The Empress Can't Communicate: Chapter 6 (Patreon)

We Need To Talk

As the fires flickering from yesterday's battle started to die down, dark clouds gathered overhead. With the shift in the air and wind picking up, Eon could feel it deep within his bones. Rain was upon them and Eon felt nothing but dread as the last dying light of the day was smothering by thick noxious clouds.

Having heeded Rem's advice, he had packed up for the journey. With a basket of tools and some provision, he was all but ready to go, yet the Empress had yet to come out. The gathering storm overhead also didn't bode well for such a journey.

From up his perch on the side of the mountain, he watched as darkness descended upon the village below. He was no stranger to storms, having lived with his fair share of wild weather in both lifetimes, but these clouds and their shimmering lights within were something else; Something far more sinister.

Like an ache he couldn't quite find, he felt something stir around him. Like the cries of some ancient monster, this cloud not only shook the very world itself with their thunder, but realms far beyond. Even down on his perch, he could smell the acrid scent of sulfuric acid and other poisons choking the clouds above.

With each echoing crash reverberating within him as wind howled around him, it felt like the very heavens would split open, yet there was a lull. For as much as lightning flashed overhead and dust devils raged across the plains, no drop would grace these barren lands.

The air was simply too dry for a rain shower, and such a mercy it was for them all, but he can never be too complacent. With the sea astir, he could never be sure how things might go.

Thanking Khaine for the small mercy, he turned his attention back to the settlement down below. With the scaffold over the cracked dome of the green house and the shattered remains of one of the generators still unfixed, things weren't looking great. The village had taken a far heavier blow than he had anticipated.

Still, for all the craters and how parts of it were now buried in rubble from the mountain, he could hear the soft whispers of hope in the wind. Eyes closed and with his mind opened, he felt the song not dominated by the discordant notes of despair, but that of laughter of joy.

Eyes opened once more, he watched as villagers gathered at the mouth of the shelters while they made soup. There were even a few new faces along with them, albeit in chains and under watch. With smiles and laughter in the air, anyone would be hard pressed to believe they were attacked, but here they were, making merry despite the gloom. Hope had yet to die, lighting up the souls of those who carried its fire within them.

Smiling softly, he whispered, "Hope huh? I think we could all use that right now." Basking at its warmth, he almost forgot how some of the same people that attacked them now joined the villagers. Frowning, he turned his attention to the raiders as they were fed and tended to.

Without their armors and weapons stripped, they didn't look so threatening now. They looked far more like stray kittens than battle hardened warriors. In fact, at a closer glance, he'd find most of them rather young, teenagers even.

A part of him was angered by this, that someone would use them for battle, before he tempered himself. This was a dead world and people often had little choices with their circumstances. "At least they'd be alive to figure out their wrongs," He whispered as he glanced towards the bodies impaled upon the parapets of the gate.

Not everyone could be afforded mercy. Some simply had to be made examples of given how much of a danger they pose or perhaps even as a show of mercy. It was cruel, but this was the rule of the wasteland. Such would be the fate of any raider; Death or Servitude.

Speaking off, he glanced back towards the prisoners as they were urged back to their feet. There was much work to be done in the village and fast. It might be a dog eat dog world out there, but even the lowliest of scum still had use.

Gazing back at the ruins of the dome, he frowned; Such waste. All that tech, resource and man power thrown at them and for what? "For your head of course," a traitorous voice at the back of his head whispered, "This attack wouldn't have happened in the first place if you weren't here. They were only here because of you."

Frowning, he turned away, grimacing as the sorceress's words echoed in his ears, "No, there's no place here for your kind." This attack wasn't merely done out of opportunity, but a target one. They wanted him gone, Inquest wanted him gone.

Whether it was because they knew who he was or if they detest him for what was is still up in the air. One thing was clear, however. He needed them gone after what they did. "And to think I gave them a lot of money," He thought wryly before he sighed out, "I really should have been a bit more careful making my cache."

In his haste, he hadn't put much thought on how his cache would affect those who would stumble upon them in the far future. There were failsafes of course, seals and guardians to make sure that cache would not be disturbed, but for this particular cache, it wasn't the cache that's causing the trouble, but rather the money he had poured to this particular company.

"Did I give them too much money?" He asked himself as he bit his thumb while he tried to remember the details of the transaction.

Money was not a foreign concept to the Eldari, but a thousand years of barter and favors had dulled his sense on that matter. He had just thrown whatever he could to ensure that this operation grew smoothly. That decision, however, has come biting him in the ass given how Inquest was behind the attack on the settlement.

In hindsight, he probably should have seen this coming given what the company specialized in as well as his literal foresight, but he didn't. "A logistics and storage company surviving the apocalypse," He mused in wry amusement, "Who would have thunk…"

"Maybe I should have picked another company," He mused, "But I needed Inquest because they were reliable and they were such good partners." With a dopey smile, he smiled fondly, "Wouldn't have gotten all those books without them."

Come to think it, they kinda acted like Amazon in a way. They handled his shipping, storage and even procurement of products all without him needing to be there; They were perfect. If things had just gone according to his vision. "Too bad my vision wasn't perfect," he grumbled.

Ok, maybe expecting that they didn't change once the apocalypse hit was a bit too much, but how was he supposed to know they'd turn to a player on the board? The Men of Iron was just simply too big, too chaotic, and with far too many variables.

"How the hell did they survive when even your toaster wants to kill you?" He grumbled as he massaged his aching forehead.

"Ok, maybe I'm looking at this wrong," He told himself as he breathed in deeply to clear his head. Given how they survived, there was a good chance that they still had his stuff which was good. At least the robots didn't get his cache. "Bad news is that can I even get my stuff?"

Ignoring the fact that they attacked him, was there even the slightest possibility that they remembered him? "I wonder if I could make them stop if they knew I was one of their customers," He frowned. It was a long shot, but it was one possible way to resolve this issue without having their parties expand resources that this world is already lacking.

Everyone was already having a bad enough time, no need to further complicate things. "Would they even have records of my transactions though?" He whispered. Several thousand years is already huge by human standards and it'd be a miracle if they do. It's not like they have some immortal employee who would remember everything.

Feeling the presence of the Empress inside her workshop, his frown deepened. "Nah, she would have already said it if she worked there," He shrugged. Still, a small part of him refused to quiet down. There was something he wasn't quite remembering, but that would have to wait for.

"If they don't have records though," He whispered before grimacing, "Maybe we have to deal with them the old fashion way." As much as he wanted to avoid bloodshed, violence seems to be the solution. They had to deal with them one way or the other.

Resting his hands on his baskets and feeling the roughly shaped bone beneath his palm, he sighed. "They have my cache." There was no getting away from that fact. No matter how they would deal with them, the fact that they have his cache was a problem.

Right now, they haven't accessed it; He was sure of it. If they did, they would have already used it. He would have felt it in their blows, but they didn't. That powerful sorceress they encountered was merely empowered by a lot of other Psykers. He knew of a few human technologies that could produce such power without the need of Wraith bone.

The possibility, however, still lingered. Wraithbone was a powerful amplifier, being so attuned to the warp due to its origins and as finicky as it was to handle, even a human could use it. Bonesinging wasn't the only way to shape Wraithbone after all.

As crude as it was, cutting it was possible. "And if that sorceress and that psychic choir of hers gets a hold of it," He frowned, "Who knows what they could do." The amplification alone could help them flatten cities. "Or invite unwanted guests."

Given what was at stake, he couldn't let them keep it. "But do we really need to get to the cache?" He thought to himself.

Yes, having them access the cache would be terrible, but could they even do it? From how things were, it seems his failsafe was holding and that wasn't changing anytime soon. They had a thousand years to crack it, so why couldn't they?

What he had stored inside, as minor of a cache it was, would still be quite the haul for any would-be wasteland warlord. Heck, even using it as a material for a sword would make them quite the coveted tools given how it repairs itself, and he made no attempt to hide what was inside. Inquest should have known what's inside, yet they have yet to access it.

It simply just doesn't make sense not to use it given how far things had fallen for everyone in Terra. "Ok, it seems like we have time," He sighed out in relief. As terrible things were, things could have been a lot worse.

As pressing as matters were, they could ease up. "Do we even need to go there now?" He questioned himself. Sure it was a problem, but it was a far one. Right now, he had more pressing and more tangible ones to deal with. Turning back towards the village, he whispered, "Can you really abandon them now when they need help the most?"

The village was not going to survive if they leave now. Without them, who would defend them? Shaking his head, he let out a weary sigh, "No, I… we can't leave them right now." It was simply far too risky. Yes, he was risking a lot, but he just couldn't risk their lives in turn. Could he really be faulted for caring too much? "We… we have time," He assured himself.

While his heart remained conflicted, he wouldn't be given time to meditate as he felt something hot drop against his forearm. Watching the clear drop sizzle and steam away, he sighed. "It's going to rain soon huh?"

Seeing the villagers scatter and the elders herding the prisoners to a shelter of their own (one which was far away from the main shelter), he forced himself back to his feet. "I really wouldn't want to get caught in that," He said out loud. The metallic taste he picked up in the wind was already bad enough, but those were the least of his worries.

Turning around, he headed towards Rem's Workshop, pushing aside the heavy fabric as he slipped inside. "Rem!" He called out as he stepped inside the sweltering forge which was Rem's home. "I know you hate it when I barge in, but we need to talk." It had been quite some time that he had last stepped inside, but it was just as darky and dusty as he remembered it.

Brushing his hand across her tools, he caught glimpses of memories as they were made to craft wonders away from prying eyes. With their marks and dents, he saw how she had used them to create her future, but these tools now ran cold. Their time with her now but brief instances as they now rested, waiting for their time to be used once more.

"She hadn't used these in a while, huh?" He noted before looking around and finding not a trace of her around. The forge was cold while her tools lay untouched. Where was she? Did she leave without him? As he fumed, he noticed a glow emanating from what looked like a hatch.

"Haven't seen that one before" He whispered as he knelt down before the scent of smoke filtered up his nose. "Is she working on something?" He whispered as he opened the hatch and found a ladder descending down to a bright light.

Shielding his eyes, he peered inside, letting his eyes adjust to the light with the slightest nudge to his lens until he saw the roughly hewn passageway. It was deep alright, reaching down several stories down into solid bedrock. "Talk about overkill."

He knew the girl kept some secrets around, given how much stuff she hauled inside her relatively small cave, but this was the first time he ever had such suspicion confirmed. Shielding his eyes from the glow, he hesitated.

Annoying her was one thing, but checking out her secret room was another. For all he knew, she could be down there taking a bath. She must have hidden her shower somewhere inside since she doesn't use the communal bath.

As thunder echoed outside and the wind picked up, enough that he knew that the gale would tear the panel from the dome, he made his decision. Grabbing the railing, he slid down, descending into the depths.

"I really should get Rem to make things more for my size," He muttered as rough stone rubbed against his back while the ladder creaked under his weight. It was a tight fit, but it would only be a brief struggle as the craggy walls slowly gave way to smoother, finally carved rocks

Finally, after what felt like forever, he found himself inside a fully furnished room complete with a bed, paintings, sculptures and rows upon rows of books lining the wall. This wasn't hidden forge, but her room. "So this is where he sleeps?" He whispered, taking note on how

Tearing his eyes away from a richly decorated amphora which depicted a golden youth facing a three headed hydra, he turned to the source of the light in the middle of the room. There, he'd find a great fire and tending to it as it raged inside the firepit was Rem.

"Rem?" He called out, before letting out a sigh of relief, "Oh thank Khaine I found you." Chuckling, he added, "For a second there it thought you ran off on your own." He wouldn't be surprised if she had done so given her temperament, but thankfully she didn't.

Grabbing a nearby stool, he plopped down beside her before he sighed, "Kidding aside, we need to talk." Resting his elbows on his thighs and staring into the fire as well, he frowned, "The generators fucked so the most of the homes would be without lights while the old glasshouse needs another roof and that's just only the big ones."

From the landslide that needed to be cleared along with the homes needing to be rebuilt, the problem piled on. "We're knee deep in shit to fix and it's not even Monday yet," He grumbled as he ran his hand across his pink locks, "The point I'm trying to make here is that I don't think it's a good idea to leave right now. I'm not even sure we could leave at this point."

The damages were far too and far too extensive. Even with the new set of hands to help along, it'd still take them quite some time "I think we need to call off our search for Inquest until we could sort things out" He told her. "At least until we could get things in order." They still needed to deal with Inquest eventually.

As he waited for an answer, he would be met with silence. He expected an annoyed grunt, or maybe even a glare, but Rem would do neither. Remaining impassive, she stared unblinking into the fire, not even bothering to acknowledge his presence. "Rem, can you take this a little bit more seriously?" He hissed as a hint of annoyance slipped through his tone.

Just as he was about to sit up and leave, he noticed a small flicker of gold inside the fire. It was brief, more like an ember, but it was there; a small hint of power. Power stirred within the fire, fed by the light of the Anathem. "Of course she can't hear me," He sighed.

He was no stranger to seeing her focused on her work, but this was far different. Unmoving, with barely a rise from her chest, her entire focus was devoted to this flame. "Let's see what we got here," he whispered as he joined her.

To the untrained eye, this was nothing more than a simple fire, one made to warm one's home. With his eyes, he saw the path before him. Taking a deep breath, he steeled himself before taking the plunge.

Opening his mind, fire quickly consumed his world until all that there was was the blaze of the inferno. It was blinding, with his soul feeling like it was plunged into hell fire, but he saw it. He was infinity and nothing at all.

"Sigil… Fotresss… Last of us… Protect her… Don't falter…" A thousand voices screamed as a countless futures opened up before him. His collar was his only reprieve as its cool calming presence calmed the raging fire.

Slowly, the raging torrent came into focus. He saw mountains which reached far into the heavens, of armies that fought on the roof of the world, and a lone woman tending to records hidden beneath the earth. He saw her.

His victory, however, would be short-lived as the woman turned. With ice cold eyes, power raged around her as the shadows answered her call. As he had found her, she found him. "Eldari!"

With a hasty retreat, he pulled back, pushing himself away as the fire gave way to shadow. Chasing after him, nipping away at his heels, the shadows bayed for his blood until they faded away as his eyes opened once again.

Gasping for air, he doubled over and retched over the smoldering embers of the great fire. "I really shouldn't have slacked off in Divination," He panted as he wiped his lips, waving away the remains of his lunch into unreality.

"Knowing the future can be a curse so best your senses remain dull to it," Rem whispered, having changed from her usual tunic to a more ragged set of clothes; One made with the the blazing heat of the desert sun and the biting cold of its evening, "I envy your ignorance."

Mouth hanging open, he shut them close as he shook his head. "Another time, Eon. Another time." Doing his best to ignore how her robes wrapped gently around her curves, he asked, "Was that the Sorceress?"

"Finding her again was harder than I had anticipated," She replied as she grabbed herself a pack before she started filling, "but your uninvited entrance made for quite the distraction. I shall forgive you transgression for now." Tossing it over, she added, "Here, take this." Glancing down at his basket, she noted, "You will need this for your travel."

Catching the bag, he frowned before the familiar weight of the collar reminded him why they can't quite teleport to the location. "I'll probably explode or something," He noted wryly, given how this thing served as much of an anchor as it was a restraint. "I really have to remember I have this," He told himself as he opened the bag and found it bigger inside.

"A bag of holding? Wait, no, a bag that folds space to create a far bigger packet inside." It was essentially the same thing, but what he held was a wonder from the Dark Ages of Technology. "Wait, I'm getting a bit distracted here," He grumbled as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Distraction would do you no good," Rem scolded him as she grabbed another pack for herself. "I need you to clear your mind for our journey especially with such a crafty enemy." Staring deep into his eyes, he warned him, "Never listen to the words of those sorceresses, you hear me?"

"I know, I know," He replied, "But that's not important right now. We need to talk." His words, however, would be ignored as the Empress continued packing her things.

"We'll leave once the storm clears," She told him, "Preferrably before the sun is overcast so we might rest beneath the shadow of one of the many ships literalling the mountains of Anatolia." Stuffing the last of her stuff inside the bag, she tossed it over to him as well.

"Hold this for me" She commanded as she went over to one of the book shelves, reaching far up the upper row, "I need to get a map."

Massaging his aching forehead, he called out once more, "Rem." She wasn't going to listen to him, was she? And just as he suspected, she refused to acknowledge his request as she grabbed a roll of velum which she brought over to a nearby table.

Spreading it out in one swift motion, revealing the exquisitely drawn map of the world. It was already impressive enough on its own, but the real cherry on top was the hologram that layered atop it, showing factions and important buildings and landmarks in three dimensions.

"She should be here," said the girl as she tapped her finger over the Himalaya before she traced a path over to Anatolia. "Down the Red Valley, Across the Gate of Tears and over the great waste of Ind, before finally reaching our destination."

Folding her arms behind her back, she asked, "So, any questions?"

Staring back, he replied, "Rem, I'm not going. In fact, I think neither of us should go."

This had the girl frowning as she stared at him with a look of confusion and frustration. Eye's narrowed, she asked, "Did the Sorceress whisper to your ears?"

"No," He answered, unflinching as a spark of annoyance filled his tone.

"Then why?" She asked back, her frown further deepening.

Gritting his teeth, he snapped back, "Why?" He almost wanted to laugh, but the part of that rage tempered his heart as he reminded her, "If you haven't forgotten, we were just attacked." It's as if she didn't even care as she merely blinked back, infuriating him even more.

"Were there casualties?" She asked casually, making him balk.

"No, but-!" He relented before the woman cut him off with a harsh glare, silencing him.

"There's no problem then," She replied casually, "They can always rebuild. They have dealt with this before." He always knew that she was cold, that she prioritized the many over the few, and he could understand that, but this was a bit too much.

"Are you even listening to yourself, Rem!" He snapped back as the part of him which rage boiled over, "Some of these people just lost their homes. Have some decency to at least feel bad about it." To lose a loved one might be harsher, but to lose one's home was still a tragedy.

Rem merely doubled down as she hissed, "You're not thinking straight." Slamming her hands on the map, she pointed out, "Their needs can be met at a later time, but Inquest? Inquest needs to be dealt with especially given how they have access to your cache!"

"A cache they haven't even opened in over several thousands of years," He pointed out.

"The point still stands," She gritted out. "We leave once the storm clears."

"No," He refused. "We are needed here." Crossing his arms, he asked, "What's a few more weeks?" It wasn't like that woman could send another army so soon. She would be definitely reeling from the loss of so much tech.

Still, Rem had dug her heels and he soon found himself at an impasse with her. Someone had to give, and it wouldn't be him. As frustration mounted, Rem's features softened. "You care about them…" She whispered.

"Of course I care about them," he replied, "They're people. They matter." It was illogical putting the needs of a few over the many, but he knew them. He could see them, he could talk to them, he lived with them. "They're people…and they mattered just as much as everyone else." If he couldn't care for a few, then how could he care for the many?

Sighing, the Empress turned away. "I knew your bleeding heart would make things hard," She whispered before she reached out for a certain book, "But rest assured, I care for them just as much as you do. They are my flock, and I am a shepard."

As she pulled the book, the ground rumbled. Grabbing the nearby table to steady his feet, he saw the walls part and creak revealing another corridor "Come," She beckoned as soon as things settled down, "I wish to show you something."

Frowning, he nodded as he followed suite, trailing behind her as they walked into the dark corridor. With metal rattling beneath their steps, Eon soon found himself over a dark abyss, one that one lone pathway hung precariously over. "Have you just been digging all this time?"

Turning his head from side to side, he'd find the darkness stretching on for what felt like forever. Whatever this cavern was, it was big, big enough that even several Wraith Titans could stand one on top of another and there would still be room.

Speaking off, he found a strange humanoid shape deep below, "Wait, that can't be… can it?" He whispered as a flash of recognition sparked in his mind. She surely wouldn't have spent all her time building that?

The coy smile on her lips, however, told otherwise. "I have a lot of incomplete projects." She replied enigmatically, "But if you really have to ask, they're merely empty shells or husks which need proper cladding."

Nodding, he asked, "Why are you showing me this…"
As the walkway finally ended, revealing a dimly lit door before them, she answered, "To show you that I came prepared and that those under my aegis would not be without guardians." With the door unlocked, Eon found himself shivering at the blast of cold air that followed.

Stepping inside the dimly lit room, he found himself inside a lab, one frosted over by cold and dominated by several gigantic cylinders.

Running her hand over the light coating of frost, she wiped them away revealing a panel along with the glass which it was attached to. "Behold, my greatest creation," She whispered with barely held glee, "They of the finest stock, remade to achieve perfection."

"Tireless, unwavering and loyal," She declared as the tube opened, "They are my heralds, my guardians, my custodians, and my tools." As the giant stirred away and their eyes burnt with a golden light, the Empress asked, "Do you see now that I have come prepared?"

Gawking at the sight, Eon was rendered speechless before a single thought came through, "You know… you really should have just said that you have this handled." Opening her mouth to argue, he reminded her, "And no, you just insisted we go."

Shaking his head as the woman's face burnt, he muttered, "We really need to work on your communication skills…" It'll definitely bite him in the ass in the future. He just knew it.

A/N:

Sorry for the big delay. Something came up IRL (Just some stuff I needed to do for some government stuff) and... I might be addicted to Hollow Knight. Good news is that the IRL stuff are over for now and there would probably a Hollow Knight story in the future. Blame Hornet and his stupid sexy stick body :V