V3 Chapter 100: An Audience with the Emperor? Hold On, Let Me Buff You First
After the Unification Wars drew to their close, the Emperor ordered the Palace built in the Himalayan region.
After ten thousand years of restoration and expansion, the structure now covered vast stretches of old Asia, its walls, fortresses, and administrative districts spreading east and west from the mountains, forming an iron continent no single lifetime could hope to cross in full.
The journey from the Eternity Wall spaceport to the Palace's core took far longer than Duvette had expected.
The ceremonial grav-vehicle held the highest transit priority, and still the group had to change vehicles several times across different zones, submitting to Custodian identity checks and weapons inspection along the way, the whole trip taking close to ten hours before they finally reached the depths of the Inner Palace.
"I'm starting to understand now why it takes Terra's officials decades to process a single document," Duvette said, leaning back in his seat. "Deliver a document in this Palace at the wrong moment, and you might need to draft your will first."
Guilliman ignored the complaint, simply watching out the window.
The procession crossed the Outer Palace's administrative district, then passed beyond the Ultimate Wall, known as the Unbreakable Bastion. The Ecclesiarchy priests and the officials sent by the High Lords all stopped there; from that point on, every matter of security fell entirely to the Custodians.
The onlookers along the road thinned out, and the cheering was cut off behind the massive walls.
Once they entered the depths of the Inner Palace, even the carefully screened pilgrims disappeared, leaving only black-cloaked Custodians visible along the way, standing at their posts, gold armour lit by dim lighting.
The performance the High Lords had arranged for Guilliman had finally come to an end. Duvette watched those silent Custodians and found himself thinking, oddly, that the officials outside had actually been easier to deal with. At least when an official wanted to grab him, the smile on their face gave him some warning.
At every checkpoint they passed, the whole procession was verified again.
The Custodians made no particular effort to give anyone trouble, but that meticulous care only made it clearer to Duvette that here, a document signed by a High Lord counted for far less than a single Custodian's own judgment.
The group transferred to a sealed Custodian grav-vehicle, continuing on along the Eternity Memorial Avenue.
This hundred-kilometre road had been paved with the wreckage of Chaos Titans, raised to commemorate Sanguinius, who died defending Terra during the siege, its far end marked by a statue of the Archangel with wings spread wide.
Guilliman gazed at that familiar face, and said nothing, even once the statue had receded from view. He had once fought shoulder to shoulder with Sanguinius. Now, humanity could only honour that brother with a cold stone likeness, and hardly anyone remained who truly knew what had actually happened.
Past Triumph Avenue, the Delphos Bastion gradually came into view ahead. The grav-vehicle passed through the last archway, entering a broad plaza, and its speed dropped at once.
Duvette looked up and saw the Eternity Gate emerge from the bastion's shadow. The great door was cast from psi-gold and ceramite, its outer layer gilded, the Emperor's relief carving on its face looking down on every visitor; even at Guilliman's height, he looked small standing before it.
Two Titans of the Legio Ignatum stood guard on either side of the gate. They held perfectly still, but their sensor arrays tracked the convoy throughout, and the gun batteries and void shields across the Delphos Bastion stayed active as well.
"The Eternity Gate." Guilliman said, no trace of joy in his voice at returning to the place. This had been Sanguinius's final stand, and the last visible boundary between the Emperor and the Imperium of Man.
The grav-vehicle came to a stop before the Royal Steps, and everyone disembarked in turn. The thirteen Shadow Wolves of Luna and the Ultramarines Honour Guard stayed at the edge of the plaza, while Duvette, Juno, and Heinz followed Guilliman to the foot of the steps, Italeo and his Custodian squad holding position at their side.
Guilliman was about to start up the steps when Duvette suddenly called out to him. The Primarch turned, looking at the Marshal-Commissar who had followed him the whole way. "I'm afraid you can't come any further with me."
"I know." Duvette shook his head, showing he hadn't meant that.
He looked at Guilliman's puzzled expression, then smiled and said something that left everyone but Guilliman completely lost.
"I'm the supreme commander."
Guilliman froze for a moment. Then, almost at once, he understood exactly what Duvette meant. He gave Duvette a look loaded with meaning, and after a pause, said, "Agreed."
Duvette smiled again, silently. That's the spirit.
He locked onto Guilliman in his mind, then activated [Soul's Adaptation, Basic], [Flesh Engine], and [Iron Crusade] all at once, three streams of power settling onto the Primarch together.
The skills' power sank quietly into Guilliman's body, though the instruments around them kept reading perfectly normal throughout.
Guilliman's body adjusted fast, his fatigue pressed down, his vast vitality held steady. His will grew tougher for it, and somewhere deep within his soul, a resilience took shape, one capable of withstanding the presence of the highest psychic power.
For whatever he was about to face, these preparations were probably still not enough. But it was all Duvette could offer; at the very least, when Guilliman heard the Emperor's voice, he might be able to pick the true meaning out of that vast, overwhelming will.
Guilliman felt the change settle deep within himself, glanced once more at Duvette, and gave a silent nod of thanks. He turned and stepped onto the Royal Steps, his heavy footsteps carrying him steadily upward.
Twenty Custodians stood guard before the Eternity Gate, their eyes fixed on Guilliman.
The one leading them stepped forward, striking the ground three times in succession with his halberd, then announced his name and title in flawless, formal High Gothic. "Aquila Commander of the Emperor's Custodian Guard, Kalim Valanno."
Valanno required any visitor approaching the Imperial Sanctum to declare their identity. Duvette stood at the foot of the steps watching it play out, understanding clearly enough that this was simply a necessary ritual; even with Guilliman's identity long since verified, the ten-thousand-year-old rite of audience still had to be carried out in full.
Italeo answered in the same rigorous High Gothic, formally announcing, in turn, the names of Guilliman and every member of his retinue. The old ritual went on for several minutes, until at last the Primarch's purpose was declared plainly: he sought entry to the Imperial Sanctum, to see his father, the Emperor of Mankind.
Valanno studied Guilliman, and the plaza fell completely silent.
After a brief pause, the Aquila Commander delivered his ruling. Roboute Guilliman was granted entry to the Imperial Sanctum, to be escorted by the inner guard to the Golden Throne. All who travelled with him would remain outside the gate.
Guilliman had expected as much. He continued forward, finally standing alone before the Eternity Gate, and with a low, mechanical rumble, the great doors opened, a passage forming inward.
Beyond the doors lay darkness, only distant candlelight illuminating part of the way, a handful of black-cloaked Sanctum Guards waiting in silence. Guilliman stepped through, his tall form gradually swallowed by the dark, and the Eternity Gate closed again with a rumble.
Duvette watched the great doors seal shut once more, and slowly let out a breath.
Valanno had already ordered a waiting area prepared. No one would be permitted to leave the Inner Palace until Guilliman returned.
Based on the history Duvette knew, what followed would be a wait of nearly a full Terran standard day. And this time, Guilliman should truly be able to hear clearly what the father seated upon the Golden Throne actually meant to tell him.
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