I led my followers across the scorching desert. Our journey back to the settlement took longer than usual, because many of them were still unsteady on their feet. They had once been mutants, frail and hopeless. Now, they were human again, but their memories of sickness lingered in their hesitant steps. I marched at the front, [Ruyi Jingu Bang] in hand, watching for any threats that might appear. My eyes stayed on the horizon. The dunes stretched in waves of gold, shimmering under the midday sun.
We stopped often to rest. Each time, I offered water from my [Inventory]. They drank gratefully, their hands shaking slightly as they passed canteens among themselves. I passed out ration packs when the sun dipped lower, and we paused to let the evening wind cool our faces. They ate in silence, occasionally whispering to one another about what it might be like to join my settlement - a place safe from beasts and marauders.
I didn't speak much. I kept my focus on the land, scanning for movement. Usually, we saw nothing but drifting sands. Sometimes, we saw silhouettes of distant creatures. Rarely, we heard the howls of desert predators echoing across the night. My followers looked to me for reassurance. I nodded, letting them know I would protect them. And I did.
By dawn on the second day, we reached the familiar outline of high walls. My settlement. The watchers at the gate spotted me first. A horn sounded, deep and long. The gates opened wide. Guards in basic armor - former mutants turned disciplined fighters - stood ready with spears. Their faces lit up when they saw me approach, though they kept their stances firm. I led the newcomers inside.
A wave of curiosity spread through the camp as we entered. People gathered, all of them former mutants once disfigured. Now they stood upright, healthy, some wearing simple clothes, others sporting bits of salvage repurposed into gear. Their eyes flicked over the newcomers behind me. Whispers rippled among them. A few even stepped forward, offering quick embraces to old friends they recognized. Others smiled shyly, welcoming the fresh arrivals. Some of my initial group looked at me with relief, happy to see I'd returned with more survivors.
I guided everyone to the center of the settlement, near the main shelter. My second-in-command, the old mutant who had first accepted my help, strode toward us. His posture was more confident now - back straight, chest out. He greeted me with a respectful nod, then addressed the newcomers in a gruff but kind voice. "You're safe here. Relax."
They shuffled around, forming small clusters, glancing at the huts, the walls, and the watchtowers. I caught the sharp-eyed woman from my expedition looking at the armed guards with interest. She and the older man, who had expressed his eagerness to work for a better future, stood close to each other, listening intently as the camp's residents spoke about daily routines, ration distributions, and training schedules.
I raised a hand, calling for quiet. The murmurs died down. All eyes turned to me. I rested [Ruyi Jingu Bang] against my shoulder and took a step forward, scanning the faces of my people - both old and new.
"We have an enemy," I said, voice steady. "You've seen what happened to the first village I saved. The Golden Bull destroyed it. They murdered everyone."
I paused, letting them register my words. Eyes widened. Jaws tightened. Fists clenched around spears or ration packs.
"This settlement is next if we do nothing," I continued. "We will not stay idle. We will fight back."
A ripple of determination spread through the crowd. People straightened their spines, some nodding firmly, others glaring at the ground with grim expressions.
I took a slow breath. "But we need fighters. Soldiers. Warriors who will stand with me and defend this place. Who will avenge those who were slaughtered."
The old mutant, my second-in-command, stepped beside me.
"Who among you will fight?" he barked, his deep voice carrying across the courtyard.
A stir swept through the crowd. Almost a hundred men stepped forward. Their faces were set in grim determination. Some were from my older group, already trained in basic drill. Others were newcomers who had just arrived under my care. They might have been uncertain, but they were willing.
My eyes flicked over them. I nodded.
"Each of you has chosen to stand with me. Good. But I won't send you into battle unprepared." I let my gaze sweep across them, letting the weight of my words settle. "I have a means to make you stronger. Faster. More resilient. It's not easy, and it may not be pleasant. But if you want to fight, you'll need it."
"We'll begin immediately. But I need raw biomass. A lot of it." I turned to address the settlement as a whole. "Hunters, gather your gear. We'll need every beast we can kill. We also have stockpiles of dead creatures from previous raids. That will help."
Food was not quite an issue with the food fabricators.
Dozens of hunters set out, venturing beyond the walls to track and kill roaming monsters or wild animals. Meanwhile, I organized the volunteers. One by one, they came to me at the edge of the camp, near the small field where we practiced drills. I used [Flesh Shaping], carefully channeling my power to reinforce their skeletons, expand muscle fibers, and enhance their organs. It was a slow process, draining my reserves.
Each time, I felt the biomass in my body dip dangerously low. My stomach churned, an ache blooming deep in my gut whenever I approached the threshold of depletion. But I persisted. The hunters brought in fresh kills, monstrous beasts with twisted forms, bristling fur, or segmented exoskeletons. I absorbed them swiftly, replenishing my strength and continuing the augmentations. If my reserves ever went to zero, I'd end up killing and eating every single living thing around me in a haze of consumption; I wished to avoid that very much.
The volunteers bore the procedure with stoic determination. Some gritted their teeth, knuckles whitening around the edges of the makeshift tables I used as an operating surface. Others clenched their jaws, sweat beading on their foreheads as the transformation took hold. They grew taller, their arms bulking out with new sinews, their legs firming up to support the added mass. Their eyes gained a sharper focus, reflecting a depth of awareness that hadn't been there before.
I made sure to talk them through it in calm, measured tones.
"Breathe. Focus. Let the changes settle." A few gasped or let out muffled groans. None of them turned away, though. Each one embraced the enhancement, fully aware that this was the path to defending our home.
Hours turned into days. I never rested. My body had no need for it while I had a steady supply of biomass. Each night, the hunters returned with fresh kills. My people field-dressed the carcasses, removing heads and limbs, feeding the remains to me so I could absorb them. The settlement reeked of blood and viscera, but no one complained. Everyone understood the necessity.
The last volunteer was a young man, barely out of his teens. His hands trembled slightly as he lay on the table, eyes darting around. I placed a reassuring grip on his shoulder.
"Courage," I murmured, channeling the [Flesh Shaping] glow into him. His breath caught in his throat, and then his entire body tensed. Tendons stood out like cables beneath his skin. Slowly, he relaxed, the transformation complete. He sat up, panting, a new strength thrumming through his limbs. "Courage is the ability to face adversity; it is not the absence of fear."
He hopped off the table, testing his enhanced body with a few quick jabs at the air. His grin was shaky but genuine.
"I feel... unstoppable," he said quietly. I nodded, stepping back to let him rejoin the newly formed ranks.
I gazed out at them: nearly a hundred men, each of them now sporting a physique reminiscent of an Astartes in the making - tall, broad, dense with muscle, and brimming with potential. They wore simple clothes still, though much of it strained against their increased bulk.
I wasn't done yet. I summoned [Fabrication], pulling from my stock of [Raw Material]. Piece by piece, I constructed protective suits. They had originally been designed for search and rescue, lightweight but resilient - nowhere near as durable as Flak Armor, but far greater in its coverage. I made them in dark colors, stenciling small insignias I'd personally designed - a simple shield shape - onto the left shoulder, which would be the symbol of our oneness.
I gave them matching helmets with tinted visors. I tested each suit's seals, ensuring they could survive, at least briefly, if the environment turned hostile. They weren't sealed enough for the vacuum of space, but they would hold up against typical hazards. And, most importantly, unless the Golden Bull possessed Lasguns or Bolters, then the suits were more than adequate.
Not to mention the inherent abilities I granted the bodies of our warriors, including the regenerative prowess of the God Emperor's Angels of Death, the Astartes.
For weapons, I forged spears with sharpened tips of composite metal. I added a slight twist to the shaft to give extra stability when thrust. Shields, fashioned from hardened alloy, followed. Each shield was curved slightly, an angular design to deflect blows or projectiles. I withheld Lasguns, feeling they were not ready to handle such technology. Their discipline was new, their reflexes honed but untested in true ranged combat. I did not want to see them kill themselves with weapons they barely understood.
When I handed the weapons out, the volunteers donned their suits with reverence. I sensed their excitement mixed with nerves. A few tested the weight of the spears, stabbing at imaginary foes. Others banged their shields experimentally, hearing the metallic ring. The settlement residents who didn't volunteer stood around the edges of the courtyard, watching in awe.
"Form ranks," I ordered, my voice carrying over the murmur of the crowd. The newly enhanced men moved quickly, forming lines. Though their motions were still clumsy, I could see their increased coordination, their sharper awareness of space.
I passed between the lines, checking stances, adjusting grips. My second-in-command, having gone through the enhancement as well, stood at the front, towering above the rest. He nodded as I approached, his clawed hand - still mutated but reinforced - resting easily on his new spear.
"You're ready," I said, meeting his gaze. He simply nodded once, then turned to face the men. They straightened further, raising their spears in a silent salute.
A hush fell over the settlement. The watchers pressed closer, forming a wide circle around us. The crackle of torches lit the evening air, casting flickering shadows on the packed earth. I raised my voice for all to hear.
"The Golden Bull took what was precious to us. They destroyed a village full of innocent people, who could've been one of us. That ends now. We march against them. We will punish those who dared commit such an atrocity." My words came out like steel. My followers listened, their expressions hardening with purpose.
The old man from the ruins, newly enhanced, spoke out. "For too long we hid from monsters. Now we are the hunters."
A chorus of agreement followed his declaration. Some slammed spear butts into the ground, the dull thud reverberating across the courtyard. Others raised their shields in a show of solidarity.
My eyes swept the crowd. I could see the determination etched on every face. The ones who remained unenhanced - women, children, the elderly - looked at the armed men with awe. Some, I noticed, clenched their fists or whispered prayers to whichever gods they believed in. Hope flickered among them, stronger than it had ever been.
I stepped forward, turning slowly to let everyone see my face. "[Ruyi Jingu Bang]" shimmered faintly in my hand. I drew in a breath, feeling the desert wind brush against my cheek. "Tomorrow at dawn, we depart. We'll track the Golden Bull. We'll teach them what happens when they cross us."
A low cheer rose. It was not rowdy or wild. It was grim, fueled by anger and the will to protect. My people had changed. They were no longer broken survivors. They were a force on the verge of war.
I scanned each volunteer, committing their faces to memory. They ranged in age from barely adult to greying, but all stood tall. In them, I saw flickers of the discipline I had instilled, the unity that had taken root. They would follow me to the ends of the earth if needed, because they believed in what we had built. And they believed it was worth defending.
One by one, they filed out to rest, carrying their weapons and suits to the bunkhouses. Others lingered, quietly discussing plans or offering each other words of encouragement. I saw the sharp-eyed woman kneeling with a couple of younger recruits, showing them how to adjust the straps on their suits. The older man instructed a small group on shield formations, jabbing at the air to demonstrate a parry.
I stayed in the courtyard, letting the night settle around me. My second-in-command stood at my side, arms folded over his chest, stance relaxed but ready.
"We'll be prepared," he said softly, glancing at me.
I nodded. "Ensure the guard is doubled tonight. And have the scouts watch the horizon. The Golden Bull might be closer than we think."
He gave a quick nod, then walked off to organize shifts. I gazed up at the stars. They glittered cold and distant, unconcerned with our mortal struggles. I clenched my jaw, thinking of the villagers whose skulls lay in a circle around that vile flag. My heart tightened with anger and regret. But I would channel that anger into action. There was no place for hesitation now.
Eventually, I made my way to a small tower overlooking the gate. A single guard patrolled there, spear in hand, eyes scanning the dark dunes. I stepped up beside him, letting my gaze drift across the moonlit desert. My mind swirled with thoughts of strategy, supply routes, and possible hidden refuges of the Golden Bull tribe.
Morning couldn't come soon enough.
I sensed a stirring in the courtyard. Turning, I saw some of the volunteers awake already, pacing or testing their weapons under the moonlight. Their eyes glinted with a warrior's edge. I felt a pang of pride mixed with sorrow. These were once mutants, cowering in ruinous caves. Now, they bore themselves like soldiers, ready to lay down their lives for our cause.
I inhaled deeply, savoring the cool night air. The settlement behind me was alive, pulsing with new vigor. We had advanced so far in such a short time. We had forged unity out of chaos, hope out of despair. And now, we would meet the enemy that sought to destroy it all. We would stand, unbowed and unbroken.
The torchlight flickered against the walls, revealing fresh fortifications and posted guards. My people had worked hard to make this place into a fortress. With the new fighting force at my side, I believed we would triumph. There was no other choice.
I spent the remaining hours reviewing mental lists: gear checks, rations, and the routes we might take. The map Master Mirror gave me glowed faintly in my mind, each mark etched into memory.
At last, dawn broke over the desert. Light crept across the sand, turning it from cold gray to warm gold. I stepped out into the courtyard, where the volunteers had already assembled. Their suits were secured, spears in hand, shields strapped to their arms. My second-in-command inspected the lines, barking soft corrections. The rest of the settlement gathered around to watch us depart, many clasping hands or murmuring words of encouragement.
I moved to the front, [Ruyi Jingu Bang] resting against my shoulder. I looked out at my hundred warriors, each one standing tall, each one transformed by my power. They waited for my word, their shoulders squared, eyes fierce. My voice cut through the hushed morning air:
"We leave now. The Golden Bull awaits our wrath."
I turned, and they fell in behind me, boots crunching on the packed earth as we marched out of the gate. The sun rose higher, chasing shadows from the dunes. Our banners - simple cloth we had sewn together - fluttered faintly in the warm breeze. My people walked with purpose, heads held high.
Together, we set forth into the desert. The Golden Bull had declared war by slaughtering innocents. We would answer in kind, but with justice and vengeance. No one else would die under their banner if I could help it. My settlement would remain safe.
And so we marched, the sun at our backs, the weight of our mission clear. A hundred spear-wielding fighters, reinforced by my skill, determined to see our enemies fall. Together, we pressed onward, into the shifting sands and the unknown beyond.
AN: Chapter 81 is out on (Pat)reon!