章 113: The Northern Fox

2 Days before the party,

Lady Gabriella Van Shaw entered William's office after three long days on the waitlist. Because of William's position of power and multiple requests from the high-ranking people, low lever noblewomen such as Lady Shaw had to wait longer than usual. Still, considering the long list of people and some don't get the opportunity to meet the Chapter Master, Lady Shaw was fortunate enough to meet the man who Rana kept secret a few months ago at the royal party.

"Lady Shaw, it is good to finally meet you in person. I assume your mother is busy with the expansion of her territory?" Said William, who extend his hand to show the way to the seat opposite to his own.

"Thank you, Lord William. As you asked, my mother is busy establishing the city and fortress to make sure no vampire would dare to attack again. This is also the reason why I requested to meet you. To renegotiate our deal since circumstances have changed." Gabriella said and sat down. Seconds later, a young man with a butler's uniform came with a cart full of tea and snack came in.

Unknown to Gabriella, William pushed the button on his table to call in his personal butler. Of course, the butler isn't a member of his battle brother or Chapter Serf (Since there is no need to recruit new Astartes as William can simply summon fully active members of the Blacksouls).

The butler placed drinks and snacks down on the table and left the room with his empty cart. With everything placed, William pour two cups of tea and gave one to Gabriella while taking his own to enjoy the scent. Due to his own biology of superhuman, anything of normal human food isn't much for him or his battle brothers.

Each chapter of the Astartes has a special diet they must go through to maintain their calorie intake. Chapters such as Space Wolves have a feast of Vikings and ales whenever they desire which is every day. The Blood Angel on the other hand mixes their wines with blood to subdue the thirst for a long period of time. If normal humans attempt to consume the food meant for the Astartes, they might end up unable to digest the food itself or die in overconsumption of the food as it is high in calories.

For this reason, whenever Space Marines eat with humans during certain events or situations, they are eating empty calories as it is not enough to sustain them or give back the energy they are burning naturally.

"Thank you." Gabriella took the cup and wait a few seconds to adjust to the temperature. The scent of the tea was unusual and the tea itself require a certain taste to it but it was enough for her to accept the hospitality of the Chapter Master.

"The tea is… unique," Gabriella said and place down the cup as tea wasn't for her taste.

"Yes, the tea is called Tanna and I start drinking this due to certain someone. Anyway, let us get to our business. What do you propose on the new term of our deal?" William swift his position of power as he went into business mode. Previously, the deal between William and Countess Shaw was done by Rana but now as leader of the country, the responsibility went to William who is the sole leader of the powerful nation.

"We like to maintain the current deal but want to add a few more to balance the equal trade since you have ways to provide goods now. Before, Shaws had been providing building materials and war resources in exchange for a city and fortress. Now, with these changes, we can have trade and maintain an equal share of the profits without one giving up the land." Gabriella mentions the previous condition of the deal as well as a few of the modifications to let William know what to expect.

After hearing Gabriella's summary of the new deal, William request Gabriella if she have the hard copy of the papers which she provided. After going over a few pages, William place the papers down and told Gabriella that he will go over them with his advisors. On political terms, William won't be the one who will read it but rather his team of lawyers and politicians within the administration level.

"I will wait for your answer hopefully after the party. I do have one more but this is more of a request than a condition of the new deal."

"Please, tell me what it is and I will do what I can in my power to help." Said William as he grab his side of the snack and ate a few without worrying about appearance. When men of his size are hungry, there is nothing that could stop him and the image is the last thing William is currently is worry about as his primary goal is to find the information about Tiamat (Queen of all chromatic dragons, not the hive fleet).

"The fortress is a key location as it is the bottleneck of the vampire invasion but it is not enough. You personally led the men to retake the fort and managed to take out one of the major vampire lords. The problem is the vacuum of power and according to my report from the intel, other lords are currently reestablishing the power structure." Gabriella continued.

"The problem is when they all decided to attack the fortress to take revenge for their current situation. I humbly request your aid to take out the hostile forces before they regain their footing once more." The last statement wasn't asking for his help to defend but rather to take out the entire faction before they become a problem once more. William fully understands the potential issue that the vampire faction can bring as their endless army of undead and monsters could overwhelm the fortress's defense.

"Unfortunately, I can't leave the capital as I have many responsibilities. Still, since Countess Shaw is the only trade partner who agreed to help me during my time of need, I will send the company of my battle brothers to end the root of this vampire headache once and for all." William then wrote something down in his notepad with his finger and close the cover when he was done. What William did was an official request from the Chapter Master to assemble one of the company's captains to discuss the matter as well as if captain's recommendation or advice.

While hearing Gabriella's request, William considered which battle brother company to send. Obviously, William decided to send the company of former Blood Angels as their expertise in blood and vampirism will give a certain advantage against actual vampires. Also, it is kinda interesting setting to send Space Vampire against fantasy vampires.

When William meets the company captain, they will discuss battle tactics as well as William's experience during the taking of the fortress to understand the enemy. The whole company won't be sent in to take out the vampires but considering there are multiple lords and minor lords within vampire factions, William might end up sending most of the company to wipe them out completely.

'Never finish the job half done.' William thought to himself and turn his gaze back to Gabriella who he sensed something was off. Instead of relief at William easily accepting the request, Lady Shaw seems disappointed and a bit upset.

"Are you alright, Lady Shaw? Were you expecting some kind of complex negotiation and challenges? Don't worry, my battle brothers will be more than enough to handle this matter without additional forces from your territory." William reassures Gabriella as he mistook her discomfort and upset behavior for a number of his battle brothers William is willing to send.

A company of Space Marines is a total of 100. In a normal situation where conquering a country size land, usually takes an army of tens of thousands of soldiers to accomplish this. For Space Marines, Some say a squad of Space Marines can change the tide of battle while an entire chapter can swift the war entirely. Sending 100 Space Marines to take out fantasy vampires should be more than enough to wipe them from the map.

"No, it's just that you accept the request without hesitation or second thought. Considering it is another major conflict, wouldn't you consider leading your brothers personally in the field? I'm sure my mother would feel more comfortable if you do." Gabriella said, hoping to have William join the upcoming war against the undead faction. William felt something was off as he sensed there is something more going on in the dark. Feeling this matter requires more investigation and information, William decided to stay with his decision until he can learn more.

"I can assure you, a company of my battle brothers can resolve this matter without my presence. Now, if we are done, I have more appointments and people to meet. I will have my answer for the new deal by the day after the party." William pressed another button and one of the royal guards entered the door to escort lady Shaw out.

Gabriella left William's office without hesitation and left as the royal guard followed her. With the guest gone, William recalls the butler to clear the snacks while he himself review the paperwork left by Lady Shaw. William isn't much of a diplomat or trade negotiator but he has excellent memory in which he memorizes the entire 20 pages of a document in less than 20 minutes.

'Doesn't look like to have any intention to harm the deal or give one side an advantage but something is telling me something is wrong.' William closed the document and finish his Tanna tea. The taste indeed requires certain adjustments to enjoy it but William didn't mind as it reminded him of home back on Earth.

"Bring in the next appointment. Also, send in more Tanna tea." William pressed another button to let the royal guard know and ready himself to be diplomatic.

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Gabriella was escorted out from William's office by the alone royal guard. When they reached the main exit, the guard gave a simple salute and return to his position, leaving Gabriella.

'That didn't go as I wanted,' Gabriella thought to herself and start to walk. By the time she reach her room, it was late afternoon as dinner will be served within a few minutes. Wanting to refresh before attending the dinner with the rest of the delegates, Gabriella enters her room and locks it with a sign hanging outside not to disturb her.

Just as she was about to undress, she suddenly felt a presence in the room and immediately fall back to the corner of the bed where her weapon was hidden. Before she could reach for the weapon to defend herself against an unknown intruder, a voice spoke like a whisper in which she stopped, recognizing the voice and its owner.

"You should hide your blade more carefully. It took me only a few minutes to find the blade under the bed and other four more within this room." A man in the shadow of the room said and toss the long thin blade towards Gabriella's feet which landed not too far away but far enough for her to reach for it.

"What are you doing here? I thought I told you I can handle this matter by myself." Said, Gabriella as she just stood still peaking on the blade from the edge of her eyes. She knows the man well enough that she can't win against him in a fight but as her mother's daughter, she won't make it easy for him to take her life without a fight.

"I know what you said and I don't care. You were supposed to convince the Chapter Master to start another conflict in which he should participate personally. I had expectations from you." The man in the shadow said and step out with each step giving a heavy sound as his armor weight in. The dark blue with silver and green armor emerges from the shadow, towering at Gabriella's height. Gabriella has no idea how this man managed to walk about without anyone noticing him or his massive armor but one thing is certain, he is a man related to Wiliam and his kin as he possesses similar weapons and armor.

The giant man stopped a few feets from her and took his helmet off, showing her his face which surprised how young the man was. Bald and handsome but somehow forgettable after not seeing the man for a day, the giant man put his helmet next to his left arm and gave Gabriella a small metal box.

"This will help you convince if you wish to. Once our deal is over, I will have my men release your mother and the rest of the family. I swear by my honor." Said the man.

"What is this?" Gabriella said as she hesitate to accept the small metal box.

"A solution to yours and mine, if you desire to use it."

"How do I know after all this you will keep your end of the deal?" Gabriella finally accepts the box and put it in her purse to keep it safe.

"Because my name is Alpharius and I always keep my end of the bargain. You bring the Chapter Master out of this fortress and you will have your family back." Alpharius put his helmet back on and left the room without care. When Gabriella followed him a second later to see where the man left, she saw no one as a man named Alpharius simply vanished.

'Very strange and he can't be trusted.' Gabriella thought to herself and close the door, this time making sure no one else is in her room, she checked the metal box carefully. After finding a small button, Gabriella heard a voice she recognized from the box.

The voice of Rana Bassilo Beckett, the Lioness of Argus, and her mother.