Mathias, A Warhammer 40k Story

part 5

Lord Regent of Odrodzenie, master of the Seven Oasis, 'He who Creates the Night and Bringer of Water and Knowledge' Orangu Verta Tang was now in a hurry. Swiftly moving down the spire's tunneling staircase the two men were met by a third. A very fat, and old withered body sat atop a floating dias. Master at Arms and High Scribe Poktis Bok gasped at the sight of his Lord emerging from the staircase. Speed that belied the pure mass of the arm using it managed to stop the hovercraft in time. Unfortunately it was not without incident as the several adjutants following Poktis Bok slammed into the back of his floating throne. The sudden jostling movement slid Poktis' already oversized hat down over his face. This was met with a frustrated stammering from Poktis as he whipped the anti-gravity throne about to punish the persons responsible. 
     "Are you quite finished!" Nurul's voice slaps the air surrounding the short melee. After hearing the voice of Nurul, Torture Master and sinister Hand of the Lord Regent, all motion stopped. Poktis lowers his hand raised to dish out punishment, straightens his tunic as much as his bulk would allow, and snaps a short salute to both Lord and Nurul. "Status report, Bok." 
      The failure to use formality did not pass by Poktis Bok. Narrowing his eyes behind his piggy face, the Master at Arms produces a data slate from somewhere and thrusts it towards an aide who rushes it over to Lord Regent Tang. "It seems to be a chaos manipulated cruiser m'lord." A smooth, honey-rich voice warms out of Poktis. "Several hundred drop pods have reached surface out in the Skaarps Lowlands. So far we have been able to account for every manner of heavy Imperial armor, repurposed and writhing with warp energy. It is no doubt we are besieged by some powerful faction. My estimations say we have five to eight days before they reach your Command Crater."
"Blood of the Emperor!" Tang gasped out in surprise. "A Chaos Cruiser? Who is it? The Black Legion? World Eaters? What man! Out with it!" 
A sputtering aide to Poktis answers for his Master "W-we d-da-don't know, s-sir." 

    For the first time in a long time, Horoxx can finally feel something outside of himself. A melding with the Grim Talon has allowed it to remain more centrally located in real space. Before-hand Horoxx spent countless millennia as an Anathema. A floating non-conscious sentience that simply exists within the Warp. Occasionally these Anathema are bound together by the will of something greater into a physical presence. This presence being given a conscious life for the first time in its existence bases its temperament upon the creator. 
      For Horoxx, life in the void was everything and nothing. Not knowing what it was it did not know, adopting the materials and becoming one with the Grim Talon has shown Horoxx a wondrous universe. One filled with the delights and pleasures only found when a consciousness experiences life and physical form for the first time. Blowing a giant cloud of smoke into his chamber, Horoxx shifts his mental visage and impregnates one of the servitors above deck with himself. 
     Taking control of this centuries old half-machine, Horoxx drives the willing host about the ship. Eventually finding himself on the Command Deck of the Grim Talon, Horoxx finds a mighty interesting looking sight. A warm miasma of colors bleeds from the Astral Navigator. Abandoning his servitor, Horoxx muscles his way into the brain of the Astral Psyker. A much larger place than the servitor but not as large as its own, the brain of the Astral Navigator fits Horoxx quite well. Outside of the mind, the Astral Navigator's eyes turn a putrid green as he smiles widely.

     Onaicious, having launched a hunk of scrap from the Land Raider's bulldozer blade, grins widely while cracking his head violently from left to right before shaking it once. Screaming with rage, Mathias stalks over to Onaicious, brandishing his weapon high. Onaicious snarls, the cheekless jaw hangs wide as thick ropes of sineu and tendons stretch longer than thought possible. Raising his own demonic claws in the air to meet Mathias, a low sound bellows out of the town being sacked. Mathias and Onaicious turn together at the sound. "You will answer for this theft of honor later." Mathias snarls out. Onaicious bows deeply to his Lord, the lowered jaw dragging on the ground in the action. Crushing any soldier not quick enough to get out of the way, Mathias stalks over to another Land Raider. Mounting the top, he orders the line about face and head into the hivecity.