Side Story 1: For Those We Cherish.
Forgive us, O' Emperor of Mankind, for we continue to fail the purpose you have instilled into each one of us. How can we be angels when we cannot even save your followers? How can we face your light when we continue to watch worlds burn and humanity butchered across the stars. How do we fight against our accursed fate when luck continues to spit at our faces? Forgive us, for we can only do what we can… –Lament, 22:12
Snow continued to fall amidst the frozen hellscape of wherever they had landed themselves, leaving Aetheris to wonder whether the rest of the landscape remained with threats that would horrify those who waver in their presence.
The remaining Lamenters Tactical Squad had faced many threats before, with their last encounter with Hive Fleet Kraken taking the lives of the rest of their squad, including Sergeant Morrison Icomel.
It wasn't the best reminder to have when left to walk alone. The memory of their Sergeant taking a last stand to ensure they could leave after their first savior pod had—from some twist of cruel fate—malfunctioned, had imprinted into their brains.
None of them were sure whether the Mater Lachymarum had survived the xenos boarding, but they held onto hope enough to believe it had. Except for Eno, who was the sole source of negativity.
Whatever the case may be, the situation was better. For now, the Lamenter were given the relaxing experience of assaults every other waking hour. Instead, the frosty lands produced different threats. Such as the walking dead on their travels. They were minor hassles to deal with, but they weren't anything that a sharp knife or Aetheris' powerfist couldn't handle. daemons were just as plentiful, and while weaker than what they had heard tales of, were given no inch of mercy to say otherwise.
"Aetheris," Eno asked with a hiss, his chainblade slick with putrid inky viscera, wiping it off with a simple flick and a growl from the weapon.
Aetheris looked at Eno, giving him a nod to continue.
"While I am not opposed to destroying these foul warp creatures, must we use up our sparse time on them when we can easily move past them? I fear our luck, small as it may already be, will dry up faster should we continue this course of action."
Igallon walked up towards them as they continued their trek through the white wasteland, tossing a grenade up and down in boredom, "And let these Daemons find the innocent and the undeserving? That is nonsense. Logical nonsense, as I understand the point you have made, but we cannot wholly ignore such threats."
Eno grumbled with a dull hiss, "They are not even true humans, Igallon…"
"And we are, Eno?" Igallon respond with a chuckle, trudging past the two of them to scout ahead.
The pessimistic Lamenter was not amused by that aspect, as he had evidently shut up.
Aetheris sighed, glancing at Kalgorn and Leonidus in the back, before staring back at Eno. He could infer what his reasoning was: safety. "Your concerns are not unwarranted, brother. Not one of yours has, and it is for that very reason we still listen. You are right that each encounter leaves another chance for one of us to fall, no matter how small, but we mustn't let cowardice overcome survival. Humanity depends on us, even if these ones are not true humans. We are His blade against the darkness, His light to purge the damned, and we mustn't forget that. Never."
"What if… we are the last ones of our Chapter?"
"We may very well be, but would that dissuade you in protecting the innocent?"
"...If you command it, then no."
"Then I command you to save those who deserve saving. Whether we stand alone or stand as one, we face the darkness, no matter the cost." Aetheris fist clenched, before clanging against Eno's breastplate, "For those we cherish–"
"-We die in glory." Igallon, Kalgorn, and Leonidus called out simultaneously, none missing a single, drilled, beat.
"…we die in glory…" Eno muttered, sighing.
Leonidus snapped his head behind himself for a moment, peering at the woods, as the rest continued their destination for the source of these daemons.
Aetheris activated his comms as he glanced at Leonidus, "Is this creature still following us, Leonidus?"
"Yes… but I am unsure of its goals. It had the chance to strike just then, yet it did not. I believe it is not hiding in fear nor malice, but childlike curiosity. Very interesting."
Kalgorn snorted, "Oh? So, we're dealing with a xenos or daemon that's only curious? How pleasant. Tell me if I need to shoot it. I'm sure my Melta won't disagree."
"I don't believe that will be necessary. I just… I wonder…"
"Wonder?" Aetheris asked, walking up to his brother, looking at him then at the frozen trees.
Leonidus shook his head, taking one last deep stare into the small bluish-white glimpse that had disappeared into the tree lines. "I could have sworn it was an animal."
"Of what kind?"
"Antlered, brother, antlered."
"...Make sure it will not attack us. We do not need to fight something we don't understand."
"I shall keep watch for it once more then."
They walked in silence for another peaceful hour, as the only outlier of stress was a dark mist starting to settle into the boreal forest. The bark of the trees continued to grow, and the ceiling of the night sky was soon replaced with the canopy of giant trees. Of course, good things don't tend to last with the Lamenters. Igallon held a fist up upon hearing gunfire in the far distance, raising his boltgun in one hand.
"Guardsmen?" Kalgorn gruffed, scanning the perimeter as they looked around for any sign of an ambush.
Leonidus shook his head, "I'm not sure, my HUD is not relaying any specifications on the weaponry. It's undeniably an autogun."
Aetheris grabbed his plasma pistol, shaking it when it wouldn't respond, before it glowed dangerously blue as it awoke, "Whether or not they are, is not the question. Charge."
All Space Marines silently sprinted through the wintry landscape without so much as being slowed down. The area had turned corrupted and twisted, as blackish mist corroded the air. It did not stop these Lamenters, for they moved swiftly through the corruptive smog.
A blinding light shone down from a hole in the canopy, concentrated on a hill in what resembled ancient ruins. Aetheris gazed up to see a single moon, the second hidden from view. As if that was concerning enough, he could make out chanting alongside someone shouting.
The only bad part was the swarm of the dead and the daemons around the area, trying to break through the inner parts of the ruins. Makeshift barricades seemed to have been formed, keeping most of the tide out, and funneling them into a kill zone. The swirling purple eyes that centered on each head continued to defy logic, as if looking into a part of the warp itself.
It made Aetheris uneasy, but that was something he swallowed down as he turned on his power fist and charged into the mass.
"We are His compassion! We are His fury!" Aetheris roared, as he slammed his powerfist into three, misting the first and crumpling the other two daemons.
The wave of monsters shifted, turning their ire to the Angels of mankind. A tightly packed group of corrupted animals shifted their focus, shambling and charging towards Aetheris.
A beam of golden light melted them in their tracks, as Kalgorn let out a huff, selecting another target.
"We know no fear, for we were made in His image!" Eno hissed, sidestepping a hammer swing before driving his chainblade deep into the skull. It cleanly pierced the armor of the deceased warrior, killing the daemon inside. He brought out his flamer swiftly, spewing fire at a crowd of mankind's enemies.
Aetheris frowned as he heard something crunch underneath his boot. He glanced down for a fraction of a second, seeing as he stepped onto metal bars of a trap. It would have broken normal human bones, or at the very least, stopped them from moving if they had worn armor. Aetheris was no normal human and had instead broken it by placing his full weight on it—presumably to the trap master's dismay. Not a single fraction of doubt entered his mind, knowing this was likely for the daemons, and not the Astartes.
He raised his foot before heavily stomping into the ground, causing a shockwave that dispersed the swarm that was surrounding him. Aetheris took the opportunity to obliterate a few more, flinging a body high into the sky with a resounding crunch.
An inky dart of corporeal energy hit Aetheris in the shoulder, which had gone through his armor and seared his flesh. His pauldron was undamaged, even as the wound festered before healing. It hadn't wounded Aetheris deeply, he could feel that much was true, but going past his power armor was no easy task. He looked at the perpetrator, a robed corpse who had stabbed his hand with a knife. The daemon prepared to stab again.
Its head melted after a plasma bolt crashed into it, dropping the headless corpse to the floor, but several more appeared from the swarm. "Psykers!" Aetheris called out, using a corpse as a body shield as several darts struck it.
"Grenades, going out!" Igallon shouted, as several landed in tightly packed pockets. Two out of the four grenades exploded. "Duds, of course…" Igallon voiced in the comms, incredibly disappointed.
Before the psykers could launch more attacks, they were torn to shreds by boltguns. They curiously didn't bring up a psychic shield to defend themselves and had instead been annihilated by their concentrated fury.
"Advance!" Aetheris shouted, trying to charge his powerfist. It—unfortunately—didn't electrify, as unluckiness made sure it went cold. Aetheris growled at the circumstances, but liquidated another corpse anyway as the giant, armored, fist crashed into a chest cavity.
"No need to say it twice!" Leonidus responded, dashing forward into cover as flying machines, possessed with the same corruption, flew down to launch the same shadowy bolts of daemonic energy. Kalgorn raised his bolt pistol, shooting most of these possessed machines down. He snarled as the bolt pistol clicked sharply, jamming.
The Lamenters were getting closer to the center, as a seemingly important building jutted out to reach the hole in the canopy, as well as cutting down the horde they had encountered.
Igallon dove away as an explosion landed near him, the ruins falling atop Space Marine. Igallon raised his boltgun, firing once at the drone trying to make its escape. It shattered completely, falling lifelessly to the ground. "That machine nearly crushed me with that bomb, keep an eye out for them!"
"Noted," Eno responded as he lifted a stabbed daemon with his chainblade, before tossing it aside.
The moonlight suddenly increased in intensity, before erupting in the center in a brilliant display of white light. The daemons in the area noticeably cowered, shielding themselves from its view. As the light bathed in the middle, the daemons near the center of the ruins turned to dust.
"By Grandfather's Throne, what was that?" Leonidus shouted in awe, even as he continued the slaughter with his knife.
No other Marine responded, sustaining their kill spree, and focusing on the task at hand. They were too close to the center now, and the tide was in the favor, even if luck wasn't. They were the Emperor's might, and they would make sure they finished the job.
As soon as the moonlight faded, many of the other Samifjod warriors fought harder, almost empowered by the light in the center. They climbed their respective battlements, launching arrows, frosty Arts, or hacking away with their axes.
They shouted songs in their language as they chopped into the undead, making sure none would reach the center again.
Tina wasn't sure why they were fighting harder, but she could also feel slightly stronger in the rays of the moon. She placed down another Welcome Mat among the dozens near the entrance of the main barricades and sprayed another Collapsal—as the Sami called them—with her shotgun as it tried to climb over.
Something else was happening outside in the inner-city ruins, and it almost sounded like thunder. Was someone else out there, fighting?
Tina reloaded her weapon as she switched positions with a Samifjold archer, adjusting her beanie as she retreated towards the center plaza. She jogged as she made her way to meet with the person she went with here, where the moon was perfectly in the center of the giant tower.
The old Sarkaz, who had introduced himself as Rakesh during the beginning of her journey, continued to chant in the foreign language, holding his Arts staff in the middle. His eyes were cloudy, apparently having gone blind years ago, but Tina had escorted him to this place to fulfill his prophecy.
Apparently, this would stop more of these Collapsals from appearing in the future, as they had encountered a few rifts opening across the Icefields. She wasn't sure why at the time, but it's not like she could contact the other Eliza, Alexandr, or Elias—her radio had stopped working when she entered Infy.
Eliza was going to be pissed that she had gotten herself into trouble, when she was specifically told not to. But to hell with it, this would help people, and she had already devoted too much time to helping Rakesh. And… she made a promise to him.
"Rakesh are you almost done! I don't know if we can hold out much longer!" Tina yelled, racking a shell. Her ammo was running low; she'd need to get back to Ironforge after this, or Rhodes Island. Whichever was more convenient.
"Patience…" Rakesh mumbled, before coughing, spitting out blood, "I am almost done… our unexpected saviors already fight outside this place… it is only a matter of time before my role is completed…"
"Rakesh…" Tina whispered solemnly, seeing the Sarkaz priest's life start to fade.
"It is fine… I am fine… this is my fate…" Rakesh smiled, kneeling to clutch his staff, "My time draws near… it is a miracle I have lived this long… It will be put to good use, I promise..."
A startled shout and a burst of stone alerted Tina to the entrance of the ruins, as the barricade completely shattered apart. The Collapsals had broken through, and now, the Samifjold warriors were dueling with their dead.
"Go… you'll have time to say goodbye later…" Rakesh smiled, resuming his chant.
Tina's expression hardened, rushing towards the entrance. She precisely gunned down three more with her shotgun, before knifing one more Collapsal.
It was at this moment she realized how strange her life had become. She never imagined getting teleported from Earth to Terra, but one thing led to another—along with stopping a mad scientist and his Originiutants—and now she was here. She almost missed fighting terrorists.
Tina ducked under an axe swing, blowing the corpse's head clean apart from a point-blank shot. She hurriedly placed down another Welcome Mat while she could, keeping her head low as the few Casters among the Samifjold fought the dead.
A feeling of pure panic and sheer coldness almost took hold of her, as the Collapsals leader took center stage. It was white as the snow, no longer human, and floated in the air. Its hair dangled downward with vile ice as dark as smoke grew from its sides. That thing… it was not even close to human.
It completely froze some of the brave warriors who had charged to fight it, as they were now frosty statues, frozen in time mid-yell.
The Canadian steeled herself against the horrifying threat, reloading as she prepared to shoot at it.
The monstrosity raised two hands, each with a different purpose. The one raised towards the sky summoned ice crystals of pure darkness formed above its head. The other hand, a palm stretched towards the oncoming projectiles, defended itself as it erected a barrier of ice.
Before it could unleash its attack hanging near its head, the beam of light from the center of the tower struck it, causing it to fall to the ground with a screech. Smoke started to rise from the husk, as it got up again.
Tina used the opportunity to unload her shotgun into the thing, pumping a new shell with precision, and trained efficiency. It screeched each time, before it slowly rose, ready to attack Tina. She tried to retreat, having gotten too close for comfort, but it would be too late. She held her arms up, waiting for it to swipe.
It staggered forward as a ball of blue energy exploded into its backside, swiping behind itself and raising its hand to switch targets as it summoned more ice. Tine used the opportunity to duck into cover, using her knife to cut down another Collapsal.
Tina's eyes widened as a man, no… a giant clad in mustard yellow armor—menacingly armored and scarily fast—barreled towards the monstrosity. He yelled something in a foreign language as he shook his large gauntlet, rolling under numerous falling crystals of ice, before taking a stance. His giant fist, electrified with a newfound power, launched forward with a leap.
The Collapsal leader brought up its icy powers to defend itself, bringing up two, thick walls of shadowy ice to defend itself. The giant's fist shattered through anyways, hitting the floating monster, with a resounding smack that reverberated in the air. It crashed into the ruins, breaking some of the stone on its landing.
Tina could only watch in awe as a second one of these super-soldiers—as that was the only word she could think of—barreled towards it, holding a massive gun in his hands.
The leader of these demons tried to attack the giant in close combat, screeching in pain and trying to freeze him.
Tina shirked her view away from the massive beam of golden light that erupted from the gun, leaving a hole in the monstrosities side as it toppled past him, meeting the original soldier with the fist.
She winced as It was grabbed by the head, before being slammed into the snow, and given a heavy stomp across its skull, splattering ooze across the compacted landscape. The giant, for good measure, tried to shoot its body with a futuristic gun, grumbling when it wouldn't fire. He seemingly sighed, before just stomping again, crushing it underfoot.
"What the hell…" Tina muttered, seeing three more of the super-soldiers appear, defending them from the horde with a diverse choice of powerful weaponry. The demons of the Icefields were much less numerous, and seemingly retreating into the taiga to escape their wrath.
The moonlight in the center started to fade, exhausting Tina as she stumbled towards the tower again. These were the unexpected saviors? They looked like they were from a sci-fi novel! Whatever the case, she was grateful she wasn't going to face off more monsters.
She found Rakesh, slumped against a wall with his staff cradled in between his arms. She rushed over quickly but stopped right before him as she saw his face. Tina kneeled, seeing the peaceful expression on his face, and a soft smile that hadn't faded yet.
"You didn't even let me say goodbye…" Tina lowered her head with a sigh, giving a silent prayer, before standing up as she grabbed his staff. "Goodbye, Rakesh… I'll keep this safe…"
Tina took one last look at the horned Sarkaz she had known for the past month, journeying across Terra, and even having some fun along the way. It tugged on her heart strings, knowing this would be his final resting place. She peeked through a broken window to see if the situation had cooled down a bit.
Aetheris crunched one more of these daemons by the boot, viscera staining his greaves. He briefly looked for more, but only the slaughtered bodies remained. "I believe we've claimed victory, brothers."
Igallon snorted, wiping his blade clean of gunk, "What makes you say that?"
"I think it's the abhumans coming up to us…" Leonidus pointed with a head bob, putting away his boltgun.
These humans had fuzzy antlers sprouting from the top of their hoods, along with animalistic ears sprouting from the side of their head. As far as abhumans went, these weren't incredibly different looking, just odd. The robes they wore were closely identical to the possessed corpses the Lamenters had fought, yet, it was clear they had no intentions of fighting. They all had primitive weapons, such as axes, knives, or bows, but some of them carried staves that held crystals as well. Most of their faces were in awe, surprise, or caution, as they had no idea what to make of the men standing several heads taller, fully clad in power-armor.
"I don't like their stares…" Eno spoke, speaking through their comms.
"You're not used to it yet?" Kalgorn asked.
"You've misunderstood my complaint."
One of these robed individuals made his way through the crowd, using his staff like a walking-stick, and cautiously approached. He looked to be the leader of this group, as not only did a bodyguard come with him, but his clothing was much more symbolic. Like a priest from the ecclesiarchy, only much more feral.
"Mii eat vuordán ahte dii colombialaš olbmot geat leat lahka veahkehit, muhto mii giitit din goitge. Muhto manin don leat boahtán deike?" The man asked, robes covering his face, yet staring into Aetheris to figure him out.
Each Lamenter looked at one another, as if to silently ask whether one of them understood the language.
None of them did.
Aetheris kneeled to be at his level, and politely nodded, not having any clue what to respond with. So, he let the first word come to his mind, "...I can't understand you, but… yes?"
The robed figure tilted his head, inspecting the Lamenters closer. The bodyguard turned to face the leader, speaking softly "dat giella ii leat viktorianalaš... man erenoamáš…"
"Mun oainnán... de mii galggašeimmet addit sidjiide gudni sin daguid ovddas. Ii leat mihkkege eanet maid mii galgat bargat."
The gathering bowed to them, much to the awkwardness of the situation. Aetheris couldn't help but notice not one of them had a weapon similar to the Imperial Guard… so then who had given Leonidus that impression? He could have sworn he saw someone different as he killed that monstrosity, but perhaps it was an illusion…
Aetheris searched the site, but only saw similarly robed individuals. Was it just a mistake on their part, or was it trickery of the warp? In either case, staying here for longer would be a waste of precious time. The more time spent talking would mean the daemons would be given more time preparing for their next assault. It was clear this wasn't the source of these daemons and only a resistance, and they needed to keep searching.
Aetheris stood up slowly, before turning away towards his brothers. "Let us leave this place. It is best we continue searching for the source of the warp presence. Igallon, show us the way forward."
"Of course, sir." Igallon responded.
Tina hid behind the ruins as the giants left, as something changed in the world. Something big. These people, if they even were people, were not from this world. Like her. Like Eliza, Alexandr, or Elias.
But who or what they were was lost on her. They were dangerous, much more than anything Team Rainbow could hope to offer. They were efficient killing machines that made mincemeat out of monsters.
Tina had too many questions and not enough answers in her head. She walked out of the tower, feeling it was safe to go out, and walked towards the Snowpriest who had just talked with these super-soldiers.
The robed man, Erik, if she recalled, turned to face her, "Ah… Rakesh's companion. I feel it in the air he has passed on peacefully. He is forever in our debts for stopping the invasion in this area."
"Who… were those people?"
Erik's bodyguard shrugged, "We thought them to be Columbians only… they're nothing like any of their expedition teams that they've sent. I thought they would respond in Victorian, but they're language was too different. But… they were hunters. I can only respect their calling."
Erik shook his staff, staring into the distance before freezing in place. He gasped, sinking the staff into the ground as something flickered in the forest.
"S-Snowpriest?" The bodyguard asked, stepping closer.
"They are followed by a fragment… a fragment which I had thought was lost in the north… Sami has deemed them worthy of protection…"
Tina had a puzzled expression as Erik began trudging into the snow, with many of the other Samifjod warriors, speaking in their foreign language in whispers.
"W-Where are they going?" Tina asked the remaining guard.
"If our Snowpriest has deciphered Sami's message, then we must follow these hunters. They are fellow warriors, and we must fight against the eternal enemy of the night. I will have one of my warriors guide you back to the village. This is goodbye, for now, Tina Lin."
Tina quietly watched as he turned away, following the rest of the Samifjold warriors who were in pursuit of these super-soldiers.
What a strange world…
AN: I want to make this explicitly clear, this is a side story I made in celebration of today's double events. On Arknights: Operation: Lucent Arrowhead just released globally for the R6 event, which, is canon to the Arknights universe (double crossover, oh my, but I have no plans for truly including Team Rainbow, just minor details). Good luck on your pulls, I haven't gotten Ela in 50 :(. Anyway, for Warhammer, Space Marine 2 just released for gold edition or above players. So, I put two and two and just rushed out this chapter because, fuck it, I still wanted to use the Lamenters I've brought without them interfering with the main story for Faust. Not that they won't, they definitely will later in the story, but technically, this chapter could be omitted from the main story and it would still make sense–thus, I made it a side story. This is also not the "lengthy" chapter I was hinting at last time, that one releases very soon. I didn't expect to get this many words in... I'm gonna try and speed read Lucent Arrowhead, Roseblade out.