she made her way down the wooden stairs that lead to the foyer and from her new angle she found a few things she missed when entering the night before; two dark red couches sat on either side of the double doors that made the entrance, which then had a small coffee table on either side that held a lamp each.
She found the same man from the night before behind the reception desk with a cup of something, though he seemed content enough as he read a folded paper.
He glanced up when the sound of her steps and clunking of her armour filled the room, "Ah, Celestine, was it?" he asked, putting his papers down but his eyes travelled all over her armour, taking in the detail and the ornate-ness of it; the Aquila that took up the abdomen to just under the breast plate, the designs that were carved into the plates themselves, the pure white wings that sat on the front of her vambraces that had a body made of a blue gem, the silver stylised fleur-de-lis that was on both Cuisses' and, of course, her wings that shone brightly with their own light.
He breathed out in awe, "My that is some armour there, Miss! Where on Remnant did get such a thing?"
She gave a small, saddened smile, "A… Saint, Saint Katherine, left it to be found by her successor upon her death…" not necessarily true, it took a few thousand years for Celestine to find it on Sanctus Lys, however, the man didn't need the entire story. It would simply take too long to tell and she had things to do.
His curiosity faded to that of sympathy, "Oh I'm sorry," he genuinely meant it, his eyes showed as much in how they watered slightly, "So, you've seen battle?"
Her head tilted minutely, "I have seen many battles. Many won. More lost…"
The man's eyes lit up with understanding; the kind that was accompanied by sorrow or even shame and his shoulders hunched as he folded his arms over his chest protectively, "A-ah, the Faunus wars…" he muttered at near inaudible levels.
Celestine's brows knotted, The humans fought these Faunus? With these creatures plaguing the planet?
It was something that puzzled her since her first reincarnation; why fight everyone when the greater threat was ahead? Why show such hatred? The distrust was validated, as many Abhumans, Mutants and Xenos alike could betray at moments notice. The dislike even more so to those who have been betrayed or assaulted.
"I have seen more than just that-"
"-At your age? You must be older than you look!" he cut her off, surprise evident in his voice.
She supposed her body would look far younger than her true age; how old was she when she first died? Twenty six? Thirty? Fifty? Why not ask?
Her eyebrows raised slightly as she followed the thought's suggestion, "How old do you believe me to be?"
The man let question sit for a moment as he thought, "I know it's never wise to comment on a women's age; Brothers know my late wife would kill me-"
Brothers? Something of possible interest for later.
"-But i'd say no older than thirty five by looks alone!" she knew it was the wise answer to him, or any male, really. She'd seen Guardswomen and Sororitas aplenty tear others apart for saying they looked older than they were. It was a somewhat guilty amusement she took in watching the fights unfold… Mortals were strange things.
She let out a small, ironic snort at her thought, "That is kind of you, however I am far older than I look,"
His eyebrows quivered in minor disbelief at her, she matched it with a level stare; a silent dare for him to ask the question. When the silence carried for a few more seconds, Celestine let the stare go, in favour of a more pleasant, content expression, "I would stay to talk for longer, however I have errands to run. That said, I should be back tonight if I have the finances,"
The man leant against the counter, propping himself up with his forearms, "In that case, I'll try to hold the same room for you, Mam, no promises though," he gently warned.
Celestine gave a nod to him in thanks and made her way out with a small wave goodbye.
She pushed one of the doors open to the world outside basking in the bright light that was the sun, slowly drying out from the rain that had fallen over the past couple of days and sporadically throughout the night before. Many stopped to stare as she knew they would. Shear luck prevented a spectacle that drew attention to her before now; even the fight with the bandits only drew the attention of more of their kind and the creatures that seemingly plagued this world as the town's residence was in hiding and scared out of their minds.
If the people of the town weren't in hiding, the day could have gone differently. To which end, she could not say.
But as of stepping out of the hotel's doors, she knew something was bound to happen to her. That 'something' being a small girl was not it.
The girl's messy brown hair bobbed as she ran on her little legs as she ran past Celestine giggling while her father chased after her, giving Celestine an exhausted look. The Saint herself let amusement show as the father caught up and scooped the still giggling girl up in his arms.
She turned away once the father did a double take, finally registering the sight of her golden armour and stature. The sun held no advantages for her ast he rays reflected off her armour, giving it a natural, golden glow that stood out against the grey and brown of the buildings. Those who made eye contact received a nod or a small greeting as she passed them while making her way to her first destination for the day, paying no mind to the mass of eyes that collectively followed her.
The gardens appeared to be more lively in the natural light, amplifying the colours to degrees that she didn't know possible… Especially for a garden in front of an Armoury. The juxtaposition was not lost on her in the slightest.
With curiosity at its peak, she entered the building through the front door to find weapons of all sizes, makes and types across the walls. In one corner of the Armoury she found mannequins showcasing different types of armour pieces. They were all in remarkable condition and quality from what she could see, though none were up to the craftsmanship hers was at.
Then again, that was like comparing Guardsman armour to that of an Astartes or a Leman Russ to a Baneblade. It was unfair to do so to an item that had higher standards to be met then the mass manufactured.
She purposely ignored the sound of a door opening behind the counter so she could continue to observe the weapons and armour- more specifically the Scabbards that sat on the mannequins' hips. None would fit the Ardent Blade, she hadn't expected any to, but it would give her an idea on how much it would cost her when she finally gathered a way to make an income on this world. It would be nice for Thrones to be used here… but life is never easy...
With a small, defeated sigh, she decided to finally ask the shopkeeper. She faced the counter in a quick, yet controlled, spin and ensured her wings would not damage anything by furling them as close to her body as possible.
Her quick spin evidently startled the poor woman, as she jumped at the eye contact and blushed from being caught staring. Was it at her wings, her armour or the Servo Skull that held the Iron Halo floating in its place? Maybe all of her? Celestine didn't really care enough to be bothered by it.
She looks to be the right age to be added to the Orders Militant, she couldn't help the thought pass through her skull, as she took in the short, dirty yellow hair and muscular build that was shown off by the tight fitting singlet and apron.
She plastered on a smile, "Hello there!"
The woman blinked her green eyes a couple of times before replying, "Hi, uh, how can I help?"
The awkwardness leaked of her as she shuffled on her feet and fiddled with her fingers. These types were far more pleasant to deal with in her experience. Being crowded by hundreds of people who wanted to get so much as a pinky on her being in the vague hope that it would grant immunity from the battle to come… it weighed when she knew that was not how it worked, but let them anyway. Faith and hope were the only things that kept people fighting, she would not take that away.
The shy and awkward soldiers and Sisters were always at the back or unwilling to meet her eye to eye, as if they were not worthy of such a thing, undeserving of the perceived protection gained by a slight touch of the Saint. That too, was wrong. They were willing to give their lives for the Imperium and He, if demanded of it. That made them equals in Celestine's eyes, though it did not blind her to the benefits it gave her own guilt and the burning galaxy around her. Those who never sought her out lived longer. Those who did died almost immediately as Bolts started flying.
"I need a Scabbard for this," Celestine ignored the thoughts as she placed the Ardent Blade on the counter, "And I mainly need to know how much it would cost me before I place an order,"
The woman let her eyes hungrily travel over the polished blade and let them linger for a few seconds upon the skull that was carved into the hilt before moving back up the blade. It was a look Celestine had seen far and few between, as it was rare for many to be able to witness the blade in such an idle state for when in combat, it was too blinding and awe inspiring.
Yet, here was a mortal, a regular human- maybe one of those Faunus- sizing it up to produce a scabbard to sheath it. An oddity to be sure, yet with limited travel available, a scabbard would be beneficial.
"I-I don't have a scabbard in store that'll fit it," the shopkeeper started, "but, uh, I can custom make one to suit your armour and all that…" she trailed off to silence, her eyes flicking from the blade to Celestine's armour and then Celestine's eyes, before starting the cycle anew.
A humorous chuckle from the Saints lips made the woman jolt nervously. Celestine idly wondered if this was how the woman always was.
"I just need an estimate for the price, then we can plan the rest in due course," the humour laced Celestine's voice.
The woman awkwardly tossed her head side to side in thought while giving a small hum, "I'd say four hundred Lien, maybe six at max, depending on the material…"
"If it were to suit my armour, the material would have to be golden-"
"-or silver! But that is if you want the scabbard to be exclusively metal; you could make it out of coloured leather or another material," the woman took a breath, "or it could have a body of leather with a metal Throat, Locket and Tip! If you want, I can even reinforce it with a Drag!"
Celestine stared at the woman in amazement at the turn of personality; apparently she really got going once she started. Then again, they all are once they find a passion, she supposed.
"I will leave it to you when I place the order," at the slightly saddened gleam in the woman's green eyes, Celestine continued, "I will be placing an order, I need to gather the...Lien first."
Green eyes lightened up at the reassurance, "W-well, I'll be waiting for it!" the woman gave the smallest of smiles at Celestine, who held her hand out,
"I am Celestine, and you would be?"
The woman tentatively took Celestine's hand and tried to take subtle glances at her vambraces, "I'm Karma, t-the owner of the store, Mam,"
Celestine gave a nod and released her hand from Karma's, "I do wish to stay, however I have to make my way to the Hunter's Guild,"
Karma gave another small smile, this time a knowing one, "Y-yes, Hunters and all that jazz! G-go kill us some Grimm!"
Logic connected the dots, So that is the name this world gave the creatures…
Celestine's eyes lit with subtle power, her voice laced with confidence that promised, "I will kill them all if given the chance, Karma."
The conversation carried on for a few more minutes despite Celestine's wanting to go to Hunters Guild. Eventually she managed to escape the triad of Metallurgy and many things she didn't understand from Karma, who was evidently very knowledgeable, passionate and good at what she did. So now I have an Idea of what was needed to make it, I now need Income...
That led her to the Hunters Guild, from what she gathered, was where she potentially could make some of this 'Lien' to fund her own needs.
As she approached the wooded building's front door, a large, tanned man exited, almost running into her. He gave an apology and held the door open for her to enter before bidding a gruff farewell.
The inside of the Guild was like a recruitment office; chairs lining the walls, a decently large water dispenser and a holographic board listing information on some of the Grimm; the Wolf-like ones were labelled a 'Beowulf', two legged ones were 'Creeps', 'Ursi' were the bears that attacked the last town she was in and many more had names listed with no images. It was nice to have detailed information on the creatures she was hunting, but what drew her true attention was the list of bounties that sat being displayed by the holo-projector on her left.
She found herself in front of it reading every single bounty in detail. They all read rather simple missions; Search and Destroy, Exterminate and Scout.
To her, they meant the same thing. Though caution is still advised, they could be as powerful as a Daemon.
A different bounty was set below the main ones, labelled 'Amber Alert' and held no reward after the label. Her eyes absorbed the information and found why no reward was next to the label; it morally didn't need one.
Without thinking she strode over to the counter that held filing cabinets, a table and chairs and bookcases behind it, they however were not what she was after, it was the employee that sat at the counter. The young man stared at her in awe, but now was not the time for idle talk or worship.
Her voice hardened like stone and was as cold as ice, "The Amber Alert-" the young mans' face dropped- "I need all the information on it,"
The dark haired kid was startled by her demand but spoke without hesitation while his eyes transfixed on the blue glow of Celestine's, "Uh, around seven to eight year old female, a medium brown skin tone, green hair, red eyes and goes by the name 'Emerald."
"Last known location?"
"Just east of the town a week ago, but a pack of Beowolve's scared the civvies off and have been constantly seen around there as well, that's where a child could be if they're pumping out enough negative emotions.."
That gave her an answer as to why it was still there, no one bothered to check after believing the child dead, especially if these creatures were drawn towards negative emotions. Not even death will stop me from finding the child.
"Compass and food?"
The young man reached into a draw for a few seconds, the rattling of items being the only other thing heard outside the hum of the holo-projectors as he spoke, "go to the general store and tell'em you're after the Amber Alert, they'll give you the food" he then he tossed a round compass lightly at her which she caught with her free left hand and clutched the Ardent Blade tighter in her right.
No more words needed, she left the Guild in strides towards the general store where once the words 'Amber Alert' were spoken, the cashier piled a few cans of food and a couple of bottles of water into a messenger bag which Celestine threw over her shoulders and the cashier wished Celestine a hasty good luck.
If the townspeople of Cambridge were taken by the sight of her an hour earlier, a Living Saint taking to the skies as golden light radiated from her made their slice of the world freeze.
A/N:
Apparently I lied, A/N's are fun…
With Sydney back in lockdown I have plenty of time to do things, so expect probably another chapter or two within the next two weeks if you're lucky, maybe even later in the day… If not, then they'll come out when ready.
Just a dull-ish set up chapter, though I still have no plot per se, just a few connected events and dots scattered here and there. I suggest thinking of this, as a whole, like an experiment in nearly every way, especially in three things:
Subtly showing any information, showing not telling and finding the balance between describing too much and not describing at all.
That doesn't mean I won't try to make a plot; I have events in mind, I just don't have an endgame planned or an overarching plot.
I wanted a conversation between Celestine and Guilliman because it does play a role in how I'm gonna do some things with her character but it was also planting the seeds for her ease at being separated from the Imperium; not just her Faith in Big E and, to her, his impeccable judgement making is making it easier.
And Guilliman's dialogue was inspired by the song "Dark Imperium" by Stringstorm. I really recommend giving it listen if you haven't.
And that line is all I am willing to go into about her canon origins and why she was a Repentia before becoming a Saint. What her curiosity made her find, or didn't find, will be up to you to decide.
Onto another important thing:
So, uh, apparently in current 40k canon Big E declared war on Papa Nurgle though Roboute… I fear for the safety of Chaos now that Realblue Gorillatape and Skeletor are 'bout to body-slam the Warp with the power of god, anime and boners for Big-Tiddy-Goth-Aeldari on their side.
Jokes and memes aside, that shit excites and scares me; will the content be good or will it be bad? With GW, who knows but I have hope.
Anyway, thank you all for the support and to that one comment: Raven will get her comeuppance from someone… I just haven't thought or planned on how to make it happen. Eh, I'll figure something out. I just want it to make sense without forcing it...