Leman piloted the Stormbird out of the merchant ship's hangar, parting ways with the guardsmen and the "Saint's Chariot" for the final time. The refugees they had saved insisted upon giving them some kind of recompense as payment for their invaluable services, but Leman refused their more lavish offerings. He settled for modest provisions and supplies, enough to fit on the Stormbird as emergency rations should they be unable to procure any in the future. He also accepted a small portion of the wealth left behind on the derelict merchant ship in the form of a few hundred thousand throne-gelt. They had spent most of the few weeks on the Stormbird itself, Leman making his quarters in the pilot's deck while Admu made the cargo deck her home. She had found a large tarp in the storage bay, fashioning it into a hammock for her to sleep in. She spent much of the journey asleep, recovering from the intense exertion and damage she had sustained during her battles upon Leprus, and as such Leman had not had much time to discuss the events… not that he particularly wished to.
When she was awake, Leman tried to restrict Admu's contact with the guardsmen so as to preserve as much of their anonymity as possible. The leader of the refugees, a crude yet respectful guardswoman by the name of Kelly, would occasionally pass by to check up on their "saint". In addition, many guardsmen and civilian refugees would leave offerings in the form of gifts, though Leman would usually ask that Kelly return them so they could serve the refugees' needs first. Frustratingly, this seemed to only strengthen their belief in the two as divine emissaries, refusing gifts and offerings on the ground of charity and mercy towards the common folk. Leman did once consider himself a somewhat spiritual man, but dealing with religious rituals and dogma was never something he enjoyed. He appreciated the services of the rune priests of Fenris… but to be perfectly honest he never understood their elaborate rituals and practices.
Well now I at least know they were channeling something real. Leman thought, looking down at the crystal wolf's eye upon his wrist.
He had removed his armor and was wearing simple plainclothes; however he had discovered that the gauntlet Tzeentch - good Tzeentch, that is, he really should think of a better way to distinguish the two - would magically reduce itself to a simple bracelet when worn without his power armor. Considering pure-Tzeentch had said that even he didn't know how exactly it worked, Leman felt as though he was only beginning to understand what the arcane device could do. Ever since he had learned how to use the gauntlet's ice-claws to travel short distances through the Immaterium, it had begun to glow eerily at random intervals. He would have to keep his eye on it in case it exhibited any more strange behavior.
Leman returned his gaze to the viewport of the cockpit, looking down at the planet ahead. It was a great orb of mottled grey and silver, covered in several continent-sized sprawls of dark cityscape dotted with artificial light. It was a planet Leman had heard of before his prolonged absence from the Materium due to its relative proximity to Fenris, though it held no particular importance during his time. During the Great Crusade, the world of Vigilus was little more than an insignificant mining world and refueling station, notable only for its peculiar deposits of the rare and mysterious mineral known as blackstone. The world had become significant - nay, vital to the functioning of the Imperium purely as a result of circumstance, that being its location as an anchor point for the Nachmund Gauntlet: a small and perilous yet stable passageway through the unceasing warp-storms of the Great Rift. Leman knew little else about the world, except that the guardsmen had told him it hosted quite a significant Ecclesiarchal presence; something Leman was not very enthused to hear.
The captain of the Saint's Chariot had already made arrangements through astropathic communication to requisition hangar space in which Leman could park his vessel temporarily, at least until they could find further passage to Baal. Following the coordinates given to him lead them towards a hive sprawl known as Megaborealis, an immense outstretched cityscape with layers upon layers of industrial hab-blocks. It hosted a towering orbital spire that provided a nav-beacon the Stormbird's navigation systems could follow remotely, allowing Leman to place the vessel in autopilot until they landed. In the other room, Leman could hear the sound of rushing water, meaning that Admu must have awoken.
"Mister Russ!" Admu shouted over the running water. "You really have to try this shower, it's so refreshing!"
"You mean the vehicle washing station?" Leman said. "I believe that uses an industrial acid solution meant to remove contaminants and corrosion from armor plating... I'll pass."
"Oh. Well, whatever it is, it's great for my skin!" She said, humming a pleasant tune.
After a few minutes the rushing water trickled to a stop, followed by the sound of rustling curtains and fabric as Admu dried herself off and got dressed. Then, without warning, Leman heard a high-pitched scream from the next room. He leapt to his feet, picking up the scabbard lying next to him and drawing the rune-emblazoned black blade from within. He busted open the door to the cargo hold with his shoulder, leaping down the stepladder and raising his sword to bear. His eyes widened in recognition and his hair stood on end at the bewildering sight before him.
"Look Mister Russ, a puppy!" Admu shouted, petting an immense wolf sitting in the middle of the cargo bay. "I mean… I don't really know where it came from, but it's so calm… and fluffy, too!"
Leman's face was deathly serious. He stared into the grey wolf's bright yellow eyes, blazing like a low-hanging harvest moon.
"You…" Leman said. "How did you get here? How are you here?"
That gauntlet of yours. The wolf said.
"Eep!" Admu shouted, surprised to hear the wolf talk.
It's a conduit for warp energy, absorbing the latent psychic energy within you and in your surroundings. I used it to manifest myself in realspace, thanks to our connection.
"A talking dog!? Now we have to keep him, Mister Russ!" Admu said, embracing the wolf who seemed unperturbed by her affection.
After a moment of pause, Leman cautiously sheathed his sword.
"Do you two know each other, Mister Russ?" Admu said.
"He is the spirit of a god that my father bound to my soul, as a source of power." Leman said.
"A-a god!?" Admu stuttered, backing away from the wolf. "I-I'm sorry mister wolf, uh, sir. I didn't mean to be disrespectful. Uh… should I…" she said, tentatively reaching out her hand.
You may continue.
Admu smiled, kneeling down and continuing to stroke the soft fur on the wolf's neck. Leman crossed his arms.
"Do you have a name, mister wolf? Since you can talk and all." Admu said.
I have been called many names… Wulkwos, Urbarra, Tianguo, Upaut, Amarok… though the Wolf King no doubt knows me better by another name.
"Fenris." Leman said. "The spirit of my homeworld. Though I am not sure either of us are worthy to use that title, not until I can return. Until then… we shall call you Fen. A diminutive."
The wolf narrowed its eyes. Suddenly, Admu wrapped her arms around him and caused the world to yelp in surprise.
"Fen! Oh I'm so glad we get to keep you! I always wanted a puppy, but papa said I wasn't responsible enough." She said, twirling around with the distressed wolf in her arms.
Please… put me down.
"Oh! Sorry." Admu said, letting the canine back down.
Admu turned to look out the window, having been too distracted by the sudden appearance of Fen to do so earlier. Her eyes lit up, and she rushed over to the porthole to get a better look.
"What… is that?" Admu said, marveling at the sight of the planet below.
That's right… Leman thought. She's still never seen a planet from orbit before.
"That's the planet Vigilus." Leman said. "It's where we're going to find transport to Baal."
Admu's eyes sparkled with amazement.
"That's… that's a whole PLANET?" she said, struggling to grasp the enormity of the object she saw before her. "There must be… thousands of little humans down there!"
"Try billions. Possibly even a trillion, considering it's a hive world." Leman said.
Admu gasped, her eyes staring out into space as she struggled to imagine that many people and things all in one place.
"Why's it all grey? And what are those big black splotches with little lights in them?" She said.
"Well, the surface of Vigilus is mostly barren dust and grey sand… not much out there besides feral orks and dust storms. The rest are hive cities, dense layers and conglomerations of buildings and manufactorums where the vast majority of the population lives. They can stretch all the way from the upper atmosphere to the mantle." Leman said.
"Those are cities!?" Admu exclaimed. "They look so small from up here…"
"Just wait until you see them up close… just try not to mind the smell." Leman said.
You humans and your cities. The wolf said dismissively.
"Perhaps that is one thing we agree on." Leman said with a smirk.
The Stormbird docked in an immense hangar that hung on the edge of the orbital spire, some 10 kilometers above the first layer of the Megaborealis hive sprawl - itself 5 kilometers above the surface of the planet. Transports and cargo haulers of every kind were arrayed in long rows, their passengers and freight pouring out into the city below like oxygen being delivered through a vast planetary bloodstream. A pair of heavy mechanical clasps anchored the Stormbird in place, lowering it onto the retractable floor below. Leman disabled the engines and prepared to disembark.
"I'm not sure about this…" Leman said, rubbing his beard anxiously. "How do we know the limits of the cloaks' stealth?"
"But you promised I could come!" Admu pleaded. "Here, I'll get mine out and show you."
She reached into her bag, shoving her entire arm inside as she rummaged through its contents.
"...exactly how much do you have in there?" Leman asked.
"Huh? Oh, right! I forgot to tell you; this is an enchanted bag Uncle Tzeentch made for me when my horns first budded. It's bigger on the inside." Admu said.
"Wait, wha -" Leman said.
"Ah! Here it is." Admu said, pulling out a similar black snakeskin cloak to the one Leman was currently wearing. "Wait a minute… it looks like there's a note in here…"
Admu pulled out a small piece of folded card from within the creased layers of the cloak, raising it to her eyes and squinting.
"Dear Admu and Leman…" She read. "The cloaks will naturally obscure your presence to a passive degree, however if you wish to disguise yourself then you need to activate them by uttering the word Agaith-"
Suddenly, Leman felt a tingling all around him, as if surrounded by a field of electricity. The iridescent sheen of the snake scales on his cloak began to shimmer rapidly, and a cloud of sparkling dust or vapor seemed to engulf him. He was struck with a feeling of vertigo, placing his hand on the side of the ship to steady himself. When he opened his eyes, he felt like there was something distinctly wrong… as if something had changed without him knowing.
"Mister Russ… you're smaller!" Admu shouted with a shocked expression, her hand covering her mouth. "Ooh, let me try!"
Admu draped the cloak around her shoulders, then shouted 'Agaith'. The same effect engulfed her, and sure enough she emerged smaller as well… still taller than Leman, though. Leman guessed he must have been around 7 or 8 feet tall now, still larger than the average human but significantly less distinct than a primarch. Admu was now only about 9 or 10 feet tall… still rather giant, but more easily explainable than how she had towered over the guardsmen she met on Leprus. Their clothes had changed as well, morphing into slightly more formal attire that made them resemble traders or merchants.
"See? We can blend in much more easily now." Admu said, admiring her new clothing. "Oh, and we should have fake names to go with our new looks, don't you think?"
"Yes, that would be prudent…" Leman said, looking down in contemplation. "Then in public you shall address me as 'Enoch'." He said, remembering one of a member of his legion which had been born on Terra rather than Fenris.
Admu thought for a moment before giving her idea.
"Hmm… how about 'Tia'!" She said.
"You seem to have an affinity for short names." Leman said.
"Well, it helps to remember them all when you have so many brothers and sisters." Admu said, laughing. "Oh, I just can't wait to finally see how humans live… without all of the nasty war and bloodshed."
Don't get your hopes up too much… Leman thought.
It has been a long time since I mingled among humanity as well. Fen said.
"Wait a minute, the idea is to be inconspicuous. Having a giant wolf following us around isn't exactly my idea of blending in." Leman said.
Suddenly, the wolf began to shapeshift before their eyes. He shrunk down to the proportions of an oversized canid, his fur changing colors from mottled grey to black and brown while his eyes remained the same supernatural shade of bright yellow.
I can also choose who hears my telepathic speech, concealing it from any who might seek to listen in on our conversations. If they do not surpass the level of an alpha-plus psyker, they will be unable to hear my words… unless I want them to.
Leman sighed.
"Fine, you can both come." Leman said.
Admu beamed with joy.
"Oh, this is going to be so exciting!" She said, jumping up and down with glee.
The industrial service elevator descended slowly at first, gradually accelerating to high speeds to make the descent to the hive sprawl below. The metal walls of the elevator shaft made creaking and whirring sounds which echoed throughout the interior, making Admu a bit nervous. The cabin shifted slightly, throwing off her balance. To keep herself steady she grabbed onto Leman's arm, holding it for the duration of the descent. Once the elevator reached a sufficient elevation, it began to gradually slow down using inertial dampeners so as to prevent the cabin from experiencing excess G forces. When it had finally reached its destination, the cabin decompressed with a loud hissing noise as the metal doors slowly creaked open. Admu stepped out of the elevator doors and into the mid-layer of Hivesprawl Megaborealis and was overwhelmed by the sights, sounds, smells, and sensations of the incomprehensibly large ecumenopolis.
The first thing she noticed was the noise: there was a constant, electric hum hanging in the air, a symphony of artificial lights and buzzing electronics permeating the atmosphere with their subconscious ringing. The electric chorus was joined by the regimented clangs, thuds, and pounding creaks of titanic machinery: cogs, pistons, gears, belts, cables, couplings, and engines all working in tandem, a great heaving rumble that rang all throughout the metal struts, spires, and platforms of the hivesprawl. Beneath the grand industrial orchestration was the murmuring, shouting, and chattering of the countless throngs of people navigating the choked streets and corridors of the city. Some spoke plainly and crudely, their words basic and boisterous with rough bravado, while others were strange and mechanical, whispering numerals like prayers which seemed to ring louder than they should have.
The smells she noticed next, an exotic blend of foreign aromas which hung thick in the polluted air. Hints of sulfurous smoke billowing out of great lava-forges deep below seeped through the cracks and pipes, mingling with white-hot steam pouring from boilers and radiators struggling to fight against the constant threat of overheating. Boiling machine oils, blessed and mundane, swirled in the air like they would had they been spilled in the ocean, the intoxicating scent of petroleum and promethium combining to create a sickly cocktail of delirious delight which many of the city's denizens considered a substance on par with the strongest of spirits and narcotics. Even the very metal that composed the city's frame seemed to contribute to its aromatic profile, with the scent of heavy metals and rust so dense in the air that she thought she may have been tasting blood.
But none of these compared to the sights: her eyes were filled with a panorama of near-infinite towers and scaffolds, irregularly rectangular and stratified skyscrapers so tall she couldn't see their bottom and their tops at the same time. The artificial spectrum of light ranged from buzzing orange-yellow phosphorus to blindingly blue-white LEDs, neon tubing of bright green, magenta, and cyan, and a deep, nearly infrared glow that seemed to seep up from the bowels of the earth itself. The metal jungle was composed of a variety of earthen and corrosive tones, leadened hues of red oxidation, pale industrial paints peeling away to reveal their dull, unpolished steel and iron interiors. Beneath the towering urban canopy, in the crowded streets that seemed to bend and spread like rivers or capillaries, the city's seemingly insignificant inhabitants shuffled and loitered about like ants within the belly of a plasma engine.
There were the laborers, groups of men and women in dingy, tattered work uniforms, their hair and skin stained with the black-brown residue of soot and oil, enjoying the closest thing to fresh air in this section of the hive city. Their faces were rough and grizzled, closer to stone than the smooth, discrete metal surfaces around them. They carried themselves with a certain rugged edge, an underhive pride that denoted their strength of body and character, laughing and arguing loudly and boorishly before they would have to descend back to their toils. Their overseers were clearly distinguished by their more professional uniforms, though they were not untouched by the invisible, polluted hand of the city either. Flecks and spots of oil and debris marked their suits, no matter how hard they tried to keep them clean. Their made-up, almost rubbery faces were still slick with sweat from the ambient heat, and their greased and manicured hair was only just barely clung to their pre-defined shape. Their eyes were sunken and baggy from the mental strain of bureaucratic procedure, and their mouths were wrinkled and lips cracked from the constant barking over the sound of deafening machinery. Then there were the priests: strange, off-putting amalgamations of machine and man draped in rust-colored robes, moving about uncannily and performing inscrutable tasks. Some used their assemblages of limbs to twist and prod at controls, others soldered, welded, and tempered with heavy industrial tools built into their bodies. They spoke privately amongst each other and in short, controlled bursts, ignoring the rest of the non-machinic humans as if they did not exist. Their bodies were each distinct and non-uniform, many not even resembling humans in the slightest and yet… there was something indeterminably 'human' about the simultaneous crudeness, effectiveness, utility, and ornamentation of their augmented forms. Lastly, there were those who fit none of the categories: aimless wanderers, vagrants, or simply visitors from far-flung sections of the city that were either lost or out of place. They filled in the gaps of the churning crowds like water filling in the gaps between river stones, completing the great portrait of life in this world that was completely and utterly foreign to the bewildered demigoddess.
She stood in place for what seemed like an eternity, her senses only scraping against the surface of the incalculably vast environment around her, absorbing it all with an expression of pure and unbiased awe.
"I don't know whether I prefer this or the warzone." Leman grumbled.
"It's… it's…" Admu stammered, struggling to gather her thoughts into words. "It's incredible…"
Leman turned to her with a confused expression.
"You… aren't displeased by any of this?" Leman said with a voice of genuine confusion.
"All of this is so foreign to me… I can't help but be taken in by how strange and new and awe-inspiring it is." Admu said with a breathy voice of amazement. "It's all just so… different from what I'm used to."
Leman smiled and shook his head.
"You really are just an endless font of enthusiasm, aren't you?" Leman said.
The three navigated the dense and crowded streets of the hivesprawl, passing underneath plascrete overhangs and dense canopies of bundled cables and pipes. Water dripped from above and steam rose through the grated floors, like an artificial approximation of the natural cycle - or perhaps nature expressing itself even in these man-made corridors. Throngs of people rushed and wandered by at varying speeds, clustered together or as unorganized individuals. The three off-worlders passed close by one of the techpriests, hunched over at an exposed section paneling filled with a maze of wires and flashing lights. A large artificial limb hung from his back, looming over his hooded visage and moving with a rigid, mechanical pace. Sparks occasionally burst from whatever the techpriest was working on, illuminating the heavy goggles strapped to his face. Admu, her curiosity peaked by this most strangely shaped human, stopped momentarily and walked over to him. She stood quietly and unintruding, simply watching the red-robed mechanist perform his duties for several minutes. The techpriest made an abrupt series of digital clicks and beeping, before switching his vocal systems to a format audible to humans not blessed by the Omnissiah.
"IS THERE SOMETHING I CAN HELP YOU WITH, FULLY FLESHED ONE?" The techpriest buzzed, in a loud but still somewhat respectful tone.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to distract you... I was just intrigued by what you were doing." Admu said in a bashful voice, backing away a bit.
The techpriest turned slightly to look at his audience, turning further when he caught sight of her. He scanned her up and down with his dark, glassy visual receptors, their mechanical lenses zooming and focusing with interest.
"...YOU ARE VERY LARGE. THIS IS EXCEPTIONAL FOR UNAUGMENTED HUMANS. I WILL MAKE NOTE OF THIS. THANK YOU FOR THIS NEW INFORMATION. GOODBYE." The techpriest said, returning to his work as if nothing had happened.
"Awww, thank you!" Admu said, touched by the robed man's kind(?) words.
"Come, Tia…" Leman said, tugging at Admu's sleeve. "...don't bother the techpriests."
"He complimented me!" She said, proudly. "Mister Ru- I mean, uh 'Enoch', who are those men anyway? They've got machine parts sticking out of them all over, and I could barely even tell they were human."
"Techpriests of Mars…" Leman said, with a mixture of respect and aversion. "They are responsible for building and maintaining most of the advanced technology within the Imperium. They worship machines to the point of replacing parts of their body with them… all in the name of a god they call the 'Omnissah'. They seemed to believe that was my father."
Leman never really felt comfortable around techpriests, a combination of his distaste for dogmatism and his wild upbringing. That being said, most were loyal and dutiful servants of the Imperium, and their services were utterly indispensable even during the heights of the Great Crusade.
Seeing as how the rest of the Imperium turned out, it's hard to see them as strange in hindsight… Leman thought. Perhaps it is simply a natural human instinct to seek faith in something greater than oneself during the darkest of times.
"Wow…" Admu said. "Well, I guess it's good that they perform such an important duty."
She turned back to the techpriest, now a ways behind them.
"Thank you for your service, mister techpriest!" She shouted.
The techpriest did not respond.
Leman looked up at a glowing sign which read "REQUISITIONS AND INFORMATION", hanging above a series of kiosks. He walked up to one of them and observed a somewhat portly man with a balding head swiping through a dataslate that read "Vigilus Times" and smoking a tarnished e-cig. He wore a uniform with a stained, off-blue vest which bore a nametag that read "Zeigler".
"Now would you look at that," The man in the kiosk said in a thick hiver accent, blowing out a puff of white smoke. "Lord Commander Guilliman just re-conquered a whole bloody sub-sector, and he reduced the size of the Administratum by at least 0.2%! I'm tellings ya, things are really lookin' up in the galaxy. 'Course, there's still that whole bleeding tear in the fabric 'a reality… and there's a new xenos or chaos invasion every other year… but you gotta take the good with the bad, aye?"
"I need passage to a world on this side of the Rift, and if necessary, room and board until the date of departure." Leman said.
The man turned to Leman and Admu, his eyes widening when he saw the towering girl behind the already imposing figure before him. He nearly dropped his e-cig in surprise, blinking a few times and rubbing his eyes.
"By the throne! Never seen a lass that big before!" Zeigler said.
"She's a… an ogryn." Leman said, thinking quickly of an excuse to avoid talking to this man any more than he had to.
The man only seemed more astonished.
"I'll be damned… I didn't know they made ogryn like that!" the man said.
Admu blushed a bit and giggled, while Leman simply glared at him with the most unenthused expression he could produce. The man in the kiosk got the hint and quickly composed himself, looking down nervously at his dataslate.
"If ya want off-planet transport… yer gonna hafta' head over to the capital district in Hyperia." he said.
"What!?" Leman said. "That's a completely different hivesprawl! Why do we need to go all the way there just to requisition off-world transport!?"
"Sorry, new regulation from the Planetary Gov'ner to try and limit 'subversive activity' or some such thing. They want all outbound transport to check in with the capital first. Not the cog-boys, though. They get to handle their own affairs." he said, pointing to a shambling group of techpriests passing by.
Leman pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration.
"How long will it take us to get there?" he said.
"Probably 'bout a day's travel… looks here like yer ship's got hangar space leased for a week, so there shouldn't be any trouble. And between you and me…" the man said, leaning in. "Even the dingiest shacks in Hyperia are better than the penthouses in this scrap 'eap. Them cog-boys wouldn't know interior design if it bit 'em in the arse."
"What else is there to do in Hyperia?" Admu said.
"Oh, there's loads. Markets, gardens, cathedrals… 'course they all cost a pretty throne. You two look like some affluent clientele…" he said, admiring their comparatively expensive clothing. "...should be plenty 'a things 'fer you to do." the man said.
Admu turned to Leman with an excited expression. He breathed deeply and let out a defeated sigh.
"Fine. What's the fastest way to get there?" Leman said.
"The tram's about 4 blocks east of 'ere, you can buy tickets there." Ziegler said.
"...Thank you." Leman said, already exhausted by this place.
The three turned and began walking down the streets towards the transport station. The kiosk man got one final bewildered look at the towering woman just before they were out of sight.
"An Ogryn… huh. Well blow me down, you learn somethin' new every day." he said, returning to thumbing through the news feed on his dataslate.