When I was young, still in the orphanage, a ward of the state, the Legates always seemed so... imposing, and larger than life on the news, and during interviews. Of course, most of that was the cameras angled to make them seem larger, and more powerful, with make up and clever adjustments to their uniforms to help, but, truth be told, they needn't have bothered, not with her.
My predecessor was an enormous woman, like a marble statue come to life. Statuesque in every way, as though sculpted and crafted by a master artisan to be the perfect Human. I wasn't a small person, either, but, even so, she towered over me, even the other Legates, when I finally met them, too. The average person looked like a child next to her, and I looked an infant when she adopted me, each of her hands almost large enough to cup my tiny skull like a baseball.
To this day, the word 'majesty' calls to mind memories of her, my predecessor, my teacher, my mother, the second Inquisitor, and I spent centuries chasing that image, modelling everything about myself on the ideal she embodied, from the way I spoke, to the way I stood and walked, even the way I wrote and ate, everything to become more like her.
And yet, now, I could not remember her name. Her name, the words that identified her, that symbolized her, encapsulated all that she was and more.
The thought burned, a constant ache at the edges of my consciousness, a hole in my identity, dulled only by constant activity.
The day began with a changing of the guard, as always, but now, they weren't replaced by another witch-hunter and magus pair, but half a crowd, moving in and out of the room that was my entire world, for now.
Archmagus Callahan was there, too, shouting orders and directing the magi here and there as they drew some large array over the stone floor, while Captain Markus dipped in and out, checking on things, rushing to be ready.
[Is something happening, Magus Tesha?] I asked the young woman as she paused to take a short break.
"Oh, uh. The Queen sent word that she has time for a meeting today, so we're setting up the ritual circle," she said, surprised at my sudden interruption.
[Ritual circle? Are we to speak over a spell of some sort?]
She nodded, breathless from hauling some reagent or tool or another in, and I started to speak again, to inquire as to the nature of the spell, but Callahan called for the attention of all the magi, cutting me off.
"Right, we'll begin weaving the spell in a few minutes. We may need to maintain the ritual for over an hour, so we'll start with Tesha, Davyn, and Zepha and cycle out every ten minutes. I'll take over during the gaps," he ordered, and turned to speak to me. "Don't worry, my friend. The good Captain told me you went over basic etiquette yesterday? You'll be fine. Her Majesty just wants to meet 'face-to-face', so to speak, nothing so formal as an official audience."
[I understand,] I replied, and stopped my 'dual-casting' practice to focus all of my attention on the conversation I was to have with a foreign head of state, one that I had 'invaded' the lands of, albeit unwillingly.
A few minutes later, and swirling clouds of mana filled my 'vision' as the magi began to activate the ritual spell. With the crash that had accompanied all large spells since I arrived here, a great portal snapped into being in the air, flickering and crackling with energy at the edges, and beyond, the Queen, awash in color.
She was pale, with straight, dark hair pulled into a fashionably messy ponytail, and bright blue eyes framed by just enough make up to accentuate her features and a circlet of some kind, a metal I didn't recognize, decorating her brow. She'd chosen what I might call parade armor for the meeting, likely due in part to what I'd told Markus and Callahan of my people, with a polished steel half-breastplate, a fine arming doublet richly dyed with blue and embellished by gold thread underneath. A half-cloak framed her left shoulder and arm, a deep red, almost crimson, with an emblem or crest of some kind stitched into the back that I couldn't see most of.
The royal coat of arms, I'm sure.
"Can you hear me, your Majesty?" Callahan asked, looking up at the image. I didn't know if it was on purpose, but her eyes were level with 'me'. I assumed it was.
"Yes, I can hear you, Callahan," she said, her voice clear and measured, before she turned her attention back to me. "Greetings, Legate of the Terran Imperium. I am Fianna Aisling, Queen of Estraia. It's good to finally meet you."
[Likewise, your Majesty. My apologies for being unable to give you my name.]
A few moments passed without a reply, and she looked back to the Archmagus. "Can they hear me, Archmagus?"
"Yes, they replied, but..." he paused, furrowing his brow and starting to pace. "Oh, of course! But, that means..."
"Care to share whatever enlightenment you've come to, Callahan." the Queen said sharply, more a statement than a question, shaking him from his thoughts.
"Apologies, Majesty. We can't exactly test it with the size of this room, but I believe that our guest here communicates using a kind of telepathy, not sound like we do. It would make sense, as their perception is based on mana," he said with a nod, as if assuring himself of his conclusion, before he stood straight and leaned to the side a little to look at the witch-hunters by the door.
"Ah... Enna, was it?" he said, motioning for her to approach. "Please, act as an intermediary, if you would. The magi and I must focus on maintaining the spell."
At his request, the witch-hunter somewhat rigidly strode over to stand beside me, facing the image of the Queen floating in the middle of the room, who patiently watched her subjects shuffle and reposition themselves with some interest. Curious about the magic, maybe?
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It was a tight fit, nine people crammed into a room I would generously describe as 'small', but without the chaos of the raid, it was relatively comfortable, by my standards.
[Relax, Enna. All you have to do is relay my words,] I said to her, in an attempt to calm her nerves. [Should I repeat my greeting?]
The poor girl stared up at me with wide eyes, but shook her head, and, shakily, at first, repeated what I'd said earlier.
"Thank you, Enna. Now, this is an unprecedented situation for the both of us, so forgive my bluntness," she said, her gaze focused very intently on my Core. "My Archmagus called you our guest, and while that isn't exactly wrong, you could also be considered an invader. No matter how much I might wish to simply extend you with every hospitality you deserve, I need to know which you are, first."
[I am ready and willing to do what I need to convince you I bear you and your people no ill will.]
At that, she launched into a series of rather pointed questions, mostly about the Imperium and my place in it, but also my ethics and philosophies, pausing only to allow the magi to refresh themselves. The entire thing only lasted fifteen minutes, nearly twenty, perhaps, but she seemed satisfied by the end, to some extent or another. I would not have been, not with such a short interview, but I also would not have taken reports of what happened here and what I was seriously, either, so I wrote it off as a difference in culture.
Besides, I truly didn't want to harm Estraia. I didn't even know if I wanted to harm the cult that brought me here. On one hand, I was in a strange world, trapped in a crystal and unable to move or remember the names of people I cared about, but... On the other, I had been spaced. I had died, and, however accidental, however selfishly, they'd given me a second chance.
Still, they had to be hunted down and destroyed. They tried to make a slave of me, after all, and they may return to try it again, not to mention what Callahan and Markus had told me of their experiments and rituals. No, regardless of how I felt, the world would need to be rid of them.
"What do you think, Callahan, Captain Markus?" the Queen asked, pulling me back to the conversation as she looked between the two men.
They looked at each other for a moment, nodded, and Markus stepped forward, inclining his head slightly as he did.
"I believe the Legate to have the mind of a Human, your Majesty. Their Core may be that of a demon, but they have shown no signs of hostility or duplicity towards myself, my men, or the magi," he said, before looking back up to me, and then to the Queen once more. "In fact, they have expressed an interest in making a home here, and asked after the people, our gods, and our laws to prepare for it. I do not know if we can fully trust them yet, but they are, at least, not an enemy."
"The good Captain speaks true, my Queen," the Archmagus said, stepping up as well. "The Legate is strange and perhaps a little aloof but has gone out of their way to make what friends they can and adjust to life here."
Good, it worked. Now, if the Queen accepts that...
The woman in question shifted in her chair – her throne, maybe, but I couldn't see, as the image didn't even show her whole body, much less the furniture – to lean against the armrest, the side of her face resting against her knuckles.
"Very well, that's good enough for me, for now," she said finally, sitting straight on her throne. "In that case, let me welcome you to our kingdom, Legate. I still can't allow you to roam around unchecked and unguarded, not with that cult out there and causing no end of trouble, but we will treat you as a guest of the Crown.
"Archmagus Callahan, Witch-Hunter Markus, our guest should be afforded every hospitality befitting their status, primarily access to any information that is not considered state secrets they wish, including the witch-hunter arts. The exception to this is intelligence on the cult that summoned and bound them; they should be given a copy of every relevant report that is sent to me on the subject."
The two men echoed a 'by your will', and Queen Fianna ordered a short break to allow the magi to cycle out and rest. The image of the Queen flickered and started to fade, but the Archmagus stepped in to stabilize it while the magi repositioned, and took up the task themselves.
"Since that's settled... Captain Markus, what will you need to properly defend the area from a counter-incursion from the cult?"
"Your Majesty. As we requested in our most recent report, I would appreciate labor we can trust to expand the caverns to create living quarters enough to fit fifty men, and enough witch-hunters to fill them, including what we have now, a dozen warmagi, and six healers."
"Is that the minimum you believe necessary?"
"No, your Majesty. That is the ideal. The minimum would be two thirds of that number, but I would be most comfortable with the full amount, considering what we're up against."
"Understood. I'll give the orders as soon as we're done here. And labor? How many men and golems do you think you'll need?"
The Captain shook his head slightly. "I've never seen a golem small enough to work these tunnels, your Majesty, and even one of them would draw a great deal of attention."
"Your Majesty, if I may?" the Archmagus offered, waiting for permission to speak. "I believe it may be necessary to test if the Legate can properly control a summoned denizen workforce. I realize it presents a security risk, but it would enable us to construct proper fortifications without drawing too much attention."
The Queens eyebrow raised at his suggestion, and she leaned in a little, as if to look at him more closely. "This had better not be motivated by your own reckless curiosity, Callahan."
"It is not, your Majesty. I truly believe it to be the best course of action available to us at this time."
"Very well, then. You and the Legate may conduct your tests, so long as the denizens are supervised by enough witch-hunters and magi to ensure things don't get out of hand if the Legate fails to control them."
"The Legate will have to claim more territory in order to have the denizens work, your Majesty. As you may know, however, a Core can only claim an equal amount of territory as the mana expended, so there is no risk of the Legate claim the entire mountain without our knowledge."
"I have already purchased the mountainside back from the Baron Blacklake, so proceed as you see fit, Archmagus," she ordered, and turned her attention back to me. "If all goes well, Legate, I hope to hire you as a mercenary to defend the border there. Would you be open to such a responsibility?"
[I... would need to understand more about dungeons and Cores first, your Majesty, before I could even begin to answer that question. Do you have an expert in dungeons you could send to teach me?] I asked, and I could see a slight smile pull at the edges of Markus' lips at the request.
Queen Fianna exhaled sharply, closed her eyes, and leaned back in her chair, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Yes, I know one I can send to you, but she's currently on another assignment, and it will take some time for her to reach you. Allow me to apologize in advance for her behavior, Legate. I pray she does not offend you too much."
[I... believe it will be fine, your Majesty,] I assured her, confused as to who this woman might be that the Queen and Markus would react as they did.
With that, the majority of the discussion was finished, and the Queen spent the rest of the meeting giving orders and asking questions about the most recent report. As she was giving her farewells to the members of her court present, however, I had one last thing to say.
[Your Majesty. I... believe I have decided on a new name,] I said, and the entire room stopped to look at me, Queen Fianna smiling gently as she heard it.
"It is good to meet you, Lycoris Raven Ashborn. I pray our relationship is a beneficial one."