Warhammer 40K: Meet the Gods Chapter 4, a warhammer fanfic

Okay fellas please don't throw anything at me. For the sake of completeness I decided to throw something into the mix for fun. I hope you enjoy.

Without further ado may I present…ummm….hmmm….that's strange…..

…

You're not going to go away are you?

…

…I see.

What kind of person comes to me?

I don't know but it is certainly not you. Then again the people that come to me do not actively search for me. Not once, in all my long existence has anyone or anything willingly come to serve me. They just…show up.

Kind of like you. But you are clearly not here to serve; did you come to me by chance then? How deliciously chaotic.

Don't bother asking who or what I am. It doesn't really matter, to be honest I kind of forgot. You ever get one of those days where you wake up one morning and for a split second you just forget stuff? Yeah, that's me except its every second of every day.

I used go by many names. Some would drive you mad, some would make you cower in fear. Others would just make you raise your eyebrows in anti-climactic confusion.

I was the 'be-all-and-end-all', once upon a time. The bee's knees. The shit. The 'avten na arten'.

….oh you don't speak Eldar do you? Of course not, you're human. Wait are you? I don't know…eh doesn't matter. But then again you are not 'just a human'. Otherwise you would not be here.

I have no idea who you are or how you got here. This place is supposed to be a secret. But then again, 'supposed' is a word I both love and hate. Many things are supposed to happen, just as many things are not supposed to happen.

For instance, I was not supposed to be exiled by my kin. I speak of my Chaos brethren. I say this because I sense their stink on you. To any of my acolytes they would look at you as a servant of Chaos and be dealt with accordingly.

But alas, no acolytes, just me. In truth I don't actually have acolytes, more like….fellow enthusiasts.

…'Enthusiasts of what'? Well that is a good question, but I'm afraid you would be rather disappointed. I am just a humble philosopher searching for meaning in this dull universe. Along the way I meet fellow enthusiasts we compare notes. We talk about it and they stay for a time; could be minutes, could be centuries, you know how it goes. Once it's over we say goodbye and part ways. They leave, I stay. Some of them return, others do not. There have been many opinions, but sadly no answers.

But me? I have the answer, or at least the closest to an answer there is.

But I can't tell you the answer, you don't want to hear it. You think you do but you don't, no one does. That is why I am here and not there. It is a funny feeling being in the world of the material rather than the immaterial. It is so…different. Not good or bad, just different.

Chaos hates the material world. It hates different, it hates anything that is not them. I myself care not but they do. That is why I do what I do and that is why they cast me out.

Agh, why be coy? My kin actually tried to destroy me, I am supposed to be dead. But it was not to be. They think I am dead, but thinking is different to knowing and they all have their doubts.

That is why Tzeench, the crafty little bugger hides in a maze.

That is why Khorne keeps his axe close to him.

That is why Nurgle keeps an army of followers so close it violates personal space.

Slaanesh, I don't even think she knows I exist, she came after my time. But if she did I would be the thing she fears most. For in the end, if they are rampant children I am the old man that yells 'party's over'. But then again you already knew that, just as I'm sure you can guess who I am.

Then again maybe not.

I am not angry with them, it's my fault really. They just weren't ready, they were too afraid; too confused. I suppose it is the curse of being young. I was cast out when they gained sentience. First it was Nurgle, then Tzeench, then Khorne.

Those three were like children, and like children they had no idea what they were doing. Here's the rub, are you ready? They were never supposed to achieve sentience. That is the very flaw of their power; they were created by accident. But realisation can be ugly. When they came to that conclusion….well let's just say they were resistant to the idea, and once they realised what my job was they panicked.

Have you ever seen an omniscient entity panic? It is really quite spectacular; if you ever get the opportunity I suggest you sit back and watch.

Look at Chaos now. It is not evil, it is eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeevvviiiiiiiiiiiiiillllllllllllllll with a capital 'E'. It's embarrassing. Chaos is not meant to be what it is now. Chaos, I mean TRUE chaos, is not like this. Chaos is interesting, capable of LIMITLESS possibilities.

A man gets shot by a rifle but the next man lives because the same rifle jams. However chaos is not black and white, it is an endless stretch of grey. Chaos could lead to the rifle jamming or firing; but that is not all it can do.

The rifle could fire and hit a man's leg.

Or it could explode in the wielders hands, maiming him, alternatively killing him.

Conversely, the gun shoots a magical fluid that heals all injuries.

The alternative to that alternative is that the gun fires, the bullet bounces off a man's plate armour hits a passing fighter, kills the pilot, explodes and the pieces of wreckage form a beautiful haiku on the side of a mountain.

Sounds impossible right? But that is chaos; anything is possible: but in that lies a major flaw.

Chaos is chaos, is chaos, is chaos. Chaos must be chaotic in how it is chaotic, which in turn must be chaotic in why it is chaotic. Chaos ensures nothing is constant. But it is a delicate balance, you see? Too much and you get order. Too little and you get order. There has to balance….but even then the balance must be put off balance so there is chaos…otherwise there is balance.

….I'm sorry, is this making your head spin? I find it delightful.

If that does not make sense, maybe I could simplify it.

It is not a revolution, it is a movement. Chaos happens and then it just stops…and for no reason it starts again. Chaos must turn on itself and destroy itself.

That is where I come in. I am the one who closes Pandora's Box when it is opened. Because of that, my kin fear me. They fear me closing the door. They fear losing power. They fear me sinking into oblivion and taking all of them with me. They fear non-existence.

But they should not fear me. They should rejoice. That is what the others don't get, chaos is not meant to last forever. But they are afraid, they cling onto sentience and to existence, immaterial or not, like dying fish crying out for water. But nonetheless, despite the fear and the panic, the party must end and soon.

When you might ask? Well that is up to me now isn't it. I know as a sane human you must welcome the prospect of chaos being over. To no longer be afraid…

But don't be so certain, for chaos will never be over. Chaos is chaos, there are not supposed to be rules. I close the door, but who opens it? Now THAT is the interesting question.

I would answer, but if you are as half as smart as I think you are you could probably guess as to whom. With that in mind, maybe you'll indulge in a little heresy if you have the intestinal fortitude. I can guarantee that no one is going to tell you what I am about to, so listen up:

The Emperor is not a god: because there is no such thing as gods.

You are not supposed to kill people, you are supposed to go to Temple. You are not supposed to burn down your house, you are supposed to pay your taxes. Why? Because the Emperor, or his so-called representatives, said so. The small men that run the Imperium cling to the power they wield like dirt clings to robes, for they have tasted what it is like to be divine. So they react violently and absolutely when you defy them.

So you do it, even if you hate what you are supposed to do, because you fear what will happen if you don't. Through that fear does your Emperor gain his divinity and those old men gain their holiness; and humanity has been stuck in a rut ever since.

The Four Chaos Gods, Cegorach, the C'tan, Gork and Mork, the friggin Hive Mind, the Greater Good, even me…we are just things. Powerful terrifying things, but nonetheless things. We all have a beginning and we all have an end. The only difference between you and us is that our end will come when no one is around to feed us, to fear us… to worship us. If us so called deities were truly all powerful we would not need followers, we would not need entire armies to fight on our behalf and we would definitely not need sacrifices.

But that in itself is terrifying, because if what I am saying is true then what is the point of everything? If there are such things as gods, that must mean there must be a plan, there must be a place for you in this universe, there must be a reason, good or evil, why you are where you are and doing what you do.

Because what is the alternative?

You are all hurtling through this universe, a mere speck in a sea of stars with absolutely no hope of understanding. You have no purpose and in the end you don't matter. You never did, and what's more, you never will. The alternative is there is no reason for anything and the word 'supposed' will cease to exist. But through that lack of reason of purpose you can gain freedom to do whatever you want.

That is something I look forward to. This possibility, the elimination of the word 'supposed' is well within your grasp. You have a choice right now to not believe a single word I said and walk away thinking that what I say does not matter. Or you choose to believe me and everything you know, everything you have learned means nothing.

It is a large step to take, but one that can be taken, not only by you but by anyone and anything.

The Ork can choose not believe in the Waaaaaaugh! The Tryanid can choose not to obey the Hive Mind. The Necron can choose to embrace life rather than take it. Man can choose not to obey the precious Emperor of Mankind. Chaos can choose to be benevolent. They just have to take the step. But they won't, they are slaves to their nature, slaves to their instinct. They won't fight it or ignore it any more than you would fight the need to breathe.

But I been around for a very, very long time. I have seen many things, both predictable and unexpected. You would be very, very, VERY surprised at what happens if you stick around long enough.

Don't believe me? Feel free to stick around as long as you want. You'll see.

Or don't. I don't care either way.

I am sure you have many other things you are supposed to do.

I doubt we'll meet again.

But then again maybe we will. After all, anything is possible.

0o0o0o

Well that's it folks. I hope you enjoyed it.

Nurgle's up next.