Getting Warhammered - [ 65 ] (Patreon)

Commander Luis Dante || Baal

He stared at the being — for he refused to believe even for a second that what he was seeing was either a human or a woman — it had only been a minute since he'd been rampaging through the tide of ravenous beasts, never before had he given in so deeply to the Thirst, he controlled himself in every moment of his overly long life but now he felt in his final fight he might let go a bit.

He enjoyed it, and the knowledge revolted him. He knew he'd enjoy it, of course, it was an addiction, an addiction coded into their genes no less.

But right as he was ready to plunge forward, bereft of all his winged brothers it's -- her -- voice echoed in his mind like a calming breeze that soothed his very soul. An offer to help? NOW? Impossible, he thought, only demons had both the foresight and malice to strike at him at his weakest. He expected a Keeper of Secrets when he challenged the being to reveal itself but what he saw was different than all his expectations.

For one, Dante knew Keeper of Secrets took on forms fit to seduce the beholder and while the woman was beautiful beyond reason he wasn't attracted to her. He couldn't be. A Demon of Seduction wouldn't have failed so spectacularly.

Alliance? He frowned inside, trying to figure out what weird game was the being playing with him. He was tempted to immediately cut her down but her next action had him frozen stiff and reorienting his thoughts.

The Swarm was obliterated for almost a kilometer in every direction, he already saw the ones from further ahead rushing into the vacuum it created but that was something only a handful of people were capable of in the entire Imperium or even the Galaxy as a whole.

A psyker. Seems sane enough. Shouldn't be beyond Delta level then...but that power.

He recalled having seen the Chief Librarian in a fight, effortlessly slaughtering hundreds and even thousands. This thing did the same.

High Gamma or Beta then.

He frowned under his mask. That was a disturbing amount of power for a being he knew nothing about and never heard of. Not to say that staying sane as a Beta-level Psyker was seemingly impossible and they were to be killed on sight as they were endangering entire planets with their mere existence. They are walking Warpgates.

Dante pushed the Thirst down and re-chained it as it always was, he expected a rush of exhaustion at that very moment, he was prepared for it too but nothing came.

He shifted his body, feeling his body ache, his joints strain but that came with being a thousand years old. What he couldn't feel was the dozens of wounds he'd gained over the months of fighting and didn't have time to heal. Nothing. He felt none of them.

"W-*cough*" he recovered himself from his blunder, during his rage he seemed to have forgotten to close his mouth, leaving it parched, "What did you do to me?"

"Oh, that?" the woman floated up to him, her feet landing gently on the ashen ground only a few meters away from him, "just a simple healing like I did with all of your men."

He gave nothing away from his feelings, evaluating her admittance and trying to verify the truth of it but he found no injured Astartes as far as he could see. There were only dead and spry ones already spreading out to launch salvoes of devastation on the approaching enemy while he...negotiated.

He cast his gaze over the woman again, carefully scanning her form. She wore an elaborate armor which reminded him of Aeldari wargear aside from it sporting none of the motifs while retaining its curved elegance and range of movement, under that she wore some sort of robe that fell down from the chest part in the front and the back while the rest of her body was concealed under a dark bodysuit. No scratch, no dust, not even a drop of blood on her.

Dangerous.

Not that danger ever managed to make the Commander flinch, he'd stared down Greater Demons, Demon Primarchs and almost all of the horrors of the galaxy. This much couldn't faze him for too long.

"You asked for an Alliance," his voice was even as he spoke, not betraying his mind evaluating the probabilities of the woman being a disguised Lord of change or a hidden champion of the foul Trickster. There was one that could change his form. The Changeling.

"I did," the woman smiled at him in...amusement? "You are wondering why, aren't you?"

"An acute assumption," he stated.

Her lips twitched slightly, he didn't know if it was displeasure or further amusement.

"I want you to keep me around for a while after we win," her eyes hardened into dead seriousness, "I want you to introduce me, to vouch for me to one person of my choosing."

"Who?" Dante asked the obvious, "Why?"

"It wouldn't be of much worth to me if you knew it before hands," she drawled, "or maybe it would," she tilted her head, "I want you to introduce me to the Lord of Ultramar should he ever cross path with you while I am still tagging along with you."

"Chapter Master Calgar?" Dante frowned but the woman's face remained in a frozen smile, he stared at her.

"I can literally turn into a statue," she stated without moving her lips, "you are not winning a staring match against me."

Dante noted that curious statement before he relented.

"What do you offer to bring to this...alliance," he tasted the word like it was ash in his mouth.

"Me and my three companions," she nodded, "and of course I'll assist you in killing what your helmet is pinging for you, I am partially here to kill that thing."

It is a risk, a large one, she still might be a demon in disguise but as far as I know she might really just want to kill that thing. I'll worry about her 'payment' if we get out of this alive.

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"Agreed."

"Oh?" my mouth curved into a smile, "well then, we should get going."

"What do you want me to do?" Valenith asked as he appeared next to me with a barely perceptible ripple in the Warp, he wore his human guise and cast an evaluating glance at the towering Space Marine before turning back to me.

"Taking orders from me now?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes."

"Help Selene then," I shrugged at his stoic demeanor, unfortunately, he's gotten much better at cloaking his emotions and thoughts since I found out about Eldrad being his Master. However, it's still not enough to prevent me from taking glances when his attention lessens for even a second.

"As you say," he nodded and tapped his staff to the floor before disappearing again, the seamlessness and grace with which he did it was enviable and something which drove me to catch up to his prowess of the spell.

Dante didn't make any comments but I saw his eyes tracking Val as linger where he disappeared from.

"Other allies?" he asked with unnatural calmness, right, biologically unable to feel fear.

"Yes, I have two others," I shrugged, speaking of.

'Did the bugs eat you yet Magos?'  I sent to the only mind advanced enough to be him on the planet.

I frowned for a moment as what I received was a barrage of chirps and boops but with a thought I translated the Techno Lingis into a normal people's language.

'...Negative; Transport: Acquired; Predicted arrival: 10 Terran Minutes; End'

'Assist Selene and in defending the Fortress Monastery and the Blood angels if you would.'

'Acknowledged.'

"Let us go then," I stared into the eyeholes of his mask, "Commander."

"So be it," he said and turned towards the Swarmlord.

In the distance, beyond the rushing line of Tyranids there extended a swirling mass of blood and ash and it cut off most of my senses just like I assumed it did his. Still, it was easy to tell for anyone even mildly Psychically sensitive that the Shadow was coalescing there.

Dante's jetpack roared back to life, it vomited plasma-like flames and then launched the Commander into the air. I was tempted to try putting on Gargoyle's wings but for now, I wanted to appear only as an especially strong Psyker and not as a shapeshifting alien.

Atiesh flew into my hand again and energy coursed through it, even with my bones being made of the same material Atiesh was much better at focusing and channeling Soul Energy, and my bones also had a fraction of its reality-warping power. I assumed it was either because it was the first of its kind in 60 million years, a construct of pure soul Energy or because I named it and so made it important, it could be either, both or something else entirely.

I shot off after the Commander who was already arcing downwards into the swarm, he was deceptively fast for someone over 1500 years old. I saw him plunge into the waves and then flowers for dust and gore shout up, he fought much like a berserker but with some of his mind intact. It was a curious thing ho he was even alive at this point.

Plot armor probably.

As I flew after him my forcefield repelled anything in my way, be it projectiles or floating sacks of acid.

I aimed downwards and right into the swarm where I saw a Carnifex, I haven't fought one yet in this body. I launched myself and heard the sound barrier shatter with a thunderous explosion that was lost in the sounds of the battlefield. I let go of the staff, letting it float behind me as I formed my bio-sword in my hand, it was now pure white just like my armor with veins of sky-blue energy running along its body and cracking with power.

I angled myself, feet down and the sword pointed parallel to them, a second later I smashed into the Carnifex leg first. My legs bent as they impacted its torso and my sword impaled it through the skull, the beast fell backward and I jumped off of it before it even hit the ground as a dozen rippers and three hormagaunts tried to rip me apart.

Midair I spun around and sent two crescents of flames to two of the gaunts as I threw myself at the last. The crescents smashed into the two and exploded into a contained inferno, burning as hot as the crust of the sun for just a second while my sword sheared through air and Tyranid alike like they weren't there.

The feeling of zero resistance as I swung my sword felt slightly weird when I saw it rend through vicious aliens like butter.

I jumped up without thought and flipped around, then a plasma-charged bio-artillery smashed into the place I just stood in and exploded, not unlike how my crescents of flame did.

I felt the heated air swing my hair around as I smirked in recognition, those neural upgrades were worth it after all, an attack like that could have depleted two layers of my barriers at least.

As I reached the apex of my jump a flock of Gargoyles flocked to me, jaws and claws aimed to rend me apart. One came from the front, one from behind with three others circling around to sneak in an attack should I let my guard down as I said the two.

Bio-electricity flooded my body, jumping over and into my armor in tiny arcs. Less than a second later they exploded outwards in all directions, making me the center of a lightning storm and by the time it abated four Gargoyles were falling through the air with pained screeches as the membranes of their wings were burnt off and the two closes ones didn't even screech as their neural pathways were fried.

Then I started falling along with them as the last winged beast dived after me, having stayed behind the rest to observe.

I heard the screeches and the speech of bolt guns grow louder as I came closer to the ground with the Gargoyle quickly closing in.

Weird, don't they know I can fly?

'Danger from below.'

My spidey sense was screaming at me and despite my body already twisting to the side and my TK launching me away the sense only slightly abated.

I wrapped a bubble of an even stronger force field around me in preparation.

The ground caved in, and dozens of bio-forms fell in helplessly as large spikes of bone burst out of the dirt in a circle around me.

Not bones, teeth.

I couldn't help but gulp as the gigantic creature's jaws snapped close and the bloody light of Baal was robbed of me in an instant.

An ominous, foreboding feeling came from my senses as I heard liquid rushing in from the fleshy walls of this biological cave. I threw myself up, latching onto the large teeth but I felt my gloves hissing as the acidic bile wanted to eat through them.

I sent Soul Energy coursing through it and the hissing grew quiet.

Up became side and then down as the huge beast burst out of the ground as a dolphin would the ocean arced back towards the ground and got ready to bury both me and itself under mountains of rock.

I lashed out with my sword and chunks of calcium went falling, I heard the growing sea of acid below hiss violently as it tried to corrode the beast's own teeth.

Slash after slash teeth came loose and fell but the forest of jagged calcium didn't seem to grow smaller.

I grit my teeth but then my eyes widen as I feel Atiesh try to come to me even with dozens of meters of flesh and bones between us, I latched onto that connection and flooded myself with Soul Energy. I psychically touched the veil and pushed from both sides, Atiesh was like an extra limb, an arm, a part of myself, it was another vector for my soul to influence realspace.

Light flooded my eyes as my fingers closed around the familiar body of my staff, air rushed past me as the gigantic beast buried itself back into the ground, leaving behind a deep hole in the ground.

I don't have time for you now but you'll get eaten, just wait.

I threw a hateful glare into the hole, I ate things and not the other way around, this overgrown worm was going to get a rude awakening coming for it after I was done beating up the Swarmlord.

Speaking of the big bad Avatar of the Hive-Mind, Dante was getting close.

I shot off, imagining myself like a surfer riding a wave of space itself, and felt my speed increase drastically despite not feeling any of the increased Gs on my body.

Reading how realistic FTL drives could work might have been worth it after all, though this wasn't how they wanted them applied I'm sure.

When I felt Dante only two hundred meters away from me I let go of the space-warping bubble.

Fuck.

My senses screamed at me and I flickered over to Dante with inhuman speed and threw up a large pure black Barrier, I devised this one to protect from Kinetic and Radiation attacks by sucking up all of it and maybe launching it back at the attacker, the second part barely worked still.

I felt my hold on it strain as all the air, ash, dust and other molecules gathered on the front of my spatial bubble shot off at near-light speed.

Some Tyranids screamed, some didn't and some tried to circle around the shield and attack us from behind but Dante rewarded them for the effort with his axes and a splitting headache. Heh.

"I thought you got eaten," Dante noted as my little mistake dissipated along with my barrier.

"I did," I said as my eyes scanned the largely unhurt Tyranids instantly rushing at me as my barrier went down.

"Ready to go?" he asked.

"Yes," I nodded as I sent the approaching wave back with a wave of TK, I could call this Force Push.

"Connect us telepathically," he commanded and I just shrugged and obliged him.

'Sure'

'Let's go,' He shot off again, landing with another Tyranid getting squashed beneath his powerboots at the edge of the swirling storm of ash and blood. He stepped in and his form was lost to me not long after as the cloud closed behind him.

"I wonder if it's mind-fuckery will affect me," I murmured to myself as I flickered after him and strode in just like him.

The screeches of beasts, the bark of guns and the far-off screams of the dying became muted as I advanced.

Shaky and ambiguous forms moved in all directions, they hissed, screeched and growled but none approached me.

Then, I was at the feet of a mountain stretching endlessly into the grim grey sky, a mountain of corpses.

Oh, joy.

I started climbing.