Arm the household

As you survey the drake tower you are joined by a small group of servants carrying a bewildering assortment of belongings and valuables. The steward had the initiative to have the kitchen slaves bring bags of food, amphorae of oil and wine and two large buckets of water. All together there are six women and three men, two of whom arrive with Europa and Junia, the two pretty slaves you first met when they accompanied Relia to your quarters. These men are dressed in Rider's gear and when they see you, they salute smartly as if you were some kind of officer.

"Who in Hades are you?" To your surprise you are starting to sound a little like many of the Wing commanders you've flown under.

"Niko and Yiannis, Sir." The older of the pair answers promptly. "We heard that you were a Rider, and figured we'd try our luck with you, Sir."

"Where are your drakes?" As soon as you ask the question, you realize that there is only one possible answer, and you raise your hand to stop them before they have to explain.

"That's why we are here." Niko's youthful earnestness makes you smile, "we hoped that you would take us in - just until we could raise enough money to buy a hatchling. We'll be your men for life, Sir, if you take a chance with us." At the moment you need anyone who can fight and without any hesitation you put them to work. "Done."

Searching for Relia's butler, well, your butler now, you meet his eyes and beckon him to come to you. As he stands before you and Relia, you open your mouth to speak to him when you realize you still don't know his name.

"Xenophilus, Master," Relia whispers in your ear. By how she's embracing your torso so closely, it's clear she feels just at home at your side and half naked. No one could have thought she used to be a noble lady.

"Xenophilus, tell me, is there some sort of armory in this estate? I am not too sure regarding how the Kiriakolis estate functions, but I know most of the nobles in Athenapolis have some sort of household guards, whether small or large. Did the Kiriakolis also have guards?" You ask. One of your favorite pastimes was to watch young masters of noble families duking it out on the streets along with their bodyguards over some stupid petty reasons, wasting valuable soldiers over some perceived insults...

Cursing silently in your mind, you realize your future sons might grow up to become like one of those useless young masters. You don't have any children and they already give you a headache. Great.

If Xenophilus notices any of your tumultuous thoughts, he doesn't show it on his face as he answers. "We used to employ household guards, yes, but following the previous master's ****, and the ensuing conflict with main Nidaniaus family, as well as the current state of affair, all of the guards are either dead, with the main Nidaniaus family, or deserted."

You try to digest what Xenophilus said regarding the previous master until you realized he must have meant Relia's father. You don't need any explanation on how sordid of an affair a family head's **** is, especially one with only a daughter and of a branch family at that. The main Nidaniaus family must have tried to reabsorb the Kiriakolis branch after your, heh, 'father-in-law's' ****, though the fact you are lounging now inside this estate and with Relia at your side obviously means they have failed.

"That is the reason why I agreed to go to you, Master. With no guards and the city on the eve of defeat, I realized I'd have to leave quickly if I want to survive intact." Relia added.

"So much for being intact though, heh." You smirked lewdly as you pinched one of her nipples.

"Ohh... I won't have it any other way though, Master..." Relia moans contentedly.

Not showing any reaction to what is happening, Xenophilus continues on. "But we still do have an armory where weapons and armors used by the guards are stashed in, even with no guards remaining. The previous master always made sure to stock it properly."

"I see. Tell the servants to arm themselves. I don't know exactly what's going on, but tonight Athenapolis has more to worry about than the United Armies. Have Nikos and Yiannis come first to take a pick from the armory, and then one of them should stay and help the others arm themselves."

"Everyone, Korban?" Relia is alarmed by your grim resolve. "None of the women know how to fight, and the gardener is so old not even the city guard wanted him. Is it wise to give them weapons?" Putting weapons into untrained hands is usually a bad idea, but if those beastmen turn their sights on this estate surrender is not an option.

"Rider?" Xenophilus coughs politely to get your attention. "There is also a special armory that is for the master of the estate's personal usage, located near the master bedroom. I am sure Lady Relia would be able to show My Lord the room in question."

Turning to Relia, she gets up from the couch and beckons you to follow her. "I forgot about that old storage room, is there even anything in there?" Her butler's wry smile is difficult to decipher, but it is enough for Relia. "Come Korban, I'll show you where Father used to keep his trinkets."

You follow Relia to the stairs and then walk to the direction of the master bedroom. You aren't really surprised by the existence of a special armory for the private use of the master of the estate. Many noble families are usually elevated or formed through military merits, and Relia did say the Kiriakolis often received Riders to their estate, evident from the drake tower, signifying they might be more martial inclined rather than trade inclined. You are intrigued by what kind of things you would find in this private armory.

Passing the master bedroom, you stand before a large double door made of iron bands and dark hardwood. Standing beside you, Relia already holds a key, presumably to the private armory. You don't know when she took it, or where she put it, but you decide such things aren't really important.

"What kind of weapons and armors did your father store in here?" You ask to Relia. You are more than curious about this unknown father who you've just heard of now.

"To be honest, I have never entered the private armory, even before my father passed away. Only my parents and Xenophilus under my father's orders have ever entered the private armory, which basically means it has never been opened again after my father passed away except maybe for maintenance of the things inside by Xenophilus." Relia answers. Turning to you, she asks. "Should I open the door, Master?"

"Yes." Hearing your affirmative, Relia enters the key and turns it. You can hear an audible click as the lock opens. Stepping closer to the door, you grab the handles of the door and pull. The door opens; you then enter the private armory along with Relia.