Oliver, Captain of the Fourth Chapter's 1st Company, did not know how many times he had swung his shock weapon during the long night.
His physical attributes had increased slightly as a "Corpse Collector," and as a "Gravedigger," he had grown robust, significantly stronger than an average Astartes.
Yet, after less than a day of battle, he felt a strange weariness.
He glanced at his command squad. Their armor showed widespread signs of corrosion, as if it had not been maintained for over a decade.
CRACK!
A squad member in Saturnine-pattern Terminator armor suddenly disintegrated, as if a relic from a million years past.
Oliver rushed forward, swinging his shock weapon.
The shockwave screamed through a group of Hrud's distorted fields, tearing their spines into fragmented bones.
"Fall back!" he shouted to his command squad members.
Oliver's defensive line extended. Facing more Hrud charges, he swung his weapon without pause.
He didn't even have time to look up at the sky.
He longed for the faint starlight to illuminate the surface as never before.
Oliver soon reached his limit. He was covering four positions alone.
His shock weapon swung like the wind, pounding the ground like a pile driver.
He repeated the mechanical motion until a rune blinked on his helmet's tactical layer.
He turned. The bare ceramite was pitted and scarred, as if exposed to the elements for ten millennia.
A Guard member's skin had thinned, covered in age spots. Veins bulged, blue. His pulse weakened by the moment.
He fell. Dust poured from his armor's joints.
His death took less than a second.
Oliver lost three more command squad members. Each died differently.
The only commonality: aging.
On a fifth squad member, the black paint on his armor began to blister and peel.
Oxidation spots dulled the black ceramite. In his Spirit Vision, the systems within rapidly dimmed, turning to black.
As dust fell, countless Hrud retreated like a tide.
Oliver took a deep breath. The Hrud's acrid stench filled his rebreather.
He coughed. His voice held weariness and age.
Oliver felt, after one night, he had aged forty years.
Not severe, but perceptible.
He looked up. Dim light was visible. Dawn was near.
The "Spirit Medium" was suddenly struck. He heard the Hrud's cries.
He immediately activated "Eye of Death."
As if leaving his weary, aged body, his perception detached from his flesh, overlooking from a higher plane.
The "Spirit Medium" saw a giant Hrud specter circling the battlefield, twice the size of a living Hrud.
In his "Eye of Death," it had twelve deep-set eyes. In reality, it was thousands of Hrud specters condensed.
Oliver felt a surge of joy. Since becoming a "Spirit Medium," he had encountered few specters.
The Black Emperor had told them that when most creatures died, their spirits entered the Warp, becoming part of the Sea of Souls.
Only in special worlds, or when disturbed, did spirits linger in reality.
Before, this had happened most at Taxx.
The Slaugth's evil will could overpower psykers and affect the Sea of Souls.
The Fourth Chapter often encountered specters in battle. Captain Keon had become a true "Spirit Medium" during that war.
But he had missed that campaign.
Chapter Master Adams had become a true "Spirit Medium" on Medusa, the Iron Hands' homeworld, by communicating with the ancient specters that lingered there.
'Is it because the Hrud's entropy fields distort time?'
'Hrud specters, dying at different times, have become entangled.'
As Oliver pondered, he messaged Adams, "My Lord, I have Hrud specters here."
Then, he overlooked his body, slinging his shock weapon on his back, and walked towards the writhing Hrud specter.
The "Spirit Medium's" spirituality extended, touching the Hrud specter. He asked in Dunnic, "Can you tell me what lies within the tunnels?"
Court Brothers activated their Spirit Vision, watching the specter.
Non-Court Brothers looked ahead in confusion, unsure who their Captain was speaking to.
The Hrud suddenly stopped writhing. "Mediumship" made it understand the meaning of the rust-armored warrior.
It arched its spine, its scaly hide spreading like a cobra threatening.
Oliver shook his head. He knew these specters, entangled, had fragmented, piecemeal memories. They could not perceive his friendliness.
Oliver thought of his five fallen Guard members. Trusted battle-brothers.
The "Spirit Medium's" gaze turned cold, colder than his own chilled body.
He raised his shock weapon, pointing at the weakness he perceived through "Eye of Death", a point a quarter of the way up its spine.
"I strike here, you die."
"Tell me. Or die."
The Hrud shrieked, its body recoiling like a startled cobra, ready to attack.
Seeing the warrior's wrist move, the hammer-like weapon always aimed at it,
it felt an inexplicable chill. Its attack stopped. It bowed its head submissively.
'This is the Astartes' way of being friendly.'
The Hrud spoke, its voice sometimes a bat-like shriek, sometimes a mouse-like squeak.
The "Spirit Medium," through the "Mediumship" link, understood the Hrud's ancient language.
"The tunnels house our archives, containing books from various races we have collected..."
Oliver nodded slightly. He recalled the Black Emperor mentioning that the Hrud collected vast amounts of historical, cultural, and technical information.
They treasured this data. If it were destroyed, the Hrud would attack with storm-like fury.
The "Spirit Medium" felt the iceberg within him melt.
In his overlooking perspective, the Death Lord's figure appeared. The iceberg completely melted.
'I have become a true "Spirit Medium."'
The "Spirit Medium" felt his spirituality grow more lively. His weariness vanished. It was as if he had regained the life he had lost.
Adams walked to the Hrud, extending his psychic energy into its deeper regions.
The "Spirit Guide" spoke in Dunnic, his tone cold and grim.
"Specter, I will make you my messenger..."
The Hrud raised its arm, ready to attack the black-armored warrior who sought to enslave it. But the moment the thought arose, under the cold gaze, it trembled and stopped.
The "Spirit Guide" intoned "Language of the Dead," while taking a copper tube from his belt and removing a parchment.
Unfurling it, the "Spirit Guide" examined the "Spirit Contract" written in Dunnic.
It stipulated that the messenger could not peek at the letter, discard it, or harm the contractor.
The contractor's obligation was to inform the messenger if the letter's content involved them.
To ensure the contract's effectiveness, its final section invoked a deity's honorific name.
After verifying the contract was unaffected by entropy fields, the "Spirit Guide" took a quill from an approaching Guard member and wrote in Dunnic on the parchment:
"The Twin-Headed Wolf of Fenris, Guardian of the Death Realm, Death Regent subordinate to the Black Emperor."
As the words were written, one after another, they ignited with dark green flames.
The "Spirit Guide" produced a whistle made of dual-numbered black gold, pressed it onto the parchment, and signed his name: Adams.
After the "Spirit Guide" finished, the parchment floated, carrying the black gold whistle and quill, to the Hrud.
After the Hrud specter wrote a long string of names, the dark green flames rapidly connected, enveloping the whistle and parchment.
Seconds later, the parchment turned to ash. The black whistle, unchanged, fell into the "Spirit Guide's" outstretched palm.
As the Hrud specter's form rapidly faded and vanished, the "Spirit Medium" Oliver watched with envy.
'My "Mediumship" only allows communication with spectral entities. Against powerful specters, or those not temporarily bound to reality, threats like mine earlier are useless.'
'My Lord can not only communicate, but compel cooperation, even use them as messengers.'
As the "Spirit Medium" pondered, he deactivated "Eye of Death." His perception returned to his body.
"Come with me to the command center. Report to my Lord."
"As you command, my Lord." Oliver then pointed to the new tunnels the Hrud had excavated as they retreated.
Even as an enemy, Oliver had to admit the Hrud were natural-born excavation experts. They surpassed even the Pluto Tunnelers, even the Termite Tunnelers.
Oliver ordered, "Establish defensive lines."
He then followed Adams towards the landing pad.
In the pale light, Golghis's grey rock was blurred. Shadows and rock were indistinguishable.
As if the entire planet, like the Hrud, wore camouflage.
Techmarines directed workers from Necromunda, crushing and sintering rock, using it to build fortifications.
The two boarded a black Stormbird, emblazoned with a green skull on one side. Its engines started.
Moments later, Oliver, through the narrow viewport, saw a grey armored vehicle. He knew it was Lord Perturabo's gift to the Black Emperor.
The Stormbird landed. They walked down the ramp, entering the Black Emperor's command center.
"My Lord," Oliver bowed respectfully. "Last night..."
Arsena Dunn, Marlena Skala, and Diana Pauline examined the black whistle in Adams's hand, marked with "XI" and "XXXIII."
"How do you summon your messenger?" Diana asked curiously.
"Blow the whistle. Chant in Dunnic: 'I summon, in my name, the spirits that wander in the void, the friendly beings at my disposal, the messenger unique to Adams.'"
Diana looked at the Black Emperor. Seeing Him nod slightly, she took the whistle, blew it, and recited the summoning incantation Oliver had given.
After chanting, nothing changed. But the "Hypnotist" felt a chill.
She thoughtfully activated her Spirit Vision. She saw bones scattered on the ground, forming a bizarre fountain.
Seconds later, a spectral creature appeared.
It extended an arm towards her. Diana, without a letter, stood frozen.
Nareth scrutinized the messenger, thinking.
'Is the contracted messenger in the Sea of Souls, or in a special pocket dimension?'
'Fenrisian myth speaks of a underworld, guarded by the twin-headed death wolf, Morkai. Russ sought guidance there before attempting to assassinate Horus.'
'But do only Fenrisian creatures go there? Or would creatures like this messenger also go?'
Nareth decided to explore the underworld with Sanchez, who had received the cloak of Morkai, and Adams.
'Hmm, but that must wait until the Kingdom of Disorder unlocks the "Black Emperor's" resurrection ability.'
As Nareth pondered, Adams told Diana the incantation to end the summoning.
Diana blew the whistle again and chanted to the messenger, who kept reaching out but received nothing.
"I end this summoning in my name."
Having received nothing, the messenger vanished angrily.
Nareth compared this to astropathic communication, also Warp-based.
'Astropathic communication is fragmentary, requiring guesswork to reconstruct complete messages. Messenger-delivered messages are complete. An advantage.'
'The drawback: astropathic messages can be sent to anyone.'
'Messengers can only deliver to their master and receive replies. Large-scale application would require a large number of messengers.'
'Overall, inferior to pulling people into the Kingdom of Disorder, but among the Legion's high command, it is a new method, unique to Shadows of Order.'
Nareth stared at the vanished messenger. He knew, to ensure the contract's effectiveness, the honorific name inscribed at the end should preferably be a deity of the relevant domain.
This was a necromantic contract. Normally, it should invoke a Death God. But none existed yet.
The next best was a description of a high-ranking entity in the death domain, or the underworld itself. The binding would be weaker.
Nareth was unsure if Fenris's underworld met the conditions, nor did he trust placing his messengers under its jurisdiction.
Until a high-sequence Death Pathway beyonder was cultivated, he would use the bronze mask from the Morkai temple on Fenris, a magical item associated with Sequence 2 "Death Consul," in its place.
Fortunately, its Sequence 2 status, though inferior to a true "Death Consul" in binding spectral entities, was still above Sequence 3.
'Using the Death Consul has negative effects. I rarely use it.'
'Now, it finally has a use.'
'Hmm, perhaps when I advance to high sequence and leverage the Kingdom of Disorder's power, I can eliminate those effects?'
The "Baron of Corruption" turned to Oliver. Seeing the uniform dark green within him, he asked.
"You have mastered the power I bestowed upon you."
"My Lord, just today, when my Lord contracted the messenger."
Nareth nodded slightly. "Leave. Oliver, return alone in ten minutes."
After the three bowed and left, he went to the Kingdom of Disorder.
Nareth brought the Slaugth's necrotic scepter and burial shroud to the Jokaero, ordering it to concoct the Sequence 6 "Spirit Guide" potion.
After digesting the "Baron of Corruption" potion and unlocking the other half of the Blasphemous Tablet's recipes, he knew these were the main and supplementary ingredients for "Spirit Guide."
He had previously promoted Adams and Keon to "Spirit Guide."
Watching the space simian concoct the potion, he thought about the "Spirit Guide's" acting method.
'Without spectral entities, the "Spirit Guide" is hard to act out. Adams needs more to digest.'
His mind raced. He thought.
'Hmm... the Coronid Deeps does have a world with a large number of specters of two xenos races.'
'No rush. It will be over five millennia before Rogue Trader Solomon Haarlock discovers that region in the 36th Millennium.'
'My plan is to conquer the Calixis Sector after the Heresy. Hmm... if I can win Perturabo over, I'll give him the more distant Koronus Expanse.'
As he pondered, Nareth went to the third layer. He looked at the banner, linked to him by black threads.
He took it and placed it behind his neck, on his iron halo.
It was an upgraded version of his iron halo, crafted by the Emperor's artisans after the Wheel of Fire Campaign.
Oliver, meeting the Black Emperor, saw a banner flying on His left, behind Him. The Dionysian Spear usually on His right shoulder, was absent.
'Still my Lord's asymmetrical style.'
'With it on His back, He looks... the most perfect deity.'
The thought came, then guilt.
'My Lord has always been most perfect.'
"Drink this."
Oliver took the potion from the Black Emperor's open hand with joy.
It was overall yellow, speckled with green.
Even unopened, a strong stench of decay emanated.
As a seasoned "Corpse Collector " and "Gravedigger," Oliver did not find the smell unpleasant. He took it and drank.
Countless phantom forms walked before him. Countless knowledge flooded his mind.
He felt as if he had entered a realm of the dead.
Moments later, Oliver reined in the overflowing power of the potion.
"My Lord, I thank You for Your gift."
He clenched his fist. 'Tonight, I can do more.'
Nareth nodded slightly, walking out. He would begin preparing to capture all the Hrud on Golghis.
.....
If you enjoy the story, my p@treon is 30 chapters ahead.
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