The Extended Cop-out!
The four
Sisters of Battle were huddled around me within moments, obviously quite happy
to see me in their own way. Cierra had some food with her… I think it was a
mess of slow roasted space chicken and the few of the plants from the planet
that we were on. Most were tubular, but that wasn’t truly important. Lina was a
bit too close for my own comfort, but I was ignoring it for the moment… and I
couldn’t exactly resist at the moment. Fia was a bit less worrisome, but the
smile on her face was a hint comforting.
It was the
Celestian who stepped up and gently, but firmly pulled everyone away from me
once they had settled down. “Ah, it is wonderful to see that the Emperor has
left you with us in this hour. I am sorry to say, but… That xenos monstrosity
was not found when we came across you… Only blood and a puddle of an odd, black
liquid. As your head is present, I am sure that the Emperor showed you favor.
We did, however, find this.” As she spoke, she brought one of her hands out
from behind her back and presented to me a sarape. It was torn along the edges,
obviously leaning to one side as if to cover only one arm and barely reach
mid-thigh. What worried me was the fact that it glowed… The same lines that
crossed the body of the mandrake were scratched across the hide of the sarape,
eternally glowing as if it was still living.
I started
to reach out for the item, but I couldn’t see my arm come into view. I knew
that I had lost my left arm, I expected that to not be there, but I couldn’t
see my right arm come into view. It felt as if I was moving it through air, but
it never came into contact. With a worried hum, I glanced over toward my right
shoulder as the ladies started to look my way with a mixture of worry and
sympathy. “We couldn’t save your other arm.” Lina chipped in, stepping into
view to push my head the other way for the moment. “We didn’t have the
materials on hand and only I had any chance of helping… All I could do was stop
you from bleeding to death on us.”
It took a
moment for it all to catch up to me and, once it did, I shakingly tried to
climb out of the bed. My body practically screamed at me to stay still, even
the Sisters trying to keep me in bed and, with their insistence, I eventually
just laid there under the blankets. I finally noticed that Carwyn was near the door,
glancing my way with one of their rare shows of true worry. “Let me up…” I
muttered as I started to sit up at the very least. “I have work to do.”
They
wouldn’t let me leave until a full month later, after which I was allowed to
get around with Carwyn staying close by as my assistant. For lack of a better
term, I was quite… depressed. I was practically helpless. Eventually we had
found a wrecked transport that, as a planet, we took hold of and went to the
hive city that it was meant to go to. While there, which I took Cierra with me
as she was meant to be a diplomat and Carwyn would be shot on sight if she came
with me, I was given a chance at being repaired… I took it.
I took the
chance at being given cybernetic augmentation, being given two knew arms and
legs (Never could walk properly after the hit to my thigh, which broke my heart
and made my stomach wrench every time I was reminded of the fact.), along with
the chance purchase of a plasma cannon and heavy bolter, which went to Cierra
as she was fit to use such a heavy weapon. To top it off, my limbs were all
given various augmentations along with a set of dermal armor underneath my
skin… Got to find out what being skinned without pain was like. I stayed around
the hive city and, when I heard that this crazy psyker came back, I helped them
out with the aid of Cierra who, with the combination of her heavy bolter and
the metalstorm bolts, the zombie hordes were fairly easy to clear out.
The
psyker’s staff was an interesting find as it seemed to… accept me… A seven foot
tall of coiled, black metal that was topped with an elaborate set of metal
wings. It was similar to a straight rod made of black, coiled metal that seemed
to have naturally merged and grew into the form. It… awakened something in me.
As we left with the staff, which I held on the opposite side that the sarape
covered, I found that I could both project two different types of defense and
truly fly with but a thought. It also seemed to fill me with strength and allow
me to nullify or twist the effects of other psykers… Useful.
After that,
we were approached by Squats… Aka… Space Dwarves. They sold us a few things, a
crate of wine older than 7000 years that I personally cracked into as soon as I
could, which earned me a land-train and also a bolt pistol that I personally
enjoyed having. I was forced to escort some supplies for them, but besides the
dust storm that was actually tearing metal off of the land-train, it wasn’t
difficult. Then there was the time that I met Magnus the Red… He was… We could
at least agree on the Space Wolves and I understood that he was outright fucked
as far as what happened to him.
By the end
of my time with him, which I kept a secret from everyone else, he had unlocked
another chunk of psychic potential I seemed to possess and turned me into an
alpha level pyromancer… Wonderful. But, after all of that, I was content to
finally be given a chance to rest.
Well,
relatively. I sat down at my desk back on the repair station, glancing out
through the window that allowed me to look down at the planet that I… Everyone…
worked so hard to create and to nourish into a home for us all. I remained in
my chair for only a moment more before climbing up to my feet and making my way
over to the bathroom, turning to look at myself in the large mirror.
My hair was
down to my shoulders by now, the brown locks having grown out and straightened
by their own weight, the bangs cut away to keep them out of my eyes. The armor
that Carwyn had given me so long ago was torn asunder by now, primarily from my
fight with the Mandrake. No armor to protect my arms except for a vambrace on
my right forearm as the entire left arm, pauldron included, had been left
behind. Every inch was scratched, dented, and scarred with time and weather,
the green, scale-like mesh having lost its beauty during my time.
My right
arm had false skin over it, impossible to see it as anything but the real
thing, except for the fact that it could be shifted depending on what I was
exactly using from that arm. The left, however, was void of the false skin and,
while it was very advanced, especially for the setting, it was obviously fake.
I had made sure that anything I had gotten, except for the left arm, could not
be seen as a fake. It was interesting how little time was required to change
someone. I was even wearing what I assumed to be the stylized skin of my
greatest enemy that I had fought while I was present.
I slowly
made my way back over toward my desk, having spent enough time simply on my
appearance and looking over who I had become… Don’t want to end up like an
acted version of “My Immortal”. Terrible story. “Hmm… I suppose that it is time
to figure out something new to do… This world simply gives me obvious paths to
take normally.” Just as I was about to take a seat, Celestian walked inside.
“Mr. Pezrin, I have some news. There are Eldar coming through a portal that has
opened up within the park that you had asked to be constructed. It tore apart
the obelisk that adorned the center of the park. A xenos named ‘Eldrad’ is
present.”
With a long
sigh, I glanced over toward the regal woman. “Why do I know that he has planned
for this… He is such a dick and I am worried as to what joke he plans on
attempting. I will be right down. Tell everyone to leave them alone.” The Sister
of Battle gave a small nod of her head and stepped away. “As you wish. You do
hold sway over this world, so I won’t complain about their continued existence,
but I have to wonder why you allow these… creatures… to continue existing on your
planet.”
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