Ananotek left the Eternity Gate, which opened on the roof of a building, grumbling as he felt the closest thing to anger, ignoring his personal guard marching beside him.
"I knew I should have asked for a best-of-three!"
Putting aside his defeat in the game he himself had suggested, the Necron Noble observed the streets below, seeing the terrified masses fleeing the marine horrors that had left the coast.
The planet's defenders were divided between leading the mortals to shelters and confronting the mutant monstrosities, and for now, they seemed capable of handling the threat.
Bullets from turrets of armored formations ripped through the air, grinding hordes of creatures; smaller aircraft crisscrossed the skies, bombarding the marine beings below, filling the city with explosions.
"My lord, here is the battle report."
Ananotek's personal Cryptek knelt beside him as a holographic screen floated between them, both systems rapidly processing the collected information.
The beasts were invading the planet's coastal cities, but at their current rate, it would take them days to reach the larger settlements on dry land, perhaps hours if they swam against the current of the rivers that flowed into the sea.
The Noble still didn't understand what his Overlord saw in these humans, but as an honorable member of the dynasty and a follower of the codes, he had orders to obey. However, considering the freedom he had been given, he would do it his way.
With a few commands, the orders were given to his troops, and the counterattack began. From his elevated position, he spotted the distant glints of the Deathmarks felling the sea monsters below with precise shots.
Wraiths pierced the buildings, cutting their foundations, bringing them down on top of the approaching hordes. If there were any humans inside, he didn't care, and those who fled too slowly were consumed by the resulting clouds of debris and dust.
Suddenly, a powerful energy signature was detected; the tomb was awakening. A good and bad sign, good because his job of finding it had become easier, bad because it meant the tomb had detected a threat worthy of his attention.
The Eternity Gate opened again, and the Necrons on the roof retreated, heading towards the depths of the sea.
-XXXXXX-
"SCREER!"
The first thing Ananotek saw upon setting foot on the ocean floor was the face of an abomination with a swollen head and a circular mouth with rows of teeth. With a swift command, a Warrior positioned himself in the path of the bite, losing his head, but allowing the Noble to slice the monster with quick swings of his hyperphase khopeshs.
Clouds of dark blue blood floated across the water as tiny creatures with various appendages wasted no time devouring the corpse of the dead animal. From his elevated position, Necron and his forces had a privileged view of the great pyramid rising below, splitting the earth with severe tremors, sending shockwaves through the water and raising walls of marine sediment.
Around him, more of the corrupted mutants swam, veritable shoals of mouths, claws, and anything else they possessed to devour and tear apart the pathetic sailors who survived the shipwreck of their destroyed vessels.
Despite such a terrifying sight for mortal minds, Ananotek was unconcerned; on the contrary, he felt something akin to confusion, for where was the great threat?
The Warriors and Immortals had already dispersed, leading the defenses with the aid of Spiders, Scarabs, and Wraiths, while the Gauss Pylons and Sentry Pylons rose from the sand and side openings of the main tomb complex, reducing approaching enemies to scattered atoms.
As if heard by some force of destiny, Ananotek's doubts were dispelled. Everything went dark; the little sunlight that barely illuminated the depths disappeared, and a simple glance upwards revealed the cause.
The creature was colossal and gray, covered in scales larger than many Necron constructs. Its tentacles extended as far as its optical sensors could perceive. The area where its head and face would be was flat, with a long, drill-shaped beak and a ring of atrophied, milky eyes around it.
That same beak proved to be a powerful weapon; the colossal monster spread its tentacles like a star and threw them back, using the reverse force to propel itself forward like a torpedo.
To Ananotek's anger, his forces were right behind the massive being, and consequently, all the water that simple gesture moved was pushed in his direction, throwing him and all those accompanying him far away.
A violent collision with a rock was the only thing that prevented them from disappearing into the distance. The damage from the impact and the various metallic bodies clashing against each other was negligible; The Necrodermiss and the Spiders wasted no time repairing everything.
What truly enraged the Noble was the sight of the gigantic monster piercing the side of the tomb with its beak and wrapping its tentacles around it, clinging to the majestic structure like a parasite.
-XXXXXX-
Alarms sounded inside the tomb as the Autonomous Spirit that governed the structure during its master's sleep analyzed the damage report and led the defenses while the process of awakening a more capable leader was underway.
Through the eyes of various Canoptek constructs, it observed critical items being moved away from destruction before the safety gates closed, not only to block the flow of water, but also what it carried.
The beak of the great monster opened, revealing a thick, sticky, gray substance that quickly dissolved everything it touched. From that same spot, several spherical objects tumbled onto the once immaculate ground, remaining motionless for a few seconds.
A quick analysis detected faint vital signs emanating from each one, gradually growing until their form was revealed: tiny versions of their progenitor, minuscule compared to the being that gave birth to them, but enormous when placed before an average Warrior.
Like their larger version, whether through some kind of unknown communication or pure instinct, they walked on their tentacles, resembling a starfish, and spat the same white acid onto everything around them.
Floors, walls, doors—everything creaked and released foul fumes, corroding the ancient armor at a terrifying speed. On the other side, formations of Warriors led by Immortals, supported by Canoptek constructs, awaited.
The water that had seeped into the environment leaked through the holes that had formed, and with it, hordes of starfish advanced. The first one to put its multiple eyes on the other side of the hatch was turned to ashes by a precise shot; the second and third suffered the same fate, but soon a veritable mass of flesh advanced towards the Necrons, crawling across any solid surfaces, initiating combat.
For every monster slain, several took its place, returning the Gauss shots with their acidic spit. One Warrior had the left side of his body dissolved, but not before taking down his attacker and using the blade of his weapon to split in two the next one that closed the distance.
A Spider carried him to the rear lines when the damage became too much, initiating repairs, and the metal wall that was the Necrons closed in as a new Warrior stepped forward, taking the place of the fallen one.
A Wraith left reality in the midst of the horde, impaling two monsters in each leg and five in its long tail. The brothers of the slain creature wasted no time in sending a barrage of acid; the first ones caused some damage, but the advanced machine disappeared immediately, reappearing in a different location and repeating the same strategy.
The Immortal who led the defenses of this specific section fired his Gauss Blaster incessantly, wiping rows of creatures from existence, his mind performing cold and precise battle calculations, concluding that if the combat continued at this pace, victory would be certain.
It's a shame that things didn't always go as planned, not when the colossal monster gave birth to more of its offspring, nor when the floors and walls finally gave way, allowing more of the creatures from inside and outside to spread through the building's corridors along with the water that accelerated their movements.
No, that was easy to deal with: doors slammed shut, stopping the flow of water, and wall panels opened, exposing the tomb's inner workings, releasing an absurd surge of energy that fried the creatures' nerves.
A green light flashed from the depths of the dark passages, and before the monsters could process what had happened, the exhaust fumes from the tomb's core were diverted towards them, evaporating the water and cooking their bodies in scorching heat.
There was no shortage of tricks: bottomless pits leading to deadly falls, walls closing like hydraulic presses, cutting lasers, incinerators, and maintenance units using their tools as weapons.
Unlike the Orks who teleported inside the tomb, they had to contend with the defenses prepared for their arrival and were now paying the price. But for a moment, the defenses ceased, allowing them to advance a few centimeters before the barrage of gaussfire returned. This was due to the biggest problem: the colossal being and its tentacles.
They still gripped the main pyramid, applying ever greater force. Those in distant sectors could see the walls being crushed inward, cracks forming, and a rain of debris falling. If nothing was done, the tomb would be crushed in its grip.
In the midst of its processing, data analysis, and defense strategies, the Tomb Mind received a message that was analyzed in less than a second; allied forces had arrived, and with them, a plan to deal with the present threat.
-XXXXXX-
"Finally."
Ananotek spoke to himself, entering the tomb through one of the many hidden passages that extended far beyond the combat zone now that his presence was authorized by the Tomb Mind.
Looking around, he came upon a gray waterfall flowing from a hole in the upper levels down into the Necron fortification, exactly where he wished to go.
Approaching the edge of the hole, he magnetically locked himself to the surface, walking along the walls accompanied by his forces, fighting off creatures coming from the opposite direction.
A golden bracelet worn by the Noble on his left arm glowed, forming an emerald energy shield that blocked the acid spewed in his direction while the khopesh in his opposite hand tore through the countless tentacles that approached.
A beast was cut in two, its halves disappearing into the abyss below; Another was struck by the shield with such force that it flew out and was crushed against the opposite wall of the hole.
"Disgusting."
The tone in his voice demonstrated how inferior the beings were in his eyes, and as if sensing his master's displeasure, two Gauss shots passed by his side, courtesy of the nearest Warriors, extinguishing two more beasts from existence, while his Cryptek, floating above them all, rained fire and lightning upon the monstrosities, making them screech in their doom.
The speed of their advance left much to be desired, but they had reached the bottom of the hole, skirting the waterfall along the walls, avoiding stepping on the lake formed just below and the river that ran through the massive corridor ahead.
This was one of the most heavily armored sections of the tomb, one of the most critical areas, its energy core protected not only with unknown metallic alloys, but also with shields and energy barriers.
Walking upside down on the corridor ceiling, they approached the gigantic, glyph-covered door just behind a gleaming barrier. The Tomb Mind did its part, granting them access; the shield dissipated, and the door slid open.
Ananotek and his Cryptek entered the chamber while the remaining forces turned their backs, staying behind to face more approaching creatures.
The Noble didn't bother to look back when the door closed, preventing the acid from ruining such an important location, for before him, after reaching the end of an elevated walkway, lay a gigantic, blinding green orb floating in the center of a circular room, with large cables connected to openings in the object, while the other end disappeared into complex machinery on the floor and another on the ceiling.
"Do your part."
"Yes, my lord."
With the order given, the Cryptek approached the control panel at the end of the walkway, rapidly typing on holographic screens as the changes happened in real time.
The already powerful glow at the core shone ever brighter, making the Noble wonder if he would have to shut down his vision to avoid damaging his optical sensors. A high-pitched buzzing echoed through the room, growing gradually louder. Ananotek muttered something incomprehensible, disabling his hearing to rid himself of the cursed sound.
The tremors intensified, shaking the room. If both Necrons hadn't been magnetized to the ground, they would have fallen. In the end, this was nothing more than an inconvenience; with the final press of a command, the energy accumulated in the core flowed through the cables and, with it, into the rest of the tomb.
-XXXXXX-
The colossal monster continued to squeeze the tomb, its tentacles sinking into the structure, transforming the pyramid into a mass of twisted metal as its acid and children ravaged its interiors.
There was no intelligence in its savage mind, only a distant voice commanding it to destroy what was in front of it. This very lack of understanding proved to be its undoing, for the great object it embraced shone like a star, becoming an emerald fortification; then came the pain.
All the core's energy was released, coursing through the surface of the tomb and, consequently, the one who held it. The tentacles of the colossal monstrosity stiffened, each muscle locking in place as the beast's multiple massive hearts stopped and its brain failed to process what had happened.
Soon, everything went dark, and its lifeless body slid away, falling like a felled tree, crushing the smaller abominations swimming below, generating a tremor followed by a muffled thud.
This was not the end of the counterattack; the energy continued to spread, making the sea glow, traveling distances that would be impossible for any power generated by inferior technology.
Every monster, every marine life, whether corrupted or pure, met its end in a great radius, and for the Necrons present, all the extra power proved invigorating, even if most were incapable of feeling something so abstract to them.
Then the tomb lights went out, accompanied by a muffled hum followed by the crackle of the emergency generators activating, bringing power to the critical sectors, now illuminated by a faint green.
The Tomb Mind returned to functioning after the blackout; Spiders and Wraiths began repairing the infrastructure, and the combat forces began their search for remaining enemies.
The mission was a success; if Ananotek were capable, he would have swelled with pride. He could already imagine the glories his Overlord would grant him. Who knows? Perhaps his eccentricity would encourage him to bestow an even greater reward.
Spouting praises to himself, the Noble and his squad returned to the upper levels, approaching the chamber where the Lord of the Tomb was in the process of awakening.
Meanwhile, he oversaw the defenses on the surface. Gradually, the mortals turned the tide of battle, undoubtedly due to the efforts of their mysterious savior. It's a shame they would never venerate his name; Ananotek would at least grant them a swift death if they did.
END OF CHAPTER