114 The Party
Night of the Party,
The party started with a bang as members of the Astra Militarum display their capabilities and weapons of war. After the performance and machines flying over the sky, the member of the Mechanicus plugs a few wires and brightens the entire fortress and the city itself.
Many political delegations and nobles were blown away by the lights while few were frightened by the sheer power and ability. Members of dwarfs diplomats possess similar technology but compare to Mechanicus, the difference is massive.
Many human diplomats from different nations changed their minds the moment they saw the military power of the Astra Militarum. At first, their objective was to take advantage or see what kind of faction Terranovis will be as Legellan lost their reputation and status after losing the war with Alderim. Now, seeing the potential and possibly a powerful ally, all of the diplomats are eager to meet William who isn't a king but a leader of the entire nation as its master.
For the Elf delegation, the power of the machines impressed them but in the matter of power source. Talking to the Magos of the Mechanicus, the power source itself is advanced beyond the Elf representative's understanding and beyond magic itself. In the end, the idea of trading pieces of knowledge didn't work out as Mechanicus didn't use magic and Elfs doesn't have the level of forges or machinery.
After the display of the Astra Militarum and Mechanicus, everyone was escorted inside to enjoy the refreshments and given a moment to talk among each other. Of course, Crown Prince Benton present himself with other foreign nobles and royals as a personal friend of William. Because William is known only through rumors and stories through bards' music, many from far lands don't know or fully understand William's accomplishments. For this reason, Crown Prince gathered a quite large number of people who wants to know about William before meeting him in person.
For the past few days, William had meetings with various people from nation to nation as well as royals. But due to limited time and a large number of people, many didn't get to see him in person. Those who didn't meet him in person only know how he looks thanks to the portraits which many assume is an exaggeration due to the unbelievable tale it tells through painting.
A few minutes later, the announcer of the party stomps the golden staff three times on the marble floor to gather everyone's attention. The loud but clear banging of the golden staff immediately got everyone's attention as it was a signal of most importance. William's royal entry to the party.
"Ladies and gentlemen of the highest position, may I present the Chapter Master of the Blacksouls, the Knight Lord of the Metal, and the God Emperor of Mankind's Chosen. Chapter Master William Nullinanis. With him, the Lioness of Argus, The Living Saint of the God-Emperor, and the living symbol of the Sisters of Battle, St. Rana Bassilo Beckett." With a booming voice, the golden doors opened wide from the second floor and two giant beings of great power entered the ballroom.
Wearing a golden and red dress, Rana entered the room with her right hand around William's left hand. Her beauty caught the attention at first glance as her elegance and beauty shone throughout the entire room (Also having a golden halo helps). Aside from her enchanting beauty, her physical appearance also matched Rana's face as her tone muscle and height gave an aura of power with a mix of female warrior charm.
Walking next to Rana, William also entered the room with his formal clothes tailored for his size. On his is the power sword he received from his first captain who personally forged the sword in the honor of William and his position as the Chapter Master. Unlike his previous sword which was Black Templar's black sword, this one was forged by the former member of the Salamanders and crafted at the end with STC technology. The sword was given a name after the great fire drake, Novros the Hearth of the Fire.
The sword wasn't the only thing William received. Each captain of the former chapter gifted William with their own respected chapters of the old.
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The first captain (Former Salamanders) gifted William the power sword that burns red when activated.
The second captain (Former Imperial Fists) gave a golden crown that generates a temporary power shield to protect William from ambush.
The third captain (Former Blood Angels) gave a belt with three rubies made from slain hydra hide.
The fourth captain (Former Ultramarines) gave William the ring made out of the blue sapphire that has an emblem of the Blacksouls. The ring can generate a short-range pulse that can knock out hostile unconscious as well as machines.
The fifth captain (Former Space Wolves) gave Viking-style fur cape using a slain beast from the New World. The cape gives protection from the elements and is tough enough to withstand standard weapons such as blades.
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William's height and size above everyone else intimidated every guest as they didn't expect him to be so tall and big. William's hand is big enough to lift a full-grown man and he is strong enough to rip a man in half with sheer strength.
The aura he gives off is also different from Rana as his presence is something else. Due to his blank ability, William can make people uncomfortable but thanks to his mastery, he has total control. Because of this, people around William sense nothingness and sometimes lose track of his very presence.
Think of someone who suddenly appears and the moment you see that person, you are caught off guard and surprised. That is William if he wanted to be and this became a problem if he felt wanting to prank people including Astartes and Sisters of Battle. It came to a point where the captain of the honor guard wanted to put a bell on William's belt so they can track him without putting a tracker.
Thanks to Rana, William received full attention as he walk down the stairs. When the two finally reached the end, William spoke with the voice of authority in a moderate tone to welcome the guests.
"I welcome you all to Terranovis. As you may know, my name is William the Chapter Master of the Legion of the Blacksouls and I hope we can establish a friendship tonight that could benefit everyone in the future. Now, please enjoy your night, and please be respectful to others." William said to everyone and node to head servant. The head servant with a golden staff bangs the floor twice and doors on the first floor open to direct the massive dining hall.
Leading the crowd, William and Rana took the main table of the dining hall and servants directed the guest where to sit and pour drinks. When everyone took their seats, a small army of servants deliver plates of food with fine wine. Besides the main dish, the tables have other foods so guests can enjoy them to their fullest.
The party continues and the guests got to taste what Imperium finest got to offer including entertainment. While enjoying the dinner, the guest got to see the combat demonstration from the Astartes from a different company, and a musical performance from the Sisters of Battle.
By the time dinner is finished, the doors to the ballroom open once again and welcome the guests back with musical notes performed by the famous bard from the guild. The leading bard in his fancy clothes sang and played lute while a small orchestra follow the lead to boost the music.
"Oh my, it seems the party is just starting." One of the royal family members from the coast nation said to himself as he enter the ballroom.
"Yes. In a short time, they managed to change the entire room with a stage, chairs, and tables for us to enjoy." King from the dessert tribe nation said and grab a drink from the walking servant who is carrying a tray of drinks. With a number of guests returning back to the ballroom, the night continues as a number of people finally get an opportunity to talk to William and Rana.
With a number of people wanting to talk to William, the lines began to start that resemble something similar to meeting with Santa on holiday. William did his best but night suddenly stopped when a lady from Alderim, Lady Gabriella Van Shaw approached William and Rana.
"What a wonderful night you are hosting tonight. My Lord and my lady, I do have something you must hear." Lady Shaw presents a small metal box to William and presses a button that plays a recorded message loud and clear. For an unknown mechanism, the metal box hacked the entire vox communicator and broadcast the message beyond the ballroom.
As the message played in front of William, Rana, and everyone to hear, every member of the senior Imperial Guardsmen, Astartes of the Blacksouls, and Sisters of Battle heard as well.
"By the Emperor's throne!" Sister Superior who heard the entire recording said without realizing it and left the monastery moment later with an army of sisters behind her. Fully equipped with power armor and weapons on their hands.
At the same time, an Alpha Legion Space Marine makes his move after receiving the signal from the metal device he gave to Gabriella. With a smile on his face, his power armor began to turn invisible, and a second later, Alpha Legion disappeared entirely as not even the sound of his footstep can be heard.
