TVC II Supplemental Chapter 6: Home Sweet Home

[TMS]

Helena had been running for long enough to put a significant distance between her and the meeting hall before she stopped and continued to resentfully pace in a circle. The feelings of fear and anxiety were gradually replaced with anger and shame at not standing firm against Kithan. She should have given him a harsh reply right back in his ugly dead face to show him that his insulting words and strange appearance was ineffective against her. She would never admit it but Helena could really hate parts of herself some times. It seemed like no matter how hard she tried she would never be rid of them.

She was broken out of her reverie by a couple of castle servants who scurried past her with both worried and curious looks on their sweaty faces. As they glanced over at her she replied in kind, locking eyes with them and growling her displeasure. The two poor servants yelped and rounded a distant corner with surprising swiftness. Helena considered whether or not to pursue them as a way to blow off steam but decided against it, her calming mind finally starting to take in the surroundings.

It seemed like Helena’s subconscious had made her retreat towards the area where her old chambers used to be. She recognized this corridor; the carpeting, while likely not the very same as it had been all these centuries ago, was familiar to her and so were the chandeliers and the paintings on the walls. She began to make her way down the hall, looking dreamily at the suits of armour that paved the way. Perhaps her old personal suits were still in the castle somewhere? Uncle Vlad had during her campaign in Mordheim gifted her with several different harnesses, fitted perfectly to her and made of the highest quality materials available, but she had unfortunately been forced to leave such belongings behind when fleeing from the terror of Konrad the Bloody. The mere thought of him made her instantly turn to darker thoughts. If Konrad had managed to get his hands on those suits of armour he probably used them to construct effigies of her that he could torture and destroy in her place. One of the few things that she had been able to take with her, though, was the lucky charm that she had come across just as she had entered Mordheim, that city of the damned. It had saved her life on numerous occasions and she would never ever let go of it.

Helena eventually found what she was looking for; the door to her old room. The door had been replaced but she was certain that this was the right place. She put her hand on the door knob and felt that it was unlocked. She twisted the knob to push the door open and stepped inside.

 

[TMS]

The room was quite dark. The candles that were spread across the room were all unlit and the windows bricked shut save for a thin vertical opening that would let in a minimum amount of light from outside. Helena remembered requesting that specifically from back when she was granted a stay at the court.

With a mental command she lit the candles and illuminated the chamber. It quickly became apparent as she looked around that the room had been repurposed at some point during her absence. There were no traces of her tailor-made resting coffin that used to be along the far end of the room. A couple of the tall and exquisitely crafted wooden cabinets were still present but the books and other items they had held were gone, replaced by things of little apparent significance. Out of pure curiosity Helena walked over to one of the cabinets and ran her hand along one of the lower shelves. There was a fine layer of dust but also some minor indentations and damages along the open surface. She remembered that she also used to have a collection of music boxes that uncle Vlad had gathered for her from all over the known world, capable of playing all kinds of delightful sounds. On this shelf is where they used to be. She would very much have liked to hear them playing again.

Taking a step back towards the middle of the room, Helena felt a tinge of sadness over having returned to her old home. She had often wished, and still do, that nothing would have ever changed, that uncle Vlad would never have declared the war on the Empire which would lead to the disintegration of the family. If she could have come home to Sylvania now and find this room untouched it would have been a comfort.

Looking around herself again she noticed one object that had been introduced to the room after she had left. A piano. Uncle Vlad's wife Isabella had once taken it on herself to teach Helena to play the piano but it never went very well. If she didn't have the restorative powers of a vampire Helena was certain that she'd still be able to see the markings from the rappings Isabella gave her across the hands when she played the wrong tones. Nevertheless, the memories it brought back compelled Helena to walk over to the piano and take a seat in front of it.

She started playing. There were no notes placed on the stand but Helena had most of the sheets etched into memory. It was a lonely melody and some tones were off, mostly because her hands were too small to hit the right supporting ones. Isabella had insisted that she could overcome it with enough practice but Helena never had the patience for it.

She kept playing for a while until a noise just outside the room broke her concentration. As soon as she stopped she heard the source of it hurrying away in some other direction. ”More of the castle servants?” she thought. ”Do they really find me that interesting?”

She stood up from the piano and threw a last look around her old room before leaving. The flames on the candles faded out as she passed the threshold, returning the chamber to darkness.

 

[TMS]

The castle halls and corridors were quite lively around Helena as she continued to stroll along. With no destination in mind she looked around at the tapestries and decorations. Together with the scurrying of servants' feet it almost felt like she had stepped into a place that was set half a millennium ago. Roaming around here was far more pleasant than being down in the meeting hall with all those intruders. Yes, intruders was a word that would describe them well; This was Helena's rightful home and she did not appreciate the tones of condescension that she had been given so far, although she did trust that Karl and the others of her family would set them straight.

Helena then stumbled upon the area that had, at least previously according to her memory, been used as quarters for guests. At the end of the long hallway there stood an armoured vampire guard, stern and immovable. She began walking towards him, that old familiar spark of curiosity once again lit. Remembering what Karl and the mysterious masked man had told her right before she had left the meeting, she deduced that this must be where that princess was kept. Nothing would stop Helena from seeing her now that she was this close.

As Helena drew closer the guard addressed her.

”These quarters are restricted areas. You may only proceed through here with express permission from the Regent.”

She drew closer still.

”Desist and return from where you came.” he continued, hefting a large greatsword to his side. When he noticed that Helena wasn't heeding his voice he stepped towards her, coming to a stop just a couple of feet away from her. She also stopped there and looked up at him. She then suddenly burst out in an excited response.

”This is where you're keeping that princess, isn't it? I'm here to see her!”

”I am sorry, my lady, but you do not have permission to enter these chambers. The regent hasn't-” the guard proclaimed, but he was cut off.

”Karl is part of my family. I know I have permission to see the princess so step aside and let me see her!”

Helena made to continue her stride towards the chamber door but the guard blocked her off with his sword, placing it sideways as a barrier between her and the door.

”No, little lady, I am afraid that you will not get to see the princess. Now, run along back to where you came from. If you can provide evidence that the Regent-”

”Didn't you hear what I just said? Karl trusts me and will tell you to step aside and let me into-”

”Your words are worth nothing at this point. Now scram!”

Helena then heard a familiar voice coming from within the room. It was the rasping tone of that ancient old bag-of-bones, Nekhlior. If he had permission to see the princess then what injustice was it that kept her out?

”I can hear that old creep inside the room! How can he have permission to see the princess?! I am your master!” she shouted angrily.

The guard was becoming quite annoyed at this little would-be intruder. He pushed with the flat surface of his blade against Helena, forcibly moving her away from the door. She countered by ducking low and moving beneath the sword, coming up on the other side and moving hastily back towards the door. The guard spun around and grabbed her right arm with his left hand, pulling her back.

”Unhand me! Now!!” Helena shrieked, trying to wiggle free from his grip.

”Be quiet, you little brat! You are disturbing our guest!”

Suddenly another figure appeared; an assassin clad from top to toe in black leathers. His face was covered beneath a dark hood but his eyes revealed that he was also of inhuman nature. He silently joined the guard in apprehending Helena by taking her other arm. She fought back and managed to wrench herself free through the use of acrobatics.

The tussle continued to develop between the three with Helena avoiding her adversaries' attempts at seizing her while they successfully stayed her off from reaching the door. Then, in a fit of rage, Helena threw herself bodily at the assassin as if to try to move right through him. He expertly caught and immobilized her by lifting her off the floor with one arm around her upper body and his other with the hand covering her mouth. A nasty crunching noise ensued. With a sharp cry of pain the man suddenly dropped her and drew back from her, grasping his hand, the glove now torn and bloodied by a row of puncturing wounds in it. He looked at her in shock.

”Did you just bite me!?” he yelled.

”You're both lucky that you're our family's servants or else I would've killed you both by now!” Helena snarled in return, trickles of blood running from her mouth.

In response to this the two men assumed fighting stances and presented their weapons, the man in black with a pair of long daggers and the guard hefting his greatsword.

 

[Get of W'soran]

Ulrich angled his Greatsword so that the tip faced the young girl's face.

"Assaulting a member of the The Sylvanian Order of Assassins is punishable by death." the soldier growled.

Franz stepped slightly to the side his long blades held out before him.

"You will merely be one of dozens of the Family who have been deemed unworthy of life." the assassin added softly.

Franz made a gesture to rub at his wounded arm but as he did so his fingers flicked out in the hand-code shared amongst the most elite of the agents that served the Triumvirate.

"Keep her alive. She can be executed when brought before our officers."

Ulrich nodded and at the same moment leapt forward, swinging his blade down so that the flat of his sword would strike the child. Meanwhile Franz bent his knees slightly, ready to leap forward if the girl managed to dodge the blow.

 

[TMS]

Helena could evade the first attack from Ulrich fairly easily, removing herself to the side as the sword came bearing down from above. Franz's counter to her evasion was more difficult, though; as she regained her footing from the displacement he was already striking at her with his fist, intent on using the gripped hilt as a striking tool. She managed a second hasty evasion but couldn't keep her balance and struck into the wall with her back. Her two assailants had already moved to corner her, with Franz cutting off her escape route back down the hallway. This was bad; she was alone and unarmed against two well-drilled warriors. The direness of the situation helped her regain some lucidity from her previous rage and she searched desperately for a way out.

”What do you think you're doing!? Karl will have your heads for this!!” she screamed, the flaring anger from before now tinted with a shaking nervosity.

Ulrich and Franz would pay her no heed. Again Ulrich brought his sword to bear, sweeping the flat surface of his blade in a wide arc at her head. She ducked down, nearly flat against the floor, but was again overtaken by Franz before she could take a second action. He struck her a forceful downwards blow with the pommel, hitting her in the back of the head. Or so he thought; an instant, shrill and piercing sound erupted from Helena's lucky charm that she wore around her neck, dispelling the damage done in a brief flash of bright light. Franz was left momentarily blinded which Helena would use to her advantage. Springing up from her prone position she dashed towards the open end of the hallway, but she was stopped cold as Ulrich had brought his sword around full-circle, catching her by surprise and striking her cleanly across the face. She collapsed and couldn't rise again before Franz had recovered and pinned her fully to the floor.

”No... you... get off of me...get...off!” she gasped, stunned but not out cold.

Tears of anger and frustration streamed down Helena's face, mingling with the blood brought out by Ulrich's blow. If only they hadn't so cowardly attacked her when she wasn't expecting it she would have immolated them both in a storm of fire. Or better yet, summoned a host of spirits to tear them apart! But now she was chanceless, dazed and stuck underneath Franz's weight on top of her.

 

[Get of W'soran]

Ulrich give a grunt as the girl was dealt with, although truthfully he wasn't feeling overly satisfied with how long it had taken to deal with the shrimp.

"Guess those forced joint exercises between our two groups by Satsu wasn't a complete waste of time." The Blood Dragon muttered.

Franz ignored the other vampire as he pulled a rag from beneath his belt, dirty with spots of dried oil that he used to wipe his blades, and used it as a gag on the girl.

As he stood the vampire spat a sibilant incantation causing ropes of shadow to leap from his fingers to bind the child immortal.

"That was quite enjoyable" he said smiling beneath his cowl "Squad 13 so rarely get to enjoy the more mundane methods of dealing with their targets. I shall bring the child to Master Satsu and have a replacement join you here at the door."

The grizzled swords stepped forward with a soft growl "I think not assassin, this is clearly a matter of Castle Security and as such I shall bring her to my superiors."

The two vampires glared at each other, whilst both organisations worked with each other the larger and more power Assassin Order had been taking a more and more active role in the direct security of individuals and Triumvirate property, a duty previously commanded by the Regent's Guard causing building tensions between the two groups.

"Who would that be exactly? Dieter got himself killed and a new Captain hasn't been appointed yet as far as I'm aware. Satsu easily outranks any of your Sergeants. I shall bring her to him and you aren't going to stop me."

The two vampires stood staring at each other before Ulrich spat at the other man's feet.

"Do what you will shadow-sneak but I swear the day will come when your nest of traitorous vipers will fall from grace and it will be the Regent's Guard who will be sent to proclaim it."

Sneering the assassin bent down to easily lift the girl from the ground, throwing her over his shoulder and strode away in search of his master.

 

[TMS]

Helena didn’t know for how long or where Franz was taking her. She was regaining her senses as she was being carried through stone hallways that became increasingly more barren and cold. Presumably they were now underground. The piece of cloth stuck in her mouth tasted foully but she could not force it out without her hands, and she was completely bound by the ropes around her. She made muffled growling noises while thrashing to free herself from Franz’s grip but it was useless; she could do nothing but accept that she was forcibly being taken to someplace ominous.

They eventually arrived in a dimly lit chamber. There were a couple of wooden chairs inside the room and nothing else. Franz hoisted Helena down on to one of the chairs, the conjured ropes immediately coiling around the furniture, rendering her quite immobile. For a brief moment the two made eye contact and Helena glared at him with pure anger in her teary eyes. Franz answered with but a scoff and produced a heavy black hood which he then placed over Helena’s head, casting her into darkness. He then made to leave the room, dismissing her with a final sneer.

“Be a good little fiend now and wait for our master to arrive. He will be the one to sentence you to whatever doom awaits you.”

When the heavy door slammed shut Helena resumed the struggle against her bonds, however fruitless it might be. The ropes held her firmly against the chair from toes to shoulders, the gag in her mouth made it impossible for her to make any vocalizations and the oppressive hood placed over her head weighed down on her. She could exert no physical or arcane force in this state.

Anger mixed with fear and doubt swirled around inside Helena’s thoughts. Why had she been attacked and treated in such a horribly coarse manner? Was this not her home where she had the right to come and go as she pleased? Where was her family, and why weren’t they helping her? Had they abandoned her? What would become of her now? Would she be incarcerated inside the vargheist tunnels as Karl had previously threatened her with? At the time she had dismissed it as mere wordplay but now she wasn’t as certain.

Time passed and blood was still shallowly running down Helena’s bruised face. It was only a light injury which would soon heal but it made her even more anxious about the situation she was in. Then, suddenly, the chamber door creaked open. Despite her anxiety Helena prepared herself to defy whatever scum that would enter.

 

[Get of W'soran]

Satsu strode towards the holding cell or interrogation chamber, sentencing chamber...he couldn't remember what they called it anymore. He flicked through the hastily written report that Franz had delivered to him and wondered where the hell that man found the time to write so many reports? Like the rest of squad thirteen he seemed to have decided it was his life's goal to drown Satsu in paperwork.

The vampire being charged hadn't been named, the report just called her "Lady of the Court" which meant she was a von Carstein noble, still she could be the personal advisor to Karl and it wouldn't matter, the unauthorised assault on any of the Triumvirate's elite agents was to be met with deadly force, it was the only way to keep the traitorous decendants of Vlad in line.

Admittedly he was glad of the distraction, the Wight had angered him greatly although the poor girl couldn't recognise him Satsu had known the child-immortal fairly well and he couldn't abide the terrorising of children (Vampiric or not).

Satsu frowned as he looked around to check the way was empty and spat out an incantation, the huge mirror on the wall shimmered to reveal a hidden tunnel which the assassin swiftly headed down as the mirror resumed it's usual appearance behind him.

Now in the Order's territory proper he allowed himself to relax, no one but his brethren or authorised personel ever entered this place...indeed even only one of the Triumvirate had ever been allowed to know the location of their headquarters.

Satsu flicked through the report (All ten damned pages of it! For a simple arrest!He swore Franz was going to be put on permanent armoury duty for this!) to find the correct chamber number.

"Ah number 10"

After a few minutes he found the correct room and opened the door, striding in he began the charge.

"For assault on members of the Order and the Regency Guard you are to face summary execution in the name of the Triu-" he cut off as he looked up from the report to see the prisoner, his blood running cold.

Pulling the hood of the girl he stared at the girl, his distorted voice not hiding his shock "Helena?"

 

[TMS]

Helena recognized the masked man in front of her. He was one of those who had talked down to her in the meeting hall, and now he was here to continue mocking her. This affront was all she needed to dispel any anxiety and replace it instead with fresh anger. She glowered and growled at him, muffled though it was by the gag that was still in place. Satsu reached out his hand and pulled the piece of cloth from her mouth.

H: ”You! You are behind this, you-” she immediately began, but Satsu curtly cut her off.

S: ”Helena, what have you done?” he demanded.

H: ”Your brutes attacked me and-”

S: ”Why were you at the guest quarters?”

H: ”I am free to go wherever I-”

Satsu pressed on determinedly.

S: ”Helena, what were you doing there?”

H: ”I was going to see the princess!”

S: ”And why did you think that would be acceptable? Did you have permission to do that?”

H: ”Karl trusts me and would allow me to-”

S: ”Helena, did the Regent give you his express permission to visit the princess' chambers?”

H: ”...No.” Helena replied, discouraged by the revelation.

S: ”And this report says that you...” said Satsu, looking up and down a couple of pages. ”You bit a member of the Order of Assassins. Is that correct? Why would you do that?”

H: ”They grabbed me!” Helena shouted.

S: ”They grabbed you because you were trespassing, Helena.”

H: ”I wasn't trespassing, I was there to-”

S: ”Helena, stop it.” said Satsu. He was growing tired of Helena's nonchalance to the present situation.

H: ”No, you stop-” she began in retort, but Satsu again cut her off.

S: ”Helena, you idiot!” he hissed.

H: ”Don't call me an-”

S: ”Helena, stop talking!”

At that point Satsu pressed the palm of his hand against Helena's mouth to silence her. Her eyes focused on the hand, a flashing impulse in her mind telling her to again take a big bite. She refrained from doing so, in an rare display of restraint. One bite had already caused enough trouble. She looked back up at Satsu's eyes.

Satsu must have caught on to what she was thinking as he swiftly pulled his hand away. Helena had understood the point, though, and remained quiet.

S: ”Helena, do you realize how serious this is?”

She continued to look at him.

S: ”Your offense is punishable by death. I am by our laws obligated to have you executed for this.”

H: ”...What? N-no...” was all Helena could muster, her voice weak. ”No. I-I don't...”

Satsu observed her in silence as she was processing these news. Her eyes were tearing up and she looked away from Satsu.

This night had already been stressful before and now the reality of this situation hit Helena; a horrible feeling of helplessness. All traces of her earlier anger were gone. She couldn't help herself as she lowered her eyes and started whimpering.

 

[Get of W'soran]

Satsu sighed internally at the sheer misery Helena was displaying and resisted the urge to grant the child empty platitudes, it would do no good in the end.

The vampire leafed through the report again as he glared at the pages in the vain hope that something would leap out at him but the case was, sadly, fairly simple and left no real room for interpretation and as Headmaster of the Order he had little choice but to follow the word of the law in this matter. Still he continued looking as he paced back and forth across the room.

"Gods Helena..." he breathed softly cursing the girl's impetuosity.

With a few swift strides the vampire carried himself to within inches of the girl before grasping her gently by the chin and tilting her head up so that she met his violet eyes with her own.

For a brief moment he wondered would she recognise him? But no..she was too consumed by grief and it had been so long.

The vampire let out a ragged sigh, it was a habit he had yet to kick despite not needing to breath anymore it still occurred when he was annoyed.

"You silly girl." he said sternly but not without a hint of concern "You were gone for 400 years, only the eldest of the court even remember you and you have no official position, no power base. Do you understand this? You are nothing in Drakenhof, not any more and not yet."

Releasing her he stepped back, certain he now had Helena's attention "The Lord Regent has decreed that vampires are to be dealt with harshly when it comes to disobeying the law...how do you think the Triumvirate keeps everyone in line whilst also keeping the mortal peasants happy and safe?"

Satsu sighed, this time out loud.

"And unless I think of something you're as good as dead before the night's end."

Satsu glanced at the door...there was one solution but as annoying as the boy was Franz didn't deserve death for merely doing his duty...still getting rid of him and the Regent's Guardsman would could the matter to merely vanish.

Turning back to his prisoner the assassin shook his head.

"What were you thinking Helena?"

 

[TMS]

Helena currently didn't have the presence of mind to acknowledge that Satsu was actually showing concern for her, although it did help her remain calm. She couldn't, however, think of anything that could be done for her now. Sobbing and with a lump in her throat she spoke up despondently.

”Per-perhaps I sh... should never have... come ho-home...”

The thought of it pained Helena greatly. She had grown so lonely over her centuries away from Sylvania. She had thought that her family had vanished completely after the deterioration brought on by the death of uncle Vlad, and when she then found out that her old home had been repopulated she was so excited. So excited to come back and perhaps find some family members, new or old, and perhaps even be the most senior family member still alive, in which case she would have a valid claim to the ownership of Drakenhof castle and Sylvania with it. But now she was here in this underground dungeon, facing execution at the hands of masked strangers.

It had all gone terribly wrong. Satsu's words were harsh but correct; Helena was unknown to most here. She wasn't aware of any of their laws. Uncle Vlad had also introduced laws to uphold order in Sylvania back in the old times but nothing could have landed her in this situation. The family would always come first.

The last thought came back clearly to Helena. Surely her family would still be able to help her now? It was their laws, after all. She spoke up again, her tone a pleading glimmer of hope.

”Can't we ask Karl to do something? Or maybe Simon?”

 

[Simon von Carstein]

"You appear to be in luck tonight my child." Came a voice "perhaps I can be of some assistance." Both Helena and Satsu looked towards the source of the voice. There was a faint shimmering in the air as a figure emerged from the darkness. "So what seems to be the problem Lord Satsu?" asked the Lord Imperator Simon von Carstein.

 

[Get of W'soran]

Satsu had sensed the coming figure, he was deeply attuned to his place after-all but even then he was shocked that it was Simon and not some agent of the Order.

"Did one of my senior brothers understand what was occurring and sought him out or is this merely blind luck?" he wondered silently.

The Arch-Assassin smiled behind his mask and give a polite bow. "Lord Imperator." he said softly "There has been an incident..." he stood sideways between the two vampires so he could easily turn his head to glance at between his Master and prisoner.

"you remember the Lady Helena von Carstein from the Court of Vlad von Carstein."

Satsu held out the report for Simon to take and give the Imperator a few minutes to get the gist of it "As you know my Lord such transgressions are unforgivable by the letter of the Law...except under one rare circumstance which can not be requested but only given."

 

[TMS]

"Simon!!" shouted Helena, amazed, her eyes lighting up as if the greatest possible birthday gift had been presented in front of her. She could barely believe her eyes. The incredible timing made Simon appear like a divine saviour arriving just in the nick of time. Now she would surely be saved.

"You've come here to save me!"

Helena continued to look expectantly at Simon, then to Satsu and back again to Simon. He had been given the report and was looking through it in silence. Satsu was speaking in hushed tones and neither of them paid much attention to her at the moment. Would there still be a problem now that Simon was here? Could he not merely will the issue away? Were she still in trouble?

 

[Simon von Carstein]

"Ah yes that old loophole." Simon replied stroking his chin. "The rule that states that the offender must be put to death or suffer a fate worse than death unless they receive a full pardon from a Triumvir of Vashanesh. That could be arranged of course providing that said offender acts like the lady she purports to be and does as she's told when a Triumvir tells her what to or not to do."

Simon fixed her with a strong gaze "otherwise said offender could find herself paying a visit to the unknown city I'm sure Marshal Gamall will give you a warm welcome."

 

[Get of W'soran]

As Simon spoke Satsu reached up and tapped the bottom right hand corner of his mask twice, there was a faint buzz as the item's enchantment deactivated.

The assassin grimaced at the Imperator's words "Personally I would much prefer the headsman to that alternative my Lord." he said in his natural tones, the harsh arcane distortion that usually hid his voice was gone replaced by a soft musical voice with the faintest touch of Sylvanian inflection.

Satsu tapped a foot on the ground before speaking again, this time quieter so that only Simon would hear "I just realised...if she does get a pardon then Helena will be the first person who is not a member or associate of the Order that has entered our halls and survived."

It was an idle thought, there was no way she could have worked out where the hidden Headquarters of the Order lay but still...it disturbed the Assassin for reasons he couldn't quite understand.

 

[TMS]

Simon's declaration carried a certain sense of menace but to Helena's ears it was as welcome as anything could ever be. She jumped in her chair despite her bonds, moving the furniture in her excitedness. She didn't quite care what would be expected of her as it was very likely preferable over death.

"Yes, I'll do it! I will! I'll be good!"

 

[Simon von Carstein]

"Your concern is noted Lord Satsu but I believe I have an acceptable solution to our little problem." The Imperator replied.

Looking over to Helena he addressed her "Lady Helena I believe your recent escapades to be the result of not knowing your place within our Empire. I think I have the perfect role for you. With your appearance you will make an excellent assassin of the Carstein Empire. Accept and you will receive my pardon and take up the position of defending our Empire from the shadows immediately."

Turning to Satsu he continued "Now you don't have to worry about outsiders knowing about this place. However there is still the matter of young Franz who is partially responsible for this debacle."

 

[Get of W'soran]

Satsu frowned at Simon's offer but he didn't contridict his master, if Helena accepted the offer she would have to skip the usual induction process or she'd be unavailable for duty for years but it would hardly be the first time someone had been put through an alternative joining process.
The order had always chosen select individuals who never underwent the usual training and "mental conditioning" processes allowing them to serve outside the usual command structure of the Order, reporting directly to Satsu or the Triumvirate (although in truth only Simon would "sully" his hands with the direct management of Satsu's Order). Such agents were highly prized and due to having more free-will often approached missions in a far more creative way that the usual Sylvanian Assassin.

Turning his attention back to Simon, the masked vampire nodded.

"I'll ask Commander Azrel to have Franz to re-undergoe the education process." he assured the Lord Imperator.

 

[Simon von Carstein]

"Oh I don't think that will be necessary. Instead give him a promotion he can be Lady Helena's immediate superior and mentor. Assuming she accepts my offer." Simon replied looking back over to Helena.

 

[TMS]

Helena had been building up steam to immediately accept any offer that came her way. When both Simon and Satsu had stopped speaking she couldn’t keep it in any longer.

“Yes! I’ll do it!” she blurted out, her eyes now tearless and beaming. It would take some time for the consequences of this to sink into Helena’s mind but for the moment she was quite elated.

 

[Get of W'soran]

Satsu nodded and with a wave of his hands he dimissed Helena's arcane bindings and tapped the corner of his mask, reactivating the enchantment.

"I'll return shortly, there are some administrative requirements attached to the induction of a special-conditions recruit" he said in his magically distorted voice.

With a bow of his head towards Simon the masked vampire strode out of the room.

 

[TMS]

Finally free of her bonds, Helena jumped out the chair and darted over to Simon. She threw herself at him in gratitude, embracing him around his midsection.

"Simon!" she shouted. "You saved me! You remembered me and came to save me!"

 

[Get of W'soran]

Satsu arrived after a short period of time holding a small silk bag.

"Sorry for the delay." he apologised with a swift bow of his head.

"Now allow me to explain what you'll be getting yourself into Helena." The Assassin paused for a moment checking that the vampiress was paying attention before continuing "You will not be inducted into the Order proper, perhaps in the future but not for now. Instead you'll be placed into a relatively new group within the Order called The Special Assignment Corp where, instead of years of training, you'll be assigned a mentor and a handler. The Mentor will be a Hand, what you will become if you pass your training whilst the handler will be an assassin from within the Order."

Satsu held up three fingers"The main rules you will follow. Firstly never reveal your identity as a member of the Order and especially as a member of the Corp or you'll be killed." The Arch-Assassin continued after folding down one finger "Secondly obey your mentor, handler, myself and any of the the Triumviri in all things except those which betray the Triumvirate itself or you'll be executed for Treason." Folding down another finger he continued "Never reveal any secrets of the Order that you may learn to outsiders, including the masters of our new Empire itself or I will end you myself."

The last rule was often the hardest for new members to understand but it was essential, out of the Triumvirate Simon was the only one who had any true idea of their inner-most workings, indeed neither Karl nor Micrea were even aware of this base in Drakenhof, but even Simon's knowledge was limited to only the essentials.

But it was the way of things, it always had been and their autonomy was part of the reason the Order was so successful.

Satsu lowered his hand. "There are other rules but your Mentor will explain them to you along with any other questions you have. Now, if all of that is acceptable I have already chosen your Mentor and handler." as he spoke the assassin handed Simon a scrap of paper with two names written on it "So long as it is acceptable to you Lord Imperator."

Turning his attention back to Helena Satsu nodded slightly "Once you are sure we can progress with the simple Oath of Induction, those of the Corp are inducted by the Triumvirate themselves as they will one day become Hands of the Triumvirate should they succeed. The Lord Imperator will take your oath in this case."

 

[TMS]

Helena looked at Satsu somewhat vacantly. She listened to his words and followed the movements of his hands but their meaning was slow to sink in. Indeed, what had she gotten herself into? Mentor? Handler? Rules? Secrets? Oaths? Would they expect so much from her? Her thoughts had only been on escaping execution but now it seems like she had landed herself in something else instead. Nevertheless, this was not a time for doubt. It appeared to have been the only way out and Helena was determined to make her family proud for having given her this chance and opportunity, even if it still wasn't quite clear to her what they would want her to do.

She looked up at Satsu, her posture straight and confident.

”Yes, I am sure! I will do what my family asks of me!”