"Orks are tenacious beasts," Lord Khars said as I strapped myself into the drop pod. It wasn't built for someone as small as I was, but shifting into my Astartes form fixed that rather easily. I didn't will forth any power armor, however, as I planned on transforming back into my enhanced human form the moment I crashed onto the planet. A bunch of servitors finished activating the other necessities. Outside the pod itself were all the other Custodians – hundreds of them – alongside members of the Lucifer Blacks, and a few of the Mechanicus Priests, a few of whom performed last-minute checks on the drop pod. Duncan and Katarinya stood with them. "They're cunning and powerful. Do not underestimate them. There is a good reason why many Imperial Worlds have fallen to their conquests. On an individual level, they're not much of a threat; I believe you're more than powerful enough to defeat a Warboss with your bare fists. Their true strength comes with their numbers and the often unexpected maneuvers they perform with their simple minds. Strike hard and fast; do not let them consolidate their forces. If they do, retreat or infiltrate; on a planet with a population comprised entirely of Orks, they'll lose cohesion and fight themselves if you wait long enough."
I breathed in and nodded. Dealing with an uncoordinated foe would be simpler, I figured, as opposed to fighting the more coordinated Traitor Astartes. I wondered, then, for a moment, just how strong these Orks were, in comparison to all the foes I've fought, thus far. Both were equally abhorrent, enemies of mankind, deserving only of the God-Emperor's Holy Fire; but, at the very least, these Greenskins were neither traitors not heretics. And, despite my hatred for them, I don't believe I'll ever loathe them as much as I loathe those who turned their back to the God Emperor's light. "Thank you for your wisdom, Lord Khars. I shall keep all of that in mind when I face these Orks."
Khars nodded once before turning away. Lord-Commander Garahm stepped forth as the servitors finished whatever it was they were preparing, their mechanical whines and servos going quiet as they stopped moving entirely. Idly, I watched as the flesh, bound to the machine, writhed within their metal shells; they were less than men now, closer to beasts, but perhaps even lesser. I would've pitied them if not for the fact these wretches were found guilty of some of the most heinous crimes. "If you require aid, simply activate the beacon and a force of Custodians will arrive to support you. Beyond that, you're on your own. Do your best, Perry the Guardsman; I have faith in your abilities."
"In the name of the God-Emperor of Mankind," I said, smiling as the drop pod hissed and its blast doors began closing all around me. "I shall not fail."
And then, the drop pod lurched down and, for a brief moment, I was in outer space, high above the planet that'd once belonged to humanity, but had been usurped by the Orks. I looked on as the gargantuan vessel of the Custodians, clad in holy gold, turned and sped away, likely to prepare the worlds of Remus and Romulus for the coming war to retake Sylvia. That was good. I would not disappoint them in the slightest.
It was a strange feeling, being in a zero-gravity environment; it felt as though I weighed nothing at all, captured as I was by the emptiness of the cosmos. But that moment was cut short as the drop pod violently veered downwards. Trails of flame covered the viewing ports and so my view of the world disappeared as the drop pod performed exactly as it was meant to do and began spinning, essentially drilling through the upper atmosphere or whatever it was the tech-priest tried telling me about.
I saw nothing, but that was fine. I didn't have to see anything. I trusted the guidance system to take me exactly where we'd planned. It'll be quick too. No doubt, the Orks would notice the landing. I'd kill as many of them as quickly as I can, take on their forms, and then blend in. The [Antediluvian] curse did not hamper me as much as I thought it would, though losing 200 kilograms of biomass, if nothing else, was annoying; however, I did get two new skills off of [Dementation] at just level 1.
[Curse of Laughter] – Every sapient creature within a radius of ten meters around you will be afflicted with an uncontrollable bout of laughter that will last between one or five minutes. The intensity of the effect, as well as its duration, is affected by individual willpower.
[Sigil of Unimportance] – Anything you've marked with this sigil will be covered in a shroud that makes it seem small and of no consequence, making it easier to be ignored. Remember, however, that it doesn't make an object invisible or imperceptible; meaning, anyone who is actively looking for it will find it.
Two very interesting skills that I recently gained. I'd use the [Curse of Laughter] if I needed a way to distract my opponents or to pacify those who need not die. The [Sigil of Unimportance] was a fascinating tool, I figured; the one thing on my mind, ever since I received it, was whether or not I could place the sigil on myself. After all, there was not rule that stated that I couldn't do just that. But, I'll have to test both of these against the Orks as soon as I landed. Both of them, unlike my other abilities, bore a cost of 100 kilograms of biomass per cast.
Still, whatever power I can get my hands on through the system was a weapon I could either wield for mankind or a mantle I can pass onto whoever is more worthy of it than I.
Not even five minutes passed when I felt something impact the drop pod, shaking it. "Oh, Emperor; that can't be good."
An alert signal told me that the impact veered the drop pod off-course. I turned to the imaging device on my right and it showed me that the new landing site would be almost a thousand miles away from my original, intended destination. Unfortunate, but I'm lucky enough, I suppose, that whatever impacted the drop pod didn't cause it to explode outright; that would've been disastrous as I wasn't certain I could even survive in outer space. "Not good at all."
The flames around the viewing port disappeared as the drop pod entered the lower atmosphere and I was finally able to see what the planet actually looked like with my own two eyes. Tall and rugged mountains, lush forests, and great seas, all of it marred by the presence of clearly-xenos architecture, of ramshackle buildings so high and so massive that they seemed to touch the sky. As the drop pod descended, distant battles and explosions made themselves known. My enhanced vision caught the veritable sea of green that dotted the surface, like moss on an old, damp wall. These must've been the Orks. And there were easily trillions of them in this world; they warred against each other. What truly caught my attention, however, was the strange energy field that blanketed the entire planet.
Both [Concept Shaping] and [Warp Shaping] allowed me to perceive its presence.
My eyes narrowed. What... was this?
It wasn't like the usual warp energy I was accustomed to. It bore not the presence of daemonic taint, but neither was it pure. The more I reached out to touch this strange energy field, the more I heard the sound of faint drums, thrumming distantly, accompanied by war chants and songs and roars. And then, the energy responded to me and reached out to me. Before I could even react, something pulled me into its ebb and flow. I struggled, but – for a moment – I witnessed a land of utter destruction, a vibrant sea of green fire and ashes, and two utterly gigantic, green-skinned figures wrestling amidst a ruined kingdom. I surged by them and I realized, to my horror, that these figures were even larger than I could possibly imagine – larger than what should be physically possible; just their fingernails were the size of solar systems, their eyes like red stars. The power they held was unthinkable, infinite, but turned against each other – unrefined, unused, perhaps even asleep. And then, clarity came to me and I realized, to my horror, that these... beings knew I was here, floating right by them, like a speck of dust before two mountains.
But, they cared not for me or my presence in their realm. The only thing that seemed to matter to these beings was their battle.
What were they? I wondered. And how were they connected to the Orks?
A green star stirred and turned to me. And, in that moment, I have never felt smaller. Their battle ceased and what felt like an entire cosmos's worth of power turned towards me. Twin stars, ablaze with emerald fires, the weight of their presence causing my very soul to begin cracking apart from pressure alone. "This git's one of them Gamerz, eh?"
"Not strong enough yet. Not worth our time; send this git back."
And, just like that, the forces that'd taken me and dragged me into that strange realm kicked me right out. Not a moment later, I was back in the drop pod, though it was probably more accurate to assume that I'd never truly left to begin with. Was that a vision of some sort? No, my instincts told me that it was not, in fact, just a vision. The peculiar energy field was still there, but reaching out to it did not produce the same effect. Nothing pulled me in. I couldn't manipulate the energy, either, even when I could touch it; something about it rejected me entirely.
What in the God-Emperor's holy name were those things?!
I shook my head and unbuckled the restraints as I assumed my Enhanced Human form; I had no love for my Astartes form, honestly, and I much preferred the same body that had been mine from birth. I was also just thirty seconds away from making impact. The ground neared. And, unfortunately, I was about to crash right into a large settlement of some kind.
I did not need or want any immediate attention, before I disabled their signal jammer – even moreso now that I was a thousand miles further out than I'd like.
As the drop pod pierced through the clouds, I reached for the control panel, engaged the thrusters to maximum, and, smiling, sent the drop pod directly into my [Inventory], preserving all the kinetic energy it'd gathered in its descent and abrupt acceleration, leaving me to fall freely from the sky. It'd make for a frighteningly powerful weapon, which honestly reminded me of all the other things I'd not used just yet. The [Normal Punch] seemed like something that could only be used in very specific situations. The [Glass Spoon] was... very dangerous, based entirely on the description, but could be potentially useful, depending on the sort of wishes I could ask for; I very much doubted, for instance, that I'd be able to wish away every single heretic that existed in the entire Milky Way Galaxy. So, it was something I'd just keep away – for now – and use only when I felt the time was right.
As I fell, I held out my arms and willed forth flaps of skin, cartilage, hollow bones, and sinuous flesh to create my best attempt at wings. I'd seen enough flying creatures to know how wings worked – somewhat. I wasn't a Biologis, however, and I essentially winged the whole construction.
I flapped once and they broke instantly, shattered by the powerful winds that swept upwards.
Alright, I'm not sure what went wrong there, but wings were, perhaps, not the ideal solution. Absorbing the tattered remnants of my experiment back into myself, I placed my hands firmly outwards and glided down. Once more, I willed forth the flesh from my reserves and created a parachute of thickened skin, which I reinforced by sinew, from my back. My descent slowed down immediately, the great flap of skin expanding and stretching as it took in the air. The explosions, bits of sharpnel, and hissing rounds suddenly flying around me told me the Orks definitely noticed my arrival. Below, tiny green creatures gleefully laughed as they turned and aimed massive anti-aircraft guns my way.
I didn't worry too much, however, as they were hilariously inaccurate, making Guard recruits look like crack shots in comparison.
The Orks were hideous creatures, I noted, and it'll be a pleasure to kill as many of them as I can.
About twenty meters from the settlement on the ground, I willed away the flap of skin on my back and placed a [Sigil of Unimportance] on myself, and brought out the lightsaber from my [Inventory]. I'd tested it before, very briefly, and my conclusion was that it was a wondrous weapon, even if the light it emitted was the exact opposite of subtle. Still, for what I planned on doing; it should work quite well. The settlement itself wasn't overly large, but it was highly populated and heavily defended, with massive gun emplacements in just about every corner.
My bones groaned and cracked as I hit the ground in the middle of a large horde of Orks, most of whom did not notice me immediately. I wasn't sure if that was the work of the sigil or they really were just dumb brutes. They were much larger than I thought they'd be, each one close to the size of an Astartes. Whatever the case, I then used the [Curse of Laughter], causing the hundreds of them to begin laughing immediately. And, with a snap and a hiss, the [Lightsaber] awakened, a crimson blade of pure energy emerging from the handle.
"In the name of the God-Emperor," I whispered. "The xenos will be purged."
AN: Chapter 47 is up on (Pat)reon!