**Author's note: this chapter has been edited from its original publication. An additional scene with Erika and Tzeentch has been placed here. This scene had been included in my first draft, and I cut it in interest of brevity, but I have decided to replace it. It does not change where the story is going, but it does help everything to flow a little better here.**
The emotion of frustration was etched across my face as I continued to pull upon my Sight abilities in my attempt to overcome the anti-Warp field currently shadowing the entire city of Evna. Feeling helpless like this was extremely uncomfortable for me now, especially considering the situation that I had found myself in.
"I'll be alright, my leader. Worry not," Alberich replied to me, a trembling warble in his voice as strange gold wired electrodes were placed on the beastman's cheeks and temples by chanting cultists in blue robes. "I am in favor, and I will not die. the Great Architect favors me. He favors me."
"Think of it as a nice thing to do for us after we helped to get you out of the palace," Luukai responded with a hint of snark as he leaned over the beastman's form, which had been bound with what appeared to be leather straps. Both Alberich and Heinrich lay securely tied and waiting on their backs on two separate metal gurneys outside the Room of Recreation. Both now wore black bodysuits interwoven with thin wires that resembled the web of a chaotic spider, and both men were being strapped into some kind of tall wheeled machine just under my height. The cultists had requested that Alberich take a brief shower after removing his costume, but some of the gold paint remained clinging to his body and feathers.
The soul transference machine somewhat resembled a tall rectangular speaker of silvery metal interwoven with wires of differing color and gleaming blue crystals that seemed to vibrate with a low buzzing current. It stood between both gurneys that each man laid upon, and from its central point, a multitude of cables and bare metal wires branched out from it like wild leafless vines. Each of these wires were currently being delicately placed upon either Alberich's or Heinrich's body by chanting cultists, and a faint smell that resembled both ozone and an electrical fire hung in the air.
Despite my normal hesitation in wishing to draw upon my ruthlessly potent (and almost uncontrollable) Incredible Hulk-esque abilities, I found myself missing them right now. I was currently fantasizing about burning this ridiculous nightclub/Chaos hideout to the ground. Nearby, the thumping dance music of the club was still audible. Apparently, the cult was going to do this big serious ritual while the rest of the nightclub still partied away the end of the world. Evring actually decided to remain back on the dance floor too as he continued to flirt with the lizard lady from earlier. As I emotionally simmered, Zok stood beside me, and we both warily watched the odd scene around us as Heinrich and Alberich were both prepared for whatever procedure would take place.
"Foolishness," the old Tzaangor cook simply observed as he crossed his blue muscular arms before him.
Standing around us in the room directly outside the Room of Recreation, a group of high-ranking cultists in blue wizard robes were muttering prayers that probably went nowhere due to anti-Warp field currently in effect. These cultists were the "Ascending Nine", the highest ranking cultists within the Blue Architects. Both Vadim and Luukai were in attendance, and each were adjusting and readjusting wires and electrodes on both subjects as they prayed.
My instinctual feeling of disgust toward Chaos was causing bile to rise in my throat, and I felt like an angry frustrated dog being held back by a chain. I didn't know if this was because of the Divine Retribution's influence on me, or if I was just fed up with this whole planet. I swear, if this world was in a 40k novel somewhere, I'd be praying for this arc to end, as it was just too filled with ridiculous bullshit and obvious Tzeentchian tomfoolery. Everything that could go wrong did, and it was exhausting.
"What's going to happen?" I asked Luukai as he oversaw the placement of another cable onto Heinrich's neck. I then noticed that on the cult leader also now wore some kind of satchel on his side, its contents unknown.
Heinrich answered instead with, "This ingenious machine that we're both hooked up to-" The older brother briefly angled his jaw to indicate to the strange wired contraption now fastened to him. "This contains some very exciting xenos tech that I 'borrowed' from the sweet lady governor. When we were together, Langwidere told me she was involved in some silly rivalry with another sorceress concerning who could master the full transference of the soul. This rivalry progressed to the point where Lang sought forbidden tech in an effort to outpace the other woman. Speaking of this rival, I was never even permitted to see her because of the governor's ridiculous romantic jealousy. Charmingly, Lang even used to bitterly refer to her as the 'The Wicked Witch of the East', not even using her name around me. Her behaviors of vindictiveness coupled with her incredible ego grew exhaustive, and eventually, I decided to take my leave along with a few parting gifts for myself, this machine being one of them."
I suppressed a laugh. If both Langwidere and Evanora had been engaged with a rivalry in researching the science of soul transference, then it definitely appeared that Evanora had won that competition, as she had been able to send her soul away to a completely new universe.
Heinrich continued to explain as two sallow-skinned men sang hymns over him. "This experimental machine has the capability to extract and center a mortal soul within a new physical shell. I have reason to believe that this tech had been salvaged from a Necron Tomb some years ago by one of Langwidere's mercenaries, or maybe even from the depths of Mars itself. And now, those Necrons return, probably seeking to reclaim all their stolen technology. Fate willing, we'll all be long gone before that happens. Pity about Langwidere, really."
Wow. If what I remembered about the Necrons and their desire to put themselves back into flesh was true, then the tech that Heinrich (and possibly Langwidere) possessed was actually incalculably valuable. The casual explanation offered by the cult leader even suggested that they did not actually understand the true value of the machine currently being primed to switch souls. I decided to keep my mouth shut concerning this.
"Have you tested it yet?" I asked. One of the robed men was now tightening Alberich's restraints.
"Once, and with success," Heinrich answered with a grin. "Actually, if I had to clarify, it was a partial success. We think we've worked out the kinks now, so your little white feathered friend should be safe in my body. We think the transfer will actually work better with the current condition of the Warp, as the process only requires a small amount of focused Empyreal strength. We have discerned that this is a level that can easily be attained by the machine at the present in the Room of Recreation, but would be rather overwhelming in power with the full resources of the Warp. As such, it is actually most beneficial that the Warp is somewhat suppressed right now, as this transfer can more easily be processed."
"What if the Warp comes back though?" I asked, feeling my internal hatred for Chaos rise like fire again.
Heinrich didn't immediately respond. "Then my fate is in the hands of the Great Lord of Change."
Alberich was still muttering prayers as he laid on his gurney. He was obviously frightened. "I am in favor of the Great Architect. I am in favor of the Great Architect," the beastman repeated over and over.
A thought then hit me. If he survived this, would the Divine Retribution recognize him in his new body? I sincerely hoped that it would, because having a copilot made things easier on me. I didn't want to be the only soul the ship drank from to power its Warp shield.
"We're ready, Blue Herald," one of the sallow twins gently informed Heinrich.
"Very well," the cult leader replied as he turned again to me. "The transition will take ninety nine seconds, so it will be over quickly. If you wish to be in the Room of Recreation for moral support, you are permitted to do so. Just don't touch any of us until the process is complete and keep yourselves out of the circle, please. And, within this bag I have wrapped around my body, I am holding both a change of clothes and the guide to Port Aubergine for your convenience. If there is an accident, fear not. I've instructed my family to supply you with what you need to depart."
Hearing that, Alberich stopped his fearful muttering, and turned his eyes toward me before looking away again. I found that now, I absolutely hated feeling helpless like this! The beastman weakly reassured me with, "I'll be okay. I've already died back home in 1945, so it is no trouble. If I have survived this long, my soul must be indomitable."
"That's the spirit, body of White-Feather," Heinrich laughed. "Shall we begin, my dear family? To the Room of Recreation!"
The large iron door swung open ahead of us, and the blue robed cultists all advanced into the dangerous Flect room. While Zok opted to remain outside, I decided to accompany Alberich as they wheeled him in alongside Heinrich.
Once again, the glittering Flects covering the space of this room seemed to watch me with supernatural eyes as I entered the Room of Recreation. The cultists all kept their blue cowls up, presumably to guard against accidentally looking at the enchanted walls. Four Tzaangor bodyguards followed the group closely, and each of these mutants watched me cautiously. Alberich and Heinrich were both wheeled to the center of the room within a circle of short candles approximately two paces in diameter, and there, the Ascending Nine gathered around the two restrained men. Once all the cultists were in place, Luukai stood adjacent to the machine, presumably waiting for some kind of signal. The innumerable crystals woven into the tall rectangular soul transference device had begun to glow with a ghostly electric blue radiance. This light reflected in a scintillating luminous tapestry across the Room of Recreation by the Flects, which gave this room an even more eerie atmosphere. Some of the shadows of reflected light even seemed to grow fiendish faces which smiled at me when I studied them. I looked away. Stupid daemon shit, I angrily thought.
Heinrich then began to speak, and projected his voice so that it echoed impressively in this glittering room. "We are gathered here today to see the birth of our figurehead, the victory in white feathers promised to us. The God of Hope has seen fit to offer us a new future beyond Tar Vigaz, and we will honor him eternally as we go forward. We have survived innumerable obstacles here within Evna, from the destruction of the cult of the Plague Eaters, to the false pleasures of the Family of Liberty, we have emerged eternally victorious. This proves our favor with our blessed god, and now, at the end of this world, we now take up the torch of hope and emerge shining through the darkness of the stars!"
The members of the cult all called out, "Praise Tzeentch!"
A slight shiver at the edge of my senses. A crawling itch of danger dragged across my Sight, and a peculiar sparkle caught my eye against the wall of Flects. Something powerful was watching us.
"With this action, I shall be reborn as the mighty leader White-Feather and I will lovingly guide you all, my dearest family, to salvation. We are all mere puppets that dance to our god's tunes, all words in his pages, and all characters in his stories! He favors us, and now, our final proof of his favor is at hand." Heinrich laughed.
"Praise Tzeentch! Glory to the Blue Herald!" the cultists chanted back joyously.
Something definitely felt wrong in here, I recognized. However, with my dulled sensitivity, I couldn't quiet pinpoint what it was. The cult leader made a motion with his hand, and Luukai, who was standing beside the soul-transference machine, nodded. "As rehearsed, I will see you again when I say the code phrase in White-Feather's body. And now, farewell, my beloved family! Blue Wisdom, engage the transference, if you please."
Luukai flicked a switch on the alien machine, and an electric hum began to fill the room as the blue crystals began to glow more brightly. Both Alberich and Heinrich were immediately stricken unconscious, and both began to tremble and seize on their respective gurneys. The cultists began to pray, their echoing voices harsh and guttural in this dangerous room.
Another broad shimmer of light caught my attention as I stood watching this bizarre spectacle, and a low throbbing pain began to arc across the side of my skull. I found my attention directed to an event far from this location...
An old woman with weather-beaten tanned skin was laying on a bed of ice. Men of metal and flesh stood over her head, holding long metal needles as the woman's ears and eyes began to both smoke and bleed. As they shouted orders and sounded alarms, it became apparent that this woman's blood and cerebrospinal fluid had begun to boil as it was over-electrified, and the unfortunate woman opened her mouth in a long wordless moan of agony. "Keep the bitch alive! We only have two more after this!" a familiar voice shouted. Despite the order, I felt the tortured woman's body begin to expire. She pleaded for the Emperor to hear her, and to end her suffering.
I brought myself back to the present, and saw that the cultists were still chanting, and that the timer still had about thirty seconds to go! The pylon was failing again! I turned to Alberich and Heinrich as they laid side by side, and saw a peculiar sight. Heinrich was now watching me curiously in a daze, his head turned toward me on his gurney. No one seemed to actually notice this, however, as all the other individuals in here were still engrossed in their chanting.
"My leader?" Heinrich mouthed the words across this space. The chanting was growing louder.
The adepts were pouring shaved ice on the old woman to keep her alive, and injecting stimulants into her ravaged body. "We're losing her!" an adept called out!
"I think the pylon's failing again!" I hissed as I walked forward. One of the Tzaangor bodyguards stopped me, and shook his head as he stood before me, not letting me approach further. Beside whoever was inhabiting Heinrich's body, Alberich's body began to convulse more violently as the chanting grew more pitched. "Quick, say something in German!" I instructed as I peered around the mutant's bulk as he kept me away from the ritual.
"Quiet," the Tzaangor growled at me, and gently pushed me back. "Do not interrupt."
"Was soll ich sagen?" I heard Heinrich (or was this Alberich now?) whisper in a daze as the chanting grew continuously louder. Yeah, that was him, I realized in relief. I looked over and witnessed that Alberich's beastman body was now violently thrashing against his constraints, and a small rivulet of blue smoke had begun to rise from his open beak. Some of his feathers had even begun to blacken!
My headache began to increase as I felt my strength begin to return. My halo then began to fully emerge again, and with that, I had a sudden intuition as I watched a multicolored shadow fall across the waves of shimmering Flects against the wall.
Close your eyes! I mentally shouted at who I now assumed was now Alberich, hoping that he would hear my telepathic instruction. Don't open your eyes! The Warp is turning back on!
Just before closing my eyes, I was able to see what looked like a nod from the soul-transferred beastman.
The distant woman on the bed of ice began to cry as her back began to arch in her extreme suffering, and despite the desperate attempts of the red-robed metal monsters, her heart began to violently palpitate. As her aorta ruptured, her brain began to cook within her skull, and a final plea for salvation was called to the Emperor as she expired.
Nausea gripped me as a strange hot-cold wind washed over my exposed skin, and it now felt as if thousands of daemonic eyes were watching me in this room as the infernal chanting grew more pitched. Reflexively, I found that my halo had surrounded me in a protective glow. I then heard the sound of flesh tearing, and the sound of a cry of pain, but the chanting did not abate.
Don't open your eyes, Alberich! I telepathically shouted in the direction of the beastman.
Something unusual then happened. Within my mind, I heard two distinct responses from Alberich. First, I heard, I keep them closed! What is happening in the room?
A second, and very distinct voice that was also Alberich cried out to me, My leader! What is happening to me?!
Before I could be confused, sounds of fleshy tearing began to combine with what sounded like daemonic laughter as more hot-cold magical wind swirled around me. Brief visions of cavorting pink horrors passed through my mind's eye, and in the Warp, I sensed that Tzeentch's direct eye had been drawn, and he was pleased. The eye of the Chaos God continued to study this room, and the charged magic wind continued to whirl around me in colors that I could see, even with my eyes closed. With a gasp, I felt the sensation of wind whisking me away somewhere, and then, I was once again standing in the familiar ice-blue mirrored halls of the Crystal Labyrinth. The air smelled sharply of electricity and foreboding, and as I turned, I witnessed a very familiar entity pulling itself into existence.
As always, the Great Lord of Change's humanoid avatar wore a well-tailored black suit, but instead of sadistically taunting me, the godform was currently sitting before me at a wide floating desk, typing away at a retro style typewriter and wearing a small self-satisfied smile. The avatar then stopped his typing, and looked up at me, his inhuman yellow-gold eyes filled with his usual mischief. "You having fun yet? How about a little fourth wall breakage this evening?" Tzeentch asked me. "I like it when you visit me, but don't bust into my throne room again without asking. That's very naughty!" the god playfully scolded. "Ah, but I can't stay mad at you, can I? You feed me and my childer ever so much! I see that you're at my little clubhouse in Evna watching your crewmember get body swapped with my exceedingly handsome features, so how about we have a little chat since you're here? Touch base and all! Think of it as a sort of performance review!"
"I-"
The Chaos God did not let me speak, and immediately interrupted with a loud "Ahem, I'm not done talking!" and a harsh gesture when I tried to interject. The crystal hallways immediately shifted to that of a closed office room, and I was now sitting upon a computer chair while the god stood before me behind a large and very important desk with his analog typewriter. Tzeentch shuffled a few papers at his boss-desk, and grinned down at me, an evil sparkle in his eyes. "First off, I'm very pleased with the creeping sensation of madness I'm feeling within you as you struggle under all my fun plans. You've been behaving very erratically, very chaotically, you could say. This pleases and feeds me greatly, and it helps me to craft your Warp shadow for your future use! It's all very yummy, and all according to plan!"
"You-"
Tzeentch continued to speak, not letting me get a word in. "And, while I enjoy that insanity, it's a little, well, much, I'm afraid. You're not pleasing your readers, and you've made yourself very unpopular to those reading your story."
"What?" I was able to respond with confusion. The scent of burning paper filled the air.
"Here, look..." The Lord of Change then handed me a sheet of paper which displayed various critical comments similar to what I would see on any story on a fanfiction site back home. The comments were mixed, some positive, and some negative. Many of them called me infuriating. What the fuck was this?
"As you can see, you've become a very unlikeable protagonist, as you've been making a lot of stupid mistakes. While strife is good, I would prefer it if you used your brain once in awhile to figure out how to get out of difficult situations instead of losing your temper. If that's too hard or if you're soul drunk or on drugs, utilize your crew to think for you instead. Bastian had people to moderate him from his violent whims caused by the progressive erosion of his humanity, and you should too!"
"Readers? What readers? What is all this?" I exclaimed, reading the sheet of disparaging comments critical of my recent behavior. Was I actually the subject of a book somewhere? My heart began to beat irregularly as I sunk into existential dread, and I looked away from the comment sheet. "And what about the erosion of my humanity?" I asked as I felt my gold Corona surround me in a protective glow.
The god rolled his eyes and stepped back with a hiss from my gold light. "Fully explaining the concept of an infinite universe would be irritating and stupid, so I'm not going to bother with that presently. The short of it is that all existence in an infinite universe exists in a never ending story somewhere, and others in another dimension read your story and watch you. And, many of them aren't pleased with you, as you can see! Your power comes with a great cost, and certainly you've been noticing the push of your so-called divine vessel's spirit! You and I might even be at war soon, but I sincerely hope that doesn't happen. Just be more mindful of your behavior, you chaotic little monster, you!"
I shook my head, and placed the comment sheet face down on Tzeentch's desk, which I noticed had begun to flicker and glitch. I stood up from my seat, and I could now tell that the office around me appeared to be fading away.
Tzeentch himself continued smiling dangerously at me again, and the sensation of falling gripped me as the god's avatar faded away into mist. His voice became distant. "That's about it, really. Oh, and one more thing: remember, like what I said at the theater, if you go against me, I'll make sure to manipulate your existence so that you suffer a very unfortunate end, much like your predecessor. Keep that in mind, dearest."
A flash of a vision then burned inside my mind, and it was of a suffering bright corpse sitting on a golden throne! Many voices were now speaking an unknowable language around me, and my ears registered a pressure change as the chanting reached a fever pitch, and then, all at once, there was silence as I rushed back into my body.
I then heard startled gasps rising from the cultists, but I remembered not to open my eyes. Whispers of "Praise Tzeentch!" hissed through the electrified air like serpents.
"Can I leave now?" I heard Heinrich's voice quietly call out. "Is it done?"
"What have you people done?!" Alberich called out, his voice pitched with pain. "I can't move my limbs! What have you done?!"
"Praise Tzeentch!" Heinrich's voice called out again, but now, it was in a different place. "Till the last dawn dies and the rebirth of the universe begins! My family, it is done!"
I still didn't want to open my eyes in this insanely dangerous Warp room. It now felt as if thousands of daemons were watching us with sadistic interest along with the direct god they came from, and I could still feel Tzeentch's terrible eye. Instead, I decided to request: "Alberich, say something in German again so I know it's you. Follow my voice!"
"Was ist es?" I heard Heinrich's voice call out at the very same time I heard Alberich's voice plead with, "Was ist passiert?"
What the fuck was this now?
A low evil laugh began to echo in this room, and I then heard a rustle of cloth. Heinrich then spoke again, "No, no. Don't hurt her, my friends. She is a future sister, and we will not harm her! Open your eyes, my lady. See the glory of Tzeentch! Your friend's strength has been multiplied! He has been blessed indeed!"
I'm trying to burn my bindings off, my leader! There is something wrong here! I am now in Heinrich's body, but I think something is pretending to be me in this room!
My leader! Something terrible has happened! a second "Alberich" then pleaded with me.
Alright, fuck it, I thought. I was a master of making bad choices and I had already opened my eyes in this terrible room already. Holding my breath and bracing my gold shield, I opened my eyes.
The room I was in was now a technicolor glitter hellhole, a Lisa Frank-induced psychedelic rainbow nightmare of bending and shifting colors. The cultists gibbered and celebrated amongst themselves out of range of my Corona, and still did not move to touch me. To my left, I saw Heinrich, and it appeared that his bindings were smoking. With a wave of my hand, I snapped them, and he sat up with a gasp. He began clutching at his chest, shoulders, and head with his hands, his eyes still closed. I did not move forward yet.
To my right, something terrible had indeed happened.
The cultists were all busily undoing the bindings off of Alberich's body, which had grown taller by about a foot. This had caused part of his bodysuit to tear at the chest and shoulder. His feathers were now completely clean of any remaining gold paint. It now seemed that his body was half white and half black, split evenly right down the middle. With an awful realization, I then understood why I had been hearing three separate people.
Alberich's beastman body had two heads now, and one of them was telepathically pleading to me with closed eyes, his psychic voice frightened. His entire left side and his new head were all black, and the black head's expression was pitched in exultation, its hooked beak open in awestruck happiness. This new head's striking yellow eyes were wide open, and he watched me.
"Oh holy shit," I said, making eye contact with "Alberich's" new black head.
Hearing this, the second head smiled madly, and it responded to me in Heinrich's voice. "Glorious, is it not? It seems that your friend was so powerful that lord Tzeentch has seen it fit to double him, and has offered one copy for us, and one for you! Our lord is generous indeed! We thank you ever so much, future sister!"
"What?!" the white-feathered right head then immediately opened his eyes, which were now becoming frantic. "This... no!"
"No! That isn't me!" Alberich (in Heinrich's body) said as he attempted to stand from his gurney. His body shook as he briefly stumbled. His hands found the satchel wrapped around his side, and gripped it protectively. "The procedure worked and I'm in Heinrich's body! My leader, let's go! Let's leave!"
"No!" the second head of the two-headed abomination of White-Feather said as it finally stood, surrounded by fawning cultists. "No! I'm Alberich, Erika! You must have an imposter with you!" The black head responded to this with a raucous laugh.
"I'm the real Alberich!" the white head protested. "I never left my body! They must have enacted a ritual to mutate me and place this Heinrich's soul within me! I can't move my limbs!"
"Are you kidding me? Fuck, I hate Chaos," I angrily said as I attempted to discern exactly who was who while standing in this rainbow room of utter insanity. With a brightening of my eyes and halo, I reached into the floundering physical human form of Heinrich who was cautiously stumbling my way by following my voice, his eyes still closed. His mind felt perfectly familiar, and I sensed that the soul transfer had indeed been successful. Alberich was now in a human body. Was the cult leader telling the truth here? I turned, and then put my Sight on the monstrosity who stood in the center of a knot of fawning cultists. The white head felt exactly the same as the soul that was now standing before me, and the black head was definitely Heinrich! Was this a sort of Kairos Fateweaver thing?
"Praise the birth of White-Feather!" one of the cultists yelled into the surreal room, and the disembodied daemonic laughter cackled through the air, and a nauseating chill passed through me. "Praise the gift by the future-angel-sister!"
She'll be with us one day! One of us, one of us! Fiendish disembodied voices began to sing to me again, their voices both taunting and friendly. A brief vision of a tall pale willowy creature with six white wings passed through my mind. We accept her! We accept her!
My intuition was now telling me that to remain in the Room of Recreation for much longer would be probably not be very safe. Taking the initiative, I grabbed the human-Alberich that stood near me and dragged him away and through the iron door again, and back into reality. No one stopped me. Behind me, the other Alberich continued to beg and plead for me to come back. Holy shit! This was too much! While the Slaaneshi cultists were sick flesh-obsessed monsters, the Tzeentchian cultists were fucking insane!
No one stopped me as I walked through the iron door again, and Alberich's new human form then stumbled and fell to the floor in one corner of the room, sweaty and shivering. Zok's expression actually changed to worry, and he walked over to us.
"I'm human again!" Alberich whispered, grasping his face with human hands once again, and gazing at his palms and fingers. "But they, they copied me? Who is the man in the other room? Is he also me?"
I shook my head, not really knowing how to respond. I tried to ignore the frantic telepathic pleas for help from the other Alberich in the Room of Recreation, and I instead asked this human-Alberich to check the satchel he carried.
"Is this man now Alberich?" Zok asked. I nodded, and the Tzaangor simply sighed in disapproval.
The soul-swapped human-Alberich retrieved what appeared to be a small pamphlet and offered it to me. Thumbing through it, I realized that the cultists had kept their promises. We were now in possession of a detailed map of the tunnels beneath the city, and we also had a detailed guide on how to get to Port Aubergine from here. I placed the pamphlet in my cloak pocket. I just hoped that this information was accurate. Tzeentchian cultists weren't known for their honesty in the lore.
The door behind me then opened again, and human-Alberich blanched as Luukai, Vadim, and what was now White-Feather stood before us. More ravening cultists now began to file in behind them, each wild-eyed and rapturous.
"Helfen Sie mir!" the white head of copied Alberich pleaded again. The black head simply ignored him, and turned to me, a wide smile on his black beak. It was peculiar that this creature was named "White-Feather", despite having a black side and a white side, but I wasn't about to argue semantics with a Chaos cult. From the movements of this tall profane creature, I could also tell that the black head had full control over the body now, and unfortunately, it seemed that the white head was simply along for the ride.
"Thank you ever so much, my lady!" Heinrich said to me, his new beak in a broad grin. "Your gift to change will not be forgotten. I see that you've discovered the guide! We believe it is now time for you to take your leave so that you may also depart this world. I'll take good care of this iteration of your Alberich for you! He will serve the needs of the Architect of Fate well!"
"You planned all this, didn't you?" I accused Heinrich as Zok and I helped human-Alberich to stand. As I stood here with my rekindled powers, I began to size up this cult. Would it be ethical to leave the second Alberich in the hands of these people like this? Should I rescue him? Kill him? This was the craziest moral dilemma I had ever seen! Could I conceivably kill this entire cult and cut off Heinrich's head in order to rescue this other Alberich?
Heinrich shook his beaked head and laughed jubilantly. "Actually, this was not as planned, but everything is planned by the master of plans, so I suppose this was actually planned on some level." The cultists were now all gathered in this room, and all were now facing me intently. In some of their hands, I saw fire and magic begin to glow as they watched me with fearsome eyes. Even Luukai and Vadim now stood watching me defensively. Heinrich apparently noticed my expression of apprehension here, and began to gently speak in an almost mocking, placating tone. "Pay my protective Architects no heed, my lady. As the Blue Herald, I must always be on guard for any kind of violence from outsiders to protect my family. Not that you were thinking of engaging in such violence, of course!"
What do you want me to do? I asked the Alberich-head of White-Feather as I felt my halo brighten, which caused two of the cultists to step back from me. Both Luukai and Vadim now had faint bluish halos of their own as they watched me pointedly. The atmosphere in here now felt very dangerous.
I... I don't know! Alberich's white mutant head responded to me in distress.
I found myself thinking about this scenario in terms of points on a tabletop game as I continued to size these people up. These guys had Tzaangors, and what appeared to be at least nine skilled sorcerers of varying strengths. This then got me wondering how many points I'd be worth on the tabletop before the Alberich-head on White-Feather responded.
My leader, was I really simply copied? Does the Heinrich body I see truly contain my soul as well? mutant-Alberich asked, his head turning sadly to regard human-Alberich who looked back up at him with an expression of metaphysical horror.
"I think so," I responded, not knowing what else to say.
The mutant-Alberich then turned toward human-Alberich, and brief halos of light surrounded both of their heads. They were presumably having a private conversation as Heinrich and the rest of the cult stood tensely waiting. After a short time, mutant-Alberich sighed heavily, and then began to nod. "Go," he said quietly.
I, er- he says Heinrich can hear his every thought now, and that he has planned for the contingency for you attempting to fight them, human-Alberich said to me.
The mutant-Alberich then turned to me and sadly said. I did not foresee this, my leader, but if this is what fate had planned, then I cannot fight it. I concede that you did warn me about the Great Architect, but if this is his will, then maybe this part of me should stay here? Under his will, perhaps I can find you again somewhere out there? he mused almost tearfully.
I watched the group of cultists as they continued to observe me with apprehension. While I was probably outgunned in terms of psyker power here, I could still feel that the cult was nervous about any confrontation with me. Their barely concealed fear was palpable with one person wondering if I was capable of destroying souls.
"Now, now. No one wants any trouble here this evening. Maybe you're confused as to where the exit is, my lady?" Heinrich replied to the tense room, a slight hint of venom in his voice. "This has worked out beautifully for all parties, so I don't see what the problem is or why you hesitate. The doppelganger of your esteemed crewmember will now travel with us as a leader of enlightened truth-seekers, learning and sharpening himself with us until you can come into your own."
"Okay," I then replied very reluctantly. "So, now-"
"Now, I place a shield around your minds so that you can safely walk the length of the Room of Recreation and back into the tunnels, although I don't actually think you need it, considering your nature. I'll do it for your little friends, though."
Mutant-Alberich and human-Alberich were having a telepathic conversation, which was then interrupted by Heinrich's chanting as he made a series of gestures. A bluish shield had appeared around human-Alberich and Zok's heads, and we were then guided forward once again.
After a short walk through the Room of Recreation and down through the spiral stairway again, a human version of Alberich now stood beside me as we watched the two-headed black and white form of White-Feather tap a code into a hidden keypad, which caused the wall to open before us. Zok stood by, continuing to smartly keep himself distant from any insanity. "There now, off you go!" Heinrich chirped happily as he nudged the three of us unceremoniously back out into the tunnels. Luukai and Vadim hadn't even followed to say goodbye, but I guessed that that didn't surprise me. Chaos cultists would behave like Chaos cultists, no matter what the alignment. This was definitely a harsh reminder that Chaos was my enemy, and would always be my enemy.
"Wait," mutant-Alberich's white head then said. He turned to me, and with what appeared to be great effort, moved his right arm out to touch my shoulder. "Goodbye, my leader. I will see you again, the Great Architect will see to that."
Human-Alberich chuckled humorlessly. "We both know the vow we took is unbreakable, so you have to come back."
"Yes," mutant-Alberich replied. "Es ist nur auf Wiedersehen, nicht für immer."
"Come, come. We have work to do, second-head," Heinrich chastised mutant-Alberich as he stepped back. "Goodbye to you both. Your gift to us is glorious. Just so you know, my Alberich already thinks that you'd be better off with a human copilot as you venture into the Imperium anyway, so don't be so sentimental."
"Bye, Alberich," I said as I reached forward and touched the mutant's left shoulder, which actually caused him to cringe backward as one of my bare fingers touched his flesh.
"Ah! Your touch burns!" Heinrich barked at me accusingly with a sneer. Without another word and a short irritated snarl, the cult leader plugged in the door code, and the wall slid back into place. Human-Alberich, Zok, and I now stood in the tunnels again.
No one said anything for a short time until I spoke up: "Wow, so, that was pretty messed up, wasn't it?"
Zok sighed, and clacked his beak. He appeared both bored and tired of everything. It was then that I realized that Evring was still upstairs. Whoops. Well, whatever. The playboy seemed happy with his new lizard girlfriend, so maybe that was a good outcome?
I turned to Alberich, who still appeared to be very disoriented in his new body as he swayed on his feet. The trans-mutated psyker then turned to me and said, "Which one of us was the copy soul and which the original? Did you actually know?"
"I actually have no idea," I replied wearily as I removed the pamphlet from my cloak pocket. I myself was disoriented and reeling from that insane experience. "I really hope you're the original because, like what the other you said, having a full human around is easier than having a mutant around in the Imperium, and that's where we're eventually headed. I just hope you can still pilot the Divine Retribution."
Alberich nodded, and put a hand through his hair. "I will go through the purification process once again if it is required, I promise you. At least this form is Aryan, which I must say is quite nice."
"But seriously, I hope this shows you about what happens to people who trust in Tzeentch, Alberich." I angrily growled.
"Trust no gods; have no masters," Zok advised Alberich.
The psyker sighed heavily in concession. "Were you going to kill all those people if the other me continued to protest against the cult?"
I sniffed heavily, shrugged, and began to smile awkwardly. "Well, yeah. I already strangled that cult leader, beat up a Fiend of Slaanesh, and I've eaten like a hundred souls this evening. Might as well go for an ultra high score, right?"
Alberich did not get my joke, and swayed on his feet as he watched me in confusion.
"Anyway, let's go. The next mine cart is close, and I want to get out of here. It says here that we're going to the very center of Evna, and that we're going to need to resurface on this place called..." I studied the pamphlet. "...Rhymes Square. It's apparently usually very crowded so we might be able to blend in, but I don't know with martial law being in effect. Maybe we can tear up my cloak to cover your face?"
Alberich began to weakly laugh as he began to quickly change out of his bodysuit, and into a pair of black trousers and a button down shirt. Luckily, Heinrich had packed a pair of old shoes and a helpful silver dagger, so we weren't all just walking around with only my magic scissors. "If I'm understanding everything correctly, I'm also in the body of the governor's ex lover, one that she really wishes to find. I have a feeling that we haven't even seen the worst of what this night has to offer yet."
"I have a feeling you're right, buddy," I responded as we began to walk further down into the tunnels.