Chapter 29:

Chapter 29: Teachers are meant to teach the young and caretakers love them.


"Master, where are we going?" I asked my master in song.

We were traveling through the city after he had finished his first lesson to his students. It was the same as the one he gave me, and it had the same effect of granting one the strange insight that they are not as limited as they are, while making them feel as if they are blind as they could not see what they have done before.

It was a sentiment that was confusing to explain, let alone experience and yet master Bessar Agail only needed a meal and a small discussion to grant it to you. Albeit even that was unnecessary I had found out, as he just decided on it because he wanted to eat something before the lesson, for he gave his students the same feeling without having them cook.

"I need to observe proper ritual and shower the local Orphanages in gifts, one each month ideally and I'll go to all if my schedule allows me, but at least one. Also they need to pretend it's not important so don't comment on it. You're coming with me to keep me company and to chat for a bit." My Master responded.

Master always seemed to act on another plane of thought then others. Not wider or more comprehensive, just as if he was one floor higher and could see a bit further than you could but what he saw only made sense if you were there or he told you what he saw.

"I have not heard of such rituals Master, will I need to observe them as your apprentice?"

My master laughed in the song of Khaine, but I stopped being surprised that Khaine can laugh. He showed me before we finished the lesson of the students.

The rest of the city was not used to it yet judging by the fact that a busy street turned empty in one heartbeat.

"No my apprentice, only those who are of the House of the Laughing Blade and our brothers and sisters must do so, for you see the House of the Laughing Blade was an Orphanage, one that had stood for longer than the Maton had existed and that was dedicated to Cegorach."

"You can dedicate Orphanages to the divine?" I asked.

I wasn't surprised by him being an orphan, father did say that old 'First cut' was the only one that got his proper measure and the old man is the most experienced of all Orphanage caretakers in the city in looking after orphans.

'First cut' built all the Orphanages in the city by hand and trained their caretakers after all and all other learned from him how to look after orphans.

Master smiled at my question and he did so because he enjoys questions that are easy to answer I found.

"It's not that you can do it, it's that without dedicating it to a Divine it is not an Orphanage. All Orphanages are the homes where children have no parents to build their home and be raised in, but as it must stand and be considered a home for longer than those that live in it and create it, it must have a divine parent to make it so. Dedicating an Orphanage to a God is just choosing who." He answered kindly.

A few days ago I didn't know Khaine could do that either.

"Stop right there!" A new voice spoke.

The voice came from the back, and we turned back to look who it was.

I didn't know them, they were just some strangers with black robes and red floral patterns on them. The only interesting part was that they all had black hair, even if only one woman who seemed the youngest had the blessing of a whisper of Khaine. They all had green eyes too but that wasn't that noteworthy.

There were four women and three men and the one who spoke was a man.

"Greetings, I am Bessar Agail filial son of the Laughing Blade and son of the Silver Hand, to whom do I have the honor of conversing?" Master spoke and not Khaine.

'Apprentice and my blades please do not intervene I thirst for violence and these fools might grant it to me.' Master sang to us.

We gave our agreement immediately.

The blades had not said anything as we walked and even now all they gave were a muted agreement given through song.

"I am Treasseiri Giran, of the Home of the Twin Swords and the son of the Void Blade, you have killed my daughter and for that you will die by my blade!" He shouted and attacked.

My master's sword sang and the only thing to reach us was blood splatter and the man's sword which was kept a few millimeters from cutting my master by multiple Swords of Valor.

"No, I'm too busy to die I'm afraid, does the rest of his family wish to pursue revenge as well?" My master replied.

I did not even see the movements. One heartbeat the man was there, the next I was drenched in blood and his sword almost cut Master.

"No, we consider this matter closed. We apologize for bothering you mighty warrior." One of the women said and bowed.

"I demand recompense for dirtying my clothes and that of my apprentice and blades." Master demanded in his normal voice.

His holofields was still up and none could even see a dirt or blood stain, but mine and the blades' clothes were dirty now.

I saw fear in their face now and at this rate the city might learn to fear that more than hearing Khaine speak.

'No that's nonsense, master is the best but Khaine is Khaine.' I chastised myself.

"I can offer my bondage, my life or my house. Please mighty warrior do not demand the first two from my children." The now widow said in fear as she knelt down.

Her children did so one heartbeat after their mother.

"I have little use for either, not when I can murder you or just take them, I also have no need of a family home. No, you will provide me a small dwelling for a single individual to live comfortably in. You may reach me at the home of Caideam Caiir in one week to show me where it is and give me the keys. If you do not by then I will pick whichever I feel like from the first two options you provided when I find you."

"We thank you for your generosity." They sang as one.

"Now my blades, please clean yourself and my apprentice as I am not dirty anymore, we leave now."

The blades did so and we turned and left.

"Master did you kill that man's daughter?" I asked.

I did not doubt that he did so but I was curious as to why. I doubt my master killed someone just because he felt like it.

"I killed a lot of people since coming to this world apprentice, I honestly can't be bothered to try to remember, she probably insulted me or something." Master sang as Khaine again.

I should have probably expected that answer, I don't know why I didn't.

"He was quite fast master, how did you see him?"

I was really curious as all I saw what the scene of the execution and not the actual act.

"Oh I didn't, couldn't be bothered to, he just cut himself in my swords as he ran towards me." He responded flippantly.

Again, I do not know why am I surprised anymore. Master is master and Master is the Best!

"Is it possible you could teach me how to see and move like him?" I asked

I am not a medicine peddler that cures stupidity with Murder so I should probably learn.

"Moving like him requires training and abilities you frankly don't need for most things. It will come with training of your gift and body.

As to see it? Hmm… depends on the individual and how they choose to develop their gifts. I just enter a blood haze where I want to exterminate all eldar life and everything slows down, but you'll learn the method that works for you as you face life and death situations but its mostly a component of the mind speeding up when you enter in the right frame of mind."

I'll ignore the part about wishing to exterminate all eldar life, it's probably not important.

"I see, thank you master also mostly?"

Master smiled again at my question, he truly does like to answer questions. I wonder why, as few people do. Even my parents are tired by asking questions even if they indulge me, but Master seems to gain energy from them.

"Yes, some seers have some strange ability to use their future sight to see the present more slowly and see both the future and the present as the same time, I have no clue how it works but my two younger brothers can do it and I have heard of ancient warriors that can do both."

"Sounds amazing."

And it did, seeing the future and the present at the same time and perceiving both faster would allow you to just see enemies before they can do them and react and move faster than them.

"Yes, it does but it's mostly the followers of Cegorach and Lileath that bother, they're the ones that love knowing more than their enemy and beating them until they cry for it. It's why I sent those two I couldn't help to them."

"Yes, sister will be joining them too, but she has taken leave from them to spend some 100 years with us and find a husband and have a child reach adulthood."

"Truly? I am glad to hear it, the followers of Cegorach are annoying, incredibly so, but they are good people that care even if they are insane and have a very bad sense of humor."

I did not like that my sister was leaving but she wanted to make the most of her gift and one hundred years was plenty of time to make memories and to leave us something to remember her by.

"I don't know for I rarely see them, but when they went to orphanages the children always laughed and their song echoed through the city."

"Yes they are very good with children, but it does not mean they can make good jokes, but speaking of this city, would you and your family consider leaving it and joining the people of my wives? I don't intend to stay long here but I do wish to leave and if you come with me I can introduce you to some of my daughters, I'm sure you'd get along fine."

Ah, I knew where this went. Master did tell me he married his other apprentice to his adopted daughter.

"No master I'm too young to marry, I wish to earn some experience before deciding to start a family. I haven't even left this city yet or killed cultists. Can't marry before you prove yourself otherwise nobody will look at you!"

It was all very reasonable, I am not against marrying or settling in the lands of his wives, I just truly wasn't interested in marriage right now, I want to prove myself first and beside I have time and there's no need to rush.

"Nonsense my boy, love cares not for such things, besides marriage is a secondary goal for me in this matter. I would have the family of my friend near my family, for it makes me feel better that one can look after the other and if both are near each other then I can spend less time keeping them as safe." Master answered back just as reasonably.

He switched to his voice now and he whispered.

"Besides, between you and me, I'm trying to see if I can't play a prank on a clan sister of mine, for her fourth and sixth daughters are weapons against my design for they were not married last I saw them, and I have some distant family in the cults of Cegorach. It's why I'm so willing to send people to them as I know they are in good hands and I'm hoping your sister will marry one of my adopted sons and if I do arrange that it might block my clan sister from becoming my godmother. I wish I could call her mother for she is mighty and loving but the look of shock on her face when my line and that of the brotherhoods and sisterhood of Cegorach is already linked is too good to pass up!"

I switched to voice whispers myself now.

"That sounds like a needlessly complicated situation with a lot of nonsense going on and that should not be my or my family's problem master, so I'll see if I can't convince mother and father to help with it, as I'm sure they'd love it even if I doubt they would move from one world to the another, as they will not abandon their home." I said and I giggled.

This sort of nonsense is too good to pass up! Besides sister deserves love and if Master's adopted sons are anything like their father then older sister is in good hands.

Master too giggled albeit it was a bit more subdued.

"I knew I chose right when I decided to take you as my apprentice, you're a man after my own heart, you and your father! Now come and let's keep to using our voices, as we're near the Orphanage and we shouldn't scare those inside. They've been through a lot and they don't deserve more of it."

~~~~~

I am 'First cut' and I have been here since the first stone of this city was put down for it is a young city still and its young still need me to guide.

One day it won't be so anymore, I will die where I stand.

One of the followers of my god-as-he-once-was is coming for me.

My god was once Master of despair, deception, planning, death and lies even if his domains were not as such, for that is what he gave the Eldar or any that caught his baleful glare. My own father told me when I was a boy and asked him of it and he inducted me into a secret organization that has killed more Eldar than have yet lived and that is not hyperbole for they will kill more in the future.

Now my god and his followers guard children, play pranks and help you remember what you forgot and I do not wish for it to change, but it is not up to me for I am a man of oaths and I have made an oath to my father that I will help my god become what he once was and I will protect those placed under my care.

And now one of the damned comes here to observe ritual, for the only thing my master-as-he-was and Master-as-he-is-now and their followers have in common is that they both protect children and thus must guard all Orphanages they can, for all of them are orphans and they owe it to them to help them.

It is one of the only two things admirable about them.

"So you've finally come. Here to peddle your trade?" I asked.

He was a young Eldar, sixty years old and I knew it for the Maton whispered it in our minds.

"Yes, this world is one where I will ply my trade."

I told the children to stay out of my office so we could talk in peace. I could feel how the eyes of the divine had been occluded now that he was here so it was safe to talk.

"How will the children survive?" I asked simply. Where one of these madmen goes worlds die, it was useless to ask him not to do something.

The man in front of me was blessed as a whisper of Khaine judging by his hair. He wore a holofield that made him seem to be wearing a a wraithbone armor and a white robe and I could not see his actual clothes

The most disturbing thing about him were the eyes, nobody this monstrous should have eyes so kind.

"An area to the north will flood harshly in the future, go there and beg for entry and safety from any you find there and be polite and you and the children and the other caretakers will be safe and protected. Ask for protection from the family of Caideam Caiir for the trip and tell them that Bessar Agail will owe them a favor if you do so. Ask my students to join you and tell them they will be repaying me for their training by doing so.

Do the same to those you meet there and you will be treated well. You owe me and mine nothing, this planet will not die but it will change if everything works well.."

I nodded at him, it was generous of him to let the planet remain in one piece, let alone offer me a chance to run to safety.

"You know I do not approve of your goal damned one." I said simply.

"I know and your father left me notes, I sent him a memory of you and he is proud and apologizes for tricking you and your sister into that oath. Also I do not care for your opinion on it nor hold it against you, you have earned the right to your opinion and my respect through 80.000 loyal years of service, I will not hold your scars against you."

I missed my father, missed him dearly and he disappeared so many years ago.

"I thank you for sending me my father's regards, I have a favor to ask."

"You have earned plenty so ask."

"In my weakness I've fallen in love and fathered a daughter, she is now one thousand years old and her mother is dead now, so please save her as well, her name is Saya-Abrisea and she is a siren and her kind took her to the south."

It was a shame to have a child and not be able to look after it, but I would not allow my daughter to be a slave or a pet to live. Better for her to be free and hunted than with me and in chains.

"Her people tried to see if half eldar parentage worked to change Maton definitions?" He asked kindly.

No such monster should ask something in such an understanding tone.

I nodded, I knew she and her people tricked me and that it won't work and I told her mother when she told me she was pregnant as such for I still loved both of them. She told me that they will try it anyway and even as I knew it would come It still hurt to see her hopes crushed. I would have joined them to offer them protection but I could not abandon my oaths.

They're the last thing I have of my family.

"I promise I will look after her if she lives and if I can find her and that I will search for her. Write a letter for her to verify my identity, I have another that needs to reach her people."

"I will." I said as I took a piece of paper and a pen and started writing.

That was the other admirable trait of theirs, Loyalty is always rewarded.

My god-as-he-is can't always do that but my god-as-he-was will do it or die trying, and he died for it.

"Do come north yourself as well, I might be able to bring her there as well and you'll have your family reunion.

"I will."

And I meant it, for I dearly wished to apologize for leaving her alone.

~~~~~~
"All promises fulfilled for loyalty is rewarded" I told myself as I left the Orphanage.

I have given some of my gun-swords to the orphanage, made sure that it is protected and gave a more compact life liquid synthesizer for the young that will help them feed themselves on their trek to safety.

"What does it mean master?" My second apprentice asked me as his blue eyes looked innocently at me.

"It is a tradition of my home to continue the legacy of our fathers by choosing a creed to follow and to keep us grounded as we go through life. My father and caretaker did the same before me and I am currently building mine still. Two of the first three words are the last of his for they spoke to me. The words themselves are a promise to myself that I will not be an oath breaker and that I will always reward those who stay true to their family."

"What was his?"

My apprentice has proven to me that the eldar of this world are not retarded, my godmother was just really good at making an environment where eldar decide to just not think in, for he quickly realized I like answering questions.

I enjoy telling people what I know and sharing it. It is strange indeed considering my occupation but it is just who I am in this life and despite all I had been through this did not change.

I personally blame the blessing of Khaine for making me like revealing my evil plans like a villain.

" 'Each swing a death, each death a prayer, each prayer a promise, each promise fulfilled.' I never understood what it meant but the last part spoke to me."

"I like it! Could I do the same?"

My apprentice continues to be adorable but the time for such things quickly ends. His apprenticeship to me will only last for one month at most, afterwards I will have to go and begin fortifying the world because the plans have changed again.

They've been changing too much and I don't like what it means. It means that too many things that were viable before aren't now.

I just hope the boy and his family do as I planned for them to do, otherwise they are doomed.

"Feel free to do it, but you're under no obligation to do so. Also we'll need to leave to the south for a small expedition, I have some letters to deliver, friends to make and hopefully eldar to kill, so go ask for permission from your parents to come with me as you will learn some valuable lessons during it."

Hopefully I'll be able to make him understand the most important lesson a blessed of Khaine needs to understand by the time his apprenticeship is over, and that your hate and ability for murder is fueled by the love of what you would lose if you did not do as you should.

So I'll play around a bit, give him and his family my favor and shower them with love, then they'll be able to act as part of the bulwark I'm crafting as the messages from my fellow Older Brothers and Older Sisters made it clear.

This planet must hold, for Salara-Sao's gambit has been turned from an interesting development to a necessity and we need the sirens to continue to live because my own has succeeded as well.

The heartbeats of the Dark Soul Pits can immunize us from the disease of Boredom as I have left some in the Orphanages on the world of a thousand name and it has been replicated and they are inheritable if both parents have them but do not carry over in clone vats.

Nobody else is in a position where we can play civilization, so now I must do so.

Because now The Followers of Hoeth wish to see if a seed world in the empire can turn back the tide and they wish for this world to be it and bear the front of a tantrum and a kick from Slaanesh to see if it holds and now its my job to make sure it does because if it does we no longer need the godkillers to go off and we can just bring down the Veil and let Khaine exterminate the diseased then we can rebuild from the ashes.

Now I must start an apocalypse and defend this world from Slaanesh at the same time and that's more difficult than my siblings and I plan of just throwing some stars in the webway and using them to sterilize huge swats of the Empire by flame. It's slower too, as I'll turn 100 years old on this world before I can leave as the warning I received was not to cause a bigger explosion but to prepare to suffer it going off in my face and I need time for that.

If this succeeds and the sirens do manage to resist the tantrum and I survive it, then they'll be given equal recognition in the Empire, and if it fails then the Followers of Hoeth only lose our youngest members.

AN:

Treasseiri Grian =an treas grian-èirigh→ the third sunrise

Saya-Abrisea=Sgian a' bhriseadh→ Shatter blade