RWBY 40k – Salem, Mistress of Inquisition.

Ep 43: The dissatisfaction of Angron.

920.M30.

Salem was inside of a dark room. Along with her, Salem was with the Magos Genetor Astreius Karadres. This Magos was along a small group of other Magos was forming a small personal council of Salem who are faithful to her (especially because she has given copies of some of the STC she has guarded to them). He was recognizable by he's overwhelming number of appendages but also his mechanical tentacles and great mechanical arm installed on his back.

She is also accompanied by former scientists from Nuceria and she was facing a group of prisoners.

Salem: "So, who do we pick up? Who deserves to be experienced first?"

Magos Astreius Karadres: "Him."

He points out the third bald man on the right.

Salem: "For what reason? What crime he has committed on my planets?"

Magos Astreius Karadres: "He is a cannibalistic man who has eaten more than twenty innocents. Truly disgraceful under the eyes of the Machine God."

Salem turns back to the bald man and approaches him.

Salem: "You love human flesh, don't you?"

The Bald Man looks to Salem and respond with detachment.

Bald Man: "I am a good person. I have always been a good worker."

Salem scoffed at him, couldn't believe that this guy could reply like that and the worst that she could feel he was honest. HE is a good person who have crazy urges and unhinged taste for human flesh.

Salem: "Very well. Let's see if you can still be a good person with a few modifications…"

At this moment, Salem flicks her fingers and so the Servitors takes the Bald Man. He is brought out of the dark room, walking inside the corridor leading to another room much more lightened. It was surrounded by a lot of machines. In the middle was a table that the Bald Man was installed and strapped in. Salem goes to another room and put on a lab coat before coming back.

Salem: "Let's begin…"

She brings anaesthetic and use it on the Bald Man who falls asleep on the patient couch. In the next hour, Salem assembled the Butcher Nails on the prisoner.

After this operation, Salem forcefully woken up the prisoner by activating the Butcher Nails with a simple switch on her hand.

Bald Man: "AAAAAAAAAAAGHHHHHHH!"

He struggles and tries to free himself, groaning like a beast.

Salem: "Shhhht… Try to calm yourself down."

Bald Man (forced enraged tone): "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO ME?! AAAAAAAHHHHH! MY HEAD!"

Salem: "Don't try to force yourself out. You could be hurt."

He doesn't listen and continues to struggle and screaming. She turns to her group.

Salem: "Remind me how many days before I can remove these things?"

Scientist: "One week minimum to get used to it."

Salem: "Good. Take care of him in my absence. And don't hurt him. This is crucial."

She leaves the room while the Bald Man continues to scream.

Some minutes later. In her library, Salem was writing inside her diary about her progression about the Butcher Nails.

Salem's words on the diary: "I have managed to remove safely from the brain of the subjects. Prefontal Cortex box, Amygdala box, Limbic Cortex and the Right Praecuneus are successfully removable without severe ablation. The last thing to remove with success is the box of the Hypothalamus. The most difficult to remove. I am this close to free Angron. The waiting will be worth it."

She closes the book and pose the pencil.

Salem: "I will save you Angron. You deserve the happiness you needed."

She takes the book with her. She knows that Angron was conquering Imperial world. She has to give him the new information.

As she walked inside the Sanctum Imperialis. She arrived inside off a hall who was filled with nobles' people talking between themselves. They were dressed in all kind of cultural clothes, showing with proud their culture or reflecting their pragmatic civilisation. She has not time to accord her attention to them.

But at this moment, the ones who are talking while giving looks at her. She tried really hard to ignore them, just enough to arrive to the door of the hall.

But at she reaches out the door, a group of nobles blocks the door.

Salem: "Can you please let me pass?"

But no one responded to her, looking at her with contempt.

Salem: "What?"

Noble 1: "You are the mother of the Primarch Angron don't you?"

Salem: "I do not time for this. Let me pass."

But the Noble doesn't want to listen, he takes her by the arm and drags her to a table.

Salem: "Hey! Let go off me!"

He forcefully sit her on a chair and tries to take out her book but Salem managed to guard it.

Salem: "What is this? Why are you doing?! I have not time for this!"

She tries to stand up but she is forced to remain by the hand of another noble.

And then, one of the nobles exits the crowd. It was the Lord of the Administratum. Salem never liked him because he was always look to her and her sons with contempt, wanting to subdue them under his role given by the Emperor as the Lord of the Administratum.

Salem: "What do you want Helies? I could never imagine you can be so bold…"

Helies: "I have received a lot of pleas from a lot of people in the whole Imperium. And I have to take action now."

Salem: "About what?!"

Helies: "Angron. He has butchered the civilisation of Grelis! And the empire of Udilion. And you let him be?"

Salem: "Not again Helies. I don't want to hear your rants. And as I do. I have nearly finished my work and soon. My son will be sane again and free from his suffering."

Helies: "This is not enough. He could continue his slaughter. Despite the forbid of the Emperor and Malcador. We are ready to censor him and remove him from the Warhounds Legion."

Salem widened but a vein of anger popped out from her forehead and her face contort in rage.

Salem: "The XIIth Legion current name is the World Eaters. And don't dare to censor my son because it will be consequences… serious consequences."

Helies: "Like what?"

Salem frowned more, with an extremely serious and cold look on her eyes.

Salem: "I remind you that when I keep a promise… I won't forget it. Don't regret to defy me and my son."

At this moment, she stands up and pushes with her body the nobles who blocks her way, she goes to the two doors, open them and closes them behind her. She uses her magic to lock them up.

Salem: "I have lost time with these idiots. Angron will be pleased to see this."

But something horrible comes to the ears of Salem as she arrived in the recently conquered human planet. She was accompanied by Ilil, still dressed in his hidden costume. She faces Jochura on the courtyard of the conquered palace.

Salem: "What do you mean Angron is not there?!"

Jochura: "I don't know. He just disappeared and a frigate is missing."

Salem: "But for what reason? He cannot do that to you! Your own companions in addition! What just happened?!"

Jochura: "He was more irritated than usual these last months. And after a few private conversations, I could see he was blaming you to seemingly lying to him about the experiments. I couldn't know why."

Salem was horrified to the highest.

Salem: "Blaming me… to lying to him? But why? This is horrible! I have to find him! I have to talk with him!"

Jochura: "Fortunately, we have a transponder inside his armor. We can track him down and finding him again."

Salem: "I will find him alone."

Jochura: "What? Why?!"

Salem: "I have the feeling that the encounter risk that could be much more disastrous than it seems… He is still under the influence of the Butcher Nails… The very thing that I sought to take it from his head…"

The place remained silent.

Salem: "Give me the device who tracks down Angron. Now."

Jochura hesitate a little before taking out the device in question. Some kind of hologram who displays a small map of the Sector, with a small point who was going further and further from the planet.

Salem: "Angron. I will find you. You cannot do that to us without an explanation."

And so, in the next weeks. Salem searched with her ship, following Angron on several planets who are quite savage or desertic. On the savage planets, creatures are killed in a brutal way.

Salem couldn't understand why he is like this. Nobody could understand it. So, she followed Angron with mixed fear and worry.

Finally, the point on the device stopped in another planet.

Salem: "Finally… Don't move please."

At this moment, Ilil entered the room. Now, he talked the Gothic with a big accent to Salem.

Ilil: "He has stopped moving?"

Salem stops and takes a much colder voice, not turning back to Ilil.

Salem: "I don't want you to move the knife inside the wound, Ilil."

Ilil: "I… I just wanted to know. I am sorry."

Salem stays silent and doesn't turn back.

Ilil approached Salem before hugging her from the back, she doesn't seem to refuse it.

Ilil: "I couldn't know that this human as suffered so much worse than me… He has suffered like the victims of the Kabals."

Salem: "You are worried now for humanity now? That's new…"

Ilil: "Hum… Yeah… a little. Having the sufficient number and power to draw back the Krorks is surprising. And more with the Astartes and your children. I kinda understand more why the Imperium is so successful right now."

Salem smiles a little, seeing the change with Ilil.

Salem: "Glad that you have learned it quickly. Now stop hugging me."

Ilil: "Ho… sorry."

Salem: "And stop apologizing."

Ilil: "Okay…"

Salem: "Stay in the ship Ilil. We don't know what could happen down here…"

Ilil: "I understand…"

Salem: "Good."

And so, a few moments later.

Salem landed on the planet with her personal barge. She has the book inside her gown. She began to walk inside the forest. It was a gigantic jungle with tree who has millenias of existence.

While she was walking inside. She could feel multiple presences around her. She continues to walk, not worried about normal human presences.

At one moment, one of the presences stormed out of the bushes. It was a human, dressed in primitive clothes. Pointing her out a spear at her.

Salem: "Get out of my sight."

She punches him hard in the belly, making him wincing in pain so much that he couldn't attack anymore.

And so, a lot of more primitive humans exited the bushes. But as like the others warriors, she deals with them easily. Knocking them out with well-placed punches and kicks.

She continues to follow the path showed by the hologram. And in front of her, there is a mountain chain. Angron must be hidden here.

Salem: "I am here Angron…"

She climbs on the mountain for the next hours. She began to see the traces of the heavy steps let by the armour of Angron. She knows it now; he is here and nowhere else.

And so, the tracker led her to a cave. And here she sees him. Angron was sit down on a throne made of skulls of different forms. Humans, monsters and other things. With the flag of the World Eaters.

Salem: "Angron…"

Angron doesn't respond and Salem, a bit worried approaches him.

Salem: "Angron, are you okay? You know, you can tell if something is not right…"

Angron: "Leave me alone…"

Salem: "Please Angron. Come back. You cannot run away like that. It won't solve anything."

Angron gritted his teeth angrily while he tightened his grips on his makeshift throne.

Angron: "Leave me alone, now."

Salem: "No I won't! I won't let you down, this is my responsibility as a mother! You are feeling bad and I want to understand why! I just want to help you…"

Angron: "Liar… Liar!"

He stands up from the skull throne, looking at her with rage and contempt.

Angron: "You are a hypocrite, just like everyone else. You just handed my victory to just steal me away! I should have refused and died along with the rest of my group! Because of you… I am alone. The killer instinct of my group is gone. Jochura has just become another servant for the Imperium! And you make empty promises like everyone else!"

Salem: "Angron. You don't have to be paranoid. I have come to you because I have made great advancements to the Butcher Nails and I am about to succeed to remove it from you. You will be free again."

Angron: "No I won't. I won't be free of the Imperium either. I am just a tool for the Emperor, that I refuse to recognize has my father. I was barely free from my slave status that I am now bound for this forced subjugation of Mankind! It makes me want to scream! And it was you have bound these handcuffs on me! With false promises of freedom and glory!"

Salem was speechless. She could see the actual hatred that Angron has nourished against the Imperium.

Salem: "Angron… I understand. I have always blamed the Emperor to not let you have the choice while you are still under the Butcher Nails manipulation. He is just so blind… But please, for the love of Humanity and your brothers. Please, come back. This is your mother that is asking you."

Angron: "Silence… I don't want to hear more!"

Salem: "Please Angron. If you won't do that you will be…"

Angron (explodes): "SHUT UUUUUUUUPPP!"

Before Salem could realise, she was smacked by a devastating fist from Angron. Sending her out from the cave. She falls on the ground under the cave. She was barely realising what's going on that Angron was already above her, his axe on his hands, ready to strike her.

Salem instinctively avoided the attack that destroyed the ground and formed all around. She couldn't believe that Angron was capable of such violence. Angron turn his face to her. An expression of hatred and raged to it's purest form.

Salem: "Angron, I…"

Angron: "RAAAAAAAAHHH!"

He launched himself at great speed and try to smack Salem with his axe with his terrifying strength, Salem could only barely dodge it.

Angron: "AAAAAAHHH! I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU! I HATE YOUUUUUUU!"

Salem: "Angron, stop!"

She got smacked by the axe again, sending her away again. She catches herself before reaching the ground and landed on her feet on the ground. She began to feel her irritation and anger towards Angron. Even it was justified, she doesn't want that.

Salem: "Angron, please. Stop it right now. Don't force me to fight you. Don't force me to hurt you!"

Angron: "Shut up!"

He tries to attack her but she narrowly avoided it. She feels that her anger was becoming passably overwhelming her thoughts.

Salem: "I am at my limit Angron. This is my last warning! Stop for humanity's sake!"

But Angron doesn't listen to her and launched his attack to her again… Just to be caught by Salem's hands. The attack was so strong that it tears apart the fingers and part of the hands of the Lady. But it regenerates has always. Salem looks at Angron, now completely angered by her son. Demonstrated by her eyes now red and with dark sclera.

Salem: "That's it. You asked for it."

She punches Angron hard in the face, catching him off guard and making him falls back a few steps. She began to chain him with punches and hard blows.

But Angron strikes back with another punch to Salem, sending her in the sky but she catches herself up and launched a lot of magic balls to Angron. But he protects himself with the axe, worse it absorbs the attacks of Salem.

Angron: "TAKE THAT!"

He counter-attack with a blast of magic fire to Salem that she avoids it. She rushes to him from the sky and strikes him in the face hard with her fist before kicking him in the stomach, making him taking a few steps back.

Salem: "You shouldn't underestimate the anger of a mother. It could be as terrifying as a former gladiator like you."

Angron groaned and launched himself to Salem and the two fight a ruthless and merciless fight. Angron was brutal and enraged. When Salem on her side was cold and with precise but heavy blows.

But Angron quickly gained the upper hand as the fight goes on and on. He was way stronger and brutal than his mother.

And then, he catches his mother's leg.

Angron: "TAKE THAAAAAT!"

He agitated his mother body like a ragdoll before smacking her on the ground, with the face right inside of it.

Salem: "WOOOUUUAAAAHH!"

He lifted her up while Salem tries to cling on the rock. Then he smacked her a second time, a third time, a fourth time. Before catching her in the neck and he runs while Salem was brought on the wall of the rock, rubbing hard. Then he launched her on the sky. She falls to the ground while Angron screamed in rage.

Salem stayed on the ground still before getting up again. Her face hidden under her hair.

Angron: "Why are you so persistent?!"

Salem doesn't respond and so a dark and red aura began to surround her.

Angron: "What the…?"

Salem: "Aaaaaaaah…"

She holds her head a little while her skin becomes paler and paler and her hair becoming white. And then, Angron sees her face. It was a completely different face. It was a face completely blank, pale, with glowing red eyes. Like she was not there.

She launched against Angron and strikes him in the face before chaining him.

Angron: "What?! What's happening to you?!"

He tries to counter-attack but she is now too fast. She leads devastating blows against Angron. He cannot counter-attack them. Still fighting with this blank face.

Angron: "Stop! Stop! STOOOOOPPP!"

He stricken Salem so hard that he sends her away but she catches on and comes back at full speed, kicking Angron in the jaw. He stumbles back and falls on his butt. Salem was slowly approaching him.

Angron: "What just happened to you…?"

Angron was feeling something he hasn't feel and he was not supposed to feel: Fear.

And so, Salem launched herself to Angron. And she strikes him again. He hasn't time and was smacked on the ground. He was punched on the face, again and again and again. Receiving the punches full of dark magic was really painful.

Angron: "AAAAAAAH! Stop! Stop!"

But she doesn't listen and continues to do so. Angron was getting desperate. He feels terror to the first time and regrets to have angered Salem.

Angron: "Stop! Stop! This is painful! Stop! Stop mom!"

At this moment, Salem stops at this mention and she holds her head before stumbling out of the body of Angron.

Salem: "AAAAAAAHHH!"

She struggles with an internal fight inside of her and after a few moments of struggling. She turns back to her blonde usual self. She looks everywhere.

Salem: "What… Wha… What happened?"

Salem then looks upon the Primarch who is badly hurt. She looks at her hands who are now covered in blood, in Angron blood. She was horrified.

Salem: "Oh no… What I have done? What I have done?!"

Angron stands up with difficulty. He looks at her with fear.

Salem: "Oh my… No. NO! I am… such… such… a monster! What I have done?! I am so sorry! I am so sorry!"

She sheds tears, she was hating herself so much for this action. And before Angron could say anything. She runs away from Angron. But the book under her gown falls to the ground.

Angron takes it up and looks at it. He reads the experiments about the Butcher Nails and Angron at this moment could see that his mother was right all along. And he was angered not at her, but at himself. Of course, he doesn't want to admit it.

And so, he leaves to his hidden ship with the book with him. While Salem runs to her personal ship, still crying and upset.

Next episode… The Night of the Wolf.

Since the fight between Salem and Angron. The Emperor send Leman Russ and his legion to reprimand Angron on the recently conquered planet of Ghenna since he joined back the XIIth Legion. Leman Russ was furious against Angron, making him responsible for the incident. And so, he is more than ready to confront him. On Salem's side. She was stressed out of her horrible mistake can't know what just happened to her.