**Author's notes: Yeah, my updates have been pretty slow lately due to real life stuff, but thank you for all for reading!**
The snow had begun to lightly fall again in the absence of the Dwemeri magical singing as I and my band of malcontents and aliens made our way down the Divine Retribution's gangway, and back outside. Since Jinnicky's madness was making him a liability, I had commanded Rahm to stay aboard to babysit him and to prevent him from getting into too much trouble. Everyone else aside from Zok (who was still in the kitchen), Virgil (who couldn't leave the ship), and Wolfie (who was out doing whatever Warp-y things Warp dogs enjoy doing) was now with us. Kaas was drafted to come with us this time, and she stood dutifully beside Null with her new rifle at the ready.
We now gathered at the base of the gangway. The Dwemer stood off to the side, and they chattered nervously (and somewhat heatedly) in their language. Alberich had his eyes closed, and a small halo of his own was now shimmering around his head. Before I could ask him what he was doing, the psyker opened his eyes, and informed me that he was attempting to remote view the crashed drone.
"I can't get a good fix on it," Alberich said, massaging his temples. "Rasputin says he cannot see it either."
"The art of distant viewing was never really my interest," the Mad Monk added. "The science of influence and rulership is more of my specialty."
"Let me try," I offered. I closed my eyes, and drew into my well of power.
A mental image began to construct itself in my mind. As time passed, my psyker abilities were getting much better, but I was still pretty tired from today's activities. In my mind, I could now see a large black disk halfway buried in the snow and dirt beneath broken trees. Something about that disk gave me an uneasy feeling, and I felt a short headache blooming across my temples, probably from my earlier overexertion.
I opened my eyes again, and saw that the Dwemer were watching me with steely, unreadable expressions in their enigmatic blue-green eyes. The light of my gold Corona was reflecting off the brassy plates affixed to their clothing. I drew my Corona in, and announced, "I get a bad feeling when I look at the disk, but it's still there. Let's get going."
Your gold machine has made you into a god, hasn't it? Yamac transmitted to me, his eyes narrowed.
I didn't respond to this, and I was relieved when Alberich announced, "Follow my lead, please," as he waved us forward. "I know where it is. It is not far."
Our group began walking through the snow. Lian and Alberich lead the way, and Ennoia and Morai followed at our backs. Rasputin stood to my left and Null walked directly behind me with Kaas. The three aliens walked about two paces to my right, each stealing suspicious glances in my direction every few steps. I was distracted by slight flashes of Alberich's energy halo shimmering around his head, and I noted that now, there seemed to be a slight gold tinge to his energy. As we walked, I noticed that the Dwemer did not offer to calm the weather for us this time, so the snowy wind was gradually growing more unpleasant. Lucky, we wouldn't be walking far.
A few paces later, and the Dwemer began to walk closer to me again.
You are a being that has been elevated by technology, Yamac transmitted to me. Your gold is distinctive despite your immature, crude air, Yamac added backhandedly, his tone dry. We can help you, god-child of men. We have experience with the synthesis of artificial divinity, technology, and the mundane. We can help you, if you help us. Surely someone possessing your mantle of divinity can see that the metal devil you are harboring should be brough to justice?
The Dwemer, it seemed, were completely fixated on getting a hold of Jinnicky. I responded to them with a flash of my Corona for emphasis. Look, I'm telling you, this world is going to have a lot more problems than one difficult Tech-priest, I transmitted sternly. I'm worried about this drone, and we need to investigate it as soon as possible. The people that we think sent it are so much worse than Jinnicky, and there's a whole planet of them nearby. Maybe I'll give you Jinnicky later, but right now, we're having a bit of a time sensitive problem.
"Everything alright?" Rasputin asked me with a tap on my shoulder.
"I'm fine," I grumbled with irritation.
We warn you to be wary of danger through this unusual machine, Yamac transmitted to me, changing the subject. I could tell that the Dwemer psyker was tense and unhappy as he spoke. It is a dark construct. Our scientists remotely confirmed that it was filled with a malignant energy before we disabled it. It is a wicked thing, and may contain what you call "Chaos energy". Are you certain it did not come from the metal devil you are harboring?
I found myself sighing with exasperation. Jinnicky may not be a nice person, but he isn't connected to Chaos, I transmitted, kicking the snow ahead as I walked. A small "dust devil" type of snow tornado briefly blew across our path in a hissing swirl, forcing us to briefly pause our short hike. Like what we said earlier, there are people called "hereteks" out there, and they're basically monstrous versions of the Tech-priests I mentioned.
And how can any individual be more monstrous than what we have already seen from this beast? Yamac immediately transmitted to me. I noticed that he wore a derisive expression as he turned to speak to his people.
I translated what the Dwemer had said to my crew before responding to their psyker with, This universe is hell, I'm sorry. It can get far worse than you've probably seen, and now that your protection is removed, it probably will. At the very least, we're pretty strong against Chaos, so I'm sure we can handle a lot things we might run into.
I sighed, and hoped that I hadn't just jinxed myself by saying that. Since I didn't say it in voice, I convinced myself that it didn't "count", and continued on my way.
Our group walked onward through the snow, and ahead of me, Lian kept his bolter drawn at all times, ready for any kind of monster that could emerge from the snow and kill us. The aliens beside me continued to chatter audibly between themselves in a language I still couldn't parse. Listening to their guttural speech, I felt frustration that I couldn't understand these aliens automatically with my psyker powers. An inner strain pulled at me as I felt the machine spirit of the nearby Divine Retribution try to work through me, but for whatever reason, they remained incomprehensible. I briefly wondered if it was because I simply wasn't strong enough to do this just yet, or if the bloodstone was impeding my ability. In any way, I and the other psykers among us could still understand the Dwemer telepathically, so that was good enough for now.
It wasn't long before we were now close to the tree line on the western edge of the clearing, and here, I could see the scorched tops of the trees under gauzy curtains of windy snow. Lian, who was walking ahead with Alberich, abruptly held his arm up, causing us all to stop. He then turned to me and said in his distorted helm voice, "Ahead, there is small sculpture of snow. Man height. Created recently. What is your command, Inheritor?"
Before I could answer, Rasputin began to laugh. "Tsarina, that is probably the jolly snowman that you ordered us to sculpt for diplomacy. While your intentions may have been good, it did not work to heal the residual tensions between Russia and Germany."
I reached up, and gripped my temple as I shook my head. I was not in the mood for this. "Building a snowman wasn't an order. I was just making a dumb joke."
"What are your orders?" Lian asked, ignoring Rasputin's laughter. I noticed that the Dwemer were whispering harshly among themselves again. Their cagey behavior was beginning to unnerve me.
Rasputin continued to laugh. "What happened was as follows: the ridiculous German and I were in the middle of making our team-building geopolitical allyship snowman when the feisty little kolbasnik brought our attention to the trees over there. That's where these elf aliens shot that drone down, and-"
"Okay, great, let's go," I said, irritated. "Lian, keep going where Alberich indicates, and be careful."
"Thy will be done," Lian rumbled, continuing onward, his giant black armored shape an obvious shadow in the snow.
Our group advanced further into the snowy landscape, which was now mildly shrouded under flurries and frozen mist, slightly impeding our field of view. Alberich and Lian walked slightly ahead with Alberich directing the Fallen to where he had seen the drone crash. Rasputin walked to my left, and the three Dwemer chattered to themselves to my right. Behind me, Null, Kaas, and the two Blank sisters continued to follow. I noticed that as we walked, Azsabrina occasionally hummed a strange tune under her breath. This humming was almost inaudible, and for some reason, it filled me with a sense of prickly discomfort. The jewel in my pocket also remained unusually warm, but I dismissed that as something to do with my recent activities in resisting the Divine Retribution's Imperative.
We then approached what appeared to be a snowman made of three large boulders of snow on our left. While the new snow was smoothing it over, we could see that someone had made an effort to decorate a smiley face with a handful of dark stones pushed into the crude sculpture's "head". Bristles of grass represented the snowman's hair, and it had two long arms made out of branches. Feeling moody, I psychically instructed Lian to punch the snowman, which he did with such spectacular force that the entre sculpture literally exploded, which caused me to have a short giggle. The Dwemer, seeing this, jumped back, and continued to speak amongst themselves in their language. Azsabrina continued her strange humming.
Within a few minutes of walking, the shadows of the trees were now close. My leader, look, Alberich transmitted as he turned around and gestured in my direction. He pointed ahead and upward toward a cluster of blackened tree tops that were now barely visible. The trees of Ix were thin, snow-dusted conifers that looked more like weird four-meter tall flexible pipe cleaner sculptures instead of normal trees, and the way they bent in the wind reminded me of underwater vegetation. The treetops were blackened further out, and I could smell a faint ozone or electrical scent on the wind. The wind and snow hissed through the spiny nettles of the trees in a whisper, and I realized that again, I could hear the Dwemer talking nearby. A bad feeling rushed through me like a rumor.
"Tracks," Lian remarked, kneeling down and examining the dimpled remains of a few footprints in the disturbed snow. A cry that sounded like that of a fox echoed distantly in the wind.
"Foreboding falls upon me," Rasputin observed. The Mad Monk was scratching his grey wizard beard while studying the tracks Lian indicated. The wind continued to hiss and whisper.
"Same," I responded quietly. "But, my ship is right behind us. I'm very strong when close to it."
"Those tracks are from the aliens. Either that, or the cavemen," Alberich explained, motioning toward the Dwemer, who now stood nearby, their faces unreadable and intense. At some point, Azsabrina had put on her helmet again, and she was now watching me, her eyes cold.
Is everything alright? I asked Yamac, who didn't respond immediately. He spoke a few words to the other Dwemer before turning to me.
It is, yes, the psyker responded curtly. We are near the crash site. Let us continue.
"There are more tracks here and of varying size. It appears that there were many more than three individuals walking here," Lian informed me with a quick glance toward the Dwemer. "The tracks also do not appear human."
Were there more of you here before? I asked the alien psyker. Lian says the tracks look like there were more than just three people.
We sent scouts up to visually examine your vessel in person from our city, Yamac explained quickly. There are also the primitive wild men that live in the wilderness, so it may have been them. The drone is just over here.
I translated for my crew as we all began to filter into the alien forest. The three Dwemer stood to my right, and they continued glancing in my direction as we walked. Ahead, I could now see a blackened area of splintered wood, and the scent of ozone grew stronger. The hair on the back of my neck stood up.
Before I could stop, Lian paused a few paces before us, and I watched as he put away his bolter, and drew his giant power sword in two hands. We all paused, waiting to see what my Honor Guard was doing. He was clearly on high alert, and after a few tense moments, he began walking backwards to the rest of our group.
"There is a darkness ahead," Lian spoke quietly to us, his voice distorted and his sword still raised. He then slowly turned around to face us. "The drone is ten meters away from our current location. No obvious radiative danger or environmental hazards, but it still smokes with heat; I... I sense a filth within it." The Fallen held his sword at the ready. His armored body was very still.
"You're sensing taint?" Null quickly and quietly asked. Lian nodded once, the red eyes of his helm glowing balefully in the wintry atmosphere. "You really are full of surprises. Seems everyone is a psyker but me," the Tech-priest observed with snark before announcing. "Taint may indicate a daemon engine. Be wary, all of you."
I telepathically translated for the Dwemer. After a short discussion among the three aliens, Yamac added, We suspect the drones possess shades that pilot them. These shades, we believe, are the interdimensional creatures you call "daemons". This is the third drone we have witnessed since the arrival of the metal beast that you harbor. This one is the only one to fly low enough for us to disable, as the others raced high above the clouds. This one, we believe, is no longer operational, but when it was, we saw that it was... observing your Numidium craft.
As I translated for the rest of us, I caught Azsabrina staring at me pointedly, which caused her to look away. When I finished, the collective souls our group uncomfortably lurched in recognition. Lian growled.
"A daemon engine would make sense," I observed. "What should we do?" Without another word, Kaas immediately walked ahead to stand beside Lian with her rifle at the ready.
"Treat it like any tainted infection of Chaos and purge it," the Tech-priest said simply. "For those that do not know, daemon engines are the intertwining of the machine and the daemonic in a mechanical construct. These foul creations manifest their power in greatly varying ways. Some can be small, bound in miniscule machines as small as my insect drone, Jiminy. Others can contain entire daemonic legions, and command vast terrible presences. Some may look as beasts, and others can be deceptively mundane, and some can infect entire voidships with their presences."
Null paused, and I translated for the Dwemer again, who listened intently. They did not add anything, and Null continued.
"Before Lian's observation, I noticed a heightening of blood pressures and the rising of cortisol excreted from the breath of the more psychically attuned of you. I'm going to deduce that there is some sort of creature of power nearby that is being intuited. That, or a smaller warpspawn doing its best to look large."
"We help," Ennoia announced in English, walking ahead toward Lian with her sister as she drew her gold sai daggers. Morai, I noted, was still bandaged, and while I knew the Null fields these ladies could emit were very helpful, it was probably not a good idea to have her volunteer for active combat if any problems arose. I stopped Morai as she walked beside me.
"I'd like you to stay back just in case things are dangerous. You're still injured," I instructed the Blank woman, who nodded in acknowledgement.
"Together with my sister, our shadow souls can stifle unclean spirits. To make use of our full capability, I request to at least remain nearby, Inheritor," Morai replied in Nubuan with a polite nod.
"Good idea," I answered. "But, just stay in the back for now." Morai obediently walked to stand behind Null. "So, let's go."
Our group cautiously advanced forward with Lian ahead of us, his sword now powered on and crackling with bright energy. In a few steps, we entered the blackened area of the forest. Trees remained smoldering, and a faint ozone smell permeated the air. The wind howled eerily through the trees, and now, the drone was visible.
The object was similar to what I had psychically seen before, but with a few more unsettling details. It was a large, black, disklike object about three meters in diameter that stood halfway embedded within the upended snowy ground. Eight small jointed appendages that almost resembled spider-like clawed limbs emerged from the outer edges, almost giving the drone an insectoid appearance. These claws were not moving, but occasional white sparks crackled across a few limbs. The surface of the evil drone was featureless, and was covered in a heavy matte black surface that was strangely difficult to focus on. Yeah, this thing definitely looked daemon-infected, I thought. Shit. Nearby, broken trees still smoked with quenched fire, and a faint repulsive smell reminiscent of burnt coppery blood caused me to crinkle my nose in disgust. It almost appeared as if this area had been struck by lightning aside from the unsettling evil aura that hung over the area.
Lian stopped about two paces (for him) away from the black drone disk, and he stood watching it while holding his sword. Kaas made her way to the other side of it, and trained her rifle on the evil machine. Ennoia stood near Lian with one hand holding the base of her gold Null-field suppressing mask. Rasputin and Alberich stood further back, each studying the drone suspiciously as they slowly walked around it. Rasputin had a slight psyker halo around his head as he walked, no doubt preparing some kind of mystical assault. Null was also walking around the dark machine, quickly studying it.
The three Dwemer stood nearby and observed our cautious behaviors. Yamac transmitted to me, What do you plan? We were able to disable it with one of our cannons, but it could remain dangerous.
This could still definitely be dangerous if it's got a daemon, I responded. We're going to check it out, and see what we can do. If there is a daemon in there and if everything goes well, we can get rid of it.
I turned toward Null, and nodded in the direction of the drone. "What can you tell?" I asked.
"A simple visual exam reveals nothing so far," Null offered. The Tech-priest then cleared his throat, and he walked to stand next to me. His mechadendrites were raised upward in an "S" shape over his head, and I noticed that his fancy xenos plasma weapon had configured itself out of liquid metal on one of his appendages. The weapon was now pointed at the drone from above. Null was definitely taking this seriously. "I will now do a multi-spectrum visual and energy field exam," the Tech-priest said, now also drawing his arc scourge, which crackled with energy in his gold left hand. "I suggest no one touch or closely approach this thing in the meantime, but stay nearby. Be ready for any trouble. A small daemon engine may still contain a bound greater daemon."
The Tech-priest took a breath for bravery, and then, slowly advanced, his arms and mechadendrites extended outward. A soft green light was now being emitted from one of Null's right hands at the wrist; it appeared that he was scanning the dark machine.
A few moments after Null had stepped forward, a strange disconcerting shiver swept through my nervous system, and I felt a wash of what felt like hot electricity pass over me. I felt the presence of something unholy watching us, and it felt as if it was smiling. My Sight instinctively responded to the threat, and I felt time begin to slow around me as my Corona reflexively emerged in a protective embrace; I stepped back.
As time slowed, I became aware that Lian was moving ahead with his sword drawn, and then, I felt an obscene presence reach forward to interact with me.
Why hello there, the daemon that had been bound within the drone crooned warmly to me in mind. Its voice was strangely positive as if it was very pleased to see me. The Lord of Change has blessed me, for I am meeting a Materium celebrity! Warm greetings to you, oh blessed of change! I am a friend of Glinda's and Valkyrie's, and I am your friend as well!
"I'm no friend of yours," I snarled, drawing the Nemeses Argentum in my right hand like a dagger. A small blue flame briefly ignited at its blade. Having a pair of scissors as a weapon was getting old, and I couldn't wait until I had two swords instead.
In altered time, I watched as the black drone before me began to glow a bright electric blue. It then split open like a cracking egg. An obscene pink shape clambered out of the opening with multiple clawed limbs. This daemon was an absolutely insane creature that had no business existing. It had a magenta-scaled serpentine form with many black-clawed humanoid arms that were positioned in pairs along its long body, reminding me of a centipede. Its face was flat, and vaguely similar to that of a human's with nine leering eyes with slit catlike pupils glowed in fiery colors. Its face was symmetrical, with four differently-colored reptilian eyes on each side, and one multicolored prismatic eye positioned in the center of its forehead. Its mouth was like that of a smiling shark's with many rows of teeth, and a serpent's tongue of violet flame licked the air before me. Yeah, if I didn't need anymore confirmation, this was definitely a Tzeentchian daemon.
"Oh, it was ever so cramped in there!" the daemon audibly quipped in a playful tone. Its voice was actually very high and squeaky, which was somewhat ridiculous considering its monstrous form. It stretched all of its arms before smiling at me again. "I was growing bored. Many thanks to your thrall for releasing me! He has been cursed with good fortune for nine days!"
Before I could say anything, the daemon began to levitate. Giggling, it playfully danced and undulated in the air like a ghostly sea serpent. Around me, time remained slowed, but I noticed that it appeared that Lian was now in a position suggesting he had struck the drone in a downward chop of his sword. His sword, I saw, had cleaved through a line of glowing multicolored runes that I had somehow missed (or they had been invisible) encircling the drone's black hull. The Fallen was now slowly pulling his sword backward, but he was still very slow in this time-bent space.
"Who sent you here?" I demanded of the creature. A fragment of flaming metal shrapnel floated slowly past my head. Bright blossoms of energy and fire were now alight upon the drone, but the daemon didn't seem to mind at all. Backing up, I continued holding my magic scissors ahead of me as I watched the cheerful dancing daemon.
"Since you are friends to change, I will tell you," the daemon said with a wide toothy grin and a lash of its tongue as it rolled in a backflip. "I and the others have been bound in boring old drones. Nine of us were sent ahead by mortal metal mechanical mavens. Our purpose was to examine this new world that will soon be claimed by these innovative ones! We are the vanguard eyes of the industrial world of Cyclothrathe, yes! They are coming! They have already departed, and they will be here soon! They are ever so eager to see what we have seen!" The daemon laughed happily while blinking all of its eyes. It continued playfully swimming in the air, madly giggling and smiling at me. "I am ever so blessed to have seen the Kingmaker Eagle in all its terrible glory, and now, I see the destroyer, our future sister encased in Materium flesh! And- oh! Actually..."
The creature ceased its mad laughter and dancing for a moment before it briefly flickered out of existence. When it reformed, it held a book in its many hands. It was a large, familiar blue book emblazoned with the flaming eye symbol of Tzeentch. Before I could see the title, the daemon opened it, and presented the book to me in a dramatic flourish. "Can... can I have your autograph, nice lady? Your imprint of vision? Please? Look!" the creature asked me in a wheedling voice. The book was now open to a random blank page located somewhere in its middle.
Confused, I studied the book that was held open before me, and then, I came to a realization where I had seen it. This was that weird "Wizard of Molech" book I kept seeing around! The one Word Bear seemed to have!
...and, incredibly, as I looked at the blank page, I watched as the words "Confused, I studied the book that was held before me, and then, I came to a realization where I had seen it. This was that weird "Wizard of Molech" book I kept seeing around! The one Word Bear seemed to have!" formed themselves directly on the paper in gold light!
What?
Before I could even think about what this meant, the book was snapped shut, and vanished in a puff of glittery smoke. "Oh, thank you! The willing imprint of your unique soul is ever so delicious to us!" the daemon chirped, absolutely thrilled and behaving as if it had just met a celebrity. "I'll be going now, eventual sister of ours. But, as a thank you, do let your Tech-priest know that one of the codes he now remembers is indeed a command override for his current worries. Cyclothrathe never changed it, even after thousands of years, and even after so much change and leadership realignment! It will be very useful soon! He's been worrying ever so much, and the worries are sour to our tongues in the Great Ocean, as they are subverting his hope!"
"What the..." I started to ask, but then, time abruptly began to speed up again, and I found myself thrown back by some kind of force.
I woke up a moment later on the snow, briefly stunned and disoriented. Psyker powers were being exploded into existence, and loud panicked shouting surrounded me. I saw Null's face looking downward at me before I felt his mechadendrites reach around my shoulders and quickly drag me away from the close proximity of the drone, which was now being fried and bashed at close range by my very reflexively violent crew.
"A daemon!" I heard Lian shout before hearing another crash. "When it appears again, destroy it! Ennoia!"
"I'm okay," I said with a cough. "I'm fine. I'm... here let me just..." I slowly tried to stand, but then, a terrible feeling that almost caused me to vomit all over myself passed over me, and I fell back down again in the snow. At least one of the Blank sisters had removed her suppression mask nearby. I began to dry heave. "Listen, it's gone. It's gone. The daemon is gone!" I rasped as loudly as I could. My nose, of course, began to bleed. Fuck, being close to Blanks was terrible. "Relax, everyone! Put the mask back on the Blank lady! 'Danger's past!"
"At ease, all of you!" Lian boomed over the scene. The miasma of awfulness caused by the presence of a Blank then faded.
Null helped me up, and I was now standing again, if a little unsteady. The Tech-priest handed me the Nemeses Argentum, which I had dropped nearby in the snow. My halo was now shining in protective warm glow around my head and shoulders; I couldn't even feel the wind. My crewmembers rushed to stand near me, and behind them, I could see that the black drone had been completely destroyed, probably through a combination of Lian's sword, Kaas' rifle, and maybe a twitchy psyker or two casting a few magic missiles before the Blanks could get their masks off. It was a flaming, sparking wreck.
A few paces away, the Dwemer were talking amongst themselves in a tense way, and glancing over at me again, their eyes wide with surprise. I turned away from them, not in the mood for analyzing their shady behavior right now, and put my attention back on my friends. "Yeah, there was a daemon in the drone," I announced. "But it's gone now. Whoever smashed through this one line of invisible runes on the drone's hull released it from the craft and pushed it back into the Warp."
The Fallen Paladin straightened up, and I could feel a spark of pride radiate from his soul, as he had been responsible for cutting the daemon's fetter to the machine. He even smiled beneath his helm. "We witnessed it for the briefest moment in a flash, Inheritor," Lian announced. "Its manifestation reached for you, and you fell back."
"Yeah," I said. "I slowed time, I saw it. It was a Tzeentch daemon. It's gone now."
"I only saw a flash of light, and then, the Astartes was assaulting the drone. It all happened within a second. You've banished it?" Rasputin asked nearby.
"Yeah, all gone, but I got some information from it, at least. It claimed it had been sent from Cyclothrathe along with eight other drones to survey this world before their people get here," I informed everyone, and a wave of loathing swept through my attended crew. When Null and I were in private, I'd have to consider informing the Tech-priest about the other information the daemon had offered me. I wasn't sure about this information's veracity, but so far, it felt like Tzeentch really did want to help me. His daemons always seemed so thrilled and happy to see me, which was surreal. I quickly reminded myself that Chaos was Chaos, and that trusting any kind of daemon was really stupid. I decided that for now, I wasn't going to say anything to Null, and I continued notifying my crew on some the information I had received. "So, they're on their way. I think they know we're here." I shook my head, and gasps passed through everyone around me. Why can't things be easy? "Uh, so Null, how long does it take for a heretek fleet to fly two light years and then fly in system to a world? Just curious."
Null didn't immediately respond, and I could tell that he was making a calculation. The Tech-priest's green animated eyes blinked and now wore an anxious expression. "Heretek vessels vary greatly in speed and maneuverability, but for the most part, a Warp jump of approximately two light years will often only take up to a few hours at most, depending on the currents of the Immaterium. Adding to that time, the fleet-" Null paused, and I could feel that he was extremely uncomfortable talking about all this. "If it's a full f-fleet, or even only a vessel or two, it will take time traversing to and from their safe Warp jump points, that is, if they're interested in safety at all. This will add a few hours to this time. T-they could already be in system. But, at the same time, daemons lie, and the creature you spoke with could have s-simply been enjoying your distress at the news."
"I'll check when we get back to the ship," I answered, shaking my head. Why couldn't we just have an easy visit somewhere? Just a normal boring world with no "quests" would be so nice. I didn't want to have another planetary disaster visit!
"They're coming?" Alberich asked in a frightened voice. A howl of snowy wind raced dramatically through the trees, which groaned and creaked. "But we... we can't take off yet! The ship is still stricken! We're grounded on this world!"
Excuse me, Yamac asked me, and I turned toward the trio of Dwemer. They did not look pleased, and each wore a frown. Please tell us what has occurred.
With a sad cringe, I began to psychically explain to the three Dwemer what had happened. They surprisingly didn't seem all that upset at the suggestion that the upcoming doom of their civilization could be a short while away. Azsabrina spoke a few words, which were translated by Yamac. The woman then began to glare at me.
Then we must return to our people. Yamac angled his head upward, and his lip curled into a snarl before continuing. And now, we're going to need Tonal Architect Nherbira's heartstone back from you.
Excuse me? I telepathically vociferated with surprise while wiping my bloody nose with the cuff of my jacket. I never took anything called a "heartstone" from anyone. As soon as the telepathy left my mind, I was struck with a revelation that made me feel instantly stupid. They were talking about the bloodstone in my pocket that I had stolen from Jinnicky, weren't they? My intuition nudged me into confirming the truth of this realization, and I felt my heart sink. Jinnicky had been bragging about killing Dwemer and servitorizing cavemen since he landed here! And, of course, he had probably stolen their possessions, which included the large cut bloodstone that I eventually ended up stealing. Well, shit! So that's what happened! But, how in the fuck did the aliens figure out that I had this jewel?! I needed this thing now! I couldn't just give the bloodstone back!
The Dwemer psyker continued speaking to me:
Azsabrina, during our walk, called to the stone, and it was located on your person, which leads us to believe that you are more allied with the metal devil than you claim to be. You, Inheritor-being, it seems, are being deceptive. What else have you kept from us, we wonder?
"Uh, hey, wait..." I sputtered audibly, not knowing how to respond to this. Choosing the absolute worst time ever to reappear, Wolfie popped into existence beside me, possibly sensing a "fun" fight. The astral hound began to bark and snarl viciously at the Dwemer psyker, who stepped back with his companions. Before he could attack, I reigned him in with a telepathic, No! Bad Dog!
The Dwemer glanced at Wolfie as he gnashed and snapped at my left side. I didn't answer. This probably wasn't making me look good here. Lian walked to my right side, his power sword still drawn and crackling with energy. He gave me a quick (and eager) psychic notation that he would have no problems carving these aliens up like a holiday grox.
Say the word, the Fallen Paladin transmitted to me. Glad will I be to slaughter your enemies.
Wolfie did not attack, and proceeded to angrily sit down at my feet. At the very least, he obeyed me. The Warp dog was literally salivating as he watched Yamac with his unholy starlight eyes, though. Long ectoplasmic threads of cosmic drool dripped from his jowls. EAT... PREY... KILL... Wolfie transmitted to me. EAT... MORTAL... SCREAMS!
The Dwemer coolly watched my angry hellhound as he bristled, unhappy at not being able to fight things. Seeing that I wasn't immediately responding, Yamac transmitted a stream of telepathic disappointment:
Inheritor-being, we are going to leave, and when we return, you are going to return our property. While we respect your acquisition of power through your divine machine, we are not so easily intimidated. You have no army, and now, those below in our city are witnessing what we see. You will allow us to depart, and when we see you again, you will give us what is ours. This includes the murderer you still harbor.
This sounds like you're threatening me, I transmitted back, now feeling my anger kindle. My Corona began to glow more brightly. One thing people shouldn't do is threaten something like me, especially if they're aliens...
Not a threat. A promise, Yamac added, his own psyker halo glittering around his head. At this moment, Wolfie lost his composure and quickly leapt at the alien psyker in a furious blur of black smoke!
"No!" I shouted! Lian instantly moved between me and the aliens, expecting an attack. Due to all the fun I kept having today, my Sight failed to respond quickly enough to slow time again!
Thankfully, this was as far as it went, as the Warp dog then struck some kind of invisible barrier that was apparently surrounding the three xenos. Wolfie bounced right off of the barrier in an almost comical fashion, and he dissolved back into the Warp with a pitiful cry.
No one spoke for a moment. Shit, this was not going well...
The Dwemer looked at our group with disdain, and reacted to this accidental assault with unnerving coolness. As we said, you're going to allow us to leave now. And, when we return, you're going to give us what we request. We don't care if there are other wicked ones coming, or if that is another deception. We now also know you cannot run, so expect us soon. Goodbye, Inheritor-being, god-child of man. We hope that our next meeting will allow both of our parties a fresh start.
The three aliens then simply turned around, and began casually walking away into the forest.
Tell me! Lian almost shouted into my mind, aching for orders that would allow him to kill some aliens.
"No, no," I said, shaking my head. I put my hand on Lian's armored arm, and ordered him to relax. "No. Everyone, save your strength. Hopefully, we won't even be around when they come back. I mean, I don't think they're coming back with an army or something..."
Everyone shuffled nervously around me in the snow. Alberich coughed.
"Okay, whatever, I know we don't have good luck, but even if they have an army, we have the Divine Retribution, so who cares. Even injured, it's still powerful. Let's get back to the ship so I can use it to see where the new threat is, if there is one."
After a few moments of getting everyone caught up on what had just happened (which included the telepathic conversation I had just had with the Dwemer, along with their threats) my crew was quietly walking back to the ship, their souls uneasy. I opted not to completely explain what the bloodstone could do right now, and why I had stolen it. The only thing the crew knew is that the stone had a power that "calmed" me. My nose had actually not stopped bleeding since the confrontation with the daemon, which probably wasn't a good sign for things to come.
"Pardon me, my esteemed beautiful tsarina," Rasputin began walking close beside me. "If these aliens only desire a jewel that was stolen from them along with the wretched raving madman we current possess, I suggest that you give both objects up. Both their requests simply do not seem to be worth the trouble they seem to be bringing us with the local population. Their demands are modest and reasonable."
"I'm not letting anyone try to bully me," I growled. Saying that brought a deep sense of satisfaction from somewhere within me.
"Yes, but, please listen. Sometimes, a little pragmatism is good, yes? In this situation, it would be wise to offer them friendship with this simple kindness. A civilization that is at least somewhat advanced would be an excellent ally against the hereteks if they were to arrive before we can depart, you see?"
"Aliens do not get to bully me," I found myself saying automatically in my resonant voice. "No aliens, no Chaos daemons, no one will bully me, for I am the way." As we walked, I turned toward Rasputin again, and pinned him with my eyes, which were now glowing in anger. The Mad Monk began to sputter apologies, and retreated from me. As I watched him shuffle away from me in the snow, I became suddenly cognizant of the distinctive hot-cold burn of the bloodstone against my side as it siphoned away the resentment that had begun to broil within me. Oh...
I really couldn't afford to give this stone up, could I, I thought sadly. I willed my eyes and Corona to stop glowing as I walked through the destroyed remains of the "diplomatic" snowman Lian had punched earlier.
Aside from the howling of the wind, the walk back to the ship was silent. As time went on, I sensed that my crewmembers were becoming increasingly more intimidated by me. On top of everything, we now had to worry about the incoming hereteks. This situation was almost comically bad! Life as a destroyer and an Empress-creature in a universe rife with pain and suffering was really bad for my anxiety, but at the very least it was interesting, I had to admit.
I snorted, and shook my head.
The bloodstone failed to remove the sense of satisfaction I felt at perceiving that dark thought, and I smiled just a little bit.
