Chapter 19: Echoes of The Past Travel to The Future
Voxlog communication reestablished. Urgent recording received. "Further diagnostics around Outpost Icewake have confirmed feared suspicions. Warp entities roam the frozen planes, with Guardsmen patrols having sighted and engaged them. Flamer squadrons have efficiently eliminated daemons, however, casualties are starting to rise. Corruption is low but present. Missionary Davis is now preoccupied with reinforcing faith in their Emperor and blessing their trust. Our own tech-priests have been sent to make sure our machines are properly maintained by the Omnissiah's will. Lord-Captain Faust must know of this as soon as possible." —Rho-Q's voxlog transfer to Delta
Their travels in the Foehn Hotlands went as swimmingly as it could during the nights. Faust had commanded his pilot to travel the dunes at night, as that was the only time they wouldn't be turned into ash from those deadly sunbeams. It would delay their actual travels, but it was better to arrive late than to never arrive at all—not that they'd actually seen any beams after the first encounter. No, the seas of glass became more sparse, but no one wanted to risk a second encounter. At least it allowed them to have more repair time.
The days were long as they waited in caves as the violent sunlight waged war on the wasteland; searching for caves spacious enough to fit the ship costed even more precious time in the moonlight. Their supplies, though not low, would not last them another two weeks. They'd have to return with failure if they found nothing. Faust didn't seem in the mood to do that, and either through arrogance or faith, he was damn sure he'd find something out here.
But the seas of sand revealed nothing else throughout the time they flew above, as if any secrets were buried underneath the sand. Civilisations could not exist here, and to be honest, there was doubt it ever existed at all.
Katya wasn't sure what exactly Faust was looking for. He also seemed to not know himself, just that his gut instinct was telling him to continue exploring for something. The Ursus remained utterly unconvinced it wasn't foolishness. While she respected his wishes, she couldn't help but doubt it.
She already wished they went back, as she had enough of venturing into hostile environments for the month. That, and dealing with that unexpected… thing.
Katya glanced at the still-as-a-statue being, having taken a seat across from her. It was staring blankly at the Ogryn, which Brogg didn't mind the attention. It continued to keep her guarded, mostly because she hadn't the foggiest clue on what it was. Not even the stories her father taught, nor the books she had read in his library, gave any reference to what it was. Or, even if she had read its description, it would've been a footnote she forgot rather than anything memorable. Either way, it escaped her mind as to what it was—other than unsettling.
What made her more uneasy was that it wasn't Imperial. No, this was definitely a Terran creation—if the Zalak features weren't obvious enough—but who or what made it? It was like a living mummy, straight out of a movie. Only, this mummy was a lot more friendly than a shambling corpse. Still, whatever it was, it only made her feel creeped out being near its presence.
Rulk shared the same sentiment, more so than her. Problem was, she was given a half-assed dismissive answer.
Katya watched Octavia float by, causing her mouth to crack open, and look away in her own realization as her jaw closed. Being creeped out by the statue was so low on the list compared to the things she saw, that maybe she should dismiss her unease. At least it wasn't a servitor's mumblings.
Katya got up from her seat, unbuckling herself, and walked towards Rulk. He stood with his arms crossed, scrutinizing the oblivious mummy.
"Hey, bucket-head, can I ask you something?" Katya asked.
Rulk grunted in response, acknowledging her yet keeping his attention pointed at the Zalak.
"When do you think Faust will find what he's… actually, what is he searching for? Are we even close?"
Rulk impatiently tapped a finger on his arm, glancing at Katya subtly. She could only make out how Rulk noticed her because of the microscopic tilt in his helmet. He sighed, waving his hand. "Patience, beastie. We are near, that much is certain."
Katya blankly stood, staring with Rulk at the Zalak mummy for a minute. The comfortable silence made her annoyed, considering she wasn't sure if she was given a dismissive response. She breached it a moment later, turning to face Rulk. "Okay, but like, how do you know that? We've been in this damn desert for a week now, and it just seems like wasted effort. I mean, what have we seen so far—besides that death trap? Sand, sand, and more sand, that's what."
Rulk snorted. "You should be grateful we are not stuck perusing the scenery of a desert world, then."
"Of course those are a thing…"
"Certainly. Likewise, to the famous frost world of Valhalla. Or that terrible jungle that is Burnscour, oh how I am glad we never ventured further than orbit." Rulk shuddered, recalling a memory that had him wilt. "That fool of a tech-priest had nearly convinced the Lord-Captain, yet I had expertly changed his mind to send a search team in our stead. I believe my point was made clear when they didn't return," Rulk glanced back at her, before nodding. "I believe I have rambled off. Where were we?"
Katya scratched an itch forming under her nose, wrinkling it afterwards, and frowned. "Why. Is Faust. Searching aimlessly?" She said, punctuating her words.
"You are mistaken. He is not searching aimlessly; the Lord-Captain knows where we must go, but the route we are on mitigates further dangers. Traveling in a straight line would get us there quicker, yes, but it is unlikely we'll ever set foot or fly through these skies again should we encounter another danger. We've taken severe casualties as it is."
"That's even more of a reason to leave!" Katya half shouted. Katya stifled a growl, her fingernails digging into her palms. "I mean, he's the captain of a giant flying city; there's gotta be better things to do than to wander around for literally nothing."
Rulk glimpsed at her, before swatting at her head a momentary beat later. Katya barely felt the impact, and either he was holding back, or he was that much weaker in strength. She yelped in surprise anyway, rubbing the stinging wound.
"Are you the Lord-Captain, Katya Kerenov? Have you sailed the stars, seeking relics of the past, and destroying enemy vessels among the void? What about commanding a crew? Your boots have not even touched xenos metals from halls long forgotten, yet you'd question Faust's expertise?"
"N-No, but I was just saying–"
"Nonsense, is what you were saying. My faith is unshakeable regarding his expertise. Do you wish to know why, hm? I shall tell you. Experience."
Katya stared at him in doubt. "...Experience?"
"Precisely. One does not travel with the Lord-Captain without picking up on his talents. Call it luck, fate, the warp's influence, the Master of Mankind's guidance, what have you. He has succeeded in whatever he has set his mind to, time and time again. To think he would fail in this instance would be folly. Have faith, Katya."
Katya deadpanned. "So what you're getting at is just to trust him."
Rulk clicked his tongue, shaking his head tiredly. "I see my words have not persuaded you. Disappointing. Bother the Lord-Captain yourself, if you seek more in that regard."
And with that, the Navigator shooed away Katya, returning to his vigil. The Ursus, meanwhile, gave him a scowl—which was moot while his back was turned. Though, his suggestion wasn't a bad idea, to be honest. She made her way towards Faust, climbing towards the cock-pit.
Before she opened the door, she hid her usual discomfort behind a steeled mask—another bastardized skill she learned. She wasn't about to complain outright to Faust, but he needed to hear her worries. As she opened the small hatch, Faust glanced back as he stood right behind One-O. He gave a small smirk. "Katya," he said in acknowledgement while he looked at the darkened landscape.
"Captain," Katya replied, standing beside him. She grimaced at the black, scorched spot where she assumed another seat had been before they were attacked by the sun itself. Her attention then turned towards the night sky, chock-full of stars, as the flakes of white peppered the space above. She almost wanted to stare, but she had actual things to do. "Can I ask you something?"
Faust arched an eyebrow with a head tilt. "You may."
"Why are we just flying around? Didn't you say we'd be following a trail directly?"
The Rogue Trader nodded, the gears in his brain chugging as he gave an answer. "We are. The problem lies in how our route is, in a way, inconvenient to travel. I was given a route by Ymmîr, who helps in chartering the unknown with Rulk. You wouldn't know her, but I have many reasons to believe that we will eventually arrive at what I'm seeking."
His gaze refocused onto the front of the ship, where the blackened sky began fading into a dull purple, and where the twin moons were slowly turning into ghosts once more.
"And that is?" Katya asked, tilting her head. She knew he was looking for something, but it had never been elaborated on other than a quick look-see.
Faust's hand clenched the seat of One-O tighter, causing the pilot to shift forward in slight discomfort. "Answers to our daemonic problem up north," Faust answered. "I take it you're not enthusiastic about how much time we've spent in this place?"
Katya's eyes widened a tad, surprise muffled but still present. He could tell?
"No one is, not even me. But this is a necessity. I promise we'll leave the moment I feel I've sought my answers. I suppose I should also mention that Ymmîr only provided a route, not a destination, so anything is on the table to be discovered."
Katya nodded slowly as she accepted the answer. "I see… thanks, I guess. Just wish we'd—"
"Lord-Captain," One-O interrupted, as if on cue. "Auger has scanned a notable landmark. Strange readings detected."
Katya took a step back while Faust leaned forward. The purple haze became less pronounced as day took over, something she noticed while listening to the small discussion.
"Strange how?" Faust asked.
"Spiked radiation readings, gravitational anomalies, and energy fluctuations. Conclusion: Possible site for investigation. Orders?"
Faust's eyes narrowed, flicking over towards their front. With a sigh that seemed to hold much more than caution—something akin to trepidation—as he weighed the options. After a deep moment, he nodded. "Take us there. I'll take the chance we won't get melted out of the sky."
"Compliance."
Katya noticed it first, as she gazed out the window, Faust mimicking her leaned posture. They could see it as the blue horizon brightened the dull magenta, now illuminating the wasteland. A structure, a husk of metal, stuck out of the sands as it rose. Tiny now, as it was on the horizon, but Katya had the sinking feeling it would be humongous in person.
It hadn't taken long for that theory to turn true, as the curved structure coiled even further, extending in an incomplete circle. Well, almost incomplete.
The monument stood tall, casting a dark shadow across the pale-orange grains, but it was nothing compared to the other part of it. A full third of the portal was floating mid air, the broken chunks of scrap hanging around like a specter. Even with its size, it seemed gravity did not have a say in the matter of physics. Among the portal, faint wisps of some sort of magenta Arts swam in the air.
Katya herself had never seen such a thing in her life, and though it probably wasn't the same height as the crashed voidship she'd gotten used to living on, something was unmistakingly clear. This was also from Terra, but unlike their friend straight out of a museum exhibit, this structure had to have been monstrously ancient. Her mind was more silent than an Emperor's Blade during a parade, entranced by the strangeness that defied the usual Terran norms.
Faust, however, was equally perturbed. There was a deep scowl on his face, and had Katya not learned more about who she served, she would have mistaken it for hatred. Instead, she knew better, as it was his mind going a mile a minute—or at least that's what Delta had provided context for.
"Could that… no… it couldn't be…" He muttered to himself, his thoughts sealed to Katya for the time being. Meanwhile, One-O was stock-still as he flew, equally intrigued and disturbed. The sight clearly spooked the both of them, and that, in turn, raised Katya's anxiousness.
Faust silently turned away, stepping down from the cockpit with the grace and silence of a ghost. Katya trailed behind, not wishing to further disturb her Lord-Captain. He placed his helmet on, but the Ursus could see how pale his face had grown.
As he climbed down the steps, Delta popped out from the vent and lowered herself, which left Katya stunned. Last she checked, Delta had taken serious injuries, retreating to the upper ship's compartments and into her hidey-hole. Yet the tech-priest looked much healthier than she once had. Her robes were still tarnished by black soot, but her skin had flourished back into the natural perfection it had been. Burns, both to her skin and to her metal, were mended. Any sign of injury on her body had vanished completely. The only remnants that she had injuries were, again, her cloak, her hair—shortened by fire—and the air surrounding the Magos' stance.
"Compatriots, we'll be landing soon." Faust took another step towards them, carefully. Katya couldn't help but notice how even he sounded. "Prepare yourselves mentally and physically. I don't know if what I saw was correct, but we may have found a destroyed warp-gate."
That seemed to catch everyone's attention, barring the mindless automaton-thing. Katya could put together how it would be important. She knew enough about the warp through Rulk's teachings to know that the best interpretation was hell itself. So then, a warp gate probably meant only bad things. Rulk, of course, was shocked the most as he physically recoiled, catching himself with his staff as he brought it down.
"I-Impossible. That cannot be…" Rulk shook angrily, tapping his staff. "Even if it is, you cannot mean for us to get closer to a potential tear in the warp! I don't know if I can protect us all from something with the potential to…" He trailed off, before shaking his head vehemently. "No, I refuse for any of us to scour for clues near that."
Faust raised his hand. "I said might, Rulk. I could be completely wrong—it's just a feeling I have. So, relax. Besides, if it was incredibly destructive, we'd have known by now. It's inactive by the looks of it. That being said, continue to exercise caution. I'd rather us not accidentally open it, or worse, find a reason to."
"I will blame you should one of us turn deranged in the blink of an eye."
Otto tapped at the Navigator's shoulder, who flinched and backed away. "Another hand, and it will be your last. But your point is made."
Katya looked towards the two technology experts having their own conversation. Joriel looked incredibly excited, well, as excited as a tech-priest could look. His mechadendrites were idly fidgeting. He was speaking in a harsh garbled nonsense to Delta, who rolled her eyes. She replied, her voice looking mismatched with her mouth movements as she produced streams of the same language. It creeped Katya out to see such a robotic tone echoing from her mouth. Whatever conversation they just had left Joriel ecstatic, already facing the ramp.
With a thump, the Melior landed, and with a subsequent hiss, the frontal bay doors lowered. Katya glanced away from the concentrated light pouring in while the sheer heat swamped her. Sweat had already trickled out by the time she stepped outside, discomforted by the terrible environment.
They had landed inside a crater; the sand surrounding them was scorched with a puzzling purplish ink. It was as if a bomb had exploded near the center of the portal, and Katya's mind was scratching at the familiarity of it. A realization was close to being made, but it was stolen from her as her eyes adjusted to the light.
Her squint widened as she truly saw the monument of steel, defying the weather in resilience and reality as its effects were clear on the environment. Strands of the sand flowed across the area, snaking from a dune and paused in the air, trapped in time. The great shadow it cast was her only source of coolness as the sun had only begun its ascent into claiming dominion over the land.
"Big as a Titan, tha' is," Brogg exclaimed, equally awed.
Katya paused, her thoughts returning to figure out the why of this structure. Who could have built this? This wasn't just ancient, she guessed it had to have been older than even the previous Hippogryph Empire, maybe past that of the Yanese. No… older. There was a profound sense of dread that chilled her blood even as the desert heat surrounded her. Her breathing became shallow as she pondered more, a tiny voice in her head needling at her to stop staring.
But she couldn't. She wouldn't. This thing. This… defiance against nature, it raised more questions than answers. It was unnatural—supernatural, even.
The worst part is that Faust, his group, and maybe even the Imperials, had a name for it. Warp gate; it stung her brain, cementing the existence even deeper of what it was. But this… this was made here. They were aliens to Terra, possibly to this universe if the rumors spread amongst the crew were true. And they knew what this was by name.
"The disturbance in the warp is strong here," Rulk muttered. "Must we really explore so closely to a destroyed warp gate?"
Katya's stupor was shaken by the voice of the Navigator. Her palms were strangely wet, now noticing that her nails had accidentally torn open her hands. She winced, wiping the blood off on her clothes.
Faust walked past the Navigator, hands on his hips as he stared up at the circular structure. "Yes, we will. I've been looking for answers, and finally, we're presented with the ability to gather some. If we are to travel northward, any information is an advantage."
Rulk's staff sank into the sand, as he made his point clearer. "What I mean to say is must we investigate it when others can? I feel traces in the warp currents around events long behind the present. I can scarcely imagine that resulting in anything good."
"I understand that," Faust replied calmly, his eyes sunken with his own exhaustion. "But I want this to be dealt with now, rather than later. I wish to be done with this hellish mimicry of a desert" He patted a disappointed Rulk, before standing before everyone. "We'll split up into two teams. Delta, Otto, Brogg, you'll be with me. Rulk and Katya, go with Joriel. Let us see if we can retrieve anything safely, and before the air chokes us with its heat. We might be on borrowed time, considering this looks safe as it is. Reconvene in an hour.
Rulk and Katya looked at each other, then at Joriel, who had wasted no time running into the fray—much to the two most cautious members' displeasure in Faust's group. Joriel was eagerly jogging ahead, as if completely forgetting the last time he had done that ended poorly.
"Guess I'm stuck with you," Katya murmured as she walked in tandem with Rulk. "And him."
Rulk snorted, "Currents guide us that our cog-head doesn't get himself maimed."
"Shouldn't we catch up to him?"
"Bah. Let him learn the error of his ways. It is not our responsibility after the trouble we went through last time."
Suddenly, the both of them were pushed past as the Zalak statue, the one Katya had thought was staying on the ship, followed Joriel quickly. They glanced at each other, collectively shaking their heads at the oddity. Now they just got assigned to babysit someone else, besides the runaway rust-brained moron.
Katya scratched her scalp, feeling the grease of sweat merge with dried blood. "What's with him?"
"As if the warp would reveal even that to me. Perhaps this place is something the construct remembers?" Rulk said jokingly.
Silence punctuated the joke. They slowly cocked their heads towards each other again.
"You don't think…"
Rulk clicked his tongue, palms clenching his staff. "We should give chase now."
They slid down the dune rapidly, stepping closer to the starting frame of the structure. Magenta flowers grew out of pitch-black areas in the sand, discomfort tracing her face at the obvious corruption. Rulk was equally off-put, tapping the butt of his staff against one of the petaled sprouts. It shattered into dust motes that hung in the air, like flakes of Originium after a catastrophe.
"My father talked about stuff like that. Collapsals were definitely here, but… there shouldn't be any trace left. Could just be left over residue, but…"
Rulk inclined his head, ruminating over his own thoughts. "The currents tremble near the corruption, yet it does not mesh well to the warp… let us not dally further in the case we discover why."
As they approached the base of the structure, they spotted an entrance, completely enveloped in darkness. Unnaturally so. But both Joriel and the Zalak had moved through it without thought. Katya smoothly grabbed a flashlight in her pocket, turning it on, and pointing it at the shade. It did not pierce.
"Tsk, I cannot understand this."
"What, the darkness that's definitely Collapsal influence, or the fact the other half of our team went forward without even batting an eye?"
Rulk lifted his staff into the darkness, the weapon sinking right into the gloom. "Stay behind. I wish to test something. No matter what, do not look at my face." Rulk stepped forward before a haze of light emitted from his eye. Katya could tell it was a sliver of his warp eye, but it accomplished the task of a lighthouse, piercing the sea of ink.
"Curious," Rulk rasped out. "It is being affected by the warp, just the same as it influences the warp. As if it is both the warp, and yet, not the warp. A psyker's opinion would be most useful here, a shame we did not bring one. Stay behind me."
That tidbit actually reminded Katya of something to ask. Her mind was still unnerved by questions that didn't seem to have an obvious answer, and what better way to pass the time than to ask someone supernaturally attuned?
Rulk dispersed the shadow as they walked, allowing them to see like a warp–powered flashlight. It hadn't gotten rid of all the blackness, some of it clinging onto their boots, but it was better than nothing. Katya held out her pistol as she walked behind him, just in case.
"So… you know what this place is, right? Faust called it a warp gate. Does that mean… people from your, uh, home also found our planet, Terra—"
"Tellus," Rulk corrected, to which Katya ignored.
"-and built a warp-gate here?"
Rulk paused in his step, body shaking and squirming in place. A harsh, discordant sound emanated from his mask as he tilted it upward, hand on his chest. It was like a fowlbeast being strangled inside a fridge, while the machine itself was being compressed. Katya was about to tap his shoulder to ask if he was okay, thinking he was choking, only to realize he was laughing. Truly laughing, rather than a sarcastic snort or a backhanded chuckle.
"Hahaha! Ah. No," Rulk concluded. "I am disturbed something like this exists here, but it would be foolish to assume anyone in the current Imperium created this. Perhaps a xenos race did, as this bears no similarities to humanity's typical creations, but even then, they would have to be experts in warp manipulation. Even now, it would have to be from an ancient time beyond my House's scope. Likewise, this could be a creation from the Dark Age, but I have much less expertise in that subject."
"Dark Age?"
"A question to ask a Magos, or truly any of the Adeptus Mechanicus. It is why they pursue the constant hunt for fragments, any little tail they may find of lost technology. Even if it leads them into… troublesome areas. For example, right now."
"So that's why they got lost on that landship," Katya said aloud as she peered down a corridor. Darkness only enveloped that area, and as she looked back, she could see it rising, reforming behind them and shrouding their exit. Another icy barb pricked at her heart while apprehension settled into the deepening pit in her stomach. She decided that sticking close to Rulk was a necessity, with anything else out of the question.
"Precisely. For what reason do you ask about the portal?"
Katya paused her words to think about it as they turned a corner. "Because this feels wrong to me…"
The Ursus half expected the Navigator to interrupt. Instead, she found him silent, as if to say to continue in her explanation. She obliged.
"I know about places across the globe that are advanced. Like Victoria with their machines of steam or the Columbians having much more advanced technology than the Ursus Empire, but this?" Katya waved her hand around, even if Rulk couldn't see it; It felt right to do. "This is beyond any of us. It's just not normal, or even possible. It can't be. If it was, it'd be something people would scramble for—hell, maybe even a tourist attraction."
Rulk snorted. "As if such individuals would ever allow the feebleminded proximity to such an important location. Likewise, it is not as if the landscape makes it any easier to access."
Katya stepped over a dilapidated pipe, cringing at the inky wisps leaking out. "Yeah, that's true, but I meant that if no one from my time built such powerful technology—something that you guys recognize—who did? And why?"
"Answers to the unknown do not always reveal themselves. Some are lost to time, while others seek only to confuse or disorient those who'd search for answers. We're here now," Rulk spat, a slight lilt in his tone. "And our job is to let the Magos figure that out. We need only find him, and that other lout."
"Which is going to be impossible with all this gloom."
The Navigator shook his head. "I am following their path, beastie. We will find one or the other in due time."
Katya opened her mouth to question that, but shut it shortly thereafter. It was probably something Navigators could do, and all that was required of her was to have a little faith. After all, Rulk was pretty easy to get along with—barring their small quarrels.
Once in a while, she would be left wondering what's under the curved brass helmet, what was beneath the robes. Was it as sickly as he said he was, or was he playing it off as embarrassment? She'd heard the rumors, some of which painted him in a nasty portrait. Surely, it wasn't as bad as he dismissed, right?
All in all… he was actually one of Katya's first friends in a long time. Being Infected didn't make things easier, and as Mikhail's plaything, made returning to normal practically impossible. Only one thought was in her mind at the time: survival. But now? Well, everything had flipped on its head and then some, all for the better. And Rulk had surprisingly taught her many things, from areas around the ship, to the language she was now speaking.
Katya nearly walked right into his back as he stopped his pace, looking between two halls as a fork in the road.
"Hm…" Rulk hummed, tapping his staff against the ground.
"Something wrong?"
"There's a split between the two paths. That construct moved leftward, while our Mechanicus friend split off to the right. How bothersome."
"...You think Joriel could find his way back?"
"Possibly. But I am not enthused about helping that 'mummy' of ours."
Katya frowned. "You don't like them? Does it have something to do with you staring daggers at it on the ship?"
"It interferes with the warp more so than most. I suspect he has Originium within his body, yet not in the same way you do. No… it feels concentrated. A natural resistance to the influence of the warp. His trail in the currents is a disruption, rather than a wake."
"Let's find him first, then. Probably better than getting ourselves lost looking for the coghead right now."
"...I find myself agreeing to that statement. Unfortunate."
Rulk and Katya walked down the left path, the gloom dissipating slowly as they traveled. It was becoming less concentrated here, to the point Rulk no longer needed his powers. The glow from his head disappeared. He finally turned his head to see Katya still following, while her flashlight illuminated their surroundings.
Katya looked away, glancing once at the Navigator with a slight smirk on her face.
"I do not appreciate this humor, beastie."
"Ah shush, bucket-head, just following orders."
"And you would have failed with that small glimpse."
Katya rolled her eyes, turning a corner, only to gasp as a hand tried to snatch at her from the wall. She raised her pistol, nearly unleashing a torrent of lasfire, only to realize the hand hadn't moved from its position at all. It rose from the handle of an open door, grasping at the air, with nothing else noticeable about it other than it was merged with the handle.
Rulk stepped beside Katya, tapping the hand with his staff. It clanged against his weapon, as the metallic hand was as still as a statue.
Katya sighed a breath of relief, moderately creeped out, but glad it wasn't alive. Still, she was peeved. "Fucking hell… I hate it here…"
Rulk resorted to a harsh chuckle as he moved past her.
Katya side eyed the navigator, her light peering inside the room. It seemed to be some sort of facility, dust motes coating the air just the same as the stagnant smell of rotten eggs. Katya moved to take a peek inside, but her step was stopped by Rulk's firm grasp. He shook his head, no other words spoken, yet his body language clearly communicated what he had thought. Bad idea.
Katya looked inside the room again, swallowing a lump in her throat, and followed the Navigator away. She'd rather not see something she shouldn't.
"Speaking of the foul warp, I must ask. Do you feel anything… amiss, in your headspace? Perhaps notions of abnormality?"
"...uh. No? Am I supposed to?"
"Good. Let us hope my power continues to keep us safe."
"Does… does that happen? Should I be worried?"
"Perish the thought."
Katya frowned at the Navigator's weirdness, but she really wasn't feeling anything as she stood close. If it did happen to people, well, then it would be another reason she needed to stick to the Navigator like glue.
They continued to traverse the halls, searching for the Zalak, before they heard distant shuffling echoing throughout the maze. They quickly sped up their wandering in response, looking for the source, before coming across it.
The Zalak was wandering aimlessly among the corridors, its hand tracing at the wall as if reminiscing. As Katya shone the light, it hadn't even noticed being spotted, still stuck in its own world. In its other hand, it held its curved blade, an iron grip making sure the sabre could not be torn away from it.
"Hey, uh, Mr. Mummy?" Katya voiced.
The words did not reach it. The mummy continued to shuffle through the halls, before stopping before a door on the right side of the wall. A deep gash was inside its walls. It tore open the door with its hand, stepping into the room.
As the duo followed it inside, they stopped near the entrance. Their mummy was kneeling in front of a corpse, long dead, as bony hands had erupted from all over the armored body—all except for its helmet. A humanoid mask, hued deep red like the various armor plates, stared lifelessly into the Zalak. Its armor was reminiscent of…
…of Nightzmoran Kheshigs.
Katya's eyes moved from the dead Kheshig to the Zalak, a term being brought into mind she thought she had forgotten about in a moment of lucky clarity. Zhayedan. She stood dumbstruck at seeing history, moving history, in front of her. She read it once in a history book on Sargon, mostly forced to read it by her father. Katya wasn't enthused about learning about countries she likely would never have visited, and though bare on the material she learned, some parts stuck out more than others. The Khaganate of the Nightzmora was mentioned in it—including their alliance with Sargon—yet The Last Khagan had more details regarding the Nightzmora. Katya's mind was elsewhere, focused on the history of Sargon as a whole.
No historian—or even Terran—worth their salt could forget Sargon's greatest Aslan Shah, Lugalszargus; though she forgot his last name due to it being a mouthful. But that wasn't important. What was important was remembering the royal guards of Lugalszargus, the Zhayedans. She knew little more than the fact that they had hunted demons together, as the book elaborated more on the Great Khagan than it did the Shahanshah.
If she could thank her father for his persistence in learning more, she would, among many other things. But that was then, and what was happening now needed attention. She swiftly moved toward the side of the Zhayedan, looking down at the royal guard.
Tall as he was, his bowed pose made him much more compacted. His face was parallel to the floor in utmost respect for the corpse. Katya peered at the corpse, searching for details. A sword was in his hand, swirling with a purple substance and laden with corruption. Definitely not something she could touch. The other hand was clutching their stomach tightly, which she guessed was where a wound had been.
Rulk came up from behind, his stave tapping at the ground. "What are you doing, beastie?"
"Give me a minute," Katya said as she crouched down. The boned hands tearing through his armor definitely meant he succumbed to the corruption. However, this didn't mean he necessarily died to it. He was slumped against the wall, as if cornered. But the Nightzmora were not a cowardly people, at least not in the book. They were warriors, through and through, and hiding would have been cowardly. She looked up, seeing a door handle. There was an advanced locking mechanism on it.
So he died defending the door.
As she stood up to inspect the lock, she glanced back down, seeing into the ribcage thanks to a claw shoving a part of the shoulder plate away. A glimmer sparkled inside, causing her to double-take and shine her light into it. A small silvery object, about the shape of a ring, was inside. Luck had taken her side.
The dots in her head connected as she thought of what could have happened. The Kheshig had died defending whatever was behind the door, down to even swallowing the key. Whoever they were, they had been a brave warrior to the end, likely fighting Collapsals.
But what did the Zalak have to do with them? Why here, out of all places in this facility?
"Hey Rulk, can you help me grab something? You wouldn't get corrupted easily, right?"
Rulk stared at her, but even she knew through his covered visage that beneath it, he was glaring at her in suspicion. "I would not, but you have me worried about what you might propose."
"Can you grab the ring inside the dead guy?"
"Ugh. Must I?" Rulk complained, but was already on his way there.
The Navigator grabbed at the chest plating, prying it off with his knife. He reached for the inside of the skeletal remains before holding a ring in his fingers. He raised it up to his face, inspecting for himself.
The Zhayedan's hand grabbed at the Navigator's arm in a sudden blur, so fast that Katya hadn't registered it.
Rulk turned to watch the Zalak staring back at him, holding a hand out.
"Do you mind?" Rulk growled, tugging at the arm. He didn't budge. The Zhayedan hadn't moved either, still holding out its hand as it stared deeply at the Navigator.
"Uh… Rulk, maybe that ring is important."
Rulk clenched his staff tighter. "I do not care for those who are rude. Unhand me," Rulk said. His tone had lost any sense of surprise, forming into a cold, hardened venom. "I will not ask again."
Surprisingly, and reluctantly, the Zhayedan let go.
Rulk shook his arm before throwing the ring at the mummy. It caught it in a flash, standing up with the Navigator in tandem.
"Cretin," Rulk spat as he stood aside, watching with her at what the Zhayedan would do. It moved towards the corpse in a reverent motion, barely making any sounds. Gently, it grabbed the body, moving it aside before standing at the door. It held the ring to its face before placing it in the lock. It slid in perfectly. For a moment, the air was silent, as all muscles in the room stilled, waiting for something to happen.
The lock buzzed, registering and vibrating as the ring inside shifted, jolting and clicking as it sank in further. There was a beep before a green light emitted on its console. The door dramatically slid open into the wall, allowing access to the inside.
The Zalak moved inside quickly, Katya following it with a hint of curiosity while Rulk stalked inside. The room was completely pristine. Not a speck of corruption, dust, or otherwise coated the inside. In the center held an aquamarine gemstone, cut perfectly into a pyramid. It was the only source of illumination in the room, barring Katya's flashlight.
"Rulk?" "My mind is as blank as Otto," Rulk mused as he held his staff in two hands.
The Zhayedan sauntered closer to the gemstone, a hand tentatively reaching for it. It paused mid grasp, hand nearly touching the gem.
Katya waited for it to grab it, yet it stood in place, locked in its pose. Katya shifted towards the side as worry marked her face. The mummy's face was locked onto the gem, its hand still reaching for it, its foot begging to take one last step forward. But it couldn't. It was stopped by an unseen force, unable to fulfill its goal.
Rulk stepped closer, tapping his weapon against its side. Again, it didn't move.
"Hm. I'd laugh, but this is such a sad state, even for me. We could leave it here."
"We're not doing that," Katya retorted instantly, surprised by her own words. She hadn't expected to refuse outright.
"A question, beastie. Do you truly wish to allow it to regain whatever sensations it has not revealed? It is a danger to all of us, and the more unknown, the less likely it will play nice. For as many times we have come across the unknown, it is more suited to simply tear it apart, lest one of us suffers a price we did not bargain for."
"It hasn't done anything wrong yet," Katya argued.
"Yet," Rulk punctuated. "It could as soon as we give back what it has been searching for. We lack the equipment and resources to even contain or transport it, should. It disturbs my mind that I cannot even detect the gemstone's presence within the warp. What else might it reveal once it restores itself? Tell me, Katya, do you realize the stake you now hold?"
Katya's brow furrowed, a frown on her face. "Yeah. I'm about to help someone. How can you be against that?"
"It is what I have learned in my time across the stars. From experience, words spoken, knowledge gained. It has all proved the dangers that lie with something like this… warp- interfering mummy."
"You helped me pretty damn easy."
Rulk looked away from the frozen Zalak, back to Katya. "You are abhuman, same as I. That, and this is not the same aspect. Anything related to the warp should not be so easily trusted."
Katya's perspective changed at that moment. She hadn't been told about him also being classified as an abhuman, though the term was lost on her. She'd always be human to herself. It was just what she was. If anything, the Imperials were the stranger ones. But did that even matter at the moment?
"Even you?"
"It was how humanity survived," Rulk said easily. "Before we were needed, of course. If we weren't used to our skills, I suspect the Navigator Households would not have been born."
Katya gaped before shaking her head. "Seriously, why is everything surrounding the Imperium so fucked up? Every time I learn something, it seems to have a good chance of being terrible. Hostile aliens that would murder me, demons that attack people, a nightmare dimension just to go from one piece of space to another?"
Rulk's small chuckle grew in volume to his metallic coughing from earlier. A deep and heavy exhale murmured from his helm as he returned to his stance. "If only you knew."
"I don't, and honestly, I'm still unsure of whether I want to. But I know where we are. We're in the middle of this stupid desert, in this metal maze of bullshit, and not a world you can apply the same rules to. I'm supposed to be Faust's guide. Let me do my job and show you how we Terrans live."
"It's—"
"Terra," Katya corrected as she jabbed a finger in his direction. He leaned slightly backwards as Katya stared him down. "Not your Holy Terra, this supposed jewel of humanity, but my Terra. Normal. Kinda shitty sometimes. But more than enough good happens here for me to think otherwise—at least to those who aren't infected." She mumbled the last sentance in a wilt before straightening up. "And it's home. Please. Trust in me on this one."
Rulk hesitantly looked at Zalak, then back at her. He stepped back, clutching his staff as he took a stance. "I will prepare for the worst should it inevitably go awry."
"Yeah, well, let's see if your 'currents' will predict its movements, then."
"It cannot. The warp is too uncertain to predict."
Katya paced towards the pedestal, grabbing the glowing gem. In her hands, it looked small, fragile even. If she wanted, she could easily crack the gem with just her palm. Instead, she did the right thing, inserting it into the Zhayedan's gem slot.
The Zhayedan pose broke, now standing at attention. For the moment, it did nothing else but held its straight stance. Katya stood back, observing if it would do anything. It did nothing.
"I believe you broke it."
"Shut up, it couldn't have broken from that… right?"
They both stared at it for a second, doubt seeding into their mind. Maybe… she had broken it. Well, that sucks. She honestly liked the weird mummy. Then suddenly, it shifted slowly in its movements, causing the both of them to observe what it would do next.
The Zalak murmured a sentence through a surprisingly gentle tone. Womanly, even, much to their surprise. A single thought ran through Katya's head of the mummy being flatter than a board—she was now happy with her own state in that department. Returning to the matter at hand, the words were lost in translation as she spoke in Sargonian, one that had a much more distinct dialect than what Katya had heard in the past.
That is, until Katya's Elucidator beeped out a tone. She fumbled for the device that had been carried with her, even now.
"You kept that on you?" Rulk asked incredulously. Katya blushed in slight embarrassment. "I kinda got attached to it. Plus, I'm still trying to learn some of the more complicated words Low Gothic has." Though now, she was very sure she'd keep it till the end. It was too useful to forget about, especially when considering so many other Terran languages. Maybe she could even see if she could learn Gaulish as a fun little side project for the dead language.
She raised it again—the words were translated after a minute.
"My mind returns…" the Zhayedan had spoken. Currently, she was stuck staring at her hands, the gauntleted palms reflecting the golden orbs for eyes. She was clearly lost in thought.
"Uh, hello, hi Mrs. Zhayedan?"
Rulk playfully stared at Katya, considering the words she had spoken were so… childish. He was roughly nudged in the side from a reddening Katya, causing him to hunch over with a pained gasp.
The Zalak wheeled, facing the two. "Oh. You do not speak Sargonian. A problem, yet another voice spoke in it?"
Katya waved her Elucidator. "Not really. Think of it as something that can translate for us."
"I… see." The Zhayedan tilted her head. "You two are… not as surprised as I would think. You are not natives, yet, you do not find me strange?"
"U-Uh, sorry, but no. I've unfortunately seen stranger people already." And it probably wouldn't be the last if Rulk's words regarding an Aeldari, whatever that was, were to be believed.
Rulk finally recovered, coughing politely into his hand. "Ahem, I believe we are getting off track when time is of the essence. Might we know who you are?"
"...I was a warrior, one of many among His Majesty Lugalszargus' Zhayedans. I was forged with the purpose of slaying those that sought to corrupt our noble civilization. When my passing approached near, I was given a final choice to defend his kingdom, even in death. It was my duty to slay the Poltergeists in the south, all for the price of time. A worthwhile deal, in my mind."
Katya stood dumbstruck at the information bombarding her, but Rulk thankfully continued in her stead. He hummed in appreciation and curiosity before speaking. "And your name?"
"My name is Anahita Sura Pahlevani. I would prefer Ana, if you would."
"Ana, then. I am Rulk of House Skaldwick, while my associate here is known as Katya Kerenov. While it is lovely, you have your wits back, we must leave this place to find another… member of our group still lost to these accursed halls. Much to our annoyance."
"Accursed?" Ana asked, gripping her sword. "What place have you restored my memory in? Is this not the palace of Lugalszargas, or within the borders of the City of Gold?"
Katya's stupor broke as the seriousness of the situation invaded her senses. She grimaced at the aspect of disappointing a foreign nation's royal guard, but she needed to. Katya interrupted Rulk before he could say anything Rulk-like. "About that… we're inside that portal structure inside the Foehn Hotlands."
"...You do not mean… no…" The Zhayedan hurriedly marched to the doorway, moving past them. She held her empty hand up, a Sargonian curse escaping from under their mask. She looked to her right, eyeing the Kheshig. Her sword was stowed slowly as she crouched down, a hand placed on the helm.
For a moment, she was silent as the duo walked out of the chamber. Rulk looked at Katya, who shrugged, neither having any clue to what Anahita was doing.
"You completed your Khaganquest… I see… thank you, old friend." Anahita stood tall, unsheathing her weapons. "I know these halls, unchanged in the time that has clearly passed. Do they still lurk within?"
"We have yet to encounter daemons, though corruption has breached the area."
"And this Foehn Hotlands… did the portal move out of the cursed Cuauhtla Overgrowth?"
Katya shrugged, "I don't know, and Rulk definitely doesn't. We're here on an expedition to find a solution to the Demons in the north. Everything down south has been desert sand, no jungle."
There was a long pause "...I did not know of this. A desert in place of a jungle. And to hear these Poltergeists elsewhere than Cuauhtla is worrisome…" Ana sharpened her gaze. "I must see the outside soon. You ask that I follow you to find this friend of yours?"
"Precisely," Rulk spoke.
"Then we must make haste for this ally. Do you have any knowledge of their location?"
Rulk turned, already leading the group from the front. "Follow me, then. It will hopefully not be long."
Thus, they traveled into the hallways again. Katya found herself staring at the Zhayedan. Anahita's movements and body language befit that of a warrior, but beneath that, she was graceful in her steps. She stepped lightly, countered by the jingling trinkets clinging to her arms and legs, and the heaviness of her metallic body weighing deeply on her steps.
"So… are you dead?" Katya asked, to which Rulk had subtly inched his head a hint to the right, to better hear the two of them.
"In a way, you may think of me as that, ma'am. I am Zhayedan. To be one is to forfeit all that I once had in mortal life. I am a warrior first and foremost. This body allows me to better fulfill my duty as such."
"Is that why you're… uh… you know?"
"Why I am what, ma'am?" Anahita asked, her head intimidatingly peering down at the Ursus.
Katya shook her head, glancing down at her own. "Never mind, forget I said anything."
Rulk snorted loudly, a glare thrown by Katya at the Navigator. His head faced perfectly straight, composed as if he hadn't thrown an insult. He politely coughed, bringing attention to himself.
"A warrior, you said?" Rulk mused. "And to defeat daemons, no less? A noble goal."
"My thanks, sir. When I had become this, I had thought such. I am curious, how much time has passed since my awakening? You see, I am foggy on the details. I sense that the gemstones housing my memories may have been separated—lapsing my."
Katya's brow furrowed at the mention of more gemstones, but would ask about that later. Instead, she focused on the question, her mind calculating. "I'm not sure… you're definitely out of your time, though. If you remember that Kheshig from the Khaganate, then… over a thousand years old."
Rulk sputtered to a stop, coughing as he turned in complete bewilderment. Meanwhile, Anahita's pace drew to a close, her grip loosening on both her shield and her sword.
"Excuse me?" they said in tandem.
Katya leaned away, looking at the two frantically. "Y-Yeah, she's literally walking history. I thought that was obvious to you, Rulk. Uh, sorry, Anahita. A lot of stuff has definitely changed for you."
"A millennium…" Anahita whispered to herself.
"That is older than most Adeptus Astartes…" Rulk muttered. He looked up at the Zhayedan, as his fingers tapped at his chin. "My Lord-Captain will have many questions for you."
"...I am unfamiliar with this term 'Lord-Captain.' But, I suppose I shall answer them, should you promise to bring me home, sir."
"I cannot do such a thing, not yet. Once we are out, I will guide you to the one who can. Is this fine?"
"It is…" Anahita drawled.
"Good. Onwards, then."
Rulk picked up his step as they began speed-walking in their pace.
More than an hour had passed as they searched, much to Katya's and Rulk's grimace. They were half tempted to leave, but on Katya's insistence, they prowled the halls. Rulk's guidance through the gloom was done expertly, but they continued to trail deeper into the facility, and corruption only grew denser. Anahita was curious about his Arts, to which the Navigator chose to ignore at this time.
He expertly put it as, "Something to not look at."
Anahita nodded at it, the exchange brief.
The halls clawed at them with each step taken, both mentally and physically. Rulk could feel how densely packed such corruption was. A sanctioned psyker or a priest would have been of much help in dispersing what was here, but alas, it was up to him to do it.
Anahita's politeness was a small salve to his mentality, as were her stories. They were rich with the history of her time in her ancient humanity. It dissuaded his negative emotions from her being potential trouble, as she seemed to have a genuine sense of duty to protect humanity. It strangely reminded him of the Lamenters on the ship, well, in the brief meetings he had while in Faust's company. Especially that of this "Kheshig."
He was a powerful warrior, similar to her, who she could not remember the name of. Yet, it was implied he had a similar goal, the conquest of Daemons. Rulk could hear how it saddened Anahita to forget her friend's name, but such things came easily in the Imperium. He gave a small condolence, but he would not carry her grief. The Zhayedan had grabbed the Kheshig's helmet as one last remnant, now hanging by her side. But her stories and humanity were not enough to calm the growing storm of annoyance inside Rulk's mind.
Their delve into the deeper crevice of metal ended in a dead end, which nearly caused the Navigator to unleash all of his third eye. He was tired of walking, tired of the damn warp-like substances permeating the air, and tired of being sent on baby-sitting duty.
"That is it!" Rulk slammed his Force Staff, startling the Zhayedan behind him. "We leave him to this wretched facility. It shames me, but I will not be left behind looking for a lost cog!"
"Are they… not an ally of yours? I would not think of leaving such a person behind as noble," the Zhayedan asked.
"Not really," Katya answered, hiding her growl. "It's more like someone who works alongside us."
"A mercenary, ma'am?"
"Close enough. Alright, let's stop wasting our time and get back outside."
Anahita seemed to accept this, albeit with slight suspicion. But she held her tongue.
Rulk nodded at Katya, awkwardly shimmying around the Ursus to point his eye the other way. It would have been convenient to simply shut it off, turn around, then open it a tad, but that might invite disaster. He wasn't going to take the chance, even as he bumped into a wall to do it.
Rulk took one step forward and stopped at the sudden intrusion he felt in the air. The currents stirred in a way he felt was off. They were swirling around in certain areas, similar to a vortex in the empyrean. He clenched his Force Staff.
He heard Katya unholstering her laspistol, but not yet ready to take it out. "Is something wrong, Rulk?" She asked hesitantly.
"Something stirs awake. Prepare thyself, beastie."
There was metallic clanging to the left of Rulk's behind. He chalked it up to Anahita banging her shield. "Then they shall face death. Let them come."
The warp retracted as the other warp surged. It was as if one river was slamming against the other stream in a sudden rush, and now, the victor appeared. From the whirling mists of darkness, the different warp spawned terrible life. It seemed hiding their presence wouldn't work when one of them disrupted the warp too much.
The darkness held in a spiral, while a glimmering purple eye peered back at Rulk. Then another, and another, before several spawned.
"I-Impossible!" Anahita roared. "We defeated them! They should not be here!"
"Collapsal," Katya spoke as the whine of her laspistol sounded. "Rulk, you're the one with the special powers. What's the plan?"
Rulk's smile grew under his mask. He licked at his razored teeth, staring at the incoming daemons. "We run forward."
With that, he unleashed the full extent of his warp eye. A surge of the warp flowed through, the little stream erupting into a waterfall as the true intensity of the currents unleashed through the dam that was his eye. The shimmering gleam of the warp surrounded the Daemons in front of him, causing them to revolt and shimmer.
Rulk was not an expert on Daemons. He had fought some in his service with Faust, but to claim being anything more would have been folly. But he knew of his powers. He drew upon them at the same time he drew breath at birth, in the safety of his house near his destined twin. And from that, he was given teachings to truly become a Navigator of his household.
Through it all, he had his sibling by his side. Rell was masterful in the grace of finding purchase through the warp. Her senses were uncanny compared to his, powerful in a way that was honed. And their teachers, seasoned navigators of both familial ancestry and hired outsiders, had honed her to become precise.
But he was different. He was not gentle, nor was he clumsy in its usage. He was not talented in the ways Rell was—not as precise. Whereas Rell used her eye, the same way a dueling sword would be used, Rulk used his like the Force Staff tightly gripped at his hands. He was forceful in its usage, and his family had given him harder teachings to accompany this.
His sister did not mutate in the same ways he had, still relatively as human as a Navigator could be. But beneath the metal shell was flesh turned scalelike, webbed digits, and sharpened teeth. Rulk was a Navigator, and though he once resembled human, he knew others might not consider him such.
Yet in the end, it gave him some leeway. He was the hammer to her nail, the one who held the sheer brutality of the warp at bay while Rell could guide the Clad in Ire easier. And he had failed… and she had been afflicted. This was his penance.
Now, though, he was a hammer for a different reason. A hammer, as any tool, could be used for war. As any tool, it could kill.
The Lidless Stare was the name some gave it. Rulk called it another. True death.
As the warp surged, pushing back against this other warp, it tore through their vile ranks. They did not hold for even a second as the warp impetuously unmade them once more. The ink in the air disappeared in an instance as it was pushed aside like any other nuisance. In his front, nothing held, the hands on the walls melting and the Daemons vanishing.
"Cover the rear! I will pierce through the front. And as I said—"
"Don't look at your face, I know. Oh, uh, Anahita, don't look at his face. Trust us on that—killing those Daemons is only one thing it can do."
"Amazing…" Anahita murmured. "I will cover the flanks! We make for the light!"
Rulk jogged, his warp no longer a simple flashlight, but a floodlight. Daemons opening portals to appear were closed off before they had the chance. He could hear the armored steps of Anahita and the rapid stomping of boots from Katya as they hurried from one section of the maze to the next.
"They're right on our heels!" Katya shouted, the hiss of a lasgun ringing out. "Frag, this doesn't do the job well!"
Rulk wanted to turn around, but he knew he couldn't. He faced forward as he yelled. "Delay them as much as you can!"
"Delay? They will fall by my hand!" Anahita shouted. Rulk heard the shredding of metal as her sword likely ripped into the walls, most definitely cutting down a Daemon.
Rulk could feel it as they charged through the halls, the exit becoming closer. He felt it would have taken longer, but the thought was removed upon thinking it over—as much as he could while he was very busy saving their lives. They searched many rooms already, the wasted time no longer a nuisance. It felt long because they made it a long search, thus, as any facility was built, it would not be long until they found the exit.
More Daemons in the front found the warp beckoning them back, while Katya and Anahita were fending them off in the rear. He could only move forward, one step, then another. That was his job. That was his role. That was how they would make it out.
Rulk sickly coughed into his helm, growling at his own condition. Years of service made him lesser, but his actual armor was the metaphorical shield to that lapse in defense. It powered each step, not in the same way power armor would, but by devotion to making sure he was not fragile. That he could run.
And, as the exit to this maze of terribleness drew near, he roared in his own battle-cry. "We are nearly there! One more hall!"
Katya growled out her own cry, the hiss of her pistol disappearing as she instead focused on leaving. Anahita sounded as if she did no such thing, hearing the crackle of Daemons be returned with a whoosh of a blade.
The doorway they found themselves entering shined through, as the darkness retreated in the same way a cloud let the night sky's moons gain the spotlight. With a final push of his legs, he shut off his eye as he jumped outside. He slid on the sand, grinding his foot as he held out a hand to Katya. Katya took it, jumping out and facing the entrance as Anahita rushed out. The Zhayedan ducked under the doorway, standing at the front as the darkness pooled back into place.
They waited for more to come, prepared to cut them down, as they knew reinforcements would be right behind them.
What felt like hours passed in seconds, with not one terrible warp-predator emerging from the pits of hell. They stared at the void and the void stared back.
"Rulk, Katya, where in the Throne have you been?" Faust's familiar voice shouted from atop the dunes. Rulk didn't want to take his eye away from the gloomy entrance, but he chanced a peek, considering the other two would cover him.
Atop the hill was a cross-armed Faust, a similarly posed Delta, a confused Brogg, and most infuriating of them all, a prideful Joriel.
The little bastard hadn't notified that he had left them.
Rulk wheeled as rage streamed through him, but he thought he hid it well enough. "We… have been searching… the damn Daemonic infected halls… for that coghead!" Rulk angrily exclaimed with a point as he stomped up the dune.
"Daemons? I recorded no encounters with warp entities while I found priceless data. Why do you lie, Navigator?"
"Da vy blyad' stebotes' nado!" Katya shrieked from the bottom of the hill, stomping up the hill to reach the group. Whatever curse she had spoken was left there, but her anger had traveled up with her. "We just fought our way out of all of that, and you're here? We thought you got permanently lost inside that fragging maze!"
"Allies?" Anahita voiced from below them. "Are we not going to face them?"
The other part of the group, especially the tech-priests, now looked down at the Zhayedan.
"Is my hearing dysfunctional, or did that construct just speak?" Joriel ignorantly asked, making the unfortunate mistake of ignoring the two of them as he stepped closer.
Rulk slowly looked at Katya, who gave a knowing glance as her fists tightened. That… was an excellent idea.
"Rulk. Will I be punished if I do what I want?"
"Katya, under my influence, you will not."
Katya stepped forward and twisted with her punch, socking Joriel right in the face. The tech-priest flopped over as the force caused his legs to flip up.
AN: Alright, another chapter is finally out. Sorry about that, it was supposed to come out earlier but I got a little hung up with, well, life. Been busy, ya feel? But, I'm always pecking at this story and finishing what I can. Let's say I'm making up for it with a longer chapter than usual. Anyhow, a bunch of arknights lore mixed in with a bit of warp and navigator stuff, thought that was neat to mix into. This one was originally just going to be a Katya chapter, but I like tinkering with Rulk and their dynamic a little too much, so I gave him the chance for lore. And also, Zhayedans. Don't get incredibly attached as I write the next chapter, they'll pop back up in the story, but for now, you can make an inference on where they'll be going. A lot of other details surrounding the Zhayedans are a bit in the air, so, why not just make them have a semi-similar process to forfeiting all mortal plights like the necrons, wink wink if you've look at their trivia. We're also not given a name for the region before the portal exploded, thus, I name it Cuauhtla Overgrowth, which the first part should translate to "Forest." I based that off of the current jungle region of Sargon named Acahualla. To the Dokutahs out there, I also got to lvl 50 of IS5 and have been enjoying the challenge. Second final boss is hard…
Anyway, review time.
OP222: That's good to hear. You've been here since the near beginning, so it's nice to see you've stuck around.
Amanwithhobbies: I'm going to be "lazy" here and just say our esteemed harlequin is a little bit stronger than Faust, physically and definitely much more psychically. But I guess that doesn't exactly answer the question, so instead, I turn to the actual video game Rogue Trader as some evidence, and then my own personal interpretations. In the game, you fight a giant variety of enemies that I won't get into for spoiler reason, but they're damn tough lore wise—as a human, mind you (barring you didn't go the psyker route or are mostly unaugmented). Typical humans would likely die against a greater threat, let's say, a daemon. Our protagonists are not typical humans (or in some cases, not human to begin with). Iukari fits inside Faust's retinue because of the powers he provides, but so too, does Faust's own merits give a reason for Iukari to stay. When it comes down to inconsistency, just think of Iukari less of a harlequin, and more of a protagonist, if that makes sense. Though, that isn't to say he's any less a harlequin.
Mister-A: I gave that a quick look over and… well, I see it as a bit too complicated for what I'm setting the story up for. It's useful, sure, but the most I'll do is peck at it for some references. I see it's more for power scaling, which while useful, isn't what I exactly need at the moment. It wouldn't likely be mentioned anyway; it seems more useful as a worldbuilding asset in the background that would rarely pop up. Thanks for the question though, I'll actually further encourage similar questions/su since it wasn't a bad idea.
Now, as a little reminder, I've said I accept criticism and I still stand by that. But, I'd actually like a little bit more to chew on than "it's bad." I doubt that particular reader is actually looking at this, but this goes for all that'd, in the future, would like to put in your opinions. Could I get specific reasons, please? I do actually want to grow and develop as a writer.
Finally, I actually am digging a little into making a discord server, since it's a bit hard to just put in an ETA status on a chapter when this website isn't really built for it. Plus, I'd rather not clog up the reviews for just saying "i'm almost done" or "just picked back up on it." I'll probably implement it at the end of the arc. Speaking of, we're getting closer to the end of this arc. Like, a few chapters left. It'll be one side story, and two main story chapters. Roseblade out and thanks for reading.