It had been over a century since I hadn't needed to read some report or give some manner of deployment order, even on my supposed vacations. It was for this reason the other Legates and I had been debating whether or not to increase our number, and by how many. Before my ship and escort fell into the ambush that claimed my life, the most recent proposal was to add four additional Legates over the course of the next fifty years, and so slowly ease our individual workloads without sowing chaos in the rest of the Imperium as our command structural changed.
Not something I need to worry about now, I suppose... Still, I'd hoped that particular proposal went through. It was the best one in two hundred years, from the time I'd 'merely' been second in command to my predecessor. I didn't believe the Imperium would survive much longer if the other Legates didn't allow that one to pass; corruption was beginning to seep into government at the highest levels, and even one of my colleagues' lieutenants had been promoted to that position due to political pressure from her powerful family.
Without the constant administrative work I'd become accustomed to over the last two centuries to keep me busy, I began to feel... listless, almost. Bored, I suppose the word would be.
Even the relative novelty of practicing magic had become routine, the arrays being traced, infused, and cast almost without my attention, the constant thump of the spells collapsing into reality becoming the new heartbeat by which I measured time.
Perhaps... Multitasking may be precisely what I needed to occupy myself. It wasn't new to me, of course. When you have a paltry twenty people, the five Legates and three lieutenants to each, running an empire that spanned stars, it was natural that each of them would become extremely skilled at doing more than one thing at once, and that was without taking into account our sophisticated cerebral implants and assistant AI.
That... I no longer have access to...
At the same time, however, I was no longer Human; the limitations of an organic mind no longer applied to me, though I wasn't sure how far that extended. Was I, more or less, an AGI? Or was I an ASI, and merely needed time to grow into my new cognitive abilities? Somewhere in between?
I would need to experiment, to push my limits to find out what I was capable of now.
Casting aside my questions and doubts, for now, I focused purely on drawing two arrays at once, the idle chatter of the witch-hunter and magus pair guarding the door fading into the background.
It was difficult, excessively so, but not such that I felt the task impossible. It would take me weeks, perhaps months, to be able to draw the two at once with any degree of accuracy, much less refine the process to the point I could draw them and cast them as quickly and precisely as I could the one.
Good. That would keep my mind busy for quite some time, keeping boredom at bay at least until my vision developed enough to read on my own, or I could put my plan to action.
Failing to complete and cast these twinned arrays would also give me a chance to recover all the mana I'd spent over the last few days, as well; while drawing them did use some, it was nothing compared to a successful cast, even my most precise ones. I would have needed to stop my practice soon, anyway, as I didn't know the amount of mana I needed to keep in reserve simply to remain alive, much less conscious.
Even if I succeed earlier than I expect, I can add another, or cast two different spells.
Hours passed as I laboriously drew the spells in my mind, each attempt resulting in the arrays disintegrating as I focused too much on one or the other. The process worked so well to consume my attention that I didn't notice the guards had stopped talking and began watching me intently until the door opened, and Markus' voice pulled me from my practice.
"Report, Enna," I heard him say, and the witch-hunter he spoke to snapped to attention and saluted as I cast my focus to them.
"Captain. The demonheart suddenly stopped casting spells three hours ago, but no other anomalies have occurred. Magus Amalie and I have detected mana being moved, but no spells being cast, and the territory of the dungeon hasn't expanded," she said, holding her salute until the older witch-hunter nodded.
"Well, stranger, how goes it? Your practice, I mean," the man asked, pulling up the creaky chair Callahan had brought in the day before.
[Ah. Casting... one spell no longer holds my focus the way it did before...] I said slowly, focused on his expression as I swapped back to drawing and casting just one. Ice, this time, to avoid a gout of flame. [And my mana was dipping low, so I began attempting to draw two spells at once. It... is not working, of course, but it's holding my attention, so I can't complain.]
As I explained my new practice routine, one of his eyebrows quirked up a little. "Already trying to dual-cast? I suppose that makes sense," he said, leaning forward a little. "Don't worry, I won't ask you to stop. I just had a free moment to come speak with you."
[So it is possible to cast multiple spells at once? Good, good...]
"You were trying to learn without knowing it was possible?"
[I... Captain Markus. I cannot sleep,] I stopped casting the ice spells, and turned my full focus on him. [I cannot read. I cannot leave. I cannot do anything but sit here and practice magic, and occasionally talk to you and your fellows,] I ground out, more of my frustration leaking into my voice than I was comfortable with.
His eyes turned sad, and his gaze lowered until it hit the floor and he closed his eyes, nodding slightly. "Yes, I... I'm sorry. It's no wonder you're anxious and stressed."
I made a noise of acknowledgement, some half-grunt I hoped he could hear. [I was one of twenty people leading an empire that boasted a population numbering in the hundreds of billions. I haven't... Every day of my life for the last two hundred years has been filled with activity and work. I am... unused to the... stillness,] I explained, half-hoping this would further my goals and improve his opinion of me, but... I would be lying if I said I didn't want to talk, and I'm too old to lie to myself like that.
[Do you have some time, Captain?] I asked, before he could put together a reply.
"I can delegate a few things, for the moment," he said, nodding. "We've been scrambling to set up a real defensive position here, but reinforcements have yet to arrive, and even with the magi helping, it's... ah, apologies."
[No, no apologies necessary. That's actually what I wanted to talk about. You, your work, your people. The laws of this country. Your culture, your beliefs. If I'm going to make a home here...] I trailed off, letting him complete the thought. He'd already expressed regret over my circumstances, so I'd wager on his sense of duty accepting me as a refugee or immigrant of some sort, and one he may be able to help, at that.
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Markus took a deep breath, and leaned to the side a little in his unbalanced chair. "Alright. We are in the lands of her Majesty the Queen, Fianna Aisling, sovereign of Estraia. Our people are largely Human, like myself, though her Majesty annexed the Orcish tribelands of Vuthan... fifteen years ago, now.
"I like to think we are a simple, honorable folk, but I can't claim that others aren't, as well. People are simply people, after all, no matter where you go," he said with a shrug, and I happened to agree with his assessment. "The Witch Hunter Brigade was formed around the same time as the realm itself... Two hundred, two hundred and fifty years ago, give or take a decade, for the sole purpose of destroying demons and cults dedicated to them.
"I'd originally aimed to be a knight, to be honest, but the gods had other plans, and I was recruited into the Brigade by chance. I am... content with my work, don't get me wrong, stranger. I still get to help my people in what ways I can, I just... Did not expect to be a witch-hunter when I was young. Did you have something specific you'd like to ask, or should we just chatter like old men?" he asked, chuckling as he looked up at me.
[Your gods,] I said, maybe a little too quickly. [The Imperium had no confirmed knowledge of deities, but... There was a... Church, I suppose, that called themselves the Cult of the Dragon. My predecessor was a fervent believer, but I... Never really cared one way or the other. Ones faith in the divine didn't impact their ability to do their duty, after all.]
"I see," he replied simply, chewing his beard. "Well, the priests and theologians say that the gods are the same all over the world, just known by different names, and worshipped for different aspects, but I don't know much about that. Don't get paid to think about gods. My home town reveres Ylir, Lord of the Hunt, and the three wives, Danna, Aina, and Asta, Keepers of the Sun, Moon, and Stars."
[The three wives? Who are they the wives of?]
"Ah. Each other. The stories say they're nigh inseparable."
[I'm glad.]
The man raised an eyebrow at that, obviously confused. "What for?"
[Because that means people who prefer the same gender aren't considered... unnatural, or worse. They may even be considered blessed or divine in some way,] I replied, recalling my history lessons. The Imperium arose in response to incredible violence on Terra, divided by race, creed, religion, and more, and less. Ours was a fitful infancy, on a world that seemed to loathe us for our birth.
It encouraged terrible acts amongst my ancestors.
"There are places where that's the case?" he asked, his face a horrified mask of disbelief. "Was your home like that?"
[No, not for a very long time, even by our standards. Well over a thousand years. The cradle of our people was... Not an easy place to live, and my ancestors were a... paranoid and violent people, and that was not the only excuse they hid behind to attack each other, not by far. We teach our children what was, so they never repeat it.]
The mans face twisted into an expression of angry concern, before he shook his head to clear his thoughts. "Well, I'll have a theological book brought up to help answer your questions about the various divinities found here."
[That would be much appreciated, Markus. What about the lands around here? What are they like?] I asked, a hundred and more questions ready on my mind.
"We're near the southeastern border of the kingdom, in the barony of Blacklake. I know, not a particularly inventive name," he said, chuckling. "But if you saw the lake on the other side of the village... Anyway, the land is ruled by the Baron Blacklake, a man by the name of Eirich Sonders. He makes his name in noble society by hosting a yearly hunt and feast here, and the village should be wealthy for the trade it brings, but I've long suspected he's... Ah, I've strayed off topic again."
[No, no, it's very interesting. So, a yearly hunt? Then the region is heavily forested?]
"Yeah," he paused to scratch at the side of his head with a gauntleted hand. "The roads are well maintained and well traveled, too. It's... nice here. The weather is mild, year round, and there's plenty of game to keep the Brigade garrison fed. No lack of monsters, too, though. Thankfully, they're also mild, as much as a monster can be mild..."
[Monsters? I assume you must mean magical animals of some kind,] I asked, and he nodded in reply. [Do they impact trade or travel much around here?]
"No, not usually. Things have been particularly quiet lately, actually, which... I suppose is due to the cult slaying any that wander too close to the village, to prevent too many adventurers and other potential witnesses from investigating. It's what I'd do, at least."
[I would agree with that conclusion. Though I would do what I could to keep reports of monsters roughly equivalent, in case someone looked a little too closely at the trend.]
His eyebrow quirked up a little, and a small smile spread across his face. "Clever. Are you experienced in this sort of work?"
[I am. My role as a Legate was... Well, something akin to a witch-hunter and a spymaster combined, I would say. I had spies and agents spread around, of course, but I also had a standing military to deploy when necessary.]
"I see... So, what other questions do you have?"
We continued to ask each other probing questions about our respective peoples for hours, each of us intensely aware of the others skills and background, our roles being so similar. We eventually made an almost unspoken game of dodging questions and distracting each other while getting as much information as we could from the other without lying. I had the advantage, of course, being able to read his facial expressions and body language while lacking the same, but Markus was a sharp man, and 'scored' against me a few times.
Despite myself, I quite liked him.
The Queen was supposed to visit somehow tomorrow or the next day, according to Callahan, so I focused my questions on the woman herself and proper etiquette for interacting with her, while he attempted to learn more of the Imperiums corruption and the issues I was meant to solve in my capacity as a Legate.
Queen Fianna was a Human, though it was said the royal family had Elf-blood, and thus lived some time longer than the average Human. She took the throne in her late twenties while a three way war between Estraia and two of its neighbors was still in living memory. In fact, she'd been born at the beginning of that very war, and so she was a practical woman, with a good deal of military training and experience, even though the war itself had ended well before she came of age.
At one point, Markus managed to distract me from my main topic by talking about rumors of the Queen having an Elf woman as a lover, but he refused to elaborate on who it was. I had the feeling he knew exactly who the Elf lover was supposed to be, maybe even met her, but I steered the conversation back to the monarchy not long after.
Estraia was largely ruled by the Crown, of course, but they also had a council of influential nobles, and a council of likewise powerful commoners, mostly merchants, but a few of them were the heads of large workers' guilds. These two councils nominally had the power to veto laws and orders set down by the Crown, and vote on which of a number of chosen successors would actually become the heir.
There were restrictions on who, exactly, was a prospective successor, in order to prevent the royal family from being ousted every generation. Further, the status of heir was not set in stone, and could be changed every few years, so the Crown Prince or Princess had to maintain their influence to ensure they kept their title.
Finally, etiquette among nobility was strikingly similar to the etiquette of the Imperium. Specific use of a title, name, and territory, or lack thereof, in how you referred to someone stated how important that aspect of who they were was to either you or the conversation at hand, often both, and failure to refer to someone correctly in a given circumstance could be considered a grave insult. Therefore, it was recommended to refer to someone by their most prestigious title or rank if you were unsure of the proper one for the context you were in.
In the Imperium, if someone had called me Captain while I was discussing legal matters, they would be saying that my status as the captain of a ship was more important than my rank of Legate, and would thus be disparaging both me and the office of Legate. However, if someone called me Legate while I was aboard my ship and on the bridge, then they would be fine, though it might be indicative of them not being used to proper protocol.
Now, in actual fact, I was called Legate in all military and legal contexts, and no one had ever insulted me by referring to me by my family name after I became a Legate – and therefore attributing my authority and influence to my family, not my own efforts, but that was, by and large, how it worked in the Imperium, and how it worked in Estraia.
There were some differences between the two, but I would, at least, not be inadvertently offending any but the most... particular of nobles.