Chapter 18: To Fan the Flames
"Current expedition into this 'landship' has revealed many intriguing discoveries about the technology of this world. Some parts are primitive, others familiar, and some unexplainable. We had found a chamber completely sealed shut, with the insides containing Originium clusters. No further investigation was made, yet the conclusion was it may have been an engine chamber. For what, exactly, is unclear. Other discoveries, such as a mention of a place called Reefsteep, have only given slight indicators of the history here. Perhaps this place is worth salvaging later, yet for now, it remains unclear. There may also be wildlife among the halls, but we are… yes? Do you mind, I am recording a voxlog. Our servitor has detected something?" —Voxlog recovered from Joriel, transferred to Delta
The halls were mostly silent; the exception being One-O's repairs, bringing in small sounds into the chambers. With each clang, Katya nervously glanced to make sure nothing had heard it. She couldn't help but be paranoid when the very walls hid those monsters.
For now, nothing had come out to attack them, but it still didn't sit well with Katya. They had to be lurking close-by. She didn't even know what type of creatures they could be. She knew even demons preferred a direct confrontation to hiding. So then, what was out there?
She inspected her lasgun again, then her idle chainsword. She double-checked, then triple-checked, again and again. Her loop was broken as Brogg grunted, shifting himself on the empty crate he sat on. His shield scraped against the floor while he clenched his jaw, his finger tapping on the magazine of his pistol—almost bored. Katya moved her sight from his hands to her own, seeing hers shake faster than a cake mixer.
Katya knew her nerves were getting the better of her, but how could Brogg be so… calm?
"Hey, big guy?" Katya asked, drawing Brogg's attention.
"Yes, Katyuh?"
"How are you so… calm? Aren't you afraid of what's out there?"
Brogg shook his head. "Can't be afraid when dem monstuh's prob-ly ain't bigguh than me. If they walk 'n, try an' take bites outta us, I crush 'em. Very simple. Relaaax. You'll be fine."
"I hope so."
Katya looked back at the ship, seeing the mass amount of repairs done in such a short time frame. It didn't look brand new, of course, but it was in a much better state. She was in dull awe at his skill, and had it not been for the lurking threats in the dark, she would have been in complete amazement.
She stood up with a yawn, as she hadn't been given any proper rest since Faust departed. They'd been gone for some time, which only increased her worries about their safety. Katya inspected her weapon to pass the time, the engine to her chainsword grumbling with a slight hum.
She moved towards the turret, still in its standby state. Right as she was about to inspect it, she felt her hairs stand up as a prickling coldness seeped through her spine.
Before she could find out why, a cackle in the dark alerted them both, causing the duo to rise to their feet. They each raised their weapons in the direction it had come from. The corridor to the left of the ship had spoken, now giving rise to a surge of panic within Katya.
Unlike before, with their sudden leave, this one seemed to be drawn to the noises of One-O working. But if the both of them moved, they'd alert their current positions. Katya gave Brogg a silent nod, as they both waited tensely for it to show itself.
At first, nothing but the similar eerie silence that had encompassed them on their first encounter. It was alone, luckily, but if they so much as gave it the voice to screech, they'd alert everything in the area—along with the Harvestman coming online. It'd have to be a melee fight.
Katya's eyes widened at the sight of the creature, as she felt a bile in her throat threatening to throw up chunks from sheer panic. From the dark came a sickly-looking creature, gnarled and whittled down as its skin clung to the bone. Crystals of raw Originium burrowed into the creature's back, a makeshift shell, while mostly covering its face. Its eyes were completely blinded by the mass of ore in its face, while its skin was covered in diseased lacerations and a pale coloration. It was hunched over, long, sharp claws dragging across the ground as it crept closer. With a hiss, Katya could make out a row of jagged teeth, saliva spilling from its mouth.
This thing wasn't human… it couldn't be. Katya wanted to shriek in sheer terror at the deformations, at the walking, breathing monster. She wanted to shoot it dead; she especially wanted to leave.
It drew closer to her, but Katya couldn't move. Her legs were stuck in place, while her sweating fingers tightened the rifle in her palms. The creature took another step, sniffing at the air, and grinning with jagged teeth as it remained only a few feet away. It looked at the ship, creeping right up beside her on the floor. It seemed blind to most senses, except for hearing.
Katya feared swallowing the lump in her throat, as even the slightest sound could alert it since it was so close. Her hand shook as she slowly reached for her chainsword. It wasn't on, of course, but it would only take a single second.
Seeing the creature look up at her, she froze completely. And then it grinned.
Katya stepped away instantly, the noise be damned, as she tried to bring out her chainsaw. She saw it in slow motion, as its claw was diving straight towards her eye.
Before it had the chance, its claw melted into a dripping bone, before its face succumbed to the same fate. Katya ducked away from the searing heat that had just dispatched the monster, touching her face as it lightly stung from the intensity. Katya heard the clanking of what saved her, but at the moment she was preoccupied with dealing with almost losing her life. She clutched at her heart, feeling Brogg pat her on the shoulder.
"Thanks for the save, Brogg."
"Wuzn't me, Katyuh," Brogg replied, nodding his head forward.
Katya looked over to see why she had heard clanking, as a tech-priest staggered out of the shadows, lowering a smoking pistol. They lowered a smoking pistol, its blue chamber glowing in the darkness. Katya only now noticed the pair of two legs the tech-priest used, an oddity to the usual norm she was used to. Though, she may have been too engrossed in keeping herself entertained on the ship to actually notice the tech-priest. As well as not dying. Her only reference to what the admech was like was… Delta.
She deadpanned slightly, now realizing that she probably shouldn't compare most admech to her, of all mechanicus weirdos, to those on the ship.
"You there, menials," she grumbled as she stomped. "Help me aboard, now."
Katya nodded, taking her words at face value and not about to refuse the person who had saved her. "Yes, of course!"
As Katya jogged over with Brogg, she could see the extensive damage on the tech-priest's body. From what Katya could gather, the tech-priest had completely lost an arm as the right side of their robes were chewed up or ripped apart. They also seemed to have been heavily wounded, or at least, missing a few things that the usual tech-priests had. Like a servo-arm. Katya moved to help her lean on her, but she was shoved off.
"I can stand, abhuman," she sternly reprimanded. "Cover my retreat as I walk and do not touch me. This steel form has received enough grime to last hours of cleaning."
"Did Faust send you back?" the Ursus asked, looking around one more time.
"Negative. I had assumed he had not given up his post."
Katya grimaced. "He went looking for you and the other tech-priest. Where's the rest of your guys? Skitarii, right?"
The tech-priest shook her head exasperatedly. "Enough questions, menial. This information is not for you. As for the Lord-Captain… unfortunate, he is a dead man."
Katya glanced at Brogg, whose eyes had narrowed at the ladies' words. They reached the hatch of the ship, with One-O continuing his repairs on the metal ramp. He hadn't looked up at the new tech-priest.
"By the order of Magos Orille, Pilot 1-0-3449-3RO, you are to fly this ship out of here," the tech-priest demanded. There was a pause in the air as the words sunk into everyone, much the same as a lunatic shouting he'd found the cure to Oripathy.
"Woah, hey, we can't just leave Faust behind!" Katya spoke quickly, taking a step forward. Immediately, she found the weapon that had saved her, pointing at her face.
"As I have stated, he is a dead man. I barely made it out alive, and through necessary sacrifices, I have arrived. This place is a death trap, and I will not wait for more of those vile xenos to approach."
Brogg's fist clenched, his eyes bearing a fury similar to a burdenbeast protecting its cub. Katya's own eyes narrowed as the thought of the Magos' missing skitarii came into thought. They were definitely dead.
"Not another step, Ogryn," she said with a sneer, her pistol waving at Katya's face. "If you so choose, I may decide to deform her disgusting face." Katya frowned fiercely, her mind churning to come up with a plan. "1-0-3449-3RO, respond to previous inquiry."
One-O slowly rose from his position, standing at attention. "I cannot fly this ship, Orille"
Thank goodness, One-O's not going to fly it. Maybe he'd argue for them to stay.
"It is Magos Orille, Skitarii, and give proper reasoning."
"Repairs are still incomplete."
"Then fly it somewhere within this canyon. You will pilot it or by the Omnissiah I will have you scrapped for parts. I will not repeat my words a second time."
One-O said nothing, giving a silent nod, and stared ahead at Katya.
Katya could only blink slowly, before a rising anger boiled deep in her. Was he really going to just flip sides? Just like that? That… traitor. How could One-O just abandon his position like that? She heard something about skitarii obeying tech-priests, but to this insane degree? Katya clenched her teeth, wishing to speak out against One-O, but the Magos beat her to it.
"Is something the matter, 1-0-3449-3RO?" She spoke, gritting her teeth as she glanced behind herself. One-O hadn't moved.
"What shall be done of your prisoners, Magos?"
She turned her head back to Katya, a disgusted glare in her eyes. "Well, seeing as I have no usage for them, they will make—"
Orille's words were cut short as a whining hiss erupted as a flash of light struck her backside. A second, third, and fourth hissed—one after the other—with the smell of seared flesh and metal floating into Katya's nostrils. The Magos crumpled forward as Katya used the opportunity to smack the gun out of her hands.
Orille gasped in pain while Katya picked up her new weapon. It glowed a cool blue in her hands, now pointing it back at the Magos. "Y-You would dare!" The Magos shouted, crawling on her back as her mechadendrites wiggled free. Brogg's heavy boot snapped down on several mechadendrites with a dark chuckle as the crunch of metal echoed throughout their surroundings.
One-O said nothing as he approached; his hand was relaxed on the pistol he was carrying. She raised her right hand speedily, to the point Katya had only realized by the time it was pointing at One-O. Her hand had turned into a gun int he split second, before firing off a shot.
Brogg had caught on just as fast because of his proximity, crushing the hand with his shield as he stood in front of the gun. For extra good measure, he slammed his shield down again, severing the arm from its joint as Orille cried out in pain. Before she could recover, One-O raised his pistol to her face.
"This one does not take orders from you," One-O spoke plainly, before delivering the final scorching round into her face. The white ball landed with a thud, her head jerking backwards with a hiss of melting flesh and wires. He placed the pistol silently in his holster before returning to his work, as if he hadn't just killed someone.
Katya gaped at what had happened, but more so at One-O's sheer gall to kill someone and get back to work. He hadn't turned traitor either and had been playing the role of a mindless tool a little too well. It was such a fast and automated response that she couldn't wrap her mind around it.
Brogg, however, was laughing. "Ha! Pune-e metal-head thinks she can control One-O? Bah! HAHA! She'd have better time convincing Ogryn to count past four."
Katya, meanwhile, stood completely still in stunned silence. Her brain hadn't come up with a response to the quick turn of events. She looked at the pistol in her hands, a plasma pistol if she recalled, before stowing it away.
She turned towards One-O. "Was… that the correct decision to make, One-O?" Katya asked, glancing at the dead Magos. "It seemed so… quick to do."
One-O hadn't bothered to face her from the open panel on the wall, his fingers deep inside the machine. He was silent before a whirr emitted from him, almost like a grunt. "This one completed the proper countermeasures towards hostile mutiny. Will not let other orders conflict with the prime directive."
"So… I'm guessing you're on Delta's side too, then?"
The skitarii finally looked at her, the blue ocular lenses shrinking slightly. "Negative. Correction: vehicle maintenance was entrusted by Lord-Captain Faust. Prime Directive: Transport Faust safely. Her orders conflicted."
He turned back to his workspace, finishing up the wires within a panel. He closed it before walking towards the cockpit. "This one also did not enjoy her tone towards the Lord-Captain's subordinates."
With that, he left the two in silence. Brogg walked up to Katya, patting her shoulder.
"Les keep on makin' the area safe-ur. Rathuh not let uglies get closuh to ship."
Katya smiled nervously before seeing the blood leaking from his side, her face morphing to shock. It had pierced his armor, leaving a small chunk open, yet he stood completely fine. "B-Brogg, you're b-bleeding."
Brogg looked down, frowned, then shook his head. "This? This is nothing to Brogg. Just another scar." Brogg frowned at the Magos' corpse, looking at her hand. "Shiny-heads all-ways think dey can hur' Ogryn eas'ly. They can hur' me, bu' I'll jus' break em twice as hard!" Brogg chuckled, a near imperceptible wince in his eyes.
The Ursus blinked slowly, before sighing. She wasn't going to just let Brogg have an untreated hole in his side. But she also wasn't exactly a doctor either. Although they had medicae, she remained clueless about how to utilize it properly. And she didn't think Brogg would either.
"Uh, Brogg, let's get that bullet out of you…" Katya said, glancing at One-O.
"Bullet is in me? Is fine, we wait for Deltah to take i' out. Small problem."
Katya shook her head, grabbing a bottle of amasec she had snagged from the cafeteria from under her seat. Ursus brew was better, much, much better, but their alcohols were good enough to drink. But she wasn't about to stick her fingers inside someone without something in her system. It'd be dirty, but she knew he wouldn't need disinfectant after she was done. She tugged Brogg outside, noticing that the bullet didn't seem that deep in, and that it'd probably only hurt a little more if she pried it out. "Uh…" She stared back up at the Ogryn's masked face. "You won't clobber me if I try digging it out, right?"
"May-be. Will ya make bigger wound?"
"I-I hope not? I'll even use some… medicae on you"
Brogg grunted. "Then I trust you."
With that, Katya began to work away. He was so… meaty. She wasn't easily grossed out by injuries—not after her ordeal as an Ursus prisoner—but this was pushing her limits. It was much harder for her to actually get into it, as the pure muscle felt like digging into wild game. She winced as her hands only sunk further in, but at least she was fine with her hands being drenched. Whenever those damn Enforcers had someone wounded too much, guess who's sorry ass had to treat the wound rather than have them lose labor?
Well, at least her rough medical experience was now beneficial. After a minute of scrounging around, she felt something akin to a barb. She pinched it, dragging out a piece of metal the size of a railroad nail. She looked at in abject disgust, before dropping it away from her.
Now came the annoying part, healing the wound. The treatment she continuously received, while not perfect, was definitely better than none. They weren't able to cure her completely, because Oripathy was a persistent little whore's bastard, but she was, of course, doing much better than a month ago. She felt the same as how she was in her initial stages of infection. And now, she was about to risk increasing it again.
Katya focused on her breathing first, then her hands that laid on the wound. She reached for that familiar power she held before grasping its soothing nature—pushing it out the same as when she healed herself. The wound began closing slowly, before knitting the flesh into the smooth, muscular design of an Ogryn's. Any trace of the pierced muscle had disappeared. The only thing left was a sting in Katya's shoulder.
Brogg looked down, touching the flesh. "Hm. Medi-medic-medicae is done well. Not even little burn, but I not kno' Katyuh was healer like Deltah?"
Katya nervously smiled, caking the blood on her pants as she dried her hands. "I-It's an experimental device," Katya blurted out, already having a story in mind and how to convince him. "Delta gave it to me just before she left. It's a medical device that her mechanicus friends worked on in their laboratory of science stuff and thingamabobs. Uh, i-it doesn't use any medicae needles or fluids, just uses a special healing device that's… e-embedded in my hands like an implanted and specialized impromptu device."
Brogg blinked, scratching his head in confusion. "...whuh?"
"It heals you," Katya said plainly, hoping her previous babble of long words that made no sense did the heavy lifting..
Brogg nodded, accepting that easily. "No clue what Katyuh said. But wound is gone now, and tha's good! Thanks Katyuh!"
Brogg lifted the Ursus easily, before squeezing her tightly. Katya felt the air being squeezed out of her while her bones creaked, before being let go after gasping for air. She nodded tiredly. "Please do it lighter next time…" she muttered, watching Brogg return to his position around the perimeters of the ship.
The Ursus sighed, before going to her own area a second later. After she recovered her air back, she hoped Faust was alright. She had her doubts, but they were pretty tough… right?
Faust unleashed a torrent of bullets from his auto-pistol, kneeling down to better support himself against the recoil as the bullets tore through their ranks. They were endless—snarling hisses and gnashing rows of teeth funneling through the same miserable door.
They were horrible looking creatures straight out of one of Delta's experimental chambers, but he'd seen worse in the underbelly of a hive city before. They'd been given the moniker of Origimutant from Delta, combining their own experiences with hive city mutants with the obvious ore. From the intimate time of butchering these xenos, he'd come to a few conclusions. They were fast, and though weak, they more than made up for it with their numbers. Dozens, perhaps even tens of dozens, had been slain in the attempt to get through their barricade. And they had, yet weren't given the chance to truly spread out from the funnel.
They hadn't barged in at first, as only small waves came to face them. The battle had been realistically going on for hours as a siege. Only now did their army's true strength became evident, as they were, unexpectantly, not halting their advance.
Delta evaporated a few Origimutants, the tip of her tail unleashing bolts of arc-energy into their ranks. Three had jumped towards her, only for the same tail to whip them away in an instant, brutally tossing them against the walls. Another had tried to attack her sneakily, only to be batted away by her Omnissian-axe in a swift motion.
Before the downed Originium creature could rise back to its feet, a las-round pierced its ore-filled skull. Otto's target switched to another, as he picked off more stragglers trying to diverge from the primary group. Another wave of Origimutants surged through the gates, clawing their way through the tiny cramped space like genestealers in a voidship's crevices. However, the piercingly violet light emanating from Rulk's eye pushed them back. Even with their interference with the warp, they weren't completely immune to its presence. With a snap of his eye, two were liquified in the shot, while the rest were forced to cower back.
Joriel, meanwhile, had rushed from one side of the room to the other, repairing the doors diligently to not be overwhelmed by another breach. His mechadendrites were unraveling at breakneck speeds, melting the steel back together or forcing the dents back into place.
Rulk cried out in pain, backing away from a slash, before a purple haze enveloped the funnel. He caught an Origimutant mid jump, while the rest caught within were moving at a snail's crawl before being cut down by an arrangement of firearms. "This is why I hate traveling to these insufferable worlds!" Rulk shouted, slamming his stave down on an originium dweller. With a sickening crunch, its crystalized skull fell apart.
A lone Origimutant burst from the fray with a feral grin, gnashing the air and fueling their charge toward Faust. Faust sidestepped the pounce, letting his power-sword separate the beast's head from its torso. "That's always the risk when seeking only the finest scenery!" He shouted, before sneering at the corpse, shooting in the general direction of the funnel.
"This is anything but fine scenery! I'd much rather be on a paradise planet!" Rulk retorted, before ducking under a swipe. He was about to attack back until Delta's tail swiped the xenos away.
Delta's cloak opened up, the back of her cloak opening up and revealing one of her many hidden augmentations under her robes. One of her custom-fit weapons, her Plasmic Flayer, announced itself with a greenish-teal glow around its plasma chamber—with extra materials resourced from a few expeditions into that forsaken tomb on Yrigon. She maniacally laughed as the few who had approached her evaporated in a stream of light, the continuous plasma piercing through the floor and into their ranks. Faust could hear she was even enjoying herself, enveloped in her own pocket of madness as each xenos succumbed to the various attacks, each having a different death. It was likely being recorded in her data entries for later analysis.
Faust heard a piece of the ceiling crumble right next to him. He glanced upward before seeing sniper rounds plucked off a small pack of Origimutants that were trying to create another opening through the hull.
"By the Throne, these creatures are hellbent on ripping us to shreds, aren't they?" Faust shouted, changing his priority to rip through the ones in the ceiling. His auto-pistol barked a few times, before the clawing at the top paused. Faust looked towards Otto, who gave a knowing nod in return. Both knew this position could be overrun in a matter of minutes, yet they had no choice but to stay.
"We did break into their wretched den," Rulk grunted, shoving off a claw blocked by his staff. "If only they had manners!" Rulk's body leaned forward, a knife coming from out of his cloak before jutting into his foe's throat. Rulk shoved the dead xenos aside, before the butt of his force-staff held another's claw at bay. He was about to retaliate until Otto shot that one apart from the torso.
At least these Origimutants were incredibly fragile, balancing their numbers with weakness. Perhaps if they were more cunning to use it to their advantage, they'd actually have a better time breaching their defenses. Faust silently prayed this stray thought would remain a reality.
"This door cannot be maintained!" Joriel shouted, his body beginning to lean away from the door. Faust could hear its metallic groan of pain as it was being pried open by long, mutated claws.
He sighed as his prayer fell on deaf ears. Faust growled, "Joriel, retreat to the other door. And this time, make sure it can't be breached! Rulk, maintain the new entrance as long as you can!"
Rulk silently nodded as he jogged to the new one, seeing them continue to breach the area. Delta took the open slot with ease, a few more weapons sprouting from her body. It was mostly her mechadendrites, each tendril snapping and whirring as she was now in the mood for in-battle biopsies. The middle portion of her tail lit up, while the end spewed much more arc-fire. The electric attacks decimated their ranks; strategically rotating her Plasmic Flayer with her Arc weapon was crucial to maintaining constant enemy suppression. Faust even saw a portion of her arm opening up, allowing a long cylindrical blade to jut out.
"Yes! More! I demand more data!" Delta maniacally screamed, her new blade digging into the chest of an unusually stumpy version of an Origimutant, before ripping out its guts. It barely cried out in pain as it crumpled, yet Delta had switched her attention to the ones alive; She fried that group alive with another arc round.
Faust refocused on the second breach, going over to help Rulk. The long claws returned to its owner, a misshapen form to the regular xenos attacking—except this time, its face was much more jagged. It screeched, finally clawing through the door. Rulk snapped his eye open and shut it, trying to flay the creature. Yet, unlike its brethren, this one continued forward in a daze of blood. While some of its flesh sloughed off as easy as pus, it remained undeterred in its charge. It screeched as it picked up speed, claws crossed to protect itself against the incoming fire.
Unfortunately for it, Faust's own pistol did not mind biting through heavier armors. With a quick spray, it was cut down, its head scraping against the floor as it was felled. Still, the damage was done, as a fresh stream of the horde entered through the crack in droves.
"By the warp, must we slaughter their entire hive!" Rulk growled, kicking back a pouncing alien. Faust brought up his sword to cut it down, moving in to truly get in the middle of it.
"That depends!" Faust said, cutting down a scarred Origimutant with a slash of his sword before jutting the blade down another's throat. "Do you want to get out alive?"
Rulk grumbled, his eye flaying another group while his back face Faust. "Shall I brew a storm? It need only be a moment!"
"No, save it!" Faust shouted, backstepping a swipe. Rulk stepped forward, shielding Faust as the crackling warp energy made its appearance again. "We may need your energy later!" Faust said, his gaze away from the opening.
Rulk merely nodded, allowing Faust to take his place and unleashing another stream of rounds. Faust grabbed for another magazine, only to feel one last magazine. He stored quite enough ammo on him, but they had been fighting for quite some time already. At least Delta had some in her storage compartments, but that would require leaving Rulk by himself. He couldn't do that just yet.
Faust put away his pistol, deciding to save the last magazine until he could restock. Instead, he held his power sword with both hands, his stance shifting to take them head on. With one step forward, his sword fell down swiftly, bisecting a xenos' vertically. Another step forward, and a torso was split in twain. A third, and his power sword dove into a chest cavity, before slashing itself free. He parried a clawed swipe, retaliating with his own, and cutting his attacker down. More of their ichor sprayed onto his armor, coating it with a fresh and oily ooze.
Rulk rushed in to support Faust, shoving several Origimutants away with his staff. He slammed his staff down, a warning for Faust to look away for a few precious moments. Faust complied, shielding his eyes as Rulk's eye fully opened. Faust could hear them pause in their pursuit, with some bursting into flames or others bleeding from every orifice. He could hear the shrieks and gurgles as the true power of the warp opened up. Warp-resistant as they were, no one can survive the true gaze of the insane void.
"Now, Lord-Captain!"
Faust returned his focus to the stunned creatures, only seeing a glimmer of light fade away from Rulk's head. Faust capitalized on the moment, rushing in with Rulk. A slash here from Faust, a slam there from Rulk, and dozens fell at the mercy of their attacks. They could still hear dozens more beyond the wall of flesh and originium blocking the door, but they would kill as many as they could.
Faust's face twisted in a grimace as he witnessed their ruthless act of tearing into their own allies that blocked the door. What vile creatures they were, to rip apart their own soldiers all for the chance at shredding Faust and his companions. Did nothing dissuade them?
Faust grumbled silently as a claw clashed against his arm, luckily only leaving a scratch on the armor paint. He instantly back-handed the Origimutant. Rulk took this as his chance to sweep its leg, before having the head of his staff crush its throat.
Another swipe grazed his armor, causing Faust to back up an inch. With a poke of his sword, he separated an arm from its socket first, then the blade sunk into the creature's lungs. Faust grunted as he ripped it free of the xenos with slightly more effort than before. He was becoming sluggish in his movements, and though it wasn't too noticeable, Faust could feel it in his mind. If he became tired, then he would soon become exhausted, and by then, exhaustion meant death to an endless horde. But he couldn't give them more ground, as cutting down one meant two more would appear.
Now he knew what Guardsmen felt when they were invaded by Tyranids. Of course, these were nothing like the actual biological killing machines, but it was good enough for a comparison in his mind.
Faust ducked from another's pounce, holding his sword up to cleave the Origimutant, using its own momentum against itself. He sprung forward, charging as another one of their spiked variants ran at him. He suddenly cut off his charge and sidestepped, swiping his sword early. The creature angled its face to hit the blade, only for the blade of the power-sword to sink into it. In its effort to be cunning, it had underestimated the sharpness of a powered blade, but the idea of these aliens to have an intelligence was enough to unease Faust.
It clawed at the ground, slowing down its momentum, gurgling, and somehow still alive. Rulk's staff crashed into its sides, sending it to the floor permanently. It snarled one last time, before Faust's boot sunk into its stomach. Right as another swarm had gathered at the entrance, Rulk held his hand out, slowing them down to a snail's crawl like he had before.
Glancing back, Faust saw Otto shoot at the ceiling. New holes were emerging, each in a different direction. Delta was still doing okay, but he was clueless at Joriel's efforts.
Faust sidestepped a claw on instinct, using the pommel of his sword to crack a skull open. If he tried to get a hold of the situation from his current position, it would surely cost him. He shielded himself with his blade, claws raking at the sword instead. It cost the xenos its meager life, as Faust cut off its fingers before severing the head.
"Any plan to get us out of here, Lord-Captain?" Rulk shouted, clenching his staff like a lifeline as he blocked the entrance with his eye again.
"Still figuring it out!" Faust yelled, taking down the last alien of their previous wave. Yet, same as the ocean, the tide of bodies continued to rise.
"Figure it out quickly, then!" Rulk angrily responded. "Or else I'll decide to leave my eye open!"
Faust's idea processes halted, reforming a second later to use Rulk's remark instead. "Not a bad idea!" Faust wheeled, running in the opposite direction. "Keep it open and hold them at bay while I try to come up with something better!"
"That was not an invitation to– agh nevermind you! I shall do my best!" Rulk tapped at the ground, before leaving his third eye open.
Buy as much time as you can, Rulk, Faust thought to himself. He climbed the stairs, making his way to the top to survey more of his surroundings. Faust squinted as he glanced in Rulk's direction, making sure to not look directly, but he could make out him standing mostly—the warp doing his job. He watched as Delta's robes, mechadendrites, and whatever else were mucked up in their brackish blood. She was holding her own line, as each wound was speedily repaired. Octavia especially helped, performing its medicae procedures just as fast.
Faust winced internally as her tail crashed down against three Origimutants, turning them into paste. Still just as brutal as ever, Delta…
Over at Joriel's side, he could see the tech-priest frantically keeping the hatch together. It was little more than remelted and rebuffed slag, something that seemed like it would not hold for much longer. Nearby, Otto was focused in his kneeled position, each round finding its mark. His las-rifle's barrel was red hot, and definitely wouldn't last a few more minutes of continuous fire.
Faust looked around the area for something, anything, that could help with surviving this onslaught. All entrances were blocked. The ceiling was too high for them to reach. If they couldn't dig into the chamber from the floor, neither could they. There had to be a secret exit, some type of lever, since this was a noble's tomb. All nobles had secrets in their chambers; Faust even had a hidden exit within his private chambers for Throne's sake.
He inspected the coffin with fervor, trying to pry it open. The lid would not budge, as if it were a part of the coffin itself. Faust had no intention of wasting valuable time by breaking open a dead man's grave. Instead, he started searching frantically for any other potential clues.
"I've collected more than enough data, Faustie!" Delta yelled in warning, the tide surging as more spilled into the chamber. Faust glanced up from his position, seeing her struggle with the horde's new mass. They had clawed enough room from the funnel to expand its width, and were now pouring through. Not that they had any true ease at passing by her.
Delta swung her tail in a wide sweep around herself, grabbing several before crushing them in her grip. Meanwhile, her hands blurred in the melee, axe and spiked arm lacerating or piercing their hides with ease. A large swath of them were vaporised by her Flayer, reducing them to scorched green ash.
"I may require further assistance soon! Gah!" Delta cried out, as her tail was cut into by another long-clawed Origimutant. She wasted zero time to take it down, a flamer of mechadendrites forming together, before torching it and three others.
Faust tried to respond, only for Joriel to interrupt. "I fear I cannot do my job any longer…" Joriel backed away from the door slowly, grabbing his own weapons as it creaked open with a jolt. Gnashing teeth were on the other side, snarling as they had finally made progress in breaching.
"I…" Faust trailed off, seeing Otto wearily taking down stragglers. He was switching targets too fast, even missing shots by a hair's breadth, before rectifying it.
"Lord-Captain, now would be the time to initiate a plan!" Rulk called out, keeping his face directed at the door.
Faust's mind screeched to a halt as no plan made itself clear. He reached into his pockets for anything he could find. After grabbing ammo, he silently reloaded his pistol, continuing his search for anything else. Faust brought out the gemstone he had gotten earlier, the useless bauble nothing more than a waste in combat. He calmly placed it on the coffin's door before sighing. He stared at the entrance, his palm dusting off the top.
Suddenly, the air grew stale as their snarling ceased. Faust looked towards Delta, who had just finished decapitating one of them, watching them with a tight grip on her axe. The Origimutants stood still at the entrance, some of them watching and hissing, while others had their backs turned towards the main entrance. They were clearly sensing something everyone else couldn't. Except for one.
Rulk had sensed it too. His helm turned to look towards the halls. He was already climbing the steps towards Faust, abandoning his position.
"What… are they planning?" Faust muttered to Rulk, now standing next to Otto.
"This is not their work… we should not be here." Rulk whispered, getting into position.
The creatures chittered oddly, almost communicating something in their primitive language, before retreating into the crevices of the hull. The air laid still, not a word said as they waited for whatever they had planned. It did not come.
"They're retreating! Lord-Captain, we've successfully repelled them!" Joriel excitedly said, already climbing the steps.
Faust glanced at him before shaking his head slowly. "Everyone, up the stairs, get together. Something isn't right…"
"Agreed," Delta said, slithering towards them while Rulk had already made his way up. She paused in her gait before looking back at the main entrance.
"Delta?"
"Heat signature." She near-silently droned, her hands tightening against her axe.
"How many?" Faust asked.
"One," Rulk and Delta simultaneously said.
Otto gave a knowing side glance to Faust, already putting in a fresh magazine.
"The temperature… it's rising beyond current expectations." Delta whispered, now with the rest at the top. She absentmindedly handed Faust spare magazines before continuing to look at the entrance. Faust took the fresh ammo, loading it swiftly, and squinting as he looked through the hole. He could see a faint color in the darkness. A warm, fiery orange-red.
"Daemon," Rulk whispered in annoyance. "It's powerful."
Otto cracked his neck in response, his hand clenching his rifle. Delta had pushed herself up with her axe, all weapons pointed at the main entrance. Nearby, Rulk moved as far away from Otto as he could, positioning himself on the far left. Faust held his sword and pistol in hand, about to step to the center of their group before Joriel stopped him.
"Y-You can't be serious about fighting that… thing in our condition. We can escape! Make a tactical retreat!"
"Ha," Rulk barked out a laugh. "Leave? Not this time."
Joriel had turned to respond, but Faust stopped him with his own. "You would have us lead it to our ship? One-O may not even be finished with repairs and we would bring it to an open space. No, we've fought these threats before, and I'm not about to allow such filth to exist on the same planet as me. We will fight it, here and now."
Faust had moved once more, only to notice a glint in the light. Joriel was babbling about this being an insane gambit, but he ignored his curses to focus on the oddity in the room. The gemstone had begun glowing.
Before he could grab it, heavy, charging stomps alerted him to the rapidly approaching enemy. The frontal area had burst into flames as the daemon crashed through. Wreathed in heavy flames that endlessly flowed from its cape of billowing smoke, it stood tall on hooves—taller than even a dreadnought, still with just as much bulk. Even then, it was hunched over with sharp claws—black as charcoal—dragging at the floor. It didn't even have a face, as its head inwardly flowed with magma that dripped onto the floor, almost like a vortex. Musculature the color of soot indicated its strength, more so than the air it carried as it glared at them.
Faust could see on his helmet's display that the external temperatures had risen dramatically, evident by the floor around its feet turning into molten slag. A blade of brimstone formed in its claws before it roared in hatred at them. Flaming spit flew from its spiralling head, dropping onto the floor, and sinking into the steps.
It was at this point Faust now had second thoughts about fighting this monstrosity. They were tired from the previous fight and this Daemon was perfectly fine, taking advantage of them being softened up. A single slice by the sword would spell doom for any of them. It was time to go. But Faust knew he couldn't.
Faust's grip tightened around the handle of his sword as he slowly stepped into the center of the group. He was a blade of the Emperor; the Master of Mankind's strength in distant worlds. Not a coward, but a survivor. And he did not survive by tucking his tail and running when death loomed around the corner. He faced it, once in fear a long time ago, and now in confidence he had trained in—had shed blood for.
He snarled at the face of the enemy. How dare this Daemon belittle humanity with its existence! How dare it try to make him dread it! How dare it stand in his presence, in the Emperor's plans for humanity, in his own plans for peace!
Faust's sword powered on, the vibrant teal power coursing through the blade once more. He'd faced his end on many worlds. What was one more?
"Kill the Daemon!" Faust shouted, beginning to blast his magazine at its burning hide. Before the first bullet had left, everyone else had gone into action.
It's mindless voice boomed in anger as it brought its arm up, shielding itself from the bullets before blowing smog into the air. It caked the area, but not enough to truly disorient them. Rulk had taken Faust's position, while the Lord-Captain ran down the steps to the right side. Meanwhile, Otto had accompanied Faust, taking his own shots at focused points, namely the joints.
Faust's spray of attacks barely made a dent in its wretched hide, yet Otto's was doing much more work, blowing off chunks of compacted ash. The Daemon's yelp thundered, swiping with its closest claw at them. As the claw came closer to Otto, it recoiled with a deep shriek of agony, parts of the claw disappearing into smoke as it stepped back. It reformed its hand seconds later, new fire being breathed into it, and a realization as to the danger Otto presented.
Otto scoffed, aiming down sight to fire directly into its flaming vortex. It reeled back, the lasfire temporarily stunning it as it stumbled backwards. It was distracting enough for Delta and Joriel to set up, as they had brought out every weapon they had.
"Now, Joriel!" Delta yelled, blasting the entire array of weaponry she had on hand. Joriel had unleashed his own, Phosphor and las-weaponry sinking into its flesh. It stumbled forward from the weapons, raising a wall of flames to shield itself from the fire.
It looked straightforward with a growl, only to be met with Rulk, whose eye had slowly opened.
"Not a step more, Daemon!" Rulk demanded.
Its movements froze, smoke and flames paused in time with it. Faust reloaded while he could before moving into a better position near its rear. Otto, meanwhile, was unloading each and every round he could, pelting it continuously with lasfire.
Each weapon fire was breaking it apart, whittling it down to less and less soot. But it wouldn't be enough.
Rulk jumped back as a column of flame nearly erupted at his feet, barely dodging it but breaking his concentration. The Daemon's flesh knitted back in an instant, flames now encompassing its form again.
The heat emitting from its presence would ignite anyone trying to attack close up. Only Faust had the exact answer for that as he ran towards it, striking with his power sword to cut at the heel. He rolled away from an angered stomp, slicing again at the second foot as he brought it to its knees, before rolling over to Delta as a swipe nearly chopped him in two.
"Destroy its hand!" Faust ordered, dashing towards Rulk. Delta and Joriel switched their targets easily, trying to blow off its arm.
It yelled in fury, hurling a few fireballs at them. Delta slipped her way through the raining fire more easily than Joriel, who had nearly gotten himself scorched. Faust had given no mind to the fire, taking a hit and lurching backward, subsequently catching himself and continuing on his path.
He glanced at the Daemon, before dropping to the floor in an instant. The fiery blade swam over him, leaving a trail of smoke in its wake. He growled, jumping back up while firing back. He reached the top of the stairs, where Rulk had hid behind the tomb.
"Rulk, now's not the time to be hiding!"
"Yes, well, I am not suited to getting hit by another of its attacks!"
It roared again, bellowing flames at Otto as it tried to attack him again. The flames dispersed in a bubble-like fashion around the old man, who ran closer to its lowered face. He sidestepped a slamming fist, before bringing out a heavy-looking bayonet, and stabbing at its face.
It howled in hatred, batting Otto away with its hand, even if it had wounded itself. Otto flew from the hit, rolling across the ground, before standing up again. He spat blood in retaliation before aiming his rifle and shooting again.
The Daemon then stood straight up, one eye smoking heavily and standing as tall as it could, before it truly roared. The primordial scream sounded like the sound of a volcano erupting point-blank before it slammed its fist into the ground.
Flames erupted from the floor around the chamber, as priceless gold melted while stone tiles broke open into flares. The shockwave itself had put everyone off balance, minus Delta. Rulk stomped out a flame next to him on accident, before standing up. "Must we always fight Daemons?"
Faust ran with Rulk towards the top of the steps again, shooting his pistol as he ran. It brought the attention back to both of them.
"Fool!" Rulk yelled, before grabbing the back of Faust's chest plate and pulling back, hard. Rulk hissed, shaking his burnt hand as Faust stumbled back, right as the Daemon's fist swiped across the floor, barely missing the Lord-Captain. Its attention was drawn back to Delta, before driving its sword down in order to pierce her. Delta slithered around it, some of her metal instantly robes. She hissed, bringing up her axe and driving it down into the hand of the Daemon.
"Nearly got yourself thrown apart. Watch your actions next time!"
"Noted," Faust retorted, running down the steps as he watched the Daemon's sword vanish. He slid under its flaming breath, trying to ignite him apart as it concentrated on his location. The beam flew upwards towards Rulk, who had sidestepped it.
Faust stepped back up from his slide, jumping and catching the lower face of the Daemon's vortex with his sword. It staggered downward, trying to catch him as he landed, but missing as Otto turned its arm into ash. Faust's face contorted in a bit of relief and now doubled down in righteous fury. He ran through the smoke, trying to cut at its legs again, giving Rulk the time to set up for another attack on its form in the warp.
Right as he was, he saw it sink its hoof into the floor, digging up the metal hull softened by the heat. With a kick, Faust flew alongside the metal that had launched him, slamming right next to the statue at the top of the staircase. He tumbled to the ground, instantly coughing up blood.
"Lord-Captain!" Rulk shouted, before he looked back to meet a reformed fist rocketing towards him. He shielded himself as much as he could, unleashing the full power of his eye, yet the last bit of arm managed to clip him. He flew with the same force to the wall, groaning in pain.
"Faust!" Delta screamed out, before shrieking in her battle-cry as she slithered into range of the intense heat. Her robes ignited again, much the same as her flesh and metal, yet she had not stopped in her own attacks, becoming quite the bother against the Daemon.
Faust coughed, feeling the familiar taste of copper in his mouth, staggering up to see Otto also harassing the Daemon. It continued to stomp at the floor for its attacks, trying to crunch Delta underneath the hooves, but Delta's speed, combined with Otto's attacks, was enough to keep her from incurring heavier wounds. She was burning, and it wouldn't be long before she would need to leave.
Faust staggered to his knees, scrambling over to Rulk, who was slumped against the wall. He inspected the fallen Navigator, sighing in minor relief. Rulk was breathing, but unconscious at the moment. Now, if only he could—
Faust paused, seeing a glimmer and something rattling close-by. He sought to his side's view, seeing the gemstone that he had placed on the tombstone, rolling across the floor—but not just because a battle was ongoing. It was shaking, that much was apparent as it continued to roll in a circle.
Faust retrieved the gemstone, which had continued to glow and shake in his palm. He looked at it, then the Daemon. Maybe… It was a weakness. That could be why it was drawn here, as it only glowed in its presence!
Faust stood up as he readied himself to break the gemstone. Surely, the rock had to be destroyed, or the Daemon may even get more powerful should it acquire the gem. His gaze drifted from the tight grip around the perfect crystal to the slot in the statue.
He internally sighed at his own incompetence at not putting the puzzle together sooner, before immediately realizing he shouldn't waste time. He jumped to the statue, urgently placing the crystal right into the crevice. It shone like a bright teal beacon before a substance swirled inside the chambers of its "heart."
Faust waited impatiently for a secret door to open, a way to kill their infernal enemy, literally anything to happen. Nothing did for the next few seconds, causing him to look down. "Decimbrus' jewels…" He muttered a silent curse, before returning his attention back to the Daemon, bringing his gun up for another salvo of fire.
Faust widened his eyes in shock as a flaming spear was thrown in his direction. It grazed his helmet, just nicking his armor as he tilted it in a split second, sending scorching heat into his face. He gritted his teeth in pain before seeing it raise its sword to strike Delta. He redirected the blade's attention to him as he resumed his ranged attack.
Right as he was about to back away from the top of the stairs, flaming chains erupted from the floor, trying to ensnare him. Faust snarled as he danced around the floor, rolling away as another spear slammed into the central coffin. He quickly stood up, not wishing to risk another trap, only to feel a tug as he lifted his foot.
Ah, Faust thought as his heart sank, seeing a single chain had wrapped itself around his leg. He swiftly raised his hand in a desperate attempt to cut it off, but felt a snag against his arm. Another chain.
The Rogue Trader soon found multiple chains wrapping around his body, chaining him in place. Even while Delta was fighting with her entire life, it didn't seem to dissuade the targeted attack by the Daemon.
Faust could only watch through his visor as a giant sword careened towards his head
He raised his sword as far as he could, trying to duck just as much. The blade was flying straight down as he watched it inch closer in slow motion. He was sure his blade wouldn't stop it, nor that he had the muscles and servos to soften the blow—though he'd at least die trying. That being said, he knew he was likely visiting the Emperor in the next few seconds he had left.
This was it. This was his death sentan–
Faust could barely register himself being yanked backwards, watching as the very tip of the sword slammed into the ground where he had stood. The fiery chains had been cut, with him only being able to associate his rescue with Rulk, the only person near. As he was about to thank Rulk, his words died out as he looked at his saviour.
Rather than the Navigator, he instead met the statue looking right back, hand grasping at the backplate of his armor. Faust opened his mouth to say something, anything, but no words had come out. How… had it moved?
It wasn't a statue; it couldn't have been with the way his cold eyes were staring back into Faust's. Faust had analyzed it wrongly, mistaking it for another piece of scenery.
It looked at the Daemon, then silently it released Faust, before charging towards the warp entity with zero hesitation. Delta had looked to her side, similarly bewildered by the newcomer that had effortlessly made its way to her. It hadn't even ignited into flames, attacking with the same fury she had. She said the same amount of words it did, not caring too much about finding out what it was, and returning to fight the major threat in the room.
Faust could only stare absentmindedly for a few seconds before recovering from his shock. Whether it was sorcery or a special form of automation didn't matter. Overlooking this sudden help in battle would spell doom.
"Delta, get out of close range!" Faust roared, unloading a few more bullets.
Delta's head twisted as she heard Faust's yell, before snaking her way through the flames and out of the heat. She was crisped, face covered in black soot, while her hair had been reduced to a short, burned cut. Delta made her way to Faust, unleashing an Arc-round, and ducking under a blade swipe.
Yet Faust was too focused on the capabilities of their newfound ally to pay much attention to Delta's obedience. The "statue" was fighting flawlessly well too, as it was ripping out chunks of flesh with nothing but its sword and shield. It leaped forward, slicing at its knees to bring it down, dodging the flaming chains now targeting It. Otto reinforced It with his own attacks, landing his shots and hurting it further.
"Here," Delta croaked, flames still flickering over her body.
"I cannot afford for you to be reckless," Faust said, glaring at her for her desperation. "Do I make myself clear?" Faust asked as he reloaded his pistol.
Delta silently nodded, grimly understanding the anger in his tone. Octavia floated close by, performing its medicae duties and making sure Delta was properly attended to. Faust moved toward the Daemon, only to be stopped by Delta's hand on his shoulder.
"Don't die," Delta glared back, making her own demand heard.
Faust's hand tightened around his sword's grip, holding it in two hands. "It'll take more than this to kill me." He cockily smarmed, before returning to a serious demeanor. It was mostly a bluff to reinvigorate Delta's spirits, but to be honest, he was considering running.
It'd be the smart choice, as they were clearly outmatched—even if he had talked big earlier.
He watched as a rock slammed close to Otto, grazing the old man and causing him to fall. Wounded, definitely, but probably still had some fight left in him. Meanwhile Joriel was much slower in his attacks, one of his guns melted beyond repair.
They clearly couldn't keep doing this, or it'd be the death of them all.
He paused that line of thought as he saw another heavy chunk being cut out from the ashen flesh of their foe. It hadn't regenerated as fast, while having much more wounds as well.
He couldn't run now, not when this monstrosity was becoming much more sluggish. Both sides were approaching their limits, and Faust was the one to notice it first. He smirked, taking a few steps back closer to Delta.
"Otto, get up. I have one last thing for you! Shoot it's last eye!" Faust shouted through his vox. The shout was enough to wake Otto from his daze, taking the new chunk of metal he had barely dodged as a new cover.
"Delta, get ready to throw me," Faust muttered, holding his sword close to his face. The blade's power turned on, lightning surging through the metal.
"That is a maddening proposal, Faust!" Delta yelled at his hypocritical statement. "I disapprove and deny this request. We are not doing a repeat of Erulon Prime!"
"Well, I override it. Do it. Launch me when Otto lands his shot." Faust said.
"Chances of success are 20%. It's too risky!"
"It's not impossible"
"No, it's too dangerous and highly improbable."
Faust growled, "Trust me!"
Delta snarled back, "I am not betting on your life!"
"You're betting on all our lives if we don't take this chance!" Faust reasoned, watching as Otto was taking the shot. The living statue at the bottom had even given him the best chance, cutting down its heels, but hadn't sliced through them yet.
Delta looked away, before angrily glaring back with a hardened expression. "When you survive this, and you had better, I'm going to scold you just the same as you'd done for me."
Delta's tail wrapped around Faust's waist, enough for her to have a firm grip around him. They both waited for the right moment until they heard the distinctive whine and blast from Otto be delivered.
The shot landed on its currently regenerating eye, drawing the angered Daemon back to Otto as its efforts went to waste. It roared menacingly, shaking the room with its yell of concentrated hatred. Faust's legs felt like the gold gelatin he used to eat, even while inside Delta's embrace. It grabbed a chunk of the stone floor before blindly chucking it at Otto.
The giant rock soared right above Otto, but it hadn't stopped the sniper from making the shot, standing completely still. The Daemon snarled as a flaming spear rose from its hand—poised to strike at Otto—even while it was harassed by the nuisance near its legs. Otto aimed right back, second eye within his scope. Right as the spear was about to launch, Otto shot once more, the red beam striking directly into the other eye.
It roared in agony, reeling back as the spear dissipated into smoke, clutching its second eye for a moment. With its daze came a single opportunity to strike.
"Now!"
Delta's wound up tail snapped forward like a whip, launching the Lord-Captain through the air as straight as an arrow. He adjusted himself to have his sword poised to strike forward. But as he flew, he saw one fatal mistake. He was too low. His blade would strike the throat, and while likely effective, it'd be much more survivable.
The Daemon had noticed it too, as it raised an arm to protect its face, knowing the group would try to strike when its vulnerability was low. In the second that passed, Faust's heart sank into his stomach as his current course was the flaming arm. Yet, his luck had now returned from its break.
The moving statue at the bottom—in a moment of synchronization with Faust's plan—tackled one hoof of the Daemon. With the tackle came the buckle, as the Daemon fell forward, using its raised arm from completely toppling.
The smoke cleared from one eye, just in time to see Faust drive his sword into its skull.
Faust landed with a thud, legs dangling while he clung to the grip of his sword with all his might. He was out of breath, but not out of spirit. Flames jutted out of the wound with a spray of hellfire, splattering onto Faust's armor like toxic paint. It smelled similar to the ash of a dozen rotting corpses being burnt alive while covered in liquid sewage, causing him to gag as he positioned himself to drive his blade deeper.
His foe tried to stand, but Faust's unexpected ally at the bottom cut through one hoof. Now, without a good footing, it desperately tried to swipe at Faust in its attempt to pull him off, but again, it was stopped.
Otto had run towards the arm, his small knife digging right into the left one, and dug deeper than any normal blade would. The right arm was disintegrating as Delta collapsed, her weapon emitting a hiss of steam as it overheated—while Joriel was lowering his own gun.
Faust looked the Daemon straight in the eye, a battle of hatred waging between the two.
"By the Emperor's wrath, I condemn you," Faust said through clenched teeth, slicing through the marbled coal-like skin as he jumped off. With a final spray of fire, it fell over backwards, clutching its head with a melting stump, and roaring as it squirmed around on the ground as a death knell. Its body became still, before rapidly decaying into ashes in the aftermath.
Faust gasped as he choked, the drop from the height taking any remaining wind he had in him. He stared up at the disintegrating corpse, before sighing as he took in new air and laying down. They'd won.
Faust staggered to his feet with the help of Delta at his side, standing on his own with a nod for the tech-priest to let go. He stepped forward with a lurch in his gait, moving past the statue staring at him, before standing a few feet away from its head.
Faust glared at the Daemon for a second, raising his pistol silently and firing a single round into its head. He stepped away as the head crumbled into smoke, before setting his sight on the current anomaly in the room.
Faust stared plainly at the statue, his mind currently hashing out what exactly it was. The statue looked back with the same facial expression its mask wore: nothing. It was a mask, after all, and though its piercingly gold eyes bore a semblance of intelligence, it was more akin to staring at, well, a statue. Had it not been for the gold visage, Faust would think of the mask being something that damnable jester owned. It had helped them in the fight—ultimately being a deciding factor—but for what reason and why, Faust couldn't understand. Faust tilted his head, with the statue tilting his own in a mimicked response. Was it mocking him or was it the same genuine curiosity?
"Delta…" Faust spoke, asking for her support. When none came, he asked again. "Delta, some help please?" he asked again, before looking over to her carrying Rulk's body.
"A moment, Faustie, I'm deprived of most of my energy as is, and carrying this lug around isn't helping." Delta said. Multiple mechadendrites held his power-staff in hand, as well as wrapped around Rulk as if he were a sack of lead.
"Urgh…" Rulk groaned out, a hand twitching in response to the noise.
"I'll have Octavia look at him as we walk and… hm." Delta trailed off, now next to Faust. "You needed help with that, I presume…"
"Can you identify what it is?" Faust said with a wave, Joriel and Otto joining them.
The statue was focused intently on Faust, not bearing any mind to the others.
Delta nodded, slithering closer, and inspecting up and down. She lifted an arm, knocked on the chest, and was scanning feverishly as she drew her conclusions. The statue, meanwhile, remained unbothered in her pursuit of science.
Delta slithered back to Faust's side, clearing her throat
"I have reached unknown conclusions."
Faust looked at Delta strangely before turning to hear Joriel muttering in Lingua Technica, likely at his superior's findings within the noosphere.
"You don't… have an idea?"
"Negative. I said I have reached unknown conclusions, not that I have found no answers. By all means and purposes, this… thing shouldn't be alive. I believe it was an abhuman pre-mortem, but now, it seems to be energized through the mechanisms of its chest cavity and something else I cannot conclude. Most motor functions are spectacularly intact despite death and fighting in extreme conditions, as if eternally preserved. It's clear the creators of this knew what they were doing. It does not live but does not die. Quite an interesting mechanic that I myself find endlessly fascinating. Though, I doubt you'd let me dissect it right now."
"...Anything useful you can tell me?"
"Quite. Its central gemstone seems to be empowering its chassis, giving it energy. I don't believe it to be sorcery, which we may find out through Rulk's expertise. In any case, how it draws energy, I do not understand fully and intend to search for more variables later. Closest xenos reference would be Aeldari constructs, but until given further analysis, that is the only proximity to familiarity."
"Would you believe it to be hostile, in nature?" Faust asked, his hand unconsciously tightening around the sword. The being did nothing, a simple flicker in its vision looking at his hand, but not anything else.
"Unlikely, otherwise, we would be in combat right now," Delta said with a nod. "In any case, I do not believe it understands us." Delta waved a hand. The being waved back. "Though it seems to interpret and acknowledge gestures just fine."
Faust relaxed slightly. "It seems we'll just be carrying it back to the ship, won't we?" Faust said, unclenching and relaxing his jaw
"Yes, it would seem—"
A chitter interrupted their conversation, bringing everyone's relaxed formation to a screeching halt.
"By the Omnissiah, must we be tormented more!" Joriel yelled, shaking a fist at the walls.
"We're not staying," Faust ordered, sheathing his weapons. "I can only pray that One-O has finished his repairs." Faust moved towards the breached hall on the right. "And that we may make it safely."
Katya waited tensely, her eyes shifting from corridor to corridor. Night had approached, now making it much harder to see through the murky shades of black. She was really hoping Faust would come back soon. Or that Delta did. Or that—oh, who was she kidding. She hoped at least one of them made it back.
Her nerves hadn't calmed down in the slightest after the confrontations. Both of them. It weighed heavily how someone that was supposed to help them had so easily pointed their weapon at them. Was Faust aware he kept people like that tech-priest in his ship, or was he clueless?
Katya looked away for a moment, deciding the former. Faust was many things, but ignorant about the dealing on his ship wasn't. They had fought those gangers after all, except those were more like thugs. Not… actual high-ranking members. Tech-priests were seemingly important, almost vital, to keeping their technology afloat. And they'd just killed one. They hadn't disposed of the body either, placing it in the cargo hold for Faust to decide what to do later.
Even if it was probably a bad idea to hold the corpse, all three of them agreed not to dump it. It'd be easy, sure, but each of them had their own reasons for it. Brogg was the same as his usual old grave keeper background, while One-O seemed adamant on recovering whatever data was left later. Katya was hesitant in the decision herself, but surely being truthful now would mean less punishment later.
The only thing was… someone was definitely going to be punished. It wouldn't be easy sweeping an important member under the rug. So… was One-O going to take the brunt of it? Were they?
Katya clutched her head, straightening her helmet. That wasn't important now, as she poked a dead… Goblin on the side of its eviscerated head with her chainsword. That's what she was going to name them. Goblins.
It wasn't an original name, borrowed from a fantasy novel she used to read by Telken Jr. That book described goblins as creatures with gray skin that dwelled in the dark, preying on miners who had entered their layer. But the name stuck with her; She could apply it here, since they also had similarities.
Katya heard the annoying sound of another groan from the ship, causing her to lower head. They'd sent a few Goblins to attack them, with each detail making her less afraid and more annoyed. They were fast, but definitely not strong. She closed her eyes in frustration, before unsheathing her chainsword and grabbing her familiar laspistol. Of course, she also had her newly acquired instrument of death, but she had talked to One-O for more information on it.
Suffice to say, her Plasma pistol would be used as a last resort. She was against the idea of her potentially being turned into ash. Even One-O seemed averse to her having it, making her feel as if even the Mechanicus had limits.
Or maybe it was simply too important for her to have.
Whatever the case, she preferred her current weapons. Her laspistol had a few new modifications on it, as she looked through the small scope. It had a bigger magazine and a longer barrel, as she could handle the extra weight easily. She heard the annoying chitter—her appreciating smile turning into a frown.
Brogg grumbled as well, cracking his neck. "Wuz jus' gettin' bored."
"I'll never understand how you're fine with more fighting…"
Brogg snorted, "Tha's cuz yurr not me."
The Harvestman turret to her left beeped, its rocket silos aligning to one of the hallways.
Finally, she saw their foes make their unsightly appearance from the shadows. Their clattering footfalls and numerous clicks no longer brought her fear. Katya took aim and fired once.
The Harvestman whirred to life, the rocket turret locking into position as their war cry of screeches filled the air. A single rocket shot out in the blink of an eye, before that hallway engulfed in flames. Chunks of their hides flew throughout the air, yet it hadn't deterred their assault.
A few others who were still in the condition to fight, wounded as they were, were charging towards the two. Three split off towards Brogg while two followed Katya. She could tell a few more were recovering from the explosion blast, but it wouldn't matter.
The harvestman shot out another rocket; the missile flew past the charging Goblins and made sure the stragglers stayed down.
Katya growled as she brought her chainsword up, revving the blade. Right as the Goblin jumped, her sword fell like a hammer's fall, the teeth of her sword ripping the humanoid in two. She brought up her laspistol—the lasbolt finding its mark on the Goblin in front. Katya missed the vital point, but she completely severed a spindly limb. She didn't have the time to think about how weak these creatures were, as it swiped its claw. Katya blocked it with her sword before landing a solid kick. She winced in squeamishness as her boot sunk in deeper than she wanted, before the force caused it to fly off.
She used her pistol again, helping Brogg with his amount. She pulled the trigger as a Goblin tried to maneuver around the Ogryn.
Unfortunately, the laser bounced off the Originium hide and into the walls. It turned with a hiss, but was subsequently clobbered by Brogg. Its head exploded into shards of meat from the unexpected shield bash. As another Goblin pounced, its gut landed on Brogg's cleaver with ease. It clawed at his arms, leaving scrapes, while the second charged at Brogg. He growled as it landed on him with a jump, before dropping his shield and grabbing its skull in his hands. Now, with both in his grips, Brogg smashed the two Goblins against each other, turning them into a gory paste.
He grabbed his shield off the floor, snorting at the scratches on his skin. "And jus' like tha', no more!"
Another groan alerted them again, causing Katya to get back at the ready as she aimed down a separate corridor. That is, until she heard panicked shouting.
"Faust?" Katya shouted, seeing him rushing towards her the fastest she'd ever seen. Delta was in tow, holding an unconscious Rulk over her shoulders, with Otto just to the right of her. It seems they also found another tech-priest and… what the actual hell is that?
"Get on the ship! Get on the fragging ship, now!" Faust commanded with a shout, interrupting Katya's thoughts about the moving construct behind them. She heard what they were running from before she even saw it, as the cacophony of snarls, snapping jaws, and hisses caused her to pale.
The harvestman turret activated with a whirr, switching towards the construct first. Katya was about to shut off the turret until it locked on to the horde behind them, with Katya seeing Delta grab a corpse in their rush towards the ship.
"W-Wait, what about the Harvestman"
Brogg scooped her up by her torso, carrying her like a barrel. "No toime fo' that! When da Lord-Friend sez is toime ta go, it's toime ta go!"
"I-I can run too!" Katya said as Brogg clambered aboard the vessel. She watched as the Harvestman unexpectedly started firing rocket after rocket in rapid succession. Delta probably modified it while she was running.
Everyone was aboard the ship, Delta slipping into the vent above after depositing Rulk on a seat. Otto appeared with a new long-las—the old one being melted slag strapped to his back—taking position right at the entrance of the hatch.
"Take us away from here One-O!" she heard Faust shout as she was dropped to the floor. She scrambled up, watching Brogg kneel with his shield at the open doors.
"Compliance!" One-O responded with a yell, clambering into the cockpit. The harvestman was keeping them at bay, but she had the feeling it would last only another minute. "Notice, complete repairs are incomplete. Will need to land somewhere close to finish them."
"Just do it!"
She gaped at the sheer mass that finally made its way out of the concentrated tunnel, crawling on every surface imaginable to get to them quicker. With a shudder, the ship lurched as she heard the crackle of the engines roared from behind them.
Katya stumbled as it jolted upwards, before yelping in a startle as a huge chunk of them exploded into bloody mist. Her ears rang, wondering what had just destroyed half of them, while Otto and Brogg were gunning down those that were trying to board them.
The hatch closed slowly, before lurching to the right, and then pushing Katya backwards as the engines fully engaged. She nearly stumbled to the floor, but the tall construct that had gotten onboard. She looked up with some wariness, and nodded, cautiously thanking the… thing as she regained her footing.
It didn't take long for the atmosphere to relax, as Faust leaned against the wall, chuckling to himself.
"Ugh…" He said, before pilfering a flask from a pocket and taking off his helmet. He stared at Katya tiredly, then up at the construct, and finally back at her. "I'll ask later…"
A groan alerted everyone to Rulk, who clutched his head. "Argh… Lord-Captain, did we kill that blasted daemon?" He grumbled.
Brogg gasped, "You all fought a Dae-mon? Withou' us?" If Katya had to guess, he sounded offended.
"Since I hear the slab's voice, we are safe," Rulk slumped back, becoming silent again. "My rest is much needed. Disturb me if you wish to perish."
Katya looked at Brogg, who shrugged. She shook her head; her mind was a complete mess from the slight lack of sleep, the combat fatigue, and the overall unease of their time spent here. Now she just wanted to relax. She sat down in her chair, ignoring the living statue, inspecting everything around itself, and closed her weary eyes.
Ah... another chapter done. You may notice this one is a bit lengthy, though I had honestly intended for less. Oh well. So, as you may notice, this chapter was relying slightly on the new Arknights event to be out–or was building up to it. I really needed some lore on a special Sargonian unit, for the "statue," so that I knew what to do with it (even while this part was mostly thought out). The other part you may have noticed is that these creatures, Origimutants, aren't actually from the game. No, they aren't Originiutants either, these are different. Technically, they're supposed to be part of the third catastrophe that the Durins are near to, but hasn't exactly been revealed other than a one-off mention by Cannot. For now, this is what I'm setting them to be. The more keen of you may notice similarities to... another fantasy franchise. My hint is a certain author. Anyhow, that's it for now.
Also, SUPER belated new year for those wishing me it. Thanks for sticking with me throughout this story's time. I hope to finish this arc before spring break (maybe... possibly... sigh...) but we'll see.
Roseblade out!