Chapter 75: Chapter 75: Daemon
Escape Vessel's Command Room
The past.
It was an eerie place.
Thick, dense spore corpses covered the entire room. These once vibrant organisms were now dead. As Fernando moved, these pale-yellow specks floated into the air, rising and falling.
Vines had overrun the control panel, their thick tendrils obscuring buttons and levers. Not far away, a human corpse sat, also entwined in vines.
Even through his helmet, Fernando could sense a pungent stench of decay.
Yet, everything in sight was desiccated and yellowed, not truly rotting.
This meant the source of the stench was something else.
"Stay alert. Activate low-level shields," Fernando whispered into his helmet's comm channel. Immediately, José behind him activated the psychic shield, casting a dim white glow around them.
This derelict ship was discovered by a Mechanicus exploration vessel nearby. Realizing the ship's psychic energy was off the charts, the cunning Magos promptly requested reinforcements from the nearby legion's Librarium.
The Twilight Raiders were in the vicinity.
So, here they were.
The spoils of exploration would be shared with the legion. The Magos, accompanied by his Skitarii, headed to the engine room, forcibly taking a few Librarians from Fernando's team with them.
According to the Magos, when he found the ship, it was moving at a "speed physically impossible."
He babbled on to Fernando about the importance of the engine room and the effort it took to halt the ship. But as a Librarian, Fernando didn't care for such details.
The legion gave them a task, and they executed. Simple.
More intriguing to Fernando was the reason for the ship's immense psychic energy.
For the warp's energies to affect the material universe, certain conditions must be met to weaken the barrier between the two.
This condition is when something in the material universe actively weakens this barrier.
Typically, the use of psychic powers does this. They forcibly summon the warp's energies, gradually weakening the barrier.
Psykers can cause this phenomenon, or large-scale sacrifices, using emotions to cause massive soul fluctuations.
Additionally, xenos technology or naturally occurring phenomena where the warp and the material universe are closely linked can also cause this.
Fernando initially suspected xenos tech on this ship, but the scene in the command room suggested otherwise.
Either there was a psyker, or a human sacrifice had occurred.
Fernando sensed the area, readied his incendiary gun, and headed towards the densest psychic energy.
It was a corner of the command room, obscured by a thick layer of spore corpses.
José silently intensified the psychic shield.
Taking a deep breath, Fernando used his psychic powers to push the spores aside.
A hidden door appeared, engraved with a symbol: abstract hands holding a star, with vines entwining the hands from below.
Most likely, a human sacrifice.
Sensing that the psychic energy behind the door was manageable, Fernando drew his sword. Psychic arcs danced on the blade, and without hesitation, he cut through the door.
A putrid stench hit them immediately.
In the small chamber, a yellow-green liquid reached up to an Astartes' knees. Unidentifiable white-yellow fats floated on the surface, and at the bottom, a sludge of a fecal green hue.
In the center, atop a fleshy altar made of human fat and flesh, stood a writhing mass of flesh.
Every time it moved, an even more pungent stench filled the room.
Upon entering, Fernando immediately activated his highest-level psychic shield and aimed his incendiary gun at the "creature."
He couldn't fire yet. As a Librarian, he knew that without understanding the altar's purpose, firing might disrupt the balance, releasing the accumulated psychic energy.
The energy in the room was several levels higher than he'd initially sensed.
Simultaneously, the highest-level support and retreat orders were faithfully sent to the Librarium squad in the engine room.
José, behind Fernando, stared in disbelief at the fleshy mass.
Was this a human? A sacrificed shaman?
However, upon seeing the two of them, the fleshy mass's movements quickened, and something resembling an eye focused on them.
"Hello," it murmured.
Fernando's hair stood on end. He'd never encountered such a bizarre scene.
He wanted to retreat with José, but his body seemed paralyzed. Overwhelmed by the stench, all Fernando could do was stand and watch the grotesque entity.
"It's a lovely day," it continued, its voice clearer as a vertical slit opened, resembling a mouth, from which the yellow-green liquid and rotting flesh poured.
"Oh, I apologize. I forgot you can't see the Grand Garden or appreciate the weather."
The fleshy mass began to collapse, its rotten core exposed.
"It's been a pleasure sharing the Father's love with you. However, I can only bless one of you."
"Don't worry. The Father loves all of you. You all have a place in His garden."
"But not him."
The altar collapsed, leaving silence.
"Ahh!!!" José's scream shattered the stillness. Fernando turned slowly to see his comrade, his power armor seeping with the corrosive liquid.
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