ALL NOVEL Chapter 9; Walkabout
Day one: Departure; we briefly stopped at the Village and it was then I asked Marina what the Village was actually called and was told that is was "Border Village 23" or "Hamel's Village" as since most villages are given a number but called by the Inns name or by the village elders name, with technically makes me the elder of that village since I am the new Protector.. Hmm.
We only travelled for another few hours and I can still see the HQs from were we are...
.....
I stop writing and glance around, the Rookie Guardsmen are on edge as the Commissar walks among them with the medic being frantic about his shoulder injury.
"I'm fine, rah damnable Medicae!" The Commissar barks at her, Juliana to her credit didn't back down.
"Like hell, we are here with the God-Prince and going to see an Important local noble. I can't risk you doing something and risk you reopening your shoulder wound... or do I need to spread some Schola stories." She says that last part with clear evilness written across her face.
"DO you want me to end you?" He shouts, "I can right now just with an order!"
Juliana smiles, "Hmm true, but I am the only Medicae... can you set and heal a broken body?" She asked back...
Marcus opens his mouth to say something process her words and slumps his shoulders, "Fine." He grumbles and sits down...
I laugh lowly.
Mary walks up next to me and asked a odd question, "Where are you from?" Her question may have sounded innocent but it was loud enough for my men to hear.
I glance at her then Hannah, whom nods but mouths "not to much"...
"That is too vague. But Terra." I answer.
She looks at me confused, "The Heiress said you knew about the Golden Father."
"Aye. I did, though in the past tense... I didn't know him before the Throne." I answer. "Most of my experience within regards to the Emperor would be more then those around you, with Hannah and I seeing some of the greatest events."
"Before the throne?" Mary asked confused, "From what the Heiress said you sounded like you were close friends?"
I raise an eyebrow at her, "Friends with the Emperor of Mankind?" My words are carried and some of the Rookies look over and the smarter ones tilt their heads but don't make it obvious, "Be all accounts I'm more so as one of his sons. Though I am unlike is other ones, they themselves were 'birthed' by him... I am a ..." I glance at Hannah to help but she shrugs rolling her shoulders.
[Uplifted?] The System suggests.
Thanks, "I am uplifted... though I may not know how or why he had chosen me... I guess. Though I think myself to be the Emperor of the People." I answer, "But unlike HE I plan to finish what he was unable too. While you Mary and your Heiress are Daughters of the Emperor... I see those that call themselves his sons and daughters I think myself as just the older Brother, hmm. That didn't sound right."
"Pift, don't worry so much. The Heiress told me to expect this from you, a person thrown into a role he was never ready for even after so much training, but I must ask."
"Go on?"
"You talk as if the Golden Father isn't around anymore." Her question was in a low tone and near whisper just for me to pick up on it, though Hannah picked it up as one of her ears are focused on us.
I think it over... in all but name he is no longer the Emperor with a gaggle of High-Lords and Roboute Guilliman being made the Imperial Regent which makes him the Emperor of Mankind again all but named... the golden throne is failing and when it does... trillions will die for their beliefs, I doubt I nor Hannah will see Terra at all let alone Mars...
I wipe my eyes before a tear could truly form... "Will we ever see our cradle world?" I asked myself in a voice that no one could hear without incredible hearing.
By the Emperor, is it bad to say that if the Imperium collapsed it would be easier to pick up the pieces then to attempt to salvage what your Imperium had become?
Crossing my arms I look wistfully into the stars above and just like another Primarch I too see the tare in the stars though it's more a metaphorical then actually seeing it... I just sense it their and it blocking the view of the stars...
"I..." I start and stall, "I don't know, I haven't hear his voice at all... I just know that I need to save the Imperium of Man... a task that I am finding harder and harder to truly see as possible without a lot changing..."
"Like?" Mary asked.
"Everything." I answer, but knowing that won't stop her and now feeling a second stare that isn't from Hannah whom is using her ears to spy so those eyes were the Heiress.
Mary as expectantly asked for me to explain myself, "Okay." I grab her shoulder and pull her away from the Guardsmen, "So those men and women?" I asked.
"Yeah, they seem to be a better lot then Hannah's."
"Yes... that is the thing, what I need to do flies in the face of what they believe... the things to change, let alone fix any to many and all the while I do their is going to be a target on me and Hannah's back simply for what we are."
"But what I managed to get from your troops is that you two are Successors? Wouldn't your people accept you?" Mary answered...
"Maybe. Maybe not... But their are people whom would rather see me dead... with powers and resources that make them vastly stronger then this world..." I pause and speak using some words that the Heiress used to hammer home... "They have Great airships that would make all but the Golden Father's ship look small and armies that fight those green-skins we fought in the village they fight them more often and against for greater forces that would our little battle noting more then a slap fight... now imagine this.
She leans forward and Hannah is now paying more attention to me. "They have Great Armies, Great Airships and Great Mages that would make the Heiress or anyone that this world could produce weak... and that are only the mortal forces... Great Angels that could kill a hundred of men before dying... but like wolfs these Angels always come in a pack some more so than others..." I sigh.
Grabbing Mary's shoulders my eyes smoldered with intensity unlike she had ever seen, "Though I am the legal claimant to the Throneworld of Terra, we have enemies that would rather see us dead, simply to get more power for themselves... there are too many..."
Hannah walks over and rest a hand on my shoulder... "I need a walkabout... all be alright and back soon." I say and walk into the near by shrubs and walk until I can no longer see anyone from the campsite...
.
I draw my Short Chainsword revving it as I slashed down several of the thinnest trees in two and allow myself to burn energy...
I breath after felling another tree... my sadness... falling to a knee, "By god... will I ever see earth again... and not this fucked earth..."
-ROAR-
The sword roars again as I slash against another tree... "ARGH!" I roar with the Chainsword and slash through several my trees until I hit a tree that was made of a stronger wood and took more effort
Forming a fireball I destroyed the tree, the voice of the warp completely ready for me again but not in the emotional state I was in...
Collapsing again... I roll onto my back and breath heavily... I look into the stars again... "Hehe... I can still see some of the constellations..." I started naming them one by one well the ones I knew...
"The Big Dipper... Twins and Cup..." I pause on the last one I knew... "Finally the Crux..."
Is this a cruel joke? Did we truly die from an accident? Or were they just bored as fuck?
-Growl-
Turning my head to the side to see a rather large looking wolf, at a guess it was about a meter and half tall with a strip of grey fur that went from the roof of it's snout in between it's eyes and down it's spine until it's tail that was fully grey...
Weirdly the sight of a this wolf didn't get much from me...
-growl?-
Was that growl a question? It sat down on it's hind legs staring down at me.
Sitting up the wolf didn't move back from where it was... drawing my Las-Pistol I take aim right between the eyes, it doesn't move but shakes it's head and looks at my discarded sword...
I take aim at a tree and fire said tree was torn in two and left burning at the stumps... it didn't look amused and barked at me again.
I fire again but this time at the ground in front of the wolf making a basket ball sized hole in the ground...
It again is not amused... this is odd behavior... standing up and putting my ranged weapon away and picking up my sword it was then that the wolf got back on it's own paws...
"So an old dog hey?" I asked the wolf... we were staring at eye level with each other, it didn't look at me like prey, it looked at my like a worthy opponent...
-Click, thud-
My belt with my Lasgun hit the ground and I also tossed my Autogun to the side...
We watch each other as we started walking in a circle our eyes haven't left each other...
I sense the sudden change in the air the wolf gave off, I pulled the trigger of my Chainsword and it roared alive...
"ARGH!" Raising my weapon high we charged, we impacted my eyes widen as the teeth of the wolf grips my weapon and whole holding on for dear life as he starts tossing me around as I am lifted off my feet.
"Australians all let us rejoice." I start singing while this wolf tried to get me to let go of my weapon. A patriotic with nationalistic fervour is to blame.
Throwing a punch into the nose of the beast it lets go sending me into a tree...
"For we are young and free;
We've... golden soil and wealth for toil;
Our home is girt... by sea."
I spit out some blood and glare at the wolf and it's mouth was bleeding as well with some of it's own teeth on the ground... my sword does have some bite in it.
Smiling at it, showing my bloody teeth...
"Our land abounds in nature's gifts." Charging again and diving as the wolf attempts to bat me away with it's fore paws I managed to give it a nasty gash on his left one... my singing seems to piss it off even more.
"Of beauty rich and rare."
We clash again but this time my teeth on my weapon dig into the paw of the wolf... but it bites down onto my right thigh.
"ARG! In history's page... let every stage;
Advance Australia fair!" I sang as I punch right into the wolf's left eye and hear a popping sound.
It tosses me again... hitting the ground hard and roll... channeling the warp, I start trying to heal the wound but find that my connection to the warp was cut... more so I just couldn't reach it... the feeling of being truly alone sets in...
'So be it!' I shout in my head.
I pull the straps of my leg armor tight over the wound grunting as I do so.
"I-In joyful strains then let us sing;
Advance Australia fair!" Bursting to my feet and leap off my good leg at the wolf and cut across the side of beast's body as it's tried to dodge the attack...
"Beneath our radian Southern Cross!" I glance up at the named constellation and burst out again. The wolf bats me away and jumps back as it holds it's left paw off the ground...
"We'll toil with hearts and hands;
To make this Commonwealth of ours."
The wolf jumps at me using it's hind legs like a rabbit and I roll out of it's way...
"Re-renowned of all the lands;
For... those who've across the seas."
The wolf tries to ready it's self but can't do it well...
But just like it I can barely stand...
"We've boun-huff boundless plains to share;
With courage lets us all combine!"
We both give out... and collapse at the same time, while the wolf lays there huffing and puffing, I gasp for a breath and have to halt my singing...
I look up at the wolf... and a tear forming in it's remaining eye...
Slowly but surely I inch my way to the wolf...
It doesn't react even when I grasp the it's own fur...
I look into it's eye and it slightly moved it's head in a nod... I raise my weapon but the wolf bats it away with what was left of it's strength...
My own body gives out and I collapse onto the wolf...
The steady movement of it's body is calming and I guess, with mine to him...
"Might as well finish ah?" I ask the wolf, as I move myself to being laying my back to the wolf's side. I give my thigh a look to find the reddest and wettest just below my thigh... I tug on the strap again making sure it was even for tight...
"To advance Australia fair;
In joyful strains then lets us sing;
Advance Australia fa--fair."
My vision starts going dark... "No! I can't... Hannah..." I mutter and try to stand.
"Sleep my son." Someone says... the voice was male but it had an edge to it that I couldn't tell... "You and young Hannah have much to do... allow me."
Just before my eyes closed my right leg started glowing a golden hue, not to dissimilar to my own wings and eyes...
Joseph slumped the tension in his body left him as he passed out cold.
The wolf too passed as it's last breathes left it's body and the string of fate for the beast had finally reach the end.
But just as Joseph's thoughts in regards to the wolf's behavior this was no normal wolf, yes the wolf was going to kill him but it was directed. As apart of a test.
But a test that has seen fruit and a test that shall not go unawarded... as the live force of the wolf left his own body it was taken and attached to the threads of fate for Joseph, making them one person with two bodies...
Joseph's body jolted from the sudden new senses but remained asleep...
The Being that thus far been keeping both the System or his counterpart Hannah unaware and it will now allow them to be aware.
The Being had much to atone for... two untimely deaths...
He rain his fingers through Joseph's hair, just like the mortal's own mother did...
"Your duty is not over young one, your little Brothers and Sisters of the Imperium will need you..." The voice was monotone, but a sense of sympathy and pity was clear...
The Being didn't have a form and look over the Dire Wolf that he... "borrowed" from another Realm for this test... He knew that he was going to cop some shit from the others but he didn't care...
"You two are going to be my Magnum Opus, someday but you will be. Hmm... next test his Hannah's... what to do?" The Being wondered as he stopped running his finger through Joseph's hair and disappeared back into his own realm.