The Simulacrum - Chapter 123 - Part 1 (Patreon)

As our tour of the settlement came to an unceremonious end, we relaxedly made our way back to the tower at the head of our unnecessarily large processions of guards. I rationally knew why they thought this was necessary; they were keeping a close eye on us because everyone was still afraid of Bel and his mysterious ability to freely invade the Elysium. Of course, I also knew that it was a moot concern, and it made all the mother henning all the more tiresome.

"Why do we have to walk?" Angie moaned by my side, tugging on my elbow.

"We discussed this already," I whispered back, but she remained fussy.

"But we are, you know, the Archons? Why do we care about those flight laws? Who's going to stop us? And my legs hurt."

Restraining the urge to roll my eyes, I leaned closer to her and whispered directly into her ear.

"Not all of us can fly here, you know?"

She blinked in surprise, but then she glanced at Rinne with a knowing glint in her eyes and let out a soft 'Oh'. I very nearly asked her why she was singling her out when she knew full well that I couldn't fly either, but considering the curious looks the guards were giving us, I refrained from leaning over again. The last thing I needed right now was weird rumours to start circulating in the Elysium. Not that I would've been surprised if they sprung up on their own anyway, but I didn't want to help the process. Even if I knew nothing of the Narrative and all the potential developments of the Angie Route, shipping Polemos and Deus under these circumstances made almost too much sense, and I didn't like it at all.

"I'll probably have to make some kind of public announcement to torpedo this whole thing while it's still in the dock…"

"Hm? What did you say?"

"Nothing."

After dismissing Angie like that, I levelled my eyes at the gardens directly surrounding the tower. Or rather, the second half of our nosy Praetorian Guards standing by the large marble arches leading to them, along with two familiar faces.

Sighing, I led our group towards them, and the men at the front came forward to meet us halfway.

"I welcome you, O Glorious Archons," Tsephanyah greeted us with a humble bow, and the man standing by his side awkwardly followed his example, though without any words.

"You've already met Director Tsephanyah," I said flatly, addressing Angie and Josh before gesturing to the uniformed man. "He's Primus Kane, the head of the Seraphic Safeguard."

"Really? Wow! I've heard a lot about the Seraphic Safeguard, but I never expected to meet one of them in person!" Angie exclaimed with sparkling eyes, only to rapidly tone it back and place a contemplative finger on her lower lips. "Now that I think about it, I never expected to meet a director either. Or to come to Elysium. … Or to become Deus." Pausing, she raised a pair of uncertain eyes at me. "Should I be less impressed? You know, to seem more dignified and stuff?"

"I think that boat already sailed," I quipped with just a hint of a smirk, and for some reason that caused everyone's eyes to open wide in shock and disbelief.

"Hey! I can be dignified if I want to!"

"Yes, you sure can." I forced my voice to be flat again, to avoid any misunderstandings, and gestured at Kane one more time. "For the record, he's also Michael's father."

"Wait! You mean, his dad father?" That was a pretty redundant way to ask, but I nodded anyway, and her eyes lit up at once. "Oh, wow! Mike told me his dad was a big shot, but I thought he was just bragging, like usual! Nice to meet you, uncle!"

"Un… cle?"

The Primus was startled silly by her sudden address, but she didn't mind at all and barrelled onward.

"Isn't that right? I mean, Mike is my cousin, at least on Critias, and on paper, and… Actually, now that I think about it, our connection is a little loose, but it still makes you my uncle, right?"

For some reason, Kane was looking at me for help, and I had to think for a moment to decide how to respond. After all, he was one of the few people who decided to support me on his own accord in the Elysium, which made him… maybe not a friend, but an ally of convenience. Being Deus's 'uncle' would undoubtedly bolster his station and make him harder to dislodge, so…

"That sounds correct to me."

While Angie let out a satisfied giggle in response to my words, Kane remained stunned, unable to fully process the situation. Ignoring him, I turned to Tsephanyah.

"What's the state of affairs in the tower?"

"There was a small commotion upon the staff discovering your empty quarters, but I suspected something of this nature would occur, and we quickly restored order. I'm pleased to see my predictions were correct, and you were indeed touring the fields of our Malakim brothers."

"That, we did," I confirmed, and Angie apparently found my Polemos act funny, as she barely managed to stifle a chuckle.

"If I may be so brazen, may I ask what Deus, hallowed be her name, thought of the underprivileged conditions of the Malakim?"

That was leading language if I'd ever heard any. Angie, unprepared for the directness of the question, was startled for a moment and stepped closer to me, as if trying to hide behind my back.

"It was… unexpected, and a little saddening."

"As I suspected. The great Deus, sacred be her name, would naturally perceive the unjust nature of…"

The man swiftly launched into a speech, but I couldn't pay attention to him, as Josh patted me on the shoulder to get my attention, much to the displeasure of the surrounding Praetorian Guards. When I leaned over, he whispered to me, barely audible through the helmet.

"Dude. Can you do something about these guys? They are still staring at me like a bunch of sharks. And I'm the raw meat in the water."

"Can't really help you much there." I glanced around, and while they behaved themselves when my eyes were on them, I could still feel a faint hint of hostility directed at Josh. "On paper, they are the most elite honour guards of the Elysium, and they probably thought they would now be guarding Deus. Of course they would be mad at some unknown, untested guy taking their job."

"Then why aren't they mad at Ms. Yamako?"

"That's because I had her beat them into submission on the first day."

"What?" While he didn't move his head, I had a feeling Josh was nervously glancing around under his faceplate. "You can't expect me to beat these guys!"

"They're not that strong," I whispered back, and the guy barely held down a groan before hissing back.

"I told you already! Your power gauge is way out of whack! And I'm stuck as a Celestial, too! You know it's my weakest form!"

As much as he complained, I was sure he would do well, so I gave him a reassuring smile and patted him on the shoulder.

"Just do your best."

In retrospect, acting this friendly with him might've poured more oil onto the fire, but as usual, I was bad with accounting for hindsight. In the meantime, Angie moved forward and she was already heatedly talking with Tsephanyah.

"Right! And what is this whole thing about wings being prohibited? It's stupid!"

"Indeed, it is a rather old and meaningless law kept in place by the Orthodoxy's blind adherence to the words of Deus, may he, she, reign eternally."

"Well, now I say it's stupid, so let's get rid of it!"

"If you command, I shall put the Bureau of Internal Affairs to work and we shall revoke the old law."

"One thing at a time," I cut in between the two before the blonde director could fire her up any further. "Let's move first, and then we can discuss which laws to replace later."

"As you wish," Tsephanyah relented rather quickly, though the way the corner of his eye was twitching told me he wasn't entirely happy about my interruption. I didn't give much of a damn though, and as I pushed forward, the remaining Praetorian Guards joined their comrades and formed a loose circle around us.

After some back-and-forth, Josh linked up with Angie again while sticking close to Rinne, probably for a sense of security, while I gestured for Tsephanyah and Kane to form up with me while we walked towards the main entrance of the tower. Using the opportunity, I also put a bit of a distance between us and the rest of the group, so that we could talk a little more freely.

"Any movements from Savir or Mensah?" I asked, and both men were troubled for a moment.

"I talked with Dolion, but he was still perturbed by the sudden and inexplicable return of Deus, hallowed be her name. As for movements, I can't say anything for certain yet, but considering the degree by which he was focused on your involvement with Bel of the Abyss, I doubt he would offer us an olive branch any time soon," Tsephanyah answered, and as much as he tried to stay polite, his body language betrayed that even he didn't approve of the Bel thing as a whole.

Neither did Kane, as his eyes narrowed into displeased slits and he spoke in a low voice.

"I've heard the rumors, but… did you truly conspire with the Abyssal?"

"Conspire is a strong word," I answered flatly. "When a useful tool presents itself, it's the height of foolishness to ignore it."

"But was it worth the cost?" Kane pressed on in a rare display of stubbornness. "It's a blemish on your reputation, and going forward, it may become a critical weakness for others to grasp."

"And all of that, just to contact the Draconic Federation," Tsephanyah added on with palpable distaste, and I figured it was as good a spot as any to put my feet down.

"Do not question me, Director," I warned him in a growl, and let the tension stew for a while before easing it up with a more level, "I know that you have overheard my discussion with Savir the other day, but let me state it again: my plate is much bigger than yours. The peace of prosperity of the Elysium is but a small component of my vision, and I deemed that the benefits of maintaining the stability of the Draconic Federation outweighed whatever impact the method would leave on my 'reputation'. My affairs are my own, and so are their consequences. Focus your attention elsewhere."

The two Celestial bigwigs glanced at Angie in unison, but then hastily averted their gazes, as if afraid. It didn't last long though, as Tsephanyah soon cleared his throat.

"As you command, O Archon. As for the answer to the second half of your previous inquiry, I know little of what Eris is planning at the moment. I have my men keep an eye on her movements, but she is currently in the Grand Archives. I have no hooks in the Cult of Deus, and therefore I can't say for certain what she's doing in there."

In other words, it was a place only the members of the 'Cult of Deus' could enter, and he had none of those on his payroll. But speaking of which, this reminded me of something that's been bothering me a bit. The Second True Archon was a pretty important figure in Celestial history, but he wasn't deified the same way Deus was. I still received lots of adulation, but I had a feeling a lot of it was arranged by Savir, including all the attempts to organize those stupid parades, just to entrench Polemos in the hearts and minds of the Elysium before Deus would return.

I had to wonder; now that Deus was back, in the guise of Angie of all people, how would the Celestials who grew up indoctrinated into his worship react? As it turned out, I didn't have to wait long to learn that.

The moment we entered the main hall of the tower, we met a wall of sound. It was a cacophony of cheers mixed with exulted screams, underscored by bellowed chants and the sound of trumpets barely audible under the voices of hundreds of Celestials shouting their lungs out. It was a mess, and the rose petals raining on us didn't help my mood one bit.

"We were short on time, but the Directorate voted that a reception was in order, so…" Tsephanyah said, his voice barely audible under the waves of voices.

All around us, there were Celestials barely held back by the volunteer guards creating a cordon with their own bodies. Some of the people in the crowd looked like they were about to have a seizure, like a hysterical teenage girl meeting the Beatles back in their heyday. Others were on their knees, praying, while yet others were waving their hands, hoping that their idol would spare a single glance at them. It wasn't hard to figure out who it was either, as the only comprehensible words that could be made out over the discord was a rhythmic chant of 'De-us, De-us, De-us!', almost like something you'd hear at a soccer game at the team's home stadium.

Thank god the Celestials haven't invented vuvuzelas.

Compared to my reception, this was way too over the top, and I wasn't exactly a fan of it. Neither was Angie, who was practically hiding behind my back while holding onto Josh's hand, an act that earned the guy another round of prickly glares from the surrounding Praetorian Guards. But speaking of which, my eyes skimmed over the surroundings, and quickly found armour guy a little to our left.

"She doesn't like this," I told him, though I wasn't sure he could hear me. "Do your job and get us out of here."

He was apparently good at reading lips, because he immediately saluted and started ordering the guards around, both the honour- and the regular variety, and before long, they created a corridor through the crowd. Without further ado, I led our little group through. It was only when I got closer that I started to recognize a lot of the faces among the masses. Most of them were part of the Directorate, and some of them were even there when I first arrived at the Elysium. Comparing their dignified bearing from back then to the crazed look in their eyes at the moment once again reinforced the difference between the importance of Polemos and Deus. I would've been lying if I said it didn't irk me a little bit, though I couldn't exactly say why.

Anyhow, it was only once we left the main hall and were led down familiar corridors that I recognized that armour guy was taking us to the barracks. Did he think I wanted to go there, or did he decide to lead us there of his own volition? In either case, the throng of Deus zealots already closed up behind us, so going back to the main hall was out of the question.

Before long, we arrived at the training grounds, where Jaakobah was already busy instructing a bunch of regular volunteer guards around. His eyes opened a fraction wider when he noticed our arrival, and he walked over to us with unhurried steps.

"Welcome back, Lord Polemos, and…" He hesitated for a moment but then gave a bow to the girl still sticking to my back. "And I greet the Almighty Deus, the Star of Elysium."

"I'm… not that almighty…" Angie muttered in a daze, still rattled after our encounter with her rabid fanbase. I couldn't exactly fault her.

"We'll secure the perimeter and ensure a passage to the main elevator shortly. I recommend you rest up, and…" Jaakobah paused and glanced at Josh. He was no longer holding Angie's hand, but he was still sticking close to her, and after looking him over from head to toe, the phlegmatic man raised an unimpressed brow. "Is he the new Arbiter I've heard about?"

"News travels fast today," I grumbled, but my words by overwhelmed by Angie butting in.

"Justicar!"

"Is that his official position?" Kane interjected next, and while on the surface he was calm, I could tell he was also a bit unbalanced by the undignified display of his fellow Celestials just now.

"Does he still act as His… Her Grace Deus's somatophylax?" Jaakobah inquired, sounding as if that was the most important thing to discuss under the circumstances.

Before I could get a word in though, Rinne nodded, along with a soft grunt to draw everyone's attention, much to Josh's confusion. I couldn't blame him; even though we discussed his role and disguise beforehand, we never explained this 'somatophylax' thing to him, mainly because I wasn't entirely sure what it meant either. In any case, Jaakobah solemnly nodded, and gestured for the eight Praetorian Guards to come over.

"I understand. While you wait and rest, the Praetorian Guard requests permission to challenge the Justicar." He paused for a split second, and then he addressed Angie again. "It is one of the few traditions of the Praetorian Guard. I hope Her Grace has no objections. One claiming to be Her Grace's somatophylax should have no trouble proving his qualifications this way."

Rinne nodded once again, and while Josh didn't speak up, I could practically hear him screaming 'Dude! Why isn't anyone asking me!?'

"Well, if it's tradition, then I guess it's okay…" Angie muttered, apparently not entirely clear on what Jaakobah was talking about, sealing Josh's fate in the process. Or, if I wanted to be a bit less dramatic, ushering in the inevitable.

Wishing him good luck, I patted my friend on the shoulder and leaned closer to whisper, "If all else fails, remember Rick Astley," and left him to fend for himself. Some might've said I left him to the wolves, but if you asked me, I was just practising the momma-bird school of child-care. He was a big boy. It was time for him to learn how to fly on his own and properly establish himself.