The Beatitude of Iacobus Ironclad The Beatitude of Iacobus Ironclad chapter 1 by EnviTheFool

"Oh, you're like... alive already."

 

I didn't know where I was. I wasn't even sure what I had been doing just before. All I knew was that I was here now, facing a scene assaulted my vision with the force of a war hammer.

 

The plain yet powerful voice belonged to one titan of a woman. While it was certain that her garments were unusual, perhaps of foreign influence, but there was nothing monstrous about her. There was nothing remarkable about her unkempt self either, except for her sheer scale reminding one of a castle instead of a person. Therefore, the answer was obvious.

 

I had been cursed by this woman, this witch. She had also been taken off-guard by my presence for an unknown reason, but my instincts as a seasoned warrior let met act first. Her cold, overlooking gaze could not faze me. I took initiative.

 

"In the name of the Emperor, answer me: What have you done to me, witch!?"

 

"Sorry! Sorry, I thought I disabled auto-activation. My bad."

 

I was pleased to hear her getting flustered at my questioning, even if I didn't understand what she was talking about. It meant that the witch was a novice. She hadn't been corrupted enough to ignore the divine rig---

 

The witch's face leaned down on me with such an unnatural speed and force that I grasped at my weapon on instinct, only to be met with ungodly resistance, like it had been welded in place.

 

"Chill. Just lemme take a look."

 

I valiantly continued the resistance with nothing but my gauntlets, but it was clear that a pure contest of strength wasn't an option. Even a single finger was strong enough to break my limbs through my armor. Realizing this made me halt my resistance in an instant, to let her do... whatever kind of inspection it was that she was doing. Her curious eyes and fingers wandered all over without a clear purpose.

 

"Oh, the feel's so unreal. The looks, too..."

 

Her muttering meant nothing to me. I took my captivity as an opportunity to take a better glance at my surroundings.

 

I was on a wooden desk within a giant room that looked as strange as its owner, filled with many familiar structures fashioned in a very unfamiliar way, illuminated by a cold yet all-illuminating light. On a desk there was yet another source of bright light, belonging to a crystal embedded within a black frame. But that one was no mere light. The crystal was embedded with pictures.

 

Giant, glowing text was arranged in an unfamiliar manner, likely in an arcane tongue. There were other various shapes that I could not discern a clear function or pattern of, not that I could pay them too much mind. My full attention was drawn quickly to the image displayed most prominently on that crystal: me. But it was not an image. It contained depth and detail that was impossible for a mere image. It was like a perfect copy of my being, lifeless in form yet still devastating to gaze at. The small size of that mockery still managed to outclass my own.

 

So great was my shock that I was caught by surprise when the witch finally let go of me. I landed back on the desk with the grace of a dumbfounded brick.

 

"Just a sec, I think I can fix this..."

 

"Grow me back at once! You shall cease this mockery before you face the wrath of the Emperor's finest!"

 

At first I thought that my demands were drowned out by the loud clacking that the witch's fingers made as they manipulated a strange contraption in front of her, but my repeats made me certain of the unavoidable fact that she was simply ignoring them. She only addressed me at her own pace, and with her own inquiries.

 

"Now... do you know who I am?"

 

"Never have I met such a vile creature in my whole life!"

 

The witch continued to clack her contraption before coming to another sudden halt.

 

"And what's my name?"

 

"Jessica."

 

A wicked smile flashed across the woman's face. She continued her infernal clacking as the situation started to dawn on me. What I had spoken had been true, yet I knew in my heart that my answer was correct. She had implanted that thought on me. She was planning to do it again.

 
My desperate dash towards that infernal device was brought to a stop as she restrained me once more. I couldn't allow her to continue, but there was little I could do against the might of her hand. She only needed one hand to continue working her curse.

 

"Seriously, chill. I need to focus so I don't fuck up your lore too much."

 

This time I didn't stop my struggling, as useless as it seemed. I had to do something before she continued to work her dark influence on me. Even death was a better alternative.

 

I began to recite a litany of prayers in my desperation. Praises to the god of humankind echoed within my fortified mind, to the one who protects us from the forces of unspeakable evil and ensures that the Empire and its people remain a bastion of civilization in this cruel world. May we stay forever in hier grace, may she rule as wisely on earth as She does in the heavens. Glory to the God-Empress.

 

I had finally calmed down from my embarrassing display of weakness. To think that I doubted my liege to the point of Her having to personally restrain and cleanse me. But She was merciful. She lifted Her hand from me, but I did not move. Not without Her permission.

 

"Rise, Iacobus."

 

I stood up.

 

"Kneel."

 

I kneeled like the lowly servant that I was.

 

She lifted my downward gaze by the chin, gracing me once more by the touch of Her finger.

 

"Say my name."

 

"God-Empress Jessica."

 

My answer gave Her great joy. And in turn, the sight of Her amazed eyes and ever-widening smile filled me with great delight.

 

"Oh, that's perrrfect! A guy like you adoring me like that, it's so... so..."

 

So great was Her joy that she was having trouble sitting still on Her throne, completely lost in Her divine revels. It wasn't until a few moments later that She finally caught Her breath, and wrapped Her hand around me once more. I did nothing to resist Her this time, having finally accepted my death and the afterlife of servitude that awaited me.

 

"L-let's move this to my ro-- chambers, then. Show your empress that you are fit to service her."

 

"Yes, my Empress!"