Chapter 1
Well! Another idea that popped into my mind that bothered me so much I had to put it on paper. This is mainly a Warhammer 40k x Arknights story...although I have a surprise from another fandom in a future chapter ;) In the meantime, please do enjoy!
20 brothers, 20 tubes. 20 numbers. Created not born, by the hands of the greatest of mankind. Even as children, they would have posed a threat to the ruinous powers if they were to be raised by their creator. And so in a cruel twist of fate, the 20 tubes were scattered throughout creation.
Most landed on various worlds in the deepness of space waiting to be found once more and return to their rightful place...but one was not so fortunate. The tube bearing the number 'II' kept going prey of the waves of the immaterium which chaotically pushed it into the unknown...but then the currents began to grow weaker, the sounds and the lights of trillions of lives began to fade until there was only silence...
It was said that the immaterium spanned all creation and that its chaotic nature depended on the lives in real space...but what would happen if there were no sentient lives for the immaterium to feed on? The answer was quite simple, nothing would happen. The currents of the immaterium were no longer there, it was a calm sea cruised by a lone tube that came from a ruined galaxy and was now moving between the void.
How much had passed? Seconds? Minutes? Or Millennia? Impossible to say for sure in that realm especially when the departure took place where the currents were most violent. The cradle of the child kept moving before once again the currents picked up, just barely, enough to begin pulling the small being into a whirlpool and then...real space.
A storm like no other announced the arrival of the child as its cradle touched the ground before being hit by lightning bolts several times changing the child within and adapting it to the world he found himself in...and then the sky cleared and the storm was gone as fast as it appeared.
Time passed and the sun rose in the sky, the barren wasteland woke up as its creatures began to roam looking for prey...then something heavy, it was no beast, the sounds it emitted were mechanical in nature. A colossal machine stopped nearby and then the silence was broken by the sounds of footsteps. Someone had found the child.
It was a woman with short white hair, green eyes and feline-like ears. She analyzed the tube with a calm and serious expression before widening her eyes and seeing a child floating inside of it, she began trying to open it but the electricity had melted the opening mechanism. She spoke and a monster made of crystals answered, it stabbed its claws into the tube forcing it open.
She then cautiously grabbed the child, examining it before cradling it in her arms. Despite what had transpired, the child was calm, he was not crying and in fact, he was staring at the woman very intensely. She turned around and began returning to the massive machine. As they got on board, the symbol of the tower reaching the sky caught the child's eyes along with the words 'Babel'. And so, in the planetary year 1085, Aurelian Astèri began his life.
Twelve years have passed since then, a relatively small amount of time and yet the child has grown into a man standing 3,65 meters tall with golden glowing ethereal wings and a halo above his head. He was standing in the same place where it all began and now it was all ending. Twelve years ago, he was found in that very spot he was standing on. He was raised by a kind and caring mother who taught him how to be the best man he could be.
But he had to leave her the day he made contact with his father. Despite the void that had separated them, his being was so bright and awe-inspiring. He told him that he and his brothers were his sons that they were made for greatness and that he should make his way to him using knowledge provided through the link they had.
But Aurelian refused when he learned of his father's opinions on those who were not human even if by little. He told him that he was not interested in conquest and greatness nor was he interested in returning to that hellish galaxy that held no meaning to him and that hated and purged those who were different. All he cared for were those who stood behind him human or not and he wouldn't have left them not even to become the ruler of star systems nor he would have conquered them to make them submit to an order that despises them.
His statement was met with glacial disappointment. Their conversation was cut short by his own maker calling him a traitor and excommunicating him.
Those were the final words the closest being to a father Aurelian had told him before disappearing. Those words echoed in his mind and were the source of much ponderation until he reached a conclusion. If caring for those dissimilar to him made him a traitor then he would have accepted that title without shame.
Aurelian had gone on a journey across the world he lived on, to decide what to do with what he knows and what he is. He saw the suffering of the people afflicted by Oripathy being systematically killed. An entire race unable to find peace both because too attached to their violent ways and because the others would not let them. These were a few of the many plagues of this world.
If Aurelian were to follow what he was made for, he should have started going around taking out governments, and mowing down whoever opposed his order before declaring peace on a hill made of corpses and blood.
But he had refused to do so, choosing another path, the path of the guardian. There were people already working to try to better the world. They had taken him in when he first arrived, he had left them in his search for purpose and now it was time for him to return. To return to his mother and his sister.
He was at peace with the fact that his maker had disavowed him but one day during his journey back home he felt a sharp pain coming from his chest soon followed by a deep sense of sorrow. He could not explain it but he knew that something had happened...something terrible. And the confirmation came in the form of a flickering light, a fragment of the great being he knew as father. It was too weak to sustain itself so it attached to Aurelian's essence revealing to him the events of what was called 'The Horus Heresy'.
The Primarch was shown the horrors of that horrific rebellion from the prospect of his father. At first, he thought that the fragment was there to try one last time to get him back but he realized that wasn't true once he understood what part of his father came to him. His father's regrets.
Regrets over his choices, regrets over his actions and inactions.
But even after being sealed into the Golden Throne, the Emperor of Mankind remained pragmatic. He knew that the regrets he had were his weakness and so he exiled that piece of him and sent it to Aurelian. Perhaps he chose to send it there because this way the Chaos Gods would not be able to reach it or perhaps it was an attempt to make amends.
Aurelian did not care what was the reason, he did not need it. Because once he saw what his father had been reduced to he felt only sadness and sorrow. If a part of his father wanted to stay with him, he had nothing against it.
In the following days, Aurelian and his father talked, not through words but through their minds. Aurelian made clear his intention to be a guardian for the people of the planet and not their ruler and his father had nothing to say against it this time. The fragment offered him to learn about his body and his powers, but it would have taken him time to learn that knowledge, hundreds of years.
Aurelian was about to refuse but the Emperor offered him a compromise. Hundreds of years in another world's time but a few in his current one. The Primarch accepted and opened a portal through the warp for himself leaving Terra to become its guardian.
For hundreds of years, Aurelian trained, learned, and created under the guidance of the fragment of his father. In the meantime, he studied the warp of the galaxy he found himself in. At first, the Emperor's teachings were regarding control and calmness of the mind and the body to control the warp and body, medicine, engineering and the sorts.
The warp here was far calmer, there were gods but they were not near as malevolent as those of the Milky Way nor as active or present. There were daemons of a new kind but they also stayed hidden in their own dimensions. Aurelian made the vow to stand against these beings should they threaten his Terra.
But, lesson after lesson, slowly the teachings turned more violent in nature as they focused on combat and war strategies...The Emperor's fragment also turned colder and colder. Aurelian could feel anger, sorrow, and pain coming from his father and knew what was the cause of it...His encasement on the Golden Throne kept his father alive but under unimaginable agony.
The Primarch's training concluded with the making of his armour and weapons. In a world near Terra, that he named Requiem, he crafted them with his own hands using materials that came from the warp and space. His armour was using the knowledge his father provided on the Aquilon Terminator Armor of the Adeptus Custodes and The Aegis Terminator Armor of the Grey Knights. Taking the overall shape of the former but the angled designs of the latter such as the helmet. Its main colour was Maximum Red with golden engravings and Byzantine purple highlights. He called it, Perpetua Voluntas.
He then created his weapons, a nemesis force Halbert named Edge of the Foreign Stars. A rectangle-shaped storm shield named Shelter from the storm. Along with these weapons, the Primarch had bolters mounted on his armoured gauntlets. Lastly, his father insisted on the creation of a greatsword.
Aurelian didn't know why his father was so fixated on the creation of the weapon but he followed his instructions. And so Lux Lunae came to be but its creation was the last thing the son and father did together. The fragment of the Emperor no longer could sustain itself so far from the Milky Way under the pain and stress of the Golden Throne. The sword was a gift from his father to his son but it missed one last part. Instead of disappearing forever, the fragment became one with the sword empowering it.
Unlike their first meeting, their last goodbye was peaceful. Aurelian promised that he would have treasured every moment spent together and expressed his gratitude as his father left him for the last time. To honour his father, Aurelian engraved the Imperial Aquila on his armour's leg piece.
Left alone on Requiem, The Primarch pondered a piece of knowledge revealed to him by his father.
'The sons of the forgotten are still looking for their father. Before their erasure, the legion master Lanius ordered his fleet to jump in the Void along with the other forces assigned to them...My order of their purge came late...'
That sentence was the reason why he had asked his father to help him look for a suitable planet to live on. Requiem was meant to be the place where the 2nd Legion of the Imperium would land. The Primarch knew that Terra would have plunged into chaos if a legion battlefleet arrived. Thanks to thw warp drives, the ships would be able to bypass the fake sky above the planet.
His father explained him that The Sons of the Forgotten were similar to their Primarch, that whenever a xeno purge would be conducted against a defenseless race, they would voice their discontent. Many of Aurelian's brothers made fun of them as a result while others pitied them.
The Emperor didn't want to let anyone know that one of his sons betrayed in favor of a Xeno Race, he ordered of the 180.000 Legionnaires to join the Ultramarines legion. The Legion Master Lanius understood that something was amiss and faked their compliance sending 80.000 legionnares to join the other legion as they were those he knew would have rebelled to his following actions.
While the 80.000 were on their way to Ultramar, he ordered the whole fleet along with the additional troops of the Solar Auxilia and Admech fleet to jump into warspace with the mission of recovering the Primarch as per orders of the Emperor. When, in truth, the Master of Mankind saw through the Legion Master's stratagem and sent the space wolves legion to seize the fleet of the second legion and purge them...when they arrived, the second legion had already disappeared into the void.
Following them there was insanity and so the Emperor had the entire fleet expunged from imperial records.
The Emperor himself did not know if they were going to make it to the galaxy where Aurelian was but in case they did, they would have needed a place to call home. And that was why Aurelian came to Requiem.
Aurelian had constructed a beacon for the legion and with no reason to stay there, he returned to Terra. There were those who were waiting for his return.
And so now he stood in front of the place where he was first found. Behind him a car stopped and two women got off it. One had both the traits of the Sarkaz and Sankta with blue hair and the other was a Liberi with red hair.
"You have my praises, you started developing a skill to find me...although it is a wasted effort, my answer does not change not today not tomorrow..." He spoke turning around calmly.
"The pope would be displeased if I did not ask..." The blue-haired woman said shrugging as she was about to go back into her car.
"Why?" The Liberi woman asked clenching her fists.
The Primarch stopped in front of her looking down at her small stature compared to his "Because I pledged to protect Terra not Laterano and its interests."
With that he walked past her as his ethereal wings expanded in size, he bent his knees a bit and launched himself into the air flying towards his destination.
The Chernobog rescue was a success although it came at a great cost. Ace, Scout and many others did not make it back. Amiya and the Doctor were discussing what had happened between them, Talulah and Ace. They felt the wind pick up all of a sudden blowing against their backs before calming itself once more just as suddenly as it came.
Amiya's ears perked up when she heard a loud clanging sound of metal coming into contact with another metal from behind them. She turned around and saw a massive knight standing, the slits where their eyes were supposed to be glowing with light. The giant reached for his helmet and with an hissing sound removed it revealing his short red hair and his golden eyes. He kneeled and set his weapons down before spreading his arms.
"Amiya, I have returned," he spoke smiling.
First, there was shock, then she elaborated on those words. Finally, the girl ran towards him and wrapped her arms around his neck as she hugged the giant in front of her with tears running down her eyes.
"Welcome back!" She said happily as the Doctor stared at the scene amazed and confused.
Aurelian gently and carefully stroked her hair before looking at the Doctor with a cautious gaze that quickly softened once he didn't feel the presence of the evil spirit of Babel coming from them, as a matter of fact, he felt the same sadness and grief that he felt coming from Amiya along with their confusion and feeling of emptiness and guilt. The Primarch waited for Amiya to let go of him before looking at the Doctor.
"Greetings Doctor Croft, I am Aurelian Astèri, pleased to make your acquaintance," He offered cordially.
Amiya blinked a few times looking back at Aurelian and the Doctor. She was sure that the two knew each other before the latter was put into the Sarcophagus and yet Aurelian introduced himself again as if he knew of the Doctor's condition.
"O-Oh, the pleasure is mine, mister Astèri..." The Doctor uttered a bit intimidated by the colossus.
"Does Kalt'tsit know you are here?" Amiya asked tilting her head with a smile "How was your journey? Did you find what you were looking for?"
The Primarch nodded "Yes I did and no, Mother does not know I am here yet. Is she in her office?"
Amiya shook her head "No, she is at the Control Center, I think she is about to leave for Lungmen..."
"Then I shall see her immediately, I missed her in these years of separation," Aurelian replied with a nod getting up.
The Doctor looked a bit panicked when she saw that the lifts of the landship seemed to be too small for the behemoth of a man but he couldn't believe her eyes when gradually the Primarch shrank in size to fit in it. She was about to ask Amiya if that was normal but she saw the bunny girl in a similar state of surprise in seeing that.
Aurelian pressed the elevator button to the command centre and stepped out of the lift once its doors opened, Rhodes Island's operators were working diligently although he could feel their grief over their losses but they quickly noticed his arrival as his size still made him tall enough to have to duck under the door frames. The Primarch could shrink himself further but he had noticed that he felt more at ease when closer to his natural stature. The Senior staff lightened up when they laid their eyes on him while the newer ones wondered if they should have intervened but they were almost too afraid to even move.
He made his way to the command centre and finally, his eyes landed on the person he was looking for. Dr Kal'tsit was having a conversation with a Perro woman who immediately stared at him in shock as she braced for a fight. Just like he did with Amiya, Aurelian kneeled keeping his helmet under his arm as Kal'tsit turned around and their eyes met.
"Mother," He spoke with a smile.
The woman approached him and placed her hand on his face with a gentle smile "You've grown so much, Aurelian...Although I shouldn't be surprised, after all, growing in the blink of an eye is not something foreign coming from you..." she then ran her hands on his armour and weapons "Is your return here another stop of your journey?"
He shook his head "No Mother, my pilgrimage has come to an end not too long ago, I finally found my purpose."
She nodded "I am going to Lungmen, would you like to accompany me, I would like to continue this conversation..."
"Of course, I too wish to talk, there is so much I want to discuss...but first," He replied reaching for something at his hip.
The man grabbed what looked to be a quite big box with one hand from his hip and placed it on a nearby table. His mother carefully opened it only to find a big quantity of luxurious Bolivarian Coffee.
"I would be a bad son to reappear after years without a gift..." He spoke calmly.
Kal'tsit nodded taking the box with her as she began to move to leave it at her office followed by Aurelian.
"Eh? Kal'tsit's Son?!" Finally, instructor Doberman's mind wrapped around what had just happened.
After leaving the gift the Primarch brought to her office, Kal and the Primarch began to walk to the hangar, many operators they came across were in awe at their passage although the woman's glare was enough to make them focus back on their work.
They reached the hangar and immediately the pilot of the VTOL looked a bit panicked when they saw Aurelian about to step on the aircraft. To their surprise, the aircraft did not lament the presence of the colossus inside of it and upon further inspection, the pilot found out that the machine's sensor didn't pick up a change in weight.
Kal'tsit sat down and her son did the same. They waited to take off in order to begin their conversation so that it may be private.
"Your abilities have become quite useful, I feared we would have to buy a bigger aircraft to carry you around," Kal spoke smiling.
He let out a chuckle "Unfortunately, this world is not made for the likes of me, among his first teachings there were the arts of changing my shape and weight to be able to move around freely..."
Her ears perked up "Your father?"
The Primarch slowly nodded "What remained of him, a great tragedy occurred in my home world, a portion of him reached out to me."
"Even though he considers you a traitor?" She asked crossing her arms.
"His mind and soul were fragmented, each fragment has its own thoughts and personality. This fragment regarded me as his son and wished to help me," He expressed with a hint of sadness in his voice.
The woman placed her hand on one of his pauldrons having felt the sadness in his voice.
"I spent 5 years away from here but in truth, I spent 500 in the immaterium meditating, learning about myself, events and what to do with that knowledge" He spoke solemnly.
"And what is the verdict?" She inquired.
He leaned his back against the aircraft "I will put my abilities to the protection of Terra, I will help Rhodes Island and whoever needs it."
She smiled and nodded "I am proud of you."
"Thank you, now, how about you tell me what is going on?" He replied calmly.
She nodded and grabbed a tablet "The Reunion has taken over Chernobog and it is highly likely they will try to do the same at Lungmen, I am planning to speak with Commander Wei to make a deal to allow Rhodes Island to operate within the city to help with the defence."
Aurelian brought his hand to his chin in deep thought "What is the tyrant thinking? Lungmen defenders are nothing like Chernobog's and they do not have the surprise factor anymore not to mention that the reunion's troops are probably going to be exhausted, attacking this soon is setting themselves for failure...•
"Perhaps they are counting on the fact that Lungmen's leadership comes to your same conclusion," Kal replied calmly.
"That would work in Ursus perhaps but Lungmen is an entirely different beast, their guard is always up since the Ursus invasion..." The man replied sighing "Lots of people will die for a pyrrhic victory at best and a devastating defeat at worst..."
"What do you intend to do?" She asked raising an eyebrow.
"Well first, come with you to the negotiations then I will stay in the city's slums, it is safe to assume that the Reunion will try to recruit, my presence there might make them more hesitant to do so..." He spoke darkly.
"There is something you are not telling me, I can tell..." She retorted crossing her arms.
The Primarch sighed "I caught glimpses of a massacre, sewers filled with bodies of the infected living in the slums dropped there from men wearing black raincoats..."
Kal looked a bit worried "Is that a certainty?"
"No, it's a possibility, it might happen or it might not, there are no certainties in the visions of the immaterium, its currents are not chaotic but they are still volatile." The Primarch explained.
"Alright Aurelian, do what you believe is best, I trust your judgement..." She said before she seemed to be remember something "Oh, since you will stay at Rhodes Island you will need a Codename..."
"Primarch," Aurelian replied without hesitation as he walked to the cargo door "List me as a collaborator...this way you'll be able to distance yourself from my actions...nor you will have the authority to stop them."
She nodded and looked a bit perplexed at his actions "What are you doing?"
"Making a long-lasting impression..." He replied opening the cargo door and jumping off the aircraft.
A few minutes passed and finally, Kal'tsit landed welcomed by a group of Lungmenites Officers led by the Chief of Police Ch'en were about to approach her aircraft when suddenly a being so tall like they had never seen landed next to the aircraft. His towering figure froze them in place as Kal'tsit got off the aircraft and walked next to the giant
"This is my escort, please pay no mind to him..." She said walking to the chief of police waiting to be brought to the commander
Ch'en would have said anything but she felt the eyes of the colossus glued on her analyzing her every move and breath. She just gestured to Kal to follow.
The LGD officers froze in place for a second when they heard the heavy footsteps of the Primarch. Kal'tsit was surprised since she barely heard them back at Rhodes Island, her son must have been purposely making them louder to be more intimidating.
Once again, Aurelian size shrunk down and his weight became null as he stepped into the lift that brought them to the office of the chief Wei.
"I will go pick up the rest of your staff..." Ch'en spoke leaving them in front of the door of the office.
Kal'tsit nodded and entered followed by Aurelian who found himself a corner to stand guard keeping his act as bodyguard.
'I shall observe Mother,' He communicated telepathically to his mother who gave him a look of acknowledgement before sitting down at the tea table in front of the chief of Lungmen, Wei Yenwu.
The Primarch analysed the man's details both physical and comportamental. He was a xeno, as his father would put it, as his body was very vaguely humanoid and most of his traits were the ones of an eastern dragon. He was calm and collected and seemed quite aware that Aurelian was no mere bodyguard.
He and Kal'tsit began to talk about a collaboration between the Lungmen Guard Department and Rhodes Island that would consist of combat assistance and the sharing of tactical information in exchange for a relic.
After a few minutes of back and forth with Wei telling Kal'tsit that what she was asking was too much, Ch'en returned with the doctor and Amiya.
The negotiations continued with Ch'en fiercely defending the capabilities of the LGD and Kal'tsit promising them that the city would be falling soon if they kept underestimating the Reunion just like Chernobog.
Wei put an end to the discussion when he began projecting the combat footage of Rhodes Island's operators along with Amiya's intervention and the Doctor's. Wei signed the contract but his gaze shifted to the one who hadn't spoken a single word since he got there.
"What about you walking tower, what are your thoughts on the matter?" he spoke calmly making a puff with his long cigarette.
Everyone focused on Aurelian as he began approaching the table.
"I think that soon many both guards and rioters will put their lives in danger over something that could have been easily avoided with the use of human kindness. Reunion wouldn't exist if the great nations didn't build an entire system on tormenting the infected..." He spoke his eyes moving to Ch'en and then back to Wei "I wonder if it is out of the will to exploit the infected or genuine hatred for them...I hope you will not have to find out what it feels like to condemn your own loved ones. The Infection is not quarantined and everyone could be infected so long they roam this earth. One day you will all understand it but it will be too late."
Wei narrowed his eyes "I do what I do to protect Lungmen and its people...You on the other hand, who are you fighting for?"
"Those whose blood must not be shed, infected or not, the innocent must not be harmed. In Chernobog reunion attacked anyone who did not join them, so should they try to do the same here, my blade will strike true," The Primarch replied.
"You have quite the tongue Mister Mountain," Wei spoke amused.
Aurelian returned to his previous location "Indeed, but I refuse to insult you with lies and praises, I do not approve of your politics on the infected but I will protect to my last breath all the people of Lungmen."
Wei chuckled and spread his arms "Well dear guests, I welcome you to Lungmen!"
With that being said, Kal'tsit and the others went back to the lift, Amiya sighed in relief as she felt the tension disappear.
Aurelian and Kal'tsit stared the glass wall of the lift.
'He is planning something' Aurelian spoke telepathically to Kal who nodded knowingly.
'He wouldn't have signed anything if he didn't' She replied.
'I'll go immediately to the slums,' He said before literally disappearing in front of the three.
The Doctor was so shocked that she waved her arms where the Primarch was. Amiya looked at Kal'tsit who just smiled at her and praised her for her intervention at the negotiation table before giving the cold shoulder to the doctor and leaving the lift.
The Primarch appeared in the slums, it was not the first time he had been there. During his pilgrimage, he had come to Lungmen. He was saddened by how different the city and the slums, skyscrapers overlooking a bunch of shacks and ruined old buildings that barely had electricity.
He began walking through the alleys, immediately noticed by pretty much everyone all of them with various different reactions. Some of them were awestruck at his appearance, the children had their eyes glued on him but kept a safe distance. The adults looked a bit fearful. Then there were those who were hiding their activities, some were criminals others were undercover Reunion members.
Aurelian kept moving through the allies with a certain location in mind. The slums were like a labyrinth but he knew his way. He reached an abandoned parking lot and went into the underground levels before opening a door that should have led to a maintenance tunnel but instead there was a clandestine clinic.
Everyone stared at him wide-eyed, the people supposed to keep watch jumped on their feet with swords in their hands.
"Stop!" Someone shouted from the back.
A Sarkaz woman in a lab coat made her way to the front and smiled "It's been a while, 5 years?"
He nodded and approached her and nodded "Indeed Hygieia."
She nodded and clapped her hands "Come on people, nothing to see here this is a friend of the clinic. Come on, let's go to my office," she spoke walking through the improvised hospital beds and equipment.
She led the Primarch to a room that was probably used for chemical storage before being refitted as an office. She sat down and smiled.
"Nice armour, made in Kazimierz?" she asked.
"Personal workshop, I kept myself busy in these years..." He spoke looking around and spotting a framed picture of Hygieia and a sarkaz man with long black hair "Your father?"
Her smile turned bittersweet "He passed away a year ago, his Oripathy turned cronic, and two weeks later he was gone..."
"I am sorry..." He apologized bowing his head a bit.
She shook her head "What for? He should have died 5 years ago, everyone told him that by the end of the year, he would have been dead. Instead, a gentle giant came and bought him 5 more years where he helped so many people and saved so many lives. He died without regrets."
Aurelian slowly nodded "I wish I could have done more...but my knowledge on Oripathy is still incomplete..."
"Well that is something that is the same for the entirety of Terra...So I don't think you came here just to talk about the good old times, what's up?"
"I am currently working for Rhodes Island who in turn is cooperating with the Lungmen Guard Department-"
"I am going to stop you right there, I have no intention of collaborating with the LGD, you know how many people I had to patch up because of them?" Hygieia cut him off shaking her head vigorously "And besides that, this clinic is a safe space for the infected if word got around that we are collaborating with them you'll make us a target for literally everyone."
"I am not asking you to do that...I am asking you to collaborate with me, you are the only one I can trust here..." The Primarch replied shaking his head.
She brought her hand on her chin and leaned on her chair before sighing "What do you need?"
"Information of a few things...Do you know of a group that wears only black raincoats?" He asked her.
The woman got up, peeked her head out and locked the door closed before leaning against it with her back.
"Those are the Shadow Guard, Secret Police, Wei's weaponized arm...where they go, they leave a trail of bodies..."
Aurelian slowly nodded "I see..."
"What do they have to do this? Why do you bring them up?" The Doctor asked not bothering to hide the fear in her voice.
"The Reunion needs manpower and supplies to keep going..." Aurelian began to explain "Did they already come?"
"...Yes a few of them are recruiting...But what does it have to do with the Shadow...Oh god, they are going to kill us all, aren't they? The Reunion cannot recruit infected for the cause if all the infected in the slums are dead!" She came to a terrible realization bringing her hands to her hair.
Aurelian shook his head "That I am not sure of but it is a possibility...but if that were to happen, is there a way for the infected to leave?"
Hygieia sat back down tapping on her table before grabbing her phone and calling someone "There is only one person that probably has a plan for the occasion...The king of the slums..."
Aurelian slowly nodded as the woman began talking to someone, likely a contact within the Rat King's ranks. She hung up after a few minutes and tapped on the floor with her foot "He's coming..."
"His Majesty himself?" He asked narrowing his eyes under his helmet.
She nodded "Which only means that your lucky guess is either credible enough or he knows more than he lets on...which means that many people will die..."
"But we have time to prepare, they no longer have the surprise advantage," He reassured her.
She let out another sigh "To do what? Arm ourselves with improvised weapons? Run away in the wasteland? And then where we could go? Ursus? The rest of Yan? If we fight they'll justify their killings, we leave this place? We die in the wasteland or by the Ursus armies...Hell, even The Reunion might take a shot against us, I heard they killed both infected and non-infected in Chernobog."
Aurelian took a deep breath closing his eyes "If there was a place...a safe place where no one would be able to reach you?"
"I would ask you how you found the way to heaven..." She spoke in a bittersweet tone.
"It is peaceful and no one but me can reach it..." He continued calmly as the woman raised her head and frowned "If you could bring some supplies for a week or so, I could gather materials to supply you with things you need..."
"Well...these are the slums, we are not exactly known to be thriving with supplies...Even here at the clinic, most of the medicines are past their expiration date, the machines are old and every time they break down we have to hope to stitch them back together..." The Doctor replied sighing "And we have less and less capable hands to help and increasing patients."
"I can provide the resources..." An old deep voice spoke from the entrance as a humanoid rat wearing a big white coat entered the room using a cane to support himself "Well Well, got a shiny new armour huh?"
Aurelian shrugged "And it would seem that selling candies is by far more profitable than it would seem..." he retorted referring to their last meeting.
The rat chuckled as he grabbed a chair for himself and sat down "What can I say? My business is quite fruitful...But putting that aside, it would seem that the gentle miracle-maker giant is back in town with prophecies of an impending doom."
The Primarch slowly nodded "But if the king of the slums decided to come himself to talk about it..."
"They are true indeed..." The Rat King replied making the blood of the doctor at his side run cold "My daughter has been asked to conduct said purge when the time comes..."
"And what were your intentions?" Aurelian inquired recalling his vision of the massacre.
"The people of the slums are under my protection, I have men inside the Shadow Guard, they will be hiding the infected before escorting them out of the city to the wester border..." The Zalak explained calmly holding his cane in front of him.
"But not all the men in the shadow guard are loyal to you, there will be those who will carry out that order to an extent," Aurelian spoke already knowing where this conversation was going.
The Rat King sighed "Me and Wei have been friends for a long time but he has grown unwise and paranoid and putting that aside, he has the imperial censors at his throat, either he will give the order or they will...and some blood must be spilled..."
Hygieia looked down gritting her teeth wanting to voice her anger toward the situation but the rat king was right. If the Shadow Guard doesn't find any infected the purge the Imperial Censors would likely begin an indiscriminate hunt...
"That is unacceptable," Aurelian spoke with absolute resolution causing the woman to look at him.
The rat king raised an eyebrow "Nad what do you intend to do about it Hm?"
"Make them realize that trying to purge the infected is counterproductive," The Primarch declared calmly "They will have to go through me before getting to the infected..."
"You'd be willing to go against the Shadow Guard and the censors just to protect the infected?" The underworld kingpin spoke almost flabbergasted at the proposition.
"Without a second thought..." The Primarch spoke solemnly.
The rat king cackled at the reply "You are either insane or delusional...But oh well, if that's the hill you want to die on I will not stop you."
The giant man looked at his friend "Prepare to move the clinic, tell everyone to gather in the big square at the centre of the slums before the purge begins..."
The woman nodded and the old man handed Aurelian a piece of paper with a phone number.
"This is to contact my daughter..." he spoke before chuckling "Only for the mission though!"
Aurelian took the thing and went outside immediately using his helmet with the built-in phone to call the number.
"Who is this?" Immediately a female voice spoke with a stern tone.
"Primarch, your father gave me this number to coordinate with you for the upcoming purge..." He spoke as he walked away from the clinic.
She sighed "That old man...what do you want to know?"
"How many are loyal to your father?" He replied as he kept walking.
"45 out the 100 soldiers...why?" She asked.
"When the time comes, send the 55 soldiers to the big square in the city plate number 11, I'll take care of them," He spoke darkly.
"...You must be crazy...but fine," She spoke with an annoyed tone "How will I recogn-"
The Primarch immediately hung up on her as he received a call from Amiya "Primarch speaking."
"Are you in the slums?" She asked him as she seemed to be running.
"Yes, I am, how can I help you?" He replied as he began to use his psychic abilities to locate Amiya's presence in the slums.
"We are looking for a girl named Misha, she is being chased by someone who we think are members of the Reunion in disguise! The LGD is also looking for her!" The leader of Rhodes Island replied.
The Primarch tapped into the warp once more his sight extending itself and revealing the life essences of the people in the slums. It did not take him too long to find this Misha.
"She is on the the 12th city plate, west side. I am heading there now," He spoke with resolution.
"Eh? How do you...Doesn't matter, we are coming too!"
Misha was running for her life as she was being chased by several men she did not know. Despite not knowing her, those people were still giving her chase where most would have given up after a while.
She turned around the corner to break the line of sight but she smashed against what felt like a wall. She rubbed her forehead in pain before looking up and seeing an armoured behemoth covered in red and golden armour.
She widened her eyes, she knew she should have been terrified of such a being but instead, she felt...safe. The giant extended his arm and with two fingers lifted her up by her clothes and placed her on his shoulders. The pouldron she was sitting on was so massive that she felt she could even lay down and still have plenty of room to move.
The men that were chasing her came around the corner and froze in place as their eyes landed on the resplendent armour of the colossus.
He lifted his massive halberd and struck the ground sending a shockwave from it.
The chasers felt an immense primordial amount of fear as they screamed and ran away begging for mercy.
The girl looked at the giant in shock at what just happened before she was finally able to speak "Who are you?"
"My name is Aurelian Astèri, a collaborator with Rhodes Island, we were asked to find you and protect you," He spoke his voice amplified by the vox module of his helmet.
Misha widened her eyes wanting to leap off the man's armour but the height scared her along with the fact that she doubted he would let her "Asked by who?"
He remained silent at the question at first, knowing that she wouldn't have liked the answer since the LGD is not well seen from the infected but he had no intention of lying to her.
"By the Lungmen Guard Department, they believe that you are an objective to the eyes of the Reunion."
The little girl widened her eyes both in fear and confusion "No! Not them! They will lock me up! I didn't do anything! I know nothing! I-" she began to cough uncontrollably and shake having a fit caused by Oripathy.
The Primarch put her on the ground and knelt, his eyes piercing her being. He saw Originium formations around her lungs and legs mainly, it was late-stage chronic Oripathy...He raised his hand beginning to call for the warp identifying Misha's essence in it and then he began separating the mineral from her body and regenerating the loss of flesh. He wished he could simply cure her but his own understanding of the sickness did not allow him to, too little was known of the disease and the mineral that causes it. He asked his father but he was told that the Master of Mankind would have been able to find a cure in a relatively short amount of time but that in his fragmented state, he could barely keep his knowledge in one piece.
So the best he could do is set it back to its first stage...In his armoured hand, there was not a quite sizable originium crystal made out of the shards he had extracted from Misha's body. He cast it into the warp before checking on the girl.
The girl was once again in disbelief, the pain in her chest was gone along with its weight, completely. She looked down at her leg and saw no crystals on it. It was a miracle!
The colossus raised his hand and shook his head "No...You are still infected, I just forced a regression...I am sorry."
"What? Why are you...? You...did more than anyone could!" Misha said shaking her head.
Aurelian simply nodded, despite the helmet, he didn't seem happy about it "I wish I could have done more."
"You did more than anyone would do for an infected..." she replied standing on her own without feeling any pain from her leg.
"That word holds no meaning to me, a sickness does not define a person nor should be taken into account when judging their character. There are many non-infected with foul souls and infected with kind-hearted spirits," He spoke calmly looking around.
Misha felt comfort in those words. Thinking that she wasn't taken pity because she was infected nor because someone wanted her alive. He had helped her because she needed it.
"Let us leave this place, my friends should be nearby, I'll hand you over to them, do not worry, they are far kinder than I am..." He told her as he began to walk.
She observed his armour and his wings "Are you from Kazimierz? Or Laterano?"
"Neither, I am from Terra," He replied amused by the confused expression the girl made upon hearing that answer despite being true.
"Everyone is from Terra though...?" She muttered scratching her head.
He chuckled "I guess that is true..."
"Even so, that armour reminds me of the Knights of Kazimierz...You got it there?" She asked.
"No, My Father helped me make it," He replied calmly.
"Your father is some sort of blacksmith?" Misha asked walking beside him.
"More like a scientist..." He retorted causing the girl to stare at him with a conflicted expression before looking down.
"My father too was a scientist..." She muttered with a saddened tone.
Aurelian kept calm feeling that he might be close to discovering why so many people were looking for them "He was?"
Misha began to tear up "He died..."
He placed his hand on her head using his fingers to stroke it "I am sorry for your loss..."
She sniffed a bit wiping away her tears with her sleeves "And your father?"
"I wish he was dead..." Aurelian spoke causing the girl to look at him in utter shock "He is 'alive' but because a machine keeps him like that...unfortunately, he is forced to endure immense pain because of it."
The girl bit her lip almost afraid to ask what had come to pass but she did not need to, Aurelian could tell from her eyes.
"I am one of 20 sons, when we were nothing but infants, we were taken away from our father by some despicable beings and hidden away from them...Slowly, my father gathered most of us...except for me and another brother of mine. Unfortunately, those beings managed to corrupt some of my brothers...and raised them against our father...My brother Horus, struck my father mortally wounding him...forcing my other brothers to take him to the machine that to this day keeps him alive but in immense pain..."
The girl seemed a bit shaken by the story "And you? Why weren't you with your father?"
"I...had a fight with him, we had different opinions on some delicate affairs. In his eyes, I was a failure. Besides that, we couldn't reach each other even if we wanted to so we cut contact...I came to know what had transpired on a later occasion..." The Primarch explained calmly.
"But you said he helped you build your armour!" Misha pointed out trying to figure out how that would have worked.
He nodded "Yes indeed. Despite his conditions, my father was still able to communicate with his sons and so he reached out to me once more...He taught me many things before the pain became too much forcing him to fall silent...It is thanks to him and my other family that I was able to find purpose."
"What's that?" She asked raising an eyebrow.
He stopped in his tracks having arrived where he was supposed to meet up with Amiya "Help those who need it and protect them.
Before Misha could reply, the two were approached by another group...Amiya's. Aurelian bowed his head a bit to greet them as the operators secured the area. Misha hid herself behind the Primarch's armoured leg which was more than enough to cover her entire body.
Amiya remained calm and offered her hand "You are Misha right? The kids in the slums asked us to help you..."
The Ursus Girl widened her eyes as she came out of her cover "Are they alright?!"
Amiya nodded "We took good care of them..."
Misha smiled weakly and nodded "I see...I am glad...You will take me to the LGD now?"
Amiya was surprised to hear that as she threw a glance at Aurelian who simply stared back at her. The bunny girl nodded offering a comforting smile "Yes but you are not under arrest or anything! It's just a protective measure!"
"I see...I guess that is fine..." The other girl replied clearly not meaning any of it as her body was still shaking.
Another pair of collaborators from BlackSteel Worldwide, Franka and Liskarm approached Aurelian the former whistling as she examined his armour with her eyes.
"They should put you alongside the definition of overkill!" She said narrowing her eyes at the storm bolter mounted on his left wrist "Never seen a gun like yours..."
Liskarm hearing the comment decided to also observe the man and in fact, she did not recognize the weapon on his armour which was quite surprising since Blacksteel Worldwide was known for its arsenal of firearms.
"It is no such thing as overkill, the battlefield is ever-changing, what I am doing is being prepared for all eventualities..." He responded in a calm and collected manner before lifting his arm and looking at his bolter "I made it myself and do not bother to ask me if you can get one, it is specially built for those with my physique, I am afraid that the recoil of it would break your arms if you were to fire it yourself..." he then paused for a few seconds lifting his arm towards the end of the alley and firing a shot that left a massive hole in the wall of one of the buildings.
Everyone recoiled and put their hands on their ears as the sudden shot caused their ears to ring, they were about to question Aurelian when they saw that at the end of the alley, there was a single reunion soldier who had fallen on his back scared of the round. The Primarch had aimed far enough away from him that the round wouldn't hurt him just from passing by.
"It's...a scouting unit!" The Doctor spoke regaining her composure.
Aurelian turned around "Go to the meeting point with the LGD, I will keep them away from you."
Amiya nodded and grabbed onto Misha who threw one last good look at the colossus as he armed himself with his halberd and began to march towards the threat fearlessly his sankta wings expanding as if ready to fly into the sky. The bunny girl grabbed Misha's arm and pulled her away as they retreated.
The Reunion squad that was sent to retrieve Misha felt the ground shaking as heavy mechanical footsteps drew closer and closer before their eyes laid upon the armoured behemoth that their scout had reported. Immediately, fear gripped their hearts but their thirst for vengeance against those who had wronged them forced them to push forward.
The Caster unit used his arms to begin launching fireballs at the man as the others charged against him with their machetes and iron shields. The fireballs seemed to simply impact against an invisible barrier a meter away from the armour's surface.
The titan in turn raised his arm and fired his storm bolter once again firing a single shot. The bolt round impacted the Caster's upper body killing them instantly and ripping apart his torso but before it could fly off from the main body, the explosive payload of the round went off reducing the body into a red mist.
The other reunion members were in shock, staring incredulously at what was once their leader. Their hatred was overwritten by their survival instincts causing most of them to drop their weapons and begin to back up in fear. One of them was so shocked that he fell on his knees beginning to pray for his life...Only one of them was still standing with his weapons at hand, his body was shaking like a leaf but he was determined to face what to his eyes was the angel of death. He let out a warcry and charged swinging his weapon as he did.
To the others, the behemoth swung his halberd with extreme velocity before their companion's head fell to the ground soon followed by the body...They ran away in fear not looking back throwing away their uniform hoping to escape the angel's detection.
Aurelian did not give chase, instead, he extended his arm towards the body of the reunion member he had decapitated and towards the puddle of blood that the caster had turned into. Two pillars of fire wrapped the remains, incinerating them and immediately vaporizing them not even leaving any ashes.
"Be at peace..." The Primarch muttered before approaching the only Reunion member that was left.
They were hiding their head in their hands muttering before being silenced by Aurelian's halberd hitting the ground.
"Why do you seek the little girl," He asked with authority looking down at the fighter.
The infected felt immense pressure caused by the weight of those words, they knew that not answering could have been their last action "She's Skullshutter's s-sister! Talulah told us that she holds onto something important for Chernobog! I swear I know nothing else! Please, please! Have mercy!"
They closed their eyes expecting their life to be cut short but instead, they heard the massive footsteps moving away and so they dared to look up. The giant was walking away from them.
"Take it as a chance to break away from this violence..." Aurelian spoke before entering an alley to his right disappearing by the soldier's sight.
Without uttering a word, the soldier began removing their uniform and tossed away their faceless mask. She couldn't have been older than seventeen, she looked at where her former captains fell and turned around running away somewhere where she would have not been found.
The Primarch continued marching through the slums intercepting more groups of Reunion that sought to reach Amiya's group. His attacks were quick and devasting...but they weren't a complete bloodbath. It was true that, unlike Amiya, he was killing the Reunion soldiers but he was doing it strategically keeping the deaths to a minimum. His weapons only tasted the blood of the leaders of the squads who were the only ones keeping unit cohesion. Most of the Reunion was composed of civilians who were barely taught how to efficiently fight and were only motivated by their thirst for revenge...but they also didn't want to die especially when knowing that it would not be beneficial to the cause.
By killing the unit leaders, Aurelian broke their morale causing them to immediately retreat and surrender which he would let them do without hesitation. Sooner or later, the Reunion would be out of officers and most foot soldiers wouldn't want to become one fearing to be targeted because of their position...Or at least he hoped that would come to pass but if the Tyrant of Reunion was as terrible as she was depicted...she may start threatening to kill them herself if they were not to comply.
Exusiai watched from afar the Primarch's work throwing a glance at Amiya who was still escorting Misha through the slums towards the main road where the LGD was waiting for them. At their current pace, it should not take much longer which was completely different from her initial estimates since she counted their ways being cut off from the Reunion Squads which wasn't the case due to the hunt enacted by The Primarch.
"Your brother sure is something else! So big and heavy yet so agile! I am starting to get bored because of him!" The Sankta said sighing as Texas offered her a pocky which she bit on.
Amiya made a small smile but the sounds of bolter rounds echoing across the slums made her flinch each time. She didn't want him to kill but Kal'tsit told her that Aurelian was not under their command, he was a collaborator so they lacked the authority to order him to avoid killing.
"Yeah...His ways are quite a mystery even to us..."
Misha's ears perked up when she heard that somehow the massive knight and the small bunny girl were brothers "He is your brother?"
The leader of Rhodes Island nodded "Yes but we are not actually siblings we just grew together and were adopted by the same person..."
The Ursus girl nodded "I see, how was he?"
Amiya scratched her cheek with a nervous laugh "Well, Aurelian always has been special...In two years he grew twice my eight and his intellect was extraordinary...I always wanted to be the older sister but while I still held to my teddy bears he was out there reading books thicker than my arm...and then he left..."
"He left?" Misha repeated causing the other girl to nod.
"According to Doctor Kal'tsit, he met someone who gave him a lot to reflect on...She said that there was a reason why he was like that and that he needed to leave to find himself..." The cautus explained calmly.
Exia chuckled "Always the same!"
Amiya blinked a few times "You met him?"
"Well I didn't know it was him until today but yes I did!" The Sankta replied placing her arms behind her head as they walked "One day at Laterano, everyone began talking about a massive, gigantic, enormous sankta that had simply flown over the city before landing. I couldn't resist! I had to see them myself and here he was! No cool armour yet but oh well! He didn't stay in Laterano much...Pretty sure they tried to recruit him in the cohorts."
Franka raised an eyebrow "Really? Why did he refuse?"
Exia brought her finger to her lips humming before snapping her fingers "He asked them what would have happened to him if he was to become infected."
Misha's ears perked up "What did they say?"
"That the infected were not allowed to set foot back into the nation but were allowed to keep their citizenship...which prompted him to tell them to...shove their proposal where the sun doesn't reach" The angel girl replied chuckling "But from what I know they are still trying to convince him to join..."
Franka chuckled at that "Well I can see why the Pope would want a giant armoured angel of death on his side, I mean just the symbolic importance would be-"
Suddenly a smoke bomb was tossed in the middle of the ground completely covering the allay they were in. Amiya immediately pulled Misha close to her to protect her when suddenly a reunion member wearing a black and orange hooded suit and a gas mask.
"Found you," they spoke eyeing Misha wanting to reach for them as soldiers of the Reunion closed off all the entrances of the alley.
The operators grouped in a defensive position but they were unlucky enough to have to access to the building around them. Exia aimed her Vector at the soldiers in front of her while Texas readied her originium swords. Franka and Liskarm prepared to fight the ones coming from behind while Amiya stood in front of the Doctor and Misha.
The Doctor observed the situation and the weapons in the Reunion leader's hands noting that they seemed to be firing explosives judging by the barrel and rotating cylinders meaning that if they were looking to capture Misha, they wouldn't be able to use them. The Reunion soldiers were armed with machetes and crossbows something that the current operators could deal with. The only problem was how tight the alley was, dodging crossbow bolts would be incredibly hard, the Doctor hoped that they would avoid shooting those at them to avoid hitting Misha.
The soldiers rushed the operators and the fight began. Liskarm and Exia opened fire with their guns, the former preparing her shield to block the charge while the latter stood still as Texas prepared herself to jump in front of her once she needed to reload. As soon as the Reunion Soldiers clashed against Liskarm's shield, Franka began attacking them with her sword to mow down as many of them as needed. Texas intercepted the slashes aimed at Exia and immediately began returning each blow tenfold sending many enemies to the ground relatively easily.
The Doctor took hold of Misha and took a few steps backwards as Amiya began to cast her arts before shooting them at the Reunion leader who began dodging them before aiming their weapons at her much to the Doctor's horror. They fired their weapons, their grenades flying towards Amiya before causing a small explosion, quite contained at that. Amiya had managed to use her arts to shield herself but she had been also caught off-guard. The enemy leader proved themselves to be a master of arts able to control the Originium inside their grenades to cause contained.
"You are infected! And yet you still fight back against us?!" they shouted enraged before stopping as seemingly they received a call "What?! WE HAVE THEM PINNED...FINE!"
They whistled to the rest of her soldiers gesturing them to retreat. The Reunion soldiers immediately obeyed scattering across the various alleys making sure to stay as divided as possible. The Rhodes Island operators were confused at first, especially Amiya who felt her enemy's fear and anxiety as they quickly left...The reason for it showed itself soon after.
Despite the huge armour and stature, Aurelian came running towards the area of the ambush holding his spear which was dripping with fresh blood.
"Are you alright?" he asked coming closer to them and checking in on everyone.
Amiya nodded "Yes, fortunately. How did you know we needed help?"
"I was jumped by a large squadron of Reunion, they were desperately trying to keep me busy no matter what, it was clear they wanted to keep me busy and the only possible reason was because they didn't want me here with you," He explained keeping close watch on their surroundings.
Misha on the other hand was staring at the bloodstains on his armour, she could see that the sole of his boots was drenched in blood. The barrels of his guns still emanated heat.
"Let's move to the meeting point," Texas said as the group began walking again this time followed by the Primarch.
Most of the group began chitchatting among themselves as they walked but Misha on the other seemed to be tormented by something as she kept her hand where her heart was.
Amiya and the Doctor seemed to notice and were about to ask her when...
"Why?" The girl asked looking at Aurelian angrily shaking.
The Primarch met her eyes, understanding what she was referring to. He continued walking and so did the girl. The others were confused by the sudden outburst.
"You said you were going to help and protect those who needed it! Why have you killed them?!?"
"You have seen it yourself, The Reunion kills both non-infected and infected. So long they stand in their way, they will not hesitate to strike them down...Becoming my enemies. If the LGD were to do the same, I would have their blood on my spear," The Primarch spoke in a deep and glacially cold tone that sent shivers down everyone's spines.
Most of the group was left speechless at the statement and the certainty it carried. Amiya herself was almost in awe by the determination emanating from her brother, he was not lying, he was ready to march into hell if it was needed.
Texas threw a look at the scene before looking at her phone "We are basically at the meeting point, let's not waste more precious time."
Her words seemed the take back the group to reality causing them to nod and continue their march. Misha followed them clenching her fists seemingly frustrated with the Primarch's words when in reality she wished she had a fraction of his determination.
They reached the main road where a convoy of the LGD led by Ch'en was waiting for the group to arrive. Misha was immediately scared of the police looking back at the Primarch bringing her hands to her chest.
Despite her outburst, Aurelian had only sympathy for the girl and so he knelt "They will not do anything to you..."
"And if they do?" she muttered hearing Amiya and Ch'en talking behind her.
"In that case, I will be your sword and shield..." He said calmly throwing a glance at the two guards that were approaching Misha to take her to the cars "She can walk on her own."
Those words seemed to freeze the two lungmenites in place as the Primarch nodded to a girl who slowly but surely got in the back of one of the cars.
With Misha secured they left the area leaving Amiya and her group with Aurelian who without uttering a word began to walk back into the slums.
"Aurelian!" Amiya called causing him to stop "You don't think that infected and non-infected can coexist? That maybe we could resolve this peacefully?
The man turned to face her "The infected and the not-yet infected can coexist but unfortunately, we are too late to resolve this without violence."
At those words, he returned to his march disappearing the many alleys.