I brought up bringing Cyril and Evetta into Cain's migranes, after getting permission from blahhh! I will be a man of my word. I will also probably think of a part 4 for the Superman omake series, I just need a good supervillain that fits in Cainopolis...
New Neighbours
"What do you mean a house on a hill has appeared out of nowhere?" Cain asked, trying to keep his voice as neutral as possible. Weird bullshit of course was par for the course given, well, everything. But a formerly abandoned ruin of some random tourist resort being replaced overnight by a small manor complete with iron gate and a field of glowing flowers without anyone being able to tell him where it came from? To say it was unsettling would be far too loose of a description. He had been awoken from a strange dream involving Emeli telling him to 'be nice to our guests' and when he awoke he had been bombarded with a mess of very concerning reports handed to him personally by an extremely shaken Jafar.
"We have sent our best sorcerers to divine the origins of the structure, but our efforts prove fruitless my leige." Jafar elaborated, beaded drops of cold sweat trickling down his brow. "The warp around the structure is silent... the local daemons are cowed into hiding and unwilling to even speak! Our best guess however is that it is the same entity that had subsumed the moon a n-"
Cain choked on his amesec spiked recaf. "I'm sorry. Subsumed the what now?"
"Ah yes... I apologise, I was occupied treating the seizures that had wracked the finest of my sorcerous divisions at the time and it must have slipped my mind, I truly apologise lord Liberator! It will never happen again!" Jafar winced, looking genuinely apologetic.
Fighting to recompose himself Cain asked. "Forget that! What do you mean- give it to me straight Jafar, are we fucked?"
"Thus far the entities involved do not seem to bear hostile intent, doubtless the damage they would cause should they have desired so would be truly calamitous. Rumours abound of an extremely tall woman, one who is of similar height to our dear Hektor, wandering around the area at night giving if you would believe it candy to children and bread to the less fortunate. It may be too optimistic for me to say this but... I think they may have good intent?"
Cain hummed to himself lost in thought externally. Internally he was layering prayers to the Emperor that whatever had 'subsumed the moon' (a phrase so terrifying in its implications that he has decided to simply not dwell on it before he goes insane) would retain the apparent friendliness that whatever it was has exhibited. Unfortunately he could also not just leave them be and forget their existence, after all for the great Liberator to ignore such an obvious potential threat would spell the incompetence needed for Jafar and his cronies to simply oust him and probably offer him off to be some snack for their bird headed master! Not to mention of course how close the mysterious structure was to the school Zerayah was attending... the very idea made the blood in his veins freeze and his face contort into probably some terrible visage given Jafar's rapidly paling expression.
"I understand the lack of intelligence surrounding the case, these new neighbours are a true unknown in every capacity. Thank you for bringing this to my attention Jafar, notify the council, I will be preparing a personal investigation shortly." He spoke before really thinking.
"L-Liberator sir! R-r-respectfully! You need not risk your own life on the front lines of this mystery like this!" Jafar sputtered, waving his hands around frantically.
"Come now Jafar, they show up in my city unannounced and have apparently made themselves at home. What sort of man would I be if I did not get a measure of our new neighbours personally?" He babbled nonsensically, Cain's brain at this point has been truly fried by a lack of sleep, the potent cocktail of recaf and alcohol he has been downing since he has received the latest news and sheer anxiety. All culminating to create the illusion of a wry, confident and reassuring smiling expression on his face.
"Very well... I trust you sir..." Jafar acquiesced, smiling softly himself.
By the time Cain had time to rethink his choices and consider what he had actually said he was already at the head of a small division of elite USA soldiers flanked by Malicia, Jurgen and Hektor en route to the mysterious manor. Just what the frakk had he gotten himself into?
The manor was at least not hard to find. To say nothing of the mysterious patch of flowers that didn't match any known species of Slawkenberg or the fact it had replaced a sprawling, gaudy tourist trap that had been falling into utter disrepair over the last decade and a half or so it was distinctly anachronistic when contrasted with the pre and post imperial architecture that made up Cainopolis. Certainly there had been architectural movements away from the imposing gothic masonry favoured by the Imperium following the revolution, but this building reassembled none he had ever seen before. It was no great cathedral or towering skyscraper, but it was imposing in its own right, but something about it screamed that it did not belong in this world. Like a house plucked from a dream and imposed onto reality.
Waiting at the intricate iron fence was an extremely tall pale woman plucking flowers by the gate and putting them into a basket. Her clothing was not anything particularly outrageous like the former noble and tourist class that had ruled Slawkenberg yet had a distinct air of quality and sophistication to it which could not possibly belong to a commoner or even middle class house. She looked upon the assembled host of veteran soldiers, a powerful psyker, an Astartes and his bloodward like a mild yet pleasant surprise, bashfully rising to her full height which like the report claimed was equal to Hektor's own 9 feet.
"Ah, I apologise for not noticing your arrival good friends. I take it that you are the delegation from the local authorities?" She said like she was commenting on a recent holodrama episode.
"I am Caiphas Cain, known locally as the Liberator and first amongst equals on the Liberation Council." He introduced, politely as possible as to not piss off the unknown entity in the shape of a woman. "I must admit your arrival was a surprise to us all, especially given the fact you built this truly remarkable place overnight all by yourself, even our best sorcerers would struggle with such a feat!"
She bashfully lowered her head. "Ah it was not my doing, but my dear husbands. In truth we are just here to enjoy our retirement, we did not intend on stepping on any toes. Did we cause much trouble?"
"Ah, your arrival did cause a bit of a spike in paperwork I admit, but so long as you do not cause any trouble it should be fine." Cain politely offered, but really what else was he meant to say? There were two of them! TWO! What was he meant to do about that except gracefully avoid conflict until he could find a way to somehow make them someone else's issue!
"Still if we have caused displeasure I am certain we could remedy this with a polite discussion. Allow me to introduce myself, I am Evetta Fairchild of the house of Cainhurst! Come on in, we shall discuss this more over supper!"
The tall woman beckoned the group over to inside the gate, and for a moment Cain considered the option of turning tail and running before leading himself deeper within enemy territory. However if they truly intended harm that way he would probably already be dead, and his chances of getting away with such a blatently cowardly act were well, zero. So swallowing his dread he stepped forth onto the threshold of the property, followed shortly by his retinue.
"She isn't human." Malicia hissed quietly into his ear. As if that much wasn't blatantly obvious. "I don't know what she is, but we must tread carefully!"
"I don't like all the small things wandering around..." Jurgen said with a shudder, staring at... apparently thin air. "They are a bit creepy..."
"Ah those are the Messengers! What a truly insightful individual! Don't worry, they simply want to help!" The woman offered helpfully.
"I... I see..." Cain said suppressing a shudder. He did not want to think about what witchcraft was at play, such was probably very bad for his mental, spiritual and physical health.
Hektor simply gripped his waraxe tighter in silence. Which spoke volumes enough, especially for the tense group of loyal soldiers that had followed who looked ready to jump into combat at the slightest hint of an order.
The group made it to the front door, a towering thing of what looked to be genuine wood, and from within stepped forth by all means a rather unremarkable man wearing some strange black leather clothing. Carrying himself with the unmistakable air of both an unusually humble noble scion and an experienced killer that Cain had grown to recognise over his time in the Schola Progenium the man addressed the gathered crowd with such startling politeness that it made Cain feel off balance. When Cain wasn't paying attention he could almost swear to see stars dancing in the man's eyes.
"Ah, greetings! My wide and I were not expecting guests so soon, but nonetheless welcome to the Workshop! Allow me to introduce myself, I am Cyril Fairchild, Hunter."
Cain wasn't exactly an expert on noble customs, but he got the feeling that Hunter was less a profession and more a title. Just like how the Workshop reassembled in no way the workplace of a humble artisan or one of the massive mazes of steel and industry run by the BORGs. Channelling his memories of interracting with nobility during his time as a newcomer to Slawkenberg not yet aware of the corruption miring the planet he gave a winning smile.
"Pleasure to meet you Lord Fairchild. Caiphas Cain, Liberator. Would you mind if me and my retinue come in to discuss the details of your stay in Cainopolis?" He asked while willing the pores on his face to cease sweating.
"That would be lovely!" Cyril responded smiling brightly as well, friendly enough to make most of the assembled group relax ever so slightly in the corner of Cain's vision, though Jurgen appeared as though something was squeezing the air straight from his lungs. Cyril extended a hand to shake, and fearing the consequences of rejecting such an offer of good will Cain took it, chanting prayers for his soul the entire time.
"Allow me to ready the seating and the spread dear guests! It will only take a moment!" The soft voice of Evetta offered. True to her word scant few seconds after she dissapeared into the manor the whole retinue was ushered into the manor, for better or worse Cain was now in the belly of the beast.
Supper was a lavish affair. Succulent roasted meats of the variety Cain had never seen in his life, a selection of glistening sauces, crispy potatoes and a fine selection of plump fruits and fragrant vegetables were laid out on a table just large enough to fit Cain, Jurgen, Malicia and, with some difficulty, Hektor. The soldiers stood guard dutifully around and behind the group, though the guns they held did nothing to dissipate the apparent good mood of the master and mistress of the house. After being ushered into their seats and offered a selection of vintages small talk began to flow, a skill Cain had great experience with over various parties and political meetings prior to the uprising.
"I have heard much about you Liberator Cain, and I must say it is all truly impressive stuff! I understand despite your military origins you are ruler of the entire planet with a flawless political record and approval ratings? And the loyalty of your people, that is not something that can be faked! I must say we could have used a man of your calibre in the Great Isles!" Cyril said with eyes glimmering with genuine interest.
"Oh really I am still growing into my role. I am simply doing my best, paving the path to a better future and all." Cain replied, with some liberal application of wine and small talk he could almost forget that the man before him was some sort of horror in disguise and he was downright pleasant to talk to. "What brings you to Slawkenberg anyway?"
"Well, after inheriting the Hunters Order from my master the duty of cleaning up the mess left behind in the city of Yharnam fell to my hands. We managed of course, we could not permit our son to grow up in a world filled with such horrors, but afterwards when our dear Luca reached the age of majority and our presence was no longer needed to prevent things from falling apart me and Evetta decided we needed a change. I was never one cut out for being a ruler unlike you, after all I was simply a second son of an Earl and a scholar to boot! So me and Evetta went looking for retirement options and I saw an advertisement on your world." Cyril answered, bringing up frankly more questions than anything else. "I understand you are also a father?"
Cain let a small, genuine smile reach his eyes. "Indeed I am. I'm sure you have seen it everywhere on the news and in the tabloids. It wasn't easy, frankly it was more terrifying than ruling at times, but I wouldn't give it up for anything."
"That's lovely! I and my husband too never expected to be able to have a child of our own either, both of us have a condition that makes conception... difficult. When we were blessed by providence with Luca you should have seen him run around frantically like a headless bird every time the boy cried!" Lady Evetta laughed, not a mocking laugh but a genuine and melodical laughter that melted the defences of the more normal men of the retinue and sent them joining in with polite chuckles as well.
"You speak of being a Hunter, what sort of beasts did you hunt?" Hektor asked in his gruff voice. The light drained from Cyrils eyes and for a moment the very air seemed to grow colder, Jurgen became whiter than a sheet while Malicia gripped her knives and Cain began to accept his doom before the pressure dissipated and before them Cyril slumped looking as exhausted as Cain had been in his lowest times.
"I was never a fighter, I was more at home with study than a blade, but the prospect of death has a way of changing a man. It is good that none of you have heard of Yharnam, that city of miracles and horrors, and the endless nightmare that had swallowed it upon my arrival. Hektor, I can see in your eyes you are quite experienced with fighting horrors, seeing things that should not be. Yharnam was little more than a madhouse steeped with blood and bodies when I arrived, by the time I had cut down the last beast I could not call myself I had died more than I could count."
Hektor nodded in understanding. "I see your eyes and I recognise your strength. That is all that needs to be said."
Smiling once more Cyril said whisper queit. "Thank you."
Apparently stretched to his breaking point Jurgen breathlessly asked. "Wh- what are you?"
Malicia stared wide eyed at him as Jurgen seemed to realise his own mistake, the unfortunate man fighting to push air into his lungs under the full attention of the Hunter.
With an amused glimmer in his eyes Cyril looked towards the psyker like he was a child asking a particularly difficult question. "I am simply a man enjoying a well earned respite by the side of my wonderful wife in a world that will never again taste the sting of plague. Whatever else do you think I am?"
Jurgen bristled, seemingly considering taking Cyril's thinly veiled challenge, before shrinking back and remaining silent.
"Now that we have filled up on food and gotten to know each other let us talk the small matter of compensation for our stay!" Cyril beamed as he produced a large box from... somewhere. Opening it up Cain was greeted with the largest collection of gold in one place he had ever seen outside of images of Holy Terra and the vaults of the Giorbas.
"Oh my, truly you need not-" He began to stutter.
"Please, we have caused you trouble, no need to be so bashful! Your world is truly lovely after all, and me and my wife would be remiss to not offer payment for taking up your land!" Cyril insisted.
"Alright... thank you for that..." Cain responded somewhat dumbfounded, uncertain of how else to reply. "Anything else?"
"We were actually thinking about visiting your palace if it isn't too much trouble." Evetta perked up with a response.
A thousand different thoughts raced through Cain's head at once. Rejection was the natural option, what madman would allow two likely daemon princes to enter their own abode! Yet as he knew from Emeli denying such creatures was more dangerous than going ahead with their whims, surely if they wanted to do harm they would have done so already... but Zerayah... was there a way to keep his daughter away from them? Ah but she was. so curious, she was the type to ask difficult questions and then do things regardless. How was he going to convince her-
"Tea my good lord?" Cyril offered, a teacup and kettle in each hand.
With trembling hands he took the offered liquid and carefully sipped it. "Thank you. And as for visiting, I don't think I can find a reason to deny you."
"Wonderful!" Cyril cheerfully declared. Similarly his wife was beaming, and Cain had the distinct feeling he made a deal with a devil.