Speech = ``...´´
Thoughts = [... ]

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º-...Holy city of Lindwurm...-º

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Monster attacks, natural disasters, the disappearance of the arm of Diabolos that was left in Midgard, the death of one of the rounds. For fucks sake, t was all bloody chaos out there!

Almost as if suddenly the gods themselves had decided to throw the dices of fate at the table AND then throw the table itself out of the window for good measure. Repercussions be damn…

He was not so innocent to not think that one day things would implode on themselves. But why, why now of all times? No one knew…..., and if they did... then they were keeping eerily quiet about it.

And yet, among the silence...there was noise to suffer through. Noise, that had taken the fascinating form of an endless stream of sheets of missives and updates from everywhere he got eyes to watch out for danger.

Merchants, warriors, mercenaries, nobles, cult collaborators, the Rounds, the Church, the Templar's….all of them whining, all of them demanding action and proclaiming themselves to be the more important of the lot, and all of them making Nelson private life a little more tedious if not down right boring.

Mildly surprised at first perhaps given the fact that he knew that the price of paper was cheap, but he was surprised to see these many stuck up so quickly. Too bad he could not just throw the damn piles into the fiery hearth of the chimney situated inside his.

Among them there were even some idiots who said they had seen a Dragon flying in the distance. A Dragon of all things! What were the odds!? Oh the memory was almost too funny to contain, the mirth acting like a soft release from the bitterness that had poisoned him for this long.

Of all the things they could have come up with….they chose the most outlandish, he had heard better lies from drunks. Probably a bunch of idiots out of their collective arses, stupidly drunk or just wanting to make themselves important.

That was what he thought, what he still believed. It would not be the first time.

..

..

However, after these last few days….a silent voice had started to bother him. Trying to make him...unsure of the foundations of his resolved.

In the end, bogus or not, he chose to believe in facts. And if there was one crucial fact that could not he denied was that the calm, simple world he had enjoyed was changing faster than he would have liked it. Like water slipping through cracks, away from his grasp, and he...was incapable of even trying to understand what was the spark that had light the match in the first place.

And the worst thing was not the chaos that was swirling around him, but what followed behind. And that is, the ever growing piles of paperwork

And so, Nelson could only grumble at his present disposition, an eternal frown growing the more and more he kept on listening to one of his adjutants giving him another damned report of what new shit had occurred and he would have to clean.

As expected, it had to do with her dream girl Victoria making a name for herself.

His jaws clenched with the help of years of practice, hands balling into a fist, holding the arms of his chair the more tightly. The shame of it all, even the puppets were moving without warning or command!

This was not just bad….

This was a disaster...!

The world could end tomorrow and he would not care, however the damage that this could cause to his reputation if cretins like Mordred were to hear his inability to hold a little girl under his iron heel would be an understatement.

Or perhaps….he knew already and soon the jabs and knights will start piling this time in his back.

``And that is the end of, my Lord….´´

[Good, good…Lord it was about time.] Finally the idiot would finally shut up and let him grumble with the company of his own bitterness. To cool and try to find out a way to mitigate this shit storm in which he seemed to be the only one in cleaning duty.

The thought of having some peace for himself should have been amiable in these trying times, if only to keep his hair-loss at bay from what. So why did he feel just as miserable as before?

..

Oh right, because it was more probable that sooner rather than later. He sighed again, loudly this time as he leaned against the chair he was sitting. A lonely hand stroking at the bare, exposed skin of his bald head.

``Why….´´

``Eh...?´´

``Why did this happen..´´

``Pardon my liege? What do you mean...by that?´´

What was he to say? The ruckus that had been unleashed? The cults shenanigans? The unexpected growth of his duties as Archbishop…?

In the end he chose the matter that was the newest to him and the one that was vexing him the more.

``Why did she do that? What was going in her mind to come across such a foolish idea..?´´

``She..? Your liege?´´

Oh he was going to miss when the only things he had to worry where his constants stream of failures to grow his hair back and those cunts at the table. Things had really been simple back then.

``Victoria...! Who else you thought I was talking about..!?´´

He snapped, landing his fist on the table. The loud sound startling the boy at his left more than his words had, though the mice was able to quickly recover from it, but with the way his eyes were mostly stuck on the small crater left on the once smooth wooden surface of the table perhaps not that much.

``Ah, right..the prophetess. I am sure she did what she thought was right...under the circumstances that she found herself in´´

The right thing? Bah, such deluded dreams were not even worth the dirt of his boots, especially when they were born for some stupid notion that was to his detriment. Besides, what did that foolish girl knew of the right thing? Even without that blind in-front of her eyes she could not have been more lost.

He almost laugthed at the thought.

``Sure she did, but it surely leaves us in a bad place if not questions our institution when such a high and esteemed pup-person in our ranks drags alongside her a part of the church into another nation without any supervision whatsoever..´´

``For now it seems that Velgata is not raising a fuss over the church presence in the affected regions by the disaster. In fact, they seem to praise it..´´

Those were good news, and yet his mood only seemed to grow the more sour. Perhaps because he had already had this sort of dance before.

``For now…´´

``Sir?´´

``Wine, now…´´

He grumbled, raising a hand almost absentminded. The only good thing of been stuck here with all these paper work was that he had a good excuse to waste himself a while under the red shade of a drink or two.

``Eh? Ah! R-right away sir…´´

The servant quickly made his way to bring a bottle of wine and to readily pour it on an empty golden cup.

``They were caught with their pants down and with their money-graving and their schemes and plots they surely had no time to react to mother nature throwing a tantrum, but once they get back up from the scare they will not look at them with the same good e-what are yo-Stop it boy! We are not in a tavern!´´

Nelson had started to say, yet as he directed his attention back at his adjutant he took notice of the way the wine was about to spill all over the edges of the cup and right into his gloves.

The waste of such well crafted silk would have been terrific.

``M-my apologies sir´´

``The goddess take your shitty apologies you idiot…´´

He grumbled like old mans do, bitterly and loudly through his teeth, shaking his head with disdain as he tried his best for the anger swimming on his blood to not sour the sweetness of the wine. This adjutant of his was really bad at his job. He would need to replace him….

Sadly, that would take time.

...

...

Tsk, the more things changed the more tehy stayed the same. Was he cursed or something to be forced to suffer this indignity at the hands of boys greener than summer?

``Anyway, the best thing we should do is drag the girl back, the less exposure to the wilds the less we are going to need to worry about the players in Velgata. A simple return to the status quo..´´

``But...could we not work the situation to our advantage?´´

Nelson glared at the reflection down the cup, his hand toying with it as the liquid swirled left and right in a circular motion.

In any other situation? Yes, there was no doubt that he could have pulled out something from the basket and made it worth his time. This time however…..

``Stupid boy, have you heard a word I said!? Velgata is as much as the cult as the cult is to a sensible and logical group. They will scheme against us as much as they scheme against themselves..why should we stay long enough to get wet by the splash…?´´

That was the problem of their kin. Pride…, too much pride in their craft. However, the reason why Velgata was worse was not just to their uncheked pride, but some sort of proverbial madnes that was part of them.

Their ambitions were far too large, far too dangerous...and the way they chose to rise to the top was through violence more often than not rather than the simple yet sensible attempt at networking between them. In other words, they hated the politics of the cult, but wanted all the power that came with it.

Brutes. They were brutes..., and that Sergei he kept hearing about was no doubt another one to try to kill his way to the top.

..

..

Tsk, such troblemsome beast they were. Still, was it not out of pride and ambition that they, mankind had rose from the mud and reach their positions?

..

...

[What to do..., what to do...]

``Perhaps we are been too hasty on our judgment of her. Especially when her caretaker should be held responsible for the mess she is causing by leaving her station..´´

``Wait, you mean...-´´

Gods, gods be good this boy was slow! Did he had to spill everything to him? ``Yes, I mean him…WHO ELSE, boy..!?´´

Of all the Bishops under his command, Drake was the one who he hated the most. Impertinent, annoying..and with always something to prove. It was no secret that he the man was ogling Nelsons position as Archbishop of Lindwurm.

Something that he had found quite as praise to himself as much as it was vexing to deal with.

``I-I am sure that the prophetess acted without his permission too.., from what I have heard of her temperament, she would have done so regardless he had say yes or not to her idea..´´

``And why is he not here in person to tell me of that?´´

``Eh, well...from the last message we received from him, it said that he fell ill...´´

[Oh, how convenient of him...not like he would know that I would have with him more than just words..]

He was going to kill Drake. One day, sooner or late he would have his head on a spike! However, for now he would have to let things die out let hiss desire fan out the flames still smoldering around. That did not mean he had to like it though.

``Argh, it makes my blood boil having my ass been pushed here while everyone else is dancing like the monkeys that they are. The cretin had her under his thumb, and yet was he unable to kept her where she belonged!? Ludicrous…, that snake is obviously trying to push his boundaries and see what he can get away with…now that the fate of Fenrir has become more than a mere rumor and into reality..´´

He was not a man of action, never claimed to be...but even he was aware that something worse than been stuck in a pit of vipers, was been stuck in a pit of vipers who started to get New ideas. Dangerous ideas.

There was nothing more dangerous than that when you were trying to maintain order in your work...and he was already way past his prime to have all these things nuances put a strain to his old heart.

Could those fuck ups not have a moment of consideration for him…., for just five fucking minutes? Surely it was not that much to ask for, right? Right?

He was abruptly proven wrong when the thick wooden doors of his meeting quarters flew open, hinges creaking in protest at the sheer force of the motion. It would take a monumental amount of strength for such action to take place and he doubted that his two guards at the entrance had grown muscles big enough to make a monster jealous overnight.

The instigator of such misdeed would need to be punished. He was already raising from his seat and with a yell mid way forming underneath his throat...when he saw them.

Tall or short, some lanky or more bulky, dressed in bright red tainted with golden trims were a group of twelve hooded individuals that were walking through the once sealed entrance. Their faces hidden from view, replaced by grotesque iron masks, and those glowing, blue mechanical eyes that never blinked, never would…... staring back at him with a coldness that could cut through armor.

It was…..unnerving.

They were the furthest thing from a priest, even though they declared themselves as such. Nothing alike those under the teachings of the church for they did not share any ounce of rational that the common men followed, muddling everything in their simplicity of self mutilation.

They….unnerved him.

And they were armed if there was any indication by the long and boxy looking rifles that they carried with them. A thousand cables streaming out or into them, glowing with light of whatever power-source came from either their bodies or the boxy bags attached to their backs.

The disgust turned into momentary panic by the realization of how long it had taken him to realize that detail, almost leading him to stumble against his seat and falling over it thanks to the sheer weight of his…...form. Making some of the things of his table to fall over, sheets of paper flying away from the wooden table and landing wherever the wind would take them.

However, when it was shown that the "New Men" would not attack now that they remained standing a few paces away from him did he go to catch his cane. Holding it tightly and tapping the ground twice with it for good measure. A finger dangling closely on the secret alarm button underneath the handle.

He could deal with them, but one never knew how many of the bolted bastards could be out there.

``What are you doing here…´´

The parodies of men stood silent like the grave, with only the distant sound of machinery and a low buzzing echoing through the room after his demand. They were talking to each other he realized, more likely through a "private vox" or whatever it was.

To see them scheme in-front of his eyes without a regard for subtlety was an insult to the word. However, he kept his composure...choosing to glare at them with contempt as they continued to stay fucking still like status that had popped out from the ground. And finding in the process those eyes shone with malice, even though he knew these "things" were no longer able to emulate a single ounce of emotion.

After a few more seconds, one of them took a step forward. A leader of sorts, and the only one bearing a shred of humanity left in their body as his face was partially exposed. The iron mask only reaching up partially to his nose, revealing the withered and worn down skin underneath.

Holes and cuts having parted the flesh to give way to cables and bolts that tried to chide away from the light under the cover of their hoods. A misty, bludgeoned blind eye in one side of his face, sunken beyond belief as if the flesh and bone had turned into paste, skin worn down like mauled piece of paper, to the point he could see the blisters of burns clawing what little remained of the flesh around it. In the other side of his face a mechanical, glowing tube was attached where the other eye was supposed to be. Its glowing dot shrinking and expanding as it glared at his direction.

Its light cold and dirty.

Nelson had the wary idea that he was gonna hate him very much.

``Greetings, Knight. Of. Avarice. We. In. The. Name. Of. The. Holy. Magus. Salute. You..´´

The voice was metallic, heavy and impersonal, muffled terribly yet echoing loudly through rust and bolts. Nelson had always wondered how they managed to do that given that he was sure they always ripped their own vocals cords sooner or later in the name of "progress". Was it the masks? Or had they stuffed something down their throats to suplant them?

``More like invade my office´´ He grumbled before he slammed his fist down his table. ``WHAT are you DOING here...!? This is not ONE of your laboratories...´´

``We. Have. Been. Sent. Here..´´

[You dont say...] `` By who..?´´

Nelson knew already who they were talking about, but he could not help but state such useless question as and effort to make time as he tried to slowly take his seat while never losing his gaze on the group.

The last thing he wanted was for miss the spot and land on his back on his age. The "priests" did not seem to care about the question.

``His. Holy. Mechadendrites. Commanded. Our. Presence. In. This….. Sanctum...´´

Nelson was able to denote that spurt moment when the voice could not avoid the seething loathing of almost having to state this place as "holy.."

``Why?´´

A. Surplus. Of. Primordial. Energy. Was. Detected. Leaking. Out. From. The. Boundaries. Of. The Sanctum. Under. Your control, Weakening. It.´´

Nelson blinked.``What?´´

`` We. Have. Suspicion. That. Its. Occupant. May. Have. Tried. Or. Is. Attempting. To. Escape. Its. Containment…We. Are. Here. To. Prevent. That..

Well, that at least explained at minimum their unwanted presence….and there was an ounce of truth to them given That bastard these idiots glorified had been the one to built the Sanctums were the limbs had been stored.

Still, he just couldn't be bothered with sending a message through the formal channels? Nelson could only sigh in annoyance, more than a thousand years working with that man and the bastard had yet to see him as an equal.

He and his Fucking Ego..!

``That witch may be strong, but in all these years she has proven unable to break free, and while things have been hectic as of late, it would be impossible for her to break out by herself..´´

``Given. The. Input. Of. The. Master. There. Is. a. 90 % That. Such. Conclusion. Is. Wrong …´´

``Then he made a mistake, end of story…..I am sure he has more things to do than worry about a cage I have taken good care of´´

Gears chimed, mechanical hands clacked….

They were not amused by his refusal. Not at all...

``Our. Cogitators. Have. Come. To. The. Same. Conclusion. His. Holy. Magus. Reached. Through. The. Examination. Of. The. Presented. Data. Your. Assertion. Is. Incorrect. And. Illogical..

``That was rude….´´

``But. Accurate..´´

They were sassing him now? Was that sarcasm? Nelson did not know whether to laugh or spat at them.

In the end he chose both.

``I am going to make a mallet out of your metallic fillings you ill conceived millipede...´´

``We. Would. Warn. Against. It.´´

``You warn nothing, creature….now, if that is all I would like to bid you farewell. We are fine as we are now..´´

The sooner he got them out of his hair, or lack thereof the better. The repercussions of having someone strolling to his desk only to be stuck with these idiots would create a few too many problems that he would hate to explain or fix.

``We. Insist…´´

``And so am I..´´

``We. Insist…´´

``I said...´´

``We. Insist…´´

[Fucking hell….] `` You are not going to stop are you?´´

``We. Were. Sent-´´

``Argh, this is like hitting myself against a brick wall...´´

``We. Are. Not. A. Brick. Wall. We. Are-´´

``I know, I know...you said it already dammit. Fine, do as you wish on said matter but ONLY with that, got it..?´´

``Understood…´´

``And since we are already talking about this, I would...find amenable if I were to send some of my men to help you´´ [And watch over you] Though that was left unsaid.

``This. Unit. Appreciates. Your. Input. However. We. Will. Observe. And. Work. By. Ourselves. The. Situation..´´

``If that is what you want..fine by me, however I want to remark again that nothing wrong has occurred outside the boundaries set around the cage. Everything is under control..´´

``Nonetheless, We. Will. Carry. Out. Our. Duties...´´

A pretty way to express they didn't care about his opinion, who would have guess it? These shit heads and their master were of the same cloth, there was doubt about it.

Still…..they were no threat to him, and if they were able to rid a nascent problem before it hatched properly then...who was him to stop them?

He almost felt like smiling, however he held enough composure to

Openly scowling, Nelson stood up from his seat, making his way towards the door, slamming his shoulder against the closest asshole that stood in his way. He really was not in the mood to stay lock in his office any more with those things.

``Fine, but if you ever disturb me again like this you will regret it…´´

``We. Wont..´´

[Well, fuck you too[ He did not deigned them with a response though, huffing to himself instead, already passing through the busted doors and the charred corpses of the guards that had been meant to protect them.

``One. Last. Thing..´´

…

…

…

…

``What..?´´

``We. Would. Like. To. Keep. Our. Presence. And. The. Nature. Of. Our. Mission. A. Secret. From. The. Prying. Eyes. Of. The. Unworthy...´´

He slowly tilted his head to the side, eyeing the mechanical abominations with contempt...before his attention switching back to his adjutant who was either too stupid or confused to realize he had been left alone in the room with those things. Or the way they were encroaching on the boy from all sides.

In the end Nelson shrugged as he continued walking away from the room. Though not before speaking one more time.

``Try to not soil the carpet..´´

A buzzing sound and a bright flash of blue later and the problem was solved.