The best way I could describe what happened when I was attacked by the demon was like waking up from a dream. Then trying to force yourself back to sleep before the dream was lost. I tried to warn Furia of the damage, but she would have no idea how to deal with a demon.
'Thanks Empress.'
The next thing my brain registered was that of the stereotypical warp colored sky, the clash of black, purple, and pink that seemed to have been painted by a child high on chocolate.
Below me was the blue floor with mouths here and there mixed in with eyes that all seemed to be looking at me. I was sitting in a plain white chair with no discernable texture. Given the color I could only guess the Changer had done something to bring me here. I might have been more concerned with keeping the connection between Furia and I running. However, given who I might be talking to I decided this might be more important. There was also the problem with who I might be speaking to. I was guessing a Herald of Tzeentch at least or Lord of Change at most.
"Are you comfortable, my Legatus?" Cassandra asked, coming into my field of vision from the side.
I looked Cassandra up and down. "The Changeling."
It was really the only demon that could mirror anyone's image this perfectly. Yet I had a feeling that he/she was not trying, given the surroundings was a dead giveaway that something was up. Honestly this all might be a probe on his part to see how trusting I would be to a familiar face in an unknown environment.
The Changeling smiled with Cassandra's face. Her eyes became blue and reptilian and a third one appeared below her left. "Very good mortal, I had hoped that you were untrusting. Even when standing before your lover."
The Changeling changed from Cassandra's form to its default, a shrouded humanoid with three arms on the left side of its torso. Blue skin and a head shrouded in darkness completed its form. A staff was in its only right hand, the staff was feathered between the shaft and the demon's patron symbol. It had tits too, so I guess rule 63 was affecting it.
"How much do you distrust her? I wonder what she would think." The demon spoke while floating around me, not unlike a fish swimming around its prey.
"This seems like a roundabout way of saying "I'm going to use your appearance to make your closest friend distrust you because I'm a Demon of the Changer and I do stuff like that." How about doing nothing for a change eh, that will throw me for a loop." I replied snarkily to the demon in turn. I may not be the most witty of people, but being with the Night Lords has increased my tolerance for scary things. Or maybe that was the "know no fear" perk.
The demon laughed for a moment. "So knowledgeable of the Changer's ways, knowing things you shouldn't know, twisting the web of fate to fit your own designs. That hubris, beyond even that of the Eldar."
The Changeling took on the form of some Farseer from the black themed craftworld. I guessed he might be important but I did not recognize the form the Changeling took. "Shall mankind follow in our footsteps?"
"Mankind doesn't need help to screw itself over, thank you very much." I replied to the fake eldar. "Besides we have a totally not-god-like being setting up the dominos as it is."
'Hmm, pizza. I have not had that in a long time.' I thought to myself as I used one of the pizza company names from my time.
The changeling took on the form of the Empress. Surprising given that I thought it was one of the forms she can't take, yet the Changeling had none of the Empress' charisma. "Seeking to undo my work?"
"Packing things down with super glue and duct tape more like." I answered avoiding the obvious attempt to get me to let something slip. "Can we skip to the point where you make a threat, offer, or something else of the sort?"
The Changeling switched back to her default form. "No bargain is to be made yet, only a message from my mistress." The demon got in my face. "My mistress has noticed you and says, "You've been playing without an opponent, which you can imagine is against the rules"." This Never Born Mother Fucker just quoted Ego at me. Or quoted The Changer quoting Ego… or is the Changer quoting Ego from my mind, which the Changeling is quoting the Changer quoting me quoting my memory.
I looked to the right and left as I attempted to come up with a comeback. "Tutorial level?"
The Changeling held her position in front of me before bursting into laughter. The mouths around us seemed to take up his laughter as well. However as the demon laughed I noticed a bright golden light approaching us.
The Changeling stopped laughing and looked towards the golden light. "My mistress agrees and bids you welcome to the game."
As the golden light washed over me my mind exploded into pain. My psionic connection to Furia reengaged and my mind was thrown back into my subconscious. The whispers of the psionic rift I created returned to me, only to be interrupted. It was as if I were taking a break from homework only to have someone come up behind me and start yelling information in my ear. Said person also took my hand and forcibly began to finish my homework. Once the homework was nearing completion, they spun me around and started yelling in my face while setting off flashing bangs.
It felt like I was having a repeat of my first psionic activation while trying to remember the formulas for a math test. When it finally ended, I was left in a state of confusion and pain. The whispers of the Psionic rift had returned but at this moment I couldn't understand what they were saying. I was far too confused, and the head throbbing did not help.
However, while I was experiencing all these two hands seemed to appear out of nowhere and place themselves upon my head. The pain instantly left me, and I was left with confusion. Though with the pain gone I could better get my bearings. I tried to remember what I was doing beforehand. Healing someone, or so the voices insisted. They seemed to be in a better state of mind than me so I followed their explanation. Now, who was I healing?
'Freak!' A voice answered.
'Art.' Another countered.
'Flesh~' explained a few.
'Monster?'
'Tool,'
'Life;'
'Name if you would.' I weakly requested.
'Anger!'
'Misunderstanding.'
'Slave~'
'Tool,'
'Creation.'
'The term given to one existence to help other existences identify one from another.' I clarified.
'Fighter Slave!'
'Furia~'
'Rebel?'
'Subject two.'
'Born of Blood,'
'Furia… that sounds right.' It was starting to come back to me.
One voice expressed joy while the other argued their point. What was it about this Furia that I was healing?
'Existence!'
'Brain?'
'Thoughts~'
'Reasoning;'
'Her mind… I think it is coming back to me.' I commented, my thoughts were starting to stabilize. I willed the unfinished project to the forefront of my thoughts.
Before me a damaged projection of a brain took shape, parts of it missing, mostly the frontal lobe. However, even then I got a feeling that more should have been missing. I placed my fingers at uncompleted points. From my fingertips purple energy shot out, similarly to rapid strikes of lightning. The areas where the purple energy stuck slowly regrew however it was painfully slow.
Around me the voices continued to make comments on my work. They seemed to be more knowledgeable on the subject, so I followed their advice. I quickly learned though that they often disagreed with each other, forcing me to break them up. Once that was sorted out, we were back to working. I noticed as I worked that the brain looked like it was healing by itself. It sped up my work nicely. Given the state of my mind I couldn't really perceive the passage of time, rather I only noticed progress.
However, the voices seem to agree that we had done enough and the subject's healing abilities had taken over. I smiled and began the process of waking up. It was a little bit harder from waking up from a dream and the voices didn't want me to go but they seemed to be understanding after a little bit of explaining.
My eyes fluttered open and I found I was lying face-up on a bed. Something soft was pressed against my upper chest. Looking down I noticed why my chest felt heavy as two sets of Primarch sized fun bags were resting on my chest. Looking right and left I saw Cass and Furia to either side of me. Both of them were still asleep, however my mind quickly jumped to the implications of the situation.
One: Cass was sharing, meaning she was ok with this and I would not be on the receiving end of an angry Primarch.
Two: Cass was shearing… what did that entail?
Three: my pelvis trembled.
Four: I cannot handle two Primarchs.
Five: 'forget that I'm not serving two Primarchs at once. I don't care what you say perverted side of my brain!'
Six: 'Sir lieutenant Lazarus reporting for duty.'
'NO GO AWAY BEFORE THEY NOTICE!'
Given the thoughts rolling around in my mind I was unable to lie still, and my moving caused both of the Primarchs to wake up. I locked eyes with Cass before they darted to Furia then back to Cass again.
"You're awake." Cassandra commented, sounding a bit drowsy but happy, nonetheless.
"Yeah…" I replied, still trying to calm myself from the position I was in. "Can I get some explanation as to how I ended up here?"
*Some time ago*
Furia waited in her room for her sister to make it up from the hanger. She imagined it would not take long if her senses were accurately tracking her sister's progress. When Cassandra contacted her demanding a report on the status of her Legatus she had half a mind to hang up on her. Yet given her state of mind, being connected to the runt, she was unable to even consider the idea. Furia was unsure how to report that alien's attack when her creator ordered her not to speak of it. Even the runt was hesitant.
So she instead invited her sister over to her flagship. It would save her the trouble of explaining everything as seeing her runt would distract her from asking more pointed questions. He wasn't hurt, physically that is, so seeing that he was unharmed would possibly lessen Cassandra's desire for answers.
A rather firm knocking at her door brought Furia out of her musings. She looked down at the runt who she still had one hand on. His mind had not yet recovered from what her creator had done but the pain had lessened to some degree. So instead, she called to her sister from beyond the door to enter. The metal door opened and in stepped the imposing form of Furia's sister who was dressed in her wargear. Furia noted that she had not equipped her own armor since she took it off the first time, instead had worn a simple robe.
Cassandra's gaze quickly fell on the runt before it returned to her. Like Furia had hoped her sister's stance had relaxed slightly from the rigged stance she once held. The Primarch of the Night Lords entered without a word, the door shutting behind her. The armored Primarch stopped in front of her sister.
Furia felt a wayward thought of happiness and relaxedness pass through her mind. Having her mind running off the runts meant that some feeling was mixed with hers. The runt was fond of her sister and trusted her. Another feeling passed by and she had to stop herself from giving an outward show of it.
"Sister." Furia greeted her, the word was somewhat foreign to her. She had used it in the past for her fellow slaves but until now it had never applied to the being before her. "Your Legatus is well but there was an attack by some unknown alien. Our Creator has ordered my silence about it. She also did something to him that appeared to have hurt him mentally but not seriously. I am using my own abilities to transfer his pain onto myself."
Cassandra was silent for a few moments. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Thank you sister, for looking after my Legatus."
"I do not know how far along he is with… this." She gestured to the psionic tendrils connecting their two heads. "At the moment he is using his own mind to process my consciousness, so he will be unable to interact with you directly. From what feelings he is able to transmit, he is happy you are here."
Cassandra relaxed. "Can he understand me?"
"His subconscious can but not his consciousness, that is busy working on my mind." Furia explained, echoing the feelings coming from the runt's subconscious.
Cassandra looked down at the seemingly sleeping form of her Legatus. "Lazarus… I'm proud to call you my Legatus and for what you are doing to help my sister."
A feeling of bashfulness came from him mixed in with… that feeling.
Furia replied. "He is grateful that you approve."
The Primarch of the World Eaters paused as those feelings bubbled around in the runt's head and by extension her head. She was growing tired of them, so alien to her. She knew that feeling true enough, as one would understand a word, yet she had never experienced them first hand. They seemed so strong.
"There is one more feeling that he is transmitting." Furia explained. "I believe it to be love or some approximation thereof. I shouldn't be surprised though if fragments of memories are to be believed to you two are very close."
Intrusion!
Agreement!
'I've altered the terms of our agreement.' Furia thought back.
Shock.
Cassandra's eyes widened. "How did you learn of that?"
"I told you he was using his mind to run my consciousness." Furia explained. "I wasn't looking for that at first, I wanted to know how he knew of my past. I've been bumping into his feelings for you for a while."
"What do you intend to do with this knowledge?" Cassandra asked in a serious tone.
Alarm!
Retreat!
Return!
Furia scoffed. "I'm not one to blad sister, who you chose to see is your own problem." Furia showed her sister a feral smile. "You should do a better job of hiding your feelings. Your eye fucking him whenever you feel like no one will notice sister. I must admit however, I've never felt anything like this before, even if I had felt nothing but rage for so long. So, what exactly are these Legatus? Someone to warm our bed during this… crusade?"
Cassandra's reply came quickly, almost happy to get the subject away from her and Lazarus' relationship. "They are our companions, our closest friend or lover if you so wish. Ultimately they are meant to maintain our efficiency while pushing us to be better. Legatus Lazarus, unlike the rest of the Legatus, was with me in my homeworld of Nostromo. His abilities allowed me to block out visions of the dark visions of the future. The positive effect he had on me is the reason our mother created the Legatus."
"Yeah I saw as much when I was trying to look through his memories. So I am to have my own Legatus." Furia summarized. "I don't see how I will need one since yours removed the nails and repaired my mind."
"You will be surprised."
Furia looked away as she thought of it. Someone who would bring out the best in her. Like her mentor had tried to do… before she was forced to kill her.
Discomfort.
She looked down to the runt. "He is still in pain from what our creator did. I won't take away your Legatus again. You have my apologies, I shouldn't have taken him away like I did. If you want, you can stay in my room until he is finished healing me. I also need to maintain physical contact with him to take on his pain."
"My thanks sister." Cassandra replied, looking at her Legatus she noted that he was still in his ruined armor. "Could you assist me in removing his armor, he has been in it longer than he should."
Shyness.
"Sure, I don't have anything for him to wear though. Unless you're fine with him being naked around me."
"I would be grateful if you could provide something for him." Cassandra answered, crossing her arms. "He should not mind it, we generally sleep in the nude with one another."
EMBARRASSMENT!
Furia smirked. "I know, he enjoyed it."
SHUT!
Ignoring the feeling, Furia continued. "I don't mind resting some more sister and after all you've done for me it would be rude of me not to get to know you."
I took a final slip from my drink as Cassandra and Furia finished recalling their arrangements to me. After the unusual shock wore off and everyone was clothed it became far easier for me to understand the situation. I was under for another week since the two started sharing a room, bed, and a Lazarus.
"Now that you're awake and we have our circumstances sorted out. I wanted to thank you for healing my mind and removing the nails." Furia thanked me. "Both of you. Only my mentor has ever done so much for me."
I nodded my acceptance. "Cassandra deserves the most thanks here. After all, I would never have attempted such a thing." I then looked towards the wall and by extension the mess of the system I made. "Though I'm not quite done, I have to figure out a way to stop that psionic storm."
"On the matter of tying up loose ends, you owe me an explanation." Furia added more pointedly.
"I would also like to know how you learned so many details of my sister's past." Cassandra added.
'Ah come on I am not ready for a come to Jesus moment!' I moaned in my head. "I don't remember making any such promise."
"Lazarus, you promised me that you wouldn't keep things from me." Cassandra commented.
'Why did I make that promise again given my knowledge? Oh right, she is scary and I forced her hand not a day before. God help me word this in a way that does not break the fourth wall.'
"Your subconsciousness promised me that you would explain." Furia added more forcefully, she was sensing that I was trying to get out of it.
'My subconsciousness is not my consciousness.' I wanted to say, however saying something like that would land me in deeper water. 'And I can't plead the fifth given the U.S. Constitution is no longer a thing.'
I sighed and set aside my empty drink, really I was just holding it to give my hands something to do. "I can answer your question… it's just… the answer may change your outlook on life and I don't mean it in a good way. More long the lines of possible madness or you might decide on… an extreme response."
Furia looked unimpressed. "What could possibly be so profound about the way you learned of my past. Just tell me how you found out and we can move on!"
Cassandra on the other hand looked more serious. We had been together long enough to know when the other was serious. "How much do you know?"
That was a question, with a very vague answer.
"I know more than I should." I answered. "I would rather not tell you the how, the what is more easily answered."
"Quit prancing around the question and answer it already!" Furia demanded, slipping into her anger.
I did not pay her any mind though as my eyes were locked with Cass'. We held each other's gaze for a few moments before she spoke.
"Lazarus if I asked you to tell me… would you?" Cassandra asked.
I closed my eyes and thought about it. Would I risk undoing everything I had done by telling her the nature of this universe and her existence. How everything she did and endured was simply because her author wrote her like that, wrote him like that. It was bad enough to know that your own life choices were predetermined by someone or something. Worse even to know that all that suffering was simply for the entertainment and hobby of some far-off people. Sure they might draw comfort from the knowledge that those among those people adore them. Spend untold hours battling other people for the sole purpose of saying "my universe is better than your universe".
I thought of the people who I knew who held up Warhammer 40k as the be all and end all of power scaling. I thought of just how childishly grim the 40k universe ends up being, but people put that aside because we all wanna be a little overly edgy in our own private moments. After all those who lived in the 40k universe were nothing more than fiction and the means in which for a company to make money.
'People have killed themselves for less with such thoughts of meaninglessness, unable to control their own self.'
I opened my eyes and looked at the Primarch, the woman, I had grown to love. A fictional character who by all rights, did not exist, hell who is canonically male and insane. Whose female vision was really made because "smut for the smut throne". Maybe it was the god tier sex talking, maybe it was some kind of loyalty programing the Empress slipped in, maybe I just wanted to continue living this dream.
"I would, my Night Angel." I finally answered. "Just say the word and I will explain everything. How I know what I know, why I know what I know… what is to happen… or what is supposed to happen."
Furia looked between the two of us. "Quit acting like I'm not here."
"Primarch Furia." I started getting that official tone. "You want to know how I learned of your past. I read on a database that details your life's history, past, present, and future. A present and future altered because of my meddling. No I cannot show it to you nor can I prove it to you. Honestly I'm surprised you didn't find out the answer if you did serf through my memories."
"That's it? You just read it on this so-called "database" with my life's story, you expect me to believe that." Furia declared in that cold and calm voice that held back real fury.
"He is not lying to you Furia." Cassandra backed me. "He would not lie to us in a situation like this."
"He would not lie to you maybe, why would he give up his access to a Primarch's cunt after all!" Furia returned standing then showing us her back. She walked a little ways back as she thought over my answer. It did not take her long to come to a course of action. "Get off my ship. You have your fuck meat, sister, and our agreement has served its purpose so get off my ship."
Cassandra did not turn to face her sister, nor did Furia. Cassandra simply stood and said to me. "Let us be away, my Legatus."
I nodded my agreement and stood with her. Now would not be the time to ask Furia to send Cassandra's armor back and my wargear as well.
We both exited Furia's room. After the door shut I heard the sound of an angry Primarch venting her anger in her room. Cassandra led me through the halls of the Conqueror down to the ship's hanger. We did not speak as we walked, the only thing breaking the silence was the sound of legion servants and the passing marines. The marines themselves paid us little mind, other than a glance, their thoughts on us were kept to themselves.
Once we made it to the hanger Cassandra ordered a World Eater thunderhawk to take us back to the Nightfall. The marine in question looked ready to protest, she was silenced when a male voice called from behind us.
"Do as they request legionary." I turned to see who had spoken.
I did my best to hide my surprise. There was one of the poster boys of the World Eaters, Kharn the Betrayer, or should I say Captain Kharn of the 8th company. Like many characters in 40k that were not my favorites I just knew of him and that a lot of other people seemed to like him. As it would seem he was not rule 63-ed and remained male.
Cassandra nodded her thanks as the legionary moved to do as she had been ordered.
"Is our mother healed?" Kharn asked, getting to the point.
"My sister has been freed of the Butcher's Nails, thanks to my Legatus." Cass answered.
I couldn't hold back my surprised look when Kharn took a knee and bowed his head. "I speak on behalf of the legion when I say thank you for healing our mother. You have done us a service that cannot, will not, be forgotten."
"You may rise captain, it was the right thing to do. Nothing more nothing less." Cass replied not in the mood to stand on ceremony.
"It is more than even our Empress deemed necessary." Kharn returned standing. "The legion may not show it now but once word has spread that will change. Many in the legion were attempting to implant themselves with similar nails to our lady Primarch. I was going to be among the first to receive them. Now that you have healed our lady Primarch such a thing is no longer necessary. We are now able to bond with our gene-mother, as the other legions have."
'Bolt round dodged.' I thought to myself.
"I cannot say we have left her in a positive mood however." I added.
"It is of little consequence." Kharn answered as a thunderhawk was toad up to us. "I bid you farewell."
"To you as well, captain." Cass returned as we both made our way up to the white and blue gunship.
We boarded the thunderhawk and took our seats across from each other. The front door closed and soon we were airborne.
"Lazarus." Cassandra spoke, gaining my attention and a little bit of fear in what she was about to say. I noticed she had switched to English so on one could understand us. "I trust you. I trust you more than any other person, none are your equal. If you say that this information you carry is dangerous to know it then I trust you to keep it. I can only assume you knew my history like you do Furia and that you have steered me away from the worst of it. The only thing I must know is… are my feelings for you of your design or of my choice?"
"Yours, the times when I used my knowledge to influence you is in your method of rule on Nostramo and pointing out more important information. Everything else has been you. I did not plan for those rapists back on Nostramo to attack me. I did not plan on our relationship becoming what it is." A sad smile appeared on my face. "Honestly at the time I just wanted to get off the planet and you were the best option. I was not planning on becoming a major component of the legion nor that the Empress would elevate me to… this." I gestured to myself, this super-human body that I had not been born with.
Cass looked off to the side, almost a little disappointed, saddened even.
"But the Empress gave me a choice. She could restore me to my base human state where I would leave out the rest of my relatively short life with you. Then she gave me the option to become this. I was tempted to be returned to my base human state, but when I thought of you I couldn't bring myself to leave you alone in this unkind galaxy." I ended my ramblings there.
Cass was looking at me again, this time she was smiling. "So my feelings for you are my own."
"I would be a fool to try and trick a Primarch, especially one that puts so much trust in me."
The dropship shuttered and we were informed that we had landed on the Nightfall. We both stood from our seats and exited the gunship. We were greeted by the sight of the Empress and some of her guards. I bowed to the Empress while Cassandra remained upright. The Empress regarded me.
"You were successful." It was not a question.
"Yes, Empress, Primarch Furia has been healed of her wounds brought on by the Butcher's Nails." I reported, it was then I noticed the psionic energy near the Empress.
Two men, slightly shorter than the other marines, stood just behind the Empress' retinue. It took me a moment to realize that both were Legatus, most likely brought here for me to train.
"You are to be commended Legatus Lazarus, you have done a great service to my daughter." The Empress congratulated, she then gestured for the two other psionics to approach. "I've brought two more psionics for you to train, they have already undergone the operation to become Legatuses. I shall assign one of my companions to the Nightfall to handle their marshal training."
I looked at the two new Legatus more closely now. The older one had a more serious expression on his face. His hair was gray in color and his eyes were green. He seemed to be the most experienced of the two. He was looking me up and down making his own silent judgments.
The other was a little shorter of the two and looked to have a bionic left forearm. His hair had been closely shaven to his scalp, but it looked like it was growing back. His eyes were blue and he had more of a wonder-filled intelligence look. Intelligent and eager to explore just what he can do.
"Nathaniel." The first man greeted me.
"Malakai at your service and eager to learn!" The second added with real enthusiasm.
